Welcome back to our Staff Journeyman League series! Don’t know what this is? You can read up on the introduction to the Staff Journeyman League here! The dust has barely settled since the first battle report, but things are already getting heated up around the office.
Today two more of the office staff take up arms against one another for glory, and well, all the bragging rights for a week in the office. Sherwin will deploy his Cryx Necfroactorium (shown off in our last painting insider), against Steve’s Khador Winter Korps.
Let’s roll some dice and get to the fight!
Deployment
Steve wins the roll, and after careful consideration elects to be defender and chooses his preferred table side.
He puts down his objectives, and then his extremely disciplined Winter Korps arrive in marching column formation, flanked by their commanding officer. Kommander Savaryn stands in the shadows of the towering Medveditsa, watching with an approving nod.
The Cryx scuttle forth with far less tactical nuance, adopting a simple line.
With the Cryxians on the horizon, a Sniper team takes up position nearby to one of the objectives.
With deployment complete, it’s time to roll some dice!
Turn One (Sherwin)
The first Cryxian turn speaks of the same strategic depth seen during deployment, surging forward onto the battlefield. Only Wraithbinder Nekane pauses, to first cast Scything Touch upon Hades, and Mirage upon herself, before advancing considerably more cautiously into the shadows of a nearby forest.
Turn One (Steve)
To the sound of barking orders, The Khadoran infantry marches forward. Taking on a dispersed formation, they prepare for the oncoming ranged attacks. From the right flank, the small team of snipers abandons their position, sprinting back to the center, enjoying the look on Sherwin’s face as he realizes he fell for the bait-and-switch maneuver.
Kommander Savaryn, in the meantime, casts superiority and escort. This combination allowed Medveditsa to move into a strong position.
Securing two objectives, we move on.
Turn Two (Sherwin)
Shrouded by darkness, Wraithbinder Nekane disappears from sight and reappears at the edge of the forest, staring down the Winter Korp in front of her. She maintains her shroud of illusionary energy, although allows the shadowy veil surrounding Hades to dissipate.
Hades’ infernal engine pulses with unholy light as it senses the presence of souls to sate its bottomless hunger, further stoked by Wraithbinder Nekane as she channels focus into its malevolent cortex.
The Warjack stomps forward and opens fire with its Soul Cannon, hitting a Winter Korps Rocketeer. As he dies, another brave soldier steps forward and grasps his weapon, although the regiments’ standard falls unattended—as the only soldier near enough to raise it once more also annihilated in the blast.
As the Khadoran souls are torn from their bodies and dragged screaming back to Hades, Wraithbinder Nekane charges the closest Winter Korps soldier. Wearing a contemptuous smile she swings her blade at the warrior and… misses. Snarling, she swings again… and misses. In a wasteful frenzy of power she swings over and over, only hitting with her fifth and final attack.
As the brave Khadoran finally falls her body turns incorporeal, but dangerously close to Kommander Savaryn, the only foe that can damage her in this state.
Entirely oblivious, Chatterbane orders Hades to fire once more, and the Soul Cannon barks eldritch fire, powered by soul energy. One of the two remaining Khadoran soldiers is consumed in green flame, bright enough to burn Wraithbinder Nekane, even through the magic wards binding her ghostly form.
Finally, sensing the danger their master is in, the Furies race forward to place themselves in a whirlwind of robes around the Wraithbinder. Will it be enough to prevent her untimely end…?
Turn Two (Steve)
With a large hole carved out of the infantry line, Kommander Savaryn realizes that he only has one play. Take the fight to the ethereal menace himself and hope to survive long enough for support. A charge sees him take down Anathan from The Furies and hope that he has retained enough focus to stay alive. As he swings he issues orders to his komrades, kill them, kill them all!
The rocketeer follows orders and lands a shot on Hades, followed up by a few precision shots from the snipers. No kill, but damage nonetheless.
Temporarily distracted by the small arms, Hades is suddenly aware of the steady drum-beat of what can only be a Warjack charge. Medveditsa enters the fray! Empowered by Savaryn, and raging from the deaths of its komrades, Medveditsa tears into Hades with both fists, followed by a crushing headbutt. With Hades on the floor, the bear claws wrench it asunder with ease.
Satisfied with a ‘Jack kill, we go into round 3. If Savaryn can hold, there is little the Cryx can do to stop the devastating Medveditsa.
Turn Three (Sherwin)
Once more, and with a carefully disguised sense of relief, Wraithbinder Nekane disappears from sight and reappears a short distance away. The mirage surrounding her falls away as she draws all of her power within herself.
The remaining Furies dance around Savaryn. Dogreth speaks in an ethereal tone, language from a time and people long passed into history and the scene is gripped by shadows. Valak assails the Khadoran warcaster with dark magic, causing him to cough, but then Wraithbinder Nekane is upon him.
Invoking the Wrath of Lyliss, Nekane’s body pulses with raw power as she binds a Scything Touch to her weapons, and calls forth an aura of Carnage to match the spirit of her fallen Warjack. Her eyes glow as she curses the Khadoran Warcaster with a Calamity most foul. Then, her weapons descend, drawing upon her own life energy to propel her blows. Against such an onslaught, Savaryn cannot stand, and falls in three blows.
Sherwin Wins!
Shermin’s Cryx Necrofactorium takes the win, as well as a few well deserved victory laps around the office.
Did you enjoy following along with our battle report? Would you like to give this scenario a try? Check out this blog for all of the details and play it at home and let us know what you think in the Discord or Facebook community group!
Until next time, this is Perkins and Charles, signing off!
