The slann were thus preparing their armies, breeding and training the finest saurus, kroxigor and skink warriors for the battle ahead. For they knew that if the armies of evil got a hold of one of the larger fragments of warpstone, then even the powerful magic of the slann may not be enough the prevent the world from falling into darkness.
They also sent spies and agents out through the old world, preparing the populace and the terrain for their arrival. They have established numerous outposts throughout the barren deserts of the south and the frozen wastelands of the north. Protected by powerful magics to avoid detection, these outposts allow the lizardmen to keep a watchful eye on the land. Their agents have also enlisted the aid of several empire, dwarf, and wood elf lords. Many in the old world are suspicious of the lizardmen, and thus not all have chosen to ally with them. But some lords of the old world have also seen this grave danger approaching, and thus, on the advice of their wizards, have turned to help the lizardmen and their slann leaders.
Of course, the forces of evil have also seen the coming of the warpstone meteors, and they too have prepared their armies and scouts to scour the countryside for any warpstone that may have landed nearby. However, in their greed, they largly refuse to ally with each other, and instead, rely on their skill in deceit and magic to guide them to the landing sites of the warpstone.
Spring, Year One
The advance forces of the lizardman army began arriving from Lustria in late spring, beginning to secretly set up strongholds near the dwarf city of Barak-Varr and in the mountains to the east (where their slann priests expected warpstone fragments would land). They also landed far to the north, near the empire city of Erengrad, and began setting up new strongholds and rebuilding bastions which the minions of chaos had long ago razed. They anticipated that a large warpstone fragment would land to the east of Erengrad, and that the chaos and possibly dark elves would engage them here. Their forces being much weaker here than in the south, they are depending on their allies to help construct and defend the strongholds.
Summer, Year One
More lizardmen forces arrive from Lustria, bolstering both the Barak-Varr and the Erengrad armies. Advance forces from the other allied begin to arrive as well, with political infighting limiting the speed at which the dwarven, elf and empire armies are deployed. There is a very old city by the name of Lizard Pyramid far to the south in the old world, deep in the jungles. Even though it is very far away and even though the the terrain is very harsh between the Pyramid and the old world, the thread is so dire, that the lizardmen are sending a large force northward from here as well. However, they will take many months to arrive at the area of Barak-Varr.
Autumn, Year One
The weather begins to turn sour, and the last of the lizardman ships from Lustria arrive in Barak-Varr and Erengrad. Further work is done bolstering the strongholds at both locations. In mid-autumn, a great fireball roars across the sky, fragmenting into countless chunks, some burning up without hitting the ground, some flying beyond the horizon. One is thought to have struck east of Barak-Varr. Another is thought to have struck near the city of Miragliano, this stone was unanticipated by the Slann, and may attract more attention than was originally expected.
Settra had come to learn that a sizable force of lizardman was coming too close to his heretofore undiscovered stronghold, and decided himself to engage the enemy. After a brief engagement, Settra withdrew, attempting to mislead the slann priest as to the whereabouts of the incomplete stronghold.
Settra had even gone to the trouble of moving the indomitable casket of souls from khemri to this stronghold. Unfortunately, a combined force of dwarves and empire scouts had detected the attempted movement of the casket, and had tried to muster a force to intercept it before it could be delivered to the stronghold. Unfortunately, only the dwarves managed to intercept the convoy. When they got there, they were severely outmanned, and were forced to retreat, though the casket has not yet arrived at the stronghold, Settra has taken further precautions to protect it on the remainder of its journey.
Further to the north, an unlikely detachment of chaos and undead seized an opportunity to ambush an unsuspecting troop of dwarves delivering six much needed bolt throwers to the allied strongholds in the area near Barak-Varr. The chaos and undead force was repelled and the bolt throwers were delivered successfully, further bolstering the allied defense.
The first engagement ended badly for the Lizardmen, however, their slann mage priest survived unscathed. However, without further allied reinforcements in this area, the skaven were sure to find the stone. The slann priest had decided to take a calculated risk, as the skaven contingent had with them a warp lightning thrower, fully charged with warpstone. This would have been a valuable prize, and a severe blow to the skaven armies in the area. As it was left relatively unguarded due to miscommunication between skaven clans as to who was searching for the warpstone and who was protecting their assets, the slann priest decided to pounce, but unfortunately, a small group of plague priests arrived in time to turn the tide of battle.
As the slann and his remaining forces were fleeing the skaven, they met up with another detachment from the main westerly army sent to replenish the depleted contingent. They drove off the remains of the skaven pursuers, but were immediately met with a sizable force of undead led by a strigoi vampire lord by the name of Marakhad. Not knowing whether or not the lord knew of the fallen warpstone in the area, the slann decided to engage the lord, and after a close battle, both sides withdrew, exhausted, so they could live to fight another day. In this battle, the Slann general had a stegadon which almost died at the hands of Marakhad, this, combined with the loss of a kroxigor where the biggest losses on the side of the Slann. Marakhad's force, however, suffered dearly with the loss of two lesser (though still valuable) necromancers, and two very rare banshees.
It turns out that the vampire lord did indeed know about the Miragliano stone, and is amassing a force to engage the skaven and claim the stone for his own. Other strigoi vampires in the area have banded together behind the lord, and they are preparing to assault a skaven stronghold deep within the mountains.
The lizardman force in the area is deeply depleted, and in dire need of food, supplies and reinforcements. Both the empire and the dwarves have troops and supplies in the area, but word has yet to arrive from the lizardmen that help is needed. Indeed a much larger force of lizardmen is expected to arrive at Barak-Varr in the spring, but that is still many months away. For now, Barak-Varr and the eastern lizardman army cannot hope to spare any more troops to reinforce the western army.
Resources: They have negotiated with dwarves, men and elves to secure enough food so they don't need to ship it from Lustria. They should devote a certain portion of their forces to protect convoys and food and supply stores. Main supply stores will be listed on the map.
Resources: lots of humans to feed upon,
Skaven advanced, and orcs fired bolt throwers while falling back. Some unlucky rolls left the skaven with less engineers and without their bound spell magic item. 1 Ratling gun got 'eadbutted, 1 panicked and left.
Skaven whittled themselves down and got
whittled down by the orc magic and bolt throwers, and eventually could attack,
but the orcs won decisively.
Tom - Ok, maybe the ratling guns can be defeated, under certain circumstances.
But it takes a lot of tactical work, or else a whole lot of troops to absorb the
casualties.
The turning point came when the undead beat the temple guard who automatically broke because of the fear causing undead. They were subsequently caught and fled. Kroxigor charged knights in the side, who were engaged with a swarm in the front, but because of causing ~6 wounds on the swarm, the kroxigor were forced to flee. Vampire Counts won.
Tom - I created this army trying to use as many of the correct models as possible. Our previous armies have not been created in this way. I did pretty good, except for the zombie models. I got lucky in that Brian didn't take the fear banner for his temple guard, and he ran. But I think brian will anticipate the 2x strigoi with flight in the next battle.