Battle Report: The Bridge Over the River Chai - Turn 6

Battle Navigator

Prologue 

Meet The Contestants

Rules and Deployment

Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3

Turn 4

Turn 5

Turn 6 (you are here)

Turn 7

Turn 8

Turn 9

Turn 10

Epilogue

Turn 6

Turn 6 is just chaos. Unmitigated, random, chaos. The dwarves suffer one casualty, whilst the orcs get the turn prize for killing the most... orcs.

Turn 6 starts like this:

The turn starts like this

Movement Phase

Master B'tor continues to flee after his stinging defeat by Morgrim. The dark elf crossbowmen know better than to question their captain and watch him pass by without a word.

The terrifying onslaught of Meedy Ochre is enough to send Suderfedd's (suddenly not so) Big Boy's Brigade running, but not fast enough to avoid a nasty beating for a couple of orcs. Looking to save face, Rogaine charges the giant with his boar cavalry, startling the stupid creature and causing it to rout.

Also, Wineghum's mystic mist dissipates, granting the dwarf warmachine crews cherished access to light and targets. Ethan Ohl, previously of the cannon crew, joins the Earthquaker crew and helps them tend to their wounded and prepare the machine to fire.

Over on the orc side, Rogaine's Lamentable Regiment of Boworcs watches as the goblins battle desperately with the Fireaxes and charge in to help. Well - not to help, as such, but just to hit dwarves. Certainly one of the top five activities orcs like to get up to.

Actions

GM:

Mystic Mist

Ended and disappeared

Airbornegrove:

MO

Charged @ SBB, pursued @ SBB, moved 12", wounded 2, routed

MF

Routed off the table

CC

Joined EC

F

Turned around, moved forward 3"

Thantsants:

RGH

Charged @ MO, pursued @ MO, wheeled left 4", moved 8"

RLR

Charged @ S, moved forward 3.5"

S1

Charged @ F, wheeled right 1.5", moved forward 4.5"

MB

Routed forward 14"

SBB

Routed

W

Moved 5" @ cliff face

CGC

Turned left

SQC

Moved forward 3", wheeled right 1"

WoP

Moved forward 5"

Shooting Phase

Unfortunately, the nigh-unstoppable goblins, having surprisingly and successfully pushed the dwarves back for two consecutive turns, are undone by their artillery support.

The orc man mangler crew, having selected the Firehammers as the target, fail miserably to land their stone anywhere near those dwarves, placing the stone instead on the Steelaxes. Firehammers? Steelaxes? I know, they sounded similar, didn't they? Easy to confuse the two, really.

Anyway, they kill a dwarf.

But they also manage to kill 5 goblins and 4 orcs. So Kibarkid's lot, having so far been the underdogs of the match, let up against the dwarves and flee in horror as they realise that the sky is falling in.

Actions

Airbornegrove:

A1C

Shot @ GF, wounded 3

A2C

Shot @ SQC, wounded 2

E

Shot @ CGC deviated, missed

Thantsants:

SC

Shot @ EC, missed

MM

Shot @ F deviated @ S, K3C, RLR, wounded 1, 5, 4

K3C

Routed

***

"Ow! Waddidja do that for!" Nayz Ulsprai squealed, rubbing his head where he'd been cuffed.

"Look wot yer gone an' done!" Pannerdol barked, jabbing his finger into the sky.

Nayz followed the distant rock as it descended into a cluster of greenskins close to the river. "Wosn't me," he whined.

"Was too! If yer'd been doin' yer job instead of gawping at the giant like some kid at a circus, we'd have been dead on! But we ain't, are we?" He looked at the ruckus that was ensuing. "Great - now they's runnin' away. Good job, genius!"

"Aw boss - s'only goblins!"

"S'only Kibarkid's lot, is wot it is. You wait 'til I tell 'im it was you wot shot 'im! You know he's a biter!"

Bennilinn, who was watching Pannerdol berate Nayz from the other side of the Man Mangler, instinctively reached his hand down to protect his crotch. There were many rumours of Kibarkid's reputed savagery - and none of them had any happy endings for anyone taller than him. 

Ibupp Rowfenn also shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Kibarkid. Still, Kibarkid was all the way down there (and possibly dead - he might have been killed by Nayz, after all), so he moved on to the thing that was really concerning him. 

"What's a genius?"

"It's a knob, like Nayz over here!" Pannerdol spat. 

"But I ain't never seen a giant before! An' I ain't never seen Rogaine chasin' one neither!"

"Look - quit yer whinin' and thank whatever god that spawned you that you's got two balls, cos once Kibarkid gets ya..." Pannerdol snapped his teeth shut. 

"Is that what happened to Rogaine?" Ibupp asked, addressing the crew generally. 

"Wot, Kibarkid?"

"Yeah. He's only got one 'nad left, ain't he? Rogaine?"

Bennilinn locked eyes with Ibupp. "Nah...surely not?"

Nayz looked up. "Cor! Really? Kibarkid an' Rogaine?"

Ibupp shrugged. "I dunno. Alls I know is Rogaine is only half the orc he used to be, if you gets my drift-"

"As will you be if you don't get this damn thrower loaded! Get on with it, you gossiping wenches!" Pannerdol screeched as he rained blows down on any crew members he could reach. 

***

Combat Phase

In what turned out to be a very quiet combat phase, the dwarves quietly dispatched pretty much everything they were facing. The now ethereal skeletons were clearly no match for the dwarven elites and winked out of existence.

Possibly a little stunned from the orc missile strike, the Steelaxes kill all but one orc, who finally reaches an understanding of his situation and runs away. In their mercy, the Steelaxes watch the little feller run off (Ed: don't dwarves hate all greenskins?).

Actions

S1 vs F

Round 1

Modifiers

S1

charged

F

none

Attacks

A1 I2

Skeleton2 <- Dwarf10 (1W)

A1 I2

Skeleton3 <- Dwarf5 (1W)

Results

S1

+1 (charged) = 1

F

+2 (wounds) = 2

I vs S2

Round 1

Modifiers

S2

none

I

follow-up

Attacks

A1 I2

Skeleton1 <- Dwarf4 (std) (1W)

A1 I2

Skeleton2 <- Dwarf3 (1W)

A1 I2

Skeleton3 <- Dwarf2

A1 I2

Skeleton4 <- Dwarf1 (1W)

Results

S1

0

F

+1 (follow-up) +3 (wounds) = 4

RLR vs S

Round 1

Modifiers

RLR

charged

S

none

Attacks

A1 I2

Orc1 (std) -> Dwarf2

A1 I1

Orc1 (std) <- Dwarf2 (1W)

A1 I2

Orc2 -> Dwarf1 (mus)

A1 I1

Orc2 <- Dwarf1 (mus) (1W)

Results

RLR

+1 (charged) = 1

S

+2 (wounds) = 2

Free Hack 1

A1 I1

Orc1 <- Dwarf2 (1W)

A1 I1

Orc2 <- Dwarf1 (1W)

Reserves Phase

There's nothing much to say about the reserves phase. Still, there is a certain beauty in the orc line and how it seems to have every direction on the compass covered...

Actions

Airbornegrove:

F

Turned left, changed formation to 4 files (2nd manoeuvre), moved forward 2.5"

S

Moved forward 2", halts within 4" of RLR

A2C

Changed formation to 4 files

Thantsants:

WoP

Wheeled left 1.5", moved forward 1", halts within 4" of F

SQC

Moved forward 1", failed 2nd manoeuvre

Magic Phase

Wineghum casts mystic mist again. The spell choice presents no problems, but the target does offer a mini-dilemma: cast the spell on his own man-mangler and try and save some of his army, or try and confound the approaching dwarves, who are getting awfully close now that he's run out of undead.

In the end, you can always rely on a goblin to save his own skin.

Actions

GM:

Mystic Mist

Rolled 1D3 dice in secret

Thantsants:

W

Casted Mystic Mist @ F and I, 6 MP remaining

Rallying Phase

Master B'tor rallies! Aching both physically and emotionally, Master B'tor has occasion to pause and reflect on things. A true captain, he elects not to leave his men (elves?) behind, and returns to the fray. Besides, how many feet does one need, anyway? Surely that's why we've all got spares?

Actions

Thantsants:

MB

Rallied

***

Master B'tor patted Sea Biscuit, using a gentle rhythm and the barest hushing sounds to bring the beast to a standstill. It offered an inquisitive growl as it turned to sniff at its master's bloody stump where once a foot had been.

"No, no," the elf said gently. "No eating for now. That's. My. Leg." He grunted in pain as the realisation of what happened flooded through his nervous system.

Slowly, he turned sideways and slid down the side of the cold one, making sure he had a firm grip on the rein. Sea Biscuit and himself had been through a lot together and many other cold one riders were jealous of his control over the giant lizard, but now was not the time to drop his guard. Cold ones responded to blood - and right now, he was the only one doing the bleeding.

Gingerly,  he shifted his weight onto his left foot. He rubbed the beasts neck as he cooed and sushed, leaning up against it as he looked around. Finding a suitable rock, he dropped to all fours to secure the reigns under the boulder. Sea Biscuit should stay relatively calm here, he reasoned.

He crawled away from the cold one, getting himself to a safe distance in case something happened and the creature attacked.

"Right," he said to himself. "You've seen this done hundreds of times, right?"

Right. But you've never had to do it. And you've never had to do it to you. 

He dug a small hole and pushed whatever leaves and twigs he could reach from his sitting position into it. He tore away the ruined trouser leg and bundled the bloody rags into the hole too, making up the base for a small fire. Finally, he pulled out his hip flask and poured most of the contents onto the cloth. He poured most of the rest of the flask onto his stump - shit, that stings something awful! - before pouring the final measure down his throat.

The whisky had been filtered for sixty years - even by elven standards, the stuff was smooth. What a shame he was going to burn it. He clacked his flint stones together, sighing as the liquor soaked materials caught the sparks and whooshed to life.

He stared at the base of the fire for a short while. The pain was there, but it was in the background now.   Perhaps he didn't have to do this? He looked at his stump. Blood oozed through the haggard, dirty mess.

"Nothing for it, son," he'd heard himself say to his crew when this sort of thing happened to them. "I don't need crew with infections. Bite on this..."

Good point. He loosened his belt, folding it double and clutched it between his teeth. He pulled his dagger from its sheath. He trusted this blade. It was the sharpest thing he owned. Curiously, it had never drawn blood. Fitting, perhaps, that he should punish himself with it first - he had been an idiot, after all. He'd been far too eager to skewer the damned dwarf to realise the dwarf had a plan.

His eyes spotted a suitable stone just next to him. About the size of his hand and very heavy. "You'll do," he said to it as he picked it up. He stretched his wounded leg out, pointing his aching stump towards the fire. He settled the edge of his dagger against his shin, just a little higher than the wound. He held the stone up high.

One...

He held his breath.

Two...

He bit deeply into the belt

Three...

He closed his eyes.

Now!

***

Sea Biscuit roared in fright as he heard his master's voice screech through bloody teeth. The creature wrenched at the reins, rearing and snapping.

"Easy, Sea Biscuit," he heard Master B'tor say. "Easy." The elf sounded... different. Weaker.

The cold one sniffed as it detected the smell of burning flesh. He looked at the fire, cocking his head.

"Here. Got. Something. For you."

Sea Biscuit's eye narrowed as it tracked the little chunk of flesh that sailed through the air...

***

Master B'tor nodded his approval as he watched the cold one snatched the chunk of leg he tossed out of the air. "Good boy."

The pain in the now shorter (but clean) stump was much worse the second time. "I guess that's because I knew it was going to happen," he grunted. He looked at the deep bite he'd left in his belt before wrapping it around his leg and binding it as tightly as he could.

Hurts like a bitch, that does. The burn was more painful than the cut, he reasoned. Absolute bitch!

Gently, he rolled onto all-fours, before tentatively raising himself upright.

You can do this. 

He hopped closer to the cold one.

And again. 

And again. 

One more time. 

Sea Biscuit seemed to be looking at him as if evaluating Master B'tor's worthiness to ride him. Elf and cold one stared at each other, neither gaze shifting. Slowly, Master B'tor brought his left hand around in front of him, pulling the creatures stare down to his hand with the movement. In that instant, his right hand shot out and punched the beast squarely on the nose.

"Behave yourself - you don't want another piece of this!" he growled as he grabbed the reins and hauled himself up onto the stunned creature's back.

He yanked on the reins and kicked Sea Biscuit firmly in the ribs, directing the cold one to run back towards the dwarves.

"Now. Let's go kill me a dwarf..."

***

Battle Navigator

Prologue 

Meet The Contestants

Rules and Deployment

Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3

Turn 4

Turn 5

Turn 6 (you are here)

Turn 7

Turn 8

Turn 9

Turn 10

Epilogue