Sigmar's Blood (12) - The Whirligig of Astrakosh battle report

Kurtis Spangel shook his head, trying to clear it; the hum of the magical winds that constantly buzzed in his ears was being whipped to a tornado. He glanced to his left to the ranks of proud Nordland swordsmen who stood beside him, but could barely move his tongue to speak.
Glancing ahead of him he could see the reason why – a powerful vortex of untamed magic span in the landscape, sparks of raw power flying out from the centre. Gripping his staff Spangel forced himself to concentrate. He knew he must enter the vortex and speak the words of power, channelling the magical discharge through himself. Above all he must prevent other, darker powers from accessing the mighty forces unleashed by the vortex.

Even as he though this his eyes caught sight of movement beyond the pillar of raw magic. Called by the siren cry of the Whirligig like carrion to a corpse, the shambling warriors of Sylvania were intent on harnessing the magic to their own ends.

Urgh!

As the dark shapes closed in on the magic source, Spangel and the witchhunter Ingwer marshalled the Imperial forces forward. The handgun armed men of Nordland swarmed into the tower to take up shooting positions whilst the rest of the army advanced. Trailing deadly sparks in its wake a rocket lit up the darkening skies and plummeted to earth amidst the foul winged monsters lurking on the flank of the Sylvanian army. With a horrified cry Ingwer drew the wizard’s attention to spectral horsemen that galloped in front of the magical vent. Summoning the winds of magic into himself the young light wizard cast forth a powerful net of magic to ensnare the deathly riders, but the presence of the nearby vortex overloaded him with magical energy and sent him reeling, his mind wiped blank of the knowledge of spellcasting.

 Forward my proud knights!

Ride them down!

Stiffening his resolve Ingwer urged the men forward – if the incantation could not be cast he must ensure that the followers of darkness did not access the power for themselves. The field began to echo with the sound of black powder weapons discharging as the handgunners poured shot into the advancing dire wolves and the rockets blazed against the undead hordes. The militiamen from Middenheim formed up to block the advancing vampiric horrors whilst the Empire knights prepared to ride down the skeletons. Alas at the last their courage failed them and they flailed uselessly against their bony foes before fleeing, to their eternal shame!
However all was not well for the Sylvanians as with a crackling of energy the misshapen form of the Necromancer was flung from the whirligig amidst a storm of magical feedback.

Lalalalalalala!

Despite the damage wreaked upon them by its nightmarish rockets the howling forms of loathsome ghouls fell upon the ill-prepared crew of the Hellstorm and ripped them to bloody tatters. Whilst the shrieking form of an undead maiden struck knights from the saddle with her unearthly cries. Ingwer unleashed his pistols at the cowering Sylvanian magic user but to no avail as the vargheists tore through the men of Middenheim before hurling themselves on the handgunners in the tower and forcing them from the safety of its thick walls.

 Squawk,crash, thump,munch!

Try again.

Ingwer cursed as the forces of darkness began to close in. The incorporeal knights flew again and again through his men, leaving lifeless corpses in their wake. The knights of Sigmar’s Blood ran regained their valour and ran down the remaining skeletons but it was all too little to stem the tide. Clutching his hammer amulet and brandishing his pistols the witchhunter looked to sell his life dearly as the Sylvanian’s closed the circle about him….

This was a good fun game that allowed us to get a bit more to grips with the forces.
The early miscast by the light wizard did rather put paid to any chance of holding back the ethereal troops and the Vargheists proved tricky to stop, so it turned into something of a slaughter for the stout men of the Empire (no prizes for guessing which side I was in charge of).