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Author: Paul Storm

THE APPROACHING OF THE FLIES
Dark elf scouts skirted the woods, spying a deserted inn. In the distance they saw a darkening cloud, moving slowly toward the encampment. Motioning to the messenger, the dark elves began to ready themselves for battle, because the strange black cloud that moved like a living thing, they knew to be a great swarm of flies. The faint buzzing sound that was all the time becoming louder and the encroachment of the stench of rotting flesh and decay could only mean one thing… the army of Nurgle was approaching!

Even before the two armies met, the wizards began casting their dastardly spells and bound creatures from the surrounding wilderness as the troops faced off.

DARK ELF TURN 1
The crew of the first bolt thrower succumbed to the sorcery of Nurgle's mind rot, and forgot exactly how to operate their machine of war, while the Cold One riders struggled to get their beasts into motion. The crossbow archers rained a hail of bolts upon the Knights of Chaos and wounded one of them. The Knight was finished off by a large bolt from the second bolt thrower and fell to the ground, dead. The Dark Riders were not so accurate in their aim against the Seekers of Illness. The dark wizards unleashed the first barrage of spells, with the Seekers of Plague and likewise the Seekers of Illness having all their armour and weapons corroded, thus neutralising the missile power of the Chaos force. The Knights of Chaos also received a directed corrode spell, but General Khan's spellshield sucked up the spell and spewed it out against a unit of crossbow skirmishers, whose armour and weapons rusted into uselessness.

CHAOS TURN 1
All the chaos units advance upon the enemy, undaunted by the fact that two units are now unarmed. The troll, forgetting that there was to be a battle, sat down on the grass and beat the ground with a large bone he had been chewing on. Mortimer the Necromancer opened a vortex of chaos, but failed to control it for long enough for it to wipe out the confounded bolt thrower team. The familiar perched atop the shoulder of the Initiate of the Grave howled his grizzled taunts about the doom of the dark elves, but alas, his weak cantrip did not dispirit the black skinned elves in the slightest. The Initiate, however, released a blast of wind from his hand and knocked the Dark riders to the ground, forcing them to control their mounts and making missile fire impossible. The cloud of flies encompasses the second bolt thrower team, making it impossible to operate their weapon.

DARK ELF TURN 2
The bolt thrower team came to their senses, but in their sluggishness released their bolts without aiming the engine and missed completely. Likewise all the crossbow units failed to hit their mark or cause but the slightest wound. The Cold One Riders whip their beasts into motion and align for a charge. The dragon, bound into service by the dark elf wizard moves behind the inn and blows a blast of fetid breath over the knights and past, to the beastmen Herd. Two knights and one beastman instantly desiccate, as if they had been rotting in the sun for days. The dark elf sorcerer casts a stampede spell upon the Krull's Chariot and the stupid beast turned and fled from the battle just before the charge.

CHAOS TURN 2
The giant Wyvern took to the air while the troll, wondering where everyone had gone, got up to see what was going on. The Knights of Chaos, unperturbed by their loss charged the dragon and the cowardly beast, terrified by the banner of Dread, turned and took flight before it was able to be properly killed by the mounted horde of Hell. The Initiate of the Grave produces his secret weapon: the death's head of Nurgle, and hurls the fetid thing into the unit of scouts where it burst asunder its festering contents all over two of the scouts. They contract the dreaded Nurgle's Rot, and the unit panics and flees straight through the unit of unarmed scouts who desperately hold their ground, receiving a warning eye from the dark sorcerer. They full well know there are worse tortures than even Nurgle's Rot. The now uncontrolled vortex slams into the Seekers of Plague and destroys half the unit, sucking the Initiate of the Grave to his doom, thus ending the wind blast. Furious, Mortimer throws a barrage of fireballs against the struggling bolt thrower crew and blasts the engine, crew and a good section of the woods into a fiery mess. The cloud of flies becomes concentrated on the large unit of crossbow men. Screaming curses at his horse, Krull fails to control the animal and the chariot heads away from the battle and into the distance.

DARK ELF TURN 3
The crossbow men manage to move forward, despite the annoying presence of the flies, while the scouts rout through the axemen and off the battlefield. The axemen stand fast and scorn the cowards as they run past. The dark Riders are quick to recover and shoot down two of the Seekers of Illness. The Cold One Riders charge the beastmen, but such was the ferocity of the enemy that their charge was held and they suffered a casualty. The beastmen pushed back the Cold Ones, only to become the victim of the Dark Wizard's corrode spell.

CHAOS TURN 3
The Chaos Knights charge into the crossbow unit and slay two of their number, pushing them back toward the edge of the battlefield but not following up. The beastmen, now armed only with teeth and claws are pushed back by the cold ones who are well within the throes of maniacal frenzy. The unarmed and unarmoured remains of the Seekers of Illness charge the Dark Riders. The Troll rushes into combat against the Cold Ones and vomits the highly corrosive contents of his stomach all over an unfortunate Cold One Rider. Both beast and rider quickly dissolve into a puddle of steaming, stinking, bloody slush. Atop the Wheel of Pain War Altar, Mortimer unleashes another barrage of fireballs, this time directed at the Dark Wizard, but the wizard's magic sword captures and stores the fireballs for another time. The vortex continues its deadly path through the unit of the Pustulant Company, devouring half the unit and the magical disease banner they carry.

DARK ELF TURN 4
The crossbow unit unsuccessfully charges the Chaos Knights, while the remaining bolt thrower crew launch their deadly assault upon the advancing Wyvern, but the scaly skin of the beast deflects the bolts. The Cold Ones kill the beastman standard bearer and a furious fight develops, as the standard falls to the ground and is trampled by hoof and claw. One of the Dark Rider's warhorses pounds a Seeker of Illness into the dirt while the Dark Wizard releases the fireballs into the Seekers of Plague and burns them all to death.

CHAOS TURN 4
The Chaos Knights slay more crossbowmen and push them from the battlefield as the beastmen pound the cold ones, killing another. The Troll, spying the Wyvern, forgets the Cold Ones and wanders off to investigate. The Wyvern lands next to the unit of scouts while the last of the Seekers of Illness is executed by the Dark Riders. Mortimer flies from the Altar into hand to hand combat with the Dark Wizard, but fails to wound him. The magic of the Staff of Nurgle seems not to affect the evil sorcerer. The vortex heads away from the battle, sucking up all obstacles it comes into contact with.

DARK ELF TURN 5
The scouts strike at the Wyvern and wound it, as it slashes one of them to bloody strips. The battle between the cold ones and the beastmen rages on until the beastmen are forced to give up some ground. The Dark wizard flies away from Mortimer using his sword, while the axemen charge Mortimer, and casts the horrid corrode spell on the remains of the halberdier unit the Pustulant Company, rusting their armour and halberds into uselessness.

CHAOS TURN 5
The halberdiers charge the Dark Riders, unwilling to give up, even as one of their number is killed. The Troll, suddenly remembering the Cold Ones, rushes back into the fray, only to be killed by the lashing tail of one of the foul reptiles. The War Altar reaches the centre of the battlefield as the Knights wheel around to charge the backs of the Cold Ones. Mortimer casts a spell of Nurgle and chokes archers and spearmen to death with the hideous Stream of Corruption. The survivors run screaming from the onslaught.

DARK ELF TURN 6
The battle rages on all fronts, with Mortimer slaying an axeman, the Dark Riders and halberdiers both taking casualties and the Cold Ones yet again pushing back the beastmen. The Dark wizard casts a nefarious spell and turns the beastmen over to the side of the dark elves!

CHAOS TURN 6
The Pustulant Company take more casualties but, seeing the Wheel of Pain, refuse to run and gaining new vigour, continue punching the Riders with bare fists and striking at them with the staves of their halberds. The Knights charge the Cold Ones from behind and slay one of them, leaving only two. The Wyvern mauls another scout and the rest flee the battlefield, to be followed by the great winged beast. Mortimer pushes the axemen from the battlefield and turns his attention to the Dark Riders.

DARK ELF TURN 7
The Riders kill another halberdier, leaving only one, who grimaces, and places one last strike as he fights to the death. The War Altar is also corroded and receives heavy fire from the Hail of Doom arrow from the Dark Riders and the spell of Arrow invulnerability had worn off. The mounted sorcerer breaks away from the Riders as the beastmen withdraw from combat when the Cold Ones turn to face the Knights. Mortimer shakes off a Steal Mind spell and aims his staff at the mounted sorcerer, but to no effect.

CHAOS TURN 7
Khan slays the Cold One champion with his hellhoned axe. Mortimer chases the Dark Riders but fails to use the staff to any effect. The War Altar turns to face the Riders.

THE REST
The bolt thrower crew fires into the fray between Knights and Cold Ones, but the last of the cold ones is finally slain. The Knights charge the beastmen and decimate many as they break and run. The Dark Riders charge the crippled War Altar and demolish it, but the Knights are beyond caring, as the spell shield swallows another corrode spell.

The Knights and the Riders clash and there are casualties on both sides. Mortimer manages to unlock the magic of the Staff of Nurgle and transforms the mounter sorcerer into a disgusting, fetid pile of worms, maggots and roaches. The Riders are eventually killed and the Knights chase the Dark Wizard around but cannot hope to catch him. Mortimer drops another Vortex, but loses control again, just before it reaches the Wizard. The vortex meanders around for a short while, devouring trees and all else in its path until it dissipates. The Chaos Knights ride to the bolt thrower and panic the crew as they charge, but this time they do not listen to the orders of General Khan, and in their bloodlust chase and hack down the bolter crew, leaving the battle.

Mortimer tries one last time to enter hand to hand combat and uses up all his power to do so, but the Dark wizard uses his sword to fly to safety. Both mages stand exhausted, both trying to regain their strength and magical energy, until finally, the Dark Elf Wizard opens a portal to the demon world, releasing hordes and hordes of demons which instantly slay Mortimer and then rip the Dark Elf Wizard to shreds.

And thus ends the tale of the doomed battle with all that remains a bleak battlefield that no man dare enter, for who in his right mind would step willingly onto the ground where the evil elves and the hordes of chaos and even the demons have spilled each-others blood?