Cleansing of Oldressel Valley

## Combatants

Wayforgers of Craftworld Gia'trell

Crusade Force Angels of the Blood Angels

## Commanders

**Wayforgers**
Autarch Rhylia

**Crusade Force Angels**
Commander Dante

## Strength

**Wayforgers**
Autarch Wayleaper
Farseer
Spiritseer
Guardian Defenders
Rangers
Shroud Runners
Warp Spiders
Wraithlord
Wraithguard
Wave Serpent

**Crusade Force Angels**
Commander Dante
Phobos Librarian
Primaris Apothecary
Primaris Techmarine
Incursors
Hellblasters
Assault Marines
Librarian Dreadnought

## Casualties

**Wayforgers**
Wraithlord Tiel-kash suffered Fatigue.
Autarch Rhylia suffered Mark of Shame.

**Crusade Force Angels**
Unknown

The Cleansing of Oldressel Valley is small skirmish in the greater conflict that is the Folly at Gheramar, and is the result of the Wayforger War Host of Craftworld Gia'trell attempt at picking up the trail to a lost Asuryani Vault and its cache of Spirit Stones.

## Wayforger Narrative

Once Ranger Loiathal indicated the way, Ariacron and his Shroud Runner raced off to scout the Webway Gate leading to Oldressel Valley of Gheramar. The Farseer’s divinations had indicated that Oldressel was the best exit point for the War Host, and the Autarch wasted no time issuing deployment orders. The Farseer had also intimated that the planet was aswarm with the lesser races of the galaxy as a result of the Great Devourer, and that this entry point would bypass most of the already established beach heads the other forces had set up.

With this last bit of knowledge in mind, the three shroud runners silently sped out of the Webway into the planet’s atmosphere.

**+The mon-keigh are here, Autarch. Their armor is as red as their blood. Mostly infantry, but they do have a walker for support.+**

Back with the rest of the Wayforgers, Autarch Rhylia clicked her tongue in annoyance. She spared a glance at Farseer Nuadarir, and as usual she did not need to voice the question for a response.

**+Today is a day to be as Khaine, Autarch. The seers will need time to scour the valley for clues, and we cannot do it with the brutish mon-keigh in the vicinity.+**

The autarch allowed herself a grin as she donned her war mask, **+Warp spiders, with me. We will strike deeply into their ranks from the Webway. Ariacron, Tiel-Kash, Illuriel and the Ebon Adder, you will be the forward recon.+**

Cynbar's heart sank as she charged out the webway with her fellow Guardian Defenders. Confusion over how things went so wrong briefly flitted through her mind: They did not know we were coming. We had the surprise. How did the Wraithlord, Tiel-kash, be forced out of the engagement so quickly? Where was the Autarch and the Crystalline Way Warp Spiders? She hoped that her skills would be enough to restore the plasma-scorched wraithbone form of Tiel-kash. These thoughts bounced within her head before a scolding from Spiritseer Kelmath chimed in her mind.

**+Illuriel and the other Wraiths will find revenge and right this wrong, Cynbar. Remember your war mask. Remember the Path.+**

Cynbar noted the barely contained rage in Kelmath's voice before reassuming her War Mask. She had her duty to do in supporting the forward recon units. She turned to observe the battle and frowned. The terrain was thick and dense. These mon-keigh made good use of the Tyranid protrusions and ruins to make target acquisition nearly impossible without getting close. She spared a glance to their right flank where Ariacron and his shroud runners were harrying the enemy walker and its mechanic. *Asuryan's will, cousin.*

Kelmath's warding runes flared as he attempted to safely channel the stream of rage that his fallen kindred felt within their Wraithguard forms to the news that Tiel-kash had been forced from the engagement with grievous wounds. Lorendil always chided Kelmath for drinking in that rage, but Khaine's mark was strong on Kelmath. As soon as he gauged the distance just right for his Wraithguard to wreak devastation on the sizable squad of plasma wielders, he punched open the Ebon Adder's loading ramp and immediately charged out of the Wave Serpent. He did not have to look back or issue orders. He knew his Wraiths like they were siblings, and he knew they would rush out with them.

**+Nuadarir! Help me determine the correct strand of fate. We cannot let them get off another concentrated volley of plasma again!+**

Kelmath did not bother to wait to verify if the Farseer heard him as he immediately. pointed his aeldari dagger at the enemy. Warp rifts lit up the enemy plasma-gun line, and to the mon-keigh's credit, they did not flee in terror. No, to Kelmath's dismay quickly turned anger, the wounded humans in their foolish stubbornness immediately returned fire on the Wraithguard. Incensed at the impunity of the enemy's audacity to return fire at them, the Wraithguards quickly released another volley of their Wraithcannons on the remaining enemy squad. Such was the fury of this second onslaught, Kelmath instinctively knew the devastating wounds inflicted by the wraithcannon barrage had forced that squad from the battlefield, even as they fired covering plasma fire in return. *Fools, know your place.*

Kelmath and his Wraiths were not given much time to revel in their satisfaction, as the enemy Librarian and his vanguard unit rushed out of their protective cover to charge. A futile gesture, Kelmath knew. Wraithbone is tougher than their meager close combat weaponry and the dead would show this new squad of foolish mon-keith their wrath just as well as they showed their plasma kindred.

**+Kelmath! The Autarch needs you.+**

Kelmath looked toward the direction that his sensors indicated the Autarch had reappeared, just in time to see her crumple to the ground from a fierce strike by a resplendent figure in gold.

**+Cynbar! Loiathal! Cripple this brute already!+**

Ariacron raced along the ride flank, trying to keep this sole dreadnought distracted, hoping the rest of the Wayforgers would be do better with one less menace terrorizing the battlefield. *Still, I am outclassed here. I have to stay on the defensive.* Ariacron rode his shroud runners in and around the nearby ruins, constantly breaking lines of target by the Dreadnought. He allowed himself some amount of satisfaction when he heard the howl of frustration from the brute's crude audio emitters. That brief moment of smugness cost him, though, as he did not anticipate the Dreadnought to simply charge through the structure. The brute immediately snapped up both of Ariacron's wingriders and snuffed their lives. Cursing, Ariacron spun a tight maneuver in an attempt to grab his kindred's precious spirit stone. He was just barely successful, but the Dreadnought managed to catch his jetbike with its halberd and sheer it in two. Ariacron leapt off and tumbled away as the jetbike exploded, and quickly went to survival evasion tactics. He had done his job and it was time to retreat from the battlefield. He just hoped he had done enough.

Rhylia knew she had made a mistake when she arrived on the battlefield. She was too deep. The lines of battle were chaotic. She only got so far down her train of thought before she and the warp spiders engaged their warp generators to dodge a smattering of pistol fire as the enemy command, clad in sun's gold, smashed down on the ground before her. Another grave miscalculation, she thought. They knew shee would strike their flanks and waited. Rhylia's glaive arm was going numb, and she clenched her teeth in pain. Too slow to react. She was abandoned by both Cegorach and Khaine this battle. Her vision blurred as the thunderous road of the jetpacks engaged once more in a charging strike by the enemy.

The Warp Spiders of Crystalline Way shrine were not about to let their Autarch be killed, and fired in protective overwatch a torrent of monfilament strands from their death spinners. Half the charging force was cut down, but not enough. The resplendent commander in gold had managed to make it through, and struck a blow that left Autarch Rhylia crumpled on the ground.

**+Take her and go. I will take care of them.+**

The Warp Spider Exarch, Taldoresh, saw in his minds eye the devastation incoming from the Wraithguard grabbed the Autarch and with the assistance of his wounded retinue, engaged their warp generators to escape this deadly clever mon-keigh.

Nuadarir creased her brow as she helped the healers tend to Rhylia and Ariacron. This battle could have gone worse. She knew Rhylia would take this battle as a mark of shame, but the shock of the deadly precision of the enemy plasma immediately forcing the great Tiel-kash down from the battle had unnerved the Autarch, combined with the enemy commander laying a trap for her. Nuadarir strode to where Kelmath had settled the wraiths, and noted Cynbar diligently working on Tiel-kash's frame as Kelmath tended to the Wraithlord's spiritual needs. Nuadarir wasn't an expert, but she could sense some of the motions between the two, and knew Tiel-kash would be fatigued for a few battles before his spirit was fully nurtured again.

She felt the pangs of guilt at the lives lost and injured spirits, but Nuadarir knew this was the best case result of what could have been. They would rekindle their spirits in time. Especially once she was able to show them some glimmer of the prize that is worth so much effort. Nuadarir was not able to do much this battle, and so she strode off scrying for the faintest trace of Asuryan. The thread led her here, and she would figure out why.