Through Hel and High Water - a Path to Glory Ravaged Coast campaign, part 4

The Rotmoon, 26th day of Sorows

Helbridge

We reach Gnaw’s Edge these week and it as worse as we've expecting. The weathers are unremitting bad, in fact they seems worse by each day. So, we head inland for site of power, where El Doktoro has tell us Emberstone are.

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The blood-hued skies of Aqshy roiled with storm clouds and smoke. Lightning leapt in crimson arcs, striking nearby volcanic ridges with blinding fury, illuminating a narrow land-bridge that jutted across a churning sea. Crusted in soot and salt spray, the Rotmoons charged.

Kapitan Alunzo daLeeva led the way, black coat billowing behind him, gold trimmed armour dull under the ashfall. The blade of his sword, Shipwrecka, seemed to ebb and flow, reacting to the power at the land-bridge’s far side. A brace of battered pistols clanked at his side. Behind him came the others; loud, mad, and hungry.

Palmaz strode along the sand, voice raised in a shanty so horrible the storm itself seemed to wince. El Doktoro the shaman trotted barefoot beside him, red eye-glass lenses glinting like twin embers above his grubby ruff, singing quietly and off tune in a language only he understood. And towering above them all Ogdrog stomped, his massive axe slung over one shoulder, smoke wafting from the muzzle of a Kharadron rifle he'd had modified for use like a pistol.

But theirs was not the only storm to make landfall. From above came the lightning - true lightning, shot from the heavens - and in its wake came the Stormcast Eternals, gold-clad sentinels of Azyr. Both warbands had the same aim, albeit with different motivation: to reach the sacred ground at the far side of the land bridge and hold it against all comers.

There would be no flanks, no escape, and no room for subtlety. Just orruk steel, celestial wrath, and a causeway too narrow for anything but blood.

A binding of Soulsworn Questors translocated, from their lightning-borne arrival point, to the sacred ground objective.

The Weirdbrute Wrekkaz rushed ahead of the rest of the Rotmoons. Eager as always to start the fight. The Oddmoonz raced in front, but the Weirdmoonz were close on their heals.

Ogdrog and Roggriguez's Brutes made short work of the Vanquishers who had struggled to cover ground in claggy sand.

The rest of the crew did their best to keep up, but something moving through the smoke behind them caught their attention.

El Doktoro cast Bash'em Ladz on the Oddmoonz and Ogdrog roared encouragement: Both the Wrekkerz mobs charged and crashed into the Soulsworn (despite them craftily giving ground to confound the Wrekkaz)

Accompanied by the clash of weapons and armour Palmaz' shanty rang out across the battlefield, casualties fell on both sides, but the Wrekkaz wounds knitted closed and they leapt back into the fight. The Soulsworn held their position despite atrrition slowly eating away their advantage.

Supported by El Doktoro's magicks, Dragante's watch turned, and ploughed into the Prosecutors who'd appeared behind them, dropping out of the storm.

A dragon swooped toward Bortagno's watch, as the Stormcast were reinforced by a band of Annihilators who translocated onto the only Emberstone Cluster in sight. But they abandoned it, without harvesting the precious realmstone shards, and thundered into Ogdrog and his hefty ladz.

The Vigilors struggled through claggy sand to close on the pirates, so they peppered the orruks with arrows from long range.

The Oddmoonz took advantage of the cover provided by a squall of soot rain and disengaged from the Soulsworn. They'd spotted the Annihilators moving away from the Emberstone and sprinted to claim it for themselves. (The Annihilators headed for the sacred ground after they dealt with their first quarry, but that had nothing to do with the Oddmoonz choice....)

Even without them, the Weirdmoonz felled the last of the tenacious Soulsworn and captured the sacred ground.

The last Prosecutor fell and Dragante urged his watch to regroup and help their shipmates.

While El Doktoro and the dragon rider exchanged blasts of magical fire, Kapitan daLeeva dived for cover behind the rocks...

... as the dragon took a deep in-breath.

Dragante's watch were hit by Vigilors' arrows again, but either most glanced off armour or were redirected by the pirates' lucky trinkets.

So bows were swapped for swords.

The dragon swept around the rocks and Kapitan daLeeva charged! He drove Shipwrecka deep into the beast, wounding it severely.

But he was immediately swathed in a jet of seering flame...

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The Stormcast had gained the upper hand: Their losses were less significant than the Rotmoons' overall. When the Annihilators re-took the sacred ground, it was clear the pirates would continue to be worn-down if they attempted to contest it again.

So Palmaz called for a retreat, and the Rotmoons fell back to the ship with (a not insignificant) three shards of Emberstone in-hand.

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Opponent: Daniel

Faction: Stormcast Eternals

Battleplan: Storm the Land Bridge (1 Objective)

Twist: Ash Storm

Emberstone Clusters: 1

Points Values: 1290 vs. 1720 (Stormcast stalled reinforcements = 230+ points)

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Result Loss

Added to Emberstone Vault +1 shard from the captured cluster, +2 from the post-battle D3 roll.

Total Emberstone Shards Gained Overall = 12

Campaign Battles Fought = 4

Through Hel and High Water - a Path to Glory Ravaged Coast campaign, part 3

Carrion birds squabbled among themselves as the smouldering harbour was picked-over by a different breed of scavenger. The Rotmoons sang horrible sea-shanties as they rummaged through the belongings of the former citizens. Clothing, crockery, jewelry and various ornaments were cast out of doors and windows, chests and drawers upturned, their contents scattered over the streets. Anything that might have value was stuffed into bags or pockets.

But there was a growing atmosphere of impatience among the crew. The small treasures were not what they’d come for. Where was the Emberstone hidden?

A screech of metal-against-metal brought the pirates to frozen silence. Everyone of them listening intently.

“Steam-engines, to the north-west!” came a cry from above. The lookout had finally remembered his duty.

While the others were distracted Murko found some Emberstone, hidden in barrels, and called out happily.

Dragante's watch started prising-open barrels and crates.

Palmaz started another chorus of The Mermaid of Helbridge, and Bortagno's watch joined in.

The war engines approach was accompanied by gouts of steam, the clanking of pistons and gears. Then, suddenly, the roar of a dozen guns firing a ragged overlapping cannonade.

Bullets and balls ripped through the air; it punched through walls, shattered the remaining glass from window, and brought tiles tumbling from rooves. Most significantly, it also shredded Roggriguez' Brutes.

The storm of death unleashed another roar; this time one of rage, starting with Palmaz and soon joined by the other pirates.

Kapitan daLeeva, Palmaz and Ogdrog charged the nearest tanks.

The Kapitan was taken down. Ogdrog hefted his massive choppa above his head and leapt at the lead engine, bringing it down on the turret with an echoing clang like a cracked bell.

Bortagno's watch took their precious haul of Emberstone and tried to take cover behind the remains of a stone-built tower.

While Dragante's watch also took cover, huddled behind a large rocky outcrop.

At the rear of the steam-engine's lines, an Ogor Warhulk, with a fussil-major perched in a crow's-nest on his back, directed the tank's gunfire; he marked targets by firing coloured flares, their lights burning brightly in the armour of his chosen victims.

The entire division of war machines were thus able to focus fire, at one group of pirates at a time, destroying them utterly, then moving on to the next target.

They steamed ahead at full speed through the shattered harbour town, chasing the pirates down.

Dragante's watch stood firm against the relentless advance.

But they were trapped in the enfilade between two war-engines - with very little choice, they charged the nearest tank.

Murko and his ladz shrieked - as they were caught in a jet of volcanic steam that burst from the ground nearby. Moments later the unstable Emberstone they had found exploded - their unarmoured hides were burned and horribly blistered.

The steam tanks broke formation and fanned-out...

... hunting down any survivors.

Bortagno tried in vain to grab another Emberstone shard, but the fussil-major's punishing fire forced him to duck back into cover. He fled empty handed.

Soon there was barely anyone left to resist them - the engine crews were able to harvest the Emberstone the Rotmoons had accrued but abandoned.

When there were only scattered remnants of the Rotmoons left the order to fire-as-they-bear was given, and the engines cleaned-up. They rolled over the last defenders and captured all the Emberstone they could carry.

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Opponent: Sin

Faction: Cities of Sigmar

Battleplan: Ransack the Encampment (3 Objectives)

Twist: Volcanic Incandescence

Emberstone Clusters: 3

Points Values: 1230 vs. 1280 (which meant no Stalled Reinforcements)

Emberstone Vault = 2

Total Emberstone Shards Gained = 9

Battles Fought = 3

The Ironfang Pirate Fleet: The Rotmoons - Bonesplitterz to Ironjawz, part 8

Kap'n Salty Ogbad of the Ogresun and Lost Uzzog of the Cleavermaw.

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Orruks grow physically larger and more powerful as they gain experience and success in battle. 

So its clear Kaptain Ogbad must have been in some wild fights and perilous adventures since the Harrowmark Run, to have become so massive!

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Lost Uzzog is the long-serving navigator aboard the Cleavermaw, under Kapitan Mogrum. 

While the Ironfang Fleet were in Andtor, tapping into and stealing the bountiful energies of the many ley line nexus there, he secretly skimmed-off a portion of the magical energies the fleet aquired, for himself.

As a result his sorcerous abilities and his physical body have grown immensely, but his kunnin' already outpaced both.

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I've finished a couple more new versions of older pirate orruk heroes, to upgrade them to Ironjawz.

Last time Salty Ogbad appeared on the tabletop, was in a 2nd edition AoS Skirmish campaign, when I played him as an Orruk Warboss.

Since that time, the other former-Warbosses in the fleet have been represented by the rules for Bonesplitterz - usually a Savage Orruk Big Boss. 

But Bonesplitterz are leaving the Mortal Realms, and there isn't an equivalent hero on a 32mm base in AoS on the Ironjawz roster (although there is in Warcry - the Ardboy Boss).

So I've been giving other heroes a glow-up. Kapitan daLeeva became an Ardboy Big Boss last April. Along with his Wardokk, who became an Ironjawz Weirdnob Shaman.

But I was building a (3rd!) Megaboss kit, without really knowing what I was going to do with it, and as I searched through my box of piratey spare bits I found a telescope that was identical to the one on Salty Ogbad's back. I really had no choice at that point!