Valkon of the Forsaken Temple, Lord Executioner
In the living world executioners are tasked with the ending of life, often
by axe stroke or noose. The headsmen of the Mortal Realms who knowingly slay
the innocent as well as the guilty attract the gaze of Nagash, and upon
death are remade into the spectral forms of Lord Executioners. The same is
true for those that enjoy their work too much, and Valkron was one such
executioner. He was the headsman for a religious order, but an impious and
gloating one. He was not one of the order’s faithful but he happily took
their coin and did their grim work. He regularly taunted his victims,
chiding them cruelly in the moments before ending their lives.
He now bears a massive decapitating axe, with which Nagash has charged him
to slay heroes, champions, kings and anyone who defies the law of Nagash,
all the while harangued by the spirits of the innocent souls he cut down
during life – souls who ironically protect the Executioner from danger, not
out of kindness, but so he can never escape the executioner's bloodthirsty
work.
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Grimghast Reapers
In life, those who were to become Grimghast Reapers were arch plotters and
schemers - careful and meticulous killers. They planned and plotted,
worrying over every facet of the illicit deeds that they committed. All took
great pains to see that no blood would fall upon their hands, for the deaths
were brought about through whispered lies, poison or the employment of
mercenaries. In death, Nagash has seen fit to punish such souls with
everlasting bloodshed in the most frenzied and obvious manner possible
Blindfolded with strips of sanctified shrouds, Grimghast Reapers cannot see,
not even with the witch-sight granted other spirit forms. This is part of
their curse to keep them in a state of eternal rage.
Armed with slasher scythes, Grimghast Reapers are indiscriminate killers.
They never cease in their long sweeping strokes that mercilessly cut down
the enemy a rank at a time, and they never tire. Like horrible clockwork
figures, they endlessly repeat their deadly shearing strikes. The grim
spectres move quickly, hovering down to attack, but doing so with jarring
motions that are antithetical to the graceful movements of the living. They
seem to start and stop, travelling in convulsive bursts, yet they are fast
for all that.
The champions of the Grimghast Reapers are known as Extollers of Shyish.
Once spiritual leaders that spoke out in life against Nagash, they are now
harbingers of death. Each bears a massive bell - a death knell - whose
sombre toll strikes to honour the Supreme Master of Death. The sound rings
especially true when the great bell batters the flesh of the living - the
resulting resonance is so disturbing that it can shake a mortal's soul loose
from their physical form.
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More Nighthaunt models from Mortal Realms magazine for the Great Oubliette!
Just the 5 Glaivewraiths, from Mortal Realms issue 24, left to paint, but I
now have pretty much everything I need to play through the
Glymmsforge Catacombs
solo AoS campaign (with a few minor changes), to represent the Cleavermaw's
search for the Adm'rul in the Great Oubliette. I don't have a Knight of
Shrouds but I think I'll just re-roll that result if it comes up!
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