The Weemen traveled to Warhammer World after Saturday at Warhammerfest for a day of battling. The forces were drawn up from 6thDegree's Iron Warriors, Siph's Relictors, who would be aiding the Forces of Chaos today for their own mysterious means, and Lord Halfpenny's significant force of Imperial Knights and Cerastus Knights.
The battle was rolled for, Short edge deployment and a long foot slog... and three objectives. 20VPs for the enemy Objective, 5VPs for Own, 10VPs for the centre Shrine of Aquila Objective. Slay Warlord 1 VP, the Allied Forces had 2VPs on offer.
The allied Chaos and SM forces created a battle line - hoping to grab nearby cover and await the coming tide of Knights. The Bikes lined up for a show of force before scattering for cover once the full extent of the Knights force arrayed against them was realised.
On a side note - playing on a 12ft table meant that even Lascannons had issues with range, so most of the allied firepower sat unused for several turns. But the main gun of the Shadowsword had a range of 180in - the aim was to slow the advance to gain more shots - a Skyhammer Annihilation Force should provide a meaty distraction to slow them down.
##### Lord - We have received a vox from our home world sir... its, its.... #####
### The battle centered on the Knightly House home world, the household had recently been dispatched on campaign for the Imperium. On returning from campaign they detected the fleet of Iron Warriors in orbit...
An Iron Warrior force had been dispatched by Perturabo to the planet in retaliation following Chaos defeat at the hand of these Knights during the campaign, with the intention of destroying the feudal population on the planet. The Relictors had picked up the planetary distress vox and moved to combat the forces of Chaos, however it was on their arrival that their Librarians picked up the Warp resonance indicating a powerful relic weapon within the Primaris Hive. The Relictors adapted their mission - claim the weapon, no matter the cost, even forging an uneasy alliance with the Warpsmith to achieve the aim.
The household arrived in the system to a scene of devastation, the world destroyed by the forces of Chaos. There was something else though.. The daemon sword the Relictors claimed for themselves had been locked away, stored deep within the Hive vaults, the removal of which had released a power that surged through the planetary crust and caused massive tectonic upheaval. The Knights tactical displays indicated that both the forces of Chaos and the Relictors were still on the planet, they marched to war - no matter who they would come up against, they would eradicate them both for the atrocities committed to their planet ###
The massive line of Knights advanced to the starting line for maximum reach.
Perturabo lent the use of his personal Shadowsword for the protection of the allies Objective. And to hopefully one-shot a few of those pesky Knights with a giant gun... The Warpsmith in the same ruins would bolster the cover and provide regeneration of HPs if needed.
The Skyhammer Annihilation Force drop podded perfectly behind enemy lines with 2 squads of Assault marines, no scattering and armed with Grav Cannons or Multimeltas would make the Knights pay!
The Grav Cannons ripped into one of the anti-air armed Knights, removing 5HPs, the final one being taken in combat by the Assault Sergeant. The Allied Chaos force primary objective was to remove the anti-air threat in preparation of the multiple flyers arrival.
In response, the Knights turned to face the Skyhammer Annihilation Force, trying to neutralise the threat in their back lines, but the massed firepower cleared out most of the squads but two Assault Sergeants and two MM armed troops plus a lone Grav Cannon remained.
90pts worth of meat-shield sit in ruins and wait their turn to chip the paint of any nearby Knights with their trusty Autopistols and Knives.
The Relic Sicaran Battletank did well on the flank with its Accelerator Autocannons and Lascannons, stripping HPs, easily getting its points tally before succumbing to Thermal Cannon fire in the second turn.
At the end of Turn 1, one Knight had fallen and another was locked in combat with a lone Assault Marine Sergeant for an eventual 3 combat turns before being stomped... what a SM Hero!
Here he is battling it out with his trusty Powerfist, dodging the D-Strength Reaper Chainsword and Stomp attacks!
Three Obliterators beam in the rear of the Knights ranks to worry Lord Halfpenny.
By Turn 3, on the Knights right flank, they finally get back to the starting line to continue the advance after dealing with the Annihilation Force diversion. Three Knights had fallen and the flyers had started to appear, Ion Shield placement will become more difficult as the enemy position on more than one front.
The Cerastus Archeron battles it out with the Obliterators.
Knight Gerantius destroys the Relictor Bikers in the ruins with ease.
The allied flyers entered the battlefield unleashing a barrage of missiles into the closest Knights.
That pesky green Knight managed to save an outstanding number of shots (including D) with its Ion Shield...
Turn 3 and a third Knight was wrecked and another locked in combat again...7 left!
The Archeron Knight survived the flurry of Powerfist attacks and stomped the Obliterators into the ground. Squish!
The flyers now brought their primary weapons into range of the scouting Knights and managed to strip a HP or two - although a lucky snapshot from a Knight succeeded in destroying one of the Fire Raptors weapon batteries.
The Shadowsword took aim at the Knights advancing warlord - eager to bring D strength combat to the allied forces...the shot hit the Knight Lancer Warlord squarely in the torso, causing it to instantly explode on the spot, leaving nothing but a crater. High in orbit on his battle-barge, Perturabo smiled. 1VP secured.
This success was swiftly followed up with the Xiphon strafing the victorious Archeron next to the Shrine of the Aquila, hitting him in the rear armoured Flame Cannon fuel tanks, destroying the Cerastus Knight in a huge fireball!
Turn 4 and all of the allied flyers were now on the board causing havoc unchecked after the Knights with skyfire weapons had been systematically targeted and destroyed in previous turns.
The allied lines thus far remained intact but depleted by the Knight's advance - but this was soon to change as Gerantius reached the entrenchments.
Gerantius advanced into the Allied units, systematically shrugging off massed firepower with his improved Ion saves and tearing bikes asunder!
The Relictor ground forces were heavily depleted, however down but not out, the airforce continued to reap a heavy toll!
The Xiphon Interceptor sighted its next target, the distant Cerastus Castigator Knight.
And with supersonic speed closed in for the kill, stripping more HPs but failing to add another Cerastus Knight to his tally!
A trio of flyers ganged up on the Knight tasked with holding their Objective, quickly pulling it down as it's Ion Shield failed to block shots from every angle. The lack of anti-air Knights was beginning to show.
The meat-shields left the safety of their ruins to seek glory in combat against the giant Gerantius (and to tie him up in combat for long enough to shoot it with the Shadowsword).
The Stormtalons hovered over the Knights Objective (without any Knights noticing), claiming the enemy objective in the Turn 6 whilst the Iron Warrior flyers went in hunt of more prey.
Realising its Objective was being claimed by the allied forces, a sole Cerastus Knight ran back 3D6 to contest it...stopping inches short... needing 12in to get within 3in and rolled 11in... meaning the hovering units secured 20VPs. As the Iron Warrior flyers pincered another Knight from different angles, the venerable tank turned its Lascannons and removed its final HPs from its unprotected side.
Battered and bruised (and squashed to a fine paste) the meat-shields managed to hold up Gerantius for long enough for the Shadowsword to get into firing position, take a careful aim at the mighty Knight's reactors and unleashed an unblockable shot, removing the Knight from the battlefield and leaving only a smoking crater, felling the ancient Freeblade.
The final tally was a heavy one for both sides, but the Knights claimed the middle Objective for 10VPs, the Allied Chaos forces the enemy Objective for 20VPs and home Objective for 5VPs securing the victory for the forces of darkness... Perturabo claimed this World, the Relictors teleported a cargo pod to their waiting Strike Cruiser and dispersed from the battlefield, their mysterious alliance complete.
The few surviving knights rallied, and boarded their transports to leave the dying planet for the last time, the planets crust starting to break away, ripping itself from the core... The Lord of the household looked around for a final time, the mountains and sea that he had viewed first as a child had gone, the sea was a bubbling fire, the mountains had fallen away into the planet, the population slaughtered... the household was gone, it was at that moment the Lord made a vow, the Noble House was no more, and that they had a single mission - to destroy those responsible for the death of their world.### We Freeblades will not forget this heresy Iron Warriors or this betrayal Relictors, vengeance will be served! ###
