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This, good sirs, is my account of the Battle of St. Anthony's March
in the year of 2340 following the death of our savior, the holy
Sigmar.
We first learned of the vile Rat-Men when the Clancey's farm was burnt
during the fullness of Morrsieleb. The Lord Toddbringer bade the
nearby Templars and the nearest towns to meet him and his bodyguard
with the greatest haste near Averstock. The mud had fouled the wheels
of the artillary train thus preventing the knights from deploying
directly to support the brave spearmen, halbediers, and handgunners
of nearby Averstock. Pennants were raised and even a fearsome
Hellblaster gun was leavered into position in a break in a wall. Two
wizards, one of Alchemy, and one of Pyromancy prepared themselves and
their spell components. A gnarled old man preparing a Hochland Long
Rifle was the first to sight the horde as it crested a nearby hill.
His cry of alarm cut shot Toddbringer's attempt to redeploy the
Knights of the White Wolf and the battle begun.
From my position in the watchtower I sighted two units of fearsome
Rat-ogres and a cursed brigade of diseased plague-monks. Small units
of Vermin-kin and a heavily armed unit of Stormvermin held their
right flank. My heart stopped when the mass of Jezzails were revealed
as the oncoming horde marched forth into the marshy areas beneath the
hills. The report of their guns rang loud as the first volley of
glowing missiles impacted among the White Wolves. None fell! I saw
one veteran shrug off a pauldron that had saved him. It was horribly
mangled and scorched by the impact of the cursed missile.
As the men of Averstock advanced the Cannon and Mortar belched forth
death on the scum but the Mortar shell was ranged too far and the
Cannon overshot the Rat-ogres but crushed a Jezzail into the hill.
Leading the horde was a loose group of plague-rats. As I trained my
spy-glass upon them I saw the bloody froth at their maws and the
glowing vapours of their weapons. I called to Toddbringer at the base
of the watchtower but he could not hear my warnings over the ripping
sound of the Hellblaster raking the plague-rats with loose shot.
M'lord, I watched in horror as the tightly packed ranks of men were
struck by the wave of rats and beastial horrors. Those leading Skaven
unwrapped the spiked end of their flails and beset a small unit of
handgunners. In a cloud of gas and blood the carnage showed as the
remaining handgunners fled the assault leading the blood-mad Skaven
into the White Wolves advancing in support.
I saw cursucrating arcs of power leap from the outstreched hand of a
tall, grey-furred horned devil of a Skaven. That must be the leader
of the Horde! The Skaven Plague-rats tore into the state regiment but
the valient men held verses impossible odds. On the far left the
Knights Panther had crushed a screening unit of bloated common rats
but had been charged by Vermin-kin and rushed from the side by Skaven
weilding huge barbed weapons. The knights lost two of their number to
the infantry and sent several to the cursed pit before an evil rune
of the unholy rat god flared in front of them and broke the nerve of
the pious men. Their steeds carried them to safety beyond the reach
of the evil banner but the heavily armed unit carried their victory
into a halbediers unit which crumbled in the face of such ferocity.
The war-cry of Boris Toddbringer brought me about to the center again
wher I witnessed the utter destruction of a unit of rat-spawn by the
Hellblaster! Praise Sigmar! Toddbringer was charging to the rescue of
the knights who had been caught unprepared and several now lay opon
the ground uncontrollably coughing blood while the spiked flails of
the Censor-bearers crushed first one and then another brave knight
from his saddle. Toddbringer slew three of the remaining spawn but
the Spearmen broke right then and the plague spawn were upon the
knights and our lord Elector Count. once again the loud retort of the
Jezzails was heard and the Pyromantic mage fell dead at the base of
my tower!
The cut-purses of the free company were fending off a Pack of
Rat-ogres just as a second unit beset their flank crushing them
and killing all those who turned to run. Toddbringer slew the champion of the plague-Skaven but the press of plague-stenched bodies forced him to lead his knights away from the
doomed combat easily outdistancing the persuit.
My Lord, Boris Toddbringer has fought this day with distinction. I
last witnessed him retreating from the field after the artillary was
destroyed by rampaging rat-beasts and the White Wolves last desperate
charge to save the remenants of the spearmen failed as they were
butchered to a man. The Knights Templar had rallied just in time to
receive the charge of the elite rat-spawn and lost many men in the
resulting melee. The Cursed rune-banner of the Skaven Claimed more
victims as men broke screaming and fled for their lives leaving vile
Skaven to feast on the wounded.
My lord, I have just witnessed the total distruction of the army of
Boris Toddbringer and the humiliation of the men of Averland. I will
attach this message to a falcon in the hopes that it shall find
you in Middenheim and warn you to raise the State regiments and send warning to
Altdorf. The Skaven scourge is once again loose upon the land. Even
now they vile rat-men have set my tower on fire. Mark smoke on the
horizon as my pyre.
Your humble Servent,
Burgold Harlendorg (the late)
by Dave - April 3, 2001
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