Battle Report: Dark Elves vs Skaven 1250

So for more than one reason I think I am going to try a hybrid approach of storytelling but in the sequence of events of the battle.  Check this battle report; I think it turned out pretty good.

Let’s start with the lists or approximately what we had then move into the story...

House of Ados represented by:

HQ: lvl 2 Sorc (Madious)

HQ: Hag BSB with ASF banner (Annorus)

Core: 19 spearmen FC

Core: 10 Xbows

Core: 10 Xbows

Special: 15 Black Guard, FC with Banner of Murder

Special: 15 Executioners, FC

Rare: War Hydra

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Clan Ratatouille

Lvl 4 wizard (Turntailious)

BSB (Dropitisss)

20 Storm Vermin

20 Plague Rats

25ish regular spear rats

25 Slave Rats

5 Jezebels

5 gutter runners

Doom wheel

Prince Rayle continued to get reports back from his scouts that the rats had been coming out of their holes and starting to gather near one of the trade routes.  The Prince had requested an audience with his father and he would not be able to quell the rats but knew of someone that would do well in his place.  After sending a runner to fetch his younger sister Madious, a budding sorcerer following in the footsteps of her mother a renowned fire witch, the Prince knew that she would be able to handle the task, plus the idea of burning rats amused the Prince.

Off the young Fire Witch went with her compliment of Black Guard courtesy of her father and the rest of her raiding party courtesy of the Prince, and to her surprise she was met with a contingent of executioners that were led by Hag Annorus, her cruelty was second to none(the similarity to my wife’s name is purely accidental).  Hags were to be feared, even amongst the soulless and viscous.  Hags were well known for their delight in the cruel and unusual.

(Deployment)

Off to the north the rats were spotted, with no indecision Fire Witch Madious sent the war hydra to the east and a compliment of crossbow men to the west, with spearmen, Executioners, Black Guard and crossbow men to hold the center.  To the east opposite the Hydra were masses of little rats, across from the center to the north was plague infested skaven, rats with spears and a sorcerer, slave rats and to the northeast was skaven with halberds.  There was also some whirring contraption to the west, a spinning wheel of death it seems.

(top of turn 1)

The crossbow men to the west pelted the slaves with arrows to little effect, the crossbow men front and center launched their arrows at the plague rats, again with little effect, the Hydra charges straight north towards the masses of rats, with Madious ordering the forces in the center to march forward!  Muttering an incantation, fire appears from her hands and launches towards the spear rats with the opposing sorcerer, rat flesh immediately starts to burn but their unit seems undaunted and reinforced by their leader and large banner.

(bottom of turn 1)

The rats undaunted by the burning flesh of their kin march forward gnashing their teeth, scraping along the ground, spears and halberds at the ready.  The plague rats rushing forward in a battle frenzied state, frothing at the mouth, pustules bursting as they rush forward!  The wheel of doom turns west and hums out of sight.  The sorcerer rat Turntailious does a small dance and whips his cane around and a green cloud of noxious fumes surrounds the Black Guard felling half the unit, but the Black Guard are stubborn to a fault and continue forward.

(top of turn 2)

The crossbows to the west let loose their arrows again into the skaven slaves killing a few and the crossbows in the center fire their arrows at the plague rats killing two.  The Hydra continues north awaiting the fight with the mass of small rats while again the army pushes north towards the tide of spears and halberds.  Madious spews forth fiery death again into the spear rats bringing more death and burning flesh to Clan Ratatouille, undaunted the rats and their sorcerer push forward.

(bottom of turn 2)

The Doom wheel moves forward shooting into the crossbows killing a few, the plague rats continue their relentless march forward, the storm vermin position themselves for a charge into the Black Guard and Turntailious starts to do his dance.  A flash of destruction veers past the Fire Witch’s unit then in an unexpected turn the skaven sorcerer starts to glow then in an instant there’s an explosion and only rat bits and tufts of fur lie where two thirds of the unit used to reside.  With the cause of the explosion unknown the unit turns tail (literally) and runs, their mighty banner and Turntailious in tow.  This would spell the end for the skaven uprising.  …”spell the end” heh …

(top of turn 3)

The Hydra finally charges into combat with the mass rats killing some but not able to rid all of them.  Cross bows to the west aim and shoot at the doom wheel, the arrows ricochet off the wheel causing no damage.  The crossbows front and center let loose again into the plague rats puncturing lungs and boils killing five and await the oncoming charge.  Black Guard set up for the charge from the storm vermin and the Executioners greedily await the flank of the plague rats.   Lastly Madious lets loose another volley of firery death this time into the plague rats, nothing like burnt plague rats and boiling flesh in the morning!

(bottom of turn 3)

There was to be no rally for Turntailious who would not be seen again this battle but had done more damage and destruction to his own then to anyone else.   At this point all the melee’s start to kick off with the storm vermin charging the Black Guard and the plague rats charging into the Executioners instead of the crossbow unit, trying to avoid a flank charge, and the doom wheel charging the western most crossbow men.  This would be a bloody show where dark elves could be found howling with glee chopping and gashing their rat counterparts.  The Executioners, with Annorus at the lead cleaving plague rat after plague rat until there was none.  The Black Guard in a dizzying blur of Halberds swinging and thrusting, puncturing and hacking the Storm Vermin to small pieces.  The lone bright spot for Clan Ratatouille was when the doom wheel plowed into the west crossbow men killing the entire unit in a single charge, the wheel smashing and pulping the crossbow men in their tracks.  At this point, the dark elves of House of Ados were cleaning rat guts off their armor reveling in their victory, Madious cackled at the sight of dead vermin strewn throughout the courtyard, “today was a good day”.

Hero of the Match:  Turntailious, for blowing up his own unit then running off the board!

Zero of the Match:  The War Hydra, who accomplished killing 3 rat bases and that’s it.