40K Lore: The Lord of Rage
Beware loremasters, this week none other than the Lord of Hate himself is our topic of dicussion.
Victory from the front! Our brave Primaris Marines and newly reborn leader Roboute Guilliman fought a crushing victory against the ruinous powers. The daemonic hordes were no match for the might of Guilliman and good old fashioned Imperial Know-How, which is second only to the protection and beneficence of the Emperor in anyone’s arsenal. The weak, pathetic powers of Chaos are clearly in for it for good this time. Their daemons are nothing, it’s only the corruption of our best and brightest brought about by the most insidious of tricks that even gives them a fighting chance. Their days are numbered. So before we bid adieu to these ruinous powers, let us learn of our foes that we might better hasten their ultimate defeat. And in the wake of the defeat of a mighty Bloodthirster, we should look at its master. The creamed god, Khorne.
Khorne is the Chaos god of anger, violence, and hate. Khorne is the mightiest and the second to emerge of the four Gods of Chaos, fully coming into existence during Terra‘s Middle Ages. Every act of violence gives Khorne power, whether committed by his followers or by their enemies. The name “Khorne” derives from his Dark Tongue name, “Kharneth”, meaning “Lord of Rage” or “Lord of Blood”. Although Khorne despises the use of magic and accordingly hates Tzeentch, Slaanesh is his opposite. Khorne and Slaanesh personify two entirely opposing aspects of Chaos, and Khorne considers Slaanesh a weakling without martial pride or honour. Images of Khorne show it to be a mighty being, sitting upon a great throne of brass atop a mountainous pile of bleached skulls centered in a lake of blood little more than a wild beast, mad with bloodlust and vicious to friend or foe.
Khorne is said to have inherited a martial nobility and honour, and considers the weak and helpless to be unworthy of his wrath. His associated number is eight, reflected in the organisation of his armies, and in smaller matters such as the number of syllables in a daemonic follower’s name. The preceding information has been redacted by the Ordo Hereticus, if you have read it, please report yourself.
Khorne’s followers are warriors without exception, if only in mind than in occupation. His followers build no temples but rather worship him on the battlefield. To devote time to building temples rather than fighting for something would more likely incur Khorne’s wrath than please him. Worship of Khorne is purely through bloodshed, either from one’s enemies in victory or one’s own through earnest struggle; it is said that any follower who allows a day to pass without contributing to this act of worship will incur Khorne’s displeasure.
Khorne’s demons are fierce, but are no match for the weapons of Terra, Mars, and those other holy planets. Let our fire rain upon them, let their foul blood spill and scorch the earth. We name our foes here…
- Bloodthirsters – The Greater Daemons of Khorne. Of all the Daemons of Chaos they bear the greatest resemblance to the archetypical demon, having a human body, cloven hooves, leathery bat-like wings and horned dogs-heads. They wield a fiery whip and a massive two-headed battleaxe (which, in original background were daemon weapons binding another Bloodthirster) simultaneously in battle. They are the strongest and most aggressive of all Daemons. The mightiest Bloodthirster of Khorne is An’ggrath the Unbound. In the last 10,000 years, An’ggrath has only been summoned twice from the Warp. Both successful summonings have resulted in great loss for the Imperium as many worlds fell to his terrible wrath.
- Bloodletters – The common Daemons of Khorne. They are horned humanoids with hunched, crested backs, and their limbs are wiry but are notoriously strong. They wield blood-drinking blades called Hellblades. They are also known as the Naked Slayers, the Teeth of Death and the Horned Ones.
- Flesh Hounds – the Daemon Beasts of Khorne are the monstrous and ferocious vaguely-canine creatures notorious for their ability to track down their chosen prey. They are also known as Hunters of Blood and have claws to rend their foes apart once they catch them. They exist for the sheer thrill of the chase and the inevitable kill. By some accounts, the Flesh Hounds were loosed against cowardly warriors who killed the weak and unworthy.
- Juggernauts – daemonic steeds of Khorne, sometimes granted to Champions of Khorne as mounts. A huge beasts made from living daemonic metal, it roughly resembles a gigantic rhinoceros. These beasts are kept in pens where they tend to fight for dominance amongst themselves. However, a particularly favoured mortal or daemonic champion will sometimes attempt to claim one as a mount. This is no easy task, and the smashed remnants of the unlucky ones are left smeared around the Juggernaut’s pens, but a few are successful and subdue one receiving the boon of being its master and riding it into battle.
The Fortress of Khorne is Khorne’s realm within the Warp. It is a monument to fury and bloodshed, and is built upon foundations of murder and conflict. This blood-soaked realm echoes constantly with Khorne’s bellows and the clash of weapons. At the centre of this mighty fortress lies the Brass Citadel, where Khorne’s mighty throne resides. He sits atop a mountain of skulls, those slain in his name. A great fire pit lights Khorne’s gloomy chamber, the dark flames consume the souls of cowards who have fled from battle. Inside the Fortress lays the foundries of Khorne, manned by souls of warriors who died in their sleep and thus forever shamed by the Blood God. Around the citadel flows a moat, and is filled not with water, but with the boiling blood of those who have lost their lives to war. Beyond this moat lies league upon league of cracked land, littered with the ravaged bones of those fallen in battle. A mighty crevasse splits the wasteland in two, a canyon many miles long and bottomless. The fortress is also said to contain pens of Juggernauts and a complex of battlements equipped with great infernal cannons.
Let them all burn! Khorne shall fall to his own bloodlust, consumed in holy fire–his boiling blood will spill and his skull shall be taken! Let us then see who shall give blood for the blood god! Skulls for the skull throne!
(Editor’s note: the rest of the missive has been classified and seized by the Inquisition. Our Loremaster was last seen skipping through the halls wielding a penknife with distressing accuracy. If you see him, please contact Inquisitor Harrison)
Remember to visit your ecclesiarchy today! Cleanse that heretical impurity away!
