Forge Fires Burning

The vampire awoke in the coffin deep in the catacombs beneath his castle, his wounds still closing over from the defeat the night before. At least he assumes it was the night before; he couldn't really remember much aside from the flapping of leathery wings, the gouts of flame, and his legions crumbling before the blows of the abyssal dwarves. Focussing his mind on the battle just past, his eyes flared with anger as he recalled his elite ephemeral guard being engulfed in an explosion from one of the dwarf's infernal contraptions before they could even engage the enemy, and took little solace in the fact his revenant knights destroyed the other war machine before it could wreak similar havoc. He knew he had to gather more energies from the nodes of power he'd found, yet was unable. The mystic vortices seemed to be becoming more and more plentiful across the land, and yet more varied opponents emerge to vie for control, preventing the Vampire Lord from claiming the secrets within.

1500 points battle of my undead against Tim's Abyssal dwarves. Pillage scenario, 7 objectives. 5-1 loss for the undead, with heavy casualties. Great friendly opponent, fast moving game, good fun despite the obvious disparity in skill and experience.

Spires of Insanity

Among the cursed items salvaged from the battle against The Brotherhood was a map and an odd kind of token. Hewn of some sort of bone, to look upon it caused the brain to twist in unnatural ways. The Vampire Lord could sense the power within it. Akin to necromancy, yet born in some other place, it was certainly worth investigating. Ordering the necromancers to reanimate his depleted forces, he spread the map before him and planned his route.

Dredging the Swamp

The Vampire Lord, furious at his defeat by the orcs, traversed the countryside back towards his castle in the deep of the forests. Some small villages were encountered along the way, and his sycophant necromancer underlings were more than happy to replenish his ranks. Unfortunately there were no trolls or great legendary warriors among the villages, so the zombie trolls and wights went unrenewed.

The Valley of Strife

The orcs and the undead crested opposite sides of the desolate valley at the same time. Rumours and portends had led them here, to the site of the abandoned, ancient, orc village. Nodes of power scattered around the landscape could be felt by the users of magic in each force. Six in total, both sides knew they must claim them and unlock their secrets. Neither side could afford to yield to the other. The bloodbath was about to begin...