On the planet of EnFuego there is a dangerous game being played out.
Necrosius has been covertly spreading the deadly Plague Zombie virus of Nurgle throughout the population for several months. He has been raising the dead to fight for the deadly Chaos God and has been creating cults dedicated to Nurgle with the plan of eventually taking over the command structure of the human population. He needs their command and control facilities to in order to find an ancient artifact.
The Warpsmith of the Iron Warriors received a coded message from Necrosius of The Apostles of Contagion.
The message was an appeal for assistance. His plans are not yet at fruition and a new force of Imperial Guard led by the Marines Errant has arrived. Necrosius assumes that they are here to stop him. He does not know their true purpose.
The Warpsmith has fought the Marines Errant and has a particular need which he can't fully appreciate to eliminate them wherever they are found. For this purpose along with his own reports from scouts which report that there is some sort of artifact which could be useful in his war against the Imperium at large, The Warpsmith decides to lead a force of Traitor Guard alongside his own contingent of Iron Warriors Marines to the planet's surface.
Tech-Heretek Archol Krell has been working on The Warpsmith's Battle Barge for the many years now. He has been experimenting on a number of humans in the Warpsmith's employ attempting to create 'better' enhanced humans. His attempts have not always worked but he has assembled a strike squad which he will also be leading to the planet's surface. He needs to see whether his experiments are working.
Leading a force of 3,000 points of combined forces, The Warpsmith strikes...
---+-+-+---The Mission is MeatGrinder from the main Apoc Rulebook. I Bid 14 untis and PenDull bid 11.
He deployed first and had first turn.
Bastion 451 is spotted by advance scouts who have been infiltrating under cover of dark and specialized sappers have been underground digging tunnels and connecting the planets rough sewer system into a complex network of assault tunnels large enough for two men to walk side by side in.
Unfortunately for The Warpsmith's forces the Imperial Guard allied with the Marines Errant have also found entrances to these tunnels.
---+-+-+---This mission uses two strategems from Apocalypse throughout the scenario for both sides.
One is from the main Apoc rulebook - Tunnel Rats which allows any Imperial Guard squad to arrive via Deep Strike.
The Other is from Imperial Armour Apoc - Tunnel Warfare which allows one Imperial Guard squad to arrive via Deep Strike without scatter within 1" of an enemy squad and be immediately engaged in Hand to Hand combat counting as charging.
NOTE - Both sides can deep strike any unmounted guard squads each turn and each side can deepstrike ONE guard squad into CC per turn.
Among the more deviant and deadly of the Tech-Heretek Archol Krell's creations were the recreating of the Arch-Heretic Xaphan's Beasts which were first sighted during the Siege of Vraks.
Necrosius Emerges from his underground sanctum within the one of the forests on EnFuego with a large squad of Plague Zombies. His reveal to the Imperium on EnFuego is sure to be covered in blood and gore. He will continue to spread the Zombie Plague throughout the battle.
Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed along with a full bodyguard takes up residence in Bastion 451.
---+-+-+---We each took a formation from Apocalypse. Lord Castellan's Supreme Command was taken by my opponent. This formation allows Creed to issue orders to ANY Imperial Guard squad anywhere on the table. He also gets D3+1 Artillery Bombardments per turn rather than just one.
Immediately an Imperial Guard squad emerges from a tunnel right in front of the Traitor Guard's lines. They open fire and kill a good number of the traitors.
Another squad of Guard emerge behind the cover of a copse of trees. Eerily two Eldar are hiding on top of a rock within cover of the trees and observe the Guard.
A third squad of Guardsmen arrive via tunnels between the two areas of forest and open fire on Necrosius' zombies.
At the back of the battle emerges a Leman Russ Punisher with Knight Commander Pask at the helm!
Several Chimeras also arrive via reserve and along with the Paskquisher pop their smoke launchers to better weather the fire that would come their way during the first Iron Warriors turn.
Next to the Paskquisher, Thad Allen's Reactionary Force consisting of the legendary Sargent Thad Allen and 4 tactical marines of the Marines Errant arrive from reserve and take up a defensive stance.
Another 5 man squad arrives behind Bastion 451 ready to defend against any flanking elements of the Chaos forces.
Creed's orders are immediately felt as the a blaze of lascannon fire brings down the Iron Warrior Basilisk before it is able to fire one shot, leaving a smoking pile of rubble and killing several guardsmen near it.
After weathering the first turn of Imperial fire, the Chaos reserve forces begin to arrive. Tech-Heretek Archol Krell arrives with his modified dark skittari squad.
In the center several traitor guard squads emerge from tunnels and begin firing on the their Imperial counterparts with flamers and lasguns. Necrosius also moves forward with his large squad of zombies.
The Line Breaker Vindicator squadron moves forward into cover. The Hounds of Xaphan move into a ruined building waiting to pounce on some Imperials the following turn.
Previously the Guard advanced several Chimeras and several squads up the left flank of the Iron Warriors. In response The Warpsmith arrives with his chosen in a Rhino. Another marine squad on foot and another in a Rhino also arrive to contest the flank. A corrupted Leman Russ Executioner also makes an appearance.
A traitor guard squad emerges from a tunnel and charges into an loyalist squad, hoping their charge is enough to break them. A shadowy Eldar watches from the trees.
A Havoc squad with 4 autocannons climb the forested hill to get better lines of sight while the traitor guard on foot take care of the guard squads who emerged via tunnels the previous turn.
After the Vindicator squadron moves forward, the two in the open pop their smoke launchers hopefully obscuring them from enemy fire. The center command tank rumbles into a ruin.
The Iron Warriors left flank bolstered by The Warpsmith moves slightly more forward in the shooting phase to create a wall blocking off the Chimera-mounted Guard squads, halting their advance.
Immediately following my turn one, Three Hellhounds arrive via outflank right on my left side. With Creen allowing them to outflank as well as reroll which side they came in on, I was looking at a world of hurt. Two of the Hell Hounds were actually Banewolfs. They are particularly nasty against marines. Armed with the deadly Chem Cannon, the Banewolf's flamer is AP 3 and wounds on a 2+. Needless to say, the Havocs in the forest were doomed.
More reserves arrive in the form of three more guard squads along the Iron Warriors right flank. The rest of the Imperial forces continue to move forward.
Thad Allen moves forward pointing out the traitor's to his squad mates. A Chimera moves forward and disgorges its squad ready to fire into some traitor guard.
On the Iron Warrior's left flank the Chimeras move forward and empty their contents to fire on the Iron Warriors' rhinos.
Bottom of turn two the Eldar arrive. They fly onto the table on the Iron Warriors right flank. They target the Imperial Guard for destruction and leave few behind.
Casting many psychic powers both boosting their own and hurting the enemy Imperial Guard, the Eldar start their dance of death.
Very shortly the flank belongs to the Eldar.
Meanwhile, a squad of Missile Launchers walk onto the board and fire off several krak missiles which fail to hit anything.
The large traitor guard squad in the middle is reduced to less than half a dozen troopers after concentrated mortar fire from the Loyalists. Flinging themselves to the ground, they are pinned for a turn.
The left flank of the Iron Warriors begins its push, blowing up Chimeras and incinerating guardsmen, the Chaos Marines begin their bloody counter attack.
In the center the 3 vindicators combine their firepower, as a linebreaker apocalypse formation is wont to do, and fire a 10" strength 10 ap 2 template onto Bastion 451 in n attempt to utterly obliterate it. Unfortunately it scatters and instead blows a Leman Russ sky high!
Tech-Heretek Archol Krell leads his renegade Skittari squad in a charge against one of the Banewolfs. He raises his powerfist high into the air and lets out a deafening roar of "Blood for the Blood God!" and smashes straight through the flame tank, rupturing its fuel lines and detonating it. A huge blast of pyrotechnics engulf Krell and his squad incinerating more than half of his followers. With his armor slightly blackened, Krell emerges from the wreckage, a crooked smile on his lips.
The wretched mutated hounds led by an Orgyn Berzerker charge and slaughter an Imperial Guard squad only to be left in the open in front of the Imperial Guard battle lines after the turn is over.
The Iron Warriors Marine squad on the extreme left flank charges a Chimera and plants krak grenades on it, seconds later it explodes in a cloud of flame.
The Marines Errant then arrive en masse to help out the Imperial Guard who at this point are barely holding the line.
Necrosius is then charged by Thad Allen, but the Nurgle sorceror is not scared and challenges Thad to a duel. Thad heroically accepts. Necrosius is to fast for him however, and cuts down Thad Allen while his squad kills several zombies.
The Warpsmith opens fire on Miguel Quasar's squad and eliminates them all in floods of flame.
The Space Marines of the Marines Errant had arrived, but it appears they may have been too late to save the battle for the Imperial forces.
With the Traitor Forces of the Iron Warriors holding 4 objectives and the Imperial only holding two, the forces of chaos would win the day.
The Warpsmith would be stuck in combat with the Honor Guard at the end. Did he escape to ravage the Imperium further or was he destroyed in the clash that followed?
Only time will tell of the outcome.
Necrosius continues to spread the contagion known as the Zombie Plague and the Tech-Heretek Archol Krell continues to create his abominations and lead his Dark Mechanicus forces against the Imperium of man.
