Map - Year 4, Diplomacy

 
Winter Plans 1
After years of occupation, invasion and devastation it was time for peace. The Chieftain of the
Kurgan surveyed his lands. In the last five years alone these lands had been despoiled and ruined
by first the Beasts, then the Bretonnians and finally the Norse. The Norse even had the cheek to try
bribing him with food and armour, mere trinkets.

Now this mysterious and pallid envoy was offering him and his people an eternity of peace and the
strength to destroy their enemies. He knew he shouldn’t trust her...but those eyes were transfixing,
almost hypnotic. He knew he would acquiesce.

Diplomacy Missions to the Kurgan League:
Norse ambassador is flayed alive.
Lamhian ambassador secures an alliance with the Chieftain of the Kurgan League.
Beastheart (E9); The Vile Cliffs (E8) and Grimmenhagen (F10) are all subsumed into the
Kingdom of the Vampire Counts.

 
Grag the Lord of the Tusk was impressed by the northern warrior. His Tyrant had failed him. It had
been a hard winter and many Ogres had starved. This Warrior had come from across the sea with
offerings of food and giant blackened suits of armour. With these gifts he would be able to restore
the glory of the Tusk.

Grag looked at the Dwarf ambassador and licked his lips. Dinner...
Diplomacy Missions to the Kanesdue alliance:
Dwarf ambassador is eaten.
Norse ambassador secures an alliance with the Lord of the Tusk. The Tusk (I8); Slave-
Slaughter (I9) and Tor Achare (I10) are all subsumed into the Kingdom of the Warriors of
Chaos. The eight sided star is raised over Kanesdue.

Map - Year 4, Autumn Spells & Winter Quarters

Autumn Spells, Winter Quarters, Winter Events and Recovery – Year 4

Autumn Spells – Year 4
Using the corpses of the Great Hall as magical fuel, the Slaughtermasters of the Great Hall powered
a great inundation of blood to coalesce over the now Dwarf held Tor Elyr (J9). But they had not
counted on the magic resistance of the Dwarfs and the spell evaporated on the wind, thwarted
by the defensive rune craft of the Dawi. In response the Dwarf Lord ordered the breaking of one
of the Seven Sacred Seals of Salaha’din unleashing a trail of magical wind and storm at the Great
Hall (I7). 30 Ogre troops perished under the sorcerous winds. The tempest then spiralled south
before exhausting itself over the southern ocean. Far to the north the Damsels of the Bretonni cast
a blessing over the land which greatly boosted the fecundity of the realm while the deadites to the
west cast a hex on the Norscan lands causing crops throughout the realm to shrivel and die. The
undead magi also conjured a shrouding mist to protect their troops returning home for winter.
Finally, the sorcerers of chaos unleashed a tornado of peril on Brayherd (C10). This devastating spell
ripped through the province in a whirling tornado of magical energy destroying the village and the
entire army. The Bretonnian King was the only one to escape the carnage 1. When he arrived back
at his royal court in Couronne, following a series of adventures and escapades, he swore an eternal
bloody vengeance on the Lord of Chaos and on the benighted Norscan realm.

Spell Effects
30 Ogre troops are killed
499 Bretonnian troops are killed
Brayherd (C10) – village is razed
Bretonnia receive 4 gold from their bumper crop
Chaos Warriors lose 3 gold from their blighted crop

..................................................................................................................................................................

Winter quarters
With winter closing in it was time for the armies to retire back to their bases. This proved
unproblematic for most realms armies with only the Druchii in trouble. Both Dark Elf armies were
blocked from retreating home. The Dark Elves suffered terribly through the winter and in total 616
Dark Elf troops either deserted or perished to starvation and the freezing cold. Rumours went across
Norslatch of an entire Druchii army being slowly hunted down and devoured by an insane Mourngul
over the course of the winter.

Winter Retreat
616 Dark Elf troops are killed
1 Naked Bretonnian lord escapes with his heirloom
All other troops and fleets are removed from the map

..................................................................................................................................................................

Winter Events
The fickle hand of fate once again played its part on events. A widespread famine in the Chaos lands
made it impossible for the Norse empire to rebuild and repopulate razed territory this year, meaning
no recovery attempts for the Norse. Things went better for the Dwarfs. Their merchants and traders
had a very successful year with goods and wares being sold and transported to the far reaches of the
Dwarven Empire. The tax revenue from this trade generates 3 additional gold crowns for the Dwarfs.
Meanwhile, the fine weather and hard work of the Bretonnian peasants generated an additional 2
gold crowns of revenue. On the other hand the Undead realm was beset by bandit raids and piracy.
These assaults disrupted tax collection and cost the Undead realm 5 gold crowns. On Kanesdue
the denizens of The Tusk (I8) rebelled against the weakened Ogre Tyrant’s rule and asserted their
independence. Finally, rumours of treachery swirled around the Dark Elf realm but the grip of the
Witch King remained strong and all traitors were systematically weeded out and destroyed.

..................................................................................................................................................................

Where we stand
Race
Warriors of Chaos
Bretonnia
Vampire Counts
Dwarfs
Dark Elf
Ogres Kingdoms

Military
3604 (2 siege trains) + 2 fleet
3137
3710 + 2 fleet
1654 (1 siege train) + 1 fleet
635
429 + 2 fleet

Thrones
3 Warriors of Chaos
2 Bretonnia
2 Vampire Counts
1 Dwarfs
1 Dark Elf
1 Ogres Kingdoms

Economy
51 territory -1 razed – 3 spell = 47
21 territory -4 razed, + 4 spell + 2 farm = 23
26 -4 razed – 5 banditry = 17
24 + 4 ore + 3 trade = 31
9 -1 razed = 8
5 - rebellion = 4

End year 4 standings

Military Might
Vampires, 3710 troops, king and 2 fleets
Warriors of Chaos, 3604 troops, king, 2 siege trains and 2 fleets
Bretonnia, 3137 troops, king
Dwarfs, 1654 troops, 1 siege train and 1 fleet
Dark Elf, 635 troops, king
Ogres, 429 troops and 2 fleets

Political Power
1. Warriors of Chaos, 3 thrones
2. Vampires, 2 thrones (Lost City)
3. Bretonnia, 2 thrones
4. Dwarfs, 1 throne
5. Ogres, 1 throne
6. Dark Elf, 1 throne

Final Winter Revenue
Warriors of Chaos, 47
Dwarfs, 31
Bretonnia, 23
Vampires, 17
Dark Elf, 8
Ogres, 4

..................................................................................................................................................................

Winter Recovery

Dark Elves
Silver River (G11) – village = recovers and is no longer razed

Warriors of Chaos
Na (famine)

Vampires
Na (note Lost City never recovers)

Dwarfs
None

Bretonnia
Razed mines never recover and are removed from the map.
Plains of Fimul (C8) – fortress = recovers for 3 gold.
Bordeleaux (B6) – village = recovers.
Montfort (B5) – village = recovers and is no longer razed.

Independent
Tor Achare (I10) – village = recovers and is no longer razed.

Effect
Silver River villages (G11), Montfort villages (B5), Bordeleaux villages (B6) and Tor Achare villages (I10) no longer count as razed.

Map - Year 4, Turn 6 continued

The Siege of Kanesdue
The great Siege of Kanesdue began in the weeks before winter of the fourth year of the war...long would its legend last.

1409 points Attacking Ogres - 959 of regular army + 450 mustered troops.
1115 points of Defending Dwarfs x2 defensive bonus.

First assault (Modifier = -1)
Driven with rage the Ogre hordes threw themselves against the walls. They were met by a hail of
shot and the boom of cannon. Without the support of their enslaved siege giants the assault would
have been a shambles. The Ogre Tyrant ordered the three lumbering behemoths toward the left
tower. Two of the armoured giants held firm against the storm of lead though one lost its head to
a stray cannon shot. One of the remaining giants fell against the walls and its corpse provided the
Ironguts with a bridge up to the tower. They rushed over the wall and fell upon the Ironbreakers
waiting on the other side. Meanwhile the main force of Bulls used a makeshift battering ram to try
and break through the main gate while a force of Yhetees used their talons to scale the right hand
tower...

Crag Makinsson surveyed the damage to the walls. His Dwarfs had held firm despite the
Ironbreakers taking horrendous casualties to the combined might of the Giants and Ironbreakers. A
dozen Slayers led by Brok Lesnarsson had abseiled down the walls in a mad heroic attempt to break
the attack. They had descended into a mass of Ogres and horribly outnumbered the brave fools
had confused the assault. The last he had seen of Brok was of a ginger mohawk head butting one
of those fearsome mournfang creatures. Although every Slayer was dead the walls had held. They
would wipe these Ogres off the face of the Sundered Isles.

Roll = 8 = 7 with modifier = Repulse
Ogre casualties = 250 (1159 survivors)
Dwarf casualties = 250 (865 survivors) x2 bonus
 
Second assault (Modifier = -1)
The second assault came five days later and it came from a pair of unexpected sources. A force of
hundreds of Gnoblar Trappers had been busy burrowing under the walls in an attempt to undermine
the fortifications. The little creatures had spent years avoiding beatings from their Ogre masters and
knew the narrow tunnels well. At the same time a dozen Yhetees were slowly climbing up the cliff
edge of the city using their natural talents to avoid plummeting to their deaths...

A great explosion went up from the storeroom as anarchy took hold inside the walls. . A platoon of
Dwarf Warriors made quick work of the wretched greenskins but the Gnoblars were just a diversion.
The Yhetees made quick work of butchering the gatekeepers but were too eager in their slaughter.
As the Yhetees worked to unlock the gates the alarm went up from a still breathing guardsman. A
chaotic scramble for control of the gate ensued as the Ogres rushed at it from outside. In the end
the Dwarfs would have been forced to collapse the outer bastion and retreat to the inner walls
but for the presence of five indomitable hammerers. Long they held the gate as the engineers and
runesmiths worked to fashion a makeshift replacement. When the Ogres finally broke just two of the
hammerers still stood and by then they were standing on a mound of bodies two Dwarf spans high.

Roll = 7 = 6 with modifier = Repulse
Ogre casualties = 150 (1009 survivors)
Dwarf casualties = 200 (665 survivors) x2 bonus

Third assault (Modifier = 0)
After a day of raging the Ogre Tyrant finally summoned his pet Slaughtermaster and ordered him
to call on the power of the Great Maw to swallow up the Dwarfs. The Slaughtermaster ordered a
large pit dug before the army, and for it to be filled with bone and offal. The ritual began. For seven
whole days the Slaughtermaster and his acolytes chanted, mumbled and gorged before the pit as
the pit was fed more and more prisoners. On the eight day the earth shook and a wormlike Dread
Maw forced its way to the surface before diving down again and surging towards the wall, the giant
creature easily tearing a path through the earth and stone. The monster burst up from underneath
the wall smashing masonry aside and collapsing the defences. The Ogres surged forward in its wake.
Dwarfs were swallowed whole by the beast and all looked lost for the Dawi until a sharp eyed miner
noticed the beast swallow a barrel of gunpowder. Thinking quickly he hurled a lit blasting charge into the gullet of the beast. The monster exploded with rotten flesh shooting in every direction. With the beast dead the Ogres again lost heart but things were now looking very grim for the Dwarfs.

Roll = 7 (again!) = 7 with modifier = Repulse
Ogre casualties = 300 (709 survivors)
Dwarf casualties = 200 (465 survivors) x2 bonus

Fourth assault (Modifier = -1)
In the end it was disease that decided it. The Ogre Tyrant knew he had one more chance to take
the walls. Over the next three days, and against the objections of his officers, he ordered the scrap
launchers to hurl every dead body over the walls and let nature take its course. Judging his troops
were on the verge of mutiny he ordered one last assault. This time the Dwarfs were no match for the
Ogres. Wracked by disease and virtually starving they could offer little real resistance.

Makinsson watched the Ogres break through the gates below as he handed his report to the
Gyrocopter pilot. He hefted his hammer and walked to his doom...

Roll = 12 = 11 with modifier = Stormed
Ogre casualties = 250 (459 survivors)
Dwarf casualties = Garrison destroyed


Meanwhile...
Bretonnian cavalry defeats Norse cavalry on the Isle of Mists and push west across the bridge to retake Brayherd (C10) from the Norse


Total Casualties
Ogres = 950 (450 muster + 500 regulars)
Dwarfs = 1115 + siege train (1115 regulars)
Warriors of Chaos = 1000


Territorial change
Ogres take the renamed Great Hall (I7) from the Dwarfs – capital city and Ogre throne
Bretonnians take Brayherd (C10) from the Warriors of Chaos – village


Storm of Magic
Moves north to H10


Spells for upcoming Autumn equinox

Vampire Counts
• Shrouding Mists
• Blight Crop

Bretonnians
• Bumper Crop

Warriors of Chaos
• Tornado of Peril

Dark Elves
• None

Ogres
• Inundation of Blood

Dwarfs
• Trail of Howling Doom

Map - Year 4, Turn 6

History of the Sundered Isles – The Forty First Year of the Second Age. Macdanalus, scrivener to the King.The Fourth Year and Sixth Campaign Month of the Great War.


Ogre versus Dwarf
Exhausted after a full month of fighting, and with winter fast approaching, the Dwarf and Ogre
armies rushed back to the Great Hall (I7). The Dwarf troops arrived but a few short days in advance
of the Ogre army marching out from the Tusk (I8). The Dwarfs, natural stonemasons and expert
miners that they are, moved quickly to reinforce the walls, and by the time the Ogre forces arrived
they had turned the city into a defensible position.

With the taste of winter in the air and a hungry army at his back the Ogre Tyrant knew he had no time to waste. He roared for his army to tear down the walls... tear down the walls.... down the walls! The bellowers sounded the charge.

Siege
1409 points Attacking Ogres (959 of regular army + 450 muster) Vs. 1,115 points of Defending Dwarfs.

Dwarfs can take up to 1,115pts of defensive siege equipment for free (see p.94 of Badlands)
Ogres may not buy attacking siege equipment.

If Ogres win then the Dwarf garrison is completely wiped out and the Ogres take the city. If Dwarfs win then the Ogres must choose either to settle in for a winter siege or retreat to The Tusk (I8) for winter. If drawn then the Ogres must choose either to fight a second siege battle, settle in for a winter siege or retreat to The Tusk (I8) for winter.

Elsewhere on Kanesdue the southern Dwarf command marched north east from the Plain of
Woe (K8) and attacked the coastal villages of Tor Elyr (J9). Although the defenders put up strong
resistance the Dwarf army was able to push to the sea and by winter had secured control of the
province at the cost of 150 troops. There was little naval action off Kanesdue with the Ogre fleets
sailing south to the Great Hall (I7) while the Dwarf fleet sailed east to Gash Kardak (H9).
  

Vampire Counts
Long in the planning it may have been but when the Undead forces finally moved on the Lost City (G8) from Shambletown (G9) they did so with great purpose. The anathema was waiting for them
and at first it seemed as though the deadites would be crushed by the colossal monsters. But on and
on the undead came as the dread Necromancers kept raising back the fallen troops almost as soon
as they fell. For hours on end the two figures mashed their way through dead flesh and the undead
casualties were simply stunning. The storms of magic howled over the battlefield and many of the
less powerful necromancers burned themselves out as they tried to keep pace. With the anathema
on the verge of victory a cadre of cyclopean beasts appeared as if from nowhere and fell upon the
blue anathema dragging it into the stygian depths of the city. A thunderous boom shook the city as
the blue anathema exploded in a polychromatic burst taking the cyclopean creatures with it. With
its brother lost the last of the anathema looked around it. There were thousands of undead in every
direction, a hellish and relentless sea of flesh. With the battle unwinnable it abandoned the city to
the undead.

The undead pirates off the coast of Karak Kadrin (G6) rushed ashore catching the Dwarf villagers
unawares and feasting on their souls. The last Dwarven outpost on Asur’s Rest was gone. That
army’s fleet then moved north-west to Straddlebrook (F5) while the other undead fleet moved
north-west to Swartzhafen (F4)

Back on Norslatch the undead templars returned to the Iron Hills (C4) where they promptly
disbanded for the winter. Finally, the undead home army marched back to the capital (D3) to
prepare for the winter equinox spells.


Dark Elves
With Lothern (I11) saved the survivors marched east to defend the Fortress of the Dawn (J12)
against a possible Chaos attack. On Norslatch the corsairs continued to cut a desperate bloody
swathe across Bretonnian lands. This time they moved south from Montfort (B5) into the Grey
Mountains (C5) where they set up camp for the winter having crushed all resistance from the local
highlanders.

The fruitless pursuit of the Druchii continued. The Bretonnians marched east to retake the now
ruined fort of Montfort (B5) but the Druchii were long gone. The real action was further east as
the Bretonnian horseman in the Blood Grounds (B9) galloped desperately to defend the ancient
Beastman capital (B11) from the Chaos Warriors; it was a hard slog with 50 troops dying to
starvation. Meanwhile the remaining army still on the Isle of Mists (C11) continued its own pursuit of the Chaos raiders...


Warriors of Chaos
The enraged Lord of Chaos was furious at the failures of the southern command. Nevertheless the
slow annexation of the south continued apace. On Kinsblood the army in Nagarythe (I13) moved
south to occupy Tiranoc (J13) while the army in Har Ganeth (J15) pushed east to wrest control of
the Black Pillar (K16). It was a similar story on Smith’s Isle with the army garrisoned in the Bastion
Hills (H12) pouring down from the hills to conquer the coastal settlements of Chrace (H11) while the
Daemon troops at the Walls of Azul (F13) screamed west to ravage Bilbali (G12) before finally fading back to the warp.

Far to the north the campaign against the Bretonnians saw the Dark Forest (E10) falling to Chaos
forces invading from the Black Deep (E11). Meanwhile the invaders on Norslatch surprisingly
turned back from their march on the old Beast throne and tracked back across the bridge to meet
the chasing Bretonnian army. The two armies finally faced off on the Isle of Mists at the border of
Brayherd province (C10) and the Plain of Ruin (C11).

Pitch Battle on the border of Brayherd and the Plain of Ruin
1050 points of Bretonnian cavalry Vs. 1000 points of Chaos Warrior cavalry

Both armies are all cavalry (infantry, monstrous infantry, monsters, swarms, unique units and war machines are banned). Both armies may use a king with free heirloom.

• If Chaos wins then the Chaos forces take the Plain of Ruin (C11) and the Bretonnians
• must retreat to the Place of Dark Rain (D10). Chaos can pursue the Bretonnians.
• If the Bretonnians win then the Chaos army is destroyed as it has nowhere to retreat to. Bretonnians would take Brayherd (C10) and its villages.If it is a draw then both armies withdraw back to their respective provinces. Brayherd for Chaos and Plain of Ruin for Bretonnia.

Conquest
Dwarfs take Tor Elyr (J9) from independents – village

Vampires take the Lost City of the Old Ones (G8) from independents – razed capital and throne
Vampires take Karak Kadrin (G6) from the Dwarfs – village

Dark Elves take Grey Mountains (C5) from the Bretonnians – village

Bretonnians take Montfort (B5) from the Dark Elves – razed fortress

Warriors of Chaos take Tiranoc (J13) from the Dark Elves – village
Warriors of Chaos take the Black Pillar (K16) from the Dark Elves – village
Warriors of Chaos take Chrace (H11) from the Dark Elves – village
Warriors of Chaos take Bilbali (G12) from the Dark Elves – village
Warriors of Chaos take the Dark Forest (E10) from the Bretonnians - village

 
Spoils of war
Vampires gain secrets of the Old Ones – Once per future campaign year move the Storm of Magic by
one tile.

 
Tally of the Dead
150 Dwarfs die conquering Tor Elyr.
300 Undead are lost in the assault on the Lost City.
50 Bretonnians die to starvation on the Bloodgrounds.