Fredrik Thunderblown surveyed the battlefield, dozens of men from the March of the Red Comet lay groaning in agony among the far fewer and larger bodies of the hunchbacked orcs they had found as the vanguard had scouted the next section of woodland that the Dawnbringer crusade would have to traverse.
To their dismay, they had crested the rise to see a mob of Kruleboyz arrayed in the clearing. Before the Order forces could make a hasty retreat guttural shouts of surprise had sounded from the orruk lines and wickedly barbed bolts were flying over their heads.
Shouting hasty orders, Fredrik had arrayed his force into sloppy battlelines. While he directed The Redstreaks to target the giant bolt thrower at the rear of the Orruk lines the flagellants disregarded all efforts of command, even from the towering Stormcast and rushed forward.
Before Fredrik could take proper stock of the battlefield, he was attacked by goblin ridden wolves. Taking a couple of flesh wounds he was able to dispatch the trio of scouts with his mighty hammer. Meanwhile the combined fire of the Red Streaks and Dorlia, who had found a perch in some ruins, managed to pepper the Orruk bolthrower with enough bolts of their own to knock it out of commission.
In dismay, Fredrik watched the poorly armed and armored flagellants rush towards the brissling line of Kurleboys with their snarling shields. As lightening flashed across the battlefield, hitting the Orruks infantry and their leader pacing behind them, Symin's magic at work, Fredrick saw a group of Orruks shulking behind a stand of trees, including one with a giant skull on it's back.The flagellants crashed into the snarling shields of the Orruks. Human screams and Orruk snarls rang out. Flagellant after flagellant was cut down by the jagged spears of the Orruks but for ever human that fell another filled their place, swinging crude instruments of war in a faith induced frenzy. And, as the humans fell, so did a few of the Orruks under the overwhelming weight of attacks.
As the flagellants numbers dwindled, Fredrik issued orders to the Red Streaks to find breaks in the action to fire into the Orruk line. Between them, the few remaining flagellants, and Dorlia's eagle eyed sniping, the Orruk infantry was finally driven off the battlefield, along with their leader.
As the Kruleboys infantry either died or fled, Fredrik saw the other Orruks, carrying crude crossbows emerge from behind a copse of trees on his left flank. Soon a crossbow duel broke out between Dorlia, the Red Streaks, and the ranged Kruleboys. Many Red Streaks and even Dorlia herself were knocked out of the fight due to the posion applied to the Kruleboyz bolts by their shaman but the targeted precision of the Dawnbringer's attacks nd Fredricks demands to hold the line eventually caused the few remaining Kruleboys to slink into the shades as the sun set on the battle field.
Short Summary
This was the third battle I have fought with my "Crimson Dawn" Cities of Sigmar Path to Glory but is the first game that was not a team game (making a narrative battle report easier). In this game, I had a Freeguild General (Fredrik Thunderblown), a battlemage (Symin Cometborn), Graval of the Scarlet Bloom (Lord Relictor), 10 crossbowmen (the Red Streaks), 20 flagellants (the Cometborn), 10 flagellants (the Fevered Host).
I managed to get 44 attacks in due getting the charge off and then the Kruleboyz shields killing 8 before I attacked. Other highlights were the crossbows not moving and utilizing the general's command ability to hit on 3s and wound on 2s while getting double attacks (until the first one died). Dorlia was also great at blinking the final wounds off of the Kruleboyz general and big bolt thrower.
A little bit of background.
The idea behind this path to glory force is that Fredrik Thunderblown is from a relatively small noble house (the Bloodroot Tower, old keep starting territory) in Hammerhal and has worked to secure his place as leader of a Dawnbringer Crusade (the March of the Red Comet, which is the name of the stronghold). Fredrick has brought along his house's mage, and his personal bodyguard of greatswords (The Thundersorched Guard) and crossbowmen (The Red Streaks) while a large number of zealots from Hammerhal have come along due to Graval (the Lord Relictor) seeming to indicate Fredrik's connection to Sigmar by joining the Crusade. As a bonus, Dorlia ven Denst has accompanied the crusade so far, even though no one seems to know her motives at the moment.
