Lord Hierarch Snippit Corner

[Lord Hierarch]

Beleagured Paladin's of the Brotherhood of Steel have been on the run from the joint Cybermen-Goa'uld forces. The Goa'uld infiltrator has taken over the Arbiter and other Sangheili marksmen. The Cybermen were badly damaged in prior encounters with the Covenant but their numerical superiority has made them a key ally to the Jaffa.

But now wayward Space Marines have reinforced the BOS Paladins and what was once a last stand has turned into a vicious battle where winner takes all!

But wait!

The insidious Ne-Gok-Sa waited for his chance to attack, pouncing on the beleaguered remnants of the embattled battlers and enslaving their minds to his will!

​Always seeking more power, the Marro warlord has brought to his general the scraps of technological and symbiotic marvels that the once-foes had left behind. Ne-Gok-Sa wasted no time augmenting his own embedded armor and weapons with the plating of his new slaves.

​But even Utgar is worried as the mindslaver chitters about enhancing Ne-Gok-Sa's mindpowers with the nano wifi of the Cybermen. These mechanical marvels claim to have created an empire that spanned the centuries, and the Valkyrie Generals all have summoned heroes and warriors from across the millennia that have encountered or heard of the Cybermen.

​Perhaps these Cybermen are a science best left untouched.

​Ne-Gok-Sa chitters and gestures at him, which Utgar returns before refocusing on the Jaffa.

They were human, but enhanced. He was familiar with enhanced humans. The Astartes was one, a new plaything of the necromancer. It seems whatever time period they were from, she had started investing a great deal of time and effort on them. But these Jafffa were hosts to another creature, a snake with frills. The ones in the Marro's clutches were all dead, and being dissected for study. What more, these Jaffa lacked the energy aura of a summoned being.

Utgar consulted with his aides who interrogated their spies. Yes, none of the other Valkyrie generals had summoned creatures like these Jaffa.

So where had they come from?

 

[Lord Hierarch]

​

Jaffa Guards step through the Stargate to a strange new world. The Ancients had left million's of Stargate's across the galaxy and many of these planets have been isolated since then. For the first time in 10,000 years, the Stargate of Vahalla has been activated and a new monstrous foe has invaded.

But a Lunar Wolf, a unwilling corpse resurrected by the necromatic sorceress Revna readies his bolter to end this secret invasion before it even starts...

Ever since he was transported from the battlefield of the second Halo ring, Thel has encountered many strange creatures, abberations, and odd humans. From the Super Mutants, to the truly undead, the Soulbergs and the virulant Marro - and humans. Many, many humans. Samurai, militants, spies, assassin's, champions, heroes - and now these serpent men.

Their gold helms and his auramite armor glistened in the twin suns of this dead world. Behind him, a Special Operative warily approached with his weapon at the ready.

"Kree!" The lead human shouted. He activated his weapon. Electricity coursed from the open prod at the end of his staff. "Announce yourselves! In the name of the Great God Apophis, King of Kings!"

The Arbiter almost grimaced. Gods. He had met many. He had killed many.

Both parties were unaware of the lost wolf watching from a distance. Plucked from the butchery of Istvaan, he had been bound to serve the necromatic sorceress Revna in her campaign against the other Valkyrie warlords. His new master stole warriors from the cusp of death and enslaved them to her will.

Meanwhile... the Cyberaid Legion, fresh from their victory over the erstwhile Mondasian's, approached their new foes. All for the glory of their new Cyber-Planner, Vydar.

 

[TheAverageFan]

Good short stories! I always enjoy when real Heroscape photos are used in tandem with accompanying fiction I just wish I knew more about Stargate or HALO lore

~TAF

 

[Lord Hierarch]

"This new armor suits you, Arbiter."

"Silvered or gold, this armor is still a symbol of shame, Kure," he told his lance commander. "Nothing will change that."

"Time will. Once the Arbiter was the champion of our species. The San'Shyuum stole that honor from us. You can bring honor back to the role."

Thel appreciated the sentiment, even if he did not believe in it. Vahalla was a battle of the dead for the dead. The last thing he remembered before being conscripted to fight for Vydar was battling Tartarus in Halo's control room. 'Battling' was maybe too generous of a word. Whatever shield generator the brute Chieftain used made him nigh invulnerable and with the swing of his hammer Thel could taste bone and blood explode out of him-

"Warriors, prepare yourselves!" His elites leapt to their feet and secured their arms. He had died. Now he was alive. There was no point in thinking about the past.

His kai'd was composed of two assault lances. Kure was the commander of veteran officers in red. The other lance were all inexperienced fighters - relative to Kure's fighter's. Two dozen fighters excluding the Arbiter's own guards did not make a kai'd, but they were all the Sangheili that Vydar had summoned. None of the other Valkyrie generals had summoned Sangheili as far as Thel knew. They were all that represented their species. That kind of bond had to be fostered, and protected.

After a short march the cold, rocky ground gave way to a large grass field with a meandering river ahead of them.

"Arbiter, to our north! The power stone!"

Thel had heard the legend. According to the Valkyrie, the power stone was wielded by an ancient god. With the cosmic power, the giant would destroy worlds. The Galactus Gauntlet was powered by five stones, one of which was the power stone. It had fallen to Vahalla millennia ago and the Valkyries chained it and weaved powerful spells to contain it. With the outbreak of war, the wards protecting it had weakened. Vydar and Ullar both wanted to move it to a more secure location lest Utgar try and use its power.

"Secure the area," he ordered. "And be careful! Ullar himself said these spells were old when he was young. We don't know-"

Red dots appeared on the edge of his motion tracker.

The barking chitter of human gunfire erupted across the rocks and bush of the riverbank. Brotherhood Paladin's shimmered into existence - the magic of Vydar, no doubt. Bullets dinged against Thel's new auramite armor, then against his energy shield.

"The enemy has revealed themselves!" He bellowed. "Spread out, and strike them down!"

"Arbiter-the power stone!"

"Use the wards to your advantage! Their bullets can't pierce their magic!"

"Jaffa, Kree!"

Tirec the Great surveyed his surroundings with a disdainful look on his face. He was one hundred years old, a victor of a thousand battles from a hundred campaigns. He'd overseen the purification of a dozen worlds and personally executed thousands who'd dared resisted the Great Apophis. But one mistake, one act of mercy, and he had lost his seat of power and influence in the academy.

Leniency was a weakness. He had always taught that. Mercy was wasted on the unfaithful.

The chappa'ai deactivated.

"Mara'c, Urshap, approach," he barked. Two of his former students scurried to him with the gait of eager pups. "What is the status of the troops?"

"All of our forces are arrived intact," Mara'c said.

"I don't see any staff cannons."

"Master Tinnit said he will send them when we've reported a successful beachhead," Urshap said.

Tirec heard the quivering in Urshap's voice.

"Did he?" Derision dripped from his words. "What a fool. I've taken worlds without cannons before. I've grinded citadels beneath the feet and fist." He raised his voice:

"JAFFA! What are our orders?"

"TO CONQUER," the warhorst roared back.

"HAIL APOPHIS!"

"HAIL APOPHIS!"

Meanwhile, high in space, the Cyberaid satellite focused on the sudden arrival of this mysterious army.

This might be the key to Cybermen victory in the greatest war for all time.

 

[Lord Hierarch]

The machine army of Utgar marched through the narrow path. A battalion of infantry scouted ahead while behind a guard force trudged across the field.

Thel peered through his monoculars at the hulking form behind even those mad machines. A Deathwalker 9000, and of Utgar’s resurrected models. The war on Valhalla was already ancient when he was summoned several years ago. Many of the machine intelligences that called themselves Zettian’s were scavenged by every embattled warhorst on the planet. True to the stories told to him by others, the mad Valkyrie Utgar used necromancy to resurrect his Zettian’s again and again. The Deathwalker used to be an original, a champion of his ilk. Now he was one of thousands, a mind divided into a legion. And one was here.

The infantry stepped past the rock pillar. The first of them were rounding the bend.

N’tho skidded down a low incline and stopped next to him.

“What does our general say?” Thel asked.

“The plan holds. Once their main force has crossed the pillar we attack.”

Thel only nodded. It galled him that his instincts had screamed at him to distrust the Marro Warlord but the mighty warrior had proven his trustworthiness on and off the battlefield. Ne-Gok-Sa was not a friend, but a comrade. A brother-in-arms.

An alert flashed on his HUD. A priority message.

Zettian infantry detected on the hidden path.

​

Thel snapped his mandibles against each other. It had always been a possibility but he had hoped-

He messaged the commander back and forwarded it to N’tho. Hold. To the last.

The young warrior swore in Elvish. Without a word he left Thel’s side to take battle position.

In the distance, the sound of plasma fire and blasters started.

Something in him screamed, but he ignored it. The chittering was not a theat. The Marro were allies. His mind was their mind. He served no one but Ne-Gok-Sa.

The Zettian vanguard surged ahead, perhaps hoping to drown the entrenched sangheili with their superior numbers.

Ne-Gok-Sa’s orders were clear. Hold. To the last.

“The Swords of Sanghelios will be victorious! Warriors of Sanghelios! Hallowed Heroes! Commence attack!”

 

[TheAverageFan]

I've complimented the use of photos to go with the story previously, but it still holds true here. It reminds me of the folks who get real creative with their actual game battle reports

Nicely done

~TAF

 

[Lord Hierarch]

I've complimented the use of photos to go with the story previously, but it still holds true here. It reminds me of the folks who get real creative with their actual game battle reports

Nicely done

~TAF

Thanks!

ATM I'm just playing around with story, but once I find my 3rd Zettian squad I'll try a solo playtest against my Elites.

Current Zettian Force is:

• 1 Deathwalker 9000.
• 1 Zettian Guards.
• 2 Zettian Deathwings.
• 3 Zettian Infantry.

The most Zettian of Zetti zever.

 

[Lord Hierarch]

Once of Jandar's recent summons trods this ancient battlefield. Once a place where giants met, now only a field of rubble and corpses.

Countless Soulborg and ancient warriors laid strewn across the battlefield. But up ahead on what's left of that ancient table, is his target.

The communication tower was broadcasting a signal that overrode the internal cybernetics in Einar's Soulborg, or Utgar's Cybermen. Even Revna's supersolder star warriors were not immune.

Achilles approached the corpse field. Not all of these bodies were old.

Beneath the comms. tower, something stirred.​

 

[Lord Hierarch]

Spoiler Alert!

300 pts. Originally was going to be the Arbiter, a Zealot, and the SANGHEILI WARRIOR ELITES vs. Deathwalker 9K, Zettian Guards, and OVersized Zettian Infantry. Then I decided to use my Space Marines, and Timerron's Dreadnaught card.

So after a freak meteor wiped out the defending Elites, the DW9K advanced ahead of the Zettian Infantry. The Space Marines surged ahead while the Dreadnaught watched and waited.

The Space Marines hunkered behind the wall, while the Deathwalker stood onn the leftside of its wall. Infantry took the center, and the Guards waddled up. Seeing this, the Space Marines opened fire and took out 2 Infantry.

Then the Deathwalker unloaded explosives and wiped out half of the Lunar Wolves. The Dreadnought started its slow advance as the Guards came closer. Meanwhile the Deathwalker and the Lunar Wolves exchanged fire, bolter fire bounching off the Deathwalker's bitchin' armor, and its explosive cannons failed to pierce their power armor.

But by the time the Dreadnought reached the battlefield, the last Lunar Wolf took his last breath, the Infantry were wiped out, and a Guard was in ruins.

And so it was, Revna's Astartes were wiped out, but Utgar had suffered grievous losses. While he won the battle, he had to retreat to recoup his losses. Fully aware that Revna's necromancy was already worming its way into the human superwarriors, and silicon wafers. They would live to die another day.