Soul Grinder
| Grand alliance | Chaos |
| Associated factions | Blades of Khorne Daemons of Chaos Daemons of Khorne Daemons of Nurgle Daemons of Slaanesh Daemons of Tzeentch Disciples of Tzeentch Hedonites of Slaanesh Maggotkin of Nurgle Slaves to Darkness |
| Origins | Creations of the Forge of Souls |
| Languages | Dark Tongue |
| Type | Daemon |
| Average lifespan | Immortal |
Soul Grinders are Daemons who swore the Oath of the Iron Pact to the Forge of Souls and were turned into clanking daemon engines that scuttle forth on huge mechanical legs. [2a][3b]
Creation
When a Daemon is banished from the Mortal Realms by any means it must wait a given period of time, or certain preconditions should be met, before its penance is lifted and it is remade in corporeal form to return to the material realms. Sometimes such punishments can last up to a thousand years and a day, depending on the whims of their god and circumstance of their failure. Yet still, those with a burning desire for vengeance who cannot bear to wait, often those exorcised in a particularly humiliating fashion, may instead make a pilgrimage to the Forge of Souls, draging their shapeless essence to the armoury of daemonkind in the Realm of Chaos. In there they speak the Oath of the Iron Pact to the strange infernal smithies that act as masters of the Forge, striking a terrible bargain and swearing themselves into servitude in return for the chance to return to the physical plane once more.[2a][3b][4a]
Such bitter beings are remade into Soul Grinders, beings not of daemonic forms in the same way as the Dark God's footsoldiers, but monstrosities of flesh, metal and eldritch power. These daemons have their forms swell with aetheric energy, while their lower bodies are replaced with clanking pistons and great mechanical legs. Hissing, clanking and shrieking in fury, the daemonic essence at their core becomes intertwined with a nigh-indestructable form.[2a][3b][4a]
All this comes at a terrible cost, however, the Forge's daemonic masters requring thousands of souls in repayment for the body loaned to them in return, staking claim over all the souls they slay and spoils of war taken, all as material for the Forge. Yet still, few who accept such a bargain ever fulfull it. As the forge masters forever hunger for more raw materials, when a Soul Grinder is destroyed the soul-price they demand to reincarnate again grows ever steeper, and the Daemon's debt to their new master deepens ever further. Thus most Soul Grinders have bound themselves eternally to the Soul Forge, accruing debts they can never truly repay, just as the smiths intend for their creations. Regardless, the pure desperation to pay off this tithe and regain their true physical form makes them utterly relentless in combat.[2a][3b][4a][5a]
The longer a Daemon remains a Soul Grinder and more souls they claim, the less they remember of their former life. In the rare case a Soul Grinder manages to truly pay off their debt of souls, these memories are returned to them along with their natural form. However, should a daemon-machine seem close to the release of its contract, the masters of the Forge are not averse to manipulating events to ensure their destruction, and the subsequent deepening of their debt to be remade once more.[5a]
Weapons
A Soul Grinder's arms end in hellish Harvester Cannons or crushing Hellforged Claws. Giant mouths bombard the enemy with Phlegm consisting of all manner of foul substances. Even the Piston-driven Legs that allow it to scuttle across a battlefield with terrifying swiftness can be used as weapons. Some may also arm themselves with a Warpmetal Blade or a Daemonbone Talon. In battle, its cannons rake the enemy while its augmented strength allows it to crush even the Steam Tanks of the Ironweld Arsenal with ease. [2a][3a][3b]
Mark of Chaos
Soul Grinders can have the following Marks of Chaos:
- Mark of Khorne[3a][3b]
- Mark of Nurgle[3a][3b]
- Mark of Slaanesh[3a][3b]
- Mark of Tzeentch[3a][3b]
- Mark of Chaos Undivided[3b]
Notable
Miniatures
Soul Grinder wielding a Warpmetal Blade.
Soul Grinder with a Daemonbone Talon attachment.
Sources
- 1: Age of Sigmar: Core Book (2nd Edition) - Creatures of Chaos, pg. 170
- 2: Battletome: Slaves to Darkness (2019)
- 2a: The Daemonic and the Monstrous, 42-43
- 3: Warscroll
- 4: Battletome: Slaves to Darkness (2022)
- 5: White Dwarf Vol 3 No 38:
- 5a:Tome Celestial: The Host of Syll'Esske, pg. 21-27
Slaves to Darkness 
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