Race Through The Silver Tower, Company Of Sigmar Round 1
Today marks the start of our Silver Tower Campaign. Which will be exclusive to the Blog! Two teams of 4 will race through the Silver Tower. The first team is the Company of Sigmar who will be trying to slay the Gaunt Summoner, the second team is The Trinity and The Traitor who will be trying to get a powerful favour from the Gaunt Summoner. Both of the teams will be measured by how many attempts or rounds they have to play before they complete all of the missions and gather all of the Amulet pieces.
The mission order for this tournament will be as follows; Mission One - Hysh, Mission Two - Ghyran, Mission Three - Chamon, Mission Four - Ulgu, Mission Five - Shyish. At this point the team will need to have all 5 amulet pieces before they can attempt Mission Six - Azyr, Mission Seven - Aqshy and Mission Eight - Ghur. Any missing pieces will have to be collected by replaying the failed mission. The first team to gather all 8 amulet pieces will have won the race but will still need to defeat the Gaunt Summoner to become true legends.
Not only that but as with our 40K narrative campaign we'll literally be providing you with actual narrative in our battle reports, bringing the story to life! All story will be written in italics, so if you don't wish to fully immerse yourself in our tale just skip past the italics and get right to the meat of the battle report!
So without any delay The Company of Sigmar is up first, on your marks, get set, go!
Team Name: Company of Sigmar
Team:
Manfred the Lord Castellant
Norman the Knight Questor
Grimli the Cog Smith
Felix the Excelsior Warpriest with Fido the Gryph Hound
Round: One
Mission: One - Hysh
The Company of Sigmar
The Fragment of Hysh.
Part one: The bird.
Grimli’s head pounded with each stamp of his hefty feet; each laborious step was accompanied by a deep throb in his temples. The heavy thud of his footfall boomed in his ears like a gunshot and echoed around his banging head. To most this condition would be one to bemoan. But for Grimli and indeed the Duardin as a whole, a great hangover was an indicator of a great and prosperous Duardin and a Grimli had never had a hangover like it. His mouth was drier than bone and the sweat on his brow carried the sickly sweet scent of ale. This was the reward for his new found wealth and he grinned with pride even as another stab of pain bored into his boozy brain. Grimli had finally hit the jackpot and after this job was complete he would have enough gold to have a glorious hangover like this every day for the rest of his days.
However, he still had a lot of work to do before he could spend his well-earned retirement drinking himself into the ground. Not only that, the old Cogsmith was not so proud that he would think the task would be an easy one. Grimli had heard whispered tales of the demon mage they were on the hunt for, and as with any fell worshipper of Tzeentch, they always had a nasty trick or two up their sleeve. But Grimli had been in some dark places and seen things and creatures he daren’t even remember let alone speak of. The Gaunt Summoner and his lair would indeed need to be full of horrors to rattle this Duradin. But before any of that, he had to get there, which was proving a nightmare within itself.
Grimli grumbled as he trundled after the towering men who led the way before him; ignorant to the ease with which they could traverse this cursed copse with their annoyingly gangly limbs. The behemoth men conquered the trivial undergrowth here with irritable simplicity. Grimli however was not so elegant, graceful or most importantly tall. He picked his way clumsily through the dense forest, his stout legs being tripped and tackled by a web way of gnarled and tangled roots and he growled furiously every time he had to catch himself from falling. Still the gargantuan men thundered forward in great strides leaving the Cogsmith to fall ever farther behind.
“How much further?” The Cogsmith bellowed gruffly.
“I’m sure it won’t be too much longer my short friend,” Felix Zeal replied over his shoulder.
“How about a break?” He shouted trying to hide his shortness of breath as he leapt over another tree root.
“It won’t be too much longer,” He reiterated. The two golden Stormcast that led the way cast a cursory glance over their shoulders at Grimli. They fixed their eyes on him for a second and the irritated Duardin swore he could see their grins growing behind their enclosed helms. But they turned back without a word.
“Don’t they ever speak?” Grimli shouted. Felix turned his head again with a wry smile.
“They speak when it is necessary Master Ironhand,” He called. The Stormcast momentarily put their heads together, clearly exchanging words. They looked over their shoulders once more and suddenly their stalwart forms that had been so strict and rigid, suddenly gave way to raucous shakes of laughter, as they clapped each other on the back, tossing their heads back in glee. Grimli felt a blush race to his cheeks.
“Well they just said something!” Grimli bellowed angrily.
“It must have been necessary,” Felix replied and a peel of laughter escaped his throat, so joyful it was that, much the Cogsmith’s disgust, it caused a smile to grow on his face as well.
The smiles and laughter remained on all of their faces for some time until it was silenced by a distant noise that carried on the light breeze permeating the thick foliage. The two Stormcast halted at the front of the group and Felix suddenly let out a loud whistle.
“Fido!” He whispered sternly. His command was heeded instantly as the shape of his loyal Gryph Hound emerged from the underbrush with an unceremonious clatter. The beast made its way to its master’s side with a worried whine, and Felix huddled down on his haunches, resting a hand on his beloved pets head. Grimli however, continued his slow march, his armour clattering and jangling loudly as he eventually made his way to Felix’s side. At first he couldn’t quite make out what the noise that had halted their advance was. But it was evident to him now. It was the sound of great whooshes of air and the dull and rhythmic drone of a wings flapping.
Grimli lifted his eyes to heavens just in time to see the form of the huge bird soar overhead. Its massive shape was hidden in places by the thick canopy but he still managed to glimpse an array of tantalising feathers, he saw blues, pinks and purples flash by in a colourful blur. He had barely the time to register this fact before the bird appeared again, swooping by in the opposite direction this time, again in a bluish blur. The four warriors stood silently waiting for the bird to circle again, but they were met with only silence. The two Stormcast turned to face Felix, their heads cocked questioningly. Grimli too, cast a doubtful look at Felix whose face was fixed and stern, it was a look of knowing that the Duardin did not like.
“What is it?” Grimli muttered gruffly. Felix settled an ice cold stare onto him that caused a prickle of fear to touch his stubborn heart.
“If you wish to turn back Master Ironhand,” He began in a forceful whisper, “Now is the time,” Grimli gave him a troubled look but slowly shook his head in a silent response. Felix nodded in approval, that immovable look of inevitability still etched onto his expression.
There was a sudden and deafening crash. The torrid sound of leaves being shredded and branches being wrenched from trees filled the air as the mammoth avian creature tore through the forests rooftop high above them. It smashed into the ground with such force that the trees around it were uprooted instantly as the earth flew from beneath its gargantuan talons. They toppled over in a domino effect creating a cacophony of splintering wood and the creature now stood grandly in a clearing of its own making. The bird opened its wings in a grand gesture, the wingspan of the creature stretched up high around them blotting out the scant light that wormed through the trees; but the forest became illuminated with the dazzling array of colours and hues that existed in those feathers. Grimli could see bright sapphire and cool emerald feathers intermingled with bright fluorescent pink and purples. It unravelled its long neck that appeared serpentine and reminded Grimli of the neck of some bizarre engorged swan. The mammoth head of the creature was revealed covered in dazzling silver feathers, it’ eyes redder than rubies and it’s beak a glittering gold. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. The bird flung its head forward, and from its golden beak emerged a deafening and chilling shriek, that pierced the air.
Grimli reached for his rifle slung around his shoulder but Felix stilled his arm with a grip of iron. The Cogsmith glowered at him confused, but the Warpriest fixed him with a stare that would not be defied. The Two Stormcast backed away slowly from the towering beast, their hands fixed upon their weapons but they too did not draw them, the realision dawning on all of them that no blade could harm this other worldly creature. The bird shifted on its behemoth feet and ruffled its feathers in a deafening whirr that sounded like a billion buzzing insects all the while its red eyes studied the group of warriors that stood before it.
“What do we do now?” Grimli whispered as quietly as he could.
“We wait,”
“For what?” The Duardin hissed. But Felix did not reply. Instead he silently closed his eyes, his hand gently stroking the worried Gryph Hound that cowered at his feet, attempting to sooth the fretted beast. As it turned out, Grimli did not have to wait long. The Bird lifted its head to the sky and with a horrid chocking gargle it began to spew fire into the canopy around them. The Duardin gave a gruff gasp, as the candescent and blinding flames leapt all about them, darting and weaving around the trees until they were engulfed in a searing circle. Grimli lifted a stout hand to his face to shield his eyes from the fires that blazed with the colours of the rainbow, the heat that swallowed them building to a dizzying crescendo. Through his squinting eyes, Grimli saw the bird disappear behind the wall of flame it spewed forth, the shapes of Felix and the Stormcast became dark, burning shadows in the blazing inferno that encircled them. He managed to glimpse the last shapes of scorched trees and blackened leaves before they too gave way to the searing fire, the colourful flames soon built to an unbearable white heat. Grimli snarled viciously as he felt his eyes glaze and dry in the heat and finally he surrendered, slamming his eyes shut and flinging his short arms before his face, in one last desperate attempt to escape the fire that enclosed them.
His sight however still blazed white, even behind his closed eyes and his ears rang with the sounds of scorched earth and wood blistering and crackling. He was sure he could stand the gathering heat no longer, and was waiting for the flames to begin licking at his body, ready to consume him in this unbearable inferno. However, the scorching kiss of the fire never touched him, and soon the sounds, smells and blinding light of the fire disappeared. His sight returned to darkness and only the feverish pound of his heart could be heard over his short shallow breath.
Steadying his breathing and quieting his troubled thoughts, Grimli slowly lowered his arms back to his side, and allowed his eyes to open. It took a while for the light that had been burned onto his retina’s to finally fade and for the heat haze to lift from his eyes allowing him to focus. He found himself in a darkened chamber, lit by lurid blue torches that stood along the chamber wall. Beneath his feet was a network of intricately decorated blue and gold tiles that stretched out grandly the length of the huge and grand hall. In the distance the Duardin could spot a swirling blue portal that held the ominous and unmistakably air of welcoming. The Cogsmith took a deep breath steadying himself for what was no doubt the beginning of their task. Felix Zeal suddenly stepped beside him with a silent rush of his robes and as he rested a soft hand on Grimli’s shoulder he said with a grim determination.
“Welcome to the Silver Tower Master Ironhand.”
Battle Report:
First out the blocks was the shortest of them all, determined to prove himself and probably a little drunk, Grimli stumbled into the first room which contained 1 Acolyte per player and a couple spare. A bleary eyed Grimli missed with his first shots but had a kill by the end of his turn. Felix was feeling brave and went next, he caused wounds on anything that moved and got his kill. Manfred was the next to step through the portal and selflessly stunned every enemy in the room at the expense of getting his own kill. Norman must have been drinking with Grimli because he missed his 3+ to hit attack 3 times, did this guy have a license for that sword?! He finally did land a hit on a weakened enemy and got a kill. A poor first turn from the Sigmarites. After finally clearing this room they moved into the next chamber and discovered a library that was guarded by a tough looking Pink Horror. The Company of Sigmar needed to toughen up. Manfred was up first but both him and Norman could barely scratch the pink beast, Grimli bravely hid behind Norman the knight and shot many holes in the ceiling as his seemingly endless pistol shots continuously missed, he finally found his mark before running out of ammunition. Felix stepped up and slew the Pink Horror only for an Ogroid Thaumaturge to turn up followed by a group of tied up strangers. The noble Company of Sigmar did the honourable thing and set the strangers free, only for them to reveal themselves as Acolytes and attack us. Oh that's nice! They caused the Sigmarites 7 wounds and we failed every Armour Save! We cleared out the room and Grimli fired 1 million shots at the Ogroid and down it came!
Just as we were starting to get confident we ended up stuck in a room which could potentially cause us major damage and to top it there were two Pink Horrors launching fire at us! Felix was stuck in the corner, if he moved he would lose three wounds. So he stood still! Grimli's guns did the hard work and sent him 8 spaces around the Fate Board and the rest of the group got through without too much trouble. Next up we found the final room, there were two beams of searing light that we could potentially control, this gave the game a brilliant new element. The highlight of this section was Fido the Gryph Hound finishing off a Pink Horror! Who's a good boy! We eventually figured out the puzzle and released the beast. It was only the Gaunt Summoner! Albeit a weakened version, he didn't cause us many problems though and each member did a lot of damage. The final kill went to Grimli (who else!) and therefore he got the first piece of Amulet, Hysh.
The Company of Sigmar
The Fragment of Hysh.
Part Two: The Unwelcome Guest.
It had appeared from no-where. The walls which appeared to be solid rock all around them had suddenly began to trickle and run constantly moving and shifting before their eyes. Grimli had begun to fear the roof would collapse above their heads as the walls continued to melt, until he felt droplets patter against his heavy iron helmet and looked up to see the ceiling was trickling too, dripping like ice thawing in the sun. Fido the Gryph Hound began to growl and bark viciously startling the group, the loyal beast hunkered down on its hind legs as if ready to pounce. Grimli joined his comrades in looking all about them, eager to locate the unseen threat that had spooked the Hound, but the source of the beast’s anxiety soon announced itself with a furious roar. The far eastern wall of the chamber suddenly exploded in a cascade of molten rock, showering the company with searing hot droplets. The Ogriod had burst through the solid rock as if it were emerging from behind some torrid waterfall and roared into life immediately.
The Knight Questor barely had time to lift his shield to protect himself from the incoming swing of the Ogroids meaty fists. The metallic clang resounded out as he was sent sprawling across the room in a rattle of armour. The Ogriod sprang after him, covering the chamber in two heaving strides raised a cloven hoof high ready to stamp the Knight, who was awkwardly gathering himself from the floor. Grimli drew his pistols from their holsters and was about to unleash a barrage of bullets when Fido suddenly leapt at the mighty beast.
“Fido!” Felix exclaimed, “Down! Get back!” But the little beast was enraged by the engorged monster and ran about its meaty legs ripping and tearing at its heels with its sharp beak. The Ogroid let out a hiss of fury and was distracted just long enough, for the knight to manoeuvre himself out of the way of the incoming stamp. The Ogroid’s hoof smashed a crater into the chamber floor where the Knight’s head had been merely moments before. The Ogroid swung his hefty staff, that oozed red smoke, around him but the nimble hound was always just out of reach.
“Fido!” Felix ordered furiously, “Get back!” But still the Gryph Hound, who was so often obedient to a fault, ignored his master’s orders and ripped a great chunk from the monster’s Achilles heel. It let out a vicious wail and whipped its tail in a razor sharp arc. The little Hound skipped away from the blow, strange blue blood oozing from the ripped flesh dangling from its mouth. The Ogriod lunged at the Hound its massive frame belying its speed and this time managed to pluck the creature from the floor. It began to yelp and writhe helplessly in the beasts grip. Felix gave a startled cry and Grimli levelled his pistols at the Ogroid once again bracing himself to fire.
“No!” Felix screamed and threw his entire weight into the stout Duardin knocking him clean off of his feet. The pistols fell from his grasp and their barrels exploded with fire as they hit the floor, the tinny screams of the shot ricocheted around the chamber.
“I’m trying to help!” Roared Grimli scrambling to retrieve his weapons.
“By shooting Fido!?”
“He was perfectly safe! I don’t miss!” Grimili exclaimed clambering to his feet, “Best shot in the realm remember?” But Felix was already in motion, sprinting towards the mammoth beast his warhammer raised high. He swung his hefty weapon and rapped the Ogriod’s knuckles, the beast recoiled and Fido dropped to the floor and gave a grateful howl as it hurried around its master’s feet. But Felix now stood before the enraged creature that towered over him in a looming mass of bizarre blue muscle. It launched a heavy fist out at the Warpriest, who just managed to turn aside the incoming blow with a nimble flick of his weapon, but he lost his balance deflecting the forceful strike, and the beast was quick to fling it a powerful forearm across his chest sending Felix sprawling. He gave a great shout of pain as he landed in a heap on the floor.
The Lord Castellant was the first to his aid, the towering warrior leapt forward and with a sweep of his halberd carved a gory canyon across the the Ogroid’s abdomen. But the beast was not deterred by the wound, and spurred into a great fury it unleashed a great gout of blazing purple fire from its arcane staff. The Castellant disappeared beneath the blazing fireball and when the fires subsided he was on his hands and knees, his armour smouldering. The Knight Questor was quick to gather Felix from the floor, who clutched his chest with a great grimace of agony, his Warhammer slipping from his grasp and landing with a heavy clang on the stone floor. He hurried him away as fast as he could, Fido the ever loyal hound guarding their escape with a fearsome growl. But the Ogriod would not be deterred so easily and with a hideous grin advanced towards the vulnerable warriors.
Grimli holstered his pistols, and with a look of grim determination pulled the Grudgeraker rifle that was slung around his shoulder into his hands. He loosed an expert shot with barely any time to focus his aim, and the shot bore deep into the Ogroid’s shoulder disappearing into its strange flesh with a gory splash of sapphire. But the great beast barely registered the shot and continued its advance upon the wounded Felix and the Knight Questor; who was wrestling with the cumbersome dead weight of his wounded comrade and holding his grand shield aloft in some form of defence against the Ogroid.
Grimli slotted another round into the chamber and no sooner had it fallen into place he fired it, the bullet burying itself into the beasts hip. The Orgoid missed a half-step but paid no more heed to the Duardin’s attempts to thwart his rampage, and as he reached the scrambling Knight, he swung his staff in a great sweeping arc that passed across the warrior’s shield in a blue blaze. The Knight’s shield flew from his grasp and rattled across the chamber floor. He tossed Felix behind his massive golden body as delicately as he could and raised his sword high before him in a brave fighting stance. The Orgoid wielded his arcane staff as a club now and rained down a hefty blow that would have smashed a mortal man into a bloodied pulp. The Knight swiftly turned aside the blow with a great clang of his sword and lunged forward carving a gory line in the Ogroids’ thigh. The beast immediately lashed out with its meaty leg and a mammoth hoof landed with a gory crunch onto the Knight’s breastplate. He fell backwards with a clatter and his helm lashed against the chamber floor with the force of the fall. The Ogroid wasted no time in pressing home its advantage and with both hands wrenched his staff downwards in a monstrous killing blow. With a mighty bellow that startled Grimli the Knight swung his sword and at the last moment managed to parry the incoming blow, directing it into the chamber floor where the force of the blow smashed a great crater in the rock. The Ogroid was readying itself to lunge again, the Knight scrambling to get to his feet, still holding his sword high when Grimli hunkered down low onto the floor. He buried the butt of the rifle into his shoulder and levelled a keen eye into the Grudgerakers sight. The Knight would not be able to defend himself much longer against such a brutal onslaught and the Duardin knew he had to get his shot right. He sucked in a great breath and as he released it in a slow grumble he squeezed the trigger. The shot roared and landed home just as the Ogroid was raising his fists to strike the Knight again. The Ogroid gave a great howl as its left eye exploded in a torrid mess of purple gore. Its head kicked back so hard that it stumbled backwards in two or three heavy footed strides that shook the room. It fell against the east wall where with another splash of molten rock, it vanished back to wherever it came from as it disappeared into the chamber wall.
The room fell silent and the walls and ceiling that had rippled and moved and melted, once again fell still. Grimli slung the rifle back over his shoulder and made his way towards the Knight Questor that was still staggering to his feet.
“Best shot on the realm!” The Duardin announced proudly with a hearty grin. The Knight Questor merely looked at him and gave a slow, solemn nod before he rose grandly to his feet and loomed over the Cogsmith. The Duardin waited for some word of thanks, but the silent Stormcast merely turned and helped Felix back to his feet, who was regaining some of his breath and relaxing his hold on his chest. “Nothing!” The Cogsmith exclaimed, “You have nothing to say about that!” The Knight turned slowly.
“I had it covered,” He said slowly, his voice resonated from his lips as if he were standing in a grand hall. Grimli’s mouth fell open and any retort he had was by passed by a great roar of laughter that slowly spread around the group of warriors until it filled the room with a joy rarely heard in the hellish Silver Tower.
Post Game:
Result: Success! But it's a stuttering start. They would need to pull it together if they wanted success later on.
Thoughts: The Sigmarites can deal a lot of damage when they hit but the dice gods often prove that 1 is their favourite number! Felix's healing prowess will be key, but with a very poor save and a low damage output he'll have to remain off the front lines most of the time! Grimli can deal massive damage with his Grudgeraker but it's feeling a little overpowered at this early point in the game; hopefully it'll balance out nearer the end of the Quest, otherwise the constant dice rolling will get a little tedious especially if it's making the game too easy.
Outcome:
Manfred:
Treasure: None.
Skills: None.
Norman:
Treasure: Warpstone bomb
Skills: Living Fortress
Grimi:
Treasure: None.
Skills: Battlewrath
Amulet Pieces: Hysh
Felix:
Treasure: Death Rune and the Eye of Phorus
Skills: Eye of Fate
Current Score:
Company of Sigmar:
Rounds played: 1
Amulet pieces: 1
The Trinity and The Traitor:
Rounds played: 0
Amulet pieces: 0
Please comment below with your Silver Tower experiences, let us know how many rounds you gathered all 8 amulet pieces in and whether or not you defeated the Gaunt Summoner! Which characters are best to use in teams of four? Would you use a themed team or a hyped up team? We would love to hear from you! Happy Wargaming!
