Plague Priest
Plague Priests are the leaders of the Churches of Contagion, frothing red-eyed lunatics and ranting preachers of the Withered Word of the Great Corruptor. [3a]
Combat
Unusually for skaven, Plague Priests are known to lead from the front, hatching, clawing and biting their way through while screeching prayers to conjure unholy miracles or blessings of foetid filth. Some Priests fight in such an insanely bold manner due to their sanity being eroded to the point they do not recognise the danger, but most of them simply seek to win the Horned Rat's favour and will use their underlings as living shields at the first sign of danger. [1][2a][3a]
All Plague Priests have at least some ability in brewing plagues and toxins. The true masters use their vats to create poxes so contagious that they can annihilate entire armies. Riding atop the Plague Furnaces, these infernally talented Priests lead Foulrain Congregations into battle. [3a]
Other Priests serve as masters of Plaguesmog Congregations and Congregations of Filth. [3a]
Social role
Each Pestilens clan is ruled over by a conclave of these most ferocious of acolytes. The main goal of Plague Priests is to gain their god's blessing, for only this way it is possible to defeat rivals and seize greater power. Even the smallest of the clans have several Priests and larger clans may have Plague Priests in the thousands. Their internal hierarchy is based on violence and fear in a constant battle for dominance. Coercion, betrayal, bribery and backstabbing are no less popular in Pestilens society than they are in any other Great Clans. A common tactic is to invent new titles for themselves, often related to their duties in the church but ridiculously overblown to dread and to impress. [1][2a][3a][4a]
Equipment
Plague Censers carry pestilent energy that corrupts the flow of magic and causes nearby spellcasters to vomit. On top of that every Plague Priest wields Warpstone-tipped Staff that rots all it touches. [1][2a][3a]
Prayers
Plague Priests can pray for a foul disease or even an echo of one of the Great Plagues to be unleashed upon the foes. Such pestilent prayers give them the ability to belch impossibly foul clouds or curse an enemy with a terrible wasting sickness. [1][2a][3a][4a]
Known titles
Notable Priests
Miniatures
A Plague Priest.
Sources
- 1: Plague Priest product description
- 2: Warscrolls
- 3: Battletome: Skaven Pestilens (2016)
- 3a: Plague Priests, pg. 27
- 4: Battletome: Skaven (2022)
- 4a: Devotees of Pestilens, pg. 34-37
| Pestilens | |
| Units | Plague Censer Bearer - Plague Furnace - Plague Monk - Plague Priest - Plagueclaw - Verminlord Corruptor |
| Characters | Gnawscrotch - Kratsik - Merkitch - Rhaspfang - Rotfang - Pestifrious - Sepskrik - Threxiphane - Vermalanx |
| Clans | Blitus - Brakkish - Buborix - Corruptus - Feesik - Festerlingus - Grotus - Morbidus - Pustulous - Retchid - Septik - Shrok - Skab - Skrofulox - Sputix - Vomikrit - Vomix |
| Armoury - Artwork - Miniatures | |