BATTLE REPORT

HIGH ELVES VS CHAOS HORDES

RAIN OF ITHILMAR

Commander Mithrean of Menethal's Expeditionary Force has rejoined his ship and now the High Elves are mustering another army to launch a raid on Andariel's Kingdom. Mithrean is sure an ancient relic lies deep in the temple, but with the plateau heavily defended the only way to get inside is to distract the Slaaneshi troops. If the plan is successful, a small band of elves could get inside and retrieve the artefact. But if Andariel's forces win there could be no escape.

SCENARIO STATISTICS

Points:

1000

Participants:

High Elves

(Stuart Nichols)

Chaos Hordes

(Mark Wilson)

Scenario:

Pitched Battle

Location:

Sunstone Isle, east coast of the Southlands

Timeline: 2522 (Empire Calendar)

THE ARMIES

High Elves:

Prince Menethal's Expeditionary Force

General:

Commander Mithrean

Chaos Hordes:

Tribe of the Mighty Serpent

General:

Andariel Serpentsword

THE STORY SO FAR…

Aeolus Scarheart, Exalted Daemon of Cronus, and Champion of Andariel, has forged a Kingdom for his Slaaneshi allies through blood and death. The ruined temple at this new realm's heart is now under the control of Andariel and her army. Cronus is now credited with no less than three stones of power. However, Commander Mithrean is furious and determined to get his hands on any artefacts that may lie within the temple – his opportunity having been taken away when the Horns of Hellfire attacked and defeated his forces. Making an all-out assault on the temple is suicide, so Mithrean has decided to stage a diversion to draw the Chaos forces away from the plateau. If his plan works, a band of elf scouts can infiltrate the temple and attempt to steal any relics within. The only problem is that if Mithrean fails to beat the Chaos army there may well be no escape for the scouts should they find any artefacts…

TURN 1

'My lord,' the High Elf captain of Sapphire Company nodded his head slightly. 'The enemy is amassing. Our plans won't fail this time.' Around him stood the shining, disciplined ranks of the spearelves, the light glittering on their polished ithilmar speartips.

'I hope not, captain.' Mithrean tugged the reins in tight and held back his impatient, elven steed. He grimaced, his eyes flickering over the Slaaneshi warriors. They were numerous, but he was confident of victory. The elves were superior to these barbarian savages. Unconsciously, a smirk made its way across his face. 'This time, I will crush them.'

The High Elf forces were gathered, their firepower ready to spell death to the chaos troops. The Shore Riders reined in their steeds, checking arrows and bowstrings. The archers of Sea Company stood resolutely, a zephyr tugging playfully with the feathers on their faceplates. If this strategy worked, it would guarantee the elves a relic that rightfully belonged to them.

Andariel narrowed her slanted eyes as she gazed spitefully at the elves. She would be wary, for the elves were known to be tactically masterful. They were far more intelligent than hated humans and far more a pleasure to fight than unwholesome beasts. War was an art, and who better to star upon the stage of war but herself in combat against the elves. This would be interesting indeed.

'Hurry up, you useless fools,' she spat as her men, heavily armoured warriors and brutal barbarian marauders, manoeuvred themselves into position. 'I lust…'

This was her kingdom. And she had no intention of losing it, especially now. Aeolus would not be pleased. Thoughts of him ebbed and flowed in her mind. Today he was gathering more beasts and monsters to Cronus' standard. But he was ever with her.

With a bestial bellow halfway between a hiss and a snarl, the Fiend slithered forwards, its great coils moving across the ground with surprising speed.

'Glory to the Serpent!'

Ranks of Marauders began their resolute march towards the elves, slamming their weapons against shields in unison. They were a fearsome sight, horned helmets glinting in the early morning. The Chaos Warriors also marched forwards, smashing their way through jungle plants with impunity. They headed for the flanks of the battlefield, skirting a jungle oasis that sparkled and glistened as a small stream bounced from shining rocks into a deep, crystal pool. The Slaaneshi champion marched with them, the lower half of her body slinking through the undergrowth with the agility and grace of the mightiest of serpents.

'For the glory of the Pleasure God!' A warcry escaped from Andariel's lips.

On the far side of the field, a massive burst of light exploded from a central corona of purple energy. With a shrill scream of delight, the Handmaidens ruptured the material plane as they spilled out to aid their commander. Targeting the Shore Riders as the elven scouts pulled back their bowstrings, the daemons raised their blade-arms menacingly and advanced.

The winds of magic were weak. He could feel them straining, even as he reached out to draw the power he needed for this minor spell. Finally, energy pooled in his mind and he unleashed it upon the enemy. With a faint sheen, a shimmering in the air settled in the vicinity of the marauders. He smiled. This was what he wanted, it would do, for now.

'Sea Company fire!'

As one, a cloud of arrows fell like a rain of ithilmar upon the Slaaneshi soldiers. Three men went down, arrowheads punching savagely into their throats with deadly accuracy. Another man collapsed as a further arrow unleashed by the Shore Riders bit into his side.

'Eagle's Claw! Fire!' Six giant bolts descended like heavenly scythes, cutting down two more men. The barbarians wavered, but their resolve held.

Then Commander Mithrean raised his own bow and took careful aim.

'Prepare to meet your gods, human filth,' he snarled. Pulling back slightly harder, he fired. The arrow sped from his weapon like a bolt of lightning, and struck true. It slammed through a Chaos Warrior's helm before sticking fast in the breastplate of another. They fell to the ground with a clank of ornate armour. But before the warrior hit the ground two more of his brethren were slashed down by fire from the gods as the second Eagle's Claw unleashed its payload. It didn't look good for the Tribe of the Mighty Serpent.

'Curses upon you, high born,' Andariel growled, twirling her swords.

TURN 2

Its tongue lashing around tree trunks and tearing them viciously from its path, the fiend rampaged onwards, cutting through the jungle. Soon it would upon the prey, and then it could feed.

With shields raised against the rain of fire, the marauders continued their steady advance. Heading towards the Shore Riders, they roared their battlecries and jeered insults at the elves, daring them to face the Northmen in honourable combat. Naturally, the only reply they got was a cold stare as the Ellyrians once again raised their bows.

With the rest of the army advancing, Andariel gritted her teeth. She cursed the lack of missile troops in her warband, something that many chaos forces did without. But the elves would die when she reached their lines. She would see to it personally.

'Sapphire Company, advance!'

As the spearelves marched forwards warily, the front rank lowering their tall spears, the Shore Riders fired upon the marauders again. But the raised shields of the Northmen provided adequate cover. Arrows stuck fast or bounced off, providing the men with an opportunity to shake their fists and roar with anger. One of the men broke ranks and waved his axe.

'Face us in battle, cowards! Face us, and you will die!'

'Prepare to unleash doom upon those men,' Mithrean shouted at Sea Company. He motioned with his sword at one of the Eagle's Claws too. 'The flank must be defended!' He nocked another arrow and slitted his eyes. War was not a game. War was death. And he would not tolerate being called a coward.

'You call it cowardice, I call it strategy,' he spat.

'Sea Company, fire!'

No less than five marauders were slain in the crossfire. This was their whole front rank, dropped like dolls with their strings cut. The boisterous man took an arrow in the chest. Ripping it free, he fell to his knees as blood blossomed and he dropped his axe from nerveless fingers. As more arrows flew towards them, cutting them down like wheat, the marauders panicked and fled.

TURN 3

The Handmaidens looked upon the fleeing humans and liked it not. These were warriors? The majority of their number remained, and they had lost heart for the pleasure that was battle. And they had accused the elves of cowardice. As they thundered through the daemons' ranks, the unholy beings raised their fiendish claws. Men fell, sliced from neck to groins. Blood spurted in fountains and limbs were severed from bloodied corpses. The wicked claws lashed out and spared none. The marauders were slaughtered and the daemons smiled with sinister satisfaction. Those who were weak did not deserve to fight.

The fiend burst from the undergrowth and surged towards Sapphire Company. Its serpentine body weaved from side to side and its tongue tasted the elves scent.

As the Handmaidens advanced on the Shore Riders, flaunting their naked bodies and their eyes flashing with desire, the bodyguards of Andariel continued their relentless march towards the spearelves.

'Faster, curs,' Andariel shrieked, her blades spinning in anticipation. She could almost feel her weapons cleaving the enemies' flesh; see the glitter and sparkle of the art of battle. She could almost taste it on the tip of her tongue, and hear the clash on weapons in the air.

'Damn you, chaos sorcerer!' The winds were still feeble, as the sorcerer read aloud the dispel from his parchment scroll, the magical energy quickly dissipated.

'Fire!' The Eagle's Claw scythed down three of the evil daemonesses as they converged on the Shore Riders. Purple flames gushed into the air as the daemons were vanquished back their own realm, licking and burning at the grass underfoot. An enraged scream accompanied them as they vanished. Unperturbed, the elves reloaded their war machine.

Andariel ducked as a stray bolt flew overhead. Curse the weapons of missile users! Hopefully she could wreak vengeance upon them. Let's see what use the bolts would be against her six swords in close combat. As she watched the elves, another arrow embedded itself in the fiend's silky hide. It didn't even acknowledge the arrow protruding from his shoulder, sliding forwards with eagerness towards the spearelves.

TURN 4

Slithering like the gigantic serpent that it was, the fiend's eyes glowed with hate as it approached Sapphire Company. The Slaanesh army advanced still, intent on closing with the enemy. Men had been lost; the first blood had gone to the elves. A single elf had yet to fall.

'Engage!' The captain of Sapphire Company raised his sword and the elves about his readied their spears. 'Charge!'

The shining spears struck the serpent with the fury of Khaine. Blood spilt and stained the jungle floor but the monster fought on, the light wounds doing nothing to slow it down. Neither could it harm the serried ranks of elves, whose resolution held firm. Andariel's eyes lit up as she heard the clash of weapons. Finally, battle had been joined.

'All forces, fire!' Menethal roared, waving his sword in a gleaming arc. Arrows fell amongst the Handmaidens, dissipating two more of the daemonic mistresses in leaping gusts of violent fire. Andariel ducked and dodged her snake body as the combined fire from the repeater bolt throwers and the elven commander whizzed into the Chaos Warriors, striking down her last seven fighters. She shrieked in anger, her swords yelling for death.

TURN 5

With a cry that spoke of lust and also battle frenzy, the Handmaidens crashed into the Shore Riders. Curved talons whipped out, slicing the steeds apart and slashing with furious lust and savage delight as the elves were toppled to the ground. They leapt to their feet, only to be cut down like children before the daemons' vengeful wrath. Elven blood soaked the earth. Not one Daemonette fell in return, the last Ellyrians' swords scraped on iron-hard, white flesh. Having watched their fellows butchered and nearly surrounded, they turned tail and ran, the Daemonettes hot on their heels.

The Chaos Sorcerer roared and charged against Sapphire Company. Without the Chaos Warriors it was a risk. But it was a risk worth taking. His lady Andariel was furious. She would deal with the elf upstart while he held off the infantry with the fiend. An elf's neck seemed to stand out from the crowd as his blade swept through it. A spear shaft interposed itself but his blade cut straight through it and decapitated the elf with a spray of blood. The spearelves quickly surged forwards to surround the sorcerer. This was not a good position, he thought, retreating from the press of scale mail and long shafted spears. The fiend could deal with them.

'For the great glory of his worship Slaanesh!' Andariel's swords slashed through the air as she rose to meet the elven Commander.

'Prepare to die, daemon!' Mithrean responded, his slender blade crossing her six.

The duel was short, and brutal. Andariel, a champion of the god of pleasure, six-armed and lusting for elven blood, slashed and hacked with wild passion. Her blades were like lightning, striking with infinite speed and dexterity, inflicting many light wounds and cutting through Mithrean's armour. But the elf commander was determined to win this fight. He deflected most of the blows, twisting around the champion's attacks and using his elven athletic ability to defend himself. A whirlwind of steel surrounded the leaders. Mithrean's blade parried and thrust, slashing across Andariel's body, unleashing purple blood.

'Asuryan, give me strength!'

Then his downwards stroke cut through one of her arms. The limb fell, writhing, its hand clenching and unclenching around the sword hilt. The champion of Slaanesh shrieked in rage and, glaring her hatred, slithered backwards out of his sword arc. He urged his horse forwards.

'Come, witch, its time to finish this!'

'You bastard,' she snarled, 'my arm! You have my oath, I will finish you one day.' Turning, she fled back into the jungle.

With the chaos army in tatters and their leader making her retreat, Mithrean wasted no time giving his troops new orders.

'All units, fire!'

Sea Company nocked and fired, bringing three more Handmaidens down in a blaze of indigo flames. A well placed bolt from one of the Eagle's Claws brought the Chaos Sorcerer low, the bolt slamming through his body and erupting from his chest with a gout of blood. Another two Handmaidens exploded with another burst of purplish light as the other Eagle's Claw struck with righteous vengeance. Mithrean himself drew a bead on the Slaaneshi Daemonettes from the far side of the field. Pulling his bowstring taught, he fired. It was a good shot, the arrow passing straight through a Handmaiden's neck and embedding itself in the ground.

Another elf died as the fiend wrapped its tentacle-like tongue around his neck and snapped it back, breaking the vertebrae.

'Slay the beast,' the captain shouted, and stabbing spears punched like assassins' daggers down into the smooth hide. Gouging into it, the elves splashed blood upon their white robes as they sought to bring the vile monster down.

TURN 6

The Ellyrian Reavers stood firm once again against the Daemonic threat. This was their last stand, a chance to prove themselves worthy of honour.

The clash of spears rang across the field, and the victory shouts of the elves rose as they finally killed the spawn of Slaanesh.

'Onwards, to victory! The enemy falls! The chaos worshippers fall before us!'

The Shore Riders took heart but still the Handmaidens were too powerful. The cruel claws swept one of them bloodily from his mount, and seeing his comrade slain so quickly, the other fled.

But the High Elves had claimed the field.

THROUGH ARCHERY VICTORIOUS

Mithrean stood aboard the deck of the Revanche. The sky overhead was periwinkle blue, and the ship creaked gently in a cool wind. Kemlon, the elf charged with retrieving the relic from the temple, bowed. Behind him stood his company of scouts.

'Commander, I have returned, and present you with this sword. It was as you thought, a relic had been hidden in the depths of the temple.' He handed over the artefact, hilt first. The strange weapon shone with an unearthly light; glowing runes burning brightly on its twisted blade.

'Foe Bane,' Mithrean read. 'This is a fine sword.'

'It is, commander. I took it from a Chaos Champion who was guarding it. He fought with great strength, but I was able to defeat him. I believe Lord Menethal will be pleased.'

'He will, young Kemlon. Congratulations are in order for your part in this. I will see to it that you are rewarded with the appropriate honours.'

'You are kind, my lord.'

'Well, I had best give Lord Menethal the good news. Loose the sails! We depart for Ulthuan!'

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