SCENARIO IV: THE BATTLE OF BROTHERS

A runner from Eagle Pass raced down the last hill. His heart pounding through both fear and exertion. Bravely he had thrown away his helmet and Ithilmar corselet, the lack of extra weight helping him to gain speed. When the guardians of Coraith mansion came to greet him, he shouted "The Dark Elves are at our gates! The Dark Elves are at our gates!"

Quickly the silver horns of the High Elves called the warriors of House Coraith to battle. Soon the hidden valley was full of High Elves mustering to attack the invaders. The Silver Helms mounted their noble steeds and brandished their lances. The archers and spearmen drew into their battle lines. Repeater bolt throwers were hastily wheeled into position. The White Lions, whose services King Finubar had lent to Calaidan, sharpened their axes, and expectation of the coming battle shone on their faces. Even though they had been caught off guard, the High Elves were still a force to be reckoned with. They were defending their homes and families, and there would be no giving up on them.

Lord Calaidan scanned the enemy ranks, and to his horror he recognized one of the banners: the great Sea Dragon of his brother Kaldor. At first Calaidan suspected Dark Elf trickery, but soon he heard the firm voice of the general, and recognized it as the brother he had long thought lost to him.

Now all was clear to Calaidan: how his enemy had guessed his plans, how the Dark Elves had known where to strike and what weaknesses to exploit. How they had found the mansion so quickly when it had been so well hidden and protected by both spells and guards? A cold rage gripped him, and he wept tears of sorrow for his people who had already perished because of the treachery of his brother. As the rage within him grew he swore to the gods above that he would restore the honour of his family by slaying the evil he had once loved as a brother.

Meanwhile in the village surrounding the mansion of Coraith the remaining High Elves were carrying their children to safer ground hidden high in the mountains while their menfolk prepared for battle. They knew that if the Dark Elves proved victorious then their families would suffer a fate worse than death. The warriors of House Coraith were well aware of this. This battle was no border skirmish or raid: today the destiny of the Shadowlands would be decided.

Calaidan mounted his Elven steed and raced to lead his force. On his right the Silver Helms, the nobles of his house, took up position. On his left mustered the deep ranks of his spearmen. If there had ever been two forces that were equal, they faced each other today in this valley.

Kaldor shouted orders to his men and then noticed his despised brother staring at him with cold, unforgiving fury in his eyes. "So now you know, brother," sneered Kaldor. "You should never have cheated me out of my birthright!"

For the last fifty years Kaldor had prepared for this moment. He had planned every detail, forming counter attacks for every tactic he thought his brother would use and forming new tactics of his own. Under his command he had a force that lusted after the blood of his enemies. Surely he could not lose!

The Dark Elf army of Karond Kar got ready for the kill. The City Guards from the bleak fortress formed up into their ranks. The great Cold Ones, held back by their black hearted riders snarled at their prey. Witch Elves unfurled their red standard, dipped in the blood of innocents slaughtered in the previous battle. The main force of Corsairs formed the middle of the Dark Elf battle line. The crossbowmen dipped their bolts in potent venom. Kaldor himself fixed his eyes on his brother. The bitterness of the long years in exile surfaced in his twisted mind. He drew his runesword, and gave the signal to attack. The Dark Elf host, wielding fire and steel charged.

Thus the scene was set for a bloody battle where no quarter was asked for or given. And in the heavens Isha, the mother of all Elves wept a single tear for the loss of her children.

The Battle of Brothers is the final battle in a series of encounters between the High Elf force of Calaidan and the Dark Elf force of Kaldor. Each of the earlier battles will have influenced this final conflict in some important way. The outcome of this battle will decide whether the High Elves or the Dark Elves will gain a permanent foothold in the Shadowlands.

TThe main feature of the battlefield is the fortified mansion of House Coraith which is situated on the battlefield as shown on the map. The rest of the battlefield consists of woods, rocks and jagged hills.

Set up the battlefield as shown on the map. 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 that you have available.

The Armies
Each player should refer to the Battle Scroll for his own army in order to choose his forces for the battle. Each Battle Scroll also describes any special rules which apply, as well as victory conditions and some pertinent tactical hints for the battle to come.

The Mansion
At the beginning of the battle, the mansion of House Coraith was guarded by a contingent of High Elf Archers. The mansion is an excellent defensive position, ideally suited for Archers. You can deploy up to 20 Archers in the mansion, and they may all fire in any direction from the inside of the mansion. These Archers count as being in hard cover.

Deploying for Battle
Kaldor's army should be deployed no further than 12" from the Dark Elf player's end of the table. The High Elf army should be deployed no further than 12" from the High Elf player's end of the table. Neither side may deploy troops within 12" of the side edges.

When the Dark Elf army marches to the battlefield, The High Elves fan out into battle-formation. How well prepared they are depends on the result of the third battle, Defence of Eagle Pass. If the High Elves held for seven turns then the entire Dark Elf army is deployed first and the High Elf army second. If this does not apply refer to the following instructions.

To represent deployment, each side should take turns at deploying a single unit, one after the other, starting with the Dark Elf player, until every unit is on the battlefield. Champions are deployed as part of their units. Independent characters are all deployed at once and are counted as a single unit for deployment purposes. War machines are all deployed at once if they belong to a unit, otherwise each counts as a separate unit.

Once one army has been completely deployed, the opposing army continues to deploy one unit at a time, and when it is his turn to deploy, the player who has already completed his deployment can move any one unit 4" towards the enemy. In this way, the smaller army can start advancing into battle while the larger opposing army is still deploying. The advancing army moves one unit at a time, but can move the same unit several times if the opportunity presents itself. No advancing units may be moved within 8" of enemy troops. Note that all the troops with special deployment rules, such as Dark Riders and Shadow Warriors must be deployed normally.

Who has the first Turn?
As both armies are preparing for battle, neither can claim the advantage. If the defenders of Eagle Pass held out for three turns, then the first turn goes to the High Elf player. Otherwise roll a dice to see who has the first turn.

How long does the battle last?
The Battle of Brothers lasted from mid-day to late into the night. To represent this, the game lasts for six game turns, each game turn representing about an hour in the original battle. Each player will therefore complete six turns unless the battle ends earlier in a sudden death victory.

Sudden Death Victory Condition
If either of the players gets possession of both Tears of Isha, then the battle finishes at the end of that turn and the possessor of the Tears wins a decisive victory. This can only happen if Calaidan slays his brother Kaldor in single combat or visa versa.

Such is the power of the Tears of Isha that when the two jewels in the swords are brought together, the warrior who is wielding them will be all but unstoppable, and his troops will immediately rally around him. His opponents will lose heart and flee before the victorious heir of the Shadowlands.

Victory Points
If the battle continues until sunset, decide who has won by counting up victory points as described in the Warhammer Battles Book.

In the event of a draw on victory points, this battle will be counted as a High Elf victory. Unless the Dark Elves wins decisively, they will have to retreat back to their Black Ark and to Naggaroth as more Shadow Warriors and troops sent from the surrounding High Elf kingdoms rush to the aid of House Coraith and Lord Calaidan.

If the Dark Elves win, the Black Ark will sail ashore and land at the coast of the Shadowlands to form a permanent Dark Elf fortress within the High Elf kingdom. Over time the Witch King will send a growing number of troops to support Kaldor, and the whole of the Shadowlands may well eventually fall into his grasp. If this happens the land of the High Elves is in terrible danger.