We can hear a humming in the air – the Everqueen’s Rite of Life echoes all around the Mortal Realms, a powerful song that heralds the approach of new Sylvaneth warriors. The wargroves are uprooting and expanding their territory as Alarielle becomes less and less concerned with the plight of her erstwhile allies.
Above the stomping Treelords and cruel Dryads fly the Spiterider Lancers. These elite warriors charge into battle on the backs of dragonspites, ancient insectoid beings which once drank deep from the sap of the Oak of Ages in the World-that-Was. The Everqueen’s song has roused these beasts from their amber prisons, and now they accompany her forces as vicious mounts.
Rushing ahead of the main Sylvaneth forces, these mighty shock cavalry attack with blinding speed upon blurred wings. The Descent of the Spiteriders is impressive to behold – tearing across the tabletop and pulverising weak opponents before they can strike back.
And it’s bad news for whatever they hit. Each Spiterider sports four attacks – and their champion, the Spiterider Scion, gets one extra – with an additional three attacks each from their mounts. That means even a unit of three Spiterider Lancers can unleash a formidable 22 attacks on the charge – with no retaliation!
Plus, those enchanted lances and chomping mandibles are razor-sharp. At Rend -2 and Rend -1 respectively, they’ll make short work of whatever armour they encounter.
The Spiterider Lancers are incredibly durable too – they’re Thrumming with Life, positively overflowing with the vital energies that course through Alarielle’s realm. Even if they don’t destroy their foes with a devastating charge, they can weather any returned blows with impunity.
At the end of each phase, if your Spiterider Lancers have slain even one enemy warrior, they’ll return to full health – and with five wounds each, your opponent is going to have to work doubly hard at stamping out these bugs.
This ability combos nicely with their improved Rally – the Spiterider Hornblower can blast out a few notes of Alarielle’s song and resurrect any slain models on a roll of a 5+. It’s perfect for keeping big units in the fight!
These flying warriors share both Thrumming with Life and their magical musicians with the Revenant Seekers – another airborne unit who spend much of their time on the battlefield harvesting lamentiri, further bolstering the ranks of the Sylvaneth warhost.
You’ll have to pick up the new Battletome: Sylvaneth to see all these powerful new rules in full bloom. Each of them brings something new to the ever-growing branch battalions of the Sylvaneth.
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