The universe of Warhammer Age of Sigmar is so vast that whole continents exist almost untouched by the great Realm-shaking events we read about in the rulebooks and Battletomes. Average mortals live in blissful ignorance of the events that threaten the fabric of life itself, free from the knowledge of terrors like the return of Kragnos, End of Empires, and his egg smashing ways.
In deepest Shyish, the city of Lament is one such place – they know nothing of the trouble brewing in the depths of the Nethermaze, or that Morathi is now a god. None of these things, however, concern King Zothar Athrabis – the eponymous Vulture Lord.
After the devastating loss of his son, the king has struck an infernal bargain with Nagash. Needless to say, this wasn’t a smart move. The great lord of the undead promised to preserve his child’s soul if a suitable host is sacrificed every 10 years. We spoke to The Vulture Lord’s writer Richard Strachan and his editor Hannah Hughes to find out more about this tragic tale.
“This is the book I’ve enjoyed writing most for Black Library,” explains Richard. “It’s a chance to really delve deep into a forgotten and isolated corner of the Mortal Realms, where the grand events and epic battles of the setting are not even a rumour.”
Despite his nature as a ruthless god-king, Zothar Athrabis isn’t as cold, cruel and one-dimensional as one might expect from an immortal bearing such a tragic burden.
“The novel gave me an opportunity to explore the mythic backstory to this concept of ritual and sacrifice,” says Richard, ”to really unpack the tragedy and suffering behind it, and to make a character like King Zothar seem almost sympathetic.
“It also gave me the chance to explore how the three main human characters react when they are drawn into a tale that has been unfolding far longer than they realise, and how their own fates have been moulded by these events without them realising.”
Richard notes that this unfolding tragedy let him dig into some interesting new ideas for Warhammer Age of Sigmar fiction.
“I tried to imbue this book with a real mythic resonance, and I hope readers will respond to that almost Ancient Greek sense of tragedy and catharsis that the characters represent. It really obsessed me as I wrote it, and by the time I had finished it almost felt as if the story had always been there and was just waiting for me to find it,” he says.
Hannah Hughes was keen to add her thoughts as editor of this pathos laden story.“Richard shows us the mindless horror of the Bonereapers’ duty while inviting us into the world of a dead man who is contrarily ruminative and complex. The story itself reads like a Greek myth, with Zothar claiming a mortal heir via a series of brutal games.”
“It’s thrilling because our allegiance is pulled in different directions, and I think some of our best fiction is that which challenges the black-and-white nature of villains,” Hannah continues. “This book is a must read for Richard’s immersive world-building and his ability to craft multifaceted characters on both sides of the war in the Mortal Realms.”
All of this sounds to us at Warhammer Community like a nuanced perspective on what it’s like to be a mortal in a nightmarish land like Shyish. Keep an eye out for more news about when The Vulture Lord is out very soon. In the meantime, why not get into the macabre mood by reading through the background material in Battletome: Ossiarch Bonereapers?