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Warriors of Chaos

2023-05-17T22:34:42Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:All_Fear_the_Wrath_of_the_Norscans.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Vikings FTW!]]
{{topquote|To the ordinary, we are unknowable. Fallen. Corrupted. Rightly feared. You cannot understand our orgins, our motives... the dawning realisation that we are ''not'' fallen. We. Are. '''Ascended.'''|[[Archaon|Archaon the Everchosen]]}}

{{topquote|Moving up and fighting the best keeps me hungry.|Nonito Donaire}}

{{topquote|Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, 'Come.' I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.|Revelation 6:1-2}}

[[Old School Roleplaying|Remember when the followers of the Dark Gods were badass Viking warriors in awesome looking plate armour]] and weren't [[Chaos Space Marines|emo Space Marines]] under the thrall of [[Abaddon|an armless failure]]? Remember when they were led by completely fucking crazy motherfuckers who wrestled fucking Bloodthirsters to the ground as a bloody initiation ritual and rode around on chariots pulled by skinless bears and rode horses fed on human flesh and watered down with blood and had awesome beards rivalled only by Dwarfs? Pepperidge Farm remembers. These are the '''Warriors of Chaos''' (formerly '''Hordes'''), the granddaddies of all that is [[Awesome]] in the Chaos Space Marines, the original Champions of Chaos.

Additionally, every time the words "devout", "cruel", "savage", and synonyms of those show up in the following article, take a swig. I can guarantee that you will at least be drunk (unless you are, in fact, a chaos warrior yourself, in which case you would need to drink a gallon for every derp on the [[Derp]] page (enough to get 6 fully packed Yankee stadiums completely hammered, in case you're wondering)). As you should be, considering you're reading about Vikings.

==Brief Foreword==
Nostalgia aside, you can't truly call yourself a fan of Chaos or Warhammer in general without having at least a cursory knowledge of these guys. These guys are the very essence of Warhammer: baroque plate armour, skulls, Vikings, mutations, Michael Moorcock, J.R.R Tolkien, Hieronymus Bosch, H.P Lovecraft and Heavy Metal; everything that was put in together and left to boil to produce the two most grimdark settings in the history of mankind is encapsulated in these guys. The first edition of Warhammer Fantasy had one of them displayed proudly on it, for Odin's sake (the now legendary [[Harry the Hammer]], the TRUE reason why Warhammer is called Warhammer, check out Harry's new model, it kicks ass). Like it or not, these guys were what forged Warhammer for a lot of people. To this day, no game based on it feels complete without dark armoured marauding warriors of the Nordic or [[Chaos Space Marine|sci-fi]] persuasion. So read on, and see their glory in full.

'''tl;dr''': '''MOTHERFUCKING CHAOS [[Viking|VIKINGS]], MAN!!!'''

If you watch some of the Viking shit that is part of the current minor renaissance in sword-and-longboat fantasy that's been going on in television lately, like ''The Last Kingdom'', you might think that the portrayal of Vikings is not that far off. And arguably, it isn't; they got up to some pretty [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_eagle deranged Khornate shit]. But of course, history was written by the people who they were murder-raping in the name of <s>Khorne</s>Odin. It's pretty much beyond dispute, though, that theirs was a culture very much centered upon raiding (literally what ''viking'' means, more or less) and being a badass warrior; you couldn't get to Valhalla unless you died by a weapon strike or childbirth. (Drunken accident? Old age? Getting poisoned or stabbed in the back? Too bad, it's off to Niflheim, the domain of Hel--one 'l', that's after the goddess who reigned there, and no, it wasn't hot, it was motherfucking cold.) Pretty fucking Khornate if you ask me.

They are also the only non-Imperial Guard army to have not been fucked over completely beyond all redemption by the foul [[Cruddace]].

==Fantasy Overview==
In the beginning, the Old Ones came to the Warhammer World and set about doing their crazy magical genetic engineering bullshit. Then, for whatever non-reason the Polar Gates at the top and bottom of the world that they had constructed to ward off Chaos gave out and the world was corrupted and consumed by it. Depending on who you ask, either this event is what birthed Chaos and the Chaos Gods, or they came first and helped cause it. Who knows? The Old Ones fucked off, and left races of Dwarfs and Elves and Slaan. But a fourth creation also that was not fully equipped to resist the influence of Chaos, and of course, this was Man. Mankind was unfinished, and the warpstones that flew from the Northern polar wastes caused the acceleration of physical and cultural progress and, most importantly, of the human mind. The races of men gained a vigor and fire from the power of Chaos that drove them to great heights of glory and caused them to surpass the manufactured races of the Old Ones. In many ways, the history of Chaos ''is'' the history of mankind in the Warhammer world, serving as a dark reflection of what corrupted humanity can look like, the civilized soldiers and benevolent Order Gods of the South mirrored by the barbaric warriors and the cruel, fickle Chaos Gods of the North. It was only fitting that some tribes amongst Humanity would come to worship the various Gods of Chaos, namely the best-known four of them (and a long time ago [[Chaos Gods of Law|some others that GW sadly forgot about]] and [[Malal|another they were contractually forced to forget about.]])

The most notable of these was the Norsii. who would later be feared by all of the Old World as the fierce '''Norse''', the most brutal and devout worshipers of Chaos. They were joined by their cousins as well, the brutal '''Kurgan''' of the Eastern Steppes and the squat and ferocious (yet anatomically gifted in certain areas) '''Hung'''. These are the three Great Races of Men, for it is they alone who are favored by the mighty Gods. Together, they are the Northmen, and they shall make the World tremble.

On the tabletop, the Warriors of Chaos tend to be unstoppable close combat powerhouses (as they should be, they're Vikings), with little in the way of ranged fire support. Very melee oriented, even their sorcerers can be thrown into melee and be expected to hold their own. They have very powerful magic that can be used to supplement their incredible power. They have extremely powerful Lord choices who might very well be the most powerful generic lords in the game. They have a pretty high points cost, though, so you're going to be outnumbered. On the other hand, that shouldn't bother you too much because they're badasses. The problem is that you have a predictable play style and are more or less ineffective if you can't get into melee. Movement phases are important, especially in fantasy, so think about how you move your forces. Despite it being a predictable play style, it's still easy to grasp and simple to use, which also makes the Warriors a good starting army. Also, because of the low model count since these guys have a large point cost, it doesn't cost that much by GW standards to put a good army together. So, if you like Vikings in spiky armor, get the Warriors.

==The Men of the North==
The twisted northlands of [[Norsca]] and the [[Eastern Steppes]] straddle the line between mere mortality and the realm of the immortal, for they the closest of the realms to the foul Chaos Wastes and the portal that leads to the realm of the Chaos Gods. Known as Rainsheim amongst the Norse, and a dozen other names amongst those others who dare to treat with Chaos; Northman or Southman. The power of Chaos has corrupted all the lands of the world, but as the distance from the pole decreases, the influence of Chaos increases. And so, the men of Norsca and the Kurgan realms are saturated with the power of the gods.

The men who dwell in the Northlands are, for the most part, barbarous and savage compared to those who live in the settled lands to the south. They are not physically unlike other men and, in times of peace, merchants from the Norse and Kurgan can be found trading their wares in the markets of cosmopolitan cities such as Marienburg in the west and the Hung can be found doing the same in Weijin in the east. Yet, in some other forms, they are unlike their fellows to the South. For they worship evil Gods of Blood, Decay, Scheming, and Debauchery and live brutal, primitive lives of war. Most lamentably, they all live directly under the shadow of Chaos and are slaves to its Will.

Depending on what version of the lore you go with, not all of Norsca is enthralled to Chaos. Old material mentions tribes and whole kingdoms living and coexisting with the Southlands, some even taking to worshiping other Gods like [[Ulric]]. Some of these tribes are even mentioned as fighting Chaos and trying to steer their brethren away from falling victim to it. Again, this varies quite a bit between editions and even within editions themselves.

The men of the Northlands have many different gods. Most are daemons and valorous dead or ascended Champions of Chaos deified by their tribes (a practice especially common with the Norse) or manifestations of the natural world (as is common amongst the Kurgan), but all the Northmen owe their highest worship to the Four Great Gods of Chaos, whom they readily recognize as the masters of these lesser deities. The Northmen do not think of the Chaos Gods as evil, as the superstitious men of the South are wont to. But as individuals, they are as unpredictable as mortals. Thus, the Northmen reasonably maintain that such powerful entities are beyond the moral judgment of men. It is thus every warrior's duty to honour the gods in all walks of life. Such things are self-evident. To deny the gods and not worship them would be foolish, their existence in the North is a simple fact of life; evident in the mark of Khorne proudly displayed by a Norscan marauder as he leaps from his longship to savage Imperial soldiers with his daemonic strength, or in the mark of Tzeentch borne by a Kurgan rider as he fells a Kislevite warrior with his new-found blade of bone in place of a hand. To resent this state of affairs would be like resenting the sunrise or the wind - What would it accomplish?

The Four are known by many names amongst the people of the North. Nonetheless, all the Gods are recognized by them. And it is not uncommon for the tribes to choose one god amongst them as a patron (the Norse tribes commonly take Khorne as theirs, while some tribes of the Kurgan may choose Tzeentch) - who is seen as the father and protector of their kindred. Lesser gods and daemons are also worshiped, along with great heroes peculiar to a particular tribe who are often chieftains who died such glorious deaths that they were raised to sit beside the god of their tribe in eternal glory.

Though they may seem barely civil in times of peace, the Norse, Kurgan and Hung are vicious races of bloodthirsty warriors. Used to battling amongst themselves - war is their natural state and they wage it without concern or prejudice. They rejoice in battle and strength at arms, and honour the brave of both sides while despising the cowards likewise. Yet they are willing to forget their differences when the Gods command them to fight on their behalf. For there is no greater joy than to fight and die in the armies of the immortals.

===The Daemon Norse===
{{topquote|From the harsh snowlands they come. Blond of hair they are, and blue of eye, and tattoos upon arms and face and chest. Their eyes are mad with bloodlust, for blood they thirst for, driven forth on the whims of the Gods they seek to appease. Clad in but few garments and wielding clumsy, brutal axes and maces, they rage against the civilized lands of the south, burning, pillaging, looting all before them to offer up as sacrifice to their uncaring masters beyond the gates of hell in the Northern Wastes.|The Liber Chaotica as penned by Richter Kleiss, former Priest of Sigmar}}

The Norse of Norsca are the most brutal, fierce and savage followers of the Chaos Gods in the Warhammer world. They are the tallest, most physically strong race in the Old World, raised amongst a culture that respects only strength and the ability to kill and closeness to the Primordial Gods. All of Norsca is in the thrall of Chaos, corrupting the mountainous wasteland with the essence of change that seeps not only into man and beast but the very ground itself. Mutations are so common as to be universal among the Norscans, seen as signs of blessings from the Chaos Gods. Mighty warbands prowl the mainland and the horrific mountain ranges that connects the lands of the Norse to the Chaos Wastes. The seas about Norsca are filled with massive longships mastered by the terrible Chaos Champions and their kinsmen who stride the seas searching for either artefacts, purchase by which they may wage war against the weak southlings as demanded by their Gods, or merely any other ship to vent their rage upon. When the call to war is given, the Norse are always at the forefront, tearing down all opposition and cleaving the way into the weak lands of Sigmar. The Norse are always on the warpath, launching continuous and brutal sea raids upon the heavily fortified coast of the Northern Empire and northern Kislev.

It should come as little surprise that the Norsemen are the most fiercely devout followers of Khorne, the God of War. And it is from the Norse that the majority of Khorne's followers are derived. Many Norse Champions of Chaos go on to be the most favored of Khorne's warriors; Cormac Bloodaxe, Scyla Anfingrimm, Hogan Headhacker, Haargroth the Blooded, Arbaal the Undefeated, Valmir Aesling, Hrothgar Daemonaxe, Urlfdaemonkin -- all savage Norse warriors who have risen to pre-eminence in the eyes of the Blood God. In fact, Khorne's own consort, Valkia the Bloody, has risen from the brutal clans of the Norse.

With such a track record, it was obvious that the Imperials would deny any idea that the Norse are even remotely human. Most theories tend to focus on their favour from the Dark Gods and use that as the bedrock for all kinds of claims. Due to them being incredibly strong, very tall and all warriors (at least, all those encountered commonly by the Imperials are such) and devoted to the Dark Gods, Imperials have come to the conclusions that the Norse are a race of superhumans, or that they are daemons shaped as men, or are half-giants. The truth, shaded in the fantastic as it is, is still more interesting.

Contrary to what the Imperials historians zealously claim; they are not the first ones to settle in the Reik basin. Even the Bretonnians and the Nehekharans have held a portion of the land that would later become the heart of the Empire, and the ancestors of the Norse were no different. Known as the Norsii, their ancestral homeland was indeed the frozen Wastes of Norsca. But some of their kinsmen migrated South to the lands that would become part of the Empire. The Norsii were ever the mighty and favored warriors of Chaos, as their descendants are. They were prone to waging bloody and terrible war upon the southern tribes, particularly the Udoses, Teutogens and Roppsmenn. The Norsii's reign of terror was only stopped by the hosts of the southlings gathering to drive them back to their frozen homeland. But from there they would rejoin their kinsmen who still dwelt in the North and return to continue their depredations. It was only Sigmar himself who managed to finally drive the Norsii hordes from the Empire. And only barely. It is a telling thing that the first defeat Sigmar ever suffered came at hands of the vicious Norsmen, led by the ancient Chaos Lord of Khorne: Cormac Bloodaxe.

The Norse are amongst the most fearsome and most devoted warriors of Chaos, but they are also devoted to their tribal affiliations. The tribe forms the very core of the Norse identity, as they are not a unified people by any means, and thus have no concept of nationality. A Norscan will never call himself such. He will identify himself based on tribe and parentage. A Varg will see his loyalties extend only to his immediate tribe and to a much lesser extent, others under the same confederation. After all, even amongst the various so called High Tribes, multitudes of lesser tribes and families will exist. For instance, under the Aesling High Tribe, there exists many other lesser clans owing allegiance to it; such as the Gorehunt, the Snaegr, Skrae and Untam. The various Norscan clans are divided into two main blocks for easy reference based on geography; the Northern tribes and the Southern tribes.

===The Northern Norscan Tribes===
*'''[[Aeslings]]''': The most dreaded and terrifying and powerful of the Norse High Tribes are the Aeslings. They are the most savage and brutal men of Norsca. Even among the other Northernmost Northman tribes they are held in fear. Only favour from the Gods and strength and excellence at arms are valued. [[Grimdark|Thus, they are a people who respect only strength and infants who do not measure to their standards of physical perfection are murdered outright with little fuss.]] While reprehensible, this combined with their constant warfare on others has forged a race who are undoubtedly some of the greatest warriors of all the Northmen. Amongst the Aesling tribes, it is [[Khorne]] who is worshiped above all other Gods and it is not uncommon for tribes to dedicate themselves solely to him. For even amongst the Norsemen, the Aeslings are a people who thrive on war. While one Champion of Chaos may master a crew of marauders who bring ruination on Erengrad or Nordland, another might lead his people in slaughtering the Norse Dwarfs or even their own Norse kinsmen. Even the Kurgans to the east are not safe from the Aeslings' reckless thirst for death, for it is often that an Aesling Jarl will lead his murderous kinsmen in preying upon the many roving Kurgan tribes, slaughtering them and offering up their lives to the vicious Chaos Gods. Their lust for killing has won them no friends, what few allies they have are bound to them by only fear and intimidation, for much like the god they worship, the Aes care not whence the blood flows.

*'''[[Vargs]]''': Another Northern tribe. The Vargs are the most twisted in body and soul of the Norse; they claim the Northern tundras as their lands and fought many horrific beasts to claim it, such as giants, beastmen and daemons of Chaos. They have managed to domesticate the fearsome mammoths of that area, and will often bear them to battle as beasts of war. The Vargs have a blood hatred of the Kurgans that dates backs to untold stretches of ancient history. Time has done little to dampen their hate, and they often mount massive raids into the Kurgan lands, which are joined by Aesling mercenaries, that wreak great devastation of the men of the Eastern Steppes. The Vargs are also dedicated warriors of Khorne, like the Aeslings, and are viciously devoted to his creed of death. The Vargs are said to have come from distant lands and settled in Norsca, led by their greatest and most legendary chieftain; a mighty Chaos Lord of Khorne known as Hrothgar Daemonaxe, who led them in conquering land and enslaving weaker tribes. Hrothgar later went deeper into the realms of the Gods and ascended to Daemonhood. The Vargs know Khorne by the name of ''Arkhar''. One day, a band of horny Varg maraduers decided to trouble the southerners. So, they travelled from all the way from northernmost part of Norsca to Nordland, hellbent on giving them a huuge trouble. And they did. One of these maraduers saw a random fisherman's beautiful wife and thought ''By the [[Slaanesh|Serpent]], that woman is hot. I am going to [[Rape|have fun]] with her.'' [[Grimdark|So he did]]. The result was the birth of a certain devout Templar Knight of Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb. What was his name? His name was [[Archaon|Diederick Kastnar]]. Sounds familiar? This makes the Vargs indirectly responsible for the [[Rage|destruction of Warhammer World]]. In the video game [[Total War: WARHAMMER]], they have a faction up in the Northern Norsca led by a chieftain named Surtha ''[[Meme|'''"BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION!"''']]'' Ek, who is known for slaughtering Southerners with the use of massive chariot tactics.

*'''[[Graelings]]''': The last of the Northern Norse tribes and the most westerly of the Norse, close to Elven lands and prone to raiding those places. They come into conflict with Dark Elven corsairs frequently and the terror of the villages and fortresses of Klar Karond. Though it is also said that when they are not killing them, the Graelings sell slaves culled from the southern lands and Ulthuan to the Dark Elves. They do not gravitate to one Chaos God over another, but are, like most Northman tribes, prone to celebrating Chaos in all its glory. Haargroth the Blooded rose up from this tribe.

===The Southern Norscan Tribes===
*'''[[Skaelings]]''': Sea raiders without equal, the Skaelings are perhaps [[Ork Kommando|the most cunning of the Norse]]. They are the closest of the Chaos worshipers to the southern lands, so it is not uncommon to find them raiding the South. During the Storm of Chaos, Skaeling sea-raiders were utilized to great effectiveness by the Lord of the End Times in harrying and diverting the fleets of Brettonia and Nordland. In addition to their veneration of the Chaos Gods, the Skaelings also worship another daemonic deity known as Mermedus, who some Imperial theologians consider to be a Norscan interpretation of Manann. Though there is little in common with the mighty Imperial sea-god and the abominable daemon the Skaelings make human sacrifices to. Others have considered Mermedus to be the Chaotic reflection of Stromfells, another ill-tempered deity of the sea. interestingly, their name is not a reference to the Vikings themselves, but to the people who lived around the north American colony of vinland, who they called the Skrælings. So the Skaelings may not be chaos Vikings, but rather Chaos Inuit.

*'''[[Baersonlings]]''': A people who would not be odd living in the North of Norsca, the Baersonlings are tireless reavers who are proud of their martial prowess, which is truthfully legendary even amongst the Northmen. Though they are not quite as strong and fierce as the Aeslings, they war with them frequently. Their relations with the Kurgan tribes is similarly icy, and their lands often stretch into the fringes of the Eastern Steppes, which invites war. Not that this disturbs the Baersonlings, war is just another way to glorify the Chaos Gods. They are known for their copious body hair and a strange Chaos mutation that transforms them into unstoppable bear-like monstrosities. Beorg Bearstruck, a powerful Champion of Chaos, and his marauder tribe, the Bearmen of Urslo, are descended from this strain of the Norse nation.

*'''[[Sarls]]''': The Sarls are rugged barbarian warriors. Mighty and indomitable and devoted to the Dark Powers, they have distinguished themselves in the armies of the Chaos Gods often. Wulfrik the Wanderer, one of the greatest Champions of Chaos and executioner of the Chaos Gods rose from these people. The Sarl also destroyed the last and most terrible of the treeblood, using the bark harvested from the creature to create the second ''Seafang'' of [[Wulfrik the Wanderer|Wulfrik]] after the first was lost in a raid on the Elves. Oh and this clan was destroyed after Wulfrik fucked it up by killing the chieftain son and rival clan puppet leader to once again incite the civil war between the two.

*'''[[The Hobbit|Bjorn]]lings''': Little is known of this tribe. But among them are the Crow Brothers, devout warriors of Nurgle.

*'''[[Rotbloods]]''': A tribe of Nurgle worshippers, mentioned in [[Vermintide]] and an enemy faction in the sequel. A tribe driven to such desperation that they not only primarily worship Nurgle (rare for Norscans) but even thought it would be smart to [[derp|ally with]] [[Skaven]]. The champion Bovarr Ribspreader leads their war parties in the south. Thanks to the Skaven created Skittergate, they got to give Helmsgart an early preview of the End Times during the fighting, though they got smashed in [[Vermintide 2]] and Bödvarr was cut down.

===Famous Norse Chaos Champions===
"''I pity you and all the world, for amongst all the races of men, the gods favour we Norse alone''."

*'''[[Morkar the Uniter]]''': The First Everchosen of Chaos; Morkar was the survivor of an Imperial raid upon his village in the aftermath of the defeat of Cormac Bloodaxe's horde at the gates of Middenheim. He rose up to become the greatest Champion of Chaos of his generation and united the Norse tribes in his quest to gain the mark of the gods. He reaped many great conquests and honour and fear were heaped upon his name. No foe could withstand his rage in battle and no enemy was beyond his keen mind to defeat. Eventually, he was crowned as the Eternal Conqueror of the Gods by Be'lakor and led the vengeful Norsemen and their Kurgan allies in unmaking the decadent Empire. He was only defeated narrowly in single combat with Sigmar himself (pre retcon it was Aenarion who killed him). After his death, his body was taken by his kinsmen and buried in a great cairn in the Chaos Wastes. A sliver of Morkar's spirit remained in the armour long after his death, left to brood over his defeat and to forever curse the name of the cowardly Sigmar who derailed his great conquest by his craven single combat. (Let it never be said that, whatever his badass credentials, Morkar was NOT a sore loser.) Morkar the Uniter's rest was disturbed millennia after by his successor, Archaon, who sought the legendary indestructible armour of the First Everchosen in his quest for the 6 Treasures of Chaos; even in death, Morkar was too great for the Lord of the End Times to defeat in open battle. It was only by shouting a curse in the long dead tongue of the Unberogen tribe, the people of Sigmar, that Archaon was able to immobilize the reanimated armour of the dead Champion and defeat it, casting the last part of his spirit back to the Realm of Chaos and take the legendary armour for his own. To this day, Morkar's Chaos plate protects the Lord of the End Times, granting him the same incredible invulnerability as it did its former wearer.

*'''[[Cormac Bloodaxe]]''': One of the first great leaders of the Warriors of Chaos, and the first Champion of Chaos to be possessed by a greater daemon of Khorne. Cormac Bloodaxe, son of Varag Skulltaker, witnessed the rout of his people at the hand of the tyrant Sigmar. Though the Norsii fought fiercely and slew many despite their small numbers, Sigmar's forces were too numerous and his strange war-machines burned away the proud longships that carried the Norsemen in bringing ruination and desolation to the enemies of the Dark Gods of the North. The Norsii returned to their ancestral homeland of Norsca, and a molten core of hate and violence began to burn in Cormac's heart, which would lead him to becoming the greatest Chosen of Khorne and a force of such might and power that would reunite the tribes of Norsca into an unstoppable host that would crush the Empire of Sigmar. With the aid of the Norsii sorcerer, Kar Odacen, Cormac did bind the Norse tribes to his banner, reclaimed the ancient Chaos armour of his father, and bound a great daemon of Khorne to his axe. The eastern tribes of the Kurgan and Hung also prostrated themselves to the Norseman's banner and pledged their lives to his glory. Cormac's leadership saw the first decisive defeat the Imperials ever suffered, he had managed to match wits with Sigmar and defeated him utterly. At the behest of his sorcerer, Cormac was led to invade the City of the White Wolf. In spite of his better judgement which said to instead surround the city and isolate and pick off Sigmar's reinforcements from other southern tribes. Yet, Cormac was leader of the Norsii by the will of the Gods alone, and the Gods willed him to end the Empire with one fell stroke. Cormac's superior Norse warriors, drunk on the blessings of the Dark Gods, and strengthened with armies of daemons and beastmen assaulted Middenheim and victory was near. On the counsel of his shaman, Cormac offered himself up to become the sacrifice necessary to bring forth a Bloodthirster to break the final defenses of Middenheim. The Bloodthirster crossed blades with Sigmar and cast him down, readying for the killing stroke until Ulric himself intervened and cast the daemon into the Realm of Chaos. The Norsii later fled back to Norsca with this setback.

*'''[[Hrothgar Daemonaxe]]''': A great Chaos Lord dedicated to Khorne, first chieftain of the Vargs, and said to be as powerful as a mighty Bloodthirster in battle. It was Hrothgar who led the Vargs out from the East to settle the northern tundras of Norsca, destroying and enslaving weaker tribes of Norse and Kurgan on the way. Bearing a great daemonic battleaxe forged in the visage of a howling wolf, Hrothgar's favour from Arkhar the Wolf (the Varg name for Khorne) was clear. After his many victories were completed, he went to the Chaos Wastes and ascended to Daemonhood. To this day, Hrothgar Daemonaxe is venerated by all Vargs as a lesser deity of Chaos. And is believed to stand at the right hand of Khorne where he sternly judges the exploits of his people.

*'''[[Valmir Aesling]]''': King of the Aesling tribes, one time ally to Asavar Kul, self styled 'Emperor of Chaos' and bane of the Norse Dwarfs. Valmir Aesling was a ruthless and efficient leader of Men. Brooding and silent, save for the occasional and invariably fatal burst of temper. He was feared and renowned for punishing any insolence or slight with the most horrific tortures imaginable. When Asavar Kul was slain at the gates of Kislev (and there are rumours that Valmir himself might have done the deed, for a jagged blade was found impaled in Kul's skull), Valmir was fighting a secret, but no less bloody war against the Norse Dwarf holds. Valmir despised all the races of the Old World, except his own, and thus had long desired the destruction of the Dwarfs that hid in the southern mountains around his homeland of Norsca. Valmir swore an oath to Khorne: he would not rest until he had destroyed the Dwarfs by cutting out the heart of their nation, the hold of Kraka Drak. Valmir's Norse warriors faced the Dwarfs and soon both were locked in a vicious stalemate. But Valmir had planned the battle well, he had gained the allegiance of the Khornate Daemon Prince Aghask, who smashed aside the Dwarf's resistance in key areas, he had gained the aid of battalions of Chaos Knights from Troll Country who crushed the Dwarfen rearguard. Valmir himself charged across the field on his Chaos Chariot, pulled by six skinless bears, slaughtering all opposition to face the Norse Dwarf High King in battle. Valmir threw the severed heads of his champions before him and challenged him to single combat. Incensed at this barbarous affront to his people's honour, the Dwarf King accepted the Norse Lord's challenge. Both armies held their breath as their lords faced one another in a mighty duel. Though Valmir was more than thrice the Dwarf's height, he found himself evenly matched against the ancient, doughty king. Seeing that he could not defeat the Norse King, the Dwarf Lord shouted one word; ''"cannons!"''. Thus, did the Dwarfs fire the great canons of Kraka Drak, shattering the Norse Chaos Warriors and entombing both them and thousands of Dwarfs until the collapsed ruin of what was once the mightiest of the northern Dwarf cities. Both Valmir and the Dwarf King had fallen, slain not by each other's steel, but by snow and stone. Yet, the hold was indeed no more, and underneath the ruins, the hardened Norsemen continued on, methodically slaughtering the remaining Dwarfs. Valmir, albeit posthumously, had upheld his grim oath.

*'''[[Wulfrik the Wanderer]]''': Perhaps the greatest warrior to rise up from the Sarl tribes is Wulfrik the Wanderer, whose name is spoken in fearful whispers. Once a champion of Chaos Undivided amongst the Sarls who thwarted the armies of a great Aesling tribe and slew their king, a mighty Champion of Chaos known as Torgald, Wulfrik had made a drunken boast at the battle's end that he was greater than any warrior in this world or the next. After passing out from quaffing no less than 7 barrels of mead, Wulfrik found his dreams visited by an emissary of the Dark Gods he worshiped. The emissary told Wulfrik that the gods were displeased with his boastful tongue, but had seen fit to allow him to prove his arrogant words. When he awoke, Wulfrik found he had been marked by not one, but all of the four great gods of Chaos, and his tongue was re-shaped into a flitting, forked thing that allowed him to speak in any language. Wulfrik claimed his legendary longship, the Seafang, from the hoard of a Skaeling Chaos Sorceror who he slew in combat. From then on, Wulfrik would be known as the Inescapable One, travelling the hinterlands of the world to slay the fiercest creatures at the whims of the gods. Wulfrik is perhaps one of the greatest warriors in all the world, for he has slaughtered giants, dragons and merwyrms like cattle and even daemons have cowed before him and begged his mercy. He is the Executioner of the Chaos Gods, and is one of their most devout followers. To Khorne he offers up the skulls of those he has slain, to Slaanesh he gives their still-beating hearts, to Nurgle the contents of their slit guts, and Tzeentch he honours with their final breath.

*'''[[Valkia the Bloody]]''': The Sword-Maiden of the Blood God, the Bringer of Glory, the Chooser of the Slain and the Gorequeen of the Norse. Valkia is Khorne's servant who carries the spirits of worthy warriors so that they may fight on forever in the Blood God's Halls. The sagas of her people tell that she was once a mortal woman, a Norse queen of the ancient and long-dead Schwarzvolf tribe. She gained the favour of Khorne by slaying any who dared contest her claim in honourable battle and also by defeating the Champions of the lesser Chaos Gods. Foremost amongst these was Locephax, a daemon prince of Slaanesh who sought to enslave the warrior-queen. Valkia felt the berserker rage come upon her and she took up her great spear Slaupnir and struck down the daemon and affixed its severed head to her shield. Valkia then traveled to the uttermost North of the world and, with the fanaticism of the true believer, pledged herself utterly to the Axefather. Valkia almost succeeded in coming before her beloved god's throne, but was slain like countless others in the twisted hellscape of the realm of Chaos. Khorne was displeased, for he had great plans for the woman, and his bellowing fury was so thunderous that it shook the world and roused Valkia from death. Khorne was angry with her weak mortal form and remade her into a being more pleasing to him. A true vision of destructive power: great bloody wings tore out from her once shapely back, her legs were refashioned into those of a bloodletter and massive horns rose from her skull. Her only purpose now is to reap more skulls for her mighty lord and to choose the valorous Norsemen dedicated to Khorne who fall fight on at their god's side in the Realm of Chaos 'till his rage devours all that exists. When Valkia takes to the mortal skies, all the Norse tribes dedicated to Khorne march under her shadow, for they know that she will carry them to the realms beyond to be Khorne's chosen in the afterlife, a prize beyond all measure. Where she flies, whole lands are drenched in blood. Such is the power Khorne has granted her.

*'''[[Scyla Anfingrimm]]''': The Saga of the Gorebeast is a long and terrifying one amongst the savage Norse clans, the fame of the Talon of Khorne lives long in the songs sung by the Skalds of many a Norscan meadhall and in the terrified ramblings of those few Imperials who have born witness to the unstoppable fury of Scyla and survived. Tales told of a hulking beast the colour of blood who wears a massive bronze collar and is festooned with the blasphemous ritual marks of Khorne, and who lays low all who stand against him with its unquenchable thirst for death. Yet, it was not always so. For the greatest of Khorne's [[Chaos Spawn]] was once a man, '''once a man, ONCESSSSE A MAAAANNRGABLFARBLLEHC--'''--ahem--was once one of his greatest and most fearsome champions. Scyla Anfingrimm was the bane of the Old World from his homeland of frozen Norsca to the shores of distant Ind, his name synonymous with victory, slaughter and pillage. As a man, Scyla was marked by Khorne and elevated into the highest echelons of the god's favour; earning not only the respect of his tribesmen but all the raiders of the neighboring fjords. It was Scyla who single-handedly laid low the fearsome Jabberwock that plagued the River Voltag, and it was Scyla's daemonic greatsword that destroyed the tentacled beast that ruled the Bay of Blades. Every spring, he and his marauders would take to their longships and slaughter their way through the Empire, through Bretonnia and even as far south of Khemri. Returning from their raids drunk on blood and glory, the hulls of their ships filled to bursting with ancient treasures and slaves ready to be thrown upon sacrificial pyres dedicated to Khorne. The people of the Ironpelt would often chatter about how Scyla would soon ascend to daemonhood. They were right in a sense. After orchestrating the Massacre of Black Gulch, which caused the great chasm to run red with Skaven blood, Scyla was gifted with even greater physical strength and massive ape-like arms infused with the power of Chaos. Thanking the Axefather for his blessing, Scyla launched daring raids against the war-dhows of Dhuli armada, personally reducing their great flagship to splinters. This time, he was gifted a serpentine tail ending with a snapping maw. Scyla's merciless killing of the Chaos Dwarf delegation sent to trade with his tribe resulted in a great profusion of horn-like plates covering his mighty frame. After single-handedly annihilating the bestial Gorgers of the Undermountain, Khorne was so pleased with Scyla's might that he gifted the Champion with the mind of a ravenous beast. With that, Scyla's body spiraled out of control. His transformation into a Chaos Spawn was complete '''NO!!! GRISHIISOSKS'''. That day, Scyla fell from a feared and far-famed warlord. His warband fell to the leadership of his second-in-command and next most favoured of Khorne; Erlock One-Eye. Scyla was still afforded the same respect and honour from his companions, arguably moreso, for now he was a living sacrament to Khorne's power and might. Unlike other Chaos Spawn '''Not Again! GRAAAGH!''', Scyla remains the favoured of Khorne; a testament to his greatness in his former life. Scyla exists as he did before, only to fight and slaughter for the pleasure of his fearsome god. His destiny is only to mete out death against those foolish enough to face him.

*'''[[Sigvald|Sigvald the Magnificent]]''': Chaos Lord [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Joffrey]]. Though he appears no more than a boy of sixteen, Sigvald the Magnificent has blighted the Old World for three centuries. The inbred child of a great Norse Chaos Lord and his own sister, Sigvald was spoiled with all he ever wished, it was only after his cannibalistic tendencies were revealed that the tribe forced him out. Feigning dismay, Sigvald sneaked into the longhouse and murdered his own father while he slept, fleeing then to the Chaos Wastes. The personification of beauty on the outside, but as horrifying as the lowest Spawn on the inside, Sigvald rides as Geld-Prince of the Decadent Host; an army of amorous madwomen and men who seek to attend his every debased whim. Marked by the Prince of Excess and gifted with Sliverslash, a blade forged from a sliver of the Sword of Slaanesh, it is clear to all that Sigvald the Magnificent is the greatest Champion of Slaanesh to walk the world. Recently tried to kill all the high Elves on the grounds that they must die for having better hair than him. (Seriously, this guy is pretty much Joffrey from [[A Song of Ice and Fire]]; both were born from brother-sister incest, both are handsome blonde men, both are arrogant and morally repulsive [[That Guy|shits]]. The difference is Sigvald is still alive and even more [[Grimdark]])

*'''[[Vilitch the Curseling]]''': Once upon a time, two twins were born. One of them was Thomin, a well-liked, well-built man who was a great warrior and whom everyone expected to become a great leader. The other was Vilitch, a twisted, decrepit freak whom everyone beat up and could only scrape by as some sorcerer's apprentice. Needless to say, Vilitch hated this setup and prayed to [[Tzeentch]] for him to switch the twins' destinies. Then, one Geheimnisnacht, the big bird answered and merged the twins together. Vilitch was now fused to Thomin's body and as a result became far smarter and more magically adept while Thomin became reduced to a braindead brute. The twin-abomination then decided to use this newfound power to murder all the people who made fun of him and used his magic to mentally enslave the mightiest warriors of his tribe.

*'''[[Festus the Leechlord]]''': Doctor, plaguemaster, and one of [[Nurgle]]'s favorite guys. Originally a good Nordland doctor who knew everything about how to cure diseases. He was then driven to insanity when he found himself incapable of curing a certain plague that swept the lands and in desperation, made a pact with the plague god in order to learn the knowledge needed to cure it. Sure, he got that knowledge, but he also turned so insane that he stopped caring about curing things and began a life of testing out all sorts of diseases and being a generally sick sack of shit (as most Nurglites are wont to). So he became basically the Dr Mengele of the Old World.

*'''[[Dragon Ogres|Kholek Suneater]]''': A FUCKING HUGE 4 legged dragon Ogre. He is a massive Beast armed with a HUUUGE THUNDER HAMMER who can crush dragons. He was a living battering ram who also managed to crush bloodthirsters.

===The Kurgan Tribes===

The Kurgans are nomadic horsemen who reside in the Eastern Steppes, distantly related to the Ungol and Gospodar peoples of Kislev (this shows in them calling their tribal chieftains "zar"). They are divided into many different tribes, but thousands of years ago they were briefly united into a mighty empire lead by the Great Kurgan. This empire lasted only a short time before tearing itself apart in infighting, as the Great Kurgan offered his four sons to the Chaos Gods thus leaving no heirs behind.

The Kurgans are notorious slavers, and often force their slaves to fight each other in dueling pits. However, they grant increasing freedoms and status as they win fights, eventually allowing the slave to become a full-fledged member of the tribe. In fact, it is not unknown for former slaves to rise to the rank of Zar.

Despite having the largest territory and being said to be the most numerous members of Chaos' mortal forces, they are generally sidelined in favour of Norscans (chalk it up to Old World bias).

*'''Khazags''': They're known as the guys who had first tamed the War Mammoths. Actually refused to worship Chaos until a single evil member of the tribe conquered them and enslaved the giant mammoth they worshipped as their deity. [[Games Workshop|Creatively named after Kazakh nation.]]
*'''Dolgans''': [[That Guy|That Guys]] of Kurgan. They hate every other Chaos-affiliated tribe as much as the southerners and prefer to kill everyone who isn't Dolgan on sight. Some of them, thankfully, managed to avoid the Gods' corruption and now live in [[Kislev]], though their population is declining.
*'''[[Space Wolves|Iron Wolves]]''': An interesting tribe, because it's only partially Kurgan. These furries also have a Norse ancestry, descending from the vikings whose asses were kicked by [[Sigmar]] so hard they had to run to the [[Eastern Steppes]]. They are resented by both ancestral tribes and generally think of themselves as independent people.
*'''[[Asavar Kul|Kul]]''': Yeah, those Kul. They're probably the strongest Kurgan tribe that constantly raids the shit out of the neighbours and have a well-developed slavery system. They're also interesting for their complicated religious views, as they do not swear themselves to one of [[Chaos Gods|four major Gods]], instead [[Chaos Undivided|praying to hundred gods and seeking the favor of all of them.]] [[Black Legion|So, pretty much these guys.]] [[Asavar Kul]], Zar of the Kul, was the twelfth Everchosen of Chaos who fought during the [[Great War Against Chaos]] leading the Chaos forces. After Asavar died, his successor was usurped and murdered by [[Vardek Crom]], who is the current Zar.
*'''Tahmaks''', '''Tokmars''', '''Yusak''' etc.: really minor tribes that are barely mentioned in the lore.

===The Kurgan Characters===

*'''The Great Kurgan''': [[Jaghatai Khan|Genghis Khan]] of Kurgans who is only mentioned in [[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos]] supplements. He did the unthinkable and managed to unite all of the tribes, creating a truly gigantic empire that managed to beat Hung, [[Hobgoblin|Hobgoblins]] and [[Cathay]]. [[Awesome|Impressive.]] He was also the first Kurgan chieftain to make a deal with [[Chaos]] to get their power on his side, though eventually they fucked him over.
*'''[[Asavar Kul]]''': [[Gets shit done|gets shit done]]. Managed to cripple [[Kislev]] for centuries way before both [[Archaon]] and [[Abaddon|Failbaddon]] even managed to do something meaningful.
*'''[[Tamurkhan]]''': a [[Nurgle|Nurglite]] warrior riding a toad, who is a protagonist of the narrative-driven campaign of the same name. Claimed to be one of the four missing sons of the Great Kurgan.
*'''Surtha Lenk''': minor [[Tzeench|Tzeenchite]] warlord and the commander of [[Archaon|Archaon's]] vanguard. Took part in destruction of [[Kislev]] and [[Ostland]] during the [[End Times]].
*'''[[Vardek Crom]]''': current Kul chieftain (Zar) and the Herald of Everchosen.
*'''[[Sayl the Faithless]]''': Ruler of the Dolgan tribe, named for the fact he refused to pledge allegiance to a single Chaos God and instead made deals with and betrayed patrons as suited his lust for power.

=== The Hung ===
{{topquote|Them Kurgan is bad. But the Hung, they jus’ nasty.|Gorg, famous [[Ogre Kingdoms|Ogre]] Philosopher}}

{{topquote|We make deal, yes? You give us gold and women, we no attack. You not give enough gold or women, so we attack. We attack anyway. We make deal, yes?|Average Hung diplomat, showing that even [[The Beast|some orks]] from the [[Warhammer 40,000|different setting]] are better in negotiations than them}}
The least described [[Chaos]] race, mainly for three reasons: they operate in [[Naggaroth]] and [[Eastern Lands]], and the incursions in those regions are described only in the short sentences of some backstory fluff; they're similar to their Kurgan brothers in almost everything; and finally, they're a [[Hobgoblin|pretty negative Mongolian stereotype]], although the fact they're also located in northwestern Naggaroth also could paint then as Chaos Inuits as well, and [[Games Workshop|GW]] certainly doesn't want another [[Pygmies (Warhammer Fantasy)|Pygmies]].

Overall, from what we can gather Hungs are savages and barbarians to the extreme: while previous Chaos races at least have some sort of society and culture, these people only exist to [[RIP AND TEAR|kill, slaughter, rape and fight]]. All they need is a woolen tent, a [[Choppa|choppa]] and a steed. Seriously, their love for <s>horses</s> ponies can only be rivaled by [[Bretonnia|Bretonnians]] (so... Chaos Bretonnians?). Another faction which they resemble are [[Skaven]]: Hungs are insanely backstabby and have no honor at all, to the point that "A Word of Hung" in [[Cathay]] means a "Worthless Promise". Hell, they even abuse the dogs that they use for hunting. [[That Guy|Bastards]]. Oh, and they're cannibals. And their religion mandates they never bathe or wash themselves.

With that being said, what do we have in the end? The Hung are insanely evil barbarians that have no respect for anyone or anything and are hated by every other faction (including fellow Chaos Warriors). Seriously, the Tome of Corruption for WHFRP 2e gave rules for playable Norscan and Kurgan characters, but straight up said that you shouldn't play Hung even in a Chaos-aligned party because they're too treacherous.They have no redeeming qualities and rival Skaven for being the most evil race in the entire game. So, it's probably good that GW downplayed them severely.

Despite their name, they don't seem to favour Slaanesh more than any other Chaos God. Though millions of Slaanesh-worshipping Hung were seduced by Morathi in order to fight alongside the Dark Elves in the invasion of Ulthuan.

===The Tong===
Besides Norscans, Kurgans, and Hung, there are also the Tong. The Tong are the Chaos Warrior people who lives closest to the entrance to the Realm of Chaos, and as such are the most mentally fucked up and physically mutated of the lot. Complete and utter psycho berserkers, they are featured in Total War Warhammer as being lead by a Chaos Champion named "Ragnar".

===Skaramor===
A migratory tribe of Khorne worshippers who view non-Chaos Worshippers as unworthy of having their skulls given to Khorne, and as such limit their raids to killing members of other Chaos Warrior Tribes like Norscans, Hung, and Kurgan. The Skaramor are worth noting as they were the tribe that Scylla Anfingrimm originated from in his mortal life. They were also the source of the Skullreaper and Wrathmonger units added in End Times.

===Veigs===
Another tribe of Khorne worshippers, who are cannibals and murderers, and loathed by the Kurgan, who they share a bitter enmity with.
===The 9th Age===

== Gallery ==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Northlanders.jpg|WE FIGHT THE HORDE, SINGING AND CRYING; '''VALHALLA'''! I AM COMING!!
File:Chaos marauder by artofty-d3f5hof.jpg|KHORNE!! OPEN THE GATES OF YOUR HALL!!
File:Chaos Longships.jpg|Their main method of transportation.
File:Khorne-Art.jpg|Kjarl Deathaxe and the Blood Drinkers.
File:Wulfrik_Gif.jpg.gif|Wulfrik the Wanderer on a morning stroll.
</gallery>
</center>

==See Also==
*[[Warhammer/Tactics/Warriors of Chaos]] - A guide on how to lead these awesome barbarians to glory and bloodshed and the notice of the [[Chaos|Gods]].
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/6th_Edition/Chaos|Chaos tactics for the glorious 6th edition]]
*[[Viking|Vikings]] - What they are based off. Just in case you forgot.
*[[Chaos Space Marines]] - Their 40K counterparts.
*[[Chaos]] - What did they worship again?

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle}}

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos

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[[File:Warhammer-Mark-Of-Chaos-pictures-652.jpg|600px|center|thumb|Fuck chaos! We have guns!]]
'''Warhammer: Mark of Chaos''' is a [[Warhammer Fantasy]] strategy game released back in 2006. It has similar gameplay to [[Total War: Warhammer]] despite being released 10 years before. One could say that Total War: Warhammer is its spiritual successor. Still, this is an extremely underrated gem that was almost never talked about on [[/tg/]] due to its [[Dawn Of War|short supply of memes]]. The game was for a long time very hard to find, at least legally, as the physical copies were long out of production and only recently became available on [https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_mark_of_chaos_gold_edition GOG]. This was due to the fact that it was published by Bandai-Namco, a Japanese publisher not known for their embrace of the digital storefront, and that it was deeply integrated with [[FAIL|Games for Windows Live.]]

==Gameplay==
Like Total War: Warhammer, or any [[Total War]] game, there is no resource management or base building in the real-time portion of the game. You control an army of units selected from the overworld map, form them up in formations, manage their morale, and use your generals to- fuck it, it's a Total War game! However, as was common in strategy games of the time, rather than having a large and wide-ranging open world map to conquer, the campaigns locked you into a set of not-quite linear missions to advance the story of their Empire and Chaos champions. Multiplayer is limited to skirmish battle options, so don't expect something on the scale of a Total War game.

Both campaigns feature branching mission options at certain points in the story, but are otherwise linear. The overworld, such as it is, consists of a 3D-rendered map of the northern reaches of the Empire, with mission destinations, campsites, and ruins scattered along different points of the storypath. At each point, you may recruit new units, equip your Lords with various magical items, equipment, and skills, and customize and maintain your army. If you want to paint your Empire troops in the colors of Mariendorf, you can do so; much like Dawn of War, which had come out just two years prior, Mark of Chaos featured a fairly in-depth army customizer for that real tabletop wargaming experience.

In the RTS portion you control a mix of unit squads and individual heroes, and enemies will randomly drop equipment and items you can pick up to customize your troops, like magic standards to improve your soldiers or potions of various effects. While superficially it resembles Total War, it's much more like King Arthur: A Roleplaying Wargame or MechCommander, but with a great Warhammer Fantasy skin. You can also compare it to [[Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat]], but in glorious, bloom-spewing 3D.

The original game featured [[The Empire]], [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]], [[Warriors of Chaos]] and [[Skaven]] as playable factions.

The [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]] and [[Orcs & Goblins|Greenskins]] also appear in a limited capacity, with extremely small rosters and merely serving as mercenary units for the main factions. The [[Vampire Counts]] also make an appearance, though only as an AI faction in a handful of campaign missions.

The expansion, Battlemarch, made the Greenskins into a fully fledged faction, along with adding the [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark Elves]] as an entirely new one.

==Plot==
It should be noted that this game takes place one year after the Great War Against Chaos, which means [[Magnus the Pious]] is the emperor instead of [[Karl Franz]].

There are 2 campaigns in the game. [[Chaos]] and Empire.

In the Chaos campaign you play as '''Thorgar the Blooded One''', a [[Chaos Champion]] who fought alongside the warlord Asavar Kul (also known as the fourth 'Everchosen') in the Great War. Later levels have you control the [[Skaven]] as well. The campaign centers around Thorgar's attempts to rally the forces of Chaos after their defeat, [[Daemon Prince|ascend to daemonhood]] and, ultimately, finish what Kul started. As the Empire is still around 200 odd years after the game takes place this can be considered the non-canon campaign.

The most characteristic thing about Thorgar is that he, a powerful Chaos Champion, is best buds with a [[Norsca|Norscan]] Marauder by the name of Olaf. This wouldn't be so unique (in the end, even Chaos Warriors have friends), except this friendship continues even after Thorgar TRANSFORMS INTO A DAEMON PRINCE.

In the Empire campaign, you play as '''Stefan von Kessel''', a captain in the army of Ostermark under Count Otto Gruber. Stefan's family used to be the Elector Counts of Ostermark (which makes his service to the current count rather ironic), however they were convicted of heresy and executed with only little Stefan being spared, albeit branded with a mark of shame. The events of the campaign follow his struggles to hold off the forces of the aforementioned Thorgar whilst simultaneously trying to redeem his family name. Spoilers, he does so by uncovering hidden Chaos cultists that framed his family, and recovers the Ostermark Runefang along with his honor.

==Expansion==
The game also received an expansion called Battle March. The expansion made the Greenskins into a full faction while also adding the Dark Elves to the game. It had a campaign revolving around an orc warboss named Gorbash leading a Waaagh! through the Chaos-ravaged Empire. It is later revealed that the whole plot had been orchestrated by the Dark Elf sorceress ([[Lileath|Lilaeth (no relation to the similarly named deity)]]), who was manipulating the Greenskins for her own purposes. Also, [[Malekith]] makes a cameo, threatening to tear out Lilaeth's soul should she fail him (What a charming guy!).

==External Links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFGJQIW5ZM Final Trailer/Opening Movie]

{{Chaos-Champions}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Video Games]]

Varanguard

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[[File:Varanguard by manzanedo dc0x6p0-fullview.jpg|frame|center]]

='''Knights of Ruin'''=
='''Circles of the Varanguard'''=
 
The Varanguard are one of those concepts introduced in early AoS and never really developed in any great detail beyond odd snippets of flavour text scattered around novels and Battletomes the exact organisation of the Varanguard is unclear.
 
 
What we do know of their structure and organisation begins at the macro level. Based out of their namesake Varanspire; Archaons personal fortress at the heart of the Eight Points (because afterall what's a Daemonicly tainted hell dimension without a doom fortress) the Varanguard are divided into one of Eight designated factions referred to as the thematically Dante-ish Circles because you know daemons and hell and stuff.
 
 
Each faction appears to be semi-autonomous being in charge of its own recruitment, deployment and equipment though ultimately answerable to and commanded by Archaon. '''Scourge of Fate''' builds further upon this by positing that each Circle commands its own keep within the greater structure of the Varanspire and its Keep and recruitment processes are a reflection of the culture of the circle and personality of its current Marshal.
 
 
'''Marshals''' are the leaders and defacto lieutenants of Archaon who command each of the Varanguard's Circles. Little is known specifically about them save from the implication that each is immensely powerful having risen to leadership in a Knightly Order made of what are essentially Chaos Lords becoming a Chaos Lord of other Chaos Lords is a fair indicator of the threat the Marshals pose. We currently know of atleast Three Marshals representing the 5th,7th and 8th circles respectively though only the Marshal of the 8th circle is currently usable on the table top. How one becomes a Marshal is also unclear though it's safe to surmise that defeating an incumbent Marshal or direct appointment by Archaon are the most likely means.
 
 
Below the Marshals it is unclear what if any specific organisational structure exists. Knights of the Varanguard are organised in formations called Conroys, these are at least 3 knights strong with no clear upper limitation on their size. It appears that while no formal designation such as Captain or Sergeant exists to denote who leads a conroy, each conroy forms it's own internal hierarchy either by seniority, strength or personality.
 
 
Each conroy and by extention each Circle is also attended by various camp followers taking the form of servile warbands led by aspiring Knights of Ruin and Black Pilgrims. In '''Call of Archaon''' we see the Varanguard march to war with various sworn lesser warbands and hosts doing the grunt work while the Knights of Ruin followed in Dhorgar's wake.
 
*'''The Swords of Chaos''': The First Circle of the Varanguard. Archaon's chosen warriors named for his original Warband from the World that Was. The Swords of Chaos are described as entering battle using portals torn open in the sky letting them strike anywhere at a moments notice.
*'''The Souls of Torment''': The Second Circle of the Varanguard. Not much specific information exists on this Circle only that they are "Sowers of Sorrow and Despair" and that "they grant their foes the release of death only when all hope is lost".
*'''The Scions of Darkness''': The Third Circle of the Varanguard. While they have limited information about their nature of disposition they are described as "Dreaded Warriors cloaked in unnatural shadow, confounding the aim of those who would seek to strike them down from afar."
*'''The Reavers of Chaos''': The Fourth Circle of the Varanguard. The Reavers of Chaos take a salted earth approach to battle and appear to be the most zealous of the Eight Circles described specifically as" furiously lashing out" at the enemies of the Dark God's. This makes them somewhat dark analogues to the Black Templars of 40k.
*'''The Scourges of Fate''':
 

='''The Black Pilgrimage'''=
 
The audiobook '''Scourge of Fate''' details some of the process of ascension to the Varanguard, a process referred to as the "Black Pilgrimage" with those embarking upon the Pilgramage referred to as Black Pilgrims. The process shown refers specifically to the recruitment rites of the fifth circle of the Varanguard also known as The Scourges of Fate. The steps taken by a Black Pilgrim of The Scourges of Fate include:
 
*Sponsorship by an existing Knight of the Varanguard corresponding to the circle the Pilgrim is attempting to join. Resembling something closer to Discipleship rather than squiring.
*Seeking out and obtaining a Daemon weapon.
*Defeating a rival pilgrim in single combat
 
Each Black Pilgrims journey ends with their swearing of Oaths to the Marshal of their respective circle and their first task to depart the Varanspire and travel the Eight Realms to find Archaon and recieve his mark.

='''Wargear and Abilities'''=

='''Named Varanguard'''=
 
*'''Neveroth''': Marshal of the Fifth Circle of the Varanguard "The Scourges of Fate". Neveroth sits upon a throne made of Sigmarite armour and is responsible for dispatching the 'Black Pilgrim' Vanik on his quest to Chamon in the Scourge of Fate
*'''Arken''': Marshal of the Seventh Circle of the Varanguard "The Bane Sons".
*'''Sir Caradoc''': Knight of the Bane Sons, appears to be a follower of Khorne.
*'''Atarsus''': Marshal of the Eighth Circle of the Varanguard known also as Eternus.
 

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[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Vandred

2023-05-17T22:29:46Z

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Known as both '''Vandred the Magnificent''' and '''Vandred the Majestic''', he was a [[Chaos Champion]] of [[Slaanesh]] in [[Warhammer Fantasy]].
[[File:Vandred.png|thumb|right|400px|Yep, this model had a name.]]
==The Legend==
Not much is known about Vandred, mostly because he exists as a name for an existing generic model in the 6th edition of the game. His blessings included four arms and a snake body, something he shares with [[Dechala]]. Due to his skill he was chosen to represent Slaanesh's forces in [[Archaon|<strike>Archaos</strike>Archaon's]] army before he was killed by one of his subordinates and a fellow name for a generic model, [[Styrkaar of the Sortsvinaer]]. Styrkaar was made his replacement, and Vandred has become forgotten both in and out of universe. Vengeance would be his in a meta sense however, as Styrkaar was retconned along with the rest of [[Storm of Chaos]]. [[Sigvald]] replaced them both, even ending up with Vandred's "the Magnificent" title.

==Crunch==
He's a generic model, he's whatever you make him.

==Total War Warhammer==
The leader of the Alghol tribe, a generic Norscan faction in both the Vortex as well as the Mortal Empires campaign, is called Vandred, although with the title "of the Winter's mist" instead of "the Magnificient". This may still be a nod towards original Vandred, since the settlements that are inhabited by the Alghol faction also bear names that could be interpreted as an implication of Slaaneshi worship, e.g. Palace of Princes, with "Prince" being a title not commonly used by Norscan tribes save for the case when they invoke the Serpent, aka Slaanesh.
However, given the obscurity of the Tabletop Vandred, it is more likely that Creative Assembly simply stumbled upon the original Vandred while searching for names for their Norscan faction leaders and used it for a generic Lord after realizing that Vandred himself is basically a "non-character" and thus not eligible for adaptation into the game; so most likely, it is just a reference to a forgotten character and he will never make it into the game in his proper form.
Although, the whole "character without any noteworthy lore becoming a Legendary Lord despite there being tons of more important characters that should be implemented instead" definitely has precedence in the TW:Warhammer games so far...

{{Chaos-Champions}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Tamurkhan

2023-05-17T22:29:18Z

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[[File:Tamurkhan Maggot.png|300px|thumb|right|Tamurkhan, living up to his name and wondering who to bodysnatch next.]]
'''Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord''' is a [[Warriors of Chaos|Chaos Lord]] dedicated to [[Nurgle]] in [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]. He is the titular character of [[Forge World]]'s [[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos]] campaign book, and claims to be one of the four sons of the Great Kurgan, a Warrior who at one point united all of the tribes and forged a mighty empire. This was well before the time of [[Sigmar]] and even [[Ulric]], which would mean Tamurkhan is FUCKING OLD; this could explain his bad habit of sitting around not doing shit for an entire month, while his armies grow bored and his enemies prepare their armies. In fact, if an assassin didn't try to kill him, it's possible that he would have stayed meditating forever.

Tamurkhan's moniker is no mere affectation; thanks to a unique gift from Papa Nurgle, his true form is a pestilent, slime-dripping maggot-thing the size of a human child, which can (and must for him to survive) bore into living victims and devour their guts, then take control of the corpse as a secondary skin. Through this manner, he has achieved a twisted immortality, allowing him to fight inside a corpse-host, then attack and possess his opponent (or a living ally, if shot down from afar) to keep on fighting when it is destroyed.

During the events of ''Throne of Chaos'', Tamurkhan wore three corpse hosts. He participated in the battle royale that was going on between the champions of all four gods while wearing the body of some random Chaos Lord. He won the battle and forced them to serve him by single-handedly by possessing Sargath the Vain, a Chaos Champion of Slaanesh, after Sargath wrecked his previous body. Interestingly, he retains any gifts or abilities his hosts have for a period of time before they rot away (and possibly even after they should rot away), Sargath's Slaanesh gifted voice being one of the reasons he gained such a massive horde. During a successful attempt to get some Chaos Dwarfs on his side, Tamurkhan was ambushed by an Ogre tribe and took over the body of Ogre Tyrant Karaka Breakmountain after Karaka quite literally ripped Sargath's body apart - gaining Ogre auxiliaries in his army in the process. In his Sargath and Tyrant forms (and presumably countless more before) he rode Bubebolos, greatest of the [[Toad Dragon]]s.

Soon he invaded the Empire to claim the Throne of Chaos by claiming Nuln for Chaos. Originally his plan was to launch a surprise attack by using the Chaos Dwarfs to reduce its walls to ruin, as the defenders wouldn't be expecting chaos forces to have good siege equipment, but he [[derp|accidentally attacked its sister city and alerted Nuln to what he was going to do when he reduced it to ruin.]] Due to this Nuln was as prepared as it could be when he came after it and he wasn't able to pull off the same trick twice.

The battle at the city wall didn't quite go in his favour, so he instead chose to rely on daemons to save the day. Doing so involved sacrificing many people as well as his Toad Dragon, but even this wasn't enough as he fell at last when he tried to take the body of [[Theodore Bruckner]] during a duel between the two, only for the Baleflame Amulet gifted to him by Magisterix [[Elspeth von Draken]] to perform its deadly task: immolating both slain Imperial champion and Chaos-get abomination in one fell surge of arcane flames. Thus perished Tamurkhan, and ended his pursuit of the Throne of Chaos.

Such was Tamurkhan's loyalty that Nurgle planted a piece of his soul within the Realm of Chaos, allowing him to be reborn in the Mortal Realms. Which is Forge World's hand-wave for why you can still use him in [[Age of Sigmar]]. Between him, the [[Glottkin]], Gutrot Spume, the Maggoth Riders, and [[Festus the Leechlord]], it seems Nurgle really likes bringing back his champions from the World-that-Was. Which makes sense; Khorne and the Horned Rat don't forgive failure, Tzeentch is too fickle to be consistently forgiving and while Slaanesh may love his/her followers he/she does so [[FATAL|in all the wrong ways]].

On 13/12/2019, Tamurkhan's model was discontinued by Forgeworld.

==On The Tabletop==
[[File:TamurkhanMaggotLord.jpg|300px|thumb|right|For the same price as [[Baneblade#Stormblade|Stormblade]] (200 dollars at the time of writing), you get this absolute monster.]]
Tamurkhan along with Bubebolos is an absolute beast, and his points costs reflect it. In his Sargath body he's surprisingly weak, gaining -1 Movement, -1 Weapon Skill, -2 Initiative, -1 Attack, compared to a regular Chaos Lord, but this doesn't matter as you can (and probably should) upgrade him to his Tyrant body where he gains +1 Movement, -1 Weapon Skill, +1 Toughness, +3 Wounds, -4 Initiative compared to a regular Chaos Lord. He also MUST be the General if he's in your army and he has different weapons depending on which body he's in. Sargath has the better weapon with Armour Piercing and Multiple Wounds (2), and in his Tyrant Body he gains a Great Weapon that forces the survivor to take a Toughness test on an unsaved wound, suffering a -1 to their Toughness when they fail - which is fairly pointless since every high Toughness model he's up against is likely to die before they fail, and every low Toughness model could already be wounded by him and his Toad Dragon on a 2+ anyway (since he's effectively Strength 7, and his Toad Dragon is Strength 8).

He also has Mark of Nurgle, which is a given, and the "Will of the Gods" special rule, which is probably supposed to be The Will of Chaos since this came out before the Warriors of Chaos got their 8th edition book. The Will of Chaos means he can re-roll panic checks, but Will of the Gods is also the rule that allows a model to join a unit, even if they cannot thanks to rules like being on a monster, so make your own judgement and talk it over with who you're playing against first, since Forgeworld didn't add it to their FAQ or fix their PDF.

Thankfully for his Sargath body, Tamurkhan's greatest rule doesn't rely on him surviving very long, and considering how large of a target he it he'll be given a lot of firepower from any sort of siege machine. His possessor rule means that if he's killed in close combat, he'll immediately try to possess his killer; otherwise he'll posses the nearest Infantry or Monstrous Infantry model within 6" (this can be your own model too, so keep your characters away from him). In this case a dice is rolled for both models and added to their weapon skill; if Tamurkhan has the higher score, he immediately becomes the model he tried possessing, inflicting -1 Movement, +1 Toughness, +1 Wounds, -1 Initiative on whichever profile they had, while keeping their Strength and Attacks and changing their Weapon Skill to 7, their Ballistic Skill to 3, and their Leadership to 9. He also loses whatever equipment he had (meaning his Chaos Armour and whatever weapon he had) and starts using the equipment of the model he possessed, so if you're lucky he'll get a massive boost in damage output if he's killed by somebody like an Ogre Tyrant (oh wait), or another Chaos Lord.

All of that is extremely underwhelming for 645/835 points, but thankfully he's also got Bubebolos! Compared to a regular Chaos Dragon, it cannot fly but gets +2 Movement, -1 Weapon Skill, +2 Strength, +1 Toughness, +4 wounds(!), -1 Initiative, -2 Attacks and -1 Leadership. His 4 attacks might seem disappointing until you remember that he inflicts 2D6 attacks for Thunderstomp, and has the Tongue Lash rule, easily his best rule as it gives him an ASF poisoned attack at Strength 4, and should the victim survive the attack (technically it doesn't even need to hit the target) they suffer -1 to hit. This combos excellently with the Mark of Nurgle both Bubebolos and Tamurkhan have, meaning anyone the tongue attack is directed at can only hit Bubebolos and Tamurkhan on a 5+ at absolute best (if they have WS 6 for Bubebolos or WS 8 for Tamurkhan), and at all other times can only hit the pair on a 6+!

Bubebolos also nicked [[Archaon|Archaon's]] special rule, but did it better, with no attacks being able to wound him on better than a 4+, and no attacks weaker than Strength 4 can even hurt him (just in case you wanted to say "Fuck You" to those [[elves]]). He one ups the regular dragon with a better Breath attack which has an odd way of wounding: the enemy must take a Toughness test at -1 to their Toughness, and if they fail they suffer D3 wounds with no armour save allowed, giving you another ability to fuck over anybody who's Strength 3 and/or Toughness 3. Lastly, you might think Initiative 2 might leave him vulnerable for Initiative Test or die spells, but not so since if he's hit by any spell that would instantly kill him, he instead loses D6 wounds - given that he has 10, it means he'll still live quite a long while.

If there's one thing that can royally fuck over Tamurkhan, though, it's the Eye of the Gods table. Turning him into anything really fucking sucks since you lose the possession attack, and since he's only armed with Chaos Armour and a Magic Weapon, even as a Daemon Prince he won't live very long.

{{Chaos-Champions}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Styrkaar

2023-05-17T22:28:58Z

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[[File:Styrkaar.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Styrkaar looks a lot like a certain [[Abaddon the Despoiler|armless failure]].]]
'''Styrkaar''' is a Chaos Lord of [[Slaanesh]] created as part of the fluff surrounding the release of [[Warriors of Chaos]] during the early "Hordes of Chaos" approach and as part of the build up to the [[Storm of Chaos]] campaign. He is one of the Lieutenants of [[Archaon]]. Technically his model and that of his rival were existing generics given names and lore.

Born the son of his tribe's chieftain, Styrkaar was secretly guided from birth by a daemon named Sle'zuzu, who would appear to him, and only him, for as long as he maintained the secret of his existence. With Sle'zuzu whispering into his ear, Styrkaar knew all the right things to say to win people over, becoming more and more popular as he grew. He eventually toppled the former Jerg of the Sortsvinaer, his father Svengor, and merged with Sle'zuzu, becoming a Champion of Slaanesh. Gifted with a [[Daemonic Steed]] and eventually made one with Sle'zuzu as an an [[Daemon#Exalted_Daemon|Exalted Daemon]], he slew Archaon's former Slaaneshi lieutenant, [[Vandred]] the magnificent, and so took his place at the side of the Endbringer.

In [[End Times]] he was Sigvald's second in command (suprised Styrkaar did not kill him since Sigvald share the same "Magnificent" title as his former rival) where they went to attack Parravon. Unfortunately [[Abhorash]] was there and Styrkaar, lacking any plot armor, got his Slaaneshi pansy ass kicked in the balls/vagina.

Styrkaar is noteworthy as a canon transexual character; as a Daemon woman trapped in a man’s body he had to cut down a [[Snek|phallic symbol]] in the form of his predecessor in order to claim his title as fabulous leader, and sports the most famous hairstyle of gay/transexual icon Madonna (if made today, he would probably cover his armor in meat instead).

[[File:Styrkaar Reborn.jpeg|thumb|right|400px|That feel when your billboard chart hit is now played on the Oldies station.]]

Although he did not completely return in [[Age Of Sigmar]], a new kit of Warriors that includes female heads also included a head that is very blatantly Styrkaar, his horns and hair, although his facial expression is no longer mockingly jovial as he sports a nasty facial scar. Slaanesh may have saved him like [[Nurgle]] saved the [[Glottkin]], but didn’t see fit to grant him the rank of [[Daemon Prince]] nor to fully heal him; interestingly, Slaanesh himself sports an unhealing facial scar from [[Khaine]]. Like father like son/daughter?

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Sorcerers of Khorne

2023-05-17T22:28:41Z

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{{heresy}}

'''{{Blam|FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-}}'''

Here is it, fa/tg/uys and ca/tg/irls, the ultimate heresy.

[[Khorne]] does not allow sorcerers to serve him (at least, not when using their sorcery) so the idea of Sorcerers of Khorne is heretical even to Chaos. It's Double Heresy, unholy shit. Yet here we are and here you will [[RAGE]].
I guess the writer of this doesn't know about Gore Mages. 
Or the Haemorrhage psyker power. 
<s>Or the fact that Khorne needs sorcerers to summon his daemons into reality.</s> Khornites summon daemons into reality by spilling Psyker Blood ritualistically. So it's fine.

Incidentally, this story was written by some smarmy 40kfag who knows nothing about Warhammer Fantasy. For one thing, Khornates in Fantasy don't say "maim! kill! burn!", and actual Khornate sorcerers are just Chaos Warriors with premonition and no armour.

HOW THE FUCK DOES SOMEONE MISSPELL '''REIKSPIEL'''?!

And how the fuck would a mere Imperial Captain know that much about Chaos?

== The Petition ==

The God of Blood, Progenitor and Inheritor of All Rage, had watched this petitioner for his audience climb the mountain of skulls and best his daemon in honorable combat before prostrating himself before the Skull Throne.

"Speak, warrior," Khorne said, "For you have earned it."

"Uh, yeah," The warrior began, slightly unsure, "I was sort of wondering why we can't have sorcerers is all."

"Because!" Khorne bellowed, "Sorcerers fight from afar like [[Skaven]] cowards!"

"Well, okay, so ya know our battle cry of 'Maim, kill, burn'? Yeah, we don't do a lot of burnin' I notice so what if sorcerer could set our weapons or our fists on fire or something so we can burn while we maim. That'd be pretty awesome."

Khorne leaned back against his throne and gave this suggestion due consideration.

"Oh, and they should breathe fire too!"

------

A firing squad lined up outside the town, rifles at ready to defend these citizens of the [[Empire]]. [[Beastmen]], [[mutant]]s and worst charged at them like mad [[orc]]s. They knew if they but held the line and kept up the rate of fire this town would be saved.

The captain raised his hand to signal the first volley of fire when he spotted something a little odd. Walking almost calmly amongst the charging horde was a man wearing the lower remains of a tattered robe and an axe with an overly long handle almost like a staff.

What's this, some foul sorcerer of Chaos? The symbol of Khorne was emblazoned on his axe and on his bare muscled chest and Khorne allowed no sorcerers. It was impossible. But foul powers circled around him as he raised his overly long axe like a staff and shouted in plain Riekspiel so all could hear.

"Maim! Kill! BURN!!!"

Without final incantation, the weapons of the enemy were set ablaze with sorcerous fire as red as blood. The captain shouted for them to fire, but the haze of the flame and other foul magics made it so not many shots hit.

Soon the enemy with their weapons of chaos fire was upon them, slaughtering them. The last thing the captain saw was the Sorcerer of Khorne, a ball of red fire emerging from his mouth and the roar of a dragon.

That day the town burned, their flaming skulls piled high in presentation to the Skull Throne. Khorne was pleased.

==A Very Different Take==
<s>There was a Sorcerer in the World Eaters Warband in Dawn of War: Winter Assault. This is one of the rare breaches that was considered [[C.S.Goto|Goto]] level.</s> Gore Mages and/or a <s>fallen [[Librarian]]</s>,FALLEN! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE FALLEN YOU FILTHY HERETIC! The World Eaters killed all their librarians.

If the main [[Khorne]] page is to be believed, the Winter Assault Sorcerer isn't ''that'' big a fluff breach. As mentioned elsewhere on this wiki, Khorne is fine with the magicks of summoning daemons. To summon daemons, you need sacrifices. To get the sacrifices, the player needs to manually guide the Sorcerer over to an Imperial Guard base, smash up the outer defenses, tie up the Ogryns with regular troops, cast a mind control spell on some Guardsmen, then escort the brainwashed Guardsmen back to the blood pit. Everything except the brainwashing step is done in what Khorne would call a "manual" method, earned with the sweat of your brow, the power of your own body, and the strength of your will. What's more, the Sorcerer isn't doing it from the safety of a distant hilltop, you have to send him into the thick of the fighting where only his wits will keep him alive. It's genuine warfare no matter how you slice it, something Khorne has little choice but to begrudgingly accept.

And, his general derpiness aside, [[Crull]] probably saw the wisdom in keeping a psyker around as an advisor and a utility. Considering that he wasn't otherwise in the warband's colors, he was presumably a mercenary sorcerer who was kept on retainer.

Also from a mechanical standpoint, the Bloodthirster was the only Greater Daemon they had designed, so it was the only one they could summon.

==In Fantasy/AoS==
Yes, Khorne does indeed have ''SEERS'' dedicated to him. But there is a catch.

You see, actual Khornate Sorcerers in Fantasy aren't Sorcerers at all, but are in fact Vitkis (the Norscan word for 'shaman') who bear Khorne's mark. In lieu of casting spells, these Vitki; who are known as "Bloodfathers", instead are endowed with GODLIKE MARTIAL PROWESS AND UNMATCHED KNOWLEDGE OF EVERY FIGHTING MOVE AND BATTLE TACTIC EVER. And also the ability to see gruesome visions of hardcore bloodshed, so they know exactly where to go.

A fine example of a Bloodfather would be Alfkaell the Aesling, he kills Kurgan Zars for disrespecting Khorne and gives awesome speeches telling people about the futility of fighting his god and doesn't afraid of anything. He is a supporting antagonist in the aptly named ''Blood for the Blood God'' novel by [[C.L. Werner]].

As for Age of Sigmar, Khorne finally took a lawyerly approach to magic. If it's just channeling daemonic power through huge, bloodthirsty avatars of destruction then it ain't sorcery, is it? That's just worship. And so the [[Khorne Bloodbound]] have a sort of cleric caste, like the 7-foot tall Slaughterpriests or the modestly 6"6' icon-bearing Bloodsecrators ("Khornesecrators" was probably too on-the-nose in the wrong ways for GW to go through with) alongside the giant altars of chaos.

==Homebrew==
===Discipline of Blood (Warhammer 40K)===
The restriction on Chaos Sorcerers being unable to take a Mark of Khorne is removed. The restriction on Daemon Princes of Khorne being unable to take Psyker mastery levels is removed. Heralds of Khorne may take up to two Psychic Mastery Levels for 25 points each. If the player is not using the rules for three variants of Bloodthirster then a Bloodthirster may take up to three Psychic Mastery Levels for 25 points each. A Sorcerer, Daemon Prince, Herald or Bloodthirster Psyker must generate at least one of their spells from the Discipline of Blood (unless from the Chaos Daemons Codex) and may generate up to half of their powers from the Discipline of Blood. Chaos Sorcerers with the Mark of Khorne are added to the list of units that may be taken as the HQ of a Slaughtercult.
*Blood Haste (Primaris): Warp Charge 1. The sorcerer tempts his brothers with the scent of blood, driving them to the battle sooner. Blood Haste is a Blessing that grants the psyker and his unit the Fleet and Hammer of Wrath USRs.
#Daemonic Steel: Warp Charge 1. The Sorcerer invokes the powers of Khorne's forge to strengthen his weapon, so that it may better spill blood in his name. Daemonic Steel is a Blessing that gives the psyker's Force Weapon the Daemon Weapon (See Codex Chaos Space Marines) special rule.
#Khorne's Contempt: Warp Charge 1. Khorne shows no favor to those that avoid conflict and will go to any lengths to display it, even if it is through the psyker. Khorne's Contempt is a Malediction that targets a single enemy unit within 24". Whilst the power is in effect, the target unit must make a Leadership Check on a 3d6 each time it tries to overwatch, retreat, or move away from the closest enemy unit. If the unit fails the Leadership check, it suffers one Wound for each point the unit failed by, with no saves of any kind allowed.
#Maim! Kill! Burn!: Warp Charge 1. The heat of Khorne's forge is so great that the weapons of his followers are set ablaze with it. Maim! Kill! Burn! is a Blessing that targets a single friendly unit within 12". Whilst the power is in effect, all melee weapons in the target unit (save those models get for having no melee weapon and a pistols alternative profile) gain +1 Strength.
#Boiling Blood: The psyker uses the rage of Khorne to cause the blood of his foes to boil and froth until it bursts in a fiery incineration. Boiling Blood is a focussed witchfire power with a range of 18". The target must take two Toughness tests; for each test that is failed the target loses a single Wound with no saves of any kind allowed. If the target is slain, centre the large blast marker over the target before removing him as a casualty. All other models under the marker suffer a Strength 4 AP5 hit with the Ignores Cover special rule.
#Forge Fire: Warp Charge 2. The sorcerer opens a small warp rift leading to Khorne's forge, allowing its fire to leap out and burn those before him. Forge Fire is a beam power with the following profile: R12" S8 AP1 Assault 1, Lance
#Unstoppable Fury: Warp Charge 2. The sorcerer's power is so great that his warriors will constantly fight, even if all their blood has been spilled. Unstoppable Fury is a Blessing that grants a single friendly unit within 18" the Eternal Warrior and Feel No Pain (5+) USRs.

===Lore of Khorne (Warhammer Fantasy)===
Chaos Sorcerers and Sorcerer Lords may take a Mark of Khorne for 10pts. The restriction on Daemon Princes of Khorne not being able to take wizard levels is removed. A Sorcerer or Daemon Prince with the Mark of Khorne uses spells from either the Lore of Fire or the Lore of Khorne. If the player isn't using the rules for three varieties of Bloodthirster then Bloodthirsters may take up to 4 Wizard levels for 35pts each and a Herald of Khorne may be upgraded to a Wizard (Level 1) for 35pts. Bloodthirsters and Heralds of Khorne use spells from either the Lore of Fire or the Lore of Khorne.

Kill! (Warriors of Chaos Lore Attribute): ''Khorne is the Embodiment of Anger and he blesses all who kill with his strength and rage.'' When a spell from the Lore of Khorne is successfully cast, roll a D6, plus one D6 for each model augmented or hexed by the spell (if any). For each result of a 6 rolled, the Wizard's Strength and Attacks are increased by 1 until the start of his next magic phase.

Born of Violence (Daemons of Chaos Lore Attribute): When a Daemon casts a spell from the Lore of Khorne that causes one or more unsaved wounds, choose a unit of Bloodletters or Flesh Hounds within 12" of the caster and roll a D6 for each wound caused. If it is a unit of Bloodletters, add 1 model to the unit for each result of 5 or 6. If it is a unit of Flesh Hounds, add 1 model to the unit for each result of 6. Models are added one at a time to the back rank. If the back rank is full at any point, or the unit has a single rank of at least 5 models, the next model starts a new back rank. Models that cannot be placed (because there isn't enough room, or you do not have sufficient models) are lost. Models created in this way have no upgrades and do not award additional victory points.

Bloodlust (Signature Spell; cast on a 5+): The sorcerer controls the blood of those near him, causing it to boil and froth with rage. Remains in play. Bloodlust is an augment spell cast upon a unit within 6" of the sorcerer. That unit gains the Frenzy special rule. If it already has the Frenzy special rule, then it gains the Hatred special rule. Alternatively the sorcerer may choose to extend the range of this spell to 12". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 7+.

# Blood Rain (Cast on a 5+): The sorcerer causes the blood from one of the pools nearby to crystallize into spikes and rise into the air before flinging those spikes at the opponent. Blood Rain is a magic missile with a range of 12" and causes 2D6 Strength 3 hits. Alternatively, the sorcerer may increase the number of hits to 3D6; if he does so, the casting value is increased to 10+.
# Shadow Blood (Cast on a 7+): The Sorcerer opens wounds on his palms and while uttering an ancient incantation, his blood bursts from the wounds. It is a more potent poison than that of any serpent and bursts into flames upon contact with anything. Shadowblood is a magic missile with a range of 24”. When cast, the caster must declare how many wounds he is using to boost the effects of the spell. The spell causes D6 Strength 5 hits with the Flaming Attacks special rule plus an extra D6 for each wound the caster expends. In addition, a unit suffering one or more wounds from this spell must immediately take a Panic test.
# Blood Rush (Cast on a 7+): The sorcerer tempts his fellow khornates with the scent of blood. Remains in play. Blood Haste is an augment spell cast upon a unit within 6" of the sorcerer. That unit gains the Swiftstride and Devastating Charge special rules. Alternatively the sorcerer may choose to extend the range of this spell to 12". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 9+.
# The Hounds of Tindalos (Cast on a 8+): Before Karanak was Khorne's favored, Tindalos held its position. Tindalos's end came when it was given an impossible task: take the skulls of 888 warlords within the same number of minutes. Tindalos made the task possible by splitting its essence into thousands of disembodied maws. When the task was done, Tindalos found that it could not pull itself back together. Remains in play. The Hounds of Tindalos is a hex spell cast upon a unit within 12" of the sorcerer. That unit must roll 3D6 when taking Break, Terror and Panic tests and discard the lowest die. In addition, for each point any Break, Terror or Panic test is failed by, the unit suffers a S5 hit. Alternatively all Break, Terror and Panic tests must take a 3D6 roll without discarding the lowest dice. If this is done, the casting value is increased to 12+.
# Sorcerer's Hypocrisy (Cast on a 10+): Blood flows from the ground back into the bodies of the sorcerer's allies. Khorne will be angered by this and requires that those who have regained their blood pay him back. Sorcerer's Hypocrisy is an augment spell with a range of 24". The target unit instantly recovers D3+1 wounds worth of models slain earlier in the battle (cavalry counts as two models). The wounds in the unit are regained in a strict order: first, the champion is resurrected, then the musician (standard bearers are never resurrected - if the bearer been slain, the banner is gone for good), displacing rank-and-file models as required; rank-and-file models with multiple wounds (including command figures) are healed to their starting value; finally, any remaining wounds resurrect rank and file models (in the case of multiple wound rank and file models, the first resurrected model must be healed fully before the next can be healed, and so on). These models are added to the front rank until it reaches at least five models - additional models can then be added to the front or rear rank. If the unit already has more than one rank, models can only be added to the rear rank. For every wound restored the player controlling the sorcerer loses 10 victory points.
# Exsanguinate (Cast on a 12+): The sorcerer rips the blood out of an enemy. Exsanguinate is a direct damage spell with a range of 12". A single character in the targeted unit must pass a Toughness test or be slain with no armour saves allowed. If the Toughness test (and Ward Save if applicable) is failed, then make the same test on another model in the target's unit. Keep doing this until one model passes the test or there are no models left to slay. This spell does not work on undead without the Vampiric special rule.

Wrath of Khorne (End Times Spell; Cast on a 25+): The Sorceror calls down a Brass Skull to strike his foes. Wrath of Khorne is a direct damage spell. Place the Large Round template anywhere within 30" of the Sorceror. The template is treated as a Stone Thrower shot that does not scatter.

[[category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Slambo

2023-05-17T22:26:24Z

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[[File:Slambo 5.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Raw, infinite Chaos...]]
'''Slambo''', ''aka'' '''Slambo the Everchosen''', ''aka'' '''Slambo, the First True Prince of Chaos''', ''aka'' '''Slambo the Everchampion''', ''aka'' '''Slambo, [[Age of Slam]] Commentator''', ''aka'' '''Slambo, [[Chaos God]] of (desired portfolio)''' is a [[Warhammer Fantasy]] meme character.

==The Legend==
Originally a [[Warriors of Chaos]]/[[Age of Sigmar|Mortals]] miniature dating back to 4th(?) edition (earlier, he was pictured in AHQ). Older [[Games Workshop]] ads for models named some individuals despite the fact none would ever recieve lore. There is some artwork depicting him in Advanced Heroquest though.
EDIT: The model actually originates from the original Hero Quest game and was the standard "Chaos Warrior" EDIT : The Hero Quest model was based on the original Slambo mini, not the other way around.

During 2014, while [[/tg/]] raged and lamented the changes in [[End Times]], an anon decided to cheer the mass of Fantasy fans up by posting old White Dwarf promos in a nostalgiabomb (or a lesson for newer players). One in particular model, dubbed Slambo, caught the attention of the thread.

Slambo is heavily armored like most Warriors, although his faux-Viking helmet horns meet to form a halo like a medieval painting of a saint or king, while he is armed with two huge battleaxes. It was [[Awesome|love]] at first sight for many.

Since then, Slambo has come to replace any [[Chaos]] character with displeasing lore. If [[Archaon]] is unsatisfactory, Slambo is the Everchosen with Archaon being some past failed twat nobody cares to remember. Those who dislike [[Be'lakor]] (the many that is) consider Slambo the first Daemon Prince, the master of [[Chaos Undivided]]. If a player wants an extra special Chaos Champion, Slambo is of course eligible. Those who feel [[Khorne]], [[Tzeentch]], [[Slaanesh]], [[Nurgle]], even [[Horned Rat]] to be boring little shits consider Slambo the true master of their branch of Chaos. When [[Age of Slam]] was first conceived, Slambo was the replacement for [[Blood Bowl|Jim and Bob]] as commentator.

'''2017 update:''' [https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Slambo-Exalted-Hero Slambo is back!] (In resin, but still!) Now he has shiny green armor, and rules in AoS. He can even throw his axes. (The only downside is he can't take a Mark, which really would have been useful). White Dwarf March 2017 even published rules to use this mini in the "Warhammer Quest - Silver Tower" board game.

'''2020 update''' They no longer sell Slambo, as his page above no longer exists! He has been moved to the Legends section of the Pitched Battle Profiles 2020, and thus will no longer be eligible for tournament play.

==External links==
[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Warscrolls/AoS_Slambo_Warscroll_EN.pdf His rules]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Slambo 1e.jpg
Image:Slambo 2.jpg
Image:Slambo 3.jpg
Image:Slambo 4.jpg
File:Slambo new model.jpg|He's back baby! And his new model is [[awesome]] ([[Primarch|ogre-sized]] for some reason, but still awesome).
File:Slambo_size.jpg|The old and new model side by side.
File:TW3 Slambo.png|Now in digital form.
</gallery>

{{Chaos-Champions}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]
[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Meme]]

Forsaken

2023-05-17T22:25:41Z

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{{whfb-stub}}

[[File:Tentaclegrope.jpg|thumb|The result of only [[Chaos Spawn|saying part of its name]]]]

'''Forsaken''' are the result of Aspiring and (somewhat) successful Chaos Champions who have been so "blessed" by the Gods that their bodies are now mostly mutations. Unfortunately for them, even though they managed to retain ''some'' of their intellect and were able to resist being fully turned into '''[[Chaos Spawn|Gribbly Beasts]]''' (''HEEHEE, CLOSE ENOUGH MORTAL *ZAPS*''- sdfasgfasdgcaniatleastfinishthepageasdafasfa), that's not really saying much, as in spite of all their efforts, they're still nothing more than mindless pawns of their masters. It actually goes to show how fickle the [[You|Chaos Gods]] are to [[Your Dudes|their followers]], because members of the Forsaken ''were'' part of the Warband's elite, but have lost themselves along the [[Path to Glory]]; being literally ''Forsaken'' by the Gods and their people, the Forsaken live a solitary existence in the Chaos Wastes, no longer able to lead warbands and only being called by their tribes for great battles.

Every Forsaken is a unique individual, and yet just another part of the nameless horde. This can be seen in their weapons, as those who are still able to hold weapons still wield the cursed/blessed/daemon-weapons they earned in their prime. They are also regarded with respect by the Norsca and the Warriors of Chaos, because even though they're just a step above the unmentionable ones, they were still worthy enough to be recognized by the Gods and had the willpower to hold some sense of self.

Functionally, they're a little bit like [[Possessed]], except their soul isn't being face-fucked by a Daemon but by God-given mutations, so fluffwise they're closer to [[Mutilators]].
==Total War Warhammer==
Forsaken in TWWH fit their fluff: absolutely ignored for [[Chosen|much]] [[Bloodletters|better]] [[Chaos Spawn|options]]. While fast and decently armoured, they don't really have any armor-piercing capability, you know, because only half the guys in the unit still remembers how to hold that daemon-axe properly. In the vanilla Warriors of Chaos roster, you're not exactly starving for heavy melee options, with non-mutated humans having greater flexibility with weapon loadout and the more mutated ones being unbreakable meatshields. In the Daemon armies that ''can'' take them, they have some use as they share in the monogod abilities (Tzeentch Barrier for example). The Warriors of Chaos rework was a mixed bag for them. On one hand, they made for a good intermediate unit with more killing power than marauders. On the other hand, forsaken are doomed to get cast aside after the earlygame now that EVERY chaos faction gets access to marked chaos warriors + chosen.

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Six Treasures of Chaos

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The '''Six Treasures of Chaos''' are six mystical items associated with the powers of [[Chaos]] in the setting of [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]. They make up the collective paraphernalia of the Everchosen of Chaos, the setting's resident Chaos-related Big Bad. Currently, all six Treasures are in the possession of [[Archaon]], the current Everchosen of Chaos in Warhammer.

# '''The Mark of Chaos United'''
#:Also known as the Mark of the Chosen One and the Eternally Burning Mark of Chaos, this beefed-up version of the Mark of [[Chaos Undivided]] gives the bearer the benefits of the Marks of [[Khorne]], [[Slaanesh]], [[Nurgle]] and [[Tzeentch]] all at the same time, plus a little more. Archaon earned this Treasure by singlehandedly entering the unlifting darkness of the Altar of True Darkness in [[Naggaroth]], slaying hundreds of albino mutant horrors and offering their hearts on the altar at its pinnacle.
# '''The Armor of Morkar'''
#:Originally born by the first Everchosen, this enchanted armor is virtually invulnerable. Archaon earned this treasure by destroying a hidden city after six days and nights of battle, then entering the tomb of Morkar hidden within. There, he did battle with the restless spirit of Morkar himself, surprising Morkar by calling out curses in the languages of Unberogen, the tribe of origin of Morkar and his killer Sigmar. This startled the undead Chaos Champion so much that Archaon was able to deliver a telling blow, claiming the armor for himself.
# '''The Eye of Sheerian'''
#:Discovered by a [[Tzeentch]]ian sorcerer, when worn as an amulet, this trinket grants the bearer prophetic insights, but its true power is unlocked by adding it to the Crown of Domination. It was guarded by Flamefang, a three-headed Chaos dragon. Archaon found the dragon slumbering and woke it up by slamming his axe into one of the three heads. They had a ferocious fight, which ended with Archaon being swallowed whole, not being digested due to his armor and cutting his way out from inside the dragon's guts.
# '''The Steed of the Apocalypse'''
#:Alternatively known as Dorghar, Ghurshy'ish'phak, and Yrontalie, this mighty Daemonic Steed was kept within the menagerie of the Daemon Prince Agrammon before Archaon snuck inside clinging to the belly of one of the mutant horrors Agrammon kept. Though it tried to hurl Archaon from its back by bursting into flames and shapeshifting, Archaon broke it as if it were a wild stallion and fled from Agrammon's lair atop its back.
# '''The Slayer of Kings'''
#:A sword containing a Greater Daemon known as U'zuhl (Not Skulltaker), this terrible weapon belonged to Vangel, second Everchosen of Chaos. It is capable of killing almost anything, and by calling upon the wailing spirit within, the bearer becomes virtually unstoppable. Archaon found this weapon by tracking down Krakanok the Black, mountain-sized father of the Dragon Ogres, and prying it from his grasp, slaying one of his followers to keep it from awakening the titanic beast with its shrieks.
# '''The Crown of Domination'''
#:The last and greatest of the Six Treasures, this crown heals any injury the wearer may suffer, and amplifies the power of the Eye. The search for the Crown took more time than finding the other five treasures combined. In the end, Archaon only found it because the Chaos Gods sent Be'lakor to show him the way to the First Shrine of Chaos where it was kept and Dorghar could traverse the steep mountainside covered in ice and loose snow. To seal himself as the Everchosen, Archaon sought out and overcame challenges set against him by the four Gods before finally claiming the Crown as his own. Thus [[Be'lakor]] was called to anoint Archaon, and he could begin his quest at last.

Despite the above order now being canon for how Archaon found the Six Treasures, in earlier editions, the order was different. In the build-up to [[Storm of Chaos]], the backstory for [[Vardek Crom]] claims that when Archaon found the Conqueror, he already bore the Mark, the Eye and the Sword, whilst he was looking for the others. When Archaon first appeared in ''Champions of Chaos'', he bore the Mark, the Sword, the Armor and the Eye.

[[Category:Chaos]] [[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Path to Glory

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==Tactics Pages==

Tactics for Age of Sigmar are [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Path_to_Glory|here]].

Tactics For 40K are [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Path to_Glory(7E)|here]].

==History==
Way, way, ''way'' back in the dawn of [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] and [[Warhammer 40,000]], [[Games Workshop]] released two books that covered the forces of [[Chaos]] for both settings. These were the [[Realms of Chaos]] duology: Slaves to Darkness ([[Khorne]] and [[Slaanesh]]) and The Lost And The Damned ([[Nurgle]] and [[Tzeentch]]). As part of their rules these books contained "Path to Glory", a mini-game that blurred the lines between wargame and roleplaying game that allowed players to take the roles of [[Chaos Chosen]], Aspiring Champions who would fight (mostly each other, but also, potentially, other races and monsters) to try and attract the favor of the Dark Gods, with the game ending with death, [[Chaos Spawn|damnation]] or [[Daemon Prince|daemonhood]]. For the goody two shoes, there were also [[Sensei]], supposedly secret descendants of the Emperor that were explicitly compared to the other Chaos Champions as good-aligned versions from the Emperor. Instead of daemonhood, they sought apotheosis into a Sensei Master.

Fast forward many editions...

Do you remember when [[White Dwarf]] was [[awesome]]? Because, after the first half of the release of [[Hordes of Chaos]], White Dwarf spent the first four months focusing on god-related fluff and model articles... and then the next ''five months'' on updating Path to Glory to 6th's rules. And when [[Beasts of Chaos]] came out, they did a special update article, allowing for beastman aspiring champions in Path to Glory as well.

Sadly, with 8e and White Dwarf's descent into suck, Path to Glory was left behind, languishing in the darkness with all the other awesome things of those days. The fact it had walked the middle line between [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]]/[[Rogue Trader]] and the main games was a likely culprit, as Games Workshop had circled the wagons after their near bankruptcy and the ascent of Kirby into the position of CEO resulting in them killing off all the old Specialist Games over time.

After the death of Warhammer Fantasy and Kirby stepping down, revamped versions of "Path To Glory" were released for both AoS and 40kK as a digital download during the Black Library advent calendar. While it is uncommon in 40k, AoS has seen a serious uptick in the amount of content for Path to Glory, with each new battletome including warband tables for it.

==Path to Glory 6e Articles==
Note: Issue numbers and dates are for the UK Edition. Take a look at [https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/White_Dwarf Lexicanum's White Dwarf page] for conversion between UK issue numbers and US/CA or foreign-language versions. If you are looking up [[Pirate|perfectly legal and legitimate means]] of examining White Dwarf back issues, you will find that everyone who has ever uploaded WD scans was full of [[FAIL]] and could not be arsed to check whether the issue they had was the same as one uploaded under a different number. So the cover images and page numbers are provided as a sanity check. 

===White Dwarf 275 November 2002===
Cover: Aragorn and some Two Towers minis. Pg. 32-45

The daddy of Path to Glory 6e, this article had the basic rules for founding a warband to play the game with, including tables for determining followers and equipment. Perhaps coincidentally, this issue also had the preview list for Beasts of Chaos, to provide stats and rules for the followers associated with that army.

===White Dwarf ?????===
White Dwarf UK-275, says that rules for advancement and gaining favor points will be forthcoming "next month" (p.34). But White Dwarf UK-276 definitely does not have those rules; it has scenarios only. So where the hell are they? Good fucking question. Some previous person said that this was the contents of 276:

{{quote|> Rules for gaining favor points and for Advancements - the ability for the warband's Champion to score increases and abilities depending on luck and the whim of the Dark Gods. Simpler than the originals back in Realms of Chaos in that only the Champion advances and evolves, with followers remaining vanilla. It also included the basic rules for handling injuries and what happens if your Champion turns into a Chaos Spawn as a result of a bad Power Advancement roll or due to acquiring 5 Mutations.}}

===White Dwarf 276 December 2002===
Cover: [[Tomb Kings]]. Pg. 22-29

Three simple articles, all scenarios to use when fighting on the Path to Glory. Eight 1v1 scenarios and one multi-player.

===White Dwarf 277 January 2003===
Cover: A [[The Lord of the Rings]] tower, presumably one of the Two Towers. Pg. 26-27

Tiny article, a roster sheet for tracking your warband's status.

===White Dwarf 278 February 2003===
Cover: [[The_Lord_of_the_Rings|Eomer of Rohan]]. Pg. 58-60

Expanded mutation tables, replacing those from the original table back in 275 with god-specific ones, from Tzeentchians able to swallow opponents whole to Nurglites with xenomorph-style jaws to Slaaneshi with snake-like bodies to Khornates who absorb enemy spells to get stronger. It also includes more detailed rules for handling injuries: what happens to a Champion, or even a follower, who gets taken out in one battle.

===White Dwarf 279 March 2003===
Cover: Golden-armored space marine with a bigass hammer. Pg. 80-83

Rules for a multi-warband battle scenario and some magical items to receive as a result.

===White Dwarf 283 March 2003===
Cover: Guardsman from Cadia.

No new rules appeared in the main body of the magazine, but copies of WD 283 came with a free booklet which collected all the Path to Glory rules in one 30-page volume. This included the Beastmen rules.

===White Dwarf 284 August===
Cover: [[Beastmen]]. Pages: Unknown. The issue seems to be absent from all [[Pirate|perfectly legitimate]] PDF collections.

Some previous anon said it contained:

{{quote|> Coinciding with the official release of Beasts of Chaos, this issue's article focuses on Beastman Aspiring Champions and the unique warbands they gather.}}

[[Category:Chaos]] [[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

==Black Library Advent Calendar December 2015==

Neckbeards may rejoice knowing that Geedubs have brought back "Path to Glory" has been brought back
for both Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40K. Allowing you to create your own warbands once more.

==General's Handbook 2017==

The Age of Sigmar General's Handbook (2017) includes an expanded version of the Path to Glory released by Black Library, differing from usual because it also allows to non-chaos armies to be used, adding tables for Stormcast Eternals, Skaven, Fyreslayers, Ironjawz, Sylvaneth and Death armies.

==Path to Glory Campaign Book==

In 2017, GW also released a standalone Path to Glory book that included Warband Rosters for most of the factions, new battleplans, and a list of what warbands can be made from each Start Collecting! box. From this point on new Battletomes also included warband rosters for the faction.

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Norsca

2023-05-17T22:22:03Z

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[[File:Norscan map.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hell froze over]]
{{Topquote|Nothing burns like the cold.| Will, [[A Song of Ice and Fire|A Game of Thrones]]}}
{{Topquote|The hammer of the Gods Will drive our ships to new lands To fight the horde, singing and crying Valhalla I am coming So on we sail, with threshing oar Our only goal will be the distant shore|Led Zeppelin}}
{{Topquote|This harsh land breeds the savage. And we revel in it.| [[Wulfrik the Wanderer]]}}

Far to the north of [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire]], lies a cold, savage, and brutal land. A land where the ground is permanently frozen and blistering winters ravage the land for 8 months of the year. A land where there are as many monsters as there are men. The lands of Norsca.

Norsca is home of some of the [[Warriors of Chaos]] and honestly, only a land as barren, brutal and bristling with chaotic energies could produce such a group of madmen, as Norsca is probably the most dangerous place to live in the entirety of the Warhammer world, with its only rivals to the title being [[Lustria]] and The [[Mountains of Mourn]]. It's a truly shitty place to live, as you'll either be killed by a half-naked barbarian, eaten by something with 7 eyes and 4 ass holes, or raped by something that spilled in from the Realm of Chaos. Fun times. On the bright side, that half-naked barbarian knows he’s a monster and has accepted it, so ironically he has a functioning moral compass and just doesn’t care.

==The Norscan Mainland==
[[File:Norsca march-Bayard Wu.png|thumb|left|400px|Yes, those are Chaos Mammoths.]]
The mainland of Norsca is mostly tundra where the ground is frozen all year round, with it being impossible for any crops or food to grow in the ground due to the permafrost. Around the tundra are large frozen mountains that make traveling around the place even harder. To top it all off the area is also volcanically active and has a few active volcanos and rivers of lava in some areas, just in case the locals weren't having enough fun with the hostile wildlife, and freezing temperatures. What makes Norsca such a dangerous place is its proximity to the Chaos Gate in the north, as it's only a stones throw from the [[Chaos Wastes]], which mutates the people so they are larger and stronger, the animals so they all eat meat and have lots of teeth and even the land, with mountains eroding in the wind to look like skulls bleeding lava. You know, that metal stuff that Nordic people like.

Since nothing grows in the permafrost the people of Norsca have two options: kill and raid for food or starve. This has forced the Norscans to develop their favorite pastime-- pillaging and raping. And they're not picky about who they do it to either: other Norscan tribes, Kislev, The Empire. Hell, at one point they even went to the other side of the planet in [[Nehekhara]] and started causing problems until [[Settra]] got pissed and chased them back to Norsca.

Surrounded by 3 seas, The Sea of Claws, The Chaos Sea, and The Frozen Sea (yes, they are all filled with monsters and Chaos-tainted wildlife), Norsca has only one direct piece of land that connects it to the rest of the Old World, so if the locals want to go pillaging, they need to build longboats and hope they don't get destroyed by that massive sea serpent with 3 heads Karl saw last week, or go through [[Kislev]] and hope a bunch of pissed off Slavs don't run them down on horseback while dancing to excessive amounts of Russian hardbass. However raiding is what the Norscans do best (it's kinda all they can do); it also has the added bonus of appeasing their [[Chaos Gods|Gods]] and a lot of Chaos Warriors start out as Norscan raiders who attracted the attention of the gods, so a lot of Norscans use these raids to try and kick start their "careers" as [[Warriors of Chaos|murder vikings]].

===The Norse Dwarfs===
Norsca is also home to the Norse Dwarfs (not to be confused with the [[Chaos Dwarfs]] who live further east), the long lost cousins of the Dwarfs who live in the [[Worlds Edge Mountains]], with their settlements being found in mountains of South East Norsca. After The Great Catastrophe, the Norse Dwarfs found themselves cut off from their cousins further south. This isolation meant the Norse dwarfs developed slightly differently to the other dwarfs and led to them becoming sort of chaos worshipper, with them revering the [[Chaos Gods]] but not falling to out-right Chaos worship like their Norscan neighbours. They rely on older Dwarf technology with a considerable Navy of longboats and are very skilled sailor, [[Viking|because when in Scandanavia]]. When [[Asavar Kul]] invaded the south during the Great War against Chaos, the Norse Dwarfs decided to sail south to fight alongside the humans and reunite with their Dawi cousins. Unfortunately after this, the Norscans decided they had had enough of these dwarfs living on their land, and attacked the main Norse Dwarf stronghold of Kraka Drak. Realising the rest of the Norse Karaks were at risk the Dwarfs took the decision to collapse the entire mountain to stop the Norscans from advancing into the rest of the Karaks, and then settled in for a war of attrition. This War ground on for nearly 90 years with most of the population fleeing to the other Karaks over time, until the Dwarfs were defeated and the Kraka Drak was destroyed, however the rest of the Norse Karaks survived with Kraka Ravnsvake taking over as the primary Norse Dwarf stronghold. Since then groups of Norse Dwarfs have returned to Kraka Drak to resettle it and rebuild it to its former might.

==Troll Country==
Expect no polite reasonable discourse here.

Just north of [[Kislev]] is the part of Norsca known as Troll Country. As its name suggests it's infested with trolls along with a whole bunch of other angry monsters, including but not limited to Manticores, Chimeras, [[Dragon Ogres]], [[Werewolf|Skin wolves]], Ice wolves, regular wolves, Drakes and [[Giant|Giants]]. No people live there, as it's just too densely populated with monstrous creatures that no one could settle in the area and even if you could establish a settlement you would spend all your time fighting off the local wildlife. The only people that actively go to Troll Country are Chaos champions looking for challenges to fight, and Chaos Lords who lost their flesh-eating horse and want to replace it with something more exotic. Like a twin-headed manticore that shits napalm. The one thing that could actually be called the ruling body of Troll Country would be [[Throgg]] The troll king (a fitting title indeed). Throgg lives in an Icy labyrinth in the northern part of Troll Country where he is surrounded by other trolls and he ponders about destroying the civilised races and repopulating it with intelligent monsters, a task he's a little stuck on as he is the only intelligent troll in the entire species.

Actually there is one actual settlement in Troll country. Hellpit, the stronghold of [[Clan Moulder]]. Hellpit is...an absolute fucking nightmare city. Underground and hidden from everyone, the twisted animals of Troll Country make wonderful things for Moulder to experiment on, and the large quantity of [[Warpstone]] and Chaotic energies help fuel their twisted imaginations. Honestly, think of the worst experiments you could ever do to an animal. Well, the Clan moulder has done that, got bored, and started doing even worse things to people, animals and other [[Skaven]]. Things that you can't even begin to imagine. The [[Dark Elves]] and their slavers and beastmasters have absolutely nothing on Clan Moulder and what they do in Hellpit.

==Norse Forces Through the Ages==
The Norscans have the distinction of being one of the oldest distinct human factions; [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]] 1e started with only four human factions - the "Men of the West" (who were sort of a hodgepodge of [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]] and [[Bretonnia]]), the [[Araby|"Men of the East"]], the [[Nippon|"Men of the Orient"]] and finally, the "Men of the North" - aka, the Norse.

That said, they had their teething problems. Despite being one of the oldest factions, the Norscans were never really that fleshed out beyond being "Knockoff [[Viking]]s"; they could field various human troops named after Nordic social classes and had [[berserker]]s at one point, but they just didn't have anything special. Starting with 3rd edition, they began to be assimilated into the [[Chaos]] army, and by 4th edition they were all but gone. 6th edition saw the brief return of Norse Marauder characters in an issue of [[White Dwarf]], who were basically cheaper, unarmored Chaos Champions who could ride Cold Ones, but that last flash in the pan was quickly spent.

===WAP Presents: Norsca===
The [[Warhammer Army Project]] never met an Oldhammer idea they didn't like, unless it was officially retconned by Midhammer - so they probably won't be doing a Warhammer Armies: [[Slann]] book any time soon. Having already created army books for [[Albion]], the [[Amazon]]s of [[Lustria]], [[Araby]], [[Cathay]], [[Estalia]], [[Nippon]], the [[Pirate]]s of [[Sartosa]], and [[Tilea]] (via [[Dogs of War]], as well as their own expanded takes on [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]] and [[Bretonnia]]), they decided that the Norscans needed to be separated from their [[Chaos]] associations and made a fully independent Warhammer Vikings force.

The Warleaders are the '''King''' and the '''Jarl''', who represent your standard Lord and Hero choices respectively. For the obligatory wizards, you have the Lord-tier '''Vikti''' and the Hero-tier '''Seer'', who can use the Lores of Fire, Beasts, Heavens, Shadow and Death.

'''Skalds''' are Norscan bards; they can't be your army's general, but they instead serve as a more potent form of battle standard bearer, able to sing specific songs to bolster their unit and combining the BSB and unit musician roles into one

'''Beastmasters''' serve as the leaders and tamers for the various Norscan monsters that follow the army.

'''Bondsmen''' are the infantry of a Norscan force, representing the young fighters who serve under the various Jarls. Their elite counterparts are the '''Huscarls'''.

'''Marauders''' represent those Norscans who have embraced the service of the Dark Gods of [[Chaos]]; no longer part of the Bondsmen, but not yet risen to the rank of Chaos Warrior.

'''Reavers''' are Norscan pirates, who naturally flock to join the horde when it marches to war.

'''Whalers''' are tough, rugged sailors who provide a vital role to the survival of the Norse tribes.

'''Thralls''' are normally used as sacrifices to the Dark Gods, but may be drafted as expendable infantry troopers.

'''Horsemen''' are, obviously, the cavalry of the Norscan forces.

'''[[Berserker]]s''' need no elaboration.

'''Hunters''' are usually drawn from the ranks of Norscan exiles, who have managed to survive in the wilderness by learning the arts of stealth, woodscraft and archery, and may be permitted to lend their aid to a Norscan army in need.

'''Shieldmaidens''' are warrior-women who have mastered the arts of using their shields to compensate for their lesser bulk compared to the mighty menfolk of the North, and who occupy an odd place in the typically quite patriarchal Norscan society.

'''[[Valkyrie]]s''' are former Shieldmaidens who have returned from the wilderness touched by the gods, imbuing them with magnificent wings and the blessing of the gods, which earns them much fearful respect from their menfolk.

'''Ulfwerenar''' are Norscan [[werewolf|werewolves]], able to shift from bloodthirsty Norseman (or woman) to a ravenous giant wolf and back again. '''Skin Wolves''' and their '''Ulfjarl''' characters are a more mutated variety, able to shift from human to monstrous humanoid wolf and back again.

'''Werebeasts''', on the other hand, are a devolved form of the archetype, being former Norscans so touched by the blessings of the Dark Gods that they have lost their minds and devolved into twisted bestial creatures - not quite [[Chaos Spawn]], but not far removed. They retain enough of their human minds to remain docile around their kin and loyal to their former clans, and so make powerful weapons of war.

Norsca is full of [[Chaos]]-touched wolves, and the Norscans eagerly incorporate them into their forces. '''War Wolves''' are huge, powerful beasts tamed by the Norscan beastmasters as houndmasters do with war dogs in the southern pars of the Old World, whilst '''War Wolf Chariots''' hitch these dangerous predators to Norscan chariots. Finally, the Chaos-touched '''Ice Wolves''' are giants amongst their kind with a deadly freezing [[Breath Weapon]].

'''Snow Trolls''' are yet another mutant subspecies of [[Troll]] who have adapted to the frigid landscape of Norsca, even developing a freezing breath in place of the traditional hyper-corrosive gout of vomit.

'''Jotuns''', or "Frost Giants", are the largest and most intelligent strain of [[giant]] left in the Warhammer world. Whilst they have lost much of the wisdom and knowledge their Sky-Titan ancestors had, they still retain a culture (admittedly all but identical to their Norse neighbors) and are organized, instead of wandering the world as dull-witted, mindless brutes.

'''Cursed [[Ettin]]s''' are whispered in Norscan stories as being the descendants of a Norscan king who betrayed the Dark Gods by ignoring the call to ravage the southern lands to instead plunder the weakened lands of those tribes who had gone south. For this they were cursed into two-headed [[ogre]]-like beings, hideously deformed but horribly aware of what they had lost.

'''Ice Drakes''' are frost-empowered winged lizards, possibly a distant, [[mutant]] offshoot of [[dragon]]kind.

'''War Mammoths''' are great hairy pachyderms who roam the frozen lands of the North, eagerly captured and raised as beasts of war.

Of course, WAP had to give their Norsca army a set of special characters, even if this meant inventing them from scratch.

* '''[[Erik Redaxe]]''', High King of the Norse
* '''[[Sturmjarl]]''', Shaman Lord of Ejsgard
* '''[[Keorl Thunderhand]]''', the Dragon Slayer
* '''[[Fenrir Wolfclaw]]''', the Shackled King
* '''[[Drenok Johansen]]''', Wielder of the Great Axe
* '''[[Floki Lostston]]''', Descendant of Losteriksson
* '''[[Bragi Sturluson]]''', the Ever-Skald
* '''[[Sigrun the Proud]]''', She Who Stands Firm
* '''[[Njal Troelson]]''', the Savage Hunter
* '''[[Jora and Bjorn]]''', the Maiden and the Bear
* '''[[The Ravenswyrd]]''', Chosen of the Gods
* '''[[Styrmir Rimefrost]]''', King of the Frost Giants

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Chaos maruder.png|Your average Norscan man.
File:Norscan Woman-Muhut.gif|Your average Norscan woman.
</gallery>

{{Template:Norscan Forces}}
{{Regions and areas of the Old World}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Mortkin

2023-05-17T22:21:26Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:Lord Mortkin.png|thumb|right|400px|Depression never looked so terrifying.]]
{{Topquote|Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, blood and revenge are hammering in my head.|Titus Andronicus}}

'''Lord Mortkin''', known as the Black-Iron Reaver is one of the lesser known Chaos Lords from [[Warhammer Fantasy]], created to be part of the scenario game for the 8th edition rule book and is never mentioned any where else again, which is a shame as he is one of the most interesting characters for the Warriors of Chaos that GW has created. He's also pretty badass as he gained the favour of 3 of the 4 chaos gods, [[Khorne]], [[Nurgle]] and [[Tzeentch]].

==History==
Mortkins history is shrouded in mystery (when isn't it) and there are multiple rumours floating around to his actual origins, however we do know that he lived in the [[Norsca|Norscan]] town of Ulfennik before he became a [[Chaos Lord]]. It is widely accepted that he was a Norscan king who raided and plundered the northern regions of Empire, who travelled up to the [[Chaos Wastes]] in a search for more power, and when he returned he was [[Chaos Lord|10ft tall, 4ft wide]] and could snap a man in half with his hands. So mission accomplished on that more power plan. From there he would gather a large following and become the leader of his own horde known as the "Fell Legion", with an honour guard called "The Crimson Reapers", who were fiercely loyal to Mortkin. He gained a lot of this following from doing some pretty mighty things such as besting and killing fellow Chaos Lords, tricking a dragon into binding itself to serve him and wrestling a god damn two headed giant into submission, which he then also inducted into his warband. This last act impressed [[Khorne]] so much that he sent [[Valkia the Bloody]] to duel him which resulted in the two fighting each other to a stand still. Now so far this is pretty generic stuff (for a Chaos Lord), so these things alone don't actually make Mortkin stand out from the crowd of other badass murder Vikings. But there is one thing that makes Mortkin unique, and that is his constant bouts of crippling depression. No really. Mortkin would spend a fair amount of time brooding, pondering and regretting his ascendance to becoming a Chaos lord in service of the dark gods, as he mourned for his old life and the humanity he had lost. Pretty much all other Chaos Lords feel great and are happy when they trade in their old life for one of murder and raiding, but Mortkin felt like he had sacrificed being a man to become a monster and that he would never die and join his ancestors.

===The Invaders from the South===
During 2512 IC, the Norscan raids against [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire]] were particularly vicious and took a rather heavy toll, both in men and stuff nicked. This was due to the winds of magic blowing mutations and "nasty chaos stuff" down through Norsca which invigorated the tribes to do more to please their gods. Because of all the loses from the raids, the [[Elector Count]] of Ostland, [[Valmir von Raukov]], suggested a new strategy. Instead of doubling his defences like [[Nordland]], he led an expedition which sailed from [[Ostland]] and targeted key port and sea-fairing towns along the southern part of the Norscan coast. The expedition was also supposed to punch through into mainland Norsca and destroy other key elements, but the land and locals proved to be a bit much and would have required a larger force to be effective. Despite this, the expedition was a success as multiple Norscan towns had been levelled and it would take years for the Norscans to rebuild them, if they ever did. The Norscan populations reaction ranged from respect for a bunch of southlanders brave enough to go on the offensive and travel north, to anger for the Empire daring to do to them, what they do to the Empire every year.

One of the towns targeted by the Ostland campaign was [[Ulfennik]], which had been razed to the ground and when Mortkin heard of this he locked himself in his dark tower to brood. The loss of his hometown weighed heavily on Mortkin as it was another piece of his former life that had been stripped away, but along side the sorrow was an anger so deep that not even your worse nightmares could imagine, and Mortkin decided that the best thing to alleviate his grief was a spot of revenge. So Mortkin and his followers headed north to the chaos wastes to amass an great army. In the Chaos Wastes Mortkin was able to gain the favour of all four gods to lead their armies south and bring ruin to the Empire, and killed or inducted chaos lords and warbands into his host which also including the dragon and giant he bound to his service as well as a bunch of Chaos Dwarfs and a legion of Khorne [[Daemons]] led by a [[Bloodthirster]]. He also got possession of the Hellfire sword (yeah the same Hellfire sword from the [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Warriors of Chaos|Army Book]]) and a bunch of daemons also that started to advise to Mortkin about how best to attack the Empire, advice Mortkin ignored. After amassing his host, Lord Mortkin marched his armies south collecting more Norscan tribes and Chaos warbands to his banner, further swelling his army as he entered [[Kislev]]. Multiple Ungol tribes spotted the approaching war host and got out the way to start picking off parts of the armies and warn the rest of Kislev, however Mortkin had no real desire to attack the Kislevites and his host only attacked the city of Tzeskagrad for resources and he continued his march straight into Ostland where he started to track down some [[Beastmen]] Warherds to add to his armies. His scouts found the Beastmen tribes led by Ul-Ruk the Red [[Ulric|(no relation)]], and were able to convince them to join Mortkin when their Shamans saw visions of Mortkin leading the armies of chaos south and bringing great destruction on the Empire.

With his army list finished, Mortkin smashed aside the Empire and Kislevite army that had formed to stop him and split his forces to spread out and destroy the cities of Ostland while killing as many members of the Elector counts family as he could, including Vamirs wife. Mortkin was personally chasing down the counts son as he had been one of the key members in the destruction brought to the south of Norsca and Ulfennik. Eventually Mortkin tracked him down to Volganof, the ancestral home of Vamirs family and his ancestral line, and the rest of Mortkins armies converged outside the city. Mortkin then offered the city a choice. Hand over the counts son and he would leave the city, or don't and he would raze it to the ground. The Ostlanders assumed he was bullshitting them and that he would kill the elector counts son and then attack the city, so they decided not to hand over their general and fight it out. The next day Mortkin began his attack.

===The Battle of Volganof===
[[File:The Battle of Volganof Map.png|thumb|right|300px]]
Lord Mortkin gave the signal and his host marched out of the forest began the attack, charging towards the city while the sorcerers began to start blowing chunks out of the defences. The Empire soldiers returned fire with handguns and cannons, blasting holes in the Chaos ranks. Mortkin sent his Daemon allies to attack the southern gate of the city, but the daemons were met by a counter attack by the Elector counts son and after a brutal battle the Ostlanders were able to slay and banish the Bloodthirster, but not after taking very heavy losses. During this time the rest of Mortkins army was able to get into Volganof and started to wipe out the defenders, with the dragon incinerating parts of the city and setting it on fire. While this was happening Mortkin spotted his target and advanced on the Elector counts son to take his revenge. With his honour guard backing him up Mortkin carved his way to his target and challenged him to a duel, which the counts son accepted knowing that he didn't really have much of a chance.

The Counts son was able to land three blows against Mortkin with his magical sword, but unfortunately for him these did very little and Mortkin hit him with a single strike and pretty much bisected his opponent. The counts son still clung to some life and was trying to get up right until Mortkin stomped him back into the mud, killing him. Just as this had happened news came that reinforcements from Wolfenburg and Altdorf were nearing the city. Mortkin had been warned by his daemon advisors and had left Ul-ruk and most of his warherd in the forest to counter attack the reinforcements. But instead of giving the signal, Mortkin looked around at the burning city, at the dead soldiers and the destruction. He had successfully accomplished his revenge, and now he just wanted to rest and be at peace. So ignoring the daemons screaming at him and to the shock of the [[Chaos Gods]], he dropped his weapons, took off his helmet and spoke out:
"[[Norsca|Wergild]] is paid. Let Volganof burn to pay for my home of Ulfennik. Never again will I return there. My saga is ended. I choose now to die as a man, my will my own. I go now, too late mayhaps, to the halls of my fathers."

And with that, he was cut down by the surrounding Empire soldiers.

===The Final Act===
After seeing their lord fall, he Crimson Reapers went berserk and massacred anyone near their fallen master and formed a defensive wall around his body. With Mortkin slain most the chaos army fell into disarray, with the remaining beastmen entering the city, enraged they had been forced to wait and started fighting anyone they met, the remaining daemons disappearing back to the realm of chaos and the warriors of chaos turned on each other or shrugging their shoulders and left the city. The Empire reinforcements were unable to stabilise the situation and decided to try and form a fighting retreat out of the city, but very few of them escaped the battle. As Volganof burned the Crimson Reapers never left Mortkins body and soon they were all consumed by the flames as the city was reduced to burnt timber, ending the saga of Lord Mortkin.

==Why Mortkin is interesting==
Mortkin is a very interesting character for the Warriors of Chaos and all Chaos factions in general and he is remorseful and has actual regrets. Not the regrets like getting made a slave to an uncaring god or being tricked and fucked over and then being upset messing around with the chaos gods backfired. Regrets of his own making. He wanted to become more powerful, he wanted to become a Chaos Lord and he wanted to lead great legions in search of his own power, fortune, glory, favor and he was given these things with no strings attached as most other chaos worshippers would see. But the "minor" things he lost such as his humanity and all the things that he would lose because of that like family and having a happy life were all replaced with constant bloodshed and hanging out with daemons. He is one of the few Chaos characters in the whole of Warhammer to look back on his actions and decide he has done the wrong thing, without being tricked into doing them or getting fucked over at the end to bring him to that decision.

He is also one of the few characters (if not the only chaos lord/champion) who actually used the Chaos Gods to get what he wanted and then ended the deal with them on his terms, while he venerated the gods, he put his own needs and wants first and prioritized them over the gods. [[Black Library]] and [[GW]] both make big songs and dances around characters like [[Archaon]] and [[Abaddon]], and if they use the gods or if the gods use them with [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden|some]] BL authors outright saying that they do or don't. But Mortkin used the gods to build his army, take his revenge and then killed himself to end his story and bring himself peace, while simultaneously messing up the gods' own plans by not being their vessel to bring further destruction to the world. It's depressing that the only way to beat the Chaos Gods at the great game is to remove yourself from play on your own terms, but both Archaon and Abaddon are still stuck furthering the chaos gods plans while making very little progress in their own plans of world/realm/galaxy domination, so Mortkin has them both beat here.

{{Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Mordrek

2023-05-17T22:20:06Z

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[[File:Mordrek.jpg|right|300px]]
{{topquote|I have no right to pray for Sigmar anymore, but from the Daemons guardings the gateway to the Realm of Chaos, I ask for your deliverance. Rest now, sleep for eternity. You are now free of the withering clouds of war.|Count Mordrek the Damned, to a dying Reikguard Knight}}
'''Count Mordrek the Damned''' is a [[Chaos Champion]] of [[Chaos Unaligned]] in the world of [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. One of the original band of [[Chaos]] special characters debuting in the 5th edition [[splatbook]] "Champions of Chaos", Count Mordrek is a cursed soul who has somehow earned the wrath of the Dark Gods, and been cursed with a unique "blessing" known only (but aptly) as Living Damnation - he undergoes a constant mutation, his flesh endlessly shifting into new and horrible forms, but never truly devolving into true [[Chaos Spawn]]do oh '''NOOOOOOABEBSBXNENRJXISOANEBDJZUZ'''{{FWIP}}; neither madness nor death are open for him to escape, for whenever he is cut down in battle, his ever-living flesh reknits itself and he is restored to life, to resume his wanderings.

What did he do to deserve this? It happened so long ago that nobody remembers! But ever since that day, Mordrek the Damned has been roaming the world, hoping desperately to either make amends to his dark masters and be freed of his curse, or just given the peace of death - he no longer cares which. He was the original wielder of the Sword of Change, which transforms its victims into [[Chaos Spawn]], as well as of the Chaos Runeshield, which drains and nullifies any enchantments his opponents' weapons may be'''AGAHEHENSUSUUXKENWHWUAKDNRBEHSKWKDH'''{{FWIP}}

In the End Times, he killed the Gryphon Legion's commander Tordomir Lubovasyn by killing his steed Seraphrima through a decapitation, a That-Which-Cannot-Be-Named came out of her neck stump and killed Tordomir. It's mentioned that Mordrek was finally slain by [[Valten]] during the fighting. Even that didn't take though.

In Age of Sigmar, he is bound to the Stalking Keep by a champion of Tzeentch, before bring released and wandering the mortal realms looking for something that can kill him.

==Stats==
In ''Champions of Chaos'', these are Count Mordrek's stats. He was never reprinted in any subsequent edition. The points cost for Count Mordrek and his steed are 398 points.

Movement: 4, Weapon Skill: D6+4, Ballistic Skill: 9, Strength: D3+3, Toughness: D3+3, Wounds: 3, Initiative: 9, Attacks: D6+1, Leadership: 10

Mordrek rides a Chaos Steed with Armored Barding with the following profile: Movement:8 , Weapon Skill: 4, Ballistic Skill: 0, Strength: 4, Toughness: 4, Wounds: 1, Initiative: 4, Attacks: 1, Leadership: 5

Mordrek wields the Sword of Change and the Chaos Runeshield, and sports a suit of Chaos Armor - this gives him an Armor Save of 1+. He also carries the unique Chaos Gift of Living Damnation.

'''Sword of Change:''' When the wielder inflicts a wound, but the target is not slain outright, then roll a D6, adding +1 for each unsaved wound inflicted. On a score of 5+, the victim is transformed into a [[Chaos Spawn]], which immediately moves 2d6" away from the wielder and will begin operating under the Chaos player's command in the next tu- wait oh shit thats me'''AGHENEUDIXKENENRKSLAOQLQPRMBX'''{{FWIP}}

'''Chaos Runeshield:''' This shield can be combined with normal armor and/or being mounted, in the usual manner as a shield. It can also be combined with Chaos Armor, in which case it does not use up a separate magic item slot. On its own, it grants 6+ Armor Save, and the magic weapons of any enemy model are nullified so long as they are in base contact with the bearer of the Runeshield.

'''Living Damnation:''' Mordrek's Weapon Skill, Strength, Toughness and Attacks must be determined by random generation at the start of the battle. Additionally, at the beginning of each of the Chaos player's turns, Mordrek must reroll one of these four stats; the new result stands, even if it is lower than the previous version.

==Trivia==
Count Mordrek is based on the [[Elric]] character ''Prince Gaynor the Damned'', an arch-enemy of Elric's who is himself a "fallen" [[Chaos Champion]], trapped in a perpetually rotting yet never dying body, and desperate to find the release of death, thus driving him to loyally serve the powers of Chaos. The Chaos Runeshield is based on Gaynor's own magical sword, the Leach Blade, which extingishes the powers of other magical weapons it is wielded against. His name may be an homage to ''Mordred'', the villainous knight who ultimately slays King Arthur and dooms Camelot.

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Melekh

2023-05-17T22:17:58Z

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[[File:Melekh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The incredible forgettable Lord of Tzeentch.]]
'''Melekh the Changer''' was a [[Chaos Lord]] of [[Tzeentch]] created as part of the fluff surrounding the release of [[Warriors of Chaos]] during the early "Hordes of Chaos" approach and as part of the build up to the [[Storm of Chaos]] campaign. He was listed as one of the Lieutenants of [[Archaon]] during the retconned Storm of Chaos event.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Once a humble blacksmith of the Aesling tribe, Melekh was set on the path to damnation when the village shaman lost control of a spell intended to help Melekh's wife Kayla give birth safely, killing the woman and ensuring that Melekh's son was born a deformed mutant with a bird-like head. The boy was deemed a good omen by the village chieftain, who named him Cyspeth and proclaimed him a sign of favor from their daemonic patron Zarechgor.

While the villagers were celebrating Cyspeth's birth the chieftain suddenly announced that Zarchgor had spoken to him, decreeing the village was to hold a tourney; the mightiest warrior in the village was to become the new apprentice to the village shaman, Gaerkkol. This privately filled Gaerkkol with horror, for he had knowledge of the Prophecy of Fate, which foretold the coming of Archaon and his seeking of lieutenants amongst the tribes he was to gather to his banner. Fate and skill ensured Melekh won the tourney and Gaerkkol, in an attempt to protect himself, sent Melekh on what he believed would be an impossible task: to find the True Name of Zarechgor.

Unable or unwilling to back down, Melekh left for the [[Chaos Wastes]], leaving the infant Cyspeth in the care of the shaman. Unkown to Melekh the treacherous shaman had only agreed to the task to secretly try to turn the boy into an ace in the hole in case the boy's father somehow returned. Under his care Cyspeth quickly grew in power, even coming to surpass his teacher in time. Melekh meanwhile found a portal into the Realm of Chaos itself after some time. There, he was beset by daemons of Tzeentch, but by mastering his fear, he forced them to submit to his will, enslaving an army of gibbering Horrors, flickering Flamers, and rapacious Screamers to protect him as he sought out Zarechgor, a [[Lord of Change]]. Riding atop a burning Disk of Tzeentch forged by his own will from a fusion of metal, Screamer flesh, and magic Melekh quested on, destroying [[daemon]]s of all four gods as he sought out Zarechgor.

When the Lord of Change finally stepped forth, he scattered Melekh's army with a gesture. When Melekh demanded Zarechgor share his True Name, the greater daemon struck him down with blasts of spell flame. Even as he lay dying, though, Melekh continued his questioning - and, for a moment, Zarechgor allowed the question to fill his mind, his thoughts becoming corporeal around him. Melekh's horrors chanted the name in a chorus, and with his last breath, Melekh spoke the daemon's Name.

This bound Zarechgor to Melekh's soul, healing his wounds and bestowing him with the daemon's arcane knowledge and power. Gifting his new master with an enchanted blade, Zarechgor opened a portal and sent Melekh and his daemonic minions back to the real world. There, he found twenty years had passed, and his army of daemons was forced to do battle against his former tribe under the watching eyes of Archaon. Unfortunately for Gaerkkol, his plan to use Cyspeth against his dad backfired horribly for, at the height of the battle Cyspeth decided to support his bio-dad instead of his surrogate one and killed Gaerkkol. Melekh thereafter became Archaon's lieutenant, with both the surviving Aeslings lead by Cyspeth and the daemons alike swearing their allegiance to the Everchosen as well thus fulfilling the prophecy.

During Archaon's subsequent assault on the Empire, the hosts of Melekh easily took control of the Brass Tower in the Central Mountains before moving on to besiege the castle of Bohsenfels. Unfortunately for Melekh, what should have been a simple nuisance along the way ended up delaying his forces for a considerable amount of time. Despite employing all manner of tricks and sorcery, the defenders of Bohsenfels were able to repulse all of Melekh's assaults causing Melekh and his son to argue over strategy and tactics.

Enraged by this delay Archaon finally lost his patience and went in person to Bohsenfels to deal with the problem himself. Archaon, accompanied by the feared riders of the Swords of Chaos, arrived in Melekh’s camp during the sunset hours on the thirteenth day of the siege. His presence brought about a halt in the combat during which he called on Melekh's soldiers to withdraw from the walls and listen to his words. This pause brought cheers from the ignorant defenders of the castle, especially from the mercenaries who had initially been paid to defend the castle and who now fought only to survive, though the celebrations would prove to be premature and short-lived. Archaon meanwhile was busy castigating Melekh and his forces, uttering the curses of the Gods on the followers of Tzeentch for not being able to take the castle, and to serve as an example for others, the Swords of Chaos killed five hundred of the warriors. Then shortly after the dripping heads of Tzeentch's dead followers were piled up on a large pyre, Archaon turned and personally beheaded Melekh. As an ominous silence descended on the spot Archaon proceeded to order the mutated Cyspeth to take over command of the surviving troops. There was no need to warn him of the fate that awaited the new champion of Archaon if he failed as his father did.

This proved to be a smart move as under Cyspeth's guidance the army finally succeed in their objective and brought Bohsenfels low. With that settled Cyspeth was subsequently ordered to leave only a small entrenched force at the conquered castle and then lead the rest of his Tzeentchian forces on an advance through the town of Ferlangen and then onwards beyond the passes traversing the mountain of Nordberg in the Middle Mountains.

Afterward, Cyspeth was last seen during the final battle of Sokh in the province of Middenland. After Archaon had failed to break through the walls of Middenheim, Cyspeth and his Tzeentch supporters together with Be'lakor unleashed a veritable magical firestorm against the flagellant army of Valten, causing countless casualties among the Sigmarites...not that any of this actually mattered ultimately, what with GW hitting the big old UNDO button on the events of the Storm of Chaos and then subsequently replacing the event with destruction of the world during the ACTUAL End times. Something which featured neither Melekh or Cyspeth.

==Age of Sigmar==
While neither Melekh or Cyspeth may not actually appear in AoS, it is notable that Melekh’s model was used to represent the Fatemaster, a [[Tzeentch Arcanite|Arcanite]] Chaos Lord on a Disc.

{{Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category: Disciples of Tzeentch]]

Kaleb Daark

2023-05-17T22:16:26Z

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[[File:Dreadaxe thirsts.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A badass so powerful, the only way to stop him was to retcon him out of existence.]]

'''Kaleb Daark''' is a [[Chaos Champion]] from a short-lived [[Warhammer Fantasy]] comic. He is the only known Champion of the Renegade God, [[Malal]], and when that god fell into litigation dispute, he was excised from Warhammer canon, leaving only his depictions in a handful of printed comics. Kaleb’s origins are unknown to any living soul save himself and his god Malal. In personality he is brusque, forceful and impatient; though loyal to Malal, he has no fear of arguing with his god if he does not understand his current mission, nor of demanding payment in Chaos-tainted blood.

His features are distinctively bisected; the left side of his face having dark short hair, an elf-like ear, and a deep, skull-like eye socket lit from within by a tiny spark, while the right side of his face is perfectly human - almost angelic in its handsomeness, with long blonde hair. He wields a skull-shaped shield, painted in the bisected white/black color scheme favored to his god, and also wields the ''[[Daemon_Weapon#Dreadaxe|Dreadaxe]]''; a Chaos Blade taking the form of a long thighbone whose tip is crafted into the semblance of a [[daemon]]ic bird, beak agape and with its interior lined with sharp teeth - Dreadaxe can consume the souls of those it kills and channel them into Kaleb's body.

==Print History==
There were three installments completed of The Quest of Kaleb Daark comic:
* Part 1 : "The Quest of Kaleb Daark" - The Third Citadel Compendium 1985
* Part 2 : "The God-Slayer!" - The Citadel Journal Spring 1986
* Part 3 : "Evil of the Warpstone!" - The Citadel Journal Spring 1987
* Part 4 : "God Amok!" - Un-printed

In the Spring 1986 Journal there was also one additional page of Warhammer Fantasy Battle rules (and a small bit of Malal background) for including Kaleb Daark and his steed in games. This issue also saw the first advertisements for the miniature figure set including a mounted and standing Kaleb Daark. The Spring 1987 Journal featured the miniature figure sets of the two Chaos Brothers, Jaek and Helwud, Kaleb's main adversaries in Part 3. Part 4 "God Amok!" was also advertised in this issue, but it never saw print. It is uncertain how much of this 4th installment was actually completed before the legal problems began and work was halted.

==Citadel Journal Fluff & Stats (WF 2nd edition)==
[[image:Kaleb_Daark_CJ86.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Kaleb's statline ''(Citadel Journal, Spring '86)'']]
The Ultimate Chaos Hero – Kaleb Daark:
There is a name whispered quietly and with fear even by the most depraved, the most evil, the least sane of the worshippers of Chaos, that name is Malal the Renegade God of Chaos. Any man who dare look within the unholy black pages of The Great Book of Despair, that foul tome held sacred by worshippers of Chaos, would find the following words:

''…and he that went before now came last, and that which was white and black and all direction was thrown against itself. Grown mightily indignant at the words of the Gods, Malal did turn his heart against them and flee into the chambers of space ... And no man looked to Malal then, save those that serve which they hate, who smile upon air misfortune, and who bear no love save for the damned. At such times as a warrior's heart turns to Malal all Gods of Chaos grow fearful, and the laughter of the Outcast God fills the tomb of space....'''

In eons past Malal was cast out from the bosom of Chaos by the other gods, or else abandoned them of his own volition, no one is sure which. In any case Malal's relationship to the other Gods of Chaos is strange one. All Gods of Chaos pursue purposes that are wholly their own, yet only Malal occupies a position so resolutely parasitic upon his own unfathomable creed. To be a follower of Malal is to be chaotic warrior bent upon shedding the blood of other chaotic creatures. As such, Malal is both feared and hated by the other gods. Malal's worshippers, too, are loathed by other chaotics; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few men worship such a god; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man that can loosen those bonds once forged.

Kaleb Daark is the greatest amongst such warriors, the Doomed Ones is what they are called amongst men. Whereas the souls of lesser servants shrivel long before they can gain real power, those whose service remains true may gain immeasurable benefit. Kaleb Daark enjoys the favour of his insane god, for his resolve is incredibly strong, perhaps deriving vigour from some dark aspect of his personality, some event hidden deep with his past or subconscious. None would dare to inquire of the man himself. Of his origins and his initiation into the cult of Malal, no one can do more than guess. Of his might of arms, undoubted courage and potent unholy weaponry, however, all know at least the most horrific details.

Dreadaxe
::Dreadaxe is a deadly chaotic weapon gifted to Kaleb Daark by Malal. It is a living axe, a weapon bearing a part of the soul of some great cosmic being, a hellish demonic servant of Malal. As the weapon strikes its jaw closes and its teeth bite deep into the soul-stuff of its victim. As the soul of the victim is sucked from his carcass, the body shrinks, rots and shrivels away to almost nothing.

::When Kaleb Daark causes a wounding blow against a creature of Chaos, Dreadaxe automatically attempts to drain the creature's soul. The victim must make a test against its Will Power. Roll 2d6, if the score is equal to or less than the victim's Will Power characteristic score then there is no effect. If the score is more than the victim's Will Power then the creature is automatically killed (no matter how many wounds it has). In addition, the victim's soul feeds Malal, Dreadaxe and Daark. The Will Power score of the now dead creature is divided by three, any remainder is ignored. One third goes directly to Malal (and is ignored for the purposes of the game), one third goes to Dreadaxe, and the last third goes to Kaleb Daark. The points that go into Dreadaxe can be used in the next round of combat only as a 'to wound' bonus. For example, if 3 points are gained this is a +3 on the next 'to wound' dice score. All points must be used at once, and may not be carried over. The points that go to Kaleb Daark are retained in a pool. The player should keep a record of the pool total. These points are used to summon the god Malal, and may also be used as a dice bonus. A maximum of 1 point may be used in any turn to modify any dice rolled by Kaleb Daark. For example, he might choose to add one to his 'to hit' score, or even increase the 'to wound' score. The point is expended after the dice roll.

Chaos Armour
::Kaleb Daark's armour displays runes granted to him by his patron deity. These are 2 Armour runes, a rune of protection and a of renewal (see Warhammer Battle Magic). His armour provides a total of 3APs.

Mutant Warsteed
::Kaleb Daark's mutant warsteed is a further gift from his dark master. The creature fights with great ferocity, and is far faster than any normal horse.

Uniform details
::Kaleb Daark's armour is black, bearing the motif of Malal as decoration. This takes the form of a skull, half black and half white. The same colour scheme is repeated on his shield. Kaleb himself is pale, a result of the constant strain of his relationship with Malal. His hair is very pale so that it appears almost white.

Warcry
::Kaleb Daark's laconic wit is often the last thing his victim's ever hear! His battle cry is 'Dreadaxe thirsts for you'.

Points
::Basic points value is 215. Armour adds 44 points (2 x a modifier of 22). Dreadaxe adds an arbitrary 100. The various runes are worth 200 points. Total 559. The chaos warsteed is worth 90 points plus a modifier of +20 totalling 110. The total value of Kaleb Daark and his warsteed is 669.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Kalebdaark.jpg
File:Kaleb model.jpg
File:Paintedkaleb.jpg
</gallery>

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Hedonites of Slaanesh

2023-05-17T22:15:33Z

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{{NeedsImages}}

{{Topquote|Everything in excess is opposed to nature|Hippocrates}}

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Hedonites of Slaanesh|Logo=HoS-poster.jpg|
|Alliance=Chaos|Motto= Yes that mace is going where Hysh doesn't shine and without lube}}
The '''Hedonites of Slaanesh''' are the vast armies of hedonists that follow, or once followed, Slaanesh, until the Chaos God was trapped in a realm between realms by the vengeful Aelven pantheon. Despite their patron’s fall from (relative) grace, these obsessive marauders have still made their mark on the Mortal Realms.

==Background==
===A Godly Faction…Without a God===
The new followers of the Dark Prince were faced with a unique predicament. How do you have a faction centered around a god, when that god goes missing. Initially the writers at GW didn’t care as they were content to let Slaanesh (and his minions) wallow in obscurity as they weren’t quite sure what to do with this traditionally NSFW faction in their new “market-friendly” mindset. Eventually they settled on making Slaanesh a deity of general Excess, Indulgences, and Sensations (rather than pure Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll), and released an updated line of Daemon miniatures for AoS and 40k. And with this update came our first actual look into how the hosts of Slaanesh function in the Mortal Realms.

The followers of the Dark Prince, be they daemonic or mortal, can be classified into one of three camps in regards to how they view Slaanesh’s absence.
*'''Invaders:''' The largest of the groups, most devotees simply act like “normal”, pillaging and plundering the Mortal Realms. Whether it’s in spite of Slaanesh’s disappearance or that they don’t particularly care, the Invader Hosts boast large amounts of infantry and are usually lead by several champions who bicker and squabble over who’s actually in charge.
*'''Pretenders:''' Slaanesh being gone has left a very noticeable power vacuum in the Realm of Chaos, one that some of his more megalomaniacal servants have decided to pounce on like starved animals. The Pretender Hosts are cults of personality, with a single vainglorious and charismatic champion (usually a Keeper of Secrets) at the center, their goal being to prove their worth as the lone worthy successor to their fallen god’s throne.
*'''Godseekers:''' The supplicants of the Godseeker Hosts refuse to accept Slaanesh’s disappearance and now devote their entire existence to finding his whereabouts and freeing him. Over the years, these warbands have evolved to be expert trackers and extremely quick, usually comprised of copious cavalry and chariots.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
After gorging on 99.9% of the elf souls from the Old World Slaanesh, feeling super bloated and lethargic, curled up and took a nap in a pocket realm. Whilst he was asleep, a partly digested/mutated Morathi clawed her way out of his gullet and fled to the Mortal Realms where she reunited with Maleketh (now called Malerion) and later Tyrion and Teclis. This unlikely quartet hatched a scheme to return to Slaanesh’s hangover spot and retrieve all those souls lost in his belly. Using themselves as bait, they captured and imprisoned Slaanesh in the sub-realm Uhl-Gysh, between the realms of Light and Shadow. Here they began pumping the Chaos God’s belly to dredge up all the souls he had consumed to remake their knife-eared race. He remains trapped due to 66 enchanted chains that bind his immense body and power, but not completely as he is still able to whisper and command some of his stronger minions.

Slaanesh's daemons all felt an inconceivable sense of loss in response to their master’s capture. This malaise resulted in the Dark Prince’s minions dividing into three major hosts; Invaders, Pretenders, and Godseekers. The other Chaos Gods for their part didn’t seem too fussed about Slaanesh’s imprisonment, with Khorne even annexing a significant chunk of Slaanesh's territory, but since they needed a fourth player in their “Great Game” they reluctantly allowed the Skaven’s deity the Great Horned Rat to ascend.

===Age of Chaos===
As their deity was missing, Slaanesh's followers took the more subtle route when it came to infiltrating the Mortal Realms. As each Chaos God seemed to have a realm or two they focused on, Slaanesh's daemons spread out across the realms, all with their own goals. In Chamon, the Herald-Daemon Prince pair known as [[Syll'Esske]] manage to take the duardin city Karak Zorkai by corrupting a hedonistic dawi, turning his fellow duardin into cyborg-esque war-golems. While in Shyish, a Slaaneshi Chaos Lord fights with a savage tribe of cannibals called the Unmade.

Collectively, the Hedonites focus their greatest efforts on Ulgu and Hysh (unsurprising, given aelves are the favorite target for Slaanesh's vore fetish and they could likely smell their master’s scent wafting from between the realms). In Hysh, they subtly manipulated the Lumineth aelves with whispers like a clique of gossipy high school girls (such as telling one how much taller their rival's tower is or how much prettier their newest artwork is) until the tensions erupted into the civil war known as Spirefall. In Ulgu, their actions did not go unnoticed, because - whatever their flaws - the [[Daughters of Khaine]] were vigilant against Slaanesh and very warlike. But the Ulguites tendency for secret vices provides fertile ground for Slaanesh’s influence. So a back and forth of guerrilla warfare, dubbed the Cathtrar Dhule by the Aelves, was waves across Ulgu, continuing on into the modern day.

As for Slaanesh himself, he started to manipulate and prod at the shackles binding him. He discovered that each chain could only be broken by a certain condition being met. One such chain could only be snapped by his greatest enemy, meaning Khorne. So Slaanesh influenced [[Shalaxi Helbane]] to steal a skull from the Blood God’s precious skull throne. Khorne reacted thusly and sic’d his guard dog Karanak on the KoS, leading to a realm-wide Road Runner and Wily Coyote styled chase. When Karnak was banished, Khorne was so infuriated that his roars of rage reached Slaanesh and shattered one of the chains keeping Slaanesh trapped. Part of his power returned, the Dark Prince quickly wove an illusion around where the chain was to keep his guards ignorant and began plotting more ways to break his bonds…

===Age of Sigmar===
The Slaaneshi Chaos Lord Lascallion uses his supernatural senses to trace the hedonism of the Mortarch of Blood, Neferata. He becomes an obsessed fanboy of Neferata, and is able to pierce the illusions she used to hide Nulahmia, seeking to claim her as his consort. His first assault is repelled by her armies, the second by the intervention of the Stormcast Eternals and the third sees him fall literally into an uncertain fate (a pit of skeletons with no confirmation that he died). The weakening of Slaanesh's prisons allows Godseeker hosts to determine that Slaanesh is close to Ulgu. As a result, they invade the realm and come into renewed conflict with the Daughters of Khaine.

Nagash's Necroquake, which altered the properties of magic across the realms, broke another chain. Another chain required the power of Khorne to break it, but Slaanesh knew that Khorne would not be tricked into helping him twice. Fortunately for Slaanesh, Archaon and Dorghar found him. Archaon tried unsuccesssfully to break the chain using his sword, but when Slaanesh explained what was needed, Archaon got Dorghar's khornate head to bite the chain, severing it.

====Broken Realms====
A host of Godseekers travelled to Hagg Nar following a prophecy about Slaanesh. They witness [[Morathi]] enact her plan to achieve godhood, which involved the times sacrifice of countless Slaaneshi champions and diving back into the Dark Prince’s maw to absorb the souls of the ancient Phoenix Kings of Ulthuan. Her plan succeeded, but her tampering with the Chaos God led to a fraction of Slaanesh's essence erupting from her cauldron and flying across the horizon. Of course, stealing divine power to become a god oneself is a big deal, so Morathi's plan to become a goddess broke yet another of the chains binding Slaanesh.

The Hedonites followed this fleshy comet to a crater in Ghur where it coalesced into a form so beautiful and terrible entire swathes of the Hedonites died, so overcome in rapture. Soon this Newborn coalesced into twin demigods called Dexcessa and Synessa, who set their sights on the beleaguered city of Excelsis, which was already under siege from the rampaging horde of Kragnos. Across the realms, followers of Slaanesh have found themselves surging with power thanks to the Newborn’s birth.

==Unit Types==

==Gallery==

==See Also==
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Chaos/Hedonites of Slaanesh|Tactics/Hedonites of Slaanesh]]

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]

Harald Hammerstorm

2023-05-17T22:14:46Z

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[[Image:WARHAMMER.jpg|right|250px|thumb|See this, [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|little German boys]] and [[Stormcast Eternals|Ground Marines]]? THIS is the real Warhammer!]]
'''Harald Hammerstorm''' (Otherwise known as "'''Harry the Hammer'''") is a character based deeply in the history of [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles|Warhammer]].

How deep, you ask?

How about "So Deep that when Warhammer was born, he was the first guy on the cover of the first boxed set, smacking up a skeleton with a hammer"? Or, if that doesn't satisfy you, "Deep enough to have appeared again in the 2E Boxed Set, throwing down with [[Orcs and Goblins]]"? Yeah, HE held the first Warhammer, before [[Sigmar]] ever saved some lumpy [[Dwarf]]. One would think that he'd be a memorable character, right? WRONG. He, like his probable penmate [[Grombrindal]] the [[White Dwarf]], remained as a figure, a mascot without a story.

He is later mentioned as having fallen against [[Vlad von Carstein|Vlad]] after a gruesome duel in the [[End Times|End Times.]]

==Rules & Redo==
Around the 6E-ish era, that made a change.
To commemorate WHFB's 25th birthday, the guys at GW decided to redesign him. Since they now had the whole mythos of Sigmar and Ghal Maraz established, their idea was to make an evil opposite number to [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]]'s holiest weapon and made Harry the Hammer into a [[Warriors of Chaos|Chaos Warrior]].

His story, though, remains humble. Harry once killed a daemon with his badass hammer. And that's just how he got people to listen to him.
His tribe later found themselves taking shelter in a mountain in the middle of the [[Warp|Chaos Wastes]]. They went in thinking there was treasure. What they found instead was an entire army of skeletons, for they discovered an ancient human settlement from ages long past. Harry thus decided to flip off the odds by going to town with his hammer. After a day of pounding the spooky scary skeletons into dust, they won and on that day Harry became the archenemy of all things undead. So much so that the undead can actually FEAR him. What this means against that fuckmotherer [[Nagash]] is something to only be speculated upon since Harry's stuck in the Chaos Wastes, but if Sigmar could take him down with his hammer and some thievery, Harry's probably got a shot. Ironically he seems to have no particular advantage over Vlad when they duel in the final battle, and he is slain rather quickly.

{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 align=left
|- valign=top
! Name !! Points !! M !! WS !! BS !! S !! T !! W !! I !! A !! Ld
|-
| Harry the Hammer|| 365 || 4 || 8 || 3 || 5 || 5 || 3 || 8 ||5 || 9
|}
 
''Harry the Hammer is a Lords Choice for a Warriors of Chaos Army''

'''Equipment''':
*'''Armour of Damnation''': All enemies who hit Harry in close combat must re-roll successful to-hit rolls.
*'''Bane Shield''': A shield that delivers an S4 hit on any unit that hits Harry, but has that hit saved.
*'''Hammer of Harry''': Hand weapon with Multiple Wounds (d6) that cannot be saved using Armour saves. If fights against a unit with the Daemonic, Forest Spirit, or Undead rules, Harry can re-roll to-wound.

'''Special Rules''': Unbreakable, Hatred (Undead), Killing Blow (against Undead)
*'''Bane of the Dead''': Harry causes Terror against Undead models, while his unit only causes Fear. In addition, Undead units must pass a Leadership Test in order to charge him or his unit and then test for Terror. If an Undead unit is outnumbered in combat, they ignore the Unstable rule and immediately break from combat. The Undead unit will immediately rally the next turn.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Harry the Hammer John Blanche 2008 7th Edition illustration.png|25 years of lore and six editions later...
File:Harry the Hammer Warriors of Chaos 2008 7th Edition miniature.jpg|His limited editon model.
</gallery>

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Gutrot Spume

2023-05-17T22:13:21Z

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{{stub}}
[[file:Gutrot Spume.png|center]]
'''Gutrot Spume''' is a [[Chaos Champion]] of [[Nurgle]] who commands the mighty Dragonbone Tribe/Fleet of Chaos Pirates and was part of the three-prong attack that comprised was the central plot of [[The End Times]]' second book. He's easily recognized by the mass of tentacles that replaces the left side of his torso.

As a child, he loved the sea. He spent his free time diving into the Sea of Claws and killing whatever he came across with a knife clenched between his teeth like a total badass. While this impressed his fellow tribesmen enough that he was made jarl of his tribe, his big ambition was to get noticed by the [[Chaos Gods|dark gods]]. That chance came when he heard of a monstrosity called the Rot Kraken. He immediately set off with his fleets to chase after it. After a long voyage through the Sea of Claws and warding off several fleets of [[Elf]] pirates, he finally found his quarry and dove after it. He thought that he could kill it easily, but he then found himself fighting for his life against the kraken's hatchlings. He was transformed into a half-man, half-octopus monster by Nurgle and when he finally emerged from those depths, he did so as a full-fledged champion.

He made it over to [[Age of Sigmar]], where he's the leader of the warband known as the Drowned Men. Though his origin as recounted the battletome is pretty much the same, the fact that he came from the World-That-Was isn't mentioned (out of all the returning Nurgle characters, only the Glottkin are mentioned as being so). He also appeared as one of the major antagonists in the book "Hallowed Knights: Plague Garden", where he quite easily was the best character.

{{Template:Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category: Maggotkin of Nurgle]]

Glottkin

2023-05-17T22:13:01Z

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[[File:99120201024 TheGlottkin01.jpg|500px|thumb|right|HELLO WE'RE FUCKING FAT (clockwise from top-left; Ethrac, Otto, and Ghurek/Ghurk, with a [[Nurgling]] for scale).]]
The '''Glottkin''' are <s>FUCKING FAT</s>
[[Meme|DUMMY THICC]] triplet-brothers and [[Warriors of Chaos|champions]] of [[Nurgle]], who are the titular stars of the second volume of books released for [[The End Times]].

==Story==
Despite their allegiance to Nurgle, the Glottkin are actually [[Archaon|Imperial by blood]]; the sons of a Nordlander father, Ollos Glotts, and his wife, a Life mage named Ethra Greenblood. The Glotts came to [[Norsca]] on a secret mission; by living peacefully alongside the Norscans of the fjords of the Sea of Claws, showing them the healing arts of the [[Warhammer Magic#Jade: Wind of Ghyran, Lore of Life|Wind of Life]] and more advanced methods for coaxing successful crops, they hoped to slowly break the chains of hatred that compelled the incessant cycle of raids and retaliations.

For some time, the two were welcome, becoming quite influential, but a jealous Norscan hag cut Ethra's finger with a cursed rusty knife during her pregnancy with her sons. Unable to break the hag's curse herself, Ethra pleaded with the gods to spare her children, and [[Nurgle]] took pity, curing the infection and allowing for the birth of three healthy boys; Otto, Ethrac and Ghurek. Each was healthy and hearty, the only sign of their future fate a birthmark with three lobes that each bore on their body.

Their efforts were doomed when a Nordlander force came to Fjordlingtribe land in 2506; the Glotts took up arms to defend their friends and neighbors, and the brothers saw their parents murdered by the [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Imperials]]. From that moment on, their souls belonged to Nurgle.

Ghurek devolved into a monstrous beast, an eating machine capable of swallowing men whole and then shitting them out as grotesque [[Chaos Spawn]] Oh Shi'''ARGH!''', to the point his own brothers took to calling him Ghurk and using him as a steed. Ethrac became a powerful [[sorcerer]] of Nurgle, using the black arts to slay and murder. And Otto turned his scythe into a lethal killing tool as a champion of Nurgle.

They were chosen by [[Archaon]] to lead his second invasion during the [[End Times]], allied to the [[Maggoth Lords|Maggot Riders]] and to [[Gutrot Spume]]. They destroyed the cities of Marienburg and Carroburg, and laid siege to Altdorf. Otto fought [[Vlad von Carstein]], and almost lost if Vlad didn't make the crucial mistake of wielding a sword that let you automatically drink the blood of your enemies against someone so filthy that their blood is probably brown. Otto did manage to briefly kill [[Karl Franz]], until he came back to life [[Sigmar|divinely empowered]] and kicked their asses. They only escaped death by changing into fly swarms, because they figured if Karl Franz can pull a bullshit deus ex machina out of his ass so can they. Now the triplets are trapped in jars in Nurgle's attic, for Nurgle is ''very'' displeased with them...

The Three returned in [[Age of Sigmar]] however (the Maggotkin Codex explained that while Nurgle may punish his minions for failing, he always eventually forgives them), with Otto being the commanding general of Nurgle's invasion of the [[Ghyran|Realm of Life]] alongside his brothers. In these stories, the Glottkin are shown to be arrogant pinnacles of what champions of the Plague God aspire to be, often resulting in them arguing with one another, though they still retain a strong brotherly love to each other.

Despite being from Warhammer's regional equivalent of Norway, they speak with West-Country accents.

==Rules==
On the tabletop, the Glottkin fight as a single Special Character Monster, since Otto and Ethrac always ride little brother Ghurk into the fray. They cost 810 points and use up a Lords slot. They have Movement 6, Weapon Skill 6, Ballistic Skill 3, Strength 6, Toughness 6, an insane '''12 Wounds''', Initiative 1, 5 Attacks and Leadership 10. They have the Nurgle's Rot mutation, and the common special rules Eye of the Gods, Impact Hits (D3), Mark of Nurgle, Poisoned Attacks, Regeneration and Terror. They also have the unique special rules of Ethrac Glott (they're a level 4 wizard using the Lore of Nurgle), Ghurk Glott (chose one attack per round; this one is S10 and Multiple Wounds (D6)), Otto Glott (gain +D6 attacks at the start of each Close Combat Phase), Lords of Nurgle (Glottkin and Nurgle-marked units within 12" re-roll failed charges, Glottkin always get the Aura of Chaos reward when rolling on the Eye of the Gods), and Pestilential Torrent (Strength 3 Breath Weapon that ignores armor, can only be used in close combat). 

While this all sounds impressive, the issue with the Glottkin is that unlike the other behemoth model ([[Nagash]]), they get no real bonuses to boost themselves or their forces, for example, Nagash has triple the range and summon costs from the Lore of Undeath, but the Glottkin gain no such bonuses for the [[Warhammer_Magic#Lore_of_Nurgle|Lore of Nurgle]] or the new "Summon Infernal Legion" spell (''it should be noted that the Summon Infernal Legion spell is specific to the "Chaos Ascendant" special scenario ruleset, and is '''not''' a universal new rule- you only get it if you are playing one of the special scenarios or your opponent otherwise agrees to it''). Taking the trio means that they'll either need to be in constant combat in order to make back their points' worth, or you're going to be casting that summon spell as often as possible (if not both "Summon Undead Legion" and "Ryze - The Grave Call" to get two summon spells out of them), but again, unlike Nagash they have no protection at all against miscasts and at their cost means you don't want to take that risk unless you're badly losing the game. Lastly, as a monster, they cannot join units and so can be picked out by mass archer spam or siege machines.

In [[Age of Sigmar]], Glottkin is one of the tankiest models in the game. With a whopping 18 wounds, healing d3 wounds per round, it is unlikely to be killed by the end of most battles. Aside from the usual array of powerful attacks, Glottkin more than pays for himself through his utility: As a general, his command ability gives all units with keyword: '''NURGLE''' an extra attack FOR EACH MELEE WEAPON. This isn't just Rotbringers; any unit with the '''NURGLE''' keyword is affected, including Slaves to Darkness, Daemons of Nurgle, Pestilens Skaven, the Everchosen(making him great as a sub-general under Archeon), and even the [[Forge World#Company|Forge World]] exclusive [[Tamurkhan]]'s Horde. Try sending a hundred rats at the enemy with 5 attacks a piece, or give your tarpit teeth by using a unit or two of [[Plaguebearer]]s. Ethrac also gives the powerful spell Fleshy Abundance, which temporarily gives a unit an extra wound, essentially doubling the endurance of one-wound horde models like Plaguebearers and [[Chaos Marauders|Marauders]].

{{Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category: Maggotkin of Nurgle]]

Cult Attendant

2023-05-17T22:11:44Z

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Sure, you've got a rampaging horde of fanatics that are armed to the teeth and willing to raze the land of all that's good and holy... but what do you FEED this horde? and where are they going to sleep? How do you make sure they are still armed to the teeth when many of them are kleptomaniacs? And who issues the matching bloodstained robes and makes sure their tattoos represent the Chaos Gods and not Hello Kitty?

This is why you need the Cult Attendant. It's not a glamorous job, but somebody has to keep things organized, otherwise your army of the damned will just turn into a mob and no destruction will get done.

The Cult Attendant is essentially more ubiquitous in the Imperial cults; primarily those of Verena or Myrmidia. Ulric thinks bureaucracy is for faggots, which it is. Essentially, a Cult Attendant is an accountant, but is also a caretaker, a cleaner and is charged with ensuring the happenings of the Church progress as smoothly as possible. They are also charlatans who gallivant from one church to another with the jingle of coin, and few have any roots set firmly in a single place, as the Church of Ulric has found out, much to its annoyance.

== Origin of the Cult Attendant ==
This is the story that Jason Little tells from working at [[Fantasy Flight Games]]:
:I was struggling to come up with some good flavour text to help embellish the career description and content we had for a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay career - the Cult Attendant. Essentially, the Cult Attendant is tasked with all the boring, mundane tasks at a temple: taking inventory of the larder, making sure the temple is kept clean, arranging services, paying for sundries, blah blah blah -- essentially, an Old World Accountant for their church. Hardly an exciting career for most players, especially considering it's an advanced career they would need to devote a considerable amount of experience and time to achieve.

:Growing increasingly flustered, I sent out a call for help, which Dan Clark and Jeff Tidball quickly replied to... There were a lot of great, great ideas to add some real interest and zing to the career details, but some of the more humorous responses had my sides aching before too long...

:At the end of Dan's long list of ideas was this line that caught me completely off-guard, and I still chuckle about when I read:
:*'''Fun Fact:''' ''9 out of 10 Chaos Cults fail in their first year due largely to the lack of a gifted Cult Attendant.''

:And Jeff's comment had me immediately thinking about TPS Cover Sheets and red staplers:

:''The doctrine requires that the doorway be festooned with red ribbons, but the priest hates ribbons and the worshipper who donated the money to have the ribbons bought is colorblind and thinks that you bought green ribbons, even though they're obviously red. The doctrine further requires self-flagellation for failure to please those who donate money, but the only appropriate place for self-flagellation is outside the priest's residence, and the priest hates noise. To make matters worse, the bishop has just sent riders to instruct that a choir be assembled, but the priest wasn't around when he came, and he doesn't want to talk to you now. Also, he hates singing, which is, after all, a form of noise. Also, the riders are hungry, and the doctrine requires that the cult pay for their food and lodging. But the priest keeps all of the money locked in his residence, where the doctrine requires the attendant not go, except after having flagellated himself (if required). Also, the riders are armed...''

[[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]][[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]

Chaos Spawn

2023-05-17T22:10:43Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{Awesome}}
{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|The Gods blessed you too much, and now I shall end your misery! Such a fate does not await me!|Thorgar the Blooded One, on the you-know-whats.}}

{{Topquote|Quantity has a quality all its own|Attributed to many but it does explain what both players and the Chaos factions really use them for.}}

{{Topquote|Embrace your death! You are fortunate that you will only be cognizant enough to suffer the first one!|A Malignant Plaguecaster transforming an unfortunate Chaos Space Marine for disappointing the Plaguefather.}}

{{Topquote|AGSJHGJGFHKJBJHGFTYGUHJ|Your typical Chaos SpawNOFUCKINGDAMMIADSGZHFDAGSAQADGSSADSG- {{BLAM}}}}

{{BLAM|+Under request from multiple high-ranking members of the Ordos Malleus and Hereticus, we have situated an Inquisitor to watch over the writers in case they say... that-which-shall-not-be-named.+}}
[[Image:Chaos Spawn Original.JPG|thumb|right|300px|The very first artwork of Chaos Spawn by [[Tony Hough]], from [[Realm of Chaos]] which makes his concept of it as old as the rest of Chaos. Wait, did I say it? Noo I DIDN'T '''NNOOOOSADNAFAISBFSDFSDGFGGGBB''' {{BLAM}}]]
This is what happens when you have [[Extra Heresy|stepped over a line that even Chaos doesn't cross]]. On top of all that, they're basically multiple Candlejacks. If you even say '''Chaos Spawn''', you will be consumed by Chaos and become Chaos Spawn yoursel
JIGHDGGGUGEUGIGHOWHOQHOHWWP{{BLAM}}

Ahem, as my predecessor was about to say, they're so awful in 40k that even saying their full name here causes the speaker to mutate into one. They're mutants whose appearances are always extremely varied and grotesquely horrible, as if someone got [[Lovecraft]], H.R. Giger, and John Carpenter to team up and make monsters.

==[[Warhammer Fantasy]]==
[[File:Adrian Smith Chaos Spawn.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjIXwkX1e48|NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE] ]]

In Warhammer Fantasy, Chaos Spawn WAIT NO SFHASKFJHSFAHLASLKHFSL--{{BLAM}} ...these ''things'' are mutations that only afflict those who worship Chaos (allowing anyone who isn't a rapeviking or insane wizard to say their name without fear!...Unless you meet Count [[Mordrek]] the Damned who can turn anyone into them with his Sword of Change. Then you are screwed hard.). Exposure to Chaos for the faithful (or unaligned) instead causes mutations that corrupt the afflicted into more [[Beastmen|feral forms]].

Usually these mutations occur amongst common citizenry when the Winds of Magic blow too strongly from the miniature [[Eye of Terror|Eyes of Terror]] at the poles of the world, and patrols are required to cull them before they join the ranks of the [[Hordes of Chaos|forces of Chaos]], although who it is that leads the purges differs from race to race.

The [[Empire]] relies on the familiar Inquisition and Witch Hunters. [[Kislev|Kislevites]] instead rely on their Dvoryanin and Boyars (nobles) to account for the status of the outlying populations. [[Bretonnia]]n nobles consider all the peasants to be little better than this usually, and said peasants usually self-police due to their extreme devotion to the nobility (however, simply taking all babies born with mutations to leave in the forest is what caused the Beastmen to grow so prolific in the first place). Elves ([[High Elves|High]], [[Wood Elves (Warhammer)|Wood]], and [[Dark Elves|Dark]]) are near immune to mutation, as are Ogres unless they serve willingly. [[Lizardmen]] and the Undead ([[Vampire Counts|Vampire]] and [[Tomb Kings|Egyptian]]) are both immune to mutation, with the latter actually able to reverse-corrupt things. And there have been no reported cases of [[Orcs]] with mutations, so no one knows what happens to them. Though goblins, when exposed to warpstone, do experience mutation, as is seen in the Skarsnik novel.

Degeneration into Chaos you-know-whats occurs far more often amongst [[Warriors of Chaos]] than Chaos Space Marines for two reasons. First is due to their EXTREME fucking devotion to the Chaos Gods, to the point that every last Norseman seeks to become a [[Daemon Prince]] and the Chaos Gods spread their blessings liberally. The blessed-too-much amongst the Norsemen tribes are usually used somewhere between biological weapons and war dogs depending on the degree of the mutations. The other reason is that Chaos Space Marines are still Space Marines with redundant hearts, lungs, thicker bones, and more muscles. A Marine can withstand more mutations than a human can without descending into becoming a Chaos SpNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOBLBLBLE!{{BLAM}}. Anyway, it gives them a slightly higher chance of becoming Daemon Princes than mortals since they can withstand the gifts of their gods better. On top of that, Chaos Space Marines have more varied levels of devotion to the Chaos Gods, with the [[Iron Warriors]] outright replacing mutations with cybernetics, and most traitor marines would see turning into a Spawn as an ignoble end to their career, much like getting interred into a dreadnought.

Spawn fear symbols of [[Sigmar]] and similar gods, and the power of nature as channeled by the Wood and High Elves can cleanse mutations from a subject. In particular, a [[Defenders of Ulthuan/Sons of Ellyrion|book series]] depicting High Elves fighting Dark Elves and Warriors of Chaos describe how the Champion of Slaanesh prior to Sigvald the Magnificent is cleansed of all Slaanesh's blessings by simply touching the [[Everqueen]]. Slaanesh, very VERY pissed, began pouring his Daemonic energy directly into the Champion. When the Everqueen let go of his hand, that energy immediately turned him into a... a thingamy ((NICE save Acolyte, you're learning))... on par with a Greater Daemon.

Tabletop-wise: much like 40k's old versions, Fantasy Sp- they're terrible. They have low stats, slow movement speed with the inability to march or charge things (that last part is basically the stamp of death in Fantasy anyway). Their Marks of Chaos are random and cannot be counted on even working. Sadly, you'll probably need a few to run a few of these things in Warriors since there's a chance upon failure to become one for some of your options. In addition, some choices of Lords or Heroes come with some as pets ([[Cultist-chan]] should really be the poster child of Warriors rather than 40k cultists).

Alternate take: Warhammer Fantasy is all about having a good, fun time with your opponent rather than today's super-competitive scene. It's inherently fun to have the possibility of your unit champion turning into a Daemon Prince, and having the chance of becoming a Chaos Spawn as an unfortunate, but humorous downside. Especially given you hhHHHHHNNNN'''NNGGGGGGGRRFWBWRBLFBWFRBRLFFFBRNR''' {{BLAM}}

The most significant of these creatures in Warhammer is [[Scyla Anfingrimm]]. The only one of them who still has the favour of a god.

In the video game devoted to Warhammer Fantasy, Total War: Warhammer, Chaos Spawn--'''OHFUCKNOAAAHHHDGRBLEAAGHGHGHGAASFGGHGHAFLFLFLFLFEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!''' {{BLAM}}

...er... They're actually fantastic. Small but workable unit size, reasonably to low cost, good HP pool, very high damage and most importantly, they will never break. Two units of them in any Chaos army means the AI isn't winning today. Still, having no armor-piercing damage and no armor meaning they aren't good against late game units, nor would they do any better when facing ranged units, especially when fighting a Wood Elves opponent who likes to spam [[cheese|10 units of Glade Guard with Starfire Arrow]]. Beastmen have their own variation that can do poison damage, especially when Morghur's staff can summon them anytime within his range, like Deep Strike into range units' firing line.

Total War Warhammer 3 gave each chaos faction a fluffy variant of them. Khorne ones are killy, Slaaneshi Spawn are fast and have AP, Tzeentch ones have the annoying barrier but also keep the Wyrdspawn RORs armor sundering; nurlge ones are tanky and deal poison.

==[[Warhammer 40,000|Warhammer 40k]]==
[[File:Tony Ackland Chaos Spawn.jpg|thumb|300px|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtgFKdWcKXY|NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE] ]]
The '''Chaos Spawn ''dammit don't you ever learn'' AIEEEEBLAAAAAAAAAAAHGGHGH-'''{{BLAM}}

The UNITS in question were, in 4th and 5th Editions, considered by many to be the worst unit in any [[Chaos]] army book and, quite possibly, the entire game of Warhammer 40k (the Pre-[[Jeremy Vetock|Vetock]] Space Pope coming in a close second, [[Pyrovore|until the Tyranid "champion" of Cruddace arrived]]). They were so bad, absolutely nobody took them. Not even for flavor or joke games. Even today they're still rare; the stigma is that deep. It became a meme that to even utter their name causes a horrid mutation turning you into a Chaos Spawn yourself. Wait! No! I didn't mean it-'''OHSWEETEMPERORMOTHEROFGLARBLBLBLBLBL'''{{BLAM}} {{BLAM|We're going to run out of writers at this rate.}}

Ahem... Continuing where my predecessor left off, you-know-whats should only be referred to as you-know-whats. That or [[Harry Potter|they-who-shall-not-be-named]]. Even though you-know-whats have received a nice crunch buff since then, the meme still remains since [[Tzeentch|it fits the fluff pretty well]].

In fluff, aspiring champions of Chaos normally devolve into said units for any of the following reasons: if they use Chaos solely for their own gain, their patron god thinks they're not worthy of their favor or have fallen out of their favor, they can't handle the sheer amounts of mutations they go through during their ascension into a full-fledged [[Daemon Prince]], or, you know, it's [[Tuesday]] and [[Tzeentch]] is feeling bored since there's not a lot of "Just as Planned" going around. When this does happen, Chaos Spawns ((Wait for it.)) devolve into no more than mindless heaps of mutated flesh who attack anyone near them and ((Wait, did he actually get away with it? Inform the Inquisition!)) eventually die after a short period due to their unstable form, and... did I just-- '''No... NOOOOOOO! GLARBLRAWRGLARBL'''{{BLAM}}((Never mind.))

The only known canon exception to this rule is the beast called [[Foulspawn]], who somehow managed to become a Daemon Prince of Nurgle after being transformed into one of the abominations (and only because Nurgle found the result funny!) Only [[Abaddon|Failbaddon]] can comprehend how truly goddamn useless these things are. Generally by looking in a mirror. Khorne only knows why he hasn't been turned into one yet. Though it turns out ADB knows - it's because he's refused to commit to any one Chaos God, [[Derp|so it's not possible for one of them to inflict this on him because the others won't allow it]].

Though not likely as canon, there's also Angra Mainyu, a [[Word Bearers|Word Bearer]] who turned into a Daemon Prince just in time to join the latest Black Crusade. Then he just had to go batshit insane and utterly fuck it all up so hard that the Gods had no choice but to demote him to gribblyhood. His forces, meanwhile, were immediately usurped by the former prince's number 2. The reason we say it's not canon? Because it was fluff to a showcase of some bloke's Chaos army on an ancient version of the GW's Australia website, not some strange bit of lore from a Codex.

According to [[Black Crusade (RPG)|Black Crusade]] and ''The Tome of Fate'', the [[Heretek]]s of The Hollows (specifically Magos Onuris of Forge Polix) have taken an interest in improving them to be useful. These "Death-Masques" have cybernetic implants forcibly installed into what's left of their brains and nervous systems. This combination of auger arrays, arcanocogitators, and drug-delivery systems not only allow Hereteks to control Death-Masques like giant, fleshy [[Servitor]]s, but actually selectively mutate their bodies, enabling the Heretek to reshape a Death-Masque into a more useful form or give it whatever bio-weapons would be best for the present situation. This is [[awesome]] but alas, GW would never let us actually use something like this in-game when we could be having the "fun" with a pathetically random failure of a gribbly beast.

In very rare cases, the will of Tzeentch and the influence of the Warp can cause a group of Unnameable Beasts to fuse together into a [[Mutalith Vortex Beast]], an even more vile abomination that is difficult to even look at without hurting oneself.

==On The Tabletop==
===Warhammer Fantasy===
Although a terrible option due to their randomness and point cost (akin to the [[Daemons]] army fittingly, which is interesting because it shows just how better the Vikings are than their masters), they aren't unusable; like most things in the more balanced Warhammer they simply aren't as good as other options although taking them won't lose you the game. Thanks to a more recent update to the game making it possible for your models to suddenly turn into one of the fucking things, players should now own some (thanks Games Workshop, my wallet was getting too heavy to carry!) in case the Dice Gods turn on them. Luckily, each Chaos Spawn sprue comes with two spawns built in and extra appendagaaaaAAAAWWWAW'''AWWAAWAWAWWBLWBLWBLDYEHTERYEETFDF''' {{BLAM}}

===40k Part 1: Why These Units Used to Suck===
You-know-whats were just absolutely horrible before 6th Edition. Costing the same as three actual Chaos Marines, they would wander around the board aimlessly with a throw of the Scatter Dice, moved D6, had the Rage special rule and died to [[Bolter]] fire, earning your opponent a free kill point. They fucking sucked, essentially. There is considerable evidence that they were originally supposed to have the Feel No Pain rule, ergo making them marginally useful as a meat shield, but sadly the 4th Edition Codex, through a series of misprints, lacked this.
To drive home just how bad these things were if they actually got into combat, there is no way statistically they could win combat against equal points worth of GUARDSMEN, the resulting extra wounds they would take from No Retreat would wipe them out immediately since they had no save. The ONLY thing they could tar pit was [[Fire Warrior]]s and even then the odds were in the FIRE WARRIORS' favor.

===40k Part 2: The Redemption===
[[File:ChaosSpawn2.jpg|450px|thumb|left|[[Fail|Failure]] no more. Yet the brave Guardsmen keep coming, despite witnessing stuff like that. Where's Creed when you need him!?]]

[[Phil Kelly]] remembered that under that mass of writhing limbs and stupidity, there's [[Vraks|generally]] a Chaos Space Marine (and/or more likely had just finished watching John Carpenter's "The Thing"). So brace yourselves for a shocker: '''they're actually pretty damn good'''.

New features include...
*A lower point cost (30, as opposed to the previous 40).
*Causing fear while being fearless themselves.
*No longer moving randomly or at a goddamn crawl. In fact, they move as fast as Metal Bawkzes and do not give a shit about terrain.
*Rage now meaning that they get +2 attacks on the charge, making it actually useful.
*A D3 roll every turn that determines what mutation they get for that turn. They can get a 4+ armor save, a roll of 2D6 for their number of attacks (you pick the higher one), or poisoned attacks (at 4+ to wound).

With the removal of No Retreat, they also won't automatically shit themselves with a lost combat. Indeed, being Fearless, they barely care at all.

Their stats are otherwise unchanged, so ''holy shit'', it's almost worth taking two or three of them and throwing them headlong at the enemy as a [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|multi-wound distraction to soak up fire for you]]. Almost. Okay, that is not true. 30 points for a model with 3 T5 wounds that can move 12", has useful special powers, can be taken in squadrons and can become T6 with Nurgle is frankly excellent. Mark of Tzeentch could conceivably boost their staying power slightly too. Stay away from Khorne and Slaanesh, though. Unless you run into [[Grey Knights]] or [[Dark Eldar]], for whom the Spawn is just a mild annoyance.

Alternatively, run several Khorne-marked spawn towards any vehicle with rear AV 10 and watch them wreck all in their path, until your friends realize just what they are capable of and gun them down in a panic, [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|which hey, can also be according to plan.]]

Actual serious use is fielding them as escort for a Jugger Lord. More wounds for less then a bike squad, and no encouragement to shoot... which your choppy lord should never do. Plus, they make your majority armor save nothing, meaning those grav weapons the loyalist scum keep using wound on 6s only.

Fun fact: renegades can get an unmarked three Chaos Spaaa... gribblies deal for only 55 points. Three Chaos Spawn for under the price of two. Let the good times roll!

...Oh son of a bLARGLABLARGL{{BLAM}}

===40k Part 3: The One Where You Actually NEED Them===
In the new Chaos Space Marines Codex there's a table, like the one in the Warriors of Chaos Army book, on which your HQ rolls when killing an enemy character (keep in mind: not IC, just C). It's a 2D6 table with some of classics: +1S, +1T, +1W...

But one of the results... forces you to swap your awesome super killy Chaos Champion with... err, the-one-which-shall-not-be-named! So now you '''have to buy''' a box of these sick horrors in order to play. At least for Chaos Warriors, the time when your Marauder Chieftain turns into a Spawn and ''still does more damage than it would normally'' is truly priceless. The same thing probably works for Cultist Champions, and still proves to be useful, since the you-know-what detaches from the unit and could be used to tie up something shooty with poor melee capabilities, like Devastator squad or Crisis team, for a turn or two. All Traitor Legions can also take them as auxiliary choices, and they are the cheapest of the bunch. So give your Warband a mascot for full decurion benefits.

Rage and threats to eviscerate every GW employee that isn't Phil Kelly, are expected, but really, [[Warriors of Chaos|it's 'bout time you fucking newbies had to deal with this Chaos Spawn shit anyway]]...

Ohh my God-Emperor no WAIIIII... '''RAWRAWRASDAFGSFDS''' {{BLAM}} (Automated Message From Cadia: We are out of Usable speakers and will be employing new ones at the Recruitment Center nearest you.)

{{BLAM|(...why do we do this in the first place?)}}

 
 Tee hee hee, they may be horrible in combat but my little Spawns succeeded in destroying Cadia's entire propaganda machine!! Just As Planned!! 

Let us hold a memorial for all those turned into Chaos Spa- Oh boy, that was close... I nearly said it. NOT TODAY. This writer's too smart to say Chaos Spawn... '''OH DEAR EMPEROR NO, PLEA-GRARRGAGFD''' {{BLAM}}

 Kekekekekekekeke! 

Hey wait a minute Tzeentch. How come you can you say chaos spawn without mutating? Wait....'''SHIGRHQHQGDAAAARGLEFLADCHALLOIII''' {{BLAM}}

 Kekekekekekekeke! I'm a god! I can say Chaos Spawn all I want! Chaos Spawn! Chaos Spawn! Chaos Spawn! Kekekekekekeke--- '''WAIT NO SCREWADHWAAAAHGHTSKAFHTAGN''' {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM}}

I'm guessing that was [[not as planned]].

 [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Creed CREEEEEEEED!!!!]

...I really have no idea how he pulled that one off... 

===40k Part 4: Just as Planned===
Certain psychic powers of Tzeentch can turn enemy models into you-know-whats, AKA you get them for free. Originally the "Boon of Mutation" spell used to be an extremely short range save-or-die assassination power for removing multi-wounded HQs, and while it only had 1/3 or even 1/6 chance of working against most of its intended targets, it was one of the few ways of circumventing Eternal Warrior at the time and could be used even when the sorcerer is locked in melee - the you-know-what summoned used to be just cherry on the top after you popped an enemy Chapter Master or Farseer with it. The modern "Baleful Devolution" is a much more comfortable 18" focused witchfire with a more reliable S6 AP and even multiple (if random) number of hits, but it only summons gribbly things on sixes to-wound (which also add Instant Death), and as a focused witchfire while it can snipe specific models, it can be LoS-ed. Thus it's more about sniping special weapons or sergeants and occasionally creating witchfire-sponges within charge range of a target unit you want to charge.

Aetaos'Rau'Keres can even transform entire units with his template "Boon of Mutation". Because what else could force you to buy dozens of Chaos Spawn models? Then again he's 999 poi... Oh fuck, I swear I didnmlgrabomUMFROP'''ARGHMRMROMGH''' {{BLAM}}

===40k Part 5: 8th edition===
Well, 8th edition did arrive. The gribblies here got buffed, but they're still quite mediocre. For the same point cost as a Terminator they move faster and can hit harder with their random amount of randomly buffed attacks, but they're squishy and cannot deep-strike; meaning they'll just end up suffering from a sudden case of ballistic projectile to the face. You might want a model in case of double "1" when rolling on the Chaos Boon table or to fill a FA slot for cheap, but for the rest they're outclassed by other choices. That said, the Thousand Sons have a couple of useful Stratagems that are made specifically for them, including one that lets them select a buff manually instead of rolling for it and another that transforms any of their own characters into a you-know-what (named [[Fluff|The Flesh-Change, no less]]) for free.

>Alternate opinion: while nothing to build an army around, taken in units of one, they're a very cheap way to fill Fast Attack slots, and a single... you know what roving the battlefield has its uses if it can stay out of sight until the late game or otherwise avoid getting shot (they also tend to be fairly low priority targets in the early game as your opponent usually has better things to shoot at), they can do work in the late game. They're punchy enough to threaten depleted units of troops or tackle a wounded character and have a reasonable chance of eating their face, and they're cheap enough that you can just fling them at said wounded captain or whatever and just shrug if they whiff and die. Not bad for a chaos spawn AH GODDAMMIT I ALMOST WAHSAFHWSFAFSGAGDV {{BLAM}}

===Age of Sigmar===
With 5 wounds and 10 bravery, Chao...these fellas have some good stats for heavy infantry/meat shield status. The 2D6 movement and attacks characteristics can lead to some pretty unpredictable results, so don't expect everything to go as planned. All and all, not a bad addition to a Slaves to Darkness, Beasts of Chaos, or mixed Chaos army. Probably the most meh Spawn at the moment - wait, I only said half, it doesn't counNOOOOOSGADGSAGDFDGASFDWGASFAEWSDDAGSGGDWGSD {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Apparently the latter half triggers it as well with sufficient context? Useful information for the Inquisitorial archives.}}

==Total War: Warhammer==
Them (ahem) you-know-whats are a common unit that you'd find in the armies of the Chaos Factions.
With the advent of Warhammer 3, they are now available in monogod flavours as well as their Undivided form.

Tzeentchian Spawn get barriers. 

Nurglish Spawn are difficult to kill. 

Khornate Spawn are good at killing things. 

Slaaneshi Spawn get Devastating Flanker. 

Unaligned Spawn are just Spawn.

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
Image:Chaosthingies.png|On the bright side, their kit is really fun to mess with and has so many spare parts, you won't need to worry about not having enough horns and tentacles for your conversions anymore. also the chaos spawn have some bootiful hea- NO! PLEASE! WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYLFGERSU GWLRIGUSEUILGEHRIDDSFSFWGLARASHHHHBLBLBLBLB {{BLAM}}
Image:Chaos_Spawn_2.gif|Kiss it!
</Gallery>

{{BLAM|+'''''This article is dedicated in loving memory to those souls who gave their coherence and sanity in the cause of explaining Chao... these fucking things.'''''}}

+'''''Addendum: If you want to refer to Chaos S- the things without calling them by their true name, just call them John Carpenters and you won't have to say Chaos Spawn...wait, did I just say Chaos Spawn without anything happening? Heh...that's a relief. I thought saying chaos spawn turned you inTOAAAAGGHEBRYRHFKFGL'''''+{{BLAM}}

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
{{Death Guard}}
{{Thousand Sons}}
{{Emperor's Children}}
{{World Eaters}}
{{Lost-and-Damned}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]
[[Category:Meme]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]

Chaos Lord

2023-05-17T22:07:43Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{heresy}}
[[File:Chaos Lord.jpg|300px|thumb|right|'You broke my hearts, so I'm taking yours as repayment.' Also, this artwork is a rare example of an official Games Workshop piece where their [[Ultramarines|Perfect little blueberry fucks]] are actually permitted to be shown not winning. Although the artist forgot the secondary heart is an augmetic.]]
{{Topquote|A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.|Marcus Aurelius}}

{{Topquote|I see fear in their eyes, right before they die. I see shock as they realise too late what it is to pit their pitiful strength against '''true power!'''|Kranon the Relentless, Chaos Lord of the [[Crimson Slaughter]]}}

The '''Chaos Lord''' is an HQ choice for the [[Chaos Space Marines]], in the game of [[Warhammer 40,000]]. They are basically the traitor counterpart to a [[Space Marine]] Captain or Chapter Master; a Chaos Lord is usually, though not always, a Heretic Astartes himself. They are not necessarily those who rose through the ranks properly in a hierarchical fashion, but are often those most blessed by the [[Chaos Gods]], which means they gained favoritism points or simply the most powerful or charismatic individuals among the Forces of Chaos. In typical Chaos fashion, they are very powerful, but they want more.

The greatest of the Champions of Chaos become Chaos Lords and are often granted hideous mutations and physical alterations by the Ruinous Powers to further their cause. Chaos Lords are so powerful as to be able to bind the other Forces of Chaos to their will, although this often brings a dangerous position as advancement among the Forces of Chaos is commonly achieved through the [[Sindri|death or murder of another Chaos Lord or Champion]]. Some Chaos Lords lead through brute strength, others through cunning and some are maniacs bent solely on self-aggrandizement. Others are [[Lorgar|true-believing worshipers of Chaos and possess a zealous dedication to the Dark Gods]]. Overall, their motives and appearance are highly varied and diverse within the realm of Chaos.

Their wargear may be as varied as their physical appearance: a Chaos Lord may hack his foes apart with a massive [[chainaxe]], bludgeon them to death with a tainted [[Power Weapon#Power Maul|power maul]], blast them with an ancient [[Combi-weapon|combi-weapon]], or slice open vehicles with a powerful [[Daemon Weapon]]. It should also be noted that nearly every Chaos Lord shown, has been seen wearing a combination of Terminator Armour, ranging from the bog-standard [[Chaos Indomitus Pattern Terminator Armour|Chaos Indomitus]], to the rarer but more advanced [[Chaos Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour|Chaos Cataphractii]] and [[Chaos Tartaros Pattern Terminator Armour|Chaos Tartaros]] patterns. So if you see a lone Chaos dude in Terminator Armour, there is a 95% chance he is the Chaos Lord. Yeah, they are not the more subtle of people.

You could say that they are basically your [[Edgy|edgy and brooding supersoldier]] that has reached [[Night Lords|'peak Edge'.]] And it seriously shows, just scroll down and look at the list of delightfully and unintentionally hammy and over-the-top hilarious Chaos Lords that have been spawned from Dawn of War itself. They are basically a factory churning out as many [[Meme|memes]] as possible.

==Types of Lords==
The [[Chaos]] lords usually worship a god whether they be [[Khorne]], [[Tzeentch]], [[Nurgle]] or [[Slaanesh]]. Here are the following lords of the Chaos gods.
===Lord of Khorne===
[[File:99550102086_KhorneWorldEatersTerminatorLord01.jpg|thumb|left|Chaos Lord of Khorne. Damn he angry]]
{{clear}}
A crazed maniac who drinks blood, and eats whatever he just killed. Raw. Each of these Chaos Lords is a looming brute in gore-stained armor. Many such lords retain their intellect and conqueror's instincts, but their blood-greed is so strong that, upon the battlefield, they could easily be mistaken for mindless savages. It matters little, for so frenzied are the warriors that follow them that they are lost to reason; for lord and follower alike, only the sight of blood holds sway. They like using absurdly sized [[Chainaxe|chain battle-axes]] and [[Chainsword|swords]] and [[Power Weapon#Power Maul|mauls]] and all that shit, and are generally the most savage and physically strongest Chaos Lords. Particularly favoured Khornate Lords get to wield a [[Daemon_Weapon#Bloodfeeder|Bloodfeeder]] or a [[Daemon_Weapon#Hellblade|Hellblade]] for extra murder. [[Kharn]] is the craziest motherfucker of all Khorne Lords, who'll kill you in his psychotic blood-lusting [[rage]], but damn is he a great guy.

===Lord of Nurgle===
[[File:LordOfContagion.jpg|thumb|left|Chaos Lord of Contagion. Damn he stinky]]
{{clear}}
AKA the '''Lord of Contagion'''. Some disease-filled piece of flesh (Asbestos Aidstartes). Better not give him a hug, or have any physical contact whatsoever, because you'll probably get some disease worse than [[AIDS]] (like an incurable version of Syphilis.) They're also nigh-indestructible which is not that much of a surprise. These devout sons of Grandfather Nurgle revel in their foulness, leading Heretic and daemon alike to war. Each Lord of Nurgle has a Mantle of Corruption - a doctrine as set out by [[Mortarion]] that defines their weapons and strategies. The Lords of Contagion (as shown above) are the most aggressive of these, and embody the brute-force approach of taking punishment and then dishing it back out, aided all the more in this by their [[Chaos Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour|Cataphractii Terminator Armor]] and [[Daemon Weapon#Manreaper|Manreaper]]s. By contrast, the Lords of Poxes focus more on attrition and the spread of airborne plagues, while the [[Lord of Virulence|Lords of Virulence]] prefer the use of massed bombardment. Other, more obscure Mantles are also said to exist, such as the Mantle of Flux and the Mantle of Parasitism. Legend has it that there's a Mantle out there somewhere that nobody is yet worthy of, as it would make them a being of pure entropy. [[Typhus]] is the most famous of Nurgle Lords.

===Lord of Slaanesh===
[[File:ChaosLord of Slaanesh.jpg|thumb|left|Chaos Lord of Slaanesh. Damn he kinky]]
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Slaanesh's boy toy. The guy is most certainly a drug-addicted <s>pedophile</s> ''omni''phile, not unlike the [[Dark Eldar]]. Seriously, they literally are gifted with [[/d/|strange sensory organs]] and mood amplifiers that allow them to better savor the shocking stimuli of open warfare. Perks include the biggest drug stash and a stable full of sexually insatiable and adventurous men and women who are clusterfucking the shit out of each other. The life of such a lord is a whirlwind of excess that inspires his followers anew with every battle. As such, those minds of the lord reacts so swiftly thanks to a mixture of speed and cocaine that he can fight with blurring speed and dexterity whilst shaking like a human vibrator due to all the hopped-up drugs in his system. They are often armed with rare Slaaneshi weapons, such as a [[Daemon_Weapon#Needle of Desire|Needle of Desire]] or a [[Daemon_Weapon#Blissgiver|Blissgiver]]. [[Lucius|Lucius the Eternal]] is a Slaanesh Lord.

===Lord of Tzeentch===
[[File:Tzeentch_TerminatorLordNEW_02.jpg|thumb|left|Sorcerer Lord of Tzeentch. Damn he thinky]]
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AKA the '''Sorcerer Lord''' or '''[[Exalted Sorcerers|Exalted Sorcerer]]'''. Sorcerers who got their first magic tricks set for Christmas from Tzeentch. A notable Lord of Tzeentch is [[Ahzek Ahriman]] of the Thousand Sons. Their primary pastime is creating webs of lies and plots that serve to somehow give them possession of some chaos McGuffin or summon some Daemons or just in general do some thing that the protagonists must stop. Usually spellcasters who ignores armor and cover, causing much BAW. Curiously enough, in 3rd Edition they could be psykers or mundane, and the rank of Chaos Lieutenant existed as the second-in-command of a Chaos Space Marine force. Since the release of Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition, however, Chaos Sorcerers have been moved to a role more resembling that of the Loyalist Space Marines' [[Librarians]] rather than possessing variable psychic abilities. However, the Thousand Sons from the 7th Edition onwards have reintroduced Sorcerers with Lord statlines and abilities.
===Lord of Malal===
[[File:SOM T2007 lord.jpg|thumb|left|Chaos Lord of Malal. Damn he edgy]]
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The most mysterious of the Chaos Lords. Number one rogue killing fucktard. Their patron god is the dubiously canon [[Malal]]. Those who are champions of the paradox god strive for only one thing. The utter annihilation of the very concept of chaos and order.....[[Derp|by causing as much chaos as possible.]] They are known to use [[Daemon Weapon#Dreadaxe|anti-daemon daemon weapons]] to slay daemons and other Warp critters and are known to be highly antisocial and territorial. But hey, at least you get sweet ass wargear that can only be found in one area. Most noticeable trait is their obsession of dressing up like a Marilyn Manson clown or an emo goth cannibal. Yeah, eating people is just a pastime for these lords. Then again, we are pulling that out from [[Sons of Malice]] who are the only known Malal/Malice worshippers in 40K, so it may differ from worshiper to worshiper.

===Lord of Chaos Undivided===
[[File:99120102046_CSMTermLordRepack01.jpg|thumb|left|Lord of Chaos Undivided. Damn he... kinda vanilla but still cool. Just peachy.]]
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A lord who refuses to follow any single god. You COULD say they are boring, but saying that's like saying Sindri, Araghast, and Carron are boring, which is hilariously inaccurate. In seriousness the success and power of these lords can vary greatly. They are super vanilla in a....'Chaos-y' way. Still, the fact they aren't completely sucking the cocks from the gods means that they are the most flexible of the bunch. Then again, this ''is'' in the end, a Chaos Lord we are talking about and they are ultimately always a tyrannical warrior-king who lives to bathe in the blood of worlds. Hence, despite their generic blandness, they are not to be fucked with. May wield a ''wide'' variety of weapons, ranging from [[Chainfist]]s, to [[Plasma Gun]]s to even the elusive [[Daemon_Weapon#Dark Blade|Dark Blade]] and [[Kai Gun]]s. The most famous Undivided lord [[Abaddon|has no arms]].

==I Can't Believe They're Not Chaos Lords!==
===[[Dark Apostle]]===
[[File:New_Dark_Apostle.JPG|thumb|left|A Dark Apostle. Damn, he preachy!]]
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''For full page, see here: [[Dark Apostle]]''

A Chaos [[Chaplain]], usually from the [[Word Bearers]], but available to all Chaos Space Marines from the 7th Edition onwards. The most notable Dark Apostles are [[Erebus]] (the architect of the Horus Heresy) and [[Eliphas the Inheritor]], the most goddamn sexy voice since [[Sindri Myr|Sindri]].

===[[Warsmith]]===
[[File:Warsmith.jpg|thumb|left|A Warsmith. Damn he blingey!]]
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''For full page, see here: [[Warsmith]]''

Chaos Lord, [[Iron Warriors]] style. Unsurprisingly, likes starting sieges against things. They tend not to like chaos very much and replace their mutated bits with bionics. Most famous example would be the sick fuck [[Honsou]].

'''Ezekarion''' of the [[Black Legion]], consisting of a spectrum of human chaos forces commanders trusted by Abaddon.

==Warhammer Fantasy's Types of Chaos Lords==
[[File:Khorne Lord Warhammer Fantasy.jpg|250px|thumbnail|left|A Lord of Khorne, ready for battle as always.]]
It should be noted that the average Chaos Lord in [[Warhammer Fantasy]] has +1S and +1T over his 40K cousins. So essentially, these normal (though quite Norse) men empowered by the Chaos Gods are stronger and tougher than the aforementioned genetically engineered superhuman demigod warriors empowered by Chaos. Just goes to show how tough people in Warhammer Fantasy are, eh? (Actually, Strength and Toughness scale differently in 40k than it does in Fantasy. For example, a Captain of the Empire (who is a normal human) has S4 whilst the equivalent Strength in 40k would be a Space Marine. So a Chaos Lord in Warhammer Fantasy having S and T 5 would probably be the same as S and T 4 in 40k)

'''Lords of Khorne''': Ten foot tall, four foot broad Viking warlords in inch-thick plate armour with serious fucking anger management problems. They will fuck up your shit up from Norsca straight to the [[Emperor|Golden Shithouse]]. They tend to favor fuckhuge battle-axes, swords, hammers and, in the case of one helluva woman, a giant fuck-big spear. Primarily enjoy raiding, pillaging, burning, and getting into fights with huge fuck-big monsters and then killing them and ripping out their skulls. Also, if there's one thing Lords of Khorne amongst the Norscans love almost as much as spilling blood, it's boasting about how much blood they've spilled. Valkia the Bloody is a fine example of a Khornate Chaos Lord and is essentially a crazy Valkyrie who carries the souls of the valorous dead into the halls of Chaos Valhalla, because the [[Warriors of Chaos]] are motherfucking Vikings.

'''Champions/Exalted Champions of Tzeentch''': Sorcerers, just like the ones in 40k, but the main difference is that they wear XBAWX HUEG ARMOR (although Sorcerers in 40k wear your typical [[pauldrons]], so there really is not much difference between these Sorcerers and those Sorcerers). Funny thing, is that in some of the older rules, champions of Tzeentch could only be fielded as Chaos Lords, not as Sorcerers.

'''Champions/Exalted Champions of Nurgle''': Just like the ones from 40k. The only difference is that they have difficulty getting into their armor on account of their festering, huge, disgusting bellies. They will go out of their ways to hug you. An example would be Festus the Leechlord.

'''Champions/Exalted Champions of Slaanesh''': Same as 40k but the horrors of Slaanesh seem to have deadened their fear, they will never break, and they are also described as very vain in the fantasy universe. An example would be Sigvald the Magnificent.

'''Champions/Exalted Champions of Chaos Undivided''': See above.

==Chaos Lords in DoW II==
[[Image:Chaoslordz.jpg|thumb|450px|Left|Chaos Lords from the [[Dawn of War|DOW series]]]]
Since Chaos only came in during DoW II's first expansion, the only unique Chaos Lord featured thus far is a Black Legion champion named [[Araghast the Pillager]], who is by far the biggest slice of chaotic awesome to break the previous DoW Chaos Lords' streak of awkward dialogue and meme production.

Araghast, Eliphas, and all other generic Chaos Lords (who are actually Eliphas) in skirmish are dedicated to Khorne, so that pretty much makes them a close-quarters monster. With goddamn health regeneration. At level one, with no wargear, he can easily take down anything short of a Howling Banshee squad. Unlike the other offensive heroes who have gear and abilities designed around helping their units break the enemy lines, the Chaos Lord is designed around making himself an unstoppable murder machine. Give him his Lightning Claws and the Harness of Rage (restores energy whenever he hits something) and Dark Halo (causes energy to take damage first before health, very good if you kept getting hit), or Icon of Khorne (restores health with each attack) he'll become, without exception, the most lethal melee commander unit in the game. Srsly, he'll outdamage the Warboss and Hive Tyrant. This combined with his immunity to suppression from the get-go, his fucktons of health (srsly, only the Hive Tyrant has more, and that only by a hair's breadth, though a Warboss with 'Eavy Armor or a Force Commander with Terminator armor will have a lot more health than he can have with any armor loadout. Though I guess that's offset by the fact that those two have paper-thin armor, and the CL was pretty durable, until they replaced his super-heavy armor with regular hero armor. Fuck it.) and his aforementioned health draining (Kill the Weak!) makes him one of the best/if not ''the'' best, commanders in the game.

Okay, he does have drawbacks. He's designed around melee and that's about all he's good for. Compared with other offensive heroes his wargear upgrades do not give him as much health. As such he is exceedingly vulnerable to just getting shot to death, especially while tar pitted, and his ranged damage sucks and both his the melee wargear upgrades he has takes away his ability to gun. Since he's in Terminator Armor, he's slower than most other commanders, and Chaos' lack of transports means he has trouble fleeing if things go south. The Guard can mob him with cheap soldiers while meltaguns chew through his healthbar like nothing or the Commissar separates his head from his body with a las pistol execution, Orks can tie him up with sluggas and then dakka him to death, the Eldar can tie him down with banshees to let Wraithguard rape him, and Tyranids can spam hormagaunts to let venom cannons shoot him apart. So don't send him without support! Though that rely applies to all commanders in the game

Prior to Retribution, while he slaughtered infantry, he sucked against vehicles as none of his upgrades gave him much damage against them, up until somebody realized that nobody was using the Blood Maul since all it offered compared to the Lightning Claws was a better special ability, so it was turned into AV weapon.

His other global ability, Malignant Blindness is generally useless, it reduces enemies to 1/10th of their line of sight. Sounds great on paper, but in practice it doesn't do much since they can still see an enemy that's shooting them. You're hoping to nail a heavy weapon squad? They will still chew up your units when you start shooting them.

One other drawback is that picking him gives the least useful worship ability to the Heretic squads. The [[Chaos Sorcerer]]'s worship Tzeentch infiltrates nearby units (i.e makes them invisible) and the Plague Champion's worship Nurgle speeds up health regeneration (which stacks with the healing aura granted by the HQ building, the ability is considered one of the Plague Champion's main strengths). Worship Khorne, makes units move faster. That might sound good, but Heretics can't move while they are using their worship ability, and the AOE for it isn't very big, so this ability will only give a very temporary speed boost before the units it's affecting move out of its range. It's not completely useless, but it is situational while the other two abilities are pretty easy to find uses for.

==Notable Chaos Lords==
===40k===
*[[Abaddon|Abaddon the Despoiler]] (aka Failbaddon the (H)Armless) - Chaos Lord of the [[Black Legion]] and Warmaster of Chaos. Spends his time trying to conquer [[Cadia]], and losing to [[Creed]]. On his 13th Black Crusade right now and has finally succeeded in destroying Cadia.
*[[Kharn|Kharn the Betrayer]] (Pretty fun guy) - Chaos Lord of a [[World Eaters]] Warband. Spends most of his time killing everything in sight, including some of his fellow World Eaters. Reportedly has a hilarious sense of humor.
*[[Typhus|Typhus the Traveler]] - Chaos Lord of a [[Death Guard]] Warband. Few can survive him in combat. Fewer still can live stand the smell long enough to try and fight him.
*[[Lucius the Eternal]] - Sick bastard extraordinaire, originally of the Emperor's Children, Slaanesh gave him an infinite lives hack.
*[[Ahzek Ahriman]] - Sorcerer of the [[Thousand Sons]], former wine maker and current mega-nerd.
*[[Lord Bale]] ([[Sindri Myr|SSSSSSIIIIINNNNNDDDRRRRRIIII!!!]]) - Was a Chaos Lord of an invading Alpha Legion Warband on the planet of Tartarus. Got Sindri'd by the trope named Sindri Myr.
*[[Crull]] ([[Khorne|BLOOD FOR TEH BLOOD GAWD!!!]]) - Was the Chaos Lord of a World Eaters Warband on Lorn V. Failed and got his skull taken by [[Gorgutz]].
*[[Eliphas The Inheritor]] - Formerly a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers, then a bootlick of Araghast, he then betrayed him and is now a Chaos Terminator Lord of the Black Legion.
*[[Firaeveus Carron]] ([[METAL BOXES|METHUL BAWXES!!!]]) - Was a Chaos lord of the invading Alpha Legion Warband on Kaurava.
*[[Araghast the Pillager]] ([[Awesome|Face me, if you dare!]]) - Was a Chaos Terminator Lord of the Invading Chaos Warband on Aurelia. Got Sindri'd by Eliphas.
*[[Nemeroth]] - Was a Chaos Terminator Sorcerer Lord of the Chosen of Nemeroth invading the forgeworld of Graia. He is noted as being the first Chaos Sorcerer in a Relic game with the use of Terminator Armour (with Araghast having the honor of being the first Chaos Terminator Lord of the Dawn of War series and Eliphas as the second Chaos Terminator Lord).
*[[Lugft Huron]] - Was formerly Chapter Master of the [[Astral Claws]] Chapter, then decided that looting and pillaging would be more fun and renamed his chapter the [[Red Corsairs]]. Is probably the second most powerful Chaos Lord after Abaddon (and is much less of a failure).
*[[Honsou]] - Warsmith and maker of [[Daemonculaba|sick shit.]]

===Fantasy===
*[[Archaon]] the Everchosen - Destroyer of the Warhammer world. And also easily-crushed in TWW1.
*[[Egrimm van Horstmann]] - Former supreme patriarch of magic for the Empire who betrayed his country to Tzeentch.
*[[Festus the Leechlord]] - Former apothecary who sold his soul to Nurgle and became an insane plague-spreader.
*The [[Glottkin]] - Triplets of Nurgle comprised of a warlord, a wizard, and a massive hulking abomination of meat.
*[[Sigvald]] the Magnificent - Lord of Slaanesh and one depraved mastermind.
*[[Skarr Bloodwrath]] - Batshit insane Lord of Khorne who can't be killed.
*[[Vilitch the Curseling]] - Lord of Tzeentch who merged with his more powerful brother and pilots him like a puppet.
*[[Wulfric the Wanderer]] - Roaming Chaos Lord who challenges everything and anything.

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
{{Death Guard}}
{{Thousand Sons}}
{{Emperor's Children}}
{{World Eaters}}
{{Chaos-Champions}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]

Chaos in the Old World

2023-05-17T21:59:42Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{Game Infobox
|name = Chaos in the Old World
|picture = [[Image:cowbox.png]]
|type = Board Game
|playno = 3 - 4 (5 with expansion)
|time = 1 - 2 hours
|publisher = Fantasy Flight Games
|year = 2009
|books = Rule Book
}}

'''Chaos in the Old World''' was a board game produced by [[Fantasy Flight Games]] in which the players take the role of one of the [[Gods of Chaos]] to take over the [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles|world]].

Not only must the players contend with one another, but they must deal with random events that the world itself throws up at them, such as the rise of [[Empire|human armies]], or [[Teclis|Elven Wizards]], Norse Invasions and others, each of which can radically change the way the game develops. This coupled with randomly positioned objectives and constantly shifting goals means that no two games will play alike.

Thankfully despite all of the [[Chaos|activity happening within a single game]], it is not as difficult to pick up and play as some other of the FFG board games, and can be completed in less than a couple of hours. GW have now stopped licensing to FFG.

==Gameplay==
After generating the random event that will take place that game turn, players take it in strict '''god sequence''' to spend '''[[Magic|power points]]''' to summon daemons and/or cast spells onto the map.

Once all players are out of power points then the game uses a strict '''region sequence''' to determine the order that battles and spells are resolved in, beginning at the top of the map and working its way down.

After all of the gets resolved, if the faction has enough daemons and magic remaining in that location to beat the local mortal forces ''(always a fixed value - with a few exceptions)'' then they dominate that region and score points.

Finally, players with any remaining [[Cultist]] units get to place corruption in the location which can contribute to the [[Exterminatus|ruin]] of that kingdom and the eventual destruction of the world - also gaining lots of points, but rendering that region useless for the rest of the game.

The game is asymmetrically balanced. Each god plays exactly as they should, [[Khorne]] is obviously the superior combatant, [[Tzeentch]] is the master of magic with better spells than everyone else, [[Nurgle]] is the spreader of corruption and is best at ruining regions, whilst [[Slaanesh]] excels at turning the players against each other and stealing points.

Players also get to [[Level|level-up]] their god, and each god has different means of doing this.
*'''Khorne''' kills people - easy
*'''Tzeentch''' places two or more corruption tokens wherever there are ''two'' or more warpstone tokens and/or magical "vortex" symbols ''(found on certain magic spell cards belonging to all players)''
*'''Nurgle''' places two or more corruption tokens down in a "populated" area ''(marked on the map)''
*'''Slaanesh''' places two or more corruption tokens down wherever a nobleman objective or mortal hero is currently located.

Levelling up brings obvious benefits to the player, such as improved daemonic abilities / more power points to use each turn / more spells in your hand or even simple things like an immediate score boost.

The players must always keep in mind their factions strengths and weaknesses, so whilst newbies might [[butthurt|feel]] that Khorne is overpowered, anyone with a good head for tactics can win so long as they keep their goals in mind. Just make sure that one of those goals is "point Khorne at someone who ain't me."

An entire game can pass without a single battle taking place ''(much easier with no Khorne player)'' and it would still be an enjoyable session.

The game ends when:
*Someone levels up to max - ''they just win, if two players max level in the same turn, the player with the highest indicated power level wins''
*Someone accumulates fifty points - ''total up everyone's scores then the highest score wins''
*the world is ruined - ''[[End Times]] happens, the player with the highest score wins.'' This is a fun one from a lore perspective, because it sorta implies the Chaos Gods cause the End Times all the time and just keep resetting the world the way the players reset the game.
*or you run out of random event cards - ''everyone loses, the person who had no chance of winning and played spoiler laughs''

==Tactics==
Because of the turn sequence and the limits on available power, it is easy enough to figure out roughly what a player is going to do in a given turn. For example: when a model goes down everyone else can see what the point of it was, whether to dominate the region or claim an objective, so then everyone else has the choice whether to either fight it or leave it. Similarly, when a magic card goes down, everyone can see what it will do later in the turn and can make moves to attempt to counter or mitigate it.

If players commit themselves too early and spend all their power it gives their opponents the opportunity to work around them, so the real trick is hiding your plan until the last possible moment. Greater Daemons are a prime example of this problem: as soon as they drop on the table it becomes almost a declaration of intent since they are usually so difficult to shift and most players will then move to avoid them or neuter them once they arrive. Since they are so expensive to summon it also gives the player less moves to work with for the rest of the turn. Sometimes its more effective to just waste a move by throwing something cheap down and achieving nothing so long as you have the power points spare to do what you want to do later.

When in doubt, throw down a Cultist in a region you don't really care about, because it increases your domination total you might score some free points if no-one else challenges you, and by adding corruption can always net more points if the region gets ruined later. Also remember that unless you are playing the Horned Rat expansion there are only two spaces for spells, so even throwing down a useless spell will deny that slot for someone else's use.

===[[Khorne]]===
You are going to win by advancing the threat dial and leveling up, plain and simple. You will always play a reactionary game, chasing players around the board trying to kill them. That is why the "god sequence" exists, so that players can see what you do first before making their own moves so you cannot ambush every move they make.

Your job is essentially to spread yourself thinly and try to catch out units in as many locations as possible, as it does not matter how many units you kill, or even if your units survive the battle, just so long as you kill things in different regions to level up quicker.

Because of this you are unlikely to score many points trying to dominate mortal regions, so you will mostly be behind on the score tracker for most of the game, but once you start getting more and more daemons on the board and it becomes cluttered with more and more ruined kingdoms, you will find that you absolutely dominate locations where you get a huge build up of forces.

Do not ever forget your cultists though, an early level-upgrade makes them into fighting units giving you a small horde to play with. But also if you're clever, a well placed corruption token can tip a region over the edge and ruin it, scoring you big points even after someone else has done all the work.

===[[Tzeentch]]===
You ARE the master of magic, unlike everyone else you get a whole fresh hand of spells every turn, and many of them have a zero value, so you can place them with impunity.

Many of your spells also give you unparalleled mobility, allowing you to teleport your daemons anywhere on the map ignoring the normal restrictions on movement. But you can also cast the same spell on your opponents units, moving them to remote locations where they get no benefit from being.
You ALSO get to siphon off magic from other players with certain spells not only prolonging your freedom of options, but potentially spoiling enemy strategies, particularly if you leave it later in the turn sequence when players are usually trying to pull their grand design together.

You are also the player that everyone else can predict the least, but will require an enormous amount of [[Just as Planned]] to pull off, precisely as anyone playing Tzeentch should: Your objectives of Warpstone and/OR magic symbols means that you can create your own level-up objectives anywhere on the board at pretty much any time. Good use of zero cost or siphon spell cards can conceal your intentions until the very last moment, where your opponents have started running out of power points you can have plenty left over to position your daemons in freshly prepared level-up conditions as well as locations abandoned by other players which you can dominate easily.

The best upgrades for you are obviously the ones that improve your hand-size, though the cultist one comes in a close second by allowing you to pull warpstone around the map. The pink horror upgrade is also useful if you know how to use it, by hoarding spell slots on the map all to yourself and casting into the opposite slot, but you get so few horrors that it's not really worth it until late in the game when people are competing for space unless you are trying to anticipate and deny you opponents tactics. The lord of change upgrade is never worth it, YES counting him as two warpstone tokens is lovely but you can already create opportunities anywhere else; so you end up doing is creating an expensive target for your opponents to charge at, which is something you should never do as Tzeentch.

===[[Nurgle]]===
Spreading corruption is what you do and you do it well. You are the most predictable player, your objectives are fixed on the board and so everyone can see where you need to go to level up.

Those locations are also the most valuable in terms of points too so you can choose to play the level up game or the points game, but its easier to score points for you than level up since your moves will be so transparent that many players will see what you're doing, and kill off your cultists just to spite you.

At the same time your spells are heavily focused around corruption, even using corruption tokens to dominate regions. You can dominate regions quite easily once you start corrupting them so shoring up your already cheap forces in one region at a time is definitely an option that leaves you less open to being shifted from, and steadily builds up your score over the course of the game and pulling off a surprise victory that people didn't expect based on your slow pace of play.

Depending on what style you choose, one of the better upgrades is the Great Unclean Ones ability to place two corruption down wherever he lands, gaining you instant XP on top of what your cultists generate. But this becomes expensive in terms of power points as summoning him over and over will drain you fast.

A better upgrade would be the one that allows you to take free cultists wherever you do not already have units, spreading corruption all over the board and aiming for loads of points by ruining regions. Unfortunately this leaves you easy prey to players like Khorne or Slaanesh who would happily abuse your units for their own benefit, so sitting in one location and gaining steady points is always a safe option.

===[[Slaanesh]]===
Be a douchebag, that's your job in this game, you really want to annoy players with underhanded tactics to get the best use of your units and spells.

Like Tzeentch, your objectives start randomly positioned on the board. However, unlike Tzeentch, you only need to corrupt one hero or noble to give you the level-up. Unfortunately this means you'll only have a couple of places on the board where you can really focus on if you want to level up, and if another player decides he wants it you're in for a tough time.

Thankfully your spells can move those tokens around the board, letting you hoard nobles in favourable locations or inflicting mortal heroes on your opponents.

You also LOVE your opponents models, one of your most useful spells allow you to take over your enemies units for a turn. Giving you ALL the benefits, such as domination totals and corruption gains. Your Keeper of Secrets can also be upgraded to do this too, so rather than using it as a combat beast ''(which it's not anyway)'' use it to steal points from players.

Another cheeky spell, which you might think worthless at first, allows you to immediately place a corruption token in a region. You might wonder "why" this is helpful, but once regions start falling to ruin you can score easy points for contributing in places where you have never been.

Once you start leveling up, you'll have a difficult time deciding which upgrades to take. Your cultist and daemonette upgrades massively increase your defenses, and having tough cultists means you need less to sit on a location to guarantee corruption, which also prolongs the use of that location thereby granting more XP and points, but the upgrades for additional power points can grant you more moves than the other players, giving you a lot more freedom with units and spells.

So really the choice of victory to aim for can be quite fluid, so always keep your options open.

==Horned Rat Expansion==
FFG also released an expansion to the board game, introducing a fifth player: the [[Horned Rat]], which has a completely unique play style unlike the other players.
*They DO NOT place corruption on the table, instead their own units count as corruption tokens whenever a location gets ruined, and is significant when awarding points to the players who contributed most to the ruination of that particular region.
*They level up by dominating mortal regions wherever there exists a skaven warren token. That gives those tokens a second purpose, since to every other player they simply weakened the region they were attempting to dominate.

The Horned Rat is the master of hordes and mobility, once they level up they can move men around with impunity, even abusing the god & region order to hop rats from location to location scoring points and steam-rolling your opponents later in the game.

The expansion also introduces a new set of spells for each other god, as well as a new set of level-up upgrades. These are really for advanced players as they require a complete change in tactics and planning. For example: in this "advanced" set, Khorne becomes less of a combat focused faction and more geared towards mortal domination, essentially bullying enemy players out of regions and scoring points rather than attempting to level up.

{{Specialist-Games}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]][[Category:Chaos]]

Chaos Chosen

2023-05-17T21:58:34Z

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{{heresy}}
[[File:Chosen Warrior of Tzeentch.jpg|400px|thumbnail|right|[[Tzeentch]] loves his Champions blue.]]
A mortal being beloved by [[Chaos]], who [[gets shit done]] while at the same time managing to keep their shit together so they don't [[Chaos Spawn|mutate into something awful]].

==Chosen in [[Warhammer Fantasy]]==
[[File:Chaos Warriors of Khorne.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Just a hint; the Chosen is the biggest, baddest motherfucker in any given lineup.]]
The eyes of the Chaos Gods are always on the mortal world, especially the lands around the collapsed Warp Gates through which Chaos enters the world. Any mortal who pleases the Chaos Gods in some way, from [[Sigvald|killing your father so you can be with your mother and sister before killing them out of boredom]] or [[Arbaal|killing every single thing you see for no reason other than the act of killing]] to [[Heinrich Kemmler|donning a pointy hat]], can catch the interest of the Ruinous Powers and begin to hear their whispers and feel their blessings. Oftentimes they find themselves lead to or chancing upon powerful enchanted items, gaining followers amongst the wandering warbands devoted to the Four, and before you know it they've mutated into a giant mass of pulp that was once a sapient creature because they had one too many gold stars put next to their name. Most Chosen come from one of the barbarian tribes, most of whom are clad in heavy armor and possess so much muscle that they would make Arnie look bleak.

The more favor they gain and show off their warrior capabilities (being able to slay something really big or prove their tactical capabilities to command), the higher they climb the hierarchical ladder up until they become Chaos Lords themselves, and from there they can either become Daemon Princes, or Chaos Sp...you know wha-wait! No! I didn't even sa-AAAAARRRGLUGRBERGBLESCREEE!!!

==Chosen in 40K==
[[File:Chaos Marines.jpg|350px|thumbnail|left|Chosen, almost as inspired and relentless as a child hearing the ice-cream van on a hot day.]]
A Chosen is a term coined up by [[Chaos Space Marines|Chaos Space Marine]] Legions/Warbands that describes a particularly powerful member of a Legion/Warband and may have roots in a title attributed to Warmaster Horus Lupercal. A Chosen comes in many forms. They may be very experienced warriors that were chosen by their [[Chaos Lord|Chaos Lords]] to lead squads of Chaos Marines into combat, some are literally Chosen by the Chaos Gods (or a single patron) and given "gifts", others may be powerful Champions that are lesser Chaos Lords serving a more powerful individual...or simply all of those things put together. Whenever the case, all Chosen are characterised by having unholy bling, millennia of hard won experience (stretching back from the days of the Horus Heresy to present days 40K), mutations that are actually useful (this is still up to debate in most situations due to the gods having [[Fun|different moods]]) and sweet wargear. Due to their varied backstories and access to a wide variety of equipment, Chosens are basically [[Your Dudes]] for Chaos players, more of which can be read below.

===Overview===
Chaos Chosen usually start as normal Chaos Marines that slowly and steadily advance the hierarchical ladder of their Warband. At first the Chosen either lead the less experienced Chaos Marines like their Loyalist kin do, band together under a more experienced Chosen, or even become at one point members of a Chaos Lord's (or any other distinguished Chaos Commander's) retinue, eventually becoming Chaos Lords themselves if they keep up with the villainous heroism/[[Just as Planned]] ploys and piousness/satisfying the [[Chaos Gods]]/patron god (even going so far as becoming [[Daemon Prince|Daemon Princes]] or [[Chaos Spawn|those-whose-names-we-will-not-utter]] if they screw it royally up). Hell, it's actually possible for any Chaos Marine (even a [[Possessed|Possessed Marine]], a [[Obliterator]]/[[Mutilator]], a [[Chaos Dreadnought|Hellbrute]], you name it) to become one as long as they become better at what they do and show more interest in other forms of warfare.
[[File:BrassKnight.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|Khorne's Chaos Lords and Chosen in both settings get such nifty gifts like Juggernauts.]]

Additionally, Chosen, as mentioned before, have either the favour of all the Chaos Gods, or a single Patron. Thus there are Chosen that are either Undivided, or serve a single Chaos God. Mixes of single god worshipers among Undivided Warbands are as common as those who worship Chaos as a pantheon, and each god gives unique Chaos Gifts to its Chosen. Additionally, Chosen also gain wargear that befits someone that either serves Chaos Undivided or a single patron god.

Aside from a single run of figures way back in the Dark Vengeance box set, these guys have never and quite possible will never get a plastic kit. Kitbash solutions vary from beefed-up ubermarines to Chaos special forces - now 8th edition went and made them the backbone of most competitive lists, you might as well get to work on your own. The reveal of the Eldritch Omens boxset means they're finally getting a proper plastic kit as well.

Scratch that; new Chosen models are releasing "soon" with the 2022 CSM codex/Nachmund kill team set. <s>Chainaxes</s> “Accursed Weapons” ho! <s>Of course, knowing GW they'll be nerfed into the ground come the next 'dex...</s> <s>Scratch that, chosen are getting 3 wounds and attacks, and options for thunder hammers.</s> How naive. Turns out that Anon was right all along, as Chosen have been given the Tzaangor treatment where [[derp|every weapon that isn’t a Power Sword will have the same weapon profile as such.]] [[fail|This includes such weapons such as Thunder Hammers, Power Axes, Lightning Claws, and other weapons that are important for customizing a versatile unit like Chaos Chosen.]]
===Equipment===
As [[Your Dudes]], Chaos Chosens can wield a variety of weapons and equipment into battle. In terms of CQC they can wield a [[Power sword|Power Sword]],
[[Chainaxe]], [[Chainsword]], [[Thunder Hammer]], [[Lightning Claws]], [[Power Fist]]s and, thanks to the [[Black Crusade (RPG)]], you can (Assuming you are Larping as a Chaos Chosen) wield the elusive [[Chain Weapon#Chain Hammer|Chain Hammer]]. For ranged combat, you can choose from a [[Astartes Boltgun|Boltgun]], a [[Bolt Pistol]], a [[Plasma Pistol]], a [[Plasma Gun]], a [[Flamer]], a [[Meltagun]] or a [[Combi-weapon]] of your choice. In terms of armour, a Chosen can wear your typical [[Chaos Power Armour]] to the more elite [[Warp-Forged Armour]], or they can stick with the [[Mark IV: Maximus Armour]], [[Mark V: Heresy Armour]] or even a [[Mark VI: Corvus Armour]] depending on how you want to roleplay.

Interestingly, Chaos Chosen that want to gain [[Chaos Indomitus Pattern Terminator Armour|Terminator Armour]] need to gain it in different manners as opposed to their Imperial counterparts. Among Chaos Marines, Terminator Armours are limited (unless they have ties with the [[Dark Mechanicus]], and even then these guys are no different from the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] in term of hoarding stuff, so they rarely give the [[Chaos Space Marines|Spiky]] [[Ork|Boyz]] any newly made bling unless they get something valuable, though the Chosen can just directly threaten them too), thus in order for a Chosen to obtain one, they need to take it away from another Chosen either via heavily ritualised combat ([[Khorne|aka: the manly duel to the death]]), or less warrior-like means ([[Tzeentch|good old backstabbing or "a series of unfortunate accidents"]]). Krumping a loyalist Terminator and managing to salvage his armour is also one of the available options open to them.

<gallery>
image:Eldritch_Omens_Chosen.jpg|<center>You like those lightning claws? Too bad!</center>
</gallery>
{{clear}}

{{Chaos Space Marines}}

[[Category:Warriors of Chaos]]
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]

Chaos Champion

2023-05-17T21:57:54Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:AChampion.jpg|300px|right|thumb|An aspiring champion.]]
The [[Warriors Of Chaos]], [[Chaos Space Marines]], and various [[Chaos Cults]] of [[Warhammer Fantasy]], [[Age of Sigmar]], and [[Warhammer 40000]] all devote themselves to the [[Chaos Gods]] of the shared Warhammer universe. But some of these foolish mortals aren't just small batteries of emotions that empower the Four, some actually get something back.

The path of a mortal who wants to become something more than they are is fraught with challenges. Too much attention from the Chaos Gods too soon, or not enough willpower, and they become a [[Chaos Spawn]] (which has become quite a prolific [[Meme]] in the Warhammer community as a result) Wait a minut'''ARGHGRAAGGGAGAGAGGAG'''. Too little, and you run the risk of being XP points for another Chaos aspirant. But those who do succeed become living supermen, able to roam wherever they want doing whatever they feel like (so long as their Chaos God approves, although its a self-fulfilling prophesy as the only ones likely to get blessings want to do their master's bidding anyway). The rewards of pleasing their patron does come with some extra goodies however, usually in the form of [[Daemon Weapon]]s such as the extremely elusive [[Daemon Weapon#Dark Blade|Dark Blade]] or [[Ether Lance]], [[Warp-Forged Armour|Warp-Forged Armour]] and even [[Possessed Marine|possession]]. Under the [[Black Crusade (RPG)]], you can (Assuming you are Larping as a Chaos Champion) wield the elusive [[Chain Weapon#Chain Hammer|Chain Hammer]].

Beyond Championhood lies becoming a [[Daemon Prince]].

The process of becoming a Chaos Champion has been the subject of many games put out by [[Games Workshop]] over the years, primarily [[Path to Glory]] and [[Chaos in the Old World]].

In the [[Blood Bowl]] universe, the role of Chaos Champions is far less difficult (arguably), and far less rewarding; they are simply the managers of Chaos-sponsored teams, and the star players.

Before [[Chaos Undivided]] was largely removed from the game, it was something of a hard mode for Chaos Champions. But in more modern Warhammer lore the role is reserved solely for an individual who has been blessed to lead all of Chaos in their shared goals: [[Archaon]], [[Abaddon]], and [[Be'lakor]].

==Types of Champions==
There are a number of different types of Champions, each more ambitious then the rest.

===Common Champions===
*'''Aspiring Champion:''' The most common type, an Aspiring Champion leads a squad of Chaos Space Marines, Chosen, Raptors, or Havocs.
*'''Terminator Champion:''' An Aspiring Champion who has somehow acquired a suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, often through killing the previous owner themselves. These champions lead squads of Chaos Terminators.
*'''Possessed Champion:''' Leaders of the Possessed, these Champions are often possessed by a powerful daemon and horribly mutated beyond even their brethren.
*'''Plague Champion:''' Plague Marine squad leaders, often the most horribly infested as well as the toughest to defeat.
*'''Noise Champion:''' The most dedicated to Slaanesh and leaders of Noise Marine squads. They commonly brandish rare sonic weaponry unavailable to most.
*'''Skull Champion:''' Leaders of Berzerker squads and seen as the most bloodthirsty as well as the best trained type of champion.
*'''Aspiring Sorcerer:''' Sorcerers in training before becoming true Chaos Sorcerers, leaders of Thousand Sons units.
*'''Biker Champion:''' Leaders of Bike squadrons, often highly bloodthirsty and obsessed with speed.
*'''Exalted Champion:''' A new option added in the 8th Edition Chaos Space Marine codex. Unlike other units designated as champions, they operate alone without commanding a squad. This represents the point where the Champion must prove his own worth. Effectively a throwback to 3.5E Chaos Lieutenants although not quite as powerful.

===Chaos-aligned Champions===
*'''Champion of Nurgle:''' Disease and death are the most potent forces in the galaxy and the Champion of Nurgle embodies all of these. They are swollen and bloated, often little more than moving pus sacks and disease transmitters. Their bodies have been dulled to pain and as such can endure much damage before they die.
*'''Champion of Khorne:''' The most bloodthirsty and savage fighters, Champions of Khorne lust after the spilling of blood and the roar of battle to satisfy the desires of Khorne. They are experts in many weapon forms which others could not master but do not fight in a graceful manner, preferring to bludgeon their way through enemies. Only the greatest battles can sate their thirst for blood.
*'''Champion of Slaanesh:''' Desire is a strong emotion and Slaanesh is the embodiment of this, with his Champions reveling in their pleasures. They take joy from the ending of life on the battlefield, a perverse pleasure for which the desire is constantly increased. The senses of the Champion are increased beyond recognition and their minds are so fast to react that they fight in a blur which many enemies cannot even see, let alone defend against.
*'''Champion of Tzeentch:''' Highly powerful psykers make up the ranks of the followers of Tzeentch, and his most deadly followers are the greatest of these. The enhanced powers Tzeentch grants his Champions allows them to project Warp powers which no loyal follower of the Emperor would dream about. They often wear charms and pendants to protect themselves from the powers of the Warp; although the dangers are lessened they are still there. Often the Champion is merely a piece in a larger scheme and useful pieces are the best protected.

[[File:Chaos Skeleton Champion.JPG|thumb|right|150px|Skeletor's less badass cousin.]]
==Skeletal Champions==
Some Chaos Champions who are killed do not receive rest. Skeletal Champions are Undead Chaos Champions, damned to roam the world for one additional year plus a day. Their soul is consumed by their patron, save a small amount of their essence containing all their skills and just enough willpower to serve the wishes of their master as a puppet. In theory a skeleton being directly controlled by a Chaos God themselves with all the martial prowess of one of their Champions should be terrifying, but SCs suffer stat loss and as a result they are much less impressive than the meatbag versions.

This exists to allow [[Path to Glory]] players to continue playing despite technically losing and is essentially the consolation prize for not turning into a Spawn in that they get to keep mucking about even though they have reduced stats. There is absolutely no mention of any individual Skeleton Champions in the lore (at least Chaos ones technically), and the closest being, [[Krell]], was specifically passed over for this "honor". Like much of the original Path to Glory mechanics and lore, one can argue that they no longer exist in canon.

==Nonhuman Champions==
In the older lore of [[Warhammer Fantasy]], Chaos was what [[TVTropes]] calls "Equal Opportunity Evil" and would happily accept member of any race in to its worship. As a result, by using [[Path to Glory]] to custom-build your army, your personal Chaos army could include Chaos-worshipping [[dwarf]]s, [[elf]]s, [[gnome]]s, [[orc]]s, [[goblin]]s, [[hobgoblin]]s and [[skaven]], as well as a variety of monsters normally seen in the ranks of the other factions. But playing a Chaos Champion of a race other than human? That was more of a mixed bag.

There were no explicit rules to play an elven, dwarven, orcish, etc Chaos Champion. Theoretically, you could just use the generic Chaos Champion stats and make it up with fluff. But, Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned '''did''' give mechanics for playing [[Beastmen]], [[Bullgor|Chaos Minotaur]], [[Centigor|Chaos Centaur]] and even [[Dragon Ogre]] Champions on the Path to Glory! So it definitely was something that Games Workshop considered.

Of these four options, Beastmen and Minotaurs got the most attention. Beastmen Champions got their own unique Chaos Retinue table, which looks like this:
::01-020: 2d6 Beastmen (If the Beastman Champion has the Mark of Chaos, these are also Marked by the same Patron; [[Khorngor]]s, [[Pestigor]]s, [[Slaangor]]s or [[Tzaangor]]s - otherwise, they're just normal beastmen)
::21-40: 2d6 Beastmen
::41-60: Beastman Hero
::61-70: Beastman Shaman
::71-80: D6 [[Centaur]]s
::81-85: D3 [[Dragon Ogre]]s
::86-98: D6 [[Minotaur]]s
::99-100: Other (Roll on the Human Chaos Champion retinue table)

Minotaur Champions not only got another unique Chaos Retinue table of their own to use, but also some unique rules; they are, ironically, the ''least'' mutation-prone of any Chaos Champion in this edition; when generating them, the basic minotaur starts with only a 10% chance of having 1 Chaos Attribute, and this chance increases by 5% per 5 levels. Only minotaur champions generated at levels 15 (D3), 20 (D4) and 25 (D3+1) start with potentially more than 1 Chaos Attribute.
::01-01: D6 Beastmen (if the Champion has a Mark of Chaos, they share his Mark, otherwise they're generic Beastmen)
::11-20: D6 Beastmen
::21-25: Beastman Hero, potentially Chaos-marked (if the Champion has a Mark) and/or with beastmen followers.
::26-30: Beastman Shaman
::31-25: D4 [[Centaur]]s
::36-40: D3 [[Dragon Ogre]]s
::41-80: D6 Minotaurs
::81-90: Other Followers (Roll on the Human Champion Retinue Table)
::91-00: Monsters - Roll another D100 and compare to the results below.
:::01-04: [[Chimera]]
:::05-08: [[Cockatrice]]
:::09-11: [[Dragon]]
:::12-15: Giant Eagle
:::16-20: [[Giant]]
:::21-23: [[Gorgon]]
:::24-27: [[Griffin]]
:::28-31: [[Hippogriff]]
:::32-35: [[Hydra]]
:::36-39: [[Jabberwock]]
:::40-43: [[Manticore]]
:::44-48: Giant Spider
:::49-52: Giant Scorpion
:::53-55: [[Treeman]]
:::56-59: [[Wyvern]]
:::60-63: Chaos Hounds
:::64-68: D6 Giant Rats
:::69-73: D6 [[Skeleton|Skeletons]] plus an Undead Chaos Champion
:::74-78: [[Snotling]] Swarm (D4 Bases)
:::79-83: Warhounds
:::84-88: D4 [[Ogre]]s
:::89-92: D6 [[Fimir]]
:::93-97: D4 [[Zombie]]s plus an Undead Chaos Champion
:::09-00: Roll twice on this chart.

Centaur Champions, in comparison, are the ''most'' mutation-prone Chaos Champions, since a big part of their lore was that they were even more physically screwed up than the average beastman. Even a basic centaur has a 50% chance to start with d3 Chaos Attributes, whilst any higher-leveled Centaur always has at least D4 Chaos Attributes, making the likelihood of becoming a Chaos Spawn instead of a Daemon Prince much higher than even that of a Beastman Champion. Centaur Champions of Nurgle gain +1 Toughness and Chaos Attribute, whilst those of Tzeentch gain D3 Chaos Attributes and a random magic item. To determine their followers, Centaur Champions use the Beastmen Followers Table, with one caveat: a Centaur Champion can swap any followers result he doesn't like for a herd of d6 Centaurs.

Dragon Ogre Champions are always warriors, never sorcerers, and had the second-lowest chance of starting with Chaos Attributes of any of the playable Champions in that edition: a "starting level" dragon ogre had a 25% chance of having d2 Attributes, and even a 25th level dragon ogre will only have D6+1 Attributes. By comparison, a 25th level Beastman champion will have D6+3, and a 25th level Centaur champion will have D6+2. Only Minotaur champions had less. A dragon ogre champion always starts with a number of lesser dragon ogres as his initial followers; when he wins further followers, he can roll on either Beastmen or Minotaur follower tables to generate them as he prefers.

Sadly, this awesomeness largely began to drip away around the time of 6th edition. Only the beastmen and minotaur champions remained viable in the armies, with centaurs and dragon ogres reduced just to special troops and rare monsters.

==Retinues of Chaos==
An idea that has been integral to the forces of [[Chaos]] throughout Games Workshop's history is that a Chaos Champion is a kind of cult figure, attracting lesser followers of Chaos who wish to bask in their glory and follow them, at least until they develop the strength to break away and pursue the champion's lifestyle themselves. Lorewise, a Chaos army is not a single homogenous force, but instead a vast coalition of different Champions, often interlinked into personal hierarchies, who have chosen to pool their collective followers together alongside newly-attracted "hangers on" to crusade against the forces of order.

When the [[Realms of Chaos]] duology introduced the [[Path to Glory]] minigame, it naturally provided a table to roll on to generate followers as your Chaos Champion gained in power and notoriety. In fact, it gave two tables, as "The Lost and the Damned" would subsequently retcon the original table from "Slaves to Darkness" in order to represent new models brought out since its release.

The original Slaves to Darkness retinue table looked like this:
::01-30: 2d6 [[Beastmen]]
::31-35: 2d4 [[Dwarf]]s
::36-38: Chaos Sorcerer
::39-41: Chaos Warrior
::42-46: D6 Dark Elves (can be either Warriors or Assassins)
::47-51: D6 [[Goblin]]s
::52-53: D4 [[Harpy|Harpies]]
::54-73: 2d6 [[Human]]s
::74-78: D6 [[Hobgoblin]]s
::79-80: D4 [[Minotaur]]s
::81-82: D4 [[Ogre]]s
::83-87: D6 [[Orc]]s
::88-92: 2d4 [[Skaven]]
::93: 1 [[Troll]]
::94: 1 [[Wizard]] (if Champion of Khorne, replace with Human Hero)
::95-99: 2d6 Giant Wolves
::00: Other - Roll a D4 to determine which of the following D10 tables to roll on.
:::1
::::1: Giant Bat
::::2: Bear
::::3: Boar
::::4: [[Chimera]]
::::5: [[Coatl]]
::::6: [[Cockatrice]]
::::7: Cold One
::::8: [[Dragon]]
::::9: Eagle
::::10: [[Fimir]]
:::2
::::1: Giant Frog
::::2: [[Ghoul]]
::::3: [[Giant]]
::::4: D6 [[Gnome]]s
::::5: [[Gorgon]]
::::6: [[Griffon]]
::::7: D6 [[Halfling]]s
::::8: D6 [[Half-Orc]]s
::::9: [[Hippogriff]]
::::10: D6 Hobhounds
:::3
::::1: [[Hydra]]
::::2: [[Jabberwock]]
::::3: Giant Leech
::::4: Liche
::::5: D6 [[Lizardmen]]
::::6: [[Manticore]]
::::7: D6 [[Pygmies (Warhammer Fantasy)|Pygmies]]
::::8: Giant Rat
::::9: [[Skeleton]]
::::10: D6 [[Slann]]
:::4
::::1: Giant Snail
::::2: D6 [[Snotling]]s
::::3: Giant Spider
::::4: [[Treeman]]
::::5: [[Troglodyte]]
::::6: [[Vampire]]
::::7: D6 Warhounds
::::8: [[Wyvern]]
::::9: [[Zoat]]
::::10: [[Zombie]]

Races in a Champion's retinue are not subject to racial Hatred, Animosity or Fear against fellow members of the retinue - your Chaos-sworn dwarfs are perfectly content to coexist with your Chaos-sworn orcs and vice-versa. This represents the Champion's force of will and the uniting powers of Chaos. Those rules still apply to members of the appropriate races ''outside'' of the retinue.

The Lost and the Damned version of the table looks like this:
::01-20: D6 [[Beastmen]]
::21-30: D6 Chaos Marked Beastmen (same Mark as the Chaos Champion; for Champion of [[Chaos Undivided]], treat as regular beastmen)
::31-35: 2d4 [[Dwarf]]s
::36-38: 1 Chaos Sorcerer
::39-41: 1 Chaos Warrior
::42-46: D6 Dark Elves (Warriors or Assassins)
::47-51: D6 [[Goblin]]s
::52-53: D4 [[Harpy|Harpies]]
::54-60: 2d4 Brigands
::61-65: D4 Chaos Cultists and a Cult Magus (randomly Chaos Sorcerer or Chaos Warrior)
::66-71: 2d4 Mercenaries and a Mercenary Captain
::72-73: D6 Human Runaways
::74-75: D4 [[Centaur]]s
::76-77: [[Dragon Ogre]]
::78-79: D4 [[Minotaur]]s
::80-81: D4 [[Ogre]]s
::82-86: D6 [[Orc]]s
::87-91: 2d4 [[Skaven]]
::92-93: 1 [[Troll]]
::94-00: Other - Roll a D4 to determine which of the following D10 tables to roll on.
:::1
::::1: Giant Bat
::::2: Bear
::::3: Boar
::::4: [[Chimera]]
::::5: [[Coatl]]
::::6: [[Cockatrice]]
::::7: Cold One
::::8: [[Dragon]]
::::9: Eagle
::::10: [[Fimir]]
:::2
::::1: Giant Frog
::::2: [[Ghoul]]
::::3: [[Giant]]
::::4: D6 [[Gnome]]s
::::5: [[Gorgon]]
::::6: [[Griffon]]
::::7: D6 [[Halfling]]s
::::8: D6 [[Half-Orc]]s
::::9: [[Hippogriff]]
::::10: D6 Hobhounds
:::3
::::1: [[Hydra]]
::::2: [[Jabberwock]]
::::3: Giant Leech
::::4: Liche
::::5: D6 [[Lizardmen]]
::::6: [[Manticore]]
::::7: D6 [[Pygmies (Warhammer Fantasy)|Pygmies]]
::::8: Giant Rat
::::9: D6 [[Skeleton]]s
::::10: D6 [[Slann]]
:::4
::::1: Giant Snail
::::2: D6 [[Snotling]]s
::::3: Giant Spider
::::4: [[Treeman]]
::::5: D6 [[Troglodyte]]s
::::6: [[Vampire]]
::::7: D6 Warhounds
::::8: [[Wyvern]]
::::9: [[Zoat]]
::::10: D6 [[Zombie]]s

Naturally, as Warhammer Fantasy got simpler and less reliant on RNG, this rule got toned down. The last major mechanical depiction of it was in their 5th edition army book, "Warhammer: Realm of Chaos". To represent this nature of the Chaos army as a coalition of warbands, the player had to start by choosing one character and then purchasing associated troops equal to or greater than that character's point cost. Then they picked another character and did the same again, repeating the cycle until they ran out of points.

==Notable Chaos Champions==
{{skub}}
===[[Chaos Undivided]]===
* [[Archaon]], Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar
* [[Abaddon]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Fabius Bile]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Huron Blackheart]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Mordrek]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Vardek Crom]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Wulfrik the Wanderer]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Marakarr Blood-Sky]], Age of Sigmar

===[[Khorne]]===
* [[Arbaal]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Haargroth]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Kharn]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Valkia the Bloody]], Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar
* [[Korghos Khul]], Age of Sigmar

===[[Slaanesh]]===
* [[Dechala]], Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar
* [[Doomrider]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Lucius]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Sigvald]], Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar
* [[Styrkaar]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Syll'Esske]], 40K and Age of Sigmar
* [[Vandred]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Glutos Orscollion]], Age of Sigmar

===[[Nurgle]]===
* [[Festus the Leechlord]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Feytor]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Glottkin]], Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar
* [[Typhus]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Valnir]], Warhammer Fantasy

===[[Tzeentch]]===
* [[Aekold Helbrass]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Ahriman]], Warhammer 40K
* [[Egrimm van Horstmann]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Melekh]], Warhammer Fantasy
* [[Vilitch the Curseling]], Warhammer Fantasy

===[[Malal]]===
* [[Kaleb Daark]], Warhammer Fantasy

===[[Nuffle]]===

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
{{Death Guard}}
{{Thousand Sons}}
{{Emperor's Children}}
{{World Eaters}}
{{Lost-and-Damned}}
{{Chaos-Champions}}
{{AoS-Champions}}

[[Category:Chaos]][[Category:Warriors of Chaos]][[Category:Chaos Space Marines]][[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Asavar Kul

2023-05-17T21:55:02Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:Asavar Kul.png|thumb|right|400px|This is the only picture we have of him, but at least its shown him as one of the coolest looking mother fuckers in fiction]]

{{Topquote|Everyone, deep in their hearts, is waiting for the end of the world to come.|Haruki Murakami}}

Before there was [[Karl Franz]], there was [[Magnus the Pious]] 
Before there was [[Katarin]], there was [[Miska the Slaughterer]] 
Before there were [[Space Marine|autists in space]] and [[Stormcast Eternals|gay immortal pseudo-golems]], there were [[Warriors of Chaos|plate-armoured Vikings]] 
Before there were [[The End Times]], there was the [[Great War Against Chaos]] 
And before there was [[Archaon]], there was '''Asavar'''.

==History==
We don't know where he came from (because [[GW]] never explains or go in depth around the origins of characters like this) but we do know that he was the chief of the Kul tribe and High Zar of the Kurgan, overall a pretty important position which led Asavar to being singled out by the [[Chaos Gods]] to become the 12th Everchosen. With his new job and the instructions to go bring ruin to the world, Asavar spent the next few years building up his forces into the largest Chaos invasion ever seen, and in 2301 IC he marched his troops South.

===The Great War===
Asavar moved into [[Kislev]] through a pass in the Northern [[Worlds Edge Mountains]] and, unlike the Germans and Napoleon, he did a good job at invading Russia, despite launching his invasion during the winter and ignoring what every /his/torian would be screaming at him. This is because of two glaring factors: firstly, the Warriors of Chaos are much tougher than normal men and live in a land even colder and inhospitable than Kislev, so the army would brush of blizzards like they were a spring breeze and secondly, Asavar's horde was so big that any casualties due to attrition were completely insignificant and had no effect on its fighting capacity, as discovered by the Ungol tribes who first saw the horde coming. The northern Ungol tribes act as both a warning system and delaying action for Kislev, as the tribes' mounted warriors usually spot approaching Chaos raids first, flank them, and start whittling them down with arrow fire, then when they get a decent estimate of the force's size they send some guys off to go inform the nearest settlements and cities in the horde's path so they can prepare. The problem the Ungols encountered when they ran into Asavar's army however, was that the fucking thing didn't end. Horsemen rode for hours and found no end to the horde, which was when they realised just how fucked everyone was. Most Ungol tribes rushed South to warn as many settlements as they could, with a handful staying behind to do what delaying skirmishes they could.

[[File:The Chaos Hordes.png|thumb|right|400px|"And Hell followed with him"]]
So informed about the incoming invasion, [[Kislev]] sent out a call for aid to its closest ally, [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]], which unfortunately was on the final rounds of a 1000-years-long civil war, so not many Elector Counts were willing or able to send troops to assist. The one exception to this was [[Ostland]], which sent an army marching North to reinforce the main Kislevite army. Unfortunately, even united these two armies were far too small to actually stop the Everchosen's legions, and during a battle at the River Lynsk the combined force was shattered. Asavar's army then marched on to [[Praag]], where it met up with the force under the command one of his chosen lieutenants, [[Engra Deathsword]], who had been laying siege to the city for something between 4 and 7 months despite his own large force. With all resources and defenders exhausted against the immense number of reinforcements, the city was finally overwhelmed in late 2302IC, the Chaos Warriors breaching the walls and slaughtering everyone inside. Asavar and Engra then took their combined force southwards towards Kislev city, aiming to inflict upon it the same fate before moving on to attack the Empire.

However by then [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Empire]] had finally gotten their shit together, united under a noble from [[Nuln]] called [[Magnus the Pious|Magnus]], and was preparing two armies to head North aid the Kislevites, the first led by Magnus himself, and the second being composed of multiple [[Knightly Orders of the Empire]] from the Empire. [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Dwarfs]] had also taken notice of the problems in Kislev and sent their own army to reinforce the capital directly, meaning when Asavar arrived at the city of Kislev he found not only a bunch of Slavs determined to put the defenders of Stalingrad to shame, but also a bunch of angry midgets who had built up the city's defences and dug in like ticks. The Everchosen launched his attack regardless (it was his job after all, and you try telling [[Chaos Gods|the Big 4]] you're going home because you came across some stunties) and over the following weeks he would pull more and more Northmen and Chaos Warriors to him, starting to grind the defenders down. Just as the Chaos onslaught was about to shatter the Kislevite-Dwarvish army, the first army from the Empire arrived, and while they weren't expecting the hordes to already be besieging the city, they decided to go hell for leather into the back of the Chaos fuckers, forcing Asavar to turn part of his force around and lead a counter attack. The Warriors were able to push back and surround the Empire forces and stop a break out attempt by the Dwarfs, but then the the other Empire army, with reinforcements from the still-free parts of Kislev joined the fray, [[The Lord of the Rings|charging headlong into the flanks of the horde while the defenders sallied out once more]], squeezing the core part of Asavar's forces between three prongs. The besiegers began to falter, and soon the Chaos Warriors started to disorderly try and push through in every direction.

===Final Fate===
It's unknown what happened to Asavar during the final battle of the war, as there are conflicting sources. The first claims that he and [[Magnus the Pious|Magnus]] dueled, with Magnus managing to get the best of him when [[Sigmar]] himself imbued him with power. The second claims that the Chaos Gods abandoned him, taking his strength and leaving him to die, either as punishment for failing or [[Just as Planned|for lols]]. And the third claims some upstart champion stabbed him in the back when he felt like the battle was lost, because you know, backstabbing to climb the ladder isn't just a [[Skaven]] thing. Whatever the truth, Asavar died on the field, and without him to hold the vast Chaos forces together the tribes scattered, either to return North immediately or raid smaller villages elsewhere. With the death of the twelfth Everchosen, the largest and most costly Chaos invasion ended, with the men of the North never posing such a dire threat since.

At least until [[Archaon]] had his own [[Storm of Chaos|crack at it]]. [[The End Times|Twice]].

==[[Warhammer: The Old World|The Old World]]?==
With the future (way in the future) release of the Warhammer: The Old World, there may be a chance that Asavar will be given a model and rules for the tabletop since TOW is set during the closing decades of The Age of Three Emperors, with his invasion being the catalyst which ended the period, meaning that it would make complete sense for him to be the big man of Chaos for the re-launch. GW themselves have also been hinting at this possibility as [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/07/21/square-bases-and-kislev-ascendant-see-your-questions-about-warhammer-the-old-world-answered/ a recent FAQ on Warhammer community] has suggested that TOW will go into more depth about Asavar's invasion, and later previews have outright confirmed that his preparations for the Siege of Kislev will play a big role in the setting.

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Archaon

2023-05-17T21:54:42Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{heresy}}
[[Image:Archaon Book.jpg|570px|thumb|right|A wallpaper version of his solo [[Black Library]] novel cover art.]]
<div style="font-size:1.10em;font-weight:bold;font-style: FFF Tusj ;font-family:serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em"> I AM THE TRUE CHOSEN OF CHAOS! - Archaon teaching [[Abaddon|a certain armless failure]] on how to actually kick ass'''</div>
{{Topquote|Fear me, mortals, for I am the Anointed, the Favored Son of Chaos, the Scourge of the World. The armies of the gods rally behind me, and it is by my will and by my sword that your weakling nations shall fall.|Archaon the Everchosen, Lord of the End Times}}
{{Topquote|My hatred is a thousand times more powerful than all your good intentions.|Jim Goad}}
{{Topquote|The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.|James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time}}

'''Archaon the <S>Overchosen</s> Everchosen''', formerly known as '''Diederick Kastnar''', also known concurrently as '''The Three-Eyed King''', '''Lord of the End-Times''', '''[[A Song of Ice and Fire|Kingslayer]]''', and various other titles besides is the supreme Chaos Lord of [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and its successor, [[Age of Sigmar]], as well as in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]]. He is a successor of the Kurgan High Zar Asavar Kul, who previously held the title of Everchosen. Archaon, on the other hand, managed to successfully destroy the world during the [[End Times]] and defeated Grimgor in single combat (while the latter was high off becoming the Incarnate of the Wind of Beasts, no less) and, more importantly, wrestled with Sigmar Heldenhammer himself before falling with him into a Chaos Portal to fight over the titular Warhammer for which the settings of Fantasy and 40K are named, which he just barely lost.

In other words, he shits all over the [[Abaddon|other guy]] in terms of competency and skill. Supposedly, his name is Tilean, meaning 'Warhammer Italy'. Because GW Latin fetish. Depending on how you look at him, he's either a cool, [[awesome|badass]] legend of Chaos and terrifyingly powerful, or a lameass [[Mary Sue|Gary Stu]] and the obnoxious and [[edgy]] conclusion of GW's recent Chaos fapfest.

This is, of course, his newest iteration. Archaon's been around before and was the titular Lord of the End Times during the Storm of Chaos, though both the event and his character were retconned and brought back with heavy modification for 8th Edition. See the End Times article itself for skub surrounding that.

[http://myglobalmind.com/2015/08/25/interview-with-archaon-from-norwegian-death-metal-band-1349/ Also moonlights as a guitarist for Norwegian Black Metal bands].

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a84RoIMa1Q In the latest of a long line of cool by GW, Archaon's sword, the Slayer of Kings, HAS BEEN MADE IN REAL LIFE]. This is in celebration of the new ''Everchosen'' contest, the flashy new international version of the [[Golden Demon]], and like the Slayer Sword, one fab enough painter gets to win this.

==The Legend==
[[Grimdark|Archaon was born to a Nordland townswoman after a raiding party of bloodthirsty Norscan Chaos Marauders visited the town and the leader of said party proceeded to rape her viciously before leaving her for dead amidst the burning husk of her village.]] His father is [[Be'lakor]], who had taken the shape of a mortal at the time because being an ambitious [[Daemon Prince]] of [[Chaos Undivided]] is clearly not enough villain cred and he felt like he had to see if his cock was still working or something. Of course, the village woman [[Indrick Boreale|did not die then, no,]] but was found clinging to life by her husband and children. After trying unsuccessfully to [[Grimdark|abort the pregnancy the "Marauder champion" had forced on her]], she died nine months later giving birth to the raider's bastard son. Rejected by the surviving family members, the midwife left the baby near the door of a Sigmarite church, where he was saved from a pack of hungry wolves by a Sigmarite priest who adopted in as a son and page for the local church, naming him Diederick.

Diederick grew up into a vigorous and devout lad, strong in the ways of Sigmar, and became a squire for the lecherous lout of a knight Sieur Kastnar. When the Sieur Kastnar ran afoul of some foes and died, Diederick, being a man of honor, took it upon himself to deliver the knight's ancestral sword to House Kastnar. The lady of the House, having been disregarded and despised by her husband, was touched by the young squire's dedication and integrity, and adopted him to her house, bequeathing the sword of Kastnar to him, along with the dead knight's horse Orberon. With her sponsorship, Diederick then entered into the prestigious Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb, becoming the greatest warrior of the Order on account of his (unbeknownst) Northern bloodlust and a paragon of the Order's knightly ideals. [[Grimdark|Which essentially means he was a Black Templar level fanatic who didn't think twice of killing children if they were born with the taint of Chaos]].

Later on his career, while questing about and slaying whole tribes of Beastmen single-handed, Diederick came across a group of the Sisters of Sigmar who were transporting a heretical tome. This tome would turn out to be Liber Celestior itself, penned by Necrodormo the Insane under the direction of Be'Lakor himself, and said to hold the prophecy of the Everchosen of Chaos, the final champion who would herald the End Times. The tome was to be transported to the Grand Cathedral of Sigmar in Altdorf, where it would be kept protected from a warband of Chaos Warriors intent on using it to find the Everchosen. This warband being the Swords of Chaos.

Of course, young Diederick had not even seen the prophecy for himself. And indeed, for so many years, had been much too fanatical and thick in the head to realize that he fit the perfect profile of a Norscan warrior, not an Imperial knight. This also did not come fully to him when his own Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb began hunting him, despite him having been the greatest exemplar of their Order's religious and military ideals. Diederick, being a <s>complete badass</s> fucking Mary Sue, made quick work of the knights and also managed to evade the Swords of Chaos, seeking refuge at the Kastnar estate only to find it having been burned to the ground. There, he conferred with the young Sister of Sigmar Giselle and the priest who had fostered him as to the reasons why the Empire had declared him a heretic and why the Swords of Chaos wanted to suck his cock. They came to the conclusion that he fit the bill as the Everchosen based on the fact that:

* A). He was obviously of Norscan descent (fucking racists...)
* B). He was a knight of the Empire, like the Everchosen was foretold to be.

That's essentially it, really. It's a pretty fucking vague prophecy. But in fantasy worlds, this is often convincing enough, and so Diederick, on the advice of his foster father, journeyed to Altdorf to gain some confirmation of his dark destiny at the Grand Cathedral of Sigmar. Of course, this was after he succeeded in hanging himself because he couldn't live with the truth. Ballsy of him, but the Chaos Gods went 'lolno' and brought him back to life to get on without; they really wanted the End Times to happen, the little shits.

So, after he dragged his depressed ass to Altdorf he prayed before an altar to Sigmar to give him some sign or indication that he was not forsaken by the God-King and not damned to a fate he did not choose and did not want, and received stone silence in return... other than the obvious favor he's enjoyed from the epic ass-kickings he's been delivering as a Knight. And considering the powers of Warrior-Priests, Diederick probably already had shit tons of confirmation that he was, if anything, favored by Sigmar. This doesn't explain why ANY other Human, Elf or Dwarf God didn't appear to prevent End Times, or why Sigmar did fuck-all at the time since even a single act would've stopped the entirety of the End Times. [[Mary Sue|Diederick went batshit insane and managed to take down the entire knightly garrison of the Sigmarite Cathedral]] and even managed to cripple and capture the Grand Theogonist. Interrogating the Grand Theogonist by breaking his fingers individually, Diederick demanded to know how exactly the Knights of the Twin-Tailed Orb were so sure that he was the Everchosen; after all, there were countless half-Norscans running about in the Empire, and there were countless knights of the Empire who had fallen to Chaos. The Theogonist revealed that they weren't sure at all; they had been hunting and killing everyone with his profile throughout the Empire just to make sure. The clincher was that the true Everchosen was prophesied to travel to Altdorf and ask that exact question.

So yes, if Diederick had ''not'' gone to Altdorf to find this out, he would not have fulfilled the prophecy. [[Just as Planned]]. This also means that if the Theogonist did nothing then the End Times also never would've happened, [[derp|and despite knowing this they chose to act.]]

Having finally been driven to Joker levels of genocidal insanity by this tidbit of information (and bad writing), Diederick's switch flipped from good to evil and he loudly denounced the God-King Sigmar and affirmed his allegiance to the Dark Gods of his father's race, swearing that he would bring the Empire crashing down and tear away the pageantry of Sigmar's religion to reveal the god for the craven liar and charlatan that he was. It was during this shouted oath of death and destruction that the Grand Theogonist gloatingly revealed that the entire Reikland army and pretty much the entirety of the Empire's [[Gunpowder (Warhammer Fantasy)|gunpowder]] potential was primed on the Cathedral with the order to kill the Everchosen by any means necessary, including by destroying the Cathedral itself. Luckily for Diederick, the Swords of Chaos arrived and rescued him from the clutches of the Empire, fleeing northwards towards Norsca where the Everchosen could begin his journey. This is, of course, if you follow the later books. Originally he read the prophecy, lost his marbles, and ran off screaming in the night before deciding he'd go up north and join his new dark god daddies.

For such a popular badass among fans, you'd think his origin story wouldn't be so pathetic and stupid.

===Quest for the Six Treasures===
Alright guys, y'all know the story that came after this.

Taking on the name Archaon, the Everchosen traveled North; crossing into Norsca and the Chaos Wastes as he began his prophesied centuries-long journey seeking the Relics of Chaos - The Burning Mark of Chaos Eternal, which bestowed upon its bearer the ultimate favor all four of the Great Chaos Gods. The Armour of Morkar (shield included), the battle-scarred Chaos Plate born by the Norsii warlord and first and greatest of the Everchosen. The Slayer of Kings, the horrifyingly powerful regicidal greatsword forged by Vangel, the Second Everchosen; bound with the soul of U'zhul, the Fist of [[Khorne]]. The Crown of Domination, the ancient battle-helm borne by the first Northern warrior to bargain his soul to Chaos's Dark Lords. The Eye of Sheerian, which bestows upon its user prophetic powers (had it been the Mouth of Sheerian, it probably would have granted him a decent singing voice). And Dorghar, Steed of the Apocalypse.

Archaon got the first one by traveling to the Altar of Ultimate Darkness in Naggaroth where he single-handedly brought upon the genocide of the race of bloodthirsty, atavistic monster-men who infested the temple and who feasted upon the flesh of stray Dark Elves. In the novel and newer version, he also fought a Dark Elf army led by a dragon-riding Sorceress and was saved by Valkia when she arrived after he sacrificed a Dark Elf assassin to the Chaos Gods (strangely Valkia arrived when Archaon offered the assassin's heart even though Khorne's thing is skulls).

He earned the Armour of Morkar by travelling to the Norse King's cairn in the Southern Chaos Wastes and facing off against his vengeful spirit and was nearly slaughtered by his predecessor then and there but for spitting out a 'yo mama' insult in the dead tongue of the Unberogens which managed to catch Morkar just off-guard enough due to its WTFness for Archaon to sucker-punch him and steal the armour. Actually, it turns out that Archaon said 'brinnan utva lioht', which means 'burn in the light', which if I'm being honest, sounds about as insulting as calling someone a scoundrel. To be fair, it only worked because it was Sigmar's language and the last thing Sigmar said to Morkar before concaving his head.

He claimed the Eye of Sheerian from Flamefang, the Claw of Tzeentch, a three-headed Chaos Dragon (a one-headed chaos dragon spirit that possessed and assimilated bodies to gain physical form in the novel). Archaon found it sleeping in its lair and woke it up by hitting one of its heads with his axe. There was an intense fight, which ended when Flamefang swallowed Archaon whole and flew all the way to the Southern Wastes. The armor prevented Archaon from being digested and he cut his way out of the dragon's throat from the inside, which naturally killed it. Archaon plucked the Eye of Sheerian from the belly of its corpse and hung it around his neck.

The next wasn't an item, but a being, the daemonic creature called Dorghar - also known as Ghurshy'ish'phak, Wsyorach and Yrontalie - the Steed of the Apocalypse. At the time Dorghar was being kept in the menagerie of a Slaaneshi Daemon Prince. He entered the stables by clinging to the underbelly of one of the monsters as it returned to its roost, a part man, part mammoth and part insect abomination. Once there, he broke in and tracked Dorghar by Dorghar's smell (originally) or using the Eye of Sheerian (post-retcon and in the novel) until he found the creature. He then jumped on Dorghar's back like a hellish rodeo - one where the mount burst into flame and changed shape while also fighting to dislodge and kill Archaon. Eventually he broke Dorghar's will and killed the daemon prince before riding back out of the Realm of Chaos.

He got the Slayer of Kings from a sleeping Krakanrok the Black, father of the Dragon Ogre race and a being the size of a mountain. The superstrong even for a follower of chaos Khornate Beastlord Ograx was ''just'' able to lift one of Krakanrok's fingers high enough for Archaon to grab the sword. It started screaming so loud that the mountain-sized Krakanrok began to stir and Archaon silenced the blade's screaming by impaling the Beastlord through the heart with it, thereby sating its regicidal thirst as Ograx was a Prince of the Southern Pole Beastmen, who are Beastmen directly fused with Daemons without humans drawing the attention away in the North (and also one of Be'lakor's many bastard children).

The search for the Crown took longer than all the others combined, near a century in fact. But, as we know, he gained the Crown of Domination by travelling to the First Shrine of Chaos in the Northern World's Edge Mountains after Be'lakor was made by the Chaos Gods to appear and show him the way (and some directions from Vilitch in the retcon). Archaon entered and overcame tests set by all 4 of the Chaos Gods, including navigating through a maze made by Tzeentch (by blindfolding himself and going by instinct alone), fighting off every disease possible from Nurgle through [[awesome|sheer]] [[Humanity Fuck Yeah|willpower]] (being reduced to pulling himself across the floor with his fingers as his body melts away, to be restored to normal as if nothing happened in the next room), resisting temptations from Slaanesh in person as he/she/it manifested for a friendly chat, and finally Khorne sending Skarbrand to test his mettle. Skarbrand whom he then strangled to death with his own whip (actually required a fair bit more cunning, planning and daemonic intervention than the armybook versions of the stories would have you believe).

==The Storm of Chaos fiasco ==
And so Archaon got his swag. Eventually the Chaos Gods gave the order, and he led the most ferocious and largest army of [[Warriors of Chaos|Chaos Warriors]] ever assembled against the [[Empire]] during the [[Storm of Chaos]] campaign for 6th Edition. Before he reached the location where he was to end the world, he faced [[Valten]] (supposedly a reincarnation of Sigmar himself), who fought through the Swords of Chaos and killed Dorghar before pressing on to Archaon himself. Valten rushed in to strike Archaon after having dismounted him, but Archaon lunged out of the smoke left when Dorghar died and stabbed him in the chest; Valten pulled even closer though, and swung down, his hammer shredding through Archaon's armor and knocking him to his knees. But Valten let his guard down to un-impale himself on Archaon's sword, and the Lord of the End Times struck back and broke Valten's chestplate. In a moment of humanization and weakness, two things GW would make sure were removed from Chaos and Archaon later on, Archaon was fearful of a Sigmarite tattoo Valten had, and thought the big man himself had come to end him. Just then the [[Orcs & Goblins|Orc]] warlord [[Grimgor Ironhide|Grimgor]] smashed through the Chaos bodyguard single-handed, headbutted Arch in the junk, laughed at his sorry ass then went back to gather another army of greenskins.

The reason this bullshit happened? GW built the narrative around their battle reports, army by army. The problem is that Chaos kept losing. In fact, the good guys were winning so badly the only reason Archaon was pushing them back was due to plot. But GW had already pre-planned the story to become the grimderpofthe41stmilleniumwherethereisonlywar and make "End Times" be in the past tense. In the end, they resorted to having fans call-in the way they wanted the story to end, hoping that Warhammer Fantasy fans would pick the faction with the pointiest stuff on their armor.

They didn't.

They chose a faction that had been beaten in the last match.

Fans chose Orcs over Chaos.

GW had no backup plan.

Grimgor's entire army had been beaten by Crom while Valten and Archaon fought. Grimgor got sick of rallying his forces, went "ZOG DIS, I WANNA PIECE UV DA ACTION!" and charged in to sucker punch Archaon as he was about to deliver the final blow to Valten, shout for the silent and awed assembled armies of the world to hear that "GRIMGOR IZ DA BEST!", then went back home to rally his army. This resulted in the snide nickname of "Light Drizzle of Chaos." Archaon fled the field, somehow alive, but literally ran for the hills to escape Grimgor, who fucked off to who knows where, and the coming army of Karl-Franz.

With that pesky idea of "player agency" getting in the way of their attempt at a forced Chaos ending, GW went silent and further fluff never came. Later on, they retconned almost the entirety of Storm of Chaos and instead made it an alternate continuity. In the current narrative, <s>he's still amassing his army</s> the world ended, and this time, GW dropped the pretenses and didn't leave the ending up to the fans, and in response to complaints that Archaon was an Archy Sue, they amplified his power level through the roof.

So began the beginning of the end of the beginning of the end.

== Archaon's Posse ==
In first [[Storm of Chaos]] and now in [[The End Times]], Archaon isn't alone at the top of the hordes of chaos. He has some lieutenants to help him keep everyone organised. Closest of all is his Herald, [[Vardek Crom]], although officially Crom gets killed in a failed invasion.

In [[Storm of Chaos]], Games Workshop decided to go with the [[Your dudes]] approach, creating four lieutenants based on simply fluffing out the new Chaos Champion models for each of the four gods (save Khorne, who got a custom model based on an old Archaon head, Orc arms and an old Bloodletter body). Thusly, in [[White Dwarf]], we were introduced to:
* [[Haargroth]] the Blooded One, Champion of [[Khorne]].
* [[Feytor]] the Tainted, Champion of [[Nurgle]].
* [[Styrkaar]], Champion of [[Slaanesh]].
* [[Melekh]] the Changer and the sorcerous mutant-child Cyspeth, Champions of [[Tzeentch]].

The characters weren't received too well. So, perhaps realising their mistake, GW has revealed they're bringing back some of the big Chaos characters from their first ever Chaos Special Characters list:

* Representing [[Khorne]], it's [[Arbaal]] the Undefeated, giant Flesh Hound-riding army-butchering Chaos Lord.
* Representing [[Slaanesh]], it's [[Dechala]] the Denied One, corrupted High Elf turned six-armed poison-oozing snake-woman.
* Representing [[Nurgle]], it's [[Valnir]] the Reaper, undead soul-harvester.
* Representing [[Tzeentch]], it's [[Egrimm van Horstmann]], former Magister of the Light College turned dragon-riding daemon-commanding arch-warlock.

Unlike the others, these guys were at least respected enough to get cameos in [[The End Times]]. Two of them were even killed off, with Valnir being killed by Wulfrik in a novel and Egrimm being killed in End Times: Archaon after trying to bind the wind of Aqshy to himself. Dechala was mentioned to be in the final battle and it's said that Arbaal was krumped as well. Dechala is later confirmed to have been raised to full Daemon Prince by Slaanesh so she is the only survivor of the OGs.

[[The End Times]] made a similar plan as well with champions representing each of the Gods, and again, Crom appears and gets his ass handed to him by Valten. This time, however, the posse is made of actually known characters:
*[[Valkia the Bloody]] representing her hubby Khorne during the invasion of Naggaroth. She eventually gets a mutual kill.
*[[Vilitch the Curseling]] being the top champion of Tzeentch while Aekold Hellbrass is busy sacking Kislev. As of ET: Thanquol, he gets sent to drag in [[Karl Franz]] so Archie may kill him once and for all. In End Times: Archaon, he and Thomin switch places, with Thomin calling the shots and Vitlich being the mindless slave.
*[[Sigvald]] the Magnificent being the only person of note dedicated to Slaanesh. He gets his face rekt by the Wight King Krell and then got killed and pissed on by Throgg the troll king.
*The [[Glottkin]] taking the position of top 3 champions of Nurgle after the guy before them gets a Runefang to the face. They get beaten in the same book they appear in by a superpowered Karl Franz and are currently sitting the rest of The End Times out in Nurgle's Mansion.

==Retcon/The End Times==
[[File:archaon.jpeg|500px|thumb|right|The Everchosen doing a badass pose.]]
GW recently realized that pushing ChaosChaosChaos in Warhammer Fantasy only turns off fans who want THEIR faction to be important (as the setting has a fair number of megalomaniacs that would put comicbook villains to shame), and as a result the End Times are finally being ushered in... by [[Nagash]]. The resident Undead [[BBEG]], who aims to take over the world by rendering everyone into undead slaves then consume the Warp. In its entirety. At that time Archaon was seeking the [[Glottkin]], the [[Maggoth Lords|Maggoth Riders]], and [[Gutrot Spume]], and upon finding them gave them three jars of plagues custom-made by Nurgle himself (they also had [[Festus the Leechlord|a man on the inside at Altdorf]] who cooked up his own plague). Archaon's plan was to use the followers of Nurgle like a magical bioweapon; softening up the Empire before he came in to finish it off. Upon hearing that Naggy's stealing his thunder, Archaon prematurely led his forces to battle.

At the border of the Empire and what was once Kislev, he encountered the Auric Bastion, a gigantic wall of metal, magic and holy energy made by [[Balthazar Gelt]] that he and his troops could not cross. Then they came under attack and his army ended up in a stalemate against the forces of [[Vlad von Carstein]], the head of the Dracula Bloodline brought back from death by big bone daddy himself. Vlad's job was to keep Archaon busy while Nagash invaded Nehekhara. Naggy himself was planning to eliminate the [[Tomb Kings]] as they were one of the few forces that can challenge his rule, then subsume them into his armies and go on to kill every living thing in the world and reanimate them.

Gelt fell prey to the separate manipulations of Vlad von Carstein and the Changeling and was outed as an up-and-coming necromancer. After a misunderstanding, Gelt is declared a traitor to the Empire and flees. With Gelt's fall from grace, the Auric Bastion loses the support of the Sigmarite priests, who deem the wall tainted due to its inventor's involvement with necromancy. Soon after the Auric Bastion crumbles, giving Chaos the green light to invade the Empire. Eager to make up for lost time, Archaon leads his forces in and bulrushes his way to Middenheim. Archaon planned to defeat the god Sigmar worshiped as a symbol of his superiority. However, Ulric had enough power to resist him and Chaos had a hard fight until [[Teclis|a meddling elf wizard]], unbeknownst to everyone else, stole Ulric's flame, allowing the power of Chaos to ravage Middenheim. Archaon took on Valten, Sigmar's heir, until a Verminlord decided to be a kill-stealing prick and decapitated Valten, enraging Archaon. Eventually Archaon and his forces conquered Middenheim.

After this Archaon claimed Sigmar's hammer from Valten's body as a trophy and set up camp in Middenheim, putting his throne in the room where the Flame of Ulric once burnt. While there he schemed to have Karl Franz killed, sending [[Kairos Fateweaver]] after him. While waiting, Archaon discovered a secret weapon under Middenheim. Under even where the Flame of Ulric was is a device left by the Old Ones. If properly tended to, it could form a third Warp Rift that would combine with the other two and destroy the world so he sought to activate it, not caring that as far as he knew, it would destroy him too. Due to [[Games Workshop|plot armor]], Kairos failed and Archaon kills the former to summon Ka'Bandha to take out Karl Franz. But he and the other Khornate daemons champed at the bit to start the fight while Archaon camped in Middenheim so he permitted them to hunt Karl Franz and the Incarnates as long as they gave him Karl Franz's flayed skin. During this time he gets several people pledging themselves to his cause who get used as auxiliaries including [[Isabella von Carstein|a possessed vampire]], [[Sigvald|a preening Chaos Lord]], the entire Skaven race and [[Settra the Imperishable|a dethroned undead king]] (though the latter's in it cos "the enemy of my enemy..." and ultimately says "fuck this shit" to Chaos).

Due to the machinations of Nurgle and the Skaven, Nagash is reduced from contender for the main villain and a burgeoning god of undeath to that "lesser villain that needs to team up with the good guys to fight the true villain" guy. The Bone Daddy approaches the Incarnates and offers an alliance which they, ''very'' grudgingly, accept. Eventually the Incarnates come to Middenheim and a gigantic clusterfuck of a battle occurs. The Orcs led by Grimgor throw in their lot with the Incarnates after some skillful manipulation from Malekith and even Sigmar himself makes a comeback. Despite everything arrayed against them, it eventually ends up being ChaosChaosChaos anyways when they fail to stop Archaon's ace-in-the-hole; his custom-made, Old-Ones-inspired WMD... Largely because Mannfred decided to betray Nagash (along with the rest of the good guys) at the last moment. While everyone else either dies or gets warped into some chaos bullshit, Archaon and Sigmar fall into the Warp Rift while wrestling for the hammer.

Whatever anyone says, if there was to be an ending to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, this is it: The Big Good and Big Bad of the setting falling into oblivion wrestling over The Warhammer. Fucking <strike>sweet</strike> <strike>gay</strike> however you feel about it.

==Age of Sigmar==
So by now I imagine you're thinking "well bugger me, how can this guy get any more badass and/or mary sueish?" Well let me answer that for you, with a new model. Move over, [[Nagash]], there's a new giant model in town and he's coming for you.

After completing a brand new series of challenges set by the Chaos Gods, smashing them all with ease and without a shred of loyalty for the Unholy Quintet, and rejecting the newly ascended [[Great Horned Rat]]'s offer of a blessing by spitting in his verminous face, Archaon has been made the Grand High Marshall of Chaos. Which basically means that he can do whatever the fuck he wants without the Chaos Gods doing anything to stop him. He could go around and murder the shit out of each of the gods' best followers and get away with it, because fuck you, he's Archaon.

That said, however, not everyone unanimously accepts his claim, and there were those like the Gaunt Summoners of Tzeentch (A bunch of possibly-daemonic sorcerers with eyes all over their helmets) that put up a resistance against the Marshall, and end up getting a serious ass-whooping for their troubles. Once that was dealt with he went on a rampage through the realms. One of his harder battles was in the realm of Shyish. Archaon took on Nagash as he was the only one strong enough to defeat him. Archaon did at one point, striking him down and began to destroy his body. From there he proceeded to lock up the souls of the dead in a giant bone cage so Nagash couldn't access them.
However Nagash was the god of death and Archaon had killed him in the Afterlife, so where was we going to go, Detroit? Due to Nagash's powers - and Arkhan and Neferata retrieving his remains afterwards - Nagash returned to try and lay a vengeful beatdown on Archaon's army, only to fail again. He used his powers to break the bone cage and gain access to the souls Archaon had contained. The two dueled, again but Archaon called on the Bloodthirsters for backup, forcing Nagash to retreat. Archaon's only defeat came at the hands of Malerion in the realm of Ulgu, and he is now fascinated by Ulgu.

On top of his legions, he also controls his own order of knights, called the Varanguard. These guys replace Archie's old warband and serve as his presence in every campaign, and in those he does deign worthy of his direct intervention, they serve as his mightiest warriors. These guys are called from every walk of Chaos, and each of them find some omen compelling them to serve the Everchosen to which they follow so devotedly that they abandon their god's calling to serve him under pain of death. Those that pass the trials laid before them on their route to the Varanspire (his new castle in the Realm of Chaos) are then chosen to join one of his eight circles and gain a giant mutant thing that possibly used to be a horse. Also joined by some of Slaanesh's followers and daemons - the Invaders faction - who now worships him as their god.

And that's not even mentioning the new changes to his look.

For a start, Archaon is now rocking some badass new black armour that makes him look much more sinister, powerful, and imposing, though at the cost of the Northern Warlord look he used to have. Slayer of Kings is also different, now a gigantic on-fire sword with a much more ornate design than before, very cool. But the real change isn't even Archaon himself, but the horse Dorghar. Well, ex-horse, because Dorghar is now a gigantic chimera monster with three heads to represent Nurgle, Khorne, and Tzeentch (Slaanesh has vanished without a trace) and two tails as an homage to the Great Horned Rat. He's now gathering all the forces of Chaos together to launch a massive campaign against Sigmar and finish what he started in the Old World, and stands as the greatest threat that Order may ever have to face. Just like old times, huh? To GW's credit, Sigmar's also gotten a lot stronger, so it's beginning to feel less like some author's pet stomping over non-opposition, but who will ultimately win?

Archaon also nearly scored a major win for Chaos during the Soul Wars by finding and reaching Slaanesh's prison. He took his Varanguard, leaving the Chaos Lord Namos Saskarid in charge while he went to free the Chaos God. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for everyone not Chaos-aligned, Nagash chose that time to strike. The undead attacked through the Shyishian realmgate and captured it, with [[Lady Olynder]] personally killing Saskarid. Then [[Katakros]] and armies from four Ossiarch Legions moved in and fortified the gate, leaving part of the Allpoints under control of Nagash. From there Bonereaper and Nighthaunt armies ravaged the Eightpoints, even laying siege to the Varanspire itself. Upon learning of this, Archaon was forced to stop breaking Slaanesh's chains and led his forces in a mad rush back to the Eightpoints. Catching the undead in a three-pronged attack, the undead army was decimated, Archaon leading the charge and destroying many undead including slaying Katakros' lieutenant Zandtos. Soon the Everchosen and Mortarch met for the first time, immediately enaging each other in a vicious duel. Despite his attendants dying, Katakros did well against Archon until he got pinned by Dorghar and run through with the Slayer of Kings (though unbeknownst to Archaon, Katakros had planned for that and has lots of back-up bodies). Having repelled the undead but losing part of the Eightpoints to Nagash, Archaon decided that next time he crossed paths with Nagash, he'd finish him for off once and for all.

His dad is currently trying to win street cred in an attempt to usurp him, but given that this is Be'lakor we are talking about he is probably going to fail in some spectacular way. (Although surprisingly it has been working out for him well for him so far.) His latest attempt at this was featured in the new warcry box set ”Heart of Ghur” which has some of his troops fighting it out with troops belonging to Be'lakor, Nurgle, and [[Hashut]] of all things over a place called the Gnarlwood located on the continent of Thondia in Ghur. In addition to being filled with all kinds of nasty carnivorous plants that could be used to ruin someone’s day, the forest is also loaded with powerful Seraphon artifacts that were left there after a bunch of their ships crashed in the area. Seeing an opportunity to score a victory by gaining the artifacts and thus further convince people he deserves to be the true Everchosen, Be'lakor has sent his troops out to conquer the Gnarlwood which has forced Archaon to send in his own troops to stop them.

== On the tabletop ==

===Warhammer Fantasy===
In an interesting irony, though probably not intentional, Archaon is also in a lot ways the opposite of Abaddon, not in a bad way. Where as Abaddon tends to get changed fairly heavily each edition, Archaon stays mostly the same with each book, with the only changes to him being armor save's not including bonus for him being mounted, what his steed can do, or whether or not you can field him on foot. Also, where as Abaddon is characterized by his hitting power while being respectably tough to kill, Archaon hits hard (base attack ignores armor and can double attacks for the rest of the game, though if does any 1s on to hit rolls have to be directed at him or his unit) although his most impressive trait is how freaking hard he is to kill. While his statline is only slightly better than a normal Chaos Lord, he has a 1+ armor save, a 3+ ward save, all to hit rolls against him have a -1 and he can't be wounded on better than 3+. Sadly, while an indestructible death machine, his cost keeps him from getting much use. Afterall, [[Dwarfs|cannons]] are the solution to all problems in Warhammer Fantasy.

===Age of Sigmar===
Age of Sigmar continues this trend of indestructibility in style. Now rocking a 3+ Save that he can easily buff to a 2+, a 5+ Save against Mortal Wounds, and now ''20 FUCKING WOUNDS! HOLY SHIT, THIS IS MEANT TO BE THE GAME WHERE 1 WOUND IS THE AVERAGE, RIGHT?'' Yeah, new monster-riding Archaon is even more of a tank than he used to be, and that's saying a lot. And in addition to this, his new three-headed Dorghar can use one of three special abilities every turn he kills somebody in melee. This can range from vomiting up the remains of his victims all over the unit he's fighting, Nurgle style, to ''eating their skulls and heal D3 wounds!'' Fucking hell, and I thought he was a tank before he could regenerate. In addition to his insane defensive ability, he can also bring the pain too. He has access to Arcane Bolt (as well as the ability to gain the spells of any other wizard if he feeds the unfortunate wizard to the Tzeentch head), though Mystic Shield is always a better choice to up his defense, Dorghar can hit like a truck like any monster, and the Slayer of Kings returns as potentially one of the strongest weapons in the game with an easy To Hit and To Wound, and very heavy Rend and Damage. In addition, if you roll two 6's To Wound on the same Hero with the Slayer of Kings, then it instantly kills them with no saves of any kind allowed. Though with only four attacks, this won't happen too often. Still, with those stats he's easily going to live long enough to pull it off sooner or later.

==Total War: WARHAMMER==
Archaon appears as the faction leader for the Warriors of Chaos, the first DLC faction of Total War: WARHAMMER and though the campaign mechanics of said faction have been left in the dirt by newer and shinier factions to come out, Archaon still manages to be an absolute menace on the battlefield in a chaos campaign. At level 40 and with all of his quest items (of which he has 4, as many as you can have) he carries on the tabletop tradition of being an absolute tank, rocking an impressive 40% ward save combined with a 20% physical resist (which can be comboed with the Swords of Chaos' guardian ability, bringing the physical resist upto 35%), and a 15% magical resist resulting in a combined damage reduction of up to 75% for physical damage and 55% for magical damage. Couple this with the fact that you can easily get him to over 130 armor and over 100 of both melee defense AND attack, and he will stay in the fight for longer than most. Oh and he also gets access to the lore of fire and the Slayer of Kings, ensuring that he can dish out punishment as readily as he can take it.

However, as mentioned this is all in the chaos campaign. On multiplayer... well, he's a bit of a meme. Players have even given him the moniker of "Archaon the Neverchosen" due to the fact that more often than not people will elect to either bring Kholek or a generic Chaos Lord in favor of Archaon. There are a couple of reasons for this

* His tankiness in campaign is simply not as much a factor in multiplayer, though he does have 120 armor, 5000 hp, 60 melee defense, and 10% physical resist, he is still far more vurlerable to being gooned by other lords than Kholek or Sarthorael would be, largely owing to him not having nearly as high a mass as either of those two leading to him being unable to push his way out of dangerous situations. It also means that he is staggered more in combat, leading to him getting fewer hits in and is therefore less effective.
* And much like his tankiness is a non factor, his killiness is as well. He's got a single strong damage augmenting item, that being the Slayer of Kings, which albeit very killy, has a very long cooldown and more importantly only recharges if he's in melee, leading to you potentially only being able to use it once in a match if the opponent is avoiding him well.
* Speaking of avoiding him, he can be quite easy to kite despite being a mounted lord with a relatively high speed, and you might wonder why this is? Well, remember that mass problem he's got? If he does manage to get on top of someone's lord and pops his Slayer of Kings, all that lord has to do is find a handy unit of zombies, gobbos or whatever else expendable unit they have lying around and throw them at him while their lord runs away, leaving him to go fisticuffs with a unit that he will beat eventually, but a unit that he doesn't actually want to be fighting since it's a waste for him to do so.
* Speaking of wastes, let's talk about his cost. Stripping all his magic and items (though not Dorghar, what would he be without him) Archaon comes in at a premium at 2085 gold, just slightly more expensive than a Dragon Ogre shaggoth. Kholek meanwhile (being his primary contender) comes in at 2200, which albeit more expensive, gives you a lot more due to the fact that Kholek doesn't suffer from having low mass, nor does his combat buff, Starcrusher, recharge only in combat. It's admittedly a weaker buff in terms of raw damage potential, but it lasts longer and is available more reliably, therefore giving it the edge. And of course, if you don't want either Kholek nor Archaeon, you can always go for the dead cheap Chaos Lord or even Sigvald, who allow you to go for a wider build.

Maybe with game 3 being focused more on Chaos we'll see an update to the Warriors of Chaos and Archaon, that hopefully might make him a more lucrative pick, but at the moment he's just a bit lackluster compared to his competitors. However, pretty much the opposite started to happen instead, as with the reveal of your own customisable Daemon Prince Archaon once again fell out of favor, as many people regarded Daniel to be far more interesting, oh and also he has a roster composed of all Chaos Daemons with only minor restrictions. Time will tell, of course, but for now poor old Archaon is dumped on once again.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDhKpHUijtQ Or maybe not anymore]. The most recent information regarding the combined map game mode "Immortal Empires" presented by various Content Creators and Youtubers also gave the Warriors of Chaos, and thus Archaon, some time in the spotlight. Upcoming changes for him so far:

* Dorghar has received a visual overhaul and is now truly gargantuan, dwarfing even the massive chaos knights' steeds, who themselves dwarf your average horses now. No more Chaos ponies! Hopefully this mere size increase also brought better combat stats with it, otherwise he has just become an even more attractive target for any form of missile units and Anti-Large artillery.

* Archaon himself got a visual overhaul as well; the most notably thing so far is that his chin is not clipping 24/7 through his collar anymore. Along with that, he received new fighting animations both on foot as well as on Dorghar.

* In terms of actual gameplay changes, Archaon isn't a pure Lore of Fire caster anymore, but now has a mixture of the Lore of Death, Metal and aforementioned Fire. Which is somewhat of a mixed bag all things considered, literally and figuratively. He keeps Flaming Sword of Ruin and Flaming Skull, but loses access to Flamestorm (which was his primary method of dealing with armored infantry blobs) and instead received the Purple Sun of Xereus. Which, when compared to Flamestorm, is pretty much inferior in any way: Higher Winds of Magic cost, shorter duration and it deals too much damage per entity, meaning damage isn't efficiently divided between entities of a unit. Plus the new hard cap for Winds of Magic makes the higher cost of Purple sun even more bothersome. Bummer.
* Other than that, he reportedly gets Searing Doom, Transmutation of Lead and Spirit Leech (Another overpriced, underperforming spell from the god-awful and wrongly named Lore of Death. Seriously, you would think that a Lore of Magic that is called "Death" would actually excel at killing stuff. But no, can't have that apparently). Generally speaking, his spell selection got a whole lot less impressive.

All in all, Archaon is definitely going to be less devastating as a caster with this new Lore of Magic mix, but to compensate for that, he may be further improved as an actual melee combatant. If that is sufficient to make him stand out enough remains to be seen, but considering that the Chaos faction as a whole already has a plethora of powerful melee Legendary Lords (Skarbrand, N'kari and Kholek spring to mind), it is probably best to retain a healthy portion of skepticism when regarding the question if Ingame-Archaon will be able to live up to expectations.

And Immortal Empires came, and Archaon is pretty good, all things considering. It's less than getting more op on the battlefield, but more that he finally found a niche in the Warriors of Chaos roster. He's now the standart Warriors of Chaos campaign, with the Champions of Chaos taking a lot from their monogod brethren, Sigvald being halfway Slaaneshi, and Kholek doing Kholek things(SMASH), only Archaon and Be'lakor are truly Undivided, and they have different specializations. Be'lakor has no Gifted units cap, and he starts with all the Gifts slots unlocked. Archaon has to unlock them via the tech tree, but he's now the proper poster boy, in the sense that his mortal followers can follow every god. Plus Archaon gets to (violently) confederate every one of his faction buddies, like Be'lakor. In a sense he is similar to the Daemon Prince, in the sense that his campaign is whatever you make it to be. Given his start position he is well defended from external threats for a while, but he can find a proper challenge in his doorstep. He has a lot of Dark Fortresses available to him in the surrounding area, and he's not that far away from Kholek if you want to go that route.

So, all in all, Archaon is better than ever in Immortal Empires. He doesn't have the melee potential of Kholek, or the massive cheese of Vilitch's barrier, but on the other hand, he doesn't have to. His campaign is fun, and considering his long trek since being in the most boring faction in Warhammer I to this point, I think that's a solid win in my book.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image: Original Archaon.jpg|Archaon, back in the early days of Warhammer Fantasy. He had a horsie.
Image: Archaon Old.jpg|Archaon's limited edition model, on-foot.
Image: Archaon New.jpg|Archaon's new model with his daemon horsie.
Image:ArchaonAOS.jpg|Archaon's newER model, now with a gigantic daemon chimera, the Evolved form of daemon horsie.
Image:Godbeasts.jpg|An evil, powerful warrior traveling from world to world, seeking further power from a godlike serpentine dragon... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vjJrGeh1c that sounds familiar].
Image: The three eyed king.jpg|Archaon ablazing.
Image: Archaon end times.png|Archaon's sword.
Image: Lord of the End Times.jpg|Archaon's sword ablazing.
Image: Archaon 3.png|Archaon in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]]
</gallery>

==Memes==
Of course what would a Warhammer character be without the memes?

Archaon is notable for a fair few, given the tendency of writers to keep at least his foot in the spotlight.
* ANIME: Thanks to his art and general JRPG villain actions in Age of Sigmar, Archaon has become the embodiement of ANIME (always caps).
*Archaon the never chosen: In total warhammer he is rarely ever a threat and a barely played lord with most players choosing order factions & chaos players choosing norscans or beastmen. Now with the release of Total Warhammer 3 even less players choose archaon as the chaos roster has been expanded.
* Horns: Archaon's helmet horns have grown in each incarnation, leading to humor a la Abby's armlessness about horn growth, and the increasing difficulty lifting or turning his head.
* Penguins: Archaon has described the Beastmen inhabiting the south pole as "true Beastmen", free from human taint. Since there is no combination of Daemon, man, mutant, or beast not present in the Old World some have come to the conclusion that Archaon is scared of penguins.
* Archaos: The creator of the Archaon character identified his original intended name as the even more ludicrous "Archaos", destined to fall on his sword in the final battle after realizing what he had done to the laughter of the Chaos Gods. Since then Archaos the teenage suicide victim bullied by the Four has become a preferred way to mock the character.
* [[Slambo]]: A generic miniature from Oldhammer that some see as the REAL Everchosen.
* Everchozen: He'll have this world.... kid. A purposefully bad Paint drawing of Archaon in the style of Coldsteel the Hedgehog, complete with massive horns and a bio reminiscent of a twelve year old's Naruto OC. Commonly used by critics of the End Times and/or GW's sudden masturbation of Chaos in general (and ''boy'' are there plenty of critics), and/or as "Neverchozen", referencing pre-retcon Archaon and his failure.
* On a minor note, two memes about [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/11/15/meme-hammer-youre-welcome/ Archaon failing to destroy the world of Warhammer from Geedubs themselves] after the news about [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] returned.

{{Chaos-Champions}}
{{Template:ChaosGods}}
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]

Arbaal

2023-05-17T21:54:07Z

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[[File:Arbaal 1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Before there was the Emperor of Mankind, before there was an Everchosen, before there was Kharn, there was Arbaal.]]
'''Arbaal the Undefeated''' is one of the original [[Chaos]] Champions from the earliest editions of [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]]. A sworn servant of [[Khorne]], he is perhaps the greatest champion of all those dedicated to the Blood God; thousands have fallen before his axe, and none have ever conquered him. As signs of favor, Khorne gifted Arbaal with the Hound of Khorne, a monstrous [[daemon|Flesh Hound]] that serves as his steed, and infuses him with tireless energy for the slaughter. Yet, the boons come with a price: should Arbaal ever flee from battle, then Khorne's wrath will be unsurpassed.

In crunch-terms, he rode into battle upon a mega-nasty steed that was immune to magical weapon attacks and made them both immune to spells; he traded the usual Frenzy rules of the time for Destroyer of Khorne (2D6 Strength 6 Weapon Skill 9 attacks each round), and if he ever fled combat he would instantly turn into a [[Chaos Spawn]]. Am I saf'''UIYSFDBOAYDBGASDYLAWADIS'''{{FWIP}} He only came with chaos armor and an axe, but this was the edition when special characters could buy extra gear to pimp themselves out.

Arbaal was rumored to return as the Khornate Lieutenant of [[Archaon]] as part of the next release for [[The End Times]]; while he does indeed return, he gets killed by [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)#Characters | Caradryan]], Incarnate of Fire. So much for the Undefeated.

<gallery>
Image:Arbaal 2.jpg
Image:Arbaal 3.jpg|If you can remember this in a store as a new product, then congratulations; you're a white(neck)beard.
Image:Arbaal 4.JPG|In all his blocky glory.
</gallery>

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Aekold Helbrass

2023-05-17T21:53:52Z

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[[File:Aekold Helbrass.png|thumb|250px|right|The very 90's bringer of life and death.]]
'''Aekold Helbrass''' was a [[Chaos Champion]] of [[Tzeentch]] introduced in the 4th edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy]], and was then promptly [[Squats|forgotten]] (getting a mention on the map in the 8th edition Warriors of Chaos army book but not appearing until [[The End Times]]).

Aekold was originally just a bored nobleman seeking purpose to his life, becoming a knight in the Order of the Jade Griffon. Eventually he became disatisfied with how he believed the Church of Sigmar was unable to change the world for the better, leading him to join the Brethren of the Golden Eagle, a revolutionary society that was a front for a Tzeentch cult. Although Aekold progressed up the ranks of the cult, eventually it was exposed and Aekold was disowned by his parents and fiancee, forcing him to flee north. In Troll Country, he discovered an ancient monolith to Tzeentch protected by a minotaur; upon slaying the minotaur, he discovered a carving on the monolith that was centuries old yet depicted himself.

Aekold went further north to the Chaos Wastes until he found a mirror-portal, guarded by a reflection of himself that represented what could have been if he remained loyal to Sigmar. After slaying his own reflection, he had one last moment of regret for his deeds before realizing that he was too far gone to go back and entered the mirror-portal, returning transformed into the Champion of Tzeentch.

What separated him from [[Egrimm van Horstmann|other champions and]] [[Vilitch the Curseling|lords of Tzeentch]], was that he wasn't a wizard, and his special ability given to him by Tzeentch: the ''Breath of Life''. See, wherever Aekold wandered, he would make the land spring into life, as grass and flowers would grow around the area he walked. This ability also allowed him to heal those in the threshold of death (presumably annoying [[Nurgle]] greatly), and make wooden objects start taking root again.

He fell during the End Times, dying in battle against [[Gotrek & Felix|Felix Jaeger]]. Before this though, he appeared to have been the main catalyst for the destruction of Kislev. He lost control of Praag to Throgg but went on to win the battles of the Lesser Tobol and at Kislev City. Finally he went on to use his Breath of Life powers to breach the Auric Bastion with ease (turning a Slaaneshi sorcerer into a beanstalk in the process) and his army seemed to win the subsequent battle of the 3 sisters, even managing to kill Vlad von Carstein (as usual, Vlad got better because of his ring). However, during the fighting, some dwarfs exploded him inadvertently while emerging from a tunnel just as he was beating Felix Jaeger.

The way the dwarfs and Kislevites refer to him in Kinslayer, you would think he was the Everchosen or a top lieutenant, not a character returning from the narrative wilderness.

{{Chaos-Champions}}

Zombie Dragon

2023-05-17T21:53:19Z

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{{whfb-stub}}{{NeedsImages}}
[[File:Zombie Dragon 3rd Edition John Blanche Illustration.jpg|thumb|No matter their state of life or death, [[Adventurer|adventurers]] and [[Dragon|dragons]] will always be at each other's throats. ([[John Blanche|JB]]) ]]
'''Zombie Dragons''', '''[[Zombie]]''' ''[[Awesome|motherfucking]]'' '''[[Dragon|DRAGONS]]''', are undead draconic beasts that show up quite a bit in fantasy and tabletop RPGs. They're undead abominations, brought back to imperfect life by particularly powerful [[Necromancer|necromancers]], or by the ambient evils of the lands they died or were buried in.

==[[Dungeons & Dragons]]==
Whilst zombie dragons have a fairly long history in D&D, showing up at least once in every edition, they are usually overlooked in favor of the more iconic [[Dracolich]]. Draconic zombies are usually the creations of particularly powerful [[necromancer]]s, and amongst the most powerful kinds of [[zombie]] due to the inherent size, strength and durability of the [[dragon]], but are often portrayed as a distinct downgrades compared to their living selves due to the standard zombie penalties, such as mindlessness. They may even be portrayed as unable to use their breath weapon due to their zombified state.

==[[Warhammer Fantasy]]==
Zombie dragons are heavily associated with the forces of the [[undead]] in the world of [[Warhammer Fantasy]], generally being portrayed as the ultimate undead slave. Whilst something of a downgrade from a living dragon, such as losing the iconic fire breath in favor of a gout of corrosive miasma, they are still nasty enough to be one of the most powerful undead warriors in the setting. To say nothing of the sheer prestige that comes from having them in the army.

Creating a zombie dragon requires a [[vampire]] or [[necromancer]] to travel all the way to the dragon's graveyard on the Plain of Bones, where both draconic bodies and ambient dark magic are in abundance, and pit themselves against the challenge of trying to force life into a draconic corpse. If they succeed, they get a powerful undead monster to join the ranks of their troops - if they fail, they tend to burn up in an overload of necromantic energies.

Zombie dragons generally serve as personal steeds for the most powerful vampires. In 6e, the "Necromancers Only" variant army allows them to be taken as unmounted monsters as well.

==[[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]]==
Zombie dragons persist into Age of Sigmar, where they retain their traditional place as the ultimate mount for the leaders of both the [[Soulblight Gravelords]] and the [[Flesh-eater Courts]].

{{Vampire Count Troops}}

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]]
[[Category:Legions of Nagash]]

Zombie

2023-05-17T21:52:56Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{Topquote|Braaaaaiins!|Return of the Living Dead - the movie that created the idea of brain-eating zombies.}}
{{Topquote|Zombies man, they freak me out.|Dennis Hopper, Land of the Dead.}}
'''Zombies''' are mindless [[monster]]s created from humans, usually via their corpses, that are essentially the most exploited type of monster in any and all forms of fictional media, to the point that "[[Old meme|zombie fatigue]]" is very well-established. Such qualities are usually the only common thread between them - everything else depends on the legend, tradition, or other context they're presented in.

=IRL zombies=
The origin for the term, if not one of the modern concepts, can be found in various African and Haitian Voudou stories and religious practices; the zombie (or "zombi") is created by administering a potion that places its drinker into a state of near-death, where they obey the commands of whoever made the potion. In Voudou practices, zombies are created using a powdery substance created from pufferfish poison that renders the victim into a near-death paralyzed state, effectively making them look "dead" for a long period of time. Of course, this "zombie powder" is obviously impractical for coercing servitude from the heavily paralyzed victim, unless the only command you want to give them is "play dead"-- which is why once the victim is revived from the paralysis using different drugs (based off the ''Datura'' genus of hallucinogenic plants) are used to convince them that they really died and are now no longer fully human. If anything, [[ghoul]]s and other similar undead likely served as the basis for the "original" fictional zombies.

The [[Servitor]]s are conceptually based on this style of zombie, augmented with cyborg body parts.

=Fantasy zombies=
Zombies in fantasy are corpses re-animated through dark magic. Usually, they are animated and controlled by [[necromancer]]s. They tend to be slow, clumsy, and weak (rigor mortis is a bitch and all), but because they are relatively easy to make in large numbers (especially if there are any graveyards or battlefields close at hand -- in fact, particularly nasty necromancers will do things like annihilate an entire town or army and re-animate everyone), they remain a staple of the [[undead]] hordes, right next to [[skeleton]]s.

Depiction of zombies tend to vary widely through each setting. Some fully or mostly retain their higher brain functions after reanimation that they can still function in death as they did in life, essentially being an undead person. The more popular variant are the ones who have lost themselves but still retain enough intelligence to use weapons, magic, and crude tactics to match their opponents (it isn't a lot but a horde of tenacious armed corpses is not to be underestimated). The other popular type are biters, who's only driving goal in undeath is to take eat living flesh, and won't care that it's burning, shambling against a fence, or reduced to a bloody stump, to do it.

==Dungeons & Dragons==
Zombies have been a part of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] since the beginning, since they are such an iconic monster that is also guilt-free to exterminate. Technically, the largest variety of zombies appeared during [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]], due to that game not being able to really handle "levelling up" monsters and thus needing to create more monsters just to fill up the potential opponents slot. Furthermore, most of the zombie species appeared in the [[Ravenloft]] setting, due to its status as the Horror D&D Setting.

Why that "technically" above? 3E made zombie a template in the core rulebooks that can be applied to any corporeal creature with a skeleton system. This makes 3E's possible zombies endless, especially when combined with other templates. This is not the only variant of the zombie template in 3E however, as the ''Draconomicon'' introduced the Zombie Dragon template since the normal zombie template produced poor results on a dragon and "dragon zombie" is such a striking image it deserved better. The most dreaded type of zombie in 3rd edition however is the Hydra Zombie, which overcomes a zombie's slowness due to rules quirks.

In AD&D, the following zombies existed:

* '''Common Zombie''': Your standard mindless walking corpse. Comes in humanoid and monster versions.
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* '''Banedead''': Worshippers of [[Bane]] who have undergone a ritual to become undead. One of their hands is oversized with sharp claws while the other is normal. Needless to say, these are unique to the [[Forgotten Realms]].
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banedead RoZK.png
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* '''Boneless''': Created from corpses that have somehow had all of their bones removed, resulting in a deflated, flexible bag of skin that can squeeze itself through tight spaces. In combat they act a lot like chokers, preferring to grapple and constrict opponents, though they can wield weapons normally. They were introduced in [[Ravenloft]], and were invented by the wizard Faylorn so that he could create two minions (a [[skeleton]] and a boneless) from one corpse.
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boneless MC Ravenloft3.png
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* '''Cannibal Zombie''': Your standard Romero-type roaming mindless flesh-eating corpse. Native to [[Ravenloft]].
<gallery>
Cannibal zombie MCR3.png
</gallery>

* '''Coffer Corpse''': An undead who is angry that their funerary rites were left unfinished.
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Coffer corpse WD 8.jpg
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* '''Crawling Claw''': A reanimated severed hand. In 5e lore they can only be created from the hands of murderers.
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</gallery>

*'''Crypt Servant''': Reanimated servants that clean, maintain and guard the tomb of their master. From [[Al-Qadim]].
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crypt servant City of Delights.png
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*'''Dearg-Due''': Gaunt, eyeless zombies that somehow haven't decayed in the slightest. They are the front ranks of the Saugh, the undead army of the [[Shadow Fey]].
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dearg-due Shadow Rift.png
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* '''Desert Zombie''': A zombie animated from the dessicated, dried-out carcasses found in desert environments. From [[Ravenloft]].
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*'''Dread Warrior''': Zombie soldiers created by the [[BBEG]] in the ''Spellbound'' boxed set.
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*'''Inquisitor''': Undead torturers of unknown origins. They kidnap people and torture them endlessly, asking them impossible questions.
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inquisitor MC11.png|"WHAAAT IS THE KRAAAABY PATTY SECRET FOOOORMULAAA?!"
inquisitor MCAV4.jpg
</gallery>

* '''Jolly Roger''': Zombie [[Pirate]]s! They have a ''hideous laughter'' gaze attack and a save vs. death touch that turns you into a sea zombie. From [[Ravenloft]].
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jolly roger MC Ravenloft3.png
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</gallery>

* '''Ju-ju Zombie''': A zombie created through black magic rituals, typically involving ceremonially draining a living humanoid to death with necrotic energy. This traps a fragment of the soul inside the corpse, creating a dimly intelligent zombie with greater combat abilities and enhanced magical resistances. Is also the inspiration for the people possessed by the Mindflayer in Stranger Things, who could be melded together to form a hideous fleshy avatar for the psychic parasite.
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*'''Lebendtod''': Secret zombies that look and act just like living people. They can turn other people into lebendtod by breathing into their mouth and then letting them sleep for 3 days. In this way, entire villages can be replaced with lebendtod. Basically undead sleeper agents under the control of a necromancer. Their bodies age ten times slower than normal and they can detach and rearrange their body parts at will.
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lebendtod RA2.jpg
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* '''Lightning Zombie''': Bizarre, sapient zombies that are sometimes born when people die in areas of intense magical energy. This gives them the ability to deliver deadly electrical shocks with a touch.
<gallery>
Lightning zombie MC Mystara.jpg
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* '''Mud Zombie''': Despite its name, actually a [[skeleton]] caked in thick, gooey, sticky mud, which fouls any wounds it makes and which it can use to try and suffocate anyone it grabs hold of.
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* '''Netherese Zombie''': Basically a more powerful version of the Ju-ju Zombie native to the [[Forgotten Realms]].

* '''Red Zombie''': A [[Mystara]]n zombie created from the corpse of someone suffering the mutagenic effects of [[Red Steel]].
<gallery>
Red zombie MCSC.jpg
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* '''Salt Zombie''': A blood-drinking zombie strain native to the deserts of [[Dark Sun]], usually forming from either corpses left lying in salt flats or which died of thirst.

* '''Sea Zombie''' (also called '''Drowned One'''): A standard zombie, but created from somebody who drowned, and thusly specialized for an aquatic environment.
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Sea zombie MC5.jpg
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* '''Spawn of [[Kyuss]]''' (formerly known as '''Son of Kyuss'''): A zombie filled with infectious worms.
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son of kyuss FF 1e.jpg
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*'''Stellar Undead''': Zombified [[spelljammer]] sailors. They will attempt to pass themselves off as living in order to get close to people they can eat.
<gallery>
stellar undead MC9.jpg
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*'''Strahd Zombie''': Zombies created by [[Strahd von Zarovich]]. Any hit dealing 5 or more damage severs one of the zombie's limbs or head, which will continue to move independently from the rest of the body.
<gallery>
strahd zombie Realm of Terror.jpg
Strahd zombie MC Ravenloft3.png
</gallery>

* '''Thinking Zombie''': Another [[Dark Sun|Athasian]] zombie strain, created when a restless spirit possesses its own body to continue its goal. Essentially a variant [[revenant]].

*'''Tuyewera''': Created by witch doctors in tropical jungles by chopping off a corpse's legs and animating it with an ancestral spirit. They are immune to all physical attacks.
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tuyewera MCAV1.jpg
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*'''Undead Dwarf''': From before templates existed. Appeared in the ''Dragon Mountain'' boxed set.
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undead dwarf MCAV1.jpg
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*'''Undead Lake Monster''': Originally a unique creature called Aggie that appeared in the [[Ravenloft]] module ''Castles Forlorn''. Aggie's statblock was later reprinted in ''Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume 1'' under this new generic name.
<gallery>
Castles Forlorn cover.jpg
undead lake monster MCAV1.jpg
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* '''Zombie Fog''': A malign [[elemental]] thing of mist that feeds on the souls of the dead, animating corpses as zombie minions to kill its prey.
<gallery>
Zombie fog MCR3.png
</gallery>

* '''Zombie Lord''': A fully intelligent zombie with a number of mystical powers, mostly the ability to reanimate other corpses as new zombies. This poor-man's-[[lich]] is native to [[Ravenloft]]. Downgraded to a template in 3e, but [[Pathfinder]] has its own version as well.
<gallery>
Zombie lord RQ1.jpg
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Zombie lord DoDread.jpg
</gallery>

* '''Zombie Wolf''': what it says on the tin.
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Zombie wolf Castles Forlorn.jpg
Zombie wolf Castles Forlorn 2.png
Zombie wolf MCAV1.jpg
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==Magic: the Gathering==
The main 2 [[undead]] creature types in [[Magic: The Gathering]] are zombie and [[skeleton]] ([[vampire]]s also have a creature type). As such things like [[lich]]s have the zombie creature type (on their cards).

===[[Innistrad]]===
Innistrad zombies come in 2 flavors. The black zombies are the typical reanimated with black magic zombie that is almost ubiquitous throughout fantasy. The blue zombies are more SCIENCE themed (think Frankenstein's monster).

===[[Amonkhet]]===
The Egyptian themed plane of Amonkhet has made a novel change to the Zombie type by adding white mana zombies. Technically they are mummies, being embalmed and wrapped up nice and tight with a ridiculous amount of linen bandages (probably to keep out that delicious zombie musk), but throwing in a "mummy" creature type after nearly three decades of zombie creatures would be dumb. It is an interesting take on the "sacred dead" schtick that is affiliated with Egyptian lore, though at the end of the day they really are just glorified servants. Some creatures also have an ability called "embalm" where you cast them from the discard pile, making them come back as a copy of themselves, only they are now white zombies. None of them seem particularly powerful though, and while players aren't scrambling to throw white mana into their zombie decks, their art and design is [[awesome]].

==Warhammer==
===Fantasy Battle===
Your standard issue mindless undead monster; reanimated corpses of (mostly) humans, little to no agency of their own, an insatiable urge to eat and kill people, can be killed by going for the head, yadda yadda. They're the blunt instrument that [[Necromancer]]s and [[Vampire Lord]]s use to wear down the enemy. And it works! Despite individual Zombies being barely effective, once a horde of them gets going, it's hard to stop them - desperate Necromancers will even replace worn down bits of their Zombies with rusty metal spikes, rotten wood buttresses, and so on, in a sort of fucked up medieval version of Pimp My Ride.

===Age of Sigmar===
For the briefest period of time at the very start of First Edition, for some godforsaken reason, GW decided to make Zombies a faction of their own - known as the Deadwalkers. Yes, that name means absolutely nothing. They were soon folded into the larger Legions of Nagash faction, and then later into the Soulblight Gravelords (both different iterations of nu-Vampire Counts).

The lore for the average grunt Zombie remains largely the same - although they are now referred to as Deadwalker Zombies. Yes, we know, it's dystopian, just keep calling them Zombies, it's fine. They're still aimless shambling corpses, although they have been known to pop up spontaneously in [[Shyish]], the realm of Death. This trend spread to the other realms after the Necroquake - most organised civilised settlements have found themselves forced to hire "pyre-gangs", mercenaries that hunt down and destroy epidemics before they can spread.

Interestingly enough there have been cases of Zombies (or "Deadwalkers", sorry GW) becoming leaders/heroes. The most notable and visually striking example is a creepy motherfucker called Gorslav the Gravekeeper, from the Cursed City setting. He's an emaciated, eyeless creature that looks like he walked straight out of a Guillermo del Toro movie. Although the extent of his sentience is debatable, he controls the graveyard of the city and controls all the Zombies within it - even creating new ones.

Another named Deadwalker character would be Nagash's very own Jester, an unnaturally spry and intelligent zombie named Blood-a-bones.

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{{Vampire Count Troops}}

==Monster Girls?!==
[[File:MGE Zombie.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The MGE Zombie shows how you can turn "corpse of a woman" into a monstergirl.]]
{{Monstergirls}}
Yes, even animated corpses get the monstergirl treatment. In fairness to them, these weird dabblings into necrophilia are usually not your standard hideously decayed and mutilated corpses, but beautiful and curvaceous women who just happen to have corpse-colored skin or exotic, almost beauty-mark-like scars on their frames. Behaviour-wise, zombie monstergirls are usually depicted as akin to bimbos: near-[[golem]]oid mindless drones who just want pleasure, either searching endlessly for men to screw, or raised as sexual automata by a particularly perverse/desperate [[necromancer]]. Those that aren't usually take advantage of the ill-defined barriers between zombie, [[revenant]] and [[wight]], so you have a perfectly normal woman who just happens to be dead.

Zombie movies have even exploited this phenomena; a beautiful naked woman is one of the zombies wandering around in the original "Night of the Living Dead", whilst in "Return of the Living Dead 3", the female lead becomes a very attractive zombie and is still weirdly hot even after she pierces herself with random metal and glass junk and starts eating random criminals. To say nothing of the way that B-movies like "Zombie Strippers" exploit it.

Naturally, the zombie appears in the [[Monster Girl Encyclopedia]]. Here, the corpse of a woman can get brought back as a lustful rape monster with grey to porcelain white skin, retaining their memories but losing most of their intelligence and reason until they fuck someone enough times. As they have more and more sex, their body and wits are more and more restored until they are as smart as their living selves and more attractive as well. If a zombie's womb was intact or gets restored, she can even [[wat|give birth to zombie children]].
{{clear}}

=Modern zombies=
Zombies in modern settings tend to be the by-products of science rather than necromancy. Some animating agent, usually a chemical or virus (though radiation is not unknown), causes corpses to move around, and for some reason makes them hunger for living flesh. Although this is sometimes explained as the reptilian part of the human brain, which is only centered around finding something to eat, still being prevalent while the other parts responsible for higher reasoning and functions are dead. Thus, without anything really else on their minds but to hunt and eat, all they do for the rest of their undead lives is lumber about and occasionally relentlessly chase someone down to devour, even if they don't have any real reason to do so. This, however, doesn't explain why they don't eat each other...(though Romero Zombies' inability to attack anything that isn't sapient explains this.)

Optionally, people who are killed or bitten by zombies may themselves rise again as zombies; in such cases, this reanimation can usually be prevented by destroying or removing the head or incinerating the corpse (decapitation and fire usually work well on putting down zombies post-reanimation as well). George Romero's ''[[Wikipedia:Night of the Living Dead|Night of the Living Dead]]'' (1968) movie set the tone for the archetypal modern zombie, to the point that zombies of this archetype are sometimes called "Romero zombies", even though nobody actually says the word "zombie" in the movie itself. George Romero did another zombie movie, ''[[Wikipedia:Dawn of the Dead|Dawn of the Dead]]'' (1978), where there's an implied return to the idea of zombies from supernatural origins ("When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth").

Another more recent trait was the need to eat brains, introduced in the horror-comedy movie ''[[Wikipedia:Return of the Living Dead|Return of the Living Dead]]'' (1985). In this movie, the zombies can feel their bodies decompose, and eat brains because it stops the pain (likely via ingesting its endorphins). The zombies in this film are also the same person they were when alive (except psychotically slaved to their hunger for brains), hard to destroy (chop them to pieces and the pieces come after you), and are capable of climbing and running ([[Skub|despite many people thinking 28 Days Later (see below) introduced the running zombie]]).

More recently, especially in video games, another pattern of zombie has gained popularity: the so-called "fast zombie" or "[[Wikipedia:28 Days Later|28 Days Later]] (2002) zombie" (though the creatures in ''28 Days Later'' are not proper zombies at all, as they are still alive, albeit infected with a rabies-like behavior-altering virus). As the name suggests, these creatures are fast and aggressive and can be terrifying in small numbers, especially if they can infect with a single bite. And though they are still "alive," they are usually incapable of feeling pain, so an attack that would incapacitate a normal human may be shrugged off. Even a blow to a vital organ short of the brain or heart may be ignored, though they'll likely bleed out eventually.

So-called "real world zombies" are mostly just people who have taken some powerful mixture of substances and exhibit zombie-like behavior, including cannibalism. Fortunately, they are not contagious (at least if you don't do the drugs along with them), but do note that while you won't turn into an actual zombie, being bitten by a zombie-like human ''is'' still lethal even with a non-critical bite wound, due to infection and/or septic shock if the wound isn't disinfected in time.

=See Also=
*[[Revenant]] - The spiritual predecessor of the zombie.
*[[Zombie Plague]] - Zombies in 40k

[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Undead]]

Zacharias The Everliving

2023-05-17T21:50:55Z

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[[File:Zacharias the Everliving.jpg|right|right|thumb|300px|Half the age as his former master, looks twice as old. Magical genetics are a bitch.]]
{{topquote|I was addicted to hacking, more for the intellectual challenge, the curiosity, the seduction of adventure; not for stealing, or causing damage or writing computer viruses.|Kevin Mitnick}}

Zacharias The Everliving is a [[W'soran/Melkhior|Necrarch]] [[Vampire Counts]] character from [[Warhammer Fantasy]].

==The Legend==
At one point a thief named Zacharias attempted to breach the tower where the head of the Necrarch Bloodline Melkhior (who was possibly the first Necrarch, W'soran, inhabiting his pupil's body) was dwelling and steal a book of Nagash and, impressed that the young man had foiled his magical defenses, Melkhior made Zacharias his pupil. In the following years, and a nod to One Thousand and One Nights, every night Melkhoir threatened to kill Zacharias the next morning but Zachrias impressed Melkhoir with some new progress or insight into Necromancy, postponing his execution for one more day. During this time, Melkhior/W'soran became more and more insane and would go on Strigoi-like rampages to drain whole cities of blood. Zacharias took advantage of one of these times to read the book Melkhior/W'soran had, so of course that was when Melkhior/W'soran returned and caught him at the act. There was a magical duel but Melkhoir was boosted by the blood and too powerful for Zacharias, who fled.

Zacharias, wounded by the pursuing minions of Melkhior/W'soran, hid in a cave and fell into a restorative hibernation for around ten years. When he awoke he found that a Black Dragon had begun to use the cave as a lair. He found a bit of flesh not armored by scales on the dragon's underbelly and started drinking its blood. Since in Warhammer nothing can wake up if a vampire starts feeding on it in their sleep, over the course of a month he drained the dragon's blood while it slept. This caused him to grow in strength and be cured his Vampiric weaknesses and need to feed on blood (dragon blood confirmed as the cure for a Vampire's thirst for blood in Warhammer). He then reanimated the Dragon's corpse as a mount, gathered an army and returned to lay siege to Melkhoir's/W'soran's tower. The two battled, the fight so fierce the tower was nearly destroyed when they were done and from here the story splits.

In one version, Melkhior only narrowly survived the confrontation and fled to plot revenge. In the other, he perished and Zacharias took over as head of the Necrarch Bloodline and organized them into an effective force preparing to attempt to conquer the Empire in a manner similar to the von Carsteins. Either way, Melkhior's treasures and book of Nagash wind up in the hands of Zacharias (though at some point Mannfred von Carstein or Arkhan the Black got their hands on Zacharias' book of Nagash).

When Nagash came back, he contacted Zacharias for his service, but found that Zacharias considered himself his equal and refused Nagash's summons. For this insult, [[Blam|Nagash promptly set his brain on fire in his head and instantly killed him]].

Guess that answers that question.

==On The Tabletop==
[[File:Zacharias.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Zacharias the Everliving, usurper to the usurper.]]
Zacharias the Everliving once had a model and stats, but has long since been removed from the game and discontinued. If you manage to get a model, you can use Zacharias as a combo spellcasting and combat Master Vampire riding an Undead Dragon. With modification, you could also field the models on foot.

Zacharias was 1015 FUCKING POINTS! That's more expensive than the current Nagash! He also took up not only a Lord slot, but three fucking hero slots too (so you'll almost always be using him in games of 3,000+ points if you are using him at all). For that amount of points you are getting the ability to cast a spell (from him) at 15+ to summon 4D6 skeletons or 4D6+4 Zombies a turn, or to heal 4 wounds on an undead model if you don't want to summon (with an extra +1 to the roll on top of any other modifiers), infinite dispel scrolls (can only use one per enemy magic phase, so if you are playing against two people he gets two scrolls a turn), he knows all the spells of necromancy (essentially making him a LV6 wizard back then) and his staff has a bound necromancy spell to it (Dark Hand of Death) meaning he could churn out 7 spells a turn on his own, he always rides his undead dragon (and with his Necrarch Vampire Lord statline isn't a slouch in combat either) and to top it off, he has a 4+ ward save. <s>Maybe he should be priced next to Nagash after all.</s> SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL HAVE THE HEAD OF WHOEVER IS WRITING THIS BLASPHEMY AND FEAST ON HIS SOUL!!!'''

During mid July 2018 GW briefly released his old model for a week (said week is the 16th to the 23rd). So get him while you can. Which you can't anymore.

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Walach Harkon

2023-05-17T21:49:47Z

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[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]]
[[File:Walach_Harkon.jpg|thumb|Fear him and his mighty pimp cup of DOOM!]]
'''Walach Harkon''' the Grandmaster of the Order of the [[Blood Dragon]] was a [[Vampire Count]] special character introduced way back in the 5th edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. He takes his name both from Walachia, the province of Eastern Europe Vlad Tepes (the real-life Dracula) ruled over, and the Gaelic name Harkon meaning dark red (quite appropriate for a bloodsucker). According to his background, he was the first vampire sired by [[Abhorash]] after he himself was turned into a vampire by the [[Lahmian]] Queen [[Neferata]]. In addition to being an all-around martial badass, who rode into battle wielding the infamous Crimson blade and a chalice filled with the blood of his strongest opponents, he was also well known for being cousins with a certain batshit crazy vampire Pirate Captain by the name of [[Luthor Harkon]].

==The Legend==
Originally he was known as Walak of the Harkoni tribe and lived with his cousin Lutr in [[Tomb Kings|Nehekara]] back before the OG necromancer [[Nagash]] turned the place into a miserable wasteland. One day he and his cousin happened to catch the attention of the vampire [[Abhorash]] who was so impressed with the pair's raw martial skill that he turned them into vampires and started to train them personally. After the two cousins completed their training Abhorash decided that not putting their skills to use was a waste and so he went and gave them jobs in the city of Lahmia; Lutr was given command of the city's harbor guard and Walak was made master of the palace guard. Eventually the city would come under siege by an alliance of Nehekaran royalty following the revelation of Neferata and her court’s nature as vampires. Despite fighting a determined defence, the city fell and the surviving Vampires fled to Nagashizzar, where they joined Nagash's hosts as army commanders when he tried to exact revenge on Nehekhara and reconquer the kingdoms.

This invasion failed, however, and most of the Vampires except Nagash’s loyal agent [[W'soran]] fled to escape the Great Necromancer's wrath. Although they succeeded in not getting killed by the angry necromancer, the vampires did not manage to escape getting a curse placed on them that made them weak to sunlight, one which they still suffer from to this day. One year later, King [[Alcadizzar]], armed with a warpstone blade forged by the [[Skaven]], killed Nagash and successfully stopped him before he could perform a super undead resurrection spell and destroy the world. Unfortunately the cost of this victory was [[Alcadizzar]] dying from the power of the blade and Nehekara being turned into a wasteland. While this was happening and W'soran was making his escape with many of the works of Nagash, Abhorash and his followers were busy wandering aimlessly until another vampire [[Ushoran]] went and made himself king of his own little Vampire Kingdom called [[Marshes of Madness| Strygos]]. Wanting to make a sort of Vampire Utopia there, Ushoran invited many other vampires from all the different lineages to live in his land as his subjects. With Nehekhara now wrecked, and with no better alternatives in sight, Abhorash and company promptly accepted his offer and did their best to be productive citizens of the kingdom.

For roughly eight centuries, things went pretty swell, but then Neferata finally caught wind of what Ushoran had done and decided to throw a bitch fit over the revelation that there was a vampire kingdom she was not in charge of out there. In response to this slight, in -200 IC or thereabouts, she convinced a bunch of asshole barbarian humans to attack the kingdom and while Walak and the other vampires managed to chase them off the distraction allowed a horde of [[Orc|Orcs]] to flank the exhausted defenders and they promptly proceeded to wreck the place. Following this disaster, the surviving inhabitants of the kingdom both human and undead were left adrift and without purpose, until one day a major event happened that would change the course of Abhorash’s bloodline.

In 253 IC while traveling through the [[Worlds Edge Mountains]], Abhorash accidentally stumbled across the lair of an ancient red dragon who took exception to the invasion of his territory. Not one to back down from a fight Abhorash engaged the beast in solo combat and after a fierce fight, he slew it and drank its blood. To his astonishment, Abhorash discovered that after this last drink he no longer felt the need to consume blood anymore. Understandably, Abhorash immediately raced to tell the rest of the bloodline of his transformation and once he did so he charged them with seeking out and defeating the most worthy opponents they could find so that one day they would be skilled enough to face a dragon and be cured like he was. His lineage agreed to this and afterward, they changed their names and went their own separate ways.

In the newly renamed Walach Harkon's case, after many centuries of travel in 1887 IC his meandering path took him to a place called the Blood Keep, a bastion of [[the Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)| The Empire]] which guarded the area around the pass into [[Bretonnia]] and was manned by an order of knights. Feeling the need for a good fight after so long without one Walach knocked on the front gate and challenged the entire order to combat. Stupidly the Knights accepted the challenge and Walach promptly proceeded to kill their Grandmaster with his Crimson blade and beat the rest of the knights senseless before turning the stronger members of the Order into Vampires and the weaker ones into Wights. From that day, seven centuries ago till [[the End Times]], Walach Harkon was the undisputed Grandmaster of the newly renamed Order of the Blood Dragons, arguably the most feared cavalry in the Old World. To celebrate his new job, Walach had the Blood Dragons promptly turn on the people they had once defended. They fed on passing travellers and the people who lived near the Blood Keep, turned the local women into vampire brides who would bathe in blood to maintain their looks, and just generally made nuisances of themselves.

This turned out not to be such a good idea on their part though for Walach's actions were eventually uncovered. In response, the Witch Hunter Gunther van Hel gathered an entire Imperial army together and launched a massive siege on the Order's headquarters in an attempt to destroy them (the siege would last either 3 years or 20 years depending on the source). Although the Imperials eventually managed to break into the fortress in 1946 IC and kill Harkon's vampire wife Aurora and his favorite Vampire “son” Mikael, they failed to get the rest of the Blood Knights and Harkon who managed to escape. In the wake of this event, most of the original Blood knights were scattered and ended up traveling around [[the Old World]] fighting duels with random folks and acting as mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Walach would gather together a small company of new blood knights and, under the banner of his favorite fallen "son" Mikael, they would continue on their self-appointed mission to seek out the strongest possible opponents they could find. Eventually, this would lead to them being recruited by the psychopathic vampire [[Konrad von Carstein]] to help out in the Second Vampire War against the Empire where they would serve as elite shock cavalry. During the War, the Blood Knights proved how badass they were to the greater world by killing a whole bunch of Imperials and their allies, with Walach earning the ire of the [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]] at the battle of Nachthafen by killing King Barrin of Zhufbar and draining his blood. All told it was a pretty fun time for the Blood Knights but unfortunately, Konrad proved himself a total idiot by constantly belittling and putting down his necromancers and so when they inevitably betrayed him at the Battle of Grim Moor during the spring of 2121 IC, and Konrad fried his brain by trying to control his huge zombie army all by himself, the Blood Dragons wisely decided that they had enough of this shit and left him to die.

A few years after this, enough time passed that Walach and his accompanying blood knights decided that things had probably died down enough in the Empire that they could head back to the Order’s home without issue and so they did. They rebuilt their fortress, manned the walls with new wight guards, and then settled down to an un-life full of carousing with their new undead waifus and venturing out to fight any and all worthy opponents they could get their hands on, though this time the Blood Dragons tried to tone down the whole slaughter of innocents thing and act more like honorable (if bloodthirsty) knights so as to not draw as much attention to themselves.

==The End Times==
Things continued like this for a few centuries until the [[the End Times]] rolled around and a newly resurrected Nagash started recruiting many of the world's most powerful undead lords as his generals. Harkon and his now thoroughly insane cousin Luthor heard of this and decided to join up (Luthor cause he was bored and Walach cause he saw an opportunity for glory in battle) thus becoming two of Nagash's [[Mortarch|Mortarchs]]. Now with a sweet new title, Walach was assigned to help [[Vlad von Carstein]] prevent the mystical Auric Bastion erected by the wizard [[Balthazar Gelt]] near the Empire's border with [[Kislev]] from falling to the [[Chaos]] hordes trying to force their way past it. Under the command of Vlad von Carstein, Walach fought at the Battle of Alderfen. Here a [[Nurgle]] force breached the bastion and started butchering the Imperial forces beyond it. All looked lost until the surprise undead counter charge, led by Harkon and some of his knights, halted the Chaos advance. However, in his zeal, Harkon and his knights made a major blunder and kept pursuing the Chaos forces through the breach which caused them to be trapped behind the bastion when the walls were finally resealed.

It wasn't until the Battle of Heffengen that Harkon would resurface. After the total collapse of the Bastion, Vlad von Carstein sought an alliance with the Empire and to this end planned to fight alongside the Imperial forces at Heffengen to hold back the Chaos hordes led by [[Crom the Conqueror]]. Just as Vlad was about to reveal himself and be recognized by [[Karl Franz|Emperor Franz]] as a hero and ally Harkon and his knights unexpectedly charged onto the battlefield from the Chaos lines and started slaughtering the Imperials. Turns out that while trapped behind the Bastion, Harkon and his Blood Dragons realized that if everything was under Nagash's control there would be no more living blood to drink and so had fallen to temptation and pledged themselves to the blood god [[Khorne]] (who apparently thought the Blood Dragons were stab-happy enough to overlook their undead state...[[derp|or the fact they can use Necromancy]]). This clusterfuck then proceeded to reach its peak when Harkon, riding an undead dragon, engaged in an aerial duel with Karl Franz, defeating him and casting him low.

Following the seeming death of the Emperor, the Imperial forces retreated and the battle was lost. Because of this the Empire refused to accept the undead as potential allies ruining Vlad's plan. Infuriated by this development Vlad swore Walak's action would not go unpunished and attacked the Blood Dragon forces in retaliation. When Harkon and his mount then dove from the sky to try and pin von Carstein to the ground, Vlad used his superior magical abilities to wrest control of the dragon from Harkon and then had the beast rip its former master in two, finally destroying the infamous Blood Dragon once and for all.

==On the Tabletop==
Sadly despite his awesome potential as a character Walach not only didn't get a model, he was barely mentioned in the fluff besides what was written above and only managed to get statted out way back in the very same edition he was introduced in and the Nights Dark Master supplement for the RPG (even End Times did not give him a new statline, the poor bastard). So yeah there are no official stats for him using the flying zombie dragon mount he used in his last battle and we don't know if Khorne granted him any sort of blessing.

If you wanted to do a homebrew version of End Times Walach you could modify a model of [[Zacharias The Everliving]] or some other Zombie Dragon rider and raise his default point cost to say 650 like most of the other Mortarch's or 795 to take into account the fact that the Dragon normally adds 245 points to its rider’s cost and his Pre End Times cost was 550 points. Then give him all three pieces of otherwise optional magic gear listed below and add the Frenzy rule to represent his new allegiance to Khorne. Given his already heavy armor, you wouldn't have to add any specific anti-magical Khorne-related gear to buff him. As for spells...well Khorne normally hates magic but given Walach would still have to be a Necromancer to control his Zombie Dragon you could conceivably justify him still having magic by giving him only the spells Ryze - The Grave Call and Akar'aran the Dark Riders. It wouldn't be too much of a contradiction for Walach to have summoning spells given Khorne is ok with people using magic to summon his demons. Alternatively, you could swap out the latter spell for Invocation of Nehek to heal your undead units on a 6+ roll, but a healing spell doesn't really match flavor-wise for a Khorne follower...even a Khorne worshipping vampire[[derp|...ugh.]]

Anyway, as previously stated his Zombie Dragon mount is normally listed as a 245 point monster unit with the followings stats from the 8th edition:

6 Movement, 4 Weapon Skill, 0 Ballistic skill, 6 Strength, 6 Toughness, 6 Wounds, an initiative of 2, 5 attack, leadership 4. As previously mentioned it's listed as a monster and comes with the following keywords: Fly, Large Target, Scaly Skin (5+), Terror, and Undead. As for Special abilities, its Pestilential Breath attack causes -3 to armor as well as causing an S2 penalty to anyone it hits. It also has Swarm of Flies (ew!) which causes -1 to To Hit rolls in melee and if you do decide to go with the Invocation spell you could use it to heal the dragon. Fair warning though while it can really wreck the day of any enemy heavy cavalries or rank and file, it will probably die to cannons or a Heroic Killing Blow. Still, a wonderful kick-ass model even if like most fun things, it will be a magnet for artillery and mass shooting.

If however, you wanted to play regular vanilla flavored Walach then feel free to use a modified generic Blood Dragon mini as a stand-in. According to the 5th edition of the Warhammer Fantasy game, Walach's is listed as a 550 point heavily armored named special character. His default mount is an undead barded Nightmare horse of the non-winged variety which has the following stats:

8 Movement, 2 Weapon Skill, 0 Ballistic skill (obviously since it's just a fancy undead horse), 3 Strength, 3 Toughness, 1 Wound, an initiative of 2, 1 attack, 3 leadership and since it's specifically mentioned as being barded it adds a +1 armor save roll. Were it on its own it would be considered a 16 point war beast but that's not important since its point cost is already included with Walach's. What is important is that it's undead and so you can use the invocation spell to heal it.

As for Walach himself, he's got:

6 movement, 9 Weapon Skill, 6 Ballistic Skill, 7 strength, 6 toughness, 4 wounds, 9 initiative, 5 attacks, and leadership of 10, and thanks to his heavy armor he has an armor save roll of 4+ (3+ when mounted). In addition to this, he's a Vampire Lord and thus considered a level 3 Necromancer that comes with 2 spells from the lore of undeath. Bloodline ability-wise he comes with the following traits: Doomrider, Strength of Steel, Might of Arms, and Red Fury (any modifiers for these are already included in the above statline).

In addition to the above regular non-End Times Walach can come equipped with the following magical items in exchange for an increased point cost:

For 75 points extra, you can get the Crimson Blade which has a special ability determined by an extra dice roll. On a roll of 1 to 3 his opponent loses 1 attack in addition to whatever damage he would normally take. On a roll of 4 to 5 his opponent loses 1" of movement and his opponent is considered separated from their unit if they fall below their former unit's movement speed. Lastly, on a roll of 6, the Crimson Blade beheads and thus outright kills the unit it was being used against.

For an extra 25 points, Walach gets his legendary Blood Chalice which he can use at the beginning of each undead turn to add one of the following abilities at a time: It can heal 1 wound point suffered in battle but does not raise his max wound stat above normal, it can raise his attack stat to 6 until the start of the next undead turn, or finally, it can transform his sword into a flaming weapon that deals two wounds instead of one and lasts until the start of the next undead turn.

Finally, for an extra 50 points Walach gets the Blood Dragon Standard, a magical Standard formerly wielded by the vampire Mikael that fills all undead creatures within a 12" radius of it with HATRED for any living creatures and allows the undead to reroll its To Hit roll for the first round of the first hand to hand combat action it fights against such beings. Subsequent attack rolls are rolled as normal.

W'soran/Melkhior

2023-05-17T21:48:58Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[Image:Master-of-Death.jpg|right|thumb|400px|W'soran on the cover of his own [[Black Library]] book.]]

The founder and usurper of the Necrarch Bloodline of the [[Vampire Counts]]. Both were huge fucking nerds with a penchant for [[/tg/|playing army men as adults]]. Note that there are two different versions of the end of the story of W'soran/Melkhior. It's more up to personal interpretation which is canon, although the former story is supported by the legend of Ushoran leading to it being taken as slightly more canon.

==The Legend==
===W'soran===
Originally the High Priest of [[Nehekhara|Lahmia]] during the days when the [[Tomb Kings]] had skin. W'soran was born to an ancient yet respectable bloodline from Mahrak (a place known for the founding of Nehekharan religion). Despite his heritage, he secretly adored Nagash's brilliance, even go as far as regretted that he was born too late to serve Nagash during the war. It was also mentioned that he was driven out of his homeland by his rival high priests, which is probably the reasons why he favors Nagash's dark arts more than Nehekharan religion.

He was invited by Lamashizzar to join his little cabal where they tried to attain immortality by studying Nagash's books and interrogating his servant [[Arkhan the Black]] for further knowledge. Like other members, he grew tired of Lamashizzar's incompetence and switched sides when Neferata showed her superior mastery of the dark arts over her brother. In fact, W'soran was the first to kneel before Neferata.

After Neferata became a vampire, W'soran was the first to be invited by Neffy to drink her new vampire elixir. Upon his transformation, he looked older to the point of looking more like a zombie than a human, but was satisfied with the result.

The founding of the cult of blood as well as the construction of its temple were W'soran's idea to harvest more blood and minions without drawing attention. However, like the other cabal members he did not approve of Neferata's sudden decision to raise the future king of Khemri herself. At that moment, W'soran considered Neffy a lost cause, driven batty by killing Khalida. He believed they (the vampries) should master the dark arts and use it to conquer and build a new empire over Nehekhara, rather than ruling a trading ground behind the mortals.

Still, he was able to persuade Neferata to give him the permission to study the book. He seized the opportunity to do what he had always wanted to do...seal himself up in the Great Library of Lahmia to read...and summon Nagash! Years passed, he used up a lot of slaves in his rituals but failed to summon the great necromancer's spirit. Then one day Ushoran barged into his place and offered assistance in exchange to unite against Neferata's rule. Under W'soran's instruction, Ushoran obtained Thutep's skull (because being Nagash's twin still allows him to form spiritual link to his evil brother despite being a decayed skull) after he secretly hired a bunch of tomb raiders to dug up Thutep's remain at Khetep's pyramid.

With the proper material acquired, all that's left is proper timing. Just so happens the book he has contained crucial information about Morrslieb's sighting, and they were all predicted by Nagash in life. With the green moon's power and Thutep's rotten skull, W'soran found Nagash! But to his surprise, Nagash was in fact alive/unlive, building an army capable of destroying Nehekhara and was living just north of Lahmia across the sour sea.

Unfortunately for W'soran, Neferata caught him right at this time, staked him in the heart and stuffed him in a barrel. Before being immobilized however, W'soran told Neferata that Nagash would come and destroy all and when that time comes, every vampire will bow to him like a maggot, even threaten Neffy that he would curse Lahmia to be destroyed and never rebuilt till the end of times.

W'soran was stuck in the barrel for 22 years until Alcadizaar laid siege to the city. He was freed by Ushoran under Neferata's order just so he could provide battle support for the Lahmian army. The entire times, W'soran stayed inside a tower with clear view of the battlefield. He use the books knowledge to summon a fuckload of zombies to fight their enemies. The zombies came from the catatomb, mostly belonging to poor or homeless people Neferata had torture and killed for food or info to find Alcadizzar. Although the Nehekharans do not fear the dead as they used to when fighting Nagash, the zombies served as a good distraction that [[Tarpit|blocked the enemy troops from moving forward]]. His part in the battle ended after a good catapult shot disrupted his ritual and thus instantly unbind all the zombies he had raised.

After Lahmia's fall, W'soran and his followers escaped and travel straight to Nagashizzar where they pledge themselves to Nagash after offered him his books. Nagash took in him and his followers and trained them until he was pretty much a level 4 wizard. For the 32 years (-1168 IC) of his time at Nagshizzar, he formed a bitter rivalry with [[Arkhan the Black]], whom was raised back to serve his master. [[Arkhan the Black|Arkhan]] proved to be quite an obstacle to W'soran becoming Nagash's number 1 (all just so he could obtain his knowledge, of course) due to being W'soran's equal in sorcery and having superior battlefield experience, still proving to be Nagash's most useful servant by far. W'soran tried to kill Arkhan many times with his minions, but failed to do so and was unable to while being watched by Nagash's baleful gaze.

Around this time, Ushoran had made to Nagashizzar and was bought before Nagash after he was captured by the undead sentinels. Cunningly, W'soran presented Ushoran to Nagash as a useful servant (or a monster, according to Arkhan) which led him to hunt down and enslave all his former cabal members.

He managed to track down Ankhat, who was the easiest to located and is now multiclassing as some sort of wizard pirate captain. Using his Terrogheist, W'soran located Ankhat's boat on the sea. Unfortunatly for W'soran, Ankhat already knew what the nerdy vampire wants for him and denied him even before W'soran bought up the topic. W'soran cannot forced Ankhat into servitude either due to his capabilties in using magic and fighting, which could ended both of them in a bloody stalemate. Still, Ankhat managed to convinced W'soran away by giving out the other members' whereabout... which W'soran will have to put the search on halt, for there are Nehekharans that needs to be conquered.

In order to control the massive undead army he had created, Nagash etched the sigil of binding into W'soran's face as well as his other 7 followers, making sure he could inflicting suffering on them while tasting their agony (because lore of darkness is all about feeding on negative emotions and feelings, further evidence on the dark elves and necromancers being edgelord wizard). Because of the additional vampires W'soran had bought, he was able to control a much larger army, a fact that irritated Arkhan since he doesn't trust nor liked W'soran, but he still needs his cooperation if he wanted the invasion to succeed. Nagash also granting W'soran his permission to use his book on the battlefield.

When the undead legion invaded, it first landed on Lahmia and took over its ruin, killing all the bandits and thugs hanging out there and making its first encampment at the former Lahmian palace in order to plan for further strategies. W'soran had to stay there for days, only to furiously found out Arkhan had abandoned him and head straight west to where Khemri located, thought the bastard lich was trying to steal his glory for taking Alcadizzar's head. After W'soran's army crossed the golden plain and raze its crops with blackness, Arkhan's army was already in a battle position against a coalition army of Lybaras and Rasetra. Arkhan blame W'soran for misinformed everyone and Nagash that the great cities are divided and were unable to muster a proper defence against them. W'soran rebuttled by saying it is but a fraction of the forces they had defeated back in the seige of Lahmia. As a result, Arkhan ended up making W'soran to clean up his messes since he already had prior knowledge on defeating them. W'soran was apparently surprised by the Nehekharan army's soldiers wielding new rune weaponry that were effective in killing the undeads and its new addition of wizard that can dispel magic. It was by sheer size and the udnead's tireless natural that W'soran won the battle. Still, the casualty inflicted on them would wiped out an average army and W'soran began to notice how long and painful this campaign is going to be with Arkhan being his bane while dealing with Nehekharan's new military technology.

Because of the nuisance Lybaras and Rasetra had posed, W'soran had to divide his army and sent his 4 vampires to seige their city (leaving only 3 by W'soran's side), prevents them from marching behind their army. Arkhan was also aware of W'soran's treachery that he make sure to stay away from him as far as possible.

A week after Arkhan razed Mahrak, the undead legion began trespassing the Valley of Kings, a gigantic linear valley path that leads straight towards Quatar then Khemri. Unfortunatly for them, Alcadizzar has prepared a strong defense along the valley path: Archers with fire arrows, catapult that sling flaming boulders, a tall wall made of granite and heavily armored soldiers from Ka-sabar that throws sandblocks and fire pots.

W'soran wasn't even called to help until they began the assault on the second wall, which it was even taller than the first one that their ladder cannot be reached and its walls are too thick to be blast open by spells and catapult. W'soran was persuade by Arkhan into sending his vampires to kill everyone within the walls (Note: the death of just one vampire could killed off several thousand undead soldiers that was bind to them). It was a great risk but they succeed nonetheless with W'soran casting a fog spell to conceal his vampires to sneak into the wall. The second wall finally falls after 5 days.

The final wall was even thicker, taller, leaving only a gate made of basalt. There, Arkhan leaving the rest to W'soran and his goon. W'soran and his 3 followers then began channeling their energy together and bought forth a dark cloud of tomb scarabs. The scarabs were then sent to the defenders ontop of the wall while 6 bone giants battered down the gate.

Unfortunately for W'soran, his rituals were disrupted when a newly reinforced archers arrived on the wall and starts to shoot flaming arrows rain upon them and shot one of his followers. Worst comes when Alcadizzar arrived just in time on his chariot with many horseman charging with him.

W'soran managed to blast Alcadizzar and his queen off the chariot, but due to the sheer plot armor of the king, he not only survived but also slained all three of W'soran's followers (one of them was shot in the eye by his queen). Abandoned by Arkhan, W'soran raged quit from the battlefield by using his tomb scarabs magic. He was never seen again at this point, not even in Nagashizzar for sure since Nagash was busy raging his ass off on their failure for 7 days and 7 night and he '''definitely NOT''' going anywhere near there.

In his novel, the ''Master of Death'', it was revealed he had came back to Nagash's side after Alcadizzar was captured and the Nehekharan decimated by the plague. There, W'soran taunted Alcadizzar that his queen will never fired another shot at his eye (W'soran's eye never recovered from the war and had remained empty) and even go as far as to push the immobilized Alcadizzar to the ground. Being Nagash's important component for his ritual, Alcadizzar is important enough for the daddy lich to being protected of Alcadizzar, even go as far as to mock W'soran that Alcadizzar's blood worth thousands more than his Vampire kinds'.

Also, while observing Alcadizzar's mistreatment, W'soran's view on Nagash being a god has changed. Nagash may not be a god, a man, nor an invisible master, but he is certainly a very evil being, yet his behaviors and actions is deemed somewhat like an exceedingly petty and spiteful human (gloat over Alcadizzar, temper tantrum, hating anything) to W'soran. Regardless, W'soran was certainly having a wet dream about how the ritual which will gave birth to a whole new generations of undead in Nehekhara, which they will all serve Nagash and kill every living being in the world for him. Did I mentioned that W'soran thought it is a beautiful thing? What. the. fuck.

Here, the story of W'soran and Melkhior splits. The W'soran version follows.

After Nagash was killed W'soran turned more nerds into Vampires and crossed the impassible mountains to join [[Ushoran]], who had been kind of a bro to him. He aided Ushorsn in building up the power of Strigos, and helped Ushoran claim the Crown of Nagash.
An afterthought came that Nagash wouldn't have been to pleased about that and that maybe the Crown of Sorcery was better left in the hands of an actual sorcerer (himself). This inspired W'soran to began to experiment with imbuing one's own essence into physical objects, skirting along the magical theory of elf [[Soulstones]] but instead creating the process of [[Lich]] phylacteries. He eventually created a helmet of his own and placed part of his soul within it, then gave it to a tribe of humans called the Dresca and watched them tear themselves apart through his subtle mental influence.
He made a pact with the leader of a human tribe named Vorag Bloodytooth, who in exchange for helping make him powerful built W'soran a fantastic and secret laboratory fortress. Here W'soran conducted many EEEEEEEVIL experiments and perfected the Lore of Vampires.
During the fall of Strygos, W'soran and his followers ambushed the Strigoi while they were fighting greenskins. Eventually, W'soran faced Ushoran alone and lost due to the influence of Nagash through the Crown. His forces were crushed by the Strigoi, and he himself fled through the burning city causing as much damage as he could to slow down the pissed off Strigoi, Strygos, his own traitorous followers, and Orc pursuers. During his retreat he found a large vein of Warpstone and consumed it, using the boost in magic to collapse a mountain which killed many of those chasing him and cut off the rest.

He used his magic to hastily construct a mountain keep that could only be reached by a long mountain pass filled with traps and monsters, then awaited his enemies. The Lahmians and Strigoi made it to the pass, but most were slain between battling each other and falling into traps laid by the mad scientist Vampire. Melkhior, clever and knowledgeable about his master's preference for traps, reached the keep and pretended to warn his former master about the coming threat, and convinced him they would make a final stand inside W'soran's own vault. W'soran found himself fighting the enemy Vampires alone, and after slaying them to the last Melkhior attacked his master from behind. Melkhior taunted him as W'soran lay dying, and W'soran seemingly fought his own dying breath to make out a few last words to his traitorous pupil. As Melkhior leaned in closer with a grin to hear what the old Vampire had to say, W'soran seized him and growled with a wicked smile that he had discovered the secret of true immortality. W'soran bit his student in the neck, and his soul entered the body of Melkhior and consumed the younger Vampire's soul and knowledge.
When the Lahmian reinforcements finally arrived at the keep, they found the corpse of W'soran and the (un)living student claiming to have done the deed. He told them he wanted to join them, and would give them all the secrets of W'soran provided he had time to translate the many tomes and decipher the experiments and tablets within the vault. He fed them a steady stream of lesser magics and artifacts before returning to his wayward students, gathering them into enclaves dedicated to advancing different areas of necromantic and alchemical study. Each knows little of the other enclaves, and none know all but himself. He himself is the master of the large and isolated Necrarch Bloodline, and over time and wearing different guises has ingratiated himself one way or the other with all of the Vampire Bloodlines.

While each different Bloodline may claim to control an army, claim to control a nation, or claim to be invincible it is W'soran and the Necrarchs who's combined strength is represented by the application of Undead monsters, unbelievably powerful and previously unknown magic, and subtle manipulation to the combined might of the others. W'soran has fully mastered necromancy becoming a spiritual being of darkness and has taken many apprentices and identities in his unlife.

===Nourgul the Wamphyro===
At one point W'soran or a [[Necrarch|necrarch vampire]] possessed by his spirit assaulted the southern realms he was called Nourgul by Tileans, Arabyans and Estalians. Nourgul was defeated by [[Abhorash|a mysterious knight]] disguised as a [[Myrmidia|worshipper of myrmidia]] in Magritta.

===Melkhior===
The above stories represent the basic interpretations of the story of W'soran. The following is the original version of the fluff and is less detailed.

In this one, after the fall of Nagash the Necrarchs built their power and spread throughout the world without the parts involving Ushoran and the Strigoi. W'soran, being more trusting in this interpretation, took loyal students with him as they traveled in secret administrating to the Necrarch enclaves. At one point, Melkhior began to read the books of Nagash while W'soran meditated or conducted intensive research. During one of these meditations, Melkhior slew the body of his master, trapping the soul of W'soran in the spirit world where he gathers armies of Ethereal undead to prey upon the living and eventually his former student.

Melkhior built a magically hidden tower in the Great Forest which is found within the Empire, and studied magic alone.

===Zacharias The Everliving===
The following story goes along with the latter story where Melkhior defeats W'soran, but for the sake of unified canon (as in the current canon both W'soran aiding Ushoran built his empire and this story appear to both be true) one can assume that a different version of is happens in the former story as well.

At one point a thief named Zacharias attempted to breach the tower where Melkhior was dwelling and steal a book of Nagash and, impressed that the young man had foiled his magical defenses, Melkhior made Zacharias his pupil. As the years went on, Melkhior became more and more insane and would go on Strigoi-like rampages to drain whole cities of blood. Zacharias took advantage of these times to read the book. Of course, one of these times Melkhior returned and caught him at the act so a fight broke out with Melkhoir winning and Zacharias fled.

Wounded by the pursuing minions of Melkhior, he hid in a cave and fell into a restorative hibernation for ten years. When he awoke he found that a Black Dragon had begun to use the cave as a lair. He promptly drained the dragon's blood over a very long time until it died (since nothing can wake up if a vampire feeds on it while it's sleeping) which caused him to grow in strength and cured his Vampiric weaknesses and need to feed on blood. He promptly reanimated the Dragon's corpse as a mount, then gathered an army and returned to lay siege to the tower. The two battled, and from here the story splits once again.

In one version of the story, Melkhior only narrowly survived the confrontation and fled to plot revenge. In the other, he perished and Zacharias took over as head of the Necrarch Bloodline and organized them into an effective force preparing to attempt to conquer the Empire in a manner similar to the von Carsteins. Either way, Melkhior's treasures and book of Nagash wind up in the hands of Zacharias.

===[[The End Times]]===
When Nagash came back, Nagash contacted him for his service, but found that Zacharias thought he was his equal. For this insult, Nagash promptly set his brain on fire in his head and instantly killed him. Unfortunately, this and a complete lack of any mention of W'soran or Melkhior in End Times suggests he really was killed by Zacharias, although no mention of the other Necrarchs were made either. Unfortunately, End Times left out quite a few things and the lore answers that [[Josh Reynolds]] provided were rendered non-canon by usual [[Games Workshop]] douchebaggery so either the Necrarchs were all wiped out alongside Zacharias, completely offscreen or just joined Nagash/went into hiding equally offscreen, and either way were 100% destroyed with the old setting when [[Age of Sigmar]] came to be.

==Necrarchs==
[[File:Necrarch Notes.jpg|An example of the fucked up shit that Necrarchs get up to. Seriously, you thought the Umbrella Corporation and the Chaos Cultists of 40k were bad?|thumb|right|300px|Necrarchs are the mad scientists of the Vampire Count options. All are skilled in magic and/or science. Much of their time is spent in experimentation, in delving for the knowledge of other races (like elves), and creating new forms of magical artifacts and Undead monsters.]]

Like the other spellcasters of the game (Empire Mages, [[Tzeentch|Tzeentchian]] [[Warriors of Chaos]], [[High Elves|Saphery Mages]], and the like) the Necrarchs are more likely to be found in the company of other Bloodlines than in an army of their own. Should have need to however, Necrarchs are very adaptable.

Any option you want to take can be handwaved as another Bloodline recruited to their service, although particularly "Necrarch" options include Zombies and Skeletons for Core raised in bulk as needed (failed test subjects in mass graves is another good explanation), Corpse Carts (as gatherers of new specimens) and Hexwraiths/Spirit Hosts (vengeful test subjects, experiments in soul-binding, or the minions of W'soran in the story where his soul is doomed to wander) as Special, Black Coaches (as a protective form of Chariot for the studious Necrarchs to direct battle from) and Mortis Engines (an arcane object created by Necrarchs powering their creations) for Rare. For Lords and Heroes, no named character is fitting (apart from possibly Mannfred the Acolyte. After all, he has studied everywhere, probably including under a Necrarch tutor at some point) unless one wants to use the stats of one of the Mannfreds to use as a Necrarch model. Necromancers are a possible option as an assistant, but really any options should be spellcasting Vampires and Master Vampires. Use of any other Lores other than Lore of Vampires is within theme if you choose to use them.

==On the Tabletop==
W'soran/Melkhior once had models and stats, but have long since been removed from the game and discontinued. If you can obtain the models, one can use W'soran or Melkhior (depending on which version of the fluff you consider canon) as a Master Vampire spellcaster in the Lore of Vampires riding an Abyssal Terror.

Necrarchs used to be one of the more popular Bloodlines until von Carsteins became the only Bloodline of any importance in the game in 7e, and as a result have a fair number of on foot and mounted models. All are out of production, so eBay is your only source.

As for how they used to be in their old rules, Melkhoir knocks in at 660 pts , he causes terror (with -1 to enemy leadership, but the modifier doesn't affect undead or daemons naturally), he is immune to all psychology, he is a lvl 4 wizard that gets one more spell than usual, has stupidity, has an abyssal terror and most importantly he can recast a spell on a 3+ (you still have to cast it as normal after passing the recast roll), though he cannot cast the same spell twice on the same unit.
Melkhoir also has three very special items that are awesome, he's got a magical sword that gives the models he hits -1 to their to hit rolls (he doesn't need to wound and the effects are not cumulative), he has a book he wrote that allows him to automatically cast a spell (it doesn't even use up any of your magic power either), and the spell that he casts can be recast as normal, but after using it, roll a die, on a 1-2 it can't be used again for the rest of the battle, and he has a black cloak that makes it impossible to shoot him. Literally, he cannot be shot at or hurt by shooting ever, not even by warmachines (he takes no damage if he gets hit) and not even by magical missiles (again he takes no damage) which is awesome combined with the sword so he doesn't get hit in combat, and combined with the book so he can keep shooting out spells. Statwise he's a Necrarch Vampire Lord, so also good in combat.

==Gallery==

<gallery>
Image:Melkior.jpg|The body of Melkhior, either inhabited by the soul of W'soran or as the traitorous pupil himself. Mounted on the "ever popular" only version of the Abyssal Terror that looks good.
Image:Necrarch 1.jpg|An old Necrarch model.
Image:Necrarch 2.jpg|A set of older Necrarch models.
Image:Necrarch 3.jpg|Yet more Necrarch models.
</gallery>

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Von Carstein

2023-05-17T21:46:47Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:Von Carstein Banners.jpg|thumb|right|700px|For only $20, you too can make one unit of your 100+ model army belong to the Von Carsteins! Nothing says "We're just as good as the Lahmians" like paying an extra 50% for kit!]]
{{Topquote|Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall.|Frank Llyod Wright}}

The Von Carsteins are a Bloodline (type of vampires related by a lineage of being turned leading back to the very first vampires) of [[Vampire Counts|Vampires]] from [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. They are the posterboy Bloodline of the faction, best summarized as the Dracula Bloodline (or the [[Tzimisce]] without Vicissitude for [[Vampire: The Masquerade]] fans).

==History==
===Vashanesh===
The original Von Carstein is not really named Von Carstein; [[Vlad von Carstein]] is the made up name of Vashanesh, ex-husband of the first vampire [[Queen Neferata]]. Neferata's idiot brother ruled their kingdom of Lahmia, although due to his ineffectual rule the real power behind the throne was his sister. He along with the rest of her royal court in Lahmia shared her Elixer which she and [[Arkhan the Black]] perfected using the Books of [[Nagash]]. After an..."accident" (probably involving blood loss, maybe a bit of mutilation and castration) Neferata took the throne; despite being the Pharaoh of a kingdom described as highly sexist (contrast with Neferata's [[High Queen Khalida|cousin's]] kingdom which was fine with a female monarch) Vashanesh is barely mentioned as even being important among the vampires themselves meaning he was most likely a relaxed political puppet for his wife. After some overly opulent living leading to some [[Fail|badly botched efforts to keep the secret of Vampirism under wraps]] the Vampires were attacked and defeated by other Nehekharans, forcing them to flee to the side of the guy who invented Necromancy, Nagash himself.

After the defeat of the Vampires and Nagash and during the death of [[Nehekhara]]/birth of the [[Tomb Kings]], Vlad and all but two of the other Vampires who had stood with Nagash's forces fought and blamed each other for the loss (Neferata had left before the battle occurred, and [[Abhorash]] had fought until defeat before leaving without a word to the others). Nagash's EXTREMELY angry spirit cursed all Vampires with the assorted mythological weaknesses like inability to cross running water and not having reflections (the latter because by nature Vampires are extremely vain) causing the embittered Vampires to flee his wrath by making their own ways through the apparently quite passable "impassible" mountains separating Nehekhara from the [[Old World]].
Vlad avoided the entanglements of [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]] that hindered the others and found his own way to [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire Of Sigmar]]. Vampires were still mostly an unknown to the humans of Warhammer Europe, despite [[Sigmar]] himself having fought them and there being a minor matter of the Empire marching to destroy Mourkain during the story of [[W'soran]] and [[Ushoran]]. Thanks to the status quo-enforcing policies of Neferata's web of international sexy spies the common folk knew little of Vampires and feared them only among the various other things that are probably lurking in the night.

According to a later retcon Vashanesh never existed. In the new version Vlad's old identity was a noble ally of Neferata's named Ankhat who mostly managed the day to day operations of the city, and Neferata never remarried after her brother was killed. As of The End Times the rulebook confirms he was Vashanesh... while the novel never mentions the name and says Neferata only ever loved Arkhan. At this point, pick a canon you like.

===Vlad and Isabella===
After spending some time gathering information Vashanesh found that he had come to a land called Sylvania. Sylvania was poor and ruled primarily by corrupt leaders who were hated and feared by the populace. The magic Wind Of Death blew strongly through Sylvania, causing madness in much of its inbred nobility and giving the land a cursed and barren landscape. He also discovered that the leader of the region, the mad count Otto Von Drak, had an inheritance crisis due to having no son to inherit and an intense hatred of his brother Leopold Von Drak. Vashanesh invented the name Vlad Von Carstein, obtained some nice clothes, and presented himself as the handsome nobleman to the court of Castle Drakenhof interested in joining the family. Otto, on his deathbed in the year of 1797, almost immediately gave "Vlad" his daughter [[Isabella von Carstein|Isabella]] as a wife and died soon after that. Leopold had an "accident" of falling off a tower (possibly involving blood loss, most likely due to Vlad literally tearing his heart out of his chest for Isabella) and the Sigmarite priest vanished (blood AND body loss!).

Vlad began a network operation of discovering who's who among Sylvanian nobility, greatly aided by Isabella. Although loyal in concept to the Von Drak line she had a great deal of hatred for her father and those of the court, and eagerly made herself more than just a pawn to her new husband. She accepted his Vampiric nature and fell in love, slowly creeping her way into his heart as well. With her guidance Vlad turned the most loyal (read: least batshit fucking insane) nobles into Vampires while making sure the rest met with various "accidents" (probably involving blood loss and the complete removal of their family name from all records and tombstones). While Vlad was prone to great bouts of rage at any slight (like all Nehekharans) Isabella was of a calm temperament, able to calm her husband and lead him back to reason which ensured that only those who truly deserved his anger received it (cruelly, in front of an assembled gathering of the nobility). The common folk of Sylvania, always oppressed and downtrodden, fearing at any moment that a new burst of the local lord's madness would lead to a fresh purge of their friends and family, actually benefited from Vlad's rule; excessive cruelty was not tolerated, and Vlad GREATLY encouraged acting as if they were still mortal which necessitated living servants and workers on the Sylvanian estates. Taxes were more fair and suddenly being killed by a lord was due to their need for sustenance rather than just because said nobleman found them annoying. Vlad eliminated the bandits and corrupt mercenaries, as well as Chaos worship (Sigmar worship suddenly and inexplicably dropped as well after). Most nobles who were turned gladly renamed themselves Von Carstein in Vlad and Isabella's honor (most were related already anyway).

Isabella wanted to remain with Vlad forever, but knew that soon she would start to fall to age, but Vlad refused to make her a Vampire. While Vlad was away she became deathly ill (AKA poisoned herself, which backfired when she got tuberculosis) and he rushed home to save her. Upon arriving home he found that she was dead, but after sending away the healers and mortician he spent three days alone in her room after which she was suddenly perfectly okay (the doctors may have been confused due to sudden inexplicable blood loss).

===Age Of The Three Emperors (First War of the Vampire Counts\First Vampire War)===
During the events of [[Mordheim]] in 1999 on the Imperial Calendar Vlad managed to woo one of his ex's servants, [[Baroness Katherina von Dernsbach]], and sent her to the city to lead Vampire forces in stealing as much [[Warpstone]] as possible.

Long before Vlad reached the Empire, the Age of Three Emperors started due to an election crisis following the [[Fail|assassination of Mandred Skavenslayer]] by [[Skaven]] in 1152. A successor was not appointed until 1359 when (through accused bribery) the Count of Stirland became Emperor leading to the Countess of Ottilia deciding SHE was Empress, causing a war which raged on and off until 1547 when the Count of Middenland declared himself Emperor due to a conflict with the Sigmar and Ulric churches. After the infant Countess of Marienburg won the election for Emperor, the Church of Sigmar rejected her rulership. By the time that Vlad had decided the time was right to fight to become Emperor, his rivals were the Countess of Talabecland, the Count of Reikland, and the Count of Marienburg and the Empire was a complete fucking mess.

In 2010, on Geheimnisnacht (AKA Halloween, when [[Morrslieb]] is closest to <strike>Mallus</strike> the Warhammer World) Vlad invited the nobility of Sylvania to a feast where the Vampire nobles fed on the remaining mortal nobility after which he consumed all of the gathered Warpstone and read an incantation of Nagash straight from one of the nine Books Of Nagash which caused the undead of Sylvania to rise and march.

Throughout the wars, Vlad was continually killed and to the amazement of all initially, and to his enemies afterwards (the first time one of his subordinates named Herman Posner tried to take over the faction), he returned every night (or within the hour if it was already night) as if nothing happened. This was due to his ring, the Von Carstein Ring, given to him by Nagash at some point which allowed him to return to life as long as he was still wearing it.

First he attacked Talabheim, killing Ottilia, followed by taking Stirland and Ostermark. To end the war in 2051 he laid siege to Altdorf in order to take Reikland and thus the Empire itself. The Grand Theogonist claimed to have received a vision from Sigmar revealing that Vlad's ring was the source of his resurrection in order to prevent the Empire from bowing to Vlad. The greatest thief of the time, Felix Mann (no, not THAT [[Gotrek & Felix|Felix]]) was sent to steal the ring which was easy due to <strike>rebellious Vampires</strike> Vlad's army believing they had nothing to fear; he ran off with it, and was later caught by Mannfred, who took the ring and his hands before leaving him in a cathedral to die whereupon he was saved by a Dwarf and...the writers forgot about him. Vlad attacked in a rage once he woke up the next night and found the ring gone and wound up in melee combat with the Grand Theogonist on the walls of Altdorf [[Fail|(because getting into a duel during a battle is the perfect reaction to finding out your get out of death free card is missing)]]. Vlad fatally stabbed the Sig-pope, who tackled him straight off the walls and onto the stakes below while Vlad's magic bloodsucking sword filled him with pope-blood (remember, holy burns undead). The combination, without the ring, killed him and prevented resurrection. Isabella, who was in the middle of claiming the Empire with the Reikland claimant at her mercy, killed herself instead in order to be with Vlad. The Vampires retreated to Sylvania and the Empire focused on ending the succession crisis...which didn't happen until 2145.

===Age Of The Three Emperors (Second War of the Vampire Counts\Second Vampire War)===
After the deaths of the Von Carstein patriarch and matriarch, the bulk of the invading undead army were destroyed by humans or loss of the magic animating them.

The primary contenders for rulership of the Von Carsteins were [[Mannfred von Carstein]], Fritz Von Carstein, Pieter Von Carstein, Hans Von Carstein, and [[Konrad von Carstein]]. Mannfred, being [[Magnus the Red|a non-confrontational nerd]], figured it was a good time for a world tour=. Before this he freed a vampire named Jon Skellan, and the two did the vampiric equivalent of going on a bender by hunting, (sensually) feeding on then killing the most beautiful women they could find across Stirland. After going on this (surprisingly rapey) killing spree, Mannfred charged Jon with undermining whichever brother rose to power, then left for parts unknown. During this time, Fritz attempted to restart Vlad's invasion of the Empire and was killed in Middenheim. Pieter attacked a town where he was killed by Helmut van Hal, one of the Witch Hunter descendants of [[Frederick van Hal]]. Hans and Konrad engaged each other in a duel over who was the strongest Vampire, which Konrad won by tearing Hans apart and burning the pieces. When the dust settled, Konrad was in charge.

This was unfortunate for the Von Carsteins. Konrad was one of the last Vampires turned by Vlad and for unknown reasons; he was ridiculously insane even by Sylvanian standards, having depopulated towns in mass executions on a whim (specifically, "they smelled bad") and executed his mother for giving birth to him without prior permission by him. He had no talent in magic, insulting and killing Necromancers assigned to him and anyone he thought was mocking his lack of magic ability.

Although inept at leadership, combat tactics, politics, and just about anything else not directly related to inflicting violence on people, he managed to intimidate a record number of Necromancers and Vampires into his service and put them into one giant army which steamrolled through the Empire with a record number of Undead. This slowly advancing wave was only capable of destruction, rather than establishing a chain of command and rulership like Vlad had done. Konrad was defeated in 2100 in the Battle of Four Armies (surprisingly not a reference to [[Tolkien]]) by the combined armies of Altdorf, Talabheim and Marienburg, but still "won" since the election crisis resulted in the Count of Altdorf and the Ottilia of Talabheim assassinating each other while the count of Marienburg was killed by Konrad, then sent as a Zombie to try and claim the Empire in Konrad's name (which canonically only failed because the Necromancers puppeting him had done a bad job of hiding his decomposition).

In 2121 Konrad was defeated by an army of the Empire and Dwarfs, but only due to Konrad's Necromancers all abandoning him at once after finally getting sick of his bullshit (this is canon). Most of the army crumbled, and after attempting to control them regardless Konrad's already scrambled brain was reheated and pitched out the window resulting in him wandering around in the woods until Thane Grufbad of the Dwarf army and the son of the Count of Marienburg wrestled him to the ground and beheaded him (to put this in context, Vampires can backhand a fucking Ogre or a Chaos Champion, but some random human and Dwarf managed to get him on his back).

===Age Of The Three Emperors (Third War of the Vampire Counts\Third Vampire War)===
During Konrad's bullshit crusade, Manny had managed to explore Nehekhara, reclaimed some of the Books of Nagash (there's a lore snarl where he apparently claimed all of them despite them all being in multiple places at once and being lost to the sands of time). He managed to commune with Nagash, swearing allegiance, learned from [[Arkhan the Black]], set up ties with the [[Necrarch]] Bloodline, and returned just in time to restore order after Konrad got a <strike>Game Of Thrones</strike> Walking Dead side character death.

Mannfred returned to Altdorf to lay siege, but the Church of Sigmar had learned how to effectively deal with Undead and Mannfred's army was crushed. He used ambushes and raiding to put pressure on the Empire until the Battle Of Hel Fen in 2145, where, despite dealing with disease and the sicknesses of the swamps resulting in a massive amount of casualties, Mannfred's largely Zombie-based army was destroyed and his lifeless body sunk into the muck. Thus ended the last Vampire War, and the succession crisis FINALLY ended after nearly going on longer than the Empire itself.

===Mannfred's Resurrection===
Felix (yes, THAT Felix) saw and wrote about the resurrection of Mannfred during his travels with the God Emperor Of Murderhobos Gotrek. In fact they unintentionally made it possible. Felix and Gotrek were staying at an inn, having been recruited to rescue the innkeeper's adult daughter, Elsa (not a reference to Frozen), who had been captured by a necromancer. They find the Necromancer trying to use her as a virgin sacrifice to resurrect a vampire. Gotrek cuts him in half and they rescue the woman. However the necromancer's blood leaked through the ground onto Mannfred's body and revived him (revealing the necromancer to have been a virgin, which provoked some amusement from Mannfred).

After nearly abusing the innkeeper's hospitality (Gotrek nearly drinking all the booze and Felix attempting to seduce Elsa), a servant of Mannfred's burns down the inn. Deprived of their vices (the booze is burned up and Elsa has too much of a revenge-boner to care about Felix's literal one) and mad at the wanton destruction, they track down the perpetrator. During this time Mannfred had commandeered a ship and put the crew under his thrall (through a mix of vampire charm and the threat of gruesome death) and sailed to a hidden base. Gotrek and Felix track him down to his lair twice. First time he flees after getting a small cut from Gotrek's axe. The second time Gotrek temporarily loses the axe and forced Mannfred to flee by beating him with a pair of silver candlesticks. Mannfred goes into hiding while Gotrek and Felix go to do their thing in later books.

===[[Blood Of Sigmar]]===
Despite the interference of Gotrek and Felix, Mannfred kept his resurrection under wraps in the same manner as the Skaven keep their existence. He actively recruited all Vampires from any Bloodline, assassinating or sabotaging any who didn't sign up with him while avoiding direct conflict with the other Bloodlines. Von Carsteins were bullied back into the chain of command, and Mannfred began his war by attacking the Dwarfs and kidnapping [[Everqueen|Aliathra]], Everqueen heir to the [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]] using a prodded force of greenskins and [[Heinrich Kemmler]].

The sun stopped rising in Sylvania and Vampires became openly active again. Mannfred openly seceded Sylvania from the Empire in 2522 by sending a letter to Karl Franz - [[Grimdark|a letter written in blood on human skin, stuffed down the throat of a Witch Hunter's corpse which was dropped into parliament hall by a Terrorgheist]] - where he declared himself leader of Sylvania at the same time as he stole the Crown Of Sorcery AKA Nagash's favorite tiara. [[Volkmar The Grim]] attempted a crusade against Sylvania, but the force was defeated and he was taken captive. [[Balthasar Gelt]] created a giant magical wall trapping the Undead within Sylvania. Mannfred responded by using the blood of Volkmar, the [[Fey Enchantress]], and Aliathra to create a giant wall of bones inside Sylvania preventing the living from entering or leaving.

===[[The End Times]]===
(Fuck this shit, I'm not writing it.)

Short version: Arkhan and Mannfred broke through Gelt's wall and successfully brought Nagash back. Nagash brought Vlad back, which was awesome. Vlad took over Sylvania from Mannfred, which is even better. But then the world ended, everyone died and it was Mannfred's fault.

===[[Age of Sigmar]]===

Technically speaking the Von Carsteins “exist” in the sense that Mannfred is still around and his newly turned minions make up his “Legion of Night”. It’s unlikely humans would survive there making it a Bloodline of one at the time, but he has since sided with anyone against Nagash and any mortals he turns are now part of the Von Carsteins. Since Games Workshop has not committed to which specific characters didn't survive the ET, any character can and sporadically has returned so Vlad, Isabella, Konrad, even the named redshirts from past obscure lore, could all be brought back into the story at any time.

After getting out of his punishment Mannfred founded a realm called Carstinia, which was similar to Sylvania in environment and architecture. At his castle, he was served by vampiric servants made or conditioned into being yes-men and made to look like all the other von Carsteins including Vlad, Isabella and Konrad. However Mannfred eventually accepted how hollow his fantasy was and saw it as a reminder of his past failures, so rarely spends time in Carstinia anymore.

Following Nagash’s house arrest thanks to Teclis, the vampires are now free to run amuck. After deliberately doing a sloppy job of spreading the Nadir to Ghyran, Mannfred was eager to do some conquering of his own by immediately invaded some of Neferata’s land with his armies.

==Relations==
* Chaos
** [[Beastmen]]
*** Vampire encounters with Beastmen in lore are rare, since both tend to serve the purpose as "guys attacking the Empire" although in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] Isabella remarks that "They would be beautiful if they weren't so disgusting."
** [[Chaos Dwarfs]]
*** Chaos Dwarfs have no concern or interest in the Von Carsteins.
** [[Daemons]]
*** Daemons have virtually nothing to do with the Von Carsteins as Vampires are outside of the cycle of life and death, their souls never returning to the Warp.
** [[Warriors Of Chaos]]
*** The WoC have no concern or interest in the Von Carsteins prior to End Times, when they became rival forces.
* [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]]
** Von Carsteins antagonize the Dwarfs a great deal, and the Dwarfs aid the Empire whenever they can. As a result the relationship is quite unfriendly and the Dwarfs are more likely to attack the VCs than the other VC Bloodlines.
* Elves
** [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]]
*** Prior to the taking of the Everprincess by Mannfred, the Von Carsteins were not a concern of the Asur so long as the Empire was still a buffer against Chaos. Afterwards they are one of the worst enemies, second only to the Dark Elves.
** [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark Elves]]
*** Dark Elves have no concern or interest in the Von Carsteins. Would probably mad enough to trade with them like any vampire pirate they encountered.
** [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood Elves]]
*** Wood Elves have no concern or interest in the Von Carsteins, but will still kill them on sight like any undead since the taint of undeath kills their trees. Similar incident happened when Heinrich raised a bunch of wraith and killed a lot of trees and elves in the [[Athel Loren]].
* Humans
** [[Bretonnia]]
*** The Von Carsteins have almost no contact with Bretonnia, being geographically separated and having no reason to go after the Frenchies when the Germans are still putting up a fight. Still, they would disavow them if they ever met due to their decree against all undead as well as the similar experience they had with the mousillon undead.
** The Empire
*** The main enemy of the Von Carsteins, seen by the VCs as uppity livestock wandering the fields without masters.
* [[Lizardmen]]
** Lizardmen have no concern or interest in the Von Carsteins, but will probably still kill them on sight since they are not part of the old one's plan. Plus, lizardmen already had the similar experience with a vampire pirate known as Luthor Harkon, who set up a remote port base on their backyard.
* [[Ogre Kingdoms]]
** Ogre mercenaries in the Empire, as well as the population living in Ostland, would be concerned about the Vampire Counts but the Kingdoms themselves are likely to work alongside the Von Carsteins as they are to be against them.
* [[Orcs & Goblins]]
** Lack of fucks given. Just another enemy to fight. But their relationship were much better when Azhag had Nagash's crown and the
Von Carstein wants it for their master's resurrection.
* [[Skaven]]
** Skaven are generally concerned by the undeads due to their history with that particular frightened lich known as [[Nagash]]. Outside of Mordheim they would not acting directly against the Von Carsteins or any other undead in particular since they can't eat their corpses for food. That is unless they carry warp stones.
* [[Tomb Kings]]
The Tomb Kings see them like they do any other vampires, enemy number one (though some of the more unscrupulous Tomb Kings may work with Von Carsteins, [[Settra the Imperishable|Settra]] has [[Blam|a zero-tolerance policy on vampires and working with them]]). However, being geographically separated means their forays are usually limited to small expeditions. Prior to the End Times, their only interactions were Mannfred stealing some scrolls from their tombs to prepare for Konrad's inevitable downfall and a team-up of Khalida and Arkhan the Black to hunt down a Von Carstein vampire with one of Nagash's staffs.
* Vampire Counts
** [[Strigoi]]
*** While the Von Carsteins had nothing to do with their fall, they have still managed to become a hated enemy. Wandering Strigoi find themselves manipulated into being pawns or simply eliminated to prevent them from bringing unwanted attention from the Empire to the region. Or simply because the Strigoi doesn't know when to stop regarding feeding on the peasants, possibly getting a delicious maiden or elderly warrior that someone who could ''appreciate'' the meal could have had. Strigoi in return hate the rich fucks in their fancy castles while they're stuck shivering in cold damp caves.
** [[Lahmian]]
*** The second main enemy of the Von Carsteins after the Empire. While the Von Carsteins want to kick [[Karl Franz]] off the throne of the Empire, stick his head on a pike, and make the architecture look like Tim Burton's Dracula wet dream the Lahmians have already taken over the Empire. As well as Bretonnia, Cathay, some Dwarf Holds, part of Ulthuan, and just about everything else not affiliated with Chaos. The two are direct rivals for power, the Von Carsteins pretending to be vampire overlords in crumbling castles while Lahmians pretend to be human overlords in well-furnished and modern decorated castles. Much of the intrigue not related to ruling the world of both Bloodlines is against each other, with a small amount left for kicking Strigoi in the teeth for lulz.
** [[Blood Dragon]]
*** Despite the Dracula connection, Blood Dragons have almost no meaning to Von Carsteins. Neither factors into the plans of the other, neither are a nuisance to the other, and generally speaking there's no known conflict between the two.
** [[Necrarch]]
*** Necrarchs have the same relationship with the Von Carsteins that they do the other Bloodlines (Strigoi excluded). Necrarchs build monsters or discover new spells, they sell them to the Von Carsteins for gold or supplies. While in theory a rivalry with a resurrected Nagash (that the Necrarchs worship) would cause a conflict, in End Times the Necrarchs joined the Von Carstein bloodline but otherwise stayed in the background.

==Armies==
The Von Carsteins, as the posterboy faction, use every option available to the Vampire Counts. In particular they use Corpse Carts, Black Coaches, and Vargheists, all inventions of the Von Carsteins although later they were adopted by other Bloodlines. Even Bloodline-specific options like the Strigoi Ghoul Kings can be coerced into Vlad or Mannfred's armies (or just be among the more insane of the Sylvanians turned into the family).

==Trivia==

* While the aesthetics owe to Dracula, Games Workshop likely named the Von Carsteins after Countess Karnstein, the lesbian vampire antagonist of the 19th century vampire novel "Carmilla", by Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu (which predates the publication of Dracula by 25 years).

{{Vampire-Counts-Bloodlines}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Ushoran

2023-05-17T21:43:09Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[Image:Ancient-Blood.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Ushoran on the cover of his own [[Black Library]] book.]]
Originally a [[Bard|clever bastard]], later the head of the Strigoi Bloodline of [[Vampire Counts]]. He's about as unlucky as they come, and were it not for the forces of the universe conspiring to make his life hell he could have succeeded where [[Mannfred von Carstein|other pathetic failures hadn't]] and conquered humanity.

==The Legend==
[[Image:1287907031625.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Young Ushoran in a nutshell.]]
Like the other Bloodline pat/matriarchs '''Ushoran''' was originally a nobleman from the province of Lahmia in [[Nehekhara]], the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] analogue to ancient Egypt. Cousin to both '''[[Queen Neferata]]''' and her older brother '''Lamashizzar'''.

Ushoran, like [[Vlad von Carstein|Ankhat]] and [[W'soran]], was born to an ancient noble bloodline. Despite being a distant relative to the Lahmia's royal family, he did not receive Asaph's blessing of looking beautiful and handsome, looking rather like a plain commoner (which is a useful trait that allows him to shake off his pursuers by blending himself with street crowds). He is also an incredibly smart and a cunning schemer who do not leaves any deep impression of himself to others, making him a natural born spy when combined with his aforementioned trait. He put his talents to use by covering up his cabal's little activities from leaking out to the public, and had never risk them into his own scheme.

Ushoran too, like other members, grew tired of Lamashizzar's incompetence and switched sides when Neferata revealed her superior mastery of the dark arts over her brother.

After Neferata became a vampire and took the throne, Ushoran became her spymaster and was given the title of '''Lord of Masks'''. His spy network stretched far and wide, extended to every great city in Nehekhara, even in Cathay where their vampire agents has made a firm contact with its [[Jade-Blooded|local vampire]] for decades. Upon turned into a vampire, Ushoran became even more unpredictable than before, so much that Neferata noticed minor changes on his face, as if he could physically alter it at will.

Hilariously, Neferata once had a carpenter who was skillful enough to craft a forgery of the original throne, but the carpenter was never seen again after the throne was finished (since no corpse was left behind), and Neferata never asked about the carpenter's fate. She hinted Ushoran might've made him "disappeared" to ensure no such throne will ever be made.

Despite achieved immortality, he shared the same sentiments with the other members about Neferata's new husbandry obsession with the Rasetran prince, which they believe will led to Lahmia's destruction.

Being the scheming bastard he is, he made a secret contact with W'soran, who was busy isolating himself in the library to study the Book of Nagash. After Ushoran passed his charisma check and made W'soran confess his big plan to summon Nagash (with which he was having trouble) and how he felt about Neferata's obsession (as well as his own critique about Neferata as a ruler), Ushoran agreed to help him in exchange to work together and overthrow Neferata before she doomed Lahmia.

To help W'soran, Ushoran put on a disguise (using some makeup as well as a little bit of his talent) and hired a tomb raider to obtain Thutep's remains, only to kill the raider afterward in a display of vampire ninja assassination. Ushoran gave Thutep's remains to W'soran but W'soran's ritual did not succeed (at first).

After '''Alcadizzar''' escaped, Neferata ordered the cabal and her soldiers to find him. Ushoran was specifically assigned for this task (being a a spymaster and all), and had to interrogate many innocent Lahmians at the Temple of Blood (now with its own torture chamber and tools). Ushoran was permitted, even encouraged, to abduct people freely from the street to interrogate them about Alcadizzar's whereabouts. He tracked his living prey like a vampire Spiderman, jumping from street to building and using his vampiric senses. When convinced his victims didn't know anything, they were not released, [[grimdark|but instead imprisoned inside his private torture dungeon for his own entertainment]], [[Slaanesh|Ushoran using torture methods he'd learned from Nagash's book, which Nagash himself had learnt from the Dark Elves]]. Ushoran came to enjoy hunting and torturing people so much he stopped caring about Alcadizzar and hoped he'd never appear again.

Ushorn was there when W'soran finally made contact with Nagash and confirmed his survival, but unfortunately for them they were caught unawares by Ankhat and Neferata. After W'soran was staked and put inside a casket, Neferata angrily question Ushoran was and once again ordered to find Alcadizzar, threatening to inflict worse suffering on him than what W'soran got him if he failed.

Realizing Neferata had finally lost patience with him, Ushoran secretly met with '''Zhuras''', one of Lamashizzar's cousin and the loser of the cabal who had spent his immortality on gambling in the slums. Using promises of becoming royalty and gaining power, Ushoran drew him into a plan to destroy Neferata with Nagash's assistance. To do so, however, Zhuras had to act as an envoy to Nagash at '''Nagashizzar''' by crossing the northern plain, aided by six elite bodyguards while avoiding travel by boat (because Ankhat's agent patrolled the harbor). Ushoran also secretly planned to get rid of Zhuras after Nagash dealt with Neferata....[[not as planned|which didn't work out how he hoped]].

Due to a prophetess revealing where Alcadizzar would get the evidence he required to start a war against Lahmia, Zhuras and his bodyguards were ambushed there and killed. Zhuras' head, along with important documents he carried about Lahmia's vampires and Nagash's whereabouts, was sent to the Rasetran king and led to the formation of a coalition army of the great cities.

[[Irony|So yes. Ushoran's little scheme was the final nail in the coffin to finish off Lahmia. He had tried to overthrow Neferata but instead ended up securing her reign and destroying the city.]]

Although Ushoran had tried to escape, Ankhat caught him since he had his own agents watching Ushoran at all times. Neferata was also there and forced him defend Lahmia alongside the released W'soran.

On the battlefield, Ushoran hopped around slashing Nehekharan soldiers with his claw like a sadistic animal. His appetite and bloodlust, further stoked by the years of torture he'd perpetrated, made him go on an uncontrolled rampage.

His rampage ended when a group of desert horse archers shot him with barbed arrows dipped in flammable oil to immobilize him and set him alight. Ushoran could do nothing but howled in pain until his death.

But Abhorash's arrival gave the vampires time to escape and the fire died out before it could finish off Ushoran. As he slowly regenerated he limped to the top of a hill in time to see Lahmia's final moments and wondered if any of his fellow cabal members had survived.

===Mourkain: Rise and Fall===
Meanwhile a Necromancer called Kadon, who was the son of the chieftain and the shaman of the Lodringen tribe (which had been neglected by Sigmar's unification), found Nagash's Crown of Sorcery in the hands of the corpse of [[Alcadizaar]] washed up on the shore of a river. The crown instantly filled his mind with knowledge, and he used his newfound necromantic powers to reanimate the corpses of the dead to serve the living. A massive tomb was built for the body of Alcadizaar which also doubled as Kadon's palace and a place of burial for the Lodringen. Mourkain (known as "Morgheim" to the Empire) became the name of the capital city, while Strygos became the name of the people.

Ushoran and his followers at this point crossed the impassible mountains separating the land of the [[Tomb Kings]] from the [[Old World]] and after arriving in Mourkain, Ushoran immediately used his charm to become the main adviser to Kadon. The two of them made a powerful and expanding empire that rivaled that of the [[Empire]] of the time, and Kadon worked with Ushoran's more arcane-minded Vampire servants to create many powerful magical items as well as refine the magic of Nagash (giving rise to the Lore of Vampires used by the Vampire Count army).
[[Image:Mourkain palace.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Mourkain palace.]]

In the meantime, Ushoran rebuilt his Bloodline from the loyal citizens of Stygos. At some point after Kadon's death, Ushoran then channeled the most dangerous power in any Warhammer settings (common sense!) and instituted laws prohibiting his vampire minions from feeding on the general populace: they only drained the blood from willing servants, or criminals, prisoners of war and slaves. The protection of the Vampires combined with the growing power and luxury provided by the wise rulership made the people of Strygos very loyal to their rulers in a way that rivals that of current [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian Peasantry]].

Once the kingdom had grown enough in power, Ushoran sent messengers to the other Bloodline leaders with plans for a united Vampire race. Only [[W'soran/Melkhior|W'soran]] answered his invitations. The two of them further refined the Lore of Vampires and created many more magical objects, eventually unlocking the full power of the Crown of Sorcery for Ushoran's use.

So at this point, things were going fantastically for Ushoran and the Strygos. As one might expect, this is the point in the story where everything went to hell.

Neferata took the invitation of Ushoran as an implication that she was to serve him (and she might have been right). She was so incensed by the idea that another Vampire would rule over her like she had all of them only a short time ago (by Vampire reckoning), and that Ushoran was making such an offer after his role in the fall of Lahmia, she manipulated the young [[Empire]] into gathering an army and attacking Strygos. While he could have easily beaten them and added the Empire to his ranks, an [[Orcs and Goblins|Orc]] WAAAGH had gathered both due to Abhorash and the first Blood Dragons nearly wiping them out in the nearby mountains and the slow encroachment of the Strygos on their lands. The greenskins destroyed a straight path to the foot of Mourkain itself.

While Ushoran and Kadon devastated both armies, Kadon was slain and the Strygos and Strigoi forces took massive casualties to the point that the greenskins and Warboss that remained were able to smash through the city gates and destroy it. Ushoran and his remaining Bloodline held the line near the rear of the city so that the human population, fanatically loyal to him, could flee to the distant hills. At this point W'soran and his followers betrayed the Strigoi (according to the Necrarch account because the Crown of Sorcery had begun to take control of Ushoran and W'soran wanted to save the only man he had ever considered a friend, although this would hardly have been a bad end for them as he had worshiped Nagash as a god shortly before draws the story into doubt). W'soran weakened the Strigoi until they could no longer stand against the WAAAGH, and after being beaten by Ushoran fled for his life to the mountains.

The kingdom of Strigos fell and became know as the Badlands to the people of the [[Old World]].

Ushoran was separated from his kin during their retreat and seemingly crushed under a sea of green, so the remaining Strigoi Vampires broke ranks and fled in different directions. Without leadership, the Bloodline degenerated and most gave into their animalistic urges. Where before they had been restrained to non-lethal blood drinking or to consuming the dregs of society, they indulged themselves to the point that a single Strigoi was capable of consuming all living creatures from mice to giants for miles before rest.

The other Bloodlines became exceedingly hostile to the Strigoi. The appearance of a Strigoi in the midst of an area controlled by Lahmians brought Witch Hunters on their heads, so Lahmians were quick to personally kill them or hire mercenaries to put them out of their (their meaning the Lahmian's) misery. The von Carsteins saw them as beggars, and did to them as the inspiration for their Bloodline did (hint: it involves fire and impalement). The traitorous Necrarchs saw them as a source of crafting materials with which to make new monsters and dissected them with glee (although they DO still trade with them and make deals with them, as Necrarchs are smart not to burn their bridges entirely). The Blood Dragons saw them as mere beasts to slay and drink the blood of for a challenge. As a result, Strigoi Vampires became more and more a group of loners.

During the early centuries of the Empire, the threat of Vampires was considered very real. The first [[Witch Hunters]] relentlessly pursued the Strigoi Vampires, despite the ineffective forces knowing very little about them. More often they attacked the people of Strigos, who had since become Warhammer's gypsy analogue and lived on the outskirts of most towns and cities in the Empire.
As the years went on, the mistreatment of the Strigos grew until many (often those in positions of political clout amongst the isolated clans) began to behave as the Witch Hunters believed them to have always been: witches, necromancers, and seekers of Vampirism. Ironically, the attacks of the von Carsteins under Vlad made the Witch Hunters far less focused on Strigos, but FAR more effective at hunting the Vampires themselves. But the damage had been done, and the Strigos are oftentimes the allies of Vampires who in turn usually treat them with a degree of respect (to the point that a Strigoi Vampire may literally ONLY restrain his urges from preying upon the gypsy Strigos bands...and instead consuming every man, woman, child, and animal in the nearby Empire town then fleeing resulting in the Strigos moving in to loot and live, benefiting the still loyal Strigos greatly).

For his part, Ushoran did NOT die. He has lived primarily in isolation, learning that his kin from other Bloodlines were far less loyal than ordinary mortal humans and that his own Bloodline, however loyal when he was around, were weak willed without him.

During the time of the Three Emperors of the Empire, the Strigos were persecuted more than they ever were, to the point that when the (then) Elector Count of Averland formed a group to genocide the Strigos, much of the Empire considered him a hero. Needless to say, Ushoran was NOT impressed when he found out. He wiped out an entire greenskin WAAAGH that threatened the Strigany who had returned to Mourkain, then single-handedly wiped out the forces and leaders who had sought the destruction of his gypsy followers.

The Elector Count of Averland was turned and made one of the Strigoi Bloodline: Ushoran enjoyed watching the former tormentor struggle with his Vampirism, with the man only capable of restraining himself out of fear of becoming like the other Strigoi. Ushoran returned to Mourkain and sent a call for his Strigoi Vampire family and the Strigany humans to return to the city to rebuild.

As the [[Storm of Magic]] (or [[Warhammer Online|Age of Reckoning]]) grew in strength, the body of Kadon became reanimated as a [[Lich]] and sought to rebuild his former kingdom and reclaim the Crown of Sorcery.

===[[Age of Sigmar]]===

{{topquote|They say I'm crazy, HA! I'LL SHOW THEM, I'LL SHOW THEM ALL! Won't I, Mister Sqeaky-Bones?! FILTHY FUCKING BARBARIANS, REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!|possibly Ushoran, upon escaping the Shroudcage.}}

Ushoran did not survive the complete destruction of the Old World, but since he was undead and Nagash had become a god, Ushoran was brought back in the new setting. Then [[Nagash]] had him trapped in something called the Shroudcage, like a fancy parrot you torment for a week before forgetting of their existence. But when bone daddy got uppity and tossed a wrench in [[Sigmar|everyone's favorite golden idiot]]'s plans, the Fantasy God Emperor personally came down to [[Shyish]] to smash his skull, and in attempting to do so he accidentally toppled the Shroudcage over.

Ushoran escaped, but after being locked up for so long there, he has gone completely mad and sees himself as a sophisticated king traveling the Realms with a court of majestic gold, noble men and women joining him as impeccable courtiers everywhere he goes, which quickly lead to an impressive list of new names and titles his followers come up with.

Needless to say, this isn't quite the case.

[[Grimdark|What in his eyes are brave paladins and diligent men-at-arms are in truth filthy, frenzied, mishappen creatures feasting not on elaborate banquets but on the corpses of their foes, who are more often than not scared peasants and city guards rather than horrible monsters needing to taste the blade of a knight.]]

The thing is, his madness is contagious. Everyone in Ushoran's court and the ones he infected with his vampirism and later left to form their own bands (called Abhorrent Ghoul Kings) suffer these delusions as if they saw everything through their "kings'" warped perspectives, and consume anyone who may be disagreeable to their madness.

These "[[Flesh-Eater Courts|noble courts]]" join all sides, draw from all sides, and war against all sides in an unpredictable clusterfuck that messes with everyone equally. Nobody likes them, though Nagash considers them under his rule due to all the Death magic permeating them, but is unable to really control them and has promised great rewards for anyone who comes to a Mortarch with any information on Ushoran (said reward likely being some form of undeath, but not necessarily a comfy seat in Nagash's forces).

==Strigoi==
Unlike other Vampire Bloodlines, the Strigoi mostly lack central leadership. During the seclusion of Ushoran they spread out throughout the Old World, giving in to their base natures and degenerating into hulking brutes. Initially they ate solid food out of inability to restrain themselves and often vomited it up as Warhammer Vampires are mostly incapable of consuming anything but blood without conditioning. Strigoi Vampires eventually overcame their weakness, becoming almost as capable of digesting anything as an [[Ogre Kingdoms|Ogre]].

Strigoi rarely find themselves in the company of others for long, although Ghouls being the human equivalent to themselves are the company they are found in more than anything else. Rare is the Strigoi capable of much advanced thought, but those that are (for various reasons like being only given to periodic indulgence rather than constant, regaining some level of self control after a traumatic event, almost starving to death and returning to rational thought, conditioning by another intelligent being, or the rare guidance of Ushoran) will seek out Strigos Necromancers, resurrect Zombies (who despite being slower than molasses running uphill to the frustration of feral Strigoi, are simple enough to animate and useful as minions), then advance the goals of Ushoran or join the von Carsteins. The most intelligent (or the most feral and powerful) can easily find themselves beasts to tame or packs to join amongst the various monsters of the world. The Necrarchs can be quite helpful at assisting them in both cases.

==On the Tabletop==
Ushoran has never had a model. Only released in 6e where Vampire Counts saw a trimming of their named characters rather than additions, he remains something that can only be emulated on the tabletop.

If you want to use him, it's tempting to use a Strigoi Ghoul King. Remember though, Ushoran never gave into his primal nature.* Although he somehow came to resemble his Bloodline (unless this is an illusion of his to inspire kinship amongst them anyway), he still retains his intelligence. Being a manipulative bastard, he should be used as a Vampire Lord kitted out like a Lahmian with abilities like Beguile. He should also have Necromancers, representing his loyal Strigany followers.

*EDIT: Not exactly true. Ushoran is noted in ''Ancient Blood'' to have been feral for some time, and only came back to his senses and return to sapient life after receiving the blood of a specific strigany boy and then going on a serial killer rampage through the Western Empire in revenge for the aforementioned Strigany. So if you played a pre-blood Ushoran, you could field a Ghoul King (or an Archregent if you're playing AoS, as he's so insane in that that just being near him drives you insane too).

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Strigoi.jpg
Image:Strigoi 2.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Vampire Counts]]
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Flesh-Eater Courts]]

Strigoi

2023-05-17T21:41:03Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

Strigoi is an old Romanian word derived from Latin referring to a supernatural creature, usually a vampire. In tabletop gaming context it refers the Strigoi Bloodline of [[Vampire Counts]] from [[Warhammer Fantasy]].

If the Von Carsteins are the Warhammer version of Bela Legosi, the Strigois are the Nosferatus, at least after Count Orlok hit the gym. They're hulking, bald (baring the occasional quill), taloned jagged fanged feral predators. Despite this they still retain considerable intelligence.
==History==
The Strigoi are mutant vampires descended from [[Ushoran]], the younger brother of bitch [[Queen Neferata]]. Old lore had it that she would bully him and deliberately didn't make him a vampire so she had someone to look down on, he in turn stole the partial recipe of her elixir of immortality and the result made him the bestial mutant vampire we know. New lore has it that she willingly made him a vampire and he served as a diplomat prior to being cursed as a more monstrous type of vampire. However, in both versions it ended with Ushoran leaving his sister to realize his ambitions and carve out his own kingdom.

After many years of wandering, Ushoran found Mourkain, a small vampire kingdom created by a barbarian shaman Kadon, who wore the Crown of Nagash and worshipped the Great Necromancer as a god. He easily couped Kadon and changed some of his laws, such as removing the worship of Nagash and restoring [[Abhorash|Abhorash's]] principle to feed only on criminals. Those reforms were pretty successful, and even non-vampires started to respect Ushoran as their leader. Meanwhile, his newly acquired fame insulted Neferata, and she became jealous. Extremely jealous.

She waged a war against Mourkain, and while Ushoran managed to eventually defeat her armies, the [[Greenskin|Greenskins]] knocked on the door and turned the unprepared kingdom into a literal wasteland. With the death of their King and the total annihilation of their country, most of the Strigoi degenerated, turned into a wild predators that prey in a dark and secret places, hunting on the hermits and Ghouls. But they still have memories about Mourkain, and they are slowly preparing to rise again and restore the empire....

== Strigany ==
If you're wandering what happened to the non-dead population of Mourkain, it fled to the north, in the lands of the future Empire, which proved to be a great mistake. Most of the human tribes already hated them as a Vampire slaves, and the hate only strengthened when they arrive to their land. Having nowhere to run (seriously, other choices are [[Nehekhara]] and [[Dark Lands]]), they stayed there.

Several thousand years have passed, and nothing really changed. Everyone hates them (with some exceptions like the [[Kislev|northern kislevites]]), and '''especially''' the Witch Hunters, who have little to no mercy to those people. They travel in caravans or small barges and call themselves Strigany (Warhammer Gypsies, huh...), have a little knowledge of fortune telling, and <s>overall are pretty good guys, even if some of them are extremely necrofiliac and still worship Vampires</s>{{BLAM|BLAM! THEY'RE STILL VAMPIRE SLAVES YOU IDIOT!}}

==Relations==

*'''[[Lahmian|Neferata's Fanclub]]''': Sir Witchunter the recent deaths in the province are due to freakish wildlife attacks theyre causing quite a ruckus i urge you to endeavor to rid civilized society of these beasts.

*'''[[Blood Dragon|Blood Dragons]]''': They hate the Strigoi and hunt them like animals, calling them a dishonorable fucks [[Derp|"Ironically Abhorash himself grew to hate the schemes of Neferata & fought to defend Strygos"]]

*'''[[The_Empire_(Warhammer_Fantasy)| Most Humans]]''': Strigoi whats that? all i heard of were bout them giant ugly monsters who ate Hans's cattle farm we had a famine that winter.

*'''[[Strigany|Strigany]]''': Strygos will rise again!! milord why are you chewing on that animal carcass?

==Named Characters==
NOTE: Characters unique to the Age Of Sigmar [[Flesh-eater Courts]] are not counted as Strigoi, and will not be listed since the term “Abhorrant” has replaced Strigoi as a signifier of Ghoul King allegiance.

* Ushoran
Progenitor of the Bloodline. Canon splits into what happened to him at Mourkain, some sources saying he simply died and others that he survived. It was generally thought the former was canon since it was in army books and the latter in [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] supplements until his own book [[Ancient Blood]] was released, showing him saving some Strigany from a Nazi-like Gypsy purge and leading them to rebuild their empire. Although he was one of the dropped plots for [[End Times]], [[Josh Reynolds]] attempted to give fans closure on many things (before GW ordered him to stop and declare them fanfiction) with Ushoran actually gathering the loyalist Strigoi, before it all vanishes into the dark of the final battle. Despite that, Games Workshop made Josh’s story canon with Ushoran confirmed alive and surviving into [[Age Of Sigmar]] where the madness of the Bloodline finally claimed him as he delusionally believes himself to be ruling the rebuilt Mourkain when in reality he’s a wandering monster that infects everything around him with madness turning men into similarly-deluded Ghouls faster than if they had participated in cannibalism. Meanwhile, in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] Ushoran simply rules some of his Bloodline who have returned to Nehekhara; although not present in the game, he is still the faction leader.

* [[Vorag Bloodytooth]]
Ushoran was the first Strigoi, but Vorag was the first Strigoi Ghoul King since Ushoran prefers mostly to live with the Strigany. He encountered Ghouls while fleeing the fall of Mourkain and a Von Carstein hunting party pursuing him for sport. His newfound friends slaughtered the Vampires before he set out to return to Mourkain. He destroyed every Greenskin in his path until finally being killed. Somehow all other Strigoi heard of him and seek to follow his example...or just luck into it like he did.

* [[Urzen The Unrelenting]]
Took Vorag’s basic idea, only with vengeance on his mind. As Mourkain’s top military advisor he learned not only how to conduct war, but also Ushoran’s spymaster ways. Urzen wants to destroy the Lahmians and does so in a manner far more befitting one than a Strigoi. Urzen is responsible for humanity’s effectiveness in fighting Vampires as he uses agents to teach them Vampire secrets, lead gifted warriors to magical items, and baits Witch Hunters to Lahmian covens. He’s stated to hate Lahmians exclusively, steering mankind away from other Bloodlines. He also still a little nuts, since he tries to instill military discipline into both Ghouls and Zombies in his fucking massive army via drills and parades.

* [[Gashnag The Black Prince]]
One of the offspring of Vorag, Gashnag is the single most successful post-Mourkain Strigoi. Ruling an unnamed kingdom in the Border Princes, Gashnag paid bards and spread rumors that he’s simply an amazing genius heroic nobleman that was cursed to look like a monster. His trusted human advisors know his true nature, and help keep the illusion. Whenever something threatens his kingdom he rides out under cover of darkness as well as the more literal cover of a black cloak to butcher the unsuspecting foes, returning to plant their heads on spikes in the town square then return to his castle.

* [[Mad Orlock]]
One of the big players of [[The Thousand Thrones]] supplement for WFRP. Strigoi interpreted prophesies about of a young boy named Karl who was supposedly Sigmar reborn to have involved Nagash turning Sigmar into a Vampire before he became a god. Orlock believes the Bloodlines have become too weak and mixed for any true Vampire hero to be born of being turned, so he decided to kidnap Karl and have all the Bloodlines infect him. He simply assumes each Bloodline will be present on (un)holy ground aside from the Blood Dragons who he figured would ignore the call , leading him to kidnap one. Soon he intends to turn Karl into the God Emperor Of Vampkind...or rather he would, if it weren’t for the truth of it. The Black Witch, an Undivided Chaos Champion who became a ghost, sent out a fake prophesy to all the Bloodlines. In reality she needs Karl, a Chaos mutant with a nonstop natural Jedi Mind Trick, to be brought to Kislev where she can possess him then feed on one of each of the Bloodlines to take over his body and bring about a Charisma-based End Times. The final layer of intrigue is that its all a plan by Nagash for his fourth resurrection.
Ignoring the idea that the disconnect between the wargame and RPG canons is too vast, then we have several options for Orlock’s ultimate fate; either he was killed, one of the other Vampires was killed, or Karl died or was convinced to banish the Black Witch to the void; its an option to have one of the Vampire prophesies true and given we know (or do we?) Sigmar wasn’t a Vampire then Orlock was for sure wrong. The ending options suggests successful parties may have one of the Vampires take an interest in them, possibly allow/force them to join that Bloodline.

* [[Nanosh]]
A Strigoi Ghoul King pirate. Secretly taken aboard the ship Unternehmung when the captain hired Strigany crewmen. When the ship rations “mysteriously” went rotten the Strigany lead a mutiny. The captain and those loyal to him were cooked and fed to the traitors until they became Ghouls, whereupon Nanosh went above deck and assumed captainship. They’ve become one of the most feared crews of pirates, raiding ships and towns at night for living meat instead of treasure or slaves.

* Karkanoth
A [[Nosantra]], more specifically a Ghoul King who betrayed the Strigoi to become one of the few lieutenants of [[Mannfred von Carstein]] to survive his first defeat. Introduced in End Times.

* Druthor
Another Strigoi expatriate, this time in service to [[Krell]] in End Times. Formerly “ruled” the “kingdom” of Grimbarrow, a forgotten charnel pit for a forgotten dead populace. Has a Terrorgheist. The Bloodbeasts are three [[Varghulf]] who began following him as he raided sites to sate his thirst, and he kept them as pets on chain leashes until needed. The Graveclaws are his Ghouls, who were the residents of Grimbarrow before Druthor came that began worshiping him as a god.

* Anhurit
A female Strigoi from a WFRP supplement blurb intended to show how Vampires see the world. She waits for a grave robber to dig up a serial killer’s body while she sits hidden in the shadows and watches the Death magic interact with the environment as well as the invisible ghosts, those who know they’re dead and those that don’t (like said murderer trying to stab him over and over). Once the corpse is exhumed and the robber claims the corpse’s ring Anhurit jumps into the grave and cuts off the hands of the corpse with her claws. After the grave robber shits himself she tells him he is spared because he’s a good digger and leaves. We don’t know what she needed the hands for.

* Yudas The Shadow King
Terrorized Wissenland, butchering women because in his madness he thought they were his cheating wife.

==Gallery==
{{promotions}}
<gallery>
Image: Strigoi Ghoul King Naked.jpeg|The blood runs cold, if you know what we mean...
Image: Strigoi Ghoul Queen Naked.jpeg|We’re torn between “meat on her bones” and “coccyx” jokes.
</gallery>

{{Vampire-Counts-Bloodlines}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Vampire Counts]]

==D&D Strigoi==
{{dnd-stub}}
{{NeedsImages}}
Strigoi were added to [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] in [[Van Richten's Guide]] to [[Ravenloft]]. They used to be common [[stirge]]s, but were transformed by magic into humanoid stirges. With the increased size came formidable new strength and a monstrously augmented appetite; a strigoi doesn't simply suck blood like its lesser kin, but instead liquifies the entirety of the bodily contents - blood, bones, tissue, organs, everything - and then sucks it out like a giant tick, leaving behind nothing but a hollow, deflated skin. Which might rise as a [[boneless]].

[[Category: Monsters]]

Necromancer

2023-05-17T21:39:59Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

A '''Necromancer''' is a kind of [[magic]]-user who practices ''necromancy''(duh). "Necromancy" comes from the Greek words ''nekros'' ("dead body") and ''manteia'' ("prophecy"), and in its strictest sense, refers to the practice of communing with the spirits of the dead to learn about the future. Over the centuries since the coining of the word, its meaning has broadened to include any kind of magic relating to death and the [[undead]], and thus the necromancer's portfolio has also broadened, in part due to confusion with ''niger'', by [[/pol/|idiots]] who don't know the difference between Latin and Greek. Necromancers in more modern works are known to reanimate dead bodies, summon ghosts, and drain life-force from the living to fuel their ceremonies (or themselves). Surprisingly, they aren't generally known for fortune-telling nowadays. This also had the side of effect of making "-mancy" a suffix for any sort of magic even when divination is not involved (pyromancy, cryomancy), similar to how "-kinesis" gets lumped on to any sort of psychic discipline.

Because death is scary, and in many cultures and religions, tinkering with life and death is reserved for the gods, necromancers are generally perceived as evil, and necromancy sometimes inherently so. A common storyline is that a person with magical talent falls in love, said beloved dies, the magic-user dabbles with necromancy to try to bring him or her back, loses sight of the goal, and before they know it, they're turning people into [[zombie]]s and hamming it up like Skeletor. Some settings are shifting to a more nuanced approach that acknowledge that necromancy, like any skill, can be used for good or evil, but the majority of necromancers are [[Neutral Evil]].

In settings where the spectrum of this school stretches pretty far, it generally tends to be that benign necromancy-related magic is referred to as "White Necromancy", with nasty undead-raising and life draining fuckery tending to be "Black Necromancy".

== Dungeons & Dragons ==
''Necromancy'' has been part of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] since the beginning. In one of the foundations for [[CoDzilla]], [[wizard]]s and [[sorcerer]]s have been traditionally restricted to gray and black necromancy, whilst [[cleric]]s have had access to white, gray and black, plus innate class features allowing them to manipulate/control undead. This is really frustrating for necromancer arcanists, who grizzle about evil clerics being able to do their jobs way better than they can.

Needless to say, D&D has made a lot of efforts to try and beef up the Necromancer, to varying levels of success.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Classes]]

===1e===
In [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1e, there is a NPC class called the Death Master in [[Dragon Magazine]] #76 (Aug/1983) in the Leomond's Tiny Hut written by Lenard Lakofka. In [[Polyhedron Magazine]] #28 (Mar/1986), in the ad&d game feature called The Specialist Mage written by Jon Pickens, details on a NPC necromancer class with it's own list of spells (many of them unique to the class) can be found.

===2e===
The necromancer finally becae an official player's option in the 2nd edition [[Player's Handbook]], which introduced the [[Specialist Wizard]] to the D&D world. Of course, given the high level of restrictions on it, you get the sense that [[TSR]] really didn't want players playing it, even ''before'' the [[Satanic Panic]] took full swing.

::Base Class: [[Wizard]]
::Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 9, Wisdom 16
::Racial Restriction: [[Human]]
::Special Benefits:
:::+1 spell slot per spell level, which must be used to memorize a Necromancy spell.
:::+1 bonus to saving throws against Necromancy spells.
:::Enemies targeted by your Necromancy spells suffer a -1 penalty to their saving throws.
:::When you reach a new spell level, you automatically learn 1 Necromancy spell.
:::When trying to invent a new Necromancy spell, you treat its spell level as being -1 from its actual spell level for the difficulty.
:::+15% bonus to chance to learn a Necromancy spell.
::Special Drawbacks:
:::Opposition Schools: You cannot learn spells from the Illusion or Enchantment schools, nor can you use magic items based on these schools.
:::You suffer a -15% penalty to your chance to learn non-Necromancy spells.

Necromancers in this edition weren't ''quite'' as shafted in terms of being able to command the undead compared to [[cleric]]s as they would be in 3rd edition, but that lack of [[Turn Undead]] was still a bitter pill. There's a reason why the Undead Master kit or the [[Arcanist]] make a better "commander of the dead" style necromancer than the vanilla necromancer.

====Ghul Lords====
[[Al-Qadim]] would offer an alternative to the vanilla necromancer in the [[Complete Book Series|Complete Sha'ir's Handbook]], similarly to how [[Ravenloft]] would offer up the [[Arcanist]]. Called the '''Ghul Lord''', this "not!Arabian Necromancer" was an unusual blend of a necromancer and an [[elementalist]], being described as a [[wizard]] who is able to work spells by drawing upon and manipulating the energies of the [[Energy Planes|Negative Energy Plane]]. This allows them to cast spells and even manipulate negative energy to create unusual effects beyond the standard spells. It also meant they were encourage eto come up with spooky "special effects" that would play when they used their magic, such as the caster weeping tears of blood, the ambient light flickering, a chorus of whispers and/or agonized moans, a spooky aura of dark light, or whatever else you might come up to get your edge on.

Mechanically, ghul lords looked like this:
::Base Class: [[Wizard]]
::Racial Restriction: Human
::Alignment Restriction: Any Chaotic
::Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Staff, Dart, Sling, Short Sword, Long Sword, Cutlass, Scimitar
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Bonus: Undead Knowledge
:::Recommended: Debate, Artistic Ability, Etiquette, Survival (Desert), Set Snares, Languages (Ancient), History (Ancient), Reading/Writing, Spellcraft
::Special Benefits:
:::Necrotic Manipulations: You have the ability to manipulate negative energy to achieve supernatural effects. You start play with two Manipulations, and can purchase further Manipulations at a cost of 1 Nonweapon Proficiency slot per manipulation. See below for manipulation rules.
:::[[Turn Undead]]: From 10th level, you can use the Turn Undead ability as per a [[cleric]], with the option to subjugate the undead as if you were an Evil cleric, regardless of your Moral Alignment. When attempt to turn or subjugate the undead, your Cleric level is your Wizard level -3.
::Special Drawbacks:
:::Ultra-Specialized: You may only learn and cast Necromancy spells - basically, you treat ''all seven other schools'' as your Prohibited Schools. In fact, per the book, you can only learn and cast spells that belong ''exclusively'' to the Necromancy school, so if it's also available to another kind of school, you can't cast it! Admittedly, this book was written before the Complete Book of Necromancers expanded the school, so your only options were spells from the PHB and [[Tome of Magic]], but still.
:::Bad with People: Your beginning Charisma is reduced by -3 (to a minimum of 3).
:::Corrosive Energies: The negative energy innundating your body slowly eats away at your flesh. Each time you gain a level, you lose 1 point of either Strength or Constitution; once either score has dropped to 5, you suffer a further -2 points of lost Charisma, but after that the attribute drain stops permanently.
:::Arcane Interference: You cannot use magical items that are not specifically created for use by ghul lords.

Manipulations are divided into the following categories:
* ''Attack manipulations.'' These are used to damage items or creatures. This type of manipulation can form an actual physical attack or can be the unleashing of a purely magical attack. Either option can be chosen at the discretion of the ghul lord, who must state which form the attack will take at the moment of its release.
* ''Defense manipulations.'' These form magical barriers that stop physical or magical attacks, decided upon by the ghul lord when the manipulation occurs.
* ''Informative manipulations.'' These allow the ghul lord to seek out knowledge that is otherwise unattainable. Through the use of this manipulation, the ghul lord can discover secret doors, reveal the secrets of the ages, foresee the future, or divine the location of lost or hidden objects. Other uses are also possible at the discretion of the DM.
* ''Movement manipulations.'' These allow the ghul lord to move through the use of magical energies. Using this, characters may fly, teleport or even pass through to other dimensions.

The manipulations are not overly difficult to use, but they do require the expenditure of the ghul lord's life force. This is represented by the temporary loss of a number of hit points equal to the level of the manipulation currently being used. This may be offset by certain magical items, using a process known as leaching ... at least, that's what the book says, but in fact it fails to actually provide the mechanics, so it's anybody's guess how it works!

When a ghul lord prepares to use a manipulation, he must concentrate for a full combat round. At the end of that round, the player of the ghul lord must state what manipulation will be used, the level of that manipulation, and the effect desired from the use of that manipulation.

Deciding which manipulation to use is easy. The effect desired often decides the manipulation used. Is the ghul lord intent upon hurting someone? Then the obvious choice is to use the attack manipulation. Likewise, if he would like to fly over a chasm, the movement manipulation would be his choice.

Deciding on the level manipulation requires a bit of cooperation between the DM and the players. The level is best determined by taking a look at the effect that is desired and comparing it to a spell that has a similar effect. If the manipulation is essentially the same as a known spell, then the level of that spell is the level of manipulation that must be used.

Some manipulations will have significantly different effects than the spells listed in the PHB and TOM. Some spells may have a shorter range or do greater damage. At this point, it is necessary for the DM to make a judgment call.

In cases where range is concerned, the difference in the range of the manipulation and that of a known spell needs to be at least 50 percent to warrant an increase or decrease in level. That is, if the level of the spell is 6 and it has a range of 100 feet, the manipulation compared to that spell would need to have a range of 50 feet or a 150 feet before a change in level would be warranted. In the first case, the level would be lowered by one, and the latter the level would be raised by one.

Damage is a little more strict. Increases in damage should be rated as a number of dice, depending on the spell to which the manipulation is compared. If, for example, the spell that the manipulation is similar to uses six-sided dice to determine damage, then it would take an increase or decrease of 1d6 to raise or lower the manipulation's level.

Some manipulations may be compared to spells which do a different amount of damage depending on the level of the caster. In these cases, use the level of the ghul lord to determine damage.

Protective manipulations are among the easiest to determine levels for because they will most often correspond on a one-to-one level with existing spells. The PHB and TOM have a considerable number of protective spells within them, which address almost all cases in this regard.

It is important to remember that ghul lords utilize the magic of the Negative Material Plane to power their spells. This energy has great destructive potential but has little in the way of healing or restorative power. The negative energy can be used to good effect to attack or defend, but it cannot heal or create anything as its very nature prohibits this. This must be remembered when using manipulations lest the characters use the negative energy in a way that is not in keeping with its true power.

Negative energy can also have quite unexpected effects if it interacts with standard magic. Any time the area of effect of a ghul lords manipulations or necromantic spells (see below) overlaps that of a standard spell, the results can be explosive. The same is true if a single target is affected by a ghul lord's magic and that of a standard wizard in the same round. If this ever occurs, the two energies react in a violent manner, attempting to eradicate one another. The total levels of spells and manipulations should be added together. The total is the number of four-sided dice that are rolled to determine damage. Damage is caused to anyone in the area where the two spells overlap. If the area of effect is a single target, the damage done is determined by rolling six-sided dice, as the magic energies are more tightly compressed and have fewer outlets than they would have if spread over an area.

====Complete Book of Necromancers====
Despite the moral panic being levied against D&D in the 80s, or perhaps ''because'' of it, necromancers gained a fair bit of cult following amongst D&D fans. So, in 1995, amidst the growing popularity for [[Dark Fantasy]] and general [[grimdark]], [[TSR]] expanded the [[Complete Book Series]] with the Complete Book of Necromancers. Officially intended for [[Dungeon Master]]s, of course players were very interested in getting their hands on it too... in fact, it was considered one of the top 20 most popular game supplements for its release month. Whilst pretty tame compared to contemporary [[splatbook]]s from the [[World of Darkness]] and [[Call of Cthulhu]] lines, it was decently well-written in terms of a general overarching viewpoint for necromancy from a social and philosophical level, albeit with TSR's usual biases.

But you don't care about that shit! If you did, you'd be reading the wikipedia article on the damn book. You're here because you want to know what the [[kits]] were like!

The '''Archetypal Necromancer''' is the bog-standard evil necromancy of [[Sword & Sorcery]] and [[Dark Fantasy]]. Outside of recommending the character gain 1d3 Dark Gifts and an equal number of curses, diseases or madnesses to "balance it out", this is just a vanilla Necromancer from the [[Player's Handbook]] with an Evil [[alignment]].

'''Anatomists''' study the bodies of the dead to learn how they work, which also gives them an incidental familiarity with how necromantic magic interacts with corpses. They vary from serious scholars of the healing arts to mad scientists eager to create abominations of flesh and bone to sadistic torturers.
::Base Requirements: As Necromancer
::Extra Requirements: None
::Weapon Proficiencies: An anatomist is automatically Proficient with the Knife, and becomes Specialized in the Knife at 6th level. Once this is done, the anatomist can become proficient in the Dagger, Dart, Cutlass and Shortsword.
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Required: Healing (only takes 2 slots) and Anatomy
:::Recommended: Animal Handling, Animal Training, Artistic Ability, Brewing, Animal Lore, Hunting, Set Snares, Disguise, Forogery, Local History, Herbalism, Reading/Writing, Spellcraft, Venom Handling
::Special Benefits:
:::Improved Healing: An anatomist gains a +2 bonus to Healing checks and can care for up to 12 people at a time with their superior doctoring abilities. Those under an anatomist's care recover 3 hit points per day (4 HP/day if the anatomist has Herbalism) and can make a second save against a poison or disease with a +4 bonus to throw it off. Strenuous activity still lowers the recovery rate.
:::Autopsy: By spending (1d6 turns -1 round/level) performing an autoposy on a corpse, an anatomist is allowed to make a d100 check. They have a (60+2/level, maximum 90%) chance to identify the specific cause and approximate time of death for their subject.
::Special Hindrances: An anatomist must keep their anatomical skills sharp by dissecting and analyzing one humanoid corpse per month, a process that takes a full day to perform. If they fail to do so, they lose their special benefits and become standard necromancers until they polish up their skills by performing 2 dissections for each monthly dissection missed - if it's been two months since they last dissected a body, they need to perform 4 dissections, for example.

'''Deathslayers''' are antiheroic [[wizard]]s who study the dark arts of necromancy to enhance their ability to battle and destroy the [[undead]].
::Base Requirements: As Necromancer
::Extra Requirements: Strenggth 13+
::Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Required: Necrology
:::Recommended: Hunting, Set Snares, Tracking, Ancient History, Astrology, Herbalism, Ancient Languages, Netherworld Knowledge, Reading/Writing, Religioon, Spellcraft, Spirit Lore
:::Forbidden: All Rogue NWPs.
::Special Benefits: A Deathslayer must choose a kind of "Greater Undead" ([[ghost]]s, [[vampire]]s, [[lich]]es, [[mummy|mummies]], etc) as their preferred opponent of choice. When fighting against that kind of undead, and '''only''' against that kind of undead, the Deathslayer gains the following bonuses. Yes, this is basically the [[Ranger]] Favorite Enemy class feature, except Deathslayers only get one type of targeted undead and can ''never'' change it.
:::Mental Fortitude: +2 bonus to saves vs. mental attacks caused by the chosen undead, including against Charm and Fear effects.
:::Battle Prowess: +2 bonus to melee weapon attacks, touch-delivered spell attacks and undead-specific special attacks (staking a vampire, smashing a phylactery, etc) against the chosen undead.
:::Spell Prowess: The chosen undead suffers a -2 penalty to saves against the Deathslayer's spells - this ''stacks'' with the -1 penalty for saves vs. the Deathslayer's Necromancy spells.
::Special Hindrances: Deathslayers '''must''' hunt down and slay the undead as if under the effects of a [[Geas]], although they are free to target all undead and not just their chosen enemy type, and will always prioritize undead targets in combat.

'''Philosophers''' are scholars of the forbidden and sages of the profane, representing those who turn to the dark secrets of magic out of a hunger for knowledge. To these necromancers, "these are things man was not meant to know" deserves only contempt.
::Base Requirements: As Necromancer
::Extra Requirements: Alignment Restriction (Any Neutral, Neutral Evil), Intelligence 14+
::Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Dart, Knife
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Required: Netherworld Knowledge, Reading/Writing
:::Recommended: Artistic Ability, Etiquette, Heraldry, Modern languages, Local History, Ancient History, Astrology, Herbalism, ANcient Languages, Necrology, Religion, Spellcraft, Spirit Lore
:::Forbidden: All Warrior and Rogue NWPs
::Special Benefits:
:::Font of Unholy Lore: A Philosopher has the knowledge basis of a Sage in the fields of Necromancy, Necromantic Magical Items, and the Netherworld (the [[Outer Plane]]s, especially the [[Lower Plane]]s). They have a 5% per level chance of knowing the answer to a question on these topics, as per a Legend Lore spell. If they don't know the answer, they are constrained by the typical rules for a sage.
:::Master of the Mind: If using [[Psionics]], a Philosopher will automatically have at least 1 Wild Talent.
:::Devoted Student: A Philosopher has a +15% chance to succeed when attempting to learn a Necromancy spell; this ''stacks'' with the bonus for being a Necromancer, giving them a +30% bonus in total.
::Special Hindrances:
:::Fragile Sanity: At the DM's discretion, a Philosopher may be required to begin play with a irreversible Madness, and may even suffer penalties to gaining further Madnesses through gameplay.
:::Hyper-Focus:''' A Philosopher has a -15% penalty to their chance to succed when attempting to learn a non-Necromancy spell; this ''stacks'' with the penalty for being a Necromancer, giving them a -30% penalty in total. Though, given their lore states that they favor divination and conjuration magic alongside necromancy, at the DM's discretion, this penalty may not apply to those schools.

'''Undead Masters''' are a pulpy combination of Necromancer, [[Enchanter]] and [[Conjurer]]. These [[wizard]]s study [[magic]] for the power to control, commanding the living, the dead and the otherworldly to obey. If you want to be a minion-master wizard, you ''can't'' do better than this kit in 2e!
::Base Requirements: As Necromancer
::Extra Requirements: Alignment Restriction (Non-Good)
::Weapon Proficiencies: As Necromancer.
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Required: Necrology, Netherworld Knowledge
:::Recommended: Etiquette, Heraldry, Ancient History, Astrology, Ancient Languages, Reading/Writing, Religion, Spellcraft, Spirit Lore
:::Forbidden: All Priest, Rogue and Warrior NWPS
::Special Benefits:
:::Command the Living: Enchantment/Charm is '''not''' an Opposition School for Undead Masters the way it is for standard necromancers.
:::Command the Dead: An Undead Master can [[Turn Undead]] as if they were a [[Cleric]] of the same level. They can also use Turn Undead to control [[fiend]]s and extraplanar creatures as if they were [[undead]] of the same hit dice (ignoring any hit point modifiers).
::Special Hindrances:
:::Restricted Fields of Study: An Undead Master's Opposition Schools are Illusion, Transmutation and Divination (Major).
:::Brains over Brawn: An undead master may only have '''ONE''' Weapon Proficiency point. All subsequent WP points must be spent on Nonweapon Proficiencies instead.
:::Megalomania: This is a roleplaying disadvantage; remember that Undead Masters tend strongly towards being megalomaniacs, control freaks and subject to OCD in general.

====Athasian Necromancers====
In [[Dark Sun]], necromancers were introduced in "[[Defiler (Dark Sun)|Defilers]] & [[Preserver]]s: The Wizards of Athas", a [[splatbook]] that... well, you can guess from the title. On Athas, the normal route of the specialist wizard has vanished; there, the title of necromancer applies less to a wizard who focuses on necromancy spells (although they are still good at those) and more on a wizard who has learned to use [[Shadowfell|The Grey]] as a power source, similarly to [[Cerulean Storm|Cerulean Wizards]] and [[Shadow Magic|Shadow Wizards]]. Ironically, this means that necromancers are technically the ''least evil'' wizards running around on Athas, since their spellcasting does no damage to the planet. Most are either obsessed with seeking out ancient lore, or else want to become immortal.

Like Cerulean Mages and Shadow Wizards, Athasian Necromancers are handled using the [[kits]] mechanic, and can be either Defilers or Preservers as their base class - they tend to be Defilers, however, simply because the D&D rules give preservers a -15% penalty to checks to learn necromancy spells, whilst defilers get a +15% bonus instead. Mechanically, they look like this:
::Class Restriction: Necromancers cannot dual-class or multiclass.
::Race Restriction: [[Human]], [[Half-Elf]]
::Stat Requirements: Wisdom 16, Constitution 14
::Alignment Requirement: Must be Neutral
::Weapon Proficiencies: All Wizard, plus Whip
::Nonweapon Proficiencies:
:::Bonus: Planes Lore
:::Required: Languages (Ancient)
:::Recommended: Ancient History, Astrology, Bargain, Engineering, Intimidation, Lens Crafting, Reading/Writing, Spellcraft
::Special Benefits:
:::'''Walk With the Dead:''' An Athasian necromancer has a 65% chance to be able to successfully open negotiations with an intelligent undead, causing it to refrain from attacking until it has heard the necromancer out.
:::'''Seize the Bones:''' An Athasian necromancer can attempt to seize control over unintelligent undead, which causes them to obey the necromancer for 1d6 rounds. The chance of success is 5% per level. Once the time expires, the undead reverts to the control of their original master (if any), or simply becomes free-willed.
:::'''Inured to Fear:''' Athasian Necromancers are immune to all Fear effects related to the undead.
::Special Hindrances:
:::'''Fickle Power Supply:''' An Athasian Necromancer must make a Power Gathering Check, like a [[Defiler]]. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush.
:::'''Spiritual Strain:''' An Athasian necromancer must make a Constitution check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the necromancer fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the necromancer cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period.
:::'''Aura of Death:''' An Athasian necromancer suffers a reaction penalty equal to 1/2 their character level (so a 2nd level necromancer has a -1 penalty, a 4th level one has a -2 penalty, etc).

===BECMI===
The [[splatbook]] [[Known World Gazetteers|GAZ3: Principalities of Glantri]] introduced a new way of handling necromancers, as one of "the Seven Secret Crafts". These were not like the specialist wizard rules from AD&D, or the kits from there either. Instead, mechanically, they were closer to the [[prestige classes]] that would be invented in 3rd edition; once a Magic-User had attained a specific level, they could seek out entry in one of several specialist wizard orders. After spending time studying, which costs a certain amount of time and gold, and attaining a necessary level of experience points, an initiate gains access to a special spell-like ability they can use. Each of the seven secret crafts - Alchemy, Dracology, Elementalism, Illusionism, Necromancy, Cryptomancy, and Witchcraft - is divided into 5 Circles of power, each with its own unique spell-like ability which is harder to use and can be used less frequently. For example, the spell-like ability granted by reaching the 1st Circle can be 3 times per day, and chance of success is 60% + 1+ per magic user level, whilst the 5th Circle's ability can only be used 1 time per month and has a minuscule 20+1/level % chance of being used successfully. For necromancers, these powers consist of Protection from Undead, Control Undead, Create Undead, Raise Dead and Attain Lichdom.

===3e===
3rd edition attempted to bolster the arcane necromancer through the use of [[prestige classes]], like the "True Necromancer" (which required [[Mystic Theurge|multiclassing as a wizard and a cleric]]) and the "Pale Master". [[White Wolf]], you'll be un-shocked to hear, went all-in with [[Relics & Rituals]]'s Crypt Lord and that whole [[Hollowfaust]] booklet. Results were... kind of mixed.

As for the 3e side, they did shit like create the Master of Shrouds, a necromancer PrC specialized in controlling ghost-type undead... which only the [[Cleric]] can access. In regards truly fixing the necromancer, the closest they probably came was with a pair of alternate classes: a Necromancer class based on the [[Diablo]] II class, in their [[Blizzard]]-sponsored D20 game "Diablo II: Diablerie", and the [[Dread Necromancer]], a [[Sorcerer|Charisma-based spontaneous caster]] alternate class from [[Heroes of Horror]].

===4e===
In 4th edition, necromancers faded into the background, for much the same reason as [[Conjurer]]s; WoTC struggled to find a way to handle their traditional focus on minions without unbalancing the game. Whilst conjuration would return in the first Arcane Power [[splatbook]], necromancers were left out, as that book was only large enough to restore conjurers and [[illusionist]]s to the 4e fold. Theoretically, an Arcane Power 2 might have brought back the necromancer in similar fashion, but 4e's cancellation to led to only two sources for official 4e necromancy.

Firstly, [[Dragon Magazine]] #372 featured the article "Secrets of the city Entombed", which provided necromancy-flavored spells for various Arcane classes - none of the traditional minion-mastery effects, but flavorful attack spells like Hungry Earth.

Secondly, In 4th edition, Necromancy appeared alongside [[Shadow Magic|Nethermancy]] as one of the possible Schools that can be selected by the [[Mage]], an Essentials variant of the [[Wizard]] whose spells can thus be taken by real wizards as well.. Being an Essentials Necromancer was handled as a set of three features gained by choosing that specific magical school, and which were acquired at levels 1, 5 and 10. A Mage could also dabble in Necromancy by taking the 1st and 5th level Necromancy school benefits at levels 4 and 8.
* Necromancy Apprentice: When you hit at least one target with an arcane necromancy attack power, you gain 2 temporary hit points.
* Necromancy Expert: You gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks and Endurance checks.
* Necromancy Master: Your arcane necromancy attack powers ignore necrotic resistance.

===5e===
Necromancers made a full [[Player's Handbook]] return - and finally got a decent bone thrown their way - in [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. Indeed, they rejoiced with this edition, for they ''finally'' claimed their rightful place as the style's masters and kicked the [[cleric]] clean out of the ring for the right to claim that title. The edition even destroyed the concept of "Clerics of Death" being superior necromancer by redesigning their class features; the Death domain is focused on the "God of Death who kills people" archetype, with greater necrotic damage output, whilst the Graves domain is focused on the "God of Death who looks after the dead" archetype, and is thus specialized in ''fighting'' the undead rather than controlling them.

As for what necromancers got in 5th edition...

At level 2, their Grim Harvest ability lets them heal themselves by killing people (ie, it doesn't work on constructs or undead) with magic; they regain hitpoints equal to 2 (or 3, if it's necromantic) times the spell's level whenever they finish somebody off with a spell.

At level 6, Undead Thrall not only gives them Animate Dead for free, but also buffs their skill at using it; the amount of zombies & skeletons they can control with it is increased by +1, and the undead they create with this spell are tankier (+1 max HP per level of the necromancer) and fightier (add the necromancer's proficiency bonus to their weapon damage rolls).

At level 10, Inured to Undeath makes necromancers better suited to hanging around the undead, gaining Resistance to Necrotic Damage and immunity to effects that lower maximum hitpoints, both traits common to undead enemies.

Finally, at level 14, they gain the mother of all necromancer traits: Command Undead. This ability, the thing that traditionally shafted necromancers in favor of death priests, lets a necromancer attempt to enslave undead creatures that it can can see within 60 feet, though smarter ones have the ability to break free eventually, so be sure to cast Feeblemind if you want to keep them and don't care about them casting spells (for example, if you'd want a demi[[lich]] minion).

== 13th Age ==
Being a D&D-alike, the fact that [[13th Age]] no overt way to actually make a necromancer was a bit of an odd note, especially when one of the major world-shaping NPCs in the setting was a literal [[Lich]]. That would change when ''13 True Ways'' released, as they made a dedicated Necromancer class, separate from both Wizards and Clerics, though they could always steal a spell or two via talents. Unique to them is not only a mandatory icon relationship with some Death-themed icon (see above about the super-powerful lich), but also the fact that Necromancers are more difficult to kill without relying on high Constitution - in fact, high Constitution actually penalizes their casting while one feat lets them instead benefit from a negative Constitution modifier.

Their talents manage to reinforce their icon ties or supplement their spellcasting powers. On the former, they have one talent that lets them turn icon relationship results into complications for the sake of extra spells as well as another that lets them spin their rolls as channeling the spirits of the dead. For the latter, they can take one talent to count as undead for whenever it benefits them as well as making them even harder to kill, getting a pet like the [[Ranger]], and the most BBEG thing ever, ''wasting an entire turn to cackle like a madman so they can cast a stronger spell''.

== Warhammer 40,000 ==
[[Warhammer 40,000]] features necromancy but not to the extent of Warhammer fantasy with the like of Nagash. We see in the history of Mortarion, Primarch of the Death Guard on the world Barbarus, a world wreathed in poisonous fog and ruled by necromancers who practiced standard fantasy necromancy, and in the pen and paper role-play game Rogue Trader in the Koronus Bestiary, the BONE CONQUEROR a shard like creature that possess the dead, albeit standard necromancy is rarer but we do see a variant or something similar in the followers of [[Nurgle]], the servants of Papa Nurgle can be like necromancers in many ways, especially when they start breaking out the [[Zombie Plague]].

Additionally, the way in which [[Spiritseer|spiritseers]] are able to coax the souls of dead Eldar from the Infinity Circuits into wraithbone constructs technically makes them necromancers too, albeit of a different sort than the Nurglite kind mentioned above.

== Warhammer Fantasy ==
[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'s [[magic]] system features the Lore of Death as one of the eight standard schools of magic. Its practitioners tend to be a little gloomier than most, but the forces of Order are plenty willing to make use of them so long as they kill enemies. There are also regular necromancers. Long ago, in the land of <s>Egypt</s> Khemri, there were a bunch of mage-priests who practiced a kind of magic in their rituals to honor the dead. But a mage-priest named [[Nagash]] fucked all that up, turning their entire country into undead, and trying to take over the world. Now there are two variants of necromancy, the uncorrupted kind practiced by the Khemrian [[Tomb Kings]], and the regular kind used by necromancers and [[Vampire Counts]].

{{Vampire Count Troops}}

== Exalted ==
As far as magic in Exalted goes, spells are more rare, and usually more niche, then the omnipresent charms that spirits and Exalted use. Nevertheless, sorcery is an intrinsic part of Creation (and Yu-Shan, and Malfeas), seared into its firmament by the Primordials. In [[Exalted]], however, necromancy is not merely a school of sorcery. Necromancy is not sorcery at all. When the Primordials died and became the Neverborn, they made the Underworld, and that new world was governed by a new type of magic. That was Necromancy, the dark mirror to sorcery.

The Neverborn are the strongest contender for Exalted's [[BBEG]], and despite Exalted's amoral themes and scarcity of powers that are necessarily evil or good, you have to go through the Black Treatise with a fine tooth comb to pick out the spells that don't poison the world, cause indiscriminate harm or show excessive cruelty - and most of what's left are attack spells. This is more true the deeper you go into the circles of Necromancy. Part of why that is might be the art's historical innovators. Mortals and most Exalted can only access the first circle of Necromancy - most Dragonblooded and spirits can't learn it at all. In the First Age, the [[Dark Eldar|increasingly decadent and insane Solars]] led Necromantic research. In the Second Age, the present day of the setting, the chief innovators are the Neverborns' own slaves, who are the only ones that can access the Void circle.

It might come as no surprise, after reading all that, the Necromancy is not a popular choice for Exalted players, or at least those not playing loyalist Abyssals out to murder Creation. In addition to its unsavory nature, a lot of Necromantic spells just don't do anything ''useful''. Many of its spells amount to useless manipulation of, or pointless cruelty against, ghosts (which in Exalted are meager foes, who can't learn spells, excellencies, or combat charms). One spell lets you change what a ghost looks like, another lets them (not you, them) see their fetters, a third teaches them to play the drums, and a fourth bakes them a delicious meal. [[Derp|These are real spells]]. A lot of the spells that are useful only work in the Underworld, where the living cannot regain Essence. Nevertheless, the Black Treatise had barely hit shelves when Exalted fans started compiling abridged lists of the useful spells, and those who are fighting against the Neverborn and their slaves could do a lot worse than learn Necromancy.

== See Also ==
* [[Lich]], what happens when a necromancer becomes one of the [[undead]].
* [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Necroing Necroing], the term used for bringing back a long dead forum thread or discussion

[[Category:Monsters]] [[Category: Gamer Slang]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Warhammer 40,000]] [[Category: Age of Sigmar]] [[Category: Undead]] [[Category: Exalted]]

Lahmian

2023-05-17T21:36:41Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

[[File:Lahmian Art.png|thumb|Humina Humina Awooga!]]
The word '''Lahmian''' refers to a type of [[Vampire Counts]] from [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. It is derived from the word "Lamia", a female supernatural monster/vampire/demon who feeds on blood. This derives further from Greek mythology where Lamia (derived even further from the Greek word Laimos, or gut) was the queen of Libya and one of Zeus's lovers who met a tragic end. Since she had no children with Zeus to punish as she usually did, Hera instead killed all of Lamia's children. This horrible experience drove Lamia completely insane and turned her into a child eating snake monster that cannot sleep due to Hera completely removing that (Zeus however took pity on her and gave her the ability to pull out her eyeballs from the eye-sockets in order to sleep, not to mention developing shapeshifting powers in the process). Note that Lahmians are unrelated to [[Lamia]] in the traditional gaming context (preferring cats to snakes, although there are a few references connecting her to snakes as a nickname).

==History==
The bloodline of Neferata, most of them are female and all of them are found in positions of power within society, although most prefer aristocracy or the mercantile class. While the wandering Necromancer is a Necrarch, the homeless beggar or bandit is a Strigoi, the noble knights and warriors of the world <strike>being murderhobos</strike> getting into fights and doing awesome shit are Blood Dragons, and while the Von Carsteins are nouveau riche pricks in crumbling manors surrounded by stinking corpses and emaciated thralls, Lahmians are a cut above. They've got ''style''. Skilled middle class priests and merchants, aristocrats of fantastic breeding living in the city and attending every party, hookers, criminal bosses, and artists... all these and more have Lahmians masquerading as humans among their number.

Lahmians prefer the undead that doesn't stink, like skeletons. While many are skilled swordswomen, they lean more on the Elf side of things with higher skill and speed rather than strength or toughness (of course being vampires they have those as well, and Lahmians by nature come from different backgrounds and have diverse sets of skills). Lahmians are also one of the two most magical Bloodlines, although rather than the mad science of the Necrarchs they lean towards the diverse and refined knowledge that only those who see every shipping charter before a vessel even sets sail can get. Most of all, Lahmians rely on guile and charisma (which in Warhammer Fantasy terms means Leadership and abilities that manipulate that of others) to get the job done. Lore accounts differ on how the Lahmians dress; while infiltrating other civilizations they obviously maintain the clothing and colors of the locals and their false identity, but within the [[Silver Pinnacle]] they are said to either remain entirely hidden wearing black clothing and heavy veils ([[Liber Necris]] or dressed the same as ancient Nehekharans while the skeletal undead are dressed fully in black to hide their nature ([[WFRP]] [[Night's Dark Masters]] 2e). In [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] the colors associated with the Silver Pinnacle are white, with yellow and midnight blue as secondary colors while metallic parts are of a brighter brass/bronze and iron for the skeletons. Traditional Army Book example army colors always portrayed the Bloodlines with the same colors, although fans commonly gave the Lahmians less "fresh blood with black" and more "burgandy with purple" colors.

While being trained in the Silver Pinnacle Neferata has them <strike>tortured to weed out the weak</strike> conditioned to endure the pain of exposure to holy symbols, which ensures that her servants sent abroad are far less likely to be discovered. Living humans are lured to the Silver Pinnacle by exotic rumors, which are cultivated by word of mouth by those who survive. Those deemed useful are spared, and treated to exotic parties where Lahmian recruits are essentially trained in how to converse, seduce, and most importantly glean useful information, before being released to spread the rumor of the exotic hidden palace among their peers; obviously those who are too perceptive or exposed to a mistake by a young Lahmian never leave.

Eight edition elaborated more on Neferata's forces, adding that she has a tribe of Ghouls now called "The Wretches" after the euphamism she always used to refer to them who serve her; originally vermin who fed on the discarded corpses of those who were drained of blood but not raised as zombies and skeletons that continued to survive despite her orders for their extermination, she rescinded the order when she found out they had been worshipping her as a goddess and discovered they were useful when dispatched into battle. On the rare ocassion she actually is found on the battlefield with them she refuses to actually issue them orders directly, using one of her handmaidens as a go-between. In Total War: WARHAMMER her Ghouls are portrayed with lighter skin tones than those of the default Vampire armies, resembling the traditional Eavy Metal greenish necrotic paintjob while the unit champion is a kind of blood-filled umber.

While all beings in Warhammer Fantasy are prone to backstabbing ([[Skaven|some]] more than [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|others]]), Lahmians are particularly hierarchical in a manner resembling [[Vampire: The Masquerade|the Camarilla from VtM]]. No major action may be performed without the blessing of a higher up, keeping silent and maintaining secrecy is of utmost importance, and everyone is vying to be the <strike>pussy in Neferata's lap</strike> favored servant of the Queen while also fearing what would happen if one so much as annoys her, or shows weakness to a rival. Lower rank Lahmians tend to be more resentful of the higher ranked ones, as most of the difficult work in the lower classes is done by them.
In regards to other Bloodlines, Neferata views herself as the supreme ruler of the Undead (until she swears loyalty to Nagash, who serves more as the divine power behind her rule in her mind). As a result she will generally work to better their place in the world and control over all other factions unless she feels threatened or insulted, which given her typically Nehekharan arrogance and demand for protocol on par with Settra is quite often, leading her to bring complete ruin on her rivals both real and imagined without a second thought. Those who do endear themselves to her find themselves pampered and protected with their skills honed and many powers granted (although on rare occasion they are sacrificed for [[Tau|the greater good]]), and as Naamia describes it her minions love her for it all.

Lore is vague on which nations exactly the Lahmians have infiltrated. The Empire is entirely within their domain of control, and they spend a great deal of time keeping the Witch Hunters off their backs while diverting Sigmar's holy zealots towards the other Bloodlines and Chaos infestations. Lahmians have agents in Bretonnia, although how much belonged to them is unknown. The Warhammer Silk Road to Cathay, and an unknown amount of Cathay itself, is also completely within Lahmian control and they have agents in the Border Princes and other human kingdoms. Old lore hinted the Lahmians also had agents among the Elves and that she was aware of the goings-on in [[Ulthuan]] and [[Naggaroth]]. Lahmians will work in the interest of the societies they infiltrate by suppressing riots and purging the corrupt (or at least the corrupt and unpredictable/unmanipulatable) via "accidents", long-planned falls from grace, or even just flat-out disappearances and have helped secretly defend the populace from the predations of other Vampires and of Chaos plots and invasions.

One of Neferata's favorite tricks is to turn a woman into a cat, get a merchant or a nobleman to take her in, then have her turn back into a woman and fuck his brains out like it's an [[/d/|erotic manga]] so he'll establish her as his wife and thus put one more Lahmian spy in the world. As a result of Neferata's manipulations most of the [[Sisters of Sigmar|nun]] organizations are now Lahmian vampires. The poets and playwrights of the world are often Lahmian vampires. Brothel owners are often Lahmian vampires. Upper class escorts are often Lahmian vampires. Noblewoman are often Lahmian vampires. [[Alpharius|That gay guy who does your wife's hair is a Lahmian vampire.]] Your [[Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné|wife]] is a Lahmian vampire. As long as you do what they say, everything will be alright. ''We'' promise.

===Age of Sigmar===
Seeing as Neferata was resurrected in the Mortal Realms, the Lahmian bloodline also makes a return. They are officially called the “Legion of Blood” but are functionally the same as before. Neferata was quick to restart her kingdom by creating the city of Nulahmia and weaving a web of spies and informants that spread all across the realm of death and beyond.

==Relations==

* Chaos
** [[Beastmen]]
*** In the novel "Neferata" there is an encounter between Beastmen and Lahmians. The Beastmen hunt the vampires before they turn the tables and kill the Beastmen. One says their blood tastes like goat's blood and they briefly consider whether it carries the taint of Chaos. Generally speaking, the Beastmen are enemies of anything that isn't Chaos and is organized and in particular hate humans, making Lahmians likely the Vampires they are most opposed to.
** [[Chaos Dwarfs]]
*** Chaos Dwarfs have no concern or interest in the Lahmians and vice versa. Which is a bit odd considering that the Silver Pinnacle is really close to the Dark Lands.
** [[Daemons]]
*** Daemons have virtually nothing to do with the Lahmians as Vampires are outside of the cycle of life and death, their souls never returning to the Warp. One of the only rules implied among the Lahmians is that they never consort with the followers of Chaos.
** [[Warriors Of Chaos]]
*** The WoC have no concern or interest in the Lahmians prior to End Times, when they were enemies. Individual Lahmians, sometimes agents and sometimes those independant but descended from the Bloodline, have sought to undermine and prevent Chaos invasions of human cities they live in.
* [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dwarfs]]
** Von Carsteins antagonize the Dwarfs a great deal, and the Dwarfs aid the Empire whenever they can while generally believe via willful ignorance that the actions of every member of a race reflects all members. As a result the resting state for all Vampires is abysmal, even not counting their history. The interaction between the two factions began when Neferata invaded a Dwarven fortress called the Silver Pinnacle which led to the Dwarves to record the first Grudge against Vampires (as well as all other undead, due to Dwarf logic). Ironically most Vampires consider Dwarf blood to taste somewhat unpleasant. Depending on the source the Silver Pinnacle was either depleted of all its actual silver and most of its gems, or still remains a functional mine, but either way the Grudge earned is enough of a reason for a steady stream of [[Slayers]] to come; Neferata had initially befriended them by rescuing Razek - the Prince of the Hold - from Beastmen although W'soran had Razek killed without Neferata's knowledge due to his spying. After laying siege to the Hold she offered mercy for the civilians if the warriors surrendured which she intended to grant, but traitors within her ranks butchered them instead, causing the remaining warriors to take the Slayer oath and attempt (unsuccessfully) to kamikaze Neferata's forces. Dwarfs today don't know the full story, only that there were no survivors and based on how the information has not been spread to humans it may not even be common knowledge that it was Vampires that attacked but rather any of the many depredations the Dwarfs suffered after the War of Vengeance and the Slann playing continental jenga. Neferata probably went "Oh, I get to purge traitors who revealed themselves idiotically and an entire Dwarf Hold of undead blacksmiths and warriors. Sold!".
* Elves
** [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]]
*** The Lahmians were not a concern of the Asur. It is implied that there are Lahmians among the High Elves or spying on them, as Neferata knew of Aliathra's true parentage even though Mannfred and Arkhan didn't and very few High Elves (Finubar, Alarielle, Tyrion, Teclis, Eltharion, Eldyra and Aliathra herself) are stated to know.
** [[Dark Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dark Elves]]
*** Dark Elves have no concern or interest in the Lahmians, though there was an alliance in the past. Neferata's ship was attacked by Dark Elf Corsairs and she and her handmaidens fought them off. It's also revealed that Elf blood is intoxicating to vampires like a tasty but potent wine, making a vampire's body and mind sluggish. However, the poison and drugs Witch Elves take before battle can knock out a vampire who drinks the drug-laced blood, as one Lahmian discovered to her cost.
** [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood Elves]]
*** Wood Elves have no concern or interest in the Lahmians and vice versa. Presumably the unnatural nature of Vampires would be offensive to them, but their resistance to Chaos (the main enemy of the Wood Elves) may put them closer to neutral than it would otherwise be.
* Humans
** [[Bretonnia]]
*** The Lahmians are spread among the nobility of Bretonnians. They often disguise themselves as wives, or take advantage of the Bretonnian knights code to play damsel in distress and use the nobleman's wife excuse to avoid associating with peasants. Neferata herself likes the Bretonnians because they're so easy for her to exploit. Foolish knights come to the Silver Pinnacle on ocassion, though no known army has.
** The Empire
*** The favorite pawns because of their influence around the world. The Church of Sigmar stands between them and their goals and they have a mutual hatred of each other, due to the Sigmarite faith opposing their unholy nature and immorality.
* [[Lizardmen]]
** Lizardmen have no concern or interest in the Lahmians, but their encounter will still be a violent one since Vampires are not part of the great plan like the [[Skaven]] and [[Dark Elves]]. For their part the Lahmians are not known to have any interactions with the Lizardmen, but might be found within Empire colonies or expeditions to Lustria.
* [[Ogre Kingdoms]]
** Ogre mercenaries in the Empire, as well as the population living in Ostland, would be concerned about the Vampire Counts but the Kingdoms themselves are likely to work alongside agents of the Lahmians as they are to be against them. Few if any Lahmians would consider dealing with the Ogres directly, and the Lahmians generally find the Ogres beneath them.
* [[Orcs & Goblins]]
** While they did manipulate them to act as enemies against Ushoran, otherwise Lahmians have no regard for Orcs. They think Orc blood tastes too plant-like for their liking.
* [[Skaven]]
** Lahmians have never worked directly with Skaven, and both sides see each other as enemies. Skaven involvement in the fall of Nagash is a mixed bag, since it liberated the power-hungry Lahmians as much as it did cause their original fall from grace.
* [[Tomb Kings]]
** One of the Lahmians most hated enemies and this goes both ways. From the vampires role as Nagash's work and servants which resulted in the current state of misery of the Tomb Kings, to the vendetta between Nefarata and her (highly respected and powerful within TK society) cousin Queen Khalida there are many reasons to hate. There's also several youngest Tomb Kings back in the days when they were living humans who lost their sisters, wives (in true ancient Egypt fashion, the first two sometimes overlap), fiancees or daughters to Neferata's Vampirism. Prior to the End Times the Lahmians and the Tomb Kings never worked together; the former want to subjugate or exterminate the latter while the latter want to wipe out the former. Neferata's primary goal, or at least her most direct one, is to gather an army powerful enough to retake her former capital city and home of Lahmia and hold it against the united race of Tomb Kings, although her priorities on the subjugating rest of Nehekhara compared to the overall goal of controlling the rest of the world is unknown.
* Vampire Counts
** [[Strigoi]]
*** A hated enemy of the Lahmians and the feeling is mutual due to Neferata undermining Ushoran then ruining Mourikhan. Wandering Strigoi find themselves driven out or eliminated to prevent them from bringing unwanted attention from the Empire to the region, a treatment that extends to the Strigany people. Or simply because the Strigoi doesn't know when to stop regarding feeding on the peasants, possibly getting a delicious maiden or elderly warrior that someone who could ''appreciate'' the meal could have had. Strigoi in return hate them for causing their fall from grace and how they get to live in luxury supping off kings and nobles while the Strigoi shiver in caves and feed on peasants or corpses. While the most direct persecution comes from the Von Carsteins, any Strigoi who knows their own history knows Lahmians are their true enemy.
** [[Von Carstein]]s
*** Another hated enemy of the Lahmians. The Lahimans see the Von Carsteins as second-rate upstarts and charlatans. The two are direct rivals for power, the Von Carsteins pretending to be Vampire overlords in crumbling castles surrounded by disgusting rotten corpses (both animated and not) while Lahmians pretend to be human overlords in well-furnished and modern decorated castles or delightful palaces straight from antiquity. Much of the intrigue not related to ruling the world of both Bloodlines is against each other, with a small amount left for kicking Strigoi in the teeth for lulz. The fact that later canon made the Von Carstein patriarch be Neferata's amnesiac ex-husband further emphasizes the animosity.
** [[Blood Dragon]]
*** The Blood Dragons have limited connections to the Lahmians. There is animosity as Neferata tricked Abhorash into becoming a vampire and he hates her for it, but his honor prevents him from killing her over it and he has nothing to do with the actual ruling of his Bloodline anyway. Younger ones who know their history would possibly see it as a positive, but the rigid "honorable" code of the BDs would see them sneer at the subtle and diplomatic approach of the Lahmians.
** [[Necrarch]]
*** Necrarchs have the same relationship with the Lahmians that they do the other Bloodlines (Strigoi excluded). Necrarchs build monsters or discover new spells, they sell them to the Lahmians for gold or supplies while competing for magical McGuffins. However, this is rare as the Lahmians tend to either do magic experiments themselves or spy on mortal practitioners of magic and steal their work. The biggest point of disagreement would come from most Necrarchs either having a great amount of respect or outright worship of Nagash while Lahmians seek to ascend in their own society with only Neferata at the top.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Lahmian Models.jpeg|The standard Out Of Production Lahmians on foot and horseback.
Image:Mounted Lahmian Variant.jpeg|Another Mounted Lahmian type.
Image:Foot Lahmian Variant.jpeg|Another Lahmian On Foot type. Note the more Nehekharan look.
Image:Another Foot Lahmian Variant.jpeg|The oldest Lahmian variant.
Image:Special Lahmian Models.jpeg|Limited run Lahmian models. Male Lahmian, winged Lahmian, topless Lahmian.
</gallery>

{{Vampire-Counts-Bloodlines}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Konrad von Carstein

2023-05-17T21:34:42Z

2A01:CB19:7C8:DB00:95AC:EFAC:6DA9:92BB:

{{Disambiguation|the crazy bloodthirsty [[Vampire Count]]|the crazy bloodthirsty [[Primarch]]|Konrad Curze}}
[[Image:M1182220 99060207171 VCKonradVonCarsteinMain 873x627.jpg|right|thumb|400px|...and that's what you would call a murder machine.]]
{{topquote|Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem.|Joseph Stalin}}
{{topquote|We've had '''vicious''' kings, and we've had '''idiot''' kings. But I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a '''vicious idiot for a king!'''|Tyrion Lannister}}

''[[Stupid Evil|"FUCK LOGIC, I'M A VAMPIRE!"]]''

Once upon a time there was a dude. He wasn't very smart...or rational...or stable (for example he [[Grimdark|bricked his mother up into a tower to die for the "crime" of giving birth to him without his consent]]). One day, [[Vlad von Carstein]] and [[Isabella von Carstein]] decided that this crazy muthafuckuh deserved to be given ungodly strength and near immortality via vampirism....possibly as a joke. They then doted on him, and stuck him with another adult male named [[Mannfred von Carstein|Mannfred]] and a few other not as important vampires in a children's playroom before leaving to conquer the world starting with [[the Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|the Germans]]. Anyway, thus Konrad von Carstein was born! Having no idea what the fuck [[magic]] was, let alone any inkling of its control, Konrad relied heavily on [[necromancer]]s to control his thousands upon thousands of mindless servants, and everything was great! He got to pillage, and slap children around to his heart's content, get a reputation spread near and far as well as becoming known as the "Red Fury" which he thought was pretty neat, plus he was considered Vlad's right-hand man while he was gone and was able to scare the FUCK out of the empire with such incidents as that one time he scaled a castle wall by himself, then killed everyone inside and pissed in their skulls during a siege. Then mama and papa vamp were killed by feral rampaging popes when Vlad got robbed of his magical ring of neverdieness / overpowerosity and was impaled on a twig, and a thousand+ way civil war started between all the von Carsteins for who gets to be in charge Vlad's death The chief contenders - his 'brothers' Fritz, Pieter, and Hans - all came to unholy ends; Fritz was killed while attacking Middenheim, Konrad killed Hans in a duel over who was the toughest then burned his remains, and Pieter was slain in his coffin by Helmut van Hal - a descendant of the infamous Necromancer Vanhel. As for Konrad's other 'brother' Mannfred he decided to go backpack across [[Tomb Kings|Nehekhara]] rather than face Konrad (though before he did he left an allied vampire named Jon Skellan to stoke Konrad's paranoia - smart choice really).

==Rulership==
As a commanding officer, Konrad was an ASSHOLE. He killed necromancers for making fun of his lack of magical talent (it's like a small dick in the Undead world) and put them on huge fucking spikes Vlad Tepes style. He'd also spend his time having towns destroyed because he didn't like how they smelled or ordering his living troops to use alley cats for crossbow practice (this is canon, by the way). After meeting Walach, the promise of glory and victory in battle made up for Konrad's lack of honor and secured the allegiance of the Blood Knights. Because he had no talent at sorcery, Konrad changed his tack on necromancers and cajoled, bribed and bullied a large number of necromancers into serving him (if they made jokes about him, he probably took it out on enemies in battle and captives).

He was paranoid of his advisors, members of his personal guard, and his brothers all the while listening to the "advice" of severed heads he kept in his basement along with flocks of birds that he fed on the rooftops with the roasted flesh of whoever displeased him. Two acts of impulsive madness that damaged his campaign included his murder of Hans von Carstein in a duel and his attempted murder of Jerek von Carstein which led to his eventual desertion of the vampire counts and assistance to the empire in the defeat of both Konrad and later Mannfred.

The undead horde they raised was so immense and the Blood Knights added so much hitting power it was able to triumph against any force sent against it, despite Konrad's insanity and his ineptitude as a general. He even attacked the Dwarfs, and when the Dwarf King challenged Konrad, he got Walach Harkon to accept the challenge as his champion, leading to the Dwarf King's death (and creating the second big grudge against vampires since Neferata). After several attempted invasions of The Empire, Konrad's advance was finally halted at the Battle of Four Armies in 2100 IC by a combined force from Altdorf, Talabheim and Marienburg (the battle is remembered mainly for the fates of the Imperial leadership, all of whom were contenders for the Imperial throne: the Count of Altdorf and the Ottilia of Talabheim had each other assassinated during the heat of battle, while Helmut, Count of Marienburg, was slain by Konrad).

However, the undeniable disadvantage of being dead did not stop Helmut from contending for the imperial throne and after the battle, he journeyed to Altdorf to ascend to the imperial throne. It was only when his extreme lethargy, pallid skin, and disgusting odor developed into full decomposition that the people of the Empire figured out he was actually a zombie under the control of Konrad! The necromancers controlling Helmut fled as soon as they were found out. Konrad chucked a massive tantrum when he learned his plan failed, which involved raiding nearby towns. Konrad's ploy to become emperor may have succeeded if the magic binding Helmut to Konrad's will had been more complex and thus able to sustain Helmut's decomposing body better, though the lack of speech and bodily functions would still be a giveaway.

==Defeat==
No one liked him very much at all. First, the Blood Knights left because Konrad's ineptitude denied them the victories they craved and got too annoying, so they ended the alliance. Then one day his necromancers decided to fuck him over! During some big fucking battle that would decide the fate of the world and probably lead it into 10,000 years of darkness or some bullshit, the necromancers just quit fucking playing (Konrad it turns out was still giving them grief during his bouts of insanity, so eventually they just got fed up and left him), leaving Konrad all alone without his hero slots, controlling like 10,000,000,000,000 VP's worth of skeletons. His brains blew up on the inside a little bit from the stress of having to control so many models, and he wandered into a forest going [[Doomrider|"NahNahNahNahNah,"]] gnashing his teeth, and drooling all over himself. Apparently, while this was going on his undead army crumbled and the Empire was all, "Holy shit, I thought we were doomed! Good thing GW won't wipe the main race, let's get back to in-fighting!"

Thankfully for the Empire before Konrad could get some sense back into his head and take advantage of the Imperial in-fighting he happened to bump into some Dwarf hero named Grufbard and the Ostlander Helmard (son of the man whom Konrad killed and zombified). They found Konrad in the middle of fighting birds they took one look at his sorry ass and instantly realized that he was in the middle of some crazy-ass stupor. Konrad challenged them attempting to draw a non existent sword. The dwarf then promptly tackled Konrad and held him down while Helmard proceeded to repeatedly stab Konrad with his dead father's Runefang he then beheaded his father's killer with his Runefang and hacked the body to pieces, burning the remains.

What a chump way to go!

==Immediate Aftermath==
After Konrad died, the surviving von Carsteins went to ground. That is until Mannfred came home and started unfucking the von Carstein line by making nice with the necromancers, traveling the world again to assemble a huge force of skeletons BEFORE attacking the [[the Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)| Empire]] and giving them a chance to stop being dicks and unite, bringing the scared vamps who had fled to other bloodlines back with promises of candy and porn, and otherwise being not-Konrad. He still lost too, repeatedly, but at least he lived to fight another day which is more than can be said for his idiot brother.

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Vampire Counts]]

Jade-Blooded

2023-05-17T21:33:28Z

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The Jade-Blooded are an unpublished additional [[Vampire Counts]] Bloodline (type of vampires related by a lineage of being turned leading back to the very first vampires) for [[Warhammer Fantasy]], making them non-canon but still technically part of the IP. It should be noted that they could be considered loosely canon due to certain [[Black Library]] mentions, as discussed below.

Created for the Night's Dark Masters supplement for [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], later released by Steve Darlington (the co-writer with Jody MacGregor) on its own.

=History=
When [[Queen Neferata]] perfected the eternal life experiments of [[Nagash]] by inventing Vampirism using her Elixer, she invited her most trusted servants of the court to join her. [[Harakhte]] was one of those servants.

While Neferata's cousin [[Ushoran]] was her spymaster, being a schmoozer who was popular among the nobility, it was Harakhte who enforced her will on the populace in his duties as Chief Justice and High Executioner. He created the entire justice system of Lahmia consisting of 900 Scriptures which were enforced zealously by the establishment. In extreme age as a human, to the degree that nobody actually knows his true age other than himself, he took a myriad of drugs magical and mundane to survive. This continued as a Vampire, as anything to improve his health was consumed as often as possible.

For unknown reasons before the fall of Lahmia he decided to turn twelve of his most trusted servants into Vampires and head east along the Warhammer Silk Road to [[Cathay]] AKA China. Whether this is because he knew of the advancing living Nehekharan army or not is unknown. These servants inherited his frail physical health, and likewise had to rely on constant medical treatments to maintain a semblance of health. Eventually all in the Bloodline wound up with cloudy eyes, translucent skin, and bright green blood which gives the Bloodline its name, as well as using his 900 Scriptures as the tenants of his bloodline.

Once he arrived he established a network of spies in each of the thirteen provinces of the nation, although each one of his servants betrayed him and sought power for their own instead. Harakhte managed to destroy four of the traitors before Cathay was divided into several nations. Some are ruled by his servants directly, some use political puppets, and some are ruled by unknown entities. Each one is in a constant state of scheming and planning that would make [[Tzeentch]] require a chart to keep track of, while each pursues the perfection of both traditional ritual and of adherence to the 900 Scriptures.

==Canon?==
Note that in other continuity, Neferata's Cathayan servant is an emissary from foreign lands named [[Prince Xian Ha Feng]] who she sends to Cathay to set up a network of control. Her entire cast of original Vampires other than those from the primary Bloodlines (Ushoran, [[W'soran]], [[Abhorash]], and in later continuity [[Vlad von Carstein|Vashanesh]]) changes in every description of the origins of the Vampires with some having entirely different names, or are dropped or forgotten in every work.
Xian Ha Feng may in fact be considered the canon version of Harakhte and the Jade-Blooded could potentially be canon due to Xian Ha Feng's adventures and influences other than giving Neferata control of the east in the modern day was left undescribed.

Andy Hall (lead writer of [[Total War: WARHAMMER]]) has affirmed that Jade-Blooded Vampires exist in Cathay in this interview [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr-waUnCZ7g].

A faction of Cathayan vampires called The Jiangshi Rebels appeared in Total War Warhammer 3.

=Relations=
Thanks to very little fluff, their political relations are largely unclear.
* [[Chaos]]
In some works Chaos is described as having a foothold on the power in Cathay, Tzeentch specifically. Cathay is also described as having a "Dragon Emperor" that has a human form (and may or may not be a dragon that can assume a human form). The Jade-Blooded seem to be a combination of Tzeentch and Nurgle, so their lack of continuity may be from Games Workshop trying to keep the Chaos storyline that they never explored an option, or writers being inspired by the unused Jade-Blooded story. At any rate, the two are not mutually exclusive and are almost certainly enemies since Vampires and Chaos generally do not get along ([[Heinrich Kemmler]] excluded).
* [[Ogre Kingdoms]]
Since Ogres are a constant threat to Cathay, the Ogres are likely enemies to be exterminated.
* [[Orcs & Goblins]]
Greenskins are also a threat to Cathay, and thus are likely pests.
* Vampire Counts
** [[Lahmian]]
Although they have little contact with Lahmia, they still maintain loyalty to the tradition of what Lahmia itself once was and since Neferata canonically controls a large chunk of Cathay she is either a rival for power or an ally to some factions; more likely both at once.

=Armies=
Every Jade-Blooded is revered as a living god by a cult of human followers, while for Undead they prefer Zombies and Wights.
Jade-Blooded themselves prefer to avoid combat, transforming into [[Snek]]s to escape conflict. Everything involved in the Jade-Blooded is poisonous, from the snakes to their claws, their bite, even the air around them; every contact causes the Wasting Disease from which nobody survives which the cults call a blessing (ensuring that all victims touched by a Jade-Blooded die) and befuddlement as if they smoked some REALLY potent narcotics. Some Jade-Blooded have entirely lost the ability to fight or even kill, becoming like ancient infants that their cultists bring victims to with a pre-slit throat for them to suckle from. Others are more refined, having blood harvested by their cult from offerings which they mix into a hookah to imbibe their smoke.

While technically forbidden from creating new Vampires, it is not a Scripture so the rule gets violated. Backstabbing is as common as [[Skaven]] for lower Vampires, keeping the Jade-Blooded the smallest Warhammer Bloodline.

While the physical prowess of the Jade-Blooded is low to non-existent, they gain quite a bit in the trade-off; they can control the minds of thousands of subjects with their voice gestures, far beyond any eye-contact vampire glamour. All Jade-Blooded can hover and fly easily.

Due to never serving Nagash and thus never being cursed for failure, the usual Vampire weaknesses of Sigmar's emblems, flowing water, garlic, and lack of reflection do not affect them.
Unfortunately they do suffer from their own unique weaknesses thanks to their original sire's state. These include varying degrees of blindness, weakness to an herbal concoction of sticky rice which diminishes their powers, and a counting compulsion. They also sometimes suffer from allergies to certain metals, Warpstone, tears of mortals, water itself, [[Warpstone]], and still are weak against sunlight. It is unknown if consuming the heart of a Dragon like the [[Blood Dragons]] would cure any of these.

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Isabella von Carstein

2023-05-17T21:33:01Z

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[[File:Isabella.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Mommy brought your sippy cup, Konrad.]]
{{Topquote|Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife.|Franz Schubert}}

The wife of [[Warhammer Fantasy|Warhammer Fantasy's]] resident Vlad the Impaler proxy, [[Vlad von Carstein]]. Unlike her counterparts however, Isabella is THE woman for her man. The "wives of Vlad" here simply refers to Isabella's many party dresses. She's stated to be one of the most beautiful humans to have ever (un)lived, and together with Vlad founded the [[Von Carstein]] Bloodline.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in the [[the Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]] there was a land called [[Sylvania]]. Sylvania was known for two things: decadent nobility that bordered on [[Slaanesh|Slaaneshi]] debauchery and peasantry so oppressed that even [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] peasants would order them around with noses in the air (as befitting the French).

The Elector Count of the region was a man named Otto von Drak, a magic-less descendant of dark wizards known for being a batshit insane asshole who thought he was [[Valten|Sigmar reborn]] and would cheer himself up after a hard day of drinking and grousing about how shitty his homeland and everyone in it with having random servants and peasants tortured to death and impaled. Not exactly a sweet guy if you got to know him either, the only person he didn't dislike was his only child, his daughter Isabella von Drak. Isabella was a very beautiful woman, and a tomboy in her interests; though she rocked the traditional dresses she spurned the traditional hobbies of women (sewing, singing, cooking) because she liked traditional men's hobbies better (hunting, falconry, swordplay). Otto proved unable to have any other children, which caused a problem since law dictated only males could inherit Otto's position and he couldn't or wouldn't change the law so Isabella could be his heir. Even worse Otto deemed all eligible Sylvanian nobles unworthy of her with the exception of a single man who ended up committing suicide rather than being forced into marrying into that crazy family, and her flouting of cultural norms and Sylvania's bad rep abroad meant no foreign suitors wanted her.

As Otto’s lay on his deathbed his life slowly slipping away from him Isabella ever the dutiful daughter stayed by his side. Rather then use his remaining time to repent for all his actions Otto instead spent his time shunning the administrations of priests and cursing his misfortune, claiming famously he would rather marry Isabella von Drak to a [[Daemon]] than let his brother Leopold succeed him (or let the disgusting pervert marry Isabella). Not long after this, a man claiming to be a member of distant Empire nobility (with an accent that those of the court believed to be of [[Kislev]] origin) appeared and presented himself to Otto. He said his name was [[Vlad von Carstein]], and after giving his self-introduction asked to marry Isabella. Otto accepted out of desperation and his put-upon priest of [[Sigmar]], Victor Guttman, married them that night with Otto dead by morning. Leopold's body was also found, having mysteriously fallen off the highest tower at the von Drak estate around the same time making Isabella the last von Drak.

Vlad immediately dismissed Victor Guttman, and repurposed the von Drak chapel. This continued village to village, until the worship of Sigmar was all but gone from the realm barring peasant shrines. Although the Sylvanians distrusted him due to being a foreigner who had eccentric habits such as only coming out at night and dining alone, he gained popularity by purging the nobles that were incompetent or [[Chaos]] [[Cultist-chan|worshippers]] and ridding the land of bandits and outlaws. Peasants still disappeared from time to time, but for the first time Sylvania had a ruler who wouldn't decorate his fence with the heads of men, women, and children because he stubbed his toe or demand all of people's life savings in taxes. Vlad quickly became beloved by the masses, and with the disappearance of every embezzling nobleman Sylvania became more prosperous. What was once the poorest province became the wealthiest, and throughout the Empire jealousy and admiration were inspired at the mention of the name von Carstein. Anytime Vlad visited nobility that didn't die from mysterious disease during his stay (symptoms include bloodlessness and a broken neck) they would pick up his little eccentricities and be graciously given the right to consider themselves a member of his ever-expanding line. Previously well-behaved nobles would sometimes require a second visit if they saw this gift as an excuse to return to old family habits; these spoiled children would find themselves put in a time-out. In their family crypt. With boulders trapping them in. See: [[Vargheists]].

Having secured his position, Vlad and Isabella spent more and more time together. She knew he was a vampire from the start of course, but hated her position and her uncle so she sided with him from day one. She gave Vlad the names of the insubordinate nobles, he solved the problems. As time went on Isabella and Vlad grew closer.

She became very aware of herself aging next to him, realizing time was running out to be the same physical age category as her husband. She begged Vlad to vamp her, but he refused time and time again.

One night, while Vlad was away <strike>drinking enemies' blood like mixer shots</strike> paying a visit to his admirers (who tragically died while he was there) Isabella came down with tuberculosis and sent a message to her husband calling him to her deathbed. It's implied she may have instead poisoned herself, but either way Vlad crossed a nation in one night and from that point on, Isabella was a lady who enjoyed the night life. Shortly after this, the two of them visited a recalcitrant noble who turned out to be the leader of a secret [[Khorne|Khorne-worshipping cult]] and slaughtered them all, with Isabella sifting through the skinned faces of noblewomen like a shopaholic at a mall, and by this point the two were actually and fully in love with each other.

After two hundred years of ruling Sylvania and improving it, Vlad and Isabella saw their chance to seize power. The Empire was in a state of civil war as three different claimants to the throne warred. Vlad called a feast with mandatory attendance for the remaining nobles - both human and vampire - that could not be trusted to not fuck up when he turned his head. Isabella led the turned nobility in a feast of the remaining human nobility while Vlad stood on top of the tower Leopold fell to his death from and read from a Book of Nagash, raising the dead of Sylvania. Vlad and Isabella's army of zombies and skeletons marched alongside the living armies of Sylvania, loyal to the only masters they'd ever known (seen as liberators from the past tyrants).

Every army, city, town and village their armies encountered were given an ultimatum. Swear fealty to Vlad and be unharmed (although their cemetery would be emptied for reinforcements) or be slaughtered to the last and become reinforcements themselves. They were quick to deliver upon their promise and be gone whichever was chosen.

During one particular battle, Vlad was seemingly killed. When this happened the vampire Herman Posner fought his way to dominance of the undead and tried to claim a distraught Isabella as his bride but she refused him. Later that night Vlad unexpectedly returned and humbled Herman in a duel, and in the novel Isabella requested that she be the one to kill Herman, which Vlad granted. As it turned out Vlad had a magic ring which provided him with the ability to tether his spirit to the world basically making him unkillable. Learning this proved a great comfort to Isabella who from then on mostly stayed with their loyal Necromancers (who acted as something of a medic for the undead) and oversaw the welfare of the loyal vampires they ruled.

In the final battle at Altdorf, Vlad's only legitimate rival to the throne Ludwig was preparing to surrender when the Grand Theogonist (Sigmar pope) Wilhelm the 3rd was tipped off by the traitorous [[Mannfred von Carstein]] that Vlad's ring was the source of his invulnerability. After months of siege, Wilhelm sent the greatest thief of the age to steal Vlad's ring. During the following day’s battle, Wilhelm tackled Vlad off the ramparts of the city and they both fell on defensive stakes used by infantry, killing him permanently. Isabella, hearing what had happened, killed herself similarly to be with him. Ludwig's forces were withdrawn in order to deal with the invasion of the two remaining claimants, letting the remaining von Carsteins (notably [[Konrad von Carstein]] and [[Mannfred von Carstein]]) as well as the surviving undead retreat back to Sylvania.

===[[The End Times]]===
Vlad was resurrected by [[Nagash]] and declared to be the greatest vampire who had ever lived, much to Mannfred's frustration. Vlad then agreed to serve [[Nagash]] but only after getting him to swear to the condition that Isabella would be resurrected, proving that Vlad's only true motivation in life was Isabella. Later on Vlad actually DEFENDED Altdorf and was made official Elector Count of Sylvania in return for his service.

However before Vlad could celebrate by trying to get Nagash to honor his bargain with Vlad (which was about as likely as hell freezing over), Isabella was restored to unlife by the Dark God [[Nurgle]], who warped and twisted her into an ideal tool so Nurgle could have his vengeance against the undead. See Nurgle hated the fact they wouldn’t decay and hated the sterility of the undead as he loved to create life; particularly life that was harmful to the living. It's also implied he didn't like how Vlad saved her from disease which is what Nurgle is all about. So after raising her she was possessed by a daemon, and given a power that works against undead. It doesn't help that the daemon also twisted her memories and pushed the story that she was actually date-raped by Vlad and was his trophy wife rather than beloved partner, driving her mad and hateful against the Undead. In conjunction with the fact that most undead leaders, apart from Vlad, had either treated Isabella like dirt or meant nothing to her because she didn't know them (such as [[Krell]] and [[Arkhan the Black| Arkhan]]), this gave Isabella a burning hatred of other undead. What resulted was her becoming the only Lords choice for the Daemons of Chaos that wasn't larger than a brick shithouse (not counting the Grand Legion of the Everchosen army who also had normal-sized models).

Isabella alongside a now chaos aligned [[Drachenfels| Nameless Spirit]] (who at the time was possessing the body of [[Luthor Huss]]) later encountered Vlad in battle in Sylvania, and the daemon within Isabella offered Vlad a chance to be reunited with her by serving the Chaos Gods. Vlad showed badassitude worthy of [[Settra the Imperishable| Settra]], and refused to serve Chaos, showing immense horror at what they'd done to Isabella. After Vlad helped Huss free himself from the spirit possessing him the two fought alongside each other against the chaos horde until Isabella slit Huss’ throat. She then moved to kill Vlad, who put up no fight because he'd rather die than strike her down. Though she was possessed and her memories had been altered, something in her still recognized Vlad as the man she loved and thus she felt some regret for his death. Fortunately Vlad had his magic ring of resurrection so his death wasn’t permanent and after he finally revived he was free to try and save his wife again.

Isabella meanwhile was present at the battle of the Black Pyramid, her most notable feats being killing Arkhan (though he put up a serious fight and almost won) and distracting Nagash - who proved immune to her anti-undead powers - long enough for the Skaven to blow up the Black Pyramid.

In the end, Vlad and Isabella met again at the Battle of Middenheim, and despite their conditions both were united in their contempt of Mannfred. After a duel, Vlad gave Isabella his ring that kept him immortal right before killing both of them, sacrificing his own life so his love could be free. The ring's resurrection power brought Isabella back while death removed the demon. She was then discovered in a near-comatose state by Neferata (one theory is that Isabella knew what had happened, that she'd killed Vlad and that Vlad gave his unlife to save her, and was so horrified by this that she passed out), who carried her off to Castle Stierniste, where Nef and Khalida stood with the last few halflings and undead. Of course, everything was wiped out, but at the very least, both of them died as themselves.

Isabella and Vlad finally suffered a true death, as neither returned in [[Age of Sigmar]]. Their models were renamed as generic characters, and the only returning named von Carstein Vampire is their piece of shit son Mannfred, who is directly responsible for Isabella's death.

==On The Tabletop==
Isabella is part of the infamous Vlad/Isabella combo where if one dies, the survivor becomes more powerful (unlike their fluff). Said survivor tends to be Vlad after Isabella is used as a sacrificial lamb due to his superior killyness and resurrection powers, once again breaking lore.

The problem with Isabella by herself was being essentially a weak Hero level Vampire with no important upgrades. Her only benefit was a magic item chalice allowing her to let another vampire in her unit drink from it and restore a Wound. She paid too much for an iffy power, and thus was in no way worth using unless the plan was to buff Vlad with her death.
With the End Times 50% character allowance this strategy is more viable (ironically).
If one wishes to use a "V+I 4ever "army, using Isabella's model (as a generic Vampire Lord) in an Undead Legion list with Mortarch Vlad is the only viable way.
A proper von Carstein list of the era should use Corpse Carts as Vlad and Isabella were the first to use them, Black Coaches as they are the mainstay of Sylvanian vampires, and Vargheists/Varghulfs as the von Carsteins created them by locking naughty vampires in tombs until they went feral from thirst. Be sure to include some Empire troops proxying things to represent the loyal living humans of Sylvania.

End Times Archaon brings her back as a confusing mix of her old self with some new tools for the Daemons of Chaos and Grand Legion of the Everchosen armies. Chief among them is now being a Level 3 Wizard with Lore of Vampires & Nurgle, which is a curious mix. She keeps her Undead and Vampiric rules, but also gains Hatred (Undead), which works as well since any undead she wounded have to take d3 additional unsavable wounds and everything in base contact with her during the Magic Phase takes an S1 hit that ignores armor. Her chalice was also changed, becoming essentially a grenade that forces anyone that was hit by it to test Toughness or die. The issue with this is that despite being tougher, she's now more vulnerable since she can only recover a wound through the Lore of Vampires trait (And three of the spells, one of which is the SIGNATURE SPELL, involved will likely be useless unless you also get Raise Dead). HOWEVER, on her own she is absolutely awful, as she lacks the daemonic instability rule, so she cannot join units of daemons, which is her HOME ARMY.

==Total War==
In [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] Isabella was added as the first female Legendary Lord at the end of February 2017. With her release, Vlad was moved out of Mannfred's faction and into their own; their first order of business is actually the destruction of Mannfred's forces.

In the TWW storyline Vlad and Isabella have both been resurrected for End Times (you'll almost certainly recruit the other ASAP, regardless of which one you're playing as). As a Lord Isabella and Vlad cannot be part of the same army, but get a massive buff to their combat abilities by being in the same battle. As a result you will spend most of the game using the two of them together and fielding an overwhelming combined force befitting ma and pa VC.

According to the TWW continuity, Isabella's chalice has a unique origin. After her resurrection she found that the Empire was sending a large army into Sylvania. After wiping it out and "interrogating" the survivors (she drained their blood, you dirty-minded wanker) she found out that they were actually after a particularly powerful [[Beastmen]] warband. After destroying said warband she found that they carried a horn always dripping blood, a gift from [[Khorne]]. Her Necromancers advised her to use a blood sacrifice so massive even she was shocked in order to bind the magic of Khorne's blessing, without any of the baggage of Chaos, to an object. She chose a Von Drak family heirloom, the chalice given to her by her great-grandmother Bathori (a obvious reference to supposed IRL vampire Elizabeth Bathory), and then wiped out two Empire cities to create the ultimate Vampire Crunk Cup (the 2000's called, they found your joke very funny) and give Archaon the middle finger at the same time. According to this canon Isabella's cup is a new thing, gained after her resurrection and invalidating anyone who replicated the Vampire Wars in a scenario using her rules (but let's be honest, who has ever actually done that?).

Isabella also gives the regeneration trait to any lord who defeats her in battle. Most mortal empire playthroughs include a quick pit stop in Sylvania because regeneration is so damn good that no melee beatstick lord will be complete without it.

Come Total War: Warhammer 3 and CA made an interesting choice for the Von Carstein faction. Depending on whether you choose Vlad or Isabella as the Faction leader. the other will start as a legendary hero with their legendary Items equipped and unlocked. Meaning that Vlad and Isabella can start in an army, and you don't need to put One in a separate army and increase your upkeep.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Vlad Isabella Old.jpg|The old models of momma and dadda Von Carstein. Works well as their "posing as human" forms.
Image:Isabella New Model GW.jpg|Her official model, 'Eavy Metal paintjob.
Image:Isabella Pro Paint.jpg|A much better paintjob.
Image:Sylvania Court.jpg|Vlad putting down uppity nobles. Only Isabella prevents him from slaughtering the room.
Image:C7f54fc10ea0e963e2fe16a382fb642a.jpg
Image:Isabella Fanart 1.jpg
Image:Isabella Fanart 2.jpg
Image:Isabella Fanart 3.jpg|A fanart redesign.
Image:Isabella Fanart 4.png
Image:Isabella Fanart 5.jpg
Image:Isabella Dont Take That Shit.jpg|Go ahead, say she's not a Lord within arms distance.
Image:Isabella Cosplay.jpg|Cosplay of Isabella, who goes by [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clockwork-Dandy-Noodles/1384485345111908 Clockwork-Dandy-Noodles].
Image:Isabella Total War.jpg|Her Total War rendition.
File:Isabella von carstein end times.png
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]]

Grave Guard

2023-05-17T21:32:06Z

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{{whfb-stub}}{{NeedsImages}}
[[File:Grave Guards.png|thumb|"''Welcome to the eternal night shift, fuckboy!''"]]
==Warhammer Fantasy==
The Grave Guards are long dead heroes who are tied to the land of the living by magic. In ages past, the men of the Old World buried their dead beneath mounds of earth and stone, together with their battle gear and wordly wealth. Although their bodies have decayed, leaving only bones and tattered flesh, those [[Wight|wights]] are held together by evil magic so strong that it can last for many centuries. They wear ancient armour of bronze and black iron, corroded by time and dusty with the years and carry weapons inlaid with evil runes, an accursed parody of once powerful magical blades.

They patrol tirelessly upon the walls of Vampire-haunted keeps of [[Sylvania]], drawn from their ancient tombs to act as guardians for their [[Vampire]] rulers. These eerie, silent sentinels stand constant vigil on the crumbling battlements and at the iron-bound gates, never resting, eternally ready to defend their vampiric masters.

When a vampire marches forth, its Grave guard advance at the vanguard of the [[undead]] host. They form a formidable corps of warriors, protected by heavy armour, their enchanted blades cutting down the toughest of enemies with pitiless strikes. The sheer resilience of Grave guards have become well known across the nations of Humans, Elf and Dwarf. Their combination of stout shields, thick armour plates, and the natural resilience of the undead means that a simple sword blow has little chance of stopping them.

{{Vampire Count Troops}}
[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]]
[[Category:Legions of Nagash]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2023-05-17T21:31:45Z

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[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==
A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===
Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named [[Luthor Huss]]. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. For a long time there had been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it was unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world, however that all changed with the release of the novel Gothghul Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==
In the [[Warhammer Horror]] novel "Gothgul Hollow", at the very end of the novel, our protagonists succeed in summoning the spirit that has been haunting them, and she is revealed to be a [[vampire]], a woman turned when she was, quote, "very young; barely into womanhood", with a slender build, pale skin and dark hair. We don't learn very much about this vampire, other than that she has spent an unknown amount of time, theorized to be centuries or more, sealed in "the place that is not a place", a kind of void between worlds, by entities she refers to as "The Fallen Four" and "The Heralds", who are connected to some upcoming apocalyptic threat she was trying to stop called the Mhurghast. As the very last line in the book, she gives her name: Genevieve Dieudonné.

Waving aside the difficulties in expanding on something that has clearly been set up for a sequel which hasn't manifested yet, it's unclear if this is supposed to be Genevieve or merely namedropping an old name without properly understanding it. In our very brief interaction with her, this vampire is presented as a haughty, aloof, smug and callous figure, who openly treats the mortals she interacts with as beneath her and makes casual reference to having given "The Dark Kiss" (vampirehood) to so many others she can't remember them all. It's anyone's guess at the moment if this is supposed to be an older, more jaded Genevieve, grown far darker since the destruction of the world-that-was, or if this is just another case of an auther either having no idea how to properly write a pre-existing character or choosing to ignore everything about them to put her own stamp on the character. We might get a better understanding of the truth of this matter in the near future as a Warhammer Community post hinted that she and another blood drinker, [[Ulrika the Vampire]] from the [[Gotrek & Felix]] series, might be coming back possibly even as tabletop characters…or maybe they’re just fucking with us. Time will tell!

==Canon?==
The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==
Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Cairn Wraith

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[[File:Cairn Wraith Model.jpeg|thumb|The Reaper Cometh... with a square base.]]

The '''Cairn Wraith''' is a [[ghost]] unit used by both the [[Vampire Counts]] in [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and the [[Nighthaunt]] in [[Age of Sigmar]]. In both settings, they're the ghost that looks most similar to a classical depiction of the grim reaper.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
In the Old World, the Cairn Wraiths are the spirits of the Necromancers and Sorcerers who sought to extend their own lives through Dark Magic. Predictably, this didn't end well for them; they are only just clinging onto existence through sheer will and spite. Now they linger around places of sorrow and fear, feeding off of the residual emotion left over.

Because of how balls to the walls angry at the living they need to be to simply exist, Cairn Wraiths are ''really'' hard to rake down. Even the majority of seasoned Light Mages and Excorcists will struggle to banish one.

===On the Tabletop===

{{Vampire Count Troops}}

==Age of Sigmar==
In AoS, things are a bit more complicated. The wannabe necromancers of the realms now become a [[Guardian of Souls]] upon death. But to become a Cairn Wraith? You have to be an especially sick and twisted bastard, even to the likes of the [[Nighthaunt]], the army filled with criminals. That may sound like an exaggeration due to the [[Nagash|sheer]] [[Morathi|quantity]] [[Malekith|of]] [[Tzeentch|them]] present in the setting, but it's true. When an especially spiteful mass murderer goes to the underworlds of [[Shyish]], they don’t dissipate into the formless spirits or go to their respective afterlives. They cling onto the hatred for life that they nursed as mortals, letting it swallow them whole. Instead of fading away, most aspects of their personality that aren't to do with [[Rip and Tear|snuffing out life and/or tearing something to bits]] get thrown in the garbage. And thus, a Cairn Wraith is created.

Because they were a Nighthaunt unit that predated Soul Wars and 2e, they all used to be lone-wolf style predators. They would hang around near gravesites and other deathly places, snatching up anyone unlucky enough to wander in. This changed after the Necroquake, where it's explicitly said that bone daddy bound ALL of them into his service with an enormous necromantic monolith known as the Great Cairnoch. This leaves most Cairn Wraiths across the realms either roped into a Procession or into the service of a particularly strong Vampire or Necromancer. Regardless of who's holding the keys to their cage, the Cairn Wraiths don't particularly care, as long as they're allowed to reap their due.

===Soulbound===
It's rare to see Soulbound Cairn Wraiths, even within purely Death bindings. Because they're all raging murderous ghost psychos, it's hard to persuade them not to butcher absolutely every living being within reach. If a Binding has a Cairn Wraith stuck with it, then that usually means that the circumstances are dire indeed. As such, most bindings that find themselves saddled with a Cairn Wraith find themselves with less of a teammate and more of a living (or ''un''living) weapon to lug around, point at an enemy and let it rip whilst minimising unnecessary casualties.

Nonetheless, they aren't entirely emotionless - otherwise they wouldn't be included as a player option. Some Cairn Wraiths have certain predilections towards killing a certain quarry. If a binding is landed with a Wraith that enjoys seeing [[Nurgle]] cultists go pop when they're ripped apart, or one that likes chasing down [[Skaven]] as they flee, then they have something to actually work with.

===On the Tabletop===

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Blood Knight

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{{whfb-stub}}
[[File:Blood Knight.jpg|thumb]]

Amongst the variety of [[Slayer|hardened]], [[Swordmasters of Hoeth|skilled]], [[Chaos Champion|powerful]], and [[Stormvermin|vicious]] warriors of the Old World and beyond, few reach the heights of martial prowess and stone-cold determination that is a '''Blood Knight'''. Vampiric knightly warriors, these monstrous cavaliers are paragons of both the depths of strength and evil in the pursuit of more.
[[Abhorash]], [[Walach Harkon]] and his brother, [[Luthor Harkon]] (actually a blood pirate but sometimes he [[pretend|pretends]] to be a knight) are amongst the most famous.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
GW SBGravelordsBloodKnightsmoddles.jpeg
</gallery>

{{Vampire Count Troops}}

Blood Dragon

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[[File:Blood dragons sigil.png|thumb|right|300px]]

The Blood Dragons are a [[Vampire Counts]] Bloodline from [[Warhammer Fantasy]].

==History==
The Blood Dragons trace their lineage all the way back to [[Abhorash]], the peerless warrior and champion of Lahmia, and the disciples who followed him from Lahmia's destruction. After their master <strike>cured</strike> freed himself from the <strike> curse of vampirism </strike> bloodthirst associated with vampirism with the aid of the blood of a monstrous red dragon, these disciples scattered across the world, seeking out foes of similar calibre to defeat, and thereby earn Abhorash's favour.

Noted Blood Dragons include:
* [[Walach Harkon]], a Nehekharan tribesman turned Lahmian palace guard, who gave the Blood Dragons their name by assailing the Blood Keep and slaying the entire Order of the Blood Dragon, resurrecting the worthy as Vampires.
* [[Luthor Harkon]], Walach’s cousin. A vampire turned pirate (Vampirate?) who landed on the coast of [[Lizardmen|Lustria]] and explored a temple that drove him cuckoo-bananas. Now he is leading his zombie pirate navy on the hunt for Lizardmen relics, with which he hopes to de-crazy himself. He is a playable Lord in [[Total War: Warhammer]]'s Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC.
* [[The Red Duke]], a Bretonnian Duke turned into a fell warrior known as the Scourge of Aquitaine, and El Syf, according to the Arabyans. He stars in his own novel, written by [[C.L.Werner]].

==Relations==
* Vampire Counts
** [[Strigoi]]
*** Blood Dragons simply see these vampires as a challenging monster for them to fight.
* [[Soulblight Gravelords]]
** Kastelai
*** Their AoS counterpart.

==On the Tabletop==
It is notable that the Blood Dragons, who are Vampiric Knights, field-able as a Rare option for the Vampire Counts, are arguably the fucking strongest CQC unit in Warhammer Fantasy. This is a universe where Daemons exist. Be afraid. Be very fucking afraid. With high initiative, S7 on the charge standard, frenzy, 2+ armor and good weapon skill these guys are a big-ass hammer waiting to be used.

Sadly the very complex and badass Blood Knight models are $99 for a mere five models. Chances are good if you're using them, you're using as many as possible so you'll need 5+ models. Solution? Either nut up and slay the strongest motherfucker on your street to feast upon his blood so you can throw your food money at Games Workshop, or buy Bretonnian Knights at $35 for 8 and use up your leftover bitz from the rest of your Vampire Counts on them. A good compromise you can buy 5 Dragon Princes for $35, which look very similar to the Blood Knights.

{{Vampire-Counts-Bloodlines}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Vampire Counts]]

Battlescroll: The Restless Dead

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Restless Dead is a [[Battlescroll]] for [[Warhammer Fantasy]], allowing a player of any army in the game to take a small force of [[Meme|Spooky Skeletons]] from the [[Vampire Counts]] army. The Battlescroll contains all stats and rules needed, so players of other armies don't need to buy a Vampire Counts army book.

==Fluff==
Two specific pieces of lore are mentioned for the Restless Dead as examples.

In the first, a [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] Lord of [[Mousillion]] named Pitre Fonce has become a Necromancer and raised his ancestors in what his peasants call the "Nightguard" lead by a Wight King called "The Black Duke" from the Grimnoire Barrows. They march every night to kill his rivals and anyone who tries to stop them, ignoring all others.

The second, [[Mannfred von Carstein]] posed as a nobleman to befriend a collector of books from Altdorf named Gustav Krecher. After the nobleman declined to share his entire collection with Mannfred, the [[Meme|Mannlet]] became personally insulted and sent an army to kill every man, woman, and child in his keep. The book he was searching for wasn't there, so Mannfred contented himself at having killed an imagined foe.

Thus the general theme of Restless Dead is a force of undead sent by your army leader or patron for revenge and/or gain.

==Rules==
Restless Dead consists of one Wight King, one or two Units of Black Knights, one or two Units of Grave Guard, and one to four Units of Skeleton Warriors that consist of at least 20 Skeleton Warriors each.

Death Mission: After both armies deploy, the Restless Dead choose an enemy Unit or a piece of Terrain in their deployment area. Any Restless Dead within 12 centimeters of it suffer one less Wound from Unstable and Crumble.

Master Of Undeath: The Wight King and all Units from his Restless Dead within 12 inches can March as if he was the General. This stops working if he is killed.

==See Also==
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Battlescrolls]]

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category: Vampire Counts]]

Battlescroll: Crypt Scavengers

2023-05-17T21:27:39Z

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Crypt Scavengers is a Battlescroll for Warhammer Fantasy, allowing a player of any army in the game to take a small force of [[Ghoul|Ghouls]] and a Necromancer from the Vampire Counts army, plus a [[Garden of Morr]] for scenery. The Battlescroll contains all stats and rules needed, so players of other armies don't need to buy a Vampire Counts army book.

=Fluff=
Crypt Scavengers is the force of Undead that gather corpses for the army of a powerful Necromancer or a Vampire. Gardens Of Morr are important cemeteries protected by the priests of the human death god [[Morr]], and contain a higher class of corpse than the ordinary boneyard, with magic trinkets and armor buried with them. GoM are full of magic wards and [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire Night Watchmen]] that deter the weaker minions of the undead, but by using a Crypt Horror-a Ghoul that has been fed blood of a Vampire which hulks them out but reduces their lifespan-to destroy the wards, lesser Ghouls can take care of the living defenders while the Necromancer raises the bodies.
The following are provided examples of the CS Battlescroll in lore.
* An unknown force of Ghouls and a Horror attack a Night Watch lead by a man named Valik. Fate unknown.
* 2059-2063 the first Crypt Scavenger army is formed by the Necromancer Hessel The Vanquisher. He's eventually killed by [[Kislev|Kislevites]]. Hessel encourages the living defenders of the Gardens he attacks to surrender as trying to fight his Ghouls will result in them being trapped in partially-eaten corpses forever.
* 2212 a Vampire named Auvrel Blakeep in Stirland breaks into a Garden to reanimated [[The Order Of The Raven]] knights killed by the Yellow Plague. The graves were empty, and the undead army simply vanishes from history (most likely killed in a trap by the still-living Raven Knights).
* 2245 the Morr priesthood in Wissenland empty the graves of their Garden and place traps triggered by Death magic in them, which imprison the Necromancer Bogdan Mallesh and his army inside forever.
* 2380 the Necromancer Fenryl Xandu breaks into almost all of the Gardens in the southern Empire. Not only that, but he leaves behind a spell in each that will reanimate all of the corpses in reclaimed Gardens next Geheimnisnacht to attack the living in a zombie apocalypse, which is known afterwards as the Year Of The Dead.
* 2450 the Vampire Vikkir Rakkash marauds the countryside of Kislev, leading Captain Bulkar to muster an army to put a stop to it. Bulkar and his forces face their own families from the razed Gardens including Bulkar's brother. This surprise causes a loss of morale which leads to their defeat, doubling the strength of Rakkash's army.

=Rules=
Crypt Scavengers consists of one Necromancer, one Unit of Crypt Horrors, one Unit of Crypt Ghouls consisting of at least twenty models, and one Garden Of Morr.

Garden Of Morr: Gardens Of Morr are placed before the battle and before any Units are deployed, entirely in the Deployment Zone of the controlling player. Terrain may be shifted away from the Deployment Zone to fit the Garden, and if there isn't enough room or if the controlling player doesn't have a Deployment Zone the Garden is not used in the game. Vampire Counts armies using Crypt Scavengers get two Gardens Of Morr instead of one, and they have the following rules.
* Domain Of The Dead: All Units within 6 inches of the Garden that do not have Undead or Nehekharan Undead have -1 Leadership, and Units that do have one of those rules have Regeneration (6+).
* Fresh Corpses To Eat: All Crypt Horrors, Varghulfs, Terrorgheists, and Strigoi Ghoul Kings within 6 inches of any part of a Garden reroll failed Regeneration Rolls. This works for enemies as well.
* Heavy With Death: All Wizards within 6 inches of any part of a Garden with spells from the Lore Of Death or Lore Of Vampires roll an additional 2D6 on Channeling.

=See Also=
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/8th Edition/Battlescrolls]]

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]]