6x4 table
Looking from chaos side of table, left to right
Hill about 2 feet in from left side, 14 inches up from HE end
Forest in on chaos side of hill
Hill in middle of Chaos deployment zone
Small hill about 2 feet from right side and 18 inches from HE end
Chaos Deployment, left to right
Dragon Ogres
Screamers
Beast Herd (behind forest)
Marauders (flails)
Marauders (shields and light armor, on hill)
Chaos Warriors (on hill)
Spawn
Knights
Shaggoth
Sorcerer behind shaggoth
Marauder Horsemen
Exalted Champion
HE Deployment, from chaos view, left to right
Chariot
Shadow Warriors in forest
Wizard hero
Spearmen
Wizard Hero
Silver helms
Spearmen
Wizard Lord
Chariot
Swordmasters
Silver Helms
Lord on Griffon
Here are the complete lists of both armies
High Elves:
http://www.thegreatuncleanone.com/viewShort.asp?ArmyID=20901Chaos:
http://www.thegreatuncleanone.com/viewArmy2.asp?ArmyID=21377Chaos Turn 1
Lord Malachi surveyed his horde from atop his daemonic mount. The horses around him pounded the ground in agitation and anticipation. His vast army had traveled far, and was not about to be stopped by a High Elf expedition. As the last few units settled into place, he held his sword high into the air, the Dwarven runes glittering in the sun. All the noise stopped: no marauders clashing their shields, no beastmen braying aloud, no spawn screaming, nothing. As he dropped his sword down, the army began its advance.
The screamers and dragon ogres advanced with caution, knowing the swiftness of the High Elf chariots. The Beastmen were able to contain themselves, and advanced at full pace into the woods, searching for the High Elves which they could smell. Nearby, the Exalted Daemon took flight, landing right behind the very surprised Shadow Warriors. The center infantry moved up, careful to stay together to ensure their safety. They spawn squelched forward almost twice as fast as the infantry. Beside it, the knights leisurely trotted forward, with the Shaggoth lumbering beside. In an attempt to reposition, the Marauder Horsemen moved behind and around next to the Chaos Warriors. The sorcerer was careful to stay behind the Shaggoth, while the Exalted Champion urged his disc forward slightly, wary of the Griffon.
To Lord Malachi’s frustration, all of his underlings attempts to cast spells were foiled. However, as a bit of brief satisfaction, the Exalted Daemon was able to bring a Shadow Warrior to the ground by covering him with filth and insects.
HE Turn 1
The very shocked Shadow Warriors were able to control themselves, and lunged at the Exalted Daemon, the hero amongst them determined to bring him down. Seeing the enemies across from it, the chariot on the left flank turned to in the direction of the combat concerning the Shadow Warriors. Both wizards headed toward the Chaos right flank, wanting to stem the tide. The spearmen and Silver Helms in the center advanced, keeping a steady battle line. The chariot, Silver Helms and Swordmasters on the right flank also moved up, although they were careful to stay out of range of the Chaos attackers. The Archmage followed the nearby unit of spearmen, using them to stay protected. On the extreme right, the prince on Griffon leapt forward slightly, preparing to unleash a devastating charge when the time was right.
The Archmage was disappointed: the magic of the Chaos followers was not even a challenge. He decided to show them what magical power really was. With a fiery blast, 10 Marauders carrying shields fell to the ground, their screams ringing across the field. Despite the gruesome deaths of their comrades, the Marauders held strong. The Chaos sorcerer realized the power of the High Elves, and was swift to halt their attempt to unleash Khaine’s Fury upon the knights by reading from one of his unholy scrolls. Aparrently, this scroll was unlucky to the Elves, as the winds of magic quickly ceased, due to the incompetence of one of the younger mages.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Exalted Daemon issued a challenge, which the High Elf hero quickly accepted. Though the hero struck down upon the daemon with his great sword, he was unable to penetrate the unnatural skin. In return, he was torn to shreds by the daemons fury. His fellow elves were horrified, and fled as the daemon feasted on their leaders remains.
Chaos Turn 2
The daemon, felling the thrill of mortal blood, launched himself into the air, preparing to tear into the Elven mage sitting behind their lines. Seeing the hellish creature soaring towards him, the frail Elf fled in terror, deciding it was better to live and serve his lord later, than to die. Seeing his prey scamper off, the daemon landed behind some spearmen. In a similar event, the screamers flew at the chariot, ready to rip it apart. The fearsome appearances of the daemons were too much for the High Elf charioteers, who turned their horses around and fled from the nightmarish creatures. The screamers slowed, and found themselves near the fleeing elven scouts. Nearby, the Dragon Ogres moved forward at a sprint, seeing that the threat of the chariot was gone, and wanting to get to fighting. In the forest next to the screamers, the beast herd moved as one, the Gors and Ungors advancing to the edge of the trees, ready to aid the fight in the center. The battered center infantry walked forward again, each of the three units positioning itself so it could best aid the others. The Marauder Horsemen spurred their steeds forward at a breakneck pace, loosing their vicious throwing axes from their holders. In similar fashion, the spawn lurched forward with surprising speed, setting itself in the path of the deadly Swordmasters. Lord Malachi and his bodyguard of knights trotted up, their flank protected by the enormous Shaggoth. The sorcerer crept back towards the chaos center, seeking safety near the chaos warriors. On the extreme right, the devout Tzeentchian follower urged his disc forward, threatening the Prince of Griffon.
Meanwhile, the Daemon of Nurgle was calling upon his god. As Grandfather Nurgle responded, the daemon unleashed magnificent buboes onto the younger of the two remaining mages. However, the elf remained unwounded despite the open sores erupting on his skin.
In an attempt to rid themselves of the same mage, the Marauder Horsemen launched their axes at him, the blades whistling as they cut through the air. One axe embedded itself in his arm, and blood began to flow. The frustrated daemon vomited forth a great stream of parasitic insects and infectious bile onto the Silver Helms, two of them falling, clutching at their eyes. Their comrades, horrified at the gruesome death of their friends, fled the field of battle, the cries of the other elves doing nothing to keep them in place.
High Elf Turn 2
The High Elves had suffered serious losses, and would need to take action in order to keep the battle theirs. As one, the Silver Helms on the right flank and the Prince mounted on Griffon charged into the massive Shaggoth, determined to bring the beast down. The Swordmasters, able to quell their fear of the mind boggling creature before them, took the fight to the spawn. Next to them, the chariot charged into the Marauder Horsemen, protecting their revered mage on it’s flank. On the opposite side of the battlefield, the chariot and scouts managed to gain their composure, and turned to face the enemies bearing down on them. In the center, now with a gaping hole, the two units of spearmen advanced, the archmage positioning himself between the two. In addition, the wounded mage climbed to the top of the small rise in front of him, in order to gain a better view of the battle.
The two mages began channeling in to the tides of magic, summoning a great spell. The archmage unleashed the Fury of Khaine upon the unholy Nurgle Daemon. To the dismay of the two mages, the creature was only barely wounded, and no more spells were cast. Their other magic attempts were not aided by the use of another unholy scroll by the sorcerer at the back of the chaos lines.
As a miniscule sense of satisfaction, the shadow warriors managed to wound one of the screamers, though it was not enough to bring the foul creature to the ground.
Across the field of battle, combat was about to be engaged, ad the two High Elf unit closed on the Shaggoth. However, the towering Dragon Ogre held his enormous axe out in on hand, his arm outstretched and pointing at the Prince. The elven lord waved off the Silver Helms, indicating his acceptance of the obvious challenge. As he clashed into the Shaggoth, the Prince revealed the dreaded Claw of Devastation, which the High Elves had recovered from the mysterious island of Albion. He cut deep into the Shaggoth’s shoulder again and again. His Griffon also clawed at the beast’s underbelly, tearing flesh with it’s vicious talons. However, the massive creature was undisturbed, and he brought back his axe. As the enormous hunk of iron was swung around, he cleaved the head of the Elven lord directly from his shoulder, a shower of blood covering the blade as well as the two remaining monsters. The Silver Helms stared in awe and terror. Their champion managed to shake them out of their trance, and urged them forward. Using their sheer weight of numbers, the knights and griffon pursued the Shaggoth with great hatred, the body of their general desecrated.
The winning continued, as all five of the marauder horsemen were crushed beneath the iron shod wheels of the chariot. Unable to control the horses, the momentum of the charge carried the chariot as fast as it could go, the chaos sorcerer on the opposite end of the field barely leaping out of the way of the speeding wooden machine. Much to the opposite of their reputation, the Swordmasters could not manage to land a blow on the spawn, and the spawn returned no damage. Unable to comprehend the dangerousness of the situation, the creature stubbornly held it’s ground.
Chaos Turn 3
The battle was in full swing, and from here on out combat would have to count. Lord Malachi was frustrated. Although the Shaggoth had performed well and had killed the enemy general, he was now robbed of his intended target. Instead, he would be forced to attack the Swordmasters. Oh well, that wasn’t so bad. He pointed his sword at them and his unit understood. They spurred their steeds forward and thundered into the regiment of elite elves. Behind them landed the Tzeentch Champion on his disc, hunting the elusive elf mage. All across the battlefield, chaos units were surging into combat like an inevitable tide. The screamers crashed into the shadow warriors, the beast men leapt into the flank of the spearmen, the decimated marauder regiment catapulted themselves into the other spearmen. The two other infantry units positioned themselves in order to attack the elves when the time came. The Sorcerer, which had barely rolled out of the way of the rampaging chariot, crawled around the hill on his side and hid behind some rocks. Nearby, the Shaggoth turned around, prepared to face the enraged Griffon and the speeding chariot. It’s fellow Dragon Ogres, on the other side of the field of battle, mounted the hill, and decided to face the chariot.
The Exalted Daemon, which had already crippled the High Elf heroes, saw his chance. The old fool had moved right into his path, thinking that being ethereal would save him. The daemon would show this frail elf what pain really was. And with that, he leapt into the air once more.
The archmage could feel a disturbing presence on the air. He turned, and saw a vision which had plagued his dreams for many a night. The nightmarish vision clouded his mind, and the elf was struck by terror. He wished he could run, but knew that if he did, he would surely be cut down. He had to stay and fight, if not for himself, then for him brethren. As the daemon descended, surrounded by a most horrible stench, the archmage steeled himself to fight.
As he was in the air, the daemon called upon Nurgle to grant his enemies with glorious poxes. He sent the crippling spell towards the spearmen who were under assault from the beast herd. But at the last minute, he felt the winds of magic cease, and his spell was cancelled.
The dreadful being landed in front of the archmage with a thud, the plants around it wilting and dying within seconds. He growled, and bared his teeth at the ancient elf. He swung once, twice, thrice, and four times. As he ceased his whirlwind of death, the learned elf was no more, merely a pool of blood on the already cursed ground. The daemon carried forward, not allowing his bloodbath to be slowed by one mere elf.
Elsewhere, combat did not fare so well. Though they tore down many shadow warriors, the screamers lost two of their own. They were hard pressed to keep their hold on this realm, but barely managed to. The marauders, due to their lack of numbers, fled from combat, only to be butchered by the bitter elves, who, in their pursuit, found themselves between the other marauders and the chaos warriors. However, not all went sour, for the Gors of the beast herd ripped through the High Elves, who fled from the sudden attack, barely outpacing the swift beastmen.
In his combat, Lord Malachi bellowed a challenge to the swordmaster champion, his voice echoing with unholy resonance. The champion foolishly accepted, willing to sacrifice his life in order to save his comrades’. Though Lord Malachi was unable to land many blows upon the wily elf, he cut him apart nonetheless. The chosen knights tore through two more Swordmasters, and suffered no losses in return. However, the spawn was wounded and nearly killed. Despite the loss of many elves, the weight of numbers managed to pull the Swordmasters through. But, to the dismay of the elves, Lord Malachi convinced his posse to continue the fight.
High Elves Turn 3
The High Elves were loosing momentum after their early charge on the Shaggoth. Many of the combats were going longer than they would have liked, and their speed aspect was being taken away. The rallied chariot on the left thundered into the Dragon Ogres, in a last ditch attempt to help the other elves. On the other flank, the other chariot as well as the berserk Griffon mounted an attack on the Shaggoth, the charioteers overcoming their fear of the great monster. The spearmen who had cut down the marauders turned to face the rampaging daemon, as well as the chaos warriors. The Silver Helms, blocked to the Shaggoth by the Griffon, instead faced the rear of the chaos warriors, preparing to issue a crippling charge if they did not break the spearmen. Back at the High Elf lines, the depleted spearmen unit rallied, and faced the beast herd, ready to fight. If they were to die, they would slaughter as many beast scum as they could.
The lone remaining mage was not able to penetrate the defenses of the chaos magic casters.
Combat erupted anew as more units reached their targets. The prolonged battle between the unforgiving screamers and the stubborn shadow warriors brought many casualties, yet neither side could gain an advantage over the other.
The chariot which charged the dragon ogres managed to wound one of them, only to be crushed beneath their great weapons.
The combined charge of the chariot and Griffon proved to much for the already wounded Shaggoth. Though the Griffon’s blows were all deflected, a horse from the chariot lashed out at the knees of the towering behemoth. As the monster fell to the ground, the crewmen and Griffon attacked again, finally managing to kill it. (Note: the horse actually killed the Shaggoth! 4+ to hit, 6+ to wound, and a 3+ armor save. Oh the shame…) However, this victory was bittersweet, as elsewhere on the field, the Swordmasters did not fare as well as others. Lord Malachi and his daemonic steed cut them down like wheat to the scythe, the bodies piled up as they struck out again and again. The Swordmasters attacked back, but could deal no damage to the spawn nor the knights. With renewed ferocity, the spawn lashed out, as did the powerful knights. Even more elves fell before their fury, and the ground ran red with blood. The front ranks were covered in the red substance, and it all belonged to the Swordmasters. Faced with an overwhelming amount of casualties and enemies, the elven elite fled, only to be gobbled up by the swift spawn.
Chaos Turn 4
Lord Malachi was pleased, the tide was flowing in his direction. On the left flank, the Dragon Ogres advanced again, unhindered by the bothersome chariot. The beastmen charged the newly rallied spearmen, the scent of blood burning in their noses. In the center of the chaos line, both the ruthless Exalted Daemon as well as the unscathed chaos warriors charged the victorious spearmen. The spawn squelched towards the remaining elven mage, who fled for his life. Lord Malachi and his knights turned their unnatural steeds around and slightly forward, threatening the Sliver Helm’s flank. The Sorcerer on the hill as well as the Tzeentch Champion both moved behind the chariot and Griffon.
Moving himself away from danger, the Sorcerer cast Steed of Shadows on himself, and headed right next to the spawn. Other attempts to cast spells were thwarted by the mage and his dispel scroll.
Combat throughout the battle was going both ways. The Shadow Warriors finally managed to rid themselves of the screamers, banishing them back to the place from whence they came. In the center of their lines, the High Elf spearmen were being butchered by the beastmen. They were dying in droves, and could not gain the initiative to kill any beast scum in return. However, against all odds, the High Elves stayed, unwavering in their resilience. (Note: this was his only good LD roll of the game, double ones!) There was still hope yet.
Back on the chaos line, the daemon who had ravaged the elves so terribly howled a challenge into the air, baring his teeth at the High Elves as he descended from the air. The champion stepped out of the unit to face the daemon, and his probable doom. The champion stood no chance, and was dismembered before the eyes of his comrades, the blood spattering their faces as the daemon brought his axe around again and again. This horror, combined with losses from the chaos warriors, forced the elves to flee, only to be run down and slaughtered by their two foes.
High Elf Turn 4
The battle was coming to an end, and it was obvious that the foul chaos had the advantage. However, High Elves had defended the world from chaos for eons, and would not abandon their job now. The Griffon flew back to his master’s body, threatening both the chaos sorcerer and Lord Malachi’s flank. The remaining mage, wanting to ensure that he was far enough away from the spawn, continued his flight into the middle of the battlefield. The Silver Helms wheeled around to face the chaos knights, their original target of the chaos warriors now gone. The chariot who had killed the Shaggoth also prepared to charge the knights, moving to the end of the hill on the chaos lines. The Shadow Warriors on the left, now free of their enemies, moved towards the massive Dragon Ogres.
As the mage tapped into the winds of magic, something went horribly wrong. He was knocked from his feet, unconscious. When he awoke, he could not remember what spell he had attempted, and seemed to have lost some power.
Combat continued, as deadly as ever. The Foe Render of the beast herd was tired of this combat, and brayed a challenge to the High Elf champion, who accepted. More blood was spilled, as gors and elves alike were chopped apart. Neither of the champions could land blows, and the combat continued.
Chaos Turn 5
The elves were finished, all that was needed was some mopping up. The Dragon ogres on the left roared and sprinted at the mage who had crossed their path. After being chased around for so long and managing to survive, the mage decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and fled. The Dragon Ogres saw the elf running off, and decided it wasn’t worth the effort of following. The exalted daemon saw the mage running, and shot into the air once more, landing right next to the lone elf. The remaining infantry in the center formed up to face the Silver Helms who were threatening them. However, it mattered not, as Lord Malachi and his retinue moved to block the path of the mounted elves, as if daring them to charge. The spawn, still hungry after devouring the Swordmasters earlier, headed at the Griffon with unnatural speed. The winged creature decided to fight to avenge its master’s death. The Tzeentch sorcerer, who had not yet seen battle, charged his disc into the chariot which was menacing the knight’s flank.
For the third time, the lone mage overcame the crippling buboes and lived on.
However, fate had a sick sense of humor, as the daemon who had plagued him with spells for so long, vomited out a stream of filth and pestilence, causing the toughened elf to finally succumb to his many wounds.
The combat between the spearmen and the beast herd was as violent as ever. Both sides were falling to blows, the bodies piling up at their comrade’s feet. The Foe Render was unable to protect himself from the hateful blows of the elven champion, and felt a hot pain surge through his leg. As he crumpled to the ground, the elf champion struck repeatedly, all his anger of the day being vented on the foul creature. The beasts fled from the massive casualties, and were all cut down by the berserk hands of the elves (Note: I forgot that he no longer had a banner. If I had remembered, then the combat would have been a draw. Though I let him take it, since I was massacring him anyways, this little error cost me 488 victory points!) The raging spearmen, vengeance filling their minds, cascaded into the flank of the Dragon Ogres.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, combat did not fare so well for the elves. The chariot which had taken down the towering Shaggoth was shattered by the impact of the exalted champion and his disc, who flew to the top of the hill after their victory. The spawn was able to cause a wound on the monstrous bird above it. Though the spawn was near death, the Griffon was unable to issue the finishing blow, and the combat continued.
High Elf Turn 5
The Silver Helms saw that their comrades were dead. There was no use in running, for if they could not damage the chaos horde, their encampement would be destroyed anyways. In a last glorious charge, their banner waving in the cursed winds, the sun glinting off their armor, the proud elves crashed like a tidal wave into the bloated knights in front of them. The Shadow Warriors on the hill chased down the fleeing beastmen, leaving only scattered limbs in their wake.
Lord Malachi was tired of these elves, and wanted to show them what death really was. He pointed at the champion of the unit, and the champion turned directly at him. However, the momentum of the charge was not enough to penetrate even the hide of the deamonic mount. In return, the champion was brutally dismembered, as were his comrades. They could not pierce the thick armor of the chosen of Nurgle, who in return hacked away at the elves. The horrendous casualties and the bloated disfigurement of their enemies was too much, and as the elves fled, Lord Malachi took pleasure in tearing them all down.
The spearmen who had beaten back the beastmen tide hacked away at the thick hides of the Dragon Ogres. Unfortunately, their armor was too much, and no damage was done. Yet the Dragon Ogres were unable to land any blows in return. Not able to overcome the shock of the sudden appearance of elves at their flank, the Dragon Ogres fled, with the crazed elves hot on their heels.
As a sick twist of fate, the Griffon was once again unable to harm the foul spawn, who stubbornly stayed in combat.
It was obvious that the battle was over. Even though the spearmen had run through the left flank of the chaos horde, they were about to be set upon by both the feared exalted daemon as well as the follower of Tzeentch. The Dragon Ogres would turn to face them, and they would be wiped off the face of the earth. However, they had caused enough damage to slow the chaos invaders.
For a while…
(Note: he asked me on turn 4 if 5 could be the last turn, and I said sure. In turn 6, all of his models would have been killed.)
All right, all the after party stuff.
Victory points
Chaos: 3039
High Elves: 1315
Difference of...1724! Either massacre of major victory, don't have a rule book with me.
Creature of the Match: Exalted Daemon of Nurgle! This one model accounted for 1081 victory points! That's more than double what I paid for him. Ha, he'll learn to fear this guy
Unit of the Match: The High Elf spearmen who survived to the end. Though they only killed 488 (only), it was a big insult when they both survived (an accomplishment!) and caused my Dragon Ogres to flee. They were quite the troopers, rolling snake eyes for their LD test when it really mattered, then going on to kill my left flank units.
Anyways, it was great fun, but I think I'll have to get off chaos for a while. It feels sooo weird going right through your shooting phase. Almost disconcerting...
