We come to it at last, after 11 years of real time. The final battle.
Welcome to the final game of our decade-spanning campaign. At last, after all these long years we come to the end. The forces of the God-Emperor stand at the brink of victory or ruin. The servants of the Eightfold Path are nearing the completion of the fell ritual that will breach the walls of reality and drown Triskelion in the madness of the warp.
Only the final wall of Hive Erd stands between glory and defeat.
Previous games in this campaign can be found here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports
With the climactic battle and the future of the system at stake, both sides have thrown everything they have into the final assault. Armoured units, infantry, elite forces, super-heavies, daemon lords and even mighty titans. No quarter will be asked or given – this is total war.
Special Battle Rules – Void Shields
The inner hive wall is protected by two void generators located behind the main defences. These generators bestow the following rules:
While both generators are active, all units on or behind the wall or in the trench line in front of the wall have a 2+ invulnerable save against any shooting attack (including psychic attacks)
If only one generator is active, this save is reduced to 4+
If both generators are destroyed, the void shields (and the invulnerable saves) are removed
While any void generators are active, no orbital or airstrikes or high-energy deployments are allowed in the protected area (no teleport, psychic or drop pod deployments, but grav chutes and jet packs are usable due to their low speed)
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The morning heat, already stifling in the airless wasteland of no-mans-land, beat down on the tanks and men of the Imperial forces as they formed up into assault formations. Even the glare of Triskelion’s sun could not dispel the unnatural shadows that clung to every surface. Witch lights bobbed above tanks and strange aurorae crawled over armour. The air felt greasy and strange voices scratched at the edge of hearing.
Watching from the command post, Inquisitor Bellerophon could feel the warp pressing in. The final assault was about to begin, but would it be soon enough? The pressure behind his eyes was growing by the moment – the chaos ritual being spun in Hive Erd was nearing its crescendo.
The titans of Legio Astoria waited behind the assault groups. Auto loaders rattled as mega bolter and gatling cannon shells were loaded and frost fumed off venting coils as plasma generators came to full capacity. The ancient machine-spirits beneath their armoured hides strained to be released to mete out vengeance on the forces of chaos arrayed before them.
To the rear, the lithe forms of Eldar titans appeared through the haze, holding warily just beyond the Imperial lines. Many Imperial eyes turned towards the towering figures, but for now, no weapons followed.
Behind them, a shimmering portal had arisen, and from it issued more Eldar and graceful grav-tanks. They glided into formation and waited, silently.
The air was thick with promethium fumes as the massed ranks of the 1st Antipodean Armoured, Krieg 681st Assault Regiment and the Salamanders chapter waited for the order to advance. Tank after tank was arrayed against the foe, their armour ticking in the heat.
High above, Valkyrie assault carriers circled, their cargoes of drop-troops and commandos going over their combat gear one last time. Major Stirling of the 2nd Antipodean Airbourne looked out of the open door of his transport and across the shimmering void fields protecting the curtain wall of the hive. Below him, the massed assault forces were obscured by dust and haze.
Mercifully, so were the enemy lines.
“Out of the blue and into the black.” He intoned, the motto of his regiment lost in the scream of the engines and howl of the slipstream outside.
Aboard his strike cruiser in the silence of low orbit, Gordus Maximus knelt with his retinue on the teleporter dais, awaiting word that the void shields had fallen…
Finally, alighting from a command crawler, the rotund figure of ‘Fat’ Phineas and his retinue stepped onto the field. Despite the entreaties of his advisors, the Imperial Governor could not be dissuaded from participating in the final attack. As he would tell anyone within earshot “I was in this damn thing from the beginning, and I will damn well be here at the end!”
And opposite them all, across the blasted and ruined detritus that had been the outbuildings of Hive Erd, squatted the bulk of the inner defensive wall. The haze seemed to warp the trench lines and defenders, sometimes making them seem an impossible distance away, other times close enough to touch. Those with warp-sight knew it was not just a trick of the light. They could feel the walls of reality thinning.
Monsters clad in rotting armour could be seen standing silently on the defensive walls. The Death Guard awaited, before them trenches packed with super-heavy tanks, armoured units, artillery, madmen and horrors that had no place in a sane universe. This was the rock they would break the imperials on.
The haze shifted again, giving a suddenly clear view of the main curtain wall. Aboard the titans of Legio Astoria, auspexes lit up. Signifier runes flashed and target recognition sirens blurted as a huge bipedal form was sighted.
+++Target sighted+++
+++Enemy engine+++
+++Warhound Class+++
+++Identification…….cogitating……archives accessed…..designation….Lupus Diablo….Legio Mortis+++
+++Last confirmed sighting….. cogitating …. cogitating ….M30….++++
+++Sighting location… cogitating … cogitating ……..+++
+++….sighting location confirmed….Badab Bastion…..Imperial Palace….Holy Terra….+++
A low moan of rage issued from the war horns of the Astoria titans as they recognised a foe from ancient days – a traitor titan that had marched on the Throneworld under the banner of Horus so long ago.
Moments passed. The glare of the sun. Armour in the heat. A sickening stench blowing on the breeze. The feel of a lasgun held in sweating hands. Voices in the shadows that can almost be made out….
A single green flare fired into the seething sky and a data-pulse that flashed across every imperial channel.
One word only.
+++Advance+++
The final battle for Triskelion had begun.
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The field of battle from the curtain wall
The chaos lines
The execrable Captain Farid makes another appearance with his chaos masters
The imperial line
Heavy Metal
No mans land
The Eldar webway gate and Seer Council
Imperial artillery
One of the two void shield generators, heavily guarded, wards the curtain wall
Imperial and Eldar armour moves forward into no man’s land
Advance!
Troops push through the ruins
Renegade forces sally forth to meet the imperial advance
Rangers deploy as chaos spawn surge toward the imperial advance
Salamanders lead the charge
Across the Chaos lines, daemon princes and sorcerers exhort their minions to greater feats of slaughter
A Freeblade Knight stalks for targets
Battle is joined
Entire squads of heretics are deleted by massed Krieg artillery
The Deathguard move to counter the Salamander charge
Protected by the void shields, the main chaos gunline pours out a hail of fire into the advancing imperials
But onwards the loyalists come, supported by the titan of Legio Astoria and the craftworld Eldar
Lupus Diablo reduces another imperial tank to slag
Innumerable spawn roam the battlefield as desperate imperial troops try to bring them down before they close
The Salamanders are hard pressed
A freeblade knight comes to the aid of an imperial walker, sawing a spawn in half
Big guns never tire
Nor smaller ones (when protected by void shields)
Imperial tanks move into direct fire range of the chaos line, but the void shields turn most shots aside.
Command units attempt to maintain order amongst the chaos
Hard fought skirmishes erupt across the front under the constant exchange of heavy ordnance and titan fire.
The main chaos line remains virtually unscathed thanks to the void shields
The Deathguard pushes forwards, smashing aside the lead imperial units
Close combat
An imperial knight is vapourised by the Lupus Diablo, leaving only a smoking crater
Engine kill….
Salamander units hold the line, but their numbers dwindle in the face of the Deathguard assault
Imperial heavy units take a toll on the heretics who advanced beyond the void shields protective Aegis
Dark clouds gather above the battle as the walls of reality thin dangerously. With a crack of leathery wings, Hekate the Enslaver alights on the field
Greater Daemons of Nurgle manifest amongst the carnage and begin to add to the tally of woe for the imperial forces
Everywhere the imperials are hard pressed to hold against this new onslaught. Tanks and walkers dual with swarms of chaos spawn and huge daemons
Behind the curtain wall, Salamander Vanguard Veterans, Inceptors and Reavers descend on jump packs to assault a void shield generator. The Deathshroud terminators on guard move to intercept. The jump marines are quickly surrounded by the armoured monsters.
Oh dear…
More greater demons appear amongst the imperial rear
A Revenant titan is laid low by their combined might.
The titans pivot to engage the new threat
Mayhem at the webway gate
Imperial troops move in close to advancing renegade armour and infantry
Greater daemons of Nurgle smash aside tanks gleefully as they waddle forwards
Imperial drop troopers land next to the second shield generator but their heavy weapons cannot penetrate its armour. Now they are cut off and surrounded by the enemy.
The first Antipodean armoured fires point blank into a wall of daemonic flesh
The drop troops find themselves assailed by an ancient dreadnaught as their situation becomes dire
Daemons run amok as imperial casualties mount
A plague engine is felled by a cyclops demolition vehicle
Eldar battle daemons and teleporting chaos terminators at the webway gate
The Salamanders are overwhelmed by the Deathguard. Small knots of loyal astartes fight on as their numbers dwindle
In this darkest hour, the lowly human infantryman steps up. As the Vanguard veterans fall under the scythes of the Deathshroud, Antipodean Commandoes drop chute in and fire melta weapons into the first shield generator, sending it up in a ball of flame. The void shield flickers and weakens…
Tunnelling from below, Krieg engineer and grenadier units assault the remaining shield generator.
Under a hail of fire from the Krieg and remaining drop troops, the last generator explodes. The void shield shimmers for an instant….and then collapses.
Forwards! Forwards men, the shield is down!
As the oily light of the void shield winks out, Legio Astoria princeps give the command – concentrate all fire on the traitor engine….
A storm of laser, shell and plasma smashes into the Lupus Diablo, overloading shields and penetrating armour
With a final daemonic shriek of defiance, vengeance is delivered after 10,000 long years
With the void shields down, the full weight of imperial fire rains down on the chaos lines and the curtain wall.
Traitor superheavies start to die and great holes are blasted in the chaos lines as the combined Eldar and Renegade titans unleash their fury
A hades drill destroys a heretic artillery piece behind the curtain wall as fighting rages in the chaos rear. Loyalist Terminator squads begin to teleport in, turning the tide
The titans turn on the greater daemons in the Imperial lines, blasting and bludgeoning them back into the warp
Hekate the Enslaver, in a fit of blind rage, turns his attention on the Phantom Titan. Here at last is a foe that he cannot best. The Khorne daemon is sent screaming back to the warp
Knowing the day is lost, the Deathguard embark on a spiteful campaign of destruction as they fall back, seeking to do maximum damage
Seeing the writing on the wall, Captain Farid decides it is time for him to make a hasty exit
But he cannot escape the Emperor’s judgement so easily after his many treacherous deeds. A blinding teleport flare announces the arrival of Gordus Maximus. With a roar of the Astartes Captain’s storm bolter, the villainous Captain Farid is no more.
Governor Phineas sees imperial banners raised upon the curtain wall as the remaining chaos forces flee or are put to the sword. The fighting remains heavy as the traitors sell their lives dearly, but the day is won.
Final Imperial victory!
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Epilogue
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Inquisitor Bellerophon watched in grim satisfaction as the melta charges detonated, sending the chaos warp gate collapsing to the desecrated ground. His stormtroopers moved forwards, bathing the ruin and surrounding area in flaming promethium. Bellerophon decided not to dwell on what the heretics had used to construct the portal. The smell of burning flesh and bubbling fat was evidence enough.
He turned away from the sight and considered the ruined hive all around him. The destruction of the gate would prevent any further chaotic incursions, but the heresies committed here would not be so easily expunged. He had convinced the sector conclave that exterminatus would not be required – the chaos threat here had been thoroughly defeated. Yet this place was beyond saving. Hive Erd would be declared purgatus and quarantined for all time. Any surviving population were to be declared unclean and liquidated. A small price to pay when the ends always justified the means.
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Governor Phineas was in a fine mood as he stood on the balcony of his palace and watched the procession of victorious forces parade below. The crowds cheered, banners flew and streamers rained down like…well, rain. He wondered idly where all these pampered throngs were when there was dying to be done in the trenches or on the walls of accursed Erd…
He batted the dark thought away and turned his mind to the future. Yes, one hive was lost, large areas of the planet lay in ruins, ongoing purges taxed the PDF and Arbites and the inquisition hung around like a bad smell. And yet, many lucrative rebuilding contracts needed to be awarded to the most, ahem, generous bidder. Sector trade was bouncing back and then there was the issue of all those interesting Xenos artifacts that kept popping up. Yes, the future wasn’t looking too bad at all Phineas thought as he waved to the adoring populace below.
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Major Stirling of the 2nd Antipodean Airbourne leaned against the Valkyrie assault carrier and watched the procession of vehicles, men and equipment as they embarked on the heavy troop lander. He wondered what feth-hole they were being sent to next. His company sergeant major walked over and saluted. Stirling waved a casual hand back.
“Looks like our turn shortly sir’ the NCO said looking over the mass of Imperial might being loaded into the yawning maw of the landers.
The Major grunted. ‘I suppose we should be grateful to be here at all. That last drop was pretty hairy.’
The sergeant major nodded. ‘If those space marines hadn’t arrived when they did…’ he trailed off, looking thoughtfully into the distance.
Stirling roused himself, dusting off his fatigues. ‘Well, Emperor’s luck they did. Get the company ready to depart and make sure support platoon isn’t bloody late this time or they can walk to the next deployment‘. The sergeant saluted and jogged off, barking orders to startled troopers as he went. Stirling watched him go, fishing a ragged lho stick from his jacket pocket.
‘Out of the blue and into the fething black’ he sighed as the roar of the heavy lifters drowned out all else.
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Gordus Maximus watched the sphere of Triskelion recede into the void from the plexiglass dome of the strike cruiser
Relentless. Another victory in the annals of the chapter and glory to those who had triumphed. Still, the whole affair had taken far too long and there were other pressing calls for assistance for the Sons of Gord to attend.
He turned from the glittering starfield and consulted the strategium dias, his features bathed in the glow of the hololith. There in the luminous data was a list of calls from Imperial sectors hard pressed by the xenos, the heretic and the damned. One name stood out, assailed as it was by Necrontyr, Ork, renegades, Tau and now a hive fleet splinter. Here was where the Sons would do the most good.
‘Master of the Watch, new heading. Inform our Mistress of navigators we have a new tasking. Our next destination is the Abyssus Deeps’.
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Baalor the Horned sat atop his command throne as the heavy Cruiser
Hellbringer departed the far edge of the Triskelion system. Through pure chance he was leaving the system almost at the opposite point of the solar ellipsis from the Sons of Gord, both sworn enemies ignorant of the other.
With a whine of armour servos he turned his helm to the scene below. A great sacrificial dais had been raised on the bridge, its stone stained black by the blood countless victims over the long aeons.
His torturer’s latest work was impressive. There was hardly enough left of the Eldar to function as an organism, yet still it lived, twitching feebly on the wet stone.
Draped in flayed skin and fetishes, the torturer turned to his lord, executing a low bow as he spread arms that ended in flensing blades and saws.
‘My work is complete master’ he rasped in a sibilant hiss.
‘You have the location of the prison?’ Rumbled the Chaos lord
‘That and so much more master. Our guest was…extremely forthcoming’
‘Where?’ The word landed like a falling headstone
‘A minor imperial backwater master. It is known by many names, some old, some much older. I understand our former brothers call it the Abyssus Deeps.’
A slow nod came from Baalor. ‘Summon the sorcerers. We sail the Sea of Souls. Soon my task will be complete, and the galaxy shall know fear once more’.
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Well, there we have it. Our largest and longest campaign ever is done. 11+ years and dozens of battles. The crew involved did amazing work, painting armies, building terrain and designing interesting and novel scenarios. I've lost count of how many different versions of the core rules we used over that time (or the junk food/beer consumed).
I painted no fewer than 5 armies and considerably expanded 3 more during the campaign. It was a great motivator to tackle the Great Grey Pile. Personally, my children were both toddlers when we started and now they are teenagers (and both have now painted an
AOS army!)
Thanks for all the feedback and comments - it makes the effort of putting these reports together worthwhile. We've already started the Abyssus Deeps campaign, so I'll take Dakkas advice on whether you want further battle reports like these in future.
Cheers,
Gord
DC
Boyd
Sandy
Kieran
Julz
~5000 pts
~5000 pts 