The Siege of Graveskul, MonolithCon III

Spent an incredible weekend gaming with airbornegrove26, Bulldog Lopez, Sean Squires, and Blue from VT. This was a 10 hour Warhammer 3rd Edition slugfest and I certainly cannot get all of the details in. This is the battle from my perspective. 

Please visit these awesome blogs to get their accounts:
Give 'Em Lead
Sean's Wargames Corner
(...and I will add links as more accounts are posted)

SO HERE WE GO....

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Background

Ever since the discovery of huge quantities of Teleportium around Graveskul, there have been countless interlopers coming to the area to steal, trade, or conquer. (See previous episodes HERE).

Always looking for a tragic situation to exploit, the “Timtai Trading League” had sent its own  expedition.  After weighing the pros and cons between conquest or trade, the Timtai had elected a middle course of action: Trade under threat.

Typical Timtai "negotiations" meant giving the old warhorse mercenary, General "L'Roi" Jean Cannes, a new contract and a paychest to “go squeeze those Graveskul shirkers" until they would come to terms.

Finding two other interested factions with armies to throw the dice with under the Marquis de Saud-or and Betrand Aveline Viscomte d'Monte-Hervez, seemed to make this approach seem conservative. Kick in a mysterious Wizard named Mazda, and Jean Cannes could be back on New Cypress by Christmas. 

Four Months Later

The Wasteland

…just outside Graveskul

General “Le Roi” Jean Cannes, spat on the ground. Four months sitting outside these stupid walls with nothing to show for it except an empty paychest and uncomfortable questions from the mercenaries he led here. He spat again.

But…funnily enough

 When the food starts to run out, the whining from priests and sorcerers about signs and portents lean a lot more favorably toward decisive action.

So, today was the day. The canon were just finishing up.

Two massive breaches (and the gatehouse door) were open to Graveskul.  Jean Cannes got onto his horse and galloped to the front of his 1st Pike Regiment.

Garrisoning this part of the wall across from them stood the single Dark Elf Army of Rashiki the Dark.
"Three to one," Jean Cannes thought. "That's supposed to do it..."

Swinging his sword above his head and yelling at the top of his lungs he could still hear his boys chanting his name in preparation for the assault,

“L’Roi Jean Cannes

L’Roi Jean Cannes

L’Roi Jean Cannes!”

Tactics were over-rated…

FORWARD!

Pikes through first, and they began the long grind to victory..

Leading a contingent of Knights, General Cannes smashes into a Hydra, and suffers the first of many setbacks of the day.

Then things got really insane when that crazy Wizard, Mazda, unleashed a Void Rift right next to the battleline.The Hydra kills all the Knights, but on the other hand...

 the enemy scatters back and away from the rift, and the Hydra even leaves the battle altogether, giving the attackers more room to advance.

The 1st Pike grinds on with the armies of Saud-or and d'Monte-Hervez pressing ahead on both flanks.

...the Dwarves under Marquis de Saud-or gain the wall and smash the Dark Elf crossbowmen so hard, bodies tumble down onto the cannon crews below.

The advance continues on, while on the right, the Void Rift destroys the Krologg Quarter

The fighting raged for hours and while Rikishi's elves were being ground to dust, the whole thing was taking too long and Jean Canne and his allies were tiring.

However,
there were 2 opportunities to break everything loose..

First, amazingly a firing lane for the artillery opened up! COUNTER-BATTERY!

Now, a barrage onto Rishiki's last reserve. If the canon could kill his Cold One Knights, that might just do it!

...but just like so many moments before, it was good, but not good enough. One of the cannon exploded, and though the remaining shots caused heavy casualties, the Cold Ones stood firm.

Now Vaksen and Thrud on his dragon were in the fight and the high water mark had been reached

between fatigue, dragon fire, and the rapacious hunger of giant lizard mounts the line begins to give way.

So then there is a second (and last) moment to turn things around.
Vasken is leading the counterattack and Jean Cannes has a chance to take him down in combat.

They trade blows, and after 3 rounds of combat and wounds inflicted on both, Jean Cannes looks around.
The flanks of the army have collapsed, the center is falling back... and after this day of so many "just not good enough" moments, the possibility of victory is gone.

General "L'Roi" Jean Cannes gives a smack with the flat of his sword to Vaksen's shield (between sellswords this is shorthand for "I withdraw, but not surrender." It should be noted, that this signal is not always respected by the recipient.)  and begins to lead his survivors back to the ships.

There will be no deal for the Timtai Trading League here.

For now....