The new 9th edition Codex is here and the warp stirs with unknown potential. Here is what I decided to play as debut into this new codex:
- HQ - Abutre, the outcast - Exalted Lord of Change
The Impossible Robe, Born of Sorcery, Master Mutator, Rod of Sorcery - HQ - Fluxxion, Living Spellswarm - Fateskimmer
Retinue of Horrors, Staff of Change - Troops - 2x10 Pink Horrors, 1x10 Blue Horrors
- Elites - 2x Exalted Flamers, 3x5 Flamers
- Fast Attack - 5x Screamers of Tzeench
- Super-Heavy - Kralkatorrik, The Elder Maw - Knight Abominant, Infernal Dreadblade
Cursed Rune of Fate, Hellforged Construction, Volkite Combustor, Electroscourge, Coruscating Hate, Winds of the War
- The Yncarne
- Farseer
- Warlock on Jetbike
- 3x10 Troupes
- 2x5 Rangers
- 1x5 Fire Dragons
- 1x5 Swooping Hawks
- 1x3 Weapons Platform
- 2x10 Banshees
- 1x4 Harlequin Jetbikes
So here we are, as you had planned, troupe master – the Farseer ponders as the wind carries the smell of rust and rot from the blasted imperial ruins. Her Rangers are surveying the land for any signs of disturbance, but with the scant information her harlequin allies shared its hard to know what to look out for.
The three troupe masters were always mysterious, even supposedly fighting for the Ynnari cause under their pursuit of strength through death, they do so on their own terms and its impossible to properly divine their outcomes – let's see if our alliance yet survives the day – she thinks as the troupes, even more gracefully than her own banshees and swooping hawks, hunker down behind the ruined remains of an administratum building.
Her thoughts are interrupted. – a sudden change? Something is wrong. It's hard to understand, but easy to feel. Is it incoming betrayal from the troupes, is it death at last, to feed our god and our future? I have seen the power of Ynnead, but is this the right path? Am I dooming all my brethren to failure and damnation at the hands of she who thirsts? – the Farseer's damned thoughts are suddenly broken as she crosses eyes with the troupe master, his impeccable pose framed across the ruins with his weapons stretched at an angle, but his mask focused, locked on her gaze – you, want me to... witness... something? You are... focusing... and I SEE IT! – doubts and despair are dismissed as if a fog under heavy winds – thanks, my mysterious friend, if not for you I'd not see through the veil of deception of the great enemy – she sees the cracks clear as day now. The rift in reality, yawning as an awakening beast, as if cracks on a panel that reveal reflections of hidden things. The maddening maws of horrors and mutating shapes of daemons – we are ready to face you greater daemon, come and face us lord of change, for the Ynnari will fulfill their destiny despite of your schemes!
And the ruins light up under the warp storm brought forth by the denizens of the warp, a veritable deluge of claws, fire and crackling spells brought forth by the will of the great schemer!
It was a great game day. First time with the new Chaos Codex and a Warlord Exalted Lord of Change all loaded up with nasty Psychic and Shooting power. The presence of the Abominant Dreadblade scares the enemy into a bubble behind cover, ready for am massive Infernal Gateway cast, and more!
With his warp-eye, Abutre took one look at these Ynnari, huddling behind the ruins afraid of the firepower from the Dreadblade, and he knew what had to be done.
It was psych'o clock and he was right on time!
The air condensed in a white bubble that burst with strange echoed whispers as the Lord of Change exploded into reality setting trees ablaze like if lightning had struck them thrice at the same moment.
The Ynnari formation was at peril, the Banshees suddenly shocked by the presence of the greater Daemon.
The Ynnari Farseer, recovering from the insidious intruding thoughts from the presence of the great enemy, steeled her spirit for the Psychic battle about to commence.
With eyes as deep as the core of stars, that see beyond and before, Abutre, the outcast lord starts his incantations.
Boasting a +3 to cast, and with Infernal Gateway, Bolt of Change and Smite loaded up to setup wounds for Master Mutator and the Rod of Change ready to shoot at surviving enemies, the Psychic phase starts.
Infernal Gateway fails on a roll of 3 and 1... Bolt of Change casts but only deals 1 mortal wound that is allocated on a squad leader to prevent additional losses... Smite is denied after rolling a 2 and 2 for a total of 7. Master Mutator triggers and kills the troupe master.
Tzeench did not intend this Lord of Change to kill. It is inconsequential, and all parts of a greater scheme...
Kralkatorrik and lord Kiros could hear the frustration from Abutre over the warp, and failed their own attempt at casting the winds of the warp to protect from enemy fire. The Dreadblade has no real targets for his Volkite Combustor, and remains hungry for vengeance.
Fluxxion shuffles desperately through his flock of spellbooks and simply enhances the nearby Pink Horrors with Infernal Flames, but this far off from the cowering Ynnari they had no targets.
It also manages a gaze of fate and carries over the meager 2 warp storm points from round 1 to round 2.
The old enemy spared no time to counter-attack and veritably surrounded the Lord of Change in close combat.
The Banshees and Harlequins, together, stabbed the creature a hundred times over each, surpassing the defensive powers of its impossible robe and banishing it back to the warp.
The Daemons wasted no time and the Warp storm emboldens with an additional 4 points to add to the previously saved 2. From this total of 6 warp points the storm manifests Magnify Glory, increasing all daemon auras by 3'', and combines that with Primeval Terror, increasing the Leadership penalty to a -2.
This allowed a single Exalted Flamer, with an increased 9'' aura of -2 leadership and his now 9'' +1S aura to enable flamer units to come in really close to the enemy, as most Eldar units had a modified Leadership of 6, with the Rangers down to a 5, allowing Daemons to manifest really deep into enemy lines.
Madness comes – whispered the Farseer under her ghost helm, then screaming to the others – Steel for their retribution, the warp will take us as a wave for killing that Greater Daemon, but as with every high tide, it will recede, and standing after it's wrath will be the children of Ynnead!
As if prophesized, gaggling and gurgling whispers flooded the imperial ruins. Everything was wrong, walls that were straight became crooked and the rusting smells of the ruins became perfumed with a hint of ozone.
Then, everything was in flames.
The might of the flamers consumed a whole troupe of Harlequins, enabling the Exalted Flamer who triggered the warp incursion to melt the Warlock into warp slag.
As the warp recoiled, the smell of burnt and mutated, melted corpses filled the battlefield. Death was here, but death was the quest of the Ynnari and as if planned for, the soulstones from the Warlock and the entire harlequin retinue whirrled in the air.
THERE IS OUR DELIVERANCE! – preached the Farseer, emboldening her brethren – THE YNCARNE IS MANIFEST!
The manifestation of the Ynnari avatar came in just in place to challenge the mighty Abominant Dreadblade, who had by this time felled the entire Harlequin Jetbike squadron with his Volkite Combustor and triggred his Tzeench favor, with his rune of cursed fate granting him a 4+ invulnerable save both in shooting and combat.
And the Dreadblade spent no time charging forward and almost clearing the left flank of objective secured troops, but the Rangers held on by a thread, such was their fate.
Eldar retribution came swiftly as Banshees vaulted over the broken and scattered Harlequin Jetbike remains and charged the Flamers of Tzeench, their screams staggering even these warpspawn horrors with their uncontested charge.
The Farseer steps forward to perform their Psychic Ritual, this was the high tide she mentioned and the Daemons had contested all but one of their objective markers, taking down two of their crystal banners and putting the whole mission farther ahead.
One of the surviving troupes bounds across the field and engages all Tzeench demons, knowing they can strike first and overpower their fragile forms.
The Swooping Hawks, prevented from engaging in all fronts, also provide their fire support to kill off whatever daemons were left at the wake of the troupe's charge.
The Yncarne had charged, fought and killed Kralkatorrik, The Elder Maw. The demonic engine had wounded the avatar with its spiteful demise, detonating its warp-infused core. The Yncarne however had no concept of self-preservation and charged headlong into the flaming horrors, suffering through a harrowing wall of overwatch fire and coming out with a few 2 wounds remaining.
The Demonic Saves of the Flamers, however, protected them from the worst of the avatar's wrath and two of them survived the encounter.
The warp waves recede – thought the farseer, turning over to her remaining few forces and issuing commands – I must finish the psychic ritual and secure our victory, plant our crystal banners, banish the scattered demons from all corners. We have secured victory here today, and our deaths only serve our purpose.
The surviving Harlequin troupe dominated the mid field for the final rounds of the game, wiping off any remaining Pink Horrors, contesting the chaos daemons objectives and planting banners.
The surviving flamers were a force to be reckoned with, too dangerous to charge and too hard to shift in shooting, but they did not have the movement to reach the Firedragons and were unable to contest the final objective.
We do not mourn the dead. Ynnead is strengthened today.
The final score of 57x79 for the Ynnari doesn't reflect how close the game was. The eldar suffered to score primary mission points early on, but managed to tip the difference by exploiting the melee weakness of the Tzeench forces. It was incredible to fight such a skilled opponent and I look forward to facing Jeremy again across the table.
Had the Lord of Change performed better, or even the Knight cast his winds of the warp and remained operational for one more turn, it could have been a widely different scenario.
But this loss surely moves Tzeench's plans forward, even if we cannot see beyond the next bend of the crystal maze.
Comments