Aldar Ramkin, commander of the Horned Ones, stood proud. His brother dwarves had accomplished what none save they expected - they took back the 7th Ringhold from Nemeth, under the very noses of her Devout hordes. Although it had cost the dwarves dearly, they had taken back what was rightfully theirs. And, in time, the Dwarves would throw Nemeth and all of the damned Devout out of this entire Ringhold, and then the Horned Ones would bear the disgrace of its loss no longer.

The events chronicled in the Sons of Kronos sourcebook briefly discuss the campaign of the Horned Ones [Dwarves] against the Devout at Nemeth's capital in the north. While in the end, the Horned Ones finally capture the 7th Ringhold at great cost, the battles of this campaign are notable as two single-minded foes pitted themselves brutally against one another, with no quarter asked for and none given. The Horned Ones fight to recapture their Ringhold that Nemeth took from them; and the Devout fight for the sheer love of killing in the name of their Prophets and the Dark One.

One thing very noteworthy about these conflicts is that they all took place in the Labyrinth and its surrounding areas, deep below the surface. Although the Dwarves and Devout can both see well in very low illumination, very often they find themselves engaged against forces in unknown numbers. Skirmishes quickly turned into massive confrontations as Horned Ones and Devout poured into the tunnels and large caverns, each intent on destroying each other and refusing to give any ground to the enemy.

One such skirmish is exactly how the Horned Ones discovered the underground river passage that would lead them to victory over the Devout.

Horned one's briefing

Aldar Ramkin is leading a mixed force of Horned Ones and Wolf Clan, out on a normal patrol, and looking for Devout stragglers. Of course, he must do this while avoiding any of the stray beasts that roam the Labyrinth seeking prey. The Devout have been known to slip single assassins through the area and have wreaked havoc on the unaware Dwarven troops - parrots such as yours are to prevent that from happening again. Should the Dwarves encounter Devout forces, they Must use discretion. If the force is small, wipe it out; if it is too large, pull back - throwing away lives senselessly is not going to win the war for the Dwarves.

Individuals
1 X Horn Skull Champion (80 points)

warband 1
8 X Horned Ones Spearmen (.344 points)
1 X Horned Ones Spearmen Leader (43 points)

warband 2
6 X Horned Ones Swordsmen (204 points)
1 X Horned Ones Swordsmen Leader (36)

warband 3
4 X Wolven Scout Warriors (236 points)
1 X Wolven Scout Leader (62 points)

Strategy

Given the narrow fighting areas, the Dwarves should try to break their warbands into groups, keeping close enough to support one another - but not so close that they can't maneuver. They should also keep their Champion near the fighting, as you may need his leadership. The Devout lack any missile capability, so use the Wolven Scouts without fear of being shot at - but don't let them get overwhelmed; they are your smallest warband.

Overall, remember that your troops are sturdy, well armored and powerful. You are better than the Devout swordsmen - but beware of some of their more powerful troops.

If all seems lost, attempt a fighting withdrawal although the Devout are faster, they will be wary to chase if their enemy can withdraw in an orderly fashion.

Devout briefing

The devout don't like this. Not at all. Nemeth's attentions have been focused on the north, where the Firstborn and the Untamed have been putting up far more fight than ever before. The Devout troops are restless, preferring to be slaughtering all in the Dark One's name, not playing cat and mouse with Dwarves in this accursed underground world. The Dwarves fight like devils; but the Devout are devils.

The Devout are hunting for Dwarves - tired of their tricks and ploys and refusal to join into a real battle. These tunnels make the Devout wish that the Dark One would hurry up and take over the world; maybe then you could enjoy the outside world again. Twisted and blackened as it would be as the Dark One had his way with things...

Individuals
1 X Warped Lord (85 points - Spell: Possession)
1 X Jackal Clan Scout (58 points)

Warband 1
8 X Greatsword Followers (232 points)
1 X Greatsword Leader (31 points)

Warband 2
4 X Dwarf Risen Skeletons (80 points)
4 X Human Risen Skeletons (66 points)

Warband 3
4 X Dark Eyes (252 points)

Warband 4
6 X Cursed (234 points)

Strategy

The Devout have numbers, but the terrain suits the Dwarves - they wilt be hard pressed to overwhelm the Dwarves in many places. Although the Risen will protect the Devout leader from the limited missile fire that the Wolf Scouts have, the Devout should not worry about their hand crossbows - this battle shall be won by hand-to-hand combat.

The Devout should use their warbands to compliment each other - the Greatswords have the numbers to attack, then bring in your Cursed and Dark Eyes to win the tough combats. Note carefully that if the Devout can prevent the Horned Ones from charging, they will avoid the Horned Ones' secondary attacks. Remember that the Warped Lord's Horn of Decay can remove Waiting Counters - this is absolutely save you from the Horned Ones' spears.

Special rules

Neither the Dwarves nor the Devout rule the depth,, There are strange horrors that live and prey down here beasts that have never seen sunlight or encountered the beings that walk under it.

And, they're hungry.

Every turn, roll a d20 for each warband. If the score is 15 or more, the last model in the warband is suddenly set upon and dragged away by one of these lurking horrific beasts. There is no combat - the attack is so swift and so startling that the only thing the rest of the warband hears is a brief, shrill scream... and their companion, gone.

Individuals are immune to being dragged off - they are made of sterner stuff, and learned to dodge such creeping beasties long ago.

Victory conditions

Add up victory points as normal. However, troops that exit the board voluntarily do not count as lost - they live to fight another time in this long war. It is unlikely that either side will score more than a marginal victory unless both players play with extreme prejudice and bloodthirst.

Map set-up

Either draw out a map on poster-board like the one given, or create one with one of the numerous dungeon tilesets and such available. Geo-Hex's Cavernscape is what we used to test things; but any winding, narrow map set will work fine. Just remember to keep things no wider than two figures - this isn't a stand-up fight, it is won by careful maneuvers and superior troops.

If you're lucky, of course. Note the River on the right side of the map - it isn't passable by troops during this scenario, but it is part of history. It is the river passage-way that allowed the Horned Ones to enter the 7th Ringhold completely by surprise and take it back from the Devout.