Forces of Warmachine: Khador
| Forces of Warmachine: Khador | ||
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 2010 | |
| Pages | 144 | |
| Preceded by | Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar | |
| Followed by | Forces of Warmachine: Protectorate of Menoth | |
Story
On the northern banks of the Dragon's Tongue river, Alexander Karchev interrogates the sole survivor of a Cygnaran ambush that left far fewer Cygnarans dead than Khadorans. The man explained he thought it might be important for someone to bear witness, but Karchev pays him no heed and has him arrested. He then turns to Oleg Strakhov and explains their new order from the High Kommand: make an immediate show of force on the city of Point Bourne and glean whichever information they can on the fortifications past the outer wall. Karchev then asks about the issue of the missing 7th Battalion, but Strakhov assures him they'll come soon.
The Khadorans launch the attack at sunset. While Karchev occupies himself with breaching the wall of Point Bourne, Strakhov leads his Assault Kommandos into the trenches for the purpose of capturing the architect behind the city's newly expanded defences. He lets his men slaughter every trencher in reach, then enters the bunker and take the engineer into his custody. As Karchev begins to pull back, having achieved his objective as well, Strakhov also gives the order to retreat - just at the same time a Cryxian Harrower appears and starts firing at his men. He quickly commands his Decimator to destroy the Harrower, only to find the engineer escaping into a large, gaping cave. Strakhov orders his men to pursue.
Entering the cave, they fall under attack by mechanithralls. During the clash, the papers containing information on the Cygnaran defences are destroyed when a kommando's flamethrower tank is ruptured by a mechanithrall. One of them still has bits of uniform clinging to it; when examining the emblem Strakhov realises his entire missing 7th Battalion was eliminated without a trace. Finding a pile of corpses likely harvested to create more mechanithralls and no sign of the engineer, Strakhov has it burnt, then continues inside the cave.
Making his way into the Thornwood necrofactorium, Strakhov finds the engineer in captivity by the cephalyx. The ensuing fight ends with the cephalyx and their drudges dead and the engineer freed, but then an alarm sounds and Cryxians appear and swarm towards the Khadorans. Strakhov, one of his Kodiaks, the engineer, and no other Khadoran barely make their way outside. On the surface, he finds Karchev retreating from the Cryxians overrunning the woods, and moves to assist him with the kommandos left on the surface.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Tzepesci languishes in the dungeons of Leryn, in captivity of Vice Scrutator Vindictus. Chained with the Bonds of Noresto, Vlad finds himself unable to call on his sorcery. Listening to his guards, he deduces their name and origin: Skarholt, who is from Sul, and Orlov, a Llaelese Umbrean.
The next time Vindictus comes to interrogate him, Vlad asks for permission again to speak with Hierarch Severius. Once again Vindictus ignores his request, even if he invokes the Law of Envoy as is the right of the Great Prince of Umbrey, and every time Vlad would speak bad of Vindictus Skarholt would come and punch him with a mailed fist. Vindictus then proceeds to torture Vlad, fascinated with the connection between him and Drago. After Vindictus leaves, Vlad attempts to remind Orlov of his Umbrean heritage and explain to him that he is right and Vindictus is wrong, but again Skarholt silences him with a punch, although Vlad notes the definite change in Orlov's reaction.
As promised Vindictus returns and interrogates Vladimir again until Hierarch Severius summons him. After receiving another punch from Skarholt for trying to convince Orlov, Vlad then turns to taunting Skarholt himself. Orlov persuades Skarholt to ignore Vlad's taunts, but Skarholt only angrily orders Orlov to stand relieved, then continues to attack Vlad until Drago suddenly appears and rushes down the halls. Orlov does nothing as Drago kills Skarholt and frees Vlad. Before making his escape, Vlad explicitly orders Drago to ignore Orlov.