Grymkin

The latest limited release faction for Hordes, the Grymkin is for anyone that always wanted to play with an army of fairy tale and folklore characters. No, we are not talking about your common Disney sunshine and rainbows kind of theme here. We are talking about the sort of creatures that lurk out in the shadows and in the depths of the woods, ready to pounce on the foolish and devour the wicked at a moment's notice.

Overview - the history and background of the Wicked Harvest

Ages ago, so long in the past that God-Emperor knows when it was, Menoth, God of Man, decided it was high time that humanity stopped sucking and actually did something useful for once, i.e. doing what Menoth ordered without complaint and telling him constantly what a cool dude he is. Basically he created a whole bunch of laws that men had to live by; they were given no choice in the matter unless they wanted to end up being tied to a pole and set alight for daring to think they had anything like free will.

Naturally not everyone agreed with that and five individuals with tremendous will of their own rejected him so strongly and fundamentally they ended up tapping into some part of the divine power all humans have in their souls and going over 9000! instantly in terms of badassness. Unfortunately Menoth was not too best pleased with these 'upstarts' and threw them all into Ur-Caen (the afterlife) while still alive. Now trapped in this spirit world these Defiers were endlessly tormented by their own nightmares made real for thousands of years, an endless agony that quite understandably lead them to swear revenge against Menoth and his twisted creation.

Despite their imprisonment the five Defiers had become demi-gods and in time they learned to control their divine power. Through careful study the Heretic was able to learn how the Defiers could bend their own nightmares to their will, bringing them under their control and giving them access to an army that would make you crap yourself if you saw them coming at you. It was not just their nightmares that would become the Defiers' underlings, for those wicked souls who end up in the wilds of Urcaen were judged and transformed by the Defiers as an eternal punishment into forms suited to their crimes, cursed to hunt down those with evil in their souls. This growing gathering of vengeful demi-gods, nightmares given flesh and damned souls would in time become known as the Grymkin, dedicated to unleashing judgment on a cruel and corrupt world.

For centuries, the Defiers awaited their chance to return to Caen to unleash their wicked harvest on Menoth's civilization (and anyone else that needs a good kicking, a certain dragon springs to mind..). The Old Witch Zevanna Agha knew of the Grymkin and looked for a way to set them free to further her own plans. She managed to find a lady in an insane asylum and used her as a conduit to negotiate terms (who knew an old hag was so well versed in contract law?) and arrange to open the gates to Urcaen for them. Now the Grymkin are ready to unleash their sweet brand of whoop-ass on anyone with a shred of wickedness in their hearts, mainly by using nightmarish creatures that is just straight out of your worst fears or finding ways to punish you for your own cowardice or greed.

Surprisingly there is a delicious element of irony to the release of the nightmarish Grymkin upon the world as they may be its best chance for survival. The Old Witch's motive for unleashing these bowel-churning horrors was oddly enough so that the Grymkin could slow the spread of infernalism within the Iron Kingdoms that may one day end up bringing about a true hell on earth if left unchecked. By seeking out and killing those evil enough to deal with the Infernals and by toughing up good men through the crucible of the Grymkin's judgment it is the Witch's hope the spread can be stopped or at least muted enough that if the Infernals did invade the world would have a fighting chance of stopping them. If Infernals ever invaded Caen in full force, it would mean the end of the world and the eternal torment of all living souls. The Grymkin, then, are the world's twisted salvation from annihilation. Told you the irony was sweet.

Considering the fact the Infernals have been announced as the next limited release faction for Hordes due out in Summer 2019 it seems the Old Witch's plan has failed sadly. Time to get out the holy water and salt...

Hilariously the only thing the Grymkin warlocks (Defiers) are truly scared of is their warbeasts which are in truth their own nightmares. I'm guessing obedience school didn't work then.

Grymkin forces

Warlocks

Zevanna Agha, The Fate Keeper (Grymkin)‎ - the crafty old witch is at it again. She was the one responsible for stirring up the Grymkin in the first place and arranging for them to be let loose upon the mortal plane once more. Now she lends her aid (occasionally) to the Grymkin forces which also gives her a chance to keep an eye on them. Has a pimping ride; a two legged battle engine with a small shack on top of it that looks a bit of a mess but packs a punch. like any good schemer she has put assets aside that will help her fight back the Grymkin should they prove to be more trouble then they are worth - Tzeentch would be proud.

The Heretic - The jack of all trades, the Heretic is the closest the 'Kin have to a general style kind of Warlock and has something to deal with most situations. Once Menoth's right hand man the man who would become the Heretic realised his power didn't come from the god but from inside himself and so turned his back on his former god to take a stab at divinity too. This betrayal didn't go down well with Menoth who isn't the forgiving type and so he cast the Defilers all down into their prisoner. Before he fell though the Heretic issued a prophecy that basically said they would be back to wreck Menoth's plans and his followers in the future...and lo and behold was it so.

The Dreamer

The Child - Your aggressive play style, melee focused warlock. No really. She can really dish out the pain as the more she is wounded the higher her damage output gets. Her minions and warbeasts then favour a player who is willing to press advantages and takes risks when needed. In the lore she was the first of the Defilers, a child that didn't want to be told what to do but anyone and woe betide those that think differently.

The King of Nothing - A defiler that just wants to be left alone

The Wanderer

Warbeasts

Lesser

Crabbit - pink rabbit-looking critters with way, way too many teeth. Each one carries a small warning around its neck saying 'Don't pet the bunnies!'

Light

Rattler

Gorehound

Frightmare - You know those nightmares you have when everything gets totally messed up in a way that is weird and frightening at the same time? The frightmare is exactly that. If you stare too long at the moment it will freak you out. Also according to the unit description it is constantly disgorging foul bile as a means to punish the enemies that stand against it...yeah...really messed up.

Heavy

Cage Rager

Skin & Moans - Freddy Krueger on steroids, he'll mess you up badly if he gets anywhere near you...

Units

Hollowmen Lantern Bearer - CA Holden - Character WA

Dread Rots

Piggybacks

Neigh Slayers

Murder Crows

Mad Caps

Character Units

Twilight Sisters

Solos

Witchwood

Cask Imp

Glimmer Imp

Trapperkin - Goblin-like solos that can magically open trap doors anywhere. Unconfirmed word has it if you are unlucky to fall into one of these open doors then you will end up in an inescapable realm where Justin Bieber's music is endlessly being played on a loop, although such a torment would surely be too much even for the Grymkin..

Gremlin Swarm - Machines beware, these little critters will mess you right up.

Character Solos

Lady Karianna Rose - A poor mad woman who the Grymkin have adopted as one of their own whose songs can soothe or enrage the warbeasts of the faction. Heaven forbid that you lay a hand on her, unleash you want to unleash a tidal wave of pain right at your army.

Lord Longfellow - If you hate spiders then you will seriously not like this deadly arachnid sniper. He does however have an impeccable sense of style.

Battle Engine

Death Knell - a corpse wagon brimming with the dark energies of the dead (probs stinks like crazy too; just as potent a weapon)

Unreleased Models

Clockatrice - based on the similar sounding mythological creature of the same name it is a possible forthcoming unit for the faction. Possibly will have an ability based around petrifying people.