Weekend at Burnies 3: Ultramarines vs Word Bearers

Pootle here again with a write-up of my fourth and final game at Weekend at Burnies. 

I was only intending to do brief narrative write-ups for my games, but the final match-up was a humdinger against the Word Bearers, and as it was against such a fabled opponent and Weekend at Burnies is all about the narrative, I couldn't resist tying all four games together into one story. Part one (the introductory story and details of my army) is here and part two (summary narrative report of the first three games, and an important introduction to this story) is here.

My opponent was Gavin with his fantastically painted Word Bearers. Now, as an Ultramarines player I'm supposed to hate these guys, but wow! I'm pasting in the narrative background to his army from one of his recent Instagram posts (@imp3ri3x). As is usually the case, photos just don't do them justice!

Kor Draxos

Chaos Lord Kor Draxos and the 119th Warhost of the presumed long dead Word Bearers of the Perpetual Spiral.

Usul Lord Discordant

The Perpetual Spiral was a Chapter of the Word Bearers Space Marine Legion that possessed a proud and illustrious history dating back to the earliest days of the XVIIth Legion, when they were known as the Imperial Heralds.

Drachmor Master of Possession
& a greater Possessed

The 119th Warhost and their Chaos Cultist allies fled into the Maelstrom and established a base on the Daemon World of Ghalmek in the early 31st Millennium in the wake of the Horus Heresy's Battle of Calth.

Dru-Zod Ancient Contemptor Dreadnought

Ghalmek is a Daemon World and a Hell-Forge of the Dark Mechanicus controlled by the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, wholly given over to the worship of the Ruinous Powers. 

It is from this factory-world, located within the Warp rift known as the Maelstrom in the Segmentum Ultima, that the Word Bearers of the 119th Warhost lead by the brutal Kor Draxos launch twisted wars of faith against the Imperium. There is little other information within official Imperial records about this Heretic-controlled world that has long since fallen to the malefic horrors of Chaos.

Word Bearers Battalion Detachment

• HQ - Chaos Lord in Terminator Armour - Combi-Melta, Power Maul, Relic: The Cursed Crozius. Warlord Trait: Exalted Possession. Mark of Khorne.
• HQ - Master of Possession - Cursed Earth, Infernal Power, Additional Relic: The Malefic Tome. Mark of Tzeentch.
• HQ - Lord Discordant - Additional Relic: Crown of the Blasphemer, Mark of Khorne
• Troops - 11 Chaos Cultists - Autoguns, 1 with Flamer, Mark of Slaanesh
• Troops - 11 Chaos Cultists - Autoguns, 1 with Flamer, Mark of Slaanesh
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines - Champion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist, 1 Marine with Plasma Gun, Mark of Slaanesh
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines - Champion with Plasma Pistol and Chain Axe, 1 Marine with Plasma Gun, Mark of Slaanesh
• Elites - 2 Greater Possessed - Mark of Khorne
• Elites - Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought - Hellforged Dreadnought Chainfist, Heavy Flamer, Twin Lascannon, Mark of Slaanesh
• Elites - 9 Possessed - Mark of Khorne
• Fast Attack - 1 Chaos Spawn - Mark of Khorne
• Heavy Support - Venomcrawler - Mark of Slaanesh
• Heavy Support - Venomcrawler - Mark of Slaanesh
• Heavy Support - Venomcrawler - Mark of Slaanesh
• Dedicated Transport - Rhino - Mark of Khorne
• Flyer - Heldrake - Baleflamer, Mark of Slaanesh

"Contact, dead ahead sir: Word Bearers!" The tech driving the Razorback Iram Fidei spits the final words out. Deartur looks up and calmly nods acknowledgment. He speaks briefly into his vox, informing Captain Praesidio, and then crisply issues his orders, "Arrius: disembark your squad and secure this building to provide covering fire. Apophaso: advance on the daemon engines to our right and destroy them. Cor Gloria and Memorius will provide covering fire."

A barrage of gunfire erupts across the line. Despite the heat haze confusing Cor Gloria's targeters, intense Melta fire from the Bikes cuts through the daemonic armour of one of the Venomcrawlers, which  explodes violently, embedding shrapnel in its tainted companions. 

A harsh keening sound can be heard overhead even through the thick armour of the Razorback. Deartur looks up at the tactical display as a Heldrake soars across the ruined cityscape, spitting fire into Squad Arrius and felling two battle brothers.

A Traitor Rhino races up the narrow street towards Iram Fidei, belching smoke that doesn't quite conceal the lumbering form of a Contemptor Dreadnought and a squad of Chaos Marines who advance behind the cover of the APC. 

On the Ultramarine right flank, the surviving Daemon Engines scuttle forwards, slowed  only slightly by the ruined terrain. Despite a barrage of overwatch fire, two Venomcrawlers crash into the Bikes and methodically tear the unit apart. They roar in bestial delight as they stuff writhing riders into their maws.

On the Word Bearer's right flank, a lone Spawn slinks forwards, sniffing delicately at the scent of Ultramarines in the air.

The Contemptor raises its Lascannon and takes aim at the Razorback. But the smoke-filled street means that its shots don't find their mark, or bounce off the sanctified armour.

A dozen blue icons flash up on Deartur's tactical display: Brother Chaplain Sirius accompanied by the Terminators of Squad Culmus, and, perfectly coordinated with the incoming teleportation, Captain Praesidio guarded by Sergeant Tarantus's Vanguard Veterans appear behind the Word Bearers right flank. The Veterans charge into a squad of Cultists cowering in a nearby ruin, tearing them limb from limb, whilst Praesidio, Sirius and the Terminators attack the Contemptor from behind. Bellowing oaths of vengeance for what happened on Calth, the Terminators punch huge holes in the Dreadnought and it falls to the ground. Seeking to ensure that its occupant is truly dead, one of the marines accidentally detonates the power source and a blast surges across the Ultramarines.

As if in answer to the explosion, the doors of the Rhino burst asunder and the transport gives birth to a seething mob of tentacled and taloned traitor Marines possessed by Khornate daemons. Recognising their ancient enemy, they tear at each other in order to be first to reach the Ultramarines. The five Terminators step forwards, locking shields to protect their two leaders as a nightmarish wave of flesh and claws, still hung with the remnants of power armour breaks on them like a festering tsumami. 

Nothing can resist their charge as gutteral oaths, only just discernible as seeking vengeance for what happened on Monarchia, escape their ruined throats. 

Nothing except the holy Terminator armour of Squad Culmus. Ten thousand years they have waited for this moment of vengeance and not one marine is brought down by Khorne's fury expressed so inelegantly through these Possessed marines.

Once the wave breaks, it is time for the Thunder Hammers and Lightning Claws to speak once more. As one they raise their weapons, chanting one syllable repeatedly, and cutting down the front rank of Possessed, "Calth! Calth! Calth!"

Seeing their minions falter, the leaders of the 119th warhost step forwards. Lord Kor Draxos bellows in fury as he charges headlong into Squad Fortactus, laying about him with his Cursed Crozius. At every stroke a marine dies and within seconds he is ululating atop a pile of Ultramarine corpses.

Usul, Lord Discordant, sees in Cor Gloria a target worthy of his ire. His Helstalker mount clatters across the rubble and ploughs into the Land Raider, slashing back and forth with its eviscerating claws. But the Techmarines have been zealous with their prayers and though the armour buckles and bends and some weapons are torn free of the chassis, Usul is cheated of his victory.

Meanwhile, the Ultramarine right flank is dissolving; Attack Bike Memorius torn apart by the twin attentions of a Venomcrawler and the Heldrake.

Back on the imperial left flank the Ultramarines execute a textbook training-ground manoeuvre: Captain Praesidio orders Culmus and his Terminators to fall back and re-engage the Lord Discordant. As the surviving Possessed surge forwards to counterstrike, Tarantus's Veterans swoop in to replace the Terminator line and dispatch the disoriented Chaos Marines.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Praesidio raise their Combi-Meltas and turn the two Chaos Marines shielding Kor Draxos to molten slag. Sirius chants an ancient mantra and swings his sanctified crozius experimentally through the air as he strides towards his foe. Time seems to slow down as Sirius rains blows on the Chaos Lord. Kor Draxos parries one, two, three blows with his own twisted version of Sirius's weapon, but two mighty blows land and the ancient enemy falls to the earth. Sirius prepares a final, killing blow, but a weakened Kor Draxos murmurs, "We shall meet again Chaplain of the Corpse Emperor...and next time you shall join your God in death..." before his shattered body is teleported away to safety. 

Desperate to save the Land Raider, Culmus and his Terminators crash through a ruined building and rain blows onto Usul's Helstalker mount, smashing legs and cutting cables. Usul ignores the puny marines and targets Cor Gloria with all his remaining energy, desperate to bury his mount's head in the Land Raider's engine. But he is tiring and his Helstalker is crippled by the Terminators' blows. Gouts of smoke pour from the tank, but it still functions...barely.

The weather patterns on Hendris are fickle and although the sky was clear earlier, storm clouds have rapidly appeared overhead, mirroring the anger displayed on the ground. Lightning splits the atmosphere as the two sides fall back from each other, exhausted; each side holding one half of the battlefield. 

They rest briefly, gathering their remaining strength. This battle is not yet over. It has lasted ten thousand years already and will continue a while longer...

Locker Room

I wish I could continue the story, but we were out of time! Appropriately both sides were level on 20VPs each at the end of turn three and we reckoned that although my Ultramarines had more bodies left on the ground to fight, it wouldn't be possible to stop the Word Bearers holding their three objectives before the end of turn 5, so we called the game as a draw. 

And frankly, I wouldn't have wanted any other result. We battered each other senseless, with the game swinging one way and then the other. Probably the most critical point was when the Possessed crashed into my Terminators: Gavin rolled a 1 for the number of attacks for them and, coupled with the cramped street (and a desire to stay out of Heroic Intervention range of my Captain and Chaplain), this limited the number of attacks that made it through. Even so I proceeded to make an unfeasible number of armour saves (eight 3+ saves on my Storm Shields). That combat could so easily have gone the other way and would quite probably have led to a victory for the Word Bearers.

Huge thanks to Gavin for being a great opponent (and such a beautiful army - it was an absolute pleasure to play against). Playing Ultramarines against Word Bearers was a fantastic way to end an amazing weekend of 40k. I really have run out of superlatives! 

To wrap things up, I want to thank Andy Burn again for organising the event. I also need to thank the team helping to organise things, particularly Monkey (the leader of my faction, the Alliance), Sultan (who tried to give me use of a Knight in the game against Chris B; yes, I should have taken it), Brapscallion (who, despite being the leader of a different faction, did give me a great stratagem to use in this last game, though again I decided not to use it as the game was so closely balanced), Joe (leader of the Cabal faction and another person running around many tables ensuring games were as fun as possible) and everyone else who made this such an enjoyable weekend. Last but certainly not least, a big thank you to Stylus for inviting me to the event in the first place!