8th Edition Battlereport - 1750pts. Blood Angels vs. Death Guard vs. Drukhari

"I wasn't worried when the Drukhari swept to the container area. But I was terrified when we noticed, that the Space Marines who answered our distress beacons had spikes on their helmets!"

+++FALL OF AURELIUS V+++

The distress signals were sent immediately as the Drukhari raiding party appeared at the outskirts of the City XII on Aurelius V. During the first hours of the attack, a good number of citizens of the XII managed to flee. However, many were captured and more were killed. Some hid in the ruins and waited. As the dawn broke, those hiding in ruins heard the rumble of tracked vehicles from the West. Hope rose, but was soon met with horror, as those approaching the city were not their would-be saviours. Oh no, it was the Death Guard.

Some of the Drukhari Raiding Party

Death Guard Forces on the Western Flank

While the Drukhari with their circus retinue of terrible beasts pillaged the Eastern sector of the XII,
the forces of Death Guard took positions in the west side. Hordes of poxwalkers wandered around the vast parking area as hellbrutes and drones tainted the area with their precence. Without neither of the forces knowing, a Blood Angels Scout squad of the Battlegroup 5/2nd managed to creep close enough to guide the Hellblaster fireteams, led by a junior captain, into position. Mephiston himself, accompanied by the ancient librarian dreadnought -2-, overlooked the deployment of two intercessor squads. That was when the hell broke loose.

The Scouts gathering intelligence

+++OPEN FIRE+++

Suddenly the scouts were spotted as the 2nd intercessor squad tried to take hold of the ruins in the middle. Chaos Space Marines and Foetid Drones opened fire at the trapped scouts. Even though the squad was hunkered inside the ruins they could only withstand so much of the combined fire from the Death Guard. Before being wiped out they managed to identify a Drukhari priority target for the Death Company squad led by the company Chaplain. The High Command needed to get those pesky flyers off the skies.

"KILL THE BEAST"

The Chaplain deployed from the skies with the first squad of Death Company. They landed right next to the priority target and proceedet to utterly destroy the beast already wounded by the Hellblasters. The victory came at cost, since even tough the bloodgrazed marines managed to advance a distance towards cover, they were utterly and completely surrounded. Terrifying Drukhari firepower tore the marines to pieces and even the Chaplain finaly fell.Meanwhile a second squad of Death Company landed on the catwalks to cover the Hellblasters and destroy the Drukhari beasts circling towards the fireteams. But alas, the charge was failed.

"Surrounded? Great, we can attack in any direction!"

"Prepare!"

The Drukhari focused their weapons on the Blood Angels. The squad of intercessors in the middle were destroyed by them and some shots were fired against the forces of Death Guard also. It was worrying, that the Chaos Space Marines seemed to do nothing. They were up to something.

As the Sons of Sanguinuis were locked in combat with the Drukhari, the Death Guard made it's move. A horrible Hellbrute and a Foetid Bloat Drone advanced towards the Cemetery at the western flank of the Astartes. Another brute led a horde of poxwalkers towards the Blood Angels. The librian dreadnought, now left without the support of the intercessors, was destroyed by the heathen Las-cannons of the Death Guard.

The Battle had but begun, but the Blood Angels had already suffered substantial casualties.

Foetid Bloat Drone patrolling the area

+++PRIORITY ORDERS+++

It all became clear when the Hellbrute and the Drone emerged from the shadow of the Servitalis. The Death Guard were searching for something in the grim cemetary right next to the deployment zone of the Blood Angels. The high Command reacted and issued Priority Orders: Captain Colpire was to personaly take hold of the Tomb in the middle of the cemetary and prevent the Chaos forces from reaching it.

"Behold the Golden Host!"

Immediately the Captain accompanied by the Sanguinary Guard soared from the skies and prepared to charge. The Junior Captain ordered the Hallblasters to overcharge their incinerators and managed to severly wound the massive Hellbrute. The following charge of the Captain and the Golden Host tore the Brute into pieces and gave the opprtunity to bind the drone into combat.

As the Angels managed to seize the inititative, Mephiston also jumped into combat with the aid of the
Psychic Wings of Sanguinius. The drone was soon hacked to stinking bits of tainted steel. This gave the Captain the opportunity to retreat and take hold of the omnious grave. The remaining squad of Death Company made short work of the beasts lurking at the eastern flank, and jumped towards the middle.

+++OBJECTIVE SECURED - CAPTURE AND RETREAT+++

Suddenly a ball of blue light appeared behind the Servitalis and screaming Drukhari infantry started pouring right into the vulnerable flank of the Death Guard. At the same time Drukhari forces launched attacks against the Chaos Space Marines and Drones in the northern middle.

The Drukari Flankers

The remaining Death Company squad got caught into crossfire and were wiped out. Death Guard managed to repell the flanking Drukhari infantry and started lumbering towards the Blood Angels deployment zone. They were how ever severly slowed down by the Drukhari flyers and the Hellblasters occupying the catwalks.

The Last Thing the Death Company Marines ever saw...

The Sanguinary Guard was targeted byt the Mortars of the Death Guard and was soon reduced to but a single marine. Mephiston and the last remaining Sanguinary Guard Marine retreated to cover the Captain, who was furiously searching the grave. The remaining intercessor squad did their best to support the captain, but was soon destroyded by the Death Guards long-range weaponry. On the Eastern flank A sudden Flash of Teleporter captured the attention of the Drukhari. The Lord of Contagion had arrived right next to Drukhari main force. He had come late since at that moment Captain Colpire un-earthed the relic that the Death Guard so eagerly coveted.

"NOT TODAY!"

Utter chaos ensued as Drukhari flyers swept the skies shooting at any targets they could acquire, while the Death Guard forces tried to destroy the Angels. One of the Drukhari flyers made a strafing run towards the Captain, but his Stormshield protected him from the firepower. The Lord of Contagion prevented some of the Drukhari from joining the rest of the raid against the Death Guards flank. How ever, the Death Guard was forced to an open parking area and could not advance fast enough to charge the deployment zone of the Blood Angels. Only a handful of poxwalkers somehow managed to limp close to the captain. Their charge was less than impressive, as they were thrown assunder by the swings of the Thunderhammer.

The relic now in their hands the Blood Angels, Mephiston ordered the Astartes to retreat from the City XII and leave the xenos and the heretics in each others throats.

Final moments of the battle. The Hellblaster take aim at the flyer as Mephiston prepares to unleash rage

+++END+++

End Results:

Blood Angels 6 vp (yippee!)
Drukhari 5 vp
Death Guard 2 vp