I was partially correct in my predictions and I was not (entirely) punished for my gamble! This turn proved a pivotal one in the campaign with clashes breaking out across the Border Princes. I had hoped that the Skaven and Chaos forces would continue their conflicts, but both armies surprised me by turning their interests elsewhere! Thankfully, the Skaven moved and saved me from the worst possible outcome. My southern most banner rode into the their lines with a bonus for their victory in the previous round while they had one from the supporting banner across the river banks. We would be evenly matched! Had the western banner stayed in the bogs, their support would've meant I would be down 150 points.
The Covenant of Blood finally outran the Dark Elves and would meet them in combat! Their southern forces march north towards the merchant town of Aldium, no doubt anxious to secure a vital trading hub.
The Gnawing Hunger fortified their northern border and braced for another battle against the undead. In the west of their empire, they held to dissuade the forces of Chaos and surprised their enemies by moving from the Blood River Bogs towards the Old Silk Road.
The Crimson Host of Maltherion continued their push to the south, reinforcing their forces stuck in combat with the agents of Chaos and sacking Aldium! To the northeast, the Dark Elves met the Barrow Legion on their border, anxious to quickly dispatch the abominations and continue their march towards the tower housing their necromancers. Due to their supporting banner, the Crimson Host received an additional 150 points for their battle against the Covenant of Blood.
The Barrow Legion's forces grew, adding another army to their might. The undead pushed their offensive further into Skaven territory and prepared to repel the invading forces of the Crimson Host. Malko remained uncontested and Marrowflayer grows restless. The forces of the Barrow Legion battling the Skaven would have an additional 150 points for winning combat in the previous turn while the Skaven would have 150 additional points for their supporting banner.
The Barrow Legion sent hordes of skeletons to meet the Crimson Host, but they were prepared. The Dark Elves had chosen their position wisely and had repeating bolt throwers on the high ground sending withering hails of arrows into their enemy's ranks. The legion of skeletons marched forward, undeterred, and drew the attention of most of the invaders. Spectral swordsmen flanked their forces only to be cut down by a cavalry charge from their cold one riders. As they rounded the ancient tower on their flank, a horde of wights came into view and their general had a terrible realization; they had been drawn into a trap. As the wights closed on the flatfooted knights, a vicious bat beast descended from the sky behind the Crimson Host's lines. With eldritch power, it animated the corpses of the slain dark elves and called to the beasts of the night for reinforcement. There was no escape. The dark elf forces were surrounded by an enemy who knew no mercy. None lived to tell of what happened. The Crimson Host suffered the campaign's first massacre and their banner was scattered, forced to respawn at their HQ at the end of the turn.
The animus and hatred that had been brewing between the Crimson Host and the Covenant of Blood finally was able to manifest. Both armies showed no restraint or consideration of self-preservation. Charges and counter-charges quickly wore both forces down, their generals being the only ones to show any sign of caution. The dragon riders circled one another as demonic hounds appeared from the warp and tore elf flesh from bone only to be cut down by greatswords. Neither side fought to reach the enemy's backlines and destroy their supply chains as they had planned, while their generals had a different objective: the Talisman of Margni. A relic crafted by dwarven runesmiths in an age forgotten, locked in a wizard's tower at the center of the battlefield. A host of bloodletters reaching the tower steps forced the Dark Elf to fly into combat, where it was met by the Chaos general. In a great swirling melee, only the Dark Elf general limped away. Wounded and broken, both armies were forced to leave the artifact and regroup.
Once again, the forces of the Barrow Legion sought to seize control of territory with sheer numbers of skeletons. Along the swamps on the banks of the Blood River, the Gnawing Hunger met them with a show of force meant to scatter the abominations for good. Wards from the wizards of both forces kept the enemy from tunneling or summoning behind the their lines and their respective generals instead worked to find advantageous positions on the battlefield. The skeleton hordes pushed forward to take control of no man's land only to be run down by doomwheels! The last few stragglers from these regiments stood their ground while the Barrow Legion's necromancers repositioned their forces to defend the land they had taken. As night wore on and the sunrise became imminent, the undead made one last push on the Skaven's weakest flank. Hagan the Horrible ran forward to melt the flesh from a regiment of storm vermin only to be struck down by a blast of warp lightning! A bat beast that had been lurking hidden in the woods finally emerged and broke a line of storm ogres. The ratmen's general rode out to meet it atop his stitched steed. The vampiric beast was caught off guard, but its supernatural reflexes prevented an easy victory. With a regiment of wights closing and the Legion's necromancers raising reinforcements, the Gnawing Hunger fled across the river, giving the undead the riverbank... for now.
The Barrow Legion secured enough territory to add a 6th army to the map. The retreats for both the Dark Elves and Skaven were surprisingly beneficial. With no other legal space to fall back into, the Dark Elves had to displace a banner to make room, effectively getting a free move toward Aldium. The Skaven retreated to the bogs, where they are in position to support multiple banners should battles occur. Aldium has quickly turned into the site of an inevitable great battle! Things are becoming chaotic and predicting the moves of my enemies becomes more and more challenging.
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