Age of Sigmar League Week 1 & 2

Large turn out at the Warhammer store on Saturday

I've recently joined our local Warhammer Store's Age of Sigmar league. Last I saw there were around 21 or so participants, and last Saturday there was a tremendous turn-out for the first scenario of skirmishes. Just for some background the setting is the Realm of Heaven, Azyr. There is a terrain objective in the center where we need to have the most units within 3" of the terrain at the end of round 6, or have at least one unit within 3" of the terrain and table our opponent(s).

Saturday I played two games. The first was a little unbalanced in my favor. My opponent and I were playing with 3 warscrolls; my Necropolis Knights paired with a Liche Priest were pretty tough. It was my first time playing with them, and I'm quite pleased at their ability. I think the game would have been more balanced if I had played with skeleton archers along with my warriors and priest. Even though I still have the ressurection and summoning ability, it would have been a fun brawl over the objective.

The second game was a 4 player FFA with the same scenario. I managed a minor victory (shared victory). The same Necropolis Knights managed to take down a skulltaker, but the Knights eventually fell to the 30 - I want to say they were bloodletters, backing the skulltaker. My warriors were locked in combat with ranged skinks for pretty much the entire game. I did manage to get some units to the objective by the end of round 6 though.

My WIP Necropolis Knights held together by Poster Tack vs Skulltaker and Co.

Anyway, I did a little creative writing based around the events of the first game. I hope to continue the story as the league progresses through the next few months and perhaps create an identity and purpose for my Tomb Kings army in this new Age of Sigmar. Enjoy!

“Zyrdax,” the whisper called. In life he was called Sebek-tetu, but in this perversion of death his soul was called Zyrdax. The liche opened his eyes ready to survey the field and begin his spells. On his left a unit of skeleton warriors shambled into a line. Except for pieces of broken bronze armor and shredded chain jangling against bone, the warriors were deathly silent. They were steeled against the coming battle and unwavering against a fate in which they were already familiar. Pain was something long forgotten.

A group of stone cobras slithered to Zyrdax's right. Once large statues, the cobras were animated through dark magic similar to golem creation that Sebek-tetu had learned from the Masters in the City of Priests. Mummified knights balanced fastidiously atop the cobras' hoods. From eons of decay they were now more bone than wrapping. These knights were trained to harness and control the stone contructs as great weapons of war. A knight sounded a single, flat tone on his trumpet, and the captain's serpent swaggered and hissed to indicate their battle readiness.

Zyrdax scanned the horizon. This was not the familiar sands of Nehekhara. How many centuries had it been? Who was the voice behind the whisper? It was not the voice of his king, nor was it the voice of one of his gods. The landscape was as unfamiliar as the voice that had awoken them. They were at the edge of a large crater and near the center were arcane ruins leading to a stairway up a Dragonfate Dais. While the arcane ruins lay dormant the Dais pulsated with power.

Beyond the Dais against the horizon mobs of riotous green figures loomed ever closer as they advanced. Zyrdax focused his eyes to the distance and could make out two groups of Orruks. A small figure with a skull helmet and scepter stood between the groups directing the army. Their grunts and taunts began to be audible as they made their way closer to the Dais.

Zyrdax knew he had to fight to survive, but he hesitated as he did not understand his place. He was summoned from death to command this force but not by his king nor his gods. He had no authority to carry out this battle nor was he authorized to even exist. Zyrdax glanced wide eyed at his forces, for he had not summoned them into existence either.

“The Dais,” the whisper called again, and Zyrdax sneered at this imposter in his mind. He looked at the Dais and sensed the power emanating from it. He saw the Orruks advancing closer and could sense a source of Chaotic magic in their unnatural movements. Zyrdax looked into the sky as if trying to see into the heavens.

“Yes,” the voice reassured him. He was to protect the Dais from the Orruks. Finally, something Zyrdax could understand, and he ordered the advance. He was a veteran of war for centuries as a Liche. He was a skilled tactician and commanded several major battles. Capture and hold was something familiar to him and his instinct was to proceed, but he was unclear for whom he was fighting. He deduced that if the Orruk forces were guided by Chaos, then the voice that summoned him must be an influence of Order.

Zyrdax stopped suddenly and was compelled to point at the Orruk Shaman. The sky opened and a bolt struck near the Shaman sending him tumbling backward. Zyrdax knew then that he was being aided by a god. It didn't make sense why he was chosen for this task, but the last he knew of their king is that he aided in the fight against the forces of Chaos in those Final Days. Perhaps that was a good enough reason to fight now. The Orruks were now in clear view and Zyrdax stared at them in contempt. Enough of this doubt and lack of clarity; he advanced with clear purpose.

The warriors and knights read the thoughts of their priest and advanced. The warriors moved to secure the Dais from a flanking Orruk army while the knights charged into the heavier clad Orruk forces. Zyrdax conjured more serpent golems to bolster the charging statues with more knights. The warriors' standard bearer would do his job of reanimating the fallen against the flanking force and hold the Dais.

The stone serpents crashed into the armored Orruks and bit with frenzied venomous fangs. The knights atop the fray slashed through the armor with heavy spears. The Orruks, in disarray, tried to muster a counterstrike that was mostly ineffective, and a few toward the rear of the mob howled in terror and abandoned the clash.

The warriors did their part to hold the Dais while the knights slithered in to mop up the remaining Orruk forces. Zyrdax continue to discharge bolts toward the enemy Shaman keeping him largely ineffective for the duration of the battle. In the end, Zyrdax learned that the Dais was merely a decoy, a distraction for a greater power to devote unnecessary resources. It made Zyrdax angry that he must also be deemed an unnecessary resource to the power that he had just served. This cosmic chess match gave Zyrdax insight to why his king would not participate in such games with greater powers, his king would not serve. On the other hand, Zyrdax secretly hoped that his victory gained him some favor with this new Power.