History of the Sundered Isles – The Forty Third Year of the Second Age. Macdanalus, Scrivener to the King. The Sixth Year and Sixth Campaign Month of the Great War.
The Battle of Naggarond
The throne room shook around the Dark Elf King as he began his walk up on to the battlements of
his palace. His elite Black Guard had retreated to this position to make their final stand. This was
the very place where it had all began six years ago when he had publically renounced the Phoenix
King and claimed the throne as the Witch King. The Elven civil war that followed had weakened both factions to the point of exhaustion. The humans’ betrayal had been perfectly timed to exploit that weakness. He could appreciate a good betrayal.
Three days of hand-to-hand fighting in the ruins of the Druchii capital had seen his forces pushed
further and further into the centre of the charnel house city of dead Naggarond. They had found
eight blackened pyres placed as monoliths – loci - around the centre of the city. The daemons
never slept and there was no respite. It was constant warfare as his crossbowmen and witch
elves gradually succumbed to wave after relentless wave of attacks by hordes of horrors and
plaguebearers. Shades battled daemonettes in a dark ballet on the rooftops while his Executioners
tried to hold the main choke points against human berserkers clad in suits of black armour.
He looked out over his capital as he reached the top. It was all for nothing. All was lost. This was
their final stand.
Something blotted out the sun. A cloud? No. It was moving directly towards him like a meteor on
great wings of leather. He drew his sword.
Result: Norse Defender wins
Druchii are scattered and lose 350 troops. Druchii King is killed and the Druchii Kingdom ends as
their last homeland is destroyed – The Druchii armies disperse to the four winds and are eliminated
Warriors lose 200 troops from their daemonic hosts.
However, the fall of the Druchii King did not mark the end of all Elven Kind. Saphery (K12), Arnheim (K14), the people of the Ironsand Desert (J16) and perhaps most importantly the garrison of The Black Pillar (H14) all reasserted their independence as free and sovereign states.
Siege of the Cauldron
The Bretonnian assault on the Cauldron was heroic but futile. For days the Trebuchet battered the
walls as Hellcannons returned fire, while Pegasus Riders and Furies battled for air supremacy over the city walls. Finally, a section of wall buckled, and the order to storm the walls came. Knights
Errant and Knights of the Realm rushed forward to seize the breach in the walls caused by the
ranged destruction. In response the Cauldron vomited out a legion of foul daemons and monsters to
crush the interlopers. Gleaming Knights fought with crimson coloured daemons straight from the pit
of hell while sorcerers rained fireballs down from the walls. The sky darkened and the land was cast
into deep shadow. Yet the two sides continued to crash forward with sheer primal force. It was the
Bretonni that cracked first as their entire left flank collapsed suddenly. To prevent a disastrous rout
the King ordered his Grail Knights to plug the gap and sacrifice themselves so that his main force
could withdraw back to the edge of the forest.
The siege had been broken. The Bretonnian King ordered his men to retreat a half days ride from the
city and the defenders let them go. The assault had been bloodily repulsed but the Bretonni would
return to finish the job. There would be a proper reckoning.
Result: Bloody Repulse
Bretonnians lose 400 troops
Warriors lose 250 troops from their daemonic and monstrous hosts
Autumn Spells and Other Arcana
As the Autumn equinox fell, and the wizard lords prepared their mighty incantations, the dire power
that held the daemonic and monstrous hosts to the real world dissipated. The fiendish hosts melted
back into oblivion. A sudden calm came over the land. The respite would be brief.
The Storm of Magic roiled north east and into Cothique (I12) but the Undead army reacted in time to
find cover from the storm – the deadites withstood the Technicolor wind of death unharmed.
The Wizard Lords prepared the following spells:
- Vampire Counts = Bumper Crop and Call of Heroes
- Bretonnians = Prosper
- Warriors of Chaos = Reign of Madness
- Dwarfs = Blight Crop
Territorial Changes
Saphery (K12) becomes independent – village
Arnheim (K14) becomes independent – barren
Ironsand Desert (J16) becomes independent – barren
Black Pillar (H14) becomes independent – fortress with bridge
Political Power and Remaining Forces
Vampire Counts (3 capitals and tiebreaker):
- 1 King
- 5,049 Troops
- 0 Siege Battery
- 3 Fleets
Dwarfs (3 capitals):
- 0 King
- 3,955 Troops
- 1 Siege Battery
- 3 Fleets
Bretonnians (2 capitals):
- 1 King
- 5,487 troops
- 0 Siege Battery
- 1 Fleet
Warriors of Chaos (2 capitals):
- 1 King
- 3,284 troops (with 400 unable to make a winter retreat)
- 1 Siege Battery
- 1 Fleet
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