Game 1: Steal the Artifact!

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750 pts? Up to two detachments each, though I'll only be taking one patrol. Up to two vehicles each, though I'll be bringing only one. Normal CP for this size game and detachments.

I'll be playing to win and using some decent stratagems and combos, but I am also taking a very restricted narrative force built around the hard-nerfed cultist unit, so it would be cool if you would also bring an uncompetitively narrative list, reflecting what the archaeo-digging and personal bodyguard retinue of a Dominus might look like. I understand no self-respecting Dominus goes anywhere without their Dune Crawler (or equivalent Vehicle if you prefer) to carry their shit, but it should look more like a self-defending archaeolgical dig team, and less like an elite extermination squad or armored fist. Lots of servitors if you have them, a single melee robot would not be out of place.

## Before the Psychic Scream

The barely-aware servitor placed the eerily beautiful and very heavy staff in the hands of the Dominus, whose cybernetic hands carried it and put it in his office in his mobile camp. At this time, the daemon long ago bound within the staff was aware that it was being moved, and could sense the definitely not-Aeldari and not-quite-human auras of the Mechanicus-empowered machines and ruined once-men servitors, but kept silent as it woke from it's long slumber.

Only later, when the Administratum dig supervisor came to see the new artifacts that the Dominus had promised, "You've really hit the jackpot this time! I was beginning to think both our bosses would lose patience with your weak results!", and laid his true human flesh hands upon the irresistibly entrancing daemon staff, was the Psychic Cry emitted.

But because he was just a mere mortal man and not even a bit psy-senstive, the Administratum supervisor had no idea of the powerful disturbance in the Force/Warp that had flowed out from this camp mine deep beneath the surface of Astheneia and would radiate out through the system and eventually the whole sector, setting in motion the events that bring together the competing factions of our small-story narrative campaign.

<Toby feel free to write any narrative details, just a paragraph or two would be great, and to correct anything above that doesn't fit with your ideas or models>

## After the Psychic Scream

Tynzer-Snip and Zylda-Hinte were awake when the Psychic Call passed through their guerilla militia camp out in the Sumapai desert, roughly a days drive from the Primus Hive <anyone want to name the Hive?>

The twin sister sorceress heralds never slept, each living in one the possessed bodies of two of the children of the Slaanesh Cult's leaders, but were both startled into fits when the sudden psychic connection with the Artifact began to solidify. Through their Warp Sight and the perspective of the ancient Daemon, they could see the mechanicus machines that carried the Artifact into the office full of the mechanical magic aura, and later they could see the Dominus gazing into the mirror ball at the top of the ancient and clearly powerful staff, totally unaware of the ancient Keeper of Secrets gazing back out at him, studying him and his mechano-magical machines, of a sort that Zee had never seen before. The sister Heralds welcomed the KoS back into the Love of Slaanesh and apologized for Zer long slumber. They explained to the KoS in the staff about all that had happened in the Warp and in the realspace galaxy over the long millennia that had passed, about the Mechanicus, and about the state of the Corpse God and Astheneia.

Zylda-Hinte and the KoS in the staff plot an ambush, while Tynzer-Snip gathers her gear and dances out into the darkness of the desert night, to rouse their militia and spread the glorious news that the fourth and long awaited Slaanesh Revolution of Astheneina has begun! With this powerful new ally, and the expectation of aid to come in response to the call, this time would be different and they would triumph over the servants of the Corpse God and the Omnissiah!

## **Scenario Crunch Details**

I'd like to play a modified version of the new Relic Mission, hammer and anvil deployment (as I think the new rules suggest). Mechanicus starts with the Relic in their own deployment zone, and may nominate an Infantry model to be carrying it. Mechanicus wins a Major Victory if they can carry the Artifact off the Slaanesh side of the table: 90 pts for moving it off the Slaanesh table edge.

Play on an Incursion (small) sized 44" x 30" battlefield, with one of my city corner ruins on each side of the board (each partly in the deployment zone on it's side oft he board) and a few pieces of scatter terrain in the middle. Pick terrain traits later <Feel free to fill this in>

Slaanesh deploys all units first, and then takes the first turn, seize attempt allowed (end of 8th edition, fast-deployment style)

I had imagined that if the Slaanesh army has any reinforcement points left, they could also summon Daemon Units with normal range of the Relic or the model carrying the Relic, according to the normal summoning rules...reflecting the fact that the KoS bound within the staff, still awakening to Zer full power and not yet able to directly manifest power in our plane of existence, is participating in the ambush, and like the One Ring, Wants to Be Found! But at 750 I'm not sure I'd have many points left. Maybe I'd be able to summon a partial unit of Daemonettes or Fiend or two? I don't think I'll be able to afford a full unit of Seekers...Of course the Herald Children could also summon using the normal rules.

The game goes for up to seven turns, or until resignation by either side, cause we REALLY want to see who holds the relic when the battle is over.

Because of the scarcity of Heavy Weaponry in this theater of war, each side gets 20 points for destroying a Vehicle keyword model of the other side.

Each side gets 20 pts for slaying the Warlord of the other side. Each side must nominate a warlord who gets a warlord trait, and each side can take a relic. These Warlord trait and relic are then fixed for those narrative characters, probably my possessed cultist children and a mechanicus Dominus (and/or other HQ choices if you prefer)

If the Relic hasn't moved off the Slaanesh edge of the board by end of turn 7, whoever is carrying or in control of the Relic at the end of turn 7 gets 30 pts, 60 if they control or carry it in the enemy's deployment zone at the end.

Given the primacy of the Relic, none of the secondary objectives make narrative sense.

## Lore and Battle Report

Guided by prescience and the will of Slaanesh, the Leman Russ of the Slaanesh Militia fire at just the right moment to put an armor piercing shell directly through the viewport of the Onager Dunecrawler as it came into view from behind the ruin. The multi-meltas reduced the wounded dunecrawler into a smoking pile of rubble.

Prematurely sensing victory, the mob of cultists surged forward to claim their prize, and the chaos spawn ran up to charge whatever was left.

To the horror of Tynzer-Snip and Zylda-Hinte, a pair of digging robots raced forward out of the chaos of the startled Mechanics column, and tore the Russ apart in seconds! The Skitarii vanguard formed a firing line in the ruin the Onager had been destroyed next to, and their accurate rifle fire picked off the Slaaneshi missile launcher teams.

Wanting to get away from the terrifying robots, the sorcerous heralds in the cultist children and the large cultist moved ran forward and called for aid from Slaanesh in smiting their enemies! And Slaanesh did not disappoint: The cultist loosed a withering cacophonous volley of autogun bullets which, aided by the will of Slaanesh, found the weak points in the Kataphrons armor, cleared the shooting line of Skitarii infantry, and turned the Administrator holding the relic into a smear of chunky gore.

Only the Dominus still stood near the fallen relic, so the cultists and sorcerous heralds swarmed him. Meanwhile the spawn unflinchingly occupied the two fearsome robots, who spent a moment tearing the remaining spawn into still-writhing chunks of angry flesh.

In the chaos of the melee, the Dominus struck down Zylda-Hinte with his mighty Axe, but Tynzer-Snip got vengeance with a psychic blast and her possessed tiny hands tearing at the Dominus' throat.

With no Mechanicus forces on the battlefield except the terrifying robots, Tynzer-Snip and the cultists grabbed the artifact and fled to battlefield to seek reinforcements and plan their next move.

<<Incoming Message. Identification: Magos Septima Thybek>>

<<Astropathic Link Establishing>>

<<Signal interference: Substantial. Cause: Determining…>>

<<Determining…>>

<<Determining…>>

<<Unknown. Posited: Cicaltrix Maledictum. Probability: 46%>>

<<Signal Connected>>

<<Transmitting>>

*Greetings High Magos.*

*My Expedition has proven fruitful. With the assistance of the Holy Automata and Servitor Clades you so generously allowed me the use of, I have made swift progress. The site was little more than dust from orbit, but upon landing we discovered miles of subterranean catacombs. With gravitic excavation tools we were able to penetrate to the innermost layer within a matter of days. I myself was the first into the sanctum behind the automata who breached its walls. The artifact registered nothing upon my sensors as I inspected it, and apart from a brief discomfort as I removed it from its pedestal (most likely ancient dust interfering with my augmetics) it seems inert. I will return to the Forgeworld immediately, and have sent ahead to my staff to prepare my laboratory to study it further. I hope next we may meet in person and I may share its fuller mysteries with you.*

<<Encoded Postscript>>

<<Decoding Holy Cant…>>

High Magos, as I was preparing to depart a ship bearing a woman possessing an Inquisitorial Rosette landed near my own vessel. I was loath to delay, but you know as well as I that members of the Inquisition must be accommodated quickly (and seen off more quickly). I will hear her out and return as quickly as possible. I apologize for causing you to wait.

<<EMERGENCY ADDENDUM. UNENCODED. TRANSMITTING>>

Artifact...lost…

Heretics...demons...~~children!!?~~

Expect..Inquisitor

War...Comes to the Forgeworld

The flesh is weak...My spirit endures in the machine

Glory to the Omnissiah

<<Transmission End>>