The Bitter Harvest
"Now that Grallem Vallkern is under my control, don't you think it is time we resume searching for the Twisted Oak?". Kalyustar stared into the empty eye sockets of the Shadeglass Skull.
'Ah... Soulchemist, I can see you have not forgotten about that tree', its answer came as the usual subtle whisper. 'It worries that nobody has found it yet, doesn't it?'
"It does... but I heard that the captain of the Grieving Princess is searching for it. And the talk in the inns is that he is following a detailed map to it."
'And didn't you hear that it came down in Crow Wood?'
"What? The Rotmoons can see Crow Wood from the skydock!"
'And what do you plan to do, Soulchemist?'
"We travel light. Let us hunt some orruk!"
In the waning light of day, hundreds of crows cawed among the trees, their droppings fouling the scattered scrolls and pages of log books left in the wake of the Grieving Princess crash. In eary silence, Kalyustar led the Cursed Company out of a pumpkin field and into Crow Wood.
Suddenly, the crows took flight in massive flocks, startled by upbeat seashanties sung by gruff and out of tune voices. With their usual subtlety, the Rotmoons stomped forward, Kaptain da Leeva in the lead.
With a flicker of his hand, Kalyustar infused Keinrich with necromantic energy. The Seneschal rushed forward, grabbing a log book and a scattering of scrolls.
Bellowing in rage, da Leeva order his crew to grab what they could while he rushed forward to catch Keinrich. But Kalyustar motioned Krunti to intercept the Big Boss, ancient racial memories stirring inside its duardin skull.
Dragante and his mates approached from the north, stomping over one of the halberdiers but unable to best the Gor.
Grellem marched on from the south with his own retinue, commandering Tollich to surge forward through the orruk gun smoke.
Kaptain da Leeva impaled Krunti with a flourish of his cutlass.
Kalyustar stood firm as the Rotmoons took potshots at him, returning fire with his sorcerous blasts while raising Krunti again and sending the duardin to claim the log book held by Bold Rick.
Exahusted from his efforts, Kalyustar could only watch as Krunti shambled back to him and Dragante hacked it from behind.
Sheltering behind the fence of the pumpkin field, the Gor hold long enough for Redghar's party to drag themselves forward and overwhelm Awkwardo.
Keinrich found itself beset by Dudoso and Percy Percy. Hard pressed, the Seneschal took a defensive stance, its zweihandler deflecting graceless blows but unable to land any telling strike.
Grellem Vallkern and the rest of the Cursed Company closed in, preventing the embattled Tollich from being ganged up by El Doctoro, Bortagno and Tambor.
As night closed in, Kalyustar and da Leeva stared at each other over the wrecked cargo of the Grieving Princess. Animalistic as it was, the orruk had enough cunning to see the battle was at a standstill. And Kalyustar knew that made it extremely dangerous to be so close to him. Wrapping the night around himself and his minions, the necromancer withdrew.
'One of your champions and one of your soldiers badly damaged by a bunch of brutes, and what for?' the Shadeglass Skull voice came, dripping with mockery.
"I've taken as many of their crew down. And I've secured plenty of scrolls and..."
'But so did the Rotmoons, didn't they?'
"Yes!" Kalyustar had to admit with frustration. "It was a bitter harvest for the both of us. But I know where da Leeva will head to count his loot."
'Relentless and constantly hatching new plans... as I said, Soulchemist, you keep amazing me'.
***
Saul's side of the story is here.
The Vantage Point
Kalyustar's mind strained to control the gheists flittering around Kaptain da Leeva and his lieutenants. Keeping them from attacking the orruks and rather only pull and tug at the needles of their two aetheric compasses was essential for his plan to succeed. Through the gheists' witchsight, the necromancer could sense the Kaptain's mounting frustration.
"It's no good scribbling and squinting at that device", the massive orruk bursted out. "We have to get up high and have a proper look at our surroundings. There's no other bearings that matter" he grawled. "I have an idea where we can go."
As predictable as any animal! He would now head to the nearby skydock with all his wretched crew.
'And why do you need them there, Exile?' came the mind-whisper of the Shadeglass Skull. 'How does that serve the Master?'
"He is nowhere to be found after his trip to Hysh", Kalyustar snapped back. "But it serves me that the Rotmoon waste the night at the skydock".
'Yes? And how?'
"Something stirred in Hysh after the Master fell, something He was unable to see and enslave to His will. Something that I will bring to the Harrowmark and enslave to my will!"
'You never stop to amaze me, Exile...'
Evening winds swept the skydock platform as Kaptain da Leeva and his crew approached it. Tollich and a handful of skeleton were ready to welcome them.
The two parties advanced, squaring up to each other across the skydock courtyard.
Kalyustar threw his bait at the orruk captain, approaching from the south while the party led by Keinrich came in from the north-east.
As the necromancer had hoped, Da Leeva responded in kind, calling forth the rest of his crew to deploy mirroring the Cursed Company's approaches.
Da Leeva ordered the deckhands nearby to hold off the skeletal swordmen while he climbed up the inner stairs of the skydock.
A first swordmen fell to the orruks' crude blades just as Kalyustar reached the edge of the courtyard, infusing Tollich with unnatural vitality.
The Seneschal rushed up to the platform, his barrow zweihandler biting deep into Da Leeva's chest. The Kaptain staggered back but kept his footing on the edge of the platform. His return blow smashed through Tollich's guard.
Kalyustar puppeteered one of the halberdiers up to the platform, keeping up the impression of a hard fought battle. Again the orruks took the bait, Bortagno rushing to the side of his Kaptain and toppling the skeleton down the platform.
As the halberdier's bones plummeted to the courtyard, the final ray of sunlight faded and the dark night of Shyish claiming the Harrowmark. With a smirk of satisfaction under his mask, Kalyustar called for a retreat, leaving the deckhands to join their officers inside the skydock. The Rotmoons can keep their 'vantage' point now that darkness made it useless. As for him, the losses would be easily replaced. It was now time to move undisturbed to the real vantage point, the Haunted Gate.
There, the Necromancer forced the gate to open upon the Lux Umbra of the Prime Dominion. From there, a royal figure stepped through, clad in ancient verdigrised armour.
"Who dares disturb Alti's Hand?" the rattling figure's voice sounded imperious and yet baffled.
"Silence!" boomed Kalyustar "A masterless Hand has no right to challenge me, Kalyustar, Soulchemist of the Harrowmark, formelry of the Gilded Hand. You will bow to me, Grellem Vallkern!"
The Wight King's will strained against Kalyustar's, but the recent demise of Mithridates Alti made him weak, just as the Soulchemist had expected.
Slowly, the knee of the royal skeleton bent, his armour joints creacking. His voice came out in a whizzling of resignation.
"Grellem Vallkern serves you, master".
'So that was what you had in mind, Soulchemist!' came the voice of the Shadeglass Skull 'Just remember, my friend, everything and everyone serves the Master in the end'.
"I haven't forgotten that"
"Yes? Is this why you enjoyed so much being called by the title that is only His? Master..."
***
Saul's side of the story is here.
"Kraevahn's Survivors", 163rd Grenadiers
The New Drekport Corps, given their remote location at the fringes of Imperial space, seldom had the chance to fight alongside Schola Progenium-trained Tempestus Scions. For this reason, they maintained a grenadier corp, recruited from veterans of the regular infantry platoons and trained in the use of carapace armour and hot-shot las-weaponry. These grenadier platoons were at the forefront of the system defense when the Malfactus Rift opened. The 163rd, under the command of Captain Kraevahn and at the time at full strength, were sent to Beloch with orders to protect the planet's hives and their factoria.
As they withstood dozens of Renegade and Xenos raids, the 163rd became excellent city fighters, able to survive and prevail in the tangled urban war zones of Beloch. Even when warp rifts opened on the planet itself disgorging tides of daemons, the 163rd kept fighting to ensure the evacuation of crucial assets from Beloch's main spaceport. The nightmarish siege saw the 163rd ground down by wave after wave of daemons, Captain Kraevahn and his Command Squad along with a depleted squad led by Corporal Transk the only members of the platoon to board the last cargo ship leaving Beloch.
Ever since, Kraevahn's Survivors have kept operating as higly specialised fire teams, fighting either on their own or reinforcing the "Hot Heads" of the 5th Irregulars. These hardened veterans have carried out countless raids on every planet in the New Drekport system, denying resources to renegades and xenos alike, and learning all the wily tricks the Administratum does not print in the Imperial Primer.
I've painted Kraevahn's Survivors to match the 5th Irregulars, thus with Black Templar highlighted Eshin Grey for the armour, Talassar Blue highlighted Alaitoc Blue for the fatigue and Goregrunta fur highlighted with Balor Brown for the leather. This time, however, I started from a 3-stages zenithal highlight: flat black, grey at a 45º angle and white at a 90º angle. I based the weapons with Leadbelcher and then washed them twice, first with Nuln Oil and then with Agrax Earthshade. Cables and grenades were picked up in green and red.
Captain Kraevahn (Tempestor)
Private Valbek (Tempestus Scions Comms)
Gunner Lensk (Tempestus Scions Gunner with Grenade Launcher)
Gunner Pajk (Tempestus Scions Gunner with Hot-shot Volley Gun)
Gunner Rausch (Tempestus Scions Gunner with Plasma Gun)
Doc Tyborc (Tempestus Scions Trooper with Medi-kit)
Colour Sergeant Keist (Tempestus Scions Trooper with Platoon Banner)
Corporal Transk (Tempestus Scions Trooper with Scion Blade)
Troopers Voorsch and Dovorr (Tempestus Scions Troopers with Frag Grenade)
The urban camo pattern on Transk's, Voorsch's and Dovorr's cloack is what I'm happiest about. I basecoated them Celestra Grey, washed Nuln Oil, hedge highlighted Ulthuan Grey and then stippled patches of Abaddon Black. Using a smaller brush I then stippled White Scar on top of the black patches once they were dry.
