Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge

[WarbossKurgan 980]

Since his accident Kaptain Mogrum was changed. Where before he had been a brutal, but cunning, Warboss who led his crew from the front, he was always first over the gunwales into an enemy ship, and a vicious, merciless fighter. But he was now a cunning, but brutal, Weirdnob Shaman!

Since his awakening the pirate orruks who followed him fully embraced his change (not least because he killed a lot less of them in fits of anger. Even if he did kill a lot more of them in accidental explosions of Waaagh! energy... on balance it seemed better to them) and from then on they all consider themselves experts in the fields of thaumatology, evocation and sorcery. The nodded sagely to one another as they described the magic around them in great technical detail (often using the wrong terms but they really didn't care). They pronounced judgements on the quality of the wizardry they witnessed and debated the relative merits of various spells.

When they journeyed to the very edge of the realms in search of the wild magic of Endless Spells, their Kaptain issued each of them an ensorcelled black-powder pistol as a focus for binding the Endless Spells. Each orruk then took it upon themselves to add charms and trinkets to their pistol, in order to enhance its power. A selection of teeth, bones, coins, pebbles with holes, crow feathers, gold and silver rings, and polished fragments of glass - all tied on with string or jewellery chains - adorned their foci.

~ 🕱 ~

My group is about to start a new campaign! The last one is here.

Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge is an AoS Skirmish campaign of bounty hunter wizards chasing down and capturing Endless Spells at the wilder edges of the Mortal Realms. It will span several Mortal Realms over the course of about six weeks. The Endless Spells I have made for the part set in the Harrowmark are here.

Each player will follow the exploits of one wizard, who can be accompanied by local guides or persistant retainers, or a mix of both. We will each have 250 points to spend on our warbands, but we do not have to field the same models in every game - we are free to swap any or all of them between games. We will not be adding any points to the total but warbands might gain some extra abilities and equipment as the campaign progresses.

We are likely to play Spell Hunters several times over the course of the campaign, as capturing Endless Spells should be the reason our warbands are at Realm's Edge. We will be injecting more variety to the Battleplan by adding one Open War twist card to each game. Some of them are fairly lethal in Skirmish, but we like the idea that Realm's Edge is not a safe place!

~ 🕱 ~

The campaign will have a fairly loose structure, as each player is free to choose their own warband's storyline, and we will attempt to weave them (or, more likely, mash them) together as we go along.

• Chance Encounters 
  At Realm's Edge, stumbling across other spellbreakers can only mean a fight. Whether simply for survival or to control faylines, it matters not.
  Choose from: Clash at Dawn (from White Dwarf, January 2019), Hold the Centre (White Dwarf), Sweeping Assault (White Dwarf)
   
• The Power of the Realms 
  When magic coalesces into wyrdstorms or faypools, many are the brave and foolish that flock to channel their power.
  Play Vortex of Power (from the AoS Skirmish booklet) or The Well of Souls (from Malign Portents)
   
• The Monster 
  If a great beast is normally a worthy prize, those that roam the Realms' Edges will bring even more glory.
  Play Trophy Kill from the Warhammer Community blog.
   
• Spellbreakers 
  Capturing an endless spell will require cunning and brawn in equal measure. And at times, fighting through a throng of rivals.
  Play Spellhunters (from Malign Sorcery) or Dangerous Hunt (White Dwarf). Or play Dangerous Hunt first, then the winner can be challenged by another warband to play Spellhunters.
   
• The Great Quest 
  After a long search, the resting place of an artefact needed for a terrible ritual has been found. Who will secure it and tap into its power?
  - Play Treasure Hunt (White Dwarf) or Seize the Relic (Skirmish).
  - The winner will then be the defender in Fragile Cargo (Skirmish), against either the same opponent or a new challenger.
  - The winner will then be the ritualist in The Ritual (White Dwarf), against either the same opponent or a new challenger
   
• Battle Grudges 
  Many times, rival spellbreakers have solved their disputes in honourable duels. But assassination is an equally effective, and far more expedient, way to set a record straight.
  Play A Time for Heroes (White Dwarf) or Assassinate (Skirmish), but only between warbands that have already clashed a few times

 

 

Edited January 18 by WarbossKurgan

[JPjr 881]

It's probably because the 'Ere We Go book was one of the last things I bought back in 91 before I first exited the hobby stage left but I will never, ever see an Ork in a pirate's hat like that and not smile.

[Moldek 127]

You’ve put a lot of work in this campaign! I loved the various sights of the harrowmark and this sounds like an exciting development. I like your work on the « battleplan pack » to encourage people to create a narrative around their battles.

[Mosquito onthe TenthFloor 45]

Looking all good so far!

[Yoshiya 336]

Your last campaign was one of my favourite things on this site so can't wait to see what shenanigans you get up to this time.

[Mandano 83]

Love it! Absolutely loved your last campaign, can't wait to see more! Great plan, narrative, photography, and models!

[WarbossKurgan 980]

Terpsichore's Terror

The Cleavermaw sailed low and fast, weaving between the jungle-covered hills of the Wilds of Keromuru, at Realm's Edge of Ghyran. It took all of the small crew's continuous concentrated effort to wrangle the ungainly sky-vessel round the turns required to avoid the vine-covered rocky outcrops and hills. Sometime they just didn't bother and just scrapped over them!

The lookout at the masthead started; he had spotted a plume of smoke on the horizon between the slopes of two hills. He called down to the deck below and the crew ran to the gunwales and leapt into the rigging to see. Mr Deadwood, the master-at-arms, sent a deck-hand below to wake the kaptain.

~ 🕱 ~

Kaptain Mogrum stood upon the rocky ledge and peered through his brass spyglass. His beard and robes writhed with magical energies, as if they were living things. Tiny green sparks arced and crackled across his skin. The rock itself seemed to be charged with arcane energies, it didn't even require his new mystical sensitivity to know this hill was a site of power, a nexus of faylines.

The Cleavermaws assembled around him, eager to get started. They had found there was good money to be made from the bounties paid for getting rid of Endless Spells, and more from robbing other bounty hunters when they were more successful! Most wizards didn't put up much of a fight - it only tended to be their bodyguards that caused the Cleavermaws and problems.

Mogrum knew the Malevolent Maelstrom known locally as Terpsichore's Terror was close by.

But so were The Shadowflames! An alliance of Aelf sorcerer and Duardin warriors was not to be underestimated.

The Cleavermaws raced forward as Terpsichore's Terror moved away from them, toward the Shadowflames.

Mogrum summoned a huge spectral Foot of Gork, that plummeted from the roiling clouds above in a swirl of green lightning. But Laelanyel, the Mistweaver Saih, dissipated the thaumaturgic stomp before it reached the tree tops!

The Fyreslayers watched the approach of Terpsichore's Terror with close attention, three of them managed to bind the Maelstrom and the pulled it nearer to them, away from the orruk pirates.

The Cleavermaws split into two groups - half went to fight the Fyreslayers, half went to wrangle the Maelstrom from the duardin binding it.

Mr Deadwood and Bosun Higgs pushed through the jungle with their ensorcelled pistols ready.

The Fyreslayers made short work of the orruks - the Maelstrom fed on their unfortunate souls and became unstable.

The three Cleavermaws hiding in the trees managed to bind the Maelstrom and they held it in a stalemate, so the Fyreslayers could not move it!

~ 🕱 ~

(We tracked the souls and spells that Terpsichore's Terror had consumed with crystals on it's warscroll)

~ 🕱 ~

The Fyrslayer that was not busy binding the Maelstrom charged into the jungle to sort out the troublesome orruks.

Aef-Grimnir, the Runefather, was surrounded by orruks, including Mr Sludga the Ard Boyz Boss.

The Runefather sent two more orruk souls into the Maelstrom and turned his attention on Sludga.

But Terpsichore's Terror was now brimming with unstable energies, more that was safe.

The Maelstrom exploded! A devastation wave of Death Magic blasted the jungle - three more orruks fell, along with 3 Slayers, and Laelanyel the Mistweaver was wounded.

~ 🕱 ~

Spellhunters (from Malign Sorcery) is a great Skirmish Battleplan! If either of us had managed to draw the Endless Spell to our objective marker we could have scored a Major Victory. If we had wiped out the enemy warband or the Spell was closer to our objective at the end of five Battle Rounds we could have scored a Minor Victory. But as the spell destroyed itself we called it a Draw.

Edited February 1 by WarbossKurgan

[WarbossKurgan 980]

Storm of Magic

Buzzing things annoyed the orruks as they stumbled around in the steaming jungle. The air was full of crackling green lightning that arced uncomfortably across their skin every time they touched anything.

The sky above was a worrying shade of turquoise and weird shaped clouds roiled and billowed all around the horizon. The Cleavermaws muttered to each other and pointed, describing the evolving phenomenon using deeply technical, but completely wrong, magical terminology.

"Looks ta me like we're gonna be awash wiv maleficium pentaclisation any minute now." said one, eyeing a particularly ominous cloud.

"Aye." said another "and probably a deal of thaumaturgistical undertow an'all."

Their shipmates nodded sagely.

Kaptain Mogrum sighed and tried not to listen to them.

After the disaster trying to bind Terpsichore's Terror the Cleavermaws and the Shadowflames were scattered across the Wilds of Keromuru, at Realm's Edge of Ghyran.

Kaptain Mogrum tried to gather his crew and summoned some serious firepower from the ship Snaplock Harald arrived hefting a cannon from the ship's battery!

A good number of the Cleavermaws managed to locate each other and bunched up around the Captain. But the destabilisation and subsequent explosion on the Malevolent Maelstrom had unleashed a Storm of Magic on the Keromuru region!

The Shadowflames had fared less well; they were scattered far and wide.

The Cleavermaws spotted Laelanyel the Mistweaver Saih, trying to hide among some rocks that glimmered with eldritch energies.

Kaptain Mogrum and Snaplock Harald crossed the little river with Mr Sludga and Double Barrel.

Mr Deadwood, Oiler Tunn and Weatherly Deg were not far ahead of them.

Laelanyel, the Mistweaver Saih, found herself beset by Deadwood and Tunn. But she opened a glimmering Mirror Pool...

And disappeared into it!

Then reappeared amongst a clump of trees a hundred yards away!

Bosun Higgs joined the kaptain and his group.

Ledger Nud was jumped by a fyreslayer, but the Kaptain's Clerk had a few tricks under his wig!

Snaplock Harald levelled his cannon and tried to blast a Slayer who was creeping up behind the crew, but his powder was damp from the humid jungle air and the gun went of with a dull thump, rather than the usual deafening boom. The Slayer counted his lucky stars and hid behind a ruin!

Liberty Snik fell but...

Ledger Nud just tutted and finished the entry in the ship's log as the Slayer lay at his feet.

While it took the combined assault of Double Barrel, Oiler Tunn and Mr Deadwood to bring down another Slayer!

The orruk pirates chased after the Mistweaver Saih, once they realised where she was.

Snaplock Harald moved to get a better shot at the cowering Slayer but the duardin took a risk and charged the ogor from a very long way off.

And made it!

The approaching pirates made Laelanyel nervous and she tried to open another Mirror Pool, but the raging Storm of Magic unstabilised her spell and it wracked her with arcane energies!

Aef-Grimnir The Runefather stood between Laelanyel and the orruks. His Latchkey Grandaxe laid waste to them.

Harald's cannon rang like a bell when he smacked the speedy Slayer round the head with it!

~ 🕱 ~

This was "Clash at Dawn" Skirmish Battleplan with the "Storm of Magic" Open War twist card. The Cleavermaws managed to edge into a minor victory by just breaking the Shadowflames.

[WarbossKurgan 980]

Vortex of Charybdine

The Cleavermaws travelled to The Harrowmark, through the Everlost Gate. They had heard rumours that a magical vortex of phenomenal power was tearing up the Realm's Edge there.

Dark clouds gathered over the malignant forests about a hundred leagues edge-ward from Blackrocks, as the pirates searched for the wild magic that the locals had already named the Vortex of Charybdine. 

A flock of ragged black birds raced overhead, cawing loudly. Mogrum watched them carefully then led the crew in the direction they had come from. He knew they were getting close now.

~ 🕱 ~

Kaptain Mogrum and his crew found the vortex fairly quickly by following the dark portents and recondite signs, and discovered it had smashed a skyship and it was hurling wreckage in all directions. Flotsam and jetsam filled the air around it so they kept a safe distance from it out of fear of being hit by flying debris.

Mogrum edged closer to the Vortex of Charybdine and started the ritual to try and control it.

The Cleavermaws watched with keen interest, muttering observations on the arcane nature of the maelstrom to one another. Mogrum did his best to concentrate on what he was doing and block out their inane mumbo-jumbo.

So engrossed on what the Kaptain was doing where they that it took a while for any of the orruk pirates to even notice they were not alone in the forest!

Mr Sludga shouted a warning but it was too late! The Hunters of Gloomfen aelves triggered their Deluge Key! 

Unnatural rains hammered the forest (and apparently nowhere else!) - the ground beneath the Cleavermaw's feet rapidly turned to mud, then to dragging swamp. Four of the orruk pirates disappeared, down into the filthy waters, and drowned!

The aelves charged and attacked Mogrum and Mr Sludga. They only wounded the Kaptain but it was all too much for the other orruks and they all fled! Only Kaptain Mogrum and the ogor Snaplock Harald remained!

As more of the swamp aelves joined the fight, arrows whistled past Mogrum's enormous hat.

 

Snaplock Harald blasted them with his cannon, then charged into the powder-smoke. He lashed out at the aelves, using the huge gun as a club.

A dark shadow appeared from the sky behind the pirates. The Kaptain fended off the worst of their attacks with his cutlass-topped staff and his lucky charms, but the aelves were swift and deft and numerous! The Kaptain's wounds started to mount up.

At last, he fell!

Just as the aelven Tidecaster joined the fight Harald was overwhelmed and fled.

~ 🕱 ~

This was the "Vortex of Power" Battleplan from the Skirmish booklet. I was the Ritualist, David was trying to disrupt the ritual. If my General survived the game with less than 3 Wounds lost I would have won a Major Victory, If he survived but lost 3 or more Wounds I would have won a Minor Victory. If my General died and David's General had lost 3 or more Wounds he would have won a Minor Victory. 

But as my General died and David's General had lost less than 3 Wounds he actually won a Major Victory. It could have gone my way for most of the game but after his first turn of the first Battle Round I didn't have high hopes!

Edited Tuesday at 10:42 AM by WarbossKurgan