Today I will be recounting the story for the epic battle between the forces of Cryx and their heated adversary, the blighted elves of Everblight.
A full 'normal' battle report can be found on Claire's blog here:
http://journalofablightednyss.blogspot.com/
My list was(Cryx):
The Witch Coven of Garlghast
* Deathripper
* Stalker
* Reaper
* Slayer
Bloodgorgers (Leader and 5 Grunts)
Soulhunters (Leader and 4 Grunts)
Darragh Wrathe
Necrotech & 1 Scrap Thrall
Claire's list ( Legion of Everblight)
Thagrosh, Prophet of Everblight
* Scythean
* Seraph
* Typhon
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
Blighted Nyss Shepherd
1 Spell Martyr
The Scenario was Capture the flag.
The three sisters of Garlghast were on the advance once again on the unsuspecting realm of mortals. They arrived at the foot of a low valley with a small ruined chapel to their left and a tumbled down wall located in the center of the valley; off in the distance there was a forest that sloped away over the far hill.
The sisters were about to push on through the valley when they stopped, each one of them could sense a tingle warning of the presence of a warlock in front of them, though they could not see him yet. Each sister knew what she had to do even without speaking. Helleana forcused for a few seconds wiping her mind of the world around her as she linked into the cortexes of the jacks that had accompanied them on this foray into the mainland. She sent the quick and nimble Stalker off on the far left of their lines to link up with the deathripper who was protecting the flank of the Cryx advance. The Slayer, sensing the danger, had already advanced to the center of the line where he stood their with baleful eye, glearing at the far wood looking for any sign of life. The second sister, Morgaen, was focusing on bringing up the last of the jacks; an old and rusty, yet loyal, Reaper who lumbered into postion on the right of the Slayer. The last sister, Selene, stood next to the strangely beautiful Egregore, stroking it slightly as she waited for Darragh Wrathe and the leader of thier Bloodgorger bodyguard. Once Darragh and the Bloodgorger had bowed before Selene, she told them what was expected of them; she directed in her enchanting voice for Darragh to take his soulhunters to the right of the valley to try and flank the unknown enemy. The Bloodgorgers were ordered to the centre of the line to protect the witches. The strange spider like form of the Necrotech scuttled up beside the Slayer, its undead eyes looked vacantly at the distance forest as its explosive Scrap Thrall stood, unmoving next to the low wall.
The three sisters formed up around the Egregore, whispering to it and gently caressing it as they waited for the still unseen foe to show themselves. It was the ever vigilant Slayer who first spotted movement in the far forest as the unseen enermy revealed himself. The first beast to show themself was the horned Scythean as he came crashing through the edge of the forest. The foe that the witches would be facing was the blighted dragon spawn led by their Prophet, Thagrosh. As the coven watched they finally spotted the warlock as he came from behind the Scythean to take up postion in the low valley; next to him there was a strange and twisted huminoid-form whose chest seemed to be glowing with an innerlight. In the center of the valley came human-like beasts that looked like alligators- one of the Bloodgorgers growled in a low voice "Gatormen". For his insight he recived a savage blow across his head from the leader of the bodygards "Silence in the ranks" snarled the brute of a Bloodgorger leader.
To the right of these Gatormen, a looming shape of a Typhon lumbered out of the forest to take up postion next to the winged form of the Seraph who had just landed next to a small mound on the far right of the valley. The last of the legion to emerge from the dark forest was one of thier beast handlers, the Shepherd, who stood behind the Seraph.
Seeing the Legion beast advancing out of the wood, the Witches acted instinctively focusing out the jacks around them, sending each of them a fraction of their magical power. While the three witches where concentrating on the jacks, Darragh ordered his undead soulhunters into a full galop across the the bottom of the ruined chapel towards the mound on the far right of the legions line; the necrotech bodies of the soulhunter cut up the grass with thier hoofs as they galloped after Darragh.
The Bloodgorgers draw their wicked hand weapons that glinted in the afternoon light as they marched forwards toward the old wall in the centre of the valley. The three sisters walked up behind the Bloodgorgers with the Egregore in the centre of them, like a lover been escorted to a grand dance in some grand Khador court. Helleana then reached out with her mind to look through the eyes of the Deathripper to focus on the Stalker; runes of power glowed around her slender hand as she cast Infernal Machine on the Stalker to increase its speed. Impowered by the magic, the Stalker started running up the left flank towards some boulders. As Helleana left the cortex of the deathripper,she compelled it to run after the Stalker. Morgaen stood next to the Egregore, her mind linking into the old Reaper ordering it into a run to take it up next to the Bloodgorger. To the left of the Reaper was the Necrotech with its Scrap Thrall as it advanced to the right of the broken down wall.
The last witch, Selene, stood behind the Egregore. She looked over the valley happy with how their army had deployed before glancing over her shoulder at her faithful Slayer and sent it instructions to run up to the edge of the old wall.
Selene calmly faced the forces of Legion as she watched as the Seraph takes to the air and flys towards the soulhunters, as it avanced the Typhon seems to be magical pulled forwards. The Seraph lands on the edge of the small mount and starts to shooting some sort of venom at the soulhunters as they galloped up the slope of the mound. Two of the undead mounts fall in a cloud of hoofs and undead flesh as they are bLasted by the Seraph. Behind the Seraph, Helleana spotted the Shepherd moving behind the Seraph and raise her staff that glowed faintly; the magic seeming to soothe the Seraph. As Helleana watched the strange magic of the Shepherd, she was distracted by a mist that seemed to appear around the Gatormen as they ran forward towards the low wall in the centre of the valley. Out of this magical mist came the Typhon, its three heads looking in every direction for a target. To the right of the Typhon, the legion warlock advanced forwards with runes of power glowing arounded his clawed hands as a deep fog engulfed all the of the legions force. "That is definitely Thagrosh" said Morgaen to her sisters in her silky voice, "Lord Venethrax will be interested to know of this encounter", noted Selene, "particularly considering how far South we are" Helleana pointed out. Their conversation was cut short by a warning from the Stalker. Selene reached out with her mind contacting with the Stalker just in time to see the massive form of a Scythean charging towards the small bonejack. She readied the jack to receive a charge but as she watched she saw the beast slow as it ran out of momentum just short of the Stalker.
Unnoticed by the three sisters the Spell martyr walked up to stand next to Thagrosh.
Helleana looked back to the battle, spending some of her magical power to upkeep Infernal Machine on the Stalker, knowing it will need all the help it can get against the Scythean. Happy it can hold its own, she turned her attention to the other jacks in the sister's battlegroup empowering the old Reaper with magical power. The Stalker advances into the Scythean with the support from the sisters; it being nearly impossible to miss its target but unfortunately the bonejack stumbled on a root and fluffed its attack against the Scythean only causing minor damage.
Through the fog the Scrap Thrall saw the figure of a Gatorman. In its small necrotech mind, the Thrall thought it should run after the Gatormen in the mist, so it did, arms and legs flinging in all directions as it hurried towards the shadowy figure of the Gatorman in the mist.
The Egregore floated forward with Helleana and Selene eitherside of it, Selene conjures some of her magical power and boosts the power of the old Reaper with Infernal Machine. Buffed by Selene's magic, the Reaper moves up and fires its harpoon at the Typhon, hitting it through the fog and dragging it screaming towards the cryx battleline. Once the Typhon was in range of the Reaper, he begain smashing the beast but every wound that opened seems to closed just as quickly on the beast.
Sensing a kill, the Bloodgorgers charge the wounded Typhon hoping to kill it quickly. They hammered and stabbed at the beast but it refused to die. Darragh watched the Typhon as it was thrashed by the Reaper as he ordered his soulhunters to charge the Seraph that had blasted two of their number moments before, but he had misjudged the range and only two of the soulhunters were able to reach the Seraph and caused minimal damage. Darragh charged into the Typhon hoping to finish it off, despiting slashing a massive wound, the Typhon was still standing, barey.
Morgaen joined her sister next to the Egregore,she laid her hands on the Egregore whispering quietly to it as she called forth the power of the night to blacken out the sun and cover thier forces in protective darkness as the Slayer and the deathripper advanced toward the Legion forces.
Selene watched as darkness blocked out the sun from Morgaen's feat of magical prowess, though the valley was in pitch blackness all of the cryx forces cold see clearly, Morgaen looked at the Typhon raging against the old Reaper smashing the harpoon into pieces and buckling the legs, the Reaper staggered but remained standing.
Off on the right flank, the soulhunters were been smashed by the claws of the Seraph as two more fell to the ground. The Shepherd advances and uses her soothing magic on the Seraph to calm the beast down.
Through the darkness Helleana saw the Gatormen advancing, spearing two of the Bloodgorgers, killing them dispite there toughend skin. In the darkness a bright glow ripped through the chest of the spell martyr as a blast of magical power distroyed it and sent a ball of energy towards the Witches, seeing the danger a Bloodgorger dived in front of the blast, ending his live to save the lives of his misstress'.
Morgaen focuses on the old Reaper to help it kill the Typhon who finally falls to the blows from the Reaper. Watching the Typhon fall, Selene forced the Deathripper forward towards Thagrosh. Once it was in range, she summons her power to blast at him with magical power, but she was distracted by sounds of battle and shoots at one of the Gatormen by mistake, freezing in place with magical power. Annoyed with her lack of concentration she focused on Thagrosh hitting him with magical power. She saw through the arc node, Thagrosh absorbing the damge as rune swirled around his hands as he transferred the damage to the winged Seraph.
In the center of the field the Scrap Thrall tried and failled to hit a Gatorman, blowing up in the process and wounding but not killing its target.
The last soulhunter galloped over the low mound towards Thagrosh as Darragh charged at the Seraph slicing at it but the beast flapped into the air avoiding the blow.
Enraged by the death of their comrades, the last Bloodgorgers charge the Gatormen, smashing two of the strange beasts dead from savage blows. As they fell the Slayer clambered his way over the wall to cover the three witches closely followed by the scuttering Necrotech.
The battle was going ill for the sisters, they knew the next few minutes would be decisive. Helleana watched as the Shepherd moves to the side of the Seraph and uses her power to heal the deep wounds that had been infilcted by the soulhunters, once healed the beast took to the air moving in to range of the last Bloodgorgers as Darragh chops at the departing beast, leaving a deep gash along the right side. He watched as the great beast fires its venom at the Bloodgorgers, the beast hitting all the Bloodgorgers, knocking them down but not killing them thanks to their tough skin.
Off to the right, the Deathripper sent a warning to the witches which was cut short as the Scythean demolished the arc node. In the distance Selene watched as the enermy warlock waved his hands in air as he summons his power to bring back the dead Typhon to stand beside him, the beast moves forward to threaten the weakened Cryx force.
"This isnt going well" Morgaen said to her sisters, trying hard to conceal the worry in her voice. Despite her effort, the three sisters all could feel each others thoughts and the slow fear of failure was growing inside all of them. " Lord Terminus will not be pleased with these events", said Selene, the stress of battle clear on her face. " I have an idea" said Helleana "but I dont think you will like it". "No, it is too risky", said Morgaen sensing the plan forming in Helleanas mind. "Do it, its our only chance we are dead if we stay here much longer", said Selene in support of her sister. The words where scarcely out of Selene's mouth when Helleana acted on her plan. Summoning the Slayer, she compelled it to pick up and throw the Egregore as hard as it could towards Thagrosh. As the jack lifted the ball into the air, Helleana cast her mind into the consciousness of the Egregore asking for forgiveness and telling the being inside what she needed it to do. The Egregore landed and rolled on the floor before it started to rush rapidly towards Thagrosh, stopping just out of reach of the warlock. "Here we go", said Helleana as she called forth her power and began blasting Thagrosh with magic, hitting and wounding the warlock but not killing him. "That is not good", whispered Helleana as if to herself.
"Darragh can you hear me?" called Selene trying to telepathically link with the battle wizard. "I hear you my lady", came Darraghs reply, " we need you Darragh, you are the only one who can save us now". Selene seem to be slightly panicking to Darragh as her thoughts entered his mind; a sign of weakness that he will use in the future in the never-ending power struggle that besets all of the Dragon father's champions. " I see what you want my lady", said Darragh as he urged his mount forward he could see the injured Thagrosh. As the warlock came into view, Darragh called on his own magic and cast his hellfire at the weakened warlock hitting and killing the mighty Thagrosh. The Legion beasts sensed their masters demise and fled into the forest to lick their wounds; the Seraph flying over the body of Thagrosh, picking up the fallen leader and carrying him in to the darkening wood.
The battle was over and the Cryx forces were left triumphant, but only just.
My thoughts
That was a hard battle that I should not have won but I got very lucky with the Egregore/ Darragh assassination. I made a few mistakes in the game, like not shooting Thagrosh with the arc node when I had the chance. I also feel if I had been more aggressive with the Bloodgorgers and the Slayer that might have helped. All in all though I am pleased with this list and I dont see it changing much more for my first out of county tournament of the year at Iron Haven in Exeter.
Oh by the way never say "Anything but double one" because the dice gods will curse you and give you this:
Thanks for reading,
Richard.
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