Soulblight
A Bloodseeker Palanquin of the Soulblight vampires. | |
Grand alliance | Death |
Associated factions | Soulblight Gravelords |
Major characters | Belladamma Lauka Vai Mannfred Neferata Radukar Vhordrai |
Races | Malignant Vampire |
Mounts | Nightmare Zombie Dragon |
Vehicles | Bloodseeker Palanquin Coven Throne |
Creatures | Bat Fell Bat Vargheist |
Spell lores | Lore of the Vampires |
Archetypes | Vampire Lord |
Warbands | Crimson Court |
Soulblight vampires are powerful undead creatures who are a curse upon the living and who hunger endlessly for fresh blood.
Contents
Origins
All vampires can trace their lineage back to Neferata, who drank Nagash's blood, becoming immortal but also, like her blood-children, becoming ever subject to his will.[8]
Abilities
Soulblight Vampires have everlasting, inhuman strength and an insatiable lust for blood. Countless kings and queens across the Mortal Realms bear this "curse". Many are blood children of the Mortarchs Neferata and Mannfred von Carstein who build empires and carry out plots, schemes, and wars on their behalf. Some seek to forge their own place in the dangerous hierarchy of the dead, [1] with those of Neferata's bloodline tending towards at least a semblance of civilisation and those of Mannfred's likely to be macabre and treating mortals as cattle. [8] Soulblight vampires often have dark, magical powers enabling them to control and raise the dead, up to and including Zombie Dragons.[10]
Appearance
Some ride to war as Blood Knights clad in heavy plate armour whilst others glide into battle upon Coven Thrones, sipping the blood of mortals, surrounded by clouds of servile spirits and beautiful handmaidens. Some are driven mad by the curse and form the dreaded Flesh-eater Courts.[1] They can vary as much in appearance as they do in nature - some are decadent courtiers or deadly knights (or even both!); on the Parching Wastes in the Realm of Aqshy ash vampires are skeletally thin and pale with knife-like claws while the tribal chieftans of the Realm of Ghur are huge, hairy, befanged monsters.[10]
Bloodlines
The Bloodlines from the World-that-Was are still part of the nature of the various vampires. There are multiple, each of them with a specific affinity:[5]
- Dragon Warriors with superior combat skills.[5]
- Lords of Night with the ability to more easily influence their minions.[5]
- Necromantic with the ability to cause fear and superior wizardry.[5]
- Swift Death with superior speed and agility.[5]
- Shape-Shifting with the ability to take on bestial forms.[11b]
Note
These bloodlines likely refer to the vampiric bloodlines of Abhorash, Neferata, W'soran, and Vashanesh, with a fifth being Ushoran whose children formed the Flesh-eater Courts.
Sub-Types
Sanguinarchs
Some vampires become obsessed completely by the consumption of blood, seeking always the perfect taste of mortal blood and become known as Sanguinarchs. Some take to the battlefield on Bloodseeker Palanquins to sample the blood of those they consider worthy, but others live within mortal cities or temples, manipulating their hosts' bloodlines to provide the perfect blend. When a Sanguinarch goes to war, she is often accompanied by a cloud of banshees - who may have been, in life, rivals or chosen victims and now slice their creator's prey to fill her chalice. [10]
Vargheists
Vargheists are monstrous bestial vampires who are often kept to the shadows of their kin's court, but none can deny their power on the battlefield. Many vampires fear that should they be deprived of blood they will become a Vargheist.[8]
Bats
Bats, large and small, also carry the curse, with Fell Bats being some of the larger breeds that can be found. When they descend to battle they are often accompanied by lesser Bat Swarms.[1]
Vargskyr
The Vargskyr are vampires of the Vyrkos bloodline that could not control their animalistic nature. Their minds are shattered and their flesh transmuted to the point where they have become colossal bat-like beasts. These horrors patiently stalk their prey before ripping them asunder in displays of staggering violence.[11c]
Sources
- 1: Grand Alliance: Death, 2016
- 2: Spear of Shadows by Josh Reynolds, 2017
- 3: Battletome: Ironjawz (2016)
- 4: Lord of Undeath by C L Werner
- 5: General's Handbook 2017
- 6: The Armies of Firestorm: The Wraith Fleet
- 7: The Dance of the Skulls (short story) by David Annandale
- 8: White Dwarf Voume 3 No.17 January 2018, The Ultimate Guide to Death, p70-77
- 9: The Realmgate Wars: Balance of Power When Cometh Death
- 10: Battletome: Legions of Nagash (2018) Soulblight Vampires, p26-29
- 11: Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords (2021)
Soulblight Gravelords | |
Associated Factions | Beasts of the Grave - Deadwalkers - Deathlords - Deathmages - Deathrattle - Soulblight |
Legions | Legion of Blood - Legion of Night |
Dynasties | Atrapai - Avengorii - Gestout - Kastelai - Khirogarvii - Tengorez - Vyrkos - Wraith Fleet |
Characters | Belladamma - Lauka Vai - Mannfred von Carstein - Neferata - Radukar |
Background | Elders of Vyrkos - Mortarchs - Soulblight Curse |
Armoury - Artwork - Miniatures - Spells |