Khorne Bloodbound

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Khorne Bloodbound
Goretide 01.png
The Goretide.
Grand alliance Chaos
Associated factions Blades of Khorne
Main grouping Warhorde
Major characters Korghos Khul
Mazarall
Scylla Anfingrimm
Skaarac
Skarr Bloodwrath
Valkia
Vorgaroth
Races Daemon Prince
Human
Mounts Juggernaut
Creatures Flesh Hound
Khorgorath
Prayers Blood Blessings of Khorne
Invocations Bleeding Icon
Hexgorger Skull
Wrath Axe
Scenery Skull Altar
Warbands Garrek's Reavers
Magore's Fiends

Khorne Bloodbound or Khorne's Legions[4] are the warriors of the most powerful of the ruinous deities, Khorne, lord of rage, violence and bloodshed. They swarm across the Mortal Realms, enslaving or killing their inhabitants in order to spill blood and claims skulls for their bloodthirsty patron.[1][2] Their lords are blessed with hideously violent mutations and gifted with weapons from Khorne's own forges.[3]

Overview

Unlike any other army where camaraderie leads the men to fight together, the Bloodbound are not united by any other bond than Khorne's will. In fact all Bloodhound hate each other and will never hesitate to back stab or to murder each other. A warrior of Khorne gains prestige through slaughter, but only by slaying powerful enemies can the aspiring champions hope of gaining the Blood God's favour. When his killing and exploits become too noticeable, the warrior will become the target of others' ambition since he is now a powerful foe. Many promising champions have fallen with an axe gutting them open or a flail smashing their skull while there were no other warrior alive than the Bloodbound themselves. Many Aspiring Champions challenges other rising warriors in the arenas.[15a]

Origins

Khorne worship may originate from various sources - being born into tribes with a preexisting Khornate culture, seeing Khorne’s bloodlust as the precept by which great power and dominance over the Mortal Realms are achieved, or even unwillingly devoting themselves to Khorne after being overtaken by an insatiable love of bloodshed while seeking vengeance for murdered loved ones or engaging in violence for some other just cause. In an age of constant war, within just a few generations, and without overt signs of Chaos corruption, a tribe can move from taking simple pride in the ability of its warriors to defend its lands to lauding its military above all else, eventually becoming a brutal, savage culture in which might determines right and no quarter is asked for or given. Regardless of reason, a mortal who becomes a follower of Khorne has stepped onto the path of skulls and has a future filled only with carnage. It is an avenue to immortality that is crowded with hopefuls, but only the strongest and most selfish survive to the end. [17a]

Only the most dedicated of these Slaves to Darkness follow that path of brutality even further and undertake the eight archaic Trials of Khorne. The survivors of the trials are made Bloodbound, one of Khorne’s chosen warriors, and are bestowed with daemonic gifts of strength and martial prowess, their veins quake with rage, and the iron smell of fresh blood becomes to them like the sweet scent of air to a drowning man. Those who are greatly blessed will find their fingers growing into claws, their mouth filling with rows of jagged fangs, or immense horns erupting from the sides of their skull. They must continue killing in his name until every last shred of their mortality is abandoned and are either transformed into a monstrous Daemon Prince or meet a violent, bloody death. [17a]

Bloodbound Warhordes

Main article: Bloodbound Warhorde
Typically hierarchy of a Warhorde

Warriors of Khorne band together into warbands under champions in order to seek out and face mightier foes. In turn these warbands gather together into even larger bands commanded by even mightier champions, and so on until the mightiest warlords command a vast Bloodbound Warhorde consisting of many thousands of blood-crazed warriors.[17b]

A Lord of Khorne commands an entire Bloodbound Warhorde, and under their banners are hordes of Bloodreavers, packs of hulking Skullreapers and droves of thundering Skullcrushers, but even the most powerful lords rarely hold their followers together for more than a few campaigns. Directly beneath the Lord of Khorne are his Gorechosen, his eight mightiest and most favoured champions. They are the Lord of Khorne’s personal guard, and they are also the most likely to bury a serrated axe blade in the back of his skull, so he keeps them close at hand, where their seething ambitions can be observed. A Warhorde is typically divided into eight distinct groups. In smaller armies, these eight formations might each be a single pack, but in larger groups each of the eight is a battle force in its own right . So great is the fury manifested in such a gathering that, when they start reaping their gory tributes, the veil between realms begins to tear. [17b]

Allied Creatures

  • Khorgoraths:Former mortals whose bodies have been corrupted into hulking beasts with puny minds consumed by rage and destruction.[3]
  • Flesh Hounds: They are beasts capable of tearing a man in half with their fangs and ward off spells and conjurations. They are gifts to Khorne's most bloodthirsty vassals[2] and are usually chained to the armour of the Lords of Khorne.[1]
  • Juggernauts of Khorne: These daemon mounts of Khorne are ridden by Lords of Khorne and Mighty Skullcrushers into battle.[8c][8f]

Culture

Runes

Bloodbound commonly apply runic markings to their armour or flesh to denote their allegiance or role. The exact methods of application and meaning can vary from warhorde to warhorde, though each rune always has eight variations[15b]; for example, the Iron Horde uses the rune of the daemonic axe to show devotion to their leader, the Daemon Prince Balghor, while other tribes often use it to denote their Bloody Headsmen executioners.[19a][19b]

Another common use for the runes is as kill-marking, carving lines for each worthy kill to progressively turn an originally simple rune into its more complex variations, then starting over with another rune once the most complex variation is complete. Some warhordes do not even need to consciously carve their tallies; the kill-markings of the Skullfiend Tribe appear spontaneously, etched by invisible daemonic hands, adding to their fearsome reputation.[19a]

Music

When gathered together and not in battle, groups of warriors may sing Arbaal's Lament - a hymn to uncompleted slaughter and skulls that will never be taken. [18a]

Sources


Khorne Bloodbound
Units Lords of Khorne Lord of Khorne - Mighty Lord of Khorne
Gorechosen Aspiring Deathbringer - Bloodsecrator - Bloodstoker - Exalted Deathbringer - Slaughterpriest - Realmgore Ritualist - Skullgrinder
Champions Khorgoraths - Skullreapers - Wrathmongers
Warriors Bloodreavers - Blood Warriors - Mighty Skullcrushers
Warbands Claws of Karanak - Garrek's Reavers - Gorechosen of Dromm - Magore's Fiends - Murderfist
Bloodbound Warhordes Brazen Butchers - Goretide - Skullfiend Tribe - The Flayed
Characters Ahazian Kel - Akhagor - Anhur - Balghor - Baudrax - Blackjaw - Drane - Dravek Daemonfist - Garsa - Ghaar'eth - Gigante - Gorechosen of Dromm(Dromm - Gorehulk - Herax) - Graunos - Grizzlemaw - Isengrim - Kaelgor - Kathag - Khuldrak - Korghos Khul - Koroth - Korox Tyrantscorn - Krev Deathstalker - Kurgoth - Lakshar Bloodspeaker - Mordax Slaughterthirst - Rakhan - Riptooth - Ruhok - Scylla Anfingrimm - Selkhara - Skalok - Skarku - Skarr Bloodwrath - Skuldrak - Tarvak - The Beast - Therekal - Threx Skullbrand - Ushkar Mir - Valkia - Vehk the Flayer - Volundr - Vorax - Vorgaroth - Vorhak - Vrak Brazenfist
Artwork - Miniatures
Grand Alliances and factions
OrderChaosDestructionDeath
Beasts of Chaos (BrayherdsMonsters of ChaosThunderscornWarherds) • Legion of Chaos AscendantBlades of Khorne (Daemons of KhorneKhorne Bloodbound) • Disciples of Tzeentch (Daemons of TzeentchTzeentch Arcanites) • Hedonites of Slaanesh (Daemons of SlaaneshSlaanesh Sybarites) • Maggotkin of Nurgle (Daemons of NurgleNurgle RotbringersTamurkhan's Horde) • Skaventide (EshinMasterclanMoulderPestilensSkryreVerminus) • Slaves to Darkness (Daemons of ChaosEverchosen) • Legion of Azgorh