The Great Hall of the Meadow Glades was now only dimly lit by the
witchlight emanating from the glowsticks that the Wood Elves used
instead of torches. The Hall was not an actual building, but rather a long
glade which had been tended and guided for centuries to create a suitably
grand meeting place for foreign dignitaries.
The dim light revealed overturned tables and half empty tankards
strewn about the Hall. Four somber looking elves were sitting at what had
only hours before been the Table of Honor.
"I can't believe that you let that Dwarf say those things,
Aewyn." Dunados Celedan looked ruefully at his ale-stained cloak, "it
was he who started this drunken brawl."
"The brawl was mostly between the Dwarfs, my friend" noted
Aewyn. "And I don't think that they saw it as a brawl at all. Most
likely just a little fun and frolic after a good party."
"No, what I am concerned about is the Dwarf King's intransigence
on the matter of mining the Spired Eyries. As you know, Wind-Lord Etos
is very concerned that the Dwarfs will disturb his sky-clan's nests and
drive them from their ancestral peaks."
"We can't just stand by and watch that happen, General Machiara"
pleaded Oseyn Sylvanos. "We must do something to save the eyries. The
eagles are not only our allies, but our friends."
"I know that, Oseyn," replied the Defender, "was I not given the
title of sky-brother to Etos after the Battle of the Sunset Peaks? We
will not allow the Dwarfs to mine there, and they will not voluntarily
restrain themselves. So we will impose some restraint upon them."
"Courier!" shouted Aewyn. A young elf who had been standing in
the corner of the Hall ran up. "Alyr, please go and inform our drunken
guests that their stubborn behavior is unacceptable to the Elves
of the Meadow Glades. We will defend our friends and allies the Eagles
to our last breath. Tell the King that tomorrow we will confont him and
his people in battle."
"Yes, sir!" replied the page, who quickly dashed toward the path
down which the Dwarves had so recently trodden.
"And Alyr!" shouted Machiara.
"Yes, sir?"
"Make sure that he's sober when you tell him."
"Yes, sir!" The young courier ran off with a smile.
Machiara looked wearily through the fading witchlight at his
lieutenants. "Get some sleep, gentlemen. Alethia?"
"Yes, my Lord?" answered the mage who had heretofore been silent.
"Summon Iskuras."
Gnorri Girthkeg sat back in his chair and belched loudly. Waving his
arm, he motioned for the next keg of ale to be brought in.
"Aye lads, zis will be a good fight..... *URP*. Them ladylike
bashtardsh are gunna get wot's coming for dem," roared Gnorri, "and we're
GUNNA GIVE IT TO 'EM! WHADDAYA SAY TO DAT????"
Blearily, Gnorri looked around. His new keg hadn't arrived yet, and
no one else in the room was in any condition to bring in a new one. Breaunor,
the Hammerer's regimental leader was passed out on top of Brog, an
up-and-coming lieutenant who had just recently been placed in charge of the
Iron Breakers (after the demise of Grug at the hands of some Dragon Ogres).
Runesmith Skarr Woundbringer, and his two sons (both were as dour and taciturn
and their father!) were passed out in another pile.
As he stared as his flagon, willing it to become one again (instead of
the three that he was seeing), Lortri Dunderhelm burst into the tent.
"My Lord, the Elves have sent a courier! They desire to meet us on
the field of battle!"
Gnorri looked puzzled. "Whazzat?", he muttered.
"The elves! They have issued us a challenge! They appear to be
inflamed by some comments you made at the dinner table last night.....that,
and something about eagles!" Lortri looked pleadingly at his new Lord. King
"Gutbuster" was fearsome in a fight, but right now he was drooling into his
ale. Lortri thought back to Gnorri's coments on Elven wine, singing, dancing,
dress, style of fighting, what they liked to breed with...... It seemed to
him that Gnorri had missed NOTHING when making fun of them.
Lortri sighed and shook his head. It was time to go have his
crossbowmen gather buckets of ice water to wake up the army.
-----------------------
This battle was 3000 points (haven't played a big point game in a while) with
the following restrictions:
1) no forbidden rod *or* book of ashur
2) regular army list restrictions
3) no magic item limit (runes, baby... oh yeah!)
My army:
King Gnorri "Gutbuster" Girthkeg, King of Karak Knapp (346 points)
-dwarf general w/Skarr's Axe (mast rune of swiftness, 2xcleaving), Crown of
Kingship (mast rune of spite, luck, passage), Golden Armor (armor of
protection) and a shield. leads hammerers.
Brog Gimlit, Iron Breaker champion (80 points)
-champion with heavy armor+rune of stone, shield, hand weapon, Black Gem of
Gnarr. with the iron breakers.
Breanuor "Deathbringer" Potts, Dwarf Hero (172 points)
-hero w/2H weapon, armor of fortune+shield, golden sceptre of norgim.
attached to hammerers.
Lortri Dunderhelm, Crossbowman Hero (166 points)
-hero w/Bright Nail (sword w/cleaving+fire), fiery ring of thorri, crossbow,
heavy armor+shield. with the crossbowmen.
Skarr Woundbringer (352 points)
-runesmith w/Skarr's Hammer of Spite (mast rune of flight, cleaving, smiting),
Ring of Warding (3xspellbreaking), Armor Grungron Ok Rhun (heavy armor
w/stone+iron), shield. mounted on anvil of doom, which was attached to a
battery of organ guns.
Anvil of Doom (200 points)
-anvil w/2 guards (Skalf and Gree Woundbringer, champions with heavy armor+2H
weapons).
Grug's Tunnel Rats (315 points)
-11 Iron Breakers, SB w/Rune of Courage
Fifth Regiment, King's Guard (355 points)
-14 Hammerers w/2H weapons, SB w/Rune of Courage+Rune of Battle
16th Crossbow Regiment (380 points)
-21 Xbowmen w/2H weapons, SB w/2xRune of Battle
The Damned (192 points)
-14 Slayers w/additional HW + SB
Rockbreakers Artillery Detachment
-Organ Gun (65 points), Organ Gun w/rune of Immolation (90 points)
"Ol' Aleback" (150 points)
-Gyrocopter w/rune of penetration+disguise
Braack Windybutt (150 points)
-Griffon
Wood Elf Army:
Aewyn Machiara, "Sword of Loren," Wood Elf General
-Lance, Longbow, Light Armor, Shield, Blade of Leaping Bronze, Golden Crown,
Van Horstman's Speculum.
-Mounted on Iskuras, Forest Dragon.
Alethia, Wood Elf Mage Lord
-Cloak of Mists and Shadows, Skull Staff, Ring of Corin, Staff of Osiris
Dunados Celedan, Warhawk Rider Champion
-Warhawk, Spear, Light Armor, Shield, Black Gem of Gnar
5 Warhawk Riders, "Eldil ('Sky-warriors') Squadron"
-Spear, Light Armor, Shield
Great Eagle Etos, Wind-Lord of the Spired Eyries
Great Eagle Etai, Sky-brother to Etos, Wind-Prince of the Spired Eyries
Oseyn Sylvanos, Glade Rider Champion
-Elven Steed, Lance, Light Armor, Shield, Hail of Doom Arrow
5 Glade Riders, "Meadow Glade Lancers"
-Lance, Longbow, Light Armor, Shield
Belar, Wardancer Champion
-Potion of Strength
6 Wardancers from the troupe of the Blade Brethren
5 Dryads from the Trees of the Meadow Glades
Chariot, "Scythes of Doom"
-3 crew (spear, longbow, light armor, shields), 4 Steeds, Scythed Wheels.
6 Waywatchers, "Eagle Company"
6 Scouts, "Hawk Company"
10 Archers, "Crimson Company"
9 Archers, "Nightshade Company"
9 Archers, "Midnight Company"
===========================================
NOTE: notice that Todd (wood elf player) didn't take any magic items over 50
points.... and i took seven runic items that were over 50. reason: i was
running out of figures to proxy! 8^) also, though i knew that i would be
fighting wood elves, i tried not to tune my army to defeat them.
The battle took place on a rather long narrow table. deployment was therefore
limited to 12" in from each long side, and 10" from the edges. this was kind
of bad for me, as there really wasn't enough room for my regiments to fit for
a castle-style deployment. in retrospect, that really wouldn't have mattered
much anyways 8^)
Deployment and map:
Map Legend:
^^^^ = hill
#### = forest
++++ = tower
HHHH = house
~~~~ = stream
Elf Unit Legend:
A = archers D = dryads
DR = dragon w/general S = scouts
E = giant eagles R = waywatchers
WH = warhawks GR = glade riders
CC = chariot
W = wardancers
-------------------------------------Elves-------------------------------------
#######^^^^^^^^^^^ E E CC ++++
#######^^^^^^^^^^^ DR WHWH CC +AA+ AAAAA
#GRGR##^^^^^AAAAA^ DR AAAA
WWW M
DDD
########
###########S# ###### (placed by
##########S## ###### todd after
#R#R#R#R## ###### deployment)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^^^^^^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^^^^^^^
~~~~ ssssssssss ^^^^^^^ HH
~~~~ iii xxxxxx HHHH ^^^^^^^^^
^gg^^^ hhh ~~~~ iii xxxxxx HHHH ^^ogbt^^^
^^^^^^ hhh ~~~~ ^^^^^gr^^
------------------------------------Dwarves------------------------------------
Dwarf Unit legend:
h = hammerers ogbt = organ gun battery (2) w/anvil of doom
s = slayers gr = griffon
i = iron breakers gg = gyrocopter
x = crossbowmen
As I had less units, I won the roll off and went first.
Dwarf turn 1
============
Movement:
Hammerers, Iron Breakers and Crossbowmen move forward. Slayers swing to
right, screening the Iron Breakers and Crossbowmen, and hoping to block and
eventually charge the Scouts and Waywatchers. The griffon flies as far as he
can, putting the forest between him and the archers. The Gyrocopter steams
forward it's full movement. The crossbowmen reform two ranks to three.
Shooting:
Lortri begins truly to wonder about Gnorri's plan, as all he can see in front
of him and his crossbowmen is a hill. Both organ guns shoot, and due to the
BAC of the crews, one guesses FAR too short to even be effective. The other
one fires a couple of shots, one taking out a dryad.
HtH:
Absolutely nothing at all.
Magic:
Decent, with a roll of 7. I store all four cards (2 dispell and 2 power).
Todd holds one.
Elf turn 1
==========
Movement:
Everything that can, except for Iskuras, flies high. Glade Riders,
Wardancers (into the forest), chariot, dryads and dragon/general combo
advance. The magician heads right for the Organ Gun/Anvil battery. The
dryads are screening the chariot.
Shooting:
This is where stuff starts getting nasty. The Glade Rider champion shoots the
Hail of Doom arrow at the Hammerers, hilling off about 1/2. The dragon then
breathes, killing a couple more. He concentrates all of his Waywatcher and
scout fire on the Slayers, killing all but three. Lortri Dunderhelm shakes his
head in disbeleif.
HtH:
Still nothing.
Magic:
Low winds of magic. I burn two runes of spellbreaking, one for the Ring of
Corin, one for the Staff of Osiris. I dispell Assault of Stone and store
four cards. Todd holds one.
Dwarf turn 2
============
Movement:
The Hammerers charge the dragon/general from across the stream! Gotta love
GSoN and rune of passage combo..... 8^) The remaining three Slayers get
pissed, and advance towards the Scouts/Waywathers. The Iron Breakers set to
take the dryad/chariot charge, and the Crossbowmen climb halfway up the slope.
The 'copter moves to the Glade Rider's flank (and out of their charge arc) for
a shot.
Shooting:
Both Organ Guns open fire on the chariot. Between 6 shots total, they kill a
rider and do two wounds to it. Both needed now to reload completely, and
oddly enough didn't misfire once.... 8^) Then Skarr notices that Alethia is
nearby and throws his hammer at her. Auto hit, 3+ to wound, need four wounds
to kill her..... but I roll a three. I forget to fire the 'copter's steam
cannon at the Glade Riders..... 8^(
HtH:
Gnorri bellows out a challenge, and Aewyn and Iskuras accept. There are no
wounds done (special saves). Aewyn and Iskuras are driven off by rank
bonuses.
Magic:
Skarr attempst to shoot lightning bolts at Alethia, but she rebounds them and
does a wound to Skarr.
Elf turn 2
==========
Movement:
Lots. The chariot and dryads crash into my Iron Breakers. The Warhawk
Riders and giant eagles charge from high on the Organ Guns and Anvil. Skarr
stands and shoots with the hammer, killing off the Warhawk champion (who,
incidentally has the Black Gem of Gnarr). Aewyn and Iskuras charge the
Hammerers. Seeing the flanks of what remains of the Hammerers open, the Glade
Riders and Wardancers crash into that unit.
Shooting:
The scouts and Waywathers concentrate on the Slayers, killing all but one.
The archers fire at the Crossbowmen but do no wounds.
HtH:
Again Gnorri calls out a challenge, again Aewyn and Iskuras accept and again,
blows are traded, but all wounds are saved. The Glade Riders and Wardancers
take out the rest of the Hammerers, so the Rune of Courage disappears, and
Gnorri finally realizes what has happened, and decided to take off. In doing
so, he allows Aewyn and Iskuras to chase him down (everyone passes their panic
checks). I also forget that I had a rune of luck and could re-roll one of the
leadership dice.... 8^( The Warhawk Riders and giant eagles wipe out Skarr
and most of the crew. The rest flee, only to be chased down. The chariot
does 8 impact hits to the Iron Breakers, and the Dryads kill off a few. They
decide (unwisely) not to flee.
Magic:
With the threat of the Hammer of Doom gone, as well as the Anvil and any runes
of spellbreaking, Alethia hopes for a nice, free hand with her magic. Well,
the winds weren't blowing in her favor, so it was a very low roll. She used
the Ring of Corin on the Black Gem of Gnarr (held by the Iron Breaker
champion), uses the staff on the Crossbowmen (I disell) and then completes
their task for them: She casts Assault of Stone, moving the mountain directly
under them. They are now on the hill where they want to be, but six of them
have died from the effects of the spell.
Dwarf turn 3
============
Movement:
Not much left to move. I move the slayer forward again, and the Griffon fails
his bound monster test, remaining rooted to the spot.
Shooting:
The crossbowmen open up on a regiment of archers, killing but one.
HtH:
The Iron Breakers are locked firmly in combat with the Dryads and chariot.
Some more Dwarfs are killed, but the lone Iron Breaker fighting the chariot
hits the chariot, and while needing a 6 to wound, gets it and the chariot is
destroyed!
Magic:
Nothing of importance.
Elf turn 3
==========
Movement:
The Warhawks fly high. The Great Eagles maneuver into postion to charge
the crossbowmen. The Glade Riders, general/dragon and Wardancers move
towards the crossbowmen.
Shooting:
The Scouts and Waywatchers finish off the final Slayer. Some elves take
potshots at the crossbowmen, but none are killed.
HtH:
The final chariot crewman is killed, but the regiment of Iron Breakers is
destroyed. Brog Grimlit, the unit champion, runs. He runs far, and he runs
fast. In fact, he outruns the Dryads!
Magic:
Alethia uses the Ring of Corin on the Fiery Ring, but besides that it is a
rather uneventul phase.
Dwarf Turn 4
============
Movement:
Lortri Dunderhelm reforms the crossbowmen under his command. They face to the
rear of the battlefield, looking directly at the Iskuras and Aewyn. To their
right, they can see the Glade Riders approaching. Looking up, small specks
swoop and swirl in the sky. Lortri spits on the ground and raises his sword.
There are times to live, and times to die. This is a time to fight. Brog
Gimlit continues on his merry path to the table edge and the griffon passes
his leadership check and charges the dryads.
Shooting:
Nothing.
HtH:
Blows are traded with the dryads, but neither the griffon nor the dryads are
able to do any damage.
Magic:
Nothing.
Elf Turn 4
==========
The story of Lortri's Doom.
An eerie silence hung over the battlefield like a shroud. The evening was
approaching, and the sunset cast a red shadow over everything. Lortri
looked down the hill at the gathered forces.
"Awright, let's get it on!", cried Lortri. "Watch your neighbor's back and
don't give any ground. This is it!"
As if on cue, the Elves began to move forward. The Glade Riders started to
trot up the hill, breaking into a full gallop. Their lances dropped into the
ready position in one movement. The Elven General took his mount into the
sky; the breeze from the dragon's massive wings ruffled Lortri's hair. It
clawed it's way up into the sky. Carrying his gaze upwards, Lortri noticed
that the small specks of the Warhawks were growing larger. To his
left, he noticed two large, angry looking eagles flying towards his unit.
This was it. The dragon plummets to the earth, crashing into the front rank
of the crossbowmen. Three good Dwarfs die from the dragon's claws and Lortri,
in his anger wades through the crowd and bellows for blood. Hacking his way
towards the general, a sudden scream of indignation was heard over the battle.
Lortri ducks and sees an Elf on a horse bearing down on him. The heavy tipped
spear bounced off of the side of his armor, bringing sparks to his eyes.
Lortri could no longer think. He bellows out a war cry and begins swinging.
His first swing cleaves off the front legs of the Elvish horse, spilling the
rider to the ground. With a mighty cry, Lortri raises his flaming sword and
cuts the Elven champion in half.
Turning around he sees the most amazing sight. Lying broken on the battle
field amidst the dead Dwarfs are the bodies of four Warhawks and their
riders. The two giant eagles have pulled away from the fight, one having a
large reg gash on its side. The remaining Dwarfs have pulled in closer
together, chopping at anyone that came near with their massive double-handed
axes and swords. The Standard of The Peaks began humming and pulsating,
casting a harsh glow over the darkening battlefield.
Aewyn took in the carnage, and pressed Iskuras forward. The dragon resisted,
having had several large dents placed in it's scaly armor. Suddenly, the
dragon roared in pain, and Aewyn looked down. There was a dying dwarf
clinging to the foot of Iskuras, repeatedly stabbing it's foot with his
dagger. Aewyn was mildly amused as Iskuras reached down and bit the dwarf in
two. He was not amused when Iskuras took to the air and began to fly away.
The dragon was out of control.
Alethia stood flabbergasted as the dragon took to the air, carrying her
general off of the battle field. The dwarfs began to cheer and taunt the
elves, and began to reform their ranks.
This could not be so.
Alethia looked at the Glade Riders still engaged in the combat and activated
her ring. The crossbowmen's standard erupted into flame, destroying it
completely. She then pray momentarily for forgiveness, and cast a spell. The
hill began to shake, tearing itself apart at the roots. A massive crack
opened up in the center of the hill, dragging down all of the dwarfs and all
but one of the Glade Riders. A huge plume of dust rose into the air, and the
hill repositioned itself several hundred yards away.
She surveys the battlefield. The only sound that could be heard was the
harsh cry of the Griffon as it was pulled down by four dryads, and the huffing
and thrashing sound of a lone dwarf warrior running from the field. She
cheuckled to herself and wondered if the Brotherhood of Slayers were to be
getting a new member.
Basically, everyhting the Elves had that could charge my crossbowmen did. Due
to some incredibly lucky dice-rolling, the four dwarfs that I have able to
strike back all hit and kill Warhawk riders, and the challenge I issued had
been accepted by the Glade Rider champion, whom my hero Lortri handily
killed. All in all, I have inflicted 6 wounds, have a combat resolution of 5,
and win this combat 11-10. Everything passes their leadership tests except
for his general. He rolls for his general, and end up fleeing off of the
board. Two archer units flee the board also.
He then casts assault of stone, causing 11 wounds to the remaining 8 or
so dwarfs. I concede. But my God, that was an interesting last turn.
The only dwarfs on the table were the fleeing Iron Breaker champion and the
lone invisible Gyrocopter.
What a great game (even if I got my ass kicked!)!!!
later-
shane