The Battle For Mirum Ostentum Part #4

The post relates to the ongoing narrative campaign that is being run by my gaming group. All the missions used for the first phase use fixed forces and have clearly defined objectives. As we have six members two of us tested the missions before those whom had not seen the missions prior to them being played took control of the forces.

Table of Contents hide

1) Mission Raid on Vault 27591

1.1) Forces

1.2) Mission Objectives

Mission Raid on Vault 27591

Forces

Alpha legion

Sussuri (Preator with tartaros terminator armour, paragon blade, volkite charger, digital lasers, power dagger, iron halo)
Command squad (4 with tartaros terminator armour, 1 reaper autocannon, 3 banestrike combi bolters, 2 power fists, 2 chainfists
2 veteran tactical squads (10 men each, 2 meltaguns, sergeants with artificer armour, power swords, power daggers and melta bombs)
Legion Champion (Power sword, artificer armour, volkite serpenta, melta bombs, refractor field and power dagger)

Dark Angels

Ravenwing librarian (Mastery level 1, bike, force stave)
Ravenwing squad (6 bikers, 2 meltaguns, veteran sergeant with power sword, split into two 3 man units with one meltagun in each)
Ravenwing black knights (2 bikers and 1 huntsmaster, standard equipment)
2 deathwing terminator squads (5 models, 2 chainfists, 2 power fists, 1 assault cannon and sergeant with thunder hammer and storm shield) [Dark angel player decides at the start of any of his turns if he wants to bring in the deathwing.]
Interrogator chaplain (terminator armour)

Defensive Automata

Vorax (rotor cannons with bio ammo [range 15” poisoned 4+ on rotor cannons 4 shots ap -] and lightning gun) {Vorax entry point}
Castellax (1 multi melta and 2 flamers, 1 multi melta and 2 bolters) {Cast entry point}

Mission Objectives

The objective is to take the intel from the vault. The vault door is AV14 w/2 HP and must take at least one penetrating hit before it is breached (normal doors are av 13 1 hp).

Once the item is taken, a defensive automata will emerge from the Vorax point in the centre. Once the item reaches the tile adjacent to any of the other entry points the automata will move on and attempt to engage the carrier of the objective.

While carrying the objective the unit may only move 6” per player turn. They need to carry the objective off their respective table edge.

If the alpha legion retrieve the intel, then all the psychic models in the chaos forces from the second campaign phase onwards get one bonus power rolled from any rulebook or supplement, barring santic, in addition to any they would normally get. This does not raise their mastery level it simply provides a free power.

If the dark angels retrieve the intel, then there is a bonus to them potentially finding a member of the fallen during the campaign (phase 2 onwards).

Story Excerpt

18 hours until arrival of chaos fleet.

The Mastodon slowly ground its way through the hab block. Structures meant nothing to the bulk of the machine. Inside Susurri sat in his command centre and studied the state of the world as it stood at that moment.

Despite their initial successes in capturing Virgil and slowing the convoy, further actions had resulted in being met with a more structured response. Exuro and Keller had both failed and had been killed. Armillus was gathering data for the attack on the macro cannon battery. His task was to retrieve the item from the vault of a wealthy business man. The changeling had been most insistent that it was retrieved but it had taken time to locate its exact position.

Pulling up a data feed from Exodus he nodded. A cultist uprising was now in progress and the adeptus arbites precinct was now under siege. A bastion detonates as a demolition charge finds a weak point.

“TARGET IN NINETY SECONDS” the tank commander shouts over the internal com.

Susurri strides down into the belly of his Mastodon and nodded to his troops. Two veteran tactical squads, company champion Cole and his terminator command squad. A breacher squad stood ready to clean up after the mission was completed. Primus medicae Vetus would also remain behind.

The melta array on the front of the Mastodon fired melting through the hardened outer structure of the building before the nose of the vehicle rammed into the melted opening. The doors were forced open by the internal hydraulics creating an entrance, through this opening the two tactical squads moved out. Cole following as Susurri brought up the rear with his command squad. Firing up their melta’s the Alpha legion moved in.

—-

The ravenwing had been moving perfectly fine through the building until the Mastodon hit and sent shards of masonry down onto ground level. The librarian smashed his head into the console in front of him as one of his black knight bodyguard was hurled into a wall exploding in a fireball as he struck. Meltaguns tore through a bulkhead as the bikers raced further inside another one exploding as a superheated metal shard was sucked into the engine. Still they pushed forwards.

The Game

The Ravenwing move forwards and despite their skills two have died (one black knight and one marine) and the librarian has suffered a wound.

The Alpha legion move in with their terminator brethren following close behind.

Still unaware of each other’s presence the two forces continue to head towards the central chamber.

The alpha legion preator cleans up one squad of deathwing who deep struck in too close, the second unit having been misplaced as one of the alpha legion veteran tactical squad’s peels open the vault with their meltaguns.

As the terminators move into the vault a fight ensues between the black knights, librarian, the alpha legion champion and the veteran sergeant.

Having been reduced to two men the ravenwing retreat behind a nearby wall as the deathwing find a veteran tactical squad between them and their target as the defensive automata (vorax) moves in to intercept the Alpha Legion terminators.

As it was not hostile to them the two remaining ravenwing move out to aid the vorax and open fire on the alpha legion.

Coupled with a strong shooting phase and a vorax charge that ended when Susurri chopped it into sushi with his paragon blade the Deathwing took casualties from the veteran tactical squad losing three of their number in the ensuing overwatch and combat. The last survivor of the terminator command squad stands fast to try and hold up the deathwing so his commander can retrieve it. The second vorax moves in sights set on the intruder.

Having dealt with both the vorax and a deathwing interrogator chaplain charge Susurri is chased by the two ravenwing survivors.

Having survived against then killed the ravenwing Susurri takes two wounds from a Castellax before he manages to down it with his paragon blade. He limps off the table as the second Castellax approaches.

Story Excerpt

Fire from the first castellax caught him off guard and knocked him off-balance. As it charged he was again knocked as its bulk slammed into him. His armour held but he felt bones breaking inside as it struck him again with his fists. Pulling himself upright he struck out bisecting the mechanical monster. Stumbling forwards into the mastodon he collapsed onto his knees. The breacher squad ran forwards as a second Castellax moved into view.

“kill it” Sussurri rasped.

Fire from the breacher team tore into the Castellax before their two meltaguns put it down. Primus medicae Vetus gave Sussurri a painkiller infusion with his nartecium. “Clean it. But bring back the bodies and weapons.” Vetus stated as the breachers moved in.

“I have it” Sussurri states indicating the large container he had dragged into the Mastodon.

“What happened.”

“Dark Angels. Must have wanted the same thing we did.”

“Then rest for now and recover your strength.” Vetus adds. “You have earned it”

The breachers come running with some of the bodies as Vetus heads in to help them gather more.

Conclusion

This game was a lot of fun to watch and play for the participants. As in our test games the librarian failed completely to cast any psychic powers and the forces were very even despite Susurri the Alpha legion preator simply murdering everything that touched him with only the Castellax managing to do anything to him. It concussed him with its hammer of wrath attack that breached his 2+ save, it then removed another wound in close combat before the Paragon blade again dealt with it. Susurri was getting 6-7 swings with it as his base initiative value thanks power dagger + digital weapon combo.

In the test games one game ended when the defensive automata killed everyone, so we reduced the severity of their response, and the remaining two had both the dark angels and Alpha legion claim the objective and retrieve it. Although using death wing squads as shields only works while you can keep making storm shield saves.

Also at the end even the Dark angels player was rooting for Susurri to make it and we found out that if the second Castellax had managed to make it into combat it would have killed him. The only times during the game where the AL player had failed an armour save of any kind with him had been vs the first castellax.

With the dark lore retrieved all chaos models that generate psychic powers gain a bonus power from phase 2 onwards.