With Dawnbringers Book V arriving imminently, we’ve heard plenty about Callis and Toll, the witch-hunting duo striving to save Hammerhal from a deadly plague, we don’t yet know so much about the titular Crone herself. Krethusa the Croneseer is pivotal to the events of the book, and she has a pedigree as old as the World-that-Was.
So who exactly is Krethusa? As we revealed alongside her incredible miniature at the Las Vegas Open, the Croneseer was once a Khainite outcast who developed an obsession with Morai-Heg – the ancient aelven Crone Goddess who was swallowed by Slaanesh along with the rest. Krethusa was mocked and scorned for her beliefs, and when that obsession led her to the barbed Circlet of Morai-Heg with its inverted spikes, she gladly sacrificed her sight to gain her new patron’s foresight.
Only… it didn’t work. Blinded, ridiculed, and abandoned, she wandered despondent for years, until the fateful day when Morathi-Khaine ascended to godhood. As the High Oracle split open Slaanesh, a sliver of divinity from the consumed gods within slipped out and found its way to Krethusa – who was transformed into the winged Croneseer.
Now empowered with potent gifts of prescience and prediction, the Croneseer has gathered a cabal of dissident Khainites who reject the divinity of Morathi-Khaine and instead seek favour with Morai-Heg. These Croneseer’s Pariahs move through the shadows to enact whispered plans and resist the increasingly draconian measures handed down from Hagg Nar, all while Morathi-Khaine and her loyal Scáthborn do everything they can to hunt them down.
In Dawnbringers: Book V – Shadow of the Crone, the Croneseer’s Pariahs become a brand new Army of Renown packed with thematic rules. They have a particular predilection for Doomfire Warlocks – the light cavalry so scorned by Morathi-Khaine – who gain the Battleline keyword and new hit-and-run supremacy with the Skilled Skirmishers rule.
They also add a new ability for Cauldrons of Blood to fill up in battle, empowering these sanguine icons with stronger protective wards. Having full cauldrons around also helps the Croneseer to spread her prophetic blessings further, but we’ll get to that later.
For her part, the Croneseer is no spectacular warrior or formidable mage. Her abilities lie in the support of her troops, and by offering Burnt Offerings of blood into her brazier, Krethusa can empower her followers with powerful Prophecies that twist the tide of battle in her favour.
A freshly filled cauldron can expend its bounty to grant additional uses of Burnt Offerings to the Croneseer, even interrupting an opponent’s turn to charge your troops across the battlefield or shut down enemy commands when they least expect it. Save it until your own hero phase, and you can double up instead for a massive momentum shift.
The Army of Renown includes a new Artefact of Power, a Grand Strategy, a Battle Tactic, a Command Trait, and a Prayer Scripture, which significantly change the way Krethusa’s Daughters of Khaine play. Pre-order your own copy of Dawnbringers: Book V – Shadow of the Crone this Saturday to enlist the aid of Morai-Heg’s chosen prophet. You can also download Krethusa’s Warscroll for free right now.
