Note: There is a lot of fluff in this post, more than I had origionally intended. But when I get started on an idea I can find it hard to stop...anyway, the actual Battle Report is just under these few paragraphs of fluff. You can skip them if you wish, though I wouldn't mind some feed back actually. ;)
Here is a link to the army list I used for this game. All discussions about how the list faired in the battle, queries about it, and advice on improving it should probably go
here. Any discussion about the battle itself or the fluff should go here. And though the primary purpose of this thread it to report battles to reflect on the list I posted up in the link above, if the mods desperately feel it needs to be moved to the fluff section of the board, do so.
The story so far... Olympus, once considered the world of the gods. Here, many hundreds of years ago, the Space Marine "Pegasus" Chapter, descendants from the Imperial Fists themselves, once ruled as loyal servants to the Emperor. The system in which Olympus orbits was considered the realm of this once powerful chapter, and here they served their Emperor dutifully and resolute. This system once stood as a firm strong hold against the powers of Chaos who resided not far off in their maddening world that is still the Eye of Terror, and eight black crusades did it withstand, thus foiling the speed with which the Despoiler's forces attempted to advance. But on the ninth time that the traitor fleets of Chaos spilled forth into the galaxy of man once more, Abaddon was more determined than ever to see the destruction of Olympus and the other fortress worlds that surrounded it. The Despoiler sent a larger portion of his armada than ever before against the brave defenders of that realm, and despite the efforts of many Space Marine Chapters, including Pegasus Chapter themselves, Olympus eventually did fall. Besieged from all sides the Pegasus fought on the very steps of their fortress monastery to the last man, but ultimately this world, this entire system, now belonged to the forces of Chaos.
At the conclusion of the ninth Black Crusade the forces of the Despoiler were weak however, and forced to limp back to the Eye of Terror once more to regain their strength. Olympus, as far as any man within the Imperium knew, was one of the system's left behind by the retreating Chaos fleets. Ravaged and desolate, and untraveled since the fall of the Pegasus Chapter, the system slowly faded out of memory and into the darkness of history. However there those within the Imperium who were unwilling to simply leave what had been such a valuable asset, to rot away in the void of space. Neighbouring systems feared for their protection, when once the Pegasus Chapter came to their aid. And so it was decided that the High Lords of Terra implored the Black Templars to set out on a crusade to recapture whatever was left of Olympus, and bring it once more into the light of the Emperor.
When the Black Templars arrived, lead by the demanding Chaplain Octavius, they found a world that lie utterly in ruin. Not a building over two stories high still stood in Olympus' once grand cities, and the location of what had once been the Fortress Monastery of the Pegasus Chapter could only be guessed at. But the Black Templars found no real foe for over six months to contend with, and so quickly they began building small fortresses and strong holds that would hold in case of an attack. And an attack did come, from a traitor fleet almost double in size to the fleet the Black Templars themselves had brought. Immediately the forces of Chaos, the vile servants of the Great Unclean One, fell upon the planet's surface and joined battle with the Black Templars. The valiant Space Marines made at once to leave the planet's surface, and to return only when they had an army capable of fighting the inevitable onslaught of infectious mutants and the spread of disease. Many Space Marines were left behind as a rearguard to the evacuation of the majority of the Black Templars forces, though they expected only to last a week at most against the odds that were built against them. But infact they still stand to this day, six whole months after their brother's left them with only the vow of their return.
The bulk of Chaos forces remained unengaged as they sowed their fields of death across the planet's surface. This caused confusion amongst the Black Templars. Many times had the enemies of the Space Marines sent only a small force of men to test the strength of the defences raised against them, but surely by now the Chaos servants were aware that the forces of the Black Templars were only small and would be easily swept aside.
The truth of the matter was that the servants of Chaos feared an attack from Hades Pass. This once grand fortress that looked down from the mountains at us from the south east would have been even now near impossible to impregnate while soldiers stood on its walls. It was also the perfect vantage point from where to stage an attack into the expanse of the lower plains where the Black Templars, and indeed the larger bulk of the Chaos armies, were entrenched. What's more, there were rumours that secret tunnels leading from Hades Pass found their way to the surface from miles around the fortress. No one seemed to know how big these tunnels were, or if they were capable of mobilizing entire armies through. But were a force big enough to hold Hades Pass, it would surely hold power to strike at any enemy that assaulted it, from any direction it liked. The servants of Chaos feared Hades Pass for what might come out of there, and they would not risk exposing the rear of their forces to that place when they attacked the Black Templars. And so in the shadow of Hades Pass the Space Marines remained safe, unnervingly oblivious of who or what exactly is protecting them from utter oblivion...
Game 1 - The shadows in Hades Pass Overview - Though it has taken some time, the leaders of the Death Guard have finally decided to attack Hades Pass. The strength of the enemy is unknown to the servants of the Great Unclean One however, and so only a small band of warriors has been sent to test the defences Hades Pass, and the response of those who occupy its shattered husk.
- This game is simply a Seek and Destroy mission, with players gaining Victory points for destroying their enemy.
Turn 1 Over a hundred Eldar minds awoke the to sickening presence of enemy soldiers, and they knew at once that their performance was at hand. They looked to their leader, the Farseer, who shone from amongst his warriors like a beacon in times of darkness. Flashes of the enemy swept through every Eldar's mind from their Farseer, and silently he issued orders to his black clad warriors. But they already knew what must be done, the Falcons already gliding silently towards those who dared oppose the Eldar.
Lord Rotix commanded his unclean soldiers into the shadows of cover, lest the prying eyes of their enemies spot their position too early. He knew the Eldar would be aware of him, they were not to be underestimated. But he was still hoping to conceal the bulk of his force, his personal bodyguard of two Plague Marine units throwing themselves against the outer walls of the fortress to hide from enemy fire. However Lord Rotix knew that the daemon locked within the hull of his blessed Predator would not happily resort to such stealth like tactics. It demanded the blood sacrifice of its enemies, and the walls of the fortress were already echoing with the roar of the daemon that drowned out even the sounds of its powerful engines. It powered through a gap in the walls, sensing the hot blood of the Eldar amongst single ruined building less than a hundred yards away. The Predator's Lascannon lit up the shadows around it for an instant, but failed to strike anything by rock. It was instead the roar of the heavy bolters that spelt the end for one Eldar life.
Sensing the loss of life, the ravenous possessed followed after the Predator, but kept to the cover of the outer wall as commanded by their Lord. From amongst the ruin next to the wall however rose a single broken rock that shot towards the sky like a pike, and speared one of the possessed as the winged creatures swept down into the shadows.
Turn 2 'Hunt them down, destroy them!' This psychic cry echoed through the minds of every Eldar that stood to the defence of Hades Pass. Despite the fact that the Farseer stood beside the sinister Dark Reapers, their exarch failed to pin point a single enemy with his Tempest Launcher on the outer side of the forts broken defences. An Eldar Falcon swept over the walls though and down upon the Possessed Chaos Space Marines like a bird of prey. Its impressive arsenal opened fire on the unclean soldiers where they hid, and not even the concealing shadows could save two from among them being vapourised in molten plasma.
In a rage the possessed leaped through the air at the Falcon, a dazzling beam of las cutting apart the air below them but missing the Falcon completely. And so the Possessed fell down upon the wings of their prey, their leader striking the sleek metal of the Eldar tank with his mutated power fist, which was now as much a part of him as any other limb. But though the Falcon rocked heavily it sustained no serious damage from the Unclean Soldiers.
Lord Rotix sensed the danger immediately, he could feel the two transports the Eldar swooping down upon him. He kept his men immobile behind the outer walls for now, preparing them for when they would have to go over and face the damnable Eldar.
Turn 3 The delicate targeting systems of the Eldar Falcon failed to discern any targets after suffering some minimal damage, rendering the vehicle unable to open fire once more on the possessed that surrounded it. Instead the tanks pilot lifted it into the air and manoeuvred it to sit behind the Chaos Predator, the Fire Dragons now disembarking swiftly from its hull as they were trained to do. The almost organic looking rear of the Predator faced them, and so with only a little flash of glee at the prospect of exorcising this tainted machine, the Fire Dragons fired their Fusion Guns at near point blank range. The tank instantly erupted into an inferno of brilliant orange flames and horrifying chaotic energy. Metal and debris was flung in every direction, and a single Fire Dragon was decapitated by one of these flying fragments. Another was engulfed by the hot flames that had burst forth from the tanks ruined hull, and so the Eldar had paid two lives for the exorcism of this tank.
The daemons that were held barely at bay within the skin of the Possessed Chaos Space Marines burst into a rage at the site of their brethren being banished back into the warp. They swooped down upon the Fire Dragons, crying to Grandfather Nurgle as they did for the aid they would require. From the warp slowly marched six Plague Bearers, close enough to the Fire Dragons to spread the infectious diseases that plagued their hides. But the Fire Dragons were unperturbed by the noxious presence of these daemons, as they were forced to contend with the Possessed as they bore down upon them. Two Fire Dragons fell in the violence while the Eldar failed to kill a single possessed in retribution.
Their deaths pleased Lord Rotix, though he knew there were many more who would have to die if he was to succeed.
Turn 4 Towards the sky the pilot drove his Falcon, feeling only slightly lighter now that he had disgorged his cargo to their fate. Taking only a moment to reflect on the lives of his brothers, who he knew now lost because of his deliverance, the pilot then forced his vehicle back into a dive as easily as he might think it, and towards a large group of Unclean warriors who hid behind the outer walls of Hades Pass. Just below him the pilot could see his brother in arms, another Falcon swooping down on the same prey as him. Together both Falcons opened fire on Lord Rotix's body guard, felling only two from among the Plague Marines numbers.
Some distance from the main battle, the Farseer cast his mind into the future and watched the battle unfold a split second before the actual events took place. He instructed the Dark Reaper Exarch to open fire once more, the Exarch guiding the missiles from his Tempest Launcher blindly over the battlement walls as skillfully as he could. But to the Farseers annoyance, he felt only a single Plague Bearer's soul cast back into the depths of the warp where it belonged.
Elsewhere, the two final Fire Dragons lost the battle with the horrors that assaulted them, the Possessed making corpses of their enemies before leaping away and continuing to hunt the Falcon that had brought the Fire Dragons hither.
Rotix eyed both the Falcons before him with a mixture of rage and fear. He knew what these vehicles were capable of, and that it was the will of the Lord of Decay that they be destroyed. He ordered the two squads under his command to open fire on a Falcon each, while he himself followed on of these squads and charged the alien vehicle. But the plasma weaponry of the chaos proved ineffective against the Eldar technology, and to Lord Rotix's disgust one of the weapons overheated and killed the soldier who bore it. And so fuelled by his hate for all things Eldar, the Chaos Lord charged the vehicle and tried to run his Black Sword through the hull of the Falcon. But even Rotix's mighty strength was not enough to punch through the shimmering force fields that protected the Falcon.
Into the rear of the second Falcon the Possessed ran, now crazed by the blood of their victims. Again the mighty Aspiring Champion smashed at the rear armour with his power fist, while his brothers also scratched and lashed the vehicle. But to very little avail, and the Falcon rose and flew away once more with only its crew a little shaken.
Turn 5 Both Falcons rose and retreated from their foes, both flying in opposite directions in the hope that it would split the enemy forces. But Lord Rotix was not so easily tricked. Strafing the Unclean warriors as they fled, the Flacons managed to kill another Plague Marine from Rotix's soldiers, but little else.
Choosing a single target, Rotix ordered his men after the closest Falcon. Though they dared not break cover from fear of the Dark Reapers. A single Plasma pistol was fired at the Falcon, but it was like a pinprick in the side of a great animal. It did the Falcon no harm.
Turn 6 'Their purpose is infirm, they do not wish to enter the fortress,' the Farseer's voice spoke softly in the minds of his warriors.
Exorcise those whom you can, but they will not linger here for much longer while we continue to pick apart their forces.' The second Falcon finally unloaded its cargo, a troupe of black clad warriors birthed within the warp into what they had become. Daemon Slayers they called themselves, those who hated chaos the most because they had felt the most severe effects of it. Their very bodies were a distortion between flesh and warp energy, and they had powers and skills that were super natural even to other Eldar. They spun and darted and leaped at the Unclean warriors, cutting into their ranks and killing two of Rotix's soldiers in return for only a single casualty themselves.
Meanwhile the two Falcons had once more joined together, and hunted down the Possessed Chaos Space Marines as they attempted to move away from the fortress walls. Three Possessed soldiers were gunned down where they stood.
"There!" cried the Exarch of the Dark Reapers, pointing to a small gap in the fortress walls. His followers to quick to sight what he wanted them to, a band of Daemons which were moving past the gap in the wall. The Dark Reapers lost no time in opening fire, Exorcising 3 Plague Bearers is an explosion of plasma.
"Order a retreat!" Lord Rotix demanded of his sergeant.
"Yes, my Lord, at once," the snivelling servant said.
The Daemon Slayers continued to slay the Unclean soldiers, killing another two of the disease ridden mutants just as Rotix himself came to relieve his soldiers of their assailants. a full four Daemon Slayers were killed and the leader of the unit fled. On black wings of night itself he seemed to glide away into the abiss, escaping as Rotix ordered that his men retreat instead of press on. None dared incur the wrath of their Lord, and so as stealthily as they had arrived the servants of Grandfather Nurgle retreated away from Hades Pass.
Conclusion The battle was a solid victory to the Eldar, the forces of Chaos beaten off with only few casualties to brag about. Though many skilled warriors had fallen their memories would live on within the infinity circuit, and the Eldar had only just flexed the muscle that was their War Host hidden within Hades Pass.
Rotix, now embittered, had barely achieved what he had set out to do. The Eldar forces had been tested, but not challenged. He still had little idea of the size of the Eldar forces, whether they were only few more than enough to defeat the Unclean warriors at that conflict, or perhaps an entire war host lay hidden behind the defences of Hades pass. And the casualties that had been suffered did not warant what little information Rotix had gleaned.