True to form, the Dragoons deployed in a high and fortified position in the city ruins on a training planet near the Vigilus system. A Rhino with Tactical Marines, a squad of Intercessors and a squad of Infiltrators deployed in a forward position. Using the cover of the buildings, the Blood Claws led by the Terminator Battle Leader and Bjorn advanced on the opposite flank, while the smaller Grey Hunter packs deployed covering two objectives and the Fenrisian wolves outflanked. The Long Fangs were delayed and arrived late.
The buildings covered the Space Wolves advance, until the Blood Claws could assault the Infiltrators. Bjorn damaged the Rhino and the Tactical Marines that disembarked. The Space Wolves Reivers known as Morven’s Night Terrors arrived, but chose to skulk around behind a building, rather than face the guns of the Centurions.
The Infiltrators made a tactical fall back, and left the Blood Claws exposed in the line of sight of the Centurions and Devastators. The Rites of Battle of the Captain combined with the firepower of these units made short work of the exposed Blood Claws. The Fenrisian wolves and Long Fangs arrived close to the Space Wolves deployment, as the Omni-scrambler of the Infiltrators made it difficult to approach. The Long Fangs shot out the Rhino and Bjorn finished the Tactical Marines.
Unable to cover the ground to the Centurions, the Space Wolves kept in cover and failed to hold enough of the objectives. The Dragoons won the training session by a slight margin.
The Eiyoltan Craftworld had revoked its expansionist policy in the Virago sub-sector after multiple defeats and had withdrawn all of its forces back home. After the disgrace of his defeats on Rhoie, Autarch Koryo had spent the last years training and meditating in the Shrine of the Stormshadow, his old Warp Spider shrine. Contemplating surprise tactics and honing his mastery of the Warp Jump Generator, he gained new insights and perfected his flickerjump.
This new understanding proved instrumental in defence of the Craftworld, when the opening of the Great Rift enabled a Nurgle Daemon force attack. The invasion was led by the inventor of the Purple Pox, the Great Unclean One known as Poxvirid Purpur Variol. Koryo, once again leading the 4th Eiyoltan warhost as an Autarch, and the Warp Spiders of the Shrine of the Stormshadow executed precision attacks on the daemonic assailants. Koryo and four squads of Warp Spiders managed to banish Poxvirid, effectively ending the invasion. This victory redeemed Koryo in both Eiyoltan’s Autarch and Seer Councils. In recognition of his bravery and deeds during the invasion, he was renamed Koryo Stormshadow. However, the victory was bittersweet. Poxvirid had managed to infect Eiyoltan’s population with the Purple Pox. Humans infected with the Purple Pox slowly turn into Poxwalkers. The effect on Aeldari, however, was to weaken and rot their limbs. Eiyoltan responded by setting themselves in quarantine and focus all research on finding a cure. It was soon found that wraithbone slowed the spread of the disease. It swiftly became custom to graft plates of wraithbone directly into their skin. This was done as a preventive measure, to slow the spread of infections, or even replace lost limbs. The Daemon invasion and subsequent epidemic reminded the Aeldari of their mortality, steeling their will to live. This made the EiyoltanAeldari extremely durable in combat and its troops could even ignore otherwise fatal wounds.
While the majority of the ravaged Eiyoltan was rebuilding, Koryo was sent by the Seer Council to divert the Imperial Fists Successor Chapter Cartonian Dragoon forces to attack the daemonic forces of Poxvirid and his Death Guard allies.
Koryo Stormshadow and his warhost arrived back on Rhoie in the ruins of a city demolished by Chaos forces. Koryo’s long standing advisor Farseer Embarath Dreamweaver deployed on a raised platform with the Dark Reapers, overseeing the battlefield. True to form, the Space Marines reacted swiftly to the new threat. The Rhino, Dreadnought, and two Land Speeders advanced and killed the Rangers hiding in a centre ruin. The remaining Ranger squad sniped the Space Marine Lieutenant in retaliation. Farseer Embarath guided the Dark Reaper’s fire, killing half the combat squad shielding the Space Marine command officers.
The Land Speeders redeployed to secure a flank objective, while Koryo and the Warp Spiders advanced out of sight behind a ruin. The wounded Lieutenant was fully healed by the Apothecary. The Guardians hunkered down in the ruin around another objective, next to the Dire Avengers. Both remained there for the entire battle. The Fire Dragons deployed from a Webway portal to destroy the Land Speeders, doomed by Embarath. However, one severely damaged speeder remained after the attack. The guided Dark Reapers finished off the remaining combat squad in the ruins. The Rangers sniped the Lieutenant again.
A full Tactical squad disembarked from the Rhino and opened fire on the Howling Banshees in the ruins, killing all but two. The Space Marine Captain (resembling Vulkan He’stan of the Salamanders), Lieutenant, and Apothecary left the ruins and hid out of sight. The Lieutenant was again restored by the Apothecary. The damaged Land Speeder opened fire with heavy bolter and assault cannon on the Fire Dragons, killing half the squad. The Fire Dragons then executed a feigned retreat, falling back only to reverse and blast the Land Speeder to pieces. The Warp Spiders advanced around a building and killed three Tactical Marines. The Rangers switched target to the annoying Apothecary, wounding him. The Howling Banshees exited cover, damaged the Dreadnought with a lucky shot from a shuriken pistol, and then assaulted the remaining Tactical Marines together with Koryo. Unable to overwatch after being hit by the Banshees’ howl, four marines were cut down by the Aeldari Aspect Warriors.
The depleted Space Marines made a tactical retreat into the reversing Rhino, taking them out of grasp of Koryo and the Howling Banshees. The Dreadnought took their place, charging both Koryo and the Banshees. But the Dreadnought overestimated himself, as he failed to inflict any damage. In turn, Koryo’s mandiblaster wounded the ancient warrior and the Howling Banshee Exarch finished him with precision strikes from her executioner axe. The guided Dark Reapers almost destroyed the Rhino. The triumphant Howling Banshees assaulted a Tactical combat squad emerging from an objective in the rear ruins.
The Space Marine Captain charged and killed the Fire Dragon Exarch, claiming an important objective, but leaving him vulnerable to the Dark Reapers. The last three members of the Tactical squad disembarked from the Rhino, firing on, assaulting, and wounding Koryo. The Lieutenant charged the Howling Banshees and killed one, while the Banshee Exarch finished off the combat squad.
As a final act, the Warlock destroyed the Rhino with psychic power, the guided Dark Reapers annihilated the Captain, the Apothecary was liquified by a web of death spinner monofilament wires, Koryo cut down the last marines, and the Banshee Exarch beheaded the Lieutenant.
With these deaths, the Aeldari forces had total control of the battlefield. Now the final step of the plan begun. Koryo’s forces moved swiftly around the battlefield, covering their own tracks and planting evidence that the Death Guard were behind the attack. Satisfied, Koryo led his warhost back into the Webway, leaving a false trail for the imperials to find.
