The Nameless laughed, a dry wheezing sound like wind through a graveyard, and formed his troops up. On either side of him, there were two units of three demon wings. Close by were four Dark Eyes. The Damned was bringing up the rear.
On the right flank, four Jackals and their leader lay hiding with their crossbows. The Jackal Scout and the Shadow Stalker both were there to see what those foolish Elves of Helios were doing in the jungle.
Initiative was won, but the Devout waited (popped a card of Bryon's!) and revealed a unit of three spearmen and a leader, on the left flank. The hidden units and dummy cards all moved until the trap could be sprung. The Jackal Clan Scout was the first model to appear on the board, and the Elves had been all but revealed!! Mwahahahaha!
The Helios Elves had two squads of three spearmen, and a leader, two squads of three Keepers of the Flame and a leader, three Archers and a leader. For individuals, there were one Lotus Eater, one Warrior of the Sun, two Warriors of the Golden Mask, and a Flying Dragonbane, poised in the air in the middle of their ranks.
The first turn set the tone for the game. I flew my Demon Wings, both squads way out, supported by the fast movement of the Damned and the Dark Eyes. Of course the Nameless was in the middle of it all to lead from the front. Initiative was won, as the Dark One smiled favorably. The Nameless commanded the Dark Eyes and a squad of Demon Wings, and tore into the ranks of Helios. The Keepers of the Flame fought valiantly and did not break, and the Spearmen managed to bring down the Damned, but ultimately, with the Flying Dragonbane brought down by the spears of the Demon Wings, the flank was won. Even the Lotus Eater, with her Flame Elemental, was overrun, and brought down.
The right flank was tied up, with the Elves having to waste time, not knowing what was hidden over there. They finally committed and made short work of the Jackal Crossbowmen.
At this time, the battle was being fought for a single piece of ground, a large mound, with two giant mushrooms limiting movement along the top of the ring. The Elves had their archers, the Warrior of the Sun, a squad of Keepers, and a squad of Spearmen. Again, the Nameless led the charge. He tore into the Elves hero before finally being brought down by the archers, who continued to shoot, even into close combat, but they were no match for the Dark Eyes the Jackal Clan Scout, and the Shadow Stalker, who appeared late in the game, but provided support at the right time.
The Elves fled, wondering if a job in sales would be better than fighting the Devout.
All in all a great street fight battle, at 1000 points, in the jungle. Funny that, in the jungle. We went with all the same rules, squad size, no standard bearers, rolling for damage, and it still played fairly quickly, and as usual, we had a blast. Thanks for a great game Bryon, and I'm dreading the day you master another army list.