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Chapter 1: Betrayal at Targassus Prime

410.822M41

In the aftermath of the First War of Armageddon, the Space Wolves anger over the treatment of its original inhabitants still burned bitterly around the fires and feasting halls of the Fang.There had been one minor victory, though a pyrrhic one - a small group of civilians, no more than two hundred, had been smuggled out under the nose of the Inquisition. With the help of Russ' sons, they had been transported by the Rogue Trader Isthian ostensibly to safe haven. Once the fires of war had died down and Inquisition sweeps had decreased in their frequency, the Wolves dispatched a flotilla under the command of the Strike Cruiser He Who Sunders.

The expedition was headed by Tharik Redbeard, a warrior of great renown throughout the Chapter. Known for both his fiery tenacity, cool wisdom, and bawdy drinking songs, Tharik was a living homage to the Space Wolves proud warrior culture. Tharik bore a reputation of fierce skills in combat, and was said to never exit the field before his beard was bleached red with the blood of his foes.

Isthian was rumored to have helped them find safe passage to a minor world called Targassus Prime, a mere four months Warp-Time from Armageddon. Upon arrival, the flotilla found no orbital infrastructure, traffic, or vox communication. Tharik quickly dispatched a Spearhead to the planet's surface, lead by Wolf Guard Battle-Leader Schvenn, who had served with him in the same Blood Claw pack. Schvenn was the Keeper of the Hearth-Fire, one of the greatest storytellers in the Chapter, and the personal herald of Tharik's Saga. Leading a pack of his closest advisors in the Wolf Guard, a contingent of Gray Hunter veterans, and Maulgrim, a Lone Wolf who had lost his pack in the First War for Armageddon and who who sought the safety of the civilians as his destiny so that his pack-brothers might not have died in vain. Some slight glimmer of light in a universe of darkness.

They found a world bereft of life. Except for the shadows.

Entire cities were emptied of life, not even the skittering of mice fleeing from Rhino treads or Maulgrim's hounds. And yet while searching the streets of the capital city, the auspexes began registering signs of life. Distorted. Shifting. Some obviously human.

Others not.

Without warning, Schvenn's detachment came under attack from xenos - Eldar in black attire, wielding weapons of torment. Battle had to be joined, even as the Wolves searched frantically for what civilians were left on the planet.

Battle: 750 Points (Ish, DE book wasn't on hand, but we checked later and it all added up about the same - doesn't matter, this is a narrative game anyway)

Therius "Hulk-Taker" - Dark Eldar Rearguard

2x Warrior Squad, Splinter Cannon, Blaster, Raider
5 Helions
1 unit of Mandrakes
Talos

Schvenn "Keeper of the Hearth-Fire" - Space Wolf Spearhead

2x Gray Hunters, Flamer, Melta, Wulfen, Power Fist in Rhinos w/EA
1x 3 Wolf Guard, Combi-Melta, in Rhino w/EA
Maulgrim "Howling Echo" - Lone Wolf, Terminator Armor, 2 Wolf Claws, 2 Wolves

Objectives - Kill Points, +1 For killing enemy Commander, +1 for killing enemy Commander in CC, every time a building is entered roll a D6 - on a 6 a civilian is found which can be claimed/contested as normal and is equal to one Kill Point for Victory Resolution.

Quartered Deployment

Space Wolves deployed first, three Rhinos in a tight formation near the corner point, with Maulgrim ready to rush out from behind a tower.

The Dark Eldar deployed in a vague semi-circle in cover, prepared to move out quickly to destroy the Rhinos and pick off the Wolves by sticking to terrain.

The foul xenos stole the initiative, springing the trap on Schvenn even as his men rumbled into the city district where the civilians were!

Dark Eldar turn 1 -

The Raiders fanned out to both sides, the Talos rushed up the middle, and the Mandrake markers advanced. The Lances fired, but one missed and the other impacted against a nearby building.

Space Wolves turn 1 -

Each Gray Hunter rhino rushed out to meet a raider, one heading headlong up a street on the right flank, the other disgorging Space Wolves into a nearby building. They searched, but in vain found no civilians. Schvenn's transport rumbled around a tower to the right, trying to get a fix on the shadows shifting towards them. Maulgrim howled with all the rage he could muster, and assaulted the Talos (the 12" wolf charge got them into range, and Maulgrim was within 2"). Both raiders were brought down, destroyed but not detonated, by melta shots. In assault, the Talos snipped both Wolves, while Maulgrim caused a wound in return (rerolls to hit against T5, rerolls to wound from Wolf Claws) - it would be a glorious death.

Dark Eldar turn 2 -

Helions arrive near the Gray Hunters in cover on the left. Therius' warriors on the right flank took only managed to take off the rhino's storm bolter, much to his dismay. The combined fire of the revealed mandrakes and warriors on the left fells 5 Gray Hunters, and sends them running for their lines. Therius and his squad assaulted the Rhino on the right, to no effect.

Space Wolves turn 2 -

The sounds of the Wolves' rage echoed throughout the empty capital of Targassus. The Gray Hunters continued a tactical retreat, as the Mandrakes were too close to try and reform, but they managed to kill 2 with parting shots. Schvenn as his bodyguard moved to screen their brothers, dropping two Helions over the heads of the shadowy mandrakes. The Gray Hunters on the right exited their embattled rhino, burning a swathe through the foul xenos. Therius, wringing his hands in anticipation, began a withdrawl of his own and exited the battle area, much to the anger of the Helions' battle leader. "Fools, I live only to torment tomorrow..." Maulgrim and the Talos were still locked in deadly combat. The Talos suffered another vicious wound from Maulgrim, approaching death and sparks and spouts of blood and ichor sprayed from its broken carapace. But not without a cost to the heroic wolf - with unnatural speed, it tore one of the wolf claws from his body. As the claw clattered to the ground, the wound exceeding what any normal could endure, the fire in Maulgrim's eyes burned brighter.

Dark Eldar turn 3 -

The Warriors advanced into the building the Monkeigh had vacated. They were delighted that, beyond the delicious agony of the wounded primates at their feet, they found something else quite interesting - a civilian in tattered rags. They would cause even more agony to the monkeigh! But the Helions crossed their firing path, and they could not draw a line of fire to the retreating marines. The Mandrakes fell back into the building as well, merging into the shadows. The Helions, screeching with a terror from beyond the veil of reality, fell upon the Wolves. Two of the foolish monkeigh were slain, but their tenacity surprised the Helions - a crackling power fist crushed one, a short range bolt pistol shot felled another, while the monkeigh bearing bestial marks tore another Helion's craft in two, ending them in one fell swoop!

The Talos had its final victory. It severed Maulgrim's leg and lifted his body high into the air, crushing his armor with its other claw. Still Maulgrim fought, unwilling to concede death, slashing violently against its body with his remaining claw.

"The end is here, Monkeigh. Why do you fight? There is nothing beyond death, beyond the cold chill of oblivion, the emptiness of eternity. Your struggle is meaningless, your oaths are hollow."

"Death is never meaningless for the warrior, xenos! His immortality is secured in the songs of his brethren, the hearts of his allies, and the stone upon which they etch his name."

"Pray they do not forgot your song. Pray Time does not topple your monuments as it inevitably erodes all things. Pray the feasting halls of your brethren are not raided, and emptied of mead and mirth by the cruelties of a savage universe."

"Pray I do not find your soul beyond the veil and kill you a second time!"

With a superhuman eat of strength, Maulgrim stabbed into the primary housing of the Talos. Its pilot was severed from control, and the gleaming blue claws set off a chain reaction in the foul machine. The rippling explosion sent Maulgrim's body skyward, crashing into rubble nearbdy. Though his skin was scorched and blistered, Maulgrim's lips bore a smile. Death achieved. Oath fulfilled. Allies avenged, and greeted with open arms in the Halls of the Wolf.

Dark Eldar 4 -

Their allies retreating into the sewers, their raiders destroyed, and the Talos felled, the remaining warriors abandoned their position. "Fools! We can still take them! There are victims to torture, pains to be caused! We ca-" cried the remaining Mandrake, as Schvenn's Wolf Claw pierced his pierced his flesh time and time again. The civilian free of their grip, he crawled on all fours through the blood and gore of wounded bodies towards the approaching Marines. But even as they departed, the Eldar fired their foul weapons. Their rifles felled another Gray Hunter, leaving the first pack down to just its pack leader and the brother bearing the Mark of the Wulfen. "Into the jaws of hell! For Russ! For the Em-" howled the pack leader, whose advanced was halted by a hail of splinter cannon rounds. Even as one Lone Wolf's oath was fulfilled, another had risen from the pyres of battle. The streets echoed with a mournful howl. The full moon begets the new. The new moon begets the full. The stars watch motionless and uncaring.

Results - Massacre

Space Wolves 8 Kill Points - 2 Raiders, 2 Warrior Squads, Talos, Mandrakes, Helions, Civilian secured.

Dark Eldar 0 Kill Points - Killed Lone Wolf

Aftermath:

As the remaining marines secured the civilians, they voxed for extraction. The civilians could only keep muttering to themselves - "Gelgrath" or "Blood Moon", or just incoherent babbling. Once retrieved, Schvenn informed Tharik, who ordered the Strike Cruiser to move to full battle alert and begin moving around the planet at full burn towards Targassus' moon Gelgrath.

The ship still had ten hours to travel the orbit of the planet. Entering the hall of feasts, their wounds tended to, and their bodies bearing fresh scars, Schvenn and his men sat at places of honor near their lord. The braziers burned brightly. The Iron Priests had unmarred stone tables and chisels nearby. The Hearth had been prepared in the center, surrounded by the great tables. The fire was lit, its spread kept in check by sacred oils and the adamantine slab it sat upon. Schvenn stood ceremonially, and in three great strides made his way to the roaring fire.

Tharik raised his ale. "Tell me the story of Maulgrim, the Howling Echo."

As his legacy echoed amongst the halls of of He Who Sunders, Maulgrim's armor stood upright in the chambers of the head Iron Priest. The master artificier had begun repairs to the armor already, piecing it back together. Along the neckline of the armor, the Priest had inscribed new runes, spelling out a hero's name. Maulgrim would live on.

Very nice! I like the story elements of the battle, and the Lone Wolfs heroic sacrifice. For the Primarch!!


Keep it up!

I have a feeling the space wolves will do doing this to most armies outside orks or IG...

Epic battle report man Eager to see what the next fight will bring.

Amazing report, great narrative. I expect to see xenos in need of slaying on Gelgrath.

awesome report, probably the most well written one I've seen. Bravo!

Thanks for the replies guys! I am 3/4 of the way through the second chapter. Should have it posted this evening. It will be a bit different - it is from the Dark Eldar's perspective. I hope it's up to snuff with Maulgrim's death, heh.

Chapter 2: The Place of Skulls

Cries of anguish. Shouts of terror. Screams without end.

The signs of a nightmare in the flesh.

The hallmark of an artist crafting a masterpiece.

Haemonculi Vexen stood veiled in light, running beacons and blinking runes shrouding him in blue, green, violet, purple, and a myriad swirl of other darker hues - a grim parody of a rainbow. Fitting. He was the only sky these monkeigh would ever look upon again. His visage above them, his eyes burning like twin suns. With hatred? No, something else.

Joy. Pure, undiluted, and terrifying. He loved his art more than they loved their carrion primate god. He reveled more in their cries than in any droning chant within their primitive temples.

One of the more resilient monkeigh hung in front of him. How many new agonies could be culled from a frame upon which old pains had already been caused? Could he pluck this overly ripened fruit and still find new delicacies within? Vexen reached out with a clawed finger, trembling as it approached. Not with fear, nor exhaustion. Anticipation.

Something interrupted his concentration. An annoyance, blinking and shrieking across the Aui'lth'nagir, or Chamber of Vice Revealed. He hesitated near the monkeigh, which appeared to be leaking a mixture of blood,tears and bile from where its ocular organs once were. His demeanor displayed none of his annoyance, but his clawed hands began to flutter without flesh between them - motion not used to rend flesh. Motion wasted. Vexen might as well have been shouting at the top of his lungs.

He crossed the room with deliberate slowness, relishing every cry for a moment longer, as a lover might painfully depart the object of their desire. His wickedly curved fingers danced across the keys of the console as though opening a chest cavity to tease freshly-blossomed nerves with newfound agony.

The warp-negative visage of one of his most useful tools appeared on-screen. He was one of the Lidded Eye, the deadliest weapons at his command - his hands twitched of their own accord. 'Besides you, my pets' he said within his own mind. They chittered in approval.

"What?" Vexen clipped, not one for formality or wasting undue time.

"The monkeigh have discovered our presence in this system, Lord. Their crude eyes stare into the shadow of Gelgrath, and their ugly ships disgorge armored barbarians even as we speak."

"Where?"

"Within the Shadowfields themselves. None of their more ludicrous machinery, but a strike force with aims on destroying the Shadowfield-generators and establishing a presence to land more of their lumbering personnel."

"Stop them."

"With all haste, my Lord." The tool went to end the transmission. A thought crossed Vexen's frail mind, and he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Wait."

"My Lord?" The asset seemed confused.

"Bring me back..." said Vexen, in the longest sentence he had ever graced this one with "...specimens. Their constitutions should be well beyond that of these I have here."

"Of course, Great One. I will personally take your armies t-"

Vexen cut the transmission, like a ligament emptied of feeling to be exploited. Yes. Fresh morsels. His clawed hands were wringing one another and scraping over his armored gauntlets of their own accord.

Screams echoed in the Chamber of Vice Revealed. Screams sounded from the skies above.

It had only just begun.



Game: 1000 Points

Wolf Priest Kurgan Demon-Bane - Spearhead

5 Wolf Guard w/ Terminator Armor, 4 w/ Melta Bombs (Kurgan's retinue) in Drop Pod, 1 w/ Assault Cannon (attached to smaller Gray Hunter squad)

Wolf Priest, Terminator Armor, Melta Bombs, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Saga of the Warrior Born

10 Blood Claws, Fist, Melta in Drop Pod

Dreadnaught (Brother Orin) TL Lascannon, Heavy Flamer, Drop Pod


Lidded Eye Ghostmaster Yilnash - Ambush Force

6 Scourges with Splinter Cannons

10 Warriors on foot, Dark Lance, Blaster

10 Warriors on foot, Splinter Cannon, Blaster

9 Warriors, Splinter Cannon, Blaster, Haemonculi w/Terrorfex and Flamethrower with D6 AP (can't recall the name) in Raider w/ Terrorfex

9 Warriors, Splinter Cannon, Blaster, Haemonculi w/Terrorfex and Flamethrower with D6 AP in Raider w/ Terrorfex

Talos

Deployment - 1x1 square in center of the board was Space Wolf drop zone, Pods could only have their origin point in this area. The rest of the board was fair game for Dark Eldar, who set up first and went second. There were two objectives, and a Field Generator with AV14 and two structure points (could be killed outright on 6 result). To win, the Space Wolves needed to claim at least one objective and destroy the generator. KPs would also be scored - every 3 KPs scored would be -100 points for the enemy in narrative Big Battle. The Blood Claws were eager to prove themselves, and the Wolves would lose 2 KP if they never made it to assault. The Wolves could score a bonus KP off each Haemonculi killed.

On the Northern edge of the table a unit of warriors took up positions in cover on the left flank overlooking the generator and one raider deployed behind a building in the center. On the Eastern edge one warrior squad crouched in cover near an objective, while the scourges waited out of sight nearby. The Southern edge saw only the second objective, undefended. The Southwestern corner held another Raider behind a building and out of sight.

Space Wolves turn 1 -

The sky above the field generator was suddenly awash with fire and flame, a new sun birthed just above the planet's surface as He Who Sunders opened fire with a full broadside. The accompanying Cobras and Firestorm escorts lent their torpedoes and lance batteries to the barrage, and for a moment the shadowfield flickered.

That was all the Wolves needed.

Three concussive blasts signaled the launch of the Space Wolves spearhead. The fourth was delayed - the machine-spirit of Wolf Priest Kurgan's Drop Pod was agitated by the presence of foul xenos technology. It would take a full two minutes to assuage its essence. This would prove crucial.

The Blood Claws and Gray Hunters arrived first, sending up clouds of dust that hung lazily in the low gravity of Gelgrath. The Blood Claws advanced towards the Warriors in the building near the Eastern objective, felling 2 of the aliens with bolt and flame. The Gray Hunters and Wolf Guard battle-brother Argus opened fire as well, the dust obscuring their shots. But the sheer weight of shells from Argus' assault cannon plucked two more of the aliens from their perches.

Dark Eldar turn 1 -

The clumsy monkeigh had practically presented themselves on a platter. Yilnash leveled an obsidian blade in the direction of their crude landers, and the trap was sprung. The warriors in the Northwestern corner advanced through the rubble and positioned themselves closer to the generator. The talos broke cover and rushed past the generator, felling one of the monkeigh youth with a jagged cone through its torso. The Northern raider leapt from cover, followed by the scourges. The terrorfex unleashed pure fear on the smaller of the primate units. It was the essence of the universe, the pure unspoiled knowledge of the void. To the Dark Eldar - truth. To these monkeigh primitives - hell. They clutched at their helmets, trying to claw out their eyes even as the scourges, warriors in the building, and warriors in the raider opened fire on them. Only the bulkiest of the six survived, his immobile form evidence that he was so struck with terror he could not even register the death of his comrades. A thing of beauty.

Space Wolves turn 2 -

With the drop zone turning into a killing ground, it would take a warrior with experience and valor beyond reckoning to turn the tide. Just then Brother Orin arrived, the drop pod blossoming open to allow his proud armored frame to trod out into the pale light of Gelgrath's surface. "Stand firm, sons of Russ. Plant your feet so that you might spring forward with renewed valor!" he barked over the loudspeaker attached to the front of his bulky torso, the ferocity of his mortal life still evident even through the tinny sound of the machine. His lascannons took aim at the nearest raider pinning Brother Argus and let fly, but its sleek form avoided the worst of the blast, merely shuddering in mid air as opposed to detonating like a miniature sun. The Blood Claws moved towards the eastern building sending more haphazard shots into the windows, killing 2 more aliens. Even while prepping themselves to launch the assault, the cowardly xenos fled their position and left the battle entirely. The Drop Pods' storm bolters began tracking the winged Eldar and emptying round after round of tracer fire into their midst, clipping one and sending his writhing corpse ground-ward. Wolf Priest Kurgan and his retinue still had not arrived.

Dark Eldar turn 2 -

Yilnash laughed menacingly as the monkeigh faltered in their assault. It was time to pick them apart. His raider left its cover in the Southwestern quadrant and skimmed low over the intervening terrain. Its dark lance laced towards the clunky walker ahead, but a spire absorbed the impact before it landed. The Talos and warriors gracefully advanced towards the monkeigh walker. The scourges, now dancing more nimbly than before, still emptied their splinter cannons with startling accuracy into the hulking monkeigh who was still recovering from the effects of the terrorfex. Though its armor was crudely thick, it could not withstand such a barrage, and the figure fell to its knees with dozens of crystalline shards embedded in its frame, too bulky to even have the grace to fall over. As their raider shuddered from the impact of the Lascannons, the raiders within leapt out with stunning grace, plating their feet lithely on the surface of Gelgrath and opening fire on the primate youths. Whether punctured, burned, or vaporized, four of their number fell to the onslaught and the remainder fled towards the center of their drop zone. The jaws of the trap were tightening.

Space Wolves turn 3 -

Brother Orin was well-versed in the ways of battle. Though his flesh was gone, his limbs atrophied, his eyes no longer organic - his mind was still sharp. Brother Priest Kurgan still had no arrived, and the xenos had the upper hand. Death was certain.

But not failure.

The generator was the key. Even if a beachhead could not be secured, if the shadowfield was brought down then more of his brethren could arrive from orbit. The dead and wounded could be recovered, their geneseed could return to the Chapter. Death was not the end. Sacrifice held no pain - only legend.

He had no speeches, no grand soliloquy. Only a howl. Long, mournful, triumphant, fatalistic, defiant, full of sadness, full of glory. The Howl of a Space Wolf. The Howl of Russ.

He strode around his drop pod, even as the regrouping Blood Claws fired ineffectually at the closest Raider. He could hear the chatter of the other Pods' storm bolters, but could not see their lack of effect on the scrourges. He had only the generator in his sight.

But the xenos claw-construct obstructed his path. Kurgan and his pack were carrying demo charges, so even if Orin could not destroy the generator directly he had to clear their path. Orin let the Talos feel the wrath of his fangs, blue las shots piercing its hull and sending gouts of purple ichor spewing around Gelgrath. He closed in to let it feel his claws. Hammer blow after hammer blow rocked the creature. Though it robbed him of his open fist, he robbed it of its life. "Beware hubris, enemies of Man!" he shouted, striding towards the generator and charging another blast from his lascannon. "Even in our death, you will meet your end!"

Dark Eldar turn 3 -

Yilnash felt a slight pang of fear run up his spine as the monkeigh felled the Talos. Their death was assured, but that behemoth still threatened the shadowfield generator, and another of their landers was inbound. He had to quit toying with them, and end this quickly.

The monkeigh pups were of little consequence. Their lives were ended in a hail of splinter shards and blaster shots from the scourges and dismounted warriors. That left only the walker.

It would be his.

His raider swooped in low, clear of terrain, with an open line of fire on the primate vehicle. The warriors near the generator began to withdraw, taking up firing positions. They knew the explosion would be of some magnitude. He allowed himself a smile, an expression as alien to his face as he to this world.

The beam of purple energy gathered for a moment and then leapt from the prow of his raider. It hit the squat smokestacks on the rear of the walker, and for a moment lit the beast in violet light. Then it erupted in a blossoming mushroom cloud, pieces of metal scattering across the field.

The generator was safe. All that remained was the final lander.

Space Wolves turn 4 -

Kurgan looked about the Drop Pod. His Wolf Guard knew what they faced, a hostile drop, likely without support. The delay on his Pod had cost them the total success against the xenos. They knew it would be a fight to snatch some victory from total defeat. They knew it would be their death. They welcomed it. Their fangs gleamed in the red ready lights. They would become that which would claim them. If they xenos thought they would have it easy, they were wrong.

Gelgrath shook with a fourth impact, full of finality. Its five doors blossomed outward and clattered to the ground, kicking up a crown of dust. A crown to anoint the lord of Death. A grim reaper, a terrible warrior. What did these aliens know of fear before this moment? Nothing.

Kurgan set foot on Gelgrath's soil. His retinue was already at full sprint, difficult in their cumbersome Terminator armor, but they were highly skilled in its use. It was their second skin. They would take a third skin from these xenos filth who had slain their brothers. The landed Drop Pods tore into the distant scourges, slaying three of them and sending their remainder fleeing. They would soon be of no consequence.

The xenos warriors could barely recover from the impact of the Drop Pod before Kurgan and his men were upon him. They were riddled with storm bolter shells, and even though their curved blades and lighting-quick punches landed many blows before Kurgan's retinue could smite them, it was no matter. Not one fell. Not one would fail. They reaped a bloody retribution with gleaming swords. They crushed frail alien skeletons to powder with their adamantine arms. Bare hands. Bared fangs. the remaining whelps fled from the vengeance of the Emperor's finest.

Dark Eldar turn 4 -

Yilnash trembled. The barbarians were a terror to behold, utterly crude and feral, covered in the blood of his kin. He held for them no compassion, but anything would be better than death at the hands of these ham-fisted beasts.

The warriors near the generator were out of range, and the fleeing warriors and scourges failed to effect the monsters in the least with their parting shots. His own gunner failed to any more than score the ground at their feat with a searing bolt of energy. The pleasure inducers linked to his nervous center which rewarded him with ecstasy for each enemy felled were already drastically affecting his aim. The raider closest to the monkeigh managed to puncture the chest of one with its lance, the metallic bulk tumbling backwards. Yilnash knew it would not be enough.

Space Wolves turn 5 -

Kurgan and his retinue turned, mentally honoring their fallen brother even as they went to avenge him. The alien skimmer was prepping its lower repulsor intakes for a rapid retreat. But it was still within reach.

Kurgan and his warriors prepped and hurled their detonator chargers as one. One fell short, another failed its mag-clamp, but the third was sucked into the intake. The Wolves turned immediately to face the generator, their backs to the raider. They knew its fate before it arrived.

A halo of fire framed the marines. Death incarnate.

Dark Eldar turn 5 -

Sweat was running down Yilnash's brow. "Fire you idiots, slay them! Slay them!" he yelled with obvious strain in his voice. The head-lolling gunner once more missed his mark. Yilnash was reaching for his blade already, looking to cut this dead weight free, when - a stroke of luck! The fire from his remaining foot warriors ended another of the monkeigh, and wounded their leader. The comically red blood juxtaposed against its black armor brought a smile to Yilnash's lips. "Press the attack!"

Space Wolves turn 6 -

Not yet. Ignore the pain. For your brothers. This is not your time - this is for the Wolf-Time. Kurgan and his remaining battle-brother ran with all their strength for the generator. Their bolters and the automated defense systems on the drop pods emptied all they had into the warriors near the generator, felling six of the xenos. Still not close enough. Just a few more meters...

Dark Eldar turn 6 -

Yilnash's crushing victory was falling apart at the seams, all because of these stubborn gorillas. Primates too stupid to know their own death when they saw it. Their armor was a thick as their skulls - none of his warriors's shots could find cracks or seems to exploit. His gunner once more missed and traced a figure eight on a distance structure.

"Enough!" Yilnash cried, drawing his curved blade, decapitating the gunner, and sheathing it once more in a single stroke. He grabbed the gun's controls himself and gritted his teeth as the Raider swooped closer for the kill, a bird of prey pursuing stoic, ignorant little rodents. He would end this farce once and for all.

Space Wolves turn 7 -

Their objective was finally in reach, quite literally. Kurgan and battle brother Jorgal primed another pair of charges and placed them at the base of the structure. They detonated, and Kurgan saw his hopes fulfilled - only to have them dashed once more. Though a deep gash had been left in the side of the alien construct, it still hummed with life. Kurgan felt his own life leaking from the dozens of minor wounds and deep opening in his breastplate.

"Take my charges, Jorgal." No time for heroics, or pleas to sacrifice his life in Kurgan's stead. Jorgal dutifully took the remainder of Kurgan's charges, even as his Lord, whom he was oath sworn to protect, strode out to place himself in the life of fire. Beneath the skull mask, Kurgan smiled.

Dark Eldar turn 7 -

With wind whipping his hair into a frenzy, Yilnash grinned. His warriors' shots were screaming out from their weapons, showering everything near the generator in a hail of deadly shards, clearly felling the lesser primate. Nothing could live through that. But nevertheless his aim would be true. Foolish monkeigh, they thought they could steal his victory.

A purple lance tore a second hole in the breastplate of black-shelled monkeigh. It did not howl in death as it did in life. Why should it? That beam could easily have cut through them both, and if not his warriors' would have already ended the life of the other barbarian.

But as the first fell clutching its chest, Yilnash's eyes widened. The other still stood.

Space Wolves turn 8 -

Jorgul had done it. The charges were primed, and the detonators open. He pressed the button, turning to face his lord. He saw Wolf Priest Kurgan falling to the ground, smoldering like wreckage. Though a thousand suns were being birthed less than a meter behind him, setting of a chain reaction of foul xenos energy, it was nothing compared to the pain that gathered in his chest. He had outlived his Lord, whom he had taken an oath to protect. For the briefest of moments, he felt shattered - before he was atomized, he had lost his pack. He had become a Lone Wolf. And yet in the next instant, his oath had been immediately fulfilled. The full moon begets the new. The new moon begets the full. The sun pierces the night sky.

All is dawn.


Aftermath:

Victory for Dark Eldar

Space Wolves captured no objectives, but shadowfield generator was destroyed, so not a complete victory. Recovery of the fallen Wolves was still possible.

KPs - 8 for Dark Eldar, 5 but nominally 3 for Space Wolves (due to the Blood Claws never reaching assault). The big battle would see -100 points for the DE, and -200 for the Wolves. A sad day for the Sons of Russ.

(I intended to write a bit about the aftermath, but this ended up being far longer than I intended. If anyone is still reading, stay tuned for Chapter 3: The Long Hunt of Graymane.)

Wow, great job. Do you intent to end the narrative with an Apocalypse?

Probably not, for the sake of my fingers. I wrote all that for an 8 turn 1k game, I hesitate to think what I would try and pen for a 3k or more game, lol.

We have already done the next battle, and I think there will probably be two more. The "final battle" will probably only clock in at 2-2.5k, but considering how epic these past few games were narratively (even though on the table they have been complete slaughter-fests) I think it will suffice.

EDIT: Oh, and I wanted to make note of something. The Dark Eldar are sort of comically-evil villains, literally wringing their hands and "Mwahahaha!"-ing about the doom of the heroes and all that, but it's intentional. The friend and I that are doing these battles come from the Cobra Commander School of Villainy, and if the villain isn't suitably grandoise to match the bravery of the heroes... what's the point?

I just got the impression the Dark Eldar were like that normally. Ah well, such is life. By the way, if you want someone to proof read your stuff, I write fiction in my off-time and I'd love to help; the little spelling mistakes and typos bother me.

I intend to proofread it myself, I am just a bit sapped after writing that much. Though I could probably still use a bit of help even after the fact. Jim I'm a Historian, not an English major.