Leopold sat with his back toward a wall in the Hunter's Mark tavern. It was late and many of the patrons had gone home. The few remaining customers all belonged to the small force camped outside of Bergsburg. The commander of the Northern Drakwald Patrol grimaced as he took a sip of Hochland's finest from the cold, perspiring mug. He had been in Hochland for more than three years now, yet still he was not used to their customs. He managed to gulp down another swallow as he wished for the warm drafts of his home province, Stirland.
Suddenly, the tavern's heavy oaken door swung open. A strongly built man with a shock of messy black curls and an even bigger beard entered the door. He wore a studded leather harness underneath a thick fur cloak, which he had draped over one shoulder. His calf-high brown leather boots were rugged and worn. The man stood still and scanned the room with squinted eyes. His gaze finally rested on the commander. He closed the door and with four giant strides, stood in front of Leopold.
"Good evening, Auberon."
Auberon Horst, Amber wizard, leaned over the table and whispered into the commander's ear.
"Leopold. We need to talk in private. Now."
"What's happened? Is it Falke? Or did you clash with the Undead?"
"It's neither," whispered the wizard urgently. "It's actually much worse."
Leopold Veidt stood, which prompted the soldiers in the tavern to stand. He waved his hand in a downward motion and told them to be at ease. He walked briskly to the door, Auberon hot on his heels. After exiting the tavern, the two men walked in silence out of the main gate of Bergsburg. After a moment, they approached Leopold's command tent, where two guards uncrossed their halberds and saluted. Leopold returned the salute as Auberon nodded in greeting.
"No one is to enter this tent, understood?"
The guards nodded.
"Tell me, friend. What has happened?"
The wizard took a deep breath. "Border dispute."
Leopold looked incredulously at Horst. "What?"
"It's true, Leopold. Our patrol ran into a group of soldiers north of Hovelhof. We thought it was a lost patrol until a crossbow bolt skewered poor Heinrichs through the throat."
"Could it have been an accident," Leopold questioned.
"There is no doubt. It was a raid. Or perhaps a scouting party."
"Ludenhof must be made aware of this at once. Tell me everything that has happened."Greetings everyone! I played my first game of the new year today, and boy was it fun! My opponent was a WoC player who had recently started up an Empire army. He was eager to test them out, and I was only too happy to oblige! He had a force built around a battalion box, so the battle was relatively small. It was all well and good since I prefer smaller battles anyway. We settled on 800 points, drew up our forces and got down to it.
Here is a rundown of our lists:
The Hovelhof Patrol
Osmund Falke,
Witch Hunter [85]
- Sword of Anti-Heroes
- Potion of Speed
Auberon Horst,
Battle Wizard [100]
- Level Two
- Lore of Beasts
Heinrich's Bloodcaps,
30x Halberdiers [210]
- Full Command
- Detachment
Eigmann's Scouts
10x Archers [70]
10x Archers [70]
The Hergig Instructors,
5x Outriders [105]
Falke's Charge,
5x Reiksguard [160]
- Standard Bearer
+ Standard of Discipline
TOTAL: 800 pts
The Nordland Raiders
Gerhardt Volkstein,
Warrior Priest [98]
- Great Weapon
- HA, Dragonhelm
- Barded Warhorse
Hans Delbrück,
Battle Wizard [100]
- Level Two
- Lore of Heavens
Beelen Buccaneers,
20x Swordsmen [170]
- Full Command
Menaansgarde Marines,
10x Crossbowmen [90]
Order of the Silver Sea,
9x Knights [228]
- Full Command
- Great Weapons
Ocean's Thunder,
1x Great Cannon [120]
TOTAL: 806 pts
Osmund Falke took a moment to glance over his shoulder. The wizard walked amongst a group of archers known as Eigmann's Scouts. There was no subtlety or deception. Falke's eyes met the beastly wizard's own. He turned back around and shook his head in anger. He was not trusted. Osmund was used to the distrust. As a member of the Order of the Silver Hammer, it was his job to root out the witch, heretic and mutant. They were not well-loved, but they were necessary part of Imperial society. Without his kind, Karl Franz's empire would rot from within.
"Witch Hunter," said a voice from behind. It was Auberon Horst.
"Yes, wizard?" Falke responded, the distaste thick and evident.
"Is it true that you burned the village of Ettlinge to the ground?"
"The village was damned by the Undead. Holy Sigmar demanded it be purged."
"I see," said Horst. "And that is why you were sent to Lord Veidt?"
"The master of my order commanded it. When the reports of the unholy menace began to reach our ears in Hergig, there was no other choice. And so I came."
It was true. He had burned Ettlinge after scouring the town. Families had been executed. But it was standard procedure. They had been in contact with a necromancer and may have been tainted. It was nasty business, Osmund pondered, but it had to be done. If he would not do it, who would? The wizard? He was more fond of the dark woods and the beasts within it. What did he know of such a thing. What did Veidt know? Or his sycophantic second-in-command, the Middenheimer?
***
Auberon Horst nodded but said nothing. He had been sent Leopold Veidt, Commander of the Drakwald Devils, to keep a watchful eye on the Witch Hunter. The mysterious man had showed up in Bergsburg and demanded to be given command of the patrol to Hovelhof. Reports of the Undead had been coming in for a week. Sergeant Heinrichs had originally been given the lead, but after a discussion behind closed doors, Osmund Falke was declared the new head of the expedition. Still, Veidt did not trust the Witch Hunter. And so Horst had been sent to accompany the patrol.
Horst had been deep in reverie when they ran into a ragged patrol. Heinrichs had approached the patrol and was immediately killed. Falke, to his credit, ordered the men into formation and met the assault head on. The battlefield was 4'x4'; an impassable mountain covered most of the right board edge. A waterfall formed a pond (dangerous terrain) at the base of the mountain at the middle of the right edge from which a shallow steam flowed across the entire board in a diagonal manner. We decided that this was purely for looks and was not dangerous terrain. A small hill finished off the corner of the right edge. On a bend in the river lay a ruined church, with a bridge crossing the small stream leading to a graveyard at the foot of the pond. Two forests were placed indiscriminately on the board. One on each side of the river.
Battleline! I won the roll off and chose the side with the hill. I must admit that I did this knowing that he had a cannon. We deployed simultaneously to represent our patrols meeting randomly in the countryside. We did so honorable, without looking at each other's layout. My deployment, from left to right: Outriders at far left. Behind them I placed the Reiksguard speed bump. Then came my block of Halberdiers (with WH general in them) flanked on each side by the Archer detachments. My wizard was placed in the rightmost Archers.
His deployment consisted of, from my left to right: GW Knights (with WP general), Great Cannon, Swordsmen block, and finally, Crossbowmen with Heavens Wizard (deployed directly behind the ruined church. It was obvious that he intended to hold the ruins. And off we went, with the first turn given to him (obviously, since the raiding party attacked first in the story)!
Falke watched as the enemy force marched toward his own. His Outriders had already galloped ahead of the main force, jockeying for position. Across from them, heavy knights with giant maces thundered forward led by a bearded priest of some kind. The Witch Hunter squinted and made out the unit's standard. A rich, sea-green background with a golden-embroidered mermaid. Were they coastal raiders? If they were, what were they doing this far inland? A cannon was being wheeled into place opposite him. That needed to be taken care of immediately. He had seen what a well-placed shot could do to a regiment of the most heavily armored troops. Next to the war machine, aunit of well-equipped, though dirty, swordsmen marched forward in the enemy center. Finally, crossbowmen and a robed man sprinted forward in an attempt to reach the ruined church on his right.
"Patrol, forward!" he yelled, raising his glittering sword to the sky.The enemy advanced. My opponent had rolled Harmonic Convergence (which he gleefully kept) and Urannon's Thunderbolt (which he substituted for Iceshard Blizzard). Blizzard was cast at the Outriders but was dispelled. I needed them to hit. Convergence was cast on his knights, and I failed to dispel it. The Cannon fired at my Halberd block and sent three to Morr.
I had rolled Amber Spear and Savage Beast (which I subbed for Wildform). My speed bump, halberds and archers moved forward. My opponent allowed a Wildform on the Halberds through. Amber Spear was dispelled. The Outriders opened up at the knights. The three wounds I managed to inflict were all saved. The Archers managed to down a single Crossbowman.
Osmund Falke cursed as the cannonball soared over his head and crunched sickeningly into his regiment. He saw the cannon try to line up another shot, but the crew milled about in confusion.
"Misfire!" he exclaimed. "Come on, boys! It'll take them a bit to figure that out!"
He paled as an enormous cloud appeared over the Outriders. The sky grew dark, but miraculously, the cloud drifted away as quickly as it had appeared. He risked a glance to his right and saw sweat glistening off of Auberon Horst's brow as he dispelled the hex. The Witch Hunter watched as the Outrider's shots plinked harmlessly off their lacquered armor.
The enemy priest made a fanatical attempt to reach Eigmann's archers, but his knights lacked the conviction necessary to carry them the distance. The Crossbowmen reached the ruins and fired at his own unit. He heard a scream and knew that someone had fallen, wounded or worse.
From the ruins, a horrendous krakoom shuddered over the battlefield as the enemy wizard lost control of the winds of magic. A calamitous detonation rocked the building. Stones toppled and Falke glanced mutilated corpses and stains of red.
"Sigmar is with us! Forward, men!"My opponent was unlucky as he rolled IF with only three dice. The giant blast butchered most of the Crossbowmen and wounded the Wizard. His shooting was ineffective.
My Outriders reformed to protect my Halberd block from his WP/Knights, whilst my Reiksguard moved forward into position to prevent any other movement. The plan was to make him charge the Reiksguard and hold him there for at least a turn or two. The Halbs then charged the Swordsmen on a great roll. Boosted Spear and Wildform were both cast. Neither were dispelled. Bring the pain!
Horst waved a hand and muttered an incantation. The Halberdiers roared as a beastly power overtook them. Next, he paused and conjured a giant spear out of thin air. With a growl, he flung his arm forward in the direction of the enemy general. The enormous magical spear shot forward, hitting the unit clear in the flank. Four men were impaled and fell without sound into the soft ground.
The Outriders fired a hail of lead once more at the Knights and managed to bring one down. In an instant, the enemy general's unit had been reduced by half. Auberon heard Eigmann order his scouts to fire at the dazed wizard in the ruins. The resulting hail of bowfire skewered the last crossbowmen. The wizard tried to find cover in the ruins but was pierced through the abdomen and fell prostrate.
***
"FOR SIGMAR!"
Falke and the halberdiers charged into the swordsmen. He struck out quickly with his bejeweled blade and found a raider's throat. The combat was feverish and simultaneous. The swordsmen were beyond skilled, and despite the powerful augmentation Horst had cast, several men fell to their strikes. In retaliation, the halberdiers cleaved their way through an equal number of the foe.
The enemy reeled but for a moment, then pressed forward once more.In his 3rd turn, he blundered. Later I learned that he was attempting to cast all three of the WP spells. Unfortunately, he cast Soulfire first, then miscast attempting Shield of Faith. I advised him to always go for Hammer of Sigmar first for just that reason. It's easily the most important WP spell to get off. There was no shooting due to the cannon misfire. His WP's unit charged into the Reiksguard and beat it in combat. The Banner of Discipline saved me, as a rolled a 9 on the break test.
The infantry melee fared no better for my opponent. His swordsmen were absolutely possessed! We traded casualties once more, but my extra rank and his poor rolling contributed to his block breaking. I failed to catch them (by a damn INCH), but it mattered little. He knew what was coming.
As the swordsmen broke, Falke rushed a glance to his left and saw the Reiksguard bravely holding off the enemy cavalry.
"Just hold for a few more moments," he muttered underneath his breath.
With a surge of murderous enthusiasm, the halberdiers chopped into the backs of the fleeing swordsmen. Urged on by Auberon Horst's bestial bloodlust, none of the enemy survived.
The Outriders had run toward the cannon in the hopes that they could reach it before grapeshot was loaded into the barrel. Horst and Eigmann's crew also headed that way. As they ran, Horst once again summoned a giant spear. This time, he threw it with so much might that the winds of magic immediately died away. He groaned and slunk to the ground. Auberon had blacked out before seeing the giant spear explode against the cannon, splitting the barrel in two. Magical shards ripped the crew to bloody ribbons.
On the far side of the battlefield, the Reiksguard were slowly falling to the treacherous mermaid priest and his knights. Still, they stubbornly refused to give ground. Falke and his unit turn to meet the enemy in holy combat.The game was essentially over. Only the knights and WP remained. Though they suffered from a lower save than my Reiksguard, they passed every save they had to take. Still, it was only a matter of time. In his turn, my knights were reduced to a RnF trooper and the Standard Bearer. They held once more.
My halberdiers made one last glorious charge roll against his WP/Knights. I lucked out on my Miscast roll. Even though my wizard lost both levels and forgot all of his spells, it didn't really matter. He would survive the fight. The final moments played out like so:
Falke's regiment charged into the combat just in time to see the Reiksguard standard fall. The priest had smashed in his chest and sent him tumbling to the moist earth. The valorous knight raised up for a mere moment, planting his standard in the ground before slumping over, never to rise again.
His quarry in sight, Osmund bellowed a challenge at the enemy general. As the priest raised his spiked hammer, Osmund Falke, Witch Hunter, pulled a small vile from his pocket and drained the liquid in one fluid motion.
His speed greatly enhanced, he struck out with the power of holy Sigmar and decapitated his enemy before the priest's hammer had even begun to descend. Shocked at the extremely quick and violent demise of their leader, the few remaining knights were unhorsed and butchered.
The battle had been won. Falke, bloody and his sword arm aching from overuse, examined the corpse of his foe. A servant of the sea god, Manann. ***
"We found no dispatches. No orders. All of them were dressed in rags, minus the gaudy priest and his blue-steeled companions. Luckily, we found a single survivor. A crossbowman, dying of his wounds. Falke... "questioned" him. In the end, it was determined he was a Nordlander. He wouldn't say why they were sent. Or who sent them."
Leopold Veidt thought for a moment. A few years back, wasn't there a planned incursion into Hochland by Count Gausser? It seems he remembered a story about the Supreme Patriarch preventing any hostilities by transmuting the Elector Count's gold into worthless scrap. He shook his head.
"Regardless, Ludenhof needs to be warned. I will write a report and you shall carry it to Hergig. How quickly can you deliver it?"
Auberon smiled. "A day."
It seemed impossible, but Leopold knew better than to question a wizard. They had their ways. Some of his men claimed that Auberon could turn into a flock of Woodsnipes. It didn't matter. All Leopold knew was that in addition to the Undead in the foothills, Beastmen and Goblins in the Forest, and Chaos scum in the mountain passes, he now had to worry about a possible invasion from within the Empire.
"Where is Falke?"
"He left our company and travelled to Hovelhof alone. I worry for the villagers' safety. He is a dangerous man, Leopold."
" I know, friend. I know. In the miles to the north, an orange glow could be seen emanating from Hovelhof. And the screams lasted throughout the night...
