And now i can't stop laughing about what would have happened if the GM rolled 3 times dramatic before another result.
Bad and Dramatic: All orks are now captain Ahab and Mathilde is their white whale: Yakety Sax is sure to play when Mathilde is around, as orks outright abandon what they are doing to pursue her. Bad: Rogue Avatar Of Only Gork manifest about five feet away from Mathilde, The song 'X gonna give it to ya' play as a BGM.
Good: New aspect plus reinforcement of Ranald, Gork is seriously wounded.
Good and Dramatic: Global chain eadbang: Have you seen Kingsman ? Well, the scene where all politicans head explode ? Like that but with orks and goblins.
Fortunately, thanks to Derkan we know exactly what theme is appropriate to play in situations like these.
And yes, your guess is indeed correct, random poster! This same theme did also start playing when Skryre woke up and pissed off the Ice Dragon. How'd you know?
Anyhow, the trolls are wandering into Under-Karag Rhyn. Hopefully they'll eat themselves up the upper level, and then encounter the Red Fang squad on incoming.
They'd be on the wrong section of the Caldera to meet them since the West Gate is between Yar and Ziflin and Yar is in between Rhyn and the West Gate. Would be good if it happened though.
I'm worried that the reason the set was marked ??? is because it is one of the locations we are in -- possibly ones we might not have many defenses in or scouts at.
Well sucks to be Crooked Moon right now. I think that is officially the last faction in Eight peaks that wasn't involved in the fighting now involved in this clusterfuck.
I think this worry was raised back during the Expedition, and it was concluded that if they weren't already recruited then they probably saw Greenskins as food, not allies.
They'd be on the wrong section of the Caldera to meet them since the West Gate is between Yar and Ziflin and Yar is in between Rhyn and the West Gate. Would be good if it happened though.
Tbh, it would pretty hard for Mhonar Mystery to go for K-vyr, as they had been pushed by trolls from that direction, and seemingly lost to those trolls.
I think it is possible that Mhonar mystery decided to just hole up somewhere in the mhonar, and do the same that We was doing to goblins and Skaven before we found them; occasional raids, ambushes, harrasement.
Yeah, that is a possibility. Though, that still leaves the question of what the thing in there is doing, since they passed the Roll for "Do They Do Stuff?"
And "Will kill Greenskins and Skaven, but not Trolls" does leave one wondering what's in there that has such a specific targetting criteria.
Speaking of that map, Kvynn-Wyr should be Kvinn-Wyr apparently. Spelled with an "i." ... Er. Wasn't sure how to phrase this in a way that didn't come off as terse or accusatory.
I think this worry was raised back during the Expedition, and it was concluded that if they weren't already recruited then they probably saw Greenskins as food, not allies.
I think, possibly during the Expedition turns, possibly after the end of the Expedition, that it was noted by the Dwarfs that Kvinn-Wyr "had once shown signs of Greenskin habitation"?
So there used to be Greenskins there. Maybe they lived in, heh, harmony with the Trolls. Or maybe the Trolls came by and happened to them.
so I suspect we are going to rush the under citadel, and from there we can either raid the caldera or maybe march overland and take karag yar before mors can dig in. it would be a new front, but it would stop mors from getting too swole.
Man, Ranald probably feels this thread is like a massive cult to him, isn't it.
Just a group of avid storytellers freaking out over latest die roll and trying to get their collective darling to steal more shinies.
I mean, in an odd way, this quest is empowering his presence. An entire forum now really knows Ranald, instead of him being some obscure footnote in Warhammer Wiki, or a minor detail in other Warhammer quests.
Turns out, the real Mathilde was BoneyM all along, with his muse being Ranald himself, and together they stole plenty of attention from brutally cunning SV players.
A 5 on the die would mean there would be an approved fan spinoff series on a different forum, thus taking another playerbase by storm.
Oh, and him rolling a 6 would mean QuestionableQuesting would get really interested in the quest as well.
(and no, I have no idea how could a nat 1 BoneyM kill SV )
so I suspect we are going to rush the under citadel, and from there we can either raid the caldera or maybe march overland and take karag yar before mors can dig in. it would be a new front, but it would stop mors from getting too swole.
If we can go all viking on the under caldera the damage to Mors would be immense. They would only be left with the supplies they could capture from Eshin which obviously would be depleted since Eshin is both smaller and throwing everything to defend themselves. It cripples Mors ability for long term ranged engagements and slashes their reinforcement rate making attacking prepared dwarven positions a dangerous endeavor. We don't really want or need to assault Karag Yar at that point (at this time, we will attack eventually).
[*] Plan Opportunity Knocks
-[*] Advance from the Citadel into the Under-Citadel, the eastern fringe of Clan Mors' territory, with: Clan Angrund, Karak Izor immigrants, Braganza's Besiegers
-[*] Advance from Karagril into Under-Karagril, the former territory of Clan Moulder, with: Throng of Karak Azul, Border Prince mercenaries, Clan Huzkul
--[*] Bottling Mors up against the orcs
-[*] Move Karagril's Scorpio Bolt Throwers to Under-Karagril
-[*] Move half Karagril's grapecannon to Under-Lhune
-[*] Mathilde will command the attack: Under-Citadel
-[*] Advance over the Eastern Valley into Kvinn-Wyr, which is mostly empty of trolls, with: The Undumgi
--[*] To secure the empty portions and take a defensive posture
-[*] Move the Bolt Throwers elsewhere: Kvinn-Wyr garrison
-[*] Under-Karagril
-[*] Under-Caldera
-[*] Intercept skaven messengers between under-Caldera and under-Karag Yar
With opportunity knocking, you'll not be one to bear responsibility for failing to answer. You dispatch the Undumgi to take the now-abandoned Kvinn-Wyr with orders to take the weapons from the Kvinn-Wyr wall and set up defences against the remaining River and Warpstone Trolls and against the return of the others. You're itching to know where they've gone and why they've suddenly decided that Karag Mhonar was safe to them, but your main priority must be your command, rather than your curiosity. You then dispatch a message along with a third of your rangers towards Karagril with the message you know King Kazador has been waiting impatiently to hear: attack Under-Karagril. You reason that with all of Clan Mors' remaining forces being focused on holding back the Orcs from Karak Drazh, they should easily be able to bottle up the Skaven inside their defensive lines and let them and the greenskins bleed each other as much as they're able. Clan Huzkul will march alongside the Throng of Karak Azul, not least of which because they're one of the few forces capable of matching King Kazador's for sheer enthusiasm, and once more the Border Prince mercenaries will be fighting alongside them for Karagril. You hope it goes as well as it did previously.
You turn your attention to matters closer to hand as you send word for most of the forces currently within the Citadel to prepare to move out. Though they still bear the same Clan names, the forces once of Karak Izor are no less determined to fight to the last for their new home, and their unchanged names are more a reflection of how long it takes for some twenty thousand Dwarves to reach an agreement if they're not forced to hurry. There's some sort of argument among them you're being very careful to stay out of as Princess Edda takes command over the objections of the force's Thane - all Dwarf women are trained for combat, but it's believed they should only take the field under the direst of circumstances. It's a messy debate, but Princess Edda seems to have it well in hand. Clan Angrund needed only the order to start marching, and you doubt they'll ever be a problem - they tend towards the more conservative sorts which often spells trouble for you, but much more than that they're hyper-focused on the reclamation of Eight Peaks, so as long as you continue to deliver results on that front, you could be an Ogre for all they cared. And Braganza's Besiegers are even less trouble, if that's even possible - they're consummate professionals at warfare, and that they specialize in siege warfare means they have incredible patience.
In the center of a huddle of the most skilled and experienced Rangers in the hold, you resummon your MAP of the Under-Caldera and instruct them on their twin tasks: half to cut off all possible avenues of communication to Karag Yar, half to check on the strength of known defences and to ensure that no unknown ones have sprouted since you investigated the area in person. If all goes according to plan, a two-front assault on the Under-Caldera might be your next move, and you're damn sure you don't want to be making it blind, nor with the bulk of Clan Mors forewarned. And with their orders distributed, you double-check the revolvers on your belt and your sword in... wherever it is Branulhune goes when it's dismissed, and move to join the embarking forces. You'll be leading this one in person.
---
[Assault on the Under-Citadel: Martial, 82+23+5(Strategy: Skaven)+5(Warrior of Fog: Surprise Attack)=115 vs ???.]
Though both Abelhelm and King Belegar tended to lead from the front, you resist the urge to follow their example and instead position yourself as centrally as possible to be the nexus of incoming information and outgoing orders. The unexpected blitz from above takes the few defenders remaining by complete surprise, and their entire line of defence collapses almost at once, and the crossbows of Karak Izor and Braganza's Besiegers ensured that it didn't help reduce casualties. You also know that not all those that escaped the quarrels would be reinforcing the Under-Caldera, because you'd had a word with the We on your way past, and though the concept of warfare was still beyond them, they understood opportunity.
With the battle over almost before it had begun, you move on to consolidation. First, making sure the few injured are cared for, including Princess Edda who has taken a nasty slash across one cheek but barely paused long enough for it to be bandaged. Second, making sure everything is in place to be ready to either move on the Under-Caldera or hunker down to keep what was taken. And third, to check exactly what had been reclaimed. The Under-Citadel was a fringe for Clan Mors, but to the Dwarves it was much more significant. The Hall of Pillared Iron had been sacrificed to gain the allegiance of the We, but much grander prizes awaited - or so it was hoped. With the Skaven having folded so easily and it being some time before you could expect to hear back from scouts or the Karagril front, you check on these personally while your forces root out the few remaining holdouts.
The Arch of Kings was a natural cavern around a swift-flowing underground river, and though the water quality could not be trusted - upstream was the Kvinn-Wyr cisterns, which innumerable River Trolls called home - the cavern remained a sight that brought tears to many a Dwarven eye. It was remade twice by the finest stonemasons of the Dwarven Golden Age, first to accentuate the natural beauty of the cavern and the series of waterfalls that flowed through it, and second to transform the river into a moat for the fortification that was one of the last parts of the Karak to fall. Though the remains of the fallen are long since gone, ancient chiselwork remains on the walls. Here and there the reverent silence was broken by sobs as Clan Angrund discovered the last messages of their distant ancestors.
You move on from that grim sight to what is only known as the First Mine. The Reikspiel name of Karak Eight Peaks focused on the majesty of the mountains, but the Khazalid name of Vala-Azril-Ungol tells another story. 'Queen of the Silver Depths' goes the translation, but the metal 'silver' is Agril. Azril can mean the colour silver, and as Eight Peaks did mine and export a great deal of silver, most human scholars assume that is the origin of the name. But Agril and Azril aren't related in that way; the suffix -ril simply means a beautiful metal, and Azril has a second, older meaning, as Khazalid often gets crowded around metal names. Ag-ril is the aged metal, because its colour brings to mind the hair of a Longbeard. Az-ril is the weapon-metal, known better in these times as Grom-ril, the metal of defiance. According to legend, it was here that the Ancestor-Gods first discovered Gromril; Grimnir cut through the greenskins that once called this mountain home, Grungni hewed the strange new metal from the rock, and Valaya smelted it into the very first Rune. All the mighty acts that saved the Dwarves from extinction and elevated the three of them and their future children into Ancestor-Gods were made possible right here in the winding tunnels carved by the pick of Grungni, and for the past three thousand years it has been overlooked by invaders as just another exhausted mine.
The final significant point is far below, at the bottom of the only set of stairs in the Karak longer than the ones you live atop. It was once known as the Hall of Reckonings, and it was where the archives of all matters of law, administration and trade were kept, as deep once meant safe to the Karaz Ankor. But it too changed meaning and purpose in the Time of Woes. The Cavern of Stars is where the Skaven first invaded the Karak, but the Hall of Reckoning was where the Karak first struck back against the Skaven, as those who had no meaning left in their lives but vengeance tunnelled downwards until they breached the warrens of the unsuspecting Skaven, cutting down a thousand times their number before the panicked Skaven could organize any sort of defence. This place is free of the scratched Skaven runes that fill all other tunnels, and empty shelves surround the massive hole tunnelled into the ground, not a single beam of which has been scavenged. It's almost as if the Skaven still fear the vengeance of the Dwarves. As well they should.
As you make your way back to the bulk of your forces, you understand why King Belegar and the other Dwarves had considered the Citadel for their foothold. Strategically, it was just begging to be cut off and ground down. But the significance of these places is something you're only able to understand after so long spent among them. Where better to fight a glorious last stand than where your Gods walked and your Ancestors fell?
---
You turn your mind back to the matter of war as information flows in. The strike on Under-Karagril was as devastating as you had hoped, and the Skaven bottled into the Karak Drazh Underway remain locked in their constant siege against the greenskins, as good a result as you could have hoped for, and you're surprised to hear that Clan Moulder's holdings weren't quite as looted as you would have expected. Everything that isn't edible has been left where it stood, and though that covers a lot of ground when dealing with Skaven warring with the Black Hunger, some potentially interesting bits and pieces remain. Only with some difficulty do you manage to keep yourself from speculating as to what might have been found and focus on the task at hand.
[Message interception: Intrigue, 69+22+5(Tactics: Skaven)+5(Warrior of Fog: Ambushes)=101 vs ???.]
The Rangers that aren't remaining in place until ordered otherwise report back, and it appears things went as well as you could have hoped. Assuming there's no routes you didn't find while scouting or dug since then, you're reasonably certain word hasn't reached the Clan Mors forces that are presumably still locked in combat with Clan Eshin. That doesn't mean they're not hunkering down of their own initiative, or as best they can with the few forces that remain; according to the Rangers that were scouting instead of intercepting messages, there's at most ten thousand Skaven remaining in the Under-Caldera, and that's if they assume that everywhere they couldn't personally observe is filled wall to wall with Skaven. You doubt there can be more than five. They also report the same thing you noticed in Karag Yar: no slaves. The lowest-ranking member of the local hierarchy they've witnessed is some of the scrawnier Clanrats.
News from Kvinn-Wyr isn't quite what you'd hoped, as it seems some of the River Trolls objected to their new neighbours. The Undumgi report victory despite this, as they had to leave their preferred environment to make their displeasure clear. The Trolls tend to disregard weapons, trusting in their thick skin and regeneration to be proof against them. While that would certainly be true against the crude weapons of the greenskins they'd be used to preying on, the discipline of the Undumgi and the strength of the ancient Dwarven polearms proved superior and only mild casualties are reported. The Bolt Throwers are set up at the avenues leading to the cistern and to the peak, and the Underway to Karag Mhonar has been fortified.
You've enough eyes in enough places to start making some educated guesses about where you don't have eyes. Whatever it was that prevented the Trolls from leaving Kvinn-Wyr is gone, and so are the trolls. The only straightforward conclusion that makes sense is that the Karag Mhonar whatever-it-is is stirring things up in Karag Rhyn and the trolls are settling down in Karag Mhonar, but that doesn't ring true to you; Trolls have two motivating factors, lair and food, and they wouldn't be moving en masse if they were simply spreading out into Karag Mhonar, some would remain behind in their established and now less crowded lairs. So they'd be after food, and they've not been seen in the Under-Citadel, so unless there was some food source in Karag Mhonar that the Rangers missed - and you doubt that - they'd have to have kept going into Karag Rhyn. Which then raises the questions of what happened to the Karag Mhonar mystery?
A problem for later. For now, everything is going just as you hoped it would, and all you have to do is distribute the orders for the next stage of the battle.
Current Priority: Keep Skaven Clans at equal strengths.
Secondary Priority: Prepare for Red Fang arrival.
Possible Target of Opportunity: Everywhere
Current Battles:
Clan Mors vs Clan Eshin. Mors winning, both sides fully invested; current expected result: costly Mors victory in 1-2 hours from now. (last intelligence: 1 hour ago)
Clan Mors vs Red Fang. Pitched battle, all local Mors resources invested; stalemate.
Ice Dragon vs Clan Skryre. No information.
Possible Battles:
Broken Toof Orcs vs Crooked Moon Night Goblins?
Trolls vs Crooked Moon Night Goblins?
Karag Mhonar ??? vs ???
Force Distribution:
The Citadel: Halfling Skirmishers: 5,000. Experienced Fieldwardens, hardened first in Sylvania and then on the Expedition. Kragg the Grim: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor.
Kragg's Anvil of Doom
20 Grudge Throwers
30 Ballista Bolt Throwers
20 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
10 Dwarf Cannon
Under-Citadel: Clan Angrund: 1,000. Each armed and armoured in runic equipment from the Good Old Days. Karak Izor immigrants: 9,900/10,000. Well armed and experienced. Mix of ranged and melee. Braganza's Besiegers: 1,000. Highly skilled, heavily armoured pavise crossbowmen on an extended contract.
10 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
Karagril: Karagril Miners: 2,500/3,000. Split between the Norgrimling Ironbreakers (sans Gromril) and the Ironback Miners. Thorek Ironbrow: 1. One of the two greatest Runelords in the Karaz Ankor.
Thorek's Anvil of Doom
Under-Karagril: Throng of Karak Azul: 9,950/10,000. Well equipped, highly experienced, each has at least a melee weapon, a shield, and a crossbow. Clan Huzkul: 9,800/10,000. Most clad only in chainmail, but each has a weapon and shield and they're fanatically loyal. Border Prince mercenaries: 2,850/3,000. Many have stuck around to spend their earnings, hope for future work, and enjoy the feeling of safety.
20 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
Kvinn-Wyr and Under-Kvinn-Wyr: The Undumgi: 5,850/6,000. Armed with silversteel pikes and an odd affinity for the Dwarves.
10 Ballista Bolt Throwers
50 Scorpio Bolt Throwers
Note: All Grapecannon emplacements are behind friendly forces; Grapecannon are no longer relevant to this stage of the battle.
This is a map of the underground portions of Karak Eight Peaks. Everything not listed as 'above' is in the 'Under' portion of wherever they are. This is all based on IC information, and is only as reliable as the sources Mathilde has for each piece of the puzzle.
I'll be abandoning the usual voting format for the remainder of this battle. Instead, use [ ] Plan (name) to vote for a specific plan, whether your own or someone else's, or [ ] Poster to vote for the plan put forward by another poster. A plan should say which units are moving where and where to deploy the Rangers, and should also specify whether Mathilde will be personally fighting in a specific location, commanding the fighting in a specific location, or scouting a specific location. A plan can also move siege weapons around, but be aware that they cannot be part of an attack, they can only defend wherever they are. As long as the above is explained in some way or another, any format would be fine.
Rangers can investigate three locations at a time. Scouting can be done alongside an attack to scout, skirmish, and prevent ambushes, or can be done to somewhere not currently being attacked to find out more about what is happening there. For reference, here is a list of places scouting could potentially be useful:
)
