Battle of Dalvern Hill
| Location | Sylvania [1] |
| Outcome | Victory for The Empire |
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| The Empire | Vampire Counts [1] |
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| Duke Bachenhoff III [1] | Davargos[1] |
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| | |
History
Duke Bachenhof was a pious man who believed it was his destiny to cleanse his lands of the Undead that had cursed Sylvania although his single-minded determination was also manipulated by the Witch Hunter Macarbiond. Together they formed a great army with the Duke's wealth and the rousing words of the Witch Hunter - seeking to gain favour with the Cult of Sigmar the Engineers of Altdorf even sent the Steam Tank Deliverance to aid the crusade against the undead. [1]
The army marched into Sylvania but initially only inbred, superstitious peasants were encountered until rumours were heard of a creature of the night massacring villagers. Macarbiond and the Duke tracked the beast which had fled south but later scholars have speculated that it was in fact leading the army into a trap. The nights were filled with unholy howling whilst bats filled the skies and each night, the Vampire stealthy grabbed and drained the sentries. [1]
For several weeks it led them on, until one night it was not just the Strigoi that attacked as the entire army was ambushed by Dire Wolves, Bats and hordes of Ghouls. Most of the Imperial soldiers were torn apart and all would likely have perished if not for the Engineer Commander of the Deliverance who had been sleeping inside his tank when the attack began. His steam gun drove off the Ghouls but as the sun rose, fully three-quarters of the army were dead. All knew that nightfall would bring a fresh assault and so the Duke withdrew to the nearby Dalvern Hill and set up a defensive position. [1]
As the screaming followers of Sigmar announced the end of the world and their need to destroy the undead, the hordes of Ghouls attacked. Many were slaughtered by the Imperials as they approached and the they could do little against the Steam Tank itself which formed an immovable centre of the Empire line although the rest of the army were already falling to the onslaught of the dead. [1]
The Vampire Lord Davargos now attacked the Duke and his personal guard at the top of the hill, tearing the soldiers apart as they sought to defend their liege. A flick of the great talons saw the Duke's head struck from his shoulders but even as it flew through the air, Deliverance was bearing down on the vampire. Its steel prow sent the beast flying, shattering bones and flesh but it swiftly recovered and leapt onto the front of the tank, ripping at the metal armour. [1]
Great gouges were torn in the metal plates but its commander calmly fired his repeater pistol into the undead monster, sending it rolling away. He then powered the tank forwards, crushing its struggling body beneath the great bulk of the war machine and shattering the morale of the ghouls who quickly slunk away even as the remaining flagellants pursued them into the dark. The body of Davargos was strung up on the prow of the tank and crumbled to dust as the sun came up. [1]
Aftermath
Four decades later, armour and bone can be found on the grassy slopes of the hill on which the battle was fought. [1]
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 264 (UK), Steam Tank, pg. 40-41
