Time of Legends Campaign - Part One
Background: There was a terrible time of turmoil and war that apocalyptically shattered their magnificent crystal cities, which were split into thousands of shards that scattered across the lands. Without the wisdom and the abilities of the Hiasars these shards corrupted the surrounding landscape and blighted most of the idyllic lands. On the fringe of this blighted and broken landscape small settlements grew into fledgling nations. The different races adapted to their peripheral settlements and only ventured into the Broken Lands in the desperate attempt to find the much sought after crystal shards.
These shards can still harness the elemental powers of the Hiasars, though in a greatly diminished capacity. Going into the Broken Lands for any extended time warps and corrupts those that enter and now various tribes of foul beasts and monsters roam the lands preying on desperate shard miners. Besides the mining activities there is only one other time any of the races would dare enter the Blasted Lands and that is during the Time of Legends.
There remains an enduring generational prophecy across all of the races which foretells of the rebuilding of the Hiasars crystal city in the heart of the Blasted Lands. Every fifty years when the three moons align during the lunar eclipse, the crystal city is reformed awaiting a new master to sit upon its grand crystal throne. It is rumored that whoever sits upon the throne will be able to restore the Blaster Lands and reinstate control of the lands and thus rule the world. Every fifty years each nation has sent large armies into the Blasted Lands to try to find and fight their way to the heart of the mirage-like crystal city but none have succeeded. The nations have stopped sending one large army into the Lands for this quest and instead now hope that smaller strike forces have a better chance of reaching the crystal throne. There has also been a connecting ancient prophesy which states that it will not be a famous and well known general who finally sits on the crystal throne but an unknown who endures the trials and becomes a legend in the making...
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With a little bit of poetic licence here is the first two battle reports...
Prince Morkin of the moon-kin looked out at the devastation. The cavalry thundering over the barrow had disturbed there centuries long rest. Then the cannon balls had blasted open the sacred chamber spilling his fathers bones across the green fields. Servants were still out looking for his leg.
Unable to stand the King looked up at his son. As their eyes met Morkin felt the projection of his fathers voice inside his head. These are troubled times when men do not show respect to their ancestors graves. Gather warriors and go seek vengeance for this attack. The shades say tracks lead into the broken lands. Take my enchanted helm with you.
750 Barrow Kings
114 Prince Morkin w/ Great Weapon, Dragonhelm
70 Liche Priest Rorthan
135 Casket of Souls
130 Archers x20 w/ Champion Longshot
66 Skeleton Warriors x14 w/ Champion Boney
235 Tomb Guard x15 w/ Champion Yohan, Standard, Banner of Undying
Week One: Battle vs Chaos Warriors
Sorcerer with 15 Chaos Warriors
40 Maurders with Great Weapons
15 Chaos Warriors
5 Dogs of war
Rorthan the Liche Priest looked at Morkin. They had spent ten days in the wastelands and their was still no sine of the defilers. He thought this was a worthless quest but he was bound by blood and magic to follow the Prince, to the ends of the earth if needed, enacting the Kings will.
Morkin finished talking with the shades and informed Rorthan of the approaching band of warriors. He formed the ranks of warriors up into a defensive formation and ordered the archers to shoot down the horde charging over the hill towards them. At the same time Rorthan focused the might of the ancient casket to blast bolts of lighting into the warriors on the right flank. He watched it arc from one unit to the next searing away flesh as it did so. In response the Sorcerer blasted away skeletons with arcane fire faster than Rorthan could reassemble them.
The archers unleashed four volleys of arrows into the Chaos horde before the two armies clashed. Leading his Warriors in a glorious charge the Sorcerer assaulted Morkin's unit. A blast of arcane power burnt away one of Morkin's eyes. As he staggard backwards Yoric stepped up and decapitated the Sorcerer. Seeing their leader dead the warriors turned to run but were cut down by the Tomb Guard.
Rorthan and his archers were not so lucky as they were ground down by the other unit of Warriors. The dogs of war ripped apart the casket crew and then, together with the last few Maurders, charged at Morkin; where they died to the striking blades of the Tomb Guard. Having taken the measure of each other the last few warriors of Chaos gathered their wounded and retreated leaving Morkin the victor.
It took Rorthan some time after the battle to reassemble himself and the rest of the moon-kin. While he waited Morkin ordered his guard to cut down the trees and assemble catapults. Once this was all done Rorthan drained the power from the sorcerers charms infusing it into himself and used rituals of binding to place some of the loyal shades inside the lifeless husks of the enemy so that they could once more walk the lands.
Additions: 2x Catapults, 2 Warriors, 2 Tomb Guard, Musian for Archers. Lvl 2 Wizard.
Morkin gained Regeneration, -BS. Yohan +WS
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Week Two: Battle vs Vampire Counts
Vampire leading 20 Ghouls
20 Revenants
3 Wraiths
Varghulf
Morkin's empty eye socket still ached from the magical wound that would not regenerate. The dying minstral his scouts had picked up told him how a vampire had attacked his caravan and he was the only one to get away. The vile vampire was using his arcane might to bind the dead into his eternal service. This was the perfect opportunity to try out the new catapults on an ancient enemy.
Channelling the mighty power of the casket Rorthan blasted the wraiths off the material plane while the catapuls smashed ghouls and revenants to dust. The Vampire used his powers to summon more ghouls while the catapults turned their attention to the Varghulf. The mighty creature lithely dodged the giant flaming stones that rained down around it. Stumbling forward across the rough ground the Varghulf eventually managed to rip the skeletal warriors and a catapult apart. The vampire lead his ghouls into a mighty charge destroying the casket and then tirning to face off against Morkin and his guards. Rorthan was charged by the last few revenants but a giant stone flew off target and crushed the last revenant leaving Rorthan and a few scattered archers alive.
As neither general wanted to risk more of there troops against the other both retreated to lick their wounds. Rorthan used his powers to pull the scattered bones of the defeated back together and bound the dead minstrels soul to his bones so he too could join the expedition.
Additions: Morkin +Att, Longshot +Att, Rowthan +W & Wizard Lvl 3.
Gained a Bard. Warriors x10, Tomb Guardx10
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Tactics: It was not my original intent but playing against two armies with no ranged attacks I ended up using my undead as a gun-line army. While my shooting was weak I was able to do enough damage to approaching units to then actually win some combats! I did forget though that the casket explodes when it dies. I was quite lucky with the entire Vampire army failing charges for a couple of turns.
Image Credits: Wenzel Hablik, Wonder of the Sea, 1917
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