The Realm of Death is the domain of monsters, grief-wracked spirits, and self-serving vampires, but in this sea of grim impulse stands an island of discipline – the Ossiarch Empire. These skeletal constructs have been on the back foot as of late, but with Battletome: Ossiarch Bonereapers and the new Mortisan Ossifector coming to pre-orders soon, they are once again on the rise.
Let’s meet our conquerors-to-be.
To dismiss the Ossiarch little more than a Necromancer’s risen playthings is to invite ruin, for each one is a hand-crafted golem of intertwined souls and osseous matter reshaped for war. The Mortisan cult – undead architects who craft each Bonereaper from the lowest soldier to the highest commander – maintain cavernous vaults of bones in which they create their kin, choosing their materials with the care of an artisan.
The souls that animate the Ossiarch are similarly crafted, spliced together from a blend of spiritual shards. Positive traits like loyalty are intermingled with obedience and ferocity, while useless notions of mercy and compassion are discarded.
What emerges is a cold, indifferent, and disciplined warrior suited for the ordered warfare of the Ossiarch Empire. Phalanxes of Mortek Guard infantry have carved out vast territories in Shyish since their appearance during the Soul Wars, and they are allowed greater autonomy than Nagash’s other undead servants in return for their unflinching support of his vision.
For mortals, life under the yoke of the Ossiarch Empire isn’t as bad as you might think, and many settlements of the living go about their daily lives as peacefully as anyone in the Mortal Realms. All the Ossiarch ‘ask’ for in return is the Bone Tithe – a regular offering of bone matter to feed their Mortisan forges. How this bone is acquired is irrelevant to them, though communities withholding their tithe can expect to have it extracted by force.*
The sundering of Nagash during Broken Realms: Teclis threw much of the Great Necromancer’s domain into disarray, but not so the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Their discipline was pure antithesis to the primal energies of the Era of the Beast.
In recent times Katakros, the Mortarch of the Necropolis and one of the finest strategic minds to walk the realms, has directed his attention to the Eightpoints. He succeeded where Sigmar had failed, invading Archaon’s lands and raising a monumental fortress around the Arcway portal to Shyish. This is the Arx Terminus, a colossal, self-sufficient foothold in hostile lands. Now thoughts of conquest of the rest of the Eightpoints consume Katakros.
Alas, upheaval from the duelling forces of a receding Necroquake and Alarielle’s Rite of Life has sown discord among the Ossiarch Empire and drawn Katakros away from his ambition. The Mortisans have broken a taboo, using Ghur’s plentiful beast-bone stocks and infecting their disciplined legions with feral madness, while previously tame vassals have risen up in rebellion against their skeletal masters.
Into this tumultuous new era, the Dawnbringer Crusades have struck out across the realms, and the Bonereapers have discovered a wellspring of new tithes to be had from successful expeditions. Indeed, many legions have shadowed these processions, removing threats and obstacles only to swoop in and lay claim to these nascent communities and the rich tithe of bone they will provide.
Join the ranks of Katakros yourself when Battletome: Ossiarch Bonereapers arrives for pre-order next week, and bring a touch of order to the undead hordes.
* It’s not such a raw deal until your legs are required to make up the deficit.