Wyvern Hunting

The news of the lost band of elves in Mordheim caused concern in the ranks of the Shadow Warrior. Another band of Shadow Warriors scouting on the edges of Sylvania were commanded to enter Mordheim to investigate and to report back on the growing influence of chaos. The victory of chaos also rippled through the followers of chaos. The rotten god, Nurgle, was pleased with the success and blessed the marauder chieftain with his rancid mark. He has seen Mordheim as an opportunity to strengthen his grip on the world and so has sent his carnival of chaos into the city. The days are growing darker indeed.

The promise of riches and power is tempting but still out of reach for those warbands in Mordheim. Therefore news of a monster (and its treasure) was too much to resist. The Marauders of Chaos (LS) and the Carnival of Chaos (JF) joined forces to hunt for this beast for Nurgle's glory. The blood god, Khorne, was not about to let Nurgle get an easy victory and sent his Beastmen Raiders (NG's Khorneflakes *face palm*) to claim the victory for himself. They came across the ragged band of Reiklanders (BN) and 'convinced' the humans to help them. The threat of Nurgle temporarily outweighed the desire for further bloodshed but in the end it is an alliance in name only. Meanwhile the Shadow Elves (MD) saw an opportunity to extract revenge on the forces of chaos who slaughtered their brethren. They swallowed their pride and approached the Dwarf Treasure Hunters (AR) for an alliance. The lure of treasure was enough for the dwarfs to agree to the deal.

Set Up
This game was a two-versus-two-versus-two battle. The warbands in each of the three allied teams moved simultaneously with their fellow warband to save time. The scenario was Monster Hunt from the 'Chaos on the Streets' article found in the Mordheim Annual 2002 and was played on a  6' x 4' table. The type of monster was unknown until the first encounter.

Round 1
The Carnival convinced the Marauders to take out the humans first before focusing on the monster. (JF didn't realise that the victory condition was simply to kill the monster and have no enemies within 6" of the lair. He thought that the other warbands had to be routed.) The followers of Nurgle advanced towards the humans.

The four Reiklander Marksmen formed a defensive line on the nearby hill. Meanwhile the Captain, Kristof, with a Champion, Bo, advanced forward towards the lair while the other Champion, Jo, headed towards a nearby hut with an intact roof. The Beastmen remembered the delicacy of elven guts and headed towards the four elves who were defending the second floor of a nearby building. The Shaman, Grox Farsight, used his Wings of Darkness to dart ahead into the complete open.

The nimble elves climbed up top of the walls on the roofless building and spotted the advancing beastmen. The dwarfs down below also lined up the shaman in their sights. It was obvious that Grox Farsight had already seen this part of the battle previously and not one of the two arrows nor three bolts touched him.

Round 2
The Marauders half-heartedly moved forward while the Carnival advanced with determination. The performers could not avoid coming into view of the Marksmen. Two heroes (a Strongman and a Tainted One) fell in quick succession. The Champion, Jo, came to the dreadful realisation that the hut would be difficult to climb after losing his footing on his first attempt.

Grox Farsight flew up to charge one of the elves on the top of the two-story building. A second elf nearby charged in to assist his comrade. The three warriors danced upon the narrow wall trading blows. Grox's wings obviously gave him the ability to balance better than expected for a beastman.

The remaining beastmen and the dwarfs enter the building from opposite ends.

Round 3
The Marauders realised that they should not divide their forces and rush forward in support of the Carnival. Three warhounds of chaos advance towards Campion Jo and move into the open space to draw fire away from the other warriors. A single warhound is lost. Jo starts to get desperate but fails to climb up again.

Meanwhile, the beastmen finally engage the dwarfs in battle on the first floor of the elves' starting building. Two warhounds of chaos for the beastmen are quickly taken out of action. The shaman, Grox Farsight, takes out one of the elves before the elf, Cúel, takes Grox out of  the battle.

Round 4
The Marauders and Carnival finally realise that victory lies with the monster and its loot rather than fighting the other warbands. (BN reads the scenario rules for victory out loud again and JF and LS realise that if they move quickly to defeat the monster then they might be able to win while the dwarfs, elves and beastmen are locked in battle. LS tells JF "I told you so".) They head to the opening of the monster's lair. A warhound of chaos charges the Champion, Bo, who is saved by a lucky charm. The last Strongman for the Carnival attempts to charge the Champion, Jo, but misjudges the distance and fails. Jo finally climbs to safety.

Unfortunately the Khornflakes voluntarily rout leaving the Reiklanders without an 'ally' (not that the beastmen were of much use as allies anyway). Kristof the Reiklander Captain counter charges the warhound of chaos attacking Bo. The Reiklander marksmen let off another deadly volley of bolts and scored a head shot to instantly kill Hannibal, the Carnival Master, while also taking the Freak out of action (the Marauders' Condemned hero).

Free of the beastmen, the dwarfs and the elves set their sights on the monster's lair. The three remaining elves climb down although on loses his footing and falls. He is only knocked down but one of the dwarfs comments to his fellow clansman that it was like "watching a leaf fall to the ground and hurt itself". Both warbands are unable to get close to the lair though.

Round 5
The monster charges forth into the Marauder Chieftain and is revealed as a young wyvern. The wyvern fails to injure the chieftain who was blessed by Nurgle after the previous battle and is now Toughness 6. The chieftain retaliates and gets a lucky master strike to wound the wyvern twice.

The appearance of the wyvern and the lost of  their Carnival Master is too much for the rest of the Carnival who routs. The Marauders realise that they only have a brief period of time before the dwarfs and elves approach the lair and calls out for an alliance with the Reiklanders which is greatly accepted. The remaining Marauders charge into the wyvern and one of the Marauder Champions also scores a master strike to take the wyvern out of action. The battle is won by the Marauders and the Reiklanders.

Aftermath
The alliance between the Marauders, Carnival and Reiklanders was surprisingly honoured and the young wyrven's hoard was shared. The forces of chaos must have been wary of the line of marksmen who had them in their crossbow sights. Three shards of wyrdstone was found and split evenly between the warbands. After that the Marauders were satisfied with a suit of Heavy Armour and the skull of the wyvern to put on the mantle in their cave or something. The Carnival scored a suit of Light Armour, a Sword and 30 gold crowns while the  Reiklanders found a Shield and 25 gold crowns. It appears that a sword that was also found was misplaced while the goods were being split up between the warbands.

During exploration the Marauders found a Fletcher (3 3 3) but the only item of worth was a bow which no one knew how to use. They also found another 4 shards of wyrdstone. The Carnival found a Straggler (4 4) which was sacrifice to initiate their new leader, one of the Strongmen. It is not yet sure whether the Strongman is talented enough to lead the Carnival and there are rumours that this may have been their final performance. They also found a Jewelled Sword and Dagger in an Overturned Card (5 5) and 4 shards of wyrdstone. The Reiklanders forgot that they had a map of Mordheim to help them and only found 2 gold crowns in a Ruined Hovel (6 6) along with 4 shards of wyrdstone. The Beastmen found 3 shards of wyrdstone and 1 gold crown and a Lucky Charm in a Shop (2 2). The dwarfs freed some Prisoners (3 3 3) and surprisingly one was a young dwarf who agreed to join the warband alongside another Beardling. The elves quickly melted back into the shadows and it is not known if they found anything of note.

Returning to Mordheim

It has been a while but the lure of wyrdstone has attracted a fresh wave of explorers into the city of the damned. This year there are some new faces (LS, NG, AR and AS) joining the old crew (AA, JF, MD and BN). This campaign will be a training opportunity for the new recruits while allowing the rest of us to muck around  before things get serious. We will continue to use our house rules and will be playing in and around the city of Mordheim itself.

The first game was a large three-versus-three battle.

The forces of evil went up against the forces of good. The evil alliance was made up of NG (Beastmen Raiders), LS (Marauders of Chaos) and AA (Necrarch Undead) while the goodies were made up of MD (Shadow Elves), AR (Dwarf Treasure Hunters) and BN (Reiklander Mercenaries). The scenario was Treasure Hunt from the 'Chaos on the Streets' article found in the Mordheim Annual 2002 and was played on a  6' x 4' table.

Set Up
The good team managed to set up on the edges with the most wyrdstone. They also rolled to move first. This *should* have allowed them to start with some early momentum.

Round 1
The Marauders of Chaos set up last and had no wyrdstone nearby. Therefore the entire warband was put on the table within 12" (and direct line of site) of the entire Reiklander Mercenary warband. Without thinking the Reiklander Mercenaries with four Marksmen with crossbows stood firm but only succeeded in taking a single Warhound of Chaos out of action. In retaliation the Warhounds of Choas charged and dispatched the two Youngblood heroes. (The Reiklander Captain obviously had never encountered this warband before and did not realise that the warhounds were able to charge 14".)

The other warbands started fanning out to collect the loot.

Round 2
The Marksmen took out another Warhound of Chaos but two Marksmen were lost in the counter charge. The Necrarch vampire who had previously climbed to the top of a building to secure a shard of wyrdstone and was taken out of action by a Shadow Walker.

Round 3
The Reiklander Captain decided that losing four warriors was too much and called the retreat (failed rout test). The Abomination trundled out into the open towards the Dwarves.

Rounds 4, 5 and 6
The Dwarves charged into the Abomination which was a very bad idea. The Abomination made quick work of the Dwarves and successfully routed them (voluntary). Unfortunately the Necrarchs lost an Acolyte and also routed. Prior to their rout, the Centigor charged a Troll Slayer and was cut down.

Rounds 7, 8 and 9

The forces of chaos swarmed the Shadow Elves. The fleeing dwarves and humans last saw the five elves fighting valiently but the force of evil was too great empowered no doubt by the high concentration of wyrdstone in the area. Not one of the elves was ever seen again.

Aftermath

NG found found 8 shards. LS found found 4 shards. AA found 2 shards.The evil warbands chose to share the spoils of war evenly though (surprisingly) and so all three ended with 4 shards.

MD disbanded his Shadow Warriors after all five warriors were taken Out of Action and the Shadow Master died. The only other death was a Warhound of Chaos. Both Reiklander Youngblood heroes will miss their next battle (the wimps).

During exploration the Necrarch's found a Well (1 1) that looked interesting but an Acolyte only found poisoned water and will miss his next game. The Dwarfs found a Ruined Hovel (6 6). The Reiklanders found a vague Mordheim Map in an Overturned Cart (5 5) and also found a Ruined Hovel (6 6). The Marauders found a Straggler (4 4) and immediately sacrificed him to the dark gods. It is not known whether the Beastmen Raiders found anything of note.

The human sacrifice must have impressed one of the dark gods as the Marauder Chieftain received a mark of chaos. One of the Gors proved his worth by collecting wyrdstone and was promoted to be a hero.

Mountains of Mourning (Round Nine - B'trark Gorehorns (MD) verses the Hunters (HM))

"Mountains of Mourning"

B'trark Gorehorns / Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal / Scion of Chaos verses the Hunters / Reiklander Mercenaries / Celestial Protectorate

Weather: Hail for 3 turns
Perilous Phenomena: Tempest, Thunder and lightning, Gale

Manhunt (Mountains of Mourne)

Tall stories of monstrous beasts roaming the lands had become the talk in the taverns and meeting places of the city. Merchants plying the western routes had claimed to have seen hulking outlines against the fading sun. Still others claimed to be survivors of attacks by these beasts. Usually the sightings were when light was dim, or when the weather was bad and identification was difficult, but the location was undisputed: a small mountain pass roughly five days journey west of the city.

Captain Ivan cursed the storm as he ushered his men forward. The noise made communication difficult, forcing them to use hand signals. He and his men had traveled five days in perfect weather, only to be beset by hail as they began to close in on their quarry. A hand-picked group, Ivan had led them in search of this beast of the tales, hoping to clear the route for future trade and travel. Ivan signaled his men to stop, as a dark mass loomed ahead – two mountain peaks separated by a wide pass. The men stood for a while surveying the scene searching for signs of their quarry, but were soon cursing the weather again as thunder boomed and echoed through the pass, and wind picked up in flurries and gusts, soon turning into a full-blown gale – perfect for sending their bolts and arrows off-course.

Bragor calmly surveyed the scene in front of him. He had led his raiding party out of the north hoping for richer pickings among the caravan trails of the Mountains of Mourne.
Following the caravan trails had so far proved fruitful. Morale was high after the recent victory over the magic-wielding Order, and his followers were eager to again douse their weapons in blood. A battle was soon in coming as a hulking shadow loomed on the trail ahead. Bragor spoke sharply to some of the more eager Gors as they began moving forward to meet the newcomer. With sullen looks they moved back and took up positions, awaiting the chance to send another creature into the waiting arms of Onogal.
Bragor laughed as the melee began. Sitatunga the fool had moved in front of his comrades, obviously eager to prove himself. Well he had soon learnt his lesson, being beaten to the ground and trampled by the beast. He ordered his followers forward into battle, and with a rumbling roar charged the monster himself. Markhor the shaman, forgoing use of his spells charged alongside, slicing open the creature’s sides with a flurry of well-aimed blows.
The massed charge and sharp steel quickly discouraged the creature, a strange mix of scales and ugly. Once, twice, three times they attacked, and each time the beast was driven back until it fled blindly into the swirling currents of a fast-flowing river.. Bragor watched amused as the hulking creature struggled to keep its footing, eventually being swept downstream, its bellows matched by the rough laugh of the gorehorns. Albrath the centigor gave a stamp, displeased at being unable to bury his blade into such a worthy foe. He hadn't managed to spill any blood since downing some measly hobgoblins, and his nostrils flared as he recalled his recent encounter with The Order where he was knocked to the ground by those annoying spells and crossbows – only blood was going to fix that dent in his pride.
Bragor’s laugh died in his throat as he turned to the centigor and saw him suddenly stagger and fall, a crossbow bolt quivering from his body. A hero amongst his followers and veteran of many battles, Albrath was fearsome as a foe and an inspirational figure leading a charge into battle. The sight of their hero felled by a cowardly bolt turned the gorehorns' amusement to anger in a flash, and they moved as one into the forest south of the pass, eager to take their revenge.

Ivan looked up sharply as a bellowing roar echoed through the pass ahead of them. Swiftly moving forward and taking cover at the entrance to the pass he spotted a massed melee taking place. He identified a Dragon Ogre, obviously the monster of the tales, engaged with what appeared to be a party of beastmen. Ivan had heard stories of these mutants – strange, human-like abominations twisted by the dark gods. Taking advantage of the distracted foes he ordered his crossbowmen to fire into the melee. Ivan smiled as he heard the bolts whistle overhead and the resultant cry as a bolt struck true.
Seeing the twisted horse go down Ivan looked around for the shooter and made his approval known. The marksman, Alan hurried over and tried to make himself heard over the gale that was now blowing. “They’ve headed round the mountain sir, must be tryin’ to come at us from the forest to the south”. Ivan nodded and quietly directed his marksmen, trying to set up a killing zone for when the beastmen left the cover of the forest.
A sudden clatter of rocks and a yell brought Ivan’s attention. Seeing one of his marksmen, Much laying face-down below a small ridge his first impulse was to berate the clumsy fool, thinking he had tripped and fallen. On seeing the man lying still he motioned Scarlet, another marksman to check on him. Scarlet moved over to the still figure, reached down and slapped the fallen man. Looking across at his leader he slowly shook his head. Cursing the loss of a man before the fight had even started Ivan moved off to check the defensive line.
Looking around to see all was set, Ivan noticed a hulking figure moving toward them through the mountain pass. Dragon Ogre! He yelled to Scarlet to move out of the way and called his remaining marksmen into line before reaching for his bow. Whether it was another Dragon Ogre, or the same one they had seen earlier, Ivan could not tell as he called for a volley. Multiple volleys of crossbow bolts and arrows struck the creature, doing nothing but angering it as it gave a bellow and charged at Scarlet, who was caught in the middle of the pass. Showing no sign of fear Scarlet raised his crossbow and loosed a bolt. Now truly enraged, the creature roared a challenge as it bore down on the puny human, its massive axe tearing through Scarlet’s hurried defense and leaving him crumpled on the side of the pass. With shields up, the Youngbloods set themselves to meet the beast, but the still charging Ogre sent them both sprawling back into the rubble beside the trail. Desperately hoping to save his young troops, Ivan led a charge toward the beast and with Mace at his side slashed the creature in its unprotected flank. Howling in pain, the beast broke off the combat and moved behind a ridge. Panting, Ivan let the beast go, they needed to regroup before the beastmen returned.

Lightning flashed overhead and the howling winds continued as the Gorehorns moved quickly through thick forest. After crossing the river Bragor decided to split the party, leaving Xebi to lead a group of Gors while he moved ahead with Markhor, Sitatunga and a single Gor to pressure the humans. While crossing a small clearing however Xebi was spotted by a filthy human, and promptly received a bolt through his leg, causing him to stumble and fall. Eager for battle the Gors moved on ahead, leaving him to stumble along as best he could.
Hearing the humans’ battle with the Dragon Ogre, Bragor moved his small group behind a ridge south of the humans’ position, waiting for his remaining forces to gather for a combined strike. Bragor watched as a pair of Gors, Xyro and Dalen, blundered out of the forest nearby, charging straight for a pair of humans carrying shields. A cry went up from the humans, and arrows whistled towards the them, all seeming to fly wide of the running Gors. Charging headlong into the fray, Xyro and Dalen tried in vain to get past the shields of the humans, but each stroke was blocked by the defenders. The archers charged to the assistance of the shield-bearers and Xyro and Dalen were quickly surrounded and cut down.
Regrouping, the archers moved away from the shield-bearers, and on catching sight of Bragor’s small party, loosed another ineffectual volley in their direction. Bragor sneered at their feeble weapons and ordered Sitatunga to engage them. “Your chance for glory son” he said to the Ungor, his contempt barley concealed. Sitatunga immediately charged the nearest archer, ignoring the drawn sword and plunging his goat-like head into the human’s stomach, knocking him to the ground. At that moment the remaining Gors, sneaking up behind another ridge, spied the shield-bearers partially concealed on the other side of the outcropping. Wasting no time they charged at the presented shields, backing the humans against the rock face. Bragor smiled, they had the humans right where he wanted them.

Ivan brought the bowstring to his ear and released another arrow at the hulking Bestigor behind the ridge (Markhor). He saw his arrow glace off the beast’s armor as it charged toward Mace, striking him down as he lay helpless from the runt’s charge. Looking around, he saw more beastmen moving toward them and despaired as the battle was lost. He called his men to retreat, the youngbloods breaking out from the beastmen surrounding them, killing a heavily armored Gor (Kudu) as they forced their way through. The beastmen did not seem set on following, their bloodlust slaked for the moment. Ivan watched his men move away through the forest, despondent at the loss of men and vowing to return. He took a last look at the battlefield, then to the sky. At least the weather had cleared…

Albrath woke with a sharp pain on his forehead. Blinking quickly to clear his bleary eyes he came to his feet and found himself in a cage. He tried to push against the door, his hooves biting deep into the soggy soil as he grunted with effort, but the door would not budge. Angered he cast about for a means of escape when he noticed a human stirring in the next cell. This measly piece of flesh and bone had better not have been the marksman who took him down, he thought to himself, his anger increasing at yet another embarrassment. Stewing in thoughts of revenge, Albrath noted a gathering forming in a circle nearby, with a heavy-set warrior dressed in ornate armor at its centre. Soon a guard came over to the cells, shaking the human fully awake before dragging him to the edge of the circle. Albrath watched with interest as they gave the human a mace and dagger, obviously the weapons he had been captured with. The buzz of the crowd quickly became a rowdy cacophony of shouts, jeers, and chants, as bets were quickly placed, ale was quickly consumed, people jostled each other for a better view and rotten food was thrown at the quivering human. The human, introduced to the crowd as Scarlet was then roughly pushed in to the circle, and was shown cold steel as he turned around to look for a way out.
Reluctantly, Scarlet moved to attack the still immobile warrior in his deep red chaos armour. His feeble strike was contemptuously brushed aside and the warrior’s heavy blade swept down on him, felling him where he stood. Kicking the still form the warrior returned to the centre of the ring, eager for his next opponent.

The guard now moved toward Albrath’s cage, and Albrath burst forth as soon as the door was opened. Sweeping up his weapons he charged the warrior of chaos, his anger and frustration released in the thrill of battle – this is what he was born for. Each strike glanced off the warrior’s heavy armor, each killing blow blocked by a well-timed parry. Albrath’s fury began to fade as the fight dragged on, the warriors circling each other, waiting for the other to make a mistake. The crowd, becoming caught up in the furious display, cheered when a blow was struck, baying for blood to be spilled. They roared as a repeated series of blows from Albrath's sword bit deep into the warrior’s heavy armor, bringing him down. Nostrils flaring, crowd braying, blood staining the sand, Albrath let out a roar of victory, bathing in the glory and leaving his defeats far behind him. Lifting his sword in victory, Albrath felt his blood begin to burn, as blessings of Onogal rained down on him in his glory. His muscular form then began to expand, as if all the ale he had consumed in the last week (and that was a lot) had been retained in his not flabby folds, and his tough skin became thicker and rougher. The guards were approaching warily, with intent to send the new champion back to his cage, but Albrath had tasted blood, had tasted glory, had tasted the blessings of his god and he was now near indestructible. The crowd's cheers soon became screams, as Albrath turned on anyone within reach. He was not as fast as he once was, but any wounds against him seemed to just bounce off his rubbery folds of flab. As the crowd began to thin, the villagers began to prepare an organised defense. Albrath, though he welcomed the challenge, felt the call of his god to return to Bragor and his brothers in blood.
Scarlet woke up to a sharp pecking at his shoulder, the sound of buzzing flies and the caws of crows, and the stench of loosened bowels. He quickly shooed away the hungry crow that was pecking at one of his wounds, but winced and groaned as he came close to blacking out again. Gingerly, he sat up and removed the body that was half-sprawled across him. Realising he had been stripped of his possessions except his bloody clothes, Scarlet crawled out of the ditch of bodies, knowing that he now faced the dangers of infection, starvation, and being alone and unarmed in a hostile environment. He had hope, however, and in the end, hope led him home.

The B'trark Gorehorns victory allowed them to find 4 treasures and received 3 campaign points.
The Hunters received 5 Treasures and received 1 campaign point.

The Enemy of my Enemy is still my Enemy (Round Eight - B'trark Gorehorns (MD) verses the Order (JF))

"The Enemy of my Enemy is still my Enemy"

B'trark Gorehorns / Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal / Scion of Chaos & Black Dwarfs / Scourge of the Realm verses the Order / Sorcerous Society / Celestial Protectorate

The Enemy of my Enemy

B'trark Gorehorns / Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal / Scion of Chaos versus the Order / Sorcerous Society / Celestial Protectorate

Wyrdstone Hunt

The Dwarfs were late. Bragor had expected as much from those 'slow, hairy tree-stumps' as he liked to think of them. Their pact against their mutual enemy was never likely to last long, and though the absence of the Dwarfs cost the Beastmen an unfair advantage, Bragor was still not afraid of this bunch of magic-slinging punies that he could spy across the plains before him. His fingers adjusted their grip on his mace as he anticipated the blood that was about to be spilled, and he snickered to himself when he realised he wouldn't have to share the kill.

"Darnnit, drats and kaphooey!" spouted Niko Jr. as he sized up the approaching horde of Beastmen (for any number of Beastmen seemed too many for his liking, though the actual number was 13). "How the heck did they find us?"
"They must have found our tracks as we passed through the mountains," deduced Kev, the Kislev ranger. "Just be thankful that they didn't bring extra friends."
"Pull your courage out of your bags, men, and stand strong. If we take enough of them down before they reach us, we can win the day," Niko Jr. announced, as much to bolster his own courage as that of the men's. He then turned to watch as the horde charged across the steppes, as Dravin, Julius' raven familiar, took wing to slow down the dreaded foe.

Bragor was eager for blood, but that didn't cloud his eyesight enough so that he didn't notice some of the old relics scattered across the plains. Ordering his men to keep an eye out for treasure, Bragor and his band stampeded across the plains, hooves thundering. A lone raven flew out towards them, but having had experiences with familiars in the past, Bragor was wary enough to send the dogs out first. As predicted, a spell soon erupted from the raven's mouth in the form of magic missiles, taking out two of the three warhounds of chaos. Albrath the Centigor was enraged at the loss of his half-scaly companions (with whom he shared his fleas, his bed, and even some of his ale). Luckily, an immediate outlet for his anger appeared in the form of three giant wolf-riding hobgoblin scouts who popped up out of a hidden depression. He killed one, then another in frenzy, and stunned the third. Bragor was not one to be left out of the action however, and quickly depacitated the one left sprawled on the ground.

"Work, darnnit!" spat Sigmund, as his Sword of Rezabel spell failed once again. Niko Jr. would have turned to look, but it was such an effort to move while the Flesh of Clay spell was in force. "Uurgh!" came a groan from behind, and this time Niko Jr. did turn to see Julius lying face down, his attempt at casting a second spell quickly having been too much for him. "God help us!" Niko Jr. breathed, though he wasn't quite sure which god he was praying to. Surprisingly, his prayer was answered in the form of three hobgoblins, who managed to distract the Beastmen for long enough for Julius to get back to his feet and for Sigmund to succeed in casting his Sword of Rezabel. Niko Jr. knew the reprieve would not last for long however and soon enough, on they came.

The hobgoblin distraction aside, the beastmen came on in full force - but not without casualties. The Order was capable of casting 2 Silver Arrows of Arha and 2 Magic Missiles spells, and shooting three crossbows and three bows in each round of shooting. By the time melee combat was started, all three warhounds were dead, as was one of the Gor henchmen. Even the previously invincible Albrath was knocked down at one stage. Then it was the Beastmen's turn. The henchmen Gors and Ungor attacked and took out Spot the canine familiar, Dravin, and killed one of the untrained henchmen. Once they had killed their opponents though, they became vulnerable to the missile power of The Order, and two more Gor were taken out, and Nyala was stunned. A small 'poof!' went off at one stage, and Julius was left frazzled for a while as one of his spells miscast. He was soon back in the action casting his viscious Magic Missiles spell however.

The wave of heroes came next - Bragor took out the Molly the Minstrel (Bard), Markhor killed the remaining untrained, and Xebi took out Sigmund. Xebi and a frenzied Albrath took on Niko Jr. next, though Albrath ended up disappointed that he didn't even get to trample the clay-skinned sorceror, as Xebi took him out first hit. As Bragor finished off the pathetic bard he faced off against his next opponent, Hercule. His mind was sent spinning with what he saw however, when he noticed what was strapped to Hercule's back - the Chaos sword of Damnation! His sword - or soon to be, so thought Bragor. His by right. In he charged, swinging wildly, but the ever-calm Hercule didn't have to do much to avoid those clumsy attacks, and took Bragor out with well-placed strike - one that Bragor didn't even consider to step aside for.

With both leaders out of action, the battle hung in the balance, but as the fighting became ever more melee, The Order knew they were outmatched, and made a hasty retreat - and to the misfortune of Sigmund, leaving him behind to be sacrificed by the Beastmen.

As he chomped into a breast of Sigmund that night around the campfire, Bragor stared off into the stars. Tonight was a joint celebration for the victory and for the promotion of Kudu to a hero, but as the others celebrated Bragor sat in contemplation, tormented by the memory of his missed opportunity. But one day, soon, he told himself, that sword would be his.


The Chaos Dwarfs missed their game.

The Order found 5 treasures and received 2 campaign points.

The B'trark Gorehorns found 7 treasures and also received 2 campaign points.

The Tempest (Round Two - The Lone Squad (BN) verses B'trark Gorehorns (MD))

"The Tempest"

The Lone Squad / Gunnery School of Nuln / Lure of Fortune verses B'trark Gorehorns / Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal / Scion of Chaos

Wyrdstone Hunt

Rain. Senior Gunnery Officer Benedict von Neale hated the rain. He hated the mud that clogged his boots. He hated the water that soaked through his clothing. He hated the damp that was getting into his blackpowder. He looked around at his squad and made a mental note that he needed to get his hands on some raincoats for his men. To make matters worse they had just heard a horn blast that could mean nothing other than beastmen in the vicinity. “They must have also heard about the treasures to be found in this area,” he thought to himself grimly and ordered his men to split up to increase their chances of finding treasures and to set up possible opportunities for cross fire.

Bragor grinned as the shaman of his new tribe, Markhor, held up a treasure. “So the Cathayan villagers did actually tell the truth before they died and the battle against the liche and his undead minions where Guarin died had not been in vain.” he thought. After his chieftain died, Albrath had briefly taken over the tribe. Bragor was by far the better leader though and the centigor chose not to contest the leadership when confronted and instead stood down. Bragor was eager now to build his tribe for his own glory in the eyes of Onogal. He looked out through the pouring rain at the acid pools and forest and wondered what further riches could be found.

Benedict looked with concern at the acid pool he was walking past. There were a lot of the swampy pools in this area and all of them were slowly expanding as more and more water from the rain flowed into them. “Tell the men to seek high ground quickly,” he said to Benson, the squad's instructor. “I doubt that we'll find any treasure due to the speed at which these acid pools are growing.”

The beastmen also continued to move forward into a dense patch of forest. Bragor growled that the dead forest still caused some of his warriors, including Albrath, to baulk. “Another reason I am now the chieftain,” he smiled. “No fool who quavered at trees blowing in the wind deserved leadership of a tribe.” Just then three humans came into view around a clump of trees. His warhounds howled and charged with eager anticipation of the taste of warm blood. The mud must have slowed down the warhounds as the humans were ready for their assult and took one out of action and stunned the other. The third human fired his two pistols but both shots missed their mark and the warrior then turned and fled. Bragor yelled out an order and Markhor and two gors charged into the humans that had stayed to dispatch the stunned warhound.

The fighting was fierce but the weak humans were no match for the beastmen. Arkar, one of the gors, caved in the head of one human with his mace. Markhor stunned the other human. Bragor, Albrath and the other beastmen moved closer to the action to revel in the killing but in doing so they also entered into the sights of a marksmen with a handgun that had taken up position in a nearby building. Bragor was knocked down from the impact before he heard the gunshot. Markhor feverishly recited a spell in an archaic and terrible tongue and Onogal must have been pleased with the action because the dark god afflicted the stunned human with his Neiglish Rot before the warhound recovered and took the poor, diseased human out of action.

Benedict looked across the acid lake to the building on the other side where one of his marksmen was positioned. Reuben, the senior student in the squad, was running back to seek shelter in the building. A warhound and a beastman were in pursuit and gaining ground. He lined up the beastmen in the sights of his handgun and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Benedict swore. The blackpowder was wet and failed to ignite. As he quickly emptied the chamber of his gun the warriors across the acid disappeared behind a small clump of trees. He had lost his chance. There was a scream and Benedict shook his head at the hopelessness of the situation. Two of his men (perhaps only one now) were trapped on the other side of the lake and there was no way that he and the other men with him could reach them to help.

Arkar raced by the warhound that had just taken another human out of action and charged up the ladder into the marksman who was obviously having trouble with his handgun. He was close to frenzy after his previous kill and was keen to shed more blood. The human didn't stand a chance and was taken out of action and thrown off the small building.

That was the last straw for Benedict. They were safe for now due to the acid that separated them from the foul beastmen but the storm was easing and the acid would all too quickly recede. Benedict knew that beastmen were forever hungry to spill blood and did not want to stick around to continue the confrontation. He ordered his men to return to the watering hole where they had left the rest of the caravan with the merchants and the men that were still recovering from the ogre attack.

The Lone Squad found 2 treasures.

The B'trark Gorehorns found 5 treasures.

B'trark Gorehorns (MD) - Round One

B'trark Gorehorns
Warband Type: Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal
Objective: Scion of Chaos
Campaign Points: 2
Rating: 90
Treasure/Wyrdstone: 0
Gold Crowns: 15

Round One - B'trark Gorehorns (MD) verses Liche Chronicles (AA)

Whispers were in the wind. Something was afoot... or was it? Those few warbands who were lucky or resourceful enough to have heard the whispers weren't going to sit idly by wondering. This is how the B'trark Gorehorns (MD) and the Liche Chronicles (AA) encountered each other on an outlying Cathayan settlement - trying to gain information in any way they could.

The sun was pulling humidity from the bogs and acid pools this fine morning around this borderland settlement. The warm southerly breeze coming through open windows spread the sweet smell of breakfast throughout the stilted Cathayan huts, but did nothing to temper the humidity at all. One family was just sitting down to start eating when a polite knock came at the door...

Scraggly though he was (and what was that strange smell permeating his clothing?), the humans were willing to give some information to one of their own (Magnus, the Necromancer, gained 7 points from questioning two families, but when he tried to torture the second family for more information he was quite unsuccessful). These were tough villagers, used to living on the wild frontier, and were certainly not fond of Beastmen. Five of the six families living in this small community were questioned and tortured by the Beastmen, and only two families gave out any information and only as their children's lives were being threatened (Gaurin 2pts; Albrath 3 pts). But the real excitement of that day came when the two warbands crossed paths...

Now a large lake acid lake split this village in two, with two families living on the far side. Magnus the Necromancer was heading around this lake through a small patch of forest with two Zombie bodyguards. The keen ears of the Beastmen didn't dismiss the sound of dead twigs breaking, and the threesome were soon spotted and charged from both sides - Gaurin, the Beastman Chieftan and his warhound charged around from the East side of the lake, while Albrath, the frenzied Centigor and another warhound charged from the West. Luckily for the Necromancer, the haunted forest added extra protection, as one of the warhounds was spooked by the strange noises and refused to enter. Luck was certainly not with Gaurin, or maybe his pride was his downfall, for his wild swing missed the Zombie altogether and he was promptly knocked down in return. Albrath had better luck in his frenzied state, quickly taking a Zombie OOA, but this had little effect as the zombie was quickly reanimated by Magnus to rejoin the fray. Seeing Gaurin on his back, the cowardly Magnus also took the opportunity for an easy kill. And that is how, without landing a single blow, came the end of Gaurin - with no great deeds to his name. (BG loses 2 information points)

Outraged, Albrath stuns Magnus to the ground, but is unable to finish him off as one of the Zombies demands his attention. The reanimated Zombie attacks the brave warhound, who avoids injury and knocks the Zombie to the ground. The whimpering warhound meanwhile had issues of its own, as it was still too afraid to enter the forest and was then charged by a Grave Guard (Nicholas) and a Wight. Nicholas was quick to put an end to that battle, but could but sit and watch as the battle in the forest went on, lest he dare enter the acid lake in order to join the fray.

Further East, where a line of three houses stood including the longhouse of the village leader, the main bulk of both warbands stood glaring at each other. The Beastmen were the first to strike, but fear overcame the two Bestigors, leaving two Gors to make their run for glory. In their first rush, Kudu knocks down a wight, and Nyala does the same to a zombie. Their minor triumph is short-lived, as two Grave Guards and more zombies join the fray. Kudu is knocked down by Louis and put OOA by a zombie, and Armand does the same to Nyala, who manages to endure the hit a zombie puts on him. Seeing Kudu OOA, the two Bestigors charge Louis, who is put OOA and forced to miss the next game with an arm injury by Bragor.

Back in the forest, the brave warhound takes the knocked-down zombie OOA, while Albrath takes his zombie out with a critical hit. Albrath doesn't stop there taking Magnus OOA (LC loses 7 info points).

Refusing to let the loss of three of their own deter them, even if one was their leader, the Beastmen bravely hold out against the fear-causing undead. In the end, the Liche realised the game was lost - they had lost the information the were seeking, and there was no easy victory here - and withdrew his fledgling hoard in order to build up his strength. This one is willing to wait a long time for revenge...

So the question now is, will this fledgling Beastmen warband who have just lost their too-proud leader go running back to their woodland stronghold, or will their new Centigor cheiftan be sober and intimidating enough to hold them together and lead them to victory...?

B'trark Gorehorns found 3 treasures and 11 gold crowns; bought an unholy relic.

Liche Chronicles found 3 treasures, 7 gold crowns, and reanimated a corpse into a Zombie; bought a rabbit's foot (or lucky charm - one of them).

B'trark Gorehorns (MD) - Starting Warband

Warband Roster: B'trark Gorehorns
Warband Type: Beastmen Raiders with Mark of Onogal
Objective: Scion of Chaos
Campaign Points: 0
Rating: 100