Wood Elves vs High Elf Army Battle Report 2000 pts

warhammer tournament fantasy battle summary report :-

"On the left, his dryads charge my eagle, and I lead them on a merry chase." [Ed. :) ]

(neatly summarised. it sounds like this one went right down to the wire)

source : warhammer.org.uk

credit : Silas7

20-May-2009

2000pt High Elves Army list

Elendriel – Archmage, lvl 4, annulian crystal, dispel scroll, ring of fury
Farendil – Mage, lvl 2, jewel of the dusk
Mithrandel – Noble, army standard bearer, dragon armor, shield, barded steed, helm of fortune, sword of might

10 archers
20 spearmen: full command, lion standard
15 phoenix guard: full command, war banner
14 white lions: full command, standard of balance
6 dragon princes: champion, musician, amulet of light
Lion chariot
2 phoenix claw bolt throwers
2 eagles

[Ed. sounds like a good fun overnight tournament] Another night of lousy sleep, but it was our last night there. Breakfast was even better this time around, with bacon! All the wine was gone, [Ed. aha, it was a good fun overnight tournament !] and I figured I could really use my wits about me today as I started my next game.

2000 pt Wood Elf Army List

spellsinger: lvl 1, 2 dispel scrolls, general
alter lord: spirit sword, light armor, shield, longbow, ?
alter noble: wraithstone, great weapon light armor, shield, longbow
alter noble: hail of doom arrow, briarhearth, light armor, shield, great weapon, longbow

3 x 8 dryads
2 x10 glade guard
2 x7 wardancers
3 treekin
5 wild riders: standard, musician, war banner
eagle
treeman

Objective: Control the markers on the battlefield by having the highest amount of US within 6” of the markers. Banners add 10 to your unit strength. Control more markers than your opponent to win.
Bonus Points: Score 300 pts more than your opponent for 4 battle points.

On paper I had a big advantage going into this fight, as I had a lot of ranked infantry with banners. My numbers would mean nothing if my infantry was shot down of course. I decided to cede the right objective and concentrate on holding the left one. As the game neared the end, I would rush over and seize the middle and win. Theoretically.

The wood elves were pretty evenly spread out: To my left were wardancers, dryads, and an eagle. In the center were more dryads and wardancers, a treeman, the spellsinger, and an alter noble. To the right were dryads, treekin, wild riders, archers, and the two remaining alters.
My eagle and white lions were on the left. Left center were the phoenix guard. The bolt throwers, archers, spears, and dragon princes were in the center, with the lion chariot hanging back to protect the spears. My other eagle sat on the far right.


The trees are moving!

Turn one: His eagle flies close up to my line. One alter peeks out of the woods and fires the hail of doom arrow at my bolt thrower. The crew is safe, but the machine nearly breaks.

My eagle charges his eagle, starting a dramatic aerial duel. The lion chariot moves to deter the oncoming dryads and wild riders. Most of the dryads are out of range for spells, but Farendil withers a dryad with dark hand of death. (My other spell was the fear causer. Had I chosen fire I would have had fiery blast instead!) Elendriel curses the altar noble who shot at us. A bolt thrower opens fire on him, and Brian is astonished when I hit the altar four times, even with the protection of the briarhearth!! The noble dies of shock (and arrows). Further shooting kills a dryad in the center, and on the left. The eagles each wound one another.

Objectives: Wood Elf – 0, High Elf -0

Turn 2: Both alters charge the dragon princes. The dryads and wardancers on the left flank move towards the dueling eagles. His center dryads move to the side to join the treeman, while the treekin move through the woods.


The trees are closing!

On the right, the dryads and wild riders own the objective, clearing room for the glade guard to fire. Arrows fly, two archers die, and a lion yowls in pain. The alter lord challenges my dragon prince, weathers his attack, and strikes with the spirit sword. One wound gets through, and the altar wins his test by five for a lot of combat resolution. The princes break and flee off the table. The two alters pursue and hit my spear unit. The eagles remain locked in combat, wounding each other again.

Mithrandel bravely charges into the center unit of dryads. The white lions move forward slowly, while my eagle on the left flies behind the wild riders to stall their advance. Elendriel can’t cast most of her combat spells, but she can curse the treeman, and throw a shield over herself and the spears. One bolt bounces off the treeman. Put off by this (and remembering the goal of the scenario) my archers and the other both thrower killed six of the much softer glade guard. My eagle finally emerges triumphant from his fight. Mithrandel is also triumphant, killing two dryads and running the others down, heading right for the glade guard, who flee to safety. The altar lord cuts Elendrial down where she stands, and the noble kills the unit champion in a challenge. The spears heave a great sigh, but stand fast.

Objectives: Wood Elf – 2, High Elves 1

Turn 3: WE 3 – the wardancers charge after my eagle, which flies to safety (and pulls them away from the objective). The treeman stomps forward to sow terror among my fire base. The center wardancers charge Mithrandel from behind, calling on their killing blow dance.


far too close for comfort

On the left, his dryads charge my eagle, and I lead them on a merry chase. The treekin charge into the spear combat, but due to the position of the noble they can only clip their way in. The wild riders surge close to assist their companions.


thank Isha for awkward charges

The fleeing glade guard rally, the other turn towards my center. A treesinging slips past Farendil’s defense and the lashing braches kill five white lions. The left flank is looking rather tenuous… Vines reach up and strangle six archers, who run away before they are pulled underground. Six spears die in the combat with the treekin and altar lord, but we kill the altar noble and stay in the fight. Mithrandel kills two wardancers and saves two regular wounds. The wardancers break, and he runs them down, heading back towards his own lines again!

Disaster strikes the high elves when both bolt thrower crews fail their panic tests, and both eagles fail to rally and fly away! At least the archers make their rally test. The lion chariot charges into the flank of the altar lord. The phoenix guard starts moving towards the center objective hoping to avoid the treeman. Mithrandel faces the left dryads and prepares for a charge. The lions devour the altar lord before he can swing, and the treekin lose their nerve and run. The chariot runs down the treekin, while the spears stay put.

Objectives: Wood Elf – 2, High Elves 1


Isha’s light shines on us!

Turn 4: the phoenix guards are too slow, the treeman charges them in the flank! The wild riders charge the chariot, which flees into the treeman and explodes, wounding it slightly.


caught between a tree and a pointy place

The dryads hide behind a wall, while the wardancers move up to charge the flank of the white lions. The glade guards try to eliminate the war machine crews, but fail to. The treeman flattens one phoenix guard, but we win the combat and turn to face the tree.

The white lions reform to face the wardancers in a single file. The fleeing crew all rally, and the spears make their way towards the center objective. Farendil rushes forward and with all his might casts an irresistible dark hand that chokes four of the wild riders to death! The phoenix guard wins against the treeman and expand frontage to regain their rank bonus. Things look good, but the wood elves currently hold the center and right objectives, and threaten to take the left as well.

Objectives: Wood Elf – 2, High Elves 1

Turn 5: The wardancers move towards the objective, and the dryads move close as well. I’m only outnumbering them by about five models, including my banner. The glade guard concentrates their shooting on the spears and kills nine of them at close range! The spear panic, unable to rally! This is a major blow for me; I was counting on their banner and numbers to hold the center. The phoenix guard wins combat again, and the treeman breaks!! The guard restrain from pursing it, focused on their goal.

The guard turns and moves towards the center. Mithrandel prays the white lions can hold the flank without him, and gallops towards the center to threaten the depleted glade guard unit. The crews man their war machines, and the bolt throwers are back in action.

Objectives: Wood Elf – 2, High Elves 1


it all comes down to this

Turn 6 – The wardancers charge the white lions, calling on their extra attack. The treeman rallies, but too far away to strangle root, too late to charge. His wild rider tries to march block my phoenix guard. The glade guards kill the last of my archers. The white lions kill three dancers, and he kills six lions! The white lions refuse to run, with victory almost in their grasp.

Mithrandel charges the small glade guard unit and runs them down. The phoenix guard march and claim the center objective. The bolt thrower kill nine glade guard, the survivor doesn’t panic. The wardancers switch to their always strike first attack, hoping ot wipe me out before I can strike. He misses every single attack, and we kill three wardancers in return. The survivor flees, and we stand fast.

Objectives: Wood Elves – 1, High Elves – 2

8 pt win for the High Elves!

When we added up the battle points, it was a draw. I had the edge on victory points, but Brian had two tabled quarters and the bonus for my general. His stayed safely in a woods for the rest of the game. Brian was a little non-plussed about his luck this game (and he did get some tough breaks) but he was actually winning for the majority of the game. I had banners on my side, but he had mobility and a lot of attacks, a great benefit against my T3 army. He very nearly took the right objective and almost stalled me from taking the center.

It just occurred to me as I wrote this, that I should have charged the treeman with either my archers or Farendil once he broke from combat. He would have fled back into my phoenix guard and been wiped out, give me enough extra points to win the bonus objective! I’m not overly upset, as a win is a win. I haven’t won three games in a tournament since the Boston GT in 2004, so whatever the outcome of my last game, I was very pleased.

High Elves vs Wood Elves 2250 points

Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report summary:-

Elf kindred wars ?! It's just not right ! (a very good, atmospheric Warhammer battle story)

source : warhammer.org.uk

credit : Xtapl

9-Dec-2008

Aliethorien, Mistress of the Deep Water Kindred of Caidath swayed gently to the thundering beats of the drums the Wardancers around her were playing in her her honor. Beside her, her twin brother, Melthorien, grinned and twirled his blades in his hands. The Troupe was gathering on the eastern edge of Athel Loren, far from the crystal blue natural lake in the deeper part of the woods beside which their kindred made their homes. No, there had been rumors that the Asur, long lost ancestors of the Asrai, were moving this way, taking up camp for the evening in a nearby village before entering the woods - no doubt to plunder and press their nonsense agenda upon the Asrai once again.

But this was spring. It was a time for festivals and for dancing, not for so-called diplomacy with the haughty and self-righteous. Aliethorien was to be War Madien in the spring jubilee. This was an honor not bestowed upon just anyone, and she was determined to receive it without interruption. The Asur would simply have to be deterred.

Her troupe gathered in a small clearing, Wardancers leaping and spinning through the air as far as she could see. Surrounding them, the spring Dryads, newly leaved and bright-faced, stood radiantly in a small semi-circle. In the center of the line of forest spirits, the Treeman Knotroots rooted himself, ready to march to war if the War Maiden wished it. Even a small group of Nymraif worshippers had come out of the high canopy to participate in the festival.

She was saddened to have to send them to battle right on the cusp of a time of joy, but there seemed to be no other choice. With a slight frown, she began to dance, and the revelry ended. The Wardancers knew battle poses when they saw them. The Troupe gathered behind her, the Spellsingers Lissësúl and Elensar closed in and began to sing to the trees, their voices rising over the din of drums. Without needing to be commanded, the Waywatchers set off to occupy a large manor on the outskirts of the forest, while Wardancers and Dryads streamed into the trees. Melthorien took his personal guard and broke to the western flank, while Aliethorien took her own Wardancers straight to the forest's edge.

She looked out across the gathering Asur. They were not expecting a fight; they would be caught unaware. Dragon Princes tended their horses to the west, accompanied by someone of obvious nobility. Citizen levied Spearelves consulted with someone who could only be a prince in that ridiculously shiny armor, while Phoenix Guard stood watch over a battery of Repeater Bolt Throwers. Sea Guard from the ships of Lothern plotted strategy inside of a small cottage, while White Lions and a chariot of their ilk camped just outside the cottage. A small band of Shadow Warriors kept to themselves on the far eastern edge of the village. Even a member of the High Tower of Saphery picked his way through the encampment accompanied by an enormous Ulthuan Eagle.

It was no pushover of a consort. The enemy was stout.



As Aliethorien made her way to the forest's edge the trees moving with her as Knotroots sang to them, a roar pierced the air. Aliethorien smiled. The Waywatchers had probably just made first contact with the enemy, wounding the White Lion's chariot.



The Waywatchers were immediately discovered, and Shadow Warriors rushed toward the manor to flush them out. The Waywatchers tried to load their bows to fend off the incoming Asur, but the Shadow Warriors were close and swift.

The Asurian Mage began to chant and ancient Shield of Saphery spell, but the magic was dispelled. Reading carefully from a rolled up slice of bark, Elensar dissipated the magic intended to drain her own.

Bolts from the twin bolt throwers darkened the sky as the Dryads cleared the treeline. Two of the freshly awakend spring spirits were felled by bolt thrower bolts, and two more quickly followed with arrows from the Lothern Sea Guard and the Asur Prince. The High Elves were scrambling into a battle line. The element of surprise was now gone.

The Shadow Warriors dispatched one of the Waywatchers, and the rest turned and fled, abandoning the manor to the High Elven scouts. However, the Asrai had a plan, and it looked as though it was about to pay off.



Instantly, a horde of spring Dryads flooded the manor, chasing the Shadow Warriors from its walls and out into the open. Meanwhile, the Waywatchers turned on their heels, safely behind the line of forest spirits. The rest of the Troupe picked their way carefully thorough the forest's edge, preparing for an all-out assault.

Knotroots continued to sing to the trees, despite the efforts of the Asurian Mage to prevent his voice from carrying. Athel Loren itself continued to move toward the village. The distraction of Knotroots was obvious, though, as his attention was so occupied on singing to the trees that he could not untangle his roots enough to strangle the incoming cavalry.



That, however, was no problem in the end. Knotroots mere presence was enough to give even the bravest of warriors pause, and the Dragon Princes and their noble were terrified at the thought of having to engage the ancient protector. Aliethorien grinned to herself as the swift Asur horses carried their charges from the field.

Emboldened, Aliethorien whipped her drummers into a frenzy. The screaming songs of the spellsingers rose even louder into the air, completly suppressing the Asurian Mage's Shield of Saphery. So taken aback by the power of the forest was the mage that he mispronounced the words to his second spell and nearly wracked his own mind.

Again the arrows and bolts of the High Elves darkened the sky, and this time, four of the War Maiden's closest Wardancers fell, injured or worse. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she danced even more frenetically. The Asur would pay for each Asrai lost on this field today.



The spring Dryads rushed at the Ulthuan Eagle, chasing it from the sky. Aliethorien and Melthorien caught each other's eye through the trees, and nodded to each other. With a small, red flash of light, Melthorien and his Wardancer guard were gone. Quietly, they appeared on the other side of the field, the Moonstone of Melthorien growing dark, having spent its energy.

Athen Loren continued to push forward, encroaching upon the village. Knotroots could not seem to get a handle on performing a strangleroot attack, and failed once again.

Taking matters into her own hands, Lissësúl nocked an intricately carved arrow into her bow and fired it into the air. It arced high above the battlefield, splitting into twelve individual arrows which rained down upon the White Lion Chariot, skewering its crew, setting the majestic lions free to flee and lick their wounds.



The clarion call of a Dragon Horn pierced the air, calling the Eagle back to the battle and driving courage into the hearts of the spearelves, even in the face of the terrifying Treeman. Again, Elensar prevented the magic of the Asur by reading from a withered bit of bark.

Both Repeater Bolt Throwers swiveled and launched single, massive bolts at Knotroots. One slammed into his trunk, but elicited only laughter as the Treeman pulled the bolt out and cast it aside without so much as a groan. At the last moment, the magical shroud around all forest spirits in Athel Loren flickered a momentary, brilliant green, and the second bolt fell from the sky without harming anyone. Arrows from the Prince's magical Reaver bow embedded in Knotroots' bark, but he barely felt them. The old tree was nothing if not stout.

The Shadow Warriors had taken notice of the sudden appearance of Melthorien and his guard, and gravely injured one with an arrow. Melthorien shouted a war cry to his troops on the eastern flank. The Asur would have to be punished.



Aliethorien heard her brother's cry and her own voice mingled with it in one tremendous battle hymn. The drums of the Wardancers grew deafening as the Asrai swarmed into the Asur. Dryads and Wardancers joined forces and ran at the Eagle, who was not quick enough and was pulled to the ground and sacrificed to Caidath. The Shadow Warriors just barely eluded the incoming Dryads, while the Spearelves got an up close and personal look at Knotroots, and the Phoenix Guard felt the combined weight of spring Dryads and Aliethorien's personal guard.

The spellsingers continued to exhort Athen Loren to creep ever forward onto the village. Meanwhile, Knotroots easily shrugged off the annoyance of the speartips and crushed four Spearelves into the ground. Badly outnumbered, the stubborn old stump rooted himself and stayed put.

The Wardancers' pace quickly picked up as Aliethorien performed the Dance of the Woven Mist. The solemn champion of the Phoenix Guard beckoned a challenge to the War Maiden, and with three quick swipes of her Blades of Loec, she dispatched him for his troubles. The Wardancers added another Phoenix Guard to the casualty count. The Phoenix Guard were unable to connect with the whirling, screaming Asrai, and the bright green spirit of spring protected the Dryads from harm. Panic rippled through the ranks of the Phoenix Guard, and Aliethorien and her Wardancers cut them down and scattered their ranks as they turned to flee. The Lothern Sea Guard and crew of the Repeater Bolt Throwers were visibly shaken by this development, but stood their ground. With a malicious grin, Aliethorien rushed toward the surprised Bolt Thrower crew.



The Shadow Warriors turned to face the inevitable. The tide had turned, and the battle was tipping. The blanket of anti-magic laid down by the Spellsingers and Athel Loren itself continued to prevent the Asurian Mage from performing any magical tasks, and he took refuge in the cottage among the Lothern Sea Guard.

The Sea Guard immediately fired on the now exposed Dryads, downing two of them, while the Repeater Bolt Thrower unloaded into them at point blank range and felled three more. The remaining four eyed the Bolt Thrower angrily, and the crew had the feeling they were not long for this world.

The other Bolt Thrower crew did their best to fend off Aliethorien's guard, stabbing viciously at two of them before the War Maiden, in a deft dance of Whirling Death, very quickly and very neatly lopped off their heads and turned toward the Spearelves just in time to see the Prince slash two wounds deeply into the bark of Knotroots. Stunned by the ferocity of the Prince, Knotroots was unable to connect with any of his attacks. Aliethorien shouted at Knotroots, who nodded almost imperceptably and turned to flee from the combat. Not expecting this development, the Prince was unable to mobilize his troops fast enough to catch the Treeman, and found himself and his unit out in the open and exposed.

Aliethorien's trick had worked to perfection.



Instantly, the Wardancers and the Dryads converged on the Spearelves. Dryads charged into the Bolt Thrower and the Shadow Warriors, while the Waywatchers retook the Manor.

The excitement from the charge of battle temporarily distracted Elensar, and in her moment of weakness, the Asurian Mage capitalized. The shields of the Spearelves began to glow ghostly white as the magic of Saphery protected them.

The battles were short and brutal. The crew of the Bolt Thrower stood no chance and was demolished, while the Shadow Warriors flailed ineffectively at the spring Dryads before being cut down to the man.

Again, Aliethorien led her Wardancer guard in the dance of Woven Mist, their preternatural speed allowing them to devastate five Spearelves before they could attack. The spears on the opposite flank were skillfully avoided by the Dryads, who added three to the number of dead Asur. Even the powers of Saphery could not save the Spearelves, and the Prince suddenly knew what was going to happen a split second before it did. The panic rolled through the lines as Spearelves broke and ran, and Aliethorien cackled gleefully as her Wardancers and Dryads scattered the remaining elves to the wind.



Aliethorien looked across the field to watch the White Lions and the Lothern Sea Guard escort the Asurian Mage from the village. The weight of numbers was firmly on the side of the Asrai, and the remaining Asur could not hope to hold the encampment.

Melthorien approached his sister and kissed her gently on the forehead. A better War Maiden of the Spring Jubilee could not have been selected. The drums and celebrations filled the forest clearing that night, and for years to come, the Deep Water Kindred would tell the tale of the time Aliethorien the War Maiden had saved the Spring Jubilee from disaster. No War Maiden before or since was so beautiful.

(And now, for a tiny bit of exposition... I wasn't sure this army was going to be worth a snot, but as it turned out, it performed pretty well. I was pleased with it. Then again, the enemy had nearly zero magic. I'm going to have to test it out against stronger magical opposition and see how it fares...

Hopefully, SquigFace will happen along and post up his list and his thoughts!)

My list:

=Aliethorien's Kindred of Caidath=

Wardancer Highborn (285)
Blades of Loec
Stone of the Crystal Mere
Annoyance of Nettlings

Wardancer Noble (140)
Wardancer Weapons
Moonstone of the Hidden Ways

Spellsinger (120)
Hail of Doom Arrow

Spellsinger (140)
2 Scrolls

9 Dryads (108)
9 Dryads (108)
9 Dryads (108)
9 Dryads (108)

15 Wardancers (277) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
Treeman (285)
5 Waywatchers (120)

High Elves vs Wood Elves 2000pts

Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report summary:-

Tyrion reigns supreme ! (detail, with a story mode finish)

source : battlereporter.blogspot.org

credit : Sigmar

31-Aug-2008

Today, I enjoyed the company of my friend "J" for a 2000 pt rematch - High Elves vs Wood Elves. Below are the army lists we used.

---

High Elves Army

Tyrion - 400 pts

Eagle Rider - 203 pts
(dragon armour + enchanted shield + revear bow + lance + great weapon + eagle)

Dragon Prince Hero - 163 pts
(helm of fortune + foe blade + dragon armour + lance + shield + barded steed)

3 x Repeater Bolt Throwers - 300 pts

15 Lothern Seaguard - 195 pts
(std + mus)

5 Dragon Princes - 185 pts
(std + banner of Ellyrion)

13 White Lions - 207 pts
(incl. Guardian)

13 White Lions - 207 pts
(incl. Guardian)

White Lion Chariot - 140 pts


Wood Elves Army

Wood Elf Highborn - 225pts
(gt weapon, shield, light armour, Amaranthine Brooch [3+ ward], bow of Loren)

Wood Elf Noble - 125 pts
(elven steed, light armour, shield, gt weapon, Hail of Doom arrow)

Spellsinger - 140 pts
(2 x dispel scroll)

5 Waywatchers - 120 pts

8 Wardancers - 266 pts
(incl. Bladesinger with Amber Pendant*)

8 Dryads - 96 pts

8 Dryads - 96 pts

10 Glade Guard - 120 pts

10 Glade Guard - 120 pts

3 Treekin - 195 pts

5 Glade Riders - 120 pts

5 Wild Riders - 130 pts

Treeman - 285 pts

*this was a mistake. I think the Wood Elf commander was in a bit of a rush putting the army together. The bladesinger was allowed to use the amber pendant anyway - even though it could normally only be carried by a character - the points cost should have been 7 wardancers * 18 pts = 126 pts; 1 noble, with wardancer kindred and amber pendant 75+30+35 = 140 pts. Total points = 266 pts. The Wood Elf army had paid 226 pts for the wardancer troupe + bladesinger with amber pendant, so effectively used a magic item wrongly but paid slightly over the odds for the privilege (226pts rather than 223 ppts).

Well folks, this was the 3rd rematch between Wood ELves and High Elves and possibly the most intriguing of the 3 Warhammer battles to date.

Intro

Wood Elves had beaten the High Elves with a massacre in the 1st outing and there was a 'technical draw' in the 2nd battle - although given another turn the Wood Elves would most probably have secured a victory.

This battle saw a similar Wood Elf army as last time (see my precious post for the army list) but the High Elves army was very different this time.

In the last battle I had decided to experiment more with magic taking Teclis and 2 other mages from the magic colleges of Ulthuan. This meant that I completely dominated the magic phase but despite this magic was not enough to score me a victory - the heavy investment in spellcasters had left me too light in combat options.

For the 3rd battle I decided to remove spellcasters altogether from my battle plan. It was a risky option because I would be ignoring one of the High Elf Army's greatest strengths.

I thought it was a risk worth taking though for 2 reasons:-

1. The threat of my spell casting abilities would probably mean that the enemy would be well 'tooled up' with dispel scrolls (thus using up points that he would not benefit from, if I didn't cast any spells) and
2. I wanted to free up points to use against the inevitable Treeman (or Treemen, if he brought a Treeman Ancient aswell !) and possible Treekin.

I also took 3 repeating bolt throwers (eagle claws) this time and the same eagle riding hero with a revear bow (strength 5). I opted for these to:-

1. help protect my table quarters from attack and
2. in case plan A didn't work or I got the chance to deliver some bolts on the big tree beasts before I put plan A into action.

So, what's plan A.

Plan A (part 1) - eliminate enemy missile threats.

Take out enemy missile troops with cavalry (with the Ellyrian standard - to treat woods like open ground) and White Lions which should be capable of absorbing enemy longbow fire and still have the strength left when they made it to the enemy woods (which, being woodsmen,they can traverse through without penalty)

Killing the enemy missile troops would make the enemy Treeman and any Treekin come to me and face my bolthrowers and reaver bow if the rest of plan A did not work.

Plan A (part 2)

Unleash the fury of Tyrion with his flaming Sunfang magic sword and strength 7 attacks and reduce the enemy's tree shepherds to charcoal.

The Battlefield

We chose quite a lot of terrain again but this time I made what turned out to be an error of judgement. I chose some hard cover to protect 2 repeating bolt throwers. I knew this would come in handy against the expertise of the Wood Elf archers. The problem was, in doing so I allowed my opponent the luxury of 3 woods. The one he gets by default and the 2 other, one of which I could have taken.

Thus gave my enemy the whole center ground in his line protected by Woods which he gradually moved forward towards my lines throughout the battle.

As it happened, I need not have taken the hard cover. The enemy archers were far to pre-occupied trying to eliminate my White Lions and Dragon Princes and barely gave my bolt throwers a second thought (although maybe this was because of the -2 to hit modifier).

The Battle begins

The Wood Elves began the fighting (they started it Sir !). They had deployed all their forces within the 3 woods, their mage suceeded in moving one of the woods forward with Tree Singing while my army dispel dice prevented the Treeman from casting the same spell.

The only other movement had been by a lone brave (or fool hardy) noble who sprang from the forest and in a split second sent a hail of doom raining down on my Dragon Princes. It was brve of him but he felled only one of the cavalry unit and was not dangerously exposed to my bolt throwers.

Now came the inevitable long bow volleys from the Glade Guard and Waywatchers. My Dragon Princes of Caledor bore the brunt of the fire and despite their Dragon Armour another Dragon Prince fell. The White Lions also took hits but they fared better and the Wood Elf arrows were ineffective against their pelts.

The High Elves' White Lions and Dragon Princes continued their advance. The Dragon Princes were accompanied by a hero and none other than the legendary Tyrion himself. The hero was wearing the Helm of Fortune (reroll failed saves) and carried a Foe Blade (always wound on 2+ against enemies with 2 or more on their starting profile).

My plan was for the Dragon Princes to take out the enemy missile troops at the Woods edge, the hero to split from the unit and hold up the Treekin and Tyrion himself to split from the unit to hunt down the enemy Treeman.

The Eagle rider stayed out of range from the enemy missiles and waited in reserve. The Lion chariot protected an otherwise exposed flank (and a single bolt thrower) while the Sea Elf Lothern Guard were used as the personal bodyguard for the 2 bolt thrower battery (separate units but both positioned behind a wall on a hill)

I felt confident !

The following turn saw more withering fire from the Wood Elves. More Dragon Princes felled (although they had absorbed a lot of arrows)

The enemy also brought some mounted Glade Riders up from his line to block my Dragon Princes.

The first major blow to the enemy was dealt by my bolt throwers which 'pin cushioned' the Elf Noble who had tried to destroy my Dragon Princes with a single hail of doom arrow. He at least had been taught a lesson :)

My much depleted Dragon Princes crashed into the Wood Elf Glade Riders who chose to stand and fire and in doing so felled another Dragon Prince.

Tyrion, the noble and remaining Dragon Prince made mince meat of the Glade Riders but amazingly
the one remaining rider managed to stand his ground and gave his life to stall my plans a little.

Things begin to get a little hazy now obscured somewhat by the red haze of battle blood lust.

The glade guard and scouts continued to harry my White Lions and felled the on last remaining Dragon Prince. There were however enough White Lions to finish a glade guard unit although they tool a white lion with them.

The white lions in the center of the battlefield charged into a unit of dryads, as did Tyrion on the right flank. The unit facing Tyrion was quickly dispatched.

The bolt throwers and eagle rider saw to the wood elf waywatchers. Although the eagle rider was reduced to a single wound and may have fallen from his lofty mount had the way watchers remembered to target him rather than the approaching Lothern Sea Guard.

The left flank was a stalemate after a unit of Wild Riders ran down the remaining White Lions. The Wild Riders withdrew to the wood but dare not approach the White Lion chariot. These 2 units remained in a standoff for the remainder of the battle.

The Wood Elves continued to advance their forests with Tree singing but they had no ranged units to tackle the repeating bolt throwers who could now rain bolts down with impunity on anyone foolish enough to leave the woods.

To be continued....

including the valiant ride of Tyrion into the fury of the forest spirits (3 Treekin and a Treeman !)

Tyrion was now alone with no Dragon Prince body guard...

The last surviving noble could not match Malhandir's speed so Tyrion charged on his own, a blinding star through the mirky forest and smashed into the awaiting Wardancer troupe (his noble friend would join the melee in the following turn).

The wardancers were well prepared for the onslaught for their leader bore the amber pendant which tarried Tyrion's sword arm allowing the Wardancers to strike first with lightning speed.

The whirl of the Wardancer's blades was a fearful sight to behold but Tyrion was unmoved and struck down two dancers with his reposte.

The Wardancers were a mere distraction for Tyrion, his eyes rested beyond them to the lumbering hulks of three Treekin smashing through the forest to his flank and the mighty Treeman approaching with giant strides behind the Wardancers.

Would this be Tyrion's final folly, would the minstrels tell sorrowful tales of woe in the great halls of Ulthuan ?

The treekin smashed into Tyrion's flank with bestial fury. Branches and roots were raised aloft to thrash mighty blows down on Tyrion.. With god like speed of mind and body Tyrion brought Sunfang down on the first Treekin and split the walking abberration of nature in two. The charred and burning remains of the Treekin littered the Forest floor.

The treekin's companions now struck, reigning powerful blows down upon Tyrion. Had it not been for his legendary armour and divine blessing Tyrion would have been crushed under the onslaught.

In that moment when hope was waning, Felion the noble friend arrived and engaged the Treekin with spite for his fallen Dragon Prince comrades. Alas, Felion proved no match for the Treekin and was brushed aside within a brief moment. He had at least diverted some of the enemy's wrath away from his Lord.

With his dying breath, Felion let out a yell as the forest parted and a mighty and huge age old enemy and keeper of the forests bore down on Tyrion. The Treeman had arrived and now, all hope seemed lost.

Tyrion desperately fought off the malaise of the amber pendant to which he was subjected but to no avail - the Wardancers struck first. With a keen eye for a kill, the wardancer leader lunged in a flash at the High Elf general. The blade slid neatly between Tyrion's magical helm and his gleaming platemail. The blade ran along Tyrion's jugular but Tyrion's fate was his ward. The gods had other things in mind for this lord and it was not to have his life cut short my the lucky thrust of a ragged forest dweller.

With a profound sense of self awareness Tyrion and all those about him realised that he could not be vanquished this day. With an agonising, unstoppable strength the Treeman was felled and erupted in flames under the irrepresible power of Sunfang. The remaining Treekin suffered similarly and in dismay the wardancers fled back into the forest only to be trampled down to the last by Malhandir's hooves.

With dread in their hearts and unspeakable sorrow the Wood Elves melted back into the forests.

After the battle not a single Wood Elf body was found. They had even retrieved the hulks of the fallen treeman and treekin. Only a note on a forest way stone remained...

"you're not barbequeing your Ulthuan cheese bugers with our Treeman charcoal !"

The End