A Slayer is born!

Welcome back to the Border Princes Campaign, if you are new to the campaign, then please feel free to start form the beginning here.

This installment chronicles the first of two battles that took place on campaign turn seven.  You will find below a narrative listing of events, army lists of both players, and some illustrations to help show the battle.  Additionally the thoughts of Loki, the Dwarf player can be found in blue, while the thoughts of Hater, the Lizard player can be found in green.  Additionally you can find Zaszz's random musings in red.  Please enjoy.


This battle would take place on a secluded river bank as a Dwarf banner moved out of the foot hills of their mountain strong holds down onto a river bank.  This riverbank would quickly become an infamous location, the birthing place of a Slayer who would later go on to collect a hefty toll in blood for his fallen.

A man with nothing to lose is the most dangerous kind of man.

Thoruce Boozebeard's Banner of Thunder

Lord Thoruce Boozebeard- Shield, Runes: Alaric the Mad, Cleaving, Fury, Stone
Thane Herod Stonesmiter- Battle Standard runed with master rune of Stronni Redbeard, Rune of Guarding
Master Engineer Beam with brace of pistols, and a Rune of Stone


30 Dwarf Warriors- with shields, great weapons, musician, standard bearer, veteran
10 Quarrelers- with shields
20 Longbeards- with shields, musician, standard bearer, veteran, master rune of Grungi
1 Grudge Thrower
1 Cannon with an engineer, rune of reforging
1 Cannon with engineer, runes of reforging, burning
20 Hammerers with shields, musician, standard bearer, veteran

I created this list trying to balance my desire for strong shooting and characters against the need for strong regiments of Dwarf infantry.  My original plan was to place a cannon and Quarrelers on one flank, with the other cannon and grudge thrower opposite, then have a line of troops in the middle.  This line would have had the Longbeards in the center along with the Herod my standard bearer.  Unfortunately we got the dawn attack scenario and my line ended up sprawled all over. 


My list did admirably but my lack of any dispel support probably cost me the game even more then the random deployment.  The enemy hexes really cost my forces some combats that probably would have been won with more magic defense.

Mustache armor, fuck yeah.

Slaan IxiTixiTze's Banner of Celestial Righteousness
Slaan Mage Priest IxiTixiTze- Focus of Mystery, Higher State of Consciousness, Focused Rumination, Cupped Hands - Lore of Metal
Scar Veteran- Light Armor, Shield, Great Weapon, Battle Standard, Razor Standard
Skink Priest- Plaque of Tepok, Glyph Necklace
20 Saurus Full Command
20 Saurus Full Command
5 Terradons
10 Skink Skirmishers with a Brave
10 Skink Skirmishers with a Brave
3 Jungle Swarms
6 Kroxigar

I think this list served Hater well, personally I would have dropped the Razor Standard, in favor of magical armor, especially going with a great weapon as the enemy will strike him first, possibly removing his standard before it can help.  However Scar Veterans are fairly tough, and I think Hater's results speak for them selves. 

Clearly bricks of Saurus backed by a strong magical phase are a hard combo to beat.  It's worth mentioning that I think Loki never really considered firing his cannons at the Slaan out on his own, and I believe since they are covered in runes they are magical and could have slain him out right.

BEEEEEER!

The Dwarf forces were going through a long stretch of leisure, as they had been expanding with no serious threats to stop them for several months.  They had laid claim to much of the riches this mountainous region held, and as so many of their days of marching had ended before, they ended this day with several kegs of the finest brews available.  Little did they realize that a very real threat patiently lie in wait, watching its prey with predator focus. 

Shhh, we're sneaking!

Across the river but a stones throw away the Lizardmen forces waited until cover of darkness and a drinking man's morning haze to slip across the river unnoticed.  Once across the banner made its move, forming into military formation and rapidly marching upon the enemy.  As it turns out the Dwarf forces may have had a few too many as by the time they saw the enemy was upon them they were only able to scramble into a loose and spread formation, while the enemy was centered and prepared.

Both players rolled up dawn battle, and after I prepared a suitable terrain set for the encounter, they began rolling for deployment.  Unfortunately for Loki, his boys seemed a bit too hung over still, and he ended up being forced to have two key units in the far left, and two in the far right sections, this would be a challenge, as his opponent was able to get most units into the center.

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The first few moments of the battle were almost surreal to the Dwarf army, as the sounds of their enemies marching could hardly pierce their drunken haze. With a calamatous blast the Dwarf soldiers were shaken back to focus, the shots felling a few lizards, giving some hope to the stout army.  The lizards were resolute however marching on, inspired by the magical prowess of IxiTixTze, as he slew a few Dwarf soldiers in return.

Just momments later the sky darkened over a cannon crew as they looked up to see horrible winged bests swooping down upon them.  They fought on valiantly refusing to abandon the precious war machine, they would rather die than see it defiled.  Across the river their brothers engaged in combat with the smaller lizards, cutting them to ribbons, and with fire in their lungs they charged head long into another battle!

Ha ha, he thought his speed bump would stop me, it's so much fun now that with random charge distances things like this can happen, before it was all set in stone, if he speed bumped correctly I would lose if I charged, so I just held there and it was 4 straight turns of posturing, this is vastly more fun!

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Not to be out done, Boozebeard and his unit soon found them selves wading deep into swarms of jungle snakes and showed them that a Dwarf could not be slowed by such lowly creatures.  After making quick work of these nuisances Boozebeard ordered the charge into the foes Saurus, he would show them the power of runic weaponry!  Unfortunately for Boozebeard, he could not hear over the battle field that his Warriors had failed him, the magic of the Slaan, combined with the pure ferocious prowess of Saurus was too much to overcome, and they were slain to the last Dwarf.  To make matters worse his cannon crew after fighting on for so long, were finally out done.

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I was a little disappointed with the performance of jungle swarms, maybe in greater number, or against basic troops they will do a better job of holding them in place and allow me to better out maneuver my foes.  Also those Dwarf crew are REALLY tough to crack with anything short of full size units!

Things were starting to look all too easy for IxiTixTze, as his troops had all but cleared one flank, he focused his gaze upon the remaining enemy troops.  Through his magic he was able to enhance his own troops weaponry, while simultaneously rusting away his foes armor, surely with both these advantages, and Kroxigor in flanking position, this would be an easy sweep leaving only one foe remaining!

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Honestly I thought I had this game all sewn up here, my magic was just making quick work of these combats while I was taking some losses I was winning, and it seemed all set!

Much to the chagrin of IxiTixTze, Boozebeard stubbornly refused to give ground, while his men had suffered some losses, they were inspired by the destruction their Lord laid upon the enemy.  The Dwarf forces were implacable, like trying to move the earth itself they would have to die to the last Dwarf, and with reinforcements coming this may yet be a turning point!

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That's what you get, stubborn re-roll able 10 to hold out for reinforcements really gets me a ton of breathing room with my troops, still those Kroxigar and buffs were cutting me down, I was pretty nervous.


Just as quickly as his Longbeards had joined the fight, Boozebeard would see all of his loyal Hammerers slain in brutal combat.  Boozebeard wandered away from combat for a moment, he had failed all of his men, their lives on his hands.  He turned to face the enemy once more, slaying few, but without his heart in the fight, the enemy over powered him.  As he lay on the ground bleeding and crippled, he thought that at least he would die in battle, but that too would be taken from him.  The Dwarf Lord awoke upon the river bank, while he was gravely injured he still had strength in him to march, it seemed the Lizards had left him for dead, afraid to finish the job.  He would wander back to his home in shame and disgust, failing to even die a proper death.

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The truth is, battle cannot be avoided for a man such as Boozebeard, upon reaching home he declared his plans to leave with the next banner.  After saying his good byes, and recording his defeat in the book of grudges, he set transforming him self into a terror.  He dropped his armor, and ornamented him self with fierce hair and tattoos, he would only need his weapon where he was going.  As a grim visage of savage ferocity he would wander the battle fields namelessly, seeking to slay all who stood before him.  In a mad rage he would find death or kill everything in this world worth killing, a Slayer has been born.

I wonder if the Lizards will regret giving birth to a Slayer with this much hatred.  I suppose only time will tell if Boozebeard gets his redemption, and can die a heroes death.

With hair this bad ass do you really need armor?

Coming next: High Elves vs Lizardmen, this time the High Elves have back up!