Editing Flagellant (section)

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Flagellants are something unique for the empire ([[Bretonnia]] have something similar called "battle pellegrins", but we will see later the key differences), and the lore behind them is both easy and credible. Life in the Empire is difficult if not shitty. While your position in society surely determines your lifestyle, there aren't assurances that all you have will not be destroyed by one of the many, many enemies of the Empire. Everything that you have will be destroyed or stolen, your family and friends will be [[Grimdark|killed horribly, taken prisoners or sacrificed to horrid gods who will torture their souls for all eternity]]. Those who go through such harshness cannot possibly remain sane or hope to retake what they have lost. They will become bandits, desperadoes and this if they have enough mind to keep their sanity. But for these madmen, [[Sigmar|faith]] and vengeance are also an option. Inevitably, a Prophet of doom will arise between this madmen, convinced that what they had seen and gone through are clearly sign of the coming of the apocalypse. The Empire will fall, nothing can save it from such a destiny, and if everyone is doomed, the only "logical" thing to do is to take care of our souls through zealous acts of faith to impress the empire's pantheon, especially Sigmar, the God-king. When this happens, a group of like-minded fanatics will band together with this prophet, and start to travel far and wide the Empire, spreading their message of doom and looking for the only possible outcome, a martyr death in the name of the gods in bloody battlefields. In their bloody pilgrimage, more men will join the band of flagellants, creating a crazy parade of undeniable <del>madness</del> zealotry. Common people have mixed feelings toward them, a combination of respect, fear and awe. The state church of Sigmar support the flagellants actions, found them to be useful assets. What better retinue for a [[Witch Hunters]] or a Warrior priest than devoted people who don't fear death, but actively look for it? Flagellants on the other side obey the official clergymen with awe and fanatical loyalty, because their word is that of Sigmar itself. Some groups of flagellants indeed follow a particularly famous man of the church, such the <del>crazy and obsessed stalkers</del> DEVOTED, LOYAL AND ABSOLUTELY NOT CREEPY FOLLOWERS known as [[Awesome|Tattered Souls]], who follow Volkmar the Grim wherever he go.

It must be noted, however, that while many flagellants are obvious followers of Sigmar, some band will dedicate themselves to another god of the pantheon, such as [[Morr]], [[Ulric]], Shallya or other. (Someone can actually argue the sense of venerating the goddess of health with flails and self-torture, but flagellants don't give a fuck about [[Heresy|logic and common sense]].)