Lizardmen:
Level 4 Slann – lore of light– Focused Rumination – Higher state of consciousness – cupped hands of the old ones
Saurus scar-vet – cold one – burning blade – BSB – ???
25 saurus warriors – spears – FC
25 saurus warriors – spears – FC
5 cold one cavalry – FC
Stegadon
2 salamanders
2 salamanders

VC:
Marwolaeth – vampire lord – Lvl 3 – fencers blades – helm of commandment – charmed shield – earthing rod – lord of the dead – master of the black arts – forbidden lore (death)
Mor Go Sol – Wight king – BSB – shield – drakenhoff banner
Ibeneba – Necromancer – Invocation – raise dead – dance – dispel scroll
25 skeleton warriors – FC
18 skeleton warriors – FC
14 ghouls – ghast
33 grave guard – FC – great weapons – banner of the barrows
4 Wraiths

The battle field had a house close to the enemies deployment zone and some woods near to it. Not much else of the terrain mattered.

As Marwolaeth looked across the battlefield he saw from his left to right: salamanders – salamanders – saurus – cold one cav with BSB – Saurus – stegadon and the slann in the backfield in my deployment zone Marwolaeth himself had ordered the following formation: From Left to right: Wraiths – ghouls – 25 Skeletons – Grave guard with wight king – and the other skeletons were behind the graveguard with Marwolaeth and the necromancer.

Turn 1 VC:
Marwolaeth took the initiative and ordered everything to surge forward. In the magic phase he killed one of the salamanders with spirit leech. Not much else of interest happened.

Turn 1 Lizardmen:
The Slaan moved into the building and most everything moved forward jousting for position. In the magic phase the slann cast banishment on the graveguard but killed only 2. Then he casted the speed of light on the cav and miscasted. This was when his true nature came out. The slann handed the miscast over to Marwolaeth. Marwolaeth felt the buildup of magic inside and felt himself about to explode. He could survive the blast but his unit would perish. Quickly he planted the earthing rod solidly in the ground to channel the energy away from him. That is when it happened. Instead of diverting the energy more energy came to him from the ground. Marwolaeth did everything he could to divert the energy but it just kept growing stronger. Soon a large blast appeared on the battle field and Marwolaethwas gone. All that was left was a closing vortex of the dimensional cascade that had sucked him up. Most of the skeletons shattered and Ibeneba was wounded from the blast. The army felt the magic pull from their bodies without their master there. They were trying to hold on and Ibeneba worked hard to keep everything together. And she succeeded as only 2 skeletons fell to the ground.

Turn 2 VC:
It was getting harder to keep everything together and 2 wraiths disappeared along with 3 grave guard and 7 skeletons. The grave guard wanted to avenge their master and charged the saurus. In the magic phase Ibeneba tried to heal the skeletons but another miscast appeared and it overloaded her magic causing her to forget how to cast magic at all. The grave guard were struck by the saurus whom killed 3 graveguard but the grave guard killed 12 saurus in return. Not much could save the saurus now as they turned to run. However the BSB growled loud and made the saurus reconsider and with insane courage they stayed.

Turn 2 Lizardmen:
The stegadon and the cold one cav each charged a flank of the grave guard and caused an insane number of casualties and the grave guard crumbled to the ground. The rest of the magic that had held them together

Turn 3 VC:
Most of the rest of the VC army crumbles due to bad rolling on the crumble tests. The battle ends here.

Meanwhile deep into the chaos wastes the dimensional gate opened. Marwolaeth was thrown out right at the feet of a bloodthirster. It all made sence now, the uneasy feeling before the battle and the difference in the slann. The slann had recognized Marwolaeth as a greater evil then his age old arch rivals the demons and joined forces providing Khorne to suck Marwolaeth back into the chaos wastes. Marwolaeth had proven to strong of a adversary for the slann and the slann decided to let the demons do the dirty work. Surely Khorne would take his revenge on Marwolaeth and he would never been heard from again. The feeling he had gotten from the slann was him being tainted by chaos.

The time in the dimensional gate had seemed like centuries. What had been a few seconds in the mortal world have been centuries of torture in the gate. However Marwolaeth did not do what was expected. The gate had been filled with agony, death and insanity. His body was now twisted and deformed into the beast he really was inside. But his mind blocked out the torture that had deformed it. It was too busy soaking up all the gate had to offer. The things that made others insane were inspiring to him. The winds of magic were insanely powerful and Marwolaeth absorbed them instead of fight them. Now he was face to face with his assassin send by his former master. But Marwolaeth had felt now what it was to be the master without having one and he was not going to give it up. Being gravely outclassed physically by the bloodthirster he called upon the magic he had gathered in the dimensional gate. He spoke out the spell he had used so often to bring death to his adversaries and drained their spirit. Under normal circumstances this would never work on the creature such as the bloodthirster but the power Marwolaeth had gathered made the casting so powerful that the spirit was sucked right out of the bloodthirster. The giant fell to his knees trying to recover but Marwolaeth crossed his fencers blades on his throat and cut his head right off in one quick swoop. The head rolled before his feet and he knew that cutting Khorne’s greatest champions head off was the final cut he needed in his ties with the deamon.

Marwolaeth set out to find his army and after a few days travel he reached the edge of the chaos wastes. Soon he reached the keep where he found his army, crumbled but intact. The slann had been confident that Marwolaeth would never return and did not see a need to burn the remains of his army. Marwolaeth use the last bit of his powerful magic he had gathered from the dimensional gate to raise his army in one spell. Now his army was complete again and the tower was ready.

Marwolaeth was ready to set out. He had heard rumors of a bay that was filled with life. It was green and there would be many spirits to leech and make his own. Particulary he had heard of a band of elves hiding in the woods. These fragile beings would make a great place to start. They might not be worthy opponents but Marwolaeth did not care, he had no interest in glory, only in death! The march for the green bay was on!

Hero of Legend Tracker:

Paul Wagner: 4

Abe Warpinski: 1

Danny Seaton: 2

Sean Carreros: 1

Miel Vermullen: 7

Matt Herrbold: 2

So he started planning for the next steps. It would take some time but he had his trusted necromancer Ibeneba design a new keep. A keep that would be able to move with the army so he could go to these cities without risking getting into a bad spot with no protection. He could stand the light of day but it was not enjoyable. His magic seemed weaker. It was still strong enough to do battle but not to revive his troops after particularly bloody battles. In the keep he had been able to hide from the sun and recharge so he could keep his army to strength but without the keep he could get in real trouble. Ibeneba had been his loyal subject, she used to be his lover in times past when his earthly feeling mattered. Now she was like him but not nearly as powerful. She too had gotten addicted to the feeling of death all around her. As much as she enjoyed ripping out some poor souls heart only to take a bite she had made her good use of her beauty and powers of seduction to kill. With Marwolaeth she had seen people die in droves and wanted more. Sure she missed doing the killing herself but there were always a few unfortunate souls left on the battle field that were unlucky enough to be too hurt to run but had survived the battle. She enjoyed playing with them as a cat plays with a mouse before the kill. Mor Go Sol whom was Marwolaeth’s second in command during his life in service of Khorne was always happy to make sure he would maim a few opponents just so Ibeneba would stick around. Mor Go Sol was the opposite of Ibeneba, he needed to be in the middle of the carnage to feel the power of death. He was in it for the kills. Slaying opponents and impaling his adversaries with his blade was what kept him going.

While Marwolaeth revived his fallen soldiers, Ibeneba designed the new keep. It was a tall tower, plated with stone, wood and steel. The tower was mounted on a huge cart and could be pushed by a horde of skeletons. The tower would not only serve as a mobile refuge but it would also work as a siege tower. If Marwolaeth would want to assault cities he would need a way to get his troops in. The design was perfect, however the materials were not all there. The stones from keep could be used and the wood could be gathered from the woods nearby. Marwolaeth send out Zijver, the corpse carts and the knights to harvest the wood. Zijver’s mighty claws could fell trees like they could fell men and the corpse carts would be able to transport the would back. The knights would make sure they would not get bothered in their tasks. There was still something missing though. The steel for armor plating of the tower. The ghouls gathered the steel from the battlefield. The area around the tower was littered with weapons and armor of the past few battles. This was not enough however but a few more battles and they would have enough. But would anyone still come for them? He had driven off most of the forces of good that came to stop him and even the forces of khorne that were looking to bring him back to Khorne for “justice” were dispatched.

Then one of the ghouls approached him. As they were gathering the steel from the area around the keep they had spotted a monster. The monster had 5 heads and was breathing fire. It was followed by a horde of dark elves. The news of Marwolaeth coming to the Old World had reached Naggaroth and the Dark Elves were looking to see if Marwolaeth would join their effort to defeat the forces of good in the Old World. Marwolaeth was not interested and gathered his army. He was thirsting for death as it had been several moons ago since the last battle and he needed the steel from the dark elf army for his tower. Battle ensued.

Dark Elves:
Level 4 Supreme sorceress – lore of metal – black dragon egg – pendant of Khaeleth – ???
Death hag – cauldron of blood – BSB
20+ Warriors – FC
5 dark riders
18 Corsairs – FC – Extra HW
12 Repeater crossbowmen – FC
5 Cold one knights – FC – Whip of agony
5 shades – extra HW
2X 8 harpies
Hydra

VC:
Marwolaeth – vampire lord – Lvl 3 – fencers blades – helm of commandment – book of arkhan – lord of the dead – master of the black arts – forbidden lore (death)
Mor Go Sol – Wight king – BSB – shield – drakenhoff banner
Ibeneba – Necromancer – Invocation – dance – dispel scroll
26 skeleton warriors – FC
22 skeleton warriors – FC
14 ghouls
33 grave guard – FC – great weapons – banner of the barrows
4 Wraiths

The battlefield had some blood woods in the middle, a rivery area in my left deployment zone with a sphinx and a altar of Khaine, a house in my opponents deployment zone on my left. In his deployment zone on my mid right was a temple of skulls and next to the blood forest was a ghost fence. The scenario was Blood and glory.

As Marwolaeth looked across the battlefield he saw from his left to right: Hydra – xbowmen – warriors with sorceress – caulderon of blood – harpies – knights on temple of skulls – dark riders – harpies – shades in my deployment zone by the altar of khaine.

Marwolaeth himself had ordered the following formation: From Left to right: 25 Skeletons – Grave guard with wight king – 26 Skeletons – wraiths. The ghouls were behind the wraiths and the other skeletons were behind the graveguard with Marwolaeth and the necromancer.

Turn 1 DE:
The cauldron of blood gave 5+ WS to the knights whom positioned better on the temple of skulls. The right harpies and dark riders circled around to get in my back field. Magic and shooting killed 1 skeleton and 1 grave guard.

Turn 1 VC:
Marwolaeth ordered everyone to move forward. Marwolaeth cast spirit leech on the sorceress and caused 1 wound. The Wraiths make it past the forest and the big unit of skeletons hid behind the ghost fence to not give the knights the benefit of their lances.

Turn 2 DE:
The warriors get a 5+ WS from the cauldron. The knight champion prays on the temple of skulls and gets sucked into the chaos void. This means they lost their magic weapon to take on the wraiths. The sorceress eats her dragon egg and charges the wraiths but trips over her dress and goes only 1” forward. The shades fail to charge the flank of Marwolaeth’s unit. The harpies and knights get in position to flank and rear charge the skellies and the knights get ready to charge the front. The corsairs move within 1” in front of wraithsto block them from charging anything else and the other harpies move over the woods and threaten the rear of Marwolaeth’s unit Magic/shooting kills a few more grave guard. The corsairs get a 5+ scaly skin save.

Turn 2 VC:
The Wraiths charge the corsairs. The ghouls charge the flank of the knights who flee. The skeletons turn around to refuse the flank/rear charges from the dark riders/harpies. The grave guard charge the lone sorceress and she flees through the warriors. The grave guard redirect into the warriors and make it in. In the magic phase the hydra takes 4 wounds from spirit leech and the other direct damage spell finishes of the hydra. The warriors get doom and darkness cast on them but the miscast kills 10 skeletons and put a wound on Marwolaeth. The wraiths kill 2 corsairs and lose by 1 but are in range of the BSB. The warriors kill 1 grave guard and I kill 12 warriors in return. They are still steadfast but with doom and darkness they still break and get run down by the grave guard whom make the sorceress run again and she runs of the board.

Turn 3 DE:
The shades charge the flank of Marwolaeth’s unit and the harpies charge the rear. The xbowmen go into the house. The knights rally. The dark riders move to the flank of the skeletons again. No magic or shooting. The corsairs get the 5+ WS. Marwolaeth moves in contact with the shades and kills 3 of them. The DE win the combat but Marwolaeth, Ibeneba and 9 skeletons survive. 5 of the corsairs die but they hold.

Turn 3 VC:
The grave guard turn to go after the x-bowmen. The ghouls move to the flank of the corsairs and are danced in. Marwolaeth’s unit gets regrown and gets ASF and reroll hits from the dance. The skeletons move to face the dark riders again. Marwolaeth kills the rest of the shades and some of the harpies. The harpies run. The corsairs run too and the battle is over.

Marwolaeth grunted, these damn elves don’t wear enough armor. The construction of the tower has been started. With minimal losses to his troops Marwolaeth could focus on getting this thing build so soon he would be ready to spread death over the Old World.

Hero of Legend Tracker:

Paul Wagner: 3

Abe Warpinski: 1

Danny Seaton: 2

Sean Carreros: 1

Miel Vermullen: 5

Matt Herrbold: 2

Congratulations to Miel Vermullen, our October Winner.  Here is an exerpt from his story, Marwolaeth:

Paul Wagner: 3

Abe Warpinski: 1

Danny Seaton: 2

Sean Carreros: 1

Miel Vermullen: 3

Matt Herrbold: 2

Congratulations to Miel Vermullen, our September Winner.  Here is an exerpt from his story, Marwolaeth:

To Marwolaeth shock Zijver did not follow him to the keep. The magic within him had transformed not just his body but had also warped his mind. The dragon was confused between loyalty to his master and instinct. Zijver took to the air and flew north, back to the wastes. Somehow Marwolaeth knew that their paths would cross again.

Upon return to the keep Marwolaeth searched the keep hoping Zijver had returned but there was no sign of him. He did however discover a secret passage in the cellar. The passage led to a crypt where 4 priest were laid to rest. Their robes tattered and their flesh decayed. From items within the crypt it appeared that the crypt was build way before the keep ever was. They must have been there for over a 1000 years. Marwolaeth always looking for more allies in his quest for death decided to try and raise them. He focused but it was not to be. They needed to be taken outside, where the winds blew stronger. Carefully the bodies were brought to the tower of the keep. However when he had the coffins opened the bodies looked more decayed then he had ever seen. The wind was strong however. Maybe too strong. Marwolaethstarted the raising, but just as he got started the winds picked up and insane amounts of power flowed through him. However the storm was taking its toll on the bodies. They turned to dust and the winds started to carry the dust over. Marwolaeth hurried and cast his spell. However when the final words were spoken the bodies were all but gone. He had failed.

Then the storm started to take new form. Four small whirlwinds appeared. In each the dust of the bodies collected to form the outline of their former bodies. When all the dust was collected the whirlwinds disappeared and their stood 4 robes priests ready to serve their new master. Their bodies looked odd though. Grainy like a sand castle and seconds later the dust fell to the ground in small heaps again. But there was something odd. There was a faint green/gray outline where the bodies had been and they were still moving. There was nothing earthly about these bodies and when Marwolaeth tried to touch them all he felt was death but no matter. He smiled, this could be his greatest creation yet.

However there was no time to waste. Through the bodies of his new minions he saw a horde approaching from the north. This was it. He knew that Khorne was coming for him. He had always known Khorne would never let him leave. Death before disobedience. Marwolaeth gathered his forces and met his former masters army on the grounds north of the keep.
He was met by a messenger telling him that if he would return with them now and renew his vow to serve Khorne he would be spared of an eternity of agony. Marwolaeth beheaded the messenger and infused the head of him with enough magic to deliver the message. Then he mounted the head on the horse with a spear and send it back to his enemies.

The battle was on.
Marwolaeth army:
Marwolaeth – vampire lord – General – LVL3 – master of the black arts – skull staff – helm of command – charmed shield – lord of the dead – forbidden lore (death)
Necormancer – IoN – VanHels dance – dispel scroll
Whight king – BSB – shield – Drakenhoff banner
25 Skeletons – FC – Light armor – shields
19 Skeletons – FC – Light armor – shields
14 ghouls
34 Grave Guard – FC – great weapons – banner of the barrows
4 wraiths

Khornes legion:
Sorcerer lord – LVL 4 (shadow) – demonic mount
Exalted hero of Khorne – BSB – Juggernaut
40 Khorne mauraders – FC – great weapons
20 Khorne warriors – FC – helbards
5 khorne ogres – great weapons – banner and musso
2 nurgle spawns
Hell cannon

Battlefield: The field was very open and all terrain was considered normal. One woods in the center left of the table. The rest didn’t really come into play.

Deployment:
VC: Central deployment with left to right: the wraiths, 25 skeletons, grave guard with wight king, ghouls. The 19 skeletons with the necro and Marwolaeth.
Chaos: my left to right: Warriors, sorcerer lord and BSB behind each other, hell cannon, marauders, ogres.

Turn 1 VC:
Marwolaeth took the initiative and moved forward. He wanted death and lots of it. Everything moved forward. Magic blew strong and Marwolaeth attempted to spirit leech the sorcerer lord and got it off but his mind control was not strong enough to cause the sorcerer any harm. He tried again with the Caress of Laniph but only and the sorcerer lord failed to dispel. Marwolaeth only managed to do 1 wound to the sorcerer lord. Finally he casted doom and darkness on the hell cannon.

Turn 1 Chaos:
The marauders failed their restrain to charge and fell short (needed a 15” charge). The hell cannon still covered by the darkness failed to restrain headed straight for the closest enemy unit. The BSB joined the marauders and the sorcerer lord joined the warriors. Everything else moved forward. Magic was uneventful and the hell cannon could not shoot.

Turn 2 VC:
The wraiths charged the first spawn and made it in and the grave guard charged the warriors and the ghouls charged the ogres. The skeletons moved to block the marauders from charging Marwolaeth’s unit. Magic saw failure to kill the BSB and raised a few skeletons. In combat Marwolaeth telepathically infused the wraiths with his martial powers and they killed the spawn and overran into the other spawn. The ghouls only managed a single wound on the ogres (out of 21 poison attacks) and the ogres killed only 5 or 6. After combat res there were only 5 ghouls left. The sorcerer lord issued a challenge which was accepted by the champion. Neither manager to wound the other and the warriors killed 8 grave guard but 4 were magically protected by the drakenhoff banner. The sorcerer lord felt good about his body guards. Nobody could match the martial powers of chaos warriors. However when the dust settled all 20 warriors lay dead. The sorcerer lord spurred his demonic steed and ran 11”. The blood lust of the grave guard infused them with speed and they ran down the sorcerer lord.

Turn 2 Chaos:
The hell cannon again failed its restrain (still affected by doom and darkness) and charged into the rear of the grave guard. The marauders charged the skeletons. No magic or shooting. In combat the hell cannon killed 2 grave guard and the grave guard did 1 in return and managed to reform to face the demonic contraption. The skeletons (infuced with Marwolaeth martial powers) killed 4 marauders and the marauders killed 14 skeletons (after combat res) in return. The wraiths managed only a single wound on the spawn. The ghouls killed a ogre but got butchered in return.

Turn 3 VC:
Marwolaeth and his unit moved quickly out of the path of the marauders (so they couldn’t be charged if they would destroy the skeletons. Magic saw Marwolaeth and his unit dance a bit further out of the way and regrow a few skeletons. The wraiths whiffed against the spawn and the grave guard put a few more wounds on the hell cannon. It had only 1 wound left. The skeletons killed 3 more marauders but only a hand full of skeletons survived (mainly due to WS7).

Turn 3 Chaos:
The ogres moved in position to support the marauders against the oncoming grave guard. In combat the wraiths killed the spawn and the grave guard lost 3 more but killed the hell cannon. The skeletons whiffed and got slaughtered.

Turn 4 VC:
The grave guard charged the marauders with the BSB and made it in. The wraiths moved to support the fight the next turn. The winds of magic were strong and I got 12 dice. I spend a few on getting back 4 grave guard and my opponent was holding on to dispel the dance. I cast the dance on the grave guard and my opponent failed to dispel. Then I also got the dance on the wraiths who charged the marauders in the flank. In combat the BSB killed the Seneschal in the challenge despite being WS 7. The grave guard killed 20 marauders (needed 2’s to his with a reroll and 2’s to wound). Only 13 marauders were left and the wraiths still had to attack. Before the marauders and wraiths swung Khorne blew the retreat of his army(my opponent surrendered).

The few remaining men and ogres ran north back to the chaos waste. Marwolaeth did not pursue. Sure he wanted to kill them but he needed to mend his army. If he got caught off guard in the chaos wastes his reign of death would end. 18 souls here would not compare to the thousands that lay ahead. As the saw the remaining chaos army flee he was surprised by the delighted sound of screams in the distance. A second glance proved the whole remaining chaos horde dead. Ripped to shreds by a hulking beast. What was it? As it fed on the dead Marwolaeth saw something familiar. This creature looked like a bat but it was half the size of a dragon. It was Zijver, his transformation had worn off but his body and mind had been ravaged by it and Zijver had now returned to his master. No longer a master of sorcery but now a hulking Varghulf!

Paul Wagner: 2

Abe Warpinski: 1

Danny Seaton: 1

Sean Carreros: 1

Miel Vermullen: 1

Matt Herrbold: 1

Congratulations to Paul Wagner for being the August winner.  Here is an excerpt from his tale, Shelkiar:

Three is the sacred number. Three is the number of Power. Behold the power of the Gods.
Shelkiar pondered his life, born as a twin and bound by his fate, he felt that life was something despicable, yet desired many more years. He had schooled himself in the way of deception and shadow, and from his first memories he had always hidden. He had hidden from his birthright, from his fears, and from his strengths, though he would never admit to them. The discordant clamor of the tribe jangling across the frozen wasteland kept a dreary pace with the leaden sky and piercing cold. Yet here, on Angarok, he had found comfort.

Three is the number of the brothers. Three is the number of Magic. Behold the power of the Gods!
The continuous whisper of the mammoth’s fur on the howdah formed a fuzzy overture to the keen of his brothers’ shouts, urging the army forward in a determined yet weary shuffle. They had been on the march for days at the order of his twin Sehelezan. Sehelezan commanded them now in the name of Slaanesh, his voice ringing with the
Sibilant pleasure of one devoted to the God of Excess. He had spoken and the tribes had moved.

Three is the years of service. Three is the number of Strength. Behold the power of the Gods!!
His younger brother Trocken had once been a man of power, beauty and strength, but no longer. After he had questioned the power of Slaanesh, he was given a boon, though most would call it a curse. Sehelezan called it the call of pleasure, but Shelkiar simply heard it as a cry of pain. No one would know which was true as Trocken could no longer speak. Shelkiar looked down from his perch to watch the impending battle commence. Though the moon had just set, the day had swelled to full brightness in a matter of minutes.

Shelkiar immediately felt a cold fury rising in his throat. Where were his bodyguard? He had always felt they were slothful, overindulgent to the whims of their God, but this was too much to bear! He, Shelkiar, deserved the respect and devotion of these men far more than some distant deity devoid of pity and freedom. Now on the brink of battle he sat alone on his throne perched above the battle. The absolute Insolence! The inane disrespect!
Shelkiar was jolted from his thoughts by the rough lunge of the bulk of Angarok beneath his seat. The cold fury was immediately replaced by a burning panic. The immediate realization that four tons of muscle and flesh had started to move of its’ own accord stuck him profoundly. His insistence on not carrying an instrument on his person, despite the earnest suggestions of his bodyguard stung him deeply now, for he new that Angarok had been trained to respond only to the small bells and slender horns that were forged for this very purpose. They had been handed down through generations by the tribe of Khlendon, but Shelkiar had rejected them as simplistic ritual idiocy.
Wait! His eyes drifted to the wooden planks at his feet and there he saw it. The drum! Drawn taut from the hide of the reindeer of the tundra, the drum was the instrument of control. Satisfed that he was in control he leapt from his throne with a renewed vigor. His foot landed with a squelch as he reeled across the wooden decking before regaining control by grasping the drum in a bear hug, severely denting his chin in the process. A quick glance to his foot revealed several answers. First, he now understood why he was alone this morning in the howdah, and second, vomit was most definitely not the most desirable accent to his Chaos Armor.
Undeterred Shelkiar carefully positioned his feet in a wide stable position in order to beat the drum. A cursory glance about the rim of the instrument revealed two broken hide mallets hung from the side. Evidently his reeling had damaged more than his chin. His glance rode above the howdah’s walls, and with a moment of concentration, an abyssal pit opened underneath the orc boys on the right flank, and drew a third of their number into it’s dark silence.
His attention drawn back to the task at hand, Shelkiar inspected the rest of the area looking for extra mallets. His glance told him what he had assumed, the broken ones were the only pair. He grasped the right mallet and with a twinge of anxiety realized that he could not hold it with any dexterity, mostly because his chaos armor encrusted fingers were almost twice the size of the hide wrapped head. With the certainty borne only through years of leadership Shelkiar decided his fist would work twice as well as any mallet, and began a slow pulsing rhythm which became accented by the attuned swaying of the mammoth’s footsteps.
Shelkiar readied for a charge from a Giant, and a small horde of Black Orcs. Comfortable in his perch, he swung his gaze about the battlefield as his arms became accustomed to the steady beat. A quick interruption and a full 10 more orc boys disappeared into the blank silence. His eyes drew him to the far right corner of the battlefield, where a cold fury again began to rise in his throat. There! Oh the insolence, the complete disrespect! There, cowering behind a hill, were his bodyguard, each man still weaving and with eyes unfocused from strong drink. The pulse of the drum became stronger. Late for the battle, and drunk as well! We shall have words, thought Shelkiar, there will be blood! The drumhead thrummed with a taut booming. He continued his survey of the defects of his men and became livid when he finally recognized why the were behind the hill. The rim rattled in a barley contained explosion of power. They have no weapons! They cannot fight! Of what value are hooks and chains against an opponent with sword and spear! The insolence! The ABSOLUTE….
Shelkiar removed his hand from the ruined hide of the former instrument just as the giant headbutt Angarok. Angarok was dazed but Shelkiar was thrown back to the decking, and slid for a squelching three feet before his head was stopped by the steps of his throne. To his horror he realized that Angarok was no longer moving, simply swaying in a drunken stupor (much like his bodyguard.) He had to regain control of the mammoth, and quick. If the Mammoth did not attack he was sure to find himself in combat. A position much undesired for one of such pensive power.
Knowing that only sound could control the beast, he slowly and softly began to sing the only song he knew, a lullaby from his childhood. “Sleep well, soft dancer of the night, don’t fear the shadows, don’t fear the death of the light. Soft dancer of the night, Dance your dance for meeeee.” Well, that didn’t work.
Shelkiar felt the surge of magic once more, and spent his ire again on the orc boys, but with a malicious grin, teleported places with one of the Slaanesh wizard lackies. Though he was on foot, Shelkiar still felt in control, until the mammoth collapsed on it’s side, a wheezing breath rattling through it’s lungs. Sehelezan entranced the giant with a spell and sent him off away from the unit. With a devious laugh Sehelezan turned to Shelkiar and said, “Did I hear singing, and what is that smell?”