Eldar Incursion
Zatapag IV was the location of several important caches of information crystals left there by fleeing Imperial forces and containing valuable information about the military dispositions of the Imperium in the Garflicrian systems. The crashed Imperial escape pods containing the data were located centrally east and west of a ruined bastion set amongst rolling forested hills near the equator on a peninsular of the smallest of the world’s three continents.
The Eldar sent a large unit of wraithguards protecting their psychic leaders, together with a wraithlord and two squads of troops. The wraithlord started on the centre right of the Eldar forces with troops on the flanks and the main unit in the centre.
Overlord Vrenek ‘Ti led a force 1485 strong with the Gauss equipped Annihilation barges NNV Portentous and NNV Spectral Force left and right, and the Tesla armed barge NNV Jubilant on the right. A Triarch Stalker occupied high ground on the right and two squads of warriors took the flanks, Vrenek led ten on the left and a cryptek with an eldritch lance took the right with six warriors.
In reserve, eight immortals with a cryptek aboard the NNV Shooting Star and eight immortals aboard a second Night Scythe, the NNV Celestial Brilliance. The enemy warlord was able to interfere with our communications with the reserves but fortunately this had minimal effect; meanwhile Vrenek brought the ability to move effectively through cover to his team and those nearby.
Advancing swiftly both our warrior units reached the objectives immediately only to find the right hand one sabotaged. Both enemy troop units suffered early losses as our opening salvos from the three barges struck home on a day when the five tesla destructors we deployed did significant damage.
The enemy now advanced too with the enemy HQ taking to the central ruins whilst employing their psychic powers. These would cause problems several times and it’s thought that enemy psykers suffered wounds at least once during the engagement. Losses were initially minor though the right hand enemy troops did check morale.
The Shooting Star now arrived on the left disembarking its troops infront of the advancing wraithlord. The Portentous took a glancing hit warning of the potential threat of the powerful Eldar weaponry. Fire from the Portentous and warriors now broke the unit of troops threatening our left and they fell back. The right hand warriors were cut to pieces by the onslaught from our other two barges and we inflicted some losses on the very tough central group of wraithguards.
The Jubilant was hit by counterfire, four hits detonating it as the Eldar demonstrated the power of their anti vehicle weaponry. The wraithlord attacked our immortals with flamers and then assaulted, routing them as their morale broke despite being only narrowly defeated in the combat.
Encouraged by this success the left hand troops rallied and advanced, only to be destroyed by the Portentous and Shooting Star despite their psychically enhanced armour. The Celestial Brilliance now arrived on the right disgorging our sniper unit and unleashing tesla fire against the central HQ unit which also took multiple hits from our stalker and deathmarks causing a morale check, despite their extreme toughness. Two deathmarks fell to psychic attack though one reanimated, whilst the wraithlord survived volley fire from our HQ, the gauss flayers being totally ineffective. The Lord’s flamers inflicted losses in return but the expected assault never came.
Time ran out with the Eldar close to contesting the objective on the left and the question of whether Vrenek’s mindshackle scarabs would have been effective moot. We held both objectives, had secured first blood and destroyed two of the four enemy units. Strategically then nine two to us.
Vrenek himself had suffered two wounds, the Portentous was slightly damaged and the immortals and their cryptek had fallen, plus the Jubilant was in a million pieces. Thanks to regeneration only five warriors in all had fallen, three on the left and two from the smaller unit on the right, plus one deathmark was dead though they had been about to receive an attack from the wraithguard.
Our rallied strength was 1036, losses of just under thirty percent. Enemy losses were estimated numerically at two thirds, with their overlord and Wraithlord wounded, however, survivors were certainly all from the more powerful elements of the Eldar force.
GW5513
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