Shadows of Commorragh - part 22, game 3

Venom and Spite; Revenge!

"Oh sweetling, do not fret. The tale is not over and there are darker deeds to come, never fear." said Lakbyrn with a lilting laugh and a gleam in his shining black eyes. "Let me tell of what befell the Bleaksouls next, when the Void Phoenixes and another warband, probably more of Drachon Daisan's hired swords, tried to take control of the Sorrowshards at the lower edge of Lady Anielyn's realm.

The shadowed sky looked down upon the Sorrowshards and laughed, a bitter laugh. The stolen sun's dim glimmer hidden behind a veil of smoke.

They came with blades and menace aplenty. They came with revenge in their cold hearts. They came in the hope of taking the Bleaksouls by surprise and overwhelming them through shock and skill at arms. But the Bleaksouls are not easily overborne. 

It is not so, nor was it ever so."

~ 🝁 ~

The mercenaries start to take things personally. Defying their masters’ orders, they mount a retaliatory strike. [Sweep and Clear, 3-player, up to 62 points each]

Dramatis Personae

The Bleaksouls

Morghdrax Bleaksoul, Hekatrix, Leader

Ravneth, Wych Fighter, Combat 2

Lakbyrn the Parched, Wych Fighter, Scout 2

Bahreneq, Wych Fighter, Hydra Gauntlets, Zealot

Jaenis, Wych

Yariaq, Wych

Combat Drug: Painbringer

The Shards of the Splintered Heart

Kaerathir, Hekatrix, Leader

Mazrayth, Kabilite Gunner, Sniper

Korlax, Wych, Veteran

Idarax, Wych Fighter, Shardnet, Comms

Karev, Scourge

Ynado've, Kabilite Warrior

Combat Drug: Splintermind

The Void Phoenixes

Excrucia Kharavyxis: Howling Banshee Exarch, Leader

Uless: Howling Banshee

Fachean: Storm Guardian with long hair

Dis’ar: right handed Dire Avenger

Barahir: left handed Dire Avenger

Thresyn Neverbreath: Storm Guardian Gunner with Flamer, Scout

~ 🝁 ~

"Morghdrax Bleaksoul gathered his darklings and wretches by the dusty wreck of a Raider. Rumours had reached them that a retribution was brewing. In the myrtle darkness something stirred. Something that craved vengeance for past hurts. Sharp of blade and spindle-limbed were they, and cunning.

With a shudder and a sound like sheering metal, far away, the air glimmered and the skiens of the webway parted as warbands of the Splintered Heart and the Void Phoenixes appeared through two different webway gates.

Void Phoenixes Thresyn and Fachean immediately took control of one of the tetrahedral markers (****) the laid out the edges of Lady Anielyn's domains.

Excrucia and Uless rushed forward under the watchful eyes of Dire Avengers Dis’ar and Barahir... who unexpectedly opened fire on a Kabalite from the Shards!

Ravneth and Yariaq watched this unfold. Unsure who's side the Shards were actually on!

Morghdrax and Bahreneq followed Jaenis through the ruins surrounding the Sorrowshards.

Mazrayth, Kabilite Sniper of the Shards, took up a position overlooking the floating crystal prisms of the Sorrowshards.

Idarax and Karev got ready to make their move.

Ravneth and Yariaq moved cautiously around the back of the Voidfall Tower, guarding against any attempt by the Shards to outflank the Bleaksouls.

Morghdrax, Bahreneq and Jaenis pushed forward, round the Sorrowshards and I, Lakbyrn, followed them, watching their backs carefully and taking guard over a rune-etched tetrahedral territory marker (*).

Morghdrax, Bahreneq and Jaenis faced off against Thresyn and Fachean over another tetrahedral marker (***).

Mazrayth took careful aim but the shifting air around the Sorrowshards disrupted his darklance shot.

Ynado've and Barahir exchanged fire across the plaza. Ynado've fared worse in the engagement.

Karev took to the air.

The Void Phoenixes and the Bleaksouls prepared to quarrel.

Karev landed lightly, atop the Voidfall Tower and keyed the crystal runes on the portal there.

But as she stepped through the webway portal she got lost in an unexpected twist of the skeins and stepped out from a distant portal, far from where she meant to go!

Screams and howls and the reports of weapon fire echoed across the darkened plaza.

Ravneth saw Idarax of the Shards was watching, waiting for them...

... and sprang at the webway portal on the Voidfall Tower. He stepped through it...

... to charge Ynado've by means of another webway portal on the far side of the plaza!

Yariaq employed the Voidfall webway portal too, and with it took another of the tetrahedra (*** ***), but only briefly, for it lay beneath the Void Phoenixes overwatching eyes.

Thresyn and Fachean charged Jaenis who leapt and swerved with poisoned blade. Uless charged Morghdrax with a Banshee-howl that stayed his hand when he tried to shoot her, but Bahreneq counter-charged the Banshee!

Karev took what little cover she could find!

Dis’ar and Barahir shot Yariaq down!

Lakbyrn blasted Excrucia off her feet...

... and pitched her down the steps at full pace!

Jaenis, was wounded and may have been overborne by her attacker had not a darklance beam, shot by the Shards, punched him from his feet!

Bahreneq crashed into Uless and her barbed gauntlets were spattered with gore in moments.

Ravneth made short work of Ynado've, who was not weary enough of the gateway at his back, so intent was he in the duel with the Dire Avengers across the way.

Morghdrax and Bahreneq played cruelly with the Banshee, not trying to kill her outright, but striking to injure and weaken her. They savoured her pain.

And I? I supped on the the soulstuff of the injured and dying. A feast of a reward for my own small, but not insignificant, part in the sorry scene.

The Beaksouls were triumphant again that day. It would not be the last time I watched them drink so deep onthe suffering of their foes. But do not think they should be forever unvanquished. My stories do not oft have happy conclusions. 

It is not so, nor was it ever so.

Go to sleep now sweetling. There will be more of my story, but that is for another time."

~ 🜾 ~

Victory Points (for this game):

Saul 6 (3 kills, 1 objective)

Viktor 1 (1 kill)
David 1 (1 kill)

Soul Points (for the campaign):

Saul 10

Viktor 3
David 1

We added our own twist to this game by using this table to determine what happened when a model moved into contact with a webway portal:

1 -- Lost: the fighter emerges in a distant region of Commorragh. It is treated as Out of Action.
2-3 -- Confused: the fighter emerges from any portal chosen by the opposing player (roll off in multiplayer games).
4-5 -- Short Journey: the fighter emerges from the portal closest to the one they entered.
6 -- Master of the Webway: the fighter emerges from any portal chosen by the controlling player.

A Command Point may be used for a re-roll on this table.

This was David's first game of the campaign - I think you'll agree that his warband, The Shards of the Splintered Heart, look amazing! He didn't pick a side and chose to take on both of us. He ended up helping me more than Viktor though in way, by gunning-down the Phoenix fighting Jaenis.

Viktor's version of this adventure is here.