Escalation Rounds 1 & 2

Riding up to Grissel, Horthol scowled as he gave his message to her from Madrak, "He asks to you take your force as quickly as you can to the other side of the plains. If we can get there quickly we can secure a cache of supplies and weapons deposited there by some Circle of Orbos folk as they moved on. It is rumored there are some relics of great power among them..." Grissel frowned, "You know that means we will likely encounter many groups of Warcasters and Warlocks looking for them as well right?" Horthol knew the truth as well as she did, this would be a dangerous mission.

I went into the shop an hour before the tournament started and showed the shop owner my three escalation lists, rMadrak to eMadrak, Grissel and Grim. I just could not decide which to bring and so the shop owner rolled a D3 and came up with Grissel.

ROUND 1
Put me up against Khador

My list
Points: 319
Grissel Bloodsong, Fell Caller Points: 70
Pyre Troll Points: 68
Slag Troll Points: 70
Dire Troll Mauler Points: 111

His list
Points: 197
Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff Points: 71
> Beast-09 Points: 126

He gambled on his list and it nearly paid off.

Our Terrain was a small forest on the left side of each of our deployment areas and a huge fargin rough terrain hill that got up to 3" high in the middle. I rolled highest and opted to deploy and go first.

Deployment
Trolls - I decided on the left side of the hill and deployed there.
Khador - He deployed almost right in the middle of his side.

As Horthol rode off to gather up some reinforcements Grissel, a Slag Troll, her favorite Pyre Troll, and the Mauler that was indeed smart for a Dire went off to claim this 'cache' for Madrak. It didn't take long for them to encounter a dimiutive Warcaster from Khador with a Particularly battle work jack by her side.

Turn 1
Trolls - Everything moved up 10"
Khador - He advanced forward with Beast and left Sorscha moving forward a hair but staying behind Beast in his Deployment zone.

Turn 2
Trolls - I feated and ran everything and made a huge mistake. I got the Mauler and the Pyre into Melee range of Beast. My Slag went straight towards the forest on the edge closest to Beast. and Grissel went for the forest left behind the slag barely putting my other two beasts in her control.
Khador - He moves Sorscha up to the hill base in between the Pyre and Slag and feats, also casting the spell that makes her def a ton against ranged. Beast moves back on the Mauler and Pyre to get out of thier melee and threshers hurting them both.

Sorscha was indeed suprised at the speed in which the Troll woman and he beasts set upon her, she had no doubt at all that Beast-09 could handle the two that were on him. She sneered at Grissel, "you will feel the bite of cold steel, or run for you life when I am through with you."

Turn 3
Trolls - Since Grissel can still use her calls while stationary I use cacophony taking away all of Sorschas spells. I try to zing a spell at Sorscha (he says I can still cast them while stationary) but cannot hit her high def.
Khador - Beast takes the Mauler and Pyre apart then Sorscha goes after the Slag for the win. She manages to make him stationary with a crit but cannot finish him off.

Still angry and even a little despondant from going on this mission in the first place, Grissel had little patience left for the cocky human in front of her. The woman looked suprised first that she couldn't focus enough to freeze her again, then more suprised again that the Slag Troll was able to brush off her attack. Grissel rushed into the Khadorian weilding her hammer and with a battle cry bashed in her head.

Turn 4
Trolls - Grissel charges Sorscha hitting the charge and the last attack ending her.

ROUND 2
I found myself facing Menite Jon from Lost Hemisphere and his Harby list.
My Grissel list I decided to add only five more model to bring me to 500 keeping her feat and my mobility in mind.

My List
Points: 498
Grissel Bloodsong, Fell Caller Points: 70
Pyre Troll Points: 68
Slag Troll Points: 70
Dire Troll Mauler Points: 111
Horthol, Long Rider Champion Points: 66
Trollkin Long Riders [4] (1 added) Points: 113

His List
Points: 489
Harbinger of Menoth Points: 107
> Hierophant Points: 19
> Fire of Salvation Points: 113
> Reckoner Points: 126
High Paladin Dartan Vilmon Points: 38
Paladin of the Order of the Wall Points: 19
Wrack Points: 5
Doc Killingsworth Points: 19
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt [2] Points: 43

The Harbringer was a little afraid to face this Troll woman that had caused so much trouble for the PKA. She was confident in her ability to destry her though, and set out to pin her army between the lone farmhouse and one of the walls near it.

Our Terrain was a 4x6" farm right in the middle with a low wall on the right side and a few inches up from each of our deployment zones. I rolled highest and once again opted to go first.

Deployment
Trolls - I Spread the Longriders out from the middle to the right with Horthol going up the table edge. The Mauler took the gap between the farm and the Wall with my two lights and Grissel right behind the wall.
Menoth - H&A deploy across from Horthol. The Paladins directly across form my wall and a wrack on the empty side of the farm house to prevent me from circling around it with my LR and flanking him. His jacks deployed across from the Mauler with Harby behind them with Doc and the Heirophant behind her.

Turn 1
Trolls - Each LR went forward 7", the Mauler ran straight up 10" and the lights and Grissel hit the left edge of the wall in front of me and I was done.
Khador - His wholy army pretty much did the same moving up about 4".

Horthol rejoined the fight with Grissel along with a few Longriders, "More is on its way but I fear they will not be here to help us in this fight." Horthol reported. Grissel shook off her weariness and sang to her Trolls wathching them all sprint accross the field catching the young floating woman and her army before they could prepare a charge of their own.

Turn 2
Trolls - Grissel Advanced 6" forward and feated. Mauler runs and hoofs it to engage the Reckoner. The LR run up and hoof it two of them get around and behind to engage harby, one gets behind the Paladins and engages them and the Leader puts himself behind A&H, Horthol runs with them and puts himself behind the Paladins and the Reckoner. The two light beasts take up positions in front of Grissel by about 1".

Her suprise at the speed in which the nomally slow Trolls caught up to her was short lived. She reacted by blowing apart the ones nearest to her with a cataclysm of holy fire. She then used her connection to her jacks to have them mop up what she had not finished already.

Khador - So I didn't know about Harby's Spell cataclysm, it friggin rocks. He takes out the two closest Longriders with it. A paladin turns to hit Horthol and dies to a Free Strike from a LR now behind him, but the other pally hits him for a litte. The FoS finishes off Horthol, the Reckoner takes down another LR and Holt pins the leader down.

Turn 3
Trolls - Aiyana dies a horrible death and that LR is done. Grissel Rages the Mauler and the Slag Troll then takes away the spells via Cacophony from Harby. The Mauler then throws the Reckoner into Harby knocking the Reckoner down and getting a PS15 off on the Harbster, the Mauler proceeds to beat up the Reckoner leaving it with a coule points in movent and cortex. Slaggy beats the FoS pretty good too leaving it armless as well. The Pyre Troll then burns the Paladin to Ash.

Power flowing through her she reacted instantly to each new threat and dealt with it, but for some reason the Troll witch's song made it to hard for her to concentrate on spell casting. Unable to rely on spellcasting she moved in on the big troll to deal with it herself, which she did easily, slicing it to piecies with a grace and power that defied her size and age.

Khador - Holt tried again to pin down the LR who could have a lane to Harby but acutally misses one attack. Harby moves around to take out the Mauler which she easily does, with no spells though she is finished with her activation. He bashes the Slag for some damage and is done.

Though the small female's performance against her Mauler was impressive Grissel's fuse had grown shorter still. Leaning over to the Pyre Troll she held out her mace. The Troll grinned and spit on it covering it with burning pitch. Grissel once again let out a warcry that split the ears of those remaining on the battle field as she sent yet another human woman home with a headache they would remember each time they fought against her Kith and Kriel.

Turn 4
Trolls - Grissel once again takes matters into her own hands, the Pyre Troll gives her his animus and she charges Harby, hitting on the charge then missing a couple. One last attack to see if I can get her and Grissel rolls just enought to hit and then again just enough damage to box her.

Synopsis - Against Sorscha I really screwed up running both my beasts to base Beast09 when the Pyre Troll could have done the job himself hopefully giving the Mauler one more round of survivability.

Against Harby was a fun game, I almost lost it because I didn't know her very well, but once again getting up into their face with my feat finds my opponent in melee and makes it to hard for them to get the position they want allowing me to caster kill.

Round 3 and the last tourney finds me fighting to first place against Cryx and eDenny I think. That should be interesting for sure. I will take the camera for this game and have at least one pic per Troll turn for you.