Shaar's Wrath - Ben's Round-Up

So the first part of the Months End games has been played and Ben has successfully defended the Cursed Orb again. Shaar the vampire is in serious trouble now, Mannfred will surely know that he has failed him... Melvin's Wood Elves ran it close and I'll post his round-up of the game when he gets it too me. On with the report:

Pre-Game
 
Mel tried to steal turn 1 and failed on a 5.

Having lost to him recently with a combat army using vanguards and knowing he had to attack me to get the orb I went with a gunline - 4 warmachines and 2 units of quarrelers with two combat blocks and 4 gyros. He went his usual mix of scout / archer units, a big unit of Eternal Guard with stubborn, 3 Treekin, a dragon and rider, 2 eagles , 2 wardancer units, a lvl 4 on life (or whichever the one with dwellers is) . He also had an ambushing treeman and a unit of dryads with another mage in them. Shaar went with a unit of wardancers.


Early game

The dwarf warmachines with help from a brand new master engineer opened up some devastating fire killing the dragon with the first stone from a grudgethrower. The scout archer units were hit hard by organ gun fire whilst the gyros tried to block the eagles and failed miserably with their bombing runs. Knowing he'd place a poisoned wood in the middle of my deployment zone I took the rune of safe passage on my Lord with the ironbreakers and placed them in it safe from the dangerous terrain tests.

He charged in a unit of archers into my organ gun and an eagle into my gyro on the left. His combat blocks moved up towards mine and my quarrelers. He moved his treekin around the right flank slowly towards a unit of longbeards waiting there.

Not much magic the first few turns - I tried to eat dwellers and failed.

His scouts killed my organ gun and ran into my engineer. I sent a second gyro in to help him. My 2nd organ gun kills his other eagle. More fire from all my units thins his combat blocks down further and I start trying to drop grudgethrower rocks onto his level 4 but Look out Sir keeps saving him.

Turns 2-4

I wipe out his chaff (2 eagles, 2 skirmisher units) for the loss of 2 gyros, a master engineer and an organ gun but still have 2 grudgethrowers and an organ gun (all runed up) left and now he has no chaff to throw at them. His 2 units of wardancers with characters charge my 2 units of quarrelers who stand and shoot.

His big unit of Eternal Guard charge my Lord with Ironbreakers frontally whilst his ambushing Treeman who can charge the turn he arrvies!!! charges them in the rear! Ugly! His treekin charge my Longbeards who fear nothing being old grumblers! The longbeards combat res the treekin easily and run them down before reforming. The main combat is my Lord with ironbreakers and runesmith, versus his treeman and Eternal Guard. The ironbreakers and lord outmatch the spearmen (but he keeps getting off the toughness buff on them with stops me tearing through them). The treemans thunderstomps do the most damage. He wins combat 4 or 5 rounds in a row but my banner makes me stubborn.

The big unit of quarrelers wipe out the wardancers and importantly the dragon rider to get all those lovely points! The other quarrelers get wiped out by wardancers with the vamp.

The big play comes turn 4 where my now free gryo flies to his backfield and flames his archer unit hiding his sniper and level 4. It removes enough models so Look out Sir no longer applies. My two grudgethrowers hit perfectly wiping out his level 4 and sniper instantly and killing the last archers. Unbelievably his dryads and caster fail to roll the 3+ ambush roll all game and never turn up! So he's left with only the vampire as a mage on the table.

In the main combat I charge my longbeards into this remaining Eternal Guard flank and he charges them in the flank with his remaining wardancer unit and characters. In the last round of combat we had time to complete my ironbreakers are finally wiped out defending their Lord nobly for so many turns even though they had a treeman in the rear and 3 ranks of Eternal Guard with toughness 5 or 7 depending on buffs pretty much the whole game. Losing the ironbreakers meant my lord was no longer stubborn but thanks to the charge by the longbeards I'm able to wipe out his Eternal Guard and win combat by 3 or 4., 1 of his units with characters in flees leaving the treeman facing my Lord and runesmith and the longbeards about to reform to face the vampire.

Had we played a final turn and his dryads arrived it would have been close as he would have tried to combat res kill my Lord but we had to call it then.

Shaar's Tribulation - 2.0

Shaar knew this wasn't going to be easy... The Wood Elves were capricious and arrogant and would most likely kill any one that even had an aura of evil - he would have to be on top of his game to fool the Elves. But they had a weakness, thanks to the betrayal of Magnar Grimlokson.

Shaar knew he needed to use this happening in his favor and began planning a devious scheme to win the elves over and get them to fight for him without realising their folly, but the Vampire needed to be careful these were not the simple minds of the humans. Shaar began by changing his physical form using dark magics, turning him into one of the fey with flowing hair and blue eyes - he repulsed at the sight of himself and cursed at his plight. He hoped that Nagash would be the first to thank him for his assistance, but deep down he knew that there was a fat chance of that, all the glory would fall to Mannfred and that made his skin crawl with hate.

But he paused and thought about his plan, "Time will show them all", he muttered to himself as he cleaned his grubby face revealing the pale elfish skin beneath.

Shaar had until the next full moon until his transition would falter and disappear so needed to dispose of a Wood Elf to gain the right attire and work on his intellect and dialect - the Bretonnian accent was very difficult to shake even after hundreds of years. But if everything was in place he knew his plan couldn't fail, firstly he needed to track down some Dwarfish armour from the Orb battlefield. His next objective would be to run bloodied and screaming into the Wood Elves encampment, shrieking that his family and brethren had been butchered by the Dwarfs - and that an unknown green ball of energy had disintegrated their fledging outpost.

If all went to plan Loec would be enraged, first by the defiance against his kin and then the memory of the betrayal. Surely even an Elf wouldn't think twice about waging war anew against the Dwarfs, the wounds would still be hurting and fresh. And if they didn't believe him then he would have evidence of Dwarfish armour and steel - and then he would play his part in the battle until the time is right to dissapear with the Orb.

It will finally be his...

The Shadow Troupe of Loec - The Players

Army Title

The Shadow Troupe of Loec

Player Name

Melvin Campbell

Army Summary

Ariel the embodiment of the Goddess Isha and Queen of the Asari is troubled, the forest is restless even angry, the waystones protecting the Asari from the Wildwood are failing, the land is imbalance and it is beyond her power to right it. After spending 12 days and nights in meditation seeking council from her patron Isha goddess of the earth she receives the much awaited revelation…Destruction and the end of the Asari way of life is on the horizon.

This catastrophe couldn’t of came at a worse time for the Asari, it is the onset of winter Orion ashes has just been scatters in the eternal glade and he will not be reborn again until the summer, most of the Treeman Ancients slumber, the forest is at its lowest ebb. Ariel knows if she doesn’t act now then this will not just be the end of the Asari way of life but of all things…

She summon the troubled one…She summons the shadow….She summons Loec.

Campaign Generals

Name: Loec The Shadow

Army Entry: Lv4 Spellweaver

Signature Item: Channeling Staff

History: After returning home from a hunting expedition to find his family estate in ruins and every member of his family put to the sword by green skin raiders. Loec consumed by rage at his inability to protect them and sicken to the point of madness with grief at their loss, dedicates the next hundred years of his existence to punishing those with deadly consequences who would dear to threaten the safety of Atheil Loren.

While gaining much renown for always being at the forefront of the most dangerous battles or turning back raiding forest spirits out of the Wild Wood that’s managed to slip by the magical defences of the Wood Elf realm. Loec eventually comes to be known by the Asari as The Shadow in patronage to the elven god of Shadows, whether this is due to the fact the tragic events of his life that have left a shadow over his heart or the zeal in which he puts Atheil Lorens enemies to the sword none can say but it is a brave elf indeed who can bare to hold contact with his pain filled stare…

After many years of solitude and bloodshed Loec becomes disillusioned and unfulfilled with life in Atheil Loren, finally deciding after much deliberation to leave his home and start a fresh. What starts as whispered rumours of his leaving, spreads like wildfire through the populace and what started as one mans journey for a fresh start or even possible redemption…soon becomes a political movement to start a new Wood elf colony for those likeminded elves and forest spirits who either through boredom, grief or seeking fame & fortune wish for a new start away from Atheil Loren flock to his banner.

Summoned to the court of the Ever Queen on the eve of his departure Loec is greeted in person by the lady of the wood, mesmerised by the majesty of the God Isha incarnate he stares dumb founded into her deepless green eyes and there he sees visions of the destruction of Atheil Loren, his people scattered to the wind like grains of sand and the Oak of eternity that gives all Loren it's power broken and scorched at his feet, he see the End of all things

"Loec you must defend our sacred realm from the impending darkness from without while we prepare from within...but it is winter, Orion slumbers and we are weak. You must give us the time to muster our defences if this disaster is to be averted, our fate lies in your hands. 

It is a heavy burden I charge you with but do not despair my son for I impart on you these acorns from the Eternal Oak so while you are a far from Athel Loren the forest will always be with you."

With unerring determination and a will of iron the Shadow Troupe Of Loec depart to avert the impending darkness...

            Name: Kaleith

Army Entry: Glade Captain

Signature Item: Hail Of Doom Arrows

History: Kaleith is an accomplished warrior in his own right, a diplomat supreme, easily liked by all in equal measure weather noble or common elf. He is the light to Loec dark, the plunging pool for the newly forged rage that is Loec, sworn blood brother since there early indoctrination into the Glade Guard having saved each other’s life a dozen times over. Kaleith is Loec most trusted advisor and the only family left to him now.

Name: Eldrazor

Army Entry: Waystalker

Signature Item: Bow of Loren

History: Eldrazor owes Loec a life pact after the fiery elf faced down a rampaging treeman who had escaped his bound in the Wildwood and beset the Waystalker. Eldrazor has never forgotten this pact, many a foolish enemy has thought they were swinging the killing blow to end Loec’s life, only to be brought crashing down by the unerring accuracy of Eldrazor bow.

Regions

Name: The Forest of  Loren

Region: Forested

Rule: Entangled Wood

History: Athel Loren is the magical realm of the Wood Elves and is the oldest Forest in the Old World. It is a magical, but dark and haunted place where malicious spirits roam through the twisted undergrowth and tiny darting shapes flit between the trees on the edge of vision. The Forest itself is like a single consciousness and is aware of all that occurs within its boundaries. It is perfectly willing to crush any that enter its borders, whether they have evil intentions or not.

Name: The Brionne Marshes

Region: Marshes

Rule: Perilous Advance

History: The river Brionne enter Athel Loren from the South creating great marsh land for miles around protecting the Forests south eastern border. Many a desperate enemy has tried to negotiate this perilous terrain to approach Athel Loren unawares only to find themselves bogged down and easy targets for the bows of the Wood Elves.

Name: The Dessert of Woe

Region: Dessert

Rule: Incinerating Heat

History: It is one of Loec most successful strategies to have his enemies chase his mobile army into the scorching heat of the dessert to then turn around and riddle them with arrows while they struggle to keep up the moment of their charge in the incinerating heat of The dessert of Woe, before returning to the safety of forest once again.