Although our last battle had marked the start of a Path to Glory campaign, Owen and I couldn't resist playing an unrelated 1500 point battle in order to field some favourite models which hadn't yet seen the table top. We chose The Watchtower battleplan simply so we could slap Barfunweltz Cathedral in the middle of the table.
The Crusaders of the Rose have finally returned to Barfunweltz only to discover that
Lady Beauvoir is away attempting to wrest control of
Salas Nova from the Sigmarite Dawnbringers. The
Raptured Court of the Sanguine Rose is also nowhere to be seen, no doubt prosecuting their deranged holy war in some far-flung corner of the Mortal Realms. In their absence, the
Pontifex Surrexit establishes his command centre in that most sacred of holy sites,
Barfunweltz Cathedral. But their return has not gone unnoticed, and a contingent of
the hated Gravewalkers hasten into the great cemetery, once more to conduct a lightening strike assault upon the holy stronghold of the
Way of the Rose...
Sir Jean de Majeure stood atop the mist-shrouded belfry tower of Barfunweltz Cathedral, his cruel, ancient eyes peering into the cloud-choked sky. Something was approaching, he could feel it.
Suddenly, with a mighty roar and a blinding flash of lightening, a huge Stardrake smashed onto the ground, only a few coffin lengths from the edge of the Cathedral ruins. The well-informed Sir Jean recognised its rider as Lord-Celestant Galthos Anvilsoul, apparently under the command of Lord-Imperatant Caleon the Grey. They were accompanied by a single unit of Liberators, but he was sure there would be more Gravewalkers waiting to descend from the heavens.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Vampire Lord flew down into the cover of the ruins. "
Missioner, animate your
deadwalkers!
Lord Voltaire, gather your black knights!" Reanimated corpses stirred and rose from the crypt of the Cathedral; once-proud knights readied their horses for the counter-charge. Sir Jean was not worried, even zombies would be able to defend this stronghold, and he could sense the Pontifex Surrexit was close and would soon lead a knightly charge against the besieging Stormcast. "We shall hold this mighty edifice as long as it stands!" he cried.
The Stardrake roared and charged. But its rider directed the monster to throw its massive bulk not at the undead defenders, but at the cathedral itself! With thunderous crashes and the squeals of splintering timbers, the already ruined building was torn down yet further, its deathrattle and deadwalker defenders stumbling out into the surrounding graveyards. Sir Jean de Majeure had vanished in the rubble.
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| Their defensible terrain ruined in an instant, the undead garrison spills out into the open... |
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| ...and into vicious combat with the Gravewalkers. |
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The Pontifex Surrexit and his knights come to the defenders' rescue.
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| Seeing their Crusading Lord banished by the outflanking Annihilators, the Templars Ascendant and Vargheists counter charge. |
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| Meanwhile, the Wight Lord Voltaire and his deathrattle Errant Knights attempt to retake the ruined cathedral... |
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| ...but are quickly banished by the Stardrake. |
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Having dispatched most of the Annihilators, the Blood Knights charge Baerin the Defiant, mistaking him for an easy target.
* * * |
Trapped beneath the rubble which had sealed him inside the Cathedral's crypt, Sir Jean sensed only the vaguest impression of the necromantic energies released by the battle above. It did not last long. Scant moments later, the Vampire emerged into sudden silence. He floated up to the single remaining spike of ruined bell tower to survey the scene. Broken corpses lay unanimated all around the ruins of the holy site. There was no sign of the Stormcast defilers. All was still and silent as the grave.
Then he spotted movement: a lone rider winding its way disconsolately through the sepulchres. "Kastellan Stercus!" cried Sir Jean to the lone Blood Knight, "What did I miss?"
Yes, all I had left by the end of turn three was a single Blood Knight. With my defensible terrain demolished, the zombies and black knights were no match for the elite Stormcast, especially once the Necromancer had been picked off. My Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon, the Pontifex Surrexit, was destroyed by charging Annihilators before he got to do anything at all, leaving my Blood Knights and Vargheists stranded and unable to make any meaningful contributions to the victory conditions. I did manage to destroy a unit of Annihilators, but that was meagre compensation. Definitely a major victory for the Stormcast Eternals (yet again!).
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