Ingredior: Where Silence Stops

This is the second battle in the ongoing Ingredior campaign. Click [HERE] to read the previous part, 'The Sally At Ferroc Castle'

After the resolution of the first battle, I presented Chris and his command of Sons of Medusa with the choice found below... 

After careful consideration, the Sons of Medusa opted for a cautious approach toward Ingredior Magnifica's Astropathic Relay.  The area near Ferroc Castle had been cleared of the immediate threat of the Necron Assault.  But the areas stretching out from it, former Mechanicus Serf habitats and a lattice of now battle-worn city districts, were haunted by all manner of Canoptek horrors or Necron kill teams.  It would take careful planning and hard fighting to slowly retake the area and begin to build a sufficiently capable force of mortal men and women to bolster a large scale counter assault against the Xenos. In the outlands, beyond the city stretching out from Ferroc Castle, stand towering Necron constructions of engraved black stone, restricting and dampening the Astropathic Choir. 

The constructions are heavily guarded; legions of Necrons stalk the outlands, probing constantly into the city by the hour to determine the nature of their recent defeat. Speed and Stealth are the watchwords of the day. The psychic dampening pylons must be deactivated quickly and without alerting the wider Necron armies to a significant breakout attempt.  Once deactivated, an elite force of Astartes and Kingsguard must blitz through the gap in the psychic field to re-capture the Astropathic Choir, and orient it through the newly created breach.  

Lt. Laird, would lead a small strike team into the Outlands ahead of the Assault Force led by Captain Corporis and Galkraan, Eternal King of Iron. 

We would be using my 'Force Reconnaissance' Rules for Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition, the following will be a recounting recorded live as the battle was played on the club's discord channel. 

There are 3 pylons representing the network of dampeners outside the relay. There are Patrols of scarabs maintaining the pylons and a guardian canoptek wraith in the center. The Marines start out undetected. Canoptek units have a 10" detection range, and their likely movement direction is indicated by the models' facing. If they are obscured from sight by terrain, the model is removed, and a die is placed indicating their last known location.

There are three alert levels indicating the growing awareness of the necrons to the intrusion. With increasing damage to the pylons and detections, also increasing the alert level.

The Marine Infiltration force is led by Lt. Laird, a Primaris Lt. In Phobos armor, he leads 4 infiltrators and 3 reivers who have been heavily upgraded. The infiltrators and Laird advance past a few Scarab patrols up toward the northeastern pylon

Once there, the reivers arrive via deep strike with grab chutes. The force eliminates two scarab bases, and the wraith begins reacting, moving up to investigate the loss of the scarabs

After a fairly intensive battle, the wraith is defeated, and the first pylon is destroyed, raising the alert to level 1, warriors and directed scarabs enter play.

The marines continue a merciless advance, gunning down three warriors and forcing their way into the vicinity of the second pylon. The Alert level is raised to 2. A tomb blade enters play along the line of pylons from the southwest. As more warriors arrive in larger squads

With a single shot, Lt. Laird slays the Tomb Blade, the metal xenos toppling dead from its mount, which pinwheels into the dry surface of Ingredior Magnifica, shearing off metal in a great plume of dust and sparking energies.

The Infiltration force advances, as the charges on the second pylon erupt. The marines have completed their primary objective; 2 of 3 pylons have been eliminated, though who knows what benefit the aliens might derive from these structures in a pitched battle. Laird pushes his men onward to the third and final pylon. The alert is now at level 3, and sizeable Necron assets are beginning to arrive.

The Sons of Medusa are undaunted; they break through several Necron skirmish lines to secure the objective. Planning charges on the final pylon as dozens of warriors begin to arrive. As the final pylon topples, the Infiltration team goes to ground in a nearby ruin, snapping off shots at their pursuers. Laird fires a green flare into the air above their position to mark their success. A signal seen by Captain Corporis and the Mortal Hosts of Galkraan, the Eternal King of Iron, who begin to move to their aid

Notable Deeds:

Lt. Laird personally killed 2 tomb blades, a death mark, and nearly a dozen scarab swarms.

The Reivers, though losing two of their number, slew triple their number in Necron warriors and a canoptek wraith

The Infiltrators destroyed all three pylons and killed several Necrons

We will join Lieutenant Laird and his men, as well as the rolling spearhead of the Sons of Medusa in Part 3.

I hope you enjoyed! 

-Your Favorite Madman-

War for Jornath Lore Video

I've recently uploaded a condensed timeline of the War for Jornath to my Youtube channel, given that we've passed the decade mark on the campaign and with more folks than ever joining Grey Mountain Gaming. I thought it might be a good time to sort of collect the story in one place in preparation for a formal campaign book

If you are interested in following more of Grey Mountain Gaming's narrative exploits in the Vahland Sector, including Jornath, Havaris, Edras' College or any of the other long format campaigns please read out wiki Librarius Vahlandia, follow us on Patreon or go to our website 

I hope you enjoy the video!

-Your Favorite Madman-

February 2024 Gamesday

Well, another gameday has come and gone, we had no stated theme today as we build up to March's apocalypse finale to our Terico Prime series set in the 4th Tyrannic War, so the event was a casual mixture of hobby and gaming. 

We had a good if quiet turnout for the club today, with 6 members in attendance and one member joining us remotely through our discord channel in our paint project. 

The day started with hobbying, and I showed a brief tutorial on minis painting in contrast to our newest members, who are entirely new to participation in the hobby, before setting them loose on painting themselves.

The new members gretchin

my example grot. 

Painted Grots by Christopher Hollowell, sent over Discord. 

For lunch, we had a sandwich board, which was very much depleted by the time this photo took place. 

Later in the day, some gaming took place, as we introduced some of the mechanics of Warhammer 40,000 to the new members in a 2000-point team game, and had a good time generally slamming plastic soldiers together.  

Dark Angels and Ulthwe  led by Seneca and Brad

&

Sisters of Battle (heavily proxied) and Custodes led by Julie and Chris

For more updates on Grey Mountain Gaming Events, join us on Patreon Here

To read up on our extensive sub-setting of Vahland, within Warhammer 40,000 click Here

I hope those of you in attendance enjoyed the day, and that we see the rest of you soon! 

-Your Favorite Madman-

 

A Patreon & Wiki !

 Well, the past few months have been rather exciting for me as we have rapidly closed in on some of our goals at work in the conservation lab, and more importantly for you fine folks reading here, we have been hard at work in Grey Mountain Gaming getting multiple facets of our club's infrastructure and background admin off the ground.  I have contracts with both Wesley Durham and Layla Hill to work on art for Vahland and for the group's wider narrative interests, both of whom are local artists from the same art college as myself. I have the first prototype T-Shirt for the group, we have set up a patreon (link below) and have started reformatting the wiki for my Vahland sector (the place where Jornath is taking place) so that those interested in reading about the wider context of our games can enjoy the full breadth of nerd-lore on offer. I hope you are as enthusiastic as I am, and I hope to see you around. 

Please consider supporting our club, and the Jornathii War Effort on Patreon!

If you are interested in reading more about our lore click here, more is being added all the time!

The meat and cheese spread from our most recent January Gamesday 'Siege of Terico Part 3, 4th Tyrannic War' 

Terican PDF move into a contested landing zone against perfidious Tyranid bioforms, in a skirmish scenario at the January Gamesday

Above is the first draft of the club T-shirt, I'd like to explore some other fabric and design choices before placing the shirts up for sale to interested parties, and I can talk at length about the exact application of funds spent for club merchandise and membership if there is interest. 

Our February Games Day is upcoming, to allow members to have hobby time for the finale for the first arc of the 4th Tyrannic War campaign set on Terico Prime, we will be hosting an open day for February, all are welcome to bring Age of Sigmar, 30/40k, Necromunda, Mordhiem, Grimdark Future, Osprey Games or any other rules set or force of interest, lunch, terrain and minis will be present at the venue disclosed to members.  

-Your Favorite Madman-

Jornath: The Hamlis Valley (Part 2 of 3)

.26 Months Since Fall of Usamilplatz.

Link to Part 1 [HERE]

After many months of difficult fighting in the Northern theatre, the Imperial forces won a hard-fought victory in the Liberation of Saltzkhost, the breaking of Kaptain Gutpulla's forces in the Katarinaplatz by massed, disciplined las fire would become the foundational stuff of planetary propaganda. The Kaptains death caused a short period of internecine conflict to determine the new regional commander of the 'Dakka Boyz' warband, which ultimately ended in Blood Axe Clan fashion after the wider 'Kore' command structure controlled by Feeld Marshul Skrollbach intervened to "appoint" the Big Mek Bazzgazer Deffzappa to control of the remainder of the Dakka Boyz in the Saltzkhost region. The now Kastallan Deffzappa, enjoyed a sudden influx of Blood Axe clan warriors and light machines which began filtering from the suburbs and villages around Saltzkhost back towards what had once been W542, but was now known as "Fort Squigbelly"  

Beyond the success in Saltzkhost, the rest of the north was in difficult straights, the Mechanicus offensive to free their pledge city of Usamilplatz had completely stalled in the months since the Emerald Scream. Skitarii Formations and Mechanicus-aligned Cohorts or Guildmusters had been totally enveloped by Ork warbands in Korsnokrat, nearly dissolving the Offensive's right flank. A constant supply of aerial supply drops by Precpian and specialist Imperial Guard Regiments have managed to keep the 35,000 Imperial soldiers in Korsnokrat fighting under the weight of strategic alien artillery fire from Fort Squigbelly, and constant hit-and-run raids by 'Speed Freaks' warbands. 

A breakthrough into the Mechanicus' logistics and command train on the C14 Highway had only barely been avoided in a nightmarish confrontation between Marshal Lukos M05's Outrider Cohort and the Dread Mob of Gratzogg Worldfang, which saw over 100 of Prima Jama's Sydonian Dragoons destroyed and countless Seyberys Raiders butchered. Marshal Lukos would die in the resultant explosion of his melta bomb cooking off the ammunition store of an Ork Stompa. 

Seeing the difficulties in the North and with the center theatre heavily suppressed by Astartes and other Transhuman forces, the newly planetside 537th Army Group Vahland of the Imperial Guard, diverted their IX Corp, comprised of the 87th and 50th Divisions into the Usamiljen mountains. The IX Corp would link with the command of the so-called Army Group North or 1AG(L) {1st Army Group - Local} in the staging areas at Guffmans Platz and would use the primary highways to move into position to support the Mechanicus efforts in Usamilplatz

Leading the 87th Division's advance into the Saltzkhost region was the 220th Antinar Deepers, a Mechanized Infantry Regiment with multiple campaigns won against Chaos warbands in the Manchvellian Crusade.  It would be the 220th, backed by two armored regiments from the 1AG(L) , the 9th Uval AgriCav and 1st Vendistad Motorworks Guildmuster (1VMG) which would lead the Divisions' speartip into the Hamlis Valley, part of a larger thrust by IX Corp to break open the Encirclement of Korsnokrat and get the Mechanicus Offensive back on track. 

The 220th Antinar Deepers, 9th Uval AgriCav, and 1VMG would begin preparation for the attack on Fort Squigbelly at Marker 522, right along the edge of the C14 Highway Northwest of Saltzkhost, from there, under artillery cover in the early morning hours the trio of regiments would blitz into close range of the alien installation where the 220th would prepare a fortified beachhead at the Southwestern gates and await the arrival of following infantry and motorized regiments, who would seize the orkish batteries and clear the fortress fully. 

As the 220th Antinar Deepers move through the Hamlis Valley they come under more and more precise alien artillery and exotic weapons fire.

The 8th Company, under Captain Sonos, are met a few hundred meters outside the gate by a counter-assault of Ork armor and heavy infantry. 

Platoons of Guardsmen dismount despite the Aliens crashing into their column, unleashing torrents of close range las-fire into the foe

Elite Ork infantry dismount as more and more Imperial tanks are burst by close assaults from Ork warriors or pierced by long-range Mega-Blastas and Kannons 

It has become clear that the battle is turning against the Imperials, many tanks are destroyed and Infantry Platoons are dismounted and scattered across the area under direct assault by alien infantry or vehicles.

As morning dawns fully, it becomes clear to 87 Division Command that the attack is in a great deal of trouble, requests are made to the Navy for CAS, which materializes around 8 o'clock in the form of lightning and thunderbolt fighters that strike targets for much of the morning, eventually allowing for the withdrawal in order of the 1VMG, and the eventual organization of the scattered 9th Uval AgriCav who had largely been pushed widely off course in the night by Ork armor. 

The 8th Company of the 220th Antinar Deepers would be reduced nearly to a man holding their positions in a rearguard as their remaining companies withdrew under fire back to Marker 522.   Captain Sonos and his command staff would be slain, after they were engaged by Ork Meganobz, who forced themselves inside their command chimera. 

The largest grouping of 8th Company men remaining by 11:00a would stage a final symbolic push to take the alien banner flying outside the Fortress' Southwestern gate. 

The last of 8th Company would fall in the ascent to the banner of the Dakka Boyz warband. Though unconfirmed, estimations are that the final living officer in control of 8th Company was 2nd Platoons Sgt. Nolan Bethilde.  

All members of the 8th Company, 220th Antinar Deepers would be posthumously awarded the Steel Anchor by the Antinar Martial Prefecturite, and the Unity Ribbon of the Jornath Campaign by the Office of the High Civitan Jornath. 

In the late afternoon, following the attack. IX Corp was met with the stark realization that many dozens of armored vehicles had been lost, alongside several hundred men and women without any Imperial asset having even set foot within the Ork Fortress. New plans would be drawn up and static lines several kilometers to the southwest and south would be established, to fence in the worst of the alien fast-moving vehicles. 

With Fort Squigbelly still under Ork control, the 50th Division would have to contend with an additional approach by Ork armor, and the increasingly more precise artillery and laser weapons fire in their effort to free Korsnokrat from encirclement. 

Stay tuned for the next action in the Hamlis Valley. 

-Your Favorite Madman-