| “ | Red, mad, and wearing scorched brass armour, Bloodthirsters are the furious expression of the martial might of Khorne, the god of war, blood, and skulls. This metal miniature was Khorne’s exemplar for more than a decade, bestriding the battlefields of the Old World and the 41st Millennium, its nightmarish bovine/canine features twisted into a horrendous visage of exquisite apoplexy. | „ |
| ~ The Brutal Brilliance of the Bloodthirster[8] |
| “ | You have called and I have answered. You sought the Harbringer of Doom. I am he, little sorcerer. I am your Doom. I am Skarbrand. I am your death. | „ |
| ~ Skarbrand, Greatest of Bloodthirsters |
Bloodthirsters, (called Khak'akaoz'khyshk'akami[9] in Dark Tongue) also known as Deathbringers, are an antagonistic species in Warhammer Fantasy. They are greater daemons of Khorne and are the most martially skilled of all Chaos Daemons, being the splinters of their angry god given form, flesh, and dread purpose.
General[]
Overview[]
| “ | The Bloodthirster is the mightiest of Khorne's daemonic creations. None other so readily exemplifies all that the Blood God represents. | „ |
| ~ Liber Malefic |
A Bloodthirster of Khorne.
The appearance of a Bloodthirster on the battlefield is a vision of horror, a portent of doom so terrible it can shake the stoutest of hearts. They enter the world through exceptionally large tears in the fabric of reality, heralded by stormclouds, red lightning, and showers of blood. Bellowing a challenge to every living thing around, the Bloodthirster seeks out the fiercest enemy so that it may engage in glorious battle. While other Greater Daemons have myriad uses in addition to their primary function, a Bloodthirster's utility is severely limited; it is fit for bloody combat and little else. But this is a task in which it excels; just one Bloodthirster can wipe out an army, hacking and cleaving with it's axe until there is nothing left to kill or the magics allowing it to intrude into the Realm of Mortals dissipates and crumbles the daemon away.[10]
Bloodthirsters are shards of Khorne's wrath, given thought and form. However, some Bloodthirsters rise from lowly Bloodletters.[11] It is possible for a Bloodthirster to be demoted in form to a Bloodletter as well.[12]
Characteristics[]
| “ | I take your skull momentarily, but tell me first, who do you pray to? Ulric? Sigmar? Both are gods of war. Don't you see, little Mortal, we serve the same master. | „ |
| ~ Agrash, Bloodiest of Bloodthirsters, taunting a mortal. |
| “ | Created in the image of their master - a living holocaust of raw physical power - no other denizen in the Realm of Chaos can match the sheer savagery of these winged beast. | „ |
| ~ The Daemons of Khorne[13] |
A Bloodthirster, compared to two Mortal men.
Bloodthirsters vary in appearance, with some being described as massive monsters with the heads of hounds and others appearing as skull-faced beasts. Most Bloodthirsters are hellish red, but these creatures have been known to come in dimmer shades of crimson and even black. Extremely muscular, the Bloodthirster is a hunched, bipedal creature with brass-hard skin. They have six total limbs; two muscle-bound arms, ending in shredding claws and two powerful wings, not unlike that of a dragon. They also have heavy cloven hooves and pointed dewclaws as well as short, bobbed-tails. However some, such as Ka'Bandha, are known to have long, thick draconic tails.[14]
Bloodthirsters are crowned with a myriad of bullish horns, a point of vanity for many of them, often decorated with the skulls of favored and memorable kills. Some, such as Ka'Bandha, wear a rune-crown which nuetralizes all but the strongest magic. The beast itself is granted armor by Khorne which is set over it's already near-impenetrable skin, making the Bloodthirster fiercer still in battle. Bloodthirster weapons vary somewhat according to the Murderous Host in which they belong. However, almost all of them wield Axes of Wrath. Some wield barbed lashes in tandem with their axes, often bound with the conquered souls of rival Slaaneshi daemons.[15] The Axe of a Bloodthirster can be thrown and recalled at will, similar to Thor's hammer, mjollnir.[16]
An ape-like Bloodthirster of Khorne.
The Blood God despises magic and abhors magic users and this hatred is reflected in his followers and the tools they bring to bare upon the battlefield. Magic gutters wherever a Bloodthirster treads and the creature itself is all but immune to enemy mages. If struck by magic, the power simply dissipates into harmless energy. It can even be reflected back at the mage, literally exploding in their faces.[17][18]
In temperament, the Bloodthirster is what one would expect from a God of Battle and Rage: Wrathful. However, this anger has nuances. Some Bloodthirsters are mindless beasts who slaughter indiscriminately, embodying Kharneth's endless rage. Others are creatures of honor, reflecting their father's pride and desire for martial discipline. Most are mixtures of both, as is often the case with the Blood God's followers.[19]
A Bloodthirster with a Blood Host from Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector.
Despite being the strongest of the Greater Daemons, Bloodthirsters tend to be the smallest, with other Daemons towering over them, especially the Keepers of Secrets.[20]
A Bloodthirster's appearance is not static and will change to closer match the Blood Host to which it belongs. For example, it a Bloodthirster is promoted to the Sixth Host of Murder, his features become hound-like and bestial, with a forked tongue and forward thrusting horns.[21]
Bloodthirsters are able to cross with mortals, with the Khornate Half-daemon Ograx the Great being sired by the Deathbringer Z'rughl Ka'kadron'ath. They also have a robust healing factor, comparable to a troll.
The Eight Hosts of Murder[]
The Eight Hosts of Murder are the most powerful legions of Khornate Daemons underneath Khorne himself. Each is led by a Bloodthirster, with even the least of it's members capable of unleashing untold doom and destruction. Combined, they are nearly unstoppable; Skarbrand once led the joint hosts of Murder together against the allied forces of Nurgle, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh, crushing the opposition.
3rd Host, Wrath of Khorne[]
| “ | Once the Wrath of Khorne begins their hunt, there is little chance that their prey will escape the terrible fate that awaits them. | „ |
| ~ The Headsmen of Khorne[22] |
A Headsmen of Khorne
Just as a singular Champion of Chaos can win the personal approval of Khorne, any of his many enemies can earn his personal ire through any number of deeds, be that banishing his daemons, defying his will, or otherwise offending the Blood God. To these foes of Kharneth, it is the Headsmen of Khorne who come to deliver that fury in full.
These Bloodthirsters live for the thrill of the hunt and will run down their prey, no matter how long or arduous the chase. At their heels are baying packs of hounds and in their talons are massive axes and hammer-flails, both weapons forged from the bones and armor of slain champions. These Bloodthirsters are equally equip to deal with rival Greater Daemons as they are more mortal sized enemies. Prideful and predatory, the Headsmen are among the most stubborn of Khorne's daemons.[23]
The Daemon Ka'Bandha is the current leader of the Blood Hunt.
Khorne himself led the Blood Pack in ancient times; the Barbadax, a legion of Skull Canons, were legacies of his leadership.
6th Host, Reavers of the Bloody Path[]
| “ | Only the greatest foes can stand against the Insensate Rage. | „ |
| ~ The Insensate Rage |
A Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage
Among the most terrifying of Bloodthirsters, Bloodthirsters of Insensate Rage are a massive Greater Daemons who weild weapons several times the size of a mortal. They are heralded by the taste of blood and ash, which leaves their foes gagging and their shadow alone chases away any notion of hope or survival. Even other Bloodthirsters would struggle to weild their immense weapons, but the Insensate Rage daemon has the raw fury needed to bare their Great Weapons into battle with ease. These daemons are little in the way of leaders and lack actual finesse, eschewing such things for raw power and anger. They were formed to vanquish great beasts and storm down castle doors; lesser foes are scythed apart in droves and trampled beneath pounding hooves. Theirs is a purely offensive fighting style; pain barely registers through the inferno of their thoughts and these daemons can shoulder through the most crippling of wounds. Once a Bloodthirster of the Sixth Host has built up momentum, few obstacles can halt it's rampage.[24]
The uncontrollable fury of these daemons precludes them from all but the most violent of task. Khorne, therefore, has little need of them at the Brass Citadel. In the rare occassion they are recalled to their Lord's capital it is to do glorious battle for his entertainment within the Neverpit, keeping both the Blood God pleased and the Daemons themselves occupied. Only when another worthy cause presents itself are they again sent into enemy territory to release their berserker rage.[25]
Ka'Bandha was previously a part of this Host, rising to the ranks of the 3rd Blood Host after continuous favor and success in Khorne's eyes.
8th Host, Lords of the Legions[]
| “ | Each Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury is an accomplished, if homocidally direct battlefield commander, forever driving their armies onward into the enemy lines. | „ |
| ~ The Unfettered Fury |
A Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury
The Unfettered Fury, name of the 8th Host of Murder, numbers at eight hundred and eighty eight monsters. They are the last of the Murderous Legions, but this hardly means their killing-rage is lacking or that the host is somehow weak. Throughout history, it is the Bloodthirsters of Unfettered Fury that have most commonly visited ruin upon the mortal realm. They know well that Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, only that it does, and so these Daemon Generals will hurl their followers into the meat grinder without hesitation. Only the most psychotic and bloodthirsty survive such butchering tactics and this is as Khorne desires it. By casting their legions through this crucible of bloodshed, Generals seperate chaff from wheat, culling their followers so only the deadly remain.[26]
These Bloodthirsters have duties beyond leading the warhosts beneath them. One such task is the hunting down and killing of enemy champions, whose skulls are taken back to Khorne's Realm to be added to the Brass Throne. They are also the first line of defense upon the bastion that girds Khorne's kingdom and lead roving bands of Khornate Daemons on endless, sweeping patrols to thwart the machinations of Khorne's enemy brother-gods.[27]
Members[]
- Skarbrand Ragefeaster was the strongest of the Bloodthirsters, second only Khorne himself. However, after being manipulated by Tzeentch, the Wrathful Reaper's pride grew hot and, blinded by rage, turned on his god and was cast out of the Blood God's realm.
- Ka'Bandha was the Hunt-Master and companion to Archaon during the End Times, ordered by Khorne to assist in bringing about the end of the Warhammer World.
- An'ggrath is from the 40K setting of Warhammer. He was the Strongest Bloodthirster ever spawned following Skarbrand's treachery and exile. He is the rival of the Exiled One.
- Hargrim DreadAxe was a Bloodthirster present at the Coming of Chaos. Alongside N'Kari, Ku'gath Plaguefather, and Kairos Fateweaver, he challenged Aenarion, the Phoenix King. He was slain after gravely wounding the Phoenix King's dragon, Indraugnir.
- Karan'gar was a Bloodthirster that assisted Hellebron and the Skaramor during The End Times.
- Karavox was a Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage, excited to reap lives upon the Mortal Plane. However, he was less excited to being doing so alongside Slaanesh's minions. He also sought Kha'Bandha's place as Huntsmaster of the Blood Hunt.
- Hrak'gror'fane was a Hell-Smith and Lord of the Gatelands, a perpetually war-torn and daemon infested land in the Southern Waste. Lacking the killing skill of his siblings, the Black Flame instead forged weapons, armor, and machine-beast for his fellow Blood Daemons.[28]
- Vorass Kineater was a Bloodthirster that subdued 2000 lesser daemons and brought violence and wrath that to material plane to take vengeance on the Tzeentchian Daemon Za'ruzzan.[29]
- Baaltor was a Bloodthirster of Khorne who dueled and lost in a 40 day battle against Argut Skullcrusher, and Ogre Tyrant. He was entombed and his burial place is known as the "Daemon's Stump".
- Skullgrind was a Bloodthirster of Khorne and the leader of his fellow Bloodthirsters, the Tetragore. The Brotherhood allied with a Nurglish host and brought death to Runelord Skalf Ironbrow.[30]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Gotrek and Felix: Daemonslayer
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (7th Edition)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (7th Edition)
- ↑ Total War: Warhammer III
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
- ↑ 40 Years of Warhammer – Behold the Brutal Brilliance of the Bloodthirster
- ↑ Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1988)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Tome of Corruption
- ↑ Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1988)
- ↑ Total War: Warhamer III (PC Game) - Absolution (Khornate Factions)
- ↑ The World of Warhammer (1998)
- ↑ Echoes of Eternity (Warhammer 40,000)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Tome of Corruption
- ↑ Gotrel & Felix: Daemonslayer
- ↑ Total War: Warhammer III
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Tome of Corruption
- ↑ Warhammer Fantasy: Daemons of Chaos (7th Edition)
- ↑ Total War: Warhammer (Art of the Games), pg. 170
- ↑ White Dwarf #57: Khorne's Wrath
- ↑ Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantast: Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantast: Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantast: Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantast: Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Warhammer Fantast: Archaon: Book II (The End Times)
- ↑ Archaon: Lord of the End Times (The End Times)
- ↑ White Dwarf #386 (August 2010, pg. 22)
- ↑ White Dwarf #386 (August 2010, pg. 22)
