“Horde Buried Beneath Swarming Immortals
Coming off their bruising week 1 loss to the Freshwater Felons, the Burning Horde brought their depleted squad to the home of Amadaun’s Immortals looking to piece together a win and take some Skaven hides home as trophies.

The Immortals won the coin toss and elected to kickoff, choosing to utilize their swarming defense to overwhelm the Horde’s eight starting players. After a touchback, the Horde’s Madfang, received the ball and scrambled behind fellow Beastmen Shatterhorn and Bloodmane. As Chaos Warriors, Sulal and Carac engaged the Immortals’ linemen, coach and owner Thul ordered Runeclaw and Bonewalker to assault the Immortals’ Panza, a shifty Gutter Runner, who managed to slip out of a mauling blitz attempt and scamper away.

The swarming Skaven team quickly counter attacked, forcing the Horde players into a defensive cluster where they could utilize their brute strength. In the resulting struggle, Horde Beastman, Bonewalker slammed his horns into lineman, Chaconne, shattering the Skaven’s collarbone.

The bloodthirsty crowd cheered relentlessly, as the violence continued to pick up. Skaven lineman, Athol, collided with ball-carrier Madfang, managing to jar the ball loose before stumbling to the ground in a heap. Climbing to his feet, Madfang used the opportunity to stomp on the Skaven’s exposed knee, smashing it into dust. With the pitch cleared, Beastman Bloodmane rushed in and scooped up the ball, falling into the center of the Horde defensive cluster.

Chaos Warrior Sulal used his superior strength to ram his way through the Skaven frontline, fouling and knocking out Skaven player, Genoas, in his fury. The ref quickly spotted the foul and, despite a heated argument, tosses the Horde player for the rest of the game.

While Bloodmane attempted to hoof his way through the lines, Skaven lineman, Selmer, rushed into the fray and smashed into the Beastman, knocking the ball loose once again. The Immortals’ players were unable to take advantage, and the Horde quickly brought Chaos Warrior Kel up to block for Runeclaw. As the half ticked away, the Beastman pushed himself to the limit, scooping the ball and diving into the end zone for the first score.

The Horde players began to celebrate their early lead, but seemed to forget that the half was not over. Showing poor clock management, the squad lined up in a spread defensive formation, leaving themselves exposed to a last minute attack. The Immortals took quick advantage, surrounding the vulnerable Bonewalker and allowing Storm Vermin, Amadaun to badly injure the Beastman. Already undermanned by previous injuries and an ejection, this latest loss would prove critical in the second half.

The half opened with the Immortals holding a four-man advantage over the Horde, and the Skaven quickly took advantage of their superior speed and numbers. As the Chaos squad received the kickoff, the Immortals drove a splinter down the center of the Horde, splitting the team. Ball-carrier Shatterhorn tried to escape the Skaven trap, but he could only watch as teammates Kel, Carac, and Runeclaw were surrounded and driven into the earth across the pitch and then blocker Bloodmane was shoved into the hungry crowd.

Alone and vulnerable, it was only a matter of time before Shatterhorn was mauled, feebly giving up the ball in a bloody daze. Immortals’ player, Tobosco picked up the discarded ball and walked into the end zone, unchallenged.

The Horde kicked off and immediately struggled to maintain their footing while warding off the relentless Skaven blockers. The Horde managed to deliver a few knockout blows before the Skaven once again took advantage of their swarming numbers. Lineman Brose strolled into the end zone for the decisive score.

Beaten and weary, and perhaps still thinking of their fallen teammate, Bonewalker, the Horde received the kick with simple vengeance on their minds. While Immortals players began to celebrate their first win, Runeclaw snuck in a final fouling blow, seriously injuring Amadaun as the clock clicked to zero.

The Burning Horde next travel to the home of Desperados and Gin, to face a Wood Elf team also struggling to earn a first victory. The Horde should be bolstered by the return of captains Mulcana and Ghol, and look to build on a valiant effort against the Immortals.

Post Game Notes:
After the game, some scouts noted the improvement Kel showed in his blocking technique. ”