Khorne
From Lexicanum
| Khorne | |||
| |||
| Aspect | Hate, rage, violence, bloodshed | Sacred Number | 8 |
| Traits | Warrior | Enemy God | Slaanesh |
| Daemons | |||
| Bloodthirster, Bloodletters Flesh Hounds, Juggernaut | |||
Khorne is the Chaos god of anger, violence, and hate. Every act of violence gives Khorne power, whether committed by his followers or by enemies. The name "Khorne" derives from his Dark Tongue name, Kharneth, meaning "Lord of Rage" or "Lord of Blood".
He is the mightiest and the oldest of the four Chaos gods, fully coming into existence during Terra's Middle Ages. Although Khorne despises the use of magic and accordingly hates Tzeentch, Slaanesh is his opposite, Khorne and Slaanesh personifying two entirely opposing aspects of Chaos. Slaanesh, considered a weakling without martial pride or honour, incurs most of Khorne's hatred.
Images of Khorne show it to be a mighty being, sitting upon a great throne of brass atop a mountainous pile of bleached skulls centered in a lake of blood. The skulls are of all those slain by Khorne's Champions, and of all his slain Champions. The mountain slowly grows ever higher.
Contents |
Worship of Khorne
The World Eaters Legion have been dedicated to Khorne since the Horus Heresy. The battle-cry of the followers of Khorne reflects his desire for wanton violence and is feared by all who hear it: 'Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!'
Khorne's followers are without exception warriors. His followers build no temples but rather worship him on the battlefield. To devote time to building temples rather than fighting would more likely incur Khorne's wrath than please him. Worship of Khorne is purely through bloodshed; it is said that any follower who allows a day to pass without contributing to this act of worship will incur Khorne's displeasure.
Khorne is said to have inherited a martial nobility and honour, and considers the weak and helpless to be unworthy of his wrath.
His associated number is eight, reflected in the organization of his armies, and in smaller matters such as the number of syllables in a daemonic follower's name. Also note that his personal symbol looks vaguely like a figure of eight.
Daemons of Khorne
- Greater Daemons
The Greater Daemons of Khorne are called Bloodthirsters.
Other names given to Bloodthirsters are:
- Blooded Ones
- Lords of Skulls
- High-handed Slayers
- War Given Form
- Fists of Khorne
- Drinkers of Blood
- Eaters of Gore and Flesh
- Deathbringers of Khorne
- Guardians of the Throne
Of all the Daemons, they bear the greatest resemblance to the archetypal demon, having a human body, cloven hooves, leathery bat-like wings and horned dogs-heads. An earlier model of the Bloodthirster replaced the dog-head with an ugly human face, but recently the model has gone back to its canine-featured roots. They wield a fiery whip and a massive two-headed battleaxe (which, in original background were daemon weapons binding another Bloodthirster) simultaneously in battle. They are the strongest and most aggressive of all Daemons. The mightiest Bloodthirster of Khorne is An'ggrath the Unbound, in the last 10,000 years he has only been summoned twice from the warp. Both successful summonings have resulted in great loss for the Imperium as many worlds fell to his terrible wrath.
- Daemons
The mainline Daemons of Khorne are called Bloodletters. They are ugly, horned humanoids with hunched, crested backs. Their limbs are wiry but are notoriously strong. They wield blood-drinking blades called Hellblades. They are also known as the Naked Slayers, the Teeth of Death and the Horned Ones.
- Daemonic Beasts
The Daemon Beasts of Khorne are the Flesh Hounds, monstrous and ferocious vaguely-canine creatures notorious for their ability to track down their chosen prey. They are also known as Hunters of Blood and have claws to rend their foes apart once they catch them. They exist for the sheer thrill of the chase and the inevitable kill. By some accounts, the flesh hounds were loosed against cowardly warriors who killed the weak and unworthy.
- Daemonic Mounts
Another form of daemon is the Juggernaut and is sometimes granted to Champions of Khorne. It is a huge beast made from living daemonic metal, and roughly resembles a gigantic Rhinoceros. These beasts are kept in pens where they tend to fight for dominance amongst themselves. However, a particularly favoured mortal champion or daemonic champion will sometimes attempt to claim one as a mount. This is no easy task, and the smashed remnants of the unlucky are left smeared around the Jugger's pens, but a few are successful and subdue one receiving the boon of being it's master and riding it into battle.
The Fortress of Khorne
The Fortress of Khorne is Khorne's realm within the warp. It is a monument to fury and bloodshed, and is built upon foundations of murder and conflict. This blood-soaked realm echoes constantly with Khorne's bellows and the clash of weapons. at the centre of this mighty fortress lies the Brass Citadel, where Khorne's mighty throne resides. He sits atop a mountain of skulls, those slain in his name. A great fire pit lights Khorne's gloomy chamber, the dark flames consume the souls of cowards who have fled from battle. Around the citadel flows a moat, and is filled not with water, but with the boiling blood of those who have lost their lives to war. Beyond this moat lies league upon league of cracked land, littered with the ravaged bones of those fallen in battle. A mighty crevasse splits the wasteland in two, a canyon many miles long and bottomless. It is said that Khorne himself was once consumed by such rage that he took up his sword and smote the ground, splitting it asunder for eternity. This fell sword is known by many names including 'Warmaker' and the 'End of all Things', and is capable of laying waste to worlds with a single blow.2
Sources
| Chaos Space Marine Army List | Chaos Infantry • Chaos Vehicles • Daemons |
|---|---|
| Chaos Space Marine Armoury | Chaos Weapons • Daemon Weapons • Chaos Wargear • Chaos Psychic Powers |
| Daemons | Daemon Prince • Greater Daemon • Lesser Daemon • Daemonic Steed • Daemon Weapons • Daemonic Gifts |
| Gods of Chaos | Khorne • Tzeentch • Slaanesh • Nurgle |
| Rebels/Characters | Traitor Legions • Renegade Chapters • Chaos Cults/Ezekyle Abaddon • Lucius • Ahriman • Kharn • Typhus |
| Products of Chaos | Chaos Artefacts • Chaos Structures |
