Massacre at the Gates of Barak Varr

And there came a time when the mighty fortress of Barak Varr was once more laid under siege.

The Tomb Kings had wrested it from the Dwarves, slaughtering all inside, and now they themselves were under assault as thousands of malignant spiders swept down from the hills goaded and led by the cackling Spider Goblins.

Never before had so much evil been amassed in one place: both attackers and defenders.

And behind the lines, bundles of web filled with acid-mawed spiders were hurled, up and over the battlements into the waiting skeletons within.

The fusillade of arrows from the skeletons manning the walls was insufficient to more than slow the waves of arachnids and the spiders reached the walls with minimal losses.

To the west a siege tower infested with crawling horror clumped against the walls, disgorging hundreds of gigantic scuttling killers.

Already the defenders were flagging and the battle had barely opened.

Atop the back of his gigantic eight legged beast, the Spider King had already wiped out all resistance on the section of wall he had climbed. He turned the beast and immediately attacked the eastern tower.

In matters it was his as well.

And now the Goblin King himself reached the gates, hurling up a grappling hook with a cry of triumph as his spider horde scuttled up the wall around his climbing form.

The Goblin King dispatched the defenders rapidly, barely slowing, such was his hatred and thirst for conquest.

But from the north came reinforcements, galloping undead steeds and chariots, hurtling to defend their fastness.

But it was far too little and far too late.

Barak Varr belonged to the Goblin King now and their time of military superiority was at an end!

Tactical Review: Massacre at the Ruins of Kalkor

Mike:

Well Storm of Magic and Dwarves - do they mix?  Well I still think not but with some crafty usage of points allowance then you can get yourself a cheeky wizard or two as I did.  The other risk and a risk is was, was to put 2 Thanes and a Lord in a unit of warriors, cunning or lucky you decide….. 

In a great game I got very lucky early on blasting Tim’s orcs and managed to kill his general by the end of his turn one with my uber unit and they did an amazing job of pretty much wiping out his entire army.  I got lucky on the magic rolls with only one miscast all game to be honest and poor Tim’s low leadership army just kept failing panic tests.

It’s a great feeling to be winning again.



Tim:


Well this was maybe the most disastrous game I've ever played! By the end of turn ONE I had almost nothing left (though had captured the only arcane fulcrum). It was stunning! 

But still very enjoyable. 


Not sure what I would have done differently really. The strategy I had was fine but I took such hits in the first turn that I was no longer in a position to support it. Things got worse and worse until I lost any chance of winning. If I'd won the first turn dice off things might have been very different but Mike's clever concentration of characters into an unstoppable force may have splintered my plans anyway. Who knows!

Massacre at the Ruins of Kalkor

Mike (Dwarfs) vs Tim (Orcs & Goblins)

And finally the day came when the eyes of evil looked upon the Ruins of Kalkor with growing lust for power; filthy greenskins whose bodies had once been the bodies of men: the Orcs of Gaping Jaw.

But the defenders of the Kalkor; the brave Dwarfs of Karak Hirn, were waiting as they always waited, standing in stout defence as they always had; waiting only for this day.

The Orcs were not the builders of Kalkor but they were almost as deadly, and if this fell place became theirs then they might use it to put cracks in the earth deep enough to swallow the realm of the Dwarfs.

Gunna Gorrasson, Runelord of Karak Hirn prepared the anvil of doom to let fly its cataclysmic power against the animalistic attackers, knowing that the raw power at this dangerous site could only add to its devastating effects.

But all around the ruins, the raging forces of the Orcs closed in, surrounding the ancient edifice, their shaman's tuning into the throbbing energy rising from the earth.

Before they could clamber into the ruins themselves though, Dwarfen warriors uncovered hidden Flame Cannons and hurled burning incendiaries at the howling greenskins, driving them back to the water nearby.

And as they fell back the lightning of the Anvil of Doom incinerated the filthy wretches, turning them to screaming dust as Thunderers let fly their handgun fire.

The attack of the Orcs faltered, and no matter the sudden flood of sorcerous power their Shaman's had, the Orcs had little practise in such might. They were as nothing before the stubborn preparations of the grim garrison. 

At the waterline, the warboss rallied his troops, bellowing for them to charge on, back toward the ruins.

But awaiting them now were the finest warriors of the Dwarfs, a concentration of skill and strength seldom seen, lead from atop his shield bearers by the Dwarf king, Durak Grund himself!

The Orcs had little chance, floundering to remanoeuvre as the lightning of the Anvil of Doom shattered their ranks.

Nothing would allow their filthy claws to close on this most precvious and powerful place. Nothing would stop the Dwarfs defending it.

The Orcs were scattered and fled or they were slaughtered and Gunna Gorrasson struck the anvil once more, not in attack this time, but in triumph.

The Ruins of Kalkor were safe for now but the Orcs would come again.

And someday something far far worse.

Precision in Death: The Tale of a Massacre

Tim (Dwarfs) vs Gill (Orcs & Goblins) 

The horde came from Gaping Jaw with only murder in mind: huge blocks of bellowing Orcs and giggling goblins; clattering chariots and baying wolves; a towering giant wielding the axle from a smashed cart.

But the Dwarfs of Horn Hold were more than ready for them.

Orchestrated by their lord, Durak Grund, the mighty stunters stood wait in a perfect gun line, waiting for the greenskins to close within range, cannons and handguns loaded and ready. They were presighted and poised and the second that the Orcs past the marker bushes that represented the entry to the killing field the Dwarfs opened fire.

Into the sheet of gunfire and cannon ball, the Orcs & Goblins kept running, crying in rage and blood lust, but they were being picked off one by one by one by one until first dozens and then hundreds were falling in blood soaked death.

Never before within the Border Princes had such intensity of precision fire been heard as the Dwarfs fire discipline had them stepping forward and back to reload and then fire again in a constant volley of reciprocal murder.

The surviving greenskins broke and they fled but even that was no escape from the Dwarfs as a Gyrocoptor took to the air and scalded them to death with boiling steam.

The Orcs had come to the land of the Dwarfs but not one of them left alive.

Massacre at River's Side

Orcs & Goblins (Tim) vs Wood Elves (Gill)  

The Wood Elves didn't know what hit them.

But on the edge of the River Trebleca where it wound round to border their realm, the Orcs and Goblins roared into battle on chariot and steed, pounding into the Elven ranks as, in their surprise, they floundered to respond.

More and more Goblins poured through the trees, hacking at the Elven forces and nothing they could do could fend them off.

That is until not one but two Bloodwood Drakes glided across the river and cracked into the flank of the Orc advance.

But it wasn't enough.

The Orcs and Goblins kept coming, a seemingly endless line of clattering spike-endowed chariots, smashing into every unit send to combat them.

The Elves had no choice but to withdraw, the wolves and goblins snapping at their heels.

And the Realm of The Wood Elves became suddenly horrifyingly smaller.

Tactical Review: Massacre on the Bridge of Hel Snatch

Tim: 

Well I really really enjoyed this game.

Visually it was stunning. The bridge I built the other week may be a bitch to store but I’m really glad I built it. It’s a lovely centre piece. And thank God I made it big enough to have several units side by side! I think this game was a bit frustrating for Mike because of the traffic jam effect, but because I’d had the chance to think about it for longer I managed to manage it fairly well I think.

Not perfectly though by any means. I still got some traffic jammage going on preventing charges at a couple of points. The other thing I had tome to do was construct an army with a flyer and some shooting elements so that I could reduce the amount of bulk on the bridge but still have an impact on the battle. That helped a lot. I also think having a Wyvern arrive in the flank must have had an impact on good ol’ Mike’s morale.

The other thing that I liked about this battle was my new Bull Rogue troll model from Banelords. Bull Rogue looked fantastic and also did a lot of damage, really living up to his rep and making him an excellent purchase. It makes a big difference to me having named characters with a long running background and it didn’t hurt that he was good in a fight.

Mike: 

Well it was another fascinating game with a very interesting board.  You’ve all seen by now, or at least should see, Tim’s excellent bridge which was where our epic battle was taking place.

For me it was a very experimental army, I’m really lacking in core units for my chaos warrior army so I have to be creative in my army.  Throgg was thrown in so that a small unit of trolls counted as a core choice for example and I dabbled with a sorcerer lord rather than a usual chaos lord.  The sorcerer lord was excellent and the +3 to casing is amazing.

The problem in this battle, much like the previous battle against the tomb kings was the narrow playing area and managing the flow of units.  I tried quick on the left and slow on the right which in essence is an excellent idea however with Tim’s chariots moving 14’ on the first turn I couldn’t get the units out quick enough which caused a massive backlog.  If I could have had more units free then I think that I would have won the battle at a  canter however as it was I was slowly picked off.  Well played Orcs.

Massacre on the Bridge of Hel Snatch

Orcs & Goblins (Tim) vs Warriors of Chaos (Mike) 

The forces of the Orcs were on the march, a cloud of smoke and vapour proceeding behind them as they charged down from their fortress of Gaping Maw.

The forces of Chaos had taken the mighty bridge of Hel Snatch over the river Trebleca, scant miles from the Orc fortress. If they didn't act now then their next visitors would be most unwelcome.

On the bridge, the forces of Dunkel Schloss waited, calling out jeers of challenge, carefully ranked up awaiting their enemies.

The Orcs formed themselves into two waves, a fast, hard hitting forward wave and a slower but denser follow up to mop up the survivors.

Little need be said of the battle that commenced. 

The first wave of the Orcs annihilated the War Wounds sent forward to meet them, overrunning into the waiting warriors beyond.

With so much destruction, the Warriors quivered momentarily in panic, but held firm, the will of chaos driving them on.

They were powerful warriors and battered down the opposition of the first wave. The sorcerer who led the Chaos force unleashed virulent plagues from his magics again and again, bringing down the Giants and chipping away at the onrushing Orcs and Goblins. He laughed maniacally as his power reached out, devastating all around him.


But would it be enough?

An Orc Warboss swept over the river onto the bridge from the bank, coasting over the streams of arrows and magical fire from the Arrer Boyz, and ripped into the Hellcannon and its crew. The monstrous war engine tore chunks from the wyvern's flanks but it wasn't sufficient to bring it down before the Hellcannon and its crew were ripped to shreds. The warboss fell but there was now a very angry wyvern amidst the ranks of Chaos.

The surviving warriors and knights charged but Bull Rogue, mighty troll leader of the Orc army swung his mighty axe, destroying them without resistance. He led the charge on the sorcerer and his guard and crushed him under the gargantuan blade. More and more warriors fell, and though they smote goblins by the dozen, it was a war of attrition and they simply did not have the numbers to sustain it.

It had seemed a close battle but it was over within minutes.

Bull Rogue and his Orcs had won. The mighty bridge of Hel Snatch was theirs once more and, for now, Gaping Jaw was safe.

Special Character: Bull Rogue

Once, not so many years ago, there was a man whose heart knew only wickedness.

Bear witness to his visage now, for the filth within him now matches that without.

Jordan d'Astatic, brother of Rachel and son of Gregoire, was a petty bully who loved to revel in his father's riches and hold debauched parties. He was ungrateful and disdainful of the gifts and lifestyle he attained as the heir to the lordship of Tempest Falls and demanded, in his impatience, for a castle of his own.

Bequeathed the fortress of Gaping Jaw, far down the Old Silk Road, beyond Malko and close to the Dwarf hold of Karak Hirn, Jordan's dissolution became complete as he and his cronies did nothing but live lives of decadence, allowing the lands about to fall into corruption without his defence.

When Tempest Falls came under attack from Orcs, Jordan refused to provide aid, and this betrayal led to the deaths of hundreds, including Rachel's husband and child.

Seething with rage, Rachel sent out a curse to her brother, fuelled by the insidious power of the Chaos Vein, buried deep beneath the earth, and transformed him and all his cohorts into filthy greenskins. His men became Orcs; his women became Goblins, and he himself was transformed into a towering and animalistic troll, almost every trace of his humanity obliterated as this new form overcame him.

And now, Jordan D'Astatic, renamed as the monstrous Bull Rogue, leads his Orcs and Goblins on devastating raids from Gaping Jaw, seeking only one thing: vengeance against all civilisation; and most of all, against Tempest Falls, far to the east; and against his yet surviving sister, Rachel.

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Bull Rogue	6	7	2	6	5	5	3	6	9

Points: 200 

SPECIAL RULES 

Regenerate 

Magic Resistance (2) 

Scaly Skin

EQUIPMENT

Great Weapon

Light Armour

The miniature used for Bull Rogue is the Banelord model: Vortun, Troll Jarl. And isn't he just beautiful?! 


The colour scheme, using muted greens is actually much nicer, I now think, than the brighter greens of the Orcs following him. It makes me want to repaint them all to this grittier and more realistic level. 


Maybe one day... 

The full story behind Bull Rogue's background can be found with the great tale of Tempestria on the Bretonnians and Orcs page above. 

The Mighty Bridge of Hel Snatch

 

Near the western rim of the Devil's Pathway, close to the centre of the Border Princes, the River Trebleca winds down toward the Fields of Contagion and the deserted city of Fell Glen at its mouth on the edge of the Black Gulf.Here the Old Silk Road, that comes from far off Tempest Falls in the east crosses at the mighty bridge of Hel Snatch.

In years past, the Old Silk Road served as the artery of trade and transport from one end of the Tempestrian realms to the other, beginning at that famous plateau of rock whereupon the castle of Tempest Falls stands, through Malko, the erstwhile capital to Gaping Jaw, home for a while to the thrice cursed men of Jordan d'Astatic, now more greatly known by the name of fear, Bull Rogue, transformed as he is into a monstrous troll.

Here, at the mighty bridge of Hel Snatch, the Old Silk Road crosses the Trebleca, scant miles from the brooding edifice of Gaping Jaw, once a bastion of men; now infested with animalistic Orcs and Goblins. It is across this bridge that the Orcs come to bring misery to the lands of the east, but times have changed from the years when they ran free, unopposed.

For now, this land is possessed of the recently awakened Warriors of Dunkel Schloss, dread legions of Chaos whose only purpose is to kill and conquer. They control the Old Silk Road from Hel Snatch to the edge of the West Woods surrounding Malko.

One day soon their attention will turn that way, toward the realms of mankind, but for now, they stand in sight of the towers of Gaping Jaw. For now they wait only until their forces are ready. For though the Orcs will come to drive them back, their know in their black hearts that Gaping Jaw will soon be theirs.

The Dank Water Treaty

In the north western foothills of the Hills of Varenka lie a series of deep pits that fill perpetually with dark brackish water. Under the sheltering branches of reaching trees, the waters receive little light and remain for the most part stagnant and odious.

It is an area shunned by men but infested by insect kind. Huge clouds of midges and flies swarm while many-legged crawling things as big as a newborn baby wriggle and squirm, searching for food in the damp and stinking foliage. It is a place with little virtue to sane folk and even less strategic value. It lies not on any route from here to there and exists only as a pit from which foolish animals might become mired and quickly lost.

And yet it is not a place unknown to the goblins of the Razor Webs, as certain luminescent floating leeches can be captured and used in the broth their shamans imbibe before battle. Goblin legend tells that drinking this loathsome medicine can aid a shaman in tapping into the iridescent power of the Waaagh. Whether this is true seems unlikely. Only one study has even been taken by a travelling loremaster and hedge wizard from Nuln. His initial conclusions showed no magical element to the intestinal content of the floating leeches, but he was murdered before much time had past.

Whatever the case, only a goblin would come to this place willingly and even they would not tarry long.

Only a goblin... or perhaps those that sought to do them harm.

But as the mist fell back, from its fetid depths strode four tall figures, clothed in thick plate armour that whispered and creaked as they walked, steam coming from the narrow slits from which their eyes burned, coal-like.

From the other direction came a rustle of skittering legs and nigh four hundred gigantic spiders crawled out of the fog to surround them, outnumbering the Warriors of Dunkel Schloss many dozens of times over. Still they seemed unafraid. They neither moved, nor drew weapons.

And then the spider parted and the Spider King came to meet them, Fang Dig, the Great Spider Shaman following behind. As they came into view, the Chaos Warriors stepped aside and the sorcerers Ovidium and Virgillium passed their guards and met them at the centre, close to the edges of one of the wide brackish pools.

"Speak," said Ovidium.

The Spider King smiled, then he laid out the proposal he had hinted at in his message: an alliance - against the fell undead creatures to the south.

Close, the goblins had come to Barak Varr and soon would be the reckoning between their forces and those of the Tomb Kings. The Spider King did not wish to fight a war on two fronts at this, most critical time. He suggested a pact: in return for a cessation of hostilities, the Goblins, when Barak Varr was theirs, would not contest the land to the east currently governed by the undead.

In addition, the Warriors of Dunkel Schloss would be free to strike at their other foes without fear of their eastern front coming under attack from the Chittering Horde.

Further, went on the Spider King, their joint assault on the lands of the dead would apply pressure on the undead forces in the far east, weakening their strength against both the Skaven; allies of the Goblins; and the Chaos Dwarfs; allies of Dunkel Schloss.

There was a long pause.

Warriors on both sides grew tense, ready to spring to battle, but the leaders of each contingent remained stern-faced and passive.

Finally Ovidium looked Virgillium in the eye before turning to the stunted little monsters. Then he too smiled.

"I will allow the Chittering Horde free reign over the lands of Dunkel Schloss. In return I expect unwavering loyalty to the Gods of Chaos and daily sacrifices to be made in their honour." 

The Spider King sneered, narrowing his eyes. 

"But of course."