Skullgrinder
Skullgrinders are the itinerant warrior-smiths of the Khorne Bloodbound. They use their heavy, blessed anvils burning with the heat of Khorne's own forge both when forging arms and armour and when fighting in glorious battle.[2a]
Contents
Origins
In the early Age of Chaos, the Chaos Gods granted their followers many gifts to aid in the conquest of the Mortal Realms. One of Khorne's gifts to the first Bloodbound tribes were brass anvils of Khorne much like of his own to use both to forge ever more lethal weapons and as sacrificial altars: in return for smashing captives' skulls on the anvils, the tribes' weapons would be imbued with the raging heat of the Blood God's daemonic forge. [1a]
Bloodbound legends say that eventually, mysterious wanderers - the first Skullgrinders - came to Bloodbound camps and silently marched directly to the anvil-altars at their heart. Any who sought to stop these strangers were simply smashed aside, and the infernal light of the anvils grew brighter the closer they came. When a wanderer finally reached an anvil, they unwound lengths of brass chain from thin air. These chains, still glowing as if taken directly out of the forge-fires, were then attached to the anvils with thunderous strikes of the Skullgrinder's hammer. Seeing daemons dancing in the flames spewing from the anvil once this ritual was complete, the Bloodbound fell to their knees in worship. The Skullgrinders have been the guardians of the brazen anvils ever since.[1a][3a]
Religious Significance
While Khorne's followers do sometimes (if rarely) construct temples to their warrior god, it is on the battlefield that he is truly worshipped. Only through the bloody clash of blades can the Bloodbound give their brutal patron his due. For this reason, those who craft weapons, armour, and other implements of warfare are favoured by Khorne - and none more so than the Skullgrinders, who carry tools from the Blood God's own forge. As both powerful warriors and skillful smiths, Skullgrinders are clearly blessed by Khorne, and their fellow Bloodbound fight even harder in their presence.[1a][1b][2a]
Allegiances
Most Skullgrinders are journeymen, appearing out of the wilderness to join a tribe or warband. They forge implements of war and join the tribe in battle for a time until they leave as suddenly and mysteriously as they arrived.[1a][2a]
On occasion, a Lord of Khorne might prevail upon a Skullgrinder to join their warhorde for an extended period, perhaps by making them a member of their Gorechosen. Such a sign of Khorne's blessing - not to mention the increased access to high-quality arms and armour - is a powerful symbol of authority in the brutal world of Khornate politics.[2a][3a] More rarely, a Skullgrinder might rise to lead a warhorde of his own, such as in the case of the legendary Akor Ragemaker.[3b]
Wargear
A Skullgrinder goes to battle with his heavy Brazen Anvil on its blessed brass chains. As he swings it at his enemies, crushing armour and bludgeoning flesh with incredible force, it glows brighter and brighter with the infernal light and heat of Khorne's forge. The Bloodbound near the Skullgrinder find their weapons glowing hot with Khorne's blessing.[1a][1b][2a]
Notable
Miniatures
A Skullgrinder.
Sources
- 1: Battletome: Khorne Bloodbound (2015)
- 2: Battletome: Blades of Khorne (2017)
- 2a: The Gorechosen, pg. 48-49
- 3: Battletome: Blades of Khorne (2019)
