Edge of the Abyss

An Elf force under Geriatrix heard tale that Ways were being opened in Twilight Glades and this could possibly lead to havoc and death among his countrymen. He had also become aware that an evil horde of Undead, led by Bioandrews, was making his way to the Glades to open as many Ways as possible. But Geriatrix had an inferior force to take on Ken's minions. He called upon an old colleague, myself, Ragus Torococcus, to send Dwarf assistance. I knew of this Ken fellow and the nature of his terrible Undead and readily agreed to send all the help I could. Together we mustered 3000 points of troops, 1500 each, against a like number of Undead.

I took the right wing of the grand army. My forces consisted of a horde each of Ironclad and Shieldbreakers which held the center. My right flank consisted of a regiment of Brock Riders, to the left of which was a regiment of Ironguard designed to hold the flank if the Brock Riders were routed. Between the Ironclad and Ironguard were a Flame Belcher, regiment of Ironwatch Rifles, Greater Earth Elemental, an Ironbelcher Organ Gun, and a regiment of Bulwarkers. Forces were enhanced by a selection of artefacts. I was facing a regiment of Wights on my far right, supported by a troop of Mummies. Toward the center were more Skeleton Warriors and Spearmen than I cared to count and even another troop of Mummies. Most intimidating to look at was the Legion of Zombies in the center. A Liche King supported the Undead opposing me.

I was ecstatic to see that the otherworldly Soul Reaver Cavalry were facing my Elf allies. Too bad for Geriatrix.

Turn 1: Both sides advanced. I ordered the Riflemen and Organ Gun to take the hill to obtain a good firing position. I placed the Brock Riders in position to assault the Wights. But surprise! The Wights were given Breath Attack (10) and stunned the Brock Riders! Aren’t those Wights mean enough without help? The Shieldbreakers and Ironclads took a strong position in the center.

Turn 2: Brock Riders gathered up their courage and with their crazy badgers charged the might Wights! The Wights were stunned by the sheer audacity! With carefully planned casualties and precise dice, the Wights were routed with the exact roll needed. I was relieved because now I believed that I could begin rolling up the flank. The Organ Gun and Riflemen must have been anticipating the grand charge of the Brock Riders, because they only did 2 kills to the Mummies. The Shieldbreakers took a deep breath and charged off the hill into the Zombie Legion, killing 5: not nearly enough. In response the Legion charged along with Revenant Cavalry that struck the Shieldbreakers in the flank. The Zombies only killed 4, but the Revenant Cav got 18 out of 22 dice for hits and killed 6. Fortunately for the Shieldbreakers the rout roll was only a 3. A Zombie regiment charged and did 2 damage to the Ironclads. Another Zombie regiment charged and did 2 damage to the Ironguard. A regiment of Skeleton Spearmen and another of Skeleton Warriors saw the mass that was the Earth Elemental and charged without effect. That guy is tough! The Mummies on my right charged the Bulwarkers. Somehow they seemed like a full-sized unit. Ahh, the Liche King healed them and they regenerated. Uh-oh, the flank does not look so secure. Nevertheless, I felt confident that this battle would be won easily. I was happy with the situation. Meanwhile on the Elven front, Stormwind cavalry flanked and destroyed a troop of Wraiths. In response the Undead unleashed a massive charge by two regiments of Soul Reaver cavalry that did 7 damage to a horde of Sea Guard.

Turn 3: Following the rout of the Wights, Ken shifted a Warrior horde to protect his left flank. This put them in range of the artillery and riflemen, but again they only did a total of 3 casualties. Back to training if we ever get home! The Bulwarkers charged the Mummies who, unfortunately for them, were struck in the rear by the Brock Riders (they really like attacking from the rear!). This time all the Mummies melted away and my forces turned to face the Warrior horde. The Earth Elemental charged the Spearmen to open a lane of fire from the Flame Belcher which did 5 kills versus the Warriors, but then rolled a 2 for morale. The fearsome Earth Elemental then killed the Spearmen. I ordered the center hordes of Ironclad and Shieldbreakers to charge straight ahead, confident of victory. The Ironclad did 9 damage to the Zombies but then rolled a 2! Those Zombies are stout! The Shieldbreakers did 16 damage to the Zombie Legion but the Legion still held on. Now it’s looking bad for the Shieldbreakers and the center of the line. The countercharge by the Zombie legion and the cavalry on the flank destroyed the Shieldbreakers but the Ironclad stayed resolute, losing only 2 casualties to the Zombie regiment. On my right the Warrior horde charged the Brock Riders and did 3 casualties while a Warrior regiment did only 1 to the Ironguard. A final Warrior regiment bounced off the Earth Elemental. He will soon become the flank itself, and a very effective one at that! The Elves eliminated a Zombie regiment and cavalry battles continued. The Soul Reaver and Revenant cavalry destroyed the Sea Guard. The allied center is beginning to give way. On the far left of the Elves a troop of Mummies hurt the elven cavalry and they would have routed had it not been for the inspirational Dragon Kindred Lord.

Turn 4: On the right, the Bulwarkers and cavalry charged the Warrior horde but bounced off. Ironguard pummeled the Warrior regiment but missed the rout by 1. This rolling up the flank is turning out to be much tougher than it seemed just minutes earlier. The Ironclads killed the Zombie regiment but their left flank is in the air. The Ironclad battle was one for the ages. A Warrior horde, Zombie legion, and Revenant cavalry charged the Ironclads. 102 dice. The Warriors did no damage due to a hindered charge through the woods. And the cavalry charge also was hindered across a hill. The Zombies caused 7 casualties and the cavalry only 1. 8 dead out of 102 dice! The Dragon Kindred Lord with some assistance from cavalry destroyed the Mummy troop and a regiment of Revenant cavalry routed. Another regiment of Revenant cavalry attacked but rolled a 2 for morale. The Undead are just having difficulty finishing off the allied units! The Soul Reaver cavalry wavered a regiment of Gladestalkers.

Turn 5: The Ironclads continued to try to batter the Legion but alas it still hung on. The Ironclad could not. Revenant cavalry and the Legion finally finished off the heroic Ironclads. On the right the Brock Riders and Bulwarkers routed the Warrior horde. Now the Undead left flank is in the air. All my other attacks bounced. My center is destroyed but it’s now up to the Earth Elemental to hang on for one more turn. My artillery and riflemen had by now turned to face the threat from the center. The Spearmen attacked the Earth Elemental but could only do 1 damage. The Elven Kindred Lord managed to get a flank attack on the Soul Reavers and, fortunately, wavered them. They remained wavered for the remainder of the game. In the center Revenant cavalry annihilated the last remaining unit of infantry, the Kindred Archers. The allied forces were now split in half.

Turn 6: Gunfire killed the Revenant cavalry unit that had been so merciless to the Ironclads. The Ironguard plus Brock riders plus Bulwarkers destroyed the remaining Warrior regiment. The Warriors attacked the Earth Elemental from the front and the Zombie legion on the flank: 110 dice! Warriors did no damage and the Legion only 1! The Earth Elemental is all I needed to hold the flank! On the elven flank Revenant cavalry and infantry destroyed an elven cavalry regiment.

From what looked like certain victory to me, the forces of Bioandrews stayed tenacious. The Undead suffered devastating losses on Turn 2, yet Bioandrews insisted that his outnumbered forces continue their attempt at opening the Ways. The allied forces were taken aback, but Geriatrix and I steeled our men because to allow opening of the Ways was…unthinkable. We eked out a slim victory, with 1770 points remaining and the Undead with 1425—a victory by 45 points. Nevertheless that was enough to quell the threat of an opening of the Ways at least for now.