Early reports from kill teams venturing into the Pariah Nexus reveal an all too familiar threat lurking in the shadows. Arm yourself with knowledge on these cursed creatures, and perhaps you might avoid a grisly fate at the hands of the Flayed Ones.
In the dark confines of a slumbering Necron tomb, few things inspire as much fear as the shambling, sharp-bladed form of a Flayed One. Be sure to take note of the hunched-over and twisted body beneath the cloak of gruesome trophies – the last thing you want is to have what appears to be a delightful fluttering banner suddenly tear your face off.
Even other Necrons are wise enough to shun the presence of these fiends, ever fearful that the affliction might be contagious. Instead, the Flayed Ones languish in the horrific realm known as the Bone Kingdom of Drazak, using arcane technology to burst from tears in reality to spook the unwary across the galaxy, and harvest a few new skins for their ‘collection.’
But where did the Flayed Ones come from? Few exist even among the most ancient dynasties who remember the fall of the malevolent C’tan known as Llandu’gor the Flayer, which is a touch odd when you consider how good the Necrons are at waiting around for a very long time.
In his death throes, Llandu’gor inflicted a twisted curse upon his betrayers, to forever fray the minds of those it infected and transform them into flesh-hungry monsters desperately seeking to slake a thirst they will never quench.
On the battlefield, Flayed Ones do little more than charge their prey’s lines with keening hunting cries, appearing as if from thin air. Nevertheless, they do so with remarkable determination. Their skeletal bodies still sustain them as well as any Necron Warrior – who have a long history of frustrating their enemies’ firepower – and the most grievous wounds can be shrugged off with chilling ease.
While Necron society is content to keep their voracious kin at arm’s length, it cannot deny the terrifying effect a horde of skin-draped horrors can have on even the bravest of their enemies. Often grouped together with the
equally maddened members of the Destroyer Cult
, Flayed Ones are deployed as expendable shock troops in the rare times when their arrival and movements can be predicted.
Some enterprising phaerons, such as the infamous Imotekh the Stormlord, will infect their fleeing foes with insidious bloodswarm nanoscarabs. These microscopic constructs seethe within the bodies of their hosts and broadcast a signal that draws the Flayed Ones like moths to a flame, sowing panic and discord long after the battle is over.
Take command of the Flayed One hordes when Pariah Nexus, the latest expansion for Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team, arrives for pre-order on the 27th of February. In the meantime, find out how the ancient terrain of the Necron tomb can help or hinder your forces as they muster to defend the Silent King’s* work from invading kill teams.
* It’s a pity he can’t show up to Kill Team in person. Sadly, his giant, glorious model is far too big.