Morghasts/Hammurai
An undead monster created in End Times for Warhammer Fantasy (because we all like characters introduced in the epilogue).
Given they are from new Games Workshop where historical expies are dropped in favor of whatever makes a larger kit, its not surprising they aren't based on anything in particular from Egyptian mythology, beyond superficial resemblance to angelic beings.
Lore
After Nagash's second defeat he sent a plague to wipe out the defenders of Nehekhara, and with 90% of the living populace dead he prepared for another military invasion with even more corpses. The god Ptra, god of immortality, was enraged by the disruption of his cycle and sent his servants, fleshy beings with angel wings carrying blades forged in a star (we don't have an image of what they looked like alive, just a description of them rotting) called Hammurai to destroy him. For the Moses amount of time (40 days/nights) they battled, but in the morning of the 41st day Nagash somehow killed all of them and caused the non-bone organic material to rot off them and raised them as undead with all their former consciousness but somehow the loyalty to Ptra replaced with loyalty to Nagash (somehow). He felt they were superior to the Vampires who had just previously failed to defend him against the Nehekharan forces thanks to their arrogance and backstabbing, since the Hammurai (now called Morghasts) were already a fighting unit of servants. The polarity of the magic within them reversed from undead-destroying light to undead-raising death, and as they cut down the few remaining humans in their way they left behind even more soldiers to lead. As Nagash prepared the Great Ritual to kill everything in Nehekhara and raise it in undeath he was assassinated by the last living Nehekharan king named Alcadizaar using a Skaven blade. The Morghasts had been split between forces in the north ready to sweep over the rest of the world and the ones of the south who defended their master, who attempted to carry out his will. But the partially completed Great Ritual had succeeded in killing everything in Nehekhara and raising it from the dead, but failed at commanding their spirits; as a result EVERY SINGLE NEHEKHARAN WHO EVER LIVED arose at once, and quickly put down Nagash's loyal forces (before going to unending war with each other). Unable to overpower Nagash's enchantments, the Morghasts were trapped in tombs in a resting state (which explains why we never saw them in Warhammer prior to End Times). Necromancers would discover the remains over the years, but thanks to the creation of the Vortex by the High Elves there was not enough magic left in the world to keep them animated. Even when Nagash returned he himself was unable to awake them.
Nagash raised them in the beginning of End Times despite the fact the Vortex hadn't been undone yet due to having slain and consumed the entire pantheon of Nehekharan gods including Ptra. They went about carrying out his will, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy that they did.
Likewise they still exist in Age of Sigmar, and still aren't doing anything worth mentioning other than just kind of being part of Nagash's army.
Morghasts are divided into two groups:
- Morghast Archai are Nagash's personal guard, the ones he kept in the south during the Great Ritual. They carry spear-like blades, and serve only at the command of Nagash's highest rank servants, the Mortarchs.
- Morghast Harbingers are the rank and file of the Morghasts, carrying two giant cleaver-like swords. They are likely the force Nagash sent to the north.
All Morghasts seem to be filled with ghosts, because that's just the End Times/early AoS design philosophy. Their armor is black, apparently the same type of "Ebony-wrought" (whatever that means) as Morikhane the Black Armour, the armor of Nagash himself (in god form, not his pre-End Times forms).
Crunch
Warhammer Fantasy
Both could be taken by either the Vampire Counts or the Undead Legion combined Vampire Counts/Tomb Kings army. Tomb Kings had no access to them, since the army was technically destroyed and made into the Legion at the start of the event while the Vampire Counts were folded in over time later.
- Harbingers
Special cateogry, 80 point Monstrous Infantry with Hover and Terror. Statline is not bad, ringing in with 5WS, three S5 Killing Blow Attacks, and 4 Wounds at Toughness 5. Their Initiative isn't too bad either, at 4. It has two Hand Weapons and Heavy Armor, so it's geared pretty well. This alone however isn't why you bring them when you could get a Sphinx. They have the special rule "Heralds of the Accursed One" which causes all friendly troops within 12 inches to take 1 less Wound from Combat Resolution damage. IT STACKS, and they're 2 or more to a Unit.
- Archai
Rare category, for 90 points you got a solid statline (S5 T5 W5 A3), 4+ and halberds. Rest of rules as Morghast Harbinger, including anti-crumbling aura. All in all, nice support unit to provide resilience to your unstable units, capable of surviving in melee, if need be. Take this if you want to save your Special points but want that buffing.
Age Of Sigmar
Gallery
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The Skelepope's Swiss Guard
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Leaping out of the nearest metal album cover to battle
