SCENARIO I: THE BLOODED SHORES

Kaldor knew the plans and preparations of his brother well. He knew the number and strength of his patrols, and how quickly the defenders of House Coraith would respond to any threat to their homeland.

So he sent small token forces to engage the patrols of the shores in an attempt to draw the attention away from his main force. But they also had additional orders. They were to regroup and destroy the great Beacon of Athel Maranth so it could no longer guide the Elven ships plying the northern seas. Plans within plans within plans. This was the way of Kaldor as had been taught to him by the great conspirators of Naggaroth.

If the Beacon was destroyed, it would no longer guide the High Elf warships to the aid of House Coraith. In addition it would draw attention from his main assault and sow confusion amongst the High Elf defenders. Kaldor expected that the High Elves patrolling the coastline would split into small scouting groups in a futile attempt to hunt down the invaders, leaving the Beacon undefended.

Mortharor, the captain of the Black Ark Harbinger of Pain, led the attack against the lighthouse with his loyal Corsairs. The Helldrakes they were riding negotiated the treacherous shallow coast of Nagarythe, and made landfall near the Beacon, disgorging regiment after regiment of Dark Elf warriors.

But the shores were guarded by a strong contingent of seasoned High Elf troops, led by Kelendar, a veteran of hundreds of battles and skirmishes against the Dark Elves. Whilst a younger and more inexperienced leader might have been fooled by the cunning ploy of Kaldor, the wily old warrior instantly recognized that the small Dark Elf patrols his rangers had sighted were but a clever diversion sent to attract as much attention as possible. The full force of a Black Ark was many times greater than this. He also knew that the only significant target for the Dark Elves in this region would be the great Beacon itself.

Kelendar pondered long and hard whether he should march to the aid of Coraith immediately or instead concentrate his forces at the Beacon. In the end he decided to first crush the Dark Elves then gather all available reinforcements, and light the Beacon to call as many High Elf ships to aid them as possible. But before reinforcements came the Dark Elves under the command of Mortharor arrived.

Kelendar had mustered all his available forces around the Beacon. He had prepared a careful defence, and knew that if he could fight a successful battle here, aid from Tiranoc and troops from Lothern would eventually arrive.

Mortharor knew that instead of a minor skirmish, a grim conflict awaited him. No easy victory would be gained today. Mortharor smiled: this was exactly as he wanted it. Now cold steel would determine the fate of the Beacon. Filled with hate the Dark Elves advanced.

The Blooded Shores is the first in a series of clashes between Kaldor's Dark Elves and Calaidan's High Elves that will eventually climax in a huge final battle. Each of these encounters will influence it in some important way. The outcome of this battle decides whether the ruse of Kaldor works.

The battlefield is dominated by the pearl Beacon of Athel Maranth. The land around it is a typical coastal setting, with low sand hills and jagged rocks.

Set up the battlefield as shown on the map above. Alternatively, you might prefer to generate the scenery randomly using the Terrain Generator Chart, or agree on a variation of the battlefield to suit the scenery you have available.

The Beacon
The Beacon is a fixed terrain feature which must be placed first. It should be placed in the High Elf deployment zone, as shown on the map above.

The Beacon of Pearls has a Toughness of 6 and 10 wounds. It can be attacked by shooting, magic that causes normal damage (ie the spell has a Strength rating) or in hand-to-hand combat. Any model in base-to-base contact with the Beacon hits it automatically.

The Armies
Each player should refer to the Battle Scroll for his army in order to choose his forces for the battle. The Battle Scroll also describes any special rules which apply, as well as the victory conditions needed to win the battle, the gains victory will bring and useful tactical hints.

Deploying for Battle
The High Elf army is defending the Beacon and is deployed first. The High Elf force is deployed no further than 12" from the High Elf player's edge and no closer than 12" to the side edges. Note that troops with special deployment rules (such as Shadow Warriors or Dark Elf Shades) are deployed normally.

Who has the first Turn?
The Dark Elves attack at sunrise and so have the initiative. The Dark Elf player will therefore have the first turn.

How Long does the Battle last?
The battle begins at sunrise and lasts until midday. To represent this, the game lasts for five game turns, each turn representing an hour of daylight in the original battle. Each player will therefore complete five turns unless the battle ends earlier in a 'sudden death' victory.

The Dark Elves know that more High Elf shore patrols are on the way to defend the Beacon, and they must abandon the attack after midday or be destroyed by overwhelming odds.

Sudden Death Victory Conditions
If the Dark Elves manage to destroy the Beacon, then the battle finishes at the end of that turn as a victory for the Dark Elf player.

Victory Points
If the battle continues until midday, decide who has won by counting up victory points. In the event that both sides have the same number of victory points, this is counted as a High Elf victory, because unless the Dark Elves win the battle, they are unlikely to raze the Beacon.