A glorious Battle raged in the Furyoth Dell. A battle of a size and ferocity not seen here since the Age of Chaos.
Dozens of trumpets, war horns and drums sounded over the battlefield in a cacophonous hymn praising the Dark Gods.
The forces of the Procession moved to surround the Voidfang, applying pressure to the beast from all sides; showering enemy forces with arrows and bolts of sorcerous fire.
For the members of the Procession, this was a deeply religious experience. Fighting below the monolith, doing battle with the direct blessing of the Chaos Gods – for with some regularity, the psychic earthquakes of the Holy Monolith tore through the landscape, filling the Faithful with the Strength of Khorne, the Finesse of Slaanesh and the Guile of Tzeentch.
Praising the Gods, the Khornates threw themselves into battle alongside the Orruks. Razgor’s followers had already pressed the enemy hard; now, with the heavily armoured Chaos warriors and Bloodletter Demons joining the fray, the Voidfang’s defenders dissolved in carnage, allowing the Orruks to concentrate on their true prey.
With the chariots of the dragon holding the giant creature in place, the combined force fell upon the Voidfang’s towering legs, hacking and climbing and cutting away.
Meanwhile, to the minions of the Fae, the Monolith gave the gift of Change liberally.
In mid-charge, Knights of the Chalice were swallowed whole by tentacled monstrosities that had once been their mounts. In some cases, mount and rider fused together into a spawn of Chaos that immediately turned upon their former comrades.
Whole units of the Fae’s minions were magically forced to their knees to be slaughtered by incoming Khornates.
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For the Archprophetess Sytarith the Intricate, it was an almost unbearable struggle. She kept the Monolith in control, bracing against the desperate attempts of the Fae to wrest control from her. All her Power and Will, all her Faith in Our Burning Power, all her Lifeforce, everything went into her control of the Monolith, and if she would have had attention to spare, she would have wondered if she, with so much of her will and body spent, ever leave the Monolith’s shrine again.
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Undivided Chaos Warriors stood in disciplined ranks, bracing their halberds against the incoming charge of the feral knights of the Chalice upon their beasts. Many of the smaller beasts, upon impact, would simply expire on the tips of their halberds; the bigger ones would have a chance to break through – if not for the countercharge by Bloodcrushers set up by Templar strategy.
The men cheered as the demon cavalry brought the giant beasts to the ground.
A lone Slaaneshi swordswoman stood upon an island of fallen enemies in a sea of blood. She, too, braced for impact as a Knight of the chalice charged at her upon a mighty, bull-like steed, but with her level of exhaustion, even someone as proud as her had to admit to herself, that her chances were slim –
until she heard the familiar screeching of a Disc of Tzeentch. It mercilessly cut the bull’s flank open with it’s vicious blades and horns, toppling the creature. The knight of the Chalice hit the floor, hard, while the Enlightened returned to the skies. With a triumphant smile and a flippant gesture, the swordswoman disconnected the knight from his head.
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Upon the back of the beast, another battle raged. Urgoth’s Orruks had fought hard to secure a bridgehead in the Fae’s fortress, and the forces of the Procession, alongside a disciplined force of Ghouls-at-arms commanded by a marksman named Gaston de Heulierplaine and a Khornate force led by Asarathu took advantage of that.
Squadrons of Tzaangor Enlightened and Tzaangor Skyfires acted as support forces for the disparate allied troops fighting on the fortress. Their mobility allowed them to quickly close in and strike an important target, or to take down the archers trying to bring down Urgoth’s or the Procession’s winged beasts carrying in reinforcements. The Skyfires lent suppressive fire and always observed the tides of battle.
Another group of Templar forces gathered at the fortress. The most elite Templar Enlightened, heavily armoured Knights on Discs, led by a Tzaangor Shaman, a Priest of the Great Strategist. They would be the ones to journey through the hole made by their Orruks allies, deep into the depths of the Fae’s fortress, towards the Grand Chalice, the true goal of the Templars, and in the mind of the Archprophetess, the only real way to defeat the Fae in Rondhol. Their Minds, Will and Faith was steeled, ready to head in, as the familiar sound of another squadron of discs was heard.
The priest immediately recognized who he was faced with by the Tzaangor’s finery and intricately engraved armour, and he bowed down low.
A Paladin of Fate. A Holy Warrior of the Templars of Our Burning Saviour, one truly blessed by Tzeentch, and one whose command over the strands of Fate was incomparable.
“You may rise, Priest. I have come to end this Vile Heresy of the Fae, as it is Our Burning Saviour’s Will, and I will assume command. Know that I have seen what you intend, and it pleases Him. Get your warriors ready, and follow my orders. His Will be done.”
“His Will be done, your Eminence.”
With that, all was said.
With the Paladin of Fate leading them, and the Brightly Shining Fire of Faith burning in their hearts, the Tzaangor Crusaders headed into the labyrinth.
