Undead Legion Part 2

===SPECIALIST SUPPORT====

Corpse Cart

Training: 4

Mobility: 6

Max Range: 300 meters

Preferred Range: 25 meters

“The foul carriage the bell was mounted upon shivered and slid through the muddy ruts. Though the cart would perhaps pass as a peasant’s wagon from a distance, the creatures that pulled it were not mules, and its cargo was unusual even for Sylvania.

Lurching at the carriage’s front were two pairs of rotting corpses, the cross-spars of the cart’s yoke protruding from their ravaged chests. Gruesome fluids seeped from their punctured lungs and opened hearts as they strained to pull the contraption along. Maggots spilled from their sides with every bump in the uneven road. Their bare feet squished through the mud at a plodding but relentless pace, their broken ankles and missing toes no hindrance.

Behind them, the cart’s chassis was fashioned much like a giant upturned ribcage. Heaped amongst the bony spars were dozens of corpses in various states of decay. Those at the bottom were black with putrefaction, their organs dribbling yellowish fluids into the puddles of the road behind. Blind, hungry rats nipped at baggy stomachs and distended guts, scurrying back and forth in their quest for edible meat.

Atop the heaped corpses sat a hunched figure, cross-legged and robed in the manner of a mendicant. He crooned a lilting song over and over, a farrier’s loop he had written long ago to enliven the making of horseshoes. He had sung it for his brothers in life. The least he could do was to sing it for them in death, too.

The cart hit a rut in the ground and lurched sideways, causing one of the cadavers piled atop it to slide into the mud in a jumble of floppy limbs. The hooded figure tutted and the cart ground to a halt. The corpses at its fore slumped in their harnesses as if exhausted.

‘Come on, lads,’ said the robed figure. ‘We’ve been over this.’ His reed-thin voice had a forced jollity to it, like an exasperated teacher with a difficult pupil. ‘If you hit the ruts at an angle, we usually lose someone, and then we have to stop the cart again.’- Sigmar’s Blood

Used first in the Black Plague era unleashed by the Skaven, corpse carts have remained a vital part of the Vampire Count strategy since. They serve as loci for Dark Magic, drawing power from the land itself and animating the dead around them.  This inspires them to a gruesome sort of frenzy, causing them to attack with speeds they would not be capable of in life much less death. Sometimes they are equipped  with a bell that can, once rung, cause enemy wizards to go insane or cause dismembered dead to reknit back together to fight again.

Needless to say, enemies of the Vampire Counts hate this construction and, for that reason, corpse carts have nearly been hunted to extinction. Those still left are highly valued by the Vampire Counts and protected as such, for the Corpse cart has few natural defenses other than its zombie horde pulling them, the corpses in the cart and its mysterious, macabre driver. Corpse Carts are now driven through the Vampire’s will alone, and will suffer if he dies.

Offensive: Little direct offense, other than the zombies and spear armed driver. They do provide potent buffs to the Vamprie Count army. All undead within 25 meters of the vehicle becomes more frenzied and thus potent in combat. Friendly undead wizards within that same range of the cart find it easier to restore the undead, and enemy wizards within 300 meters have trouble casting spells, which in worse case might lead to insanity.

Defensive: Other than defending zombies and spells, nothing. Some might have a spell that gives undead in the immediate vicinity(25m) that reknits the dead back together and causes them to become more durable.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Corpse Carts can be considered a rare vehicle, and will disperse if their commanders are killed.

Tomb Scorpion

Mobility: 7, can tunnel beneath ground

Training/Experience: 4

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

“In a shower of sand and rocks, the ground erupted beneath him, and a nightmarish creature burst forth. Fashioned in the shape of a gigantic scorpion, the back of its carapace higher than Kurt's head, the strange construct lashed out with its barbed, gold-covered tail, its sting caving in the man's face, tearing his head loose. Its insectoid body was carved from blocks of marble and it's claws fashioned from bronze inlaid with jade, which snapped forwards, cutting through limbs in a gory explosion. Turning on legs built from the bones of dead desert creatures, the monstrous scorpion faced Kurt and Bjordrin, a skull set into its torso, eyes blazing with the same unholy light that animated the warriors behind them. Baleful light glowed from an opening in its back. Kurt drew his sword and ran forwards.

                Bjordrin shouted a warning as the creature's tail lashed forward, and Kurt dived under it rolling under the blow and back to his feet. His sword blocked a slashing claw and he caught the other in his left hand. The muscles of the Chosen strained against the unnatural vigour of the construct, but the power of the gods flowed into him and, with a yell, he ripped the claw free.

                His sword rattled harmlessly off the creature's marble skin, and Bjordrin joined the fight, his blade hacking at the tail which darted towards him. Sparks erupted from Kurt's blade as it clattered harmlessly off the creature's stone body, shavings of steel spraying into the sand.

                Bjordrin was thrown to his back by the creature's remaining claw and it turned and raised a dagger-tipped leg to stamp on him. The blade punched through Bjordrin's arm, pinning him to the ground.

                Ignoring the agonised screams of his adopted kinsman, Kurt saw that the scorpion had left itself open. He leapt forwards on the creature's back, fingers finding a hold in the eye sockets of the skull that was in place of its face.

                He saw that the opening in its back was a little larger than a coffin. Within were the withered remains of a man dressed in similar robes to those Amen-athep had worn. It was from this corpse that the unearthly energy emanated, bathing the inside of the sarcophagus-cavity with green light. Kurt plunged his sword down into the opening, the blade passing through the chest of the withered body with a sound like tearing parchment.

                The eyes of the mummified priest snapped open with horror and black sludge gurgled up from it's throat. Green light spilled from the wound and the scorpion collapsed to the ground, its body parts separating as the magic binding it together dispersed into the air.”-Blades of Chaos

Tomb scorpions are animated constructs of wood, bone, stone and metal that also serves as the sarcophogus of a slain liche priests. Long and ardrous rituals are required to awaken the spirits of these ancients, but once they are called into battle, they are a force to be reckoned with. They burrow deep beneath the desert sands and travel leagues beneath the surface before bursting suddenly to the surface in an explosion of sand and dirt. As they scuttle forth on eight segmented legs, they slice men apart with their claws and attack foes with a powerful stinger that can fell all but the largest of monsters. The sight of the sands parting to reveal the massive form of a tomb scorpion is truly terrifying, and often the last thing the enemy will ever witness.

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: The tomb scorpions massive claws are powerful enough to shear through even the enchanted armor of chaos champions.

“They crawled from huge pits in the soft earth on clanking legs of wood and bronze. Steam, heated by the blessings of Ptra, hissed in bronze pipes and drove segmented legs and huge, sweeping pincers. A tail the size of a battering ram curled over each machine, lashing out and smashing chariots to flinders with each blow. Fashioned in the shape of enormous tomb scorpions, the constructs fell upon the rear of the enemy companies with disconcerting speed and power. Within moments, chariots and infantry alike were in full retreat.” _Nagash the Sorceror

The stinging tails drip with eldritch venom so powerful that they affect even the undead, disrupting the magics that bind souls to physical remains.

Defensive: As an animated construct, they are made of bone, stone, metals and wood, and are thus rather durable. They aren’t as large as other animated constucts though, so they can’t take as much damage as others. They also have a resistance to magic thanks to the spirit of the liche priest contained within. All but the most powerful magic attacks unravel impotently as they are absorbed by the scorpions carapace.

===Additional Factors===

Tomb scorpions are the perfect ambush troops thanks to their burrowing ability. While not invincible, they are often used to target enemy champions. Many a general or wizard who believed himself safe behind his own lines has fallen to the unexpected attack of a tomb scorpion emerging from the deep. Variants also do exist, such as giant scarabs used by Nagash in his war against the Skaven/

“As the Khemri champions tried to re-form their retreating companies the ground beneath them exploded in a shower of rock and churned sand as the Lybaran war scorpions sprang their ambush. Terrified warriors were chopped to pieces by bronze-edged pincers or crushed to pulp by the scorpions’ lashing stingers. Within the space of a few minutes, organised resistance collapsed as the Khemri spearmen lost their courage and fled westwards.” –Nagash the Sorceror

“Go.

With a manic scuttling of bony limbs, a dozen fearsome-looking shapes burst into murderous life, like a pack of hounds unleashed by their master. They raced from the shadows with unsettling speed; gleaming figures of polished bone and thin plates of bronze, each as big around as a northman’s shield. They raced across the tunnel floor on six segmented legs, their small, armoured heads swivelling left and right in search of prey. Their mandibles, each as long as a desert warrior’s khopesh, trembled at the prospect of rending living flesh.

Had he been a denizen of distant Nehekhara, Thestus would have recognised them at once: they were monstrous replicas of tomb beetles, cunningly shaped from bits of broken bone and curved metal and animated with hideous unlife by the power of the burning stone. But while real tomb beetles were scavengers, feasting on the rotting flesh of the dead, these constructs had been built for war.

Directed by the necromancer’s hateful will, the constructs’ carapaces opened on cunning hinges, revealing thin, wing-like armatures made of metal and tanned human hide. They cracked like sailcloth as rope-like musculature shook them out and caused them to beat in a growing, bone-chilling hum. The constructs raced forwards, gathering speed, then, with a kick of their powerful hind legs, they leapt into the air and plunged like catapult stones into the midst of the enemy warriors. They landed in a welter of blood and broken bones, knocking the frenzied rat-creatures to the ground and slicing them apart with swift, scissor-like blows from their mandibles. Within moments, all was confusion behind the enemy lines, as the berserk rat-creatures turned on the scarab constructs instead of the thinly-stretched line of northmen.

The carnage was incredible. The scarabs severed legs and arms with terrible ease, and their razor-edged carapaces sliced through flesh and muscle as though it were old parchment. The constructs had no brain to speak of – only a series of commands carved into the inside of their skulls and animated by the necromancer’s will. A small piece of abn-i-khat was lodged deep inside the thorax of each of the beetles, providing them with enough murderous energy to function for the length of a short fight. “-Nagash the Immortal

Sepulchral Stalkers

Mobility: 7 (can burrow beneath the ground)

Training/Experience: 5

Max Range: Line of sight (eye contact- in game 30 meters)

Preferred Range: face to face with the enemy.

“Any who met the horrific gaze of the constructs were instantly transformed into sand, motionless statues that soon scattered to the wind. Whole regiments of skeletons collapsed into dusk, but Helmut, one of Mannfred’s most talented acolytes, was too quick. Averting his eyes the vampire struck out with his blade and was rewarded- his blow struck throught the snake’s armor and clover it in two.” – End Times Nagash

Sepulchral stalkers are statues created by the ancient nehekaran to guard the borders of a king’s realm. They have the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a man. A top this human torso sit inhuman skulls which glow with eerie and baleful lights. Like tomb scorpions, they lurk beneath the desert sands before bursting forth and impaling foes on their ornate staves before they even have time to realize what is happening. It is not this melee attack that makes these animated constructs so feared, for any who gaze into their eyes are turned into pillars of sand.

Even undead and daemons are not safe from this attack, and no form of armor, no matter how thick or enchanted, can turn aside their lethal gaze. Many a great hero has challenged a sepulchral stalker only to unceremoniously be turned to sand when they meet its gaze. It is claimed that the Stalkers are not immune to their own gaze and that a mirrored shield is enough to defeat them. It is perhaps better to get behind them and lop off their heads, for this is the only true way to avoid both their gaze and their melee combat.

As Sepulchral stalkers can move underground as easily as they can above ground, they are considered the perfect shock troops for ambushes alongside their fellow tomb scorpions.

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: Transmogrifying gaze- A magical attack, any who look into the eyes of a sepulchral stalker are turned into pillars of sand. Even those who only get a brief glimpse find entire limbs turned into sand, much to their horror. That said, if the SepuIchral stalker does catch a glimpse of itself in polished shields, armor ect it really will turn itself into sand according to the game. In addition to this, the Sepulchral stalkers wield huge staves that can carve through ranks of the enemy. They wield these with serpent like grace, much fitting to their form.

Defensive: Sepulchral stalkers are smaller than other constructs such as warphinx and necrolith colossi, but they still tower over normal men. They have a much higher durability thanks to their stone composition

“Bah! Antar, Scion of the Greatest Dynasty, has no fear of wide-eyed statuary,’ Antar said. Unlike the others, he hadn’t sought higher ground. Like Gotrek, he seemed intent on confrontation, though he hadn’t yet had the Slayer’s success. ‘They fear Heaven’s Favoured Son, and slither from him like serpents before the crocodile!’

A Stalker exploded out of the ground behind the tomb-prince. Antar whirled, hurling his flail. The Stalker’s eyes pulsed with a terrible energy and Antar’s arm dissolved into sand moments before the flail struck home. The Stalker reared back, and lashed out with its staff. Antar leapt over the blow and his khopesh hissed out, removing both of the Stalker’s arms. Before it could recover, arrows sprouted from its eyes. Zabbai’s warriors fired smoothly, striking the Stalker again and again. Zabbai herself lunged over its lashing tail and brought her axe up and around, tearing the top of the construct’s head off with a single powerful blow. ‘That’s two,’ she said, as the thing’s body crashed down behind her.”- Gotrek and Felix: Serpent Queen

Sub-Section: Heroic Characters

I am making this a sub-section to separate the "Heroic" special characters from the rest. These characters play valuable roles as minor subcommanders, magic users, support  and infiltration. However they are also extremely rare. Its likely that, based on other army accounts I have read, that initial combined starting numbers for all units seen below- as well as the Cairn Wraith and Blood Dragon- shall not exceed low hundreds out of 50k in all probability. 

Tomb Banshee

Mobility: 5

Training: 4-5

Max Range: 30-40m

Preferred Range: ^^

In battle the vampire lords use the sound their army makes as they advance to unnerve a foe. The moaning of zombies, the chittering of bats and the cackling laughter of insane necromancers are just some of the sounds that would be heard. But the most terrible sound is that of the Tomb Banshee, whose special cry can chill the bone and even kill a man of fright.

The Tomb Banshee is the female counterpart of the banshee, being female sorceresses, enchantresses and the like who sought to extend their lives through magical means. Many of these become malovelent in life. The most bitter, restless spirits of these evil-hearted women became the unquiet horrors men call Tomb Banshees. They fear the afterlife, for they have committed many evil deeds in life.

A Tomb Banshee's visage is sunken and skull-like, framed by lank hair that writhes like a nest of serpents. She is swathed in flimsy shrouds and grave-robes that swirl with a life of their own, or drift and cling to the wearer's slender frame as if she was carried forwards by underwater currents. Each Tomb Banshee is surrounded by flickering ghost lights; all that remains of the men she murdered whilst alive. These glowing will o' the wisps are forced by some strange alchemy of the soul to crackle and swirl around their tormentor, disembodied ghostly heads etched with a permanent expression of fear.

A powerful Vampire Lord will take great pains to bind several to their service. These creatures are then used to move through walls and troops before deploying their terrible cry. In one instance a Vampire Lord actually broke a siege this way, by having these banshees fly through walls and kill everyone in the gate house, allowing the Vampire to raise them from the dead.

“At least, until the moment Gaspard turned the corner of the castle gatehouse and found himself confronted by a strange figure. The figure was that of a shapely young woman, her voluptuous body scarcely concealed by a diaphanous robe that danced about her body in the cool night breeze. Long locks of coal-black hair waved in the wind, seeming almost to reach out to him.

The guard’s first reaction was one of amorous curiosity regarding who the woman was and why she was prowling the battlements at night in such attire. Gaspard’s thoughts instantly turned toward fright. There was something unnatural about the woman, her entire body, even her long black hair possessing a luminous quality that made her almost appear to glow against the backdrop of grey stone crenellations and the black night sky. Goosebumps pimpled the sentry’s arms as a chill of terror crawled through his body.

The woman turned towards Gaspard, her face beautiful and lascivious. Then the face collapsed, washed away like a footprint on a beach. Gaspard opened his mouth to scream as he found himself staring into a ghostly skull, but no sound rose from his paralysed throat.

Crippling pain stabbed through the guard’s brain as the keening wail of the banshee burned into him, a spectral shriek only the ears of Jacquetta’s victim could hear. Gaspard fell to his knees, his halberd falling from his hands. He tore the iron kettle helm from his head, struggled to remove the mail coif beneath. Blood streamed from the sides of his head, dripped from his nose. Crimson tears stained his cheeks as vessels in his eyes burst.

The banshee regarded her victim with the hateful envy of the undead towards the living. She waited until the man’s armoured boots thrashed against the parapet, watching as the final death spasm shivered through the rest of his body. Then the spiteful apparition continued on her way towards the gatehouse, flitting along the wall like a scrap of linen caught by a gust of wind.

There would be more guards inside the gatehouse. Jacquetta could feel the warmth of their life-force even through the thick stone walls. The windlass that raised and lowered the castle’s portcullis would be there too. One of those guards would raise the gate for her.

Before he died.”- The Red Duke

Offensive: “Tomb Banshees constantly howl in remembrance of the forbidden pleasures of the life that was once theirs and in bitterness for the peace of the grave that they cannot attain. Their grief-stricken wails can be lethal to mortals and strike terror into the hearts of all who hear them. Those who do not have a will of iron can die of sheer fright upon hearing the mournful screams of the Tomb Banshees . Blood trickles from their ears and fills up the whites of their eyes as the mind wrenching shriek takes its supernatural toll. Fully-armoured knights collapse lifeless from their saddles and whole ranks of infantry fall lifelessly as the Banshee does her evil work.”

This is entirely based on morale, with the higher morale (or, represented in game, leadership) being more resistant but not immune. The Howl requires ling of sight and the banshee must be able to see the target.  If used against undead it is said to dissipate the magic animating their bodies.

“ An eyeless female face stared from the centre of the darkness as claws like sabres reached for the greatswords.

The hairs stood on Felix's neck as the thing came forwards, and he took an involuntary step back. Every fear he had ever had--of the dark, of losing his mother, of illness, death and tortures beyond the grave--all welled up in him at once as he looked into her empty eyes, and every fibre of courage he possessed dried up and crumbled in the scathing wind of her shriek. He wanted to turn and flee--to hide in a corner and weep.

And perhaps he would have, but Kat stumbled back too, bumping into him, and somehow, that contact, and the opportunity it gave him to put his hand on her shoulder and reassure her, reassured him too, and the panic passed.

The greatswords, unfortunately, had no one to reassure, and were edging back and dying as the ghouls took advantage of their terrified paralysis, raking out their eyes and ripping out their throats. Bosendorfer swung his two-hander at the ghostly horror, but his blade passed right through it without touching and it came on, swiping with its claws.

They impaled him through the chest, and though they seemed to do no physical damage to him or his armour, their touch made him stagger and shriek.

"Fall back!" he cried, flailing with his sword. "Fall back, we cannot prevail!" The greatswords, already on the point of breaking, followed this order with a will, and fled down the wall, Bosendorfer in the lead and the sergeant taking up the rear, as a score of ghouls flooded onto the parapet unopposed after them.

"Cowards!" growled Gotrek, and charged forwards into the corpse-eaters with Rodi and Snorri milling at his sides, and Felix and Kat following behind.

"At least they got out of the way," said Snorri.

The banshee howled at the slayers as they slaughtered the ghouls, but one swipe of Gotrek's axe and she dissipated into fading curls of mist, her miasma of fear fading with her. “- Zombieslayer

“He’d faced such creatures before, when he and Gotrek had travelled across the Grey Mountains to Bretonnia, and the Slayer had insisted on hunting for the monster known as the Red Duke. They’d found the Red Duke readily enough, but the vampire had escaped the bite of Gotrek’s axe, and Felix and the Slayer had been trapped in a grail shrine for a week by a legion of the undead, including the screaming spectres that the Bretonnians called wailing hags, but Felix knew as tomb banshees. Octavia’s mouth sagged open, and a scream burst forth.

All around Felix, slaves toppled over, eyes bulging with fright, and blood trickling from their ears and noses. Zombies, immune to the mind-wrenching shriek of the newborn tomb banshee, tore at those who survived. Felix staggered as the scream washed over him. The sound was one of mingled sadness and fury, a lifetime’s thwarted ambition and obsession that smashed into him like a hammer blow. His heart stuttered in his chest, but he remained standing. Memories, tattered rags of past failures, fluttered around his mind’s eye as a pall of melancholy settled over him.”- Serpent Queen

Defense: Is ethereal, meaning magic or enchanted weapons are needed to hurt it.

Coven Thrones

Mobility:6

Training:6-8

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: ^^

As Compensating for a cursed existence with grandeur and luxury is a common theme amongst the Vampire elite. A true lord or lady of undeath refuses to churn through the mud of a battlefield like a common peasant or be content with the dubious dignity of sitting astride a grave-beast. Instead, the monarchs of the night are often borne to war on gilded palanquins known as Coven Thrones. These bone-frame constructs are held aloft by the departed spirits of those who have fallen in love with their owners and got nothing in return but a violent death.

These are most commonly used by the Lahmian vampire sect, a hedonistic cult dedicated to serving the secretive whims of its mistress, Neferata. They are enchantingly beautiful, using magic to further enhance their already phenomenal physical beauty. When combined with the powers of the throne- which is infused with magic- their ability to charm is so potent that it can cause disruption among the enemy force.

Driven by Spectra Steeds, In battle Coven Thrones will linger behind Undead lines, beckoning enemy soldiers with kisses blown in the air, winks, or other seductive motions. Because of their power this translates into a magical assault on willpower that the enemy must resist  or be completely enthralled, turning willingly . Even if that is resisted they may still be bewitched- rendered stupid in the midst of combat, or visibly struggle to resist properly and be distracted in combat. Covens also carry plenty of virgin blood with them so they can use arcane rituals to peer into the immediate  future and use that knowledge to avoid attacks.

Offensive: See description above for this throne’s special move. In addition the 2 vampire handmaidens that come with this vessel are going to be powerful combatents and the throne itself is driven by a spirit host. According to ET : Nagash this can work on the Undead by magically seizing control of what is animating them. 

“Neferata and her maidens walked beneath the moonlight and chaos and death rode in their wake.

They came upon the enemy battle-lines like wives welcoming their husbands home from battle; arms outstretched, faces lit with desire. Men looked upon their faces and lost all control. Some fled screaming, while still others turned their blades on their fellows in a mad fit of jealousy and passion. The few men of iron will who could not be swayed, who remembered their oaths and tried to put an end to Neferata and her maidens, were torn apart by the immortals’ talons.

A company of javelin throwers charged at Neferata and let fly; white-robed priests from Mahrak leapt between her and the oncoming missiles, screaming in horror even as they shielded her with their bodies. A moment later the javelin throwers had drawn their short swords and were locked in combat with a company of spearmen, warriors whom they had perhaps shared a meal with just a few hours before. Their faces were contorted into masks of agony and disbelief. They knew that what they were doing was wrong, but were powerless to stop it.

Within minutes, the queen and her maidens became separated by the wild melee. Neferata would catch glimpses of them from time to time, walking calmly among the slaughter like the eye of a raging summer storm. They moved steadily westwards, towards the centre of the camp. The place where, she was sure, Alcadizzar waited. At long last, she would see him again.

A quartet of chariots came rumbling out of the darkness, heading straight for her. The queen met the gaze of the driver in the lead chariot. The man’s eyes widened, his expression suddenly transformed from anger to utter, mindless desire. He cast a jealous glance over his shoulder at the other charioteers, and with a snarl, he hauled upon the reins. The chariot veered sharply right, into the path of those behind it, causing a horrendous collision. Horses fell, shrieking in fear and pain, and the air was filled with pieces of broken wood and broken men.

Miraculously, the driver of the lead chariot survived. He staggered to his feet, blood pouring from his face and from a deep cut on his arm. The man rushed to Neferata, hands reaching for her face. Without breaking stride she caught the man’s wrists and pulled him close, tearing out his throat with a single, vicious bite.

Slingstones buzzed through the air like angry bees. Several struck sparks off Neferata’s iron scales; another buried itself in her forehead with a dull, smacking sound. Grimacing irritably, she plucked the round stone free with thumb and fingertip and tossed it aside.

Off to her left, a woman screamed. Neferata turned to see one of her maidens stagger, clutching at a javelin that had struck her in the heart. Men rushed to her as she fell; several began hacking at her body with their swords, while the others fought to possess her. Even in death – the true death – she continued to spread havoc among the enemy.

Minutes later, another maiden fell, this time crushed to pulp beneath the weight of a tumbling chariot. By now, panic and confusion had taken hold and most of the enemy were fleeing in terror, racing back towards the centre of camp. Five women had broken the hearts and minds of thousands of warriors in a matter of minutes.” – Nagash the Immortal . It should be noted that when the heroic king Alcadizzar took the field later this had considerably less effect, as the Alcadizzar’s leadership helped his men resist it.

Defensive: The ability to scry and peer into the future allows the coven to avoid enemy attacks, somewhat.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

This vessel counts as a mount for a Vampire Lord, and may only be used by said lords. Most likely these Lords (Ladies) will be Lahmian.

Mortis Engines

Mobility: 6

Training:6-8

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: ^^

“Many Necromancers and liche-lords have risen to kingship over the Undead, becoming so saturated with evil power that their physical forms radiate magic. Some Vampires actively seek out the citadels of those lords who have gone before, hoping to take possession of their remains and to use them against the living.

No mere casket or hearse could be fit to bear the remains of one of these masters of the night. Instead, they are enshrined within a Mortis Engine, a cage of fused bone, surrounded by trappings of grandeur and borne to war by a host of spirits bound to the infernal device. Though all that remains of their evil sovereign may be a wizened skull or a gilded finger bone, these spirits are forced to protect the unhallowed remains for the rest of eternity. The evil soul that clings to the unholy relic attracts the attentions of wailing Tomb Banshees, who shriek and howl in the air above the grotesque hearse. The Mortis Engines are watched over by deathless attendants known as Corpsemasters, trusted servants of the Vampire Counts who have proven immune to the dire energies that emanate from the relics within.

When the Corpsemaster removes the locks and opens the lead-lined reliquary, the deadly artefact inside can be held aloft, stealing life energy from the enemy and energizing nearby Undead. The longer a battle rages, the more energies the relic absorbs, and the more powerful it becomes. Mortis Engines can usually be found where the fighting is thickest, drifting ominously near to the battle line where their power is needed most. However, so redolent with Dark Magic are these artefacts that opening the reliquary is not without risk - its power can sometimes tear apart the engine itsel£1 Indeed, if such a dread relic is ever shattered upon the field of battle, the subsequent release of pure evil has been known to smite everything in the vicinity, living or Undead, in a wave of destructive Dark Magic .

Some reliquaries also carry blasphemous tomes to battle, or scrolls of parchment rumoured to have been penned by Nagash himself. Oftentimes the winds of magic become nigh uncontrollable when such a fell tome is near. Heavy with evil magics, painstakingly illuminated with such care that their creator's souls have passed into the leaves of human skin that form its pages, these books can be a boon to the twisted practitioners of necromancy, but also the bane of reckless and unwary spellcasters.”

Offensive: Has a accompanying Banshee able to effect foes with her scream. With a 100 meter range starting off, this vessel steals life energy from nearby enemies and heals  friendly  undead. It will get more powerful as time goes on and its area of effect likewise increases. However if it gets too powerful it may explode, hurting everything within its radius of effect.

“Drifting towards the dying men was the ironbone reliquary that Bernhardt had seen rise into the air upon their arrival. Ghostly forms whipped around it, bearing it forward at a slow but inevitable pace. The ropes of black energy that crackled around the casket at its heart reached out, extending like the tentacles of some undersea nightmare. At their caress, Stirlanders blackened to skeletal ash and blew away, scattered by ethereal winds that caressed Bernhardt’s sweating forehead with the chill of the grave.

‘Run! Get out of here!’ he shouted. ‘It’s hopeless! We’re all dead! We’re all dead!’

He sank to his knees, gibbering in misery and gouging at his eyes in an effort to remove the stain that the black claw inside the casket had seared into his sight. It was no use. It was still there, and getting bigger and more oppressive by the moment.

‘Run…’ he said, weakly, but everyone else had already fled.

The howling of gheists grew louder and louder as the cadaverous guardians of the claw rode slowly towards Bernhardt, their glowing blades raised for the kill. The militiaman’s head was torn upwards by an invisible grip, and was slowly turned around so he could fully appreciate the majesty of his oncoming doom.

Just as the reliquary filled his whole world, a blinding bolt of energy speared out from the lee of the manse, blasting into the stone carriage of the palanquin. A deafening, mind-numbing shriek of anguish rose up into the night as the magic binding the reliquary was shredded. The sound was like a thousand tortured souls all screaming themselves hoarse at once. It looked to Bernhardt’s addled perception as if the hellish thing was dissolving, shimmering into a river of greenish mist that wound away into the darkness like a serpent’s ghost.

The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was the Luminark shuddering after it in pursuit, a trio of haggard wizards hanging grimly onto its wrought-iron chassis

(…)

Borne upon a palanquin of spectres was an artefact of such eldritch evil it assaulted the mind. Its open lead casket presented the terror of the relic inside to the world. The souls of ancient queens whirled around it, their screams forming a jarring discord that sawed on every nerve at once. The choking stink of mass graves assaulted the nostrils of the Empire line, forcing even Volkmar to gag painfully in disgust. But it was the vision blazing within the reliquary’s ironbone cage that offended the senses most of all.

At the heart of the reliquary was a giant taloned hand of purest black, the evil sight clutching at the eyeballs of every living creature that witnessed it. Something about the hand beckoned to Volkmar, making his soul feel filthy and used. A prayer spilled reflexively from the Sigmarite’s lips, and the feeling ebbed away.

The militiamen below the reliquary were not so fortunate. As the spectres that bore the palanquin brought their charge lower and lower, the claw’s fell energies stripped away the skin, then the muscles, then the tendons of the men underneath it until nothing was left but blood-slicked bone. The gory skeletons shivered and danced before plunging their bony claws into those of their panicked comrades that milled around them or curled into foetal balls.

Up on the hillock, the wizards of the Light Order were screaming their chanted magicks against the storm. Steam smoked from the Luminark’s lenses as lances of energy stabbed out again and again at the fleshless horrors stalking towards it. As the reliquary hovered low above the battlefield, the ironwork frame of the Luminark’s lens cannon juddered slowly round to point at it instead, the old man at the helm barking ancient syllables and pointing at the casket within.

A flash of white caught Volkmar’s eye through the storm as a hideous female gheist appeared next to the Luminark’s chanting acolytes. It cupped its hands to the youngest wizard’s ears for a second. The apprentice blanched and toppled forwards, dead as a rock. With his demise the wizards’ tripartite chant faltered and tumbled to a halt.

Sunscryer cried out in agony as the failed ritual backfired. A moment later he burst into a pillar of white flame so tall it nearly reached the clouds above. Every glass lens in the Luminark shattered at once, its jagged shards raining down onto the screaming acolyte clutching the dead body of his friend on the riding plate below. The human torch that had been Jovi Sunscryer fell burning from the lens deck into the mud with a searing hiss.

Above him, the ghostly palanquin hovered in close, its tortured gheists shrieking in dark joy as they pointed at the reeling figure sizzling in the muck. A cannonball ploughed through their midst, tearing away a few scraps of ectoplasm but slowing them not in the least. The surviving acolyte huddled on the riding plate of the Luminark cried out wordlessly in fear, his skin aging rapidly as the hellish engine grew closer.

Suddenly a bright flare of light burst out from Sunscryer’s blackened robes, coalescing to form the upper body of a glowing guardian angel. The giant figure flew upwards towards the reliquary, seizing its ironbone gates and wrestling it backwards whilst the palanquin’s ghostly forms shrieked and clawed at its insubstantial flesh.

Volkmar tore his gaze away and shoved a crawling skeleton away from his lectern with the end of his warhammer. Though half a dozen of the ghastly warriors were clambering up the war altar’s carriage towards him now, his attention was irresistibly drawn back to the spectacle unfolding atop the hillock. Whilst the luminescent figure was being torn apart by the palanquin’s gheists, a trio of ragged zealots had clambered up the chassis of the shattered Luminark. Picking out daggers of wyrdglass with bloodied hands and clasping them between their teeth, the Tattersouls leapt up to grab onto the reliquary’s plinth as it hovered above its prey.

Two of the flagellants missed and went flailing down into the skeletons advancing towards them, but Gerhardt the Worm managed to catch an ironbone strut and swing himself up onto the stonework. Gheists plunged through him again and again, wreathing him with unnatural green flame, but the zealot was too deep in his mania to care. He laughed as his flesh crackled and burned, stabbing his wyrdglass shard into the gaunt guardian that hunched protectively over the evil book. The smell of burned meat filled the air as Gerhardt flung his arms around the cowering corpsemaster, the zealot’s triumphant scream echoing over the rumble of the storm as emerald fires turned them both to ash.

.”- Sigmar’s Blood

If this vessel contains certain tomes of Nagash in it, it may boost the potency of friendly necromancers however those that fail or miscast suffer twice as destructive effects.

Defense:  It’s a durable chariot type vessel with some magical defense. However if its destroyed it will blow up and hurt everything in a massive area (given that it would be probably be positioned towards the rear, this would hurt friendly forces more often than not).

===Additional Factors===

Needless to say, thanks to the difficulty in finding these ancient lords to serve as vessels, these are exceptionally rare creations.

Necromancers

Mobility: 4

Training: 4-7

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: ^^

Driven by the need to understand, defeat and escape death, some humans of the Old World turn to Necromancy in desperation. Though not always done for evil reasons – the prolonging of death for a loved one, knowledge for knowledge’s sake, or, in the recent case of Gelt, to protect his homeland, the Necromancer ultimately ends up twisted and warped by the Dark Magic he wields.

The majority of these would be wizards fail. Sometimes they are caught by ever vigilant Witch Hunters when they ask around, sometimes they can’t master the magical aptitude. At times they do but then find it woefully inadequate, as they find that they lack the will to control the zombies they had just summoned and meet a particularly messy end. Still on other occasions they seek out vampires for tuteledge and end up as pets, snacks or experiments. However those that do succeed are rightfully feared.

As a man follows the dark path of the Necromancer, he becomes ever more detached from his mortal roots. Morbidly questing after the secrets of death, a Necromancer deeply steeped in the lore of the dead stands on the threshold between worlds, neither wholly alive, nor one of the Undead. His body twisted with unholy power, his mind seared by the horrors he has witnessed, a Necromancer often has more in common with his lurching, moaning minions than with the living he seeks to slay.

Offensive: First and foremost the necromancer is a wizard, with varying degrees of proficiency in the Lore of Death, Lore of Undeath or Lore of Vampires depending on how well trained they are.  Lorewise they will carry small handweapons, and may have magical weapons that will likely boost their ability to raise or command the dead, or else boost their spell capabilities.

Defensive: Robes, but some might have magical armor.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

May ride a barded Nightmare, Hellsteed, Corpse Cart or Abyssal Terror. . Lorewise Necromancy is an art imperfect for humans, and many that follow it are insane, sociopathic, sadistic or deformed.

“The mob at the doors fell silent as the atmosphere within the temple became frigid and dark magic streamed down from the altar. The surviving thugs cried out in abject horror as they saw those bolts of sorcery seep into the dead plague victims strewn about the pews. Where before there had been only dead clay, now there came a stirring, a hideous awakening. Emaciated hands clutched at the benches, smashed heads rose from pools of gore.

Screams filled the temple as both invaders and defenders watched the dead lurch into ghastly life. Dressed in foul rags, their bodies shrivelled from malnutrition, their skin blotched with the black sores of the plague, the zombies shambled out into the aisles. Upon the pillars, the bound corpses of the priestesses flopped and flailed, trying to slip their ropes to assault the living flesh so near at hand.

The obscene intonation of Lothar’s spell intensified, the rays of pallid light emanating from the altar burst into a fresh frenzy, speeding through the temple, burning paths through walls and ceiling. The mob at the doors was in full flight now, Marko’s thugs fleeing alongside them. The wounded were abandoned, left to shriek as the zombies converged upon them with clawed hands and clacking jaws. Deep within the sanctuary, Marko attacked one of the stained-glass windows in a frantic effort to escape. He had just brought a heavy chair smashing through a glazed panel when the first zombie reached him, bearing him down with its dead weight. The rogue flailed and struggled as the thing tore at him with its teeth. Before he could free himself, a dozen other zombies were crouched over him, pawing at him with dead fingers, relenting only when the man was reduced to a shapeless pile of meat.

Lothar was oblivious to his erstwhile accomplice’s fate, focused entirely upon the mighty magic he had unleashed. All across Mordheim, tendrils of sorcery were snaking through the streets, seeking out the morbid harmonies of grave and tomb. Into the mausoleums of the Steinhardts and the crypts of the nobility and the unmarked plots of the destitute, the rays seeped. Coffins burst, sepulchres groaned open, marble doors gaped wide. From cemetery and plague pit, the dead of Mordheim were called forth, shuffling out into the streets on rotten feet and skeletal claws.

Not a living soul was abroad when Lothar von Diehl marched out from the defiled temple. The only things moving on the streets of the great city were undead – the cadaverous legion his sorcery had brought from their graves. He felt triumph swell inside him as he watched fleshless skeletons and decayed zombies troop past the steps of the temple. Centuries of Mordheim’s dead, all enslaved to the will of one man!”-Lothar, using a book of Nagash to resurrect a large force of undead.

Wight Kings

Mobility: 4

Training: 6-7

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: ^^

 Dating from before the time of Sigmar, Wight Kings are ancient great kings of the first tribes of men, who were rewarded for their greatness by their followers with elaborate tombs and burial rituals. Though buried with protections against necromancers, many of these protections have since eroded and thus, as a result, the followers of the damned seek them out.  They are worthy prizes, for their followers often ensured that they were buried alongside their best warriors, the best armor and the best, most potent magical weaponry available.

Wight Kings are incredibly powerful Undead, almost as hard to destroy as Vampires. Suffused with Dark Magic, a Wight King's weapons shimmer with baleful energy. The merest touch of their spear tip or blade can drain the life from their foes, or slice through flesh and bone with an ease that is frightening to behold. Clad in ancient armor, their flesh all but withered away, there is little for an adversary to cut or stab. Even to stand before one of these skeletal warriors of antiquity takes an extreme effort of will. For these reasons, a Vampire will often charge a Wight King with carrying forth the Undead general's personal banner. Such a duty is often integral to the army's stability, and these indomitable Undead warriors are able to hold aloft the army standard whilst tirelessly striking down one foe after another.

Offensive:  Equipped with lances (if mounted) , various hand weapons or great weapons like giant axes or claymores. Sometimes these are magical and emblazoned with runes. Older texts have them equipped with Wight Blades, which is a magical blade capable of easily draining life from foes. Almost anyone touched by the blade dies instantly, with Gotrek Gurnisson being one of the few tough enough to survive one (even he barely). Thanks to a Wight King’s memories of their past lives, they can be considered master duelists.

Defensive: Ancient armor, sometimes magically enchanted. The Wight King is also very durable to harm thanks to its nature as an ancient, decayed skeleton.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Sometimes rides a Skeletal steed with barding.  Wight Kings have sentient mostly preserved, and some of them can serve as commanders.

“Suddenly, a new opponent came before Maraulf, a ghastly shape that lumbered out from the shadows of the chapel. Maraulf hesitated as the armoured skeleton raised its rusted sword and saluted him in the fashion of a knight issuing a challenge. There was no humanity in the witch-fires that glowed in the sockets of the wight-lord’s skull, but some element of the man yet lingered in the monster’s bones.

Maraulf did not deign to return the wight’s salute. Such proprieties were for the living, not the undead. The knight instead charged at the skeletal monstrosity, his sword flashing out in a deadly arc. The sweep of Maraulf’s sword passed the shoulder of his foe, the wight displaying unexpected agility as it dodged the attack. The fleshless skull grinned at Maraulf as the wight’s rusty sword cracked against the knight’s pauldron with such force the armour was almost torn from its fastenings.

There followed a grim duel, man against monster, living against undead. Blow for blow, strike for strike, the two combatants fought with equal skill. But skill was the least of the inequalities of this macabre duel. As seconds stretched into minutes, Maraulf’s vigour began to fade. The strain of his muscles, the fatigue of his flesh, the pain of his wounds, these began to sap the knight’s skill. Fear of failure plagued his every thought, polluting the purity of his swordsmanship. If he fell, Maraulf knew the chapel would be taken, the Red Duke would restore to hideous unlife his foul army.

The wight suffered no such distractions. Its muscles were dust, its flesh only a vague memory, its wounds no more than gashes stricken upon unfeeling bone. No fear stirred its mind, only the inviolable command issued by its master. Every moment, Maraulf grew weaker but the strength of the wight-lord remained constant.

In the end, Sir Corbinian’s blade slipped past Maraulf’s guard. The rusty sword passed through the knight’s armpit, stabbing deep into the body within the armour. The wight wrenched its blade free as the stricken Maraulf collapsed at its feet. Grimly, the skeleton raised the sword and saluted the mortally wounded knight.”- The Red Duke

Vampires

Mobility: 5

Training: 5-9 (Dependent on Age)

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range:  Varies between group

Vampires are true masters of undeath, the ultimate creatures of the night. Though these creatures appear human their similarities end there, being as far different in ability and attitude as an ape is from a man. For the most part they are selfish, power-hungry creatures that desire little more then to dominate and conquer. To that end many have infiltrated human society, posing as lords and ladies and enacting influence on the lands they inhabit. Some take a more direct means, forming great armies of the dead to force their will over the living. Others don’t care about Humanity, instead to seeking to master magic or the martial arts. Still others, particularly the Strigoi, devolve into creatures obsessed only with feeding and drinking on the blood of the living.

Vampire Physiology, Mentality and Powers

Vampires, by virtue of the magic flowing through their veins, are superhuman to a (wo)man, with even the youngest vampire being equivalent to some of the best physically fit humans.   This does vary however by degree depending on age, position on the bloodline lineage (to be discussed later) and some degree on innate ability. They are physical stronger than humans, able to break bones with every punch, snap necks effortlessly, life hundreds of pounds with frightening ease, shatter skulls with a squeeze, tear off limbs or even physically rip a man in half .Added to this potency is claws and teeth, the latter of which is easily capable of ripping out throats.  They are exceptionally fast, with the least of them able to run and react 2-3 faster than a man and the faster being considered blurs by those who fight them. Agility too can allow them climb up buildings, trees or even some walls assassins creed style, jump like a mountain lion,  and practically dance between combatants in melee.  Every sense is likewise heightened to a incredible degree, with vampires having night vision, being able to hear heartbeats, or track someone by their scent. Like sharks they have a remarkable ability to detect blood.

“Behind her, she heard the ring of metal on metal and Borri bellowed a command. The floor trembled as the hammerers followed her. Crossbows thrummed and quarrels peppered the floor and walls. Neferata avoided each one with ease. To one with her senses, the bolts appeared to be moving in slow motion. She could see the very air split and twist as the bolts cut through it. Even as the bolts struck the archway of the audience chamber, she was into the corridor beyond and running. She had wasted enough time.”-Neferata, Matriarch of the Lahmia, demonstrating reaction time. Mannfred von Carstein was capable of going further then her and dodging sniper fire.  

This trait of superhumanism follows into durability. It is again dependent on age with young vampires, while having some regeneration, are still able to be killed by wounds that could kill a mortal man.  Vampires of greater power can keep going even with these wounds and eventually heal even from dismemberment. These vampires effectively require decapitation or a stab through the heart (preferably both) to put down. Even then their remains can be regenerated with time and help, meaning incineration of the corpse is the most effective way to permanently ensure destruction. To date only Nagash, in one bizarre ritual, has shown to be able to pull a vampire back from that.

Thanks to their longevity vampires can continue to grow and learn over their lifespans, in some cases accumulating millennia of knowledge. However this results in greater detachment from humanity and a stifling of emotions that they once had.  Pity, compassion, love (except in a few rare cases) all wither and die. As a result they grow arrogant and callous, viewing humans as cattle at best and vermin at worst. They become obsessed with power, whether it be through pursuing arcane might or on the physical realm . They like stability and Constance, and dislike change and progress.

All vampires require blood to survive. Without blood they will start to lose their sanity and grow weaker and weaker over time. Though some powerful vampires can survive on only a glass of blood every years, others, such as the young ones, lack that discipline and must feed nightly. This is ideally human blood or the blood of other sentient creature. Though animals can provide this blood it is apparently not as potent. A very select few vampires, the followers of Abhorash, can completely do away with this need for blood by drinking that of a dragon, becoming immune to the urge thereafter.

“Out on the killing ground, the desert warriors had made their way into the midst of the stricken riders. Alcadizzar turned just in time to see a gaunt figure rear up from beneath a fallen horse, flinging the dead animal into the air as though it were a child’s toy and scattering the three tribesmen who had closed in around it. The bluish glow of the comet shone from the figure’s chalky skin, lending its long, clawed hands and hairless skull a strange, ghostly radiance. It snarled like a maddened beast, jaw gaping hungrily, and Alcadizzar felt a chill race down his spine.

The tribesmen reeled in shock at the sight of the creature – all that is, except for Faisr ali-Hashim. The sound of his sword rasping from its scabbard shook the tribesmen from their stupor. ‘Slay it!’ the chieftain cried. ‘In the name of the Hungry God, strike the creature down!’

The bani-al-Hashim surged forwards at Faisr’s command, shouting war cries and brandishing their swords. They rushed at the monster from all sides. Blades flashed, slashing at its neck and chest, but the creature wove like a viper between the blows, dodging them with hideous ease. Pale hands lashed out with unnatural speed; where they struck, armour ruptured, bone shattered and organs burst. Men crumpled, coughing blood, or their broken bodies were flung backwards like chaff in a rising wind.

Six men died in the blink of an eye. The surviving tribesmen faltered, stunned by the ferocity of the creature. A bowstring sang, then another. The blood-spattered figure spun out of the path of the first arrow, but the second took it high in the right hip. It staggered for a moment, spitting curses, and then two more arrows punched into its shoulder and chest. A fourth shaft transfixed the creature’s throat, the broad arrowhead bursting from the back of its pale neck in a spray of thick ichor. The tribesmen let out a yell of triumph – but their hope was short-lived. With a gurgling growl, the monster seized the arrow with one clawed hand and ripped it free.” – Nagash the Immortal

Vampires can come to acquire powers over time as a result of their training, age and bloodline. These can be mental, such as the ability to beguile or compel mortals to do their bidding (factored in vs. enemy strength of mind), project supernatural horror or an aura of dark majesty that lowers morale of enemy troops in the vampire’s vicinity. Some seek to master combat, becoming exceptionally skilled, agile or strong. Others seek to master the beast within, becoming horrible to look upon, getting physically stronger or giving into his bloodthirsty nature completely. A few, such as the Necrarchs, seek to master magic and others are capable of shape shifting forms to various animals. Powerful Vampires lorewise act as beacons for unholy things, attracting spirits and the dead to his location.

“‘Come then,’ she purred, crooking a finger, ‘one last time, Strezyk.’

The mace looped out, and her body became as mist, swirling and coiling up his arm as he gaped in shock. The mist seeped into his flattened, triangular nose and open fang-filled mouth and red eyes and hair-choked pores. Strezyk dropped his weapon and clawed at himself as he staggered back. He opened great canyons in his own flesh, trying to dig her out, but to no avail. Strange bulges began to form on his body, like flowers seeking the sun, and he groaned. His tongue and eyes protruded grotesquely as his body began to shake. He made a strangled sound and then gave an agonised scream as he abruptly burst in a shower of gore. Men and women screamed and there was a stampede to the doors as the ruin of Strezyk tottered a few steps and fell at the foot of the dais.

Silence fell on the hall as Neferata stepped out of the ruins of the former major-domo, picking her way delicately over the lumps of quivering meat and bone that littered the steps. Blood drenched her, turning her pale skin the colour of rust. She gazed up at Ushoran and licked her lips. She held his gaze for a moment. Then she dropped to one knee, spread her arms and bowed her head.

‘My king,’ she said, ‘how may I serve you?’- Neferata

“

All vampires can dominate others through sucking their blood and then refusing to kill them or give a “kiss” (see below, would create another vampire) , though willpower can allow others to resist somewhat. They cast themselves out of the Warp or Realm of Chaos, binding themselves almost entirely to the physical realm, and thus are naturally highly resistant to attempts to dominate them, such as by daemons.

“He fell soundlessly, threw his arms wide and burst upwards suddenly, his body going through a hideous transformation, the cloak fusing to his arms like leathery wings, his bones breaking and metamorphosing into the shape and form of a huge black bat.” - Dominion

Vampires share some potent weaknesses and though most do not apply universally, all vampires will have at least one or two. They are all weak to the sun, though to varying degrees. Young vampires will die quickly from any exposure, while long lived Vampires are made uncomfortable by its presence. That is why many Vampire armies, when they march, employ sorcerous means to block out the sun. Vampires are similar in that destroying or wounding the heart can at the very least paralyze them (if old and powerful) or kill then instantly if young.  The young ones also cannot handle running water and this may kill them  if no escape is found quickly. Silver weaponry is said to be far more potent than non at dealing wounds and slows regeneration. Decapitation, as mentioned, is another effective method while burning is a vulnerability to some vampires. . Holy Magic however will wound and kill vampires of all degrees and is a universal weakness.  Magic in general is a powerful force to use against them.

Vampire Origins and Bloodline introduction:

The origin of the vampire can be traced back to the Nekaharan city of Lahmia, where Queen Neferata and other noblemen in secret tried to recreate Nagash’s life extension potion. Though the events differ between the sources and who exactly created it (whether it was Neferata herself or Arkhan is unknown) what is known is that Neferata was the first vampire, and she quickly spread it to her followers. For the next several hundred years she ruled behind the scenes, enacting plots and tightening Lahmia’s rule over the other cities. Eventually others found out however, and marched as one coalition on Lahmia.

Since then vampires have spread across the world and formed different bloodlines. These bloodlines are shared groupings of vampires that can trace lineage back to a similar bloodline, or lineage. While vampires cannot procreate via traditional means they can give mortals a “Blood Kiss” which will, over time, turn them into a vampire. While the original, fire generation can give the blood kiss with near impunity it becomes harder and harder for transference to occur as you go down the line, with 5^th generation vampires only able to “sire” one “get” in their long lifetimes. To do more would result in gradually weaker vampires and the ruination of the bloodline, and if a vampire seems to be on the verge of doing that others of its kind will hunt it down.  Thus while first or second can hand out the kiss fairly regularly a 5^th generation is going to be extremely choosy with whom they share blood with!

In general the higher a vampire is on the bloodline, the more powerful they are, with the original founders (the first generation of vampires from Lahmia) being some of the most powerful combatents the world has ever known. However luckily, for an ambitious underling, it is possible  for one of the lower generation to accumulate greater amounts of power.  This can be done by drinking the blood of other vampires and thus absorbing their essence and powers. Eventually this will allow someone like Manfredd von Carstein – a second generation vampire at best, and a 5^th at worst- to accumulate enough power to rival-and in some traits surpass- Neferata herself!

Specific Bloodlines:              

-Von Carstein: Princes of the Night

In modern day the Von Carstein bloodline is probably the most infamous and perhaps powerful of the great vampire families. Here is the bloodline of Manfredd and Vlad, two individuals who very nearly conquered the Empire directly. Unlike the other bloodlines it is unknown as to who the founder of this bloodline is. It may be Anakht, or Vashnash, or Vlad himself (or one of the former two as Vlad’s past life).

This bloodline is infamous for its ambition, arrogance, megalomania and cleverness(more so then most vampires). Unlike the Lahmians, who seek to guide mandkind indirectly, or the other, uncaring branches the Von Carsteins want to rule over all of mankind directly and openly.  Everything else is a means to an end. Of all the bloodlines they are most likely to study and master politics, military strategy, and physical prowess that only the blood dragons surpass.  They are known as great patrons of the arts, but usually this is a means to an end. Too they are seen as masters of Dark Magic, with only the Necramarchs capable of surpassing them. Of all the bloodlines they seem most based off of popular representations of Dracula mixed with Machiavelli’s The Prince.

In terms of numbers this is probably going to be the second most populous of the five branches, behind the more stable hierarchy of the Lahmians .This is due in part to the great weakness of the Von Carstein; megalomania, madness and treachery. Almost all Von Carsteins hold only themselves to be the superior vampire, and though proud of their bloodline they constantly scheme and murder each other. This can be done for the consolidation of power or because the vampire feels another vampire doesn’t belong in their bloodline. The purges launched by Manfredd in recent years have been particularly devastating  to Carstein numbers. However in addition the Von Carstein bloodline is given to madness and such mad rulers can cause great wars among other, saner Von Carsteins by spreading the Blood Kiss around too much ( Konraad Von Carstein was infamous for giving the Kiss to Hobbits, prostitutes, and people who randomly pleased him) or declaring war on other members.

In terms of powers the Von Carstein bloodline is going to be the most varied, but in general they will choose whatever individual vampires personally believe will aid them in conquest best.

-Blood Dragons: Knights of Darkness

Of all the Great Vampire Bloodlines, the Blood Dragons are the most militant and aggressive. They were sired by Abhorash, a mighty captain of Lahmia who sought perfection in all things military. Ultimately he sought to become the most perfect warrior that ever lived, and to become free of the Curse for Blood that he had always hated. The full extent of his adventures after the Fall of Lahmia is unknown, only that he traveled far and finally cured himself of this blood addiction by drinking from a dragon. It is unknown at current what happened to him.

Blood Dragons seek to master the mind and body like their champion Abhorash did, and ultimately free themselves from the addiction. To that end they disdain the conquest of the Von Carsteins, or the backseat rule of the Lahmians, and in particular look down upon the uncontrolled excess of the Strigoi. Though less powerful then other branches in magic and necromancy, they can utilize this trait if need be. Though honor bound they disdain normal humanity and see nothing wrong with slaughtering entire villages to test a new blade.  In combat they are the least likely to cheat and often seek to challenge particularly strong enemy foes to duels. They might spare their foes if they believe the enemy has the potential to be a stronger foe in the future.

Blood Dragons are rare for the most part, traveling the world as individuals or small groups for hire. This rarity is in part because Blood Dragons are at times are most open in their feeding so that they can attract challengers, and thus lure huge mobs who then overwhelm them.  Their tendency to seek out the strongest foes may lead to their deaths if they actually find one. They are also the most discerning of Vampire Bloodlines. They will not infect anyone who can’t control themselves and will only infect a very skilled opponent after s/he has proven-multiple times- that they are worthy fighters.

In terms of powers this order is most likely to cultivate that which improves their martial skill, like increased speed, strength and durability (beyond ordinary vampires).

-Lahmians: Deathless Courtiers

The Lahmians are the first sect of Vampires, created by Neferata herself almost 4,000 years before the present timeline. Since then she has ordered this bloodline to spread, like a great spider spinning her web. Her beautiful courtesans- almost all of them female- now have their hand in almost every city of the Old World and beyond. They are based at the Silver Pinnacle, a former Dwarf-Hold they took 3,000 years ago.

Lahmians seek indirect power, never ruling from the front but always playing a role from the backseat. It’s unknown what their ultimate objectives are other than that the Queen would one day like her glorious city of Lahmia rebuilt. The order of Lahmians guides humanity from behind the scenes against threats to its existence, such as Chaos or the Von Carsteins. The order takes a great interest in human politics and advancement, and for that reason its members are often masters of statecraft, politics and the arts. So efficient is their spy ring that’s it’s said that Neferata knows who the next elected ruler would be before the previous ruler dies.

Lahmians are not natural warriors like the Blood Dragons and to a lesser extent the Von Carsteins, nor ferocious like the Strigoi, nor as skilled in magic as the Necrarchs. Though elements of all of the above can be found in them these ladies instead focus on seduction and infiltration. Usually their powers develop towards seducing enemies or allowing them to infiltrate enemy societies. Thus when it comes to spies, saboteurs and manipulators, particularly among human societies, there are none better than the Lahmian sisterhood. This isn’t necessarily limited to Humanity though, and Neferata herself has shown a remarkable ability to manipulate the succession of Orc Warbosses to get what she wants.

In terms of powers Lahmians prize speed and guile above everything else.

“‘Then you can run,’ Neferata said, spinning and sprinting in the direction the raiders had taken. After a moment’s hesitation, Naaima followed. The two women ran swiftly, more swiftly than any mortal being, and soon enough the horses came into sight. Neferata shrieked hungrily and leapt onto a horse’s flank, her claws sinking into the animal’s haunch. It squealed in fear and pain as Neferata swung up onto it like a lioness and pounced on the rider. She tore aside his scarf and headdress and sank her fangs into his throat, cutting off his scream. Sliding into a sitting position behind him, she ripped and chewed at the flesh of his throat, swallowing hot mouthfuls of pumping blood as she snatched the reins from his hand.

Naaima loped past, her jaws gaping, her delicate features stretching into something inhuman. A rider turned back and gave a yell as the vampire flung herself at him from a sand dune. She snatched him off his horse and hurled him to the ground, falling on him like a bird of prey. Neferata rode past and let the body of her victim tumble from his saddle.

She urged the horse on, conserving her own strength. The other raiders were pulling around, only just now realising that they had been pursued. Saddlebags bulged with ill-gotten loot. She rose in the saddle, letting the moonlight catch her bestial features. Men froze, hands quivering inches from sword hilts or bows. Her hair flared around her like a black halo and her jaws gaped wide, her tongue writhing in a nest of fangs. Eyes like hell-lamps blazed as she crashed among them, releasing the reins to stretch her hands out. Almost gently, her fingers played across the chests of the first two men, crushing them at the instant of impact and bursting their hearts in their breasts.

An arrow cut across her arm and she leapt from the saddle, bearing another rider to the desert. The archer fired again, skilfully controlling his horse with his knees. Neferata crouched over her kill, hissing as another arrow sank into her thigh.

Naaima leapt onto the archer’s back, ripping at him. He fell from his horse and snatched at a dagger sheathed on his belt as the two vampires closed in. Naaima leapt back as the knife sliced across her belly. Her hands came away with the rider’s mask. Neferata stopped suddenly, her grimace softening. ‘Ha,’ she said.

The archer was a woman. Fear had contorted her features, but it was easy to see that she was beautiful, albeit in a hard way. ‘Daemons,’ she spat, in the tongue of the desert peoples. She watched them warily, the dagger extended.

‘No,’ Neferata replied. ‘Not daemons, little sister.’ She rose to her full height and let her face soften back into its human semblance. ‘Not quite, at any rate.’

The woman was young, and her heartbeat sped up as Neferata approached. In the moonlight, the young woman’s face was almost familiar, and an old, remembered pang shivered up through her. ‘She looks just like her,’ she said softly. ‘Doesn’t she, Naaima? Just like my little hawk…’

‘No,’ Naaima said. ‘Neferata – no, don’t do this.’

‘What is your name?’ Neferata purred, ignoring her handmaiden, pressing a finger to the tip of the girl’s blade and moving it aside.

The young woman’s eyes had gone vague, their fierceness draining as Neferata’s hypnotic voice and gaze insinuated itself into her mind, numbing her and dulling her thoughts. ‘Rasha bin Wasim,’ she said hollowly.

‘Rasha,’ Neferata repeated, rolling the letters across her tongue. She brushed the dagger aside and it fell to the sand with a thump. ‘You remind me of someone, Rasha. Should I tell you about her?’

‘Neferata, stop–’ Naaima began, starting forwards.

‘Her name was Khalida and I loved her very much,’ Neferata said, fangs flashing as she plunged them into Rasha’s throat.”- Neferata

-Necrarchs: Disciples of the Accursed

Of all the Vampire Bloodlines, Necrarchs are the rarest, most secretive, and perhaps most deadly. Even Neferata, master of infiltration, has found it difficult to infiltrate this group and fears their motivations. In truth they are perhaps the only Vampire Bloodline loyal to Nagash, a trait started by their founder W’orsan who was counted alongside Arkhan as Nagash’s most loyal servent (though he and Arkhan  hated each other) . However his line was cursed in many ways, and W’orsan was killed and consumed by his apprentice, who was in turn killed and consumed by his apprentice.

Necrarchs seek a world not ruled by the dead, but composed almost entirely of the dead. Of all the Vampires their goals are most in line with Nagash’s and it for that reason they are most loyal to him. They are scholars, masters of science and magic who believe in arcane power above all other types. More then just collectors they actively pursue new knowledge in their dark laboratories. Thus they count as among the most knowledgeable of vampires. In keeping with Nagash’s vision they are most dedicated to killing everything around them and thus they are hunted by Witch Hunters above all other bloodlines.

Alongside the Strigoi the Necrarchs have the most difficulty operating openly.  This is because their masters curse have turned them into hideous corpse things, and they have become extremely twisted in mind, being mad and paranoid to an extreme. Many die in their own experiments, or killed by other Necrarchs. They are extremely paranoid in who they turn into vampires and thus they are the rarest bloodline in existence.

In terms of power Necrarchs prize magical ability above all else, and many are gifted with Witchsight, which allows them to see the spirit world.

-Strigoi : Beasts in Shadow

Once the Strigoi had a great kingdom situated in the badlands, ruled over by the founder of their bloodline Ushoran.  Ushoran was an effective ruler who managed a cohesive kingdom of both living and dead, however he made the mistake of insinuating he was a better ruler then Neferata. Between Lahmian manipulations and a massive Ork Waagh this great kingdom was destroyed, their people scattered. However the Strigoi could find no safe haven among the other Bloodlines. The early Von Carsteins used to hunt them, angry about past arrogance. Lahmians spurned and sent Human armies after them, Blood Dragons sought them  out to kill because they posed a challenge, and Necrarchs used them as experiments.  Throughout this every group of living beings –orcs, dwarves, Humans As a result the Strigoi- isolated to the outskirts of society- developed a massive hatred of everything, living or dead.

(This old DW video would actually be pretty spot on for determing the average Vampire's physical characteristics- though it must be remembered, WHF vampires use weapons and are in the case of the highest end superior in traits to those seen in the video)

The Strigoi rule over kingdoms of ghouls, subsisting on diets of vermin and the dead. As a result of this, and the fact that the bloodline always possessed a greater degree of beastial nature then other bloodlines, they hardly resemble humans anymore. Instead they look like hulking versions of the Crypt Ghouls that they rule. Many are mad or extremely nostalgic of the old glory days, holding great grotesque courts and pretending that they are once again lords. Yet others are fully cognizant of what happened and desire revenge against both the Living and the Dead. Only the Strigany- a gypsy like people hated by the rest of humanity for its vampire-tainted past, who are descendants of Ushoran’s human subjects- welcome them and only to them do the Strigoi provide any sort of loyalty.

The Strigoi do not give the Blood Kiss easily and thus are the second or third rarest group of vampires. In part this is due to snobbery, as the Strigoi do not believe any who haven’t suffered like they have deserve to become one of them. However it’s also due to a sincere belief that inflicting the Blood Kiss upon someone they like would be the ultimate cruelty, for then they would be hunted and hated by everyone as the Strigoi are. Thus only those who show long term devotion- most likely Stringany- get to be uplifted into their ranks.

Stringoi focus on physical ferocity above everything else, and in combat they can overpower even other vampires. Though they are capable of magic it is more instinctual then anything.

“Its naked arms and legs were striated with muscle, but also bent and deformed, as if broken and poorly set, and its chest was sunken and scarred with a thousand old wounds. But hardest to look at was its head, which looked like a broken egg – bald and white and shattered. The left half of its hollow-cheeked face was lower than the right, and the left sphere of its skull was crushed and flat and thinly covered in a lumpy network of scar-tissue. Its jaw too had been broken at some point, and angled off to the right so that its teeth did not meet neatly with each other when it closed its mouth.

‘A Strigoi,’ murmured Gabriella from where she lay. ‘I should have guessed.’

Hermione choked and dropped Otilia to clap her hands over her mouth and nose as the monster’s rancid corpse stench enveloped them all. Famke choked awake, sputtering and retching at the smell. Von Zechlin and Rodrik and the other gentlemen coughed and cursed and staggered back, and Ulrika, Gabriella and Mathilda, who could not bring their hands to their faces because of their chains, tried to bury their noses against their shoulders.

‘What do you want with us, monster!’ cried Hermione, grimacing and edging backwards as she waved her men forwards. ‘Why do you prey upon us!’

‘You know why!’ roared the beast. ‘It was you who sent the soldiers! It was you who made them break me!’

‘What?’ Hermione said as her men spread out to encircle the thing. ‘What soldiers? What are you talking about!’

‘A hundred years!’ it bellowed, stepping forwards and gusting more stench at them. ‘A hundred years I lay in that pit, broken with the boulders the soldiers threw down on me! A hundred years without knowing who had sent them. Now I know. It was you! The bitches of Nuln! You are my tormentors!’

‘Who has been telling you these lies!’ cried Hermione. ‘I never sent soldiers against you. I don’t know you! I’ve never seen you before!’

‘The voice does not lie!’ cried the Strigoi. ‘The voice said it was you! It said I would be renewed when I killed you! Reformed!’

‘A voice?’ Mathilda barked a laugh. ‘You hear voices? You’re mad!’

‘Mad?’ the Strigoi shrieked. ‘Yes, I am mad! You broke my head!’

And with that it pounced, smashing through Hermione’s gentlemen as if they weren’t there to lunge at her, its bloody claws slashing.

Hermione shrieked and ducked away from it to flee for the heavy door which led to the stone keep – the oldest and strongest part of the house.

‘Protect me!’ she screamed over her shoulder. ‘Don’t let it get me!’

Von Zechlin and Rodrik and the others recovered themselves and charged it as it turned after her. It backhanded them, hooked claws extended, and three flew back, chests crushed and guts spilling onto the carpet, but the others hemmed it in within a circle of flashing blades.

(….)

Over Famke’s heaving shoulders, Ulrika saw the Strigoi knock Rodrik over a chair and backhand Mathilda’s wolf form into a wall, then pick up von Zechlin in one huge hand. The wounded champion struggled in its grip and stabbed into its shoulder with his sword. The Strigoi howled and tore von Zechlin’s sword arm off at the shoulder, flinging it across the room, then crushed his chest like it was a bird’s nest.

The huge she-wolf leapt on the Strigoi’s back and bit the scruff of its neck. It roared and caught her with both hands then threw her off, slamming her into a wall.

The Strigoi’s angry red eyes turned on Ulrika, Famke and Gabriella, and it stepped towards them through the bodies of the gentlemen that all lay broken and dying at his feet.

(…)

The death of her blood father, Adolphus Krieger, suddenly flashed through Ulrika’s mind. The trollslayer Snorri Nosebiter had killed the vampire by dropping a massive iron chandelier on him! Ulrika’s eyes followed the chain that raised and lowered the chandelier, and saw that its winch was bolted to the wall only two steps from her. She threw herself towards it, raising her rapier and swung a clumsy blow at the chain.

It was enough. With a ringing clash, the chain parted and whirred through its pulleys. The heavy gold chandelier dropped like a stone, smashing down on the Strigoi in an explosion of crystal and flying candles, and crushing it to the floor. Unfortunately, it also knocked the she-wolf flat, and sent Rodrik and Countess Gabriella staggering.

The ghouls pounced on them.

Ulrika shouted in dismay and staggered forwards, weaving like a drunk, and hacked around at the hunched fiends, stabbing their sunken eyes and chopping through their albino fingers and wrists to drive them away. The horde shrank back at the fury of her onslaught, but before she could reach Gabriella, Murnau surged up, lifting the heavy golden wheel of the chandelier over its bloody head and roaring with rage. Ulrika cursed. So much for killing the Strigoi the way Krieger had died. It wasn’t even stunned.

(…)

A scream from Gabriella brought her head up and she looked around. In the centre of the room, Murnau was raising the struggling countess over its head in one hand while the she-wolf dragged at the other with her jaws and Rodrik fought towards them through the last few ghouls.

‘Mistress,’ gasped Ulrika, pushing unsteadily to her feet. ‘I’m coming!’

As Ulrika stumbled forwards, Murnau flung the she-wolf through the shattered balcony doors. She smashed into the balustrade, then tumbled over it and fell to the yard, just as Rodrik broke free of the ghouls and chopped Murnau in the ribs. The monster howled and swung Gabriella at him like a club, smashing him flat and stomping on his ribs.

‘No, beast!’ cried Ulrika, hacking down the last remaining ghouls to reach it. ‘Fight me!’

Murnau roared and flung Gabriella at her.”- Ulrika Bloodborn showing Strigoi durability and power. In the end it was impaled and stabbed with silver several times to kill it.

Offensive: See Physical traits, with the Strigoi being the strongest of the Vampires. Most vampires use the most ancient and magical weaponry they can find, and are accomplished duelist and a few have traveled far and wide to master martials arts. Even young vampires are more than a match for most squads of humans, while only the greatest of champions can hope to even fight, much less kill, an aged vampire. Vampires may have varying degrees of mastery over the Lores of Death, Shadow, Undeath and Vampires.

Defense: See Traits. Many Vampires have magically powerful armor or protective artifacts.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Can ride any mount shown in the profile, with the best riding zombie dragons or Terrorgheists.

Tomb Kings and Heralds

Mobility: 4 (8 when in chariot, which is most of the time)

Training/Experience: 6-7

Max Range: Generally Melee

Preferred Range: From atop a chariot

In the ancient days of Nehekara, the great Kings believed that through the magics of the mortuary cult, they would be born again into bodies of pure gold. Their servants and armies that were buried with them would serve their master in his new eternal kingdom, as loyal in death as they were in life. At least that’s what should have happened. The Liche priest had preserved the bodies of their dead in an effort to preserve them long enough to come up with the magical incantations necessary to make this golden paradise come true. When Nagash attempted to inact his great ritual and raise all the dead of the world, he was cut down before its finish. However, death magic streaked across Nehekara and awakened the long dead Kings. Countless Tomb Kings emerged from their burial pyramids, only to discover the horror of their existence. Where there should have been shimmering golden skin, there was desiccated, rotting flesh. Where there should have been paradise, they found their old kingdoms vandalized and ruined. They can no longer feel the caress of a concubine, or taste fine wines and sweet meats. Bitter and twisted, the Tomb Kings channel their rage into a need for conquest.

The Tomb Kings, upon death, were embalmed in elaborate ceremonies in which their bodies were wrapped in pitch-soaked bandages inscribed with wards of protection. These wards were meant to preserve the corpse for all eternity, but now the Kings resemble dried skeletal husks. Their appearance is deceiving though for the magics that animate them are powerful indeed. They possess a level of strength leagues above mortal men, and can withstand wounds that would slay a human outright. They also possess a form of regeneration which allows them to heal minor wounds. If struck down on thebattlefield, they are not truly killed but instead return to their tombs to regenerate over a period of months or years. Only completely destroying the bones of the Tomb King, or with powerful magic, can the being be permanently put down.

In Battle, Tomb king is not only a powerful warrior, but a leader as well. The animating magics of the Liche priest keep the army moving, but it is the unyielding will of their liege that directs their actions. Like a hive mind, the Tomb king directs his armies as if they were pieces on a board, his troops reacting as fast as his brilliant military mind can direct them. They Typically ride upon Chariots as that is the true mark of civilized warfare, and gives them an elevated platform that provides an excellent view of the battlefield. .

“‘Ho, living man! Would you face Antar of Mahrak, Prince of the Obsidian Divide, Lion of the Valley, Mighty Son of Heaven?’ his opponent rasped. ‘Would you meet the Second King of the Fourth Dynasty in honourable combat? Come, O fleshy one! Come, so that he might shuck thee of thy untidy and off-putting seeming!’ Antar swept out his arms, and the enemy soldiers, and those of Lybaras as well, drew back. ‘Back, you dogs! Back, sons of Mahrak and curs of Lybaras! Antar is a prince of Mahrak, scion of Tharruk, and he issues a challenge to thee, worm of seven hundred graves!’”

More common than the Tomb Kings are the Tomb Princes who are the many sons of the Tomb Kings, born of the Kings vast Harem in life. The oldest son was sent to the morturary cult to become a priest, while the second son was given the throne. Thus, there were many sons who would never have any claim to the throne, but instead served as generals and commanders for their father. While not as powerful as a True King, they are capable warriors and strategists with a lifetime of experience in warfare.

For every Tomb King or Prince, there is a Tomb Herald, the most loyal and trusted bodyguards of the royalty. Chosen from the most elite troops and loyal to a fault, The Herald was bound to serve his liege in both life and death. The Herald's other important duty was as an envoy to the other cities of Nehekhara and to dispense justice in the name of the King. Disputes between cities would often be settled by a ritual duel of two heralds, with first blood being the terms of victory. So skilled were heralds, however, that the first strike was almost always a deathblow.

The Heralds are often entrusted with the king's banner, an artifact that both provided protection and showed the kings iconography. However, none of them will let it distract them from their most important duty. Should the enemy be about to end his master's existence, the Tomb Herald will sacrifice himself to save him, safe in knowing that his death will be avenged many times over. Tomb Heralds wear golden armor into battle, and wield huge enchanted blades

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: As the richest individuals of Nehekara, they have access to all kinds of Magical weapons, typically enchanted blades that can shear through armor and cleave even ethereal foes. Tomb Heralds are combat champions that can be armed with spears, flails, great weapons such as halberds or the standard sword (usually Khopesh), with very rarely some sort of magical weapon.

Defensive: Tomb kings Have very durable bodies, far stronger than any living flesh and bone. They also have a form of minor regeneration, healing cracked bones and torn flesh with ease. They can usually be found wearing at least some form of armor, possibly with a shield, and rarely with magical defenses.Tomb Heralds may carry the same.  However they are noted for being highly flammable individuals in the codex.

===Additional Factors===

The Curse: Should a foe commit the unforgivable crime of striking down a tomb king in combat, it will be the last thing he does. A powerful curse hangs over the royalty of Nehekara, and those affected find their blood instantly turned to sand, or are consumed in a swarm of desert locust. Whatever the case, this serves a warning to the enemy not to challenge the Tomb Kings in combat.

In battle the Tomb Kings, Princes and Heralds can usually be found in skeleton chariots, though some of the Kings and Princes ride massive War Sphinxes and other Heralds suffice themselves with a single Skelatal Steed.

Liche Priest

Mobility:3

Training/Experience: 9

Max Range: See Magic Section

Preferred Range: Spell range

The Liche Priests are the undead members of the Mortuary cult, tasked with dealing with the secrets of unlife. They alone know the rituals needed to call spirits from the underworld and bind them to corpreal remains. They are the ones who watch over the cities of the sleeping kings, awakening them in times of need with long and arduous rituals. They have other tasks, such as maintaining the magical seals on the portals of tomb vaults, or determining the moment of the kings awakening. They have fulfilled this duty for many centuries, unable to truly know rest as they bound their souls to now withered bodies.

In battle, the Liche priests march alongside the armies and perform their magics of undeath to raise troops and sustain the magics that bind souls to skeletons. In addition to this, they are also capable wizards, and have been known to summon desert swarms, create a storm of eldritch skulls and fill their troops with unnatural vigor. Liche priest were invaluable support for the Tomb king armies as if they fell, the army would crumble aroud them. When Nagash upsurped control of the underworld, he alone commands the souls of Ancient Nehekara. Now the Liche priests serve to reanimate the dead or cast spells, but their defeat no longer spells doom for the skeletal troops.

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: Lore of Nehekara, Lore of Light, Lore of death, Lore of Undeath . As a emergency they might have a hand weapon like a Khopesh.

They very on skill level despite vast experience  as it is stated in Tomb of the Serpent as its stated that those that were acolytes thousands of years ago when they died remain acolytes still, having severe difficulty learning.

Defensive: Liche priests are brittle, old and highly flammable, and are not very well armored. However, they are usually far from the front lines, and able to call upon a few defensive spells such as:

===Additional Factors===

Liche Priests are essential for Tomb Kings armies, required to upkeep their armies as well as provide blessings to their troops. These blessings can still be used post Nagash takeover, only they are made through Nagash now rather then anyone else.

Necrotects

Mobility:4

Training/Experience:5

Max Range: 50m

Preferred Range: melee

The Necrotects were artisans and architects of ancient Nehekhara. Each would design many awe inspiring monuments and then oversee their creation. Teams of slaves and workers would toil ceaselessly in the creation of War Statues, Monoliths, Tombs and Pyramids.

Necrotects were notoriously volatile in life, and it would take little to raise their ire. It was not uncommon for Necrotects to mete out harsh punishments for even the slightest delay or damage to their work, for above all they hate any kind of desecration of their art.

They would never permit the finer details of a piece to be crafted by 'lesser' hands, and would often spend days carving intricate hieroglyphs and friezes. These were not simply ornamental, as the Necrotects were trained by the Mortuary Cult to ward the tombs and pyramids they crafted against the ravages of time and against malign influence that threatened the safety of the king's body.

No king wants his monuments shadowed by those of his successors or rivals, and as such the king's Necrotects would be interred within the pyramids of their own creation, to build the king's palaces in the afterlife and so that the secrets of their construction could never be revealed. Many went willingly, drinking of the poisoned cup offered to the Queen and Royal Guard, though some were reluctant and had to be encouraged, or suffer an 'accident' on a work site. Regardless, each were mummified and interred with all the tools of their trade, wearing a death mask, crafted by their own hand.

In battle The Necrotects march alongside the armies of Nehekhara, maintaining and repairing the colossal War statues that they built many centuries ago, ensuring that these deadly creations can continue in their duty to protect their Kings. As they chant sinister mantras, the heiroglyps and symbols on the statues glow, and rock flows like water to repair cracks and breaks. They work their armies like the work gangs of old, but they no longer need to direct their undead troops to work faster as their eternal fury radiates and invigorates them. They reserve their powerful lash for those who would dare harm their works, a weapon capable of splitting open backs and leaving spines exposed to the elements.

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: Necrotects typically wield a lash of magical nature, perhaps of trapped souls. This weapon, combined with their unnatural strength, is a dangerous tool that can flay flesh and expose bones. They also wield more traditional weapons like swords, daggers and Hammers. Rarely they might wield a magical weapon.

Defensive: Necrotects wear some form of armor, and are more durable in composition than most undead troops. However they are also highly flammable.

===Additional Factors===

Stone Shaper- Animated constructs in the proximity of a Necrotect can heal minor cracks and breaks sustained in battle, making them even more dangerous foes.  This has a range of roughly 50m.

Bound Monsters:

In Warhammer scrolls exist that allow the binding of beasts and monsters to a cause. Though these scrolls are very rare- and the one who created them is several millennia dead- they do exist and sometimes, rarely, these monsters might appear decisive in a battle or two. In game you are only allowed to take four monsters per battle, though obviously lore might be a bit bigger.  Below are the monsters most strongly associated with Undeath, and thus I am limiting this to those that would be most often found in Undead armies (during the rare times they appear).

For the most part these are only available in Storms of Magic situations, though it’s possible one can bind and keep one on campaign (particularly Nagash, if he wanted to).

Incarnate Elemental of Death: 

The Incarnate Elemental of Death is a Spirit Creature whose very existence is bound to Shyish- the Wind of Death. Those who attempt to summon it to the mortal plain risk their own demise, for merely being in this creatures presence saps life from around it. It is a nightmare creature, resembling a grotesque two headed dragon that is bound together by a single hourglass chain. It is said that whispers from the grave follow it, and just looking at it can drive people mad with terror.

The Incarnate Elemental of Death is a giant creature that uses its crushing body and massive claws in battle. So potent is the creature’s auras that just standing in its immediate presence withers flesh and steals breathe from the living, with only potent magical defenses capable of repelling it.The Elemental, as the antithesis of life, any life that it consumes serves as fuel, and causes it to regenerate wounds. Its final, most powerful move is to break the hourglass that chains the two bodies together, usually killing it but sending out a wave of death magic a hundred meters in all directions that hits both allies and enemies, sucking the life(magic) out of them.

Mournugul:

“Dreadful tales are told around huddled fires of those lost in the killing cold of a mountain winter, driven by famine and pain to hunt their own companions and former friends for their meat and the warmth of their blood. There is no salvation for these damned souls, for the horrors in which they indulge cannot save them and they become things neither dead nor alive, condemned to an eternity of empty hunger and terrible isolation.

Spite, desperation and malice force these thrice-damned creatures to linger beyond death, the most insidious and destructive winds of magic coiling about them to warp and twist their cadavers into inhuman proportions. Soon they become something neither ghost nor revenant – a Mourngul; a monstrous razor-thin shadow of cold flesh and cracked bone with a gaping maw of needle-teeth and a cavernous stomach that hangs open like a dreadful wound. “

Mournguls are similar to Drachenfels in that they are stealthy living shadows, capable of traversing even broad daylight mostly unseen. When close enough it rips enemies apart with ferocious claws, jaws and an insatiable hunger . As it eats it regenerates, and the creature also has a frost aura that causes those in it to quickly freeze to death.

Carmine Dragon

Carmine Dragons are strange and rare beasts even amongst their storied kin, born, it is said, when a dragon's lair is saturated by the Amethyst wind of Death; the power of Shyish gathering and magnifying within the heart and soul of the beast yet to hatch.They turn into dark and malignant creatures, spending their days in places of death such as ruins, ancient battlefields and more.

These dragons are large, flying creatures that breathe pure death at a range of up to 50 meters. This breathe is described as withering metal and aging flesh to dust in mere seconds. Of course dragons are also bite, slash and smash foes. The very biggest Carmine Dragons are known as Emperor Dragons and can use magic spells from the Lore of Death. 

Click here for next music video (unfortunately blogger won't let me upload it) 

===HEROES AND LEADERSHIP===
Nagash, Lord of the Undead

Mobility: 5

Training: 9-10
Max Range: Kilometers

Preferred Range: Spell

Role: Chief Overlord

“His vision was already returning to its more mundane outlook as he saw the great lord of the undead climb the steps towards him, his pall of shadow like a soothing balm of radiant energy. Nagash towered over Khaled al-Muntasir, his power straining at the boundaries of existence, almost too intense for his undying frame to contain. Even with sight far beyond that of mortals, Khaled al-Muntasir could see only a fraction of the great necromancer’s power. It was immense and unstoppable, an energy that existed in worlds beyond understanding, crossing the gulfs of death and empowered by a dark wind whose source had been a mystery to even the greatest practitioners of the arts in his sand-swallowed city.

The necromancer’s shimmering metallic hand glimmered with power, a reservoir of untapped energies drawn into its mysterious structure by the slaughter of this pitiful city and its inhabitants. Walking its streets, Khaled al-Muntasir had laughed to feel the stirring spirits below his feet, knowing that this land was already a tomb.

This region of the Empire was awash with forgotten sepulchres and barrows of long dead warriors. The people of this place lived atop a great mound of corpses, buried beneath the earth thousands of years ago, and didn’t even know it.

Khaled al-Muntasir closed his eyes and let his senses flow out around the city, searching for any sign of life, any living thing that had somehow escaped the killing. There was nothing, and he looked up into the emerald fire of the necromancer’s eyes.

He shook his head and the necromancer thrust his hand towards the sky.

A blazing pillar of green light filled the heavens with its necrotic glow, piercing the clouds and unnatural darkness with its brightness. The light built within Nagash’s body, a lambent glow that slithered down through his invisible flesh. It filled the necromancer’s skull, infused his dried bones, formed phantom organs and coursed through his debased body into the heavy plates of his armour. A black wind sighed, and the silver light that suffused the earth was snuffed out in an instant. The ground shook as the impossibly powerful will of Nagash spread through the land, reaching deeper than the roots of the mountains and out into the wilds far beyond.

The wolves of the city threw back their heads and howled. The darkness was suddenly lit by thousands of pinpricks of green light as the dead of Hyrstdunn were dragged from their rest to serve in the army that had slain them. Bloody men, half-eaten wives and murdered offspring screamed as their dead flesh was filled with horrid animation.

Dead Menogoths climbed to their feet, reaching for weapons that had lain beside their brutalised corpses. Those without weapons wrenched sharpened timbers from their former homes, gathered up meathooks, gutting knives or cleavers from butcher’s blocks.

At some unseen command, they shuffled towards the northern gate of the city, moving with dreadful purpose and monotonous unison. The army of the dead, already thousands strong, swelled by thousands more. And all across this degenerate empire, the dead would be stirring in the damp earth that contained them, roused to wakefulness by the most powerful necromancer ever to rise from the lost kingdom of Nehekhara.

High above Nagash, a black miasma saturated the heavens, a roof of oppressive coal-dark cloud that roiled outwards from its boiling epicentre. The dark of night was nothing compared to this, for it was an umbra of complete emptiness, the oblivion of light not just its absence.

The dread blackness slipped over the sky like a slick of oil on a lake, creeping towards the horizon in mockery of the coming sunrise and life itself.

Death had come to the Empire.”

Born as the first son of a Khmeri king, from an early age Nagash lusted after power. When his father took him on a journey to the jungles below Nekhara at sixteen, and was temporary put out of commission thanks to wounds, Nagash seized control, crushed the Lizardmen tribes that had assaulted him, and then ruled as a tyrant for six months. When his father regained consciousness Nagash was then stripped from power and forced back into his former position as a priest of the Mortuary Cult, a position Nagash always resented but was powerless to control.

This was because the traditions of Nekharan society, which dictated that the firstborn son be given up to the gods as their own, while the second son, in this case the weak Thutep, are made rules. Even though by all accounts Nagash was a prodigy of magic, and had learned all knowledge the several hundred year old institution had to offer by the age of 32, he still lusted for more. When a trio of Dark Elves were captured and were to be sacrificed he instead feigned their deaths, before imprisoning them under a pyramid. For several decades Nagash forced them to teach what they knew of Dark Magic to him. When they were done he double crossed them before they could to him, and succeeded in outwitting and killing them all. He then  combined their knowledge with the Mortuary Cult’s and succeeded in creating a potion that allowed him indefinite life (before the Cult had discovered methods that could reliably extend life to 200-300 years, so Nagash really just added onto this knowledge).

With magical power accumulated he then began a systematic purge of the city of his brother’s supporters. He gathered up a group of young, disgruntled nobles and utilized powerful, magical diseases to kill off the upper nobility and merchants who did not support him, slowly maneuvering his cadre in position. Then, after his followers held many important positions in the city, he struck. Thutep was imprisoned inside a tomb and left to die while Neferem, Thutep’s beautiful wife, was enslaved and her son killed. This was done deliberately because Neferem was part of an ancient, traditional covenant between Nekhara and the gods, so this gave him greater power to oppose their servants  and their magic on the battlefield.

At first the rival city of Zandri, which had been gaining in power over the centuries and whose ruler wanted to usurp Khmeri’s importance, claimed Nagash had committed sacrilege (Which he had by this point, multiple times) and attacked. Nagash waited until his army had left the city, sailed his fleet down a river, and sacked the unprotected city. While this doesn’t shocking at first Khmeri traditions had dictated for centuries that this was never done, that hostages were taken and tribute paid. Instead Nagash enslaved the city, headed to the desert  and (with Zandri’s supply lines cut off) killed much of the army through attrition before destroying it. After this he used his new power base to force all cities in Nekhara to pay him tribute so he could build his Black Pyramid, a pyramid which would be infused with Death Magic and would draw from all over the land to one central, controllable location. The effort of building it took almost 200 years and 60,000 dead, who were built into the pyramid to increase its potency.

 At this point, upset priests in Khmeri finally launched a coup that nearly succeeded in killing Nagash, but ultimately failed to account for his new power. The coup was bitterly crushed and Neferem, who by now hated Nagash for the death of her son and husband, was twisted into a horrible undead creature. He then utilized all the magic his pyramid had accumulated over two hundred years to wipe out 2/3 of Nekhara priesthood overnight.

Needless to say this finally galvanized the rest of Nekhara into action. Most of the cities combined and led great armies against him, yet Nagash was ready. As his force was now undead and had little need of physical needs, and as much of the surrounding terrain was desert he waged a brutal war of attrition with these armies. Wells and any other food stuff was deliberately defiled so the enemy couldn’t use it. Ambushes were frequently set up using either dead bodies hidden in a clever location of the enemies’ own dead. Betrayal was encouraged and many cities were wiped out.

Yet Nagash , who had hereheto been winning and was on the verge of destroying Marak, was betrayed by his living followers who joined together with the shattered remants of the above forces and a force that had hereheto remained neutral- the Lahimans. The Lahimans brought copious amounts of Cathayan imported firepower, which was Nagash’s first experience with the weapon. Though this ultimately bankrupted Lahima in the short run it killed the then still living Nagash.

Yet Nagash did not fall to permanent death, but rather undeath. Thanks to some of his followers he was stolen away from the battlefield, and, as they were being systematically purged by the winners of the conflict, escaped to the Desert Wastes. After years of wandering and subsisting on warpstone he found a great mountain of it and resurrected warriors to start build up a kingdom.  Starting with limited resources he then waged a century long campaign against the peoples of that land, ultimately conquering them by using his armies attrition advantages (namely he prevented them from harvesting their crops).

However there could never be any peace for Nagash, and soon a witch from one of the defeated tribes lured the skaven- who seek warpstone above all else- to the mountain(in addition a Grey Seer had visions of doom regarding Nagash and realized he must be destroyed at all costs). At first the vast skaven hordes overrun the lowest levels of the mines easily however they had only expected resistance from a few thousand skeletons only to get trapped and beaten by extreme hordes of it. Yet Nagash’s advance would get stalled as he waged his war underground, where the Skaven were able to quickly maneuver and flank his armies via tunnels, or else deploy creative technological devices. They attacked from multiple wide areas at once, forcing Nagash to split his troops and spread them out.  In addition a traitor in Nagash’s ranks of unwilling living servents was feeding the Skaven tactical knowledge, and thus even when he personally appeared on the battlefield he couldn’t break the stalemate. Indeed he actually came close to total defeat. Nagash tried everything to reverse this trend from creating giant monsters to unleashing hordes of ghouls as well as poisonous death gas but nothing worked.

However Nagash has shown he can create a genius plan if pressed, and he proved so here. He spent five years luring the Skaven leadership into a position closer to the front lines, telling his followers they would wipe them out in one strike that he himself would lead. Meanwhile a second strike would serve as a diversion to attract enemy attention. The traitor fed this information gleefully to the skaven, who positioned all their best troops for the first strike and a bunch of slaves for the second. However Nagash anticipated and planned around this, instead putting only his immediate bodyguards of 100 Wights as part of the first group along with a bunch of skelatons/human tribal allies and all of his elite troops, monsters ect as part of the second strike. The result was the second strike completely routed Skaven lines and resulted in a slaughter even as Nagash held off the Skaven leaders. The second strike force then surrounded and almost wholly annihilated the Skaven force, including most of their leaders/grey seer, and reversed fortunes of the war. As a result Nagash took back all his underground mines that he originally owned. That said it was left unclear which side would actually win the final conflict so Nagash reluctantly agreed to a peace treaty and trade. Nagash would hand them warpstone in return for monumental amounts of slaves (who were then turned into undead)

Over the next several decades Nagash again built up his force, creating a massive horde in part thanks to this trade. He sent it, along with some newly arrived vampires, to invade Nekhara and destroy it. Unfortunately Nekhara was now united and had more magic now than before. They won, albeit after a tough fight, and Nagash’s legions were destroyed (though he never left his mountain to command personally). He cursed his vampires and then had the Skaven pour poison into the key life-giving river of Nekhara which resulted in total destruction of that land. Only the King who led the coalition forces survived so Nagash could gloat at him. Then desiring a massive army he consumed massive amounts of Warp Stone, along with harnessing the potent Death Magic along the near totally dead Nehkara, to raise all of Nekhara from the grave- hence the Tomb Kings. Unfortunately this act drained him and the King, supplied with a magical sword (the Felbalde) by the Skaven (who now wanted Nagash dead at any costs and were horrified by him so much that they were briefly unified in their shared desire to kill him) , chopped him up to pieces .

It took over a thousand years for Nagash to return, but eventually he managed to resurrect. At first he attempted to take his old pyramid back only to be spurned by an extremely angry Settra and his armies. Next he went North to recover a crown of immense power in the hands of Sigmar God-King of the newly formed Empire. Nqagash’s armies were relentless, seeking to split the united empire to destroy their unity and use their massed dead to overwhelm  them. Nagash nearly succeeded and in fact his armies would have won had not Sigmar himself managed to beat Nagash in an epic duel, beating him to pieces with his magic hammer.

“Yet even among such dreadful abominations, the master of this army was clear, a towering column of fuliginous chill that seemed to draw in what little light remained to the world only to snuff it out within his immortal form.

This was Nagash, the Great Necromancer, the bane of life and undying corpse lord who had toppled empires and unleashed the curse of undeath upon the world. His dread form floated above the earth, and where he passed, the ground split apart, withered and destroyed as sable light was drawn upwards and coiled about his armoured and ragged-cloaked form. The creatures of the earth crept from the soil, crawling, buzzing and slithering away from the necromancer as his monstrous power sucked the vitality from everything around him.

Through the roiling miasma of deathly energies that surrounded him, black segments of iron and bronze could be glimpsed, shimmering coils of green light suffusing each plate, rivet and fluted line of beaten metal. A grinning skull of ancient bone loomed from the darkness, massive and long since bereft of flesh, muscle and life.”

Nagash would return once more 1300 years later in a event known as the “Night of the Living Dead”. In this night the dead rose the world over, and vampires and other undead things made temporary gain. Yet Nagash could not maintain his form, for unknown to him the Skaven’s Felblade had sapped his vitality so much that each reincarnation was weaker than the former, and he dissipated before dawn. Realizing that this eventuality needed to be covered, Nagash bid his time and planned meticulously for one final resurrection.

With Chaos rapidly spreading influence over the world, Nagash was forced to speed up his resurrection to several centuries earlier then what he had planned, using his willing servant Arkhan and unwilling servant Mannfred von Carstein to arrange his resurrection, using a ritual in which he would gain the blood and magical essences of nine deities. However the ritual was flawed, thanks to a secret affair among the Elves, and instead of gaining a potent magical buff Nagash got a curse. Though Nagash had become more powerful than ever before he was not powerful enough to enact his most powerful plan; to bind the Winds of Death to himself and gain control of all dead everywhere . This is just as well as unknown to him this plan would have gotten him killed by the Chaos Gods, since binding himself to raw magic would allow them to attack directly, but Nagash resolved to pursue the goal through slower, more cautious means.

He realized that he would need to conquer Nekehara in order to gain more power, as this would allow access to the energies stored in his Black Pyramid. After he stole much of the magical power behind the Dwarf Goddess Vayla, access given to him by Neferata in order to worm her way into favor, he used a spell to cast the entire region of Nekehara into darkness to allow his vampyric armies the ability to march unimpeded. However this action so weakened and exhausted him that he required months and thousands of sacrifices to regain a measure of his strength.

When he finally entered the war in Nekehara, whispers and promises he had sent over the centuries allowed him to turn at least two cities of the Tomb Kings over to his force. He then used the distraction of the ongoing battle of Khemri to enter his Black Pyramid, absorbing millennia worth of accumulated death magic . It was an extremely risky plan, with Nagash binding part of his soul inside Arkhan’s and then, after Arkhan was seemingly killed by Settra, allowing infiltration of Khemri inside Arkhan’s body (which Settra ordered his chiefs to completely destroy).  Traitors however had been gained among the Khemri priesthood, and with their help Nagash resurrected inside Khemri and thus infiltrated the city. With all this power gained he summoned his servant Dieter to him and entered the realm of Dreams.

There he fought Urisian, the God of the Underworld. Though Urisian was a powerful Elder God the lack of worship from real space hurt him and he could call upon fewer reservoirs of strength. Together with Dieter Nagash seized control of all the Dead in the Nekeharan Underworld, bound their spirits to him, and then vanquished the Elder God.

Nagash then teleported back in the realspace and continued his long battle against Settra, only now, thanks to the death of Urisian and the rise of Nagash to his place, the enemy necromancers could no longer resurrect their dead. In addition Nagash himself was transformed into a master combatant, and though the enemy could wound him they lacked the argmament to kill him. Nagash won, personally splitting Settra into pieces (but not killing him, something that would bite later….) and unifying the Tomb Kings and Vampire Counts into one, cohesive force.

Offensive: Alakanash, Staff of Power: In one hand he holds his ancient magical staff which is capable of storing magic inside it to boost the potency of his spells or cast more of them in rapid succession. If used in close combat this magic is directly discharged into the enemy, often obliterating them. In the other hand he wields the Zefet-Nehbar, the repurposed Felbalde that drains the life from enemies with every hit. It should also be mentioned that Nagash is strong enough to rip someone into pieces or crush a chariot.

In terms of Magic Nagash is classified as a Level 5 wizard in a system that only goes up to 4, which should speak of how strong he is as a magic user. Any necromancy spells he uses are tripled in effect- so if a normal Necromancer can bring a whole unit of Blood Dragons forward with one spell Nagash can bring even Vampire Lords back from the Dead, or bring back hundreds of corpses at once! In addition all his spells have triple the range shown in the individual spell section (so something done at 1 kilometer would be done at 3!)

Defensive: Nagash is a large target, hard to hit but also incredibly durable. He also wields magical armor that is both stronger than plate and then, in addition to that, protected by a minor magical forcefield. His special aura makes all undead in 50 meters more durable. That said he can be wounded by weapons even as mundane as bronze swords, it just takes a lot and would take a extremely long time to kill him . Cannons and the most potent magical weaponry would do more but even they would be hard pressed.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Though resented and outright hated by most independent minds in his army, Nagash rules through fear and awe over his power. Most rational minded members of his force would never dare challenge him unless presented with a very good opportunity. That said he is known for being a deeply petty and selfish creature, and this has driven his servants over the edge before. 

Adaptive Creativity: 55/100 – He’s a brilliant scholar, incorporating and inventing his own magic to put into effect. However in the battlefield he has demonstrated great skill when it comes to surprising the enemy, luring him into traps and manipulating them with clever plans. 

That said his campaigns are rarely quick ordeals but often waged over centuries, only achieving victory (or not, in the case of the Skaven) via brutal attrition. He has great difficulty in winning in a timely manner, and this has allowed foes to build up. In addition to date against foes whose power equals his own he has only recently beat Settra and the Tomb Kings; he lost to the Nekeharans three times before over the millennia, he lost to Sigmar, and was only able to tie the Skaven. He also beat tribesmen in conquering Nagashazzar, however that was both over a period of centuries and against tribesmen who were very limited. 

Tactics: 65/100:  Ngash is shown to be a decent tactician, using ambushes, flanks, encirclement and more all in his unique undead fashion. Most battles he commands he wins, however those that he lose often hurt him greatly.

Strategy: 78/100 – Nagash is brilliant, able to coordinate and carry out plans across millennia and utilize both the tried and true and innovations in this doctrine. In one particularly brilliant point he, knowing his liuetnents were betraying them to the Skaven, used that knowledge silently for five years to carefully lure all enemy leaders into one battle, sustaining losses in the meantime to ensure the conflict went as planned. When the time was right he took out the traitor, most of the enemy leadership, a large chunk of the enemy army and reversing the hereto losing conflict in one night. Attrition is a common theme in his early campaigns, and against both Sigmar and the Nekeharans he fought by wearing down their unity (or attempting to), their supplies, their troops and their morale.

Intuition: 78/100: Nagash’s schemes and predictions of enemy behavior are, more often  than not, spot on, and he is capable of grandiose plans and some foresight years ahead of time.

Audacity: 64/100: Cares nothing for risking his own troops, even valued subordinates, but will retreat if forced to preserve himself.

Psychological Warfare: 70/100:Nagash is quite skilled at lowering the morale of enemies through sabotage and is particularly noted for fostering traitors in enemy ranks, those individuals who was to gain power or mastery over death.

Experience: 87/100: Less than some of his lieutenants only because some of his time was not spent on the physical plain.

Discipline: 85/100: Though in some circumstances he gives into hubris or rage, for the most part Nagash is calm and collected in battle.

Inspiration: 80/100: Though his highest servents scheme to get rid of him, to the ghouls, necromancers and lesser vampires he is looked upon as a god. However many Tomb King soldiers would carry a great hatred of him.

Corruption: 98/100: Sociopathic evil, cares for nothing and wants to utterly destroy all life and independent creatures, replacing it with beings completely bound to him. Servents, even loyal ones, are readily sacrificed at Nagash’s calculating whim.  He does genuinely believe this is a better fate for them then becoming Chaos God playthings, however.

 The Mortarchs:

Below are the Mortarchs, Nagash's chief lieutenants who lead his armies against the nations of the world. All of them have some sort of magical buff as a result of Nagash's patronage, and all of them can be resurrected by Nagash over a period of time if killed. These Liuetenants are Arkhan the Black, Krell, Mannfred and Vlad Von Carstein, Neferata, Luthor Harkon, and the mysterious Nameless. 

Arkhan the Black, Mortarch of Sacrament

Mobility: 8 (flying mount) 

Training: 10
Max Range: See magic

Preferred Range: Spell

Role: Strategic Commander

                Arkhan the Black was once a minor noble’s son, renowned for thuggery, gambling and petty crime. Then he met Nagash and with it some purpose was awakened in him, with Arkhan showing his hidden talent early on. This led to Arkhan gradually rising in power and ability, eventually becoming his vizier. Arkhan would serve Nagash well, first by helping to orchestrate a coup that put him on the throne of Khemri and then serving him well in the war that followed. It was Arkhan, guided by Nagash, that would see the destruction of the horse nomads, of Quatar and he would play a supporting in the siege of Mahrak.

 However, though the codex differs here, the books show he wasn’t entirely loyal, and as the war was ending with Nagash’s defeat imminent he allowed himself to become prisoner of the King of Lahmia. This king would then put forward the convincing rumor that Arkhan defended his master to the last, singlehandedly holding Lahmian forces until Nagash could retreat before falling in a brilliant last stand. This was a kinder fate then what befell him, as the Lahmian king and his cronies tortured immortality out of him for 150 years, until they had mastered his version of Nagash’s elixir. Eventually however Neferata found out and freed Arkhan, together creating a coup and imprisoning the king.

For a time Arkhan served as her chief commander, and there were hints that a romance could brew between them. However tragedy struck, as the king managed to bring in assassins to poison and kill the queen. In desperation Arkhan used every means available to him, ultimately (and accidently) creating the first vampire via a mixture of poison, sorcery and divine blood. As at first it seemed like she truly died  and would not resurrect Arkhan fell into a rage, killed the king in a terrible fashion, and then was butchered by Abhorash, the King’s guard.

His story resumed several hundred years later, when Nagash resurrected him. Arkhan sped to his masters side, serving as his aide during the war and coordinating the war in Nekehara. However at this point Nekehara was united by its strongest king since Settra, and though Arkhan’s army made initial gains, it failed. In a wraith  Nagash made a deal with the Skaven to spread his own concocted poison in the lands, and this led to events that saw Nagash’s first defeat. When Nagash arose a second time Arkhan was also there to serve, though Nagash was again beaten by Sigmar.

In between this time Arkhan wandered aimlessly across the world, fighting all sorts of battles and even waging a thousand year war against Araby at one point. Back in Nekehara, his own citadel of the Black Tower was nearly perpetually under siege by Settra, who hated him and wanted him gone. However Arkhan’s sorcery allowed him to match Settra’s tactical genius, resulting in endless stalemates and as Settra was too prideful to ask other kings for help each conflict ended with Arkhan swearing fealty to Settra once again, with the King of Khemri knowing it was a ruse but unable to do anything. In the meantime however, when Nagash guided him, he slowly assembled the objects needed to bring about resurrection. 

In the events of End Times Nagash, Arkhan formed an Alliance with Mannfred von Carstein to ensure the resurrection of his master, Nagash.  After combing his artifacts with Mannfred’s  it was he who temporary broke the Barrier of Faith’s hold on Sylvannia, allowing two forces to leave at the cost of one of Mannfred’s nine captives. It also fatally weakened Mannfred’s Spell of Darkness, as Arkhan had known it would, and ultimately forced the treacherous vampire to commit to task.  Mannfred headed south to the Border Princes while Arkhan returned to Brettonia, seeking to recover Nagash’s staff. He was aided in this by the instability his support of Mallublade’s rebellion had caused, but it would still be a tough battle regardless.He found common cause with Krell and, more reluctantly, the Necromancer Kremmler.

 Together the three raised a large army in the march to Brettonia, spoiling ancient houses of the dead. They cast aside minor armies that were sent to stop him, before cumulating in an assault on La Maisontaal abbey. Arkhan sought to defeat the enemy by overwhelming their strongest point with massed force, forcing a grueling slugfest that included Kremmler trying to betray Arkhan (and Nagash) for the Chaos Gods. Though his tactics left much to be desired, Arkhan ultimately won, beating both the Brettonians and killing Kremmler.

During his travel back he was constantly beset by Beastmen, who in, a rare act of coordination and foresight, had killed and eaten every human miles around. Arkhan’s force only just made it through the vast hordes, and he was forced to concede- between this and random daemon invasions of Mallublade’s realm that had extreme potency- that the Gods of Chaos were doing everything possible to stop Nagashs resurrection.

In the following siege of Heldenflame, Arkhan formed a diversionary force, besieging the great citadel and overcoming the walls with overwhelming numbers and magic. Though his force was decimated by charging knights this was as planned, and his ally was able to use the distraction to retrieve the final artifact. Arkhan then set up the final ritual to bring back Nagash, timing it during an Elf attack to delay Mannfred’s inevitable treachery.

After Nagash’s resurrection, Arkhan then served a supporting role during much of his invasion of Nekehara, helping to coordinate the invasion forces from afar. He took a direct role towards the end of the campaign, convincing some Tomb Kings to turn traitor and join Nagash, using diplomacy rather than force.  

===LOADOUT===
Offensive: Arkhan knows spells from Lore of Death and Undeath, being a level 4 wizard. Furthermore, as the Mortarch of Sacrement, Nagash has buffed him with double the range for all spells. He Wields the Staff of Spirits, an arcane weapon capable of storing excess magic in it, and Zefet-Kar, a Tomb Sword that has vampyric qualities allowing Arkhan to absorb health from those he kills.

Defensive: Some armor and spellcraft. Can regenerate wounds with magical buff as well as sword.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Arkhan rides a Dread Abyssal- a giant, undead hound of Nagash- known as Razarak, Doom of Traitors. It can fly and is known for its caution, praying upon enemies from lofty perches.
It should be mentioned that Arkhan is probably the most loyal of Nagash’s disciples barring Krell, and is counted as Nagash's right hand, though it’s possible that the daughter of the Everqueen implanted something in him that might cause that to change….

Adaptive Creativity: 60/100:

Tactics:63/100: In his long centuries of service Arkhan had mastered a myriad of tactical techniques from across the world, but the majority of the time he limits himself to the Nekeharan way of overwhelming the enemy’s strongest point with overwhelming force. If necessary he can change strategies, such as the time he launched a feigned assault on Heldenflame to draw attention from Mannfred’s forces.

Strategy : 62/100: Arkhan’s foresight is enough that, in his long travels, he littered the land with elite wights, so that if he turned hundreds of years later he would have troops to call upon. However much of his strategic decisions are made for him by Nagash.

Intuition: 80/100: Thanks to sheer experience Arkhan has seen it all, and is expert at predicting the enemy or his allies’s betrayal.

Audacity: 92/100: Has no issue with sacrificing his entire army, even himself, for Nagash. Indeed the latest texts imply he is glad to do so, as it offers hope he may end his existence.

Psychological Warfare: 73/100: Arkhan is capable of great diplomacy, from convincing enemies to work with him to inciting betrayal. He has also seen it all and counted among his acquitances the most devious creatures in the Warhammer verse.

Experience: 95/100: Almost 5,000 years’ worth of experience, including innumerable conflicts such as a thousand year war.

Discipline: 80/100:

Inspiration: 60/100: The dead serve him mindlessly, while the living necromancers flock to him in the hopes of learning as much knowledge as they can.

Corruption: 79/100: Arkhan follows the dictates of his master unquestionably, though in regards to his persona any inherent desire for cruelty has been long burned away.Given the choice, he will generally quickly clean rather then abuse, and only seeks an end to all things as he views its genuinely in their best interests. In other words he only sees two futures for this world, Nagash and the Chaos Gods, and would rather the former occurs .

Krell, Mortarch of Despair 

Mobility: 5 (sometimes known to ride Zombie Dragons)

Training: 9
Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

Role: Strategic Commander/Beserker 

“A full head and shoulders above his tallest rival, Krell was clad in brazen plates of ancient iron so stained with blood that their original colour was impossible to gauge. A great skull rune was stamped or branded into his chest, and Markus’s courage deserted him at the sight of it. Great horns of bone extended from the monstrous warrior’s helm and Markus saw Krell’s face was a skeletal horror of yellowed bone and leathery flesh. A hideous emerald glow burned in his empty eye sockets, and any warrior brave enough to meet his gaze saw the manner of his death there.

A vast axe with a blade of utter darkness swung out and a dozen men died, their bodies hurled through the air like corn stalks at threshing time. The red-armoured warrior bludgeoned its way through the Bloodspears, hacking them down with insane ferocity and without mercy. Khaled al-Muntasir watched the slaughter impassively, as though bored by such violence.

In seconds, every warrior of the Bloodspears was dead, chopped into ragged hunks of gory meat. It was impossible to tell one warrior’s remains from another, such was the scale of butchery. Markus ran to his wife and daughter, gathering them to him and shielding them from the whirlwind of destruction that killed his warriors.

The sword bands fared no better; cut down in a frenzy of bloodletting that left Markus horrified and disbelieving. The summit of the Morrdunn was soaked in blood, the ground sodden with the vital fluid of a hundred men, slain in less time that it would take to count them. The slaughterman returned to Khaled al-Muntasir’s side, a constant stream of blood pouring from the black blade of his axe.”- Heldenhammer

Krell was born several centuries before Sigmar to a tribe of Northerners, where he quickly proved himself the most violent of a violent kind. Proclaiming his loyalty to Khorne Krell conquered a small empire in this time period, even managing to besiege and destroy two  Dwarf Holds (one of the few capable of doing so). For a time it appeared that Krell stood on the cusp of daemonhood, for such was his success and favor among his god.

Yet the Gods of Chaos are fickle things, and when Krell was eventually killed in battle with the Dwarfs after a 50 year war he did not join the glorious afterlife of eternal war- as a daemon prince or even a bloodletting. Instead Krell’s soul stood in the ground and rotted, his anger growing every year over the god’s abandonment. When Nagash strolled through his gravesite hundreds of years later, Krell eagerly forswore Khorne and vowed eternal servitude, in return for being able to spread slaughter everywhere in Nagash’s name. Nagash, eager at his new acquisition, also resurrected the rest of the tribesmen from Krell’s day as wights, forming the Doomed Legion.

In the war against Sigmar, Krell served the role as Nagash’s chief sub-commander and served on the front line in nearly every battle. In the final battle he nearly destroyed Sigmar’s Dwarf allies with the Dwarfs only being sparred after Sigmar struck Nagash down in a magical duel. Krell escaped and for months singlehandedly ravaged the countryside. In the end Sigmar and his friends were only just able to imprison him.

Eventually he broke out and accompanied Necromancer Kemmler around the world, though neither was certain which of the other was master. Together they stormed Athel Loren, fought numerous battles against the Brettonians, and only barely escaped the wrath of Gotrek and Felix!

In End Times, Krell palyed a pivotal role in ending the siege of La Maisontal Abbey, mainly by killing everything in his path. Later, after Nagash was resurrected, Krell was sent to find and capture Neferata. He first saved her life by ordering a horde of bats to distract the Chimera about to kill her before rushing into combat himself and killing the mighty beast in just a few blows (something Neferata was struggling to fight).The attacking goblins around them were routed.  He then joined Neferata on the way to Vayla’s gate, serving as the competent commander of the expedition whereas Neferata’s arrogance and inexperience caused great problems. Having fought Dwarfs many times in the past, Krell’s experience proved beneficial in the battle of Vayla’s gate, where he worked to prevent his troops from getting bottled up in the Underway’s caverns and instead fight the Dwarfs in wide, open terrain.

It was a grueling battle, made worse by the joining of both a second army of Dwarfs and a huge horde of Night Goblins. Yet as Night Goblins were inherently opposed to the Dwarfs, the two forces hamstrung g each other and ultimately helped allow for Krell to prevail. As a coup de grace for the battle Krell killed and beheaded the Dwarf king.

When it came time for Krell to help invade Nekehara, he was given the Northern and most dangerous route, waging a grueling war against King Phar in the process. With unrelenting and single-minded drive Krell marched through swamp, desert, and constant fights with Orcs/Goblins, losing many to these hazards but never once stopping.

When Krell finally reached Numas, he was forced to contend with King Phar on a poisoned rivar plain. It was here, where Phar’s army had all the advantages, that Krell revealed his tactical mastery. Rather than use the safe option to retreat and redeploy, Krell boldly continued his main thrust, sending his force under the river to begin the assault. To slow the enemy down and allow his troops more time to assemble and mass on the other side of the river, Krell sent thousands of flying units to harass and delay Phar’s entire army.

Even with this, the superior quality and initial quantity of Phar’s force was clearly winning out. Krell adjusted, using his necromancers and the superior power boost offered by Nagash to amass a bridgehead, even resurrecting dead skeletons on the Tomb King side after the souls of the Nekeharan had left it (but before they themselves could be revived) .Varghulfs were sent in to break the lines of the more Elite Tomb King unit. However King Phar was a genius tactician also and deployed a surprise chariot rush with secret orders to use the Clash to kill as many necromancers as possible. With the majority of the dozen of Krell’s necromancers down, the superior numbers of Phar’s allowed him to keep up with the more powerful of Krell’s and thus began a long period of feints and ruses, with Krell slowly moving southwards. For months there was a virtual stalemate.

Krell ultimately achieved victory through the summoning of ancient Morghasts; flying creatures fast enough and powerful enough to cleave through Phar’s mobile chariots in a single blow. Phar retreated back to Khemri where the final battle would begin. Even knowing that his army would likely be destroyed in the attempt, Krell obediently followed Nagash’s instructions to the letter, focusing only on maximizing destruction.

===LOADOUT===

Offensive: The Black Axe of Krell:When the Black Axe of Krell bites into flesh, it leaves behind jagged shards that swiftly eat their way into the victim 's heart. The vast majority of the time this offers a lingering death, though a few (like Gotrek) can live through it. Counts as a magic weapon. 

Krell is a renowned fighter, able to fight through hundreds of lesser foes at once (though, in this incident, many lacked the means to penetrate his armor) and always accepts challenges by enemy champions. 

Defensive: Armour of the Barrows: The passage of the ages has strengthened rather than weakened this elaborate Chaos plate armour. Such is the aura of entropy that surrounds it that it has the power to decay the magic of enemy weapons in an instant.Essentially its extremely powerful, anti-magic plate, though powerful enough magical weapons (such as Gotrek's axe) will get through it. Also as Mortarch of Despair, anytime an enemy is made to flee the resulting fear feeds Krell and helps him regenerate wounds.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Krell is known as Nagash's left hand and other then Arkhan (perhaps0 is the msotl oyal of Nagash's followers. 

Adaptive Creativity: 80/100:In the campaign against Khemri, it was proven time and again that Krell, though single-minded, can quickly and effectively adapt to  whatever situation arises nearly instantly in a calm manner.

Tactics: 78/100: Despite his reputation for being a beserker, Krell is a competent and capable tactician. He has won most of the battles that he fought and carries out the art of battle instinctively, including using himself as a powerful piece on the board.

Strategy: 71/100: Krell is so incredibly single-handed to carrying out war that he literally allows nothing to distract him, and contrary to his berserker origins he only fights when he absolutely needs to. Though he does not engage in sabotage, magic, or other forms of pre-battle manipulation, he is incredibly dedicated and suited for the task of commanding armies with maximum efficiency.

Intuition: 70/100:

Audacity: 85/100: Though Krell fights on the frontline often, it is often to force a break in the enemy position, and he will retreat and restrain himself if necessary.

Psychological Warfare: 56/100: Other than the inherent fear his mass slaughter causes, he does not engage in psychological warfare.

Experience: 85/100: A millennium of constant fighting at least.

Discipline: 87/100: Even in the face of total destruction Krell shows no fear, though occasionally (not much anymore) he does indulge in his beserker side.

Inspiration: 70/100: While the undead mindlessly serve him, Krell seems to command a healthy respect and command among sentient followers.

Corruption: 82/100: Though Krell retains some aspects of his bloodthirsty nature, he does not show elements of malice and is methodical in everything he does.  

Mannfred von Carstein, Mortarch of Night

Mobility: 8 (flying mount)

Training: 8
Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: Spell

Role: Strategic Commander

Though Manfredd lacks the vision of Vlad, he is probably the most cunning of the Von Carsteins.He was ever a schemer, manipulating behind the scenes for centuries before trying his hand directly. Though he loved Vlad in the weird way that Vampires do, he orchestrated the death of his blood father by ensuring the Sigmarites found, and then stole his resurrection ring. He then, from behind the scenes, systematically had his servants arrange the deaths of other Von Carstein would-be rulers, playing upon the paranoid nature of Konrad to help draw him into madness. Simultaneously he traveled far and wide to the Nekehara, Castle Drachenfels to get his necromantic blade, and Nashizzar.

When it came time for Manfredd to take over, he played cautiously, using his mastery of knowledge to first gather information. First he slew all remaining contenders in one night, and then formed a semi-alliance with the Lahmians, using them and his own forces to help destabilize the Empire from within. He spent a decade slowly luring more vampires to his force, building up his armies by seeking out hidden Wright barrows. Eventually, when the Empire was in the midst of a civil war, he launched a grand assault, attacking in Winter when campaigning season was over. Several hastily organized armies were defeated and in six months Mannfredd nearly conquered Aldtorf- had not the Sigmarite theologonist , to Manfredd’s surprise, use a book of Nagash to destroy Mannfred’s army at the gates of the city.

Reeling from this but not finished, Mannfred retreated. He attempted to capture Marianburg however after a several year siege, was forced to retreat after large relief force drove him off. He then retreated into Sylvannia, fighting a long war of attrition. Some armies sent against him were destroyed however, eventually, Mannfred’s own force was worn down by the combined force of five provinces and a Dwarf army. Mannfred himself was killed, and remained in such a state for 500 years.

Then, through a convoluted plot to bring Vlad von Carstein back (prematurely), a cult accidently brought back Mannfred, the last person they wanted to bring back. With the unintentional help of adventuring duo Gotrek and Felix he killed the cult, however when he tried to kill them he was beaten back and had to flee. For the next twenty years he would stay in the background, watching and observing the state of the world, occasionally manipulating things. He secretely built strongholds during this time.

When two rival Empire provinces sought to claim Sylvannia as its own, he used agents to stroke the fires into an active conflict. Civil War arose and Mannfred gleefully used this conflict to acquire more dead, and occasionally turn particularly ruthless or bloodthirsty  soldiers that emerged into vampires. Nobles that favored peace disappeared and an attempted wedding between the dynastic leaders ended in murder, courtesy of the bride slitting her husband’s throat while under Mannfred’s hypnosis. Eventually there was a victor, but the victor was too weak to properly patrol or control Sylvannia.

Meanwhile Mannfred buried himself in ancient Nagashi lore and traveled to Nagazzshar itself to see what was once Nagash’s mighty fortress. It was there he felt Nagash’s spirit trying to manipulate him but shrugged it off, believing himself stronger then the spirit. This arrogance led him to believe that not only should he aspire past Vlad’s ambitions, to control all Human realms (and Vampire) rather than just the Empire, as well as to resurrect Nagash and bind him as a servant. Believing himself manifestively superior, Mannfred did not consider the possibility that he was being manipulated by Nagash to pursue this end.

The first step was to sabotage High Elf-Dwarf-Human relations, for he believed that such an alliance could destroy any hope he had of conquest. When the child of the Everqueen was abroad on a diplomatic mission with the Dwarfs in a rare attempt to make amends for millennia of hatred he spread word to all Greenskin armies in the area that they were marching through. These greenskins, spoiling for a fight as always and fondly remembering Elathion the Grim’s attempted campaign to wholly exterminate them, attacked the joint Dwarf-Elf force en masse as they were heading back to Ulthuan after successful negotiations. This force was repelled with heavy losses however afterwards Mannfred, allied with Necromancer Kremmler and Wight King Krell, launched a second, more devastating assault using both their own amassed armies and resurrected orks. After a great battle the Elf/Dwarf force was eventually overwhelmed and massacred, with heavily armored Dwarf zombies being used to break the final Elf lines. The news went out that the Elf princess was kidnapped while under the protection of Dwarven honor guard. Though both forces tried several times to rescue the princess from Mannfred’s clutches, even defeating him on occasion, the damage was done.

Mannfred then broke away from the Empire, sending a succession notice to them and then stealing Nagashi artifacts that were kept in their vaults. As he predicted, the Empire did not stand for this and, again as Mannfred predicted, sent a crusade led by Volkmar to destroy them. Over a period of weeks Mannfred whittled down the force through attrition before ensuring the capture of Volkmar, the last and most important part of his ritual. With representatives of nine holy bloodlines in captivity, Mannfred created magic that spread his realm in perpetual darkness. He sent out an order for all Vampires to join him, intending to gradually increase the magical potency until it covered the entire Empire.

However then Mannfred was foiled by two circumstances. The first was the onset of the End Times, and massed daemonic invasions absolutely everywhere, including Sylvannia. This left him precious little time to consider an invasion elsewhere. Not that he would be able to because it was soon seen that High Magical Patriarch Gelt, with some unseen and unknown daemonic help, created a massive “faith barrier” that prevented vampires or undead  from leaving Sylvannia- but not from entering. This was intended to serve as a cage as Empire armies massed to destroy the caged vampires. Though the fall of Kislev put an end to the prospect of an Imperial Invasion, the barrier of faith remained, much to Mannfred’s frustration.

Then Arkhan arrived, proposing to Mannfred the prospect of an alliance to bring back Nagash that would allow both of them and the world at large the power to styme Chaos advances. Mannfred had no prospect of serving Nagash but then saw a opportunity to turn things around and use Nagash as a puppet. Under those, circumstances he agreed, not suspecting that Arkhan saw through him in an instant. After Arkhan was able to temporarily break the barrier of faith Mannfred headed south to recover the Felblade of the Skaven, the weapon previously used to destroy Nagash.

After ensuring that no Imperial survived to mark his passage, Mannfred entered the Border Princes expecting little trouble but surprised to find it under constant attack by the Skaven. He intervened, eager to ensure that a realm bordering his remained independent of the vermin, but found that he became the main object of Skaven attention. For the rest of the campaign he faced such constant attacks that he was forced to raise greater and greater hordes of undead, using the abundant rats and occasional orc tribes to do so.

This ultimately cumulated in a grueling battle with Clan Mordkin, where Mannfred practically flooded Skaven tunnels with Zombies. The Skaven rose up to fight with all the ferocity of a cornered rat, only being pushed back by sheer weight of numbers. They fought a guerrilla campaign in the underground, trapping the undead force with Chasms, using rickety technology, and various hired clans. Mannfred kept up the war of attrition and occasionally personally intervened to adapt, such as creating a giant skeleton bridge and showing the Skaven why they should not build a fortress from the bones of a dragon.

He returned to Sylvannia and together with Arkhan launched a assault on Heldenflame. Whereas Arkhan provided a diversionary massed assault Mannfred first used ghosts and vargheists to weaken enemy resistance, before leading a quick assault himself. After killing the enemy commander personally Mannfred made off with the last artifact of Nagash. As Arkhan set about creating a ritual to bring back Nagash, Mannfred was forced to defend his realms from five different armies. The largest, the Beastmen and Dwarfs, he expertly maneuvered into each other’s path, causing them to fight each other in a truly cataclysmic battle that utterly destroyed the Beastman force, and forced the Dwarfs to retreat with 80% dead. In the forests spirit attacks wore down the resilience of the Wood Elves, though the majority of the force escaped.

When Marcus Lietdorf of Sigmar’s Blood grew impatient with his High Elven allies and marched ahead, Mannfred struck and annihilated the Empire force. However his last enemy proved particularly frustrating, defeating attempts by Mannfred’s captains to stall them and eventually arriving on the ritual site.  They assaulted the ritual directly, forcing Mannfred to delay his plans to cease the ritual for his own purposes (he sought to bind Nagash to himself and become master) as he had to fight first an Elven archmage and then, in a climatic duel, Elathion the Grim. Though Mannfred had severe speed, strength, and reflexes, Elathion had iron discipline and superior skill. Elathion defeated, but didn’t bother to kill, Mannfred, and thus the vampire could not sabotage Arkhan’s ritual to bring back Nagash. Reluctantly, Mannfred bent a knee to his new master.  

In the invasion of Nekehara, Mannfred led the northernmost army which was smaller than the other two but with a greater population of elite forces. He was ambushed in the midst of the desert, too caught up by scheming against Nagash and Vlad to pay attention as his scouts mysteriously turned to sand. As a result and of not knowing his terrain, he walked into an ambush with the entire Tomb King army emerging from the sands! The battle was viscious and Mannfred was described as perfomring admirably in every part of the battle, nearly single-handily keeping his army in operation. Yet eventually the strain because too much, and thanks to the mass damage inflicted in early parts of the battle von Carsten was forced to retreat.

In the end Mannfred von Carstein was saved only by Luthor Harkon’s random intervention; in which he personally cut down the Liche Priest of the enemies’ army, thus halting replenishment and reinforcements.

===LOADOUT===

Offensive: Mannfred is a level 4 wizard who knows the Lore of Death, Undeath and Vampires. Furthermore thanks to being Mortarch all his spells have double the normal range and can use magic, in liue of casting a spell, to power himself and make him stronger, faster ect.

In melee he is a vampire with various powers (including mental domination) and strength to rip people to pieces. In one hand he wields Gheistvor, stolen from the ruins of Drachenfel’s castle, that transmutes souls into necromantic power and allows him to use more spells.

Defensive: Mannfred, in addition to having vampire traits, wears the Armor of Drakendorf that boosts his durability and serves as enchanted plate armor.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Mannfred might be the least loyal of the Mortrarchs, even though Nagash trusts Neferata the least. He actively seeks to (covertly) undermine first Vlad von Carstein, to win back Sylvannia, and then move onto Nagash himself. He is extremely vain and believes himself the only true rule of the world. 

In combat he rides the Dread Abyssal Ashigaroth, which like other Dread Abyssals can fly. This particular abyssal specializes on slaughtering the meak.

===X-FACTORS===

Adaptive Creativity: 78/100: Mannfred is extremely creative and resourceful, undermining what he can from behind the scenes via subtle means and manipulation. On the battlefield his ability to quickly respond to various threats is noted for singlehandily forestalling the outcome of even battles with a foregone conclusion.

Tactics:65/100: Mannfred is a skilled tactician, and unlike most Undead commanders he prferers to rely on small, elite forces, though invariably he is forced to resort to larger. Though many are his defeats, even then he can make victory for the enemy a extremely difficult task.

  

Strategy: 71/100: Mannfred’s long term plans are subtle, hard to immediately fathom, and usually successful. He is extremely patient and takes the long view towards warfare. Furthermore unlike most other vampires it is noted that he can actually acknowledge and learn from mistakes in the past (rather than blame on others) and will willingly retreat if outmatched, yet do so in a manner that wins him the most advantage. Attrition, psychological warfare, and sown dissention are trademarks of his campaigns.

Intuition: 76/100: Can use spells to see into the future and is extremely good at discerning others emotions and thoughts.

Audacity: 64/100: Mannfred is wise enough to know when to retreat when outmatched, and will take pains to bring his army with him. In fact he generally won’t even join battle unless he is absolutely sure it is necessary and minimum risk to himself.

Psychological Warfare:77/100:  Among other feats he successfully manipulated a minor civil war into being that lasted decades, slowly orchestrated the insanity of Konrad von Carstein via well-placed sources and playing on paranoia, and is an expert at reading people. As a backup option he can use his powers to bewille or mind control someone.

Experience: 90/100: Likely around 3000 years.

Discipline:79/100:  Though very rarely Mannfred might give into a temper or show bewilderment in the face of a vastly powerful foe, for the most part he is extremely calm and collected even when battle is near or has been lost. Even in the face of his first death he showed courage and calmness.

Inspiration: 59/100: Some other vampires look up to him even as they scheme, and of course his troops follow mindlessly.

Corruption: 89/100: Though arrogant , homicidal and sometimes prone to play with his food, Mannfred does tend to try and limit the amount of trauma he inflicts on his subjects, and very rarely might show something approaching mercy.

Vlad von Carstein, Mortarch of Shadow

Mobility: 8 (On mount, can shapeshift into swarm of bats)  

Training: 7-9  

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: Melee

 Role: Strategic Commander

Vlad von Carstein’s early origins are a mystery, only that he is hinted to be many millennia years old, possibly alive even when Lahmia was still in existence. His first documented appearance is his ascension to the throne of Sylvannia in 1797, marrying the daughter of the ruling count just as he was on his death bed. Though at first this marriage with the daughter, Isabella, was just one of convenience he later came to genuinely love her, and made her his vampire queen. He quickly moved to take control of the chaotic province, using his legion of shadowy minions to off bandits, rival nobles, and other threats to his native realm.

In the beginning he was supported in these endeavors fully by the peasants and indeed was quite popular among them. This was due to Vlad lacking the cruelty that so defined the other counts. Though ruthless when ruthlessness was required (to the dissident nobles), he did, for the most part, allow peasants to continue their lives as they have always done. He did not subject them to abuse, as vampire counts in the past and future would, however nor did he advance their interests. Though the lives of Vlad’s get would ultimately make the lives of peasants of terrible, for a time things were the best they had ever been in Sylvannia.

However Vlad was not satisfied with control of one province and desired the whole nation. This was, at least in part, because of the vampire’s own ambitions however also a genuine desire to end the Chaos and civil wars rampant at the time.  Using a Storm of Magic on the night in which the Chaos Moon was high in the sky, he quickly summoned a massive army, to be headed by him and his lieutenants. Then he marched, and for 40 years he rampaged through the Empire.

He offered, at all times, a simple ultimatum: Surrender and Serve in Life, or Fight and Serve in Death. First his target was the provinces nearest to the border of Sylvania, desiring to bring them to heel. He smashed their armies after a brief resistance, and then continued North to neutralize Middenheim, followed by the rest of the Northern provinces. In all cases he waged a brutal war of attrition, constantly replenishing his force with new bodies and hounding his foes incessantly. In addition Carsten’s magical ring made it so that every time he died he would come back hours or days later.

At last only Altdorf seemingly remained to be pacified/conquered. Vlad made the same offer he always did, and though the Regent of Altdorf wanted desperately to surrender, the Grand Theolognist of the Sigmarite religion persuaded him not too. Unknown to anyone else this religious leader, Wilhelm, had made a secret with Manfredd von Carsten who revealed Vlad’s secret resurrection technique; the ring. After hiring the best thief of that era and aiding him with magic, Manfredd/Wilhelm succeeded in their task and stole the ring. Vlad fell into a fit of rage and assaulted the capital. He very nearly succeeded in achieving total victory yet, in the end, Wilhelm sacrificed his life to destroy Vlad, ending with them both impaled on the same spike. Isabella, despairing of her husband’s death, committed suicide soon after.

Yet his legacy didn’t die, and he was commonly considered one of the best vampires to ever exist. Nagash too considered him powerful, and this would later influence his decision to resurrect Vlad 500 years later, which allowed him to gain a powerful servant. Doubtless he likely wanted to keep Mannfred wary by contesting the control he had even in Sylvannia. For his part Vlad was unafraid of the Lord of the Undeath and only gave his service on the condition that Nagash use his phenomenal magical mastery to resurrect his wife, Isabella.

Vlad was appointed Nagash’s Mortarch of Shadow and sent North to delay the forces of Chaos, working with fellow Mortarchs Walach Harkon and the mysterious Nameless. Vlad hated them both, for Harkon was obsessed with challenging everything he found and later fell to Chaos while the Nameless was needlessly cruel and jeopardized everything. Vlad aided the forces of the Empire when he could, though they were not appreciative of the help, and did everything in his power to stall Chaos’s advance. Simultaneously, he orchestrated a series of events that saw the corruption of Supreme Patriarch Gelt, using both a mixture of vampiric (sublte) compulsion and persuasive arguments to bring Gelt into his fold.. Alas the campaign was jeopardized when Walach nearly killed Emperor Karl Franz, and though Walach himself was killed, Chaos managed a breakthrough.

Later, when Altdorf was under siege, Vlad led a release force to try and break it. He had a multitude of reasons for doing so; he wanted to legitimately be recognized as the Count of Sylvania by the Empire’s government, he needed their resources to look for the body of Isabella and of course, he was following the direct orders of Nagash. However he refused to intervene unless invited to do so by the Imperial government.  Eventually, after the siege had reached a climax, the prideful vampire was finally invited in by the desperate Riechsmarshal Kurt Hellborg. Using powers borrowed from Nagash, an ongoing storm of magic and his own formidable might he raised the dead of the entire city and for a while halted the Chaos attack entirely. He may have even prevailed, for he beat one of the three Glotkin in a duel. Alas he made the mistake of drinking the Follower of Nurgle’s blood which polluted him and was forced to flee.

"Arkhan turned back as Nagash stepped close to the blood and, without hesitation, plunged his arm in. There was a sound like the ocean’s roar and the crash of thunder, and then Nagash jerked something out of the blood and tossed it aside. As it struck the ground, Arkhan saw that it was a human figure, flesh stained red.

The blood splashed down and lost all cohesion. The figure lay on the ground, curled into a ball. Nagash reached for it, as if to shake it to wakefulness. A bloodstained hand snapped out, seizing his wrist. Nagash paused.

A voice, hoarse with disuse, said, ‘I… live.’ The figure uncoiled and rose awkwardly, as Nagash jerked his wrist free and stepped back. Beneath a mask of dried blood, feral, handsome features twisted in confusion as dark eyes gazed down at clawed hands in incomprehension. ‘I live? I-I… Isabella?’

The eyes flickered up as Mannfred at last tore himself free of his captors and lunged towards Arkhan. Unprepared, Arkhan could only stumble back as Mannfred tore his tomb-blade from its sheath and shoved him back.

‘No,’ Mannfred wailed, ‘No, not again, never again!’ He hurtled towards the newcomer, his stolen sword licking out to remove the latter’s head.

The newcomer sprang aside, stumbled and dived for one of Nagash’s warriors. He ripped the archaic blade from the wight’s belt and whirled about, bringing his newly procured weapon up just in time to block Mannfred’s next blow.

‘You,’ he said, eyes narrowing as they fixed on Mannfred’s contorted features. Thin lips peeled back, revealing an impressive mouthful of fangs.

‘I killed you once, old man. I can do it again,’ Mannfred shrieked.

Arkhan moved to break up the duel, but stopped at an imperious gesture from Nagash. The Undying King wanted to see what happened next. The two vampires lunged towards each other, their blades connecting in a screech of metal. They spun in a tight circle, their swords locked together. For a moment, Arkhan thought Mannfred had the advantage. The other vampire seemed weak, uncertain… But then, slowly, steadily, he began to gain the upper hand. Arkhan realised that he’d been feigning weakness, in order to draw Mannfred in.

Mannfred was too blinded by rage to see what his opponent was up to. He lunged, and the other vampire performed a complicated manoeuvre that Arkhan had last seen on the proving grounds of Rasetra more than a thousand years before, blocking the blow and disarming Mannfred all in one smooth motion. Mannfred, unable to halt his lunge, stumbled forward. His opponent’s blade was suddenly there to meet him, and it slid into his belly with a wet sound. Mannfred coughed and his eyes bulged in shock as he clawed at his opponent’s blade.

He forced Mannfred down to his knees, the sword still in his gut. With his free hand, he grabbed the back of Mannfred’s scalp and dragged his head up. ‘Where is Isabella, boy? Where is my ring?’ he hissed, glaring down at Mannfred.

‘Dead, and gone,’ Mannfred spat weakly. ‘Just as you were.’

‘You should know better than that, boy,’ the other vampire growled. He kicked Mannfred off the blade, and raised it over his head, as if to split Mannfred’s skull" -Return of Nagash

Offensive:  Blood Drinker: When this sword draws blood, the lift force ofthe victim is used to revitalise the blade's master. It is for this reason that Vlad rarely feeds the conventional way. He also is a lvel three wizard who knows the Lore of Death, Shadow, Undeath and Vampires. 

Defense: He wears plate armor and has his ring, which if he is killed will allow him to ressurect hours or days afterwards. Thanks to Nagash’s magic, Vlad makes everything in his 50m vicinity more difficult to hit with both range and melee, and enemy untis in that range suffer lower morale. This is because of Vlad’s ability to manipulate shadows, courtesy of Nagash.

“The words give life, revification of the flesh… They offer a way back for all those who have gone – imagine – with this there can be no death. Not as we know it. Not as a meaningful thing, the end of a life lived to the full. With this the dead will rise to stand at my side. If I will it they will fight at my side as I march across the Empire of mortal men. Death shall have no dominion. With these words I shall command the flesh. I shall return life where I see fit. Fight me, face my wrath, I shall kill my enemies and then raise them to fight for me as I conquer the world. With these few words I shall raise the dead from their earthly prisons. I shall speak and in speaking become a dark and hungry god. I, Vlad von Carstein, first of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania, shall have dominion over the realms of life and death. As I say, so it shall be.’”-Inheritance

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Vlad is one of the few characters who does not fear Nagash, and only serves because he thinks Nagash will bring Isabella back for him. 

===X-Factors===

Adaptive Creativity: 59/100: Though resourceful and clever in equal measure, Vlad lacks the creative genius of his get, Mannfred, and his tactics are pretty much standard.

Tactics:63/100:  Vlad wins most battles he fights, however his tactics are mostly standard. That said he does show great skill at crushing enemy morale.

Strategy: 70/100: Vlad is better here, and his plans are both long-reaching and successful at destroying the opposition over a long period of time. This is shown in his initial attempt at the conquest of the Empire, where he systematically tore apart the other province’s armies piece by piece. In the End Times he was able to coordinate his army well, for example hiding his entire force underneath a river to prevent detection.

Intuition: 65/100:

Audacity: 83/100: Thanks to his resurrection powers, he has no problem with taking to the field personally when it’s required, even dying. However he will retreat if he thinks it aids him in the long run or permanent destruction is risked.

Psychological Warfare: 70/100: He always gives his foe a surrender or die option. He makes sure the enemy and his troops knows that surrendering to him will result in their lives being saved, but defiance equals death and they must serve him in the undeath anyway. More potently he was able to engineer the corruption of Head Magical Patriarch Balshazzar Gelt, over a period of few months through reasonable suggestions engineered to bring Gelt over to his side. 

Experience: (??? At least 90+): Vlad’s full experience is unknown, and he may well be one of the original vampires. He has been documented with being alive at least a couple thousand years however and remembers ancient Nekehara, as well as meeting Nagash before.

Discipline: 82/100: Vlad’s discipline is legendary among vampires, and though required to drink blood, he is one of the few who takes both little joy in it and uses the magical properties of his sword too. However at rare times he might give into spectacular rages.

Inspiration: 69/100: Other than the mindlessly loyal zombies, Vlad can provoke loyalty even among most of his vampire followers, who are notoriously prone to backstabbing, as well as mortal levies. That said he does face resistance from individuals such as Mannfred.

Corruption: 70/100: Vlad is brutal and sees his subjects as cattle, but genuinely believes that he and his reign is the best for them. 

Neferata, Mortarch of Blood

Mobility: 8 (On mount, can shapeshift into swarm of bats)  

Training: 7

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: Spell

 Role: Strategic Commander

Born into the Lahiman royal line, Neferata was forced to wed her brother Lazzimmar, a rather incompetent man who cared not for the trivialities of ruling so long as he was the one who ruled. Unfortunately this did not bode well for Neferata, who genuinely cared for her city and was actually a extremely effective ruler as shown by the time period she ruled briefly when her brother-husband left the city to fight Nagash.  Despite her advice actually shown to be brilliant and her political aptitude excellent, her husband ignored and demeaned her. So she hatched a plot with Arkhan that saw her emerge as the dominant player, easily convincing all of her husband’s backers, even those that disliked her, to switch sides.

However she made a mistake in that she did not kill her husband. He eventually bought the most deadly poison of the land and nearly succeeded in killing her. Only a mixture of the effect of Nagash’s elixir (which they had all been taking to extend their lives) and Arkhan’s desperate sorcery, for he was enamored with her at this point, saved her life however when mixed with the deadly, magical poison it had the unexpected side effect of turning her into a vampire.

As her husband perished thanks to Arkhan, she now ruled freely over the city for the next hundred years, consolidating her power while keeping her condition hidden. She had dreams and ambitions of  Only her cousin and friend Khalida found out and challenged her to a duel. 

Though Neferata was a vampire with superior physical reactions, Khalida was a powerful, experienced warrior and was initially dominating the fight. Only by using her magic was Neferata able to turn the tide, reluctantly killing her cousin.

Her fortunes after skyrocketed for a time. Through deft political and economic maneuvering Lahmia managed to get a complete economic stranglehold over all of Nekhara. She held the heirs of kings as ransom and used spy rings to keep the other cities from unifying against her. She ultimately planned to marry Albizzicar, heir of Khemeri, and make her ruler ship over Nekhara formal. However Albizzicar rebelled upon discovering her vampyric nature and fled, eventually bringing a army back to her city.

Neferata couldn’t fight off the rest of Nekhara unified against her, and after a brief but viscious war, fled. She refused the summons of Nagash and fled from him.  Along with her handmaidens she then attempted to set up a kingdom in three different places: Cathay, Araby, and Saratosa, however each time her past caught up to her. In Cathay she moved too soon, while in Araby and Sartosa the undead forces of Arkhan and Khalida respectively drove her out. Finally, at last, she turned to Ushoran and his new kingdom.

Her old councilor initially welcomed her, as he set his kingdom up to act as a unified kingdom for all vampires. It was a odd empire, a vampire enclave where the humans living beneath had rights and were, for the most part, happy. Vampires were forbidden by law from draining humans of blood, with the exception of criminals and prisoners of war. However one day Ushoran insinuated he was a better ruler then Neferata, and as a result things took a turn for the worse.

She didn’t act immediately but slowly over centuries. Though her ability to manipulate orcs was limited, she was able to ensure a constant succession of warbosses that favored attacking Mourkain over any other land. She and her handmaidens spread whispers among the vampires and other, nearby human tribes, insinuating that Ushoran and his kingdom were weak and ripe for the taking. She spread disunity even among his court. However Ushoran was clever himself, and struck back, dominating her mentally for a time and forcing her to attack Silver Pinnacle, home of the Dwarves.

Though she rebelled soon after, she continued her assault and eventual capture of Silver Pinnacle, earning her the title “Queen of Evil” from the Dwarfs. It was there she would stay, manipulating the outside world for millennia more. When Nagash returned the first time she rejected his demands to join him, but did send a lieutenant in her place.

When Nagash returned for his third and final resurrection, more powerful than ever before, Neferata quickly realized it would be wise to worm her way into Nagash’s favor. She knew of the Archway of Vayla, demigod of the Dwarves, and sought to claim it so she could feed its essence to Nagash, giving him more power and her more favor. The Long march from Silver Pinnacle to this gate was not uneventful however, and she was ambushed by goblins on the road, nearly losing both the battle and her life had it not been for Krell. Together with the Wight King, she pressed on.

In the battle of Vayla’s gate, while she let Krell handle commanding the army, Neferata moved directly to thwart Thorek Ironbrow and his Dwarfs, only to be frustrated by the notorious magic resistance of the Dwarfs. Enraged, Neferata sent all her handmaidens in to break up Thorek and his guard, and though the guard was killed she quickly lost half of them, and then even more including her second in command, a handmaiden that had served her for 3,000 years. Yet in the end, Thorek was killed, stubbornly destroying himself in an attempt to kill as many undead around him as possible, and the battle was won.

In the Nekehara campaign , she was delegated to being a willing distraction. It was her duty to use the hate Tomb Queen Khalida had for her to lead her to Lahmia and delay her there long enough to where she couldn’t give help to Settra. In this task she succeeded, waging a bitter block-by-block war in the ruins of the Ancient city and using her magic and hidden hand maidens to wear down the Tomb King’s through attrition. Though she did lose- and would have lost her life in a duel with Khalida had it not been for unexpected intervention- she was ultimately able to retreat, forfeiting the battle but earning a strategic victory.

===LOADOUT===

Offensive: She’s a vampire and has several vampire powers, many of which deal with mind domination, speed, or beguilement. She is a level 3 wizard who knows Lore of Shadow, Death, Vampires, and Undeath.

In combat she is both strong enough to physically tear someone to pieces and wields Akhmet-Kar, a dagger that saps the enemies’ strength, toughness and reaction time every time it hits. In her other hand she wields the Aken-Seth- staff of pain- that magically endows all her magical missile and hex spells with extra, painful, potency, inflicting further causalities. She is also the Mortarch of Blood, and is known for attempting to- in combat- defeat enemy champions, turn them into vampires, and then bind them to her.

Defense: She has some armor, but her main defense is a magical allure that makes it so enemies struggle to take the shot when looking at her, while she has no such hesitation.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Neferata is a natural schemer and is least trusted by both Nagash and his second in command Arkhan, with Mannfred and Vlad both being wary of her. Khalida has a pathological hatred of her and would gladly kill her if she could.

In battle Neferata rides Nagradon, the Aveore, a Dread Abyssal with such a voracious appetite that it is noted for often overstuffing itself.

Adaptive Creativity: 65/100: .

Tactics: 38/100: When Neferata has time to properly plan months or even years ahead of time, sowing discord with her handmaidens, she can win and use even bold strategies. Sometimes this is because of battlefield tactics while other times is the result of doubt and discord the Lahmian sisterhood has sown at her behest.  However she does not usually lead directly on the battlefield and other Vampires note that she is far from the best battlefield leader nor does she lead often, believing it beneath her. In the End Times campaign she was ambushed often, repeatedly missed details that, it was noted, more experienced commanders would have seen, and failed in her battles against the Tomb Kings. In fact, in many of her battles she relied excessively on her handmaidens.

Days passed. Neferata’s mind wandered as she walked. She had ever tried to burrow into existing power structures and rise to the top through the meat of the beast, but such was doomed to failure, even as Ushoran’s rule over mortals was. Living societies would expel her even as her own flesh expelled bolts and bullets. But a dead society… Such a society she could rule forever and a day.

It was akin to Nagash’s vision, and yet not. There was no need to eat the world hollow, not when all she required was a few sips of its life’s blood. With a solid power base, without the need to waste her energies fighting rivals and assuring her own safety, there was no limit to what she might accomplish.

Images of vampiric handmaidens spreading outwards from the silent peaks of the Silver Pinnacle, dwarf gold in their saddlebags and her commands in their ears, filled her mind’s eye. She could control nations from the safety of this place; an unseen queen, ruling an invisible empire.

The world would be hers. Nations would rise and fall at her merest whisper. Her daughters would craft empires in the west to match any in the east and they would all bend knee to her as she waited in this place, which straddled the spine of the world.

Strategy: 77/100:Neferata is one of the most cunning characters in the WF universe, frequently changing up strategies and probing her foes in new ways  to achieve victory. Often her plots are multi-layered and hard to decipher. She is akin to a giant spider sitting on her throne in Silver Pinnacle, weaving plots and plans and carrying them out through surrogates. In every era that she has ruled she has shown herself a master at this. Even when in charge of Lahmia she managed to both clear up her debt to Cathay (by convincing a very ambitious Cathayan prince to become a vampire and depose his father, resulting in civil war) and create an economic stranglehold that saw Lahmia dominant over all other cities. In modern times she has agents in every city across the Old World and beyond, allowing her to exert immense influence on the nobility of the land. She has played a role in fanning the passion for crusades from Brettonia for example, so that they keep in control rogue factions like the orcs or skaven.  That said her strategies can and has failed because they become over-reliant on singular factors, like how her inability to convince Albizzidicar to be her consort saw the end of her plan to rule Nekhara.

Intuition: 70/100: Though probably capable of sorcerous foresight, her ability to read people and predict their behaviors is truly superb.

Audacity: 65/100: Has little qualms with risking troops or her handmaidens when it comes down to it, but for the most part she is cautious with her forces until the time is right.

Psychological Warfare: 83/100: Perhaps her greatest trait she is a master of sowing dissent, betrayal  and discord. In Lahmia she outmaneuvered every other ruler of Nehekara in days to achieve her cities economic dominance for a time. Entire nations, like the Strigoi Empire, have fallen thanks to carefully placed words by her handmaidens. Even factions that are difficult to conventionally manipulate or bribe, like the Orcs, can be manipulated into following her (indirect) will. On the personal level they are masters of perception, able to discern motives through the agitation of heart rates, the slightest narrowing of eyes, or twitch of a nostril.

Experience: 82/100: Neferata has over 4,000 years of experience with being a ruler, whether indirect or direct. However she has less with directly leading armies.

Discipline: 64/100: The death of her favorite handmaidens in battle can drive her to rage, but for the most part she is calm and calculating.

Inspiration: 80/100: Though traitors exist in this force, many of her followers are enthralled to her or her minions, and the rest are the mindless undead.

Corruption: 78/100: Neferata wants to guide humanity to unknown ends from afar. She or her handmaidens generally don’t seek to interfere in everyday life or mass slaughter (though this is not unheard of). 

The Nameless ( Constant Drachenfels), the Great Enchanter

Mobility: 8 (Flying, ethereal spirit)

Training: 6 (Amnesia) ; 10 (Memory restored)

Max Range: Dozens of Kilometers

Preferred Range: ^^^
Role: A commander, of sorts

“'I am like that girl in many ways. I need to take from others to continue. But she can merely take a little new blood. Her kind are short-lived. A few thousand years, and they grow brittle. I can renew myself eternally, taking the stuff of life from those I conquer. You are privileged, boy. I'm going to let you look at my face.'

He took off his mask. Oswald forced himself to look. The prince screamed at the top of his lungs, disturbing the dead and the dying of the fortress, and the Great Enchanter laughed.

'Not so pretty, eh? It's just another lump of rotten meat. It is I, Drachenfels, who am eternal. I who am Constant. Do you recognize your own nose, my prince? The hooked, noble nose of the von Konigswalds. I took it from your ancestor, the loathesomely honourable Schlichter. It's worn through. This whole carcass is nearly at its end. You must understand all this, my prince, because you must understand why I intend to let you kill me.'

 Of all the Motrarchs the Nameless may be both the most mysterious and the most powerful. Its name and its identity are a mystery to it, forgotten thanks to a recent defeat. Out of desperation to be remembered it has joined Nagash on the sole condition its identity is restored. Now, along with Vlad von Carstein, it leads the Undead Legion’s effort to styme the advance of Chaos in the North.

Yet, although it has no knowledge of its identity, others (and the reader) does. Known as the Great Enchanter of the Misty Mountains, the being known as Drachenfels was born 15,000 years ago in the midst of a great Ice Age. It was the Warhammer equivalent of a Neanderthal and lived its first incarnation as a primitive nomad in the days before either the Old Ones or Chaos had come to the planet.  However after becoming sick while in old age he was left out in the wilderness to die by his tribe. He feigned death by exposure, and when one of his tribe came close him somehow (unknown even to himself) managed to kill the man and absorbed his life energy. Ever since then Drachenfel has found that when his physical body decays he can regenerate by absorbing the life of another.

Drachenfels has lived now for 15,000 years. His goals seem to be motivated by boredom rather than anything else .  Each time he attacks the outside world, he does so merely out of boredom. He usually takes plenty of captives back, which he tortures or otherwise "plays with" in abominable ways before consuming their souls and using their flesh to keep himself spry.  Cities, nations and countless lives have perished to his whims. Since he tends to completely destroy anything he attacks, the only recorded incidents involving him in history are times that he was beaten or for some reason chose to spare the conquered. Indeed, so far it seems Sigmar is the only being who has beaten his armies in combat thus far. It took Drachenfels 1000 years to regenerate from this defeat.

When he came back he continued his dickish shenanigans, sacking cities  such as Parravon and then faking his repentance.   He put on an elaborate PR campaign of using the wealth from Parravon to pay reparations to the victims that had escaped his castle, and plead for forgiveness at the graves of those whose bodies had been recovered. After the dimwitted public accepted that he'd turned to good he invited the entire court of the Emperor to a feast at his castle. He served them wine laced with paralyzing poison, then laid an elaborate feast out in front of them which he ate very slowly to the sounds of their children as they were tortured to death just below.

“Oswald glanced at the central panels of the hanging and slashed out with his sword. The entire dusty tapestry fell and lay on the floor like a fen-worm's cast-off skin. Menesh touched his torch to it and in an instant the fire spread along its length. The next tapestry, a group portrait of the certain dreaded gods, caught too.

'Very clever, stunted lackwit,' spat Veidt. 'Burning us up now, is it? That makes a change from the traditional dwarfish knife in the small of the back.'

The dwarf pulled his knife and held it up. Veidt had his dart pistol out. There were fires all around them.

'A traitor, eh? Like dead-and-damned Ueli?'

'I'll give you dead-and-damned, scavenger!'

Menesh stabbed up, but Veidt stepped out of the way. Flames reflected in the bounty hunter's dark eyes. He took careful aim.

'Enough!' Oswald cried. 'We've not come this far to fall out now.'

'Veidt cries Ñtraitor' too much,' Rudi said sourly. 'I trust no one who can be bought as easily.'

The outlaw heaved his sword up and Veidt turned again.

'Ethics from a bandit, that's rich-'

'Better a bandit than a trader of corpses!'

'Your corpse is hardly worth the seventy-five gold crowns the Empire has offered for it.'

The pistol came up. The sword wavered in the air.

'Kill him and be done with it,' said Menesh.

This was like Veidt, and like the hot-tempered Rudi. But Menesh had been quiet until now, dodging Veidt's taunts with good humour. Something was working on them. Something unnatural. Genevieve staggered forward as someone landed on her back, pushing her face to the floor.

'Hah! Dead bitch!'

Erzbet's noose was about her neck and drawing in. She had taken her by surprise. Genevieve had to struggle to brace her hands against the flagstones, to give herself the leverage to heave Erzbet off her. The wire constricted. The assassin knew her business: beheading would work, all right. Immortality is so fragile: beheading, the hawthorn, silver, too much sunÅ

Genevieve got her hand under her, palm flat against the stone and pushed herself up. Erzbet tried to ride her like an unbroken pony, her knees digging into the ribs. Genevieve corded her neck muscles and forced breath down her windpipe.

She heard the wire snap and felt Erzbet tumble from her seat. She stood and struck out. The other woman took the blow heavily and fell. Erzbet rolled on the floor and came up, a knife in her hand. Did it gleam silver like Ueli's?

'The dead can die, leech woman!'

Genevieve felt the urge to kill. Kill the stinking living slut! Kill all these warmblood bastard vermin! Kill, kill, KILL!

'Fight it,' shouted Oswald. 'It's an attack, an enchantment!'

She turned to the prince. Whoreson noble! Sister-raping, wealth-besotted scum! Drenched in perfume to cover the stench of his own ordure!

Oswald held her, shaking her by the shoulders.

Blood! Royal blood! Rich, spiced, hot-on-the-tongue, youthfully-gushing blood!

The vein throbbed in his throat. She took his wrists in her strong hands, feeling their pulses. She heard his heart beating like a steady drum and saw him as a student of anatomy might a dissected corpse. Veins and arteries laid through flesh and over bone. The blood called to her.

How long since she had fed? Properly?” –Drachenfels illusions

A descendent of one of these children let go to spread the news would later hire a bunch of mercenaries to kill him. This failed, with most members dying cruel and spectacular deaths. Eventually only Oswald, the descendent, and the Vampire Genève remained. Genève was knocked out and the terrified Oswald was led into a deal with Drachenfels, who had decided he wanted to screw over the entire Empire. Drachenfels would allow Oswald to kill him, and in return Oswald 

would become a hero and put on a paly a couple decades later, inviting every elector count to it.

The most important individuals in the Empire attended, as well as the newly crowned Karl Franz and his son Luitpold II. The production was hindered by many spooky incidents, not the least of which was the eccentric behavior of the actors. As would be expected, Drachenfels returned to life during the play and slaughtered a fair number of the audience and cast. Genevieve and the director of the play, Detlef Sierck, were blessed by Sigmar and dealt a killing blow to Drachenfels . They thought they killed him for good, however, as it turned out, Drachenfel’s identy was lost and he was reduced to a bodiless spirit. When Nagash made a deal, Drachenfels was desperate enough to accept.

In combat the Nameless specializes in mind controlling large groups of living  people.  However unlike other, traditional forms of mind control Drachenfels only seizes the physical aspects of the brain- mentally, the victims are fully aware of what is going on only unable to stop it. Given that Drachenfels still has the same personality as before, he then precedes to do horrible things to them. One day he might decide he wants his army to march under flesh banners, and thus skins alive dozens to create enough. The next day he decides he wants bone banners, and thus has his men pull out their own bones to create one.Other acts of dickery include forcing troops to fight to the death for his amusement and having them cannibalize themselves because Drachenfels wanted to experience the sensation.

Offensive: Drachenfels in his current incarnation can take control of hundreds, potentially thousands of people at once and force them to serve as soldiers. These soldiers are described as moving awkwardly and are described as puppets, being less skilled in combat then if they could move themselves. The strong of mind, like Vlad and Gelt, can resist this.

“Captain Driest staggered to his feet. He made no conscious effort to do so, for his thoughts were still frozen in terror, but he rose all the same, jerky and uncoordinated. All around him he could see other men rising and through his haze of panic noted their confused expressions matched his own. He heard whispers in his mind, the commands of a sonorous voice whose will would not be denied. Unbidden Driest’s legs stumbled forward, carrying him back to Auric Bastion. Others came with him, their movements  as clumsy as his own, their actions guided by a creature no longer used to the limitations of physical form.”

Prior to his memory loss he was a master daemonologist(capable of rivaling even Greater Daemons with his mastery of control), master necromancer and enchanter. He specialized in driving enemies insane and getting them to kill each other, and in addition his enchantments lasted after death, ensuring he could torture his foes for hundreds of years.  Any he consumes he can gain knowledge from.

Defense: Is an ethereal spirit of immense power and has defensive spells.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Drachenfels is a bored sadist who believes the Chaos Gods are insufficiently evil for his tastes. He is a master of psychological warfare and torture, and his fellow Mortrarchs do not trust him (for good reason) yet are wary as his power dwarfs any save Nagash. Only time will tell what will happen if the Nameless discovers his former identity…..

Luthor Harkon, Vampire King of the Vampire Coast

Mobility: 5)

Training: 9

Max Range: Pistol

Preferred Range: Melee
Role: Tactical Commander

“The stretch of Lustrian shoreline known as the Vampire Coast owes its name to a luckless Norscan raiding party which, as is the way of their kind, attacked an Empire Merchant ship and took everything of value from its holds. Unfortunately for the raiders, their plunder included the sarcophagus of Luthor Harkon, a Vampire of unknown heritage. By the time the longship broke apart on the shores of Lustria, all its crew had undergone a marked change in both allegiance and vital signs.

Though stranded many thousands of miles from home, Luthor never looked back and took his newly indentured vassals on a march of conquest. He carved out a realm for himself on the eastern coast of the southern continent. The winds and currents along that stretch of coast proved to be incredibly treacherous to unwary vessels. Over time, Luthor’s army became swollen with the lifeless corpses of all manner of unfortunate mariners. Before long, the Vampire Coast had its own pirate fleet, crewed by the dead and the damned.

It is possible that Harkon might have become a great power in the world but for his colossal pride and greed. Determined to augment his magical abilities, Luthor took an expedition to the ruined city of Huatl, where he hoped to find some secret that would increase his might. It was on the third week of his excavations that his servants uncovered an undisturbed chamber, sealed tight with ancient and powerful glyphs.

Convinced that this vault concealed great secrets from him, Luthor commanded his servants to break down the doors, but the power of the glyphs thwarted him. Each time Luthor’s Zombies assailed the portal, the witchfires in their eyes dimmed and extinguished as the magic that animated them was drained away by the glyphs. Enraged, Luthor assailed the vault with his own dark magic, but the seals had been placed to defeat even the greatest of sorcerers. Faced with a direct assault, the wards responded in kind. As the chamber began to collapse around him, Harkon found that he could not break the magical conduit between himself and the glyphs – worse, he realized that they were draining not only his magical energies, but his very life force as well.

With a supreme effort, Harkon managed to break free from the glyphs and staggered outside just as the passageway collapsed. The vault was swallowed once more. The magical backlash shattered his mind and severed his connection to the Winds of Magic. Now Luthor teeters on the brink of insanity – his personality fractured in a dozen different facets that battle for dominance in his mind. In the years since, the onlycommon goal that Harkon’s various personalities have been able to work toward is that of finding a cure for his condition. To this end, he has bent his obsessions to seizing Slann artifacts, hoping they can undo the damage wrought upon him.”

In the End Times, Luthor is drafted into Nagash’s army, and is not insane enough to refuse. His first orders are to lead his navy from Lustria to Nekehara, where he was to assault the coast around Zandri simultaneously with Mannfred assaulting the north. He ended up destroying the Zandri fleet patrolling the area with superior firepower after he ordered his zombies to sneak under the waves towards the shore to neutralize the catapults. It took two days, the deployment of a brilliantly devised weapon (a ship flamethrower that used salamander sedcretions as its ammunitions) and the loss of much of his fleet, but ultimately Harkon succeeded.

However he was so fixated on looting everything that he wavered in place, ransacking many temples. It was fortunate that he did so, for Mannfred was being besieged by a Tomb King’s force nearby. Luthor ended up saving Mannfred after finding out about it by killing the main Liche Priest of the TK’s army, thus halting their reinforcements. 

Offensive: He carries a sword and a brace of pistols, and has all vampire traits. 

Defensive; The catastrophic results of Luthor’s great experiment severed him from the Winds of Magic. As such, unlike other Vampires, he has no magical abilities, beyond the power to control his Undead hordes. However, Luthor’s unusual condition means that he emanates a peculiar antimagic

field.Thus not only is he near immune to magical attacks on his person, he can easily dispel spells sent his way, and this served him against the mages of the Lizardmen. 

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS==

Luthor’s many personalities continually bicker and rage within the walls of his psyche, and his actions are guided by whichever of the many voices is currently dominant. If no single personality prevails, Harkon remains almost motionless as the battle in his mind rages. These periods of apparent calm can end in lucid moments or, more often, result in his more extreme characteristics coming to the fore.Though rarely he may act rationally, other times he becomes a crazed beserker in combat or become thoroughly evil (more evil then he was already). If hit hard enough, his dominant personality will get weakened and another will take over. 

Miscellaneous Heroes

The Red Duke

Mobility: 7 (horse)

Training: 8
Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: Spell

Role; Tactical/Strategic Commander

The Red Duke was born nearly a millennia ago in the Bretonnian province of Aquitaine. He distinguished himself very early on, in part due to his noble heritage, and in part due to the ongoing Arabyean Crusade of the time. This crusade, launched to stop the takeover of Estalia by Araby Sultan Jaffar, would see the involvement of tens of thousands of Empire and Bretonnian troops, as well as mercenaries from other places, and would be a brutal, multi-decade war .The Red Duke distinguished himself as a master strategist and tactician, and was feared among the soldiers of Araby. In fact it was insinuated that his tactical/strategic acumen was brilliant enough that much of the crusade’s success was due to him.

Alas he was nearly killed in an ambush, and only survived due to the intervention of a mysterious stranger…Abhoash. The Vampire was impressed by the Duke’s prowess in battle, and against the dying Duke’s will turned him into a vampire. His lieutenants weren’t happy, and at least one had planned to betray him, however the Duke recovered and killed his assassins and traitors. His wife however, in desperation to hide their newly born child from intrigue (which the Duke was not aware of) and told that the Duke was dead, killed herself by jumping from a tower before the Duke could return to Bretonnia.

In a rage the Duke set about purging first and his province. The opposition was crushed, and many villages utterly destroyed in gruesome manners as the Duke waged a terror campaign against what was once his charges. This campaign grew to include more of Bretonnia, as the tactical genius of the Duke allowed him to beat ever larger armies until finally only the King of Bretonnia could stand against him.  Even then the Duke was on the verge of victory, for his now vast undead army had mastery, but the Lady (goddess of the land) herself intervened, causing the clouds to break and shine a bright light in the Duke’s eyes as he was attempting to kill the king. This gave the king the opening he needed.

Believing the Duke dead for good, the King refused to burn the body of his friend against the advice of the advisors of his realm, and instead ordered a state burial. The Fey Enchantress, his mysterious chief advisor, eventually agreed, though had the coffin warded to prevent him from resurrecting again or getting out. Unfortunately for all involved the Red Duke did indeed resurrect himself- just as they had finished sealing the coffin. As he was a powerful vampire, he did not die from hunger but rather suffered every minute of it. For 500 years he was only able to remain even slightly sane by focusing on the past and thoughts of revenge.

When a cult accidently broke him out, the Red Duke immediately went on a rampage, desperate to kill those responsible for his rampage. Unfortunately they were all 500 years dead; however the Duke’s shattered mind did not let that stop him. He regressed mentally back to 500 years ago or even before, constantly reliving memories of events in his Reign of Terror or even the Arabyean campaign.

He would pursue descendants of families that betrayed him 500 years ago down, believing them to be the exact same individuals that had offended him all those years ago. Locations that had no strategic value whatsoever were besieged and then broken randomly, as the occasionally managed to rationalize the 500 year gap and lift the insanity (which never lasted long). In these periods he would behave with the extinction of Bretonnia in mind, and would move to increase his army size as much as possible. When in flashback mode any new town that was born within the last 500 years was destroyed, for the Count believed them squatters on his land, however towns that had existed back then were spared. However when he regained his sanity these would then be slaughtered.

The result was that no seer in Bretonnia could effectively predict him with magical foresight, for he was too random. Attempts to defeat him using historical methods met mixed success, for though some tactics worked others were countered by the still tactically brilliant Duke. Ultimately he was only barely defeated and forced to flee.

In the last few years he has been sighted abroad again, however none can know his objective only that he still walks the earth. Even famed adventuring duo Gotrek and Felix met and fought him, forcing the Duke to retreat however then themselves being forced to retreat by his zombie horde.

“Renar spurred his horse to the head of the column where the Red Duke and the gruesome wight-lord Sir Corbinian held conference. If the skeletal knight uttered any responses to the Red Duke’s words, it was in no such voice as Renar could hear.

‘When de Gavaudan returns we shall dispatch the knights to the left flank,’ the vampire was telling his old retainer. ‘Then we shall deploy the archers behind the dunes. When Mehmed-bey leads his Arabyans down the wadi, the cavalry shall engage him, drawing him deeper into the defile. Then, unable to advance because of our horse, unable to retreat for the press of his own men, and unable to turn right or left because of the dunes, we shall rain volley upon volley upon the heads of the foul Paynim!’

The vampire twisted his head around as the ghouls came loping back. He smiled down at the first of the monsters to reach him. ‘Ah, a hobelar bringing word from my noble vassal! You have lost your steed, my good man! Retrieve another from the remounts!’

The ghoul stopped short, his fanged face contorting in confusion as the vampire spoke. Anxiously, the creature backed away from the Red Duke.

Renar grimaced, shaking his head in frustration. What new madness was this?

‘It doesn’t have a horse,’ the necromancer snapped. ‘If you gave it a horse, it would eat it. It isn’t bringing word back from anybody. You sent it out to look for graveyards so we can steal bodies. We steal the bodies, I use my magic, they come alive and we give them a spear to stick into an enemy.’

The Red Duke turned his skeletal horse about, directing a hard stare at the necromancer. ‘How dare you ride your lord’s horse, peasant!’ The vampire gestured and Sir Corbinian shambled forwards, seizing the courser’s reins in his bony hand. The animal bucked furiously, the calming spells unable to soothe away such close contact with the wight. Renar was thrown to the road, landing on his backside. The wight-lord allowed its grip to slacken, the courser pulling free and racing away.

Renar scowled and cursed as he watched his prize run off, gold and jewels spilling from the saddlebags. ‘Black bones of Nagash! That wasmy horse! That was my treasure!’

‘Mind your tongue, varlet,’ the Red Duke warned. ‘I tolerate your insolence only because I need every man to fight the Arabyans.’ The vampire waved a hand towards the galloping horse. ‘That fine animal returns to my loyal vassal Baron de Gavaudan. If you came by any of yon plunder fairly, then he will return it to you.’

Rolling his eyes, Renar got back to his feet. ‘Baron de Gavaudan is dead! He has been these past four hundred years!’ The necromancer spread his arms, gesturing at the tall trees bordering the road, at the green fields beyond. ‘This isn’t Araby! This is Aquitaine!’

The Red Duke closed his eyes, pain flaring across his face. He raised his hand to his forehead, driving the armoured fingers of his gauntlet into the pale skin as though trying to rip the agony from his skull.

(…)

Before the Red Duke could issue orders to the wight-lord, a shouted protest erupted from Renar.

‘It’s a trick!’ the necromancer shrieked, unable to contain himself. ‘King Louis is dead and has been for centuries! That’s not his men up there! It’s all a trick to lead you into a trap!’

The Red Duke glowered at the necromancer. ‘Speak about matters that concern you, peasant,’ he warned. ‘Leave war to those who know how to fight it.’

Renar rolled his eyes, laughing derisively, the absurdity of the situation overcoming his prudence. ‘Know how to fight! You damn fool, you’re fighting battles against men who have been dead almost five hundred years!’ He waved his hands indicating the barrow mounds before them and the imposing bulk of Dragon’s Hill. ‘This is where we need to be, not chasing phantoms! We can raise every horse lord in these mounds, then do the same to the vanquished knights of Cuileux! As you said, we can build an army that no lord in all Bretonnia would dare oppose!’

The Red Duke’s armoured hand lashed out, cracking against Renar’s jaw. The necromancer was thrown from his saddle, landing in a tangle of limbs on the ground. Spitting blood, he reared up from the barren earth, drawing upon the dark energies of the barrow mounds to empower a spell that would send the vampire back to his grave.

Before Renar could unleash his spell, bony claws closed about him, pinning his arms to his sides. The necromancer looked about in terror, finding himself in the embrace of Corbinian’s fleshless hands.

‘You dare not kill me!’ Renar shouted at the Red Duke. ‘You need me! You need my magic and my counsel!’ The necromancer cringed as he saw the pitiless evil behind the vampire’s eyes. ‘You’re making a mistake! Try to be sane!’ he pleaded.

The Red Duke’s cold flesh drew back in a grin of cruel amusement. ‘Take this peasant away,’ he ordered Corbinian. ‘But first remove his rebellious tongue. It tires me.’

Renar’s screams collapsed into a wet gurgle as the wight-lord carried out its master’s command. The Red Duke had already dismissed the necromancer from his thoughts, turning his gaze back to the place he had seen Leuthere display the colours of King Louis. He closed his eyes in murderous reverie, imagining the hundred ways he would visit revenge upon his brother. The king would answer for everything the Red Duke had lost to his treachery. Lands and title, honour and fame. But most of all, the king would answer for Martinga’s death.

The Red Duke opened his eyes again and stared out across his silent legion. There was no need to chase after the king’s banner. He knew where he was destined to face the king’s army. He could see it in his mind as clearly as if the battle had already been fought.

The vampire raised his sword, stabbing it high into the air.

‘We march!’ the Red Duke roared. ‘We march to Ceren Field!’

===LOADOUT===

Offensive: Armed with a magically powerful sword, the Red Duke is probably the most skilled Bretonnian duelist to ever live, and can kill dozens of knights in a single go. He also is a moderately powerful mage of the Lore of Vampires/Undead. While the Duke is not likely to sully himself with using magic in combat, he does use it to bolster his armies with more undead.

“Only a few men yet stood against the orcs. Besides Durand and Galafre, the duke could see only six men-at-arms, a few unarmoured valets and a pair of knights in battered plate. As he watched, a hulking brute of an orc smashed his cleaver-like blade into the breastplate of one of the knights, the impact denting the steel armour so badly that he could hear the knight’s ribs crack. Before the wounded knight could even stagger away from the crippling blow, the orc grabbed him by the helm with his free hand. With a savage wrench, the orc twisted the helmet, snapping the neck of the man within the armour.

A surge of raw fury blazed through El Syf’s body as he saw the orc warlord throw back his head and heard the beast’s bellowing laughter echo over the battlefield. For a knight of Bretonnia to die in such a manner was insult enough, for him to be killed by such inhuman vermin after surviving an entire crusade against a mighty enemy was tragic. For the man’s killer to mock his death was unendurable.

Before he was aware of what he was doing, the duke threw back the heavy blankets. Despite the long months of sickness and immobility, he felt strength pouring through his limbs, a raw power like nothing he had ever known. He did not charge the orc warlord, he covered the dozen yards between them in a single bound, pouncing on the monster like a springing panther.

The orc’s beady red eyes widened with shock, his lantern-like jaw fell open to gawp in amazement as the sickly duke attacked him. The orc’s amazement became disbelief as El Syf’s fist smashed into his face, cracking his iron-capped tusk and splitting his leathery lip. With a bellow of rage, the orc warlord drew his arm back, intending to cut the crazed human in half with one sweep of his oversized blade.

Twenty-pounds of butchering iron slashed down at El Syf, propelled by the ox-like strength of the orc’s arm. The threatened blow was such that would cleave through an armoured warhorse, much less a man whose only protection was a thin woollen shift.

For the second time, the warlord blinked in wonder, but this time there was fear crawling into his eyes. The monstrous blade had failed to cleave his enemy in half. It had failed to even touch the man. It had failed because the duke had latched onto the orc’s fist with his hand and arrested the sweep of the blade. The orc grunted in horror as the duke began prying his fingers from the hilt of his own sword, a feat that even the orc’s primitive brain understood was impossible!

Bellowing in fright-fuelled fury, the orc drove his fist at the duke. The human released the warlord’s arm and ducked beneath the knobby mass of leathery flesh. The warlord’s freed arm swung around, slashing a deep furrow across the knuckles of his other hand. Unbalanced, the warlord staggered backwards.

The duke rushed upon the reeling monster. Like some beast of the dark jungle, he pounced upon the orc, driving his knee into the brute’s belly, forcing him downwards as the wind was driven out of him in an agonized gasp. Before the warlord could react, El Syf seized the orc’s lower jaw in his clawed fingers.

A gargled scream rasped across the battlefield as, with a single pull, the Duke of Aquitaine ripped the orc’s jaw from his face.

Green blood sprayed from the monster’s mutilated face, raw terror filled the red eyes. The warlord threw down his oversized sword, casting aside his brutish bravado as pure fear consumed his brain. The orc turned to his heels, his only thought being to flee this crazed human who fought with the strength of a daemon.

The orc took only a few steps before the duke leapt onto his back, straddling his midsection with his legs. The warlord pawed at the man, trying to rip him off, but the duke defied his efforts. Coldly, Elf Syf gripped either side of the orc’s thick skull. With a savage twist, the duke broke the monster’s neck.

The warlord took a few more steps, then his massive body slammed into the stony ground, twitching as death slowly stole upon it. The duke disengaged himself from the carcass. He peered through dazed eyes at the battlefield. Men and orcs alike had stopped fighting so they could watch the feral battle between warlord and nobleman. Men and orcs alike gazed upon him with expressions of dread and awe.

The orcs gave voice to a cacophony of disillusioned yells, scattering as they fled from this gruesome man who had slaughtered their leader with his bare hands. The monsters abandoned weapons and plunder in their fear, kicking and punching each other as they fled, none wanting to be left behind to share their warlord’s fate.

The duke’s vassals were slow to approach their lord. Fear was in their faces, a frightened doubt that claimed even Earl Durand. El Syf could guess their thoughts. They wondered if some dread spirit had claimed the body of their master, some malign entity that would set upon them with the same brutality it had the orc.

They were right to fear.”- Red Duke vs. Orc Warboss

Defensive: Plate Armor and Vampire Durability.

===X-FACTORS===

Adaptive Creativity: 64/100 – The Duke is very resourceful, shifting his tactics to accommodate new formations of the enemy and known weaknesses even when in the midst of a flashback.

Tactics: 72/100 — The Duke is known for his tactical brilliance and played a major role in the Bretonnian victory in the Arabyean crusade. Though his recurring flashbacks can lead him to make mistakes on the battlefield he can adapt quick enough to turn it around, achieving victory even as the enemy has the advantage of accurate history on their side (i.e. he maneuvers around their adaptions to his historical tactics, doing so unconsciously even in flashback mode).

Strategy: 56/100: Unfortunately his tendency for flashbacks really hurts this score where otherwise he was noted as a strategic genius. These flashbacks can lead him to assault a strategically unimportant point, allowing other enemies time to amass their armies for example. Or it might lead him to kill the only necromancer in his army in the name of instilling discipline, pass up an opportunity to boost his army with 10,000 weights (along with some Zombie Dragons) in favor of pursuing a flashback or slaughtering every living creature (ghoul) in his army after he flashbacked to a time where he had to decimate his force.

Intuition: 73/100

Audacity: 77/100 – Has little to no concern for his troops or minions. Will retreat if outmatched however, like how he did with Gotrek and in his other past defeats.

Psychological Warfare: 64/100 – The Duke is known for his brutality, terrorizing foes into submission with massed impalements, slaughter and threats.

Experience: 80/100 – A bit odd. On one hand he has been fighting for at least 500 years of his thousand year existence however on the other he only focuses on the first 20 or so years of it.

Discipline: 39/100 – Thanks to his tendency towards flashbacks, this point really hurts him. Though at times he does manage to regain sanity and become cognizant, this can be easily and sometimes deliberately reversed by the enemy. In these flashback modes he is unable to be restrained by logic or discipline, blindly pursuing remnants of hated foes and ordering the death of loyal servants because he does not recognize them or they speak out of turn.

Inspiration: 91/100 – Mindlessly obedient zombies comprise the majority of the duke’s armies. His other servants have betrayed him before or question his judgment (to their own peril).

Corruption: 86/100 – His obsession with revenge and hate towards everything around him leads him to truly cruel acts, sometimes drawing out the torture of enemies over days. He shows a pale shadow of chivalry by dueling opponents on equal ground but will do little more.

 Balthasar Gelt, former Supreme Patriarch

Mobility:8

Training: 4

Max Range: Several hundred meters

Preffered Range: ^^^

Role: Tactical Commander/Advisor

“Balthasar made his first appearance in the busy port of Marienburg, having bought passage on a merchant ship coming from his native Black Gulf. As he had paid for the journey with gold which he had transmuted himself, Balthasar left for Altdorf quickly before the effects wore off. The Colleges of Magic were his destination.

Since his early years, Balthasar had always been fascinated by alchemy, inspired by the science of the transmutation of metal, and especially by the mystic search for the Philosopher`s Stone. to turn vile metals into the nobles of all, pure gold, had always been an obsession for Balthasar.

Driven by this powerful force, and sustained by a natural talent for manipulating the energies of the Winds of Magic, Balthasar soon rose in the ranks of the Gold Order of Magic. In Altdorf he spent many years studying and experimenting on how to combine the art of Alchemy with the magic of Metals. His inquisitive intelligence and open-minded approach made Balthasar quite popular with the Alchemists` Guild, and even among the Engineers, who benefited from his research into new types of blackpowder.

One day a freak accident in his laboratory almost killed him and from that day he always appears in public completely covered in his elegant robes and wearing a golden mask. Rumours abound concerning the reason for this unusual habit. Some say that his entire skin turned to gold and others swear that he is horribly disfigured, but nobody knows exactly what happened to him. One thing is sure, the accident did not reduce his will to succeed in his research nor did it hamper his powers. On the contrary, he has risen to the position of Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, defeating Thyrus Gormann in the ritual duel and replacing the prominence of the Bright Order with his beloved gold.”

In the End Times Gelt plays a pivotal role, helping to mastermind the magical caging of Sylvannia, the Aurica Bastion(preventing Chaos from getting through the Kislev border) and service in many battles. However ultimately he is undone, as his desire to save as many people as possible leads him to deal with unsavory sorts such as Vlad von Carstein and (unknowingly) the Daemonic Changeling. Gelt dives into greater forays of necromancy in order to gain an edge over Chaos, horrifying his allies who attempt to stop him. In another misguided attempt to save them and stop an assassin Changeling, he ends up killing many Empire troops, only to discover that the Changeling was masquerading as his friend all along. Broken by this news and over how far he had gone, Gelt turned fully to Nagash.

Offensive: Gelt is a powerful mage, knowledgable in the Lore of Undeath, Light, and master of the Lore of Metal. 

LORE OF METAL

Chamon is the yellow wind of magic, and is associated with the Lore of Metal. Chamon is the densest of the colors of magic, and is attracted to heavy metals such as gold and lead. Spells involving Chamon frequently make use of these two metals; gold as a magical conductor, lead as a magical insulator. Compared to other magics, Chamon is rooted in the physical world, and it is relatively easy to get to grips with its basic concepts, although it has deeper complexities which make it difficult to truly master.

Chamon is an interesting lore in that its properties are actually more effective against armored foes then non, with heavy armor being most vulnerable to this lore. Conversely those without armor at all or really light ones are nearly immune.

-Searing Doom: With a range of 300 meters, Sizzling doom is a magic missile. Sizzling silver erupts from the wizard’s fingertips, killing up to 6-12 (dependent on power behind cast) at a time via a most horrible fashion.

-Plague of Rust: At a wizard’s command, the armor of the enemy unit begins to rapidly decay away in clouds of tiny flakes. The more powerful and durable the armor, the longer it takes; however the more rewarding the plague will be. Can be cast on any unit within 300 meters or, with greater casting time, 1 kilometer.

-Enchanted Blades of Aiban: The wizard sends powerful magic coursing over allies’ weapons, making them far sharper than before. Cast on any unit within 500 or 1 kilometer, this spell makes weapons much better at piercing armor and counter as magical weaponry.

-Glittering Robe: Usually cast on a single unit within 50 meters, the wizard can, with additional effort, cast it on ALL units within 50 meters. This spell conjures a large, shimmering, scale cloak to protect allies and gives them a boost to armor proficiency.

-Gehenna’s Golden Hounds: This spell conjures a pair of massive golden hounds and sends them after a target. These powerful hounds can be summoned right next to the enemy and only those exceptionally durable or with great bodyguards will be able to fend them off.

-Transmutation of Lead:  As the wizard extends his hand towards the enemy unit, their weapons become twice as heavy, burdensome and unwieldy. This makes it harder for them to hit enemies or even properly defend.

-Final Transmutation: With a incarnation the wizard targets a enemy unit and unleashes a spell that transmutes them into unliving gold! Though some may escape the spells effect obviously this is a devastating morale effect on the enemy. Worse some might be overcome by greed and attempt to cover the riches as their own! Normally has a range of 100 meters, with some having 500 meters.This was a spell Gelt himself was said to have invented.

-Meteoric Ironclade : Casting charms of silver and iron, the wizard creates a magically enchanted suit of armor that no mortal weapon can break. Essentially this extremely powerful spell, until it phases away or is dispelled, makes it so a targeted unit is immune to all but the most powerful attacks.

Defensive: Gelt uses a magical cloak that frequently shifts and creates mirror images around Gelt, making it difficult for even eagle-eyed marksmen to hit him. The second is a ancient elven amulet that gives him increasing amounts of magical resistance depending on how many mages are on the field.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Gelt rides his Pegasus, Quicksilver, into battle. 

Ushoran, Lord of Masks

Mobility: 8 (shapeshifter)

Training: 8-9

Max Range: ???

Preffered Range: Shadows

Role: Unofficial Spymaster, tactical commander (of Strigoi)

The Strigoi are known for their bestial nature, their lack of wit, and savagery. Yet if one were to examine the Strigoi ghouls kings closely, and with the sharpest of magical means, one would encounter a beast-king whose eyes shine with bright and malicious intelligence, a being counted among the best vampires.  Though he mostly hides in the shadows at recent times, Ushoran was once the Lord of Vampires, and his kingdom of Mourkain remains perhaps the most successful example of a Vampire-run kingdom in history.

Ushoran was a cousin to Neferata and companion of her husband Lahmashizzar. Even in his mortal days he was known for his love of courtroom politics and intrigue, as well as a secret, bestial nature that belied his appearance. When Neferata became a vampire, Ushoran followed and became her “Lord of Masks”- a spymaster. He was a rather efficient spymaster, though one that ultimately only served his own loyalties. It was he, for example, that managed  and ensured the vampire race stayed secret for hundreds of years, and would have continued if not for Neferata’s orders. In fact his spy ring extended across all of Nekhara, and Neferata frequently had to rely upon him for information regarding the rival cities. Neferata noted the only time he ever failed her was in finding a young Khmeri prince escapee – Albizzicar- which resulted in a fall from power.

After Lahmia fell he served Nagash himself for a time, however that reign did not last long. Indeed it was Ushoran, from the shadows, who led the Skaven to Albizzicar’s chambers with the great sword that would take Nagash’s life, as Ushoran had grown dissatisfied with Undead Lord’s cruelty to his servants and his friend, W’orsan. Following the fall of Nagash, he went north, to slowly infiltrate the tribal kingdom of Kadon, a tribal shaman and necromancer.

For years Ushoran watched from the shadows, serving in a capacity by using his mastery of disguises to build up a network in the kingdom, Mourkain. Eventually he overthrew Kadon and formed his own kingdom and own vampire line, intending to make it a kingdom of his own vampires.  Ushoran rebuilt his Bloodline from the loyal citizens of Stygos then channeled the most dangerous power in the two Warhammer settings (common sense!) and instituted laws prohibiting his minions from feeding on the populace: they drained the blood only of the willing, or of criminals, prisoners, and slaves. The protection of the Vampires combined with the growing power and luxury provided by the wise rulership of Kadon made the people of Strygos very loyal to their rulers in a way that rivals that of current Bretonnian Peasantry. In fact they are still loyal to him, 3000 years after his kingdom fell.

For a time all four known Vampire primogenitors- Neferata, W’orsan, Abhorash and himself, and brought them into one empire. He maneuvered them like pieces on the board even as they schemed against him. W’orsan he manipulated into unlocking more secrets of the magic crown he inherited from Kadon while Abhorash was convinced to swear full loyalty to Ushoran . Neferata was bade to use her manipulation skills against primitives and orcs, and even as she plotted against him, he incorporated her plots into his plans. He pitted his own bloodline against each other to foster competition and keep them from plotting against each other.

It was not Neferata that brought him low, but the Crown, which unknown to him had an essence of Nagash in it. This ended up driving him insane and though his kingdom lasted for several hundred more years, eventually all his simultaneous insurrections/betrayals, a huge Orc WAAAGH, and more destroyed his kingdom. Ushoran was alleged to perish in battle against a Orc Warboss and his wyvern, and Mourkain was destroyed.

…At least that was what the other primogenitors believed.  Ushoran’s magical power had given him the title “Lord of Masks” for he can place an image in other’s minds that not even supernatural senses can fully discern, in effect serving as a master of disguise. Even Neferata , with all her powers, could only get a hint of what lies beneath his façade.Thus the story of his demise was greatly exaggerated, and he has recently appeared as late as an Empire Civil War, and is rumored to be uniting the Strigoi.

Offensive: Ushoran is a primogenitor vampire, and is at least skilled in the lores of magic. He is of course powerful enough to rip enemies into pieces.

Defense: In addition to durability, his greatest defense is simply not being seen or detected. Even by immortals such as Neferata or Nagash.

“Tonight he chose to wear the face of a well-to-do scholar: a dispossessed Lybaran noble, perhaps, driven from his home by the steady decline of the collegia there and forced to continue his studies in self-imposed exile. The serving girls and the other patrons of the wine shop saw a man of middle years, stooped with age, his pate gone bald save for a thin fringe of white. His nose was crooked, his eyes watery and deeply set. His cheeks were pocked from a bout of river fever, and starting to show the rude blush of a man who indulged in too much wine. A dark brown robe hung from his hunched shoulders, the fabric rich but faded from years of hard use. Around his thick neck hung a chain made of elongated links of gold, decorated with more than a dozen brass-rimmed lenses of glass and faceted crystal – one of the many tools of the scholar-engineer’s trade.

In the past, he’d had to be far less ostentatious with his disguises, for there was only so much one could do with a change of clothing and a bit of face paint. He’d tried to blend with the teeming crowds, quickly dismissed and easily forgotten. Now, he was limited only by his imagination and he could switch guises with but a moment’s concentration. Ushoran could cloud a mortal’s mind simply by willing it, placing any image in his or her mind that suited him. It was a gift that none of his fellow immortals possessed and, more importantly, one that not even their supernatural senses could penetrate. Which was for the best, as far as he was concerned. He doubted that Neferata or Ankhat would approve of what he had become.

Ushoran was nothing like the acerbic, cerebral W’soran, but he still considered himself a scholar of sorts. Mysteries and secrets intrigued him, and the process of death and rebirth was one of the greatest mysteries of all. Though Neferata had forbidden the cabal to create immortal progeny of their own, he had made a few discreet experiments over the centuries and suspected that the others – especially W’soran – had as well. He’d made good use of the dozen or so safe houses he’d established throughout the city, with their deep cellars and sets of stout chains fixed to the walls.”-Nagash: Immortal

Adaptive Creativity: 72/100: Ushoran’s mind is known to work extremely quick and in battle he often surprises the enemy with displays of intelligence.  He is a fast learner and as ruler he appropriated the tactics of Nehekhara, Cathay, the Dwarfs and his own to create his own modified infantry tactics

Tactics: 52/100: Ushoran has only fought a few battles, with fewer commanded directly by him, and a mixed record of winning those battles. However he is a fast learner and readily incorporates successful tactics into his own force.  

Strategy: 75/100: Ushoran is capable of complex and multi-layered plots, able to preemptively deal with enemies by pitting them against each other before they become enemies. He has even outmaneuvered Neferata before. It is noted when Ushoran attacks he does not do so haphazardly, but does so to inflict total devastation.However sometimes his wisdom suffers and his plans were ultimately brought low by schemers that he could have prevented had he not been so arrogant. ‘

Intuition: 78/100: This is a high rating because he has become so good at predicting and manipulating people, even those very skilled like Neferata.

Audacity: 62/100

Psychological Warfare:85/100:  One of the most clever among the vampires, even outdoing Neferata at times. As ruler he expertly pinned his underlings against each other, even creating a large and argumentative aristocracy that in wartime gave him many soldiers and in peacetime was fractious enough that he had little independent worry from that quarter.  Thanks to his magical ability to shapeshift and appear in a thousand guises, he can mentally make people at ease by his presence or cloud their minds.

“Thin-blooded fops, cowards and conspirators, these were to be his generals. W’soran exposed his fangs, wondering if, in some odd way, this had been Ushoran’s plan all along. Ushoran had, in one of his thousand disguises, fomented rebellions and conspiracies aplenty in Lahmia, and then crushed them. Perhaps this was something similar – a centuries-long purging of untrustworthy elements, now that their use had ended. That alone proved Ushoran as the most deadly of those who pitted themselves against him. Neferata would butcher hundreds in a moment of spite, but she was incapable of the pragmatic bleeding that Mourkain had required. But Ushoran thought like W’soran. He saw his followers for what they were – tools. Tools to be discarded or re-forged as circumstances dictated.”

Experience: 77/100: Several thousand years old, but his tendency to stick to the shadows means he isn’t getting as much experience as others of his age.

Discipline: 65/100: Ushoran struggles with his beastial nature but has yet to give into it, unlike most of his bloodline. 
Inspiration: 73/100: SUhroan is viewed as a god by the Strigany and seen as a glorious leader by the Strigoi, and is hinting to be uniting them. No other vampire can carry such fanatical devotion among both the undead and living.

Corruption: 83/100: Ushoran is a sadist and enjoys killing and torturing innocents to death, or at least he did at one point. He does seem to limit himself nowadays after taking on the responsibilities of a leader.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Ushoran is the type of vampire that will, for the most part, stick to the shadows and can be considered one of the least loyal of the Vampires. However he desires a world where his kingdom can rise again, and to that end his strigoi and strigany have been allying with the Von Carsteins and Lahmians increasingly in recent years, possibly at his behest. He is a expert spymaster and may well manipulate strings to serve as that from behind the scenes, as neither Neferata nor nagash appear to be aware of his continued existence. 

 Khalida Neferher, The Serpent Queen

Mobility:6

Training/Experience:6

Max Range: 300m

Preferred Range: Melee

==LOADOUT==

“Khalidas first lunge drew vampiric blood, shocking Neferata. How did she get so fast, she thought. What had she become? The duel swung back and forth, the two combatants moving at blurring speeds. They circled and wove an elegant and deadly dance, matching feints and parrying strike after strike. Three times did Khalida’s surprising speed allow her to land glancing blows. Her staff lashed out with the quickness of a striking serpent. Neferata, her black blood trickling from her wounds like ink on Porcelain, had yet to land a blow.”

As a child in the Lahmia court,  Khalida was unlike most of the time. Whereas females in Nekhara society were expected to become courtly figures, Khalida was a powerful warrior, horsewomen and archer. This trait never left her, and she remained a great warrior after being married off to the queen of Lybras. Many campaigns would be won because of her actions undertaken at the front line.

Yet one day Khalida found out a piece of news that would be disheartening; her cousin and childhood friend, Neferata, was no longer human but an abomination of the night. She challenged her cousin to a duel . Though Neferata was a vampire with superior physical reactions, Khalida was a powerful, experienced warrior and was initially dominating the fight. Only by using her magic was Neferata able to turn the tide, reluctantly killing her cousin.

Her body was brought back to Lybaras and was interred in a specially made reliquary in a seated position. When needed, Khalida's body is infused with the will of Asaph and she rises to lead her army of archers, who were buried in tombs next to her, against her enemies. She strikes with the speed of a serpent, able to duel the first and greatest of Vampires on equal terms.

Due to the betrayal of Neferata, Khalida has a burning loathing for Vampires and will not rest in peace until the last vampire is slain. In the End Times Khalida worked to finally kill her hated cousin Neferata, ignoring Settra’s orders to guard a key pass to do so (which later proved a reason for his defeat, as the pass that Khalida was supposed to guard was full of traitors that wouldn’t have been able to reveal themselves if Khalida was there). She led an army up North to Lahmia where Neferata knowingly served as bait, where Neferata fled before Khalida could kill her. It is this hatred that caused her to reluctantly ally with Nagash following the fall of Khemri, as it was the only possible way to survive and eventually fulfill her goal of killing Neferata.

““‘Serpent Queen, is it?’ Khalida said, softly. ‘Is that what she calls herself now?’

She cocked her head. ‘No, no, she would never send assassins. It is too bold, and too crude. Your mistress is no true queen. She is but a servant, a dagger, thrust from within a concealing veil to draw my eye.’ The vampire stumbled back as Khalida pursued her. ‘But even a feint must be blocked, lest it draw blood.’ She paused, as if considering; then, with all the speed of a snake, she spun her staff about and rammed the end through the vampire’s chest, piercing her heart and lifting her into the air. The vampire squalled in agony and clawed at the staff. Khalida reached up and tore the vampire’s hood and scarf away, exposing the creature’s head and shoulders to the bright sunlight.

‘Burn,’ she said, simply. Then with no sign of effort, she thrust her staff, and the writhing vampire impaled upon it, into the sunlight. The vampire’s squalls became shrieks as her dusky flesh turned black and began to smoke and curl from her bones.”

Offensive: She carries the venom staff, a snake shaped staff that moves as if it were alive. This swift weapon compliments here already swift and graceful combat style, making her a truly dangerous foe in combat. It can also spit a deadly magical missile at 300 meters. 

Defensive: As a tomb king, her body is powered by the magics of the gods, Asaph in her case. As such, she is far more durable than a living person. In addition to her durability, she also is extremely fast and agile, moving much like a serpent and evading enemy strikes. She is also resistant to all poisoned attacks, even those that would normally work on the undead.

===Additional Factors===

The Curse- see tomb kings

Blessing of Asaph: the archers fighting in Khalidas vicinity find their arrows coated in poison, a poison capable of felling even the undead. They also fight with much greater skill than normal archers, their aim enhanced even more.  Khalida hates Neferata, and will presumably take a opportunity that she can get to kill her. 

Prince Apophas, The Scarab Lord

Mobility: 9 (can fly and burrow)

Training/Experience: 7

Preferred Range: Melee

Role: Assassin

Apophas The Cursed Scarab Lord, was once a prince to the throne of Numas in Nehekhara. He let his jealousy overcome him and he slit the throats of the other members of the royal family and proclaimed himself king in. He was not, however, universally adored, and the people of Numas rose up and dragged him to the temples to be judged. Regicide was the most terrible of crimes in ancient Nehekharan law and Apophas would not escape punishment because of his position. Where normally the bones of the criminal would be scattered across the desert, Apophas was entombed alive within a casket full of scarab beetles. His screams could be heard through the walls of the temple but eventually they subsided and the casket was opened. All that remained was a skull, not even the beetles were there. The skull was inscribed with a single hieroglyph that cursed his soul for all eternity.

Usirian, the Nehekharan god of the dead, claimed Apophas's soul on his death to torment in perpetuity however Apophas struck a deal with Usirian. He would find a soul of perfect match to replace his own, and Apophas returned to the realm of life as the Cursed Scarab Lord.

Apophas appears as a flowing 'body' made of scarabs with only his skull as his remaining bone. He searches the world for the soul he thinks can set him free but in truth no two souls are the same, and he has cursed himself to an eternal hunt. Apophas's body can split apart and reform in a moment and no matter how hard h is struck, the scarab simply reform over the holes made, pulling limbs back togeteher. He is able to summon or create more scarabs, at one point riding on top of a tidal wave of scarabs that towers even above nagash. Apophas fights with the same blade that he used to destroy the bloodline of Numas and it is this that he must use to kill the enemy who will replace him. When successful, he wraps their soul in a magical soul-cage and takes them to the underworld, where the soul is place on a pair of scales and measured against Apophas's own.

During the battle of Khemri, the skaven presented the Blade of Eternities to him in an attempt to get someone else to slay Nagash. The blade of eternities is a weapon of such strength, that is destroys the souls of any is strikes. During the climax of the battle, Apophas appeared on and struck Nagash from behind, but to no avail. Though Nagash roared in pain he survived and Apophas was humiliated and beaten in front of the entirety of the Undead legions. With Usirian dead, Apophas now serves Nagash, though to what extent is not yet known.

==LOADOUT==

Offensive: Apophas carries a simple dagger, one that he must use to assassinate those targets he intends to soul-bind. This is the same dagger he used to kill his royal family.

He also is made of scarabs, flesh eating beetles that can reduce entire regiments into bone dust. Apophas can vomit forth huge clouds of scarabs, which seem to be spawned through eldritch means.

Defensive: Apophas’ body is made of scarabs, and no matter how many times he is struck, more of the black beetles will flow over and close the wound. Even daemonic weaponry does no special damage to him. It would take extremely powerful magic or weapons that do damage over massive areas at once to take him down.  


Minor Characters

===ARMY X-FACTORS===

Morale: 92/100: The vast majority of the armies of the Undead Legion cannot break unless their commanders are killed or the magic is disrupted, in which case they merely collapse. Even that seems to happen far less in the End Times.  They are unaffected by fear, even when facing terrifying daemons.

Army Intimidation: 75/100: The army is for the almost entirely undead composed of cadavers, skeletons of long dead warriors, spirits and other such creatures. More than a few of them have spells or powers designed specifically to invoke fear or terror in the other side, at least in one case to fatal effect.

Discipline: 88/100: The Undead are renowned for their ability to fight with near perfect coordination, morale and at instantaneous command. Though killing the leaders in charge can normally disrupt their units, even that has changed with the rise of Nagash.

Cohesion: 33/100: Among leadership there is severe problems to be explained in greater depths in Strengths and Weaknesses. Namely the leadership is composed of individuals who are insane, extremely ambitious, and disloyal to the point of having attempted, on multiple occasions, to kill the other leaders of this same army (and have succeeded at least twice!). Every single leader has powerful reasons to despise the other leaders. Only Nagash and self-interest can keep them into a unified coalition, and there are members who scheme against even the Great Necromancer .

Espionage: 64/100: Thanks to the Lahmian sisterhood, the Vampires are well-skilled in the arts of infiltration, beguilement and sabotage. They come with many shapeshifters and can remotely raise the dead inside enemy camps.

Logistics: 76/100: The Undead do not tire, need substance, are utterly resistant to various climate effects and their reinforcements are gained through simply raising the dead. The only caveat is that some certain members of this army have difficulty maneuvering in the sun, and the fact that killing undead leaders can severely hurt the army. Though caveats exist for both (Magic users can summon dark clouds to block out the sun, Nagash’s presence makes undead much easier to maintain) they still exist.
That said it is, in theory, possible to wear the undead down through attrition, though either denying fuel or over taxing the army.  The former can be done by moving all ambient humans (or some other sentient foes) in the area away, or else killing them and destroying corpses. Graveyards too must be dug up and destroyed. The latter can be done by killing Liches, necromancers, vampires and other head undead, forcing the leaders of the army to devote more and more energy to maintaining the army. 

"Under cover of darkness the undead had brought tall, crudely made ladders to the castle and leaned them against all the land-side walls, and were now pulling themselves up towards the battlements in droves.

This wasn't much of a threat--at least not on its own. The zombies were terrible climbers and fell often, and the handgunners found it easy enough to use a pike to lever the ladders away from the wall and topple them to the ground. The problem was, they never stopped. It didn't matter how many times the defenders pushed the ladders back and sent all the zombies smashing into the moat, they just got up again, righted the ladders and resumed climbing, single-minded and untiring.

The handgunners were quickly joined by spearmen and river wardens sent by their captains to relieve them, but even with reinforcements, the men on the walls were run ragged, hurrying from ladder to ladder in a never-ending foot race.

Unfortunately, it was even more pointless to try to kill the dead who mounted the ladders, for Kemmler would never run out. No matter how many the defenders might decapitate, or shoot through the head, there would always be more zombies to take their place."- Zombieslayer

Blockade: 61/100: Through magic, Nagash has sometimes spread great plagues in the past and in his Khmeri campaigns was known for deliberately sabotaging enemy foodstuffs. He is aided in this ability by the dead, flying raiders and infiltrators in the enemy camp.

Reasons for battle: Nagash fights because he wants to see a silent, dead world where his rule is unquestioned and unthreatened. Those minions of his with will all fight either to survive (ie because he would destroy them) or their own contradictory ambitions.Many of these ambitions run contradictory to Nagash's aims, however they are savvy enough to attempt to hide such overt ambition while Nagash is ascendant. 

Reinforcement Rate :Swarm : The Tomb Kings are described as pulling soldiers from thousands of years of history, which results in a truly massive reinforcement rate. However they do not add new units to their ranks rather they constantly reuse old legions of their own people, having too much contempt for the barbarous outsiders to count them among their blessed troops! The Vampire Counts make no such distinction and gleefully take the opportunity to summon back every little dead they can manage, raiding graveyards, barrow dens, catacombs ect for corpses. Some battles show them summoning back dead that are thousands of years old! 

* Note this reinforcement does not combine the two, but rather merges them together for rough ratios. So the combined UL has a "Swarm" rating however of that VC units will outnumber TK units
===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===
*General Strategy: 
Description: Since there are so many factors involved pertaining to how an army functions towards victory, this is not a sliding scale. It is an outline of how the army as a whole has, would, or might react against another. It is a great place to compile and compare the strategies and what will lead to the tactics side-by-side to make a quick, easy reference on how they would probably interact. This section may be as lengthy as thought necessary but shouldn’t need to be more than a few paragraphs. It can be imagined that this is the “personality” section for the army so that fans won’t be theorizing what the army could do versus what they (generally) would do. While its possible, particularly for factions noted for being extremely adaptive, for new tactics and strategies to be conceived and utilized, for the most part in lore said factions would be bound by what is below. 

Opening Setup :For long ranged scouting magical rituals exist that allow the user to see briefly into the future(allowing them to see briefly the most probable future) or else scry a far off territory for a few minutes. Ravens and crows are known friends of vampires and have been used as scouts, messengers and spies by this force in the past.  Dead spirits can be summoned and interrogated, if vampires have the body on hand and the spirit isn’t too far gone (freshly deceased only, save for the most powerful necromancers). Ghouls have a remarkable nack for finding carrion, and are sometimes used to scout out graveyards.

Rituals exist to pull memories and  languages from captured prisoners, and then further use magic to learn it instantly. Individuals and certain magic users like the necrarchs can see into the spirit world as well as the regular, and this witchsight allows them to act as detectors through even shrouded or cloaked foes. Shadowy vampires can use their magic and impressive physical properties to serve as excellent unseen spies around the enemy camp. Over the long term, if the enemy is human, the Lahmians may well attempt to infiltrate their ranks and relay information back to their queen. Rarely, a pro-undead cult might be founded and inflict sabotage, or else normal humans with ambitions to become necromancers could be enlisted to stay in their armies and inflict damage.

“As he wandered the dark underways he puzzled away the labyrinthine deceits. The Lahmians had joined forces with von Carstein, of that there could be no doubt. The concubines and courtesans were paving the way for his armies, lulling the influential and powerful humans, bedding them and robbing them of their secrets, which in turn they delivered to Mannfred as their part of the pact. No doubt the whores whispered in their beau’s ears subtle misdirections of where the Vampire Count would strike should he ever have the strength to pose a threat to the living, planting arrogance where there ought to have been fear. It was cunning, but then everything about the new count was sly”- Retribution.

 Foreign Relations: Against minor, neutral factions Nagash might rarely come realize that there are times he must put aside his desire to kill everything and create a dead planet to ally with or against other threats.  His lieutenants can come more readily to this conclusion and have done so many times in the past. For example Vlad von Carstein has allied with the Empire before against Chaos, warring together with them in alliances that, while fragile and fraught with tension, at least work.  Arkhan the Black allied with a Brettonian dissident noble to try and destabilize Brettonia so he could get the opportunity to sack a heavily defended temple containing Nagash’s staff. In a less insidious tale the Tomb Queen Khalida once allied with the adventuring duo Gotrek and Felix to defeat an incursion by one of Neferata’s minions.

 However the Undead Legions are extremely skilled in the arts of diplomacy and manipulation. Individuals can be enthralled by vampires, mentally dominated, or even won over with the very persuasive promise of immortality as a reward (something rarely given), thus giving the Vampire Counts an enormous spy ring in the Empire and even further abroad. If human the ladies of the Lahmian sect will attempt to infiltrate, seduce, and whisper in the ears of those that take them in, usually well connected nobles or officials.

That said this would only be attempted if Nagash felt the neutral faction had something to offer that justifies their immediate existence, and would either help his forces to be maneuvered into taking blows, or would harm his forces by helping the enemy. If he felt that allying with these unworthy primitives would be of no help to his cause (or considers an alliance infeasible and that they will only help the enemy) he would do everything in his power to completely and utterly destroy them. Against the primary (i.e. his KC opponent) themselves, while Nagash and his minions would no doubt use infiltration as a means, his primary focus would be seeking total destruction and incorporation into his force, for Nagash tolerates few threats to his rule for long. Personally, the opinion of this author is that he would try and kill neutral foes the vast majority of the time to incorporate them into his armies.

Initial Strategy: The Undead’s primary strategy can roughly be defined as destroying the enemy utterly, incorporating him into their ranks, by outnumbering or outlasting them. On campaign they will take every attempt to boost their own forces that they can get, whether it’s resurrecting from ancient graveyards or among the enemies’ own troops on the battlefield. It’s a giant number game of conversion and destruction, with most magic users being dedicated to the task of healing and resurrecting undead. They are utterly merciless and unrelenting in their campaigns, for undead armies are noted for never stopping unless their commanders want them too as they require no food, water, rest or shelter. Against those foes that require such things they give the enemy no time to rest and recuperate from failed battles.

At the same time, they often destroy the land around them to prevent the enemy from using it, as the Undead have no use for farmland or streams. This makes it hard for the enemy to forage from the land which in turn serves to strain supply lines.

Adaptions: If overwhelming quantity isn’t working, all commanders are willing to use quality to make an impact. For example in the battles of Nehakra Arkhan used an elite team of vampires to knock out a castle gate, and others have sent spirit hosts through the walls. Other examples include breaking through enemy lines completely with a massed Blood Knight charge, harassing enemy archers with lots of flyers, summoning a dozen dragons to break the Skaven in Sylvannia, or relying on giant stone objects. While many of these options are used routinely in combat anyway, under certain situations the commander will come to rely on them as a gamechanger.

Many comamnders are well versed in tactical stratagems from their long lives of bloodshed, and are more than willing to change up tactics to fool the enemy. For example though Arhakn mostly relies on the classic Nehekaran tactic of overwhelming enemy strongpoints, he will use feigned retreats, flanking maneuvers and more if necessary. Many Tomb King commanders are also  well versed in a myriad of tactics from their former lives. Lahmians will rely on infiltration and subversion to help make a dent in the enemy.

 If Nagash determines there is need  for this, he might attempt a super-spell, like how he covered Nehekara in dark clouds of necromantic power (that boosted the power of his own necromancers, as well as protected vampires from the sun), raised impressive amounts of undead or plagued a city with a contagion of his own creation. However these options are rarely used, with some requiring days, weeks, even months of preparation, and often leave him so drained he can barely defend himself. It takes Nagash months in this case to get back on his feet.

Retreat: As the vast majority of the Undead army is just mindless skeletons, the commanders really don’t care if they sustain massive losses so long as strategic objectives are obtained. The troops themselves have unbreakable morale, so they will not retreat unless commanded to. However if they feel their own lives are in danger, or that the destruction of their force will result in an irreplaceable loss (rare, but sometimes does happen) then retreat does occur. 

Strengths:

-Brutal Attrition Fighting:  Those skilled in the magical arts are all experts at both repairing existing undead on the field and constantly resurrecting new bodies from both environmental and neutral bodies. Though these troops often lack in quality, they come in such numbers that they can wear the enemy down in the manner that determined waves can wear down rocks. Even eager and willing soldiers can be worn to utter exhaustion over hours of fighting an implaceable foe.

-Legendary Commanders: Many of the commanders of the Undead have had centuries, if not millennia of experience with commanding and fighting. I am not just referring to the named heroes here but theu named, like Tomb King commanders and ambitious vampires. Khalida in Serpent Queen notes that when she needs a master of chariot warfare or siege warfare or formations, she can just go into the vaults and resurrect a given commander that was a master in that field.

- Weather Manipulation and Blight: When the Undead Legion moves they often deliberately kill living things in the area resulting in the land being blighted(done via magical means).  This makes the food poisoned, the water fouled and eventually even buildings to rot. This has been used by individuals from Nagash on down to help wage an effective war of attrition against the enemy.

The Undead often use sorcery to block out the sun around their armies . As Vampires are vulnerable to the sun this aids them in free movement at all times (not just night) while it also denies living plants vital sunlight, helping to kill the area. At his maximum power Nagash could plunge several provinces into darkness, though the magic required utterly drained him for months. In rare cases Necroamncers can also manipulate the weather with death magic, making it rain blood or making the rain hot.

-Magical Standards :Most Warhammer Fantasy armies have a limited supply of magical army banners to be used in the event of conflict. These banners can have effects ranging from 1-2 units to nearly every unit on the battlefield for the most potent variants. The Undead, courtesy of their former lives, sometimes come with quite a few of these rare banners, especially in regards to the Tomb Kings who possessed many in their lifetime. Fenerally, according to the rulebook, only 1-2 of these magical standards are brought to a battlefield at a time.

These can include many common banners, such as Banner of the Eternal Flame (magically endows the attacks of the unit equipped with flame) , banners that invoke fear, give minor boosts to speed or minor magic resistance. Still greater common standards might allow the unit's weapon attacks to count as armor piercing, provoke terror, or even allow them to charge extremely quick and far into combat. 

There also exists more specific combat banners for the VCs and TKs. For the VCs the Banner of the Barrow King is designed to sap the will of the living to fight, as well as make Wights more potent in combat. The Screaming Standard provokes Terror in the enemy. The Flag of the Blood Keep has already been mentioned, while the Drakendorf Banner of Vlad Von Carstein gives those attached to the unit of the standardbearer automatic minor regeneration of wounds. Banner of Royal Strigois fills those in its unit with extreme hate, making them fight more viscous against opponents, while Banner of the Dead Legion makes the unit attached seem 100% bigger then it actually is. Banner of Doom gives extra defense against missiles. Meanwhile the Tomb Kings can bring back ancient fallen warriors, use mirages to hide the positionso f units from missiles, or even call in a one-time sandstorm! These are just some examples of UL's standards.

-Undead Traits: The Undead , with the exception of a scant few individuals, cannot be bargained with, reasoned, bribed or threatened into complacency. They are a tireless enemy and can ,arch across continents without any second of stopping for months, even walking onto their limbs literally begin to fall apart (which Necromancers then repair) .

“ The Blood Count’s necromancers matched their might with black magic. The clouds parted, but instead of a brilliant beam of light shining down from the heavens, they unleashed the might of Shyish, the black wind leaching all light and colour out of the world. Thunder cracked and the rain came down. There was no first drop, it was a deluge, turning the field into mud, and drawing sheets of steam from the scorched earth.

Next came the flies.

Thick clouds of bloodflies swarmed over the living, getting into their noses and eyes, into their mouths and down their throats, choking them and making it impossible to see, as the dead descended. The armies of the living stumbled on blindly into the shambling dead, rotten claws tearing at their armour, dragging them down as they slipped and slithered in the oozing mud.”- Dominion

Weakness:

-Synapse Necromancers:  In commanding the Undead Necromancers, Liches and others must devote significant magical and mental energies to coordinating their force, resulting in better cohesion (as their orders are done real time, and they follow them without question) but at the cost of being taxing on mental states. Beings who are commanding will usually find it more difficult to cast magical defensive or offensive spells, for instance. This synapse can be assaulted by lesser, weaker enemy necromancers if too strained, allowing them to seize very minute portions of the army for their own. This happened to none other than Nagash himself in the Rise of Nagash series when enemy necromancers far weaker than him noticed how divided his willpower was, and would periodically take control of squads at once. That said, conversly these necromancers if they have enough concentration left can seek to steal undead from weaker necromancers, forcing their will over the other's. 

“The main gate on the temple’s south face was the last to fall. Most of the order’s senior priests were marshalled there, aiding in its defence, and they had already thrown back three successive assaults. They had learned enough from the last few attacks to try a different strategy: instead of hurling their energies at the army en masse and trying to halt it in its tracks, the priests were focusing their will on isolated elements, attempting to seize control and turn them against the rest of the undead horde. Though Nagash’s force of will far eclipsed any of the individual priests, he found it difficult to control his army and resist a score of individual attacks simultaneously, and the cursed priests were starting to inflict significant damage.”-Nagash the Sorcerer. Though Nagash has gotten far more powerful since, it is important to note the concept exists.

“The zombie squirmed in his grip, bringing W’soran’s attentions back to the matter at hand. More of them had gained the platform and they stumbled towards him, even as his conglomerate giant ripped another section of the palisade apart. It was a simple enough matter to reach out and snag the magics that bound the zombies to their animator, and the work of but a moment to break them, and usurp them. The dead stiffened and slumped, his will now theirs.” –Master of Death

Of all of Nagash’s creatures Vampires seem to have the least difficulty maintaining this mental connection and fighting at once, courtesy of their dead nature.

As more necromancers and magically inclined vampires die, the strain of maintaining the army becomes greater, forcing necromancers to devote more energy to controlling the undead and less on spells(though this is less difficult for the high end necromancers). Though TK undead have some independent thought, courtesy of the rituals that brought them to life, the more numerous Vampire Count Undead need direction at all times .If not they will either ceaselessly perform the last direction stated without pause or, if none were given, stand completely motionless even as the enemy shoots them down. That said, with Nagash's ascension if all necromancers on the field die as long as Nagash is still alive....somewhere, they are able to keep fighting. 

*Before this is brought up, Necromancers (though not Vampires) can be resurrected  easily however when resurrected they are not returned to their cognitive state but rather become a wraith or a zombie. So thus they do not contribute to maintaining the army. However its possible for Nagash or a Mortarch(beings gifted with Nagash's power) to do so, though obviously that requires one of a half-dozen individuals to be nearby at the time. 

-Internal disunity:  Nearly everyone of independent thought on both sides hates the other, and old grudges/ persistent ambition makes intra-strife tensions common too, particularly among vampires. On the top level every character has a grudge with at least one other . Khalida has a famous hatred of vampires and has vowed to destroy them all, and Neferata in particular. Neferata likewise is wary of her cousin and arkhan, and is well known for her scheming. Mannfred hates Vlad and Nagash, wishing to do away with them both, and is wary of Neferata and Arkhan.ulUshoran and his strigoi, from the background, resent all bloodlines for ancient wrongs and does not like Nagash, having once betrayed him in the past. 

Vlad wants eventual revenge on Manfredd and despises the Nameless.  Said nameless is powerful enough to inflict all sorts of havoc if he remembers who he is.  Add to that several characters are insane, like the Duke and Harkon. Nagash, for his part, distrusts them all and Neferata and Mannfred in particular. Though these character are rational and dedicated  to selfpreservation, meaning they won't make risks unless they are positive (or think its positive) it will lead to rewards, they are always scheming towards that goal.

Miscellaneous Factor:

-Both Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings ape living humans by fighting in close, organized ranks that were separated by unit , standards and individual history. Thus units of  undead Stirliand soldiers would typically be put in ranks with only other stirlanders, while Norse would be put in Norse ranks. This ET Nagash describes as unnecessary however it was done by both as part of a effort to keep a veneer of civilization. Both TK and Vampires have at times mixed regiments together regardless of origin, but mostly keep different units separate for organizational purposes.  

Victory Gains: As a necromancer faction, any of those killed of the enemy are quickly incorporated into the undead legion. However, for the most part, these are simply incorporated as zombies and don't have the special bonuses of the  units while alive. The undead don't incorporate new tech, except if the resurrected weild it, and never manufacture. They don't incorporate neutral factions while alive .That said, in the event they beat a fully Undead faction , they may well incorporate massive swaths of the enemy.

Past Opponents

Lizardmen

-Threat Level (In regards to UL) : Minor-Moderate

--Notable Wars: Numerous minor conflict

--Status:  In Flight

Basic Composition: The Lizardmen are a rather primitive faction in some ways compared to the other races of the world. They do not wield guns, tanks or steam powered ships. However their warrior caste is extremely tough and numerous, armed with gruesome weaponry and though lacking anything heavier, their blowgun armed skirmishers are chameleonic. Plenty of larger beasts exist in the Lizardmen arsenal that are reminiscent to dinosaurs of our world.  But by far the greatest and most potent of the Lizardmen’s arsenal are the rare Slann. With time these super-powerful magicians can move entire continents and level battlefields.

Past Conflict:  The Undead’s history of experience with the Lizardmen is rather limited. In ancient Nekhara the barbaric Lizard tribes of the Southlands- those cut off from the main Lizard civilization in Lustria- often warred with the Nekeharan states, and many times armies had to march down there to queel them. Yet, occasionally, these lizrds were also employed as mercenaries too.

In more recent times the Undead’s experience against Lizardmen would be primarily with the Vampire leader Luthor Harkon and his periodic raids on Lustria. This vampire is looking for both loot and a means to cure himself of his insanity, and for that reason has fought the Lizard civilization proper many times. If he achieves success, they are temporary, and he is driven back.

Implications: The Undead have some minor experience with powerful mages and giant dinosaur monsters, but much greater experience with tribes of tough, feroscious, lizardmen. They have experience with guerrilla jungle fighting and the hazards of fighting a foe on terrain they are superior too. They are also at least knowledgeable about the legendary powers of the Slann Mage Priests, though only Luthor Harkon is confirmed to experienced them first hand.

Dwarves

-Threat Level(in regards to UL) : Moderate

--Notable Wars: Von Carstein Wars, Numerous conflicts

--Status: A relic of what they once were, ruined by countless threats

Composition: Dwarves, along with the Skaven and their Chaos corrupted cousins, are one of the most technologically advanced races in Warhammer. They have numerous cannons and artillerty of various degrees of sophistication, such as the infamous organ and flame cannons. Some even use Gyrocopters or bombers as aircraft to support their force. Runesmiths offer a reliable if somewhat weakened source of magic the Dwarves use while the race as a whole has magic resistance. For basic troops the Dwarves posses disciplined lines of heavily armed and armored troops as well as crossbowmen and gunners.

History:The Undead and the Dwarfs have had a mostly hostile relationship with Dwarfs, due in part to Dwarven inherent belief that the dead should stay dead, the undead’s tendency to violate that, and, of course, Undead duplicity. Early on in the realm of Mourkain the Dwarfs discovered the Vampire’s tendency for treachery and developed a grudge against all of them, just like they had against the Elves. For their part the Vampires encouraged this grudge by conquering some of their strongholds, notably Silver Pinnacle.

Dwarfs have taken part in Empire coalitions to defeat the Vampires many times, ranging back as early as Nagash’s fight against Sigmar and particularly in the Von Carstein wars. Though limited in total interaction, Dwarven belief that the dead should stay dead and that they should not own treasure has led them to numerous wars with Tomb Kings over small minor artifacts both sides are too stubborn to give up. The Dwarfs hold a particular ire for Krell, who refuses to stay dead and has conquered some of their holds (both when he was alive and dead).

It should be noted that when the Five armies invaded Sylvannia in the End Times, Mannfred Von Carstein was only really worried about the Dwarven one. This is because the Dwarfs are extremely tough soldiers and tenacious foes who never give up. This is why Mannfred has devoted a large amount of his time to preventing any alliance between Dwarfs, Humans and Elves from occurring again, as they threaten his own designs on the Empire.

Implications: The Undead Legion has experience with some technologically advanced foes supporting cannons, guns and flyers, as well as powerful rune magic. Dwarven troops are extremely disciplined and stubborn foes who often impress even the bloodthirsty Chaos Warriors with their “never fall back” attitude. As Dwarves often ally with the Empire they do have some experience with multi-racial coalitions.

Empire and Brettonia

-Threat Level(in regards to Chaos) : Moderate

--Notable Wars: Great Wars of Choas, numerous invasions

--Status: Reeling

Composition: The Forces of the Empire utilize legions of (renaissance-like) state-equipped troops and mercenary free companies, backed by various knightly orders and pistolier skirmisher cavalry.  Their artillery corps, though perhaps not as impressive as the Dwarves, is still pretty formidabl and includes mortar, cannons and repeating hellbasters. The pinnacle of this technological achievement are eight steam tanks though such is their demand that its rare to see more then one on a battlefield at once (if that). Hordes of fanatical flaggelents and warrior priests frequently join in on war with Chaos. Finally they have eight established mage orders at their beck and call, which can further utilize gigantic arks of magic.

 Bretonnia’s armies are simple in composition. One half, the more numerous half, is composed of peasent bowmen and chainmail men at arms. The other half are made up of almost entirely glorious knights, making the Brettoni a heavy cavalry faction. Some also occasionally ride flying Pegasus horses, Hippogrypths or bring Trechubets to battle.  They have a cadre of sorceresses, known as damsels, for magic.

History: Since its inception the Empire has faced constant wars with the Undead, for its founder Sigmar was one of the greatest foes of the Undead to ever exst in the Warhammer World.It was he who beat Nagash in his early push into the Empire, and he had foiled the undead before this. He cursed Vampires forever, and ever since they have been weak to his magic (or so Imperial mythologists claim). Since then they have fought numerous wars with the Vampire Counts and, in particular, the Von Carstein family.

Wars with the Vampire Counts always follow the same pattern. The Vampire Counts take advantage of a period of Empire instability to launch campaigns against the divided states of the Empire, conquering much of it or at least inflicting great damage. However they always overextend and get beaten by either unifying formerly divided opposition against them, or traitors in their own ranks (as Vampires love to betray each other at innoportune moments) . Then they lose after viscious campaigns of attrition. However the Empire never capitalizes on this success to purge Sylvannia, as the cost of doing so would bankrupt certain provinces and there is always a threat that emerges riht after.In recent times, with Mannfred’s seccession of Sylvannia from the Empire, Karl Franz (its Emperor) seemed to be finally willing to utterly destroy the province and had gathered vast armies to do so, but the Chaos invasion forced a stop to this plan.

Bretonnia’s history is steeped in myth. It is known that the legendary knight Giles once led heroic armies to pacify the beastmen, orcs, undead and raiding norsemen of his kingdom, eventually founding Brettonia proper and laying down a Chivarlic code. Since then they have fought rather frequently the Undead, in particularly the Red Duke, Kemmler and Krell. The latter two were known for continually trying to rob a monastery for Nagash’s staff (something they only succeeded in recently) and the former had occasionally risen to trouble the provinces of Brettonia in his quest for vengeance. They were usually defeated, though only barely in many cases.

In recent times the Undead under arkhan allied with Brettonian rebels to attempt to destroy the old order (and, for Arkhan, to reclaim a certain staff) . In this they did succeed, putting the Brettonian king out of commission for a while. However the founder of the kingdom mysteriously remerged and killed the rebel leader, forcing them to scatter and the Undead were driven out of the (devastated) country.

Empire/Brettonia interactions with the Tomb Kings were rarer, as the latter mostly kept to their own country, however occasionally a crusade or archaeological expedition is launched which is beaten back and is then followed by a Tomb King reprisal raid.

Implications: The Undead  has experience with a diverse force that has magic, a renaissance era army, artillery and a religion completely opposed to thems. The Empire is considered a “Jack of All Trades” in each area of its army (Artillery not as good as Dwarves, Mages not as good as High Elves, Knights not as good as Brettonians ect) but can deploy all at once.   Light Magic however is often employed against the Undead, for it inherently hurts them.

The Brettonians mostly give the Undead experience againsts tons of knights, as well as hordes of cheaply equipped peasents and men at arms (these are the Imperial Guard of the setting) . Some of the Knights  have potent magical buffs allowing them deflect bullets off their armor.

The Elves (Asur, Asrai, Druichi)

-Threat Level(in regards to Undead Legion) : Moderate-High (since Unity)

--Notable Wars: Numerous minor conflicts

--Status:   Untied for first time in history

Composition: The High Elves(Asur)  are a highly elite force that on its base includes spearmen, archers and some of the best magic users outside the Slann.  Though perhaps not as good as their Asrai cousins in this, they have formidable guerilla fighters such as the shadow warriors.  In addition they have whole units units of heroic level fighters renowned the whole world over.  Their navies are one of the few in the world that give even the Norse fear, and their airforce composes of great eagles (some of which turned into chariots with ballistas on them), phoenixes, gryphons, and even rare dragons. Just about the only thing they lack in powerful siege craft, with the best they have being a rather weak form of Ballista.

On its base the Wood Elf(Asrai)  is a guerilla-style force of fast moving spearmen, archers, and scouts quite capable of moving through the forest. They do have numerous types of different elites, such as the supernatural guards of the King and Queen and the mischevious Wardancers, but these also prize speed over armor. Their mages are potent, being masters of several different types of magic, and are joined in battle by many woodland allies. These include unicorns, giant eagles, fast moving Dyriads and their massive Treekin warders, and even a rare green dragon. Their armies are led by demigods made flesh, the living incarnation of Kurunous the Hunter God and Isha the Elf fertility goddess.

The Dark Elf or Druichi is a state ruled by Social Darwinism whose soliders, though lacking in numbers, are very high quality. For ranged combat they have a cadre of sorcereses that includes Morathi, arguably one of the most powerful (and oldest) individuals in the world. This is backed up by repeating crossbows and ballistas. In close quarters they have 24 feet long Raptor Cavarly known as Cold Ones, cadres of fanatical and deadly worshippers of Khaine, and war monsters that includes hydras and manticores. The Dark Elves are also notoriously fickle and underhanded, and this includes the use of some of the greatest assassins in the world.

History:

As the Elves were mostly pushed out of the Old World even before Nagash was born, the Undead’s interaction with the Elven race has been rather limited and mostly from afar. It is known, for example, that the Elves pay close attention to the schemes of Nagash, being one of the few individuals on the planet that can cause them wariness and even a degree of fear (Maleketh and Teclis, two of the most powerful elves, confess that they both would avoid fighting Nagash if they can help it) .

In terms of combat, the Elves have fought few engagements with the Undead and most of them have been against  Wood Elves. Back when he was alive Kremmler and his protegee Krell enjoyed raiding Athel Loren to feat on its magic and attempt to get stronger, and quite a few times they got deep into the forest before being repelled. In this case the rigid tactics of the Undead were worn down by Wood Elf guerilla tactics and the savagery of the Wild Hunt. Sometimes Athel Loren intervenes in the fights Brettonia has with the Undead, as well.

The Asur have aided the Empire covertly before against the Undead, providing logistical and in one case even mage support. Yet they too have sometimes fought pitched battles, notably after Mannfred kidnapped the Everchild princess and killed her Dwarf/Elf guardians. In this case High Elf hero Tyrion attatcked with a vengeance, and actually beat the Undead armies at Nagashazzar, however Mannfred escaped with the princess. In the most recent example, just before the resurrection of Nagash,a High Elf force was barely destroyed by a undead one as they sought a final attempt to resurrect the Everchild. It should be noted, however, that there are some examples of the High Elves working with the Tomb Kings against a greater threat.

The Undead have little experience with the Druichi, though these do exist. Mostly when the Dark Elves raid a human port town that happens to contain Vampires, and these Vampires often end up fighting the raiders. In one circumstance Luthor Harkon temporarily allied with Morathi, only to get betrayed in the end. In another bizzare circumstance a force of blood-worshipping Khainites, looking for slaughter and more blood, invaded Nekehara (whose inhabitants possessed no blood) and waged a brief but brutal campaign that ended in a slughter for the entire Cultist force (which was probably part of their objective) 

Implications: The Undead Legion s has experience fighting a great host of elite warriors and archers. Their air units are, along with the Dwarfs, some of the best in WF and include aerial artillery and dragons. Elves have repeating ballista and other such weaponry, as well as some of the best mages in the world.  They are a highly intelligent and cunning foe, with again some of the best commanders in WF.

 Wood Elves give elements of Chaos experience with an enemy that relies on light troops of archers and spearmen, that can summon natural allies and have potent natural magic. They are a guerilla force too, making quick hit and run attacks over and over again.

It is known by the Undead the at the Druihi are viscious raiders equipped with repeating crossbows, crazed powerful assassins, and lots of treachery.However tis very likely that the full Druichi arsenal is unknown thanks to geographical reasons, though with all Elves now nearby and united this may change….

Skaven

-Threat Level(in regards to Undead) : Very High

--Notable Wars: War of Cripple Peak, numerous conflicts

--Status: Underground World Empire 

Composition: The Ratmen are an incredibly diverse tunneling race when it comes to military, however they rely first and foremost on legions of overwhelming numbers to achieve victory, often outnumbering enemies many times over. Yet they also use other highly creative means depending on the clan.Clan Enshin specializes in utilizing sabotage and highly trained assassins to achieve victory, Moulder on biologically manipulated monsters such as Rat Ogres or the terrifying Hell Pit Abominations, Skyre on technological devices that includes primitive flamethrowers and gattling guns, and finally Pestilens love to spread plagues everywhere.

History:The skaven have been one of the Undead’s earliest foes, and they have fought multiple times over the past millennia. As both sides place a claim over mankind as slaves this is hardly suprising, as their can only ever be one master. In their numerous fights the Undead often have several advantages against the Skaven; they can turn their vast hordes of overwhelming numbers right back at them with necromancy, the Undead’s force suffers no morale problems and the Undead are immune to the majority of Pestilens plagues (a few magical ones might work but even the vaunted Black Plague that wiped out half of the Empire did nothing to the Undead).

However the Skaven are nothing but adaptable. When they are overwhelmed in one area they can quickly tunnel up another. When plagues don’t work they can bring up advanced if ramshackle technology such as warpfire miniguns and flamethrowers. Skaven assassins are well capable oof taking advantage of Undead synapse weakness. However Skaven expeditions against the Undead often fail because the Skaven’s constant tendency towards betrayal and often underestimating their foes. It is for that reason that the Skaven have failed often against the Undead, even in moments close to total victory such as during the Black Plague crisis. In fact the survival of the Empire can be credited to the Skaven during that period. That said the Skaven have achieved the most gains so far in End Times even if not directly against Nagash, and it remains to be seen what would happen when the two forces eventually do collide.

Implications: Undead forces have experience with a wide range of tactics that the Skaven use, from huge massive numbers to the varied technology of Clan Skyre. Pestilens employs diseases against them while Moulder sends legions of powerful monsters capable of tearing gaping holes through skeleton lines. . They would be familiar with treacherous alliances and even assassinations of Enshin, as the Skaven have worked  behind the scenes to sabotage the Undead many times.

Orcs and Goblins

-Threat Level(in regards to Chaos) : Moderate, Potential Future Super Waagh! (very High)  

--Notable Wars: Omnipresent war

--Status: Preparing for a Super-Waagh 

Composition: The Orcs and Goblins are two vast, fractuous race that composes of mostly tough, powerful melee fighters and small, brutal malicious backstabbers.  Or in Orkish terms the first is brutal but kunnin’, while the second is kunnin but brutal. Also include various sub-races like the Primitive Savage Orcs, insane Night Goblins, and extremely militaristic Black Orks.They appear in extreme numbers everywhere to fight, and bring along a assortment of critters such as giant boars, wolves, spiders(some the size of houses), trolls and giants. For artillery they use primitive catapults, spear-chukkas, and stuff that chucks goblins at people. Also has a caste of shamans that directly call upon the power of their terrible gods.

History: Orcs and Goblins have been around on the planet potentially longer then Chaos has, and so far nearly every race has launched protracted campaigns to wipe them out, failing each time. That said the Orcs and Goblins, courtesy of their nature and inability to permamently unite, have rarely achieved lasting victory against any Warhammer faction, much less undead. An exception is the Strigoi Kingdom of Mourkain, however the Orc Warcheif was helped along by Neferata a great deal heal.

Just like Chaos invasions, Orcs and Goblin assaults are frequently defeated but for no long term gain. Within a year a new WAAAAGH will pop up and the threat begins anew, and thus no enemy faction can make long term strategic gains against them. When Settra first rose to power in his mortal days, his great achievements included beating the Orcs back however after his death these successes . When Nagash rose to power in Nagashazzar, he fought the Orcs. When the Von Carsteins seized control of Sylvannia, they fought the orcs (and goblins) .

That said the Orcs an Goblins in the End Times are, apparently, have virtually dropped their infighting in order to attempt to form a massive super-Waagh that might stand a chance of achieving victory, led by Skarsnik and Grimgor. The question of if the Orcs and Goblins can achieve this is unknown, but if possible they may yet become a massive threat.

Implications: The Undead has frequent experience with two massive races of fighters and schemers that are nearly impossible to root out and are renowned for their persistence. These fighters are either powerful in physicality or in great, devious hordes of cowardly fighters. Leadership-killing is a useful tactic that Undead  would be well aware of for dealing with such foes. Neferata, Queen of the Silver Pinnacle, is shown to be skilled at manipulating orcs to fight each other by the scenes or else direct them against her enemies, though she often loses battles.  

Ogre Kingdoms

Threat Level(in regards to Undead) : Minor

--Notable Wars: All of the above

--Status: Refugee Kingdom

Composition:  Ogres stand 2 times higher then a man and many times more muscular, even more then a Chaos enhanced human, and whose gut is more formidable still. Thus any battle they appear in they count as monstorous infantry, aided by hordes of tiny gnoblars (small goblin variant) as servents and sometimes expendable infantry. However though excelling in melee, the Ogres too utilize large harpoon guns, miniature cannons carried by singular ogres, primitive gnoblar catapults and larger cannons carried on the backs of massive rhinoxs. Finally mighty war beasts such as giant boars, said rhinoxs and saber-tooth cats are included in battle.

History: Ogres are a mercenary race that has served as both ally and enemy to many factions, the Undead included. They are obsessed with eating everything they can find and this includes the Undead, who they usually grind with spices. Though the Ogres have never seriously threatened Undead nations, they have been annoyances as their served other nations as powerful mercenaries, and occasionally a tribe will head down to Nekehara to try and eat the residents there. Sometimes they eat some and escape; other times they are massacared to the Ogre.

Implications: Chaos has experience fighting large enemies who rely mostly on brute strength, ferocity, and a  degree of extreme ranged firepower. Too the Ogre force makes heavy use of giant creatures capable of running right over Undead forces with ease, as well as hordes of mini-goblins.

The Undead

Threat Level(in regards to Undead) : Very Minor

--Notable Wars: Wars of Nekehara

--Status: Almost all incorporated into Nagash’s forces.

Composition: See the Entire Army profile of the Undead Legion.

History:  It should come to no surprise that the Undead have fought frequently each other. Vampires, in carrying out their myriad schemes, have fought other vampires as they attempt to sieze control, either in duels or great army battles. Tomb King frequently fights Tomb King as disputes and grudges earned over millennia are warred to conclusion. Should also be noted that the Tomb Kings were noted with warring with each other simply because they were bored. Settra did nothing to stop this, so long as they didn’t war with him. At times he did lead organized coaltions of an Undead force, driving Nagash out of Khemri at one point and another raiding as far north as the Chaos Waste.

This inter-Undead fighting only ended very recently, with Nagash’s successful conquest of Nekehara and his dominance of the Vampire bloodlines.

Implications:  The Undead leadership are used to fighting forces just like those that they command, and most have first hand experience fighting the units described in this profile. They are used to fighting Necromancers, devious foes, and foes utterly immune to any negative morale effects.

Forces of Chaos: 

Threat Level(in regards to Undead) : Very High

--Notable Wars: Various, End Times

--Status: In Ascendency

Composition: There are three primary  factions (and one minor) that compose of the Forces of Chaos. The First is the Beastmen, a race of forest dwelling corrupted men that dwell all over the world. These powerfully strong humanoids armed with primitive weapons and feral fury. Various corrupted forest creatures accompany them, ranging from insanity inducing Jabberscythes to massive beastial giants.

The Northern Men of Chaos are the next force, and they are a primarily melee force of various levels of Champions in heavy armor, who live in a heavily Darwinian society. These are supported by all manner of Chaos mutations that give them everything from claw-hands to extra limbs.   In addition to this core of plate armored warriors they also have their own monsters to employ, as well as Chaos Ogres and Trolls. As they often ally with Chaos Dwarfs they can bring powerful artillery, small slave Hobgoblins, and a cadre of ranged elites.

Daemons are the final faction, and they are inherently otherworldly creatures who can normally cannot exist in the real realm. As otherworldly creatures they are powerful and functionally immortal, with mortals almost always only capable of banishing them from the material realm rather than killing them. They vary into four different brands: the bloodletting Khornates, who are renowned for being legendary fighters ; Tzeentch’s, who use a lot of magic to complement their force; Nurgle, the god of disease and pestilence; and Slaanesh, whose lithe warriors enjoy inflicting sensation (torture) on enemies.

History: Like with the Skaven and Orcs, the Undead have fought Chaos since nearly the beginning of their existence .Settra fought them on his campaigns north.  In the Kingdom of Mourkain, for instance, Abhorash and the armies of the Strigoi were forced to lead great invasions against the North to stymie their advance.

Recently Chaos has begun its End Times, and appears in ascendency. It is simultaneously assaulting all civilizations in the world and the Undead are seen by many, as a near-incorruptible force inherently opposed to Chaos, as one of the few factions that can stand against Chaos. Which the Undead have tried to do in the North, though thus far they have lost the majority of battles they have fought against the Forces of Chaos, thanks to their weakness of synapse necromancers and lack of quality units. The battles they have won have been won often with the Empire’s reluctant teamwork. That said, every battle Chaos has won against the Undead have been close run things so far, and Chaos despises the Undead for it.

Neither Nagash nor Chaos overlord Archaon have joined the war against each other yet, and it remains to be seen what happens when they do….

Implications: The Undead have experience fighting foes that are superhuman in power, as well as otherworldly creatures that have trouble permanently dying. These include massive monsters and monsters with various themes (magic spewing, for example) 

-Others:

Vampires have travelled far and wide, and have encountered/fought against the various other nations of the world including Cathay, though experience is limited.  As Tamurkhan shows Cathay repeating crossbows, odd artillery, monsters made of stone and disciplined ranks of highly trained troops.  Araby is another enemy of Undead,with Arkhan having fought a thousand year war against them.  They are known to use light troops and tribesmen equipped for deserts, some elementals and mystical enchantress sorceresses. T peoples such as Ind and Nippon (Fantasy Japan and India) and Estalia and Tilea (Fantasy Spain and Italy).