Hellstriders of Slaanesh

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Hellstriders of Slaanesh are a Chaos cavalry unit in Warhammer Fantasy who ride Steeds of Slaanesh... No, these are actually a different thing entirely to the Seekers of Slaanesh you're thinking of. Hellstriders were introduced around 7th-8th edition Warhammer Fantasy, and consist of human Slaaneshi faithful who have been given the permission of Slaanesh to ride one of the Dark Prince's daemonic steeds. These individuals group together to form lightning-fast hunting parties, which race across the world to kill anyone they encounter and offer their souls to Slaanesh. As these individuals lack the power and will of a true Slaaneshi Chaos Lord, they swiftly lose their souls to the intoxicating pleasure that Slaanesh feeds them for each kill, and end up as hollowed-out junkies desperately searching for their next fix before the withdrawal kills them.

Hellstriders first debuted in the pages of White Dwarf, and were then added officially to the game with the 8th edition Warriors of Chaos army book.

Official Fluff

Hellstriders of Slaanesh are devotees of torment who hunt from the back of impossibly swift daemonic steeds. They fight to inflict pain and despair, landing mortal blows upon their victims where they are most likely to prolong the agonising moment of death. Some Hellstriders fight with blades that long ago mutated into their own flesh, whilst others carry a mass of writhing lashes that move with an intelligence of their own. These barbed whips strike out with incredible speed, splitting skin, ripping out throats and flensing flesh in the blink of an eye.

Slaanesh finds the desperation of mortals exhilarating, especially in those wretches who struggle in vain to achieve greatness when they possess neither the strength nor the cunning to succeed. To these weak-willed men, Slaanesh whispers a dark bargain — power, but at a price. The Dark Prince sends a Steed of Slaanesh to these mortals, offering the creature as a gift to carry him from one glorious victory to the next. In exchange, Slaanesh asks only that his enemies’ souls are sacrificed to him. Few can resist so tempting an offer, for with such a kingly gift they would surely have the power they need to become a mighty Chaos Lord. However, once they sit astride the daemonic steed and the pact is sealed, they will never again dismount. Though they do not yet realize it, they have just become Slaanesh’s willing slaves.

As a Hellstrider fells his enemies, each slain soul is rewarded by the Dark Prince. Intoxicating energy courses through the warrior’s veins, invigorating his form with a potent draught of pain and despair which leaves him shuddering in delight. However, such pleasure does not last for long, and it is addictive in the extreme. At battle’s end, all that remains are the pangs of suffering and a gnawing hunger that consumes all thoughts bar one — to feel Slaanesh’s stimulating embrace again. Not even the dream of becoming a mighty Lord of Chaos survives, sacrificed as the cravings take hold. So it is that Hellstriders have cursed themselves to the eternal hunt; they must fight to feed their addiction to pain and torment, or die from the withdrawal - there are no other choices.