Hailed vs. Hated: Game On Turns 4 and 5

I meant to have this up yesterday (apologies for those that may have looked for it), but it's a holiday weekend here and I found myself with other plans on the table -none of which involved sitting in front of a computer. Well. Here is the final installment of the first Hailed vs. Hated transatlantic smackdown. What a blast.

Here you can find Dark Templar's part one, part two, and part three.
and my own part one and part two.
Otherwise, a quick review:

The Forces:

Arrugginiti:
Lord Amnitolo (white) – Chaos Lord / Terminator Armor / Mark of Nurgle
Squad Decadi (yellow) – CSMx7 / Rhino
Squad Egregi (orange) – CSMx7
Squad Furrore (blue) – Raptorsx5 / Meltagun

Blood Angels:
Reclusiarch Dannen (white)
Squad Taal (blue) – Scoutx5 / Hvy Bolter
Squad Duun (green) – Scoutx5 / Missile Launch
Squad Kamor (black) – Tacticalx8 / Flamer / MeltaBombs / Combi-Melta
Rhino / Searchlight

THE OBJECTIVES
The Blood Angels are protecting a Communication Array that is keeping them in contact with a nearby Strike Cruiser. Chaos are taunting the marines with the corpse of a dead Blood Angel and the secrets it might hold.

++++FOUR++++

One more a flurry of bolter, heavy bolter, and missile fire erupted from the tree-line. Squad Decadi stooped for cover behind the Rhino, but they were not the object of the enemy’s attention. Once more, nagging black smoke began to billow from the cabin, and once more the pilots requested a moment to purge their workspace before continuing operations.

This was a costly and an untimely interruption to the plan, Lord Amnitolo thought. We need that Rhino in working order. Squad Decadi prepared to embark the moment the Rhino was back in operation. Despite the setbacks, they were eager –they were keen.

The Chaos Rhino opened its own smoke canisters as more shells bounced off its hull. The tree-line was spitting tremendous volumes of fire in a panicked bid to finish their transport. One of Decadi chuckled. Here we come, worms.

Squad Egregi continued its prolonged and indecisive struggle with the loyalists. Another Chaos Marine fell, but they were giving at least as much as they took. Sometimes more. The ground was beginning to fill with the wounded and dead. Only two of Egregi’s original seven remained, but they had blunted the Blood Angel’s assault and left three of them face down for the effort. The momentum was fading.

Hold just a bit longer, Amnitolo thought. Hold.

Behind him, Amnitolo could hear the perfectly functional loyalist Rhino as it trundled past the leechcorpse he had left in the dirt several paces behind. The Blood Angels were inching closer to their objective…

Amnitolo paused. His attention had been drifting ever so slightly; the Reclusiarch pressed forward with a furious, desperate counterattack. Amnitolo responded immediately cleaving a series of wild and brutal arcs with his decrepit scimitar, but realized too late that he had overextended himself with his aggressive gambit. The Reclusiarch spun, redirecting his crozius, and brought a truly horrific blow straight across Amnitolo’s neck. A lesser being would have been split from shoulder to hip, but Amnitolo merely gurgled and spat more ichor.

They were separated for a moment.

And then re-engaged. Amnitolo had lost all thought of skill or tactics. He was wild with fury and blind with rage, and found his mark at last. His scimitar ran clear through the Reclusiarch, and Amnitolo stared into the Reclusiarch’s eyes as they began to dim.

Amnitolo spread a wicked grin, muttering foul curses all the while.

You are finished, little one.

And just then, from some hidden depth, some unknowable reserve of desperation and despair, the Reclusiarch swung a final, gasping blow. Lord Amnitolo was utterly stunned, stepped back two paces, howled his final lamentation to Lord Nurgle, and collapsed.





++++FIVE++++




Squad Decadi, bitter and crazed from the death of their lord, finally executed their initial orders. They sped forward, disembarked, and shot a series of well-coordinated rounds into the Scouts protecting the satellite relay. Two fell. But it wasn’t enough to avenge their lord, or to change the results day. It was simply carnage for carnage’s sake.

The battle was all but over.

With the two heroes broken and dead, the now lone member of Squad Egregi finally lost his nerve and fled –promising his revenge.

Squad Kamor consolidated toward their Rhino victorious but they moved with the sluggish and slumped demeanor of the exhausted. Victorious, they looked defeated. They would be carrying two heroes home today.



I really cannot emphasize enough what tremendous fun this entire caper has been. So many thanks to Dark Templar for inspiring this exchange and for organizing maps and whatnot. Simply tremendous.

Thanks also to you, the gentle reader, for your continued support. I hope you've enjoyed the posts so far. We've got more in store.