The Ritual - Rise of Bastion Quol - Campaign Game 6

As Grey Seer Xylo, took the Artefact from the Assassin, he smiled, "You have done what two claw packs failed to do, All of clan Mkrytus owes you thanks."

"Save your thanks, the horse lords where not dissuaded by the ambush. Fresh horses are riding hard to stop us."

"Then we should prepare a welcome for them, strike from the shadows, take out their spell weavers." Turning from the assassin Xylo climbs the sacrifice site, "Soon the Messiah shall be with us." Tied on top the Damsel, captured from the Bretonians, barely struggls in her bonds, tortured over many day, runes of power craved into her flesh, she will be the conduit for the ritual the power of Ghur will be drawn through her and used to open the way between the realms. With the Artefact in  Zukor's hand the final piece needed for the ritual was in place. 

"Soon the Messiah shall walk this Realm, and a new dawn of rise over Ghur, Bastion Quol will Rise and the Skaven Empire shall reign supreme over Ghur.

Final game in the 6 game campaign Sean and I have been playing, it's been a lot of fun to play these linked games. Making up and adjusting the story as we win and lose.

Deployment

Bretonian - on the far hill, Bretonian lord on Pegasus, 5 Grail Knights, a mounted Damsel. In the tower is a Trebuchet. Centre field are 15 knights of the realm, a Paladin Standard bearer, a Damsel on foot in the ruins. A Pegasus Lord on the occulum. On the near flank, 10 men at arms, and 5 knights of the realm.

Skaven - Hidden in the far wood is a rattling gun. Guarding the ritual site is 30 stormvermin, along side them is a Screaming bell. In front are three Stormfiends armed with ranged weapons, supported by a warplock engineer and a Arch Warplock. In the near wood a pack of 6 Rat ogors are herded by pack-master and a Poison wind mortar bunkers behind them. Hidden off the field are 5 Gutter runners and tunnelling below are 3 Stormfiends armed with melee weapons and tunnelling equipment.

Captured damsel is tied up in the centre of the sacrificial sight, her power will be syphoned to empower the ritual.

Brettonian turn 1
Blessings of the lady are certain the realm knights, the general uses inspiring presence on them. Trebuchet releases it's payload but over shoots and only crushes 2 vermin.

Cavalry canters forward, Grail knights charge and root out the Rattling gun from the woods, Pegasus mounted lord, swoops into the Rat Ogors. The weapon team is run down but the Rat Ogors are tough and manage to wound him in return.
Skaven turn 1
The Ritual begins in earnest then the Bretonians appear. I use my triumph re-roll to maximise the beginning total. Grey seer inspires the Stormvermin. then casts mystic shield on the Rat Ogors, The bell rings and the unholy discordant sound damages the bells scaffold. Arch warlock and his apprentice blast out at the Grail knights and Pegasus Lord. Pack-masters herd their charges into the fray.

Stormfiends tunnel up and charge the first thing they see, which happens to be the General of the Bretonian army the Pegasus Lord.

Gutter runners slink onto the field and loose their sling shot at the Damsel. Scoring one wound on her.

Stormfiends charge the General Pegasus Lord and drag him from the sky before he can escape them.

Ranged Fiends, start jogging at the grail knights guns opening fire as they pick up speed, the warp lead, fire and gas, explode around the grail but they weather the storm only for the fiends to charge into the depleted knights. The herded fiends make short work of the grail knights, by one survives,.... barely.

The Rat Ogors, drag a pegasus from the air for a quick snack.

Bretonian turn 2
Knights of the realm ser a break in the Skaven defence that has opened up and shoot for the middle. Paladin flank charges the Rat Ogors as the smaller unit of Realm Knights charges from the front.
In the back field the third Bretonian Lord on Pegasus swoops down on the gutter runners killing a pair of them.

Pack master is caught with his pants down in the center and the realm knight thread the needle through the gap towards him. Miraculously the packmaster survives the charge!

The realm knights bounce off the mystic shielded Rogors, in return 4 are killed and the Paladin wounded.
Skaven turn 2
The ritual continues to go well.
Warplocks blast out with warp lighting. Grey seer inspires the vermin and casts mystic shield on himself. The bell rings out a wall of sound that inspires skaven units to hit more.
The pack-master who miraculously survived the cavalry charge retreats to behind the Fiends. Grey seer Calls for the vermin to charge the knights but too late realises the Stormvermin have been befuddled by the ritual site. Seeing the Grey seer charging out on his own, the Stormfiends charge into the same combat blasting away with shot, fire and gas, knight die in the hail of death, followed up by the massive bodies slamming into the flank of the Lance.

The other group of Fiends attack the Damsel, Gutter runners continue to fight the third Bretonian lord on pegasus. Another of their number in taken down.

Damsel lashes out at the attackers and wounds one of them. In return the Fiends make short work of the Damsel, but such a small snack hardly satisfies them.

Poison Wind arcs over and explodes in knightly ranks, Spikes and wheel, impale and roll over horses while fiends club riders from the saddle. the centre knightly charge has been crushed between the 2 attackers.

On the left the Rat Ogors tear apart the last realm knight, but the paladin hold fast and fights of the mutant rats

Skaven turn 3
Mortar team hidden in the back left woods, adjusts it's aim to hit the men at arms that have been slowly heading up the flank, On target, but the men have fought skaven before and they mostly manage to hold their breath until the gas dissipates.

Arch warlong and his appretice scurry back to ensure the ritual continues, so close to completeion now the stormvermin close ranks around the ritual site.

Rattling cannon shoots at the paladin that has held up the rat orgors so long.

With the flanking paladin, dead the remaining ogors tear apart the last realm knight and feast on the horse flesh.

Realm knights lash out in their death throes and slay the wounded fiend,

Tunneller fiends continue the romp along the flank assaulting the tower the trebuchet has bunkered in, Smashing into the walls the siege engine is toppled from the battlements.

The last of the Realm knights are destroyed and routed from the centre field.

Bretonia turn 3
Green Knight arrives he is declared as the second general, if he can reach the ritual site he can smash and end the ritual.

But in front of him awaits the stormvermin, last hope if he can fly into the centre if he can charge over the guard.

He can't manage to fly over, so he tries to hack his way through the gaurd.

He kills one, But the storm vermin use their campaign inspiration and are ensorcelled by the terrain, Eight of them pile into combat, Out numbering the foe, and suitably buffed they make short work of the Green Knight.

The Ritual completes! 
The fabric of the realm is torn open, a gnaw whole to the realm of ruin is created and through it steps the Verminking and Thanquol. 

A new age as begun in the realm of Ghur, Bastion Quol has risen, dawn of the skaven Empire has started.

All Hail the Vermin king, All hail the Messiah Thanquol.

Great game! I had been rolling well for the ritual total, it was on to 18 of 20, So i feel Sean was forced into sending in the green knight a little early when he could have used the few other bits he had left to draw out some of the vermin from around the ritual site, but as it was on the verge of completing it, which forced his hand into attempting to smash the ritual, but luck was not with him. And with the death of the Bretonnia's second General, the Skaven win the game.

Cursed City - Skaven vs Bretonia - Campaign Game 5

In the citadel of fangwood forest. Lord Belmont of the Grail Order, guardian of the Artifact. Walked with the Castelant of the Citadel.

"I am glad to see you have recovered my lord, the songs of your heroic deeds are being sung across all off fangwood."

"Thank you Castelant, the healers of your citadel are most adept, but now I am concerned with you vaults security. I rode and fought hard, to keep that fell thing from the rat men. I'd like it to stay out of their filth paws."

"Of course my lord, walk this way," they walked through the castle passing many Knights on guard armed and ready, "the recent emergence of the Skaven has every one on alert, and since you rode in I have had all knights of the realm on guard rotation."

Looking around Lord Belmont asks, "We are not walking towards your Vaults."

"Indeed we are not, we saw from the battlements how the Skaven used subterranean tunnels digging their own or making use of our sewer system, so i placed the Artifact in our prison tower, only one way in and that is heavily gated, and well guarded."

As they turned the corner the prison tower came into view, an squat redoubt with a singal gated entrance four knights stood alert outside. At their approach, the guards saluted the lords, and after a discussion through the portal, the gateway opened to admit them.

"There is no basement," said the Lord Castelant as the pair climbed the spiral stairs, "The Artifact is held on the top floor." Approaching the first floor, "there are no prisoners held here currently. But another 4 Knights guard the room at the top should the rats turn into bats and learn to fly." The Castellant laugh dies in his throat as they turn the corner to see the dead guards laying in expanding pools of blood. Lord Belmont explodes into action sword leaping from the scabbard as he brusts into the room.

The Skaven Assassin slipping out of window turns at the sudden intrusion stuffs a bag into his black clothes and with a wink leaps into space.

Leaping across the room , Lord Belmont reaches the window in time to see the Theif glide over the castle walls on cloth stretched between arms and legs.

The artifact long hidden and keep from the Skaven had been stolen , Pegasus riders are dispatch immediately, to track the thieves, Lord Belmont quickly rallys all the knights and the men at arms. The sets out immediately to hunt down the thieves and retrieve it. 

The 5th game in the campaign will be cursed city, we chose this game for it's ambush scenario. We both use 65 pools form the SCGT pack. 

Deployment

Bretonnia set us first, with 20 men-at-arms, a Damsel, 3 Pegasus Knights, a Paladin BsB. And 20 Grail knights.

The Skaven then sprung the ambush. A Doom wheel, 6 Stormfiends (2 shock gauntlets, 2 poison wind launcher, 2 rattling cannon.) A warp fire thrower. Warlock Engineer (general) and 20 stormvermin. The Assassin is hidden in the Gutter runners are hiding, after having lead the Bretonnia's to the ambush.

Turn 1 Skaven
Stormvermin sacrifice 2 of their number in the dammed terrain, for an unholy benefit. Warplock inspires them and casts Mystic Shield on the vermin. Pack master herds the Fiends into the fray.
The Ambush is sprung and the noose tightens on the Brettonian's .

Doom wheel rolls into the men at arms. Gutter runners emerge from hiding and head for the damsel, Assassin is still hiding somewhere.

Gutters loose a volley of warp shot, wounding the damsel.
A gout of flame from the warpfire tower covers the advance of the Stormvermin. While rattling cannons whir and spit death, and poison wind is launched into the knightly ranks. Bullets , gas and flame take their toll on the knights, then the Skaven charge slams home.

The Stormvermin plow into the flank first, they out number the knights, and have to benefits from the damned scarfice, and use they're inspired triumph. (2+ to hit reroll misses). And kill 7 knights in the initial frenzy.
More prepared for the frontal assault. The Grail knights and Paladin Lord Belmont, kill and wound another fiend. But in return the remaining fiends shock and club 5 more knights to death.

The sudden battle shock is to much for the grail knights, and the remaining 4 break from combat, leaving Lord Belmount alone to face the ratty horde.

Across the battle field the doomwheel attempts to roll through the men at arms but there are alot of them and he grinds to a halt.
The men take their halbreds and attempt to dismantle the contraption, and make a good start.
Turn 1 Bretonnia
Seeing the unsurmountable odds in front of him the paladin Belmont, retires from combat and attempts to reason with the ghosts of the battle field.

Damsel is unable to cast and retreats to the ruined wall section. The Pegasus, see an opportunity to strike at the Skaven leadership, fly over the Skaven lines and swoop down on the Engineer commanding the horde.

More at home in a Labratory, than a battlefield, the engineer is easily dispatched.

Swooping again the pegasus knights also kill the warp fire thrower that is lurking behind the Skaven battle line.
Ghosts of the the Skaven tortured victims emerge, drawn by the blood shed the spectres attack indiscrimintly. A fiend is wounded, as is the damsel, some stormvermin and a few men-at-arms are killed.

Turn 2 Skaven
Even leaderless the stormvermin do not falter. Together with the fiends they turn on the swooping Pegasus. A hail of warp bullets proceed the charge, shredding a flying horse.

Gutter runners enter the ruined wall section that is harbouring the Damsel. As they surround her, the Assassin thief, so far hidden amongst them, casts off his diguise.
The Storm of verminous fiends surround the brave Pegasus Knights and drag one from the air, to be torn apart on the ground.

With a smug tittering laugh the assassin launches his himself at the caster and makes short work of killing the Damsel.

The superior numbers of the men-at -arms is finally telling enough to pull down the mechanical death wheel.

Turn 2 Bretonnia
Paladin entreaties the ghosts of this cursed city, the specters of fallen bretonnia agree to aid their living kinsmen.

Turning from his ethereal parley, Lord Belmont looks up in time to see the Damsel brutally murdered by a black cloaked rat-man.  Could this be the same theif from the castle fangwood.
The Skaven assassin looks up form his kill, and with a leer, winks at Lord Belmont. 
Enraged by the repeated mocking  gesture from the theif, Belmont spurs his horse at the assassin. Leaping up onto the ruined wall section he is confronted by the Gutter runners accompanying the Assassin and must hack through them too get his target.

The men at arms fall back to a defensive postion.
Last remaining Pegasus night alight out of combat, and fly's to a safe position to catch his breath.
Ghosts of the cursed area have heard the paladin's pleas and attack the Stormvermin.
Turn 3 Bretonia
Pegasus Knight charges in hoping again to remove leadership from the horde, he singles out the Pack master. The plucky Ratman, is not ready to die and using the nervous energy of his race dodges all attacks (a lot of 6 plus saves were made) until a horse hoof catches him in the gut.

Turn 3 Skaven
Stormvermin leave the last Pegasus to the Fiends, and run off after the men-at-arms.
Packmaster flees, shouting for his fiends to attack. The Rattling cannons open fire, and shred the last Pegasus knight, before he can flee again.

Assassin continues to attack the Paladin, the armour has proved difficult to penetrate. But his flurry of blows spooks the horse to back off the wall section, with a thud man and beast hit the floor and rise no more.

Turn 4 Skaven
Hiding in the deadly ruins are the remnants of the man army. Skaven converge on their position.

Turn 4 Bretonnia
Seeing assassins approaching, the men flee out of the ruin. Hoping the dangerous terrain between them will claim, some of the Skaven when they charge.

Turn 5 Skaven
But fleeing the building has left them exposed.
Fiends sweep around outside to catch the men on the flank, devastating.

The fall hadn't killed him but it felt like it should have. Stumbling back from the Assassin's assault his horses back leg had slipped from the ruined wall and they had both tumbled from the top. His horse hadn't been so lucky. 
The battlefield was now silent, removing his armour piece by piece, he climbed painfully to the top of the wall. 
Reaching the top, he surveyed the battlefield, it was littered with corpses, some Skaven, but mostly horses and men. How blindly had he raced after the theif, thoughts only of pursuit and speed but never caution. 
A bubbling cough behind caught his attention. Spinning and on gaurd, he approached the corpses of the Skaven he slaughtered up here, but none stirred. Behind them however a Damsel did, cut, pierced and broken, she clung desperately to life. 
"Lord Belm....," she coughed "must stop, vermin." Spluttering blood, "......Ritual." breath stops.