Setting:Brighthammer 40,000/Warp Horrors

(This is a Brighthammer 40k Second Edition article.)

The Spawn of the Universal Destroyer

Alias: The many-bodied Beast; The Nameless Of all the horrors of the Warp that the Great Old Ones spawned, remnants of the Universal Destroyer are all that remain. It formed when, faced by the betrayal of the later Gods of Order, the Great Old Ones' hatred spawned their final warp entity. Within its first few minutes of existence, it had already slain and absorbed most of Old Ones' blasphemous Warp Gods, growing ever stronger and subsuming their identity with its own. Only with the help of newly ascended Gork and Mork was the entity stopped from ripping a galaxy-sized hole in reality. Already weakened by the sealing away of the Great Old Ones' at the hand of the Necrontyr and their C'Tan allies, the Universal Destroyer was finally defeated for good millennia later by the ascendance of Slaanesh and the Primarchs.

But just as it is impossible to eradicate a God of Order, so it is impossible to eradicate the embodiment of unthinking malice. While the conscious form of the Destroyer was defeated, parts of it still exists, drifting through the warp in the form of screaming fog. The Gods of Order are standing vigil against its influence, sending messages and directions to their servants when a piece of it starts to threaten reality again.

While unable to consciously act, the Destroyer still extends influence into the galaxy. On many backward worlds, cults exist which draw from its power, almost always revering some god of vengeance, blood, or ritual murder; some might own powerful and evil relics created during the millenia when the Destroyer was still sentient. While such relics can no longer be created, their corrupting influence can still lead to madness, mutations, and the spawning of minor warp horrors (which redissolve into one of the bodies of the Destroyer when slain). Its remaining worldly influence is countered mostly by the Adeptus Telepathica, the entire Ork race, and the Elder servants of Khaine.

Individual Horrors

The Enslavers

While thought defeated during the War of Souls, the Enslavers are occasionally encountered on planets which harbour many uneducated Psychers.

The Screaming Fog

The fog is all that remains of the Universal Destroyer which was formed just before the sealing of the Great Old Ones and the fall of the Slaani, their last remaining servants. It was destroyed at the beginning of the Age of Strife, dissolving into countless clouds of screaming fog, which continue to travel to the Warp to this day. The Adeptus Telepathica theorizes that the fog is not destroyed because the Gods of Order realized that such an act would force the creation of a new embodiment of malice. Individual fog banks can possess careless Psychers, driving them utterly mad, animate dead bodies into mindless monsters, and drive unsuspecting warp-traveling vessels into disaster. The fog cannot be destroyed in the Materium, but the destruction of its vessels force it back into the Warp, where it is again a helpless victim to its currents.

The Wanderer of the Warp

Alias: The Oldest Brother; Spirit of Shadow

The Wanderer of the Warp is a ancient Horror; possibly one of the few remaining of the Great Old Ones' original servants. It is encountered maybe twice every millennium, but some of its appearances have been well documented. It may appear when a summon of an Order Daemon is improperly warded, gradually superimposing itself over the Daemon until it gains access to the Materium in its stead. Its appearance varies; generally, its body appears looking like one of its summoners, replicating clothes down to insignificant details; however, the Wanderer's body does not emulate flesh but solid shadow. Terribly powerful, it has been known to immediately attack its summoners, not stopping until a sufficient level of destruction has been inflicted. It has been observed to immolate its victims, as well as turn parts of its body into piercing weapons. While powerful, it can be defeated and sent back into the Warp; in one notable encounter, the Primarch Rogal Dorn single-handedly fought it to a bloody stalemate until it retreated through a Warp portal, clearly weakened by the encounter. The Adeptus Telepathica theorizes that this Horror is a manifestation of man's desire to hide his darkest secrets from himself.

The Dread Moon

Alias: The Watcher in Darkness

The Dread Moon may appear in the Materium when an entire planet is engulfed in war, should that planet have at least one moon. Its manifestation superimposes the moon with the image of an unblinking reptilian eye. Its influence (aside from the visual manifestation) is subtle: peace negotiations fail, comrades are more likely to start infighting, equipment fails with the most dangerous effects possible. As soon as the war ceases, the manifestation disappears. At least two hundred and twenty-four wars since the rise of the Empire of Man have been stopped dead as soon as the Watcher in Darkness appeared in the system - both sides realizing that the only way to survive this encounter was peaceful negotiation. The Adeptus Telepathica fears that it may be allied to the dread Tau, as it has been seen during their last three attempted invasions of imperial planets.

Doom Rider

A Horror of unknown origin, Doom Rider may appear in the midst of battle through a portal, fight a random battler, and then disappear again. It appears as a motorcycle-riding man with his head on fire. The Adeptus Telepathica is unable to determine who or what this Horror is, its motivation is a total mystery.

Furies

Appearing a leathery winged beasts, Furies are thought to be formed by a gathering of souls of the Universal Destroyers. Their influence of the Materium and Immaterium is rare, as destroying them in both realms is a high priority of the Gods of Order and their servants. Individual Furies might escape this fate and assist cults of the Destroyer for a while, before inevitably consuming their souls to increase their own power.