Battle of the Tears of Fate

Greetings!

Here comes the second battle fought in our new Firestorm II campaign, this time pitting my Hammerhalian aelves against their more sinister kin from Anvilgard!

See Battle of the Chains for the previous battle in the campaign, or check out the Faction Focus if you want to read some backstories on the participant factions.

The Battleplan we generated from the Open War cards was a tricky one: an ambush deployment with two objectives and both armies arriving in 2-3 parts? Ouch.

It all became even more ouch when my opponent won the roll-off to choose which part he wanted to play, which put me onto the middle of the board as Player A. Other than that, it was a simple scenario; grab both of the objectives and control them at the end of any of your opponent's turns.

Onto the battle!
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After his swift victory at The Chains, Lord Morduviel Dawnspur took his army south-east, crossing the mountain range dividing the Flamescar Plateau and pressing on to the plains beyond. Day by day his legions drew closer to the Coast of the Searing Sea, the rumoured landing site of the Anvilgard intruders. The forces of Hammerhal were snaking their way through the ancient ruins at the Tears of Fate, navigating the labyrinth that was the husk of a dead city, when Seawarden Sarvaniel suddenly called the column into a halt.

Lowering the hand with which he had signalled the order, Sarvaniel looked around them. Hot winds blew from the east, pulling at their banners and making them flap lazily above the ranks. There was an overwhelming smell of sulphur and ash in the air, and no matter how many swigs one took from a waterskin there was always a dull tang at the back of one's throat. Whispered conversations started rising from the halted soldiery as their officer scanned their surroundings.
"Ithulwin, where's our rearguard? Lord Dawnspur was supposed to bring up the rear with a squadron of Reavers," Sarvaniel inquired, frowning at the dull-grey ash clouds that limited their vision alarmingly.
The adjutant shrugged, the same alarm in his almond-shaped eyes that had overtaken the Seawarden.
"I can't say, my lord. They were right behind us only moments ago."
"What about our forward scouts?"
"Not a word from them either, my lord."

Something was amiss here. Suddenly, a warhorn blew somewhere nearby, startling the aelven column. That was not a Hammerhalian battle-call, that was something else. In a matter of heartbeats the enemy came into view, a giant War Hydra backed by ranks of Drakespawn cavalry rushing at them from amidst the clouds of ash and smoke.
"Ambush! It's the cursed Anvilgardians, FORM ON ME!" Sarvaniel cried out, drawing his sword.

The first phase of a masterfully crafted trap was set in motion by the forces of Anvilgard, the attack spearheaded by a fierce Hydra and a squadron of infamous Drakespawn Knights. Sarvaniel drew his troops into one of the nearby ruins, taking cover and setting up a solid defense. They would have to hold out the enemy attack until the rest of their army noted their peril and rode in to reinforce them. Then they would have the numbers to take the fight to the devious bastards.

"Sound the horn! Send out a call for aid!" the Seawarden commanded, and the Swordmaster's hornbearer acted on it. A clear, high note rang across the steaming field, a cry out for the rear- and vanguards to return to the main force.

For a moment, nothing happened. The Drakespawn cavalry began circling around the Hammerhal flank, while the Swordmasters backed away to keep themselves from receiving an enemy charge.

Then the clouds of smoke around them spewed forth warriors once again, this time bearing the colours of House Dawnspur. From their rear to the north came Lord Morduviel and his Reavers, while from the south marched more Reavers and a light-weight Bolt Thrower, ready to repel the Anvilgard attack. Both Reaver squadrons sent out volley after volley of arrows at the foe, but the enemy cavalry was well protected in their all-encasing armour while the Hydra merely regenerated the few wounds it suffered.

Just as everything seemed to be turning in their favour, it was time for the Hammerhalians to be surprised again. The second phase of the Anvilgard ambush was revealed, bringing in more warriors and this time to the exposed flank of Morduviel's army. Three Stormcast Vanguard-Palladors appeared behind the Hammerhal lines, while the steady beat of huge, leathery wings heralded the arrival of something even more terrible... Dreadlord Rinos Wildbringer and his Black Dragon, Qidir.

The Anvilgard Stormcast threw their javelins at Lord Morduviel's Reaver escort, impaling one of the riders and toppling the hapless aelf off his mount. The Hydra set after the other Reavers on the right flank, spouting a gout of fire at the light cavalry and turning two riders into smouldering heaps of blackened flesh.

Meanwhile the Black Dragon descended upon the aelves sheltering in the central ruins, landing on top of the crumbling walls and lashing its massive tail across the massed ranks of the Levy Spearmen. Half a dozen were immediately slain as their bodies shattered against stone, while another six were either torn apart by the Dragon's jaws or crushed beneath its claws. One spearman was lucky enough to have a go at the Dreadlord atop the monster, but his hasty thrust was easily deflected by Lord Rinos, whose blade was quick to separate the assailant's head from his shoulders.

In the north, the Drakespawn cavalry charged into Lord Morduviel's Reavers with their lances, skewering half the remaining cavalry archers, leaving only two to escape with their lives. Morduviel sought revenge, plunging into the Drakespawn alone and laying about him with his enchanted spear. The enchantments on his polearm were powerful, cutting through mail and plate with ease: one Anvilgardian was thrust straight through the chest, while another got slammed across the face by the spear, his neck breaking as the weapon's magic multiplied the force of the impact.

The Hydra had made short work of the other Reavers on the right flank, tearing apart all but one rider who fled to the safety of the nearby Mausoleum, where the two other Reavers from the north were also headed. The Hydra spat fire upon the riders as they passed, scorching one more rider. Then the Swordmasters rushed in, surrounding the Hydra as it was focusing on the cavalry and sinking their blades into its tough hide. One by one the heads of the beast were lopped off, and its immense body was pierced by dozens of swift stabs and cuts. With one last roar the Hydra toppled, laying lifeless on the blackened ground.

In the central ruins the last half a dozen Spearmen were keeping the Black Dragon at bay, buying time for the Citizen Archers to loose a volley at it. The bowmen were swift and accurate in their aim, filling the monster with dozens upon dozens of white shafts. The beasts roared in anger, having been wounded severely. They did not have long to celebrate this small success, however, as the Stormcast Palladors charged in. Their stormbolt pistols spat out short bursts of thunder-imbued bolts that mowed down the foremost ranks of the Archers. Tzak tzak tzak tzak! the shots tore into the lightly armoured aelves, causing casualties and confusion in the formation until the Stormcast charge hit home. Heavy javelins struck archers from their feet at point-blank range, while the Palladors' fearsome mounts ripped aelves apart with their paws.

As if this slaughter was not yet enough, even more Drakespawn cavalry arrived onto the field. A squadron of this heavy cavalry swept across the Bolt Thrower and its crew, silencing the weapon before it had had the chance to affect the battle much in any way. Then the Drakespawn reinforcements converged upon the Swordmasters who were bravely fighting their way towards the Mausoleum held by two remaining Reavers.

Lord Morduviel struck another knight from its mount, bringing his spear back around just in time to catch the next assailant in the neck. One last foe remained to fight him, but hearing the screams of his Archers and Spearmen Morduviel knew he had to disengage. He turned his mount about and rode hard for the ruins where his infantry was getting slaughtered.

Seawarden Sarvaniel had taken a stormbolt to his shoulder in the fighting, and was now gathering the remains of his infantry around him.
"Reform! Reform on me!" he kept shouting, but there were precious few to hear his words anymore. The last of the Spearmen were torn to shreds by Dreadlord Rinos and his Dragon, while the numbers of the Archers were dwindling almost as swiftly as the noxious breath of the Dragon and the stormpistols of the Palladors were taking their toll. Backing away from the slaughter atop an unsteady mound of aelven corpses, Sarvaniel came to realize he would never see the next morn. As the shadow of the Black Dragon's massive head came to rest above him, the Seawarden closed his eyes, his fears confirmed. His time had come.

With the central ruins now nothing but a pile of aelven dead, Lord Morduviel stopped in his tracks. The knight chasing him swung at his head with a serrated blade, but Morduviel absorbed the hit on his shield and visited ruin upon the attacker with his spear. With one last gaze into the ruins where Sarvaniel's banner had now disappeared from view, Morduviel made his way towards the Mausoleum and the remnants of his army.

The charge of the Drakespawn on the right flank hit the Swordmasters like a rolling boulder. Four out of every five lives were snuffed out in an instant, the lances and the jaws of the drakespawn mounts accounting for all but two of the Swordmasters. Two Anvilgardian knights were slain in return, a meagre payback for the damage wrought by the charge. Things were looking grim for Hammerhal.

Lord Morduviel rode in to aid his troops, his magical spear licking out from behind his shield to take down two enemy knights. It was all too little too late, as only one Swordmaster remained. The Mausoleum had become the very last pocket of Hammerhal resistance on the field, with only four souls to see to its defense.

On the other side of the field, the gazes of both Lord Rinos and the Stormcast Palladors turned to the right flank...

Disappearing in a clash of thunder and speeding across the battlefield with the speed of a thunderbolt, the Palladors emerged just beyond the Mausoleum perimeter. Their stormbolt pistols barked again, sending a hail of bolts to engulf Lord Morduviel and one of the Reavers. Having just unhorsed two of the last remaining Drakespawn knights, Morduviel raised his shield just in time to catch the hail of shots from the Stormcast. The Reaver was not so lucky, falling from his saddle, riddled with crackling bolts. Only one Drakespawn knight remained, but this individual was a skilled fighter, slaying first the lonely Swordmaster and then riding down the one remaining Reaver within the Mausoleum walls. This left only the Hammerhalian general alone on the field.

Seeing his army broken and littered across the ashen battlefield, Lord Morduviel knew the next few moments would likely be his last. In an act of desperate defiance he brandished his spear and charged at the Black Dragon, letting out a wordless warcry from his dry lips. The Dragon took flight before he reached it, but Morduviel managed to plunge his spear into its underbelly as it glided past. Dreadlord Rinos brought his monstrous mount around in the air, setting course for a counter-attack. The Dragon descended like a black comet, crashing onto the ground in an impact Morduviel only barely managed to steer his horse away from. The Dragon leaned in, its jaws snapping shut mere inches from the Hammerhalian's face before he smacked the beast away with his shield.

Lord Rinos reached down from the heights of his Dragon's back, catching Morduviel in the back with his blade. Metal and leather parted alarmingly under the Anvilgardian's blow, and the sword drew noble blood. Wincing, Morduviel fought to shut out the pain radiating from his back as he thrust blindly upwards with his spear. His weapon sank into something, and the Black Dragon drew away from him, rearing back to it's full, towering height.

Expecting another attack, Morduviel kept his shield high. The attack never came. Instead, the Dragon kept upright as the dark figure atop it spoke.
"Not too bad, for a highborn," Rinos Wildbringer said, his voice echoing slightly inside his all-enclosing helmet. "I believe you've had enough military adventure for one day, Dawnspur brat. Run off to your father, and tell him Lord Rinos sends his regards."

Astonishment at the prospect he was permitted to get away with his life had rendered Morduviel speechless. He merely lowered his shield and nodded slightly, holding the Dreadlord's gaze as he turned his horse about and galloped off to the north, to bring word of his defeat. The Anvilgardians had already advanced as far as the Tears of Fate!

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Major victory for the aelves of Anvilgard!

The battleplan was very nice change of pace to the usual pitched battle setups, and the game hung in the balance for quite some time before it all fell apart. Those Vanguard-Palladors area real beasts both at range and in combat! The three of them tore down 20 Archers in two turns.

Now, the game was at 1120 points for the both of us, but as is the problem with aelven armies you rarely get enough bang for your buck. Let's have a look at my army list in this game.

5x Reavers
5x Reavers
10x Swordmasters
20x Highborn Archers
20x Highborn Spearmen
Highborn Repeater Bolt Thrower
Seawarden with Sea Drake Pennant
Dragon Noble with Enchanted Polearm

The trick with this list the mobility from the Reavers, the volume of (non-Rending) shots from the Reavers and the Archers which clears the field to use that mobility and the single Spearmen unit to keep anything nasty in place until I've shot it enough. On top of this, the Swordmasters, the Dragon Noble and the Bolt Thrower provide some much-needed Rend to break open some of the tougher units I might encounter. Finally, the Seawarden is in the list purely for his Pennant (which gives +1 To Wound for Highborn units within 8") and his Command Ability (which lets one Highborn unit to re-roll all failed Hit, Wound and Save rolls). In effect, the Seawarden is there to boost the performance of the Archer's Storm of Arrows and the Spearmen's overall staying power. They're the only Highborn units on the list so he's not useful for anything else!

I might bring down the model count of my campaign lists a bit, to benefit from the Hammerhal Bravery bonus. More Swordmasters and cavalry might be the way, although I do like keeping some Spearmen at hand for cheap meatwalls and anvils.

Until next time!