The cathedral of Death Battle report

The Monastery 

Canoness Angelica stood atop the battlements, the ugly gun shields hastily grafted over the crumbling ancient carvings a brutal testament to the ravages of war her gaze swept across the abandoned barricades spread across the churned over lawns and and ruined gardens dotted about in places were the unrecovered remains of fallen sisters and traitor guardsmen, her lips moved silently in a prayer to the Emperor for the souls fallen on this blighted world, just as she finished, a rising scream in the air announced the resumption of the guard bombardment, the shells landing with heavy crashes further churning the courtyard, her gaze snapped left as a shell carved through the middle of a spire, as the debris rained down to the ground the spire collapsed in a cloud of pulverised rockreate and plasteel.
               Sister Superior Khalan finished her prayers and raised the Imperial Aquila with the attached prayer scroll and affixed it to her chest plate, lifted her bolter and rose to her feet her actions copied by the squad behind her, she raised a fist over her heart and spoke "For the Emperor!" Her squad copied her action and invocation before the squad marched out to take there place on the barricades. Outside the monastery looked like a kicked anthill sisters and intitates running to and fro, servitors and tech adepts moving gear and supplies from the storehouses to the landing area, as they turned to climb the steps to the battlements a castigator main battle tank covered in oath papers and prayer scrolls fluttering in the wind moved up to block the main doors, its tracks ripping up the ancient marble of the destroyed foyer. Angelica raised her gauntleted hand and pointed, Khalan's eyes narrowed as she looked in the direction indicated, dark green and grey tanks appearing at the entrances to the passes "So they are coming again, the transport better get here soon" 

On the plains outside the monastery

"From High Command, the Ultramarines have found out about the besieged Sisters. They may send help." A Comms officer from inside the command Chimera said to Marshall Dreval. She nodded,

"It is to be expected. Such a force would be hard to hide from their prying eyes. " 

She turned to face the array of vehicles and men preparing for battle. 

"We have the area well locked down so if they come it will be by air and I think just to evacuate the sisters. That's if they want to go, they may insist of dying for their so called cause" 

Marshall Dreval turned to her body guards, grim determination was etched across their faces. 

"You have seen the truth that Supreme commander Snarpe shared. We all still love the emperor but to worship him as a god is false. He was just a man. A remarkable man, a titan of a man but just a man. I don't understand why your sisters won't see that. Are you ready to face them?"

The red armoured sisters of battle remained silent. The sister superior stepped forward,

"We wish our sisters had listened to us but they are stubborn and trapped in rhetoric. We must free them"

Hold Until Evac - 2000pts

2pts - Killing a unit

3pts - killing a character

5pts to Defender -  For every defender unit that makes it to transport

5pts to Attacker - For every defender left at the end of the game

The battle for Phalona Reach wages on. Word has got to the Ultramarines that an Adeptus Sororitas monastery was under siege. A transport was despatched to rescue what forces remained!

A 2000pt game I got to bring all my favourite things...….tanks! I had a heavy force of plenty of armour and Ogryns and Bulgryns. There was some infantry as well. All lead by Marshall Dreval (Using Inquisitor Coteaz rules) and her entourage of a squad of Adeptus Sororitas. 

The Sisters held the monastery with infantry, tanks and walkers.

The Phalonian forces await the order to charge 

The Adeptus Sororitas hold the perimeter

The battle started with the sisters infantry holding the perimeter, 2 armoured vehicles advanced containing Arco flagellant's and Sister Repentia along with Penitant engines.

On the right flank a Callidus assassin broke cover and surged forward. She was charged by Phalonian infantry

but she slaughtered them all without remorse. This left her exposed to a lot of tank guns though. The Phalonian tanks let moved forward and brought such a weight of fire down on the advancing forces. 

My Hellhound was destroyed by a Castigator but both of the Sororitas advancing tanks were destroyed, their occupants survived and pushed forward. Brutal hand to hand combat erupted on the front lines. The Bulgryns took casualties but held firm and the Ogryns charged in to clean up the fight with brutal efficiency

Under an assault of mauls and rifle buts a Sister superior falls

 The Phalonian advance was slowed by this sally from the Monastery, so the surviving sisters held firm behind the walls. One unit was getting smashed by a basilisk but they held. 

Paragon War suits came forward to engage the tanks and the holy Saint Celestine descended with a squad of Seraphim's. 

The Paragon War suits fell from the sheer weight of tank fire. Saint Celestine charged at the Phalonians and slaughtered a squad. Unfortunately this left the Saint exposed. Marshall Dreval and her squad brought down most of the Seraphim's with bolter fire.  

With a roar and a sonic boom the Ultramarine transport appeared  landing in the monastery square.

Clearly the Ultramarines did not have a Vertibird. Thank you to Dave for the proxy

The Sisters started to fall back, the Phalonians realised they had been to slow at the advance and hurried firing what they can at the retreating Adeptus Sororitas. The demolisher tank unloaded everything it had at the Living Saint and she finally succumbed crashing to the ground. 

Fire poured down on the retreating sisters but a few units made it to the transport.

A draw Guard 20 VPs to Sisters 20 VPs

Phalona Reach VP total for Victory: 1000

Phalona Reach Defence Forces: 72

Ultramarines :131

Ultramarine Transport 

Sister Superior Khalan sat on the deck of the transport her shoulders slumped, her long white hair dishevelled by the run from the monastery, her one hand still gripped her bolter in a death grip while her other hand gently stroked the hair of Canoness Angelica whose limp and bloodied body she had carried aboard the transport herself, a quiet sob came from the cluster of her sisters scattered through the hold, she looked up as Sister Berdine kneeled on the other side of the fallen form of the Canoness "Is she?" She muttered in a breathy whisper, Khalan met her gaze "She lives, her armour took most of the round" Sister Berdine looked relieved and muttered a quiet prayer of thanks to the Emperor, Khalan instinctively followed in reciting the prayer.
The intercom crackled and the deep voice of the pilot echoed around the cabin "we are approaching the Resilient, prepare for docking" When the intercom went quiet, Berdine locked eyes with Khalan again, her right hand clutched an Aquilla necklace hanging between her breasts "What became of the Saint? Did you see her escape?" The desperate hope in Berdine's eyes triggered a stab of grief in Khalan's heart "She fell" Khalan's voice was choked with unshed tears, her hand again stroked Angelica's hair, Berdine gripped her Aquilla tighter and her voice became heated "Did you actually see her die?" Khalan took a deep breath and admitted "No she was still fighting when we were falling back, but she was surrounded and heavy armoured units were closing on her"
The transport then set down on the landing deck of the Ultramarines warship with a heavy bang of metal on metal, the ramps dropped, immediately a white armoured apothecary and two medicae servitors boarded and began working on the limp form of the Canoness, Khalan and Berdine rose providing space so the medical crew could begin to work, Berdine took Khalan's arm as they walked down the ramp "She will return" when Khalan didn't reply Berdine repeated the statement more forcefully, Khalan finally replied "Yes, she will, praise the Emperor" Berdine nodded both there eyes drawn to an approaching figure in blue power armour, Khalan looked over the warrior, his confident stride, thoughtful gaze and the service studs a strange counterpoint to his lieutenant rank markings, as he reached them, he looked over at the apothecary working on the canoness then back to Khalan before he raised his fist to his chest in salute and spoke "Welcome to the Resilient, I am Lt Titus, I'm sorry we could not extract you sooner, the rebels worked hard to stop us learning of your struggle, we will provide as much aid as we can for you"
Khalan nodded "Thank you Lt, we will need a little time to recover and give thanks to the Emperor but we will be ready for action again soon"
Titus nodded and just said "Good" 

The Monastery 

Marshall Dreval watched the Space Marine transport fly high into the sky, a trail of ineffectual tracer fire chasing after it.  

She scanned the burning cathedral,  Phalonian soldiers searched through the ruins while a green Rogal Dorn slowly traversed its turret watching for any last resistance. Some sisters had gotten away but that was to be expected. The cathedral was taken now and no longer could be used to preach falsehoods. 

Tanks still burned their  ammunition cooking off making sharp cracks and pops.  She turned to her body guards 

“Where is the Saint? “

The sisters stood unmoving, the sister superior stepped forward, 

“There is no body Marshall”

Dreval was confused,  she pointed at the winged corpses and snapped,

“Did we not see the Saint crumple under fire and fall? “

“Yes Marshall, a tank round brought her down but there is no body. Maybe it was vaporised?” The sister superior said visibly annoyed that this could not be explained.  Dreval so her head “This won't be the last we see of her” 

She strode back in the direction of her transport.  As she passed a demolisher tank she snorted a laugh as she spotted a crew member painting what looked like a fairy next to their other kill markers on the turret next to the demolisher cannon. 

She rolled her eyes

“Men”