Skratbukket’s Troop vs. Cassy’s Elegant Guard

The decimated Skaven limped into camp after having been soundly beaten only to hear that the hated elf-things were pushing through the jungle towards the main encampment sheltering the breeders. “We must stop-stop them” spluttered the badly wounded Skratbukket. Leaving Grawlock, the Grey Seer behind to protect the camp, The Warlord headed back into the jungle to block the obvious route through the swamp.

Unfortunately for the rats, the elves had other ideas. After thinking long and hard, the victorious High Elf Prince sent his troops to cross a neighboring gorge. He was soon spotted by the sharp eyed Skaven assassins skulking in the jungle, but it was too late to call back the troops headed for the swamp. So, it was up to a small band headed by Queek Headtaker to hold the line …

Scenario Through the Jungle from the Lustria Battlefields supplement. Battle for the Gorge scenario with the Custodian having 50% of the invading force.

Skratbukket’s Troop (Custodian)

[Q] Queek Headtaker General; Dwarf Gouger, Wap-shard Armour. 215

[WE] Fizzbang (Warlock Engineer) Doomrocket; Warp-energy Condenser; Level 2 Wizard (Lore of Ruin); Skaven Spells of Ruin; Warplock Pistol. 158

[CR] Grokpick’s Clawpack (20 Clanrats) Full command; shields. 110

[RO] 4 Rat Ogres 2× Packmaster. 176 [GRU] 6 Gutter Runners Deathrunner; slings; Poisoned Attacks. 120

[HPA] Hell Pit Abomination. 235 [DW] Fuzzbang (Doom Wheel). 150 [WLC] Warp Lightning Cannon. 90

Total 1,242 points

Cassy’s Elegant Guard (Invader)

[P] Everqueen’s Champion (Prince) Shield of the Merwyrm; The Blade of Leaping Gold; Obsidian Trinket; Moon Dragon; Dragon armour. 560 Planning 4+1, Persuasion 3, Guile 3

[M] Caladriel the Impetuous (Mage) Talisman of Endurance; Level 2 Wizard (Lore of High Magic). 150 [N] Noble Dragonhelm; Griffon; lance; longbow; Dragon armour; shield. 253

[SG1] 12 Lothern Sea Guard Full command; shields. 174 [SG2] 10 Lothern Sea Guard Full command; shields. 150 [ER] 5 Ellyrian Reavers Harbinger; spears; bows. 105 [SH] 8 Silver Helms Full command; shields. 214

[SM] 10 Swordmasters of Hoeth Full command; Bladelord lost to Assassin stratagem. 160 [DP] 5 Dragon Princes of Caledor Full command; Khaine’s Ring of Fury; Banner of the World Dragon. 250 [TC] Tiranoc Chariot 70 [LC] Lion Chariot of Thrace 120

[GE1] Great Eagle Swiftsense; Shredding Talons. <>65 [GE2] Great Eagle Swiftsense; Shredding Talons. 65 [SAV] 6 Sisters of Avelorn High Sister. 94 [EC] Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower 70

Total 2,500 points

Deployment

While the Elven army prepared to outflank their hated enemy, the elf Prince unwisely stopped for a modest snack of twenty courses accompanied by a beautiful, scantily clad elf maiden strumming her harp and singing tales of past glory.

This gave the Skaven some much needed time to prepare. The warlock engineers assembled the Warp Lightning Cannon on the top floor of the tower as the rest of Skaven band gathered together to protect the West bridge.

On the other side of the gorge, the Elve general spread out his forces across field to threaten all three bridges with the magically protected Dragon Princes covering the fearsome Doomwheel. Two Giant Eagles hid behind the commanding Altar of Blood. The Prince thanked the stars that there were no weird magical structures or woods this time to interfere with his plans of victory. As the haughty elf reflected on the victory feast awaiting him, the Skaven seized the initiative and struck first.

Skaven Turn 1

The Doomwheel lurched off towards the Dragon Princes but fell short as the scurrying rats powering the contraption were worn out after their hard march to the battlefield. It was no surprise that the lightning bolts were too weak to harm to magically protected Dragon Princes.

The terrifying Hell Pit Abomination went to hold the other bridge. Meanwhile, the Rat Ogres moved back to keep out of range of the elven bows.

Fizzbang chose to skip the magic phase. There were no good targets for the only spells that he knew. Instead, he left fly with the Doom rocket which land squarely on top of the Ellyrian Reavers, killing four. The elven cavalry didn’t panic though.

The Warp Lightning Cannon struck the dragon but the huge beast simply ignored the hole made in its wing.

Elves Turn 1

Dragon Princes saw where their duty lay and charged the fearsome Skaven contraption, easily overcoming their terror at the sparks of lightning emanating from the Doomwheel. The rest of that flank stayed put while, on the other side of the field, both Chariots moved up to secure the undefended bridge. In the middle, the Sisters of Avalon shuffled a little to get a clearer show at the Hellpit while the sole remaining Ellyrian Reaver got outta the way!

Caladriel cast a boosted Hand of Glory and the Sister of Avalorn archers became even more accurate and swift. This was put to immediate use and the Sisters took 3 wounds off the Hellpit Abonimation with their deadly flaming arrows, robbing the beast of its regenerative abilities for a while. The hail of arrows from the two units of Seaguard were able to take one more wound.

In combat, the Dragon Princes were invincible causing 2 wounds to the Doomwheel which promptly fled. This was not what Fizzbang signed up for. His deadly lighting had made no impression on the knights and his rats, despite swarming all over the foe, could not find any chink in their armour. The Dragon Princes pursued the fleeing contraption onto the bridge but couldn’t keep up with the desperate rats.

Skaven Turn 2

The Doomwheel rallied and set off towards the Griffon Noble but fell short, again! But the Hell Pit Abonimation easily romped into the Dragon Princes.

Gutter Runs sneakily entered the field behind the Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower, while the Rat Ogres shuffled forwards.

Fizzbangs’s Warp Lightning spell fizzled and crackled all around the hated Noble but the elf hero just shrugged it off. Next, the Warp Lightning Cannon had a go and finally managed to score one wound on the Dragon. The Skaven engineers started tinkering with the contraption since it clearly wasn’t living up to its fearsome reputation.

Fuzzbang exhorted the rats to scurry in the Doomwheel so as to make more Warp Lightning … but the Griffon rider just shrugged off the feeble sparks that emitted from the contraption. The Gutter runners had much more success, landing two poisoned sling shots at close range to take out the Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower crew and disable the weapon.

On the other side of the field, the badly wounded Hell Pit Abomination was fully into its stride as it scored maximum impact hits to fell four Dragon Princes. The remaining elf champion stabbed ineffectually with his lance before the Avalanche of Flesh overcame him. Having destroyed the unit, the Abomination just kept going to avoid the charge arc of the Prince on the Dragon.

Elves Turn 2

Both the mounted Prince and Noble spur their monsters on to charge the exposed Doomwheel.

All the archers position to shoot the Hell Pit Abomination. The East flank moves forward to gain control of one bridge while the Silver Helms turn around in an attempt to run the sneaky Gutter Runners off the field.

Winds of magic of magic blow fitfully and Fizzbang easily dispels Caladriel’s pitiful attempt at Hand of Glory.

Without magical enhancement, the Sisters of Avelorn fluff their attacks, though the dependable Sea Guard are deadly and more than enough arrows find their mark to pierce the hide of the Abomination and overcome its magically regenerating flesh. Allegedly, the Hell Pit is too horrible to die but, sadly for the rats, it stays dead without even a swarm of rats emerging to bolster the dwindle Skaven troop.

The Elven Prince easily turns the Doomwheel into matchwood with his Blade of Leaping Gold. The elf lord then overruns to try and escape the approaching Rat Ogres while the Noble on the Griffon restrains pursuit ready to charge next turn.

Skaven Turn 3

The Rat Ogres charged the Dragon as is the wont of frenzied beasts, with their pack masters gamely running to catch up. On the other paw, the Gutter Runners had no option but to stand and fight … very unskavenly, especially for devotees of Clan Eshin.

Fizzbang called on the strongly blowing winds of magic but fumbled the casting of Death Frenzy and Caladriel had no problems dispelling it. In disgust, the rat cast Warp Lighting but his lack of concentration showed and the spell backfired badly, wounding the now chastened, and slightly crispy, Warp Engineer.

The crew of the Warp Lightning Cannon finally got into their stride as they blasted the elf Noble, killing him outright, and severely wounded his Griffon mount. At the loss of its master, was driven into a dreadful rage. The Gutter Runners landed a few poisoned shots on the Silver Helms but with insufficient accuracy or strength to get through the tough armour.

In combat, the elf Prince managed a wound on the Rat Ogress who landed a blow in return on the dragon. Having been charged in the side, it looked as though the skittish Prince might panic but he bravely battled on.

Elves Turn 3

The Silver Helms charged the Gutter Runners who were cornered and had nowhere to run to. At the same time, the enraged Griffon charged its closest enemy, the Warp Lightning Cannon on top of the tower.

The rest of the elven army moved into position to secure the gorge crossings.

Caladriel summoned up a powerful blast of magic but, as usual for the impetuous wizard, overdid it. The Soul Quench missiles were impressive and claimed five of the clan rates while the resulting backlash felled two Sword Masters who were unlucky enough to be standing too close to the magic user.

In shooting, the Sisters took careful aim but all their flaming arrows fell harmlessly into the wall sheltering the clan rats. The larger Sea Guard unit had slightly better luck and managed to skewer one hapless rat who was peeking over the top.

In combat, the Griffon easily chewed down on all the feeble Warp Lightning Cannon crew and pushed the cannon off the tower to smash on the ground below.

The Silver Helms destroyed half the Gutter Runner unit and panicked the rest off the board though not before one of the sneaky rats managed to poison and kill two of the cavalrymen. Once the carnage was complete the Silver Helms reformed to face the bridge.

Then it was the turn of the elf Prince who laid about left and right but could only just pierce the tough hide of the Rat Ogres. In return, their frenzied attacks had no impact at all while the Dragon felled two Rat Ogres (5 wounds in total). At this point the Rat Ogres lost interest, turned tail and ran … only to be run down by the Dragon riding Prince.

Skaven Turn 4

It was starting to look grim for the Skaven. “Right, you lot of snivel-snivel ratlings. You-you take and hold the left-paw bridge while I take the middle” squeaked Queek Headtaker. Despite the incredulous looks on the faces of Grokpick’s Claw Pack and the all pervading musk of fear, Queek charged out of the unit into the oncoming dreaded Swordmasters. Turning round to make sure the cowardly rats were following his bidding, Queek looked aghast to see that they were still sheltering behind the wall. “If I must come back-back, regret it greatly you will” he spluttered. Needless to say, his charge failed.

Meanwhile, Fizzbang went off towards the Dragon to work his magic while Grokpick’s motley Clan Rats stood about and quivered with fear that Queek might actually come back and slaughter them all.

Not to be outdone by the weedy elven mage, Fizzbang went large on the winds of magic hoping to suck the Dragon into the void too. It sort of half worked, the warp lightning spell simply backfired and Fizzbang fell face forward into the dust.

Elves Turn 4

All units moved to secure all thee bridges while the first chariot blundered through the woods to charge the back of the Clan Rats with the frenzied Griffon swooping down on the other flank in a pincer movement. Just to be doubly sure, the Prince lined up his Dragon for a perfect breath attack. Unfortunately, the trees were too close together for the chariot to build up the necessary momentum so the heavily-wounded Griffon was left tonight alone. The Silver Helms had no such problem and barreled into the lone Skaven Lord standing in front of them.

Caladriel went for another maximum strength Hand of Glory. As usual, he overdid it. But, once the smoke had cleared, only one Sword Master was burnt to a crisp while the others were imbued with magical combat abilities. The Sword Master champion challenged Queek but was easily dispatched, not helped by his great sword bouncing off the rat lord’s magic armor to strike back the elf in the face. Under the watchful eye of the Prince, the valiant Sword Masters held their ground.

The Griffon easily sliced through two Clan Rats who were beset with terror. But then a lucky spear found its mark and took the last wound off the huge beast. The surviving rats turned to face the Great Eagles guarding the leftmost bridge. There was no point hiding anymore, they had to at least try to follow their general’s command.

Skaven Turn 5

“Nothing for it lads, we ‘as to charge-charge” croaked Grokpick without much conviction. To his great surprise he got a cheer in return and the Clan Rats managed to stumble forward a whole 1″ before coming to their senses and grinding to a halt.

Queek dispelled the Hand of Glory and challenged Caladriel to a duel. The elf mage wisely ignored Queek’s challenge and hid behind the double handed sword wielding martial experts. Disgusted by the rank cowardice of elven nobility, Queek set about the Swordmasters with glee, killing three for one wound in return. The elves held.

Elves Turn 5

The archers took aim at the exposed clan rats and killed another seven. Undeterred, the rats held on.

Caladriel managed another Hand of Glory without blowing anyone up this time.

Even with their magically boosted combat abilities, Queek easily felled the remaking 3 Sword Masters leaving Caladriel exposed. The mage’s morale held even though he had no hope of ever surviving a round of hand-to-paw combat with a rat as dangerous as Queek.

Skaven Turn 6

Grokpick tried one more rousing speech and this time the cowardly rats managed 2″ towards the Great Eagle before shuffling their feet and stopping to quake in fear.

Queek drew on the winds of magic to dispel the Hand of Glory and then set about killing Caladriel and cutting the body into small pieces.

Elves Turn 6

Disdaining hand-to-hand combat. The Elves resorted to ranged weapons to finish off the Skaven. Queek shrugged off the dragon’s finery breath but succumbed to the flaming arrows of the Sisters of Avelorn.

Flight after flight of arrows streaked towards the last surviving unit, the Clan Rats. In the end only Grokpick remained standing. With the bridges lost, the rat gamely decided that someone needed to let HQ what was happening. As the only rat left, it fell to him to scurry say from the combat and carry the message.

Aftermath

The Prince looking on haughtily at his unit guarding each bridge. All that was needed now was to bring the army across and charge into the Ancient Ruins where the Skaven were skulking, recapture the Pepperpot of Doom and bring Skratbukket’s miserable life to an end …