Christmas Week!

12/21
Long Time no see, Progress Journal!

With the profiles of Undead Scourge and Undead Legion now completed (even if progress is taking its sweet time) and with Christmas Break now officially beginning, I will now hopefully have more time to work on this project . So, thus, I am listing out my tentative goals for Christmas Break.

-Finish Crusader Era Levant profile
-Further add to WC Alliance profile and start tentative notes on the Horde
-Edit Chaos profile with quotes, read more books
-Read All Nova, of Starcraft, Sources.
-Finish as much of the UL vs. US battle as possible, with idealized goal of writing it all, and semi-realistic goal of going up to Part 3.
-Eventually, start exhaustive process of going over ESO lore.
-Probably help a certain someone work on Skaven profile, as I am also a fan of them. Help with elves when needed.

So Far I have
-Completely beaten 2/5 Alliance WOD zones, adding notes
-Am 9k words in UL vs. US battle, finished part 1

Preview for today:

3 days later, in the interior of a floating black pyramid, Saharan Desert

It was an army that much was clear. From his view, high in the sky, the army stretched from horizon to horizon, entirely encircling a native walled settlement. To the observer’s eyes there appeared to be no rhyme or reason to horde below, and various shapes, creatures and more were interspersed haphazardly throughout the force. Many were familiar to him, if warped in style; he recognized a mass of well-armored skeletons, cadaverous ghouls, multitudes of milling zombies and hovering ghosts.

Others were strange and exotic. Intermixed periodically in the disorganized horde were creatures that looked like they had been sewed together from the dismembered remains of a dozen men. They looked like something that could have only been conceived in the demented minds of W’orsan’s brood, with arms, legs and even heads all seemingly randomly attached to a single, massively bloated mass, all affixed with an assortment of giant knives.  However if they looked demented, the fleshy colossi that towered above them looked even more so. Though fortunately rare in number, only in the Chaos Wastes could one find a more mutated creature.

Long fingers – scholar’s fingers – stroked the murky surface of the blood that filled the ancient bronze bowl before him, causing the vision to fade and reappear anew. For another moment at least he could lose himself once more in the scenes before him. For one moment more he may yet be able to forget about the monster that was always in the back of his mind. A monster that was as much of his own creation as he was of its.

The scene centered on the walls, and for a moment the scholar’s eyebrow raised. At first glance it appeared similar to what might expect to see when a Vampire army marches, but as his keen eyes focused he could pick out details that turned the scene from familiar to alien. The bats of this force, for example, were not bats at all but rather giant spiders insects! Or, more specifically, giant flying spiders. As he focused on them these spiders swooped down, stabbing at men with talon-claws and long pincer-fangs.  Several in view fell, their throats pierced by the talons or else succumbing to what was presumably fast acting poison. Others were able to adapt quickly and form a wall of points to skewer the creatures as they fell. Yet the flying spiders were not without tricks themselves, and as he watched a few of them hacked up poison or, in an event that raised the observer’s eyebrow, a fireball.

Other inhabitants joined in. A felbat made of stone darted in and in a single vicious blow wrenched the head from the guard captain. Before the rest of the company could react the felbat picked his cowering attendant up and hurled him bodily from the walls. Before it could grab a third twelve crossbowmen from across the wall took aim and fired. The scryer fully expected it to be shot down but, to his surprise, it suddenly straightened and fell. Before his eyes skin hardened and turned to stone. Bolts clattered harmlessly against it, leaving the shooters gazing at it in a mixture of puzzlement and horror.

A new picture formed, this one centered on the skies.  At this sight eyebrows raised and the scryer’s mouth even went slightly agape. Filling the skies before him were not only flying spiders and mysterious stone-bats but more dragons then he had ever seen. Some of the smaller ones were clearly alive and ridden by exceptionally tall humans while other, larger, wyrms left no illusion to their fate. These enormous skeletal creatures were in numbers unseen by the scryer since the time of Vanhal, and even that great Necromancer may have been surpassed here.One of his loathsome companions repeated the fact out loud.  Dwarfing this all was a giant stone fortress, large enough to house fifty such dragons with room yet to spare. How it flew the observer could not fathom, and was still pondering the question when the scene switched yet again, this time showing the settlement courtyards.

                Even as men were racing reinforcements and supplies up to the beleaguered defenders on the wall, the earth itself quaked and shook. In some places it sunk as a scene seen already in Dozens of Tilean and Estalian cities replayed itself once more. In one area, a runner sank up into his knees into the ground. Even as he righted himself and attempted to climb out, something grabbed him below. A moment later the runner screamed out in utter pain and horror as blood burst up from the hole. In desperation his friends reached down and pulled him out, only to recoil in panic. The runner’s legs were completely covered in a carpet of flesh-eating insects that left nothing of the leg visible. Only the crunching, flesh tearing buzzing and fading screams left a clue to the fate underneath. Then, as if on command, they retreated back into the hole, leaving only ribbons of flesh below the waist . The runner took one look at his wound and promptly passed out, with luck never to awaken.

                Even as the man expired creatures out of some primordial time swarmed out of the tunnel. Unlike their flying kin these were a mix of spider and man, if man and spider were bred to create something truly abominable, like how Chaos mutated horse and man to create the bestial Centigor, or a melding of all the worse qualities of man and rat to create the tunneling Skaven. These, “Spiderkin”, brought along with them massive swarms of beetles, scarabs, locusts, and other flesh eating insects, along with dwarf spiderlings that darted between their legs.  Men shrieked in pain as enemies too numerous to fight with mundane swords swarmed over them like a giant wave. Others tried to flee, only to be trapped or crushed in place as some Spiderkin turned around and shot sticky webs out of their thorax, immobilizing them. Fight or Flight, in moments the outcome was the same. As the horde moved on, a tall Spiderkin, presumably a leader, paused. After a muttered incarnation the fleshless skeletons rose once more, joined now by more undead from the overrun walls. The scryer would have preferred to watch a little while longer however the monster in his mind- and at his back- hurriedly beckoned him on. He sighed, but reluctantly realized that the voice was right, as the images decreased in clarity.

                Now the vision focused on a building located in the interior of the city, a crude hospital by the looks of it. Dozens of soldiers lay miserable in their cots, covered in strange boils that leaked pus and blood.  Quite a few of them had already expired and now lay half-covered in sheets, having bled every pustule and orifice. For a moment, the scryer suspected the Plaguefather’s involvement yet even as he pondered, some of the bodies began to twitch. One surgical assistant, perhaps believing these men were still alive, rushed to provide whatever medical aid he could. With a growl and surprising dexterity two of these men leaped from their beds and tackled the man to the ground. His screams swiftly turned to gurgles as the two zombies ripped out his throat. Around them other bodies began to rise and stalked the halls of the hospital, ignoring the mortally ill but preying on hapless medical staff. From outside the bowl one of his companions laughed and chuckled to himself.

                As the scene changed a final time the scryer once again cursed his recent fortune. In just a year he had gone being Lord of the most powerful realm in the Old World to a lowly lieutenant of unworthy tyrant. The Scryer cursed them, cursed the one that had been his ally in the endeavor, cursed the rest of his cade  of lieutenants and in my particular his two sires, the Queen of Mysteries and the arrogant “Elector” of his realm. To the scryer, or, as the man insisted on referring to himself, Mannfred von Carstein, it seemed like the entire world conspired to thwart him. Perhaps, had there been time for passions to fade, he might have conceded the possibility that his own overwhelming hubris, sense of entitlement and ambition were the greatestfactors in his current predicament. 

                The image was blurry, a sign of the blood ritual wearing off. What appeared before him was man, or possibly an animated suit of armor. As the man walked ice seemed to collect and spread around him, along with some other energy that sucked the life from the vegetation. Such was the potency of the ice that, for a moment,  Mannfred wondered why the scrying pool had centered him in the Chaos Wastes. Then the man turned, revealing both a sliver of exposed face- enough to identify the species, and deep, glowing blue eyes. For a moment the man seemed to stare straight at the scryer. Mannfred shook his head and snapped at one of the voices at his back. Such a feat was impossible, he assured them, and none could pierce the veil behind the wards.

                Turning back to the pool Mannfred could have sworn the man smiled briefly before turning towards the wall just ahead of him. The image continued to blur and grew darker, but to a creature capable of night vision such as himself it was still perfect visible. The man walked slowly but deliberately towards the wall and, upon getting within two meters of it, pulled out an ornately crafted sword. It was clear even to a peasant that this weapon was unnatural, and, as runes glowed bright blue, of great power. The man thrust it into a hereheto unbroken piece of wall.

                In all directions ice raced through the stone, and following it was a peculiar form of decay that seemed to eat away at the building underneath. Those at the ramparts stumbled and slid off the icy surface , with some falling on their faces and other, less fortunate ones, falling off the wall. Or perhaps more fortunate, as a moment later those that fell to their faces turned into giant ice blocks themselves. Down at the bottom of the wall, the swordsmen pulled his weapon from the walls, and with a lazy gesture, shattered it. In a loud crash the ice blew apart in all directions, with some on both sides of it being skewered by large icicles. Those on the human side screamed and wailed, while those on the undead side merely accepted it stoically or, depending on where it hit, fell silently to the ground.

                The man turned once more, and this time Mannfred felt a glare upon his very soul. A telepathic voice, as cold as an arctic winter, reverberated in his mind and, from the looks of the others, everyone else in that room.

This wretched world will burn and remade in my image. Let none deny the True Master of the Undeath!

The bowl shattered, sending droplets of blood everywhere. Mannfred brought his hand to his face to wipe the blood off- and then licked it for good measure. Needs must, as Neferata was fond of saying.

Progress Journal- Countdown to Halloween!

With luck to finish the profile by Halloweeen and thus, to save time, I will be limiting my previews to only this one, of the legendary villain Drachenfels!

10/26- In midst of incorporating TK and VC profile. Heldenhammer almost finished (kindle died) while Drachenfels is finished. Von Carstein series, Tomb of the Serpent Queen and (optional) Zombieslayer, Cure of the Necrarchs and Ancient Blood are left.

The Nameless ( Constant Drachenfels)

Mobility: 8 (Flying, ethereal spirit)

Training: 6 (Amnesia) ; 10 (Memory restored)

Max Range: Dozens of Kilometers

Preferred Range: ^^^

“'I am like that girl in many ways. I need to take from others to continue. But she can merely take a little new blood. Her kind are short-lived. A few thousand years, and they grow brittle. I can renew myself eternally, taking the stuff of life from those I conquer. You are privileged, boy. I'm going to let you look at my face.'

He took off his mask. Oswald forced himself to look. The prince screamed at the top of his lungs, disturbing the dead and the dying of the fortress, and the Great Enchanter laughed.

'Not so pretty, eh? It's just another lump of rotten meat. It is I, Drachenfels, who am eternal. I who am Constant. Do you recognize your own nose, my prince? The hooked, noble nose of the von Konigswalds. I took it from your ancestor, the loathesomely honourable Schlichter. It's worn through. This whole carcass is nearly at its end. You must understand all this, my prince, because you must understand why I intend to let you kill me.'

 Of all the Motrarchs the Nameless may be both the most mysterious and the most powerful. Its name and its identity are a mystery to it, forgotten thanks to a recent defeat. Out of desperation to be remembered it has joined Nagash on the sole condition its identity is restored. Now, along with Vlad von Carstein, it leads the Undead Legion’s effort to styme the advance of Chaos in the North.

Yet, although it has no knowledge of its identity, others (and the reader) does. Known as the Great Enchanter of the Misty Mountains, the being known as Drachenfels was born 15,000 years ago in the midst of a great Ice Age. It was the Warhammer equivalent of a Neanderthal and lived its first incarnation as a primitive nomad in the days before either the Old Ones or Chaos had come to the planet.  However after becoming sick while in old age he was left out in the wilderness to die by his tribe. He feigned death by exposure, and when one of his tribe came close him somehow (unknown even to himself) managed to kill the man and absorbed his life energy. Ever since then Drachenfel has found that when his physical body decays he can regenerate by absorbing the life of another.

Drachenfels has lived now for 15,000 years. His goals seem to be motivated by boredom rather than anything else .  Each time he attacks the outside world, he does so merely out of boredom. He usually takes plenty of captives back, which he tortures or otherwise "plays with" in abominable ways before consuming their souls and using their flesh to keep himself spry.  Cities, nations and countless lives have perished to his whims. Since he tends to completely destroy anything he attacks, the only recorded incidents involving him in history are times that he was beaten or for some reason chose to spare the conquered. Indeed, so far it seems Sigmar is the only being who has beaten his armies in combat thus far. It took Drachenfels 1000 years to regenerate from this defeat.

When he came back he continued his dickish shenanigans, sacking cities  such as Parravon and then faking his repentance.   He put on an elaborate PR campaign of using the wealth from Parravon to pay reparations to the victims that had escaped his castle, and plead for forgiveness at the graves of those whose bodies had been recovered. After the dimwitted public accepted that he'd turned to good he invited the entire court of the Emperor to a feast at his castle. He served them wine laced with paralyzing poison, then laid an elaborate feast out in front of them which he ate very slowly to the sounds of their children as they were tortured to death just below.

“Oswald glanced at the central panels of the hanging and slashed out with his sword. The entire dusty tapestry fell and lay on the floor like a fen-worm's cast-off skin. Menesh touched his torch to it and in an instant the fire spread along its length. The next tapestry, a group portrait of the certain dreaded gods, caught too.

'Very clever, stunted lackwit,' spat Veidt. 'Burning us up now, is it? That makes a change from the traditional dwarfish knife in the small of the back.'

The dwarf pulled his knife and held it up. Veidt had his dart pistol out. There were fires all around them.

'A traitor, eh? Like dead-and-damned Ueli?'

'I'll give you dead-and-damned, scavenger!'

Menesh stabbed up, but Veidt stepped out of the way. Flames reflected in the bounty hunter's dark eyes. He took careful aim.

'Enough!' Oswald cried. 'We've not come this far to fall out now.'

'Veidt cries Ñtraitor' too much,' Rudi said sourly. 'I trust no one who can be bought as easily.'

The outlaw heaved his sword up and Veidt turned again.

'Ethics from a bandit, that's rich-'

'Better a bandit than a trader of corpses!'

'Your corpse is hardly worth the seventy-five gold crowns the Empire has offered for it.'

The pistol came up. The sword wavered in the air.

'Kill him and be done with it,' said Menesh.

This was like Veidt, and like the hot-tempered Rudi. But Menesh had been quiet until now, dodging Veidt's taunts with good humour. Something was working on them. Something unnatural. Genevieve staggered forward as someone landed on her back, pushing her face to the floor.

'Hah! Dead bitch!'

Erzbet's noose was about her neck and drawing in. She had taken her by surprise. Genevieve had to struggle to brace her hands against the flagstones, to give herself the leverage to heave Erzbet off her. The wire constricted. The assassin knew her business: beheading would work, all right. Immortality is so fragile: beheading, the hawthorn, silver, too much sunÅ

Genevieve got her hand under her, palm flat against the stone and pushed herself up. Erzbet tried to ride her like an unbroken pony, her knees digging into the ribs. Genevieve corded her neck muscles and forced breath down her windpipe.

She heard the wire snap and felt Erzbet tumble from her seat. She stood and struck out. The other woman took the blow heavily and fell. Erzbet rolled on the floor and came up, a knife in her hand. Did it gleam silver like Ueli's?

'The dead can die, leech woman!'

Genevieve felt the urge to kill. Kill the stinking living slut! Kill all these warmblood bastard vermin! Kill, kill, KILL!

'Fight it,' shouted Oswald. 'It's an attack, an enchantment!'

She turned to the prince. Whoreson noble! Sister-raping, wealth-besotted scum! Drenched in perfume to cover the stench of his own ordure!

Oswald held her, shaking her by the shoulders.

Blood! Royal blood! Rich, spiced, hot-on-the-tongue, youthfully-gushing blood!

The vein throbbed in his throat. She took his wrists in her strong hands, feeling their pulses. She heard his heart beating like a steady drum and saw him as a student of anatomy might a dissected corpse. Veins and arteries laid through flesh and over bone. The blood called to her.

How long since she had fed? Properly?” –Drachenfels illusions

A descendent of one of these children let go to spread the news would later hire a bunch of mercenaries to kill him. This failed, with most members dying cruel and spectacular deaths. Eventually only Oswald, the descendent, and the Vampire Genève remained. Genève was knocked out and the terrified Oswald was led into a deal with Drachenfels, who had decided he wanted to screw over the entire Empire. Drachenfels would allow Oswald to kill him, and in return Oswald 

would become a hero and put on a paly a couple decades later, inviting every elector count to it.

The most important individuals in the Empire attended, as well as the newly crowned Karl Franz and his son Luitpold II. The production was hindered by many spooky incidents, not the least of which was the eccentric behavior of the actors. As would be expected, Drachenfels returned to life during the play and slaughtered a fair number of the audience and cast. Genevieve and the director of the play, Detlef Sierck, were blessed by Sigmar and dealt a killing blow to Drachenfels . They thought they killed him for good, however, as it turned out, Drachenfel’s identy was lost and he was reduced to a bodiless spirit. When Nagash made a deal, Drachenfels was desperate enough to accept.

In combat the Nameless specializes in mind controlling large groups of living  people.  However unlike other, traditional forms of mind control Drachenfels only seizes the physical aspects of the brain- mentally, the victims are fully aware of what is going on only unable to stop it. Given that Drachenfels still has the same personality as before, he then precedes to do horrible things to them. One day he might decide he wants his army to march under flesh banners, and thus skins alive dozens to create enough. The next day he decides he wants bone banners, and thus has his men pull out their own bones to create one.Other acts of dickery include forcing troops to fight to the death for his amusement and having them cannibalize themselves because Drachenfels wanted to experience the sensation.

Offensive: Drachenfels in his current incarnation can take control of hundreds, potentially thousands of people at once and force them to serve as soldiers. These soldiers are described as moving awkwardly and are described as puppets, being less skilled in combat then if they could move themselves. The strong of mind, like Vlad and Gelt, can resist this.

“Captain Driest staggered to his feet. He made no conscious effort to do so, for his thoughts were still frozen in terror, but he rose all the same, jerky and uncoordinated. All around him he could see other men rising and through his haze of panic noted their confused expressions matched his own. He heard whispers in his mind, the commands of a sonorous voice whose will would not be denied. Unbidden Driest’s legs stumbled forward, carrying him back to Auric Bastion. Others came with him, their movements  as clumsy as his own, their actions guided by a creature no longer used to the limitations of physical form.”

Prior to his memory loss he was a master daemonologist(capable of rivaling even Greater Daemons with his mastery of control), master necromancer and enchanter. He specialized in driving enemies insane and getting them to kill each other, and in addition his enchantments lasted after death, ensuring he could torture his foes for hundreds of years.  Any he consumes he can gain knowledge from.

Defense: Is an ethereal spirit of immense power and has defensive spells.

====ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Drachenfels is a bored sadist who believes the Chaos Gods are insufficiently evil for his tastes. He is a master of psychological warfare and torture, and his fellow Mortrarchs do not trust him (for good reason) yet are wary as his power dwarfs any save Nagash. Only time will tell what will happen if the Nameless discovers his former identity…..

Progress Journal 10/19-25

Apologies for the late delay, I had a number of school projects to do but have managed to keep up with my progress.


10/19: Rise of Nagash series completed, Neferata started. Almost all VC and TK units are finished while the Scourge profile is also finished. Have played through enough WOD zone and added relevant information to that profile.

My plan for this week is to finish Neferata, W'orsan, Heldenhammer, and Von Carstein series. I may not finish all books by Halloween but I should finish all category "A" books which I have identified as the most important ( Not counting the above, other such books are Liber Necris, Tomb of the Serpent Queen, Sigmar's Blood, Return of Nagash )
10/20: Finished Neferata book

10/21 : Finished Night's Masters, a Vampire Source book and part way through the next BL book.

10/24: Almost finished incorporating all information from the codexes. In the midst and almost finished with three books.
10/25 : Finished W'orsan, End Times: Fall of Aldorf, and halfway through Drachenfels. Goal for tommorow is finishing the latter, then Heldenhammer and the Krell account following that.
Unit Preview

Necrofex Collosus

Mobility: 5

Training: 4-5

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range: ^^

Many are the dread creations of the Vampire Counts, but of the most feared is the Necrofex Collosus.  Only the greatest necromancers have the power, the resources and the will to create this powerful machine. While they vary in size and form they all have the same shape- a gigantic humanoid fashioned upon frame of iron, bone or bronze, and then bound with corpses and flesh. Then via a great ritual in which much sacrifice is required, the death machine is brought to life and given terrible sentience of its own.

The Necrofex is a monster on the field, able to pose a threat to entire armies. One notable Necrofex actually roamed the countryside of Estalia for a hundred years, rampaging and destroying all in its path. They are incredibly potent for an undead army, and in fact they act as focus points for death magic, allowing wizards in the immediate, 50 meter vicinity to cast spells with less difficulty then before. Its powerful enough to actually disrupt and make it harder for wizards of light and life to cast their spells near it, and its screams are so powerful that they can kill through sheer terror alone.

Offensive: At 24 meters (78 feet) in height. this is Collosal creature capable of stomping and smashing enemies. Against particularly large or important foes it may end up trying to impale them on its multi-story leg. As mentioned its screams can kill a foe with pure terror if their morale/leadership doesn’t hold up.  Some variants have scythes built into these limbs, or they have the hands of still living corpses grow out to grab people. A very, very select few are so powerful that they are binded to the soul of a Necromancer or Vampire directly, and thus can cast spells.

Defensive: Powerful regeneration that applies against anything but flaming and magical attacks, with holy spells doing additional damage. A few are transfused with ghoul or vampire blood, making this regeneration more potent.

===Additional Factors===

The creature is incredibly rare thanks to the cost of making it and difficult to properly control. 

Vampires

Mobility: 5

Training: 5-9 (Dependent on Age)

Max Range: Spell

Preferred Range:  Varies between group

Vampires are true masters of undeath, the ultimate creatures of the night. Though these creatures appear human their similarities end there, being as far different in ability and attitude as an ape is from a man. For the most part they are selfish, power-hungry creatures that desire little more then to dominate and conquer. To that end many have infiltrated human society, posing as lords and ladies and enacting influence on the lands they inhabit. Some take a more direct means, forming great armies of the dead to force their will over the living. Others don’t care about Humanity, instead to seeking to master magic or the martial arts. Still others, particularly the Strigoi, devolve into creatures obsessed only with feeding and drinking on the blood of the living.

Vampire Physiology, Mentality and Powers

Vampires, by virtue of the magic flowing through their veins, are superhuman to a (wo)man.  This does vary however by degree depending on age, position on the bloodline lineage (to be discussed later) and some degree on innate ability. They are physical stronger than humans, able to break bones with every punch, snap necks effortlessly, life hundreds of pounds with frightening ease, shatter skulls with a squeeze, tear off limbs or even physically rip a man in half . They are exceptionally fast, with the least of them able to run and react 2-3 faster than a man and the faster being considered blurs by those who fight them. Agility too can allow them climb up buildings, trees or even some walls assassins creed style, jump like a mountain lion,  and practically dance between combatants in melee.

This trait of superhumanism follows into durability. It is again dependent on age with young vampires, while having some regeneration, are still able to be killed by wounds that could kill a mortal man.  Vampires of greater power can keep going even with these wounds and eventually heal even from dismemberment. These vampires effectively require decapitation or a stab through the heart (preferably both) to put down. Even then their remains can be regenerated with time and help, meaning incineration of the corpse is the most effective way to permanently ensure destruction. To date only Nagash, in one bizarre ritual, has shown to be able to pull a vampire back from that.

Thanks to their longevity vampires can continue to grow and learn over their lifespans, in some cases accumulating millennia of knowledge. However this results in greater detachment from humanity and a stifling of emotions that they once had.  Pity, compassion, love (except in a few rare cases) all wither and die. As a result they grow arrogant and callous, viewing humans as cattle at best and vermin at worst. They become obsessed with power, whether it be through pursuing arcane might or on the physical realm . They like stability and Constance, and dislike change and progress.

All vampires require blood to survive. Without blood they will start to lose their sanity and grow weaker and weaker over time. Though some powerful vampires can survive on only a glass of blood every years, others, such as the young ones, lack that discipline and must feed nightly. This is ideally human blood or the blood of other sentient creature. Though animals can provide this blood it is apparently not as potent. A very select few vampires, the followers of Abhorash, can completely do away with this need for blood by drinking that of a dragon, becoming immune to the urge thereafter.

Vampires can come to acquire powers over time as a result of their training, age and bloodline. These can be mental, such as the ability to beguile, project supernatural horror or an aura of dark majesty that lowers morale of enemy troops in the vampire’s vicinity. Some seek to master combat, becoming exceptionally skilled, agile or strong. Others seek to master the beast within, becoming horrible to look upon, getting physically stronger or giving into his bloodthirsty nature completely. A few, such as the Necrarchs, seek to master magic and others are capable of shape shifting forms.  All vampires can dominate others through sucking their blood and then refusing to kill them or give a “kiss” (see below, would create another vampire) , though willpower can allow others to resist somewhat.

Vampires share some potent weaknesses. They are all weak to the sun, though to varying degrees. Young vampires will die quickly from any exposure, while long lived Vampires are made uncomfortable by its presence. That is why many Vampire armies, when they march, employ sorcerous means to block out the sun. Vampires are similar in that destroying or wounding the heart can at the very least paralyze them (if old and powerful) or kill then instantly if young.  The young ones also cannot handle running water and this may kill them  if no escape is found quickly. Decapitation, as mentioned, is another effective method  while burning is a vulnerability to some vampires. . Holy Magic however will wound and kill vampires of all degrees.

Vampire Origins and Bloodline introduction:

The origin of the vampire can be traced back to the Nekaharan city of Lahmia, where Queen Neferata and other noblemen in secret tried to recreate Nagash’s life extension potion. Though the events differ between the sources and who exactly created it (whether it was Neferata herself or Arkhan is unknown) what is known is that Neferata was the first vampire, and she quickly spread it to her followers. For the next several hundred years she ruled behind the scenes, enacting plots and tightening Lahmia’s rule over the other cities. Eventually others found out however, and marched as one coalition on Lahmia.

Since then vampires have spread across the world and formed different bloodlines. These bloodlines are shared groupings of vampires that can trace lineage back to a similar bloodline, or lineage. While vampires cannot procreate via traditional means they can give mortals a “Blood Kiss” which will, over time, turn them into a vampire. While the original, fire generation can give the blood kiss with near impunity it becomes harder and harder for transference to occur as you go down the line, with 5^th generation vampires only able to “sire” one “get” in their long lifetimes. To do more would result in gradually weaker vampires and the ruination of the bloodline, and if a vampire seems to be on the verge of doing that others of its kind will hunt it down.  Thus while first or second can hand out the kiss fairly regularly a 5^th generation is going to be extremely choosy with whom they share blood with!

In general the higher a vampire is on the bloodline, the more powerful they are, with the original founders (the first generation of vampires from Lahmia) being some of the most powerful combatents the world has ever known. However luckily, for an ambitious underling, it is possible  for one of the lower generation to accumulate greater amounts of power.  This can be done by drinking the blood of other vampires and thus absorbing their essence and powers. Eventually this will allow someone like Manfredd von Carstein – a second generation vampire at best, and a 5^th at worst- to accumulate enough power to rival-and in some traits surpass- Neferata herself!

Specific Bloodlines:

-Von Carstein: Princes of the Night

In modern day the Von Carstein bloodline is probably the most infamous and perhaps powerful of the great vampire families. Here is the bloodline of Manfredd and Vlad, two individuals who very nearly conquered the Empire directly. Unlike the other bloodlines it is unknown as to who the founder of this bloodline is. It may be Anakht, or Vashnash, or Vlad himself (or one of the former two as Vlad’s past life).

This bloodline is infamous for its ambition, arrogance, megalomania and cleverness(more so then most vampires). Unlike the Lahmians, who seek to guide mandkind indirectly, or the other, uncaring branches the Von Carsteins want to rule over all of mankind directly and openly.  Everything else is a means to an end. Of all the bloodlines they are most likely to study and master politics, military strategy, and physical prowess that only the blood dragons surpass.  They are known as great patrons of the arts, but usually this is a means to an end. Too they are seen as masters of Dark Magic, with only the Necramarchs capable of surpassing them. Of all the bloodlines they seem most based off of popular representations of Dracula mixed with Machiavelli’s The Prince.

In terms of numbers this is probably going to be the second most populous of the five branches, behind the more stable hierarchy of the Lahmians .This is due in part to the great weakness of the Von Carstein; megalomania, madness and treachery. Almost all Von Carsteins hold only themselves to be the superior vampire, and though proud of their bloodline they constantly scheme and murder each other. This can be done for the consolidation of power or because the vampire feels another vampire doesn’t belong in their bloodline. The purges launched by Manfredd in recent years have been particularly devastating  to Carstein numbers. However in addition the Von Carstein bloodline is given to madness and such mad rulers can cause great wars among other, saner Von Carsteins by spreading the Blood Kiss around too much ( Konraad Von Carstein was infamous for giving the Kiss to Hobbits, prostitutes, and people who randomly pleased him) or declaring war on other members.

In terms of powers the Von Carstein bloodline is going to be the mo0st varied, but in general they will choose whatever individual vampires personally believe will aid them in conquest best.

-Blood Dragons: Knights of Darkness

Of all the Great Vampire Bloodlines, the Blood Dragons are the most militant and aggressive. They were sired by Abhorash, a mighty captain of Lahmia who sought perfection in all things military. Ultimately he sought to become the most perfect warrior that ever lived, and to become free of the Curse for Blood that he had always hated. The full extent of his adventures after the Fall of Lahmia is unknown, only that he traveled far and finally cured himself of this blood addiction by drinking from a dragon. It is unknown at current what happened to him.

Blood Dragons seek to master the mind and body like their champion Abhorash did, and ultimately free themselves from the addiction. To that end they disdain the conquest of the Von Carsteins, or the backseat rule of the Lahmians, and in particular look down upon the uncontrolled excess of the Strigoi. Though less powerful then other branches in magic and necromancy, they can utilize this trait if need be. Though honor bound they disdain normal humanity and see nothing wrong with slaughtering entire villages to test a new blade.  In combat they are the least likely to cheat and often seek to challenge particularly strong enemy foes to duels. They might spare their foes if they believe the enemy has the potential to be a stronger foe in the future.

Blood Dragons are rare for the most part, traveling the world as individuals or small groups for hire. This rarity is in part because Blood Dragons are at times are most open in their feeding so that they can attract challengers, and thus lure huge mobs who then overwhelm them.  Their tendency to seek out the strongest foes may lead to their deaths if they actually find one. They are also the most discerning of Vampire Bloodlines. They will not infect anyone who can’t control themselves and will only infect a very skilled opponent after s/he has proven-multiple times- that they are worthy fighters.

In terms of powers this order is most likely to cultivate that which improves their martial skill, like increased speed, strength and durability (beyond ordinary vampires).

-Lahmians: Deathless Courtiers

The Lahmians are the first sect of Vampires, created by Neferata herself almost 4,000 years before the present timeline. Since then she has ordered this bloodline to spread, like a great spider spinning her web. Her beautiful courtesans- almost all of them female- now have their hand in almost every city of the Old World and beyond. They are based at the Silver Pinnacle, a former Dwarf-Hold they took 3,000 years ago.

Lahmians seek indirect power, never ruling from the front but always playing a role from the backseat. It’s unknown what their ultimate objectives are other than that the Queen would one day like her glorious city of Lahmia rebuilt. The order of Lahmians guides humanity from behind the scenes against threats to its existence, such as Chaos or the Von Carsteins. The order takes a great interest in human politics and advancement, and for that reason its members are often masters of statecraft, politics and the arts. So efficient is their spy ring that’s it’s said that Neferata knows who the next elected ruler would be before the previous ruler dies.

Lahmians are not natural warriors like the Blood Dragons and to a lesser extent the Von Carsteins, nor ferocious like the Strigoi, nor as skilled in magic as the Necrarchs. Though elements of all of the above can be found in them these ladies instead focus on seduction and infiltration. Usually their powers develop towards seducing enemies or allowing them to infiltrate enemy societies. Thus when it comes to spies, saboteurs and manipulators, particularly among human societies, there are none better than the Lahmian sisterhood. This isn’t necessarily limited to Humanity though, and Neferata herself has shown a remarkable ability to manipulate the succession of Orc Warbosses to get what she wants.

In terms of powers Lahmians prize speed and guile above everything else.

-Necrarchs: Disciples of the Accursed

Of all the Vampire Bloodlines, Necrarchs are the rarest, most secretive, and perhaps most deadly. Even Neferata, master of infiltration, has found it difficult to infiltrate this group and fears their motivations. In truth they are perhaps the only Vampire Bloodline loyal to Nagash, a trait started by their founder W’orsan who was counted alongside Arkhan as Nagash’s most loyal servent (though he and Arkhan  hated each other) . However his line was cursed in many ways, and W’orsan was killed and consumed by his apprentice, who was in turn killed and consumed by his apprentice.

Necrarchs seek a world not ruled by the dead, but composed almost entirely of the dead. Of all the Vampires their goals are most in line with Nagash’s and it for that reason they are most loyal to him. They are scholars, masters of science and magic who believe in arcane power above all other types. More then just collectors they actively pursue new knowledge in their dark laboratories. Thus they count as among the most knowledgeable of vampires. In keeping with Nagash’s vision they are most dedicated to killing everything around them and thus they are hunted by Witch Hunters above all other bloodlines.

Alongside the Strigoi the Necrarchs have the most difficulty operating openly.  This is because their masters curse have turned them into hideous corpse things, and they have become extremely twisted in mind, being mad and paranoid to an extreme. Many die in their own experiments, or killed by other Necrarchs. They are extremely paranoid in who they turn into vampires and thus they are the rarest bloodline in existence.

In terms of power Necrarchs prize magical ability above all else, and many are gifted with Witchsight, which allows them to see the spirit world.

-Strigoi : Beasts in Shadow

Once the Strigoi had a great kingdom situated in the badlands, ruled over by the founder of their bloodline Ushoran.  Ushoran was an effective ruler who managed a cohesive kingdom of both living and dead, however he made the mistake of insinuating he was a better ruler then Neferata. Between Lahmian manipulations and a massive Ork Waagh this great kingdom was destroyed, their people scattered. However the Strigoi could find no safe haven among the other Bloodlines. The early Von Carsteins used to hunt them, angry about past arrogance. Lahmians spurned and sent Human armies after them, Blood Dragons sought them  out to kill because they posed a challenge, and Necrarchs used them as experiments.  Throughout this every group of living beings –orcs, dwarves, Humans As a result the Strigoi- isolated to the outskirts of society- developed a massive hatred of everything, living or dead.

The Strigoi rule over kingdoms of ghouls, subsisting on diets of vermin and the dead. As a result of this, and the fact that the bloodline always possessed a greater degree of beastial nature then other bloodlines, they hardly resemble humans anymore. Instead they look like hulking versions of the Crypt Ghouls that they rule. Many are mad or extremely nostalgic of the old glory days, holding great grotesque courts and pretending that they are once again lords. Yet others are fully cognizant of what happened and desire revenge against both the Living and the Dead. Only the Strigany- a gypsy like people hated by the rest of humanity for its vampire-tainted past, who are descendants of Ushoran’s human subjects- welcome them and only to them do the Strigoi provide any sort of loyalty.

The Strigoi do not give the Blood Kiss easily and thus are the second or third rarest group of vampires. In part this is due to snobbery, as the Strigoi do not believe any who haven’t suffered like they have deserve to become one of them. However it’s also due to a sincere belief that inflicting the Blood Kiss upon someone they like would be the ultimate cruelty, for then they would be hunted and hated by everyone as the Strigoi are. Thus only those who show long term devotion- most likely Stringany- get to be uplifted into their ranks.

Stringoi focus on physical ferocity above everything else, and in combat they can overpower even other vampires. Though they are capable of magic it is more instinctual then anything.

Offensive: See Physical traits, with the Strigoi beind the strongest of the Vampires. Most vampires use the most ancient and magical weaponry they can find, and are accomplished duelists. Even young vampires are more than a match for most squads of humans, while only the greatest of champions can hope to even fight, much less kill, an aged vampire. Vampires may have varying degrees of mastery over the Lores of Death, Shadow, Undeath and Vampires.

Defense: See Traits. Many Vampires have magically powerful armor or protective artifacts.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Can ride any mount shown in the profile, with the best riding zombie dragons or Terror Gheists. 

Reading List:
Required Reading for Undead Legion
-Undead Legion
--Rise of Nagash (3 books)
--Neferata
--Worsan
--Heldenhammer (Sigmar series)
--Von Carstein Series (3 books)
--Sigmar's Blood (both novel and campaign book)
--Return of Nagash (to be reread...which means done at a faster pace)
--Vampire Genieve
--Ulrika Series (2/3 done)
--Vampireslayer (reread)
--Zombieslayer (reread)
--Tomb of the Serphent Queen
--Blade of Chaos (reread Tomb King Scene)
--Gildead's Curse
--Curse of the Necrarch
--Dreadfleet
--Blighted Empire
--Luthor Huss
--Runefang
--Liber Necris
--FFG books (2-3)
--Codexes (most already read, but will go over)
--Numerous Short stories

10/7-10/11

8/7 :Real Progress yesterday! Finished 1/3 of VC units and went even farther in helping to close the Scourge profile! Still need to read some more quests, but hopefully this week's preview will be the entire profile!

10/2-6

Apologies for the long delay; I had a string of take home tests that had to be worked on.

10/6 Been very hard at work on Scourge profile and am nearly done! Also finished Brunner the Bounty Hunter series! 

-Saronite: 

Possibly the most powerful metal in Warcraft this metal was formed from the blood of the Old God Yogg-Saron and found only in Northrend . Such is its power that in a canon quest it effortlessly deflected a blow from a magically enhanced Arcanite axe, was not effected at all by nature or the elements attacking it, and absorbed and reflected by a strike by the Holy Light, which is made  to counter such evil things as Saronite. And it is evil for most that mine it or wear it go mad, for Dark Whispers that ultimately drive towards insanity   In fact the metal bleeds blood all the time and whispers to its owner, to highlight just how evil it is. Only the undead can wield it without penalty, and for that reason the Scourge use it everywhere, with even basic units bearing saronite upgrades at times.  

Saronite is only more impressive when one considers its non-impressive properties. It weighs ¼ the strength of steel yet, as the above mentioned information shows, is far stronger then steel. It gives its wielders natural magic resistance to even spells seen as the antithesis of the undead (the Light) struggle against it. Most potently when forged into a weapon this metal is capable of destroying souls, and for that reason every single Saronite weapon can be considered a magical, capable of destroying corporal and non (ghosts) with impunity. If Saronite were to come into direct contact with a regular sword or armor, the latter would be far more likely to break thanks to Saronite's magical nature, explaining scenes in the Death Knight manga where Thrassalian essentially carves his way through a army wearing plate mail. This is particularly significant as the Scourge overuses the metal and everything from war machines to the basic footsoldiers of the Scourge can be found equipped with Saronite weaponry. Though not the having the near universal presence among the elites, many skelatons and ghouls could be found with Saronite weaponry.

Ghouls (Giests )  

                                                                                                       

Mobility: 4

Training: 3

Max Range: Leaping (10 meters)

Preferred Range: Melee

Ghouls are, along with skelatons, the  basic infantry of the Scourge, used in masse to assault enemy positions. In appearance they are sort of a cross between a skeleton warrior and a zombie, having more flesh then the latter but not the former, and usually move in a hunched back form. In general they attack with their rending claws and teeth, though some are smart enough to use weapons.

Most Ghouls are stupid, being animalistic cannibals. However they can be trained to build buildings and mine resources. In addition there is a few that are capable of great intelligence and cunning, along with the use of weaponry. Perhaps  the most important ghoul ability is called “cannibalize” in which the ghoul feasts on enemy corpses, using dark magic to rapidly regenerate their own wounded body.

Giests are a variant of the ghoul that comes from hanged criminals. This somehow stretches out their limbs and allows them impressive agility, giving them the ability to leap up to 7 meters in the air or towards enemy lines. At times the Scourge has also tried to improve upon the ghoul design, infusing maddening inducing saronite plate to their bones or their claws for extra power.

Loadout:

Offensive: For the most part claws and teeth, though ghouls are a bit stronger than normal humans. At times the Scourge has experimented with their design, making them taller, giving them more natural weapons, implanting the plague inside them or the aforementioned saronite improvement.  They are excellent leapers, able to leap a many meters to their prey.

Defensive: Ghouls are naturally durable, and can be hacked repeatedly, lose limbs and run through with little loss. Usually they have to be hacked into pieces or have their brain destroyed. Their skin is naturally though too, and can turn aside a glancing sword strike.

Zombies

Mobility: 2-3

Training: 1-2 (basic instinct)

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

Zombies are the classic undead variant famous in franchises such as The Walking Dead, Resident Evil or Romero’s series. They are flesh eaters, driven by the need to consume living flesh to satiate their never-ending hunger. Slow and methodical (or most variants) the greatest speed they can maintain is a limping jog.

Scourge zombies are generally inflicted with the plague of the undeath, making their bites both lethal and a conversion to those unable to get treatment. Even being around the zombies is likely to be hazardous to one’s health. It appears that both ghouls and zombies can be raised through standard necromancer spells or plagues, but that ghouls are further along the progression chart, having been dead longer.

Most zombies attack only with claw and fang, however as mentioned they carry the potent touch of the Plague of the Undeath, making them deadly to be around. However many can also use weapons effectively, if mindlessly, with the lore explanation being that so much training and repetition drilled into them made the act instinctual. Thus a Elven archer can still let his arrow fly expertly undead, though it wouldn’t be smart in much else.

Plague eruptors are the latest experiment of the Lich King, designed to spread horror and chaos across the world of the living. These walking corpses have quickly earned a reputation as the most destructive of the Scourge army: hyper-violent, incredibly strong, and deceptively fast. The most terrifying weapons in the eruptors' arsenal are the myriad pulsing nodules that dominate their rotting skin. It is from these nodules that the undead plague festers and bursts, insuring that wherever the eruptors go, they quickly spread the Lich King's apocalyptic contagion.

LOADOUT

OFFENSIVE: Teeth and claws for the most part, though a few are clever enough to use weapons. . Any weapons that it would have used prior to the infection, though these would be utilized very slowly and methodically. The plague that they carry make any attacks infectious.

DEFENSIVE: Zombies can lose multiple limbs and still keep coming, and for the most part require fire or headshots to put down.

 ===ADDITIONAL FACTORS===

Suprisingly, except in areas where the Scourge has recently jsut deployed the plague, this seems to be the rarest type of basic undead. 

Skeletons

Mobility: 2-3

Training: 4

Max Range: Bow

Preferred Range: Melee

Skeletons are arguably the most numerous type of Scourge infantry, being raised directly on the battlefields, from graveyards, or virtually any dead corpse.  The age of those raised can be just a few hours ago to several hundred years old.  Skeletons retain most of their intelligence via supernatural means but none of their will, meaning they are capable, utterly loyal fighters. However as a downside to this heightened durability and inability to rebel,  skeletons move and react slower in general then the living.

Given all that it comes to no surprise that skeletons are incredibly diverse in their variety. There are skeletons of every race and variant, ranging from the standard human sword-n-shield combo of the footmen (an often raised variant, given the commonality of Humans), large axe-wielding undead Orc Grunts to even strong tribal quilboars. The warrior, melee variant is by far the most common, and is frequently found on the front lines by the Scourge.

Yet archers, with Saronite –tipped arrows, are another important variant, and indeed the Scourge absorbed many of these after the destruction of the High Elf Heartland. From mass slayings in Dalaran many Skelatal Mages were added, and though they (with exception of Liches, part of a separate profile) generally lack in power compared to mortals, they can nonetheless use basic elemental or necromancer spells

LOADOUT:

Skelaton Warrriors can be armed with various weapons befitting their former lives, including spears, bows, swords, axes, hammers and more. Bone Golems, a powerfully build sub-variant,  have deadly scythes built in that can cut through the strongest infantry armor with ease. Skelaton archers utilize Saronite tipped arrows, which when use offensively allows them to attack not only the target’s physical body but its soul too.  Skeletal Mages are not as powerful as they were in life, but can fire small fireballs, frost novas, arcane missiles, life-draining shadow bolts ect. Basically the most basic spells that lore mages can do. A few can utilize slightly more powerful attacks, like small  waves of flames or low-level necromancy of more skelatons.

Defense: Whatever they wore before  being resurrected. As The Alliance/Horde forms prominent contingents of the Scourge, expect chainmail, plate, and leather among archers. Some skeletal mages can cast basic spells to aid in their defense. All Skeletons are of course supernaturally durable and have to have their heads removed or hacked into pieces.

===ADDITIONAL FACTORS==

As one can imagine, great diversity exists among these undead sub-variants. Ranging from Skelatons of Giants to those of small wolverine-like Wolvar.

 Nerubians 

Mobility: 4-5
Training: 4-5 
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Bow
Role: Burrowing Invaders, Anti-air
Nerubians are a race of spiders that were conquered by the Lich King shortly before he rose to try and conquer the world. Though a small portion of the race still survives to wage unending war against their greatest foe, now the vast majority of this race has been resurrected and serves the Lich King unquestionably. They exist in an odd sort of duality as both specialists and front-line troops.

Nerubians come in several different variants. There are swift  dwarf-sized flying types that dart from the skies to tear ground units with fang and claw. Spiderlings are smaller still, barely up to the knee but very fast and agile. They erupt from eggs and even the bodies of slain Nerubians to outnumber and rend apart enemies, sometimes armed with claws that excel in penetrating armor. However by far the most common variant is the Crypt Fiend.

This spider utilizes and summons swarms of fast eating locust-like insects for ranged combat, ordering them to return once the enemy is dead. They can also use their thoraxes to spin webs and shoot them out Spiderman style, entangling and immobilizing foes. If used against flying foes this sticky substance weighs them down and adheres to their wings, causing them to crash from the sky. They can then be set upon  and torn apart by the Scourge’s ground forces. In this way the Scourge has a counter to the powerful gyrocopters of the Alliance, many variants of the Red Dragonflight, and other flying creatures. Obviously this probably wouldn’t work on something massive, like the largest dragons or gunships, but it’s nevertheless a potent answer that the Scourge has to flyers. 
LOADOUT
Offensive: Against ground foes the Crypt Fiend deploys swarms of fast eating insects(spiders, locusts, scarabs ect)  to swarm over the foe at range, and have claws and spiky legs for closer quarters. Sometimes these insects or attacks might carry poison with them. It also has the option to utilize webs at range, primarily as a anti-flying deterrent, to entangle, slow, immobilize(causing those flying to crash to the ground), even crush .   Rarely, one of them might know minor life stealing shadow spells or basic necromancy. The Flying and spiderling variants use claws and teeth.  
Defense: Hard, Iron-like Insectoid Chitin. In addition to natural durability for being undead. 
===ADDITIONAL FACOTRS===

Nerubians are burrowers, and can both lie in ambush before erupting to kill or even create underground tunnels to dig under enemy defenses.  Note the Heroic variants of the Nerubians shall be detailed in another profile. 

Heavy Unit

= Death Knights =

Role: Death Dealers
Max Range: Bow
Preferred Range: Melee
Training: 5-7
From the Official site “Frost sharpens their strikes; blood fortifies their bodies; and undeath allows them to erupt in unholy rage in the heat of battle. A thousand atrocities are etched in the eyes of every death knight, and foes who gaze into them too long will feel the warmth pulled from their bodies, replaced with cold steel.”

Though the Ork Horde once had corrupted Death Knights in the Second War, the modern Death Knight are former minions of the Undead Scourge, corrupted and controlled by the Lich King, Arthas. Originally comprised mainly of Human and Elven champions the Lich King did not discriminate in terms of fighting capability and would raise any powerful champion that fell before him or his army. There they would be forced to serve him and commit unspeakable atrocities in his name.

Unlike for the Alliance or Horde, the Scourge Death Knights easily number in their thousands and he is recruiting more all the time. Essentially any race was susceptible to the Lich King’s liking. The Lich King showed little prejudice in death in terms of race, only marital status. Thus you can see members of virtually any race in the Horde or Alliance among their ranks, barring the recently joined Pandaren.  Humans and Elves almost certainly have the highest numbers of Death Knights, given the destruction of Lordaeron and Quel’thalas respectively.

The Lich King forbids the Death Knights focus on anything but death and murder. Indeed it’s an actual addiction, with each and every Death Knight driven by the need to kill and torture on a regular basis. Its their only substance; they do not sleep, do not eat or drink.  To that end they fight and train constantly. Finally all Death Knights can ride on skelatal steeds that were resurrected from fallen chargers. 

LOADOUT: The main weapon of the Death Knight is the runeblade.  It is through the runeblade that a Death Knight can wield his magical powers and it can be further modified for magical effects. These weapons not only have phenomenal ability to bypass armor, they can also leech attributes and power to the Death Knight wielder.  Such is the attatchment of the Death Knight to their runeblades that they wield it in the same way one would a limb, rather than as a tool.

Armor: Saronite Plate Armor: See “Materials” supplement section for how powerful saronite is. Furthermore the Death Knight is undead, meaning a inherent resistance to both injury and attacks on its life (as well as Holy spells being more effective on the DK), in fact allowing them to survive wounds that would kill other mortals. They are immune to any and all fear effects and highly resistant to pain.

= SPECIALIZATIONS =
As Death Knights are by their nature the elite of the elite (the Lich King has rigorous tests to root out weaklings) the reverse is going to be true from the other profiles; expect Death Knights to know pretty much everything below.

 NECROMANCY / UNHOLY SUMMONS

Unholy Death Knights specialize in plagues and necromancy. In general they can raise more, stronger undead up to and including flying gargoyles as well as unleash greater, longer lasting plagues. They can physically increase their strength and that of an ally, sending them into a berserk frenzy.

Death Knights are natural necromancers. They can raise bodies to form their undead goons in the form of durable zombie like beings known as ghouls. These reanimated corpses can be mindless or sentient as the manga shows. The life force of these minions can be drained at any time to heal the Death Knight. The greatest death knight example, Arthas pre-lich king, could raise armies of thousands however most Death knights are probably not up to his caliber . Furthermore they can attempt to take control of other undead, even those bound by theanother group (so Alliance Death Knights against Scourge undead for example), which would depend on willpower of the Death Knight and the target. Unholy Blight surrounds the Death Knight with stinging insects that, upon contact, gives the enemy “frost fever” and “Blood Plague” diseases. During such attacks their life force starts getting sucked out of them while they suffer from hypothermia. Necrotic Strike stops the target from being healed and greatly slows down their ability to cast spells by clouding the mind.

Death Knights are plague bearers, able to spread disease either by touching or casting upon an enemy. In combat these plagues are very fast acting, rapidly spreading to foes near the Death Knight. The infamous Death Coil can work by sucking the life from a target, destroying it, or healing an undead ally. Strangulate or Asphyxiate crushes the throat of the enemy and Death and Decay corrupts the ground the Death Knight walks on so that harm will be done just by stepping on the ground around his/her personal space. Shadow tendrils can be summoned to grapple any nearby foes. Dark Simulacrum allows Death Knights to copy any one spell used by enemies for a limited period of time.

BLOOD: Blood attack types is defined as the ability to corrupt life energy to sustain oneself. It is very much similar to shadow damage, and in fact many of its spells or plagues (which in game are low-damaging but persistent type attacks). However sometimes the ability seems to be literal, as Death Knights have the ability to literally boil the blood of their enemies. They can manipulate their own blood to increase their stamina and make them more durable to attacks or even become immune to any stunning effects. Death Strike charges the Death Knight’s blade with terrible power that at the same time leeches life from an enemy.

Masters of manipulating blood and life force, these death knights are stronger, faster, possess attacks much more difficult to do and possess greater stamina than their counterparts elsewhere. Hell some of their attacks heal them! They can summon a parasite which gorges on enemy blood before healing allies. For defense they can summon a second rune weapon to fight around them or a wall of bones to serve as a sort of shield.

FROST: Not surprisingly Death Knights are masters of frost magic. Just by touching someone they can infect them with “frost fever” which while active continuously chills them to the point of hypothermia. “Mind Freeze” is essentially a more harmful brain freeze used on spellcasters which not surprisingly stops them from being able to spell cast (or presumably think well) while under duration. “Path of Frost” essentially means that wherever the Death knight walks ice forms, allowing him to yes walk on water (in lore the greatest example of this, Arthas, froze an entire river mouth). Horn of Winter increases the lethality of nearby party members. Death Siphon deals both frost and shadow damage and siphons the life force of the enemy into them. Shackles of Frost binds a target in magical frost chains, greatly reducing movement speed and presumably causing hypothermia. finally the very best of Death Knights can, if cut off from allies, surround themselves with a raging, coiling temporary blizzard that will gradually outright freeze anyone that tries to charge towards them.

Essentially masters of the ability to manipulate ice magic, being on par with frost mages. Frost attacks cannot do any harm to them, and the greatest feat of manipulating ice allows literal walls of them to be created, or enemies from afar blaster with penetrating icicles or frozen solid. They can further use this frost to either enhance their weapon power or armor. Unholy Aura, which also applies for unholy, increases the power of allied weapons in the immediate vicinity.

= ADDITIONAL FACTORS =

 Perhaps the most potent defense the Death Knight has is the ability to create an anti-magic zone around themselves or over a large 40 yard area over squad mates. Such anti-magic drastically lowers the lethality of all but the most overpowered enemy spells. Death Knights also have their auras to improve movement or attack speed.

Death Knight Glyphs: For the most part the Glyphs for the Death Knight deal with either making a spell more deadly, improving casting time for said spells, or increasing protection/healing for the Death Knight. One in particular, the Glyph of Anti-magic shell makes the Death Knight even more resistant to magical damage while active while Glyph of Icy Touch dispels a magical enhancements of a enemy target. Another, Glypth of Death Coil, allows the Death Knight to put protective barriers around allies. Some Glyphs don’t just enhance direct abilities. Glyph of the Army of the Dead makes it so this power can summon a plethora of undead minions, including hulking abominations.