Meet the Horror Factions of Age of Sigmar – PRIME
The Mortal Realms are some scary places… Let’s take a spooky tour.
Just like its 41st-millennium counterpart, Age of Sigmar is full to bursting with terrifying monsters and creatures. Of course, that tracks; when the most powerful servant of the Chaos Gods shatters the world in a great cataclysm, causing the world to remake itself in the image of the old spell lores, you’re bound to have one or two nightmare creatures. Even outside the obvious Death faction, many armies follow themes of modern horror, and just in time for the last week of the spooky season, we’ve hand-picked a few of the creepiest (and yes, more than half of them are from Death). So grab your popcorn and dust off your favorite chainsaw as we look at seven factions from the Mortal Realms with a decidedly spooky vibe.
Kruleboyz
The newest faction joining the legions of Destruction, the Kruleboyz are lanky orruks from the swampland that follow the path of Kragnos. Unlike their larger counterparts, they are wickedly intelligent and have been known to lay traps or lure their enemies into ambushes rather than engage them head-on. Their teaser trailer implied that they would cause enemy travelers to simply disappear into the swamp, with no discernable cause for their absence. With their poisoned weapons, ambush and guerilla tactics, and affinity for marshland, they are the mysterious monsters of the swamp in the vein of Anaconda or Dinocroc, though, unlike these slightly hokey B-movies, they are a real threat to the forces of Order (or anyone else who happens to trespass on their swampland).
Soulblight
The Vampire Counts of the Old World in new, terrifying aspect, the Soulblight Gravelords are the unwilling servants of the Great Necromancer and some of the most powerful undead creatures in the Realms. With incredible necromantic might and the wisdom and strength of eons of immortal life, they lead hordes of skeletal warriors, shambling zombies, ravenous undead wolves, or even armored vampiric knights to crush their enemies and add them to their ever-growing army of death. Obviously, this faction is based on stories of vampires, especially Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with his depictions of “the children of the night” showing up as the wolves and the undead majesty of a nobleman present in every Soulblight Lord. Whatever they’re based on, you don’t want to meet them in the dark, unless you’re feeling particularly lucky and hoping for the Blood Kiss.
Nighthaunt
An army of terrifying, vengeful spirits rising from the ground to take revenge on the hated living, the Nighthaunt were Nagash’s first assault during the aptly named Soul Wars. Ruthless and without fear, they float through battlements and stone walls like water to bring their dread blades to bear and add more souls to their horrifying number. Several ancient undead legends find their home in the Nighthaunt list, from the wraith and poltergeist forms of the Knight of Shrouds or Cairn Wraith to the death-heralding Banshees. Where the Nighthaunt tread, only terror and death remain.
Skaven
The villainous Ratmen of the Under-Empire, the Skaven have been a silent threat to the denizens of the surface world since long before the Age of Myth. When the world shattered under the lash of Archaon, it could have been easily assumed that the Skaven vanished along with it (after all, most people didn’t believe in them in the first place). However, either through their verminous ingenuity, vile sorcery, or luck, they made their way to the Realms, literally chewing themselves a new home in a pocket realm. They burst from portals and unleash their fell machines and plagues on the surface before vanishing back into the Under-Realm to plot more devious schemes. For a modern counterpart, they represent both the beings that exist in sewers and the underground, snatching the unwary and plotting the destruction of the surface world, as well as misguided scientists a la Herbert West or Victor Frankenstein. But nothing to worry about; after all, Skaven aren’t real…
Bonereapers
The greatest weapon of Nagash, the Ossiarch Bonereapers are an unrelenting force of destruction and power. Unflinching and without fear, they carry out advanced tactical maneuvers with a skill and speed no other undead force could hope to match and have been able to expand Nagash’s empire of death into previously unheard of regions of the Realms. They are similar to the folklore of golems, constructs with souls grafted onto them to give them life and at least semi-sentience (though in D&D, it’s usually an elemental). They are the ultimate warriors of Death, and any who stand in their way will either kneel or…well, the picture says it best.
Idoneth Deepkin
When the Aelven gods tore the souls of their mortal followers out of the belly of Slaanesh, they did the best they could to mold them into forms that matched their particular memories of the Old World, or at least their vision of them. However, Teclis’s first attempt resulted in the Idoneth, a sea-bound race of Aelves leading a short, tortured existence, some born entirely without eyes or souls. In light of this, Teclis sought to destroy them, but they retreated deep into the Aetheric Sea, and now conduct lightning raids of the surface on the backs of mystical sea creatures that float through the air as though swimming. They represent the eldritch fear of the world of the deep oceans and what creatures might lurk in the unexplored depths beneath the waves. The fact that they also steal your soul is just the icing on the terrible cake.
Flesheater Courts
Noble warriors and lords corrupted into a horrific delusion, the Flesh Eaters believe themselves valiant knights and kings while they tear into the flesh of their victims with reckless hunger. They are corpse eaters, entirely consumed by a desire to eat the flesh of all who stand before them, but never seeing how horrible they have truly become. Several instances of such monstrosities exist in our real-world stories, but the first that comes to mind for me is the cursed Wendigo, a Native American monster consumed by a pang of hunger it can never satisfy. Depending on the legend you find, a Wendigo is either a person who has committed the ultimate sin of cannibalism or a vengeful spirit possessing the body of the one who wronged it. Either way, you’ll want to stay well out of claw’s reach of these odious lords.
Happy Halloween!
