Gwynion and her Wood Elf army had moved East towards The Räuberthal, thankful to avoid further conflict with the Bretonnians. The fight against her erstwhile allies was regrettable, and it plagued upon her mind daily. She could not let her soldiers be aware of these doubts, however. When one of her scouts reported of a potential lead as to the location of the Nemesis Crown she was grateful that it would take her battalion away from the Bretonnian encampment to the South.
The scouts had reported contact with an Imperial merchant who travels the Delberz-Hergig Road through The Räuberthal with some frequency. This merchant claimed to know how one could find the Nemesis Crown, and was willing to exchange the information for a few choice Elven artifacts.
A meeting was arranged, and Gwynion led her army to the rendezvous. As she neared the valley she heard the clatter of maille and shouting of orders which could only mean combat was afoot!
The Räuberthal
The rolling hills and vales of the Howling Hills are known as the 'Räuberthal' due to the alarming frequency for which bandits and cutthroats ply their evil trade in the locale. Many caves and rocky bluffs litter the landscape, making it easy for ne'er-do-wells to lie in ambush, waiting to secure ill-begotten gains from the merchants who travel the paths.
The roads are somewhat protected by the wardens who operate from Middenstag Castle. Professionals in employ of the Graf Boris Todbringer, they patrol the roads as best they can, but they are few and far between. The wiser (and more affluent) merchants employ their own personal bodyguard to protect them on such journeys through the Räuberthal.
Mission
Herr Kartoffeln - the merchant bears a resemblance to Mr Pringle
(although I am not sure if potatoes exist in the Empire)
Gwynion's Guardians have arrived at the rendezvous with the merchant, but have found he is under assault by the forces of Count Gulthias!
The Wood Elves must escort the merchant ('Herr Kartoffeln') off the Wood Elf edge of the board.
The Vampire Counts must kill (capture) the merchant.
The game ends when one of these conditions is met.
The Armies
The Wood Elf army ("Gwynion's Guardians") consisted of:
Gwynion, Protector of the Ash Groves w/ Bow of Loren
Glade Riders (3)
Archers (10)
Glade Guard with spear & shield (10)
The Vampire Counts army ("The Host of Count Gulthias") consisted of:
Count Gulthias, Vampire w/ Bone Blade & spellbook
Wight Cavalry (3)
Skeletons w/ hand weapons (10)
Skeletons w/ spears, shields and light armour (10)
In addition to her usual army, Laura (Wood Elves) also had control of the Merchant and his bodyguard:
Herr Kartoffeln, Merchant
Alcatani Fellowship, mercenary pikemen (12)
The Vampire Counts spell was randomly drawn from the Necromancy deck again, and this time Count Gulthias had access to 'Raise the Dead', a powerful spell able to replenish skeleton & zombie units, or even make new ones!
For the scenery we used some newly acquired pieces from our friends Rick & Anja. These woodland scenery pieces are lovely and have much more detail than my old forest sections. I love them and they work perfectly with the flocking I've used on my Realm of Battle boards. Thanks guys!
The board setup.
This mission (and the spell Count Gulthias drew) also gave me a chance to use my newly painted zombies. I thought these would be an easy unit to paint but turns out dead flesh is harder to paint than you'd think! I'm pretty pleased with the result though so I was happy to use them in a battle shortly after finishing them.
The game started with the merchant forces being deployed. The undead would be coming from the corner of the board, and would start pretty close to the merchant, so Laura wisely spread the pikemen out to form a defensive barricade.
Herr Kartoffeln hides, nestled in between a rock and a tree.
The Alcatani Fellowship form up against their master's cart.
Alcatani Fellowship in line formation.
These were commission painted from Arcaan Studio Miniatures and they did a brilliant job. Check out them painting these models here: Arcaan Ritual's YouTube The Host of Count Gulthias deployed
Gwynion's Guardians deployed, ready to rush in and save the merchant!
The armies are all deployed and ready for battle!
Laura got the first turn and was away. Her plan was to keep the Alcatani Fellowship between the merchant and the undead for as long as possible, while having him run at full speed towards her edge of the board. She hoped that her Wood Elf forces would be able to intercept any undead which tried to maneuver around the pikemen.
My plan was to use my main forces as a distraction and get Laura's units caught up in combat, then use my summon wolves and raise undead special abilities to try to catch the merchant out when he's all alone.
Gwynion and Laura posing for the camera.
Gwynion's forces move out.
The archers run around in the trees, as is their wont.
The Glade Riders rush on ahead, hoping to intercept the Wight Cavalry.
"Fly unto the foe!"
Herr Kartoffeln makes a break for it!
Four dire wolves stalk in from behind the elven battle line!
The dry scraping of bones and the clink of rusted metal is all that is heard as the undead reposition, ready to attack.
Skeleton infantry march towards the pikemen.
The evil wolves creep up on the Glade Guard.
"Charge!" screams the Glade Rider champion as they spur their steeds towards the skeletal horsemen. The Glade Riders are unnerved by the abominations, but manage to quell their fears enough to commit to the attack.
"Turn left! Quick march! Turn right! Front rank, low port your pike!" Rodrigo shouts to his men.
Glade Guard spearmen make their way through thicket and brush.
Gwynion leads from the front, looking to spot the enemy.
The wood elf archers have spotted the dire wolves and turn to face them, knocking their arrows.
The undead advance steadily.
The Glade Riders defeat the Wight Cavalry, and watch as they crumble to dust before them.
The merchant spots elven archers in the distance and rushes towards them, hoping for rescue. He falters as he spots movement beneath the ground ahead of him. Rotten hands rise from the dirt and a horde of zombies pulls itself from the ground!
Herr Kartoffeln's hand drops to the dagger at his waist as he backs off, terrified.
The zombies groan as they shuffle towards the merchant, arms outstretched.
The skeletons reform their ranks and the skeleton swordsmen split off towards the Alcatani Fellowship.
The skeletal spearmen ready themselves for a charge from the Glade Riders.
Elven arrows slam into the ground around the wolves, but they are unerringly nimble and somehow avoid the flights. Gwynion readies her bow, waiting for the perfect moment to loose arrows.
The Glade Guard spearmen see the zombie horde rising to their right but their leader tells them to press on towards the skeleton infantry and support their mounted companions.
The merchant is frozen in fear.
Count Gulthias, who has been directing magical energies across the battlefield, swoops in past the pikemen. His superior vampire speed allows him to flank their lines with ease.
Glade Riders engage with the bulk of the skeletal horde.
Battle lines almost in charge distance!
Gwynion uses the Bow of Loren to loose arrow after arrow at the dire wolves, felling three of the beasts! The final wolf is alarmed and turns to flee before loping off into the night.
The elven archers knock another flight of arrows and aim at the zombies.
The Glade Riders defeat a number of undead spearmen, but the fight is a brutal one.
The Glade Guard have engaged with the skeleton infantry, and they're winning, but suffer some losses.
The vampire swoops around the pikemen.
Despite being cut down by elven arrows, more zombies rise from the earth and lurch towards the merchant!
The pikemen turn about face, hoping to intercept the zombies before it's too late.
Gwynion shoots at them from the trees.
The Glade Guard dispatch the final skeleton warriors.
With their foe defeated, they wheel around, hoping to assist the mercenaries against the unliving.
Laura takes pictures of the dramatic events.
The Glade Riders have broken off from the spearmen, realising the vampire's cunning ruse.
The pikemen march towards the zombies, who have managed to charge at the hapless merchant!
Wood Elf archers, and Gwynion herself have charged in to save Herr Kartoffeln from the horde.
Meanwhile the skeletal spearmen try to catch up to the glade riders.
Herr Kartoffeln stabs at the zombies, trying to keep them away.
Count Gulthias stalks towards the merchant, confident in his evitable victory.
Gulthias joins in the fray, slashing madly at the elven general. She is barely able to defend herself in time, and parries the blood-soaked blade of the vampire count.
The melee is brutal.
The skeletal spearmen have managed to catch up to the Glade Riders, and descend upon one of their number, their rusted spears stabbing into his faithful steed, then later the rider himself. One of the Glade Riders has fallen!
Some of the zombies have fallen, but the horde continues to swarm around the living.
The archers, merchant and elven general are surrounded by the undead, but their resolve holds firm.
The Alcatani Fellowship charge into the undead flank, their long pikes skewering the fiends!
Much of the zombie horde is slain, with help from the human pikemen. The archers are gladdened at the sight of these stalwart mercenaries, although too late for one of their number.
Meanwhile Gwynion fights a deadly duel with the vampire count. He has wounded her deeply, and her attacks, though accurate, barely seem to wound his preternaturally tough skin.
The Glade Riders have been caught once again by the skeletons, and another of their number falls in battle!
Gwynion is defeated by the foul vampire, but she managed to severely wound the fiend before collapsing. As the vampire gloated and prepared to drink her blood, Rodrigo of the Alcatani Fellowship stepped forward and bashed the Count's head in with his warhammer! The vampire's skull was crushed in a brutal display of might! His magical powers so weakened by the blows he had sustained that he could no longer ward off the light and was burnt to a crisp in the midday sun.
The Glade Guard cheer upon seeing the evil monster defeated.
Herr Kartoffeln thanks the elves profusely for their assistance, and promises Rodrigo and his men will get double pay come marktag!
With the vampire defeated, his undead forces crumbled across the land and the dark spirits waned. The wood elf battalion had saved the people who had suffered under the vampire's maledictions, but this was merely a secondary concern for them. The merchant had given them the information they so desired, and so their quest to bury the Nemesis Crown continued!
Gwynion recovered from her injuries, although the physicians in her camp warned that had the vampire not been slain that day, her wounds could have fatal - for they were infused with a sinister magic not seen since the times of Nagash himself. Gwynion thanked the Weave for sparing her, and took it as a sign that her quest was the right course.
***
Laura gained an additional 50 points for her Wood Elf army, and decided to purchase a new unit - Dryads! She could only afford one Dryad for this new unit, but even alone they are powerful creatures, so we'll see how that aids her in the battles to come. She also gained a magical Banner, spun from elven seamsters to commemorate the victory over the vampire count.
***
In other news, the long dark lockdown of the UK was finally softened for the first time in many months (meaning we could finally leave the house!) and Laura and I went out for a walk in the most remote place we could easily get to.
It feels like a long time since we've been allowed out walking, and it was great! Hopefully the vaccination rollout means we'll be able to return to some semblance of normality by the end of the year and we can finally see friends and game with them once again.
Time will tell!
Laura contemplating new ways to defeat me in Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
