High Elves Turn 1:
Alexandra knew the key to victory would be to whittle the enemy forces down at range while waiting for the Daemon Prince to come in view of the bolt throwers. He was hidden in a forest for now, so she directed her ranged forces to fire at targets of opportunity for the time being. Her bodyguard marched forward to be in range for some magic.
Her skycutters rotated into position, and Carmen swooped westward to unleash a volley against the nurgle warriors.
The phoenix and eagle hid behind an eerie ancient shrine, surveying the center from that vantage point. Agressive flanking moves from the Reavers saw them ready to harass the enemy flanks from all angles.
***
opening shotsMagic (5v4): Alexandra began by pouring just a small amount of power into a fireball, testing the enemy's magical defenses. Unfortunately, even after consulting her Book of Hoeth, she couldn't get the incantation perfect, and she thought she detected the piercing cackle of the slaaneshi Daemon Prince in the distant woods.
Carmen and her shooting forces stepped forward to cover Alexandra while she recovered her concentration. The nurgle warriors' armor proved nearly impenetrable, however, and almost no damage was done. On the east, the archers displayed exceptional accuracy, destroying the warhounds in one volley. The nearby dragon ogres were also heavily wounded, though all three continued trudging forward.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 1:
The Daemon Prince ordered a general march forward, while he himself swooped over to hide just on the other side of the ruined shrine. Only the warshrine fell back behind its own lines, doubtless intent on some mischief.
***

Magic (5v3): The Daemon Prince cleared his throat and unleashed a shrill scream, which pierced through the ruined temple and into the phoenix's eardrums. The effect was powerful, as the great bird was heavily wounded! Furthermore, it seemed confused by the noises and couldn't focus on the battle as usual. To the west, the nurgle sorcerer attempted to summon some extra flesh to protect his friends but couldn't dig deep enough into the nether realm and the spell fizzled.
In shooting, the hellcannon attempted to finish off the phoenix, but its shot was slightly off-target. Still, even the moderate force of the peripheral blast was enough to further wound the already weakened phoenix, and it was left barely clinging to life! The Daemon Prince drew back his head and considered unleashing a firey blast of breath onto the nearby reavers, but had second thoughts, as they were barely in range after all.
High Elves Turn 2:
The phoenix, still dazed from the beating it had just taken, stumbled forward several inches toward the enemy.
Fearless of the enemy chariot in the river, Alexandra's bodyguard stepped forward once again. Other units circled into better positions for shooting and countercharges. The western reavers circled behind the warshrine, daring it to step forward and be charged in the rear. The eastern reavers, however, must have been terrified of the monstrosity before them, because they froze like deer in headlights.
The lion chariot crept forward, beyond the building, to threaten the flanks of the implacably marching warriors.
***

Magic (9v5): Alexandra felt the winds blowing in her favor, and she unleashed a barrage of spells. A fireball was dispelled by the Daemon Prince, but shem's burning gaze struck the nurgle warriors. They emerged unscathed from that spell! An iceshard blizzard surrounded the furious hellcannon, but the loremaster couldn't seem to master the correct sigils to unleash spirit leech on the tzeench exalted hero, despite channeling plenty of power into the spell! She shook her head in frustration but still had enough presence of mind to pour the last of her energy into her ring of khaine, pointing it at the nurgle warriors. Once again, their armor proved true, and only one warrior fell.
In shooting, the warriors once again proved impervious to the hail of arrows and bolts aimed their way. The western bolt thrower aimed at the enemy gorebeast chariot but missed as well! On the east, two dragon ogres fell to combined shooting, but the last one lumbered forward mercilessly.
Warriors of Chaos 2:
Looking to her side, Alexandra thought she detected an air of resolve amongst her clairvoyant bodyguard, even more grim than usual. Why should they be concerned? The only threat was the fairly distant chariot, and the distance between them was littered with hazardous terrain. Furthermore, she could feel the magical hum of the shield of saphery surrounding them; they would be very safe for the time being.
She was therefore not alarmed when the chariot did begin to pick up speed, crashing through the river and into the deep woods where she stood with her phoenix guard. She readied her greatsword, passed down through generations of hoeth elite swordmasters, and prepared for combat.
Elsewhere, the warriors continued their march on all fronts, but, horrifyingly, the Daemon Prince himself soared into position amongst all her troops, preparing no doubt to unleash a piercing scream into all of her units on the eastern flank! Still, his positioning was dangerous, as he was now exposed to point-blank shots from the deadly bolt throwers. Would his gambit pay off? Alexandra's forces braced themselves for the impending cacophony.
***

Magic (8v5): The Daemon Prince drew deeply from the winds of magic, but wasn't able to draw enough power and the scream fell silent too quickly, with no harm done. Left with little remaining power, the nurgle sorcerer also attempted to cast a lesser spell, but he too was unsuccessful.
The hellcannon, having contained its rampaging tendencies, also found an opening in the blizzard and managed to unleash a firey projectile! It missed completely. The Daemon Prince also decided to conserve his energy and did not elect to use his breath weapon--perhaps his lungs were already spent from so much screaming?
In combat, the chariot, in order to dodge the bolt throwers, successfully navigate the dangerous terrain, and crash into the phoenix guard, had built up a great deal of momentum! The shield of saphery completely failed at that critical moment, and many of alexandra's bodyguard fell to the impact! Though she managed to dent the machine somewhat, they could not slow its terrible momentum, and the chariot forced its way through their ranks, crushing them all beneath its immense weight! It rumbled ever forward, slamming into the skycutter which was perched behind the general's unit.
Of the 5 wounds dealt to the phoenix guard, I only saved one with the 3+ ward! Alexandra was also wounded, though she dealt one wound in return. So I lost combat by 4! I needed a 6, rerollable, to hold. I rolled 7, then 7! Finally, I rolled a 4 for my flee distance. I was really thinking that offering this charge to the chariot was a fine decision. It needed a swiftstride 8 to succeed, going through two dangerous terrain tests as well, so there were plenty of chances for it to go wrong for him. Then, it seemed unlikely that I would lose combat, certainly not by more than 1 or 2. But now I'm questioning the decision! It was certainly risky to be that close (though he rolled a swiftstride 10 on the charge, so I would have needed to be 3 inches farther backward to be totally safe. I realized later than I really should have reformed 5-wide to accept this charge (though don't you lose steadfast in a forest?)High Elves Turn 3:
Carmen siezed control of the forces. With plenty of hitting power left, she decided to take the fight to the warriors' infantry! She drank her strength potion, and she, the phoenix, the unengaged skycutter, and the lion chariot all declared charges on the tzeench warriors. However, Carmen's eagle was somehow distracted by the mayhem nearby and couldn't get airborne quickly enough! Worse, the phoenix, still evidently suffering from its wounds, could not cross the relatively short distance and close with the target either. Only the two chariots struck home--disaster! Simultaneously, the reavers, waving their banner bravely, charged into the rear of the tzeench warshrine.
The dragon princes lowered their lances and crashed into the exposed flank of the gorebeast chariot, hoping to avenge their fallen general.
***

The bolt throwers swung into action on the east, loading their heaviest bolts and aiming with deadly elven accuracy and point-blank range at the nearby Daemon Prince. However, the bolts must have been two heavy, and neither machine could hit its target! The western bolt thrower did opt for a flank shot against the nurgle warriors, and three of the huge men were skewered. A hail of arrows failed to bring any more down, however. On the east, the final dragon ogre was heavily wounded by elven bowfire, but he barely survived the onslaught!
In combat, the chariots were unable to deal much damage to the tzeench warriors, and that fight looked hopeless indeed. The dragon princes managed to dent the tough chariot, but it completely destroyed the skycutter in front of it, and it was therefore able to contain the momentum of the elven heavy cavalry.
The reavers took heavy casualties from the warshrine, but their momentum was still strong. Thanks to the watchful eye of the exalted battle standard bearer, though, the chariot held its ground! It was unable to reform, however, and the reavers remained behind it.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 3:
The Daemon Prince sensed that the spirit of his foe was broken, and he stepped forward into the rear of the dragon princes, to join the fray and finish things personally. The wounded dragon ogre stepped forward, intent on destroying the eagle harassing its front.
***

Magic (6v4): With no enemy spellcaster to vie against, the Daemon Prince once again raised a shattering scream, this time drawing so much power that the spell was irresistibly cast! The scream was earth-shattering, and elves in all directions perished in the terrifying mayhem! The phoenix was slain, the swordmasters decimated and forced to withdraw, the dragon princes unhorsed to a man, Carmen knocked to the ground, the sisters turned to ash, and bolt thrower left with no crew alive to man it! Only the eastern archers were left relatively unscathed, as only one toppled to the ground.
cacophonic indeedAmongst the carnage, a hellcannon missile could be seen crashing into the ground, but there was nothing left to destroy. The tattered, leaderless remnants of the elven force gathered what they could and raced back to their ships, bearing their unconscious commanders on stretchers improvised from the oversized leaves of the jungle foliage.
result: ignominous defeatanalysis to follow