Ill Tides: The Haunted Isle

Armada / 250 points / The Haunted Isle / Twilight Kin Win

Tales of a haunted isle rich with ancient treasure had reached Sycorax's ears and so eager to claim it for himself he had set his fleet to sea. Unfortunately since the hated elves had won the last naval engagement they had been keeping a close eye on the dwarfish port and had trailed his force to the island.

When they arrived he'd noticed what looked like ghostly ships guarding the shoreline and surely their presence had lead the captains of his smallest ships (two Blacksouls) to charge recklessly out in front of the rest of the fleet and allow themselves to be picked off by the concentrated fire of the Twilight Kin fleet. Just as unwisely two of his captains had decided to break away from the protection of the mighty Arbiter of Pain which no elven captain was brave enough to close with.

Sycorax revelled in the destruction the Arbiter of Pain wrought upon the pair of elven Impalers which had broken off from the main enemy formation but whilst he and the captain of the Decimator poured withering fire into these ships the rest of the enemy fleet was free to act. It was not until the smoke cleared and the bloodlust faded from his eyes that he comprehended the defeat that had been inflicted on him once more.

Arlantrix was pleased with the days work, whilst they had lost both the Impalers in the fleet with the enemies main strength distracted and ghostly defenders of the isle drawn towards the dwarves, the rest of her fleet had performed as planned. The enemy Infernox and then Angkor had been captured and then sunk and her smaller ships had plundered large amounts of treasure from the island. She would have thanked the enemy for leading her to such a rich target if she'd not despised them so much.

Another bonus for Arlantrix was the poor showing by the Heart Seeker, Captain Zor'damos had gotten above her station after her killing spree in the previous battle. It was good to see her taken down a few rungs and that should serve as a useful reminder of who lead this expedition and wielded the true power. 

Next Scenario / Kings of War: Ambush / 995 points / Caravan Ambush - returning from an inland raid the Twilight Kin are once again ambushed by the Abyssal Dwarves, this time on land.

Ill Tides: A Close Run Thing - Ambush/995 points/Salt the Earth/Draw

The acrid stench of......what, what was it, Zor'damos pondered this momentarily as she considered the flea pit Men call home.

What was it? Treachery, without question; sorcery, no doubt; the capricious Gods and their games? It felt like all conspired against her and her kin.

And yet it had begun as planned, putting that perfidious squat menace to the sword for all eternity.

Zor'damos's horde had ensnared the snivelling wretch humans without incident but of course there are always greater prizes to snatch and Sycorax and his rabble were no impediment to Elvish ambition.  Sure the abominable whelps snarled and clawed and spat and chewed but ultimately to no avail against Zor'damos and her Impalers. Was that all they had scoffed the dark hearted Corsairs?

The much vaunted lumbering stone trolls trudged forward only to be held up by demonic underlings while the flying titan sought to vanquish the heart of the dwarven line, their very own dark hearts - The Blacksouls

The Corsairs were faring equally well against the dwarfs' self-styled 'Slithering Dragon' and it's deadly firepower - the terrifying Decimators.  However poor deployment  by the Decimators and lightning fast advances by the piratical horde negated this potent dwarven tactic and along with the beasts of hell they were soon despatched to their own fiery furnace leaving the way clear for Zor'damos and her band of petty thieves and brigands to inflict yet more misery on those 'men' unfortunate enough to fall prey to their merciless and infinitely cruel enslavement.

And so it seemed destined to be written in the annals of elven self-glorification until what, what exactly happened to puncture Zor'damos's hubris.

The Blacksouls, ravaged and broken by the Goredrake and Zor'damos herself - too craven to engage them alone - on the verge of destruction rallied for one last determined stand which thwarted the flying titan just long enough for the stone trolls to catch the leviathan's flank.  Though not decisive these creatures of infamy on both sides fought one another until by some devilish sorcery the Golems against all expectations smote the mighty winged behemoth.   

In the centre the Corsairs and Impalers were seeking to consolidate their fortuitous gains and realise their despicable stratagem.  Sycorax however had other ideas.  Unleashing a pyrotechnic inferno channelling Ariagful's Flame supported by the Molten Menace himself they made short work of the Corsairs who couldn't stand the heat and fled the cauldron!  The prime of the Twilight battleline - the monstrous Impalers - now found itself in a vice-like grip between the phlegmatic Golems and the fearless and heroic Infernox and they predictably crumbled to a primeval dust.

Zor'damos herself was in no position to assail the now impregnable dwarven position atop the central hill.  The victory, so assured only moments earlier, had eluded her and so had vast quantities of slaves and with it unimaginable wealth and power.

Zor'damos would extricate her shattered horde, regroup, lick her wounds and consider her next moves.

Next time - Armada: The Haunted Isles. Can Zor'damos claw back some wealth and prestige in the form of hidden yet ghoulishly guarded treasure to atone for the slaves lost to fiendish Sycorax? 

Conversions continued

A couple of 'converted' Abyssal Dwarf Immortal Guards to ensure I've got enough models for a regiment of the 'little rascals'

 

Ill Tides: No Honour Amongst Slavers

Armada / 250 points / Hunt the Flagship / Twilight Kin Win

Being angry was the normal state for an Abyssal Dwarf but Sycorax was considered to be especially ill-tempered even by the standards of his race. The outcome of the ambush had done nothing to improve his temper. His plan, had of course, been perfect, fall upon the unprepared Twilight Kin fleet and take their share of the slaves whilst sending them all to the bottom of the sea. The Elves however had fled from his mighty flagship the Arbiter of Pain and instead concentrated their efforts against the other part of his fleet. 

It was there that he had been betrayed by the cowardice and incompetence of his captains as they allowed themselves to first be boarded by the enemy and then surrendered. One captain had the sense to  die at his post but the other who had survived the combat was currently be keel-hauled along the length of the flagship, an experience he would not survive. 

The Twilight Kin gunnery had been unusually accurate with it striking many devastating blows against his fleet so it would be a while before he could engage them again at sea. But he had managed to destroy two of the Elven fleet and retain his slaves taken during the battle so not all was lost.

Arlantrix breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Dwarven fleet slip further and further behind her ship, they would not be able to catch up now. She had hoped to be the one to be springing the ambush on the Dwarves once they had out-lived their usefulness, not be on the receiving end. However the well trained crews of her fleet had responded magnificently to the surprise attack and managed to ensure the escape of her flagship and the slaves onboard. They'd even managed to add some Abyssal Dwarves and Orc slaves to their haul, though some had been lost when the Soulbane was sunk. Losing that ship and an Impaler was unfortunate but it was better than losing the entire fleet. 

She felt confident that the Dwarves would not want to engage her fleet again anytime soon, their firing had been punishing and they would surely have learnt to fear the ferocity of her crew in boarding actions. No doubt the next conflict would be on land when she returned back to Dyryth to seize more slaves for the Conclave. Well she would be ready to defeat them on land as well, she wasn't going to be beaten by some short-arsed Dwarf.

Next Scenario / Kings of War: Ambush / 995 points / Salt The Earth

Ill Tides: The Slavers Alliance

 

Kings of War / 2300 points / Stockpile

King Athanagild cursed the gods as he fled from the battlefield. All his plans had gone astray as if he had become a plaything for powers greater than himself. His once proud army was in ruins and though they had fought bravely and taken some of the enemy with them into death, it had not been enough.

He could hear the cries of those left behind to the cruel ministries of the slavers even as he left with the remains of his force. It would be months perhaps years before he could field another army of similar size and power. He did not want to think about it straight away, but an alliance with a much stronger power, one that could keep the slavers in check may be his only option to rid his kingdom of this menace.

Arlantrix gave a rare smile, the battle had gone almost exactly to plan. They'd managed to remove the threat posed by the large human army and taken many prisoners, the Conclave would be pleased with her efforts. The Crew of the Heartseeker had led her front line well and made sure the other, less experienced, corsairs held their formation whilst advancing on the enemy. The Mind Screech she had bound to her will had kept those unfortunate enough to be injured alive, but it would be a while before she had the energy to summon another one from the void. 

The only down side was the fact that the Dwarfs whilst suffering much heavier casualties than her own force, had not suffered more. She could feel the glare of Sycorax's eyes even across the battlefield, he would no doubt be angry that most of the casualties suffered had fallen on his force, but that mattered little.

The important thing was to get the new slaves onto the ships and then safely back to the fortified camp, from their she would open a void gate once they had enough for a proper shipment. Her corsairs moved about their tasks with care, not wishing to miss a single slave.

Sycorax Ironjawz seethed, his eyes burned with hatred as he glared across at the damned elves who had let him bare the majority of the fighting and casualties. True, he had still come away with many slaves, but not as many as he should have had, and not as many as the elves had. Whilst the number of dwarfs lost was relatively low the Golems where hard to replace and it was a pain to herd gargoyles up long enough to be forced into battle. 

He had some slaves, but he needed more if the other Iron-casters where going to treat him with the fear and respect he craved, many many more slaves. Now the main human army was scattered he wouldn't need the elves help to raid for slaves. Getting rid of them as a source of competition and taking the slaves they already had made perfect sense, it was always best to kill as many elves with one stone as possible.

Sycorax drove his men hard to make sure they gathered their slaves quickly and got back to the ships well before the elves. He had decided to wait off shore for them and then launch a devastating attack whilst they least expected it. He stroked his beard in anticipation of having Arlantrix's head brought to him on a platter to feast upon.

Next Scenario / Armada / 250 points / Hunt the Flagship

Ill Tides

 

King Athanagild ruler of Dyryth stared in disbelief at the herald who had brought him the devastating news. He could barely comprehend the news that his fleet had been destroyed and that his lands now lay open to assault from the sea. How could it be that the accursed Twilight Kin and devilish Abyssal Dwarfs had aligned themselves against him? Surely such a thing should be impossible? Unfortunately for him he had not heard about their previous alliance to assault the City of the Golden Horn. It had been successful enough for both sides to consider another temporary alliance but also did little to build any feelings of trust or friendship between the sides.

As one of the many Successor Kingdoms Dyryth was part of a patchwork of competing lands which would as often be at war with its neighbors as at peace. As such King Athanagild could expect no immediate assistance to repel this new and unexpected threat and would have to fight at least the first battle alone.

 

The Lands around the Infant Sea

Fortunately for him the elves and dwarfs took time to establish separate bases on islands just off the shore of Dyryth before launching their first attack. This gave Athanagild time to muster his forces for an all out strike against the enemy. He knew that they must not be allowed to gain a foothold on his lands otherwise they would never be evicted. The fact they had established separate bases also gave him hope as it suggested they did not entirely trust each other.

The Kingdom of Dyryth

Arlantrix cursed the Conclave for ordering her to work with the Abyssal Dwarves again, once had been more than enough. At least this time she had her own ships to command and the opportunity to advance the great work of restoring Ileureleith, or at least capturing the humans who would be put to that work. So for the time being she would supress her distain for the loathsome dwarfs and work with them to clear the human army as they had it’s naval forces.

A mad grin spread across Sycorax Ironjawz’s face, all but obscured by his bushy beard. All the months of scheming, conniving, bribing and one extremely gruesome assassin had paid off.  He had secured a solo command away from the city of Zarak and the machinations of the other Iron-casters. Here he would be able to gather wealth, power and glory for himself which no one would be able to claim as their own. The only fly in the ointment was the blasted elves he’s been forced to work with, for now.

Ruined Tower

Now I have my painting table setup again I've finally managed to get away from painting my house to painting model houses. First up from the new table is a lovely little ruined tower from Fogou Models, over the years I've bought plenty of their terrain and it never disappoints. 

This is a Norman style tower (at least to my eye) and to do something a little different I went with a brown stone / desert theme rather than using grey stone.

Most of the work has been done by a series of dry brushes with various shades of brown and sand which didn't take that long to lay down.

At present the ruin has been investigated by some crusaders but no doubt others will also show an interest in the future.

Mr T and myself have also played out some more games of Kings of War: Ambush over the last few weeks. We've increased the points to 995 which is the largest points you can play Ambush at, this gives a bit more scope to squeeze an extra unit or two in or go for something big.

The last game we played was one of the new scenarios called Stockpile. This involves three stacks of tokens along the centre line that need to be picked up, most tokens at the end wins. A unit can only pick up one token per turn, but multiple units can touch the stack at the same time.

In the game Mr T took the early initiative by wiping out my skiffs on turn 2 after I misjudged his charge range but I did manage to grab three tokens early on.

However the token on my right was taken back by the dwarfs who looked set for a win.

Fortunately my Summoner Crone managed to get a couple of wounds on the Golems holding the token and I rolled 11 & then 12 to break them, forcing a lucky draw.