The cadox conflagration part four- unbidden it rises

The fourth match of the campaign took place in Sector 245, which was one of the six randomly generated Armorium sectors that i had drawn up for the campaign map.

For the second leg of the Campaign i wrote six narrative scenarios (more about this later) and i also generated six random zones (three city fight missions, and three Raid missions) that allowed for a more streamlined and faster experience

So the Glorious III'd had returned in force, this time we had gone up to 1500 pts.

For this game i rolled an armored breakthrough army, which at 1500 turned out to be a fukken' awfull idea. The army list was more less like this

Two predators with Autocannon turrets and HB sponsoons
one Whirlwind scorpius
One sicaran (my warlord) with Lascannon sponsoons
A heavy support squad with autocannons in a Rhino with Multimelta
Contemptor mortis with twin kheres and a frag launcher
A veteran squad with two meltaguns, a sergeant with a fist, and some combi plasma with a rhino with MM
a five man strong Plasma support squad with a rhino with Heavy bolter

Wherein the last two were outflanking

My opponent ran two Phoenix terminators and a praetor with spear
a champion
two troops with sergeants with spears
one HS team with five autocannons
thirty man squad with cultists and a force commander with a PF and armor.

So more or less the same as last time, sans the breachers and with a HS team

We rolled for the city fight and we got the "hold ground" wherein we received points for each unit killed, as well as for each ruin held at the end of the game. Easy enough.

I positioned my Sicaran behind some buildings, with the predators deploying in some open ruins to keep an open venue of fire.

tactical ambush

The HS team deployed on the left flank to try and bail into some ruins and hunker down. The Contemptor went into a building and awaited the inevitable cult horde approaching me

ready to advance 

with my scorpius taken an open terrain to get potshots at targets of opportunity, which is good since i have to chose between 1+D3 shots if stationary or 1 if i move.

Rockets loaded, and cycling for fire 

My opponent deployed his HS in a ruins with a good view of my tanks

targets acquired

While his 30 strong cults deployed in a building and were ready to rush me at a given glance

the cults exhort their debaseed rituals with some men of the III'd and march to war 

Not to spoil the outcome. But to represent the vicious fighting going on in the skies above, at the start of our turns we get to place a large blast template (controlling player) with S6 AP4 and it then scatters 4d6. Now, during the entire game i scattered ZERO of these rolls, and managed to kill around 18 cultists this way, which was more than ANY shooting did towards them.

Still, moving on.


harrowmaster perun opened the cupola to his bespoke sicaran tank and took in the view of the ruins ahead. The sector had since long been abandoned by it's auxiliary milita, they had presumably been called to quell one of the many masterfully orchestrated long before his legion had even set foot on the planet. "The victory won before we even made planetfall" he gleefully mused to himself. 

He set his turret to swivel and get a better view, despite the viscous inter atmospheric dogfighting in the skies above there was little to worry about, his sicaran had been customized as his rank deserved, meaning that it was of  a construction to withstand all but the heaviest armaments. The turrets cycle closed he activated his vox bead and gave curt, precise instructions to his troops. The ironbreakers sent to secure the more angular buildings to the west, while his veterans were tasked with moving a long way north to rendezvous after securing the northern roads, treacher was not merely expected, when fighting the III legion it was a given. They might take their amusement in strange things, but unfortunately it did not make them worse warriors. His orders were to seize the ruined sector, to facilitate a later extraction of resources. 

He would have his prize, regardless the price paid


 the first turn was mine, and rather uneventfull, i shot at this HS squad and took out two members, they fled 3" which was just down the level they were on. I shot at his cult and managed to kill one, and i mainly manouvered my tanks to get better lanes of fire.

The HS squad jumped out of their transport and snapshot all their guns at a tactical squad opposite them

CONTACT

 on his first turn his HS squad rallied, and moved 3", and snapshot into my rhino, and blew it up.

their transport denied them, they advanced into hell 

meanwhile his cult advanced, moving A LOT faster than i had taken into account, meaning that they got VERY close to my predator.

laughing, dancing, cavorting to an unseen tune, they advanced forward 

This is what i had looking down at me turn two,

i fired everything to little effect.None of my reserves wanted to come in.
 And before i knew it, it was his turn two.

Maru skara meant he walked on turn two, no rolls about it

Advance!

his cults had ran the last turn ,and having zealot and rending he charged my tank, making a mockery of it's armor value 10

Generally considered a bad day 

his terminators set a brisk tempo and moved ahead with murder on their mind. And shot out my scorpius immediately.

His tactical squad with a champion charged into my Heavy support squad, letting their foe feel the difference in skill at arms.

" what of fairness ,legionnaire? such considerations only matter when you face a TRUE foe. Not rabble such as these"

After wiping my men they advanced towards my main tank line attempting a pincer maneuver.

Turn three, and all according to plan my plasma team came in on the left flank, took aim at the tactical squad and let loose. Wiping them out to a man. My Sicaran changed pace and moved to support the left flank, all but abandoning the centre.


"They are ignoring all losses! They are strong beyond their slight forms and are tearing our rear armor apart, the fuel cells are compromis-" 

The vox ending as the predator tank in front of him exploding in a fireball, and despite it , the hunched deformed beings advanced as to the flames did not burn them ,and as tough the bolt shells striking them were not ripping flesh from their bones. The harrowmaster was not immune to such madness, but it perturbed him to see mere humans attempt to defy him. Firing his accelator cannon into the mob, the vox crackled to life again 

"flank move detected, tactical dreadnought armor identified, third legion elite approaching on the east flank, harrowmaster, advise!"

Smirking to himself he made the decision in what he imagined must be noting short of  a miraculous speed to the rabble in front of him

"second predator group, perform a firing retreat! join me on the left flank, the centre cannot hold!" 

"lord harrowmaster, we cannot comply, our tracks have been thrown, we are locked in position, we will deny them this ground, Hydra dominatus indomitus!" 

"understood, croas, join me on the left flank!" 

The contemptor merely voxed a short two-tap tone back in confirmation. 

Firing a his lascannons in defiance at the terminators now advancing at a disconcerting pace, he took course for the left flank, he would have his DAMNED price. 


So my one predator got immobilized in a ruin about 8" from the cult horde, and my sicaran changed and moved straight at the left corner, to avoid being caught in a pincer. and with the hope of being able to lure them out of the ruins, and shoot at them, or consolidate my firing into house after house

Altering the plan 

the field at the end of my turn three

 And at the onset of his turn four the mayhem continued, I lost another predator tank, and the contemptor bit it from consolidated firing.

Meanwhile it was time for my turn four (the last one, incidently)



My Veteran squad finally arrived from their LONG outflanking move, and while doing so managed to catch his deployment zone unawares. Firing two meltaguns and three combi weapons resulted in wiping his ten man tactical squad, and let me run into the now empty ruins. Garnering me another ruin to count points for and him with one less scoring unit.

Veteran sergeant Bielok moves to dislodge some Emperors chidlren 

Below is the remaining bulk of his forces. His Force commander surviving yet another battle to spread their debauchery among the general population.

Veteran sergeant Bielok gave the trigger of his bolter another squeeze and shattered another purple helmet making ruin of the astartes within. Wordlessly he led his bespoken veterans of the shattered path into the ruins, his vox trooper ensuring the integrity of the supply crate within. 
It was a thin line to thread he mused, to some his delayed arrival might seem TO fortuitous, he might seem to have arrived at just to perfect a moment to sway the flow of battle, yet he was confident that the harrowmaster would acknowledge him for his bold strike. It was not something his brother legions could appreciate, and brother legions he still considered them,despite the blood on his greaves proving such sentiment hollow, the twentieth appreciated and encouraged initiative, drive and yes, naked ambition, provided that it was for the good of the legion as a whole. For how could their drive to secure lord Alpharius resources succeed if his most able sons did not prove their worth in the coin he most valued? 

Pict of Veteran sergeant Bielok

And so it ended. 9-7, after all the dead had been tallied and the ruins counted.

His force commander gained a wound and got a better cover save in ruins, and i decided to make my Veteran sergeant a Centurion for the rest of the campaign

After rolling on the custom D20 my opponent gained an auxiliary drive and some extra bombs to distribute, and i gained the ability to fortify my deployment zone for one game.


A good, and bloody game.