While Rausina was falling, the Eldar had moved to the north. Autarch Fayak had gathered all remaining aeldari troops in a camp as far north as possible, away from human and tau settlements that were overrun by the Nightbringer‘s forces. So far north the Heretic Astartes had not yet ventured.
But now they had, scouts reported. A small claw of Konrad Curze’s midnight clad warriors skirted the perimeter of the camp, probing for a way into the heart of aeldari operations on Rausina. Waiting for a moment to strike and spread terror. The Guards, and Wraithguards securing the southern perimeter were reinforced upon this knowledge by Autarch Fayak with the stout group of Blood Angel Bodyguards who served the ‚daughter’ of Sanguinius. She herself organizednthe defense on the other sides of the camp against falling into a trap.
While the regular Nightlords took cover behind some rocky outcrops, a new enemy appears, dreaded Raptors. The dark kings of swooping terror. They charge towards the soft flank of the enemy where not undead wraithbone but life and tender eldaren flesh is in their way towards the camp.
But even the lords of the night can be surprised, and for a beat the stop and hover on their flightpacks. A helldrake appears, and its not their own, a world eater it must be, given the color it is bearing. World Eaters? Have their belligerent brothers come to claim the world from them shortly before they have killed every enemy? Even the cowardly xenos that were known to flee from everywere ever since the lord of pleasure had formed feasting upon their soules? While this fact even made the talons think, what stopped them was the fact the the helldrake carried a dreadnought in their claws. A hellbrute shouting in a low deranged voice, “I will get her! The witchbitch, I will tear her apart and make my brother mine again!”, and abuse upon everyone. “Die little Xenoscum, die dirty Vampirebats, Blood for the blood God!”
The Heldrake drops off the Hellbrute right next to the Talons in front of the Eldar Guardians. Throwing some of Conrad’s sons aside he stomps towards the Xenos. “Where is the witchbitch, I will tear her up and drink her blood! Come fight me, you guards of the false daughter of the dead son of the corpse emperor.” He shouts a challenge towards the Blood Angels.
Meanwhile the Helldrake swoops upon the Blood Angels and assaults them with fusionfire and claws.
The nightlords and the Eldar, momentarily confused by all of this take it upon themselves to fire upon the Hellbrute. After all an enemy of an enemy is also an enemy. The talons take to the sky and spread out, the Nightlords in cover fire onto the back of the dreadnought while some of the wraithguards fire their formidable cannons. Hit from all sides the hellbrute screams unintelligible abuse while swooping into the line of Blood Angels.
The helldrake is clawing for the stout Imperial Space Marines, his razor sharp hands biting deep into the armor.
The Marines pile in to best the monster. Borther Damian is grabbed and shaken like a doll by the demon engine, sustaining grave wounds.
Finally the Wraithguard take their attention from the Nightlords to the new menace, shooting in unison at the Helldrake.
While in the meantime the Nightlord Talons use the opportunity of the distracted Wraithbone constructs to swoop in and engage the Eldar guardians in close quarter.
But the distraction only lasts for a short moment. Like a diving eagle Fayak suddenly swoops from the sky to come to the help of her trusty Marines, challenging the Helldrake and forcing it to retreat and sending psionic commands to the Wraithguards. The eldar guardians quickly dispatch the talons with the help of their wraithbone constructs.
The helldrake flies up high away from the fight, leaving two marines and the autarch wounded, only to swoop down again behind the guardians, picking up the toppled hellbrute in its claws, dragging it though the snow until finally taking off with it. The eldar and space marines fire everything they have but fail to take the demon flyer down.
While injured Brother Calidus takes care of the gravely wounded Damian the remaining troops build a new perimeter. Who knows when the Nightlords or the newly spotted World Eaters will try again?
New Version
As Rausina descended into chaos, the Eldar were forced to retreat northward. Autarch Fayak took charge, gathering all remaining Aeldari forces in a camp located as far north as possible, well away from the now-overrun human and Tau settlements that had fallen victim to the Nightbringer’s relentless forces. In this remote northern location, they hoped to avoid the Heretic Astartes, who had not yet ventured so far.
However, scouts soon reported that a small band of Konrad Curze’s midnight-clad warriors, the Nightlords, were probing the camp’s perimeter, seeking vulnerabilities to exploit and sow terror. In response, Autarch Fayak bolstered the southern perimeter defenses with both Guardians and Wraithguards, reinforced by a group of Blood Angel Bodyguards sworn to protect the ‘daughter’ of Sanguinius. Fayak herself took charge of organizing the defense on the other sides of the camp, determined not to fall into any traps set by their cunning foes.
While the regular Nightlords took cover behind rocky outcrops, an unexpected threat emerged: a group of dreaded Raptors, masters of aerial assault. They surged toward the camp’s exposed flank, where fragile Eldar flesh and life, not the unyielding wraithbone constructs, awaited their onslaught.
But even the lords of the night could be caught off guard. For a moment, they halted and hovered on their flight packs, bewildered by a new presence — a Helldrake. However, it was not their own, but one bearing the colors of the World Eaters, known for their savagery. Had their belligerent brethren come to seize the world, just as they were on the verge of eliminating all opposition, even the elusive xenos who had fled from their path since the Lord of Pleasure had feasted upon their souls?
As the Nightlords contemplated this unexpected development, their attention was captured by the Helldrake, which carried a frenzied Hellbrute within its claws. The Hellbrute ranted in a low, deranged voice, vowing to rend the ‘witchbitch’ apart and reclaim his ‘brother.’ He spewed insults and threats indiscriminately, calling for blood in the name of the Blood God.
The Helldrake deposited the Hellbrute right in front of the Talons, positioned before the Eldar Guardians. It tossed aside some of Conrad’s sons and advanced menacingly toward the Xenos. The Hellbrute bellowed a challenge at the Blood Angels, demanding they face him in battle.
Simultaneously, the Helldrake swooped upon the Blood Angels, attacking with fusionfire and razor-sharp claws. The Marines rallied to confront this monstrous adversary. Brother Damian, however, was caught in the Hellbrute’s grip and shaken violently, sustaining grave injuries.
Observing this chaotic scene, the Nightlords and Eldar, momentarily bewildered by the sudden twists, turned their firepower toward the Hellbrute. In the world of war, it was clear that ‘an enemy of an enemy’ was still an enemy. The Talons took to the skies, spreading out while the Nightlords, concealed in cover, fired upon the Hellbrute’s exposed rear. Simultaneously, some of the Wraithguards unleashed a devastating barrage from their formidable cannons. The Hellbrute, assailed from all directions, howled incoherent threats as it soared into the midst of the Blood Angels.
The Helldrake, its claws digging into the stout Space Marines’ armor, sought to overwhelm them with its relentless assault. The Marines closed in on the demon engine, determined to vanquish this monstrous foe. Brother Damian was severely wounded during the struggle.
Finally, the Wraithguards, realizing the severity of the threat, redirected their attention from the Nightlords to the new menace, opening a devastating salvo of fire on the Helldrake. Meanwhile, Nightlord Talons seized the opportunity presented by the distracted Wraithbone constructs and engaged the Eldar Guardians in close-quarters combat.
However, the distraction was brief. Like a majestic eagle diving from the skies, Autarch Fayak swooped into the battle, her graceful form challenging the Helldrake and compelling it to retreat. Simultaneously, she transmitted psionic commands to the Wraithguards. Empowered by her presence, the Eldar Guardians efficiently dispatched the Nightlord Talons with the aid of their Wraithbone constructs.
The Helldrake, realizing the tide had turned, ascended high into the sky and retreated from the fight, though not before causing significant harm. Two Marines and Autarch Fayak lay wounded as a result of the encounter. The remaining troops, aware of the ongoing threat posed by the Nightlords and the newly discovered World Eaters, hastily established a new defensive perimeter.
In this unpredictable and perilous conflict, it remained uncertain when the Nightlords or the recently encountered World Eaters would strike again.
DEUTSCH:
Während Rausina im Chaos versank, waren die Eldar gezwungen, sich nach Norden zurückzuziehen. Autarch Fayak übernahm die Führung und versammelte alle verbleibenden Aeldari-Streitkräfte in einem Lager, das so weit wie möglich im Norden lag und weit entfernt von den nun überrannten menschlichen und Tau-Siedlungen, die den unaufhaltsamen Kräften des Nightbringers zum Opfer gefallen waren. An diesem abgelegenen Ort im Norden hofften sie, den Heretic Astartes zu entkommen, die noch nicht so weit vorgedrungen waren.
Jedoch berichteten Späher bald, dass eine kleine Gruppe der midnight-clad-Krieger von Konrad Curze, den Nightlords, das Lager abtastete und nach Schwachstellen suchte, um Terror zu säen. Als Reaktion darauf stärkte Autarch Fayak die Verteidigung der südlichen Peripherie sowohl mit Gardisten als auch mit Wraithguards, verstärkt durch eine Gruppe von Blutengel-Leibwächtern, die geschworen hatten, die ‘Tochter’ Sanguinius zu schützen. Fayak selbst übernahm die Organisation der Verteidigung auf den anderen Seiten des Lagers, entschlossen, nicht in die Fallen zu tappen, die von ihren hinterlistigen Feinden gestellt wurden.
Während die regulären Nightlords in Deckung gingen, tauchte unerwartet eine Bedrohung auf: eine Gruppe gefürchteter Raptors, Meister der Luftangriffe. Sie stürmten auf die exponierte Flanke des Lagers zu, wo zerbrechliches Eldar-Fleisch und Leben, nicht die unvergänglichen Wraithbone-Konstruktionen, ihrer Angriffslust ausgeliefert waren.
Aber selbst die Herren der Nacht konnten überrascht werden. Für einen Moment hielten sie inne und schwebten auf ihren Flugrucksäcken, verwirrt von einer neuen Präsenz – einem Helldrake. Doch es war nicht ihrer, sondern einer, der die Farben der World Eaters trug, bekannt für ihre Wildheit. Waren ihre kämpferischen Brüder gekommen, um die Welt zu erobern, gerade als sie kurz davor standen, alle Widersacher zu beseitigen, sogar die flüchtigen Xenos, die seitdem vor ihrem Pfad geflohen waren, seit sich der Lord of Pleasure an ihren Seelen gelabt hatte?
Während die Nightlords diese unerwartete Wendung überlegten, wurde ihre Aufmerksamkeit von dem Helldrake gefesselt, der einen wahnsinnigen Hellbruten in seinen Klauen trug. Der Hellbrute tobte in tiefer Verzweiflung, schwor, die ‘Hexenmiststück’ zu zerreißen und seinen ‘Bruder’ zurückzugewinnen. Er spie Beleidigungen und Drohungen wahllos aus und forderte Blut im Namen des Blutgottes.
Der Helldrake setzte den Hellbruten direkt vor die Talons, die vor den Eldar Guardians positioniert waren. Er schleuderte einige von Conrad’s Söhnen beiseite und näherte sich bedrohlich den Xenos. Der Hellbrute brüllte die Blood Angels herausfordernd an und verlangte, dass sie ihm im Kampf gegenübertraten.
Gleichzeitig stürzte der Helldrake auf die Blood Angels herab und griff sie mit Fusionfeuer und rasiermesserscharfen Krallen an. Die Space Marines rückten entschlossen vor, um diesem monströsen Gegner entgegenzutreten. Brother Damian geriet jedoch in den Griff des Hellbruten und wurde heftig geschüttelt, wobei er schwere Verletzungen erlitt.
Schließlich lenkten die Wraithguards, die die Ernsthaftigkeit der Bedrohung erkannten, ihre Aufmerksamkeit von den Nightlords auf die neue Gefahr und eröffneten ein verheerendes Feuer auf den Helldrake. In der Zwischenzeit nutzten die Nightlord Talons die Gelegenheit, die sich durch die abgelenkten Wraithbone-Konstruktionen bot, und griffen die Eldar Guardians im Nahkampf an.
Die Ablenkung dauerte jedoch nur einen kurzen Moment. Wie ein majestätischer Adler, der aus den Wolken taucht, stürzte Fayak plötzlich in die Schlacht und forderte den Helldrake heraus, zwang ihn zum Rückzug und übermittelte psionische Befehle an die Wraithguards. Unter ihrer Präsenz beseitigten die Eldar Guardians effizient die Nightlord Talons mithilfe ihrer Wraithbone-Konstruktionen.
Der Helldrake, der erkannte, dass sich das Blatt gewendet hatte, stieg hoch in den Himmel und zog sich aus der Schlacht zurück, jedoch nicht, ohne erheblichen Schaden angerichtet zu haben. Zwei Marines und Autarch Fayak lagen verletzt aufgrund dieser Begegnung. Die verbleibenden Truppen errichteten eilig eine neue Verteidigungsperimeter.
In diesem unberechenbaren und gefährlichen Konflikt blieb ungewiss, wann die Nightlords oder die kürzlich entdeckten World Eaters erneut zuschlagen würden.”