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Sheny Yeary • Chief Creative Officer: Matt • Creative Manager: Ed Bourelle • Project Bryan Cutler • Lead Developer: Jason Soles • : Kris Aubin • Development Manager: David Carl • Production Manager: Mark Christensen • Studio Director: Ron Kruzie

••• Editor-in-Chief: Aeryn Rudel Hobby Manager: Rob Hawkins Editorial Manager: Darla Kennerud Editing: Bryan Cutler, Aeryn Rudel Proofreading: Phil Chinzi, Jared Green, Cody Ellis, Wul Hungerford, Jen lkuta, Thomas Marshall, Ben "Wombat" Sanders Playtest Coordinator: David "DC" Carl Continuity Editor: Jason Soles Graphic Design: Kris Aubin, Laine Garrett, Josh Manderville, Stuart Spengler StaffWriters: Simon Berman, Douglas Seacat Studio Miniatures Painting: Matt DiPietro, Ron Kruzie

••• CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Berman, Ed Bourelle, David "DC" Carl, Matt DiPietro, Rob Hawkins, Adam Huenecke, Aeryn Rudel, Douglas Seacat, Jason Soles, Will Shick, Matt Wilson

••• ILLUSTRATIONS: Carlos Cabrera, Mariusz GandzeL Luke Mancini, Nestor Ossandan, Neil Roberts, Brian Snoddy, Andrea Uderzo, Chris Walton, Matt Wilson

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his special issue of No Quarter 171agazine commemorates the ten-year anniversary of Privateer Press the same way we do everything else: bigger and better. We've packed it with awesome content, and here you'll flnd super-sized editions of your favorite articles, including the Battle Report, Guts & Gears, and Terrain Building. This issue is more than just an oversized installment of the magazine, though; it's a celebration of an incredible company and the fantastic world and games it has created.

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Between these covers we'll explore both the history of Privateer Press and the history of one of its greatest creations, the immersive world of the Iron Kingdoms that serves as the setting for WARMACHINEand HORDES. A Decade of Distinction illustrates the development of Pt·ivateer Press through a ten-year timeline covering the company's catalog of award-winning products. Then, lead writer Doug Seacat offers a revealing glimpse at some of

the pivotal events that shaped the Iron Kingdoms, with an epic tale that centers on an up-and-coming Asheth Magnus during a key battle of the Scharde Invasions. Following that, Gavyn Kyle compiles a weighty dossier on two of the Iron Kingdoms' most iconic characters: Alexia Ciannor and her eldritch blade the Witchfire.

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No Quarter is in many ways a chronicle of Privateer Press, recording the groundbreaking exploits of the company through the years, and I am honored to be at the helm of the magazine that celebrates such an important anniversary. In ten years, Privateer Press has established a legacy of which I am proud to be a part, a legacy that continues to grow with each new release and one I am quite fortunate to document in the pages of No Quarter Magazine.

Aeryn Rudel Editor-in-Chief Ever Khad

eo years is a long time. For me personally, it's more than a quarter of my entire life. It's a lso the single longest tenure of employment I've held anywhere. (One of the benefits of working for yourself is that you're not likely to get fired, though there are days . .. ) So how can it have gone by in the blink of an eye?

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Over the past ten years, Privateer has gone from a company literally operating in a basement to a mainstay game manufacturer in the tabletop game industry. Up until the release of WARMACHINE Mk II-and occasionally even since then- I was frequently amused by the public speculation as to whether Privateer Press would be around for the long haul or would disappear in the night like so many game companies before us. As we celebrate a decade of making great games, my hope is that we have earned the confidence of customers who can now sleep more soundly at night assured that Privateer Press is indeed here to stay. That said, I'll miss that scrappy, underdog image people have of the company, because I think that at our core, that's really who we are. Privateer is made up of a bunch of like-minded people w ho enjoy rolling up their sleeves and taking on a challenge just for the personal pride that comes with accomplishing something others-or even they themselves-thought might not be possible. (See the 2010 Mk II book publishing schedule for just one example!) We're often praised for our market savvy a nd shrewd business model, and p eople want to know: How have we managed to stay afloat in the turbulent seas of a fickle marketplace? How could we forecast accurately enough to sustain a long-range plan for the growth and development of Privateer Press? In truth, the evolution

of this company has been far more organic. Within that lack of rigid structure, I believe, is our strength . As a company that is first and foremost dedicated to the pursuit of creativity, we have always charted our course from the heart. Being independently owned and free from the restrictions of investors, shareholders, or a board of directors, we have remained agi le and responsive and have enjoyed the luxury of being able to indulge our creative whims beholden to no masters other than our customers. Truthfully, the one prevailing strategy we have employed is to make firstrate products that inspire our players to explore the imaginary worlds we enjoy living in every day. At the risk of giving up the recipe to our secret sauce, I'll disclose the single most important ingredient to any of our plans: keep making great products so we can keep making great products .

(No~ see, technically I should probably fire myself for disclosing such a closely held company secret. But being the sole proprietor of this enterprise, I enjoy a degree of immunity from such infractions of conduct.)

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Yes, ten years is a long time. But I know that if I blink, we'll be celebrating our twenty-year anniversary. Then, instead of hearing, "Do you think Privateer Press is here to stay?" we'll be hearing, "Privateer? Oh yeah, they've been around forever." And I can't wait. With much gratitude to the players who make living in fantasy worlds a reality for us,

Matthew D. Wilson Owner and Chief Creative Officer

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f1.. Gears: Mulg the Ancient

Professor Pendrake delves into the myths and lore surrounding the fearsome•dire troll Mulg the Ancient. By translating the runes that cover ,Mulg's stony hide, the good professor uncovers the secret motivations of one of western lmmoren's mightiest warbeasts.

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Guts & Gears: Drago

The Gavyn Kyle Files: Alexia Ciannor

Ever wonder what makes the unpredictable and utterly lethal Khadoran warjack Drago tick? Well, wonder no longer. Get the inside scoop from one of Drago's former mechaniks..and read his instructions for the proper care and maintenance of one of the most dangerous warjacks in western lmmoren.

Gavyn Kyle turns his attention to one of the most influential characters in western lmmoren's long history and compiles a detailed dossier and Alexia Ciannor and her infamous blade the Witchfire. Learn the dark secrets of the Witchfire and the dire events that forged Alexia into a powerful necromancer and one of most wanted fugitives in Cygnaran history.

The King's Own

Battle Report: Battle of Black River Bridge

Lead writer Douglas Seacat presents a new novella following Captain Asheth Magnus during the Battle of Blackrock in 587 AR. This harrowing tale takes place during one of the largest and most important engagements of the Scharde Invasions. after Cygnar's ruthless king led an army deep into Cryxian territory.

Cygnar and Skorne square off in this gigantic Unbound battle report, recreating one of the pivotal conflicts of the Battle of Corvis. Watch the battle unfold as creative director Ed Bourelle and lead developer jason Soles pit their 150-point armies in a noholds-barred fight to the finish.

Terrain Showcase: Black River Bridge

Modeling & Painting: Constance Blaize

Hobby manager Rob Hawkins shows off his incredible terrainbuilding skills with a detailed, step-by-step extravaganza on the staggering Black River Bridge table. Des_ig.ned for the epic Unbound battle report in this issue, the Black river Bridge table is truly a sight to behold, and Rob's tutorial contains a wealth of information for terrain builders of all skill levels.

Studio painter Matt DiPietro reveals the painstakingly detailed process of producing a fully painted miniature worthy to be called a Privateer Press studio model. Matt reveals many of his expert techniques as he takes you step-by-step through his gorgeous paint job on the Cygnaran warcaster Constance Blaize.

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'TEN YEARS OF PRIVATEER PRESS Since 2001, Privateer Press has del ivered quality games designed by award-winning creative people seeking to offer a better entertainment experience. The company t hat would become a leader in the gaming commun ity and home to one of the most successful miniatures games on the market began as a union of like-minded artists and game players who shared a common vision of producing the kind of quality games they wanted but could not find on the market.

From the bumble beginnings of The Witch/ire Trilogy, the "full metal fantasy" setting of the Iron Kingdoms has exploded over the last ten years into an immersive world and boasts not on ly an RPG system but two miniatures game lines and an video game. Privateer Press bas a lso released many other products, incl uding theMonJterpocalypJe battle miniatures game, more traditional board and card games, a bimonthly magazine, and a full line of hobby paints and tools. Through it all, Privateer Press has remained committed to creating the best gaming experiences imaginable for its audience. This article takes a look back across the entire breadth of Pr ivateer Press' releases over the last ten years, examining the trajectory of the company from an independent RPG publisher to one of the premier companies in the tab letop gaming industry.

IRON KINGDOMS RPG Before there was WARMACHINE and HORDES, there was the Iron Kingdoms Role Playing Game. The RPG introduced not only the world of Caen and the region of western Immoren but also several characters that would inevitably make their way to WARMACHINE and HORDE S tabletops. Designed for the d20 system under the open gaming license (OGL), The Witchfire Trilogy campaign made its triumphant entrance onto the RPG market on January l, 2001 with The Lon.9ut Night. This debut book gave players their first taste of the unique setting, where sorcery and technology combined in a world that felt at once similar to our own history and yet completely apart from anything that had come before. The Lo1~9ut Nigbt_sets players on a quest to investigate myste rious grave robberies within the Cygnaran city of Corvis. During their investigations, players qujckly begin to unravel a conspiracy of the most sinister proportions centered on a young, troubled girl and a magical blade steeped in ancient evil. Book two of the trilogy, The Shadow of the Exile, followed quickly on the heels of the first book 's success and put players in hot pursuit of Alexia and the Witchfire mere days later in the timeline. The Shadow of the Exile took players beyond the outskirts of Corvis and thrust them into the dangerous wilds of the Iron Kingdoms. After a dramatic showdown within a Cyriss temple, the characters returned to Corvis with the Witch6re-only to discovE;r the exiled form er king of Cygnar, Vinter Rae! thorne, had captured the city with the aid of skorne allies. Players were once again tasked with helping the city of Corvis in the dramatic conclusion to the Witch fire saga, The Legion of Lo.Jt Souu. With Alexia's help the characters delved even deeper into the dark secrets of Corvis and the ancient history of the Iron Kingdoms in their effort to raise a great army of undead to liberate the city. Building upon the foundations of the prev ious two adventures, The Legion of Loot Sou!J brought the unique elements of the Iron Kingdoms setting to the fore as epic battles were waged with sword and sorcery as well as gunpowder a nd steam power.

The Longu t Night Witch/ti·e Trilogy: Book I

Shadow of the &r:ile Witch/ire Trilogy: Book 2

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For a ll its innovation in setti ng, The [.'?'itchfire Tt-i!ogy served only as an introdu ction to a much larger and richer world. Many of the races and creatu res that defined the Iron Kingdom s were at best briefly mentioned in those first th ree books. However, 2002 brought two im portant releases for the RPG that would enable players to ex plore th e setting more fu lly in their ow n campaign s.

Mon.Jtemomicon: Volume I prov id ed over 200 pages of encycloped ic lore on the unique spec ies a nd monstrou s races of the Iron Kingdom s. Not only did it in trod uce playe rs to exotic monste rs like burrow mawgs, spine rippers, a nd thrullgs, it a lso hinted at the w il d forces that endeavor to shape the Iron Kingdoms to their var ious desires. The Mon.Jtemomicon in troduced the Dragon Wars betwee n Lord Toruk a nd hi s offspring as well as providing a wealth of information on several races that would appea r later in HORDES a nd WARMACHl NE, such as the Tharn, farrow, and ceph a lyx.

Lock and Load: Iron Killfjdom,, Character Primer was released shortly a fter the Mon.Jtemomicon in 2002. Th e book provided p laye rs a nd GMs a n easily accessible crash course for setting campa igns with in the expansive world of the Iron Kingdoms a nd explored the various race options availa ble. Gone were the generic titles of hum an, elf, and dwarf; in stead playe rs were a rmed w ith the in formation to play Todorans, Nyss, or Rhulfolk. More tha n simply expa nding on the scope of the core d 20 races, Lock and Load in troduced rul es for creating characters of races specific to the Iron Kingdom s, such as gabbers, ogr un, a nd trollkin.

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With WARMACHI NE in full sw in g a nd several major tndustry awards for the !ron Kingdom s RPG settin g under its belt, Privateer Press began working on a co mpendium of books that wo uld shape the setting into a fully developed world as rich a nd immersive as any of the g reat fantasy worlds before it. T he fi rst in th is eno rmou s effo rt was the Iron Kingdom.J Character Guide.

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Bui ldin g on in format ion prese nted in Lock and Loao and the later WAJU/1ACHJNE: Prime and E.Jca!ation, th e Character Guide was the prem iere resource for players w ho w ished to explore the Iron Kingdoms. It heralded the appearance of character classes found on ly within thi s uniqu e setti ng, such as the spell- and pistol-sling in g Gun Mage, the resou rcefu l Bodger, a nd-perha ps the most desired of a ll -the mighty Warcaster. The book a lso rev ised how some of the trad itiona l d20 classes functioned w ithin the Iron Kin gdom s to mainta in the gritty reali ty of the settin g.

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The Cbamcter Guide also included a plethora of Iron Kingdom sspecific gear to outfit characte rs, fro m powerfu l firearm s to elega nt Nyss c lay mores and bruta l ogrun wa rcleave rs. Players could eve n custom ize their weapons and a rm or w ith mechan i kal enhancements, g ivin g a nyo ne access to powerfu l encha ntme nts and abili t ies. (Of course they soon discovered that for a ll its benefits, mechan ika has its own r ules a nd limits, rely ing as it does on charged accumu lators to power magica l a bilities.) And those cha racters who possessed the means made sure to obtatn the ultim ate weapon and ally: their very own warjack.

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Relig ion a nd cosmology we re a lso exp lored in d epth for th e first tim e w ithin the pages of the Cbaracter Guide. Covering the creation of ma n a nd the rise of the num erou s gods that fo rm th e basis of the ma ny relig ions on Caen, thi s section rema ins to thi s day the mos t complete di scussion of the subj ect w ithin the Iron Kingdom s. The care a nd thought applied to the study of rel ig ions would be applied to the setting hi story in an extraord inary fash ion the follow ing year w ithin the invaluable Iron Kingdom.J Wor!J Guide.

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With its 400+ pages of detailed hi-s tory on the Iron Kingdom s, the World Guide could easily have been tbe sta nd a rd textbook for Hi story 101 at Corvis University. Need to kn ow w he n th e Second Tro ll kin War occurred or how many rail lines a re in Cygnar? Turn to this undi sputed authority o n a ll things Iron Kingdoms. The World Guide put onto the page in expli cit detail the defining histo1·y of western Imm ore n, beginning w ith a hi storical overv iew and timeline that covered eve nts ra ng in g from Immoren's pre-history through the onset of wa r described in WARM!ICHJNE: E.tcaLation. Follow in g this overview was a n exte ns ive exa minat ion o f the industries, inst ituti ons, a nd soc ieties of the va riou s lron Kingdoms nations a nd an exam ination of each kingdom in detail. No deta il escaped the notice of the W'or!d Guide: currency type and exc ha nge rates, population densities, and important locations and persons were a ll discussed w ithin its pages. The ex ha usti ve tome provided an a maz in g reso urce for GMs w ho wanted to create the most authentic and compelling IK ca mpa ig ns for their players. It co ntinu es to be the primary refe rence tod ay for Privateer Press staff w 1·iting abo ut the Iron Kingdoms. From mechanikal weapons a nd too ls to Cyriss tec hn ology to warjack co nstructio n, the Liber 1/llecbanika , released in 2 005, provided players an d GMs eve ry thing they needed in orde r to immerse themselves in the wo ndrou s art of mecha nikal artifice an d stea m- foo le ry. This is the book that t urned the mag ic of mecha nika into the sc ience of mec hanika w ith its presentation of the ins-a nd -outs of mec ha nika creation, including prosthetic limbs a nd steam-powe red armor as we ll as myr iad weapons a nd other equipme nt. Next, Fi11e FingerJ: Port of Deceit provided a st ree t-l eve l v iew of one of the most infamous cit ies in the Iron Kingdoms . Fi11e Fin.fJerJ contained detailed acco unts of life w ithin the city as we ll as plenty of N PCs for GMs to use in their ca mpa igns. Perhaps one of the more unu sua l aspects of t he book was the section that discussed the conspiracies, collusion s, a nd cabals of F ive F in ge rs. ln a ddition to descriptions of the major players and variou s ite ms, this section act ua lly inc luded cha rts d etailing the feelings eac h coll aborator had a bout the other conspirato rs. T he fina l book released und er the open ga min g Iice nse, !11onJternomicon VoLume Jf· Tbe !ron KingdomJ and Beyond, took a step back from western lmmoren a nd brought the exot ic c rea tu res a nd emp ires of eastern Immore n to the fore . Fi ll ed w ith inform at ion on the Skorne E mpire, 1/llonJtem omicon VoLume 11 gave playe rs a nd GMs access to a treas ure trove of inform ation for ca mpaign s se t w ithin this ancient a nd hars h world.

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WARMACIHNE & HORDES Following in the wake of The lf/ itchfire Ti·ilogy, the "steam-powe red combat" of WARMACHINE gave players a w hole new way to experience the lron Kingdoms by putt ing them front-andcenter on the battlefie ld s of western lmmoren. First in trod uced at Gen Con 2001, the or ig ina l WARMACHINE battleg roups were so ld in plain brown boxes w ith "quick start" rules that presented a very different ga me than the o ne people kn ow today. The ga me centered on the use of action points, aod the battlegroups included comma nders w ith a reference gu ide printed right on them . In addition, players w ho picked up a battlegroup at that yea r's Gen Con later received the fu ll rulebook in the mail afte r it had been printed . Several changes occurred before the final rules were sent to the printer. The action point system was removed in favor of a more streamlin ed activation seq uence, and the pre-release foc us mec ha nic evolved into th e system cu rrent WARMACHI NE playe rs know a nd love. Nea rly six month s after its pre-release at G en Con, [.f/AJU/1/ACH!NE: Prime was ready to storm its way onto game store shelves a nd ta bletops worldw id e. At 200 pages, Tf/AR//!JACH!NE: Prime provided players everyt hin g they needed to stage cli mactic battles between m ig hty warcasters a nd their armies of warjacks a nd soldiers. Prime a lso expa nded the lron Kingdoms setting that had been introd uced in The Witcbfire Ti·ifogy, providing first-person s on th e history of Cygnar, the Protectorate of Menoth, Khador, a nd Cryx, while lay ing the fo und atio n for the future expansion of both WARMACHJNE a nd the Iron K in gdoms RPG. the setting fleshed out in The Witchfire Trilogy a nd WAJUI!IACH!NE: Prime, the stage was set for the saga of the Iron Kingdoms to ex plode full force. Tf/ARMACHINE: &cafalioll brought

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full-sca le war to western lmmoren as Khador invaded the southern nation ofLiael a nd the Protectorate of Menoth began assa ulting th e gates of Caspia. Amid the chaos of wa r, EJcafation provided players new warcasters, units, a nd warjacks and set the tone for future WARMACHINE expansions. In addition to expand ing the story a nd scope of the game, E.Jcafation gave players a cha nce to immerse themse lves in the drama of the eve nts prese nted in its pages. The Kings, Nation s, and Gods campa ign spanned the entire year of wa rfare that raged across the Iron Kingdoms in 604-605 AR and presented forty-eight new scenarios for in trepid players. By its conclusion, E 1cafation ha d firm ly planted WARMACHlNE as a force to be reckoned w ith in the miniatures gam in g world . Iron KingdomJ Character Guwe

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WARMACHINE: Apo_theo.1i.J radically changed the landscape of the WARMACHlNE miniatures game by combining playability with the artistic foundations of Privateer Press. Apotheo.1i.J stands apart, its oversized pages brimming with beautiful artwork depicting the heroes and villains of the Iron Kingdoms in the new era of open warfare. It also marked the first time Privateer Press released a special edition hardcover. Befitting its landmark status, the Apotheo.1i.J special edition came with loads of extras, including a numbered certificate of authenticity, a hardcover case, and a print of the cover art signed by Matt Wilson. The Apotheo.1i.J story advanced the war to dark extremes as Lich Lord Asphyxious attempted to transform himself into a god by an unholy ritual in the Thornwood, forcing heroes from every faction to oppose his megalomaniacal schemes. Privateer Press raised the bar with this release, from the artwork and the gorgeous miniatures to the rules themselves. With the first epic warcasters, character warjacks, and large-based warcasters, Apotheo.1i.J pushed the limits of what players could expect from the company and the future of WARMACHINE. Privateer Press reached another major milestone in 2006 with the release of the HORDES tabletop miniatures game. Set in the same world as WARMACHINE and designed

to be completely compatible, HORDES gave players the opportunity to delve into the shadowed wilds on the fringes of the I ron Kingdoms. The release introduced all-new compelling game mechanics with warlocks and warbeasts and effectively doubled the size of Privateer Press' catalog. While the foundation for HORDES had been laid in the IK RPG just as it had for WARMACHINE, the game's release provided a chance to more fully define and explore the vast wilderness of lmmoren . HORDES also saw the return of an old enemy from The Witch/ire 1iifogy, the brutal skorne. In addition to these eastern invaders, HORDES: Primal introduced the draconic Legion of Everblight, the proud trollbloods, and the enigmatic druids of the Circle Orboros.

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Privateer Press continued to sur the expectations of players with WARMACHINE: Superiority. This book introduced new epic warcasters and brought cavalry thundering onto the battlefield with special rules to represent their unique abilities. It a lso contained a detailed examination of each faction 's military structure and furthered the exciting narrative from the perspective of the soldiers in the field. With

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WARMACHINE: Prime was no longer the complete authority it had once been. In addition, after five years of player there was opportun ity to fine tune WARMACHINE to create an even better game. WARMACHINE: Prtine Remi..-r; compiled all the supplemental rules from every WARMACHINE expansion and updated the models and abilities. Even so, addressing and collecting rules content was only part of Remi..-r;. While WARMACHINE: Prime had represented a significant milestone for Privateer Press, the years since its release had seen the company grow signi ficantly in print and production knowledge and ability. Retnt:>:. represented a chance to take what the company had learned and apply it to the foundations ofWARMACHINE. Even the look of Prime was re-engineered; Remi..T. contained all-new art depicting the heroes, villains, warjacks, and soldiers of the Iron Kingdoms, and every page was presented in lavish full color.

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The first HORDES expansion book also released in 2007. In of new models, HORDES: Evolution brought the equ ivalent of nearly four years of WARMACHINE development screaming into the HORDES factions in one fell swoop. In addition to cavalry, Iight artillery, and unit attachments, Evolution also introduced the dangerous and incredibly maneuverable light cavalry for the Legion of Everblight and C ircle Orboros. The book's story pitted the factions against one another as the Legion of Everblight embarked on a bold gamble to amplify their power, with on ly the Circle able to stand in their way.

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Setting a record for the number of suppl ement books produced in a single year, Privateer Press released Force.J of WARMACHINE: Pti·ate.J of the Broken Coa.Jt in December 2007. The book contained an entirely new army for WARMACHINE that could be integrated into existing faction s, as it was an offshoot of the Mercenaries. Its selfconta ined story fo llowed the pirates of the Tal ion Charter in a clash against the dreaded Atramentou.J and its revenants led by Captain Rengrave.

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After the busy release sched ule of 2007, 2008 was marked by a single WARMACHINE expansion as Privateer Press prepared to unveil an enti rely new product in 111on.Jterpocalyp.Je. That expansion, WARMACHINE: Legend.J, contin ued to rede6 ne what players could expect from WARMACHINE and HORDES. The book took character warjacks one step further by introducing rules for the persona l warjacks of notable warcasters. Legendo brought the narrative arc begun in Elcafation to an explosive 6nale, reshaping the borders of the Iron Kingdoms and ending with an uneasy and tenuous cease-6re. What would be the last book made for the 6rst edition of WARMACHINE and HORDES followed. HORDES: j/!felamorpl.wotJ continued the HORDES storyline as each faction faced struggles that threatened to tear them apart from w ithin. The book introduced character warbeasts as wel l as the 6rst epic warlocks and debuted lesser warlocks-an entirely new model type that were Minion character solos accompa nied by their own character heavy warbeasts. By the release ofMetamorphooio, Privateer Press a nd its dedicated player communi ty were a lready preparing for the unprecedented 6eld test that would provide players the chance to give their on a draft of the next edition of WARMACHINE and HORDES, to be released in 2010. Change was on the horizon.

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FORMULAP3 With WARMACHINE a nd HORD ES both strong in the marketplace, Privateer Press had a firm foothold as one of the top mini atures compani es in the industry. Nothing beats the excitement of seeing Fu lly painted a rmies on the tabletop, so in 2006 the company prepared to release their own line of hobby pa ints a nd tool s to the hobby side of th e games.

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D eveloped by lead ing professionals in the miniatures industry, Form ula P3 (o rigin ally called P r ivateer Press Paint) set out to redefine w hat people should ex pect from hobby paints. The line pioneered several innovations, including using liquid pigment for better coverage and being packaged in faction-specific sets desig ned to provide not only the basic colors integ ral to the faction's color sc heme but a lso perfect combi nations for color mixing, a ll owing painters to ach ieve a wide range of faction colors w ith a limited selection of paints. Privateer Press introduced Formu la P3 paints in a limi ted pre-release at Gen Con 2006, and they we re an insta nt hi t. Now co mpri sing 72 colors, the Formula P3 paint li ne ha s become a sta ple of both award-w inning pain ters and reg ular hobbyists the world over.

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Privateer Press ex pa nd ed its Formu la P31ine in 2007 w ith the add ition of an entire ra nge of hobby tools. As w ith the paints, Formu la P3 hobby tools we re designed from the outset to provide the height of quality for hobbyi sts of a ll skill levels. ln add ition, the company produced an instructional bobby DVD, ModeLing d Painting: Core Technique.J, in w hi ch stud io director Ron Kru zie showcased the basic steps of model assembly a nd painting.

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The Formul a P3 bra nd continues to stand as a benchma rk of qu ali ty in the hobby indu stry, prov id ing eve ry thing hobbyists of a ll skill levels need in order to bring their miniatures to li fe.

pn ere

Infernal Coatraptw11 Infernal Contraption

HORDES:

Force.• of WARJWACHINE:

WARJWACHINE:

Evolution

Pirate.J of the Broke11 Coa,Jt

Le_qendJ

JULY 2007

AUGUST 2007

DECEMBER 2007

AUGUST 2008

ORGANIZED PLAY Organized play has a lways been o ne of t he pillars of P r ivateer Press' ga me design. Promoting fun a nd cha ll engi ng events for players to co mpete aga in st o ne a no ther, Pr ivateer Press' O rgan ized Pl ay program has consiste ntly strived for one simple goa l, to be the best-organized play expe ri e nce anyw here . The staple of all Privateer Press WAR MACH INEand HORDES competitive play Steamroller provided a free and univer sa l for mat that has grown and evo lved since its inception in 2003. The format stresses ba lance d , co mp etitive tests of skill as pl aye rs v ie to be crowned champion. The first Steamroller ki ts includ ed award certificates w ith spec ia lly cast metal tokens. Soon t hou g h Privateer Press was offering full met a l coi ns em blazo ned w ith faction sym bol s a nd la ter, w hen the Steamroller events Of each game we re co mbined , 1" , 2"d, a nd 3'd p lace awa rds. [n 2007, Privateer Press un ve il ed t he first WARMACHINE and HORDES leag ue, a system th at promoted co ntinuou s play wit h narrative driven scenarios and specia l effects. Th e system ent it led Ca ll to Arms, lasted until the re lease of Mk II in 20 10 w here it was rep lace d w ith the c urrent Shattered Ground s league format. Shattered Grounds built upon t he casua l pl ay atmosph er e of Call to Ar ms and e nh a nced it by add in g several innovations including a worldw ide interactive ca mpaign map a nd unique specia lty units that cou ld be used for the length of the campaign. Another major step in organized play fo r both games occurred in the s umm er of 2007 w hen the first Summer Rampage event hit worldw id e. Summer Rampage was an importa nt turning point as it marked the first offtcial mixed WARMACHINE a nd HORDES eve nt offered by P ri vateer Press. Organized Pl ay h asn't just been abo ut WARMACHI NE a nd HORDES howeve r ; Privateer Press a lso created an exte nsive o rga ni zed p lay system for !/lfollJlerpocafypJe. The program offered free pr ize for any store or game club w ho had s ix or more players a nd con tinu es to this day. Beca use of the uniqu e nature of I/IIonJterpocaLypJe , Privateer Press a lso created a new website fu lly geared towards promoting and managing its organized play offer in gs, www.privateerevents.com . The site a ll owed players and stores a way to find and for eve nts an d prize , con nectin g players a nd retailers together to create the best-organized play events possible.

Privateer Press

NO QUARTER MAGAZINE The creation of No Quarter Magazine in June 2005 marked the point where Privateer Press moved from an enterprising start-up to a full-fledged company. The magazine laun ched with the goal of providing regular information on new releases, showcasing previews of products, and expanding the rich world of the Iron Kingdoms. No Quarter's inaugural issue set the tone for a ll future issues with its huge assortment of previews,

including several new Mercenary models and the first rules for using mercenary contracts in WARMACHINE. In addition, the magazine gave players an exclusive look into the content of Apotheo.:~iJ and presented an all-new short story that pitted Haley against Deneghra and set up their evolution in the book. From its inception, No Quarter has covered a ll the pivotal moments in Privateer Press history. Its pages continually introduce new content that s WARMACHINE and HORDES, including favorites like the Gavin Kyle Files and Forces of Distinction as well as long-time classics such as Guts and Gears. With its in-depth coverage of Privateer Press games and world s, No Quarter Magazine is an indispensable resource for fans and players worldw ide.

M onJierpocalypJe

MonJterpocalypJe:

HORDES:

debuted at Gen Con

RMe

M etamorohOJiJ

WARMACHINE Mk II Field Test

OCTOBER 2008

MARCH 2009

APRI L2009

AUGUST 2008

MONSTERPOCALYPSE Building on the imm ense success of the Iron Kingdoms, WARMACHINE, a nd HORDES, Privateer Press set about creating a whole new intellectual property known as M01wterpocalyp.1e. The two-player battle miniatures game brought the giant monsters of kaiju cinema to the tabletop in a n action-packed contest over an entire city.

Monaterpocalypoe feat ured pre-painted plastic figures, which represented a new set of production cha llenges for Privateer Press even after years of produci ng WARMACH INE and HORDES. In addition, the game was conceived to be the company's first-ever collectible, ra ndomi zed product. Unleashed in a special pre-release at Gen Con 2008, MonJterpocalypae quickly earned its name as it crushed a ll expectations. By t he time the ga me was officially released that October, Privateer Press had already sold out of its initial run of starter boxes-and would do so two more times over the next two years. The game was released In themed series, w ith each set introducing new monsters, un its, and bui ldings for players to use as they stomped and smashed their way to victory. By the release of the fifth series, M01wterpocalypoe had rampaged its way through game versions of New York and Japan and had twelve factions ranging from g iant lizards to hideous mole-men. T hanks to the tireless work of Privateer Press Chief Creative Officer Matt W ilson, 10 2010 Dreamworks Studios purchased the Monoterpocalypoe movie rights. A full-length feature film is planned for a near-future release directed by award-w in ning director Tim Burton. Now presented in a non -collectible format, MonJterpocalypae stands ready to smash its way into the imagination of people a ll over the world.

VOLTRON Following the immensely successful release of MonJterpocalypJe, Privateer Press began d iscussions with World Event Prod uctions to bring an ico nic cha racter into the line. That character, none other than Voltron: Defender of the Universe, appeared in the very first licensed product prod uced by Privateer Press. A lthough the Voltron cartoon had been a staple of Satu rday mornings in the 1980s, no one had ever brought the steadfast Defender of the Universe to the tabletop in his very own board game. T ha nks to its kaiju-inspired, action-packed gameplay, /11/onJterpocalypae presented the perfect platform to let fans relive their favorite moments from the TV series as well as create a ll-new stories by pitting Voltron agai nst the monsters of MonJterpocalyp<~e .

Forr:u of WAIUIACHINE:

&rapperJ

GrintJ

HORDESMk II Field Test

SEPTEMBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

NOVEMBER 2009

&tri},uJiJJn of Scyrah

SEPTEMBER 2009

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BODGERS In the summer of 2007, Privateer Press took its first steps into a new line of products called Bodgers games, begi nning with the multi-player card game Infernal Contraption. The game put players in the role of goblin bodgers racing to build "contraptions" a nd trying to destroy their opponents' parts piles to be the last bodger stand ing. An expansion released soon after, ln/erruzl Contraption 2: Sabota_qe, introduced new cards to the game-including sneaky sabotage cards that cou ld be played directly on a n opponent's contraption to cause all sorts of mayhem. The 2010 release of ScrapperJ brought everyone's favorite bodgers back to the fore in a frantic board game for two to four players. In ScrapperJ players vied with each other to grab parts off a constantly moving conveyor belt in order to be the first to complete a power core. Foregoing traditional dice, the game handled movement through a unique card mechanic, which forced players to rely on a good combination of skill and luck in order to grab the parts they needed.

GRIND In 2010 Privateer Press took steamjacks off the battlefield and pitted them against each other in the stand-alone board game version of Grind, a steamjack-sport game concept first introduced in No Quarter #10. Featuring a huge board and loaded with detailed plastic components, the revved-up version of Grind packed a tournament's worth of adrenaline-soaked action into one massive box. The high quality plastic steamjacks players use for their teams make Grind stand out from any other board game. In addition to their large size and high level of deta.il, the figures were engineered so that their weapon arms cou ld be easily swapped out between games, allowing an unprecedented amount of team customi zation.

Grind showed Privateer Press' continuing commitment to pushing the envelope in creating new and exciting games, a commitment as strong today as it was ten years ago.

lrW?AfA 'HJNE Pnine 1111: II

F11rce.t t!f WAIMIACHINE: Cyg11ar

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JANUARY 2010

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MARCH 2010

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MKII After seven years of releases and growth, work began on the second edition of WARMACH INEand HORDES, entitled Mk II. At the outset Privateer Press la id down several goals for w hat Mk I I would accompli sh . The first was to stream lin e play a nd bring both games back to their roots of aggressive, fast-paced action. In the same vein, it would address the number of different abilities across the games that a ll had simi lar effects but different names. The new ed ition was a lso a chance to adjust models that fell far off the power curve in an attempt to create the most balanced game possible. Finally, Privateer Press was determined to update the entirety of both games w ithin a sing le year. With these goa ls in mind, the company began one of the most rigoro us inter na l playtesti ng and development cyc les it had ever cond ucted, re-evaluating a nd fine-tuning eve ry single WARMACHINE and HORDES model that had ever been released. Not content to simply update the games, they added several new model s to the existi ng factions, andmost ambit ious of a ll -undertook work on a n entirely new WARMACHINE faction, the Retribution of Scyrah . Privateer Press gave players unprecedented access to the Mk II development process w ith the Mk II field test. The field test offered players an early look at the second edition rules and opened every existing WARLVlACHINE a nd HORDES model to scrutiny, giving players a chance to influ ence the final outcome directly. Hundreds of thousands of field test reports were painstakingly reviewed by Privateer Press' indomitable development team before the final stats a nd abilities were sent off to print. In January of 2010, WAR/11ACHINE: Prime /IIIk II was officia lly released to the public, and "Mk II 20 10" card decks we re published for each faction to ensure players cou ld immediately update their armies to the new editio n. With so much ex isting information to cover, Privateer Press had decided to give each WARMACHINE and HORDES faction its ow n book over the course of the year. WARA1ACH!NE: PrimeMk II and, later in the year, HORDES: Primal /11/k If gave players the basics, includin g the fully updated rules system and templates, exciting new fiction, additiona l history for each faction, and an introduction to the hobby, a ll in a gorgeous full-color format bursting w ith new art and photographs.

ForctJ of WARMACHINE:

ForceJ of WARMACH!NE:

Cry.~

i~lercenarie.J

HORDES: PrimalMk If

Defender of the Unille!'Je

Voltron:

MAY2010

JU NE2 010

JULY 20 10

AUGUST 20 10

The format introduced with Force.J of WARMACHJNE: PirateJ of the Broken CoaJt was re6 ned for the Mk 11 books, including 2009's Forceo of WAIUJ'IACHJNE: Retributwn of Scyrah. Each force book coll ected every ex istin g model entry for the faction-p lu s a few new ones-as well as presenting new art, new 6ction, and a new level of background detail on the 6ghting forces of the Iron Kingdoms. The force books a lso introd uced an exciting new option for building arm ies based on specialist fo rces. Each of these Theme Forces provided a set of restrictions and bene6ts For building an army under a speci6c warcaster or warlock. Theme Forces opened up new game play options and cha llenges as well as prov iding a fantastic opportunity for avid hobbyists when converting and painting their army. With the release of ForceJ ofHORDES: Mtiu(mJ in January 20 11, the year of Mk II came to a triumphant close. The force book format had w ithout a doubt proven to be an excellent vehicle for expand in g the world and games of WARMACHINE and HORDES.

Forceo of HORDES: Skom e

ForceJ of HORDES: TroflbfoodJ

Forcu of HORDES: Leoion of Everblioht

Forceo of HORDES: Circle OrhoroJ

AUGUST 2010

SEPTEMBER 2010

OCTOBER 2010

NOV EMBER 2010

0'

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WARMACHINE and HORDES have experienced growth like never before since the release of Mk II. As the first Mk II expansion, WARMACHINE: Wrath begins a whole new chapter in the ongoing saga of the Iron Kingdoms. It contains plenty of exciting new warcasters, warjacks, and warriors to field in battle-but it also brings an amazing new dimension to the game table with the impressive battle engines, a large new centerpiece model type that challenges player expectations and the company's production abilities a like. Mounted on 120 mm bases, battle engines don't just expand the scope of the game rules; they expand the scope of what "miniatures" means on the tabletop. The extreme size of these models is made possible by Privateer Press' new resin casting faci lities. Pioneered under the Extreme Titan Gladiator, the company's resin production has gone from a one-man operation to a full-blown setup that easily rivals traditional metalcasting production. The material opens up possibilities for both large- and small-scale models like never before. Following close behind Wrath, HORDES: Domination will bring the new battle engine model type to the wi ld s of lmmoren and introduce a host of options to the table, including new epic warlocks and new character warbeasts. With the momentum of Mk II and Privateer Press' never-ending drive to break beyond the expected, WARMACHINE and HORDES are sure to be an unstoppable force in the miniatures gaming community for the next ten years and well beyond.

HORDES:

ForceJ of HORDES:

WARMACHINE:

Mininn.J

Wrath

Lock & Load GameFest 2011

Domt."nation

DECEMBER 2010

JUNE2011

JUNE20ll

OCTOBER 2011

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By Simon Berman • Art by Carlos Cabrera, Nestor Ossandan, and Andrea Uderzo In recent months, my responsibilities to the Cygnaran Runewaker tells me this Erst set of runes come from the oldest Reconnaissance Service have taken the lion's share of my time. carvings upon the dire troll's back. However, the time I have spent among the kriels of central Cygnar has been extremely illuminating and has allowed me MULG IS THE AVALANCHE. MULG IS THE rare insight into some of the deepest mysteries of the trollkin LANDSLTDE.MULG IS THE STORM THAT BEATS THE and their cousins, the full-blood trolls and dire trolls. I spent MOUNTAIN. MULG IS THE KURJOL, THE TROLL some weeks living with the Tallwater kriel in the foothills of the OF TROLLS. MULG CARRIES THE FIRST SEED Upper Wyrmwall Mountains during which time I befriended IN HIS LOINS. HIS CHILDREN ARE GREAT AND a stone scribe elder, Craggen Runewaker. As the curator of MANY. THE WORLD IS THERE TO FEED MULG IN his kriel's knowledge, Runewaker is essentially a living library MULG'S HUNGER. ONE DAY, MULG WILL EAT THE carrying the accumulated history of his extended family. WORLD, AS IS MULG'S RIGHT. MULG WILL EAT THE Runewaker honored me with the opportunity to make copies of MOUNTAIN AND THE FOREST AND THE MEN AND some of his most treasured scrolls, among them a set of rubbings EVEN THE TROLLS. MU LG WILL EAT THE WORLD. taken from a most intriguing set of carvings-runes inscribed From what I can deduce, these Erst runes were inscribed into the back of an ancient and fearsome dire troll! somewhere around the year 300 A.R. According to Runewaker's The stone scribe I befriended made these rubbings at great scrolls, it seems that M ulg had been known to the trollbloods of personal risk, having sought out the notorious dire troll called the Wyrmwalls for at least two centuries before that time. The Mulg. After prostrating himself before the monstrous creature, kriels of the region had long feared the dire troll that stalked the Runewaker asked permission to make a copy of the runes upon mountain es devouring everything in its path, even other Ivlulg's back to share among the kriels. Runewaker claims it was dire trolls. When Mulg crashed into the midst of the Tallwater only his invocation of the name of a Dhunian shaman named kriel's village, they were astonished and terri£ed. He roared in Doomshaper that kept Mulg from devouring him on the spot. the troll language of Molgur-Trul, demanding tribute in meat. The appeals to the ancient troll's vanity were successful, though, The kriel rushed to provide him with the food. Hours later, and he was allowed to make some rubbings. He informs me that barely sated on the entirety of the kriel's preserved food and the Erst transcribed age is carved into the prominent stony Livestock, Mulg called for their rune bearers to stand before him. ridge atop Mulg's back. Subsequent ages are taken from a He demanded they carve their runes of power into his back so set of carvings on the enormous club the dire troll wields as well that his story would be recorded and all who saw him would as from the smaller carvings found in less prominent portions of know it. Mulg's stony protruberances. MULG!STHEGREATHUNTEROFTHEMOUNTAINS. Runewaker informs me that t he runes inscribed upon MULGISTHEGREATHUNTEROFTHEWORLD. MEN Mulg are written in a strange tense, apparently an effort to THINK THEY ARE HUNTERS, BUT THEY COWER capture the tone of Mulg's unique mode of speech. l have IN FEAR OF li-1ULG, THEIR CAVE-PILES SJV\ASHED attempted to maintain the tone of this unusual writing. BENEATH MULG'S CLUB. MULG SJ\'IASHES THEIR Enclosed are my copies of the rubbings and translations as PUNY WALLS AND EATS THEIR FOOD. MULG EATS well as associated commentary. THE WEAK HUNTERS AS WELL. ALL WHO HUNT -Victor Pendrake ON MULG 'S MOUNTAINS AND TAKE MULG'S FOOD BECOME l\lULG'S FOOD.

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TER ffiRGR2InE: GUTS&GERRS My friend, Runewal<er, spoke with unconcealed pride at this portion of the translation. Centuries earlier, his kriel had come under attack by the Cygnaran Army and at least one of their mighty colossals. It seems the Cygnaran forces stumbled across Mulg while pt·eparing their attack upon the trollkin and paid a high price for their poor timing. Mu lg's strength and ferocity are clearly highlighted by this incident. Although we can assume a certain amount of hyperbole on Mu lg's part, there are clear records that the Cygnaran Second Army lost a major battle in th is region during the Co lossal War. In fact, reading between the lines of s written by Cygnaran survivors and Runewaker's repetition of his kriel's legends, there is every ind ication that Mu lg's presence was no accident. It seems likely that the legendary trollkin l\\ULG CANNOT BE ESCAPED. l\'lULG WILL EAT Chief Modr may have lead the Cygnarans into Mu lg's path at WHATEVER MULG WISHES. EVEN THE GREATEST great personal risk. This incident is particularly noteworthy BEASTS OF THE I\10UNTAIN CANNOT ~SCAPE in that it was one of the first engagements in which trollkin 1\\ULG. THEHUGESATYROFTHEWTNDING PEAKS succeeded in defeating a Cygnaran colossal. With several THOUGHT HE COULD EVADE l\1ULG, BUT liE centuries distance from those events, I must salute the brave WAS WRONG. HE FOOLISHLY RAN FROM 1\\ULG trollkin and respect the ferocity of Mulg even if this did DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. BUT l\lULG FOLLOWED. result in an alarming defeat for my nation! Runewaker suggested that whi le this part of the text is filled with Mulg's characteristic hyperbole, it might hold more than a kerne l of truth. Dire trolls are known to prey upon one another, particu larly over mating rights. It is not inconceivable that Mu lg has winnowed out the progeny of his rivals and populated much of the Wyrmwall with his descendants. Indeed, the dire trolls of the region have a reputation for ferocity exceeding that of dire trolls in other areas. Mulg's populating the region with his offspring has not tempered his fee lings towards other dire tro lls, though . Runewaker to ld me that dire tolls almost invariably abandon their kills when Mulg interrupts them feeding, and those who do not soon feed the ancient troll with their own carcasses.

MULG HAS NO ~MASTER AND KNOWS ONLY ONE WHO IS LIKE MULG. KROL IS 1\lULG'S BROTHER. ONLY KROL COULD WITHSTAND MULG'S GREETING AND NOT OLE. KROL NEED ONLY ASK AND MULG WILL BE THERE TO DESTROY AND EAT THOSE THAT KROL CANNOT. KROL IS STRONG FOR EATING SO LITTLE. BUT J\lULG KNOWS THAT THE MEN IN THEIR CAVES AND ATE THE SATYR KROI.:S HUNGER IS ALMOST AS GREAT AS .1\lULG'S AND THE MEN, AND .1\\ULG LAUGHED. BETTER HUNGER. KROL IS THE RAGE OF TROLLS.l\lULG IS TO STAY STILL AND NOT RUN FROM MULG WHEN THE HUNGER OF TROLLS. KROL AND MULG WILL 1\lULG WANTS TO EAT. SHAKE THE EARTH LIKE RAGE AND HUNGER.

HE RAN THROUGH THE FOREST VALLEY. BUT MULG FOLLOWED. HE RAN THROUGI! THE GNARLS AND ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE PLAIN, BUT MULG STILL FOLLOWED. THE SATYR THOUGHT TO HIDE WITH THE WEAK HUNTER l\lEN, BUT HE COULD NOT HIDE FROM 1\lULG. MULG FOUND HIM AND SMASHED HIM A~\lONG

Another interesting anecdote. There is a folktale among the people of southeastern Ord that roughly correlates to this tale. The story speaks of a goat that taunted a troll and then led it a merry chase across the land. In the story, the goat stops to taunt the troll a second time near a village. Having paused to make mock once more, the goat underestimated the troLl's anger, was overtaken, and eaten in view of aU the villagers who lauFh at his grisly fate. The moral is, I suppose, "don't push your luck ." I've never really had a good understanding of the character of the Ordic people, though, and I may be misinterpreting the point of their fab le.

Runewaker informs me that "KROL" refers to the Dhunian shaman known as Doomshaper and that the shaman himself inscribed these runes upon Mulg's back only a few months ago. Doomshaper is a powerful leader among the laiels of the present day, and we have had reports that a singularly large dire troll often accompanies him. I've never encountered Doomshaper personally, but his reputation among the troUkin precedes him. The most radical warriors fo llow him, incited by his rhetoric of vengeance against humankind and Cygnar in particular. I regret to say their wish for revenge is not entirely unjustified. However, the atrocities committed under Doomshaper's command are unforgivable, and the idea that a MULG FEARS NOTHING. NOT TROLLS OR creature like Mu.lg now accompanies him is unsettling in the TROLLKlN OR BEASTS OR MEN. MULG DOES NOT extreme. Tshudder to think what should happen ifDoomshapet· EVEN FEAR THE MEN OF IRON. THE MEN SENT were to lead the war bands of the kriels and the voracious Mulg THEIR l\lAN OF IRON AND HUNTERS TO ATTACK into a Cygnaran city. THE TROLLK!N AND 1\lULG. MULG OlD NOT FEAR ITS STONE HANDS OR ITS Si\lOKE OR ITS WEAPON. l\\ULG HAS HIS OWN WEAPON. MULG'S CLUB SMASHED THE WEAPON FROM THE MAN OF IRON'S HAND. MULG GRABBED ITS HEAD AND Sl\1ASHED. THE MAN OF IRON FOUGHT WELL. FOUGHT BETTER TIIAN ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER EXCEPT MULG. MULG WAS PROUD TO SMASH IT INTO THE GROUND AND PULL OUT THE FIRE FRO,\\ ITS HEART. THE MEN WHO FOLLOWED IT RAN BUT 1\lULG WAS FASTER. AND THEY FILLED MULG'S BELLY. i\lEN WILL NOT RETURN NOW. THEY FEAR 1\lULG.

no QURRTER ffiRGR2InE: GUTS &GERRS By A<

By David "DC" Carl

D

ire Trolls are some of the biggest, baddest, and hungriest beasties in all of western lmmoren. This gives a very special perspective on the fact that Mulg the Anci ent is the oldest, meanest, and most insatiable dire troll in known history.

Built Troll Tough Trollblood players and opponents alike know that dire trolls have some serious durability. Between Snacking, Regeneration, Alternate Food Source, warlock healing, Protective Aura, and generous life spirals, they've got staying power well beyond what their ARM stat alone would imply. Mulg the Ancient takes that dire troll toughness and amps it up even further thanks to an additional point of ARM ano an additional helping of damage circles on his life spiral. The Reach advantage of Mulg's giant dub provides yet another boost in survivability by allowing him to use the Snacking ability against a greater n umber of enemy mode ls in a single turn than would be available to a model without Reach weaponry. Mulg's Runebreaker anunus provides some protection for the friendly Trollblood forces in his vicinity. While its range limitations only guarantees protection for Mulg himself from short-range spells like Whip Snap or Battering Ram, Runebreaker forces an enemy to consider pos itioning carefully and can put a real crimp on powerful spell effects Like Frostbite, Stone Spray, or Venom.

Tree-to-Face While it is foo lish to underestimate the Trol lbloods as a purely aggressive faction, there is no denying their melee prowess. Mulg's got that typical strong suit in spades with his P+S 19 tree trunk along with a P+S 17 open ji,ft. This mammoth's amazing STR 13 means that even his bare hand hits harder than g iant swords, hammers, or axes in the hands of some heavy warbeasts or warjacks. Mulg is also deceptively fast for his SPD 4 frame. Any time he's damaged, his SPD leaps up to a 6 for one round. Any time his warlock is damaged, Mulg can make a fu ll advance towards that enemy model and can mal<e a free attack if the enemy is in range of his mighty dub. Unless an opponent decides not to attack Mu lg or his warlock, the Ancient is going to be in his face sooner rather than later. Mu lg tops off his aggress ive tree-to-face capabilities with the ability to slam foes away on a critical hit with the rune dub along with the ability to make one final strike at an enemy that refuses to die if he's in the battlegroup of his little buddy, Hoarlulc Doomshaper.

ffiulg the Rncient Mulg will spend the game smashing the enemies of the Trollbloods regardless of his current warlock, but there are plenty of ways to enhance his innate combat prowess with ing spells, feats, or abilities. • Though Mu lg has disturbingly impressive threat ranges against a cooperative opponent, some might try to keep him out of the action by avoiding the Relentless or Protective Fit triggers. In those cases, Mulg can still find plenty of help from friendly models to get into optimum position. Crusher, Warpath, Goad, Scroll of Grirnmr, Hoof It, Barroom B litz, and Bait the Line are all great positioning tools in the Trollblood warlocks' arsenals. Lanyssa Ryssyl's Hunter's Mark will stack with any of these abilities along with Mulg's own Relentless ability for some truly mystJYing threat ranges for a SPD 4 dire troll. • Against particularly high-DEF targets, spells like Carnage, Fortune, Wild Aggression, Calamity, and Marked for Death grant Mulg the accuracy he needs to make every attack count. The Fate Blessed ability or the Spread the Net feat are other options to increase his accuracy, but knockdown effects from the Thumper Crew, Troll Impaler, or Runeshapers' Tremor grant him the greatest accuracy of all by guaranteeing every attack he makes will find its mark. • Depending on the opposing threats, damage buffs may be better uti lized elsewhere. An attack at P+S 17 along with ai..o: attacks at P+S 19 is probably p lenty. Against a swarm of the heaviest threats imaginable, however, feel free to use the Flaming Fists, Acidic Touch, or Rage animus with the Krielstone Elder's Stone Strength thrown on top for good measure.

By Adam Huenecke In order to get smooth shading and easy transitions between tints, adding some acrylic retarder to your shades and highlights wi.U make your life a lot easier. Retard er changes the drying time and consistency of your paints, giving you more time to work with your colors while blending and offering a creamy, easy-to-work-with texture. This method of shading works most effectively when a shade or highlight is applied over a dry basecoat. Adding a dollop of retarder to your paints will give you those few crucial minutes to blend your colors easily, and with a little practice, you will 6nd that professional-looking shading is within your reach regardless of skill level. Feel free to fully assemble Mulg before you get to work- hi s dynamic pose allows you to access all parts of hi s body for painting. Be forewarned: Mulg is not just a mountain troll; he is a troll who is a mountain. Accordingly, he is a very heavy model. Your 6ngers are going to get a workout holding this model up, so be ready for some satisfYing cramps.

Step I-Flesh As the "lowest" point on the model (meaning that all the other details are piled on top of it), Mulg's skin is a good place to start. 1) Basecoat all of the flesh areas with Bastion Grey.

z) Wash all of the flesh areas with ~f the

a thinned mixture of Battlefield

re are , with

touch of Yellow Ink.

Brown, Thamar Black, and a

3) Shade the flesh with a mixture

of Umbral Umber and Thamar

ranges !p him ive Fit ,f help ·usher, 1 Blitz, in the

Black mixed with a drop of acrylic retarder and a drop of water to thin the mixture to a roughly 1:1 :1:1

under sides of Mulg's muscles in the areas that an overhead light

unter's

Mulg's ranges

ratio. Use a slightly damp

brush to apply the shadows to the

would not directly shine. 4) Once your shading is dry (even with the retarder, this will be only a few minutes), touch up your

Bastion Grey basecoat by mixing it with a little retarder and reclaiming the upper areas of the muscles and veins (where light would naturally hit).

.rnage, Death count.

sl Add some Cryx

~ other

6) Add some Trollblood Highlight to the previous mixture, and add some additional highlights to the

:s from

highest areas to really make your shading "pop."

:fern or i every

Bane Highlight to your Bastion Grey basecoat and continue highlighting the flesh.

7) Finally, use a small amount of Troll blood Highlight mixed with a little retarder to add some

details around the cracks in Mulg's skin. the crevasses in his face, and the other smaller details around his flesh.

pay be g with

Colors Used:

;warm

Flesh: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Bastion Grey, Cryx Bane Highlight, Thamar Black,

r

Trollblood Highlight. Umbral Umber, Yellow Ink

~

ee to .s with bp for

nn OURRTER mRGR2InE: GUTS &GERRS

Step 2- Stone 1) Basecoat the stones in Bloodtracker Brown with a few outcroppings basecoated in Pig Iron. 2) Wash all of the stone areas (both the Brown and Iron) with a thinned

6) For to app Wipe; before 7) Afte

mixture of Battlefield Brown, Thamar Black, and Yellow Ink.

with N "glow.

3) Shade all of the stone areas (both Brown and Iron) with Battlefield

runes

Brown with a touch of retarder. 4) Start highlighting both stone areas with the same color as their

[olm

respective basecoats mixed with a little retarder in order to reclaim your

Loinc

highlights.

Tham;

5) Continue highlighting the brown stone with a mix of Bloodtracker Brown, Rucksack Tan, and retarder.

Club: Highli

Rune:

6) Add some "veins" of minerals to the brown stone by applying horizontal, random stripes. For the darker veins. use a mixture of Thamar Black and Coal Black. For the lighter veins, mix Rucksack Tan and a touch of Bloodstone. 7) On the metal deposits, use some thinned Bloodstone to apply some oxidation around the base of the outcroppings. Once you are finished with the entire model and apply your clear coat. you can return to the metal areas and add some Radiant Platinum sparingly to the upper

1)Pain

surfaces to bring back a little of the metallic shine.

with ti

8) Add some final highlights to your brown stone using Hammerfall Khaki mixed with a little retarder.

2) Basi

tmts o

[olors Used: Metal Deposits: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Bloodstone, Pig Iron, Radiant Platinum, Thamar Black Brown Stone: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Bloodtracker Brown, Hammerfall Khaki, Rucksack Tan. Thamar Black Veins: Bloodstone. Coal Black, Rucksack Tan, Thamar Black

Step J- Club, loincloth, and Runes I) Basecoat the loincloth in Battlefield Brown, the exposed wood of the club in Beast Hide, the bark of the wood with Thornwood Green, and

J) Basi

Browr Menot

[olo Gurru

Sangu

the metal rings with Pig Iron. Paint the rune stones draped around Mulg's waist in the same fashion as the flesh areas.

Eyes: Teetli

2) Shade the loincloth with a wash of thinned Thamar Black, and wash the entire club with a mix of thinned Battlefield Brown, Thamar Black.

Highli

and Yellow Ink. 3) Start highlighting the loincloth with a mixture of Battlefield Brown and retarder. Start highlighting the areas of the trunk using all of its respective base colors. 4) Highlight the loincloth by adding some Bootstrap Leather to your previous mix of Battlefield Brown and retarder. Highlight the exposed wood of the club with Hammerfall Khaki, the bark with Cryx Bane Highlight, and add some Bloodstone to the metal rings to add some rust. 5) Add some final highlights to the loincloth with a mixture of Bootstrap Leather and retarder. Also. add some scratches and creases to the leather of the loincloth by using a small brush to add some random hatch marks and nicks.

no OUHRTER IDHGH2InE: GUTS &GEHRS 6) For the runes on the Kriel stone and smaller stones, use a small brush

)ppings

:hinned

ttlefield

their im your IS

!tracker

to apply Gnarls Green mixed with retarder to the recesses of each rune. Wipe away any excess green that gets outside the rune with a paper towel before it dries. 7) After the Gnarls Green dries, add another coat of paint inside the runes

with Necrotite Green mixed with retarder. This should create a nice two-tone "glow." You can add some Cygnus Yellow as a final step to make your larger runes really stand out.

Colors Used: Loincloth: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Bootstrap Leather, Thamar Black Club: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Beast Hide, Cryx Bane Highlight, Hammerfall Khaki, Pig Iron, Thamar Black, Thornwood Green Runes: Acrylic Retarder, Cygnus Yellow, Gnarls Green, Necrotite Green

lr Black

inished ! upper

Step 4- Detailing 1) Paint the gums with a base of Sanguine Base, and then highlight with tints of Sanguine Highlight and Murderous Magenta. z) Basecoat the eyes in Khador Red Base, and highlight with

tints of Khador Red Highlight and Heartfire. 3) Basecoat the teeth in Rucksack Tan, shade with Battlefield

Brown, and highlight with tints of Menoth White Base and Menoth White Highlight.

Colors Used: en, and

r Black,

Gums: Murderous Magenta, Sanguine Base, Sanguine Highlight Eyes: Heartfire, Khador Red Base, Khador Red Highlight Teeth: Battlefield Brown, Menoth White Base, Menoth White Highlight, Rucksack Tan

II

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Guts &Gears takes a look at the men. machines. and monsters of the Iran Kingdoms. Read about what it takes to be a warrior or warbeast with one of the man!l factions or look into the mechanikal workings of hulking warjacks and what it takes to get these multi-tan constructs to dominate the battlefield.

Manua writt_en

Intro~

Overt: escape last, I; ave rag he is a · of war,

Youw simply model show 1 serVlce at leas cortex howev

This £ savage unfettf has se• Kingd· overwl

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entwir far &c over tl of the field o heedle Some of Ber cortex

TID OUHRTER fiHGH2InE: GUTS &GEHRS 'he

By David "DC" Carl • Art by Nestor Ossandan and Andrea Uderzo Manual regarding the care and history of the Berserker designated Drago written by Torvich Panninski, Great House Korskovny Volozkyam, Chief Battle Mechanlk to Great Prince Tzepesci, retired

Introduction Over the years, I lost track of the number of times I wished to escape from that tnfernal machine, but I find that now, at the last, I am saddened our time has come to an end. Drago is no average warjack; he is not even an average Berserker! Rather, he is a trusted vassal of the Tzepesci line, a temperamental beast of war, and a priceless relic of a bygone era. You will quickly find that your experience with modern 'jacks simply does not apply here. Berserkers are the oldest warjack model stilltn service anywhere Ln the Iron Kingdoms, and they sl10w thetr age more than other warjacks. A Juggernaut Ln service for eight or nine decades likely has had its cortex wiped at least eight or nine tLrnes-likely more. The older style of cortex found within Berserkers does not afford us this option, however, so Berserker cortexes reflect the true age of these ancient weapons. This fact s for Berserkers' oft-unruly behavior and savage dispositions. When it comes to Drago speci£1caliy, his unfettered actions are even more justlfted, for the warjack has seen the bloodiest of battles in every corner of the Iron Kingdoms and continues to stand victorious even in the face of overwhelming opposition . I'm afraid I have gotten ahead of myself already. My point is this: to understand this warjack, Drago, you must know far more than technical speci.6cations and service procedures. You must understand the history that has molded this ancient machine into such a loyal, yet unpredictable warrior of the Tzepesci house.

The Berserl1er As I'm sure you are aware, the history of the Berserker is deeply entwined with that of the Tzepesci family. Though it has trail.ed far from the cutting edge of warjack production technology over the past co uple of centuries, the innate aggressive nature of the Berserker still sets it apart from other warjacks on the field of battle. Berserkers requtre little dlrection when charging heedlessly into the nearest foes. Some believe it is the unique patterns inscribed in the cortexes of Berserkers that has led to the gradual degradation of those cortexes over the years, and that the predilection for barely-

controlled aggression became more extreme as cortexes were ravaged by time. l think they're just bloody old. Show me another warjack pushing 200 winters, and I'll show you a cortex in some state of disrepaLr. The fact remains, however, that the Berserkers' aggressive predisposition has served two purposes. First, it has led to countless acc id ents over the years. Berserkers for the majority of accidental injuries and deaths among Khadoran mechanics both on and off the field of battle. They have even claimed a few warcaster injuries over the years. Secondarily, however, it has led to a warjack Line that meshes perfectly with the pride, nobility, and aggression of the ancient bloodline of the Tzepesci horselords.

name salle The machine that we now know as Drago was among the first Berserkers to march forth from the warjack foundries of the Motherland. His early service rec01·d is not fully documented, but I am confident he has seen more battles than any other Khadoran warjack in history. Drago first saw service during the battles to overthrow Ivan Vladykin. After the cursed necromancer stole the Khadoran throne, loyal Khadorans throughout the land rose up to abolish his unlawful reign. In those days, Drago Tzepesci fought numerous engagements against Vladylcin, his ers, and his masses of undead thralls. Tzepesci's martial prowess and reckless bloodlust gradually seeped into the temperaments of his warjacks. One particular Berserker picked up more instinctual behavior than most and also became quite protective of its master, frequently rushing into battle at his side without commands from the warcaster. Though the battles soon ended, Drago's aggression did not. After numerous accidents during even the most routine maintenance or battle exe rcises, Drago Tzepesci acquiesced to chaining his Berserker when it was not in use. This practice has since spread and is now common among mechanics with Berserkers in thetr charge. I understand the Ct:yxians sometimes utilize the same method to control their more murderous creations.

Over the years, this Berserker has been ed from one Tzepesci warcaster to another, eventually being named "Drago" in honor of Great Prince Drago Tzepesci, the warcaster who unlocked the true potential of this peerless Berserker.

of wrecked Destroyers. He then strode over the wreckage and brought his new weapons to bear with frenz ied fervor, cleaving t h rough not one but two Ironclads that anchored t he enemy lin es .

Retrofit

Any subsequent attempt to arm Drago with other weaponry has met with typ ical violent outbursts, so the "retroftt" was logged as an official armament upgrade.

Just about every part but Drago's cortex has been replaced at least t hree times by now, but the abando n with w hich he fights ens ures that even the newest components are battered, dented, and scratched in short order. There is little use in attempting cosmetic repairs beyond an occasional fresh paint job. In addition to the standard parts rep la cement, Drago stands out from other Berserkers due to his unique weaponry. Towards the end of a particularly brutal battle outside Merywyn during the conquest of Llael. the wrecks of numerous warjacks a nd the bodies of countless so ldiers li ttered the ravaged landscape. Weary and battered, th e brave soldi ers of the Motherland fo ug h t vali antly against Llaelese defenders a nd their south ern a lli es seeking to prevent us from reclaiming ancient Umbrey. In the heat of battle, Drago wrested his executioner axes from a pair

rum or ow n c: Oth er a b surc fa ll en du ty a Drage a gg r e~

th e T z he is n

leuends A numb er of rumors a nd legends surround your new charge. Some of th em are true w hil e others are naught but fabr ication.

l 8

a1 0

I can confirm the rumor that Drago's boiler can start on its own w hen Great Prince V ladimir Tzepesc i is nearby. Somehow, Drago is capable of sensi ng Great Prince Tzepesci's presence, and Drago's stro ng connection to the sorcero us Tzepesci bloodline appears to have fundamentally altered the ve ry steps needed to start the warjack . I wou ld lik e to exp la in this away as an in genio us mechanikal apparatus that reacts to o u tside commands, but I can find no tec hnolog ical reason fo t· t his c uri ous behavior. It is a feature of the warjack that can prove qu ite usefu l at times. Unfortunately, it can a lso prove rather dangerous, and a number of mechanics have been injured during unexpected startups. On the other hand, the rumors that Dt·ago is possessed by the sp irit of Drago Tzepesci cou ld not be further from the truth. I am confident the sou l of Drago Tzepesci yet does battle, but he fights on Urcaen not locked wit hin t he hull of a warjack fighting enemtes on the fields of Cygnar or Llael. Lend no credence to t hese

a c t

main Now yo u h po ints from<

F irst. tim es · T zepe t hi s U: un a rrr use t ~ so und have< y ou a<

While w illfi less d, self-a, be nig1 nin e-t res po1 a nd h e ne mt T ze pe murd< pee rl e

Yo u : maint gears a nd a find r g e t sc but C fees 1 comp• Drag• w ith of cm

TER mHGH2InE: GUTS &GEHRS rumors w hen yo u hear them g ive n voice, and see that yo ur own crew does nothing to s upport these wild tales. Other rum ors I have hea rd ove r the yea rs grow even more absurd from th e,·e. Drago does not co nsum e the so ul s of the fallen nor does he run on corpses rath er than coal. To do your duty as a mechanik yo u mu st separate supe rstition from fact! Drago is ce rtainly a tenacious warjack with deeply in gra in ed aggression, a s urv ivo r of co untless battles, a price less re lic of the Tzepesci bloodlin e, and a loya l so ldi er for hi s master, but he is no ghost or ghoul. new

reluctant to believe Drago could t.al"t on its own. It is just a machine, after all. For the ~rat few months working on Drago, I became more certain I was right each day. When Lord Tzepesci was recently called away quickly and unexpectedly to the . eastern front, I was shocked to see Drago start on its own. I still can barely belieye it myself, but I swear it's true.

maintenance Now that yo u und e rs tand this uniqu e wa rj ack w ith w hi c h yo u have bee n entrusted, I will exp la in some a dditional points in w hi c h Drago diffe r from other warjacks and even fro m other Berserkers. First a nd foremost, yo u mu st keep Drago res tra in ed at a ll tim es w he n he is not under the di rect co ntro l of Great Prince Tzepesci. No matte r how sorely te mpted yo u are to disregard thi s instru ction , I implore you to res ist. Even if Drago is unarm ed, unlit, a nd has no coal in hi s ho pper, yo u s ho uld s till u se the heavy custom-forged c hains at all times. This may sound extre me, eve n unreasonable, but too many mec hani cs have a lready underestimated Drago, a nd I do not wa nt to see yo u added to thei1· number. th ese

While Drago is in the v icini ty of Great Prince T zep esci, you w iU find that his be ha vior c hanges remarkab ly, but he is no less dangerous to hi s crew. His se lf-w ill a nd eve n a seemin g self-awar eness will increase dram a ti cally. This may sound ben ign, but it is a truly dangerous propos ition for a nearly nine-ton heavily armed warj ac k . On the pos iti ve s id e, Drago respo nd s eage rly to Great Prince Tzepesci's co mmands a nd hi s wrath finds outlet only aga inst th e Great Prince's enem ies . His actions remind me of stories of the ancient Tzepesci horselords w ith steeds that were con sidered wild murd ero us beasts but heed ed th e ir lord read ily, becoming peerless co mba tants a nd a lli es. You shou ld follow a ll of th e typical Kh a doran warjack maintenance practices, of co urse. Keep all pistons we ll oiled , gears free of oxidation, hoppe r a nd engine cleaned of soot, and armor plating in good re pair. When yo u are un a ble to find rep lace me nt parts, simply commission new ones. You'Ll get so me funny looks commissioning new Berserker p arts, but Great Pr ince Tzepesci will readily p ay any additional fees levied for the ma nufacture of obscure or outdated compone nts. Drago also requires additional care as is fitting for a warjack w ith a n a ntiquated co rtex that is pushing two ce nturies of constant use. Be sure to ca refully apply the alchemical

bon&ng ge l to the weld points on Drago's cortex at least o nce a month . Unlike many Berserkers, Drago does not yet leak cortical flu id, but it's a co ntinu ing r isk . Berserkers' t co nn ec tion s are a lso not as tight as c urre n t wa rj ack s due to o ld e r man ufacturing processes, so be certa in to thoroughly scrub a ll ts afte r exte ns ive co mbat. You'll find bits and pieces of dried gore in ali sorts of places on a Berserke r that yo u wo uldn 't on a newe r mod el.

If a new mechanic ever reads this manual, there is one other important note regarding parts replacement - do not replace Drago's head. At one point, we replaced the damaged faceplate with the deep gash running down the aide. Shortly thereafter, Drago became evan mora violent and unruly than usual. I did not realize such a thing was ev an possible, but ita chains could barely contain it any longer, and Patr Voronov was crushed between Drago' a arm and hull when he attempted to adjust the restraints. I scoured the logbook for hours in an at tempt to idan ti fy the causa of Drago • a severe change in behavior. On the whim of a junior mechanic, we dug the old scarred faceplate out of the scrap bin and restored Drago's damaged visage . Shockingly, no ona· was hurt in the process and Drago • a temperament improved immediately.

Conclusion There are far too ma ny glorious battles as we ll as fa r too many unfortun ate acc id e nts for me to recount them a U in this s imp le manual. Considerin g that Drago is older than my grandfathe r 's grandfather's grandfather w ould be, th e re are also co untless sto ries that are lost to the ages. I do wish you the best of luc k and a hea.lthy meas ure of perseve ra nce. I am ce rta in yo u wi ll eventua.lly com e to resp ect a nd ire Drago as I now do . -Torv ich Panninski

While I must confess that my respect for . Drago (af\d for Torvich, for that matter,) has increased substantially over the past several .months, I also have a growing concern. This warjack has endured much over the years. One could claim that he has evolved into the perfect Berserker, but I fear the truth is that he has devolved into a wild beast beyond our control. Should Great Prince Tzapasci aver fall in battle, it is ~y stern recommendation that Drago be decommissioned immediately.

no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: GUTS &GERRS

ORAliO.TRCTIC!i

PJ

By David "DC" Carl

By A<

V

ad's favored Berserker assails its foes with an unrelenting rain of Executioner Axe attacks. One of the most focus-efficientwarjacks in all ofWARMACHINE, Drago is an exceptional tool in the Khadoran warjack arsenal.

Efficient Euisceration Drago's combination of high MAT and efficient offensive abilities makes it vastly more focus-efficient than similar melee warjacks. The Aggressive abili1y allows Drago to charge freely, and the Bloodbath chain attack gives Drago a free attack against his primary target and a free attack against anyone else that happens to be in his melee range. Assuming that's even just one enemy model, Drago gains the equivalent of three free focus points (one to charge, two for additional attacks). Tills efficiency makes Drago an excellent warjack selection for warcasters that do not have lots of focus to spare. Whether a warcaster's focus goes to spells, other warjacks, his own combat abilities, or even his power field, Drago can operate independently with a high degree of effectiveness. On a truly critical turn, however, a full focus payload can make Drago even more destructive by granting him up to three more attacks or boosts than Ills innate abilities allow. Very few other warjacks in the game can charge a target to make a total of six attacks against the same foe in one turn.

Runnin!J Riot There can be no denying that the Unstable abili1y is a deterrent to using focus carelessly. On any given turn that it uses focus points, Drago just might explode in a shower of shrapnel. As noted earlier, though, focus can be a real boon when attacking a particularly tenacious foe, and Drago's Run Riot imprint is another attractive expenditure for those resources. Run Riot allows Drago to move an inch a&er each kill. For a warjack without Reach, this is a great way to cleave through heavy infantry formations. When using abilities like Run Riot, always p lan ahead rather than attacking from t he most direct angle. With a half-inch engagement range to each target and a one-inch step in between, enemy models can be as much as 2" apart in the most extreme case. Plan ahead to make the most out of every Run Riot advance to get into melee range with enemies that would otherwise be out of reach. The potential drawback of Unstable should always be a consideration, but like any other warjack, Drago is ultimately expendable in the service of the warcaster. The abili1y to make additional attacks or the possibili1y of reaching the opposing warcasterlwarlock with Run Riot must be weighed against the possibili1y of premature explosion. Just ensure that if Drago does trigger Unstable, the POW 14 blast with its roughly 8" diameter AOE takes out plen1y of opposing soldiers in the explosion.

Dra!JO Drago is an efficient melee warjack who can get by with minimal warcaster , but there are a number of warcasters that take the character Berserker to whole new he ights of carnage. • The most obvious warcaster choices are Vladimir, the Dark Prince and Vladimir, the Dark Champion. When in a battlegroup with either Vladimir, Drago's Unstable abili1y becomes optional, reducing the risk while still maintaining the potential for a massive explosion. On top of that, Drago gains increased accuracy and damage, maximizing his alreadyimpressive melee output. • Threat range enhancement can be extremely helpful for SPD4 warjacks that Love to get into the action . The vast majori1y of Khadoran warcasters have at least one form of warjack threat range enha ncement including Bounclless Charge, Conferred Rage, Forced March, Assail, Superiority, Energizer, Iron Fist, and Tow. • Spells, feats, and abilities to buff Drago's damage potentially can be a real boon against exceptionally heavily-armored foes, especially when he is running without any focus for boosts or additional attacks. Blood Frenzy, Fury, and Unearthly Rage are some of the most powerful tools available, but don't neglect less common possibilities Like Gorman's Rust Born!;>, Aiyana's Kiss of Lyliss, or the Ragman 's Death Field. Mercenary alone can get Drago's axes up to an equivalent of P+S 22 against a hardy warjack. • Though it's not a direct model buff, the ARM 18 Drago gains more benefit from a good screen than other Khador warjacks. A front line of !Ugh-defense units like Kayazy Assassins or high-armor units like Man-a-War Shocktroopers can ensure Drago reaches battle intact.

TER mHGH2InE: GUTS &GEHRS

PRINTINii DRRiiD By Adam Huenecke

In order to get smooth shading and easy transitions between tints, add ing some acrylic retarder to yo ur shades and highl ights will make your life a lot easier. Retarder changes the drying time and consistency of your paints, giving you more time to work with your colors while b lending and offering a creamy, easy-to-work-with texture. T his method of shading works most effectively when a shade or highl ight is applied over a dry base coat. Adding a dollop of retarder to your paints will give you t hose few crucial minutes to blend your colors easily, and with a little practice, you wil l find that professional-looking shading is within your reach regardless of skill level. Feel free to fu lly assemble Drago before you get to work - his dynamic pose allows you to access aU parts of his body for paintiog. Optionally, you coul d paint the arms separate and t hen attach them last.

5t~p I-Bas~ 1inimal rs that nage. ir, the en In a

ability ing the o gams !ready-

·SPD4 xity of : threat 1ferred r, Iron !ntially !d foes, boosts earthly le, but 's Rust 1 Field. to an

ogams ,rjacks. sms or ensure

[oat

I) Base coat Drago's un dercarriage, axes, and meta l compo nents with Pig Iro n.

Paint the majority of the armor plates in Skorne Red. Pa in t the other plates in a base of Umbra! Umber. 3) Base coat the ri ngs around the spikes and plates with Thamar Black. 4) Paint Drago's face grill , smokestack guards, and axe detail s in Mo lten Bronze. z)

[olors Used: Undercarriage and Axes: Pig Iron Armor Plates: Skorn e Red, Th amar Black, Umb ra! Umber Brass Details: Mo lten Bronze

no OURRTER mRGR2InE: GUTS &GERRS St~p

2- Shadin!J

Brown and Yellow Ink. (Leave the axe heads. We will deal with those later.)

1) In or shad0\1

2) Shade the red plates with a mix of Exile Blue, Umbra! Umber, and acrylic

2) On t

retarder in a roughly

mixturo Highlig

1) Wash all of the Pig Iron components with a thinned mixture of Battlefield

1: 1:1

ratio.

3) Shade the brown areas with Thamar Black mixed with retarder. 3) On t! 4) Shade the axe heads with a mixture of Greatcoat Grey mixed with

the me

retarder. 4) Base

5) Once the Greatcoat Grey on the axes is fully dry, add another shade of

5) For I

Battlefield Brown mixed with Exile Blue and retarder.

with n 6) Shade the brass components with Brown Ink mixed with Cryx Bane Base. 6) Afte1

[olors Used: Undercarriage: Battlefield Brown, Yellow Ink Armor Plates: Acrylic Retarder, Exile Blue. Thamar Black, Umbra! Umber Axes: Acrylic Retarder, Battlefield Brown, Exi le Blue, Greatcoat Grey

[olm

Brass Details: Cryx Bane Base. Brown Ink

St~p

highlig that yc Platim

Skull! Eyes: Highl: Radiar Rust:

3- Hi!Jhli!Jhtin!J 1) On the red plates, first touch-up your basecoat and clean up any excess shading by applying Skorne Red to the upper areas of the plates that light wou ld naturally hit. Next, add some Khador Red Highlight and retarder to your Skorne Red and apply a further tint of highlight. 2) On the brown plates, touch -up your basecoat with Umbra! Umber. and then add Blood tracker Brown and retarder to your Umbra! Umber for additiona l highlights. Fina ll y, use Bloodtracker Brown mixed with retarder to add highlights to the highest areas and upper detail edges (rivets, etc).

3) On the b lack plates, apply a highlight of Coal Black mixed with Umbra! Umber and retarder. Add Cryx Bane Highlight to the mixture to apply some final highlights to the upper edges. 4) On the brass components, simply touch-up your basecoat with Molten Bronze in the upper areas. 5.) Touch up your metal components with Pig Iron, and then add some Radiant Platinum on the ra ised areas to bring out the details. 6.) Once the entire model is highlighted. take a small brush and apply the scrapes and chips all around Drago's painted armor plates with Pig Iron mixed with a touch of Thamar Black. , Drago is possibly the longest-serving and most ill-tempered Warjack in the Khador arsenal , so go crazy with the damage and weathering.

[olors Used: Armor: Acrylic Retarder, Bloodtracker Brown, Coal Black, Cryx Bane Highlight. Khador Red Highlight, Skorne Red, Thamar Black, Umbra! Umber., Metal: Radiant Platinum, Pig Iron Eyes: Heartfire, Khador Red Base, Khador Red Highlight Brass: Molten Bronze Damage: Pig Iron, Thamar Black

melt After model melte< mixw an old let it < You o your\

TER mHGH2InE: GUTS &GEHRS

Step ij- lletailinQ 1)

In order to give the battle damage a more realistic look, add a drop shadow to the upper edge of each scrape. Not every scrape needs a drop

shadow on the top, only the more horizontal scratches that would cast a small shadow from an overhead light. z) On the lower rim of each scrape, add a small bit of highlight to simulate light hitting the paint around the damage. On the red areas. use a mixture of Skorne Red and 'Jack Bone. On the Brown plates, use Beast Hide. Don't worry too much about the black-you could add some Cryx Bane Highlight, but it will not make much difference considering the high contrast. 3) On the metal components, use thinned Bloodstone to apply light rust around the rivets and ts. Drago spends a lot of time in the field, and the mechanics don't like to get close enough to him for much preventative maintenance. 4) Base coat the skull necklace in 'jack Bone. Shade the skulls with Battlefield Brown and highlight with Menoth White Highlight. 5) For the lire in Drago's eyes, shoulders, and axe vents, apply Khador Red Base to each area with a small brush. Next, mix Khador Red Highlight with retarder and add a tint to each area. Finally, add Heartlire to Drago's eye slit to give them a sinister glow. 6) After clear coating your model for protection, use Radiant Platinum to apply some final highlights to the metal areas and battle damage. This will reclaim the metallic tones that your clear coat will likely mute and give your model an extra glint. Mix Radiant Platinum with Molten Bronze to touch up your brass components, and enjoy.

Colors Used: Skulls: Battlefield Brown, 'Jack Bone, Menoth White Highlight Eyes: Heartlire, Khador Red Base, Khador Red Highlight

Highlights: Beast Hide, 'jack Bone, Molten Bronze, Radiant Platinum, Skorne

Rust: Bloodstone lp any of th e

melted Snow

>r Red er tint

After painting and clear coating your

Jmber,

mix white glue and baking soda in a

Umber

an old brush to glob the mixture onto your base, and Jet it dry fully. The result is easy to make piles of melted snow!

model. you might want to apply some melted snow to the base. In order to do this,

d With edges

1:1

You could even use this effect to add some accumulated snow to your wintery 'Jacks or battle engines.

l with ixture

t with

·n add tail s. apply s with ago is in th e

ratio. Use

What I 1 its pres a scale with itE served malevol My res

Alexia'' soonha Immore you se ~ you ta.K

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PAGE2

ljgl AR: Upon d iscovering a transcription of the Thuria's Promise's original shipping manifest, Dexer Sirac lead a troop of mercenaries to the ruins of l':oorcraig Castle to recover an ancient artifact. Only Dexer Sirac, the infamous s niper Kell Bailoch , and two mercenaries named Durst and Lank returned form this mysterious expedition. Durst and Lank subsequently died under suspicious circumstances. 591-593 AR: Dexer Sira c used h is role in the Inquisition to slay an indeterminate number of arcanists found g uilty of witchcraft, using the •.vitchfire a s the instrument of execution. 593 AR: The Corvis Coven witch trials. :b'ive women were accused of witchcraft, including Lexaria Ciannor, Alexia's mother. The women were convicted and beheaded. Again, Dexer Sirac used the \vitchfire to carry out the executions. The execution ritual unleashed a massive surge of energy that knocked Head Inquisitor Sirac unconscious. Bodyguards of l'lagistrate Ulfass Borloch carried Sirac from the scene and left the \vitchfire behind. 593 AR: Prelate Pandor Dumas, Alexia's uncle and head of the l~orrowan Church in Corvis, recovered the \Vitchfire from the site of the Corvis Coven execution. He used h is influence to have Lexaria Ciannor's corpse interred in the Corvis Grand Cathedra l while the other four witches were buried outside town. Dumas sealed the \vitchfire below Lexaria's tomb as "its nature unsettled him and he felt it best kept on holy ground." 59• AR: Alexia Ciannor was sent to live with her uncle, Prelate Dumas. The Inquisition was disbanded when Leto became king. l•lany inquisitors were arrested and executed while others such as Head Inquisitor Sirac become wanted outlaws. 602 AR: A series of u nexplained grave robberies were discovered around Corvis. Among the graves plundered was the site containing four of the Corvis Coven.

• I believe it is crucially important first to understand the history of the Witchfire and then examine how it intertwines with Alexia's own. This is key to ascertaining the extent of the threat they pose together. • As with many ancient artifacts, divining the origins of the Witchfire is akin to tracking down a single grain of sand in the middle of the Bloodstone. Still, I am not without my resources, and there are a number of compelling myths and legends that inform the blade's history-although few are individually reliable. The first tenuous mention of the Witchfire is attributed to Scion Delesle, the Thamarite Patron of Necromancy. Legend states that she wielded a "black sword" that later adherents believed was the Witchfire. Precisely how she used this blade is disputed, but Delesle was involved in the murder of dozens of Menite priests, and her moment of dark ascension is said to have involved impaling herself with her black sword. Some of her adherents believe the power of this dark blade and the combined deaths of her enemies helped trigger her transformation into a scion, at which point she ed her dark mistress in Urcaen. The following document was culled from a set of ancient Thamarite scrolls, and its author claims to have been present during the ascension of Delesle. -G.K.

602 AR, Long est Ni ght: Hundreds of u ndead assaulted the Chapel of Morrow in Corvis, allegedly a rriving from the nearby ruins of :b'ort Rhyker. The tomb of Lexaria Ci annor was desecrated, her body and the bodies of her coven sisters were removed, and the \vitchfire was stolen. 603 AR: Agents of the outlawed Inquisition, led by Dexer Sirac operating under the a lias Vahn Oberen, infiltrated Corvis. They seized control of the city with the hel p of collaborator l'lagistrate Borloch and prepared for the arrival of a skorne a rmy led by Vinter Raelthorne. Vinter Raelthorne's efforts were thwarted when Alexia Ciannor used the '.Vitchfire to raise the Legion of Lost Souls to aid the city* during t he Battle of Corvis. 603 AR: Alexia relinquished the '.Vitchfire and The Church of J·;orrow took custody of the blade after the Battle of Corvis . High Prelate Dumas sent t h e sword south intending it for safekeeping in the Sancteum. 60" AR: Alexia attacked the caravan carrying the \vitchfire to the Sancteum and stole t h e sword. This act earned her the enmity of the Order of Illumination, which was s anctioned by the Churc}:l of l':orrow to use force in recovering the blade. 60• AR - Present: \vhile on the run from the Order of Illumination, Alexia survives by selling her services as a mercenary. Clients appear to be those des perate enough to make use of her necromantic power to destroy t heir enemies. * The "Legion of Lost Souls" is worthy of a dossier itself. The Sancteum has records on this supernatural phenomenon. Allegedly the dead raised by Alexia to defend Corvis derived from a mercenary company long in Cygnaran employ called the Eternals, sla in while in the service of l'lalagant the Grim. They were interred in a hidden tomb in 295 AR after a border conflict between Cygnar and Khador. Their tomb was built following the instructions of a host of J{orrowan archons at which time it was prophesied they would "rise again to keep the forces of darkness at bay."

Youwil of Men I am n "devou to spea I think

igins of the ain of sand ~without my gmyths and gh few are attributed :ecromancy. that later ly how she

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-G.K.

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You will of course note the descriptions of a "black blade" used in the ritual slaying of Menite priests. Although the sword detailed above is not completely described, I am not the first to suspect it to be the Witchfire. The sword is described as "devouring" the minds, bodies, and souls of the scion's victims-their essence, so to speak. This trait is also attributed to the Witchfire. I think the circumstantial evidence is strong enough to suggest that Scion Delesle may have wielded the Witchfire during her lifetime. There are pieces of Thamarite lore going so far as to suggest this sword was created by Delesle, but more impartial theologians and scholars suggest its decorative elements and markings derive from an older era. I am not inclined to guess at the Witchfire's true origins, and honestly, its genesis hardly matters at this point beyond satisfying sagacious curiosity. Some have noted the weapon bears similarity to Orgoth weaponry. While true, the earliest recorded incidents attributed to the blade occurred as much as a thousand years before the Orgoth came to these shores, so I am inclined to believe the weapon has no direct connection to those oppressors. ' -G.K.

• The most widely documented incidents involving the Witchflre transpired 400 years after Delesle's dark ascension. The .most infamous wielder of the blade was a Thamarite priesrby the name of Akhet Zerosh who used the Witchflre to embark upon a bloody crusade against the clergy of both Menoth and Morrow. While brief mentions of Zerosh's crusade exist in many historical tomes, a highly detailed exists in a rare Thamarite volume called the "Tome of Defiance." One of the last remaining copies of this book, which was largely destroyed by the Inquisition, is in the care of High Prelate Dumas in Corvis. It was among Dexer Sirac's belongings recovered after the battle of Corvis. Though it does not explain how the blade came into his possession, the chronicle recounted Akhet Zerosh's use of the Witchfire in his rise to power among the Thamarites and documents a murderous reign of terror in which he allegedly slaughtered hundreds of Morrowan and Menite priests. The chronicle describes in great detail how these priests were offered to Thamar in a ritual sacrifice, with the Witchflre serving as the instrument of their execution. I believe this type of sacrificial ceremony allows the Witchflre to absorb the essence of those it slays and transfer a portion of their power to its wielder. This would help explain Akhet Zerosh's meteoric rise to power.

unremar. was liste shipped I heirloom Church o Apparen Thamari informat to invest

[_

' It T vi j ..,

-G.K.

The following age from the Tome of Defiance describes a skirmish between Thamarite and Morrowan forces where Zerosh, now ascribed the higher Thamarite priestly rank of cantor, used the Witchfire's power to animate the dead. The Witchfire is described in some detail, leaving little doubt that Akhet Zerosh once wielded the blade and made use of its power to establish himself as a powerful servant of Thamar. Note that while legends surrounding this sword often speak of its presence stirring the dead to walk, this is the first recorded mention of this process being deliberately initiated. -G.K

With locat: appears D1 the ruins c Cryxian w. by Lord Tc lightly-or However, I driven, an1 the details one intere1

Dexer Sir infamous : trusted hi to handle to his lesf from Kell expedition

Though there are hints and rumors of others wielding the blade, there is nothing concrete in the historical record for the next 200 years, when the Witchfire shows up in a shipping manifest, of all things, in 1015 BR. Only the diligence of monk-scribes of Ascendant Doleth-who prize all nautical documents-preserved and later transcribed this otherwise unremarkable manuscript. A ship called Thuria 's Promise apparently carried the Witchfire in its hold. The weapon was listed as part of a cargo of other "items of historical import intended for sale in Caspia." It seems likely whoever shipped the blade and the captain of the vessel had no idea of its import and considered it merely a potentially valuable heirloom. A copy of the shipping manifest was also among the belongings of Dexer Sirac. It was confiscated by the Church of Morrow along with his journal, which proved to be a bountiful source of information on the Witchfire. Apparently Sirac had been seeking the Witchfire for some time and had turned to a number of unexpected sourcesThamarites, infernalists, and other nefarious individuals his order was sworn to root out and destroy-for any shred of information regarding the blade. Given his status as head inquisitor under King Vinter IV, he was in a unique position to investigate the trail of the blade. This journal entry relates his discovery of the ancient shipping manifest. -G.K

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---G.K.

With location of the Witchfire known to him, it appears Dexer Sirac set about retrieving it from the ruins of Castle Moorcraig. An expedition into Cryxian waters to the ruins of a castle destroyed by Lord Toruk himself is not a task undertaken lightly-or one with much chance of success. However, Dexer Sirac was nothing if not bold and driven, and although his journal does not relate the details of his voyage to Moorcraig, I did find one interesting source that did. Dexer Sirac was known to work with the infamous assassin Kell Bailoch and apparently trusted him (as much as he trusted anyone) to handle situations too important to assign to his lesser minions. What follows is a letter from Kell Bailoch to Dexer Sirac regarding the expedition to Moorcraig. -G.K.

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Dexer Sirac never spoke openly about the Witchfire and clearly intended to use its power secretly for his own benefit. He "concealed" the sword in plain sight by utilizing it in the fulfillment of his office. When examining the cases in which he was involved, I found a marked increase in Sirac's personal involvement in the execution of sorcerers after 691 AR. Before that date, many of those tasks were handled by subordinates. The last and now most infamous case in which he was involved was the Corvis Cove~ Witch Trials in 593 AR where five women were executed with the blade-one of them Alexia's mother, Lexaria Ciannor. After examining the Tome of Defiance, I can safely conclude that Dexer Sirac was using the Witchfire to steal power and strength from gifted arcanists to bolster his own ability. Additionally, I think we are all very fortunate that the ritual he attempted at the Corvis Witch Trials was too much for him to handle and that Dexer Sirac lost possession of the sword. Clearly Dexer Sirac intended to reach similar levels of power as Akhet Zerosh-a frightening proposition for Vinter IV's Cygnar. I wonder if the Lion's Coup might have ended differently if King Vinter had access to such an ally. The events of the Corvis Coven Witch Trials are fairly well documented. However, the following -from one of Magistrate Ulfass Borloch's personal guards-focuses on the executions themselves. The guard, one Darius Mosley, is currently spending the remainder of his life rotting in Bloodshore Island for his part in Magistrate Borloch's crimes. I managed to converse with him briefly, and he was quite forthcoming about the events of the Corvis Coven Witch Trials. The following is a detailed transcription of the conversation I had with Mosley. In it, I think you will find some fascinating corollaries between Head lnquisitor Sirac's ritualized slaying of the five women accused of witchcraft and the slaughters perpetrated by Akhet Zerosh. -G.K.

/

1 reall':1 should~'t talk a"Dout this. Borloc.h paid Vira~ to keep our mouths shut a"DolAt what happe~ed that ~ight . But ~ow I'm Loc.ked i~ here a~d almost ever1:1o~e else i~volved with that mess is dead . Ma1:1"De the':1'LL reduc.e m1:1 se~te~c.e it I tell 1:10u what I remem"Der. c.row~s

Those wome~ were guilt'? . I'm sure ot that. Whe~ Magistrate Borloc.h read aloud the List ot their c.rimes 1 I c.ould~'t wait to see their heads c.ome awa1:1 from their ~ec.ks. Still, it was~'t Like a~1:1 e)(ec.utio~ I'd ever see~ . Wh':1 we had to do it wa1:1 out i~ the woods 1 tor o~e, ~ever made se~se to me. We had e)(ec.uted witc.hes "Detore, a~d it was aLwa1:1s do~e i~ the pu"Dlic. square. People ~eed to see that ki~d of thi11'g . We dragged those wome~ out to the Widower's Wood to a plac.e that had "Dee~ prepared. lt was a grave1:1ard 1 a~d a reall':1 old o~e . Most ot the graves were just mou~ds c.overed over with moss. It o"Dviousl':1 had~'t "Dee~ used i~ c.e~turies. It was a~ eerie plac.e1 though. I remem"Der that muc.h . The i~quisitor was alread':1 there whe~ we arrived, a~d he had this "Dig "Dlac.k sword u~sheathed a~d was holdi~g it ac.ross his arms. It was a~ evil-Looki~g th i ~g . The wome~ were Lead i~to a~ area where the grass had "Dee~ "Dur~t awa1:1 1 a c.irc.ular c.Leari~g a"Dout te~ teet ac.ross . Vira~ a~d I were supposed to hold the wome~ dow~ so the e)(ec.utio~er c.ould swi~g the sword 1 "Dut it tur~ed out it was~'t ~ec.essar1:1 . The wome~ just k~elt dow~, "Dowed their heads, a~d Let him do it. It was as if the'? did~'t wa~t to Live a~1:1more. Ever1:1thi~g

a"Dout that e)(ec.utio~ was just odd . Duri~g the whole the i~quisitor was mutteri~g i~ some L'a~guage ~o~e ot us had ever heard . It was thic.k a~d guttural, a~d it almost sou~dedlike he was gru~ti~g rather tha~ talki~g . Eac.h time he Lopped ott o~e ot those witc.h's heads 1 he would mutter or c.ha~t Louder, a~d that sword of his glowed tor a sec.o~d or two. The~ the i~quisitor would stagger a Little, Like that glow was taki~g somethi~g out ot him . But it was~'t u~til the Last woma~-I remem"Der she was the prettiest ot the "Du~c.h a~d the o~l':1 o~e that would Look the i~quisitor i~ the e1:1e-that ever1:1thi~g we~t to hell. B1:1 the time the i~quisitor got to her 1 he was trem"Dli~g so "Dadl':1he c.ould "Darel':1hold 011 to the sworc\ 1 a11d his c.ha11ti11g was short a11d quic.k Like he'd ru11 out of "Dreath . Whel1 he n11all':1 did "Dehead the last witc.h 1 the sword "Durst i11to flames a11dhe tell to his k11ees. The i11quisitor stopped c.ha11ti~g at that poil1t1 a11d whe11 he did 1 the flames jumped from the sword o11to him a11d e11gulfed him c.ompletel':1 . The'? did11't seem to "Dur11 him 1 "Dut he sure sc.reamed Like the'? were. Fi11all':1 the flames we11t out1 a11d he pitc.hed over tac.e f,rst i11 the dirt 1 out c.old . thi~g

The whole t'ni11g seemed to sc.are the piss out of the magistrate, a11d · he ordered Vira11 al'ld I to pic.k up the e)(ec.utiol'ler a11d c.arr':1him. "Dac.J:c:. to Borloc.h's ma11se. We Lett the sword a11d the "Dodies where the'? were-the magistrate was i11 a11 awful hurr1:1 to get out ot there. I thi11k those wome11 deserVed to die 1 "Dut I tell 1:1ou trul':1 there was somethi11g "wro11g" a"Dout that e)(ec.utio\1. It was11't justic.e "Dei11g do11e · there; it was somethi11g else, somethi11g to do with that dam~ed sword a11d whoever the hell that i11quisitor was.

MOTHE~r

Ar

Yov K !NII.JTE TO p~c.ovr

f DErC"II.JtE rH.vED 1..1 O'IE~OME

Ar

1'-L.wl'

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e Last thi11g I remem"Der from that ~ight was also ver1:1 stra11ge. As were draggi~g awa1:1 the e)(ec.utiol1er1 I heard a Little girl c.r1:1i11g . kept sa1:1i11g 1 "Momma. Momma• over a11d over agai11 . I'm 11ot sure that was just i11 m1:1head or it she was ac.tuall':1 out i11 the woods us. I hope 11ot; that was 11othi11g tor a c.hild to see.

we are succuml I cannol

4ft.er Dexer Sirac was dragged away from the execution site, Prelate Pandor Dumas and his Morrowan acolytes arrived and f ecovered the bodies of the five women. They also took possession off the Witchfire. Prelate Dumas was the brother-in-law ofe Lexaria Ciannor but had been cleared of any complicity with the witches during their trial. I believe Prelate Dumas had no knowledge of the blade's power. When conversing on the subject, he has claimed that he felt the sword was unwholesome due to its connection with the executions, and this was why he entombed it on holy ground near the body of his sister-in-law in the Grand Cathedral. He has been apologetic about the fact that she was buried there rather than in the less prestigious gravesite outside of town chosen for the other of the coven. Such preferential treatment for the families of clergy not uncommon. ~

The now orphaned Alexia was sent to live with her closest living relative, Prelate Dumas . The Church of Morrow likely believed that Dumas would have a positive influence on Alexia and subvert any possible sorcerous "taint" ed to her by her mother. ISI1't like i11 the ~ci witc.hes 1ple 11eeci At

The following letter sent from Dumas to his superior in Fharin relates some of the difficulties he had with his young niece soon after taking custody of her. This letter and the testimony of Borloch's guard leave little doubt, I think, that Alexia actually witnessed the execution of her mother. I can only imagine what effect that had on her.

>Lac.e that 1e. Most of t>ViOIASl'1 jh . I

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P'-fCIOur 1-rTTL.E TO rEE TO THE Gl'-1-1 I NEED\. l,._I<JNG INTO ,._ccouNT AL-EXI,._' r DETE''-'O,_....TING rT,._TE ,._NO THE rT,_....NGE EvENT I DErl''-'tEI> ,._tovE, I WONDEI/.. If' I ,._M DOING THE Grii..L- ,._ D11fEI/..V1CE tY KEEPrNG HEll.. WITH ME. PEI/..H .... PI rHE WOul-D tE tETTEII.. rEII..VED 1.-;VING ,._T .... Moii..WW,._N 01/..PH,._N,...GE WHEI/..E THOlE II<JI-1.-ED IN DE .... L.ING WITH CHI!-DII..EN IN HEll.. CONDITION COul-D HE!..P HEll.. ovEUOME HEll.. G'-'Ef' ....... ND I,._PEGu,._'--0 HEll.. f'WM THE TEMPTI'-TrON TO urE ,._NY 101/..CEWul ,._tii-ITIE'r rHE MIGHT PorrErr . -At ,._1.-W.... Y'I, I TI/..UrT YOul/.. JUDGMENT EXPL.tCITI-Y, ,._ND YOUI/.. ,._DvrCE ON THErE M,._TTEI/..1 wouL-D tE INV.... I..\I .... ti..E TO ME . YouM rN Moii..Ww,

p!!:~M(k~ Prelate Dumas did not, of course, send Alexia away, and while some have crit icized him for not doing so, I think we are all quite fortunate that he kept her with him. Without his influence, I think Alexia might have more easily succumbed to the temptations to use the Witchfire for greater evils . I believe the time she spent with ller uncle-by all s a kind and just man strong in his faith-is largely responsible for what restraint she has shown. However, I cannot help but wonder if this restraint is steadily erodiTIS the longer she is in possession of the Witchfire. -G.K.

There were no further letters regarding Alexia's "deteriorating state." I think she found S<wJ.e way to cope with her mother's death and on the surface at least appeared to have a normal childhood. However, I think there is little question that she harbored both a growing obsession with her dead mother and a growing ability in the sorcerous arts, which she appears to have concealed from her uncle. Prelate Dumas seems to have been genuinely shocked to discover his niece's actions around the Longest Night in Corvis at the end of 602 AR. It is worth noting that he initiated the investigation into the grave robberies transpiring ar ound Corvis during this time, and he clearly did not anticipate the culprit might be his own niece. Amid the festivities of the Longest Night celebrations, a horde of walking dead rose up from the undercity to assault Corvis and wreak all manner of havoc. Their goal was unclear, but a large number of the undead converged on the Corvis Cathedral where coincidentally both the Wit chfire and Alexia's mother were entombed. The plague of undead that besieged Corvis was largely driven back by the City Guard, led by Julian Helstrom, but also of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry and others. Magi roamed the city during the attack and destroyed the walking dead with gouts of arcane fire or bolts of eldritch lightning. One of these brave wizards was Magus Lorimer Kex who was posted near the Corvis Cathedral. His report to his high magus regarding the night's events contains some interesting observations-observations that leave little doubt that this was the time and place where Alexia fir st took up the Witchfire.

:flerhaps no where Vin of the Legi invaders ul much the~ she alreads of the dead Although tl a packet o description also serve savior. To and pr otect

-G.K.

Date: Ashtoven 23rd, 602 AR To: High /"\agus Wyatt Sunbright From: /"\agus Lorimer 1Cex Pardon the tardiness of my monthly report. High /"\agus. You chose an auspicious time to be away from Corvis on business, as events in the city have been rather engrossing. The lodge senior clerk already sent you a full report on the invasion of walking dead that assaulted the city during the Longest Night. /"\y report, however, contains a number of additional observations on this event you may ftnd interesting. Shortly after the undead attacked, I was sent along with two other magi to guard the Grand Cathedral. The undead, although scattered throughout the city, seemed to be converging on the area around the cathedral. We engaged the walking dead with arcane ftre, for the risen are often quite vulnerable to such magic. After our ftrst battle with a small group of the dead on the grounds of the cathedral. we quickly realized we faced something quite a bit more powerful than simple animated corpses. It was a shocking realization that the animated corpses attacking Corvis were not spontaneously arisen undead, but true thralls bearing runes of animation. They acted with speed and coordination. armed themselves with crude weapons. and used basic combat tactics far beyond the abilities of lesser undead. To create a single thrall of this type requires a significant investment of time on the necromancer's part. Creating so many would ordinarily require a large cabal of necromancers. but we have found no sign of such a group operating in the region. The marks all seem similar, suggesting a single architect behind them. which would require tremendous power. The animating runes do not match those we have seen used by either the Thamarite Shroud or the necrotechs of Cryx. Though the danger has ed, I would urge you to send this information to Ceryl and devote whatever resources are necessary to discover who (or what) was behind the attack. On that point, I have one bit of information that may prove usefuL /"\y brothers and I were engaged in a protracted battle with a group of particularly stubborn thralls when the gates of the cathedral opened to emit three ftgures. In the lead was a young woman; her head and face were obscured with a heavy cowl. She had in her possession a truly prodigious sword with an ebony blade and cradled it in her arms like a mother might cradle her babe. Behind her came two thralls. Their shambling, uneven gait gave away their deathly condition almost immediately. One of them carried a shroud-wrapped bundle that could have only been a corpse. I called out to the woman. but she ignored us and walked into the night with the two thralls in tow. Engaged with the undead as we were, we were unable to give chase, and once we dispatched our foes, she had long since disappeared. I certainly can't say this woman was responsible for the attack on Corvis, but she may have been afftliated with it in some way. Certainly the incident seemed suspicious.

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lerhaps no event illustrates the supernatural power Alexia Ciannor and the Witchfire represent as the pivotal battle in Corvlse where Vinter Raelthorne IV and his invading army of skorne were defeated and driven from the city. Although Alexia's raising of the Legion of Lost souls, the long-dead mercenary company that served Cygnar ages ago, to defend the city and drive out the Invaders ultimately worked for greater good, it was a frightening display of power. How much of that power was hers and how much the Witchfire, I do not know. If Alexia did not possess the Witchfire until after the Longest Night in 602 AR, this means she already possessed the power to animate hundreds of undead on her own skill. United with the Witchfire she raised an of the dead that numbered over a thousand strong, and that was when the sword was still new to her possession. Although there are hundreds of s of the Battle of Corvis, the following from a member of the city guard included In a packet of reports sent by Captain Julian Helstrom to Duke Kielon Ebonhart IV at Fort Falk is a particularly compelling description of Alexia's arrival into the city and the impact it had on those facing death at the hands of Vinter's skorne allies. It also serves as a reminder that there are many in Corvis who do not see Alexia as a dangerously unstable necromancer but as a savior. To many of the common folk in Corvis, Alexia is nothing less than a hero who drove back the forces of a great alien army and protected the hearths and homes of the citizenry. -G.K.

Date: Tempen 13th, 603 AR To: Captain Julian Helstrom From: Sergeant Timus lronsmith Captain, as you know, not all of us fell under the sway of Vinter's forces when he and his damned Inquisition moved in and took control of Corvis. Some of us resisted, quietly at first, and when that army of inhuman invaders appeared at the gates, we took up our blades and rifles and prepared to give our lives in defense of the city. I feel it is my duty to inform you how bravely the men of the 8th patrol acquitted themselves during the invasion as well as relate to you my firsthand of the events that transpired on the Black River Bridge during the battle. My patrol was on the Black River Bridge when the invaders came streaming across in a tide of crimson and steel. The bridge was narrow enough that it slowed their advance, and they could only bring so many of their number to bear on us at one time. In addition, we had erected some crude barricades, but there were so many invaders we knew it was only a matter of time before we were overrun by their sheer numbers or by one of the massive enslaved beasts that fought alongside them. Still, we began pouring lead into their front rariks, and I like to think we were the first to spill their blood that day. We were lucky the invaders were primarily armed with close combat weapons, and our guns, as few in number as they were, gave us a momentary advantage. Our initial volleys slowed their advance, and as it turned out, those few precious minutes gained from an apparent unfamiliarity with Cygnaran firearms proved our salvation. As we were preparing to meet the charge that would surely overwhelm us, we heard a great hue and cry go up from inside the city. Behind us echoed the sound of hundreds and hundreds of marching feet and the metallic clattering of arms and armor that could only mean an army on the move. It was a glorious sound, and we expected a contingent of the Cygnaran military to arrive and the battle we had begun on the bridge. We felt nothing but stark horror when a horde of rotted corpses outfitted in arms and armor several centuries old and waving banners that have not been seen for ten generations at least marched into view. However, leading this army of the dead was a young woman astride a horse every bit as dead and rotted as the troops that followed it. She carried a great black sword whose blade burned brightly with crimson flames , and you could feel the power rolling off her in waves. I've never seen or felt anything like it. The woman said not a word to us and simply pointed her blade toward the advancing invaders. In response her army of corpses surged forward-not in a motley horde as one would expect of the walking dead but with the ordered precision of disciplined soldiers. They streamed around our barricades to slam full tilt into the invaders . The woman led the charge, and I watched as she cut down an eight-foot tall monstrosity that accompanied the invaders with a single slash of that great black blade. After that, our horror at the sight of the army of the dead melted away. They were enemies of our enemies, and that was enough. I ordered the charge, and we ed battle with the dead and their enigmatic leader. As you know, the battle was hard-fought, but we emerged victorious . I now know the woman who led the legion of the dead was Alexia Ciannor and that she is considered a grave threat to the realm. Although I am aware of Alexia's crimes , I believe these transgressions fall squarely under the jurisdiction of the Church of Morrow. I am a lowly city guard sergeant and these things are beyond the scope of my concerns. However, I will say that if she had not marched an army of walking corpses into Corvis and engaged the invaders in battle, thousands would have been killed. If you ask me and any of those who fought along with me on the bridge that day, we'd say that Alexia Ciannor's debt to the realm for whatever crimes she may have committed has been paid in full.

~Jm4 Sergeant Tirnus Ironsmith

After the battle of Corvis, it is documented that the Church of Morrow reclaimed the blade, but beyond that there is little information regarding the aftermath of Alexia's incredible necromantic feat that saved c,wvis from the marauding skorne. Alexia herself was not captured by the church or by Cygnaran officials, and since I can find no record of a conflict between her and these two agencies, I can only surmise that she gave up the Witchfire willingly. I have no doubt that her uncle Prelate Dumas had something to do with Alexia's surrender of the blade. He was promoted to high prelate in the aftermath, which may reflect the church's appreciation of his efforts. The following letter from High Prelate Dumas to Exarch Sebastian Dargule is one of the few documents I have been able to locate with any information on Alexia and the Witchfire immediately after the Battle of Corvis. Now aware of the power of the Witchfire, Dumas sought advice from the exarch regarding what is to be done with the artifact. Interestingly, he also tried to downplay Alexia's role in the events surrounding the Battle of Corvis, which I believe played a part in the unfortunate events that occurred on the heels of this letter.

Despite reliJ sword's poV~ in Caspia. Tl of undead at stolen. The :

Alexia's act ranking Illu from High V

-G.K.

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Since recovering the Witchfire, Alexia's activities have been erratic in the extreme. Although she appears to be operating under the guise of a mercenary for hire, I believe there is a purpose in bo.th where and when she appears. Her mercenary activities seem to be confined to Cygnar and Khador, and I think it fairly obvious that she has avoided associating with the battle-chaplains of Morrow or their equivalents among the Khadorans . Although it might appear odd that any Cygnaran commander would hire such a notorious figure, the fact remains that Alexia is an exceedingly skilled sorceress and combatant. Commanders in extreme situations with few options might see Alexia and her hordes of thrall warriors as a very good alternative to death at the hands of their enemies. The following report filed by a Cygnaran lieutenant, however, illustrates that despite her abilities and the affect she can have on the outcome of a battle, Alexia Ciannor is also a figure that inspires much fear and mistrust in her allies . -G.K.

Officer 1'1is conduct Report: Captain Holan Rus ling

COl<TIN

}'iling Officer: Lieutenant Timeck 1-lillward

I haver was noi exuded moans i rest for saw tha

Date: Tempen 15th, 607 AR Commanding Officer: l'1ajor Garret Ellsworth I feel I must begin by stating that before the incident described in this report, Captain Rusl ing has been, in my estimation, an exemplary officer. However, his recent actions have endangered our mission with a decision so rash it borders on l unacy, and I feel no regret in stating that he is no longer fit to lead us in battle. Our company was positioned near Deepwood Tower, and we were in the thick of the fighting there pushing back the Khadoran advance. Our orders were to hol d the ground near the tower at all costs and keep the Khadorans from entering the Thornwood. However, after nearly half- a dozen engagements with the enemy, our company was below half- strength and in no shape to hold off a sizable force advancing on our position. In such desperate times, men offer prayers to the gods for deliverance, and I will it to beseeching l'l:orrow for aid. However, I think other, darker gods took heed of our prayers and sent us a most dubious salvation in the form of the necromantic witch, Alexia Ciannor. She appeared in the middle of our camp in the dead of night, emerging suddenly into our firelight like some pale apparition. I was immediately struck by her youth-she couldn't have been more than twenty- her beauty, and most of all the haunting strength in her eyes. Across her back was slung a blade I later heard called the '.Vitchfire. Its great black blade was unsheathed and naked. The young woman crossed our stunned camp in silence and made her way directly to Captain Rusling's tent. Unabl e to fight our mounting curiosity, many of us followed her and served as an impromptu audience for the interaction that followed between the witch and Captain Rusling. '.vhen she spoke, her measured and calm voice was a direct contrast to the ludicrous nature of her words. She offered her services to the captain for a price and stated that she alone could help us stave off the impending Khadoran attack. Of course many of us, myself included, were aware of this woman's actions in the Battle of Corvis and the power she was reported to have commanded there. Still, she had come to our camp alone, and however skilled she was in the black arts, the captain was not impressed by a slip of a girl armed with a sword too big for her to wield properly. He refused her offer outright, ordered her from the camp, and threatened to have her thrown in chains and shipped back to Corvis to answer for her crimes. Alexia said nothing at first; she simply reached over her shoulder and slowly pulled her sword from where it hung across her back. Then she spoke in a thick , broken language I have never heard and hope never to hear again. In response to Alexia's guttural intonations, the blade of the weapon burst into scarlet flames, and from around our camp we heard the heavy tread of armored men. Before any of us could draw blade or pistol, the night disgorged a shambling horde of animate corpses, each outfitted in the rotting, battle- scarred kit of a Khadoran or Cygnaran soldier. I do not know how many of the walking dead Alexia called forth that night, but it was enough to surround our camp completely. Horrified beyond measure at the sight of the risen dead, some of whom I recognized as brothers in arms, we were helpless to her whim. It was then that Alexia delivered her procl amation . "Captain," she said. "I can serve you and Cygnar or I can offer my services to your enemies. It makes little difference to me. You have until morning to decide." She then turned and walked away and disappeared into the ragged wall of corpses around our camp.

We COUll

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Lieutenar

CONTINUED: I have never spent a more terrifying night in my life. There was no thought of sleep; the cloying stench of the grave that exuded from the walking dead as well as the soft plaintive moans they occasionally voiced ensured there would be no rest for any of us that night. \Vhen the sun finally rose, we saw that there was a sea of risen dead, certainly more than we could have easily dispatched. Alexia Ciannor returned not long after the sun rose and asked Captain Rusling for his answer: accept her into our service or battle her alongside the Khadorans. The captain had not consulted with me or any of the other officers, but we were sure he would refuse her. In fact, every one of us was armed, armored, and spoiling for a fight. ive had little doubt that Captain Rusling would soon order us to take the witch captive and put down her horrid undead. Captain Rusling must have been so terrified by Alexia and her blas phemous thralls that he saw no other choice but to accept her . Still, when he agreed, I thought he had taken leave of his senses. How could any man of }rorrow willingly consort with such evil? Even if her aid offered. us a chance to defeat the Khadorans and see our loved ones again, it was madness. I will it that I considered removing Captain Rusling from command. I know many of the men would have followed me, but I could not undermine his leadership on the eve of battle. }rorrow help me, I did not stand in his way. I will never forget the sight of Alexia Ciannor before the battle with the Khadorans. She held the \Vitchfire alight in her hands, and the violated dead of Khador and Cygnar bound together beneath her terrible will were formed into neat ranks. The captain tried to assure us that the risen were just tools better used by us than by the enemy, but we were a ll sickened by his willingness even to consider such a course of action. Thankfully, Alexia Ciannor and her risen kept their distance until the Khadorans were nearly on top of us, and then when the bullets and shells began flying, they ed us in battle. The cries of horror from the Khadorans when they rea lized they faced an army of the dead were terrible to hear. '.Vorse yet, whenever a Khadoran soldier fell, it would immediately rise as an animated corpse to the witch's growing horde. Outnumbered and faced with the terror of the walking dead, the Khadorans were quickly overwhelmed. \Ve slaughtered half their number and sent the rest retreating to the north. ivhen the battle ended, Alexia lingered over the battlefield to raise the corpses of slain Khadorans. She left our own dead mercifully untouched. If she had attempted to violate our brothers in such a way, I would have l ead what remained of our force against her no matter the consequences. '.Vhen she had enough risen for whatever dire, inscrutable purposes that motivate such a creature, s he departed north with a ragged line of walking corpses behind her. I cannot dispute that without the witch's aid we would have been overrun and either killed or taken captive by the Khadorans. Still, there is no victory so desperately needed in this world that the dark magic of Alexia Ciannor is an appropriate way to achieve it. I believe Captain Rusling has tainted his immortal soul with the decision to retain the services of such a woman. •.vhile only I•rorrow may judge him for transgressions of the soul, we can judge him for his transgressions against the men under his command. I believe that Captain Rusling's actions qualify as gross misconduct, and I believe he should be stripped of his command immediately.

J~~dt( Lieutenant Timeck }rillward

Since she has largely avoided conflict with the orders and authorities seeking to apprehend her, it may be easy t) dismiss Alexia as nothing more than a dangerous fugitive with little influence on the more immediate threats facing western Immoren. This may even be true for the moment. I think it is vitally important to that the Witchfire, although incredibly potent in its own right, magnifies the power of its wielder significantly. The sword allowed a sixteen-year-old Alexia Ciannor to animate an entire legion of powerful thralls. Although Alexia was and is a gifted sorceress, the necromantic feats she has accomplished are without doubt a direct result of her possession of the • Witchfire. If a mentally unstable young girl like Alexia can wreak such havoc and misfortune, imagine what the sword might be capable of in the hands of a more practiced and skilled necromancer, a powerful infernalist, or, gods forefend, one of the Nightmare Empire's iron liches. It is a sobering thought to be sure. Alexia is a powerful adversary, but her power is not insurmountable-again, for the moment. The longer Alexia holds the Witchfire, the greater her power becomes, and there may come a day when she is beyond even your resources to capture or kill. We have a window of opportunity to recl&im the Witchfire and ensure that it is safely locked away f~ those foolish enough to use its power. I suggest you take advantage of it.

-G.It

no QURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'SUllin The5 em be to pe• ched shattc cobb! wood This Lieut and r He tc Jacol years ffiLSSH

By Doug Seacat Art by Imaginary Friends Studio, Luke Mancini, Marek Okon, D rew Wolf, and Matt Wuson Gulf of Middlebank Patrol, 587 The 23rd Assault Recon Company of the IGng 's Own Trenchers moved into Wallerton with typical professionalism and efficiency. Two p latoons of line infantry and the company's rangers took up elevated positions on the hill north of the town to cover the commando p latoon that swept past the outer wall with readied rifles, scatterguns, and grenades. The men of the 23rd wore the dark blue of the !Gog's Own, a color so deep it was almost black. Their company badges showed a coiled serpent and their motto, "We are the snake in the grass," intended to reflect their skill at ambush and incursions behind enemy lines. Captain Asheth Magnus walked at the center of his soldiers, a vigorous twenty-nine year old warcaster in the prime of his career. Magnus was lean and fit from a decade of military service along Cygnar's borders, and he wore his warcaster armor Like a second skin. A hefty mechanikally augmented

Caspian battle blade was strapped to his waist, and he held his hand cannon ready. His Arcane, with its expensive but quirky arc node, strode just ahead of him . A Defender and Charger he himself had considerably modified backed him. Magnus had always had a strong aptitude for mechanikal tinkering, a habit that unsettled the mechaniks assigned to attend to his machines. His Defender-which he called Impious, or "Imp" -had Lost its shock hammer in a battle along the Protectorate border. Magnus had tired of waiting for a replacement and had finally outfitted it with a spiked flail stolen from a Ternplar. He had also replaced his Charger's hammer with a mechanikally enhanced cleaver. He called that 'jack "Rust," more in reference to its age than to its actual state of repair. It was a reliable machine he had been using since his journeyman tour. The unreliable Arcane he refused to dignifY with a name.

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nu T he streets were eerily q uiet aside from the crackle of dying embers from the burnt buildings. Magnus signaled two squads to peel off in either direction from the central road as they checked the structures and declared them clear. Pieces of shattered rifles lay along the ground. Pools of blood dried amid cobblestones, and red splatters lined the walls. The stone and wood buildings bore gouges and holes. There were no bodies. This more than anything else told Magnus they were too late. Lieutenant Arthur Jacobs fmished clearing the buildings ahead and returned. "Nothing," he said with a disgusted expression. He took off his bronze helmet and scratched his shaved head. Jacobs had been with Magnus through the two and a half years of the current Cryxian conflict and another six years on missions along Cygnar's northern and eastern borders. He was a trencher commando with a squat, muscular build belied by a friendly, almost boyish face. Magnus could always rely on Jacobs-they had been through many firefights, and each had saved the other more than once. The look they now shared spoke to a familiar frustration: Cryx had eluded them. Again. Magnus and Jacobs looked across what was left of the village.

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plunder, yet Cryx had erased it from the world just as they had lngrane, Langerby, Paulson Bridge, a nd a dozen other villages a nd towns. There was no rhy me or reason to it, so far as the Cygnaran comm and could determine. They ha d been continuaUy confounded in their attempts to predict Cryxian attacks or even understand them. One of the nearest commandos put words to those thoughts, "At least they didn't hit a nywhere importa nt. No one's going to miss this town." "These were Cygnaran citizens, which makes them important," Magnus reprimanded sternly. "They were counting on us to defend them, and we weren't here. Rem ember tha t." The com mando looked abashed and backed away after a pologizing. "Always the dutiful soldier," Jacobs sighed. "A little hard on him, don't you think? You know we're not going to find a nything here. How about we call it a day?" The warcaster gave a weary smile but shook his head. "You know the drill. We need to do a thorough sweep. The one time we don 't search will be when Cryx gets into the interior with no one the wiser." Magnus and his men painstakingly scoured the sands and hills for tracks while patrols checked on the nearby villages. Once word arrived that those settlements were unharmed, Magnus was a ble to declare Cryx co nclusively withdrawn. They were marching back to their ship when a military courier arrived, bringing new orders. The warcaster opened the sealed documents with enthusiasm on recognizing the royal seal. Jacobs and two of the other Lieutenants approached, and he held up the papers. "Looks Like we have real work to do. We're sent for by the king." "I told you Vmter was planning something!" Jacobs said with a grin. "I knew his arrival at Sandbottom wasn't a fluke!" At the major battle at Sandbottom Point, both King Vmter IV and his brother Leto had arrived with soldiers from Cas pia to lead them to victory. Having the royals involved in the war directly had made an impact on the men, raising their morale significantly.

IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'SUllin

Magnus nodded, fee ling his own blood stirring. More than the thought of a real battle and an end to empty patrols, he was eager for an opportunity to show the king what he and his company could accomplish. "This could be what we've been waiting for," he said. "Tell the boys to polish their boots; we'll be in the presence of royalty soon."

~ B arrel B ranch age, Meredius The powerful warships cut through the waves as if eager to leap past them. The wind was with them, but the majority of Cygnar's fleet did not rely on sails alone; massive steampowered paddle wheels pushed them through the water regardless of the weather. The ships had made excellent speed through the Barrel Branch age, hea ding west into the heart of the Cryxian Empire. The sound of ship guns firing 6Jied the air with the roaring beUow of a massive broadside attack. Answering booms from distant enemy vessels were followed by either the plumes of cannonballs plunging into the water or the wrenching sound of solid impacts. The ships on the periphery were quickly in the thick of it. Crews scrambled on decks and up in riggings to add the crackle of rifle 6re to the mighty broadside blasts. These outer battles did not affect the heart of the fleet, where King Vmter IV's fl agship, the HMS fnoomitable Storm, was protected by a cordon. Its closest escorts were the HMS Blaoe of CtL1pia and the HMS Vengeance, each a formidable first-rate ship of the line. The fleet included many of Cygnar's mightiest vessels, some of them aged and bearing many scars, other s of newer design, delivered fres h from the shipyards. Over two years of warfare with Cryx had motivated the treasury to pay for an influx of new warships. As yet the ships chasing them were a rag-tag assortment of pirate vessels crewed by Scharde raiders. Spotters with telescopes atop the crow's nests scanned the horizon, fearful of more formidable vessels such as the infamous Atramentow or even the ships of the Black Fleet, which brought their own sulfuric winds. Cygnar had sent a sizable fleet ahead of them along the Shattered Neck, nearer Giant's Head Island, as a lure for the Black Fleet. If they s ucceeded, many of those diversionary vessels would Likely never be seen again. Magnus was at the rail watching the distant clash and considering the Likely fate of the diversionary fleet when he was summoned to the a& deck where King Vmter IV awaited. He made his way quickly, feeling a stirring excitement. He had seen Little of the royals since boarding the flagship. There had been an aura of secrecy from the outset, and the sailors had evaded questions related to their destination. Magnus wondered if the king believed Cryxian spies could be even here, on his own flagship. Rumors circulated among the soldiers on board. Magnus had learned that Prince Leto had been promoted to lord general of the expedition and was being groomed for warmaster general, the highest rank in the Cygnaran Army. T here were ominous suggestions that the previous warmaster, Archduke Carston Laddermore, was languishing in a cell below Castle Raelthorne. His lands had already ed to his son, Fergus.

61

no QURRTER mRGR2InE: THE KinG'S Ollin Magnus listened to the talk closely; he had a taste for drama regarding Cygnar's elite. All too often he had witnessed nobles vaulting through the army ranks with a speed disproportionate to their ability. A group of senior officers had gathered on the aft deck around the royals . It seemed reckless to meet in the open while the outer fleet was engaged in battle, but King Vinter IV was not a timid man . The king stood stoically in his black armor, his heavy crown pressing down his black hair. He might have been in his audience hall instead of upon a rolling deck.

I

meant that any attack against it wou ld place Cygnaran soldiers deep inside Cryxian territory. T he booming of heavy guns from the Vengeance drew their attention, and simultaneously a plume of water erupted off the port bow. A swift Cryxian pirate frigate had approached too near the Cygnaran vessel and fired its smaller guns toward the flagship, only to be met by a massive eruption of return fire. The larger turrets of the Blaoe of CaJpia ed in with several

We will make our landing, advance inland, and annihilate these facilities with overwhelming force.

I

Prince Leta-Lord General Leta, Magnus reminded himselfstood slightly behind the king, in full military uniform. He was noticeably smaller than his brother and far less impressive. He wore his uniform comfortably and was allegedly no stranger to battle, but he looked very young. Magnus knew no love was lost between the brothers. If the king was considering Leto for future warmaster, it indicated he trusted no other cand idate, a significant rebuke of the rest of his general staff.

I~

Adjacent to Leta was Commander Adept Sebastian Nemo, a warcaster in his early fifties who was only vaguely known to Magnus. The eccentric warcaster had spent most of his recent years in workshops hatching military inventions rather than fighting in the fteld, until Cryxian hostilities had lured him back to active duty. Rumors suggested Nemo served as military advisor to Prince Leta, who had also sponsored his research. Magnus cynically concl ud ed it was Sebastian Nemo, not Leto, who would actually be making the leadership decisions for the army. The third warcaster in the group was a much yo un ger man who stood respectfu lly apart from the senior officers. Magnus caught his eye briefly and they shared a nod . This was Captain Markus Brisbane, a thick-framed and dark-skinned youth who had just recently finished his journeyman tour. Magnus approved of the fact that Brisbane was of humble birth and that he had served as an enl.isted trencher before hi s warcaster training.

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He noted that the senior-most of the king's warcasters, Commander Adept Birk Kin brace, was missing from the flagship. Magnus paid close attention to the ebb and flow of the king's favor; he was certain Kin brace's absence was no coincidence. Likely the senior commander had spoken doubts about this expedition and had been assigned to the Bfaoe of CaJpia or the Vengeance as a s ubtl e rebuke . Several of the other warcasters of the force were aboard those ships, ready to lead the veteran so ldiers that would serve as Vinter's vanguard. The rest of the army was distributed among the other ships of the fleet.

I

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King Vinter's hawk- like eyes scanned the gathering before he spoke. "We are about to invade Blackrock Island, which intelligence suggests is the most heavily fortified and significant Cryxian holding outside Scharde itself." He paused to let this news penetrate. Blackrock had a dire reputation: it was infested with b lighted trollkin and ogrun said to feast on human flesh, as well as other horrors. Additionally, its position directly adjacent to the main island

thundering reports. The pirate ship's wooden hull was torn apart by a dozen heavy impacts, and its main mast shattered and fell. Similar clashes were happening aft of the flagship, where numerous smaller Cryxian endured punishing barrages vessels as they raced to close to boarding distance. Vmter raised his voice to regain their attention . "We have solid intelligence of numerous sizable factory complexes on Blackrock. We will make our landing, advance inland, and annihilate these facilities with overwhelming force. This will hamper Cryx's capacity to launch attacks against our shores." His eyes bored into his assembled military leaders, and his voice took on an even more dangerous tone. "We will succeed, whatever the cost. " After this grim pronouncement Vinter waved hi s brother forward and climbed the steps to the elevated pilot's deck to observe the naval clash. Lord General Leto took over to discuss the specific p lan of attack with the generals and commanders. Descriptions of landing order became a dull drone to Magnus' ears. His thoughts were on his company. He wondered how a few hundred men could make a difference in an operation of this scale. Commander Nemo stepped away from the lord general and gestured for Magnus and Brisbane to approach. Nemo 's voice seemed condescending to Magnus' ear as he exp lained, "You two will be und er my command. First we will secure and hold the beach. It will take hours to unload our soldi ers, during whic h we must ready against enemy attack. During the landing yo ur only priority is t he safety of the Raelthornes. Is that understood?" At his g lare both Magnus and Brisbane voiced automatically, "Yes, sir!" The older warcaster grunted as if not entirely satisfied at their enthusiasm. "Several target factories are proximate to our landing region. Once the beach is secure, the army will divide to deal with them ." Nemo did not say it aloud, but Magnus knew their assignments would depend on the casualties they sustained. "Captain Brisbane, your battlegroup is intended to attack the western factory. Captain Magnus, yo u will the strike on a different facility northeast of our landing position. Once that is completed, I will need you in ready reserve to s upport Major Durnwick in his mission to penetrate deep inland and strike the largest and most remote of our target necrofactoriums."

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Magnus felt some jealousy, as the mission Nemo had described was just the sort he had hoped to undertake.

62

!

TID OURRTER IDRGR2ITIE: THE RinG'S DIIJTI Still , of all Cygnar's warcasters, Strom Durnwick was the man Magnus most ired . He was a living legend, and his !99th Light Infantry Battalion was one of the most highly d ecorated units in the army. Magnus had patterned his 23rd after them. Durnwick was another warcaster Magnus would have expected on th e Aagship, although his absence might have been a s imple matter of logisti cs. "Where is Major Durnwick, sir?" h e asked. "Aboard the Vengeance." Nemo answered. "He will us in securing the beach. I s uggest you two see to your men and warjacks; we will be the first in. You are dismissed." As t hey walk ed away from t he a ft deck, Magnus turn ed to the yo un ger warcaster. ''I've sp ent the last two yea rs kicking Cryxians off eve ry sc ummy island an d forgotten beach a long t he Broken Coast. I f yo u 've got a ny questions, now's th e time to ask."

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Jacobs looked at him as if breaking from a trance and gave his boyish grin. "Ready for action, sir!" The lieutenant lowered his voice and leaned in to say, "But I'd fee l better if the rest of the company were here." Magnus nodded agreement. Large as it was, the launch could not carry their entire company, particularly with several warjacks and the personal guards of the royals aboard. The 23rd were scattered among the smaller boats, and some would not arrive until the second wave.

A shout went up from those on deck, and Magnus saw what seemed to be a dozen catapulted rocks soaring toward their boats. Suc h weapons might be crude, but a giant stone could si nk a landing boat as easily as a cannonball could. A dozen Brisbane drew himself up. "Thanks, but I've got t his." His eyes yards from their vessel, one splashed down with a sizzle upon conveyed the confident arrogance of youth. There was a saying the waters, and he realized it was not a stone but a massive in the Strategic Academy that the first two years after the gobbet of foul liquid that bubbled and steamed with an acrid jo urn eyman tour was the riskiest tim e in a warcaster's career. stench. "Bile!" he said with dread. Magn us smil ed knowingly. "See you on the beach," Brisbane Magnus had never heard of a bloat or bile thrall capable of said as he offered llis ha nd. Magnu s s hook it, and the two went ftring at such a distance. The shots seemed to originate from their separate ways. somewhere along th e looming black cliffs set back from the beach . Thick, twisted foLiage and gnarled trees grew atop that area, a head of the jutting crag of obsidian stone that gave Blackrock its name.

~

Landing on Blackrock Island

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Lieutenant Arthur Jacobs stood behind his platoon, as frozen and tense as the rest of them. Magnus asked with deliberate joviality, "How are you this fine morning, Jacobs?"

The largest vessels in Cygnar's navy had to be a nchored in the deep water some distance from the is land. Their g uns s helled the beach and cl iffs as num ero us smaller launches were lowered into the water from the three vanguard ships to creep toward s hore. Only the largest of these were capable of delivering heavy warjacks. Magnu s and the other warcasters ed the royals on the Indomitable's main launch vessel, a fully functional schooner with two masts and its own steam e ng in e and wheel. T hey were not nearly as vulnerable as the soldiers in the first landing wave, w ho rowed toward the beach in a variety of small er boats fixed with high side-shielding s. T he island ahead seemed to emanate me nace through the hot, muggy air, and there was an air of tension among the soldiers of the initial wave. They had little idea w hat to expect. What scant informatio n they possessed ofBlackrock had been extracted fro m captured Scharde pirates and sm ugglers, a nd Magnus doubted its usefu lness. Such prisoners had described the necrofactoriums loom ing above the dense foliage, but none had known the extent of the island's defenses. The fog-cloaked cove a head with its sandy beaches was among the few p laces on the craggy island that was amenable to landing craft. It seemed inevitable that defenses would be in place. Against another nation Magnus would have anticipated heavy cannon batteries protecting such a beach, but Cryx ha d little artillery; w hat cannons it plund ered or forged were used to outfit their raiding Aeet. Yet Cryx was endless ly inventive when it came to deljvering death .

Another of the giant globes came dow n directly across a boat on their starboard sid e. The high side s might have helped had the angle been more direct, bu t the bile came in from a bove to splash onto the heads of those rowing. The soldiers screamed in ungodly cries of agony. Magnus gritted his teeth. He had seen men subj ected to the Auid before; it was a terr ible way to die, worse than being burned alive.

"Were any of our boys on that boat?" Jacobs asked, staring at the horril)ring spectacle. Th e vessel listed and began to sink, spilling the gruesome and unidentifiab le remains of half-melted bodies. "Focus on the beach ahead," Magnus ordered , although he had been wondering the same thing. He gathered his arcane power to create a mirage-like haze of shimmering air around the laun c h. He was un ce rtain w hether the magi c wo uld be effective to obsc ure a vessel of this s ize, but it might reassure the men. While most of the in coming bile splashed in to the turbulent water, several more vessels we re struck either directly or in part, giving ri se to a chorus of screams. The cross ing seemed to tal<e forever, until finally there was an impact and the ship slid up onto the sands. Anchored weights were thrown to secure its position, and its modi.fied blunt prow dropped to become a ramp. Several of the swiftest secondary vessels slid a longside, and soldiers began pouring onto the beach. Magnus a nd Lieutenant Jacobs were among those at the fore, and Magnus mentally linked with Imp, his Defender. His lig ht 'jacks would arrive with the next haul; all the warcasters had limited warjacks for the initial landing. As exposed as Magnu s fe lt, he knew it had to be far worse for his soldiers, as at least he had hi s warcaster armor and its power field to g ive him some additional protection. Other la un ches and rowboats hit the beach and soldiers leapt out, rifles ready. A hundred yard s to Magnu s' right he saw the largest la un ch from the Vengeance di sgorge troops led by a tall man in warcaster armor: Major Strom Durnwick. Even as the Cygnarans raced up the sandy beach, the enemy appeared. An inhuman roar poured forth from th e shadowed recesses beneath the black cliEfs as heavily muscled blig hted tro llkin raced to meet them. Trenchers a nd long gunners opened fire their rifles, adding a gray haze of smoke to the lig ht fog. Caustic fluid co n tin ued to fall fro m a bove, catc hing men with the spray. Most of the bi le see med directed at the in comin g boats, but some were fired on the beaches instead. Magnus took control of his Defender a nd drew hi s hand can non to fire into the approac hing trollkin. They we re monstrou s creatures, bearing on ly slig ht resemblance to the ir mai nl and

kin , each with scaled skin, jutting blackened ba rbs, and other deformities. It was diffi cult to tell where their thick black iron armor ended and scaled flesh began . They wielded a variety of wicked killing implements. One trait they clearly sha red with mainland trollkin was the res ilie nce of their spec iesthey charged into the Cygnaran line h eed less of bullets that ripped thmugh their fles h. They attacked with a savagery far beyond a simple defense of their territory. Magnus had fo ug ht suc h bligh ted creatures after they bad pillaged Cygnaran coastal towns. H e felt a vindictive satisfactio n in talcing the fight to th e m now. The enemy swiftly closed on the disembarking soldiers, and soon Magnus was in the thick of it, wi th the swirling smoke and lingering fog making it difficu lt to aim hi s p istol or g uide his Defender's heavy cannon w ith out fear of striking al.lies. Lieutenant J acobs sho uted orders to the men of h is platoon a nd soon had them formed into a tighter lin e to concentrate th eir ftrepower. At Magnus' direction two c hain g uns were hau led forward and set in p lace. Amm unition belts were fed in to their barrels, and they quickly spun up to speed to hurl bullets into the savages. A cl uster of blighted troll kin carrying massive rounded s hields advanced up the center as bullets sparked off the metal surfaces. Magnus extended a hand and evoked a n explosion in the soil beneath them, se nding them flying. He sent Im p forward, abando ning its firing position so it co uld punish the enemy with power ful sweeping arcs of its chain ed flail. The we ig hted metal head of the weapon drove through the savages w ith a succession of meaty im pacts, clearing a secti on of the beach as the trenchers of the 23rd advanced and rallied around Magn us' position. Smoke stinging his eyes, Magnus was so focused on the e nemy a head that he did not see several trollkin overrun the position to his left. Jacobs shou ted a warn ing and stepped behind him with his scattergun to fire a massive blast of metal shards through them, stopping several cold but e nraging the one survivor. Magn us drew his mechanil
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Magnus knew of the king's skill but was still startled by the ease with which the sovereign swiftly decapitated three trollkin with horizontal sweeps of his ancestral blade. Bile from above landed amid his sword knights and poured through their visored helmets. They staggered and collapsed, Aesh falling from their hands and faces even as they tried to pry their helmets off. Vinter did not look back but marched on to strike down the next blighted trollkin that rushed him. Leto's Stormblades gave a battle cry and unleashed streaks of lightning from their storm glaives against several ninefoot-tall blighted ogrun that had closed on them from the left flank. Captain Brisbane was also fighting on that side and charged an ogrun with his two-handed mechanikal hammer. Magnus knew he should get closer to the royals. He was abo ut to order hi s men in that direction when Jacobs shouted, "Magnus!" He turned to see his lieutenant looking back to where the main lau nch from the Vengeance had landed and was facing stern opposition.

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mRGR2InE: THE tHTIG'S mun

Magnus was too stunned to react. He had never imagined he would see one of his heroes laid low before the main battle had even begun. One of his soldiers yelling for his attention brought him back to the fighting still raging nearby. He called to his men and directed them to re their place among the royal escort. Together they battled to the ground beneath the overhanging cliffs, where they appeared to be sheltered from the bile fluid being flung toward the approaching launches. The villages here were 6.Lled with grisly trophies and totems. Human skulls and gnawed bones were both heaped in piles and strung up as decorations around the crude huts. Lengths of indeterminate meat hung out to dry, each covered with oversized Aies. The remaining blighted inhabitants fought tenaciously to defend their homes but were quickly overwhelmed.

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The senior officers gathered where King Vinter bad established Those soldiers had fought ofF the in.itial trollkin, but more had his command post. Tents were already being erected, and emerged from caves beneath the cliffs. They swarmed Major chain gun crews a nd sentries had been posted to watch the Durnwick's Ironclad, which used its quake hammer to knock beach approach on both sides. Trenchers were quickly creating down those at the front but was beset by those following after. earthworks around the positio n. They battered it with axes, clubs, and spiked hammers. The heavy 'jack smashed them with its own hamm er, turning bodies While the undestroyed la nding craft were sent back for the second wave of Cygnarans, Vmter calJed his officers to order. to pulp, but there were too many. It staggered und er their Magnus recognized several other warcasters, inc.luding combined onslaught. Commander Kin brace, who looked winded from the short Major Durnwick was confronted by the largest trollkin Magnus battle. Magnus felt it his obligation to report the details of Major had ever seen, one he initially mistook for an ogrun. After smashing Durnw:ick's fall, being as factual as possible and restraining h.is through the nearest sold.iers, it had charged the warcaster with a emotions. Lord General Leto shook h.is head, and several of the massive ra.ised axe, the blade of the weapon almost as tall as a man. ranking officers looked shocked and d.ismayed. Durnwick f1red his hand cannon stra.ight into the blighted creature's King Vmter's expression did not change. He was silent a long monstrous face, tearing ofF half its chin and part of its throat, but it moment, perhaps gathering his thoughts. His look was piercing hardly faltered. It swung its axe downward, and the major barely and unflin ching w hen he spoke. "The loss of Major Durn wick leapt aside in time. He dropped his pistol and took h.is poleaxe in both hands to square ofF aga.inst the brute. He delivered a solid blow is a serious blow, but the battle has just begun. We will suffer more losses in the fighting ahead. Harden yourself to that to its left leg, but the wound seemed not to trouble the creature, inevitability. " Vmter's eyes scann ed hi s officers and lingered wh.ich swi&ly retaliated. sternly on his brother. "There a re tasks we must accomplish. Durnwick easily got his polearm in front of the c.lumsy strike, Major Durnw:ick had the highest priority mission; his men but the great axe cut stra.ight through the weapon's metal shaft were fulJy briefed and prepared. I need another warcaster to and Durnwick's power 6.eld and warcaster armor to bite i.nto h.is assume comm and of hi s battalion for that strike. Who feels side. The major reeled back, bleeding, wh.ile the men who had worthy of this vital task?" been 6.ring behind him rushed in to stab the giant trollkin with bayonets. They looked like children sent against it. The trolJkin knocked them aside with a sweep of its axe blade, killing several, and let loose an inhuman howl that echoed across the sands. Magnus linked his mind with Imp's cortex to peer through the warjack's eyes as he raised its heavy barrel. Firing into close combat was risky, but he fe lt impelled to take the chance. He chose h.is moment carefulJy . The cannon 6.red and its shell crashed into the giant trolJkin's chest, tearing through ribs and internal organs. It was certain ly a fatal wound, yet the nightmare creature did not fall. Instead it ra.ised the axe and brought it down with horrible fmali ty onto Major Durnwick's helmet. The helmet shattered, and the axe made a ru.in of the man's head. Both warcaster and trollkin toppled to land heavily on the blood.ied sands. One of Durnw:ick's officers, a woman with a captain's shield on her shoulder, broke through the other trolJk.in and ran to where he lay. Kneeling next to the major, she let out a strangled sound.

no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'S mun Magnus' pulse quickened at this unusual request, but he also felt uncertain. It might be insufferably impertinent for someone of his rank to volunteer. If the king refused him so publicly it could deal his career a crippling blow. The pause extended, and the king scowled. Magnus could feel the moment slipping away. He saw Commander Nemo frown as if to speak, but Prince Leta stopped him with a look. The prince interjected, "I need Commanders Kin brace and Nemo with the main army. This mission must be led by someone else." King Vmter gave his brother an inscrutable look but did not overrule him.

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"He can keep his reputation. Getting the mission done and staying alive will be enough." Magnus would never have shown doubt or uncertainty to any of the other men, but with Jacobs he could be honest. "Tbis is a big opportunity. I know we're ready for it, but I'll be relying on you." Jacobs clasped his hand. "''ve always got your back, Cap-er, Major." He grinned, then pulled a chain from around his neck. Dangling from it was a large, misshapen bullet. "I think it's time to this on." He held it out.

Before Magnus resolved his internal struggle, someone else stepped forward and knelt to one knee. "I volunteer, Your The warcaster accepted tbe memento reluctantly. It dated Majesty." Magnus was startled to see it was Colonel Wi.Uiam from a skirmish with Khador years before, when a uiske flask Ratbleigh, a taU and haughty warcaster. He felt an instant and Jacobs had stolen from Magnus stopped a bullet from piercing visceral surge of loathing. Ratbleigh was the second son of his chest. Jacobs had claimed it was proof that stealing the an earl and despite being a warcaster of some small talent, he flask had been a good idea, while Magnus had insisted it meant had been advanced swiftly to colonel solely due to his family Jacobs owed Magnus his life. Jacobs had kept it with him ever standing. Magnus had seen him fighting at Sand bottom Point since. M agnus eyed tbe buLlet and said, "1 don 't want to steal and had not been impressed -in his opinion, the man was timid your luck." and reactionary. The colonel ad ded, "I have met the officers of Jacobs chuckled and waved dismissively. "I've gotten good the !99th. I am prepared to stand in for Major Durnwick." use out of it. Now it's yo ur turn. You ' re going to need it-the The so und of Ratbleigh 's voice and the thought of him leading king's eyes are on you." Magnus chuckled a nd put the chain the mission galvanized Magnus. He had no doubt this selfaround his neck, tucking the bullet out of sight. Jacobs seemed serving toady would fail, and in doing so he would bring shame satisfied and asked, "What's next? " to the expedition, with ruinous consequences for Cygnar. "We'll make a move on the cliff top artillery soon. Do a head He stepped forward and said, "Meaning no disrespect to the count after tbe Indomitable finishes offloading and keep me Colonel, but I am better qua li fied to lead this mission." appraised." Beneath his words was the grim reminder that they Vinter eyed him appraisingly. "Explain." Rathleigh 's face could expect more casualties. "Right now, I need to talk to the went red, and he g lared at Magnus as he stood to his feet. captains of the !99th. They won't be happy about my taking Several of th e command staff drew themselves up with over. I want you with me to represent the 23rd as captain." disapproving expressions. Jacobs blinked in startled surprise as Magnus' words sunk in. Magnus knew it was too late to back down. "Colonel Rathleigb "What did you just say?" has done an irable job defending Highgate and its e nvirons for the past few years, but he has never led a major offensive in "I meant it when I said I'd be relying on y ou. You're captain enemy territory. Under my leadership, the 23rd Assault R econ of the 23rd now. " He grinned. "Figured I need someone with more courage tban sense leading my men. " Company has undertaken many missions behind enemy lines. This mission is similar to others I have conducted. I am ready Jacobs smi led and said, 'Tm going to choose to take that for this, Your Majesty." as a complim ent." "Your Majesty," the colonel protested, looking aggrieved, "it would be improper for a captain to lead a battalion. This is not a mission we can trust to a junior officer! "

"In that you are correct, Colonel," Vinter said, prompting a relieved smile from Rathleigh. The king turned to Magnus and said, "You are promoted to brevet major. The commission will become permanent after that factory is destroyed. Take command of the !99th, and fold your company into the battalion." He ignored both Magnus' astonishment and Rathleigh's indignant look and addressed the others. "We must eliminate Cryxian artillery so the rest of the army can land. Every boat sunk on approach is a mark of failure."

Magnus went to check on the men of his company who had landed with the first wave, now occupied digging a trencb west of their· encampment. Magnus pulled Arthur Jacobs aside to explain the situation. Jacobs stared at the new rank insignia

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on Magnus' sleeve and sbook his head. ''I'm not sure wbetber to ofler congratulations or condolences, " he said. "Living up to Durnwick's reputation is a tall order."

Magnus chuckled. "Come on, let's go meet th e fine officers of the !99th. Try to mal~e a good first impression. " !aco~.s made a s~.ow of smoothing hair he did not have.

Don t I a lways? The warcaster frowned. "This isn't tbe time to be funny. , they just suffered a ser;ous loss." Jaco bs sobered immediately, and they crossed the encampment to find Magnus' new officers. Most of the !99th Light Infantry Battalion had yet to land; only a couple platoons had accompanied Major Durnwick on their ship's la unch. Those were on the eastern section of the perimeter, also focusing on entrenchment. Magnus and Jacobs introduced themselves and were met by sullen looks and barely restrained hostility. The p latoons had taken heavy casualties in tbe landing, and their mood was dark. Durnwick had been the most prominent, but many had fallen. Magnus knew they would adapt; they were professional soldiers. He pulled aside the three captains, hoping to get their measure.

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no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'S mun The first was Captain Jalise Kirkwall, a wiry woman with short-cropped black hair and a scarred face who led the battalion's main commando company. While smaller than was typical of women who qualified for trencher service, she had musc ular arms and shoulders, and a knife-fighter's stance. She greeted Magnus with cool reserve and made a s how of being surprised to see he was a major. "I suppose I cannot fault you for seizing the opportunities afforded by wartime casualties," she said.

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Magnus took the statement in stride. This was the captain he had seen checking Durn wick when he fell, and her grief was fresh. While she spoke she unconsciously touched the wellworn ivory handles of a pair of knives at her waist. Captain Broderick Haggin, a hulking brute of a trencher in whose massive hands a scattergun looked like a toy, said very little. He led a mixed company of trencher infantry and commandos. While his eyes had the far-off look of someone who was not entirely there, Magnus knew the man's reputation. He was a natural killer and fighter, one of Durnwick's mainstays. Likely he was the sort of man who came to life only in battle. He listened to the news that Magnus would take immediate command of the !99th with no discernable reaction. The last captain was the lean, redheaded Gordin Thatch, who had an intense look about him. The rifle slung over his shoulder was affixed with an expensive sniper's scope. He led a company of trencher marines, soldiers outfitted similarly to regular infantry but trained aboard ships to work with the navy. Marines drilled in boarding and repelling operations and had greater experience in beach landings, and the Cryxian conflict had seen their numbers grow.

"I have heard of you, Major," he said to Magnus. "I expect

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you have found fighting Cryx to be more difficult than massacring Khadoran civilians along the border." Magnus felt a flash of anger and almost rose to the bait, but he restrained his impulse. The l99th bad been involved in exactly the same sorts of border operations his company had been. He simply agreed that Cryx was a different sort of beast and ignored the implied criticism. Magnus did not push; acceptance was better forged in battle. "Get what rest you can," he advised. "We'll be fighting as soon as orders come down." He shared a look with Jacobs as they returned back to their own camp. Things had gone about as well as could be expected.

Purging the Cliff Tops It took hours for the remaining soldiers and gear from the three lead ships to land. It was painful watching the boats cross the water with the constant threat of corrosive death. Even with the inaccuracy of the defending weapons, every wave of skiffs lost several to projected bile. Everyone in the encampment was eager to neutralize that threat, but until the three lead ships offloaded, they lacked the soldiers to assault the cliffs without leaving the command area vulnerable. The wisdom in staying encamped was proven after nightfall when they were beset by a massive assault on their position by blighted ogrun and troll kin from other nearby villages. The bloodthirsty savages attacked from both ends of the beach at once, and with them came mechanitbralls and bonejacks. Throughout this clash the soldiers could hear roar of guns from off shore as the fleet came under sustained attack by additional Cryxian vessels. Spotters reported a thick fog had rolled in behind what might have been revenant vessels. The distant rumbling of the ships' guns punctuated the land battle, and Magnus was not the only man to wonder what their fate would be if the Cygnaran fleet was driven off while they were stuck on shore.

Amid punishing rifle volleys, trencher chain guns and cannons ed Sentinel and Defender 6re to chew through onrushing waves of the enemy. Magnus had never fought alongside so many warcasters. Even with relatively few warjacks at their disposal they made all the di!Ierence, not only by quickly obliterating enemies but also by keeping the defenders safe. The Cygnaran force suffered very few casualties, and the fortified command encampment held. After they had shattered the waves of blighted attackers, the warcasters pushed out from the encampment alongside their warjacks to ensure the greater region was purged. A heavy patrol rotation was put in place to forewarn of additional onslaughts, while Magnus and the other warcasters were taken aside to bear their next orders. The boats had finished offloading; there would be no rest.

67

nu

IDRGR2InE: THE RinG' 5mrrn

Rangers gathered from various companies had earlier been assigned to reconnoiter their surroundings. Word had it only a third of those sent out had returned, as the dense, blighted vegetation above the cliffs h.id any number of additional Cryxians. Those who returned described the best routes to the top: two different switchbacks carved into the cliff face, each wide enough to allow warjacks access to the heights. Magnus took his orders from Commander Nemo, who delivered them in h.is typical patronizing fash.ion. Magnus' battalion was to take the nearest switchback, just to the east, with Brisbane watching their rear. Nemo referred to a hastily sketched map of the cliffs where X marks indicated the likely origins of the bile bombardments. He tapped one of these with an extended finger and repeated, "You are to neutralize thiJ area ... " he tapped elsewhere and continued, "... then move to thif position. Got it?"

their distended stomachs to their weapons, as their undead bodies served as reservoirs for liquid death . They made up for their individual inaccuracy by sheer volume, with the capacity to unleash their full payload in a single devastating purge. The Ironclad smashed through the nearest of them, crushing them underfoot. Bile fluid could eat through even warjack armor in time, but the machines were far more resistant to corrosion than the soldiers. Pools of the caustic liquid were left behind in the Ironclad's wake; the soldiers would need to tread carefully in this area. Once his Arcane and Charger had also reached the top, the warcaster drew on his sorcerous power to send explosive energy through his arc node out into knots of bile thralls. At

.Everywhere was tbe siRn of dragon bU_gbt, wbicb left all Uving tb~ngs tw~sted and warped.

"Yes, sir. I understand. " Magnus tried to keep the impatience from his voice. His impression that Nemo bad a low opinion of him was slightly diminished w hen he overheard the commander speaking similarly to the next officer. He concluded that Nemo might simply co nsider the reliability of everyone under the age of forty suspect.

Magnus was reunited with his modified Cha rger Rust a nd his Arcane. He added Durnwick's freshly repaired Ironclad to his battlegroup, along with a pair of Sentinels. Additional Defenders intended for his priority mi ssion would arrive when the other sh.ips offloaded. Magnus' mind balked at imagining controlling so many 'jacks at once. Once his group was ready for the initial mission, they made their way to the ramps and began the climb. The switchback was narrow -only a few men could walk abreast-so their column stretched long. Magnus and his men were halfway up the incline when a trencher behind him gave a choked cry and fell, impaled by a heavy spear with an obsidian tip. Dozens of simil.ar weapons rained down upon them. Trenchers raised rifles to fire blindly into the thick undergrowth above until Magnus ordered them to stop. Looking through the eyes of his warjacks, he fired more carefully, neutralizing several of the blighted savages along the top of the ramp.

least they were not very durab le, succumbing quickly to the blasts. His Charger added the alternating fire of its double cannon to the onslaught, and soon Magnus and the first of his trenchers reached the summit to lay down their own fire . The enemy was quickly dispatched, although a black ogrun with a double-handed maul managed to land a tremendous impact that buckled his Arcane's shield and nearly tore off its arm before Magnus backed the enemy down with his battle blade. Captain Jacobs and the men of the 23rd rushed forward to him as they cleared the summit, firing scatterguns to chew through both walking dead and blighted l.iving. The rest of the column reached the top relatively unmolested.

What foLlowed was a nerve-wracking march through the twisted trees and thorny hedges that choked the region . The beach below had seemed like a ny other, aside from the grisly scene of the troLlkin villages, but the top of the island was disturbingly alien . None of the plants were familiar. Their leaves shone a dark oily green, every branch riddled with thorns. Everywhere was the sign of dragon blight, which left all living things twisted and warped. There was a constant buzzing of strange insects, and occasionally oversized flies or beetles landed on a man's neck or leg to bite with razorThe forward section of the column surged ahead with added sharp mandibles through cloth and skin. Even the smaLlest haste even as Magnus impelled the warjacks at the front to run . creatu.-e on the island seemed hateful. Everything about the Bile thralls emerged from amid the bullet-shredded vegetation place, from the plants and insects to the putrid smell and to line the cliff top and spray corrosive fluid down onto the unidentified clicking noises amid the shadowed trees, seemed soldiers. The air was filled with the putrid stench. Trenchers unnatural and tainted . tore at their uniforms and armor in futile attempts to evade After several light skirmishes with thralls and blighted with the deadly fluid. Most of those splashed died, trollkin, they broke through to a cleared plateau. A peculiar their end neither quick nor mercifuL This time Magnus did not structure sat in the center, its bulging dome at least thirty discourage the men from firing onto the cliff tops, and the rush feet in diameter. From the apex of its curved roof extended a of their bullets ed the whirring of his Sentinels' chain guns. long elevated barrel. almost like a telescope, pointing toward The defensive volley hit many of the bile thralls, but every one the ocean. Green light pulsed from vent-like slats along its they cleared was immediately replaced by another. upper surfaces, and they could hear the rumble of pumping Magnus' Ironclad reached the summit, its quake hammer machinery from its interior. in hand as its baleful eyes searched for enemies. They were Attached to the structure at points around the perimeter not hard to find; clumps of grotesquely rotund bile thralls were a dozen enormous bloated monstrosities, giant spherical shambled forward . Disgusting abominations, they bore little creatures sewn of rotting flesh and ed by a carriage resemblance to the humans whose corpses had been stitched of metal spider-like legs. They were far larger t han the bile together to create them. Lengths of black piping wrapped from

68

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no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'S mun thralls they had fought below. "Bloat thralls," Magnus spoke aloud. He had fought them before and knew that as larger and more frightful variants on bile thralls they were able to deliver tremendous volumes of bile fluid. At present their weapons were inserted into apertures around the base of the dome, and as he watched the giant barrel at the top shuddered to disgorge a gobbet of bile fluid that soared out in a high arc toward the distant ships. They had found the Cryxian artillery. It seemed this building concentrated the output of multiple bloat thraUs into a pressurized projectile to fire with unprecedented range.

suffered far fewer casualties this time. Once the building was destroyed they launched a flare to signal the completion of that phase of the objective. The gleam of other flares was reported in the distance; it seemed the forces that had climbed the second ramp had also succeeded. This meant the ships could begin offloading the main army. Magnus looked over his force in satisfaction. His new group had worked well together to complete this part of the mission, and he saw a glimmer of respect in the faces of his captain. Even Kirkwall gave him a smaU nod. It was a start.

"Destroy them! Quickly!" Even as he shouted to his men, he impelled his Charger and Defender to 6re. The nearest bloat thralls exploded wetly, their vile innards spraying outward to burn a nything they touched. The remaining bloats disengaged from the structure and turned on the approaching trenchers. Simultaneously a large meta l door facing them rumbled opened to unleash dozens of mechanithralls that rushed the Cygnaran soldiers. The trenchers in the forward line had already 6red at the bloats and were caught in the middle of reloading. The mechan ithralls smashed into them with their steam-powered 6sts, killing anyone they could reach.

Magnus' orders were to hasten in land and with the other assault forces to c reate a perimeter line while other squads swept the intervening region to be sure they had not missed any undiscovered artillery sites. Even as Magnus and his officers got the men and 'jacks ready to move out, a ranger rushed i.nto the clearing from the east. He wasted no time reporting, "Maj or Magnus! Captain Brisbane's company is overrun!"

The rest of the force reacted quickly, directed by Magnus' captains. Magnus sent his Ironcl ad into t he midst of the mechanithraUs to pound th e earth with its quake hamme r, rippling the ground to send thralls toppling back. An overwhelming volley of trencher rifle ftre mowed them down . Several bloat thraUs at the rear managed to laun ch horrendou s gouts of bile fluid deeper into the trencher ranks. Magnus saw a number of men &om the 23rd he had fought with for years melted into unrecognizable forms, and _he had to clamp down on his a nger to focus on directing his 'jacks. Captain Jalise Kirkwall made a brave charge a round the perimeter with her commandos to reach the last of the bloats. Captain Gordin Thatch and his marine sharpshooters flanked to the left while KirkwaiJ went right and took one out on the opposite side of the building. Those cleared, sent hi s Ironclad and Defender to batter the building to rubble, prompting a ragged cheer from the men that was more relieved than triumphant. Jacobs looked at the smoking ruin and nodded in satisfaction. "One less thing hurling death at our ships." Magnus tore his eyes away &om the ruin of the trenchers who had fallen there. "There's still another site to neutralize," he said. "Get your platoons in order and let's march." The I 99th disassembled the next artillery site with swift and smooth precision, as now they knew what to expect. They

The captains looked to Magnus, all of them tense. "Where are they?" Magnus asked. "Holding the ramp we climbed from the beac h. Enemies came from inland." "What kind of enemy?" "Ogrun, mechanithralls, bonejacks. Not sure what's leading 'em, sir." He waited, agitation evident in his ragged breathing and tensed muscles. It would take them away from their intended position, but then, it might be worse if their flank was overrun and they lost access to the path down to the beach. And Magnus could not stomach leaving another warcaster out to dry. He could see hi s captains watching him closely, likely ing Durnwick's fall and wondering if he would simply follow orders or go to Brisbane's d efense. He said, "Change of plans. We're heading back to the cliffs, double-time!" No one needed additional encouragement.

~ They heard shooting through the trees before they could see the enemy: sporadic shots, not the heavier 6re of an intact company. Magnus cursed the dense, hostile undergrowth that slowed the force's progress as it pulled at his Ironclad and Defender and tore at his soldiers. Anywhere bleeding skin was exposed, buzzing insect swarms landed and bit. Those at the front broke through to a slight rise, and Magnus ed them to survey the situation. Captain Brisbane and h is

69

mixed company had taken up a position on a low hill fronted by a line of thick, jagged rocks. They had situated a chain gun and cannons at the center of the riflemen. At either end of a Line of frantically firing trenchers and long gunners stood Brisbane's pair of Defenders, already engaged by blighted ogrun with heavy mauls. Cygnaran and Cryxian corpses alike li ttered the hill and its perimeter. Brisbane had gone to the assistance of one of his Defenders, engaging the ogrun with his mechanikal hammer. Just in front of his position, a large number of mechanithralls pounded into a ragged platoon of sword knights. Magnus estimated Brisbane was down to less than half his original company, and those left were barely holding on. Behind the mechanithralls Magnus spotted a man -shaped skeletal figure wearing a hooded robe set with armored plates. Its eyes gleamed green within a face of white bone, and sooty smoke poured from stacks on its back. An iron lich! His pulse raced at the sight of the first significant Cryxian leader they had yet encountered. It carried no obvious weapon but held an ironbound book chained to its left wrist. Its right gauntleted hand was extended to summon baleful green fire that burst forth to consume several long gunners atop the hilltop. Captain Thatch unlimbered his sniper rifle and snapped a shot to pierce the head of a blighted ogrun about to charge Brisbane. Magnus ordered, "Jacobs, Kirkwall, charge with your men to reinforce Brisbane's left Bank! Haggin, Thatch, cover their advance!" The soldiers rushed from the twisted trees to hurl grenades and fire scatterguns into the enemy. An eruption of rifle fire fo llowed. Magnus invoked his magic to manifest as a ring of runes around Imp's heavy barrel, augmenting its range. He impeLled the Defender to take a shot at the iron lich- he wou ld not let that creature feast on the souls of his trenchers. He felt grim satisfaction when a sheLl smashed through the creature's left shoulder, knocking it back. He urged his Ironclad ahead even as Brisbane's left Defender collapsed under ogrun mauls. The Ironclad barreled into the

nearest ogrun and sent it Aying back through its companions to smash into the rock face sheltering the long gunners. Toppled ogrun were scrambling back to their feet as the 'jack laid into them with powerful blows of its quake hammer. His Charger's double cannon did not have the range to reach the iron lich, so it fired at the nearest targets of opportunity. His damaged Arcane ran to the left behind the commandos, where Magnus hoped to use their advance to get its arc node closer. He saw a pair of Slayers charge into Brisbane's sword knights and rake several apart with their claws. Magnus gritted his teeth and felt an even greater urgency to get to their controlling Lich. Death rippers and Defilers raced around the periphery of Magnus' force. Green hellfire surged through their arc nodes to blast the nearest trenchers. Magnus fired on one with his Defender, scoring a crippling hit to its legs. Captain Thatch shouted to his trencher marine platoons to concentrate fire on these threats; experience had clearly taught him their dangers. One Deathripper leapt into their midst and savagely mauled one trencher after another with its fanged jaws. The nimble construct easily evaded their attempts to fend it off with bayonets. Magnus drew his battle blade and pushed through his men to engage the machine. He landed an overhand blow directly to its upper chassis, cleaving through its Light armor and hearing the satisfYing metal crunch of delicate internal mechanisms. After another blow it stopped moving, its blood-smeared jaws hanging open. The Lich had vanished behind a Line of mechanithralls by the time another shell dropped into Imp's heavy barrel. He fired at one of the blighted ogrun nearest Brisbane instead, giving the warcaster the chance to step clear of the melee. The warcaster quickly surveyed the battle and then charged the nearest Slayer to deliver a steel-crumpling blow with his weighty hammer. His faltering sword knights were encouraged by his presence and restored what was left of their line. Kirkwall had nearly been surrounded, but Captain Haggin and his commandos came to her , hurling grenades to unleash a rippling wave of explosions that consumed t he nearest Line of mechanithralls. Jacobs and his platoon fired scatterguns to rip apart another batch before the forward trencher Line was forced to draw knives and fight handto-hand. Kirkwall was a blur of motion as she demonstrated her skill with her blades, nimbly evading steam-powered fists that could kill her with a single blow and retaliating with expert strikes. Although mechanithraiJs had deadly strength, they could be neutralized quickly by severing the connecting tendons on their arms or cutting their heads from their shoulders. Kirkwall and the trenchers of the l99th had obviously fought them enough to know how to take them down quickly and efficiently.

no

IDRGR2InE: THE KinG' 5mrm

Magnus got his Arcane close enough to invoke a sorcerous Fortunately Cryx did not try their line again before the other blast into the thralls nearest to the lich's last location, sending patrols that had been sent to do a more thorough sweep of the animated corpses Aying. He felt a sharp stab of pain in the back cliff region located and dismantled two more bile artillery sites. of his head when the faulty arc node sent a surge of . Commander Nemo then declared the cliffs neutralized, and the Smoke rose from the Arcane as the delicate mechanism atop bulk of the army withdrew back to the beaches. Entrenched its chassis Lit on fire. Magnus growled and sent the unreliable forces stayed at the top of each ramp to serve as m ustering machine to spear one of the bonejacks with its pike. points for the next phase. As Magnus and his officers wearily Haggin looked like an enraged berserker as he smashed through mechanithralls, not bothering to draw his killfe but wielding his heavy scattergu n like a c lub. T he heavily muscled trencher ducked beneath what would have been a fatal blow and then belted the offending thrall so hard with his gun stock that its rotted head Aew from its shou ld ers. Other commandos took out other thralls, fmally clearing enough that Magnus saw the lich at last, its black gauntlets glowing green as it s ummoned more helLfire.

He Unked bis sigbt to Imp and fired. Tbe ordnance-designed to buckle Kbadoran beavy armor-made a wreckage of tbe Ucb's torso."

He linked his sight to Imp and fired. The ordnance -designed to buckle Khadoran heavy armor- made a wreckage of the lich 's torso. Its destruction sent a mental backlash that halted the remaining bonejacks and Slayers. Magnus saw Brisbane, who had been leaning back to avoid a Slayer's raking claws, take a deep b reath and then bring his hammer around to crash into the inert hell jack, which toppled to the ground . The mechanithralls became uncoordinated without the guidance of their master and were quickly overcome. After the enemy force was cleared, Brisbane approached Magnus and exte nded a hand. "Thank you, Major. Looks like I owe you one-or maybe more than one." He smiled, and Magnus clasped his hand. Brisbane's expression suggested be ed having refused Magnus' earlier offer for advice. His eyes took in the countless bodies strewn across the hillside. lt was a grisly scene, as bad as the beaches below bad been after their initial landing. Magnus nodded. "You'd have done the same. I'm sure you'll get the chance, sooner or later." Jacobs approached and said, "Sir, we had better get back. They'll be waiting." Magn us looked back to the other warcaster. "Can you keep the ramp secure? I'll inform Commander Nemo of the s ituation ." Brisbane nodded and said, "We'll bold as long as necessary."

~ Commander Nemo was furious whe n Magnus ' half- strength battalion arrived late to their rendezvous. Magnus learned there had been hard fighting during his absence, and their perimeter lin e had been breached. After end uring a brutal tongue-lashing, Magnus was eventually able to explain the situation with Captain Brisbane and how near the junior warcaster had come to being overrun. This slightly molLified the commander, who begrudgingly agreed he had made the right decision. Magnus and his team were integrated into the perimeter forces and told to stand ready against additional assaults.

descended the switchbacks he saw many more lau nches c rossing from the Aeet by the light of Calder, the largest moon. No bile was pitched from the cliffs to interfere with them, and he took no small satisfaction from this. It had been a good night's work. The fighting had clearly had an impact on the captains of the l99th, who were now at greater ease with their commanding officer. Bonds forged quickly in combat, and they aU knew they wou ld soo n be embark ing on their main m ission. Magnus eagerly anticipated even a few hours of rest in his tent. He had just settled when he received an un expected summons from the king. Whatever ease he might have felt evaporated when be entered the king's larger but otherwise unadorned tent. The king was alone, but he stood leaning upon the hilt of Kingslayer, its point in the ground, with a posture and expressio n that rad iated baleful anger. Magnus fe lt as if cold water bad been hurled into his face, and he shivered with a fear that was palpable and overpowering. He immediately knelt to one knee and bowed his head. "Major Asheth Magnus." Vmter spoke slowly, g iving his words ominous emphasis. "I am 11ery displeased. Perhaps your promotion was premature." Magnus' mind reeled as he tried to imagine what he had done wrong. H e had s ucceeded in his objective of destroying the ammunition battery. He had reed the greater force and helped hold the perimeter. And he had backed up another warcaster who otherwise would have been killed and his position compromised. Nevertheless, he was very familiar with the terrible consequences of losing favor with King Vmter Rae! thorne IV He stared fixedly at the ground, and his voice shook as he asked, "Your Majesty?" "We walk the razor's edge between success and failure." Vinter paused. "I ed this expedition because only I can make the difficult decisions required to defeat our foe. Success requires my officers to fo llow their orders. I expect complete obedience. I know warcasters think they are above the chain of comma nd, but let me disabuse you of that idea. Today you disobeyed your orders in a vain attempt at personal glory. Do you deny thi.s ?" Magnus felt the blood drain from his face at these words, understanding at last. "Your Majesty, I offer my humblest apologies. I thought we should not allow our position to be

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mRGR2InE: THE tUnG' 5Ullin flanked. I was concerned at the possibility of losing another warcaster." He ed Vinter's words after Major Durnwick's death and wished he had not spoken that thought aloud. He stammered, "I had no intention of disobeying orders." The king stepped closer, looming over Magnus and casting him in shadow. Magnus trembled, expecting a blade to bite his neck at any moment. "You presumed to tizterpret your orders. It was not your call to rejjeve Brisbane. He would have fought to hold that ramp-and held long enough. I had contingencies ready. While you were absent, Colonel Rathleigh, whose flank you were to protect, was encircled. He was wounded. Commander Nemo almost went to his aid; had he done so, our Lines would have been frayed. The effort atop the cliffs might have failed ." Magnus felt the full weight of that last word twist in his gut. The king continued, his voice no less menacing. "I anticipated your absence, however. I had Nemo hold and sent Leto to fill the gap. Your lord general stood in your place. Because of you, my brother was imperiled a nd we suffered needless casualties." "I was in error," Magnus said, his voice hoarse. "Forgive me. "

Major Durn wick. It was primarily by their cannons and a Limited quality of explosive ammunition that he was to demojjsh the target necrofactorium. He still had his two Sentinels, but his old Arcane had been deemed unfit for battle. He had been given another to replace it, plus another Charger and Ironclad as well. Altogether he now controlled thirteen warjacks.

"Gravedig~ers

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Captain Thatch stopped nearby while checking the status of their ammunition stores and gave Magnus an appraising look. "Are you all right, Major? Not enough sleep?" Magnus had been staring blankly ahead with his mind dispersed among his warjacks. He shook his head and said, "Gravediggers don't sleep, we fortifY." It was an old trencher saying, and several of the nearby men chu ckled . Thatch nodded in approval and returned to his men.

Vmter was silent for a time that felt agonizing to Magnus. Then he said, "Much rests on tomorrow. We have lost the element of Controlling so many warjacks represented a mental challenge surprise. We must achieve our goals quickly, before this island he had never attempted before. Their military-grade cortexes becomes our tomb. Should I pick someone else for your task? were sufficient to engage in battle without hi s constant Someone with greater mental fortitude?" supervision, but he still needed to give them periodic general orders. If he wanted them positioned for maximum effect, he Magnus felt his face burning with shame but also resolve. He had to stay in with their cortexes at all times. He felt said, "I will see the rujssion done, my King. I will not fail. " rustracted connecting to so many, as each sent perioruc signals "See you do not. You are rusmissed." Vmter turned away to him that included glimpses through their ocular systems. It from Magnus and the warcaster rose and withdrew. As he would require acclimation. walked back to his tent he felt the powerful irrational fear that This was overwhelming enough without considering the full everyone he ed knew his humiliation . battalion of a thousand soldiers now under his command. While it was a fraction of the forces being supervised by the ranking colonels and commanders, to Magnus it was a significant logistical challenge. He was glad to have experienced captains Penetrating the Interior working under him, each overseeing a quarter of the force. He Magnus had little sleep t hat night, although he was dimly knew he needed to project an air of utmost confidence, even aware of closing his eyes. A moment later Captain Jacobs as Vmter's words echoed in his mind. He could not help but was jostling him awake. Dawn had not broken, but the wonder if his promotion had indeed been premature. Was he commanders hoped to be on the march by the time the sun had ready for this? Had he been a fool to volunteer? risen. It was almost startling to step forth from the tent and see The air filled with shouted orders as the army got und erway. the transformation of the beach after several hours of laun ches They had split into four ruvisions, each targeting a different and rowboats from the rest of the fleet constantly landing. The necrofactorium compl ex. Magnus and t he 199th were attached army had arrived in full. Tents and campfires filled the beach in to the largest single ruvision, directly led by King Vinter, Lord every direction as far as he could see. Gene;al Leto, an d Commanders Kinbrace an d Nemo. They There was a tremendous sense of urgency, since the cove would penetrate deepest into the dark island . Rangers had where the ships anchored could be easily sealed should Cryx gone out in the night to survey the mustering Cryxian forces, send its fuiJ naval might. Vinter's words of the previous night and those who returned reported the enemy massing at several had been no exaggeration: if the Black Fleet arrived and drove places in the interior. Detailed reconnaissance was Limited, with off their ships, the entire army would be left to fend for itself on so many rangers rrussmg. Blackrock, with Jjttle hope of rescue. Despite this awareness, The division making its way inland was Large enough to be no force so large could move with alacrity, particularly since fronted by a line of heavy warjacks that flattened and backed they had limited access to the cliff top. The sun had risen by through the twisted undergrowth as they went, malci.ng it the time their columns made their way up the switchbacks. easier for the wide columns of soldiers who followed. Along With the army gathered, Magnus' sense of himself as only a the most direct route toward Magnus' intended target was a small part of an enormous effort was magnified. At the same narrow through steep hills that the rangers had reported time he knew the importance of his mission, a responsibility he as guarded by the largest concentration of Cryxian forces. A would shoulder alone. towering, undead horror with tattered wings had been seen Magnus had been entrusted with five additional Defenders learung that army-Likely Lich Lord Terminus, one of Lord offloaded from the ships overnight, all originally intended for Toruk's most terrifYing generals.

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' Magn us would have given much to see Vinter 's army clash with that of Terminus, but his batta]jon peeled away from the main column miles ahead of that choke point. T he warcasters with the division were not seeking to break t hrough the Cryxian army at that position but rather to engage them in a protracted and costly battle. Hopefully the fig ht would lure reinforcements from deeper in the interior; every enemy attracted to this clash would be one less lying in wait to intercept Magnus' battalion. Leto would withdraw as necessary once the bait was taken.

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added, "Can't see the name of the revenant ship. It's not the Atramentow at least, thank Morrow."

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Magnus felt a knot of unease in his stomach . The Wwower was said to most often travel with the flagships of the Black F leet. The thought of their navy being engaged rose to the forefront of his mind. He pushed these worries down, knowing they had to focus on the mission at band . "Chances are, whoever landed went deeper inland. It's imperative we The 199th took a circuitous route nearer the shoreline to don't open fire or use grenades except as a last resort. Other approach the target. Magnus had often been forced to reconcile than that, nothing changes." speed and stealth whi le penetrating the Khadoran interior. The With a thousand soldiers and over a dozen warjacks, stealth 23rd had been used for many covert strikes against Khadoran was impossible. The smoke of Magnus' 'jacks created a haze settlements deemed too close to the Cygnaran border, and over their position, while the sound of their force was as he and his team had needed to be brutally efficient in order obvious as the trail they left behind. Magnus was not trying to strike and escape before the Khadoran Army retaliated. to remain hidden, only to avoid easy observation from afar. He drew on that experience as he could, a lthough he now Visibility on the island was generally poor due to the thick maneuvered an entire battalion. vegetation and uneven terrain. They could only hope no After a long march they arrived within sigQt of a blighted significant enemy force was nearby. trollkin village. Following a bit of scouting they determined Within the hour, their forward scouts reported another village that most of the village's hardier inhabitants had already ahead. Magnus ed down orders to clear it with similar left, likely to war parties in the interior. Mostly youths and a few females remai.ned. Even these were fierce, though, pragmatic efficiency as the last. Captains Kirkwall and Jacobs went ahead with their commandos. Magnus had most of and Magnus could not take the risk of them alerting others his Light 'jacks and his Ironclads at the front of the regular in the vicinity; he bad no choice but to clear the vill age. To infantry, ready to send them in after the first strike. It began suppress the population as quietly as possible, he ordered his men to refrain from rille and cannon fire, relying instead to rain, w hich should have been a relief amid the stifling island heat. Yet even this had been fouled by the Cryxian miasma on on commandos c losing to melee and his warjacks assisting after battle was ed. The work was quickly and efficiently Blackrock, and each warm, oily drop that landed left a burning sensation on their skin. accomp lished, and the battalion was ab le to move on . Magnus took no enjoyment in such actions but knew war required a certain pragmatism, one his company had long since learned to accept. Their path took them near the eastern shore of the island, which was rocky and craggy even without the wall of cliffs that loomed along the southern. Magnus and his officers kept a watchful eye on their surroundings as the force hastened down a narrow de6le descending closer to sea level. They spotted no further enemies in their path, but through a break in the trees along a rare stretch of beach they glimpsed a sight that made their blood run cold : through a Light mist on the waters, a pair of large Cryxian ships anchored.

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there was a sudden rumbling and the ground erupted in front of them as several Helldiver bone jacks leapt from the earth. Simultaneously a line of heavily armored black ogrun charged from the nearest huts. Magnus knew he had miscalculated: they were ambushed.

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Desperately, he sent his Ironc.lads, Chargers, and Sentinels The nearer one bad the distinct silhouette of a blacks hip. The forward . The Hell divers had fearsome hinged jaws set with other appeared to be an old but more typical sailing vessel, except a green glow hung beneath its sails, and unnatural green metal tusks that easily tore through the nearest commandos. Those who had been advancing with knives ready were met by flames danced along its rails and rigging. It was a ship of the long warcleavers in the hands of eight-foot-tall ogrun and were reveqant-crewed Ghost F leet. Just below their path along the quickly hacked down. Simultaneously Magnus heard warbling beach they could see an entire line of beached Cryxian raiding cries to the rear of his Line. He g lanced back to see satyx:is had launches, a clear sign that a sizable landing party had arrived. emerged from the fo rest to carve into h is flank. Things had Captain Thatch peered through the scope on h is rifle to get gone from bad to worse. Magnus impelled his Chargers and a better view and cursed. "Beautiful. J ust beautiful. That Defenders to fire even as he screamed, "Free fire!" Rifle fire blacks hip is the Wwower." The name of the most notorious erupted throughout the force before the words were spoken. satyx:is blackship to sail the Broken Coast sent a chill down The hilltop village was the most defensible section of the the spines of all gathered there. Any Cryxian ships were immediate landscape-they needed to seize that ground a cause for concern, but the captain of the Wldower was a and hold it. "To the village! Advance an8 fire!" He directed satyx:is warcaster of particularly fearsome reputation. Thatch Captains Thatch and Haggin to get their men away from the

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tree line, where seemingly countless saJyxis with barbed whips were emerging. Mixed among them were groups of rotting corpses armed with cutlasses and pistols, recognizable as revenant pirates. Amid these attackers he spotted a saJyxis woman in warcaster armor, her attire more ornamented than the others. Wtth the earlier identification of the Wldower, Magnus knew instantly this must be Skarre Ravenmane, said to be a queen among the saJyxis. She was flanked by Slayers and Reapers, and together they leapt into the fray. Skarre's expression was cruel and gleeful as she waded into the trenchers with her cutlass in one hand and a dagger in the other. She then pointed higher up the hillside and invoked bursts of red acidic liquid to splash into squads of fleeing soJdjers. Each drop burned flesh with the same deadly acidic intens.ity as bile. The trenchers fled from her warjacks, which loped among them like hounds on the hunt. Magnus knew he had to seize the higher ground and rally his trenchers before he could deal with her. He had his Defenders provide what cover fire they could, directing several to concentrate on and annihilate the nearest Slayer. He then turned his back on the retreating trenchers to confront the blighted ogrun ahead. It took an effort of will to ignore the screams of his men as barbed whips opened Cygnaran throats and lashed soldiers to shreds. He ran up the hill while invoking explosions among the ogrun and then drew his sword to hack into the nearest survivor.

Amid the chaotic melee he lost track of anything beyond the nearest enemy. He saw Kirkwall narrowly evade an ogrun's great chopping blow. He drew his hand cannon and squeezed the trigger to blast a hole through the head of the blighted creature. He was nearly tackled by another of the brutes but Captain Haggis intercepted it, screaming incoherently while stabbing with his long-bladed trench knife. The two tumbled down the muddy slope and were lost to Magnus' sight. An entire gang of hulking ogrun battered his Sentinels to scrap before his Ironclads charged into their midst. Rust and the other Charger beset the Helldivers. In a few short moments the ogrun and bone jacks were eliminated and the hilltop was theirs. Magnus ordered his captains to get cannons and chain guns into position. His Arcane ran along the lower slope to let Magnus deliver sorcerous blasts where the enemy clustered. Soon the light 'jack was rushed by revenants who battered it with their cutlasses. He yelled, "Take out revenant officers first! " after seeing many of the men firing futilely into the seemingly invincible pirates, which feU to bullets only to rise again. Magnus had hoped to catch Skarre with his Defenders, but the cagey satyxis queen used her warjacks and the terrain to stay out of their lanes of fire, keeping at the rear of her force. She commanded her saJyxis to converge on the warjacks as Magnus moved them toward her. The nearest of the raiders cra cked their barbed whips to score the armor of the two nearest Defenders. Suddenly there was an explosion of unnatural agony in Magnus' mind as unholy energies from the whips blazed through the 'jacks, penetrating cortexes and through them searing Magnus' brain. He fought through the pain to urge those 'jacks to trample through those besetting them and run up the hill back toward the Cygnarans. The numerous warjacks in his arsenal had suddenly become a liability. Any thought of eliminating Skarre with Defender cannon fire was gone from his head amid the haze of searing pain. The trencher line along the lip of the hill unleashed a deadly hail of lead to cut down the satyxis who had been pursuing the 'jacks, but even as chain guns and cannons opened fire the revenants and saJyxis withdrew back into the trees. Magnus stood shakily to his feet. The pain in his skull faded . While he was more rattled than seriously injured, he knew a sustained assault by those whips against his 'jacks might well have killed him from alone. Doing a quick mental survey of his 'jacks he saw his newly acquired Charger was scrapped, and Rust and his Ironclads were damaged, his remaining mechaniks attempting hasty field repairs. Magnus' mood was bleak as he saw many bodies of the 23rd lying motionless along the bloody ground. He recognized several of his fallen sergeants and one of his senior lieutenants. As he took in the carnage, he saw Thatch and Kirkwall standing near one of the fallen just down the slope, their faces ashen. At their feet was the bloody and battered corpse of

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force with a Slayer, a Reaper, and a single Ripjaw. Magnus Captain Haggin. He was sprawled alongside the ogrun that had and Kirkwall's scattergun-wielding commandos leapt out from nearly tackled Magnus, his trench knife buried in its chest. The man had saved his life, but Magnus could think of no comforting the trees to beset the satyxis queen and her immediate escort, words to say to the remaining captains. Other trencher corpses which they quickly gunned down. But just as quickly the Slayer was among the commandos, tearing them apart with littered the village and the surrounding hillside. its claws. Magnus sent his Ironclad to intercept the fiendish Magnus felt a surge of relief to spot Arthur Jacobs alive near hell jack while directing Rust and Imp to fire on Ravenmane. the cannons. He approached his old friend, who reported, He hoped to take her down quickly. "Our defensive position is sound, sir." It was the trencher Skarre reacted with preternatural alacrity to evade the instinct to fortify, and Magnus could see it in Jacobs' eyes. Defender's shell, and her power field absorbed most of the Magnus knew the e nemy wou ld never be so stupid as to Charger impacts. Blood along her side told him at least one attack their position now that th ey were ready and had the had gotten through. He advanced, firing his hand cannon, better ground. Besides, they had not come here to seize an but her power field shimmered and the shell deflected. The ogrun vi llage. "We need to be on the march," he said. His Reaper turned on him in response, nearly skewering him with voice sounded merciless eve n to his own ears. They all wanted its harpoon before closing to strike at him with its hell driver. a repri eve- if only a brief one-to gather their dead friends Magnus smashed his mechanikal blade through the tempered and bury them. When time permitted in a battle against Cryx, steel of its melee weapon and impelled Rust to charge the bodies were always to be dealt with, as each could be animated machine and hack at its armor with its augmented cleaver. as an enemy . But Magnus was operating beyond the ordinarily Meanwhile the Ripjaw leapt upon his Defender, the whirling rules, a nd speed was all that mattered. The more time that blade between its mandibles cutting through the warjack's ed, the worse the odds became for the success of their armored plating with alarming efficiency. mission. All the while, add iti onal blackships might be rounding Showing foolish bravery, Captain Kirkwall rushed the satyxis the island shores to menace their fleet. queen . There was nothing Magnus could do to stop her. The men grumb led, but th ey obeyed. Platoons were reshuffled Skarre smiled as if welco ming the duel and easily parried and as companies mad e adj ustments for casualties. Once the evaded Kirkwall's blindingly fast strikes with her cutlass and warjacks were refueled and every soldier was resupplied with dagger. Magnus observed the clash with dread, knowing how ammunition they set off, leaving the carnage behind. it wou ld end, and renewed his assault on the Reaper with Soldi e rs warily scanned the dark trees as they went, d esperate haste. knowing the enemy was out there, somewhere. Magnus fe lt The trencher captain feinted and sliced at Skarre's throat, but confident his battalion still outnumbered Skarre 's landing the strike deflected off her power fie ld . The Cryxian smashed party, and he hoped th is strength of numbers wou ld see him her horns into Kirkwall 's forehead with a brutal crunch, through. But he also knew they walked on Cryxian soil, sending her sprawling. Magnus hammered the Reaper with his which t he e nemy knew far better than they. Ravenmane battle blade to finish it and staggered toward the satyxis, but he co uld c hoose when and w here she struck. was too far away to do more than watch as Skarre's dagger cut The next hours proved this dread to be we ll founded. Skarre Kirkwall's throat with a spray of arterial blood. Raven mane stalked them, besetting them without warning Magnus charged her with a cry, but she just laughed and again and again. Satyxis, revenants, and bonejacks charged stepped to meet him . He felt tremendous rage as he hacked at from th e trees while Slayers and Reapers emerged from th e her with !tis Caspian battle blade, but she was too skilled to be opposite side to beset one or more of Magnus' warjacks. Her easily struck down. She smiled mockingly as she parried a nd objective was clear-she focused relentlessly on his Defenders, riposted. He had seen what she could do, but her cutlass and and he lost one after the other in quick sequence in th e course dagger kept him preoccupied enough that he could not avoid of three ambushes, until he was down to just two. During each it when she crashed her horned forehead into his just as she of these attacks he made wrecks of hell jacks, but that seemed had done with Kirkwal.l. He saw stars as he fell to his knees a trade Ravenmane was willing to accept. At each ambush and blindly raised his sword to parry, feeling certain the killing satyxis and revenants were slain, but they lost two or three strike would descend. trenchers for every foe they put down. When they tried to Through his link to his warjacks he felt his Ironclad and pursue the enemy into the trees, they lost even more. the Slayer deliver mutually crippling blows to one another. The situation became desperate as their numbers shifted. After Imp managed to batter the Ripjaw to wreckage with its the third ambush Magnus knew he had lost the numerical flall, and the badly damaged Reaper fell to Rust's cleaver. advantage. The toll of death weighed h eavily on his mind, and With Skarre's 'jacks destroyed or crippl ed, he summoned he could see he wasn't the only one. The remaining soldiers of Imp and Rust to charge the satyxis queen. Magnus saw the l99th looked harrowed, their eyes sunken and their hands her raising her cutlass over him, but before she commi tted gripping their rifles desperately. Magnus knew he had to risk to the blow she spotted the movement of his warjacks. his own ambush to try to regain the advantage, and he stayed Frowning as if in annoyance, she leapt toward the cover of back while the rest of the column continued on. He took with the trees. His 'jacks fired, but their shots only splintered him a handpicked force led by Captain Kirkwall, along with bark. She was gone. Magnus stumbled shakily to his feet, one of his battered Ironclads, Imp, and Rust. his eyes swimming with spots and his head reeling from the Staying off t he main path, he managed to flank the satyxis concussion. He shook his head in frustration to see Kirkwall queen and catch her off guard after the rest of her raiding lying dead at his feet, her eyes staring blankly upward . party marched past. She had kept warily near the rear of her

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no UURRTER IDRGR~InE: THE KinG'S Ullin fortresses and temples. Baleful green light gleamed through countless slits and apertures. They sent their last rangers to check the structure more closely. As they awaited the rangers' return, every trencher gripping his rifle fearfully, finding little solace in the pale faces of battle-scarred sergeants and officers. They had lost their chain guns and were down to one cannon, now pointed at the great closed metal doors. A pair of tremendous smoke stacks extended from the domed roof of the building like wicked horns. Several times as they waited there was a strange moaning noise, as &om some doleful horn, before acrid plumes erupted &om the stacks to fill the air above. This vapor was tinged with green and bubbled and boiled in the air. Several of the trenchers had torn off cloth to wrap around their mouths and noses, fearing the air itself, which was biting and foul. Each indrawn breath brought a metallic taste, with something rotten beneath. The rangers returned and their sergeant reported, "Massive bile production facility. Found an aperture on the south face, too narrow to get through, but I could see inside. The whole central area's filled with bile thralls, unmoving. Hundreds upon hundreds. They don't look . . . urn .. . active. Saw huge armored tanks: bile reservoirs. Lots of thumping machinery. Some necrotechs in there, moving around, but I couldn 't get a count. No patrols outside we could see. If there's a garrison, it's not as big as we feared . But we couldn't see everything. Most of the space inside is taken up by the inert bile thralls. Likely they're being pumped full before activation." The soldiers around them muttered fearfully. Magnus had been staring at the stacks as great plumes of smoke poured forth. "I wonder .. ." He locked eyes with Arthur Jacobs, who showed a glimmer of interest. He knew the tone in Magn us' voice when a plan had come to him. Magnus continued, "I don't think we need Defenders to bring this place down. We just have to block those vents. Whatever they're doing in there, it requires pressure. Like a steam boiler. If we block the vents, the pressure will build- " Jacobs' eyes widened . "And the place might blow. The mac hinery could destroy itself." Thatch looked back and forth between the two of them as if they were crazy. "What if there's a safety mechanism to shut down the engines?"

Magnus chewed the inside of his lip, his mind racing. "Here's what we11 do. We break in, then the two of you find a way to stop the venting. I can check the engines for fail-safes. We get as far away as possible before it blows." Captain Thatch scowled . "You make it sound so easy!" Magnus said calmly, "This factory is deep in Blackrock, where no living man has ever stood. This place has but one purpose: to make weapons. Cryx doesn't build places like this expecting they will be attacked. We left a trail of corpses to get here. That was the hard part." Thatch said nothing more, but Magnus sensed his moraleand that of the men -was shaky. Every soldier was imagining the horror of hundreds of bile thralls in one place. Magnus had to it he also found the thought terrifying. He spoke again, "Every Cryxian weapon made here might be turned on our countrymen. We've made it this far. Now we just need to finish the job and destroy this place. In doing so, we will save far more lives than we have lost today." He could see his words had an impact, firming their resolve, although fear lingered in their eyes.

~ Magnus touched the cortexes of Rust and Imp and told the cannon crew to get ready to fire. At his signal the trencher cannon bucked and rolled back &om recoil even as the Charger and Defender also f1red. The massive metal doors buckled and exploded inward, torn off their hinges. "Advance!" he shouted. The sound of the cannons had gotten the adrenaline of the men pumping. They forgot their fea r for the moment and charged. Dozens of mechanithralls emerged from the shattered doors only to be immediately cut down by rifle fire. More were met by sprays of metal shrapnel and grenades, and then the soldiers got inside the doors. Battle became chaotic in close quarters, and a number of trenchers fell to steam-powered fists before they cleared the vicinity. Additional grenade explosions and rifle fire cleared the immediate area enough for Magnus and his 'jacks to push inside. Just past the s hattered doors he spotted an ancillary sq uare room set into the left wall, likely where those mechanithralls had originated. The interior of the factory was lit by a now-familiar green glow from the fires of numerous churning machines. The stench of burning necrotite was heavy in the foul air, prompting many of the trenchers to fall into fits of coughing. The main chamber was indeed filled with endless rows of bile thralls, a sight that was even more sinister in person than they had imagined . .Magnus lmew his men did not have enough bullets to shoot them all even if they had been so inclined. Fortunately the thralls were still as statues. He saw necrotechs scurrying amid the machinery deeper inside the open chamber, hurriedly throwing levers and switches. The sight alarmed him, and he wondered what they might be activating. He targeted those he could see with Defender and Charger fire, hoping to eliminate them before they could finish whatever they had planned.

77

Thoughts of vengeance were derailed when another explosion of pain erupted in his head . Raiders back at the main column had beset the 'jacks he had left with the main column with lacerator whips. He and the remaining men rushed back to see satyxis and revenants attacking the rear of his force while mechanithralls alongside Deathripper bonejacks struck at the front. Magnus lost his temper and threw himself into the minds of his 'jacks even as he charged those nearest with his blade. He had no thoughts for his own safety as he hacked through them, feeling a sizzling fire in his brain as more lacerator strikes brought down his second Ironclad. Chain g un s were set in place a nd spun up to firing speed, but their crews were overrun and sliced to bloody ribbons. The battle came down to revenant cutlasses, satyxis whips, and trencher knives and bayonets. A Deathripper barreled into Magnus, knocking him from his feet as he wedged his sword into its fanged mouth. Weak from fatigue and blood loss he could only batter at it feeb ly, but Jacobs came to his side and kicked the machine from him and then blasted it with his scattergun . Magnus summoned one last adrenaline surge and battered the bonejack to oblivion with his blade. He and Jacobs were then separated as they plunged back into the fray. It seemed a long time of metal on metal and bloody carnage, and at the end Magnus was half-blinded by the blood seeping into his eyes from a gash along his forehead. At last there was a moment of calm, and he was ab le to step back a nd take stock of the situation. He had resigned himself to dying here, to taking as many of the enemy down with him as he could. What he saw now was almost startling: they seemed to have won. The trampled and shredded section of forest where they fought was littered with corpses from both sides. He blinked and stared at the remaining trenchers, who seemed so few. Magnus breathed hard and felt strangely numb even though his heart was beating heavily and his body ached from battle fatigue as well as countless cuts and bruises. He took in the bodies around them and could not muster any emotions, whether he looked on men in the navy blue of the King's Own or Cryxians in satyxis leathers. Both seemed the same. A remote part of his mind ed he was down to two of his original 'jacks: Imp and Rust. The rest had been wrecked. Where had his force gone? The answer lay in bloody piles around him. His mind balked to consider how few soldiers were left. He looked up as his last two captains approached, covered in

76

gore. Jacobs was limping from a hastily bandaged slash along his left leg, but Thatch appeared relatively unhurt. A trencher lieutenant took Thatch aside to tell him of Kirkwall 's fall, and the sniper's face drained of blood. "-ffilSSlOn."

The world came back into focus and he realized Jacobs had spoken. Magnus blinked at him and his tongue felt thick in his mouth as he asked, "What? Say that again." Jacobs spoke with quiet intens ity. "We need to consider aborting the mission, Major." Magnus swallowed, his hands trembling. He knew Jacobs was right. They needed the Defenders in order to destroy the necrofactorium, and now he had only one, and most of the explosive ammunition had been spent or lost. Even as he considered this, Magnus ed Vmter's words and the icy dread he had felt in the royal tent. How could he face the king if he failed? Death seemed preferable. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "That's not an option . We have nearly reached the target. We 've defeated the satyxis leader. " He had no absolute certainty of this, to be truthful. But the scheming part of Magnus' mind told him they must have at least dealt her landing party a crippling blow. Skarre might gather additional Cryxians from elsewh ere on the island, but doing so wo uld take time. They had a narrow window in which to act. "Look around!" Jacobs jabbed a finger pointedly back at where the remnants of their battalion gathered. "We've lost most of our men! All your Defenders are destroyed but one. This mission is over, Asheth." He rarely used Magnus' fLrst name, but if he felt it would have an impact, he had miscalculated. "This is not a debate, Captain. I wilLdestroy that factory. Let's march." Jacobs stared in disbelief as Magnus marched past him. Magn us did not wait for the men, but they soon fo llowed, leaving behind the corpses of their friends.

~ Assault o n the Necrofacto rium. The men ed the rest of the march in fear, knowing Skarre might descend upon them at any time. But as Magnus had predicted, there were no additional ambushes. Above the trees the great necrofactorium loomed, a massive brooding edifice as squat, ugly, and unadorned as any built by Cryx. It was made of blackened stone that called to mind old stories of Orgoth

no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE RinG'S Ollin fortresses and temples. Baleful green Light gleamed through countless slits and apertures. They sent their last rangers to check the structure more closely. As they awaited the rangers' return, every trencher gripping his rifle fearfully, finding little solace in the pale faces of battle-scarred sergeants and officers. They had lost their chain guns and were down to one cannon, now pointed at the great closed metal doors. A pair of tremendous smoke stacks extended from the domed roof of the building like wicked horns. Several times as they waited there was a strange moaning noise, as from some doleful horn, before acrid plumes erupted &om the stacks to fill the air above. This vapor was tinged with green and bubbled and boiled in the air. Several of the trenchers had torn off cloth to wrap around their mouths and noses, fearing the air itself, which was biting and foul. Each indrawn breath brought a metallic taste, with something rotten beneath. The rangers returned and their sergeant reported, "Massive bile production facility. Found an aperture on the south f~ce, too narrow to get through , but I could see inside. The whole central area's 6lled with bile thralls, unmoving. Hundreds upon hundreds. They don't look ... urn .. . active. Saw huge armored tanks: bile reservoirs. Lots of thumping machinery. Some necrotechs in there, moving around, but I couldn't get a count. No patrols outside we could see. lf there's a garrison, it's not as big as we feared. But we couldn 't see everything. Most of the space inside is taken up by the inert bile thralls. Likely they're being pumped full before activation." The soldiers around them muttered fearfully. Magnus had been staring at the stacks as great plumes of smoke poured forth . "I wonder ... "He locked eyes with Arthur Jacobs, who showed a glimmer of interest. He knew the tone in Magnus ' voice when a plan had come to him. Magnus contin ued, "I don't think we need Defenders to bring this place down. We just have to block those vents. Whatever they're doing in there, it requires pressure. Like a steam boiler. lf we block the vents, the pressure will build-" Jacobs' eyes widened. "And the place might blow. The machinery could destroy itself." Thatch looked back and forth between the two of them as if they were crazy. "What if there's a safety mechanism to shut down the engines?"

Magnus chewed the inside of his lip, his mind racing. "Here's what we'U do. We break in, then the two of you find a way to stop the venting. I can check the engines for fail-safes. We get as far away as possible before it blows." Captain Thatch scowled. "You make it sound so easy!" Magnus said calmly, "This factory is deep in Blackrock, where no living man has ever stood. This place has but one purpose: to make weapons. Cryx doesn't build places like this expecting they will be attacked. We le& a trail of corpses to get here. That was the hard part." Thatch said nothing more, but Magnus sensed his moraleand that of the men -was shaky. Every soldier was imagining the horror of hundreds of bile thralls in one place. Magnus had to it he also found the thought terrifYing. He spoke again, "Every Cryxian weapon made here might be turned on our countrymen. We've made it this far. Now we just need to 6nish the job and destroy this place. In doing so, we will save far more lives than we have lost today." He could see his words had an impact, firming their resolve, although fear lingered in their eyes.

~ Magnus touched the cortexes of Rust and Imp and told the cannon crew to get ready to fire. At his signal the trencher cannon bucked and rolled back &om recoil even as the Charger and Defender also fired. The massive metal doors buckled and explod ed inward, torn off their hinges. "Advance!" he shouted. The sound of the cannons had gotten the adrenaune of the men pumping. They forgot their fear for the moment and charged. Dozens of mechanithralls emerged from the shattered doors o nly to be immediately cut down by rifle ftre. More were met by sprays of metal shrapnel and grenades, and then the soldiers got inside the doors. Battle became chaotic in close quarters, and a number of trenchers feU to steam-powered 6sts before they cleared the vicinity. Additional grenade explosions and rifle 6re cleared the immediate area enough for Magnus and his 'jacks to push inside. Just past the shattered doors he spotted an ancillary square room set into the le& wall, likely where those mechanithraUs had originated. The interior of the factory was lit by a now-familiar green glow from the fires of numerous ch urning machines. The stench of burning necrotite was heavy in the fo ul air, prompting many of the trenchers to fall into flts of coughing. The main chamber was indeed 6lled with endless rows of bile thralls, a sight that was even more sinister in person than they had imagined. Magnus knew his men did not have enough bullets to shoot them all even if they had been so inclined. Fortunately the thralls were stiU as statues. He saw necrotechs scurrying amid the machinery deeper inside the open chamber, hurriedly throwing levers and switches. The sight alarmed him, and he wondered what they might be activating. He targeted those he could see with Defender and Charger fire, hoping to eUminate them before they could finish whatever they had planned.

77

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no QURRTER mRGR2InE: THE KinG'SOllin

<

~

Jacobs grabbed Thatch's arm and pointed up a long the outer walls to where scaffolding and metal-grilled p latforms allowed access to sections of the building's upper machinery. "I think we can get to the vent shafts up there. You go that way." Magnus said, "Work quickly. The rest of the men will keep the exit secured while I check the engines. Thatch nodded, and each captain selected a squad of trenchers to accompany him as they made their separate ways up the small and precarious ramps. Those seemed sturdy enough to sustain their weight, but there were no railings, and the p latforms were uncomfortably narrow.

a U. Not seeing any elegant solution, he used his mechanikal sword to batter the pressure meters and valves to wreckage. He finished this just as on the catwalks above his two captains were concluding their own sabotage on the main vent stacks to choke off the steam exhausts. Thatch managed to hammer one of the thick pipes closed but then released a thick surge of h ideous gas straight into his face, prompting him to cough and retch . He staggered away, co ughing up blood, and his nearest soldie rs helped him away from the noxious fumes and back down the perilous scaffolding. Magnus felt a moment of satisfaction when heard the apparatus sh udder as it attempted its next venting. The pressure had begun to build. His appreciation was short-lived, though, as he heard shouts of alarm from the soldiers near the doors . Through the eyes of Rust and lmp he saw an entire lin e of the previously inert bile thralls swing into motion . Th ey were waking up .

The doors to several other ceU-Iike rooms along the first floor perimeter clanged open to disgorge additional mechanithraUs, plus a number of active bile thralls. There was no sign of a n intelligence directing them . The trenchers not with Thatch and Jacobs had formed into a defensive cordon just within the entrance to the main chamber. Magnus used his arcane He gritted his teeth and raced back through the silent rows power to augment their firing range as they took aim at the of their kind, expecting them to turn on him at any moment. approaching enemy. Those in the front row fired and fell back Fortunately they seemed to be activating slow ly, a few at a to reload w hile the next line with readied rifles took their place. time, a nd he did not have to fight hi s way back to his men. It was one of the few times when Magnus wished his battalion Rifle fire increased in intensity ahead, and Magnus sent Imp included long gunners. He preferred the more adaptable skills and Rust to intercept the thralls that escaped the initial hail of hardened trenchers in general, but w hen it came to laying of bullets and scattergun fire. Even w ith these efforts several down a volume of firepower no soldi ers could match the long exploded close enough to send caustic fluid across the front gunners. He and his 'jacks stepped forward to assist, but the ranks. The men collapsed screaming as their flesh melted, and line suffered additional casualties when mechanithralls reached then the rest of Magnus' remaining soldi ers broke and ran. them, and he could plainly see that the rest of the men were They were not willing to stand against certain, torturous death. rattled and afraid, eage r to leave this nightmare place. Even as Acidic fluid coati ng the warjacks slowly ate through armor they fought, their eyes strayed to the hundreds of statue-like and conduits, a lthough they should end ure for several bile thralls looming nearby. minutes longer at least. Magn us evaded another spray of Magnus went ahead alone to make his way toward the heavy the fluid as he reached them. More and more of the biles engines. This required him to step directly through the eerie were animating , pulling loose from t he black umbilical rows of bile thralls, getting too close a look at their bloated cords connected to the bile reservoir and stepping forward stitc hed 8esh and grotesque weaponry. Lengths of piping to engage. The machin ery at the vaul ted chamber's center like black snakes connected each of them to thicker co nduits s hook noticeably, the metal creaking and groaning as the extending from the central reservoir. Numerous pipes attac hed pressure chamber reached its limit. this to smaller vats and those in turn to the pumping steam Magnus stood in the opening of the exit and assessed the engines. Magnus ran his eye along the maze of piping, puzzling situation. The troops accompanying Thatch and Jacobs had out their relation to the ch urning pistons and other machine scrambled down the catwalks w hil e firing at the nearest biles. elements. He thought he could see how this place functioned. Jacobs Limped to the lower leve l, but bile thra lls blocked his As he rounded one machine he was startled to see several path to the doors . "Magnus! " he shouted, "Clear the way! " He thralls shoveling necrotite into the open maw of a furnace. T he fired his scattergun to shred several of the near est foes. Thatch blight-6iled radiance from the heat of its fire made his muscles and his·men were farther back, cut off by more active biles. ache, and nausea clenched his stomach . He raised his h and They were forced to retreat back up onto the walkway. can non toward them but stopped when it became clear they paid him no mind. They were designed for the simple task of shoveling Cryxian fuel, not to fight; their work would actually help him in his objective. Magnus did not interrupt them.

I~

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This required bim to step directly tbrougb tbe eerie rows of bile tbralls, getting too close a look at tbeir bloated stitcbed fl.esb and grotesque weaponry.

I~

I~

He climbed b lackened steps to reach the upper section of the large machine and pressure tank connected to the exhaust vents. There he discovered an immense configuration of valves and triggers that might, in fact, quench the engines if it detected a pressure overload. It seemed the building's engineers had taken steps to avoid at least a simple malfunction after

Imp lurched for a moment and took a step toward Jacobs as Magnus considered sending it to trample through the biles to get to him. Magnus stopped the 'jack as a horrible calculus suddenly came together in his mind. The machinery might soon reach its pressured culmination. He visualized the rupturing tank and bile fluid pouring forth to consume them aU.

78 !:i

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no OURRTER IDRGR2InE: THE KinG'Smun

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As frightfu l as that was to imagine, there was a possibility worse yet: the explosion might not happen at all. He cou ld not be sure the tanks wou ld rupture witho u t assistance, particularly as the sabotage to the upper stacks had been incomplete. A miasma of greenish corrosive steam continued to pour from the battered cylinders below the ceiling, perhaps re leasing too much pressure. Impious was quickly being overwhelmed by the caustic fluid of the biles and wou ld not last long. He could send it to save Jacobs, but that wou ld. be its last act, and then he would have no Defender to use as backup against the necrofactorium. He might well fail in his mission.

~,,

and his side was wrapped in bandages. His head was also wrapped; in fact, there seemed to be little of his skin that was not bandaged .

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~-

He had a vague recollection of a Leviathan spike piercing his power field after he had reed the battle occupying the main army, but most of that battle was an uncertain blur, a sequence of hazy images that did not qillte make sense. It did not seem important to sort them out right now. A great numbness filled him, tinged. w ith bitter sorrow. The images from the destruction of the bile factory came back in a rush, and once again he saw the expression on Arthur Jacobs' face when Magnus had. turned away from him. His hand. reached

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would marcb against Vinter's army.

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Jacobs caught his eye again as he desperately reloaded his scattergun. Magnus stepped back, shaking hls head once, and turned his bac k on his closest friend. to exit the building. Through the eyes of hls 'jacks he saw the horror dawn on Jacobs' face. As he walked away, Magnus clenched. his teeth and directed Rust to aim at the main pressure tank and Impious at the bile reservoir. They fired in sequence, bursting the straining pressure tank even as his Defender's shell struck the reservoir to send a spiderweb of cracks through its armored exterior. The blast was enormous, deafening him and hurling him to the ground outside the building despite his power field. A chunk of stone managed to penetrate it and hit the back of his head hard enough to draw blood . Through Imp's ocular apparatus, he saw Jacobs blasted off his feet to hit the far wall as a green tide of bile fluid gushed from the shattered reservoir. The impact might have killed him outright if not for a large intervening vat, which absorbed the brunt of the explosion. Still conscious, he had. only a moment to the green tide of bile fluid gushing from the shattered reservoir. Even the bile thralls themselves, ordinarily resistant to corrosive fluids, were unable to retain cohesiveness against complete immersion. As they were swept up by a torrent of concentrated flwd, the hundreds of thralls began to disintegrate. Magnus barely ed it. His borrowed eyes stayed locked on Jacobs, who had just regained his feet as the fluid reached him . He screamed as his flesh rotted and sloughed off, transformed into a horrifYing slurry. It was no small b lessing when acid overwhelmed the 'jack cortexes and. their vision went dark. Feeling dizzy, sickened, and wretched., be staggered away between blighted trees toward the distant thunder of cannons.

~

.,

for the shared memento that should. be around his neck, but it was not there. His heart pounding, he looked to his side and saw the necklace with the bullet Jacobs had given him lying with some of his other possessions on a crate by the bed. He reached out and clenched. his fist around it, then fell back onto the cot in exhaustion.

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Someone stepped into the tent, and it took him a moment to realize who it was-the black armor, the piercing stare. He tried to raise himself but shooting pain paralyzed him, and he groaned.

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"As you were, Major." King Vinter Raelthorne IV spoke in an unusually gentle tone. "The battle is ended. You will be back on the flagship soon."

.~ ~

·,~

"My King," Magnus gasped, feeling a rush of shame. "I lost my battallon. All of them. I'm sorry. I have failed you."

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Vmter shook his head. "No. You completed your mission and returned alive. The deaths of those you led, while tragic, were necessary. You learned to make the hard decisions that define a leader, and your nation is indebted to you. We will honor you properly when we return to Highgate."

•'•

' .,,,. '' ~ .~

'

~

'

His head swimming, he stared in mute disbelief at his sovereign, who offered a rare smile and went so far as to clasp him on his shoulder before turning to leave. Tears rose in Magnus' eyes. He felt some great weight slide away, some burden that had been pressing his chest. Magnus let it go, along with the memory of Jacobs' horribed face. He chose to focus on the Vmter's words instead. He knew every soldier was a weapon that might be expended. Yet by those same words Magnus wondered. if he might have become something more to the king. Someone truly important, worth preserving.

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He let the bullet on its chain slip from his fingers and fall to the floor next to his cot. He rolled to face the tent wall and fell into a deep sleep, not waking even when he was lifted to be carried onto the ln'Jomilable Storm.

~

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Magnus awoke disoriented and confused. It was too quiet. He realized he was lying on a crude cot within a hospital tent alongside other wounded. His entire body pu lsed with pain,

" ~

79 r...

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It tbe mission were not com/leted, all t ese biles-now active an ready-

If the mission were not completed, all these biles-now active and ready-would march against Vmter's army. The factory would endure to make more from the gathered corpses of the King's Own. Magnus ed the sensation of awaiting the king's sword to sever his neck when they had last spoken.

I

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T

his Battle Report marks a number of firsts for No Quarter Magazine. For starters, it's quite simply the biggest one we've ever done . C locking in at thirty-two pages, this beast of a Battle Report is based upon a truly epic conflict, one that echoes a pivotal moment in Cygnaran history.

Second, this is the first Battle Report to use the new Unbound rules for large-scale combats (see No Quarter# 36 for full details on this exciting new way to p lay WARMACHINE and HORDES). Ed and Jason each took 150 points of Skorne and Cygnar respectively, with each army featuring three warcasters/warlocks and more warjacks, warbeasts, and troops than I've ever seen on one table. The pictures in this article barely do justice to that carpet of red and blue models that dominated 6ve hours of a rainy February afternoon. Finally, this Battle Report, while obviously not an exact recreation of the events that transpired in 603 AR, attempts to capture the spirit and setting of Vi.nter Raelthorne's bloody attack on Corvis. Our battle takes place on the Black River Bridge where a decisive victory was fo ught to turn back an invading Skorne army. The "what-if'' scenario presented in this article attempts to divine what a pitched battle between Skorne and Cygnar forces might have looked like if both had brought to bear their most potent weapons -a trio of each faction 's most renowned warcasters and warlocks. -Aeryn

I

would like to start off by saying I have played A LOT of Unbound games, and experience has taught me to play with what I know. Taking scores of different solos and models in hopes of executing super combos is more complication than it's worth in games of this size. The last thing I want to do is pause in the middle of the game to refresh my memory on half-a-dozen rules and then hope I win the initiative so I can put THE PLAN in motion. I would rather respond to the tides of war intuitively, taking advantage of the opportunities fortune and my opponent provide. To that end, I selected models and units with which I was comfortable and that were able to each other. I chose Commander Coleman Stryker and Captain Victoria Haley because I am well versed in their respective bags of tricks. They also have a lot of potent capabilities and can make a defmite impact in a game of this scale. I wanted General Adept Nemo because 1 felt what he brings to the table in of battlegroup maneuverabi lity and raw power could turn the tide of battle.

Defenders, Stormclads, and Lancers are my go-to Cygnaran warjacks . Properly ed by Storm blade Infantry for maximum focus efficiency, a Stormclad is a wrecking ball in motion. I knew from the start my Long Gunner Infantry would be married to my Precursor Knights. I added Harlan Versh to deal with those brutally effective Skorne upkeep spells. Plus, I just like the model. Though my Trencher Infantry would not be able to use Dig-In on t he upper bridge, I figured their smoke and weapon attachments would make fine crowd-control to keep the Skorne in line. There are many Cygnar players that believe models like the Squire or Black 13th belong in every army list, but I don't fall into that "must have" mentality. I'll take more Stormsmiths over a Squire any day, and in a battle this large, the Black 13th is just a little too fragile for my needs. Besides, not having Thunderbolt is just a deal -breaker for me.

0

0

Captain Victoria Haley Defender

~ Thorn

+5 warjack pts

9 8

S

e

Arcane Tempest Gun Mages (full) Long Gunner Infantry (full)

G Precursor Knights (full) Precursor Knight Officer & Standard

+6 warjack pts

e

Stormblade Infantry x3

4) Lancer

6

e

Trencher Commandos (full)

~ Sentinel

4

•

General Adept Nemo

Stormclad x2

e

0 e 0

9

Lancer

6

Stormclad

10

8 2 15 (5 ea.)

Stormblade Infantry Officer & Std. x3 9 (3 ea.)

0

Trencher Infantry (full) Trencher Infantry Officer & Standard Trencher Infantry Rille Grenadier x3

Defender

10

10

Trencher Commando Scattergunner x3 3 (1 ea.)

20 (10 ea.)

Commander Coleman Stryker + 6 warjack pts

6

8

Field Mechaniks (full)

~ Captain Arlan Strangewayes

8

Journeyman Warcaster

~ Stormsmith Stormcaller x6

G Harlan Versh, Illuminated One

10

3 3 (1 ea.)

3 2

3 6 (1 ea.) 2

TOTAL 167 (150 +17 WARJACK POINTS)

I

would like to start off by saying I have played A LOT of Unbound games, and experience has taught me to play with what I know. Taking scores of different solos and models in hopes of executing super combos is more complication than it's worth in games of this size. The last thing I want to do is pause in the middle of the game to refresh my memory on half-a-dozen rules and then hope I win the initiative so I can put THE PLAN in motion. I would rather respond to the tides of war intuitively, taking advantage of the opportunities fortune and my opponent provide. To that end, I selected models and units with which I was comfortable and that were able to each other. I chose Commander Coleman Stryker and Captain Victoria Haley because I am well versed in their respective bags of tricks. They also have a lot of potent capabilities and can make a definite impact in a game of this scale. I wanted General Adept Nemo because I felt what he brings to the table in of battlegroup maneuverability and raw power could turn the tide of battle.

Defenders, Stormclads, and Lancers are my go-to Cygnaran warjacks. Properly ed by Stormblade Infantry for maximum focus efficiency, a Stormclad is a wrecking ball in motion. I knew from the start my Long Gunner Infantry would be married to my Precursor Knights. I added Harlan Versh to deal with those brutally effective Skorne upkeep spells. Plus, I just like the model. Though my Trencher Infantry would not be able to use Dig-In on the upper bridge, I figured their smoke and weapon attachments would make fine crowd-control to keep the Skorne in line. There are many Cygnar players that believe models like the Squire or Black 13th belong in every army list, but I don't fall into that "must have" mentality. I'll take more Stormsmiths over a Squire any day, and in a battle this large, the Black 13th is just a tittle too fragile for my needs. Besides, not having Thunderbolt is just a deal-breaker for me.

SCENARIO RULES

which p layer sets up fi.rst and takes the first turn as in a

Since Ed and Jason were taking the Unbound rules for a public test drive, we didn't think it was necessary to muddy up their conflict with a complicated scenario. For th.is Unbound Battle Report, Cygnar and the Skorne Empire simply tried to take out each other's warcasters/warlocks in the most expedient (and Likely brutal) way possible. Both armies set up in the standard 10" deployment zones, and the winner would be the player with the most warcasters or warlocks standing after 5 rounds.

normal WARMACHINE or HORDE& game.

AN UNBOUND PRIMER

However, when playing Unbound the order of play is not static as it is in normal W ARMACHINE a nd HORDES games. Instead , at the start of eac h round, beginning with the second round , players roLl off to determine which player takes the flrst turn that round. Each p layer rolls a d6. The higher ro ller takes the fi.rst turn that round. This player is said to have the initiative.

DOMINATI ON BONUS The more ground a p layer co ntrol, the greater his

No Quarter #36 presents the full rules for Unbound games, but the following is a quick primer on some of th e differences between Unbound games and standard games of WARMACHINE and HORDES.

c hances of seizing the initiative. When playing Unbound, the table is divided into eight 24N x 18Nzones.

GAME SIZE

territory he co ntrol s at that time. A player controls

Unbound is a system for p laying games of WARMACHINEand HORDES in which each player fields 150-point or larger armies with 3 or more warcasters or warlocks on each side. An additional warcaster is added to each army for every additional 50 points of models fielded by eac h p layer.

a territory if he has one or more models co mplete ly

TABLE SIZE B ecause of the scope of Unbound games, it is recommend that p layers use a 4'x6' table instead of the standard 4'x4'. Truly massive games may require even larger tables to accommodate play.

Starting with the beginning of the second round, a player ga.ins +I on his roll to seize the initiative for each

within it a nd hi s opponent does not.

ALTERNATING PLAY When playing Unbound, rounds are d ivided into a variable number of turns based on the number of warcasters and/or warlocks each player has at the start of the game. The number of turns each player takes during a round is equal to the number of warcasters and/or warlocks each p layer has at the start of the game +1. Once the number of turns a player takes dur ing each round has been determ ined, it does not

SEIZING THE INITIATIVE

c hange as play progresses and warcasters and warlocks

At the start of the game, playe rs roll off to determine

are destroyed or removed from play.

OPENING STRATEGY & DEPLOYMENT JASON-CYGNAR I arrived at the battlefield early and surveyed the ground. The upper bridge level was large, flat, and sparse: excellent ground for my reactive, swift, and deceptively hard-hitting army. I would almost certainly have the range advantage, leaving my opponent in the unenviable position of having to c ross a lot of ground under a steady barrage from my guns. Whether I initially won the initiative roll or not, my plan wou ld be the same. I made up my mind quickly to position all three of my warcasters on the upper bridge where they could do their best to each other. Nemo's battlegroup would take point. His feat and the great mobility he adds to hi s warjacks would make bis battlegroup highly reactive to my opponent's movements. Haley and Stryker would form the seco nd wave, both ing the bulk of my infantry w hile us ing their Defenders to soften up Ed's warbeasts. On either side of the tab le was a section of deep water I had no choice but to cede to my opponent in the un likely event he brought amphibious Minions (he did). The next best ground to fight upon was the railway linked to the top of the upper bridge by a series of stone stairways.

Already planning to group all three of my battlegroups on the upper bridge, I placed a small number of defenders on the railway to slow Ed's advance. Un less we both hit on the same strategy of concentrating our force s on the upper bridge, I figured losing the railway would be inevitable. However, I cou ld still make a decisive impact on Ed's forces before he roll ed my flank .

I won the die roll for set up and d eployed based on the strategy I outlined above. I put Stryker, Nemo, and Haley on t he upper bridge a long with the bulk of my infantry (two un its of Storm blades, Long Gunners, Precursors, Field Mechaniks, Strangewayes, Versh, a couple Stormsmiths, and my Journey man). The third un.it of Storm blades went on tbe railway with the Gun Mages on the stai rs between the uppe r bridge and the railway. The remaining Stormsmiths spread out amongst them for . My plans laid, I could only hope that Ed would split hi s battlegroups between the upper bridge and the railway, and he did just that. We ide ntified early between us that the decision was likely to have a huge impact on the eventual outcome of the game. However, in hindsight, I think th e effect was less than we anticipated.

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ADVANCED DEPLOYMENT

Looking at Jason's army deployed before me with all those guns made my stomach drop. In order to avoid getting picked apart, I needed to move quickJy.

JASON-CYGNAR

Seeing that Jason had deployed all his warcasters on the upper bridge left me with a tough decision. Ultimately, I elected to put Makeda and a mass of troops on the railway in hopes of quickly cutting through the troopers Jason had placed there. This could either prove a brilliant strategy and win me the game or seal my fate. Either way, it was done. Xerxis and Rasheth deployed on the upper bridge with their six heavy beasts to create what I hoped would be a solid barrier to hold off the trio of casters they faced. I split the pairs of non-Advanced Deployment units equally between the railway and the upper bridge, and each battlegroup got the of a Paingiver Beast Handler unit. The Swamp Gabbers Bellows Crew deployed on the upper bridge.

Ed's placement of Makeda below gave me a chance to deliver a decisive blow to his army before he could merge his forces. The key was to stall Makeda's advance in order to keep Ed's forces split. Though l knew my left flank would eventually give, I needed it to hold just long enough to take the upper bridge. For that reason, I placed my AdvanceDeploying Trencher Infantry on the railway. My plan was to rely on their smoke placement and combined firepower to contain Ed's forces for a round or two. That left my Trencher Commandos, which I packed onto the upper bridge where I hoped the Scattergunners could soften up whatever infantry Ed had not placed on the railway.

ED-SKORNE With the addition of the Trencher Infantry to the railway, I deployed both of my Blood runner units there with hopes of inflicting some quick casualties. I also planned on using my Bloodrunners' Shadow Play ability to "teleport" them up the stairs on the left and into battle on the upper bridge.

It was game time.

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THE BATTLEFIELD he

The battlefield for this super-sized conflict is definitely one of the most elaborate pieces of terrain ever featured in a Battle Report. Hobby manager Rob Hawkins' painstakingly detailed reconstruction of the Black River Bridge in Corvis is breathtaking and served as a dynamic theatre of war for Ed and Jason's opposing armies. However, despite its size and detail, the bridge was quite conducive to epic warfare, with multiple different levels connected by stairs," interesting obstructions, deep canals, and an awesome historical backdrop.

ROUNDt JASON ROUND 1/TURN I Going first in the first round of an Unbound game is a dubious honor. In fact, it is the only time I would say you do not actually want to go first. I began the game with the initiative, but it would be a long time before I seized the initiative again. Damn Ed and his aquatic M.inions! My first turn was ultimately dictated to me by my deployment. I chose to activate Nemo's battlegroup this turn and started with Nemo. The old man advanced, cast Force Field on himself, Lightning Shroud on the Lancer, and Polarity Shield on a Stormclad. My choice to cast Force Field was mandated by Ed's Titan Cannoneer who wou ld a lmost certainly have blasted apart more Gun Mages or Commandos otherwise. Still, I'd probably regret not getting Fail Safe up on a Stormclad early. Next, Nemo's battlegroup moved up, the Stormclads ran while pulling focus from nearby Storm blades. The Trencher Commandos took up position near the middle of the table. The Precursors Knights advanced under Shield Wall with the Long Gunners right behind. Finally, my Journeyman Warcaster bolted around the left to bring some much-needed arcane firepower to that Hank.

ED ROUND 1/TURN I Because there were fewer ranged threats on my left Hank, I decided to activate Xerxis' battlegroup first. Activating the other battlegroups would just move them into Jason's gun range sooner and get them blown apart. There was no guarantee that wasn't going to happen anyway with those Defenders sitting in Jason 's deployment zone. Flrst, I ran both Rhinodons forward and followed up behind them with the nearby

unit of Beast Handlers. Then I activated Xerxis and had him cast Defender's Ward on the unit of Praetorian Swordsmen beside him.

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Following that, Xerxis advanced and discarded two points of fury. His Basilisk Krea followed him and used her Paralytic Aura animus to protect the warlock. Next, I advanced the Praetorians under Defender's Ward in preparation for a rush forward next turn.

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On the railway, I activated one unit of Paingiver Blood runners and ran them forward. I knew I would lose a few to the Trenchers in front of me, but thanks to the Bloodrunners' Stealth, the Cygnaran troops wou ld have to move closer to get them in range.

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Back up on top, I ran forward with the Ancestral Guardian and both Extoller Soulwards near Xerxis. Since all three models got within range of the Krea's animus, they gained some protection against any stray bullets. The Swamp Gabbers then moved up and put down a SN smoke cloud to block Line of sight to as many allies as possible. I hadn't activated my allotment of solos yet, but I decided to turn the game back over to Jason to see what he had in store.

JASON ROUND 1/TURN 2 I decided to activate Haley's battlegroup next and immediately realized my hopes of using Temporal Barrier to hinder Ed's advance would not Live up to my expectations. Makeda could supersede the effect with Savagery, and the timing of the Unbound turn structure alone meant I had to use Temporal Barrier very early in the round to maximize the potential of the costly spell. Haley aiJocated 2 focus to her Defender. Note, in Unbound, warcasters allocate focus at the start of the turn in which you activate their battlegroup. That means your casters have full focus to boost their ARM until you activate them . This turn I started with Haley's battlegroup and activated her first. Haley cast Arcane Shield on my rightmost unit of Storm blades, then she advanced. Thorn followed after her. Next, I brought up the Defender and blasted Xenos' right Rhinodon with a boosted heavy barrel shot. A boosted damage roiJ resulted in 9 damage to the beast. FIRST BLOOD!

Next, I ran the Storm blades forward, advanced my three rightmost Stormsmiths, and ran Harlan Versh into position on the center of the upper bridge. l finished out the turn by running the Gun Mages forward along with three Stormsmiths. The Gun Mages took up position on the stairs above the railway.

ED ROUND 1/TURN 2 I chose to activate Rasheth this turn since much of the opposition directly in front of him had activated on Jason's last turn. I started by running forward with the Nihilators on the upper bridge. The Bronzeback Titan also ran forward, taking advantage of the concealment offered by the Swamp Gabbers' cloud and was followed by an Agonizer. I advanced with Dominar Rasheth and used Dark Rituals to channel Breath of Corruption through a Nihi.lator into the Trencher Commandos. Unfortunately, the spell missed its mark and the deviation missed everything. Net result: I was down one Nihi.lator and 3 fury. Following that, Rasheth cast Castigate and used the Gladiator's Rush animus on the Cannoneer. Taking advantage of its newfound speed, I advanced the Cannoneer and riled it for 2 fury. With Force Field up on Nemo, I decided going for a lu cky deviation with a cannon shot while there were no targets within range was a bad idea. I had both the Sentry and Gladiator each run forward foiJowed by their ing Beast Handlers. To wrap up my turn, I had my other Extoller Soulward run forward while Aptimus Marketh advanced and cast Carnivore on the upperbridge Nihilators. That way I could just upkeep the spell with Rasheth next round.

JASON ROUND 1/TURN 3 Having already activated both of my other battlegroups, Stryker was up. My fourth turn would encom activating any nonbattlegroup models and units I had not yet activated. I started off by allocating 2 focus to Stryker's Defender. Then I advanced Stryker and cast Snipe on the Storm blades and Arcane Shield on Stryker's Stormclad. Strangewayes activated next, advanced, and gave Stryker's Lancer l focus. The Lancer then ran forward. Next, I activated Stryker's Defender, advanced it and fired a boosted shot into the wounded Rhinodon. A hit followed by a boosted damage roll, and the thing was smarting from another 12 points of damage! Then, the Stormclad activated, gained 1 focus from its proximity to the Stormblades, and ran forward. My Trencher Infantry then advanced within 5N of the Bloodrunners and opened fire. The Sniper dropped one Bloodrunner, and a three-model CRA felled another. The Trencher Grenadiers attached to the unit scored three more kills, including one in the rear unit &om a fortunate deviation.

ED ROUND 1/TURN 3 My forward Bloodrunners got caught in the bloodbath I knew was coming, but I still had two standing when it was all over. The surprise casualty was Jason 's lucky Rifle Grenade deviation into the backfield Bloodrunners, but with five Bloodrunners still standing, they had plenty of pain left to dish out. They would, however, have to wait until next round for the pain-giving. They were too far away &om the enemy to charge, so I ran them forward instead.

Of course, it was Makeda's battlegroup I would be activating this turn since my others had already taken action. So I followed up the Bloodrunners by running Molik Karn downfield . Next, I had the railway Nihilators run forward followed by an advancing Cyclops Brute. On Makeda's activation, I advanced with her, cast Defender's Ward on the Nihilators in case I lost the initiative next round, and then had her cast the Basilisk Krea's Paralytic Aura animus. It was only after doing so I realized that casting Paralytic Aura was a complete waste. , in Unbound one round no longer means "my current turn and my opponent's next turn." The only thing Jason had left to activate in our current round was one solo and one unit. I needed to get those "lasts-for-oneround" abilities out there early in the round if I wanted to take full advantage of them. Following Makeda, I ran her Cyclops Savage forward and advanced the Basilisk Krea who riled for 2 fury (to make up for Makeda throwing away two). I then ran with the railway Ancestral Guardian and Tyrant Commander and Standard. On the upper bridge, I ran the final Ancestral Guardian, fo llowed by the Tyrant Commander and Standard, and advanced the second Agonizer. I then ed the turn over to Jason.

JASON ROUND 1/TURN 4 We affectionately call Turn 4 the bucket turn. With no battlegroups left to activate, and knowing that anything you do activate cannot move again during your first turn of the new round, its pretty mu ch the "whatever-is-left" turn. I advanced my r emaining Stormsmith and Rash-fried a Bloodrunner. Then I moved up my Mechaniks and called it good.

ED ROUND 1/TURN 4 All I had left in my "bucket" was a final unit of Beast Hand lers on the railway, the railway Praetorian Swordsmen, and my Gatorman Posse. 1 ran them all to finish out the round. tlg

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I had never used a Gatorman Posse before, but I chose them as an aquatic flank force. Unfortunately, they aren't known for speed, and they would have to go very wide in order to get onto the land and cut across the canal to get into play. Still, I tried my best with them and they did provide one big advantage. Jason was never able to hold any territory for the initiative roll that was occupied by gators while they were in deep water.

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ROUND2 ED'S MAINTENANCE PHASE Despite my losses, I had achieved my goal of ending the first turn with Bloodrunners in two of the territories on Jason's side of the table, giving me +2 to the mitiative rol l. My roll of 6 to Jason 's 1 immediately got me &othmg at the mouth for payback. All my warlocks leached their fury. Makeda upkept Defender's Ward on the railway Nihi lators, Rasheth upkept Carnivore on the Nlhilators in front of him, and Xerxis upkept Defender's Ward on the Praetorians beside him.

P lay, allowing another member of the unit to be placed onto the stairs for an attack against a Gun Mage, which missed. In the end, I only took out two Trenchers, but I was able to move the Bloodrunners far enough out of the way that I could bring in reinforcements. Molik Karn charged in next and used a combination of attacks and sidesteps to kill four Trenchers, a Stormsmith, and a Storm blade. Hot on his heels, I charged in with the railway Nihilator unit, and although only three of them got to attack, they dropped seven Trenchers, includlng all three Grenadiers. One Nihilator was also lost to an errant Berserk attack, but I wasn't too broken up over it.

JASON'S MAINTENANCE PHASE

r ended the last turn without losses, somethlng Ed promised would never happen again. Havillg spread his army across the table, Ed was already reaping the benefits of controlling more quadrants of the table than I did, so he seized the initiative. Ed would have the first turn this round. I upkept all my spells in play.

ED ROUND 2/TURN 1 With three fresh battlegroup activations to choose from, I decided Makeda's was going to kick off this round. The Cyclops Brute advanced first followed directly by Makeda. From behind the Brute sh e used her feat, Walking Death. She then cast Savagery on Molik Karn a nd Carnage to set the stage for what I hoped would be a railway slaughter. I charged in with the four-man unit of Bloodrunners, running one of them onto the stairs, and using the first charge attack to kill a Trencher. That triggered Shadow

Feeling the high from the Nihilators' powers of 'nihilation, I activated my other unit on the upper bridge and charged them headlong into Jason's Trencher Commandos. With the bonus to hit from Carnivore and their Berserk ability, I was feeling very confident that this would be a gloriously successful charge. The first Nihilator to make an attack even had five enemy models in melee range! I only needed 4s to hit, so this would be easy right? Well, fate had a different idea, and my first attack roll came up snake eyes. In the end, only four of a potential twelve or so Commandos went down, and again, I lost a Nihilator to one of his neighbor's Berse rk attacks. I finished out my turn by advan cing the Krea alongside Makeda and using Paralytic Aura (much better timing this round) , advancmg with the Cyclops Savage, advancing with the Swamp Gobbers and putting down smoke, and running the railway Ancestral Guardian forward. It was now time to take Jason 's counter punch.

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JASON ROUND 2/TURN I With a sizeable number of Ed's warbeasts now in my sights, I decided to start with Haley again and allocated 2 focus to her Defender. Haley started my turn by casting Temporal Barrier and popping her feat! I then activated three Stormsmiths in succession who took down a grand total of one Nihilator (with a second on his back following a successful Tough check) . One of the challenges of playing such a large game is that you constantly have to consider how the movement of your models impacts the movement of the models behind them. This occasionally results in models clustering up in ways you hadn't intended. This can be especially devastating when your opponent has easy access to spells like Breath of Corruption that he can lire from unforeseen attack vectors. Such thoughts were in my head when my Storm blades advanced. Unfortunately, due to my conservative placement, they only managed to cut down a single Nihilator on the upper bridge. Next, Haley's Defender took aim at the injured Rhinodon and put 01' Yeller down with a boosted POW 15 damage roll. With a second shot thanks to Haley's feat, the Defender ex ecuted another Nihilator with a boosted attack roll. It was kind of a waste, but the Nihilator was in range, out in the open, and begging for it.

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The Precursors advanced again under Shield Wall. Next, the Long Gunners advanced and put a pair of ten-man CRAs into Xerxis' remaining Rhinodon thanks to Haley's feat and Snipe. Their efforts netted 17 damage to the· Rh.ino. Next, Strangewayes gave l focus to Thorn who then moved toward the Long Gunners. Finally, the Trencher Commandos advanced under Haley's feat and unleashed a hail of grenade and scattergun fire , resulting in the demise of six more Nihilators and the Swamp Gabbers.

ED ROUND 2/TURN 2 Now things are nice and bloody. l expected to lose the Nihilators and a Rhinodon. What I didn't expect to lose was my Swamp Gobbers and half of another Rhinodon. With so many models on the table, Haley's feat was devastating. This turn, I chose Rasheth and his battlegroup to engage in some payback. I kicked things off by activating the Ancestral Guardian nearest Rasheth. It spent one of the Nihilator souls collected from last round to get +2 SPD and charged for the kill on a Trencher Commando. The Ancestral Guardian quickly dispatched a second Commando after buying another attack. I next activated the Beast Handlers nearest Rasheth and advanced them to enrage the Titan Sentry and

Bronzeback. Although I would have liked to Medicate the injured Rhinodon with the second unit of Beast Handlers on the upper bridge, I had another plan. The Beast Handlers charged forward, but only one of them managed to get within range and take out a Storm blade. With the Beast Handlers in place, I activated Rasheth and used Dark Rituals to channel Breath of Corruption through one of them. My target was a Long Gunner that I could draw line of sight to through the mass of Jason's infantry, and I was devastated when the attack roll missed. However, his troops were packed in pretty tightly, and I knew I had a good chance to still do some serious damage with the deviation. I did not think reality would exceed my expectations, though . Mter a 2" deviation, the corrosive cloud managed to kill eight Long Gunners in the 3" AOE! To add insult to injury, the remaining two Long Gunners failed their CMD check. Who has two thumbs and loves happy accidents? This guy! I advanced Aptimus Marketh and used his Spell Slave ability to cast Carnivore on the Titan Sentry. I also had the Gladiator use its Rush animus on the Sentry and advance. !"then had the Sentry, enraged and hopped-up on magic, charge and kill a Trencher Commando. With a second attack the Sentry killed another Commando and triggered a CMD check, which the Commandos ed . The Bronze back also charged and mauled another Commando. The Cannoneer advanced, and with a target now in range, it blasted apart a Stormsmith with a cannon shot. The blast damage also killed yet another Commando thanks to a boosted damage roll. I felt a little like I had wasted the efforts of the Titans by targeting only a few trooper models, especially after the stellar Breath of Corruption results. The reality was that I had to get the big beasts up6eld into melee, and I might as well destroy some stuff along the way. I wrapped up my turn by advancing an Extoller who failed to eliminate a Stormblade with Spirit Eye.

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With Rasheth's warbeasts now in striking range, I chose Nemo's battlegroup for this turn. The plan was simple: charge in and kill them all! I had my sights on Rasheth's warbeasts on the upper bridge and on Malik Karn below on the railway. I allocated no focus and started with the Journeyman Warcaster who advanced and missed Malik Karn with a boosted band cannon shot.

efforts. Under the effects of Lightning Shroud, the Lancer proceeded to finish off the Ancestral Guardian before turning its remaining attacks on the Titan Sentry to little effect. Then, I advanced the first of Nemo's Stormclads on the Titan Sentry. Polarity Shield prevented the Bronze back from counter charging. Despite having 3 points of focus on the Stormclad, I only managed to inflict 16 points of damage on the Sentry.

I then activated a pair of Stormsmiths, one after another,

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in hopes of taking out some Nihilators to free up my Gun Mages. Both failed. (Yes, despite the bonus from Epic Nemo 's Elite Cadre!) My remaining Trenchers on the railway combined fire on a Nihilator who ed his Tough check! This was a remarkably poor start to what would become a seriously underwhelming turn. Cue the Stormblades! The Stormblades on the railway charged Molik Karn under the assault order, dropped him with a combination of storm glaive strikes and blasts, and took down a Nihilator while knocking down a second due to a successful Tough check. This would prove to be the highlight of my turn. Enter Nemo who cast a three-focus Energizer followed by his feat, which filled all his warjacks with focus. His warjacks strode forward. I started with the Sentinel, w lllc h opened up on an Ancestral Guardian. Five Strafe shots with three boosted damage rolls inflicted only 8 total damage. Suck! The Lancer then moved to engage the damaged Ancestral Guardian and suffered a 6-point defensive strike for its

The second Stormclad advanced into striking range of both the Bronzeback and the Sentry. Concentrating its attacks on the Bronzeback, the Stormclad inflicted 23 points of damage on the Titan. The Cannoneer suffered 4 damage from Electro Leaps as a result of its proximity to the Bronze back-another small highlight in what was a fairly dismal turn. Versh then opened up on the Titan Sentry, getting off three shots and inflicting a single point of damage. Then I got greedy and assaulted the Bronze back and a single Beast Handler with a unit of Storm blades. One melee attack resulted in a dead Beast Handler, while five storm glaive blasts on the Bronze back netted a single hit that caused no damage. In my head, I had visions of cleaving through Rasheth 's entire battlegroup, but it was not to be. Realiz ing that I hadn't inflicted anywhere near as much damage on my turn as I had hoped , my thoughts now turned to concerns of Ed 's retribution. I sent my Field Mechani~s screaming across the table to contest Ed's control of the board and hopefully to jam up some charge lanes.

ED ROUND 2/TURN 3

bottlenecked on the railway below and Xerxis could have

Titans are crazy-durable warbeasts, especially the Sentry with its shield. I was thankful that Jason split his attacks between the Sentry and Bronzeback because it left them both standing at the end of his turn. I needed to make sure I had the advantage when it came time to seize the initiative next round. That way, I could capitalize on the Titans' survival because Jason would surely focus on them if he got the first turn.

made great use of them. For his activation, I just advanced him and cast Fury on the Praetorians with the hope that enough would survive to take advantage of the spell being upkept next round. Down on the railway, I advanced with the two-man unit of Blood runners . The frrst Bloodrunner killed a Stormblade, allowing the second to use Shadow Play to

Xencis' battlegroup was my only option this turn , and there wasn't much left of it. Flrst up, I advanced the Extoller Soulward closest to Xerxis, targeted the Precursor Knight Officer with Soul Gaze, and missed.

get within range of the Stormblade Standard, which he

Out of charge range, the Praetorian Swordsmen ran forward to fill the gap between Xerxis and the Precursors. I should have gotten them out there much sooner, but I was expecting them to be picked off by the Long Gunners. In Unbound, it is particularly chal.lenging to predict the actions of your opponent from round to round since you can rarely be sure who will seize the initiative and in what order they will choose to activate their models each turn.

tryjng to decide how the hell I was going to get Xerxis

N ext, I advanced the Ancestral Guardian closest to Xerxis. The Rhinodon also Limped forward followed by the Krea who advanced and used her Paralytic Aura.

I really felt I was under-utilizing Xerxis, and this would be prevalent throughout the game. At this point, I was wishing I ha d deployed both units of Praetorians with him since the second unit was getting

missed. I wrapped up my turn by advancing both Tyrant Commander units. This turn was a bit of a letdown, and I scratched my head involved in later rounds.

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JASON ROUND 2/TURN 3 Stryker allocated I focus to his Defender, Then I activated Stryker and channeled Snipe through the Lancer onto the Stormclad (replacing Arcane Shield). The Long Gunners weren't going to need it anymore. Stryker's Stormdad then activated and gained I focus due to close proximity with the Storm blades. It then blasted the Titan Gladiator, inflicting 8 points of damage with a boosted roll and fried an Extoller Soulward with an Electro Leap. The Defender then opened fire on the Gladiator, A hit and a boosted damage roll later the warbeast suffered II more damage points. My Defenders were on a roll! The Gun Mages then activated. They knocked down a Nihilator (Tough check), plugged two others, and whiffed against the Bloodrunners. With the activation of my last unit, I had nothing remaining for the bucket turn.

•

ED ROUND 2/TURN 4 Those Defenders were annoying the crap out of me. As I ran the full Gatorman Posse onto Jason's side of the table, I was wishing I had brought two six-man units of Bog Trog Ambushers instead. They wou ld have helped with denying Jason territory on the initiative roll and created an effective backfield distraction. But hindsight is 20/20, and there was no use beating myself up about it. I ran the railway Praetorians forward into the bottleneck forming there and finished up my bucket turn by running both Agonizers forward in hopes of contesting some territory. At this point, I was having serious regrets about deploying the Praetorians on the railway. Xencis could really use them up top, and it would be a while before I had any hope of getting good use out of them. Regardless, I had to press on.

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ROUND3 JASON'S MAINTENANCE PHASE With Ed clearly winning the land grab, he aced the initiative roll and went first again . Nemo dropped Polarity Shield but upkept Lightning Shroud and Force Field. Stryker dropped Snipe, and Haley upkept Arcane Shield on the Stormblades.

ED'S MAINTENANCE PHASE I was relieved to have won the initiative again. Territory control had proven critical for me in previous Unbound games, and this game was no different. Makeda and Rasheth upkept nothing while Xencis left Fury on the Swordsmen. On the railway, T returned three Nibilators to play from Makeda's feat the previous round.

ED ROUND 3/TURN I Rasheth was my go-to warlock this turn. Despite the beating the Titans took the previous round, the only aspect missing from any of them was the Gladiator's body. Did I mention that Titans are crazy-durable? I activated Aptimus Marketh, advanced with him, and used Spell Slave to cast yet another Breath of Corruption. This time, the deadly spell found its mark on a tightly packed bunch of troopers, killing five Storm blades (CMD check fail!) and a Commando. From the look on Jason 's face, I knew Marketh would not last another round if our lead designer had anything to say about it. On Rasheth 's activation, I advanced the morbidly obese warlock and unleashed his Plague Wmd feat. Through a Praetorian, another Dark Rituals casting of Breath of Corruption missed its target (guess I should still boost

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despite FURY 8) and deviated to kill a Stormsmith and one Mechanic and inflict a single point of damage on Haley's Defender and Stryker's Lancer. Rasheth finished up by casting Castigate. I used the Beast Handlers nearest Rasheth next to prepare the Titans for war. The Gladiator and Cannoneer were Medicated, healing 2 wounds each, and the Sentry and Bronze back were both Enraged for the +2 STRand a free charge. Up first was the Gladiator, which I used to charge Nemo 's Lancer. The first war gauntlet delivered an 11-point hit, and although I missed with the second war gauntlet attack and an additional one, the tusk attack and one last war gauntlet scrapped the light warjack with damage to spare. The Sentry shifted over and hit one of the Stormclads with a boosted halberd attack and inflicted 7 points of damage. The tusks followed with 6 more damage, and after two additional blows from the halberd, the Titan was maxed on fury and the Stormclad was reduced to a single point of Cortex. The Bronzeback was up next. I charged the big beast at the second of the two forward Stormclads (the one that didn 't just get owned) and pounded on it with two solid war gauntlet attacks that triggered its Grab & Smash chain attack. I decided to use a Double-Hand Throw and tossed the grabbed Stormclad into the nearly destroyed Stormclad beside it. The Stormclad I threw suffered 9 points of super damage, but unfortunately the other Stormclad took no collateral damage. Since the target of the Double-Hand Throw didn't go very far, it was still in melee range of the Bronze back, and I was able to pummel it to scrap with two more attacks.

W ith Mechanics in the area, I didn 't want to take any chances, so I activated the Cannoneer and shot the remaining Stormclad (now much easier to hit knocked on its ass). One boosted damage roll later there was a nice little cluster of three wreck markers. Down on the railway, I advanced with the Tyrant Commander and Standard and used their Reveille ability to stand up my Nihilators that were knocked down last turn from successful Tough rolls. I then activated the Bloodrunners on the stairway and killed a pair of Gun Mages and a Storm smith, using each death to Shadow Play my way further into the enemy ranks. I followed that up by activating and advancing the Nihilator unit, which resulted in two dead Trenchers, four dead Stormblades, a dead friendly Bloodrunner, and a Nihilator on his back after ing a Tough check. It wouldn't be a Nihilator activation without a friendly casualty or two.

It was then I realized I had activated four units and would not be able to activate the Praetorians up top with Xerxis. In Unbound, you sometimes have to decide where you are willing to take your losses. My Praetorian unit on the upper bridge was not in a position to take a hard hit, but I got so caught up in the carnage on the railway that I wasn 't going to be able to activate them this turn. I fmished my turn by activating my rema.i ning Extoller Soulward. It advanced and used Ghost Shot to target the Precursor Knight Officer with a boosted Spirit Ey e attack. If I could kill the Officer, Jason would not have access to the potent Morrow's Name ability, and coupled with Rasheth's Plague Wind, I might stand a chance at surviving a charge from the Precursors. Even with a boosted roll, I only inflicted four points of damage on the Officer. I resigned myself to a holy beating.

JASON ROUND 3/TURN t I began the tum with Haley's battlegroup and allocated no focus. The plan was to save it all for a Chain Lightning that would open up charge angles for my Precursors. I started my turn by advancing Thorn forward. Then Versh advanced and ripped through four Praetorian Swordsmen thanks to Purgation, the upkeep spell lingering on them, and a bad attitude. The Stormblades on the upper bridge then attacked the remaining Praetorians and brought down two more. The Trencher Commandos, now consisting of just two Scattergunners, activated and opened up on the Skorne. One failed to injure the Titans while the other cut down a Praetorian . Haley then activated, advanced, and channeled Chain Lightning through Thorn, resulting in the deaths of two measly Praetorians. Strangewayes activated next and gave Haley's Defender 1 focus . The Defender opened fire on the Titan Gladiator and inAicted a mere 4 points of damage despite boosting the damage roll. Next, the Precursors activated and charged . I used the Officer's Morrow's Name once-per-game ability for extra damage, but as a result of the -2 STR I suffered from Fat Boy's feat, a slight misjudgment of the distances concerned,

and a disappointing Chain Lightning not clearing more Praetorians, they were only able to kill an Agonizer, an Extoller Soulward, two more Praetorians, and a Beast Handler while inflicting 5 damage points on the Rbinodon. Then, one of my Stormsmiths lined up a Surge and burned up two of the Blood runners tying up my Gun Mages. Finally, the Journeyman dropped a Bloodrunner on the stairs with a boosted hand cannon shot and killed a Nihilator on the railway with an Arcane Bolt.

ED ROUND 3/TURN 2 Thankyou Rasheth. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Plague Wind saved my bacon (or whatever you call Rbinodon meat) . For this turn, I chose Xencis' battlegroup, or what was left of it, as the battlegroup I would activate. First up, I charged a Precursor with the upper-bridge Ancestral Guardian. It landed a killing blow and spent two souls on additional attacks to destroy a second Precursor. The one remaining Praetorian on the upper bridge ran forward in an attempt to gain some territory. I then activated Xerxis who cast Defender's Ward on the Rhinodon and healed one point to the warbeast's body. The warlock also used his Press Forward Battle Plan to

give himself +2 SPD before advancing to a position behind the Tyrant Commander. With all its aspects intact, the Rhinodon advanced slightly and used Amuck for boosted attack rolls on all special attacks. I then used its Thresher special attack to take out four of the five Precursors surrounding the beast, including the Officer. After buying an additional attack, the Rhinodon sent the fifth Precursor to meet Morrow with his brothers. I could hear Rasheth from atop his lectica belching "you're welcome" through a mouthful of pickled eyeballs. I advanced the Krea and used her Paralytic Aura, and I finished the turn by advancing the railway Bloodrunner who failed to kill a Stormsmith.

JASON ROUND 3/TURN 2 It was clear to me that taking out Rasheth's battlegroup was an absolute necessity. With that in mind, I set about starting Stryker's turn. Stryker allocated 1 focus to his Defender. I activated Stryker's Lancer first. It advanced out of the Breath of Corruption cloud and into Earthquake range of the Titan Sentry, taking care to stay clear of Rasheth's control area. Then, I activated Stryker, advanced, and channeled the aforementioned Earthquake through the Lancer. A boosted hit knocked the Sentry, the Bronzeback, and the Gladjator onto their rears. Stryker then opened up on the Gladiator with his pistol, inflicting no damage. Next, Stryker's Stormclad activated and gained 1 focus from the Stormblades. Lacking a clear charge path, the Storm clad stood still, trained its blade on the Titan Gladiator, and blasted away. A boosted damage roll later and the Gladiator left this mortal coil. Stryker's Defender then fired on the knocked down Bronzeback, scored 9 points of damage with a boosted roll, and left it with one wound remaining! For sheer amusement value, I then charged the downed Titans with my Gabber Mechaniks. They inflicted no damage but they wou ld leave with stories to tell their grandchildren. The rest of the Mecharuks ran forward to grab up territory. The Long Gunners, who failed their CMD check last round, ran in place and rallied, and the Storm blade unit on the upper bridge spread out to make them a less-tempting target for Breath of Corruption . They also rallied. My single remaining Sto_rmblade on the railway then activated and missed a Blood ru nn er with an attack.

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I activated the Basilisk Krea first and ran her up the stairs to help relieve the bottleneck. Makeda was up next. The Domina cast Savagery on the Cyclops Savage followed by Carnage. She then advanced to the base of the stairs. With its +5 SPD thanks to Savagery, the Cyclops Savage advanced up the stairs and took a swing at one of Jason's Gun Mages. Even w ith the attack bonus from Carnage, the Savage missed. Thanks to Prescience, it was ab le to boost after the fact and get the killing blow. I was continuously amazed at how the DEF 15 Gun Mages were keeping my force from overrunning the stairs. My kingdom for a damn AOE!

get jammed up behind my other models while the troops on the upper bridge had been thinned to a critical low. Speaking of the upper bridge, up above, my final Agonizer made a run to claim territory for next round's initiative roll.

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JASON ROUND 3/TURN 3 Since Ed had destroyed so many of my models, my turns were now a lot faster. Nemo allocated 3 focus to the Sentinel; it then advanced and went full auto. My first shot hit the Bronzeback and finished it with a boosted damage roll. Unfortunately. Marketh was too far away for my additional Strafe attacks, so l walked my remaining shots into the downed Titan Sentry, inflicting 6 points of damage with my remaining boosts. Not half bad! The Gun Mages made a three-man Arcane Inferno attack on the Ancestral Guardian on the railway. The shot caused no damage to it, but three Nihilators and a Praetorian Swordsman were consumed in the AOE. Finally, Nemo advanced toward Marketh and executed him with a Galvanic Bolt.

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Ed: My remaining Bloodrunner on the stairs took a swing at a Gun Mage and missed horribly. Then, the Gatormen ran (swam) once more. Next turn they would be up and out of the water. On the upper bridge, my Tyrant Commander and Standard advanced, and the Standard Bearer killed the Field Mechanik Chief.

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ROUND4 ED'S MAINTENANCE PHASE ' Once again, I was able to take the first turn, but my casual1y count was growing, and I wouldn't be able to hold off Jason for long. Makeda upkept Savagery on the Cyclops Savage. Rasheth let Castigate expire and took a point of damage to get up to full fury. Finally, Xerxis upkept Defender's Ward on the Rh inodon . After leaching, the Rhinodon ended up with 1 fury left but ed its threshold check.

JASON'S MAINTENANCE PHASE With Ed's flanking maneuver still paying off, once again he seized the initiative. Nemo dropped his remaining upkeep spells and Haley upkept Arcane Shield.

ED ROUND 4/TURN t I chose to activate Makeda's battlegroup first in an attempt to put some pressure on Nemo. With its SPD bonus from Savagery, the Cyclops Savage disengaged from a Stormsmith (taking no damage from his pathetic free strike) and moved up the stairs to engage Nemo. At full focus, Nemo's armor was quite high, and the boosted attack only inflicted 3 points of damage. Regardless, I had a warbeast in Nemo's face. I ran the Krea up the stairs and risked another free strike from a Stormsmith, which missed. The Brute foll?wed by advancing up the stairs. Makeda advanced up the stairs, cast Carnage, and put Savagery on the Nihilators (which meant it expired from the Savage) . The Bloodrunner on the stairs hit and killed a Gun Mage.

I had the Nihilators advance with their +5 SPD from Savagery, and one of them was a ble to kill a Storm smith

and finish off the last two Gun Mages with Berserk attacks. The way things had been going, I was a little amazed that I didn't have yet another Nihilator take out a member of his own unit. For the first time this game, my railway Praetorians were able to advance and make some attacks! They cut down both a Stormblade and a Stormsmith with combo strikes.

I had the railway Ancestral Guardian spend a soul token for Spirit Driven and then run up the stairs. On the upper bridge, my unit of Beast Handlers were able to kill a gabber Field Mechanik and Medicate the Titan Sentry for 3 points. I finished up my turn with the Extoller Soulward who missed Harlan Versh with a Soul Gaze attack.

JASON ROUND 4/TURN t I proudly started my turn with a plan, but that plan went sadly wrong. Stryker allocated 2 focus points to his Stormclad and 1 focus to his Defender. The plan was to drop the rest of Rasheth's battlegroup while slowing Makeda's advance with a well place earthquake. I started by positioning my Lancer next to the stairway w here it had a clear view of Makeda's forces . So far so good. Next, Harlan Versh turned to the Rhinodon (which was still affected by Defender's Ward) and blew it away before sailing a final shot past the Krea. I then moved to the remnants of my right flank where the remaining Precursor Knights charged forward. The Ancestral Guardian took one out with a defensive strike, but the remaining Precursors dropped the last of the Praetorian Swordsmen and inflicted an 8-point hit on Xerxis' Krea.

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Then, one of my remaining units of Storm blades charged the downed Titan Sentry and Agonizer. The Agonizer took 5 points of damage-not enough! -and the Titan suffered a total of 8 damage, leaving it on Life . The Trencher Commando Scattergunners then advanced and opened fire. They missed an Extoller Soulward, killed a Beast Handler, and fai led to inflict any damage on the Titan Sentry. My other remaining unit of Stormblades charged an Ancestral Guardian and an Extoller Soulward and brought both down. Stryker's Defender then opened fire on the Titan Sentry and hit it but inflicted a mere 2 points of damage. Strangewayes also attacked the Sentry with similarly unimpressive results, netting no damage with a blast from his Voltaic Gauntlet. I then activated Stryker's Stormclad. I wanted it to charge the Titan Sentry, but Ed's Agonizer remained in my way. It clearly lacked the good sense to die. Instead, the Stormclad chose to blast the Sentry with its generator blade but inflicted no damage, even with a boost. So ml,lch for mopping up Rasheth 's battlegroup and Earthquaking Makeda! Suddenly I had a more

immediate need for Stryker's focus. Since the Sentry did not fall to the Defender's fire, Stryker had to finish the job himself. l advanced Stryker into position and fired on the Sentry. With a hit and boosted damage roll, the Titan was no more. Time to use Stryker's feat! What you got now, Ed?! Finally proving he had more guts than brains, my Journeyman Warcaster charged a Nihilator and dropped it with a boosted charge attack. The NihiJator survived on a Tough roll, so the Journeyman spent l focus for another attack and wiggled his Mechanika Blade until the Nihilator stopped moving. With the murderous Journeyman out of attacks, my turn ended.

ED ROUND 4 / TURN 2 There was no denying that my warlocks on the upper bridge were in some serious trouble. Healing the Sentry last turn paid off as it stayed alive long enough for Jason to focus on killing it, thus keeping the heat off of Makeda and her flanking force. l began the turn by activating Rasheth and cast Blood Mark at Nemo using a Beast Handler as a conduit for Dark Rituals. The Beast Handler died in the process, but the spell found its target, and I was all set to transfer some damage to Nemo should Rasheth take a hit. Rasheth then advanced up behind his Cannoneer. I had the Cannoneer boost a shot against Jason's annoying Sentinel, but the shot went wide and the AOE missed everything (the battlefield was much less populated than it bad been just a few turns earlier). The Tyrant Commander and Standard on the upper bridge attacked and killed another gabber Mechanik, and I brought my underwhelming turn to a close.

JASON ROUND 4/TURN 2

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It was Nemo's turn at bat. Nemo allocated 3 focus to the Sentinel which advanced forward and opened fire on Rasheth-five strafe shots! For the time being, I decided to hold my boosts. The first shot hit but inflicted no damage. The second inflicted a single point. The third I boosted and nailed Rasheth for 6 points of damage, which were subsequently transferred to Nemo via Blood Mark. The fourth shot hit the fatty with a boosted damage roll for 6 more damage, which Ed transferred to the Titan Cannoneer. The fifth and final shot tagged Rasheth for 9 points on a boost! Ed again transferred the damage to his Cannoneer. Nemo then turned his attention to Makeda's Cyclops Savage that had run up the stairs and into melee with him. A pair of boosted attacks later and the Cyclops took 14 points of damage from the old man. I felt pretty good a bout leaving Nemo in combat since he was under Stry ker's feat for the rest of this round, and even if Ed brought much to bear on the warcaster next turn, Nemo would have regained his 7 focus for armor.

ED ROUND 4 / TURN 3 I never thought l would hope for a high damage roll against one of my warlocks. Impervious Flesh was keeping me from

doing more damage to Nemo, but I suppose it also kept me ative. I really wish I would have held out and transferred that 9-damage shot to Nemo, but that's how it goes. Below, on the railway, I had the Beast Handlers run to the stairs. On the upper bridge, Xenos' Krea used her Paralytic Aura animus and killed two Precursors. She was at full fury. Without having enough troops for him to , I was . still struggting with Xencis. I was at a bit of a loss on what to do with him . He shifted over and ran into melee with Nemo's Sentinel, keeping all his fury. Despite the huge risk, I wanted to put more pressure on Nemo since he was currently the most vulnerable Cygnaran warcaster. Back down on the railway, my sole surviving Bloodrunner ran to the base of th e stairs, and I repositioned my Tyrant Commander and Standard so I maintained control of my far right territory in hopes of winning initiative aga.in.

JASON ROUND 4/TURN 3 Haley allocated I focus point to her Defender, but I started with Thorn, which advanced on my right flank. Then I had Haley unleash a Chain Lightning through Thorn's arc node that blasted a Tyrant Commander for 5 points of boosted damage. The arcing lightning fried two Beast Handlers and inflicted 3 points of damage to Xerxis. Haley then advanced and fired on the Tyrant Commander with her hand cannon and missed. Haley's Defender advanced forward and fired on Rasheth, inflicting 6 points of damage with a boost. Fat boy felt that!

The remaining two models in my Long Gunner unit advanced forward and combined their lire on the Tyrant Commander, dropping him. One gobber Field Mechanik whiffed with a melee attacks against the Standard Bearer, while the other ran forward into Ed's side of the board to grab up some territory. Then my turn drew to a close. Lacking any models that had yet to activate, I once again would be activating nothing in my final turn of the round.

ED ROUND 4/TURN 4 THE GATORS MADE LANDFALL. That is aU.

ROUNDS JASON'S MAINTENANCE PHASE The tides of war were now shifting to my favor. With Ed's forces on the upper bridge substantially thinned, his bonus for the initiative was much diminished, and I won the roll! Haley did not upkeep Arcane Shield.

ED'S MAINTENANCE PHASE Despite already being torn up, Rasheth inflicted 4 more points of damage to himself to gain fury. I would need to transfer damage to the Cannoneer, and if Rasheth lived, he wasn't going to be much good to me if he couldn't get a spell or two off. Makeda took 1 point of damage for fury and upkept Savagery on the Nihilators. With Xerxis out of range to leach anything off the Krea, it frenzied and charged a Storm blade for a kill. I elected not to remove the fury from the Krea. It seemed I was in a spot of trouble.

JASON ROUND 5/TURN I With the end of the Krea's temper tantrum out of my way, I commenced to slaughter. This would be the final round of the game, so I needed to make it count. I surveyed the battlefield and the gears started turning. I had plenty to bring to bear; I just had to move all the parts in the right order. This turn, I started with Haley who allocated a single focus point to Thorn. I then activated Thorn who dashed across the table toward Rasheth. Haley activated next and channeled an Arcane Bolt through Thorn and into Rasheth. It hit but scored only 2 points of damage even with a boost. Thorn's Reaction Drive kicked in, and the 'jack advanced out of the way of the Storm blades which cleared their charge path to Rasheth. Then Haley channeled a second Arcane Bolt at Rasheth. With a hit and boosted damage roll, she inflicted

6 points of damage that was subsequently transferred to the decimated Cannoneer. Her work done, Haley fell back a little and braced herself for Makeda. Strangewayes advanced and gave Haley's Defender 1 focus. The Defender then activated and blasted Rasheth for another 8 points on a boosted damage roll. Rasheth transferred the damage to the Cannoneer, killing it. The remaining damage reduced Rasheth to a single wound. My joy was tempered by purpose. Having rallied and returned to the fight, my remaining Stormblades assaulted Xerxis and took him down him with blasts and strikes from their Glaives. With a grin, I moved in my remaining Long Gunners who trained their sights on Rasheth. A combined attack later and they succeed in inflicting the single point of damage required to retire Dominar Rasheth! Two down. That felt a little like the payoff moment in the Godfather. The Precursors charged the enraged (and now wild) Krea and drilled it twice for 9 points of damage. I then turned to my embattled Journeyman Warcaster who was not yet ready to give up the ghost. Junior Arcane Bolt-ed a Nihilator who refused to die (Tough!), so the Journeyman stepped up and stabbed him in the face. Dead Nihilator. One of the remaining Trencher Commando Scattergunners opened fire on the Agonizer and put it out of its misery with scattergun fire. With my plans coming together, I exhaled and ended my turn, secretly thinking, "Alas, I have arisen and am alive forever more, and hold the keys to hell and death, Amen." Or, you know, whatever ... What?

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Xerx:is went down and the Long Gunners got their revenge on Rasheth. I saw their ends coming, but that didn 't lessen the psychological impact of losing two warlocks in one turn. Without any choice, Makeda and company took their turns. I was not about to end this game without inflicting a warcaster casualty. Makeda was up 6rst. She cast Carnage and healed the Cyclops Savage for 2 damage. Next, the Bloodrunner on the stairs advanced and put an end to that annoying Journeyman Warcaster. Again the Nihilators advanced with their +5 SPD, and one of them managed to land a blow on Nemo who shrugged it off with his overboosted power field. I then advanced the Beast Handlers up the stairs a nd into range to Enrage the Savage. Next, I advanced the Cyclops Savage a bit, staying in melee with Nemo and leaving enough room for another model to get in to attack him if I needed it. ] really wanted to put Nemo down this turn, before he activated, since he was the biggest threat to my last remaining warlock. With all that focus on him he would be tough to crack, but he only had eight wounds left and my damage rolls would be six off. The Savage attacked and hit the old man thanks to the bonus to attack rolls from Carnage and dinged him for a couple points of damage. A second attack found the mark again, and with the Cyclops' last fury the old man went down. I was re[jeved, and I like to think that Stryker also died fro m a broken heart. That sounds fair, right?

I used Spirit Driven to run the Ancestral Guardian into melee with Stryker's Lancer. Then Makeda's Krea charged the lancer with a boosted attack but failed to connect. I ran the last Bloodrunner up the stairs and finished my turn with the Tyrant Commander Standard Bearer on the upper bridge who managed to kill a gobber Field Mechanik and trigger a failed CMD check. I had two un-activated units that I saved for ~y final bucket turn.

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JASON ROUND 5/TURN 2 With Haley already having activated and Nemo taking a dirt nap, Stryker was my only choice for activation this turn. I allocated 3 focus to the Lancer, 1 to the Defender, and 2 points to the Stormclad.

I started my turn by activating the Stormblade unit that had not yet activated. They charged the Krea and Tyrant Standard Bearer who were Ed's remaining models holding the upper bridge. They both fell to my Storm Glaives, and the bridge was mine! Stryker then gunned down a Nihilator with an aimed pistol shot. The Lancer went to town on Makeda's Krea and attacked the remaining Ancestral Guardian with embarrassing results, inflicting little damage. Stryker's Defender then showed the Lancer how it's done and avenged Nemo with an aimed shot at the Cyclops. A boosted damage roll took its head off at the shoulders.

In an anti-climatic turn of events, the Stormclad activated, gained 1 focus from the Stormblades for a total of 3 and had nothing to charge. All of its potential targets were bleeding out on the bridge. Instead, it opened fire on the Ancestral Guardian and missed dreadfully due to its target being in melee. Thankfully, it also missed the Lancer. Harlan Versh attempted the same shot at the Ancestral Guardian and missed. That was the last of my models, so my turn ended and I would not have a bucket turn after Ed.

ED ROUND 5/TURN 2 The railway Praetorians ran up the stairs in an attempt to shed their "railway" prefix. To close the game, my Gatormen made one final run, and I like to think they slipped off into the Corvis sewers somewhere to become a cautionary tale for Cygnaran children not to wander too close to storm drains. With the final models moved, the sun set on our battle.

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every bit as powerful in Unbound, others are s ubstantially harder to execute.

It was a hell of a game and a blast to play! The carnage was fast and furious, and the Unbound system forced us to adapt constantly to an ever-changing battlefield. Initiative is a fickle mistress, and the unpredictable nature of the turn order definitely kept me on my toes. As much as I tried to plan my turns, I constantly had to adapt to Ed's movements. I think that is the nature of the Unbound system. It is not just WARMACHINE and HORDES on a grand scale; it is a completely new game in of timing and capabi lities. While som e familiar comb in atio ns remain

Getting yo ur timing down is key. Though I p lanned on making Temporal Barrier a cornersto ne of my strategy, that is not how the game evolved. Instead of trying to lock down Ed's charges, I played a much more aggressive game. Part of this was defmitely due to Ed seizing control of the board early . Lacking the initiative, I could never get that spell off w here it would have been decisive. At a cost of 4 focus, there is no sense in casting Temporal Barrier if it is not going to affect a substantial part of your opponent's army.

ED-SKORNE What a great and exhausting game. If I were to do it aU over again, I would change only two things. First, I wo uld swap the Gatorman Posse fo r a unit of Bog Trog Ambushers and another Swamp Gabber Bellows Crew. The Bog Trogs could have started my second round where the Gatormen started their fifth, and more smoke from Swamp Gabbers wou ld have meant fewer bullets in the early game. Second, Xerxis wou ld have had both units of Praetorian Swordsmen with him . The railway unit did very little and was clogged behind the other units with it (this is something that comes up quite a bit in Unbound games but was exacerbated by the terrain in this case). With them on the upper bridge, I think they

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would have been much more useful, and with their speed they could have been up Jason's flank in no time. With the fantastic terrain from hobby manager Rob Hawkins and two massive painted armies, this battle felt truly c in ematic. I have played quite a few Unbound games, and the suspense of this one was wonderful. Every victorious turn felt like winning a game, and each loss was like a kick in the teeth. And despite my loss of the entire game, it left me buzzing from the action and craving more. Th is feeling is w hy I play WARMACHINE and HORDES, a nd Unbound bas all of us at Privateer try ing to decide w hich faction to craft into a 150-point killing machine next.

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TERRAIN SHOWCASE •

• By Rob Hawkins, Hobby Manager

NO QUARTER MAGAZINE: TERRAIN SHOWCASE

It all started with a 4"x6" mockup of the table to make sure the design wou ld work for the planned battle. This tiny-scale table was built with foam core and cardsrock in abo ut an hour. It includes foam buildings, penciled-on railroad tracks, and even a workin g drawbridge!

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Since the large bridge would be stone, I decided on insulation foam for the constr uction . This would al lo w me to inscribe the stone texture directly into the material. and (more importantly) it would make the overal l weight of the table much lighter. I drew the arches for the bridge and cut them out with a wire cutter. The slope of the bridge needed to be sha ll ow enough so the entire surface cou ld be considered level and only elevated compared to the lower platforms. I was also concerned about models that might tip over on a steep incline. Later. I wou ld find out, despite my best efforts. the slope was sti ll too steep. and I'd have to make a radical adjustment. But we' ll cross that bridge when we co me to it. Get it?

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To make the bridge's street, I cut a sheet of 1/4- foam core to size and cut parallel slits into one side without piercing the cardboard on the opposite side. The cuts allow the board to flex over the curved arch of the bridge.

Before gluing anything in place I went over the surface and gave it all a stone texture. Creating the stone texture involves cutting the stone pattern into the material, inscribing the lines with a wood pencil, and then compacting individual stones down with a finger to create an uneven surface. (For a more detailed example of this technique, check out No Quarter Magazine 1 23 or visit my hobby blog online: www.privateerpress.com/hobby) You'll notice the stones don't extend all the way under the bridge; I only drew them in areas they would be visible.

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I cut a notch into the top of the arch. The street running through the bridge would sit on the bottom shelf, and the raised areas would form the side guards of the bridge.

With the street in place. I used construction adhesive to coat the outer edges of the raised end of the bridge and fill gaps in the foam. As it turned out, this is a pretty effective method for protecting the exposed edges and corners of insulation foam . The next time you make a game board out of foam , try coating the outer edges and corners with construction adhesive for more durability. As I mentioned above, the incline of the bridge turned out to be too steep, but I only realized this after the last of the construction adhesive had dried! To reduce the angle, I ended up having to tear up the foam core sheets and add spacers to raise the lowest portion of the bridge. My beautifully planned side guards were mostly cut away, and I had to build new ones as I added the building foundations.

With the bridge affixed to the table with construction adhesive. I began to attach the foam core street s.

Before attaching the bridge, I decided the center s of the bridge needed some kind of island base. At this point, I was also planning out the docks that would line the sides of the canal and preparing the components I would need. I made these pilings by cutting a thin dowel to, - lengths and distressing the top with a pair of clippers.

To make the rope wrappings, I first twisted some thin-gauge floral wire with a power drill. The wire rope was attached with super glue. I made about fifty of these.

With the pilings finished, I set out to make the island. Two layers of foam core. their edges coated with construction adhesive, were used for the base. Thin basswood strips were attached with super glue, and sand was glued to the top.

Here is the finished island with the pilings in place, one for each side. They fit right around the foam bridge .

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The large bridges in Corvis are lined with houses. I decided the best way to create the structures was to design them with stone foundations recessed into the bridge_ The building tops could be built and painted separately and anached at the end_ I stacked two blocks of 2- insulation foam and marked the buildings' positions on the bridge. After removing the section of the bridge, the foundation blocks neatly fit into the cutout_ I didn't document the adjustments to the bridge's incline. but in this shot you can see some of the modifications_ At the left side of the frame a spacer of pink foam lifts the foam core street The outer wall of the bridge would need to be reconstructed. The building foundations were given a stone texture similar to the bridge_ A side guard was cut to fit between each building along the length of the bridge_

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At either end, I added steps and levels leading from the ground level u1> to the bridge. This foam core building was affixed and extends down to the water level.

With all of the building foundations in place and the side guards added, it was time 10 move on to the docks. The buildings over the central would be tall stone guard rowers. so I added some extra beneath them.

For the docks, I used foam core covered with cut popsicle sticks. The top layer of foam core is raised up from the surface of the table by a smaller pi ece beneath it. Before gluing the dock in place. I added vertical planks to form the bulkhead and covered the building with brick-textured styrene card . Th e edge of the dock was also covered with construction adhesive so the wood strips could be super-glued to it.

Basswood strips were glued to the side of the foam core dock. The tops were covered with popsicle sticks, and th e pilings I made earlier were placed around the outside. I placed some wood strips along the top edge of the bulkhead and built the ladder from brass and styrene rod inserted through thick styrene '"rungs.'" (The black goop in the detail shot is a water texture added in the later stages.) In No Quarter Magazine issue ' 23, I discussed a technique for making flagstone streets using cardboard chits and sand . I used the same method to detail the ground level and planned to repeat that over th e entire bridge. This method , while durable and very convincing, is very time consuming. I did have a deadline, after all , and needed a more efficient way of detailing the bridge.

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The process I came up with was to cut very thin slices of insul ation foam on the w ire cutter and tex ture th em mu ch the sa me way I appli ed the stone texture to the wa ll s. The sli ce is about 3!16- thick. Having a statio nary wire cutte r helps gr eatly wi th getting precise cuts. It would take a very steady hand to do this with a hand-held cuner. Here you can see t he sheets of sto nework goi ng onto the street. By cutting the edges with an irregular shape and fitting them together like a jigsaw puzzle I was able to avoid seams that wou ld create unrealistic lengths of per fect ly aligned sto nes. In t hi s shot, t he street is nearly co mpl ete, and you can see how the buildings will be positioned atop their foundations.

To create the ripples in the water, a mixture of latex paint and sand was dabbed onto the tab le around the edges of th e docks and islands. When it came time to paint the water, these sandy ripples were drybrushed with Morrow White to resemble frothing waves. To achi eve the high gloss, a thin layer of Envirotex Lite was poured over the painted surface.

With the main bridge finished, it was time to move on to the sma ll er iron drawbridge. It all started with a sheet of foam core cut and laid across the central . (Note, I'm using black foam core in these photos, but I recommend white. The paper surface of black foam core is more porous than white, and it tends to absorb super glue rather quickly, which made it difficult to glu e some of the styrene strips in place. It all worked out in the end, but I'll be using white foam core for future projects.)

The vertica l strips were glued in place.

To build the trusses, I started with three pieces of foam core taped together to create a channel. I measured the sides to ensure they were parallel. This channel would serve as a gu ide when building the truss so that it would be straight and even.

I measured and cut the strips. The ends are clipped at a 45-degree angle.

After measuring the length of the bridge section the truss would fit into, I cut two l-strips of styrene and placed them in the channel.

To cover the s, I used a rotary hand sewing punch to dimp le rivets into thin styrene and glued those pieces to the truss.

T p With the finished truss super-glued in place, I added some framing to the ends of the bridge with more L-strips and sheet styrene.

I made scaffolding for the drawbridge control shed out or styrene. This was kept separate so the ground and stonework could be easily painted. With the trusses attached to the length of the bridge, I built the drawbridge. Its working hinges are made from aluminum tubing and modeling putty. When closed, the bridge rests on a styrene L-strip. I had to shave a little material off the trusses to ensure the drawbridge cou ld open and close without scraping the corners.

T I had scratch bui lt a locomotive and refurbished the 0-scale boxcar that had appeared in some or our older photography. These were the centerpieces for a train depot table that's been making the convention rounds as part or Iron Arena. I wanted the train to be usable on this railroad drawbridge, so I built the tracks to match its wheels. The railroad ties are popsicle sticks, and the rails are custom-made from strips or styrene formed to an inverted T.

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The railroad spikes are straight pins. Holes were first drilled through the styrene and wood, then the pin was inserted. The exposed nat head of the pin resembles a large rivet.

The remaining surface of the bridge was covered with styrene strips punched with rivets. This was when I started to wish I had used white foam core. The strips kept popping loose and needed to be re-glued.

To get the drawbridge to open, the ends of the rails were cut away to create a V-shaped notch at the hinge.

The guardrails were made in the same fashion as the trusses but with thicker styrene. As with the tracks, a V-shaped notch was left so the guardrail wouldn't interfere with the opening drawbridge. The drawbridge isn 't motorized, but it still needed to appear as though it had a functioning motor. I built a boiler assembly out of a P3 dropper bottle, styrene, and a Centurion boiler. Th e large gears are cast in plaster. With the bridge and tracks complete. I added some sand on the track bed.

Multiple layers of insulation foam are used to create the platforms connecting the ground level to the bridge. The steps were created by cutting a zigzag pattern into the foam. I always strive to make my terrain as playable as possible, so I keep bases on hand to make sure the models will fit on the walkways. By using landings and keeping the stairs limited to Oights of about five steps. units of models can move up the levels and remain in formation.

Here you can see the stone texture pressed into the foam . The last of the nagstones were then added to the street on the stone bridge. The sta'irs were cut out of insulation foam. Larger steps were situated to allow models to stand on the stai rs. The outer wall of the stairs was constructed from foam core covered with brick-textured styrene; a riveted plastic strip was added along the top edge.

Windows, doors, and other details were added to the stone foundations of the buildings and everything was primed black. The foam areas were covered with a layer of wood glue and then black latex paint before the other details were super-glued in place and sprayed with Formula P3 Black Primer. Covering the foam in this way ensured the aerosol would not dissolve all of my hard work on the stone ..

The building tops were detailed to match the rest of our Iron Kingdoms scenery. The walkway between the towers was constructed in the same manner as the iron bridge

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With a coat of paint and a few extra details, like streetlamps, the Black River Bridge is ready for battle! I hope this insight into the table construction has been entertaining as well as educational. Now it's on to my next project!

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