The Legion Of Night vs Nurgles Menagerie

The Battle Plan
The Jade Kingdom, the realm of Ghyran, once tainted by foul Nurgle occupation was once again under assault. Its opposition however would be an unlikely source.

Along the rim of Ghyran, magic runs freely. Reality and and substance shift in an ever flowing current of arcane magic. In these places, normally too perilous for mortals, there exists focal points that have an intense concentration of the Arcane power, which can be tapped, drained and released for later use. This once lonely field held such points of immense power.

The Deployment

The Great unclean one leads the grandsons of Nurgle

Reality screamed as it was once again ripped open. From the depths of the Chaos realm a Nurgle warhost was vomited into existence. However not far away, a loyal servant of Nagash's Mortarch of Night, had ridden out to claim the power for themselves. The vampire lord and his command staff of a Wight king and a Necromancer would lead the undead horde.

A Great Unclean one emerged last from the Chaos rift. It could feel the winds of magic whip and tumble freely through the air. To the decaying one, it was succulent. Blight drones surveyed from the sky and spotted the incoming Undead hordes within moments. They informed their master and the greater demon began to draw the battle lines.

The Vampire lord on his zombie dragon

The Vampire lord atop his zombie dragon became aware of his enemy before he even spotted them.  Hordes of flies festered in the air. He could taste the stale air and see the dying wilderness. A vile sense of stagnation loomed over the field. Then unnatural Feculant Gnarlmaw began to sprout from the ground.

The center of the battle line was entrusted to a Death Rattle Wight King. He stood proudly along side his warriors. His skeleton spear men were seasoned and had served in hundreds of battles prior. Their discipline was unmatched and their resolution firm. They stood shoulder to shoulder. Shield and spear held firmly. A legion of rank and file soldiers prepared to fight to the last.

On the southern flank, another necromancer fielded a very much different kind of evil. He had bound forces of malign spirits, Grimghasts. These spirits of the damned would wreak havoc on the open terrain. Their scythes would reap a tremendous toll on any that opposed them.

The necromancers night haunt Grimgast reapers cast an ominous shadow.

       With the infantry in place and under watchful command of his lieutenants. The vampire lord was free to hunt the opposing general. The Vampire lord grew excited at the prospect of duel with a greater demon. It would be sure to win favor in the eyes of Manfred and Nagash himself. For his personal retinue, he kept a single unit of black nights at his side. They were swift enough to keep pace with the flying behemoth and had served him loyally for an eternity and would not falter in the face of Chaos.

Of the five knights, four were in full plate and black garb earning them the title of The Black Knights of night legion. Leading the unit was a Hell Knight; known in life as Felipe. Oddly he wore bright red and purple garb against the units traditional black. The necromancers would joke that the fiery spirit of Felipe had endured in death. Often Felipe would be the first to hit enemy lines in a blur or red and purple.

The Legion of the Night stands ready

The Legion of the Night had finished mustering in moments. Countless in number, unquestioning in loyalty and deadly in combat.

Their Vampire lord's battle plan was to clog the center with his skeleton warriors commanded by his Wight King. The lord would personally lead the knights around the north and crush any flanking guards and slay their general. The southern flank would fight their flank and then hammer any opposition that came middle.  It would be a classic pincer movement. The plan also was contingent on the necromancers ciphering power from the arcane focal points. Without anything gained, the battle would be a waste of resources.

   The greater demon balked at the enemy formation. His enemy had overloaded their flanks and were overconfident in their estimation. It could see that the middle would be collapsed on. 


Two beasts of Nurgle and a unit of plague bearers lined the southern flanks. Although light in numbers the Beasts of Nurgle would punish the specters if they came too far. 

The battle lines are drawn. The great unclean on marches north
to square off against the vampire general.

The center would be lined with a unit of Blight King hearth guard and a single Beast of Nurgle. Under the command of Horticus Slimux. If the undead were foolish enough to push against the elite center guard and their commander they would be ground back into dust and be used as feed for The Cultivators mount.

 Rust on blade, bile in my vein 

As for the north, the line was to defend an arcane focal point. A unit of plague bearers stood before him and his retinue of plague drones hovered above him. If the enemy truly wanted this focal point, there was a defense waiting for them. He began ciphering the power but would personally tear apart the vampire, his dragon and his knights if they interceded . 
      The greater demon surveyed the pungent green battle line. They looked poised. He could see their ice cold demeanor was not phased by the undead host. Finally he raised his Bile blade and bellowed “Let them come! Damn their souls seven times! Our father smiles upon us!" The enormous greater demon of the plague god began ringing his bell fervently. He rung it seven times. The Nurgle battle line began to cheer and raise their weapons.

 The greater demon shouted at his followers "Father is with you, he sees you!" . 

"Rust on blade, Bile in my vein" they responded seven times.    

Turn 1: The charge of the Black Knight Calvary 

The Vampire knew he currently held the advantage but it was fleeting and inaction would be a missed opportunity. Within the hour, this land would be noxious swamp of contagions. The land had already begun to bend to Nurgle’s will. A Feculent Gnarlmaw, a personal tree from Nurgles garden, sprung from the ground violently and dismantled a skeleton spear man.
If there was a time to claim the Arcane focal points, it had to be now or never.

With a wave of command he signaled his commanders to push up quickly and gather what Arcane power they could. The center skeletons double timed with vigor only possible by the Legion of Night. Their control over their summons was unsurpassed.

The center Wight King reached the central focal point and then brought his unit to an abrupt halt. He was now able to tap into its wild arcane energy.

The southern flank was swift to reach their objective. The reapers sped across the field like hunting hawks. Their Necromancer ran to keep formation. Watching him in his tattered robes trying to keep pace with his ghostly summon was almost comical. The southern undead forces reached their focal point, and began to tap into it’s raw energy.

Distracted watching the line, the vampire lord had lost pace with his own hearth guard. His knights led by Felipe were in full gallop already, lances locked, and barreling towards the Nurgle line. He let his heel spur the dragon to catch up.

The zombie dragon refused. It rose and dipped wildly fighting the command of its rider. The vampire cursed the dreaded mount but soon retracted the sentiment. The Great Unclean had been channeling hostile magic.  With one outstretched hand it began to call forth the winds of magic. The otherwise formless element began to coalesce into a spell crafted by Nurgle himself, The Plague Winds. The vampire lord quickly unleashed his own Arcane aptitude and was able to disrupt the Great Unclean one before the great deathly wind could be released. Without the zombie dragon's intuition, the line of skeleton soldiers could have been heavily damaged. 

The greater demon was furious that a mere vampire could best him in a duel of magic. He glared at the enemy on his zombie dragon. He would have little time to build frustration. The enemy undead cavaliers were almost upon him. He would have to settle the score another time. 
For now, there were Black Knights to crush.

On the front line were a small pack of plague bearers. The thin layer of troops would take the brunt of the charge. If the battle line were to crumble. Then both knights and vampire lord would surely overrun their position. If the battle line were to hold then the knights would be trapped.

The charging knights hit the demons at full speed. The effect was catastrophic. Like an asteroid colliding with a house of cards. Many were tossed aside like dolls, dead on impact. More were skewered on the barrow lances of the knights. Puss and black bile were flung about and dotted the fields of Ghyran. 

As devastating as the charge was, the line would hold. The plague bearers would not turn and run. The cavalry charge had come to a complete standstill. They had left a path of destruction but now they were stuck in a fight they could not leave. 

The black knights fought like the skilled warriors they were. They guided their mounts through the ocean of demon bodies. They tried to escape; but before they could wheel around, a small group or Nurglings smashed into them.

 Although weakened, the resiliency of the plague bearers lead a frontal counter strike. Their plague swords however were unable to dent the armored cavalry. From above, plague drones on monstrous rot flies descended on the knights. One of the giant rot flies collided with the undead banner bearer. The undead knight was thrown from his horse and plague bearers and Nurglings swarmed over their victim stabbing and ripping the foe to pieces.  The great unclean one loomed over its ravaged battle line. Standing several heads above them it saw the carnage unfold. To aid his lesser brethren, it swiped over the top of the line with it's doom bell. The bell made a heavy guttural "gong" as it pummel a horse. The rider was throw off and tumbled a short distance. The Great Unclean one reached over top with it's left hand and skewered the fallen rider with a man sized bile blade.

2: The twin beasts of Nurgle 

Fighting in the north had erupted quickly and violently. In the south however, the build up was slow but was boiling to a breaking point. The necromancer worriedly channeled the arcane focal point. It still had so much raw energy, leaving it to clash with the enemy lines would be waste and was against the orders of the lord.

The enemy plague bearers hung back timidly, but from behind their ranks rose two bloated slug like creatures. As they moved, they left trails of slime and mucus. For their size, the beasts were rather agile. The Necromancer broke concentration for a second to stare at the disgusting marvels. The reapers eyed the two creatures. The spirits looked eager to pounce. 

As the beasts drew closer. The necromancer noticed something  was off. The beasts were smiling, they were grinning from ear to ear.

Suddenly the beasts slithering speed increased. The ground rumbled as they approached. Loose rocks and debris were crushed under their titanic weight. With their arms stretched out, acidic liquid squirting from odd orifices, they let out a bizarre sound; they began to laugh hysterically.

The Grimgast reapers responded in kind and flew with murderous intent at the two filthy beasts. The surprising  speed and unsurprising mass of of the beats crushed a reaper on contact. The beasts flung about wildly attempting to swat the reapers like flies. Their wild arching tentacles could only score glancing hits as the night haunt ducked and dove expertly. Finally, a night haunt reacted too slowly and was clobbered by a tentacle.

Considering the possible toll the beasts could have extracted, the necromancer was pleased by the results. The Grimghast swarmed around the beasts. Like piranhas, the scythes of the the spirits bit deep, but then they quickly faded harm before the beast could react. 

        The beasts spun about in confusion. Their large bodies became target practice as the swarm of spirits circled around them. Their resilient bulbous bodies could endure but it would only be a matter of time before they fell. The Necromancer grinned a toothy grin. He whispered a short incantation and the fallen Grimgast reapers rose back from the dead to join their brethren in the assault.

The beasts would stand no chance against the mound of summoned spirits. The Necromancer knew this and continued to sip away at the arcane focal point unopposed.

    

     3: The skies above Ghyran. 

  

The vampire lord finally regained control of the spooked zombie dragon. His black knights were surrounded and all but dismantled. The dragon finally went into a head long dive towards the enemy. To offer support to the knights, the lord spoke the words of an ancient deathly incantation  and channeled the arcane. Suddenly the pieces and bones of an undead knight repaired its self. After taking a moment to gain its bearings, it rejoined the fray. It was not much but hopefully the knights could hold.

   The Great Unclean one saw the massive dragon and its rider plunging towards him. The decayed one had counted on this. Before the zombie dragon could reach the line, The plague drones would intercept.
       The plague drones started to climb. The flying beasts collided hundreds of feet above the ground. The powerful dragon batted the drones away and some tumbled uncontrollably for a moment before regaining their balance. The zombie dragon caught one of the rot flies in its mouth. The fly squirmed, and the rider flailed and thrashed with its plague sword. Finally the dragon snapped its mouth shut and bisected the mount and rider. The air exploded with puss and bile.
The flying nurgle assault was unrelenting. The more agile plague drones hacked and clawed at the wings of the zombie dragon. The Vampire lord fought desperately to aid his knights and strike down the enemy general , but the swarm of flies was too thick to pass. 

 The knights were slowly being ground to dust.  Felipe was the final knight left standing, He thrust his lance into a plague bearer, mortally wounding it. Before he could withdraw the weapon and advance an inch, another filled the gap. The knight lashed out with his lance again but did not connect. The Great Unclean one loomed over the night and vomited Noxius Bile on the rider. When the bile finally settled there was simply nothing.

The aerial battle escalated. The zombie dragon slammed another drone, but before the rider could recover it was impaled by the vampire lord's death lance. The dragon also claimed another rider when it exhaled it's deadly pestilent breath on a rider. The rot fly and rider plummeted to the ground.

 The vampire lord took a moment to survey the field. The wraith king stood uncontested in the center. The necromancer and his Grimghast won the conflict in the south. All that was left was from the Nurgle general to fall, and the Vampire lord would take great pleasure in doing it.

5. The ploy 

    

The Great Unclean One gave a signal to Slimux. The demon had spent the whole battle cultivating he land by spawning Feculant Gnarlmaw about. Slimux gave a verbal command and the center line began to push. A battle ready battalion of Blight Kings began to march. They were accompanied by a beast of Nurgle on their flank. 

  

The skeletons readied them selves. The Wight King knew that if the center held, the enemy would be crushed and his master would control all the arcane power in this area. 

The putrid Nurgle green tide slowly advanced on their position. The Wight King saw a chance. The Blight King were too slow to keep up with the beast of Nurgle. The skeletons could take the beast on by itself. When the wave of blight kings arrived, the Wight King would have a surprise waiting for them. The Wight King ordered his skeleton spear men to charge. 

As the skeletons did as commanded. The Wight king stayed back, and loosed some of the arcane energy he has accumulated that day. The loosed energy swirl about and then shot straight into the ground. The Wight king began to mutter a long incantation. Then there was a moment of silence. The earth began to rumble and ground began to split. 

From the ground bleached bones began to rise. At first they were hands, then they were heads, soon they were full bodies. The Blight Kings halted and watched as a second army had materialized. A massive unit of skeletons arose to deny a free counter charge.

        

  The skeletons rushed in and surronded the beast of Nurgle. The beast's wild thrashing and flailing bounced off the skeleton shield uselessly. In unison the skeletons struck with their spears and the flailing stopped.

The blight kings held their ground as now both skeleton units reformed their line for a final push.

Suddenly the Nurgle Greater demon tolled his bell. The sound of the Doom Bell echoed across the field. The fighting stopped. The demon tolled its bell seven times. As one the Nurgle army turned around and began to march.

The vampire lord and his commanders were confused. The battle had been raging only a minute ago. Now the

Several small Chaos rifts opened and the remaining forces began to disappear through them. The Vampire protested, his blood shot eyes bulged and his bile and puss soaked armor advanced forward, "Where are you going? Why do you retreat? I have vengeance owed to you!"

enemy was retreating?

With half of his body through the portal the Nurgle demon turned and met eye-to-eye with the lord. "Fighting, murder and Vengence is not my father's art. That would be his brothers specialty." said the Great Unclean One with a wry grin.

The vampire lord's blood began to boil. A duel, between generals was meant to be. There was glory in this. There was destiny unfulfilled. His right to ascension will not be withheld by a coward of all things. The lord flew into a head long charge, lance locked forward. He could see the chaos realm. He could smell it. The portal was so close.  "This is not over!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The giant greater demon of Nurgle smiled. It set its blade down in the other dimension and stepped through. With its free hand it held out several glowing vials. The vials full of arcane magic. Arcane magic to aid in constructing a larger chaos rift for a larger army to pass through. At the last moment The Great Unclean One deflected the vampire lance strike with the doom bell.

"You are correct, you-of-Von-Carstein-heritage, this is not over. Ghyran will be Father's garden" said the Demon, and then the portal closed.       
 
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Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. This is my first lore inspired battle report so I am open to any comments down below. And defiantly thank you to the players for letting me watch their games and take pictures of their painted models. Thanks.