Lord Slyght

Er-Ash Q’iogg’du observed the squirming mage clamped within her claw. Attentively she drew forth the learnings and aetheric mastery from the mortal like venom drawn from a wound. With a blinding flash Azyrian lightning struck down and drew up the mage’s soul to be reforged into one of the God-King’s play things. Her amusement at an end, the Keeper of Secrets snapped her claw shut and the White battlemage fell to the ground, severed through his midriff. The daemonettes prancing at her feet seized up the grisly totems to join the growing array of grotesque contorted statues where the city’s guard had made their stand. A smirk crossed the daemon’s face to see the sport. Her master the Dark Prince would be pleased at the excess. All around her she could hear the screams as the final mortal defenders were put to death. The battlefield was hers and the three sacred sites now offerings for Slaanesh. She picked up one of the many polished mirrors that had adorned the Luminark. She made a mental note to place it on the fane as a further offering to her master. Lord Slyght and Lord Rhymort approached from the east and west. Er-Ash Q’iogg’du lifted herself up to her fullest form as the would-be leaders of their forces drew near. Once amongst the highest echelons of noble society in the city of Hel Vault, the two champions had been amongst the first to swear their allegiance to the Ruinous Powers and had gifts of untold power bestowed upon them by Slaanesh. Of course, the Dark Prince had not deemed them worthy to lead this invasion; only one with the god-like might of Er-Ash Q’iogg’du could possibly be chosen for such a task. Nonetheless the mortals had proved their value today. She would permit them to hold onto their aspirations - and their mortal lives - for now. “Well met, my lady”, said Lord Rhymort as he stepped down from his charger and bent his knee to her. “The Gate of the Evening Sun is yours.” “The Gate of the Morning Star is too yours to control. The Dark Prince cannot fail to be pleased with the glory you have brought him today.”, offered Lord Slyght as she descended from her manticore mount. She nodded her acknowledgement. “What do you now command?”, asked Lord Rhymort, rising to his feet. Er-Ash Q’iogg’du turned her sights to the distance, where the Hyshian Sun was beginning to set over the walls and spires of Greyspire Hysh. The prize she sought was within those fortifications. In her daemonic tongue she addressed her servants. “We press forwards. Time is of no consequence – the Dark Prince has demonstrated supreme patience and he is ready to wait for the glory we will bring him. Whether it is with the rising of the sun or a full moon cycle, the city will fall.” With curt nod’s the two mortal Lords mounted their steeds and rode out to their forces to issue the command. Er-Ash Q’iogg’du motioned to the horizon with her greatblade and began to stride out towards the city.

Battle Round 5 Assuming command, Leonhard Ironclaw ordered his remaining forces into a controlled retreat, ceding territory slowly to maintain a hold on the Gate for as long as possible. Two fellows from the Collegiate Arcanum were brought forward from the reserve to help oversee the retreat and do what they could to slow up the daemons’ advance. With a shriek the freshly summoned daemonettes poured down the hill and swamped the remaining defenders. Ever seeking ways to advance his path to glory, Lord Rhymort engaged Leonhard Ironclaw in single combat, his chaos warhammer making short work of the Hyshian nobleman. Er-Ash Q’iogg’du pulled apart the Luminark as the daemonettes at her feet began the job of picking through the wreckage for any survivors to provide them with amusement. The battlefield was hers. Final Score: Defenders of Greyspire 9; Invaders of Slaanesh 9 Slaanesh win a minor victory for completing their hidden agenda

Battle Round 4 General Lightbringer steeled himself for one last charge to rid the observatory of the chosen. With a battle cry his griffon leapt forward and ripped apart three of the elite warriors. Xanthus Sul, the leader of the Silver Eye company, waited for him moment to arc round his axe and take off the head of the city warden and claim a skull for his master. Again Sight blinder lined up a shot but once more the aim of the Luminark was awry. Leonhard Ironclaw rallied the remaining guardsman defending the Gate of the Evening Sun and another chaos knight was dispatched. More swordsmasters arrived to bolster the frontline, who immediately assailed the daemonettes trying to rip apart the Luminark and cleaved through more of the daemonic forms. The Illuminaries turned their gaze on Gisbert, and with a chant they unleashed a bolt of energy that seared through the Stormcast hero and sent him back to Azyr. Lord Rhymort summoned forth the Infernal Enrapturess Q’Il-Ang’G who in turn brought 20 fresh daemonettes into the realm to tighten their grip on the Gate of the Evening Sun. Confident the Gate of the Morning Star was secured, Er-Ash Q’iogg’du strode forwards to complete the assault on remnants of the Greyspire army. The Keeper of Secrets launched herself into the remaining swordsman and put a stop to their resistance. Lord Rhymort charged forward with his remaining knights to add to the rivers of blood around the Gate of the Evening Sun. On the far side, Lord Slyght continued his fight with the remaining demigryph knights but could not bring down the final riders. Score: Defenders of Greyspire: 8; Invaders of Slaanesh: 6

Battle Round 3 With his retinue all slaughtered before him, Lord Slyght muttered a dark incantation that drew fell Chaos Winds to the battlefield and sent the maelstrom hurtling towards Captain Theodoard, stripping flesh and sapping life energy from the Griffon rider. With the Watcher weakened, Er-Ash Q’iogg’du strode forward with Chaos Chosen in train to dispatch the mortal hero. A blast from An’Marr’s harp dispatched the final demigryph rider blocking Dash’Kar’s path. Freed from combat, the herald slammed his chariot into Stigandr the Grey, toppling the wizard from the Balewind he occupied and trampling him underfoot. The swordsman occupying the gate sprang forward to avenge the fallen mage, hacking at the herald and dispatching several of her attendants. In the centre, Lord Rhymort and five newly arrived chaos knights drew their steeds into a gallop and levelled their lances at General Lightbringer, while ten daemonettes pulled back to join the attack upon the city warden. Caught in a locus by the Illuminaries, the general struggled to contain the rain of blows coming in from all sides, and despite dispatching most of the daemonettes, he felt the graveness of the wounds inflicted upon him. The Mesmerising Mirror drew closer to Sight Blinder, sapping life energy from the mage marshelling the machine. The daemonettes continued their assault on the guard and handgunners, the onslaught proving too much for the Blackthorns who fled the field. Er-ash Q’iogg’du taunted Theodoard as he approached the Watcher, offering him unspeakable pleasures in return for his soul. The Captain of Greyspire resisted the siren call, but still felt more of his essence slipping away. The Keeper of Secrets pounced with the speed and agility of a dracoline, and in a blur of sword strokes dispatched the hero and watched as Sigmar snatched up the spirit in a burst of Azyrian energy. Invigorated by the kill, the greater daemon immediately turned on the swordmasters – killing all in a heatbeat. With daemons closing in, Osbehrt cast forth Quicksilver Swords which sliced through Dash’Kar, further wounding the herald threatening the Gate of the Evening Sun. Again Sight Blinder took aim at An’Marr, but again the shot missed the capering harpist. Leonhard Ironclaw, the city’s lieutenant in chief, called forth reinforcements to aid the wavering front line. The horseman drove forward at Dash’Kar and impaled the herald on the tip of his lance, giving the defenders of the gate a moment’s respite from the onslaught. Gisbert the Bright, with the forces of Chaos swirling around him, unleashed the full force of his lantern. The sky was blinded with crackling Azyrian energy, blasting An’Marr, most of the remaining daemonttes, the final fiend and multiple chaos knights back to the Realm of Chaos. Despite his heinous wounds, General Lightbringer sensed an opportunity to reclaim the observatory and pulled back from the fight with Lord Rhymort to line up an attack on the Chosen occupying the sacred ruins. Seeing their wounded General in need of support, the final guardsman holding back the daemonettes broke into a run to support their ailing leader, with Gisbert also flying to the city warden’s aid. After seeing Theodored smote down, the demigryph riders defending the Gate of the Morning Star sallied forth through the archway in final attempt to hold of the forces of Chaos. With lances lowered they smashed into the manticore bearing Lord Slyght, opening wounds on the beast. Score: Defenders of Greyspire 6; Invaders of Slaanesh 4

Reality blinked as Tau’ru’ruk descended from his Silver Tower to observe the melee from the cover of a wooded copse. Seeing the forces of Slaanesh gaining an ascendency, he strove to rebalance the fates by drawing aetheric energy from Ul-Gysh which sent two Geminids crackling into a pack of Fiends as they strutted forward. Once more the Luminark Sight Blinder took aim at An’Marr the enrapturess, but again the warmachine’s shot was not true and the daemon remained unscathed. The Blackthorns, steeled by their marksman Dunstan, fired off another barrage of shots to bring down more of the daemonettes before drawing their daggers and leaping into the fray. Around the Gate of the Evening Sun the swordsmen chopped down a knight as he tried to traverse the archway, while Dash’Kar brought down a second Demigryph rider under the onslaught of lash, claw and blade. General Alrick Lightbringer decided now was the time to sally forth, and with the Knight Azyros Gisbert the Bright at his side the Warden of Greyspire lifted his griffon into the air and plunged down into the Fiends as they reeled from the Gaunt Summoner’s sorcery. Under the torrent of blows two of the beasts fell, with the final Blissbringer mortally wounded. Around the Gate of the Morning Star Captain Theodorard turned his sights to the approaching Sisters of the Amethyst Crown, leaving none of the daemons alive. Around the gate a fresh unit of greatswords entered the fray, and under the combined attack of the blade masters and the demigryph knights the final chaos knights were slain. Score: Defenders of Greyspire 4; Invaders of Slaanesh 2

Battleround 2 Er-Ash Q’iogg’du quickened his stride as the scent of men filled his senses, as all around him his followers broke into headlong charges towards the city defenders. With a further strum of her harp, An’Marr sent another gunner to his death. Lord Slyght urged his retinue into the fray – five chaos knights crashing into Captain Theodoard’s demigryghs but under the shadow of the Gate of the Evening Sun the battle-hardened warriors survived the onslaught. The Watcher’s retribution was emphatic – three of the knights were dispatched in a frenzy of beak and claw. On the far side Dash’Kar guided her blade-lined chariot into another unit of demigryphs, scything down two. A pack of hellstriders eager to claim the gate for the Dark Prince joined the fray but were swiftly hacked down by General Lightbringer before they could threaten further. Er-Ash Q’iogg’du gracefully strode into the midst of the swordmasters, and despite taking some blows from their weapon mastery, within moments all ten mortals lay broken at her feet. The daemonette horde leapt through a hail of bullets to assail the guard and Blackthorns in the centre – ripping a hole in the flank of the city defences. Eager to join the fray, Lord Rhymort the Angelbane urged his chaos steed towards the Fane of Slaanesh and set his sights on the Gate of the Evening Sun.

As the city’s defenders moved into position, Er’Ash Q’iogg’du ordered his followers forward. The Gleaming Axes, a company of Chaos Chosen, advanced to secure the observatory while daemonettes waltzed towards the assembling guard. To the left, Lord Slyght gently urged his manticore onwards as chaos knights and daemonettes formed a retinue around the beast. To the right, more chaos knights formed a guard for Dash’Kar, a herald of Slaanesh, as they closed in on the Gate of the Morning Star. The Illumuniaries, heralds and protectors of a contorted epitome, spoke fell words that summoned a Mesmerising Mirror of Slaanesh onto the battlefield and sent it hurtling towards the mortal men. An’Marr, an infernal enraptures, caressed her living harp which sent waves of chaotic energy into the Blackthorn handgunners, slaying two in an instant. Score: Defenders of Greyspire 2; Invaders of Slaanesh 1

Battle Round 1 General Alrick Lightbringer, the warden of Greyspire Hysh, surveyed the daemonic horde assembled on the plains below him. These lands, less than a day’s march from the city walls, contained three sites of significant strategic value; relics of a city upon which Greyspire had grown. To his left and right stood the Gates of the Morning Star and Evening Sun, while to the fore stood the Observatory of Illumination. It was here that his forces would make their stand and banish the invaders from the realm. With a nod his forces moved forward; ranks of the city’s guard marching forward with the Blackthorn handgunners in their wake. Stigandr the Grey, a fellow of the Collegiate Arcanum, muttered an incantation and was lifted into the air on top of a Balewind Vortex to assess the threats ahead. To the left a unit of swordsmen occupied a defensive position inside the Gate of the Morning Star, while to the right Captain Theodoard and a unit of his Demigryph knights held the Gate of the Evening Sun. The air crackled as Osbehrt the White trained the beam of his Luminark at the chaos horde, but the bolt of light energy refracted away and disappeared into the aether.

The armies The Defenders of Greyspire Hysh General Alric Lightbringer the Warden go Greyspire Hysh - Freeguild General on Griffon. Legendary Fighter, Mirrored Cuirass. Osbehrt the White and Sight Blinder - White Wizard atop Luminark of Hysh Captain Theodoard the Watcher - Freeguild General on Griffon. Master of Defence, Guardian's Coronet. Gisbert the Bright - Knight Azyros of the Tempest Lords Stigandr the Grey - Battle Mage of Grey Magic The Blackthorns - 30 Freeguild hand gunners. Regiment of Renown; +1 to hit in melee 10 Freeguild Guard with Swords and Shields 10 Freeguild Guard with Swords and Shields 10 Freeguild Guard with Swords and Shields 10 Freeguild Greatwords 3 Demigryph Knights 3 Demigryph Knights Chronomantic Cogs Balewind Vortex QuickSilver Swords The Invading host of Er-Ash Q'iogg'du Er-Ash Q'iogg'du - Keeper of Secrets. Best of the Best, Beguiling Gem. Lord Slyght - Chaos Sorcerer Lord on Manticore An'Marr - Infernal Enrapturess The Illuminaries - Contorted Epitome Dash'Kar - Herald of Slaanesh on Exalted Seeker Chariot 30 Daemonettes The Sisters of the Amethyst Crown - 10 Daemonettes. Regiment of Renown; +1save 10 Daemonettes 5 Hellstriders with claw spears 5 Chaos Knights with lances 5 Chaos Knights with lances The Gleaming Axes - 5 Chaos Chosen The Silver Eye - 5 Chaos Chosen 3 Fiends Mesmerising Mirror

Game 2 - The Battle for Greyspire Hysh From his Silver Tower Tau’ru’ruk surveyedthe two armies assembling outside the city and smiled. A new phase of the great game was beginning which through his adjustments had led to this moment. Hel Vault had fallen just as he planned. The interventions needed to facilitate the collapse had been minimal. The odd whisper of glory in the ear of a guardsman, the promise of riches to a merchant, a glimpse of the pleasures to be had to the nobleman. The city had been on the brink of destruction. The people had grown fat and lazy off the back of the spoils their successful trade endeavourshad yielded. The people were bored. It just needed the merest of nudges. When the Slaaneshi cult rose from the catacombs under the city with Lord Vitarion, the former captain of the guard, at their helm the few loyal soldiers had folded like a delicate napkin. Even to a daemon as old as the cosmos such as Tau’ru’ruk, the sight of the citizens casting off their allegiance to the God-King to revel in the excesses of the Dark Prince had surprised him. Mortals could be so distasteful. He knew Tzeentch had raged at his assistance for the youngest of the Ruinous Powers. But even Tzeentch couldn’t see the full tapestry that he was weaving. A great story that led to this meeting on the Hyshian plains. Using his farsight Tau’ru’ruk contemplated the infinitesimal range of outcomes for the battle ahead, searching for the one he needed to come to pass. Slowly he narrowed in on it like a great beast stalking their prey. He knew such a precise outcome was fragile –adjustments would need to be made almost constantly to keep the path of fate as he wished it. It would require personal intervention. He turned on his heels and readied himself to descend to the mortal realm.

Battle Round 4 Theodorard risked glances left and right as he battled the final daemonettes in his path. The enemy were few but they held vital ground which needed to be reclaimed urgently. Gisbert flew towards the encroaching hellstriders, illuminating the daemon riders for the tower garrison above. The light was all the signal the gunners needed, as once more shots fired out and the mortal chaos worshippers were dispatched. The demigryphs once more assaulted the remaining chaos knight, this time ending the contest as the final rider was ripped asunder by their mounts’ talons. As Theodorard dispatched the final daemonettes, it was clear victory was his. Gathering together his remaining garrison, he ordered a double march to Greyspire Hysh. He was under no illusion the city was about to be attacked, and offered a prayer to Sigmar that he had bought them enough time to rally the cities’ forces for the onslaught to come. Final score: Defenders of Greyspire 10; Invaders of Slaanesh 7

Battle Round 3 With two beacons now under the control of the Slaaneshi daemons Captain Theodoard ordered his forces to redouble their efforts to reclaim lost territory – all thought of retreating to Greyspire Hysh now gone. Gizbert the Bright swooped forward to dispatch the wounded Doom Knight , but navigating flight through the ruined archway proved too much a risk and the Azyrian hero pulled up to reassess his options. Theodoard crashed into the daemonettes preparing to assault the watchtower, while above the sound of gunfire rang out once more. Dunstan, chief marksman of the Blackthorns, ordered his men to unload all barrels into the herald-driven chariot ahead, which under a maelstrom of bullets was blasted out of the mortal realms. Witnessing the demise of his general, the final chaos knight battling the demigryphs retreated from the melee to secure the nearby beacon. The hellstriders swiftly moved back to support their mortal kinsman’s retreat. To the far right, the daemonettes pack known as the Sisters of the Amethyst Crown consolidated their position by another beacon, meaning almost all were in the hands of chaos. Score: Defenders of Greyspire 7; Invaders of Slaanesh 6

With most of the enemy now locked in combat, Thu’Er-Ul’Hab was determined none should escape to warn the city dwellers beyond. With a shriek she ordered the hellstriders attempting to scale the tower to push on to block the path of any mortals looking to flee. Meanwhile the heavily wounded doom knight retreated from the onslaught of the griffon. Urging her steeds onwards the herald of Slaanesh guided her deadly chariot into the demigryphs assaulting her daemonettes and revelled as one was drawn down under the wheels. Behind her the fiends leapt forwards to prey upon the griffon mounted general, but despite their onslaught the Guardian’s Coronet atop Theodoard’s brow ensured few blows could get through. Bringing his griffon round to target the fell beasts, the Greyspire captain made the creatures pay for their failure as all three were promptly ripped asunder. The resistance of the guard could no longer be tolerated by Thu’Er-Ul’Hab. The herald unveiled the Icon of Infinite Excess, spurring the daemonettes into an even greater frenzy that resulted in many more mortal guardsman lying slain; the onslaught finally proving too much for the few survivors who fled the field despite the rallying calls of their captain. Score: Defenders of Greyspire 6 Invaders of Slaanesh 3

Battleround 2 With the morning gloom lifting, the handgunners steadied their weapons and once again unloaded into the daemonette horde below. As the smoke cleared almost half the daemons had blinked out of existence. Theodoard steered his griffon towards the remaining knights, bringing down two more to the beast’s assault and leaving the final rider severely wounded. To the right the knights facing the demigryphs fared little better, with two more falling. In the centre, bolstered by the arriving demigryphs the guard renewed their assault on the daemonettes, but more men fell to their vicious claws.

From atop his griffon, Captain Theodorard the Watcher surveyed the approaching chaos forces. One warden beacon was already overrun by daemons; those to the left and right of the tower needed to be protected from the advancing knights. Giving the signal, his demigryph knights leapt forward to intercept the enemy, while Gisbert the Bright, a Knight Azyros of the Tempest Lords Storm Host, glided to the left to illuminate the threat of the daemonic advance. Raiding his lantern to the sky, the battlefield was temporarily illuminated in the light of Azyr, banishing two daemonttes. In the watchtower, the garrisoned handgunners known as the Blackthorns trained their weapons on the daemonettes below, blasting three of them from the mortal realms. Theodorard steered his griffon skywards and hurtled down to crash into the chaos knights threatening his left flank, skewering one of his lance with another succumbing to the razor sharp tip of his mount’s beak. To his right his demigryph knight’s slammed into the daemonettes to support the guard, sending more of the creatures back to the Palace of Slaanesh. On the far side, the other denigryphs charged into the encircling chaos knights, bringing down two of the mounted warriors. The daemonettes continued their assault on the guard, bringing down more of the garrison as the protection of the beacons began to dim under the suppressive presence of chaos. The centre ground was becoming a mire, and sensing the critical moment Thu’Er-Ul’Hab issued a rallying cry to urge his followers back into the fray. Score: Defenders of Greyspire Hysh: 3 Slaanesh: 1