Welcome to game 31 of our ongoing campaign.
Having cleared the surface defences of the Chaos stronghold, the remaining Salamanders and Sons of Gord descend into the depths of the bunker complex beneath the valley floor. Here, in the darkness, the veil between realspace and the warp has been breached by the servants of the Ruinous Powers, allowing a constant stream of daemonic allies to bolster the forces of Chaos on-planet.
The Astartes must close this warp breach, or risk having the calculus of war shift permanently against them.
This game is the fourth battle of a 4-part operation in the Vale of Shadows.
Previous games in this campaign can be found here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports
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The bunker entrance sloped down a long tunnel to a series of heavily shielded doors. Blood and other, unwholesome fluids stained the rockcrete walls. Stuttering lumens gave off a wan and nightmarish light as the marine force descended. Epistolary Tu’Shen held his gauntlet to his temple for a moment.
“The walls of reality grow thin in this place. The stench of the warp hangs over every inch of it.”
Captain Argo nodded once. “This is their den – we shall cleanse this place and root out the poison it contains.”
The force neared the three huge iron doors at the end of the access tunnel, their armored footsteps echoing strangely from the dripping walls.
“We break into three prongs – a central thrust plus flanking forces each side”. Ordered Argo.
“They seek to divide us captain.” Uttered Tu’Shen
“Then they shall receive us on three fronts – the heretics should be careful what they wish for” Argo answered, hefting his storm bolter as the terminators began to tear the doors off their rusting iron hinges and the force plunged into the darkness within.
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The bunker complex
The left flanking force
The central thrust
The right flanking force
This is ambush country brothers…
Try not to bunch up…
The forces advance
Contact! Daemons pour from the walls into the centre force
Maddened cultists add their frenzied attack to the melee
Purge them brothers!
Tu’Shen finishes the last daemons
The attack is defeated, but not without loss
On the left, Chaos Ogryn charge from concealed positions into the terminators
Whilst on the right, warp creatures materialise amongst the Astartes force
The terminators strike down the crazed Ogryn, but even their mighty armor is not enough, and two brothers are felled
The central advance continues
The right flank is bogged down in a tide of warp flesh
In the centre, new horrors appear
While on the left, the elite of the Plague Lord make their entrance
Worse still, heavy weapons emplacements guard the way
The terminators decide a new approach is required, and smash through the walls between them and the central advance
Scout and tactical marines fight off the spawn
The left and central forces combine
The right remains in an attritional combat
More ambushes are sprung – this time warp hounds
The Death Guard pursue the disappearing terminators
A small band of cultists lies in wait
The hounds slam into the central force, snapping and slobbering
Their Ogryn handler
ODs on combat stimms and dies, whilst the hounds are cut down
Advance!
The Chaos defenders converge on the central thrust
4 tactical marines break off to neutralise the cultists…and are cut down by autogun fire! (not the best round of saving throws there….)
Terminators arrive to bolster the right flank and finish the warp beasts
As they near the source of the warp breach, the central force finds their arch enemies are waiting for them
The Thousand Sons stand silent and ready
The Right flank is finally on the move again
What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?
The Chaos shrine is close now…
Charge brothers! Into the traitors!
The terminators plough into the Death Guard
The rest of the assault force is catching up
Ignore the automatons – head for the shrine!
More Ogryns!? The Salamander elite are delayed again
The force pushes on
The last line of defence appears
Duragur the Thrice Blessed continues his unholy rites before the warp portal
Tu’Shen sees how the Thousand Sons like being on the receiving end of a good smiting, driving the sorcerers back
All is dust…
The terminators begin the do or die final assault
Meanwhile, the fight against the Ogryns goes on
The Salamander scouts finally purge the cultist position, avenging the fallen Sons of Gord
Captain Argo and the surviving terminators fight through the Deathguard last stand
Battered and depleted, the Imperials confront the Nurgle sorcerer before his profane shrine and prepare to dispense the Emperor’s judgement
What new devilry is this? A Chaos price vomits forth from the warp rift, giving Duragur the Thrice Blessed an opportunity to slip through the portal
But Captain Argo will not be denied, and his furious attack drives the daemon back into the warp.
With the chaos force defeated, the imperials set demolition charges to bury the warp breach under a million tons of rock….
Imperial victory!
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Whew, once again a lengthways end to end battle went right down to the last round. The scenario meant the imperial force had to fight its way through a series of ambushes before they reached the last line of defence – a really cool way to play (thanks again to
DC for running such a great game).
Lots of casualties on both sides, but it was really something to use terminators the way the Emperor intended (crushing heretics, obv).
The Vale of Shadows operation is now complete, and the Imperials now advance closer to the fallen hive where they believe the main chaos force is situated. Lots of battles to go yet however, as this is but a minor setback for the followers of the eightfold path….
Next battle(s) – up first Xenos Moon – the Deathwatch attempt to prevent the Eldar spiriting away artifacts from one of the Triskelion orbitals.
And beyond that, Operation Typhoon – the Death Korps of Krieg engage in a multi-battle grinding advance against the outer defence ring of the fallen hive.