There is nothing in the Mortal Realms so inevitable as death, and in the Hour of Ruin it comes faster with every passing day. This is a point of contention for the Soulblight Gravelords, the cruel vampiric nobles who slake their depthless thirst on the blood of humans, as the Skaven now threaten to deny them their prey.
Their response is simple: invoke ancient pacts, calling upon the loyal armies of the Barrow Kingdoms to usher an unfeeling order to the realms.
Relics from the Age of Myth, the Barrow Kingdoms embody Nagash’s vision for the eight realms. Feudal kingdoms with roots in a long distant Shyish, they are now almost entirely inert – the only sense of progress is the endless toil of skeletons which till the land to uncover more corpses to fill their ranks. All the while, their Wight Kings plot their next conquest in the name of the Great Necromancer.
Only when the call to war is sounded do these kingdoms break from their thankless tasks, metal scraping against bone as they march. The Deathrattle Army set showcases these morbid legions.
At the centre of this force is a Wight King on Skeletal Steed, an imperious revenant who has attained a level of belligerence in undeath that makes him a match even for vampires. Many an arrogant noble has found themselves impaled upon a cursed blade after an ill-advised attempt at exerting control.
They command armies of the dead from many cities and cultures, all pressed into eternal servitude. As a sole combatant, they are terrifying, their weapons steeped in curses that unnaturally enervate their opponents.
The nobles of conquered kingdoms are often recruited to serve as champions, some even pre-empting defeat and turning to necromancy to preserve their ambition in the afterlife.
These Wight Lords are dedicated to expanding their sovereign’s borders beyond all else, centuries of existence winnowing away their emotions… though many still harbour an ember of enmity for their masters.
When a king crosses the threshold of death, he might be accompanied by his retinue of loyal retainers and guards. These are the Barrow Guard, and whether they enter servitude through self-sacrifice or at the end of a blade, they remain unquestioningly loyal.
Retaining their combat prowess free from mortal fatigue, they are equipped with the finest armours and cursed blades of the Barrow Kingdoms and are resilient as they are lethal.
Some ancient cultures of Barrow Kingdoms once prized horsemanship in life, and many were interred with their steeds in happier times. The Barrow Knights retain pride in their martial dominance, riding down their foes atop indefatigable skeletal mounts.
In celebration of these undead fiefdoms, the Deathrattle Army Set comes with a copy of Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords adorned with unique art of a Barrow Guard. Inside you’ll unearth background details of the Barrow Kingdoms, as well as the various vampire monarchies that wield them.
As usual, you’ll get all your rules, a new Anvil of Apotheosis for Path to Glory, and a set of 55 warscroll cards for your shambling armies.
For all their grim might, the Barrow Kingdoms are but a fragment of this vast undead empire, and the notorious vampires that rule the Soulblight Gravelords are keen to demonstrate their superlative skills in battle. Chief amongst them is Prince Vhordrai, the Master of the Crimson Keep.
Foolish enough once to have raised his lance against Nagash, Vhodrai and his Crimson Keep are now bound to the Supreme Lord of the Undead by an unbreakable curse. He is afforded the right to excise centuries of rage upon unlucky mortals at the head of his Blood Knights – though a bloody trail of dead warlords has not even begun to temper his fury at his liege.
Vhordrai rides into battle upon Shordemaire, Lord of Revenants. This Draconith once dabbled in necromantic magic in an effort to restore the many great drakes slain by Kragnos – and create an empire in opposition to the princes Krondys and Karazai.
Krondys interrupted the ritual and condemned him to undeath, though Nagash has since offered Shordemaire the chance to resurrect his fallen allies into vile Revenant Draconiths. It has now dawned on the Lord of Revenants that the Great Necromancer will never permit him to rule a kingdom of his own, but many vampires are pleased to count these decaying drakes amongst their forces in the Hour of Ruin.
Vampire Lords are not above the thrill of combat, their prideful nature drawing them to great mounts. The sight of a Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed is unforgettable, savagery and finesse meeting in a deluge of spilt blood.
The Soulblight Gravelords are ready to commit their decaying orderlings to the smaller-scale battlefields of Spearhead with the Deathrattle Tomb Host, which comprises a Wight King, their loyal Barrow Knight and Barrow Guard Retinue, and two units of 10 Deathrattle Skeletons – an all-new kit that is easier to build, but closely follows the design aesthetics of the old one.
All of these units – and a few yet to be exhumed on the dusty pages of Warhammer Community – will feature in Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords, which come in a standard edition and in a small-format Gamer’s Edition later in the year.
You can also get a glimpse into the mind of these preening and contemptuous vampire aristocrats with the upcoming Black Library omnibus, Masters of Death. This collects the novels Neferata: Mortarch of Blood, Neferata: Dominion of Bones and Dynasty of Monsters together with three short stories The Threshold, Obsidian, and The Dance of the Skulls. It’s the perfect companion to a glass of the red stuff.
And the Soulblight Gravelords aren't the only upcoming release for Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Here's a glimpse of things to come...
There are plenty of other reveals from the Las Vegas Open, which can be found at the preview hub.
