Beastmen (Warhammer Fantasy)

Latest revision as of 08:30, 5 November 2022

The Beastmen.

The Beastmen are a species that feature in Warhammer Fantasy.

History

The Beastmen or the Children of Chaos were unnatural creatures corrupted by the powers of Chaos that warped animals and humans to create these humanoid mutations. Their origins were traced to long ago during the early years of the Warhammer World when it was dominated by the Old Slann. It was during the end of the reign of that ancient race which saw their polar warp gate portals being destroyed that resulted in the fabric of the Realm of Chaos entering the material universe. Thus, clouds of warp-dust settled on the world resulting in mutations and saturating the atmosphere. It was this environment that resulted in conditions which brought about the birth of the various races of Beastmen and the Skaven. Since that time, they had lived on the edges of the civilised world where they grew stronger through their unending battles and multiplied across the Old World. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

The Beastmen came into being many thousands of years ago during the Coming of Chaos. This was a time when Chaos was first unleashed into the world and all that was normal and whole was washed away in a wave of tortured unreason. Legend tells of an elder race of beings, known only as the Old Ones, who shaped the world in a way pleasing to them and brought the first of the young races to pre-eminence. Then came the event that changed history in a single, terrible day. The dimensional gates at the poles of the world, intended to facilitate astral travel, collapsed in on themselves. History does not record why, but what is known is that this allowed the stuff of Chaos to flow across the veils of space and time into the world at large. Millions of innocent souls were lost in an instant, sucked into the void and replaced with entities far fouler. The surface of the world writhed and bled like a wounded beast. From the skies came pulsing comets of wyrdling stone, contrails of unlight flaring in their wake as they plummeted toward the untamed forests. The lands were pounded and punished as if by the fists of the gods themselves. Huge chunks of solidified Chaos set aflame the skies. They crashed into the world like meteors, felling endless tracts of forest and burying themselves inside massive craters of scorched earth. With each impact, the land was infected further by the raw stuff of Chaos. Its insidious taint worked outward into the fertile soil, suckled upon by the roots of ancient trees and seeping into the air breathed by the nomads and the beasts that populated the lands. As Chaos permeated all, the forests stirred, writhing with malign energies. Weird calls echoed from the trees as the woods thrashed with rampant growth. Strange and terrible processes were enacted in that dank, boiling cauldron of fecundity. The primitives of the region and the beasts of the forest were somehow mated, their terrible offspring born and mated again, generation after generation coming into being, indiscriminately reproducing and eventually dying in an uncontrolled and rapid procession. Thus, the race of the Beastmen came to be born into the world.

Overview

In appearance, the term Beastmen referred to creatures that were part-man and part-beast giving them a physical appearance merging both races. Typically, they were humanoids that walked on two legs in an upright stance and had two arms, a torso along with a head. However, their physical forms could be twisted in a variety of beastial shapes as a result of their Chaos created mutations. The most common feature they possessed with humans was their intelligence which they combined with the cunning of wild animals. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

The tangled fur of Beastmen are matted with dried blood, dirt, and gore that nest countless varieties of ticks and fleas: as a result of this, Beastman live in a state of agitation and rage that always seethes in the heart of every Beastman. Ram-like horns emerge from their goat-like heads (However Ungor Beastmen only have small stubs of horns), their mouths are chasms of sharp rotted teeth for tearing flesh and the feet of all Beastmen are cloven hoofed. The very stench of any Beastman is enough to make even the most seasoned warriors gag; their brays of bloodlust and the gleam of malice in their dark animalistic eyes can unsettle even the staunchest of troops.

All Beastmen are spiteful and mean-spirited creatures that revel in bloodshed and chaos and loathe order and the very concept of civilisation in all its forms. Beastmen are not creatures of nature for there is nothing natural about their existence. The Herdstones and rituals of the Beastmen corrupt the very essence of nature itself: it is for this reason Beastmen are especially loathed by the Wood Elves of Athel Loren who the Beastmen have been fighting a long grueling secret war with for centuries.

For the purposes of Warhammer Fantasy Battle they are subdivided into various levels reflecting their appearance, prowess and ability in battle.

• Beastlords are the largest and most brutal. They command the beast herds.
• Wargors are second in command to Beastlords.
• Bray Shamans are the spiritual leaders and advisors to the herd leaders. They are also powerful spellcasters.
• Bestigors are the most heavily armed and armoured Beastmen and rate as elite units.
• Centigors have the upper body of a Beastman and the four-legged lower body of an oxen.
• Gors and Ungors make up the majority of the infantry units or "Beastherds." The Ungors, however, due to their more human appearance (in comparison to other Beastmen) and smaller horns, are on the bottom of the herd hierarchy.
• Gors : the most common type of Beastman that were distinguished by the lower breeds by their horns. The number of horns were important with the preferably being on the head. Gors took pride in their horns which they polished, painted and decorated to enhance their lustre or shape. The lower breeds looked tot he Gors for leadership where they were praised during victory and blamed for defeats who grumbled behind their backs. Typically, most battle-leaders and top fighters among the Beastmen were the Gors. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned) Their kind were divided into more sub-types distinguished by their horns:
  • Caprigors : goat-horned Gors that were the most common that had curling or straight horns that may have the entire head of a goat and more commonly had goat-like legs. Those that had only goat-like form and no other mutations were referred to as Caprigor Truegor that was a title with these being bigger, braver and more clever than the rest of their kin. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)
  • Bovigors : bull-horned Gors that were less common who had cattle-like horns noted for being competitive and thinking that they were superior to other Gors. Most prized brawn over brain with many being stronger yet at the same time were not very intelligent. Those that had a bull-like head and either goat-like legs or human legs were referred to as Bovigor Truegor. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)
  • Ungors : a term that translated to mean 'not quite right Gors' or 'other Gors' who had horns but not necessarily on their heads. These ones had a variety of different appearances and included Beastmen with various mutations leading to some having only a single horn whilst others had many. Most have scabby little horns or peculiar misshapen ones with a few Ungor having a spectacular number of them or a single fine one that made them the envy of other Beastmen. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)
• Brays : the majority of Beastmen who were not Gors came from this version whose name came from their braying, whinnying, whooping cacophony that came from their kind when they went to battle or during a feast. They lacked horns and had an inconsistency of appearance that marked them separate from a Gor. Brays were noted for being very brave, cunning and unusually lucky with some being able to rise to become a leader though this was uncommon. Gors do not like Bays giving them orders and a Bray that failed to show a Gor proper respect could face violence. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)
• Turnskins : these were Beastmen that were born human but had suffered from mutation leading to them becoming mutants that were driven out of society with most killed the moment these changes manifested in their forms or dying lonely deaths. Only the most cunning and toughest survive to adulthood where they then join the ranks of a Beastmen warband. Despite their physical appearance, they were never regarded as pure Beastmen and thus regarded among the lowest strata in their society. Those that were born with horns had them sawn off to relegate them as Turnskins as otherwise they could be confused with a Gor. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)
• Gaves : sometimes, perfectly healthy human parents were capable of giving birth to a mutated child where some mothers kept their children hidden from the rest of society. However, in other cases, the parents can become deeply ashamed and they abandon the child in the forests or rivers where they were expected to die from hunger or exposure. Despite being left alone, the new borns rarely died as Beastmen often heard the cries of one of their kind and rescue them where the foundlings were adopted into the Beastmen camps as the Gave Children. Beastmen regarded the Gaves as gifts from Chaos itself and were welcomed into their ranks without any stigma. The Gaves when they matured then grew up to become one of the other types of Beastmen based on their appearance with their status as a Gave being added to their name. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Beastmen warherds who devote themselves to a single God acquire mutations which eventually shape them into the favoured images of their patrons.

Certain herds devoted themselves to a particular Chaos Gods where they gained mutations attributed to their patron with these Beastmen divided into:

• Khorngors : the Beastmen of Khorne, bearing the favoured colours of the Blood God, have skin and fur which is brazen in colour, in some cases almost metallic, and their eyes are milky white with red pupils.
• Slaangors : the Beastmen of Slaanesh often have pastel coloured skin, green saucer like eyes and fur, and may wear luxurious fur capes and looted jewellery which contrasts strangely with their bestial natures.
• Pestigors : the Beastmen of Nurgle are racked with disease and malformations yet retain the morbid vigour of their patron god who often bear a single horn. The most favoured had Tears of Nurgle - foul secretions dripping constantly from their ears, eyes, mouth and nose.
• Tzaangors : the Beastmen of Tzeentch often bear exotic markings and patterns and fantastic colours such as tiger stripes or leopard spots. The more mutations they carry, the more they looked upon as having the favour of their god.

Beyond the various types of Beastmen, some devolve further into mutation and become Chaos Spawns with this frequently occurring among their kind. In this state, they become mindless, unrecognisable things that were devoid of intellect and even their form. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Beastmen use a variety of animals and monsters, either trained or broken into service that follow the warherds into battle, including "Tuskgor" which are very large boar-like creatures that they use to pull "Tuskgor Chariots". There are also the Tuskgors' larger cousins, the Razorgors, monstrously oversized boar-like monsters which Beastmen use to either pull stronger, larger chariots or to charge the enemy battleline in herds. Flocks of savage harpies, packs of feral mutated warhounds, gibbering Chaos Spawn (Beastmen twisted beyond recognition into terrible new forms by the will of the Chaos Gods) and roaming giants also follow the Beastmen horde.

On occasion, some Beastmen mutate into Chaos Spawns where sometimes the dangerous or useless ones were driven from their ranks. Though, those that proved useful or had proven to be great warriors were kept out of respect for their glorious past. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Typically, Beastmen lived deep in the forests of the Old World where they battled amongst themselves and with Chaos Warbands, human bandits and Ork tribes. Thus, they posed a threat to travellers on forest roads and even small villages located in such locales or near them could face an attack from Beastmen. Such had been the fate of many such homesteads that were raided at night and their occupants all mercilessly killed with the authorities unable to do anything in such incidents. This was because they attacked outlying regions where the loss of a farm or home meant little in political or military terms even if it was noticed. Outside the Old World, Beastmen tended to dwelled in areas that was strong in the influence of Chaos such as the barren lands to the north. In their territories, Beastmen formed a basic social unit that was the Warband that tended to be larger than their human equivalent and consisted largely of their own kind. The warband rarely had a permanent base and instead set up a series of temporary camps that they set up deep in the woods or wilderness. Caves tended to be favoured locations so long as they were near running water and overlooked the woods. After they finished their hunting of the surrounding forests and settlements then the warband moved to a new camp located some distance away. As such, the warbands were always on the move and at times came to clash with a rival Beastmen warband over territory. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

These roaming bands were led by a Beastman Champion of Chaos though smaller groups were known to join warbands led by humans that followed Chaos. Leadership could fall through a variety of means such as the Champion dying in battle, or becoming a Chaos Spawn or enter Daemonhood whereby they entered the Realm of Chaos. When this occurred, a new Champion was chosen from their ranks who became their new leader. In some occasions, the death of the Champion can lead to a splintering of the warband whereby a large group of Beastmen formed two smaller such groups each led by its own Champion. In fact, it was quite common for drifting or unled warbands seeking out others led by a Champion and joining their ranks. Each warband had their own unique banner crafted from the flayed hide of a fallen enemy that proclaimed the name of their Champion in the Dark Tongue and listed the groups achievements which was either carried into battle or kept in a special place in their camp. As such, the banner served as a record of the Champion's career with pictures added to it to showcase important events. All warbands was proud of their banner with its destruction, theft or loss being considered a grave insult especially to the Champion. When a Champion was slain, their followers mourned him with a feast and dance with particularly famous Beastmen bringing about invitations to other bands to participate in a Brayherd. At the feast, the body of the Champion was eaten by his most loyal followers with the best portions taken by the eldest Beastmen and the best retainers whilst their successor consumed the heart. Beastmen believed that warrior's essence resided in the heart and that by consuming it a part of the Old Champion's wisdom was retained in their successor. They believed that by consuming their fallen Champion then they inherited part of his character and mutations. The Champion's feast was considered a great tradition among the Beastmen and if the Champion's body was destroyed then the warband believed this to be a bad omen. A title among their horde was that of a Truegor that referred to a member of their kind that had a specific animal form and no further mutations such as those that resembled humanoid goats or bulls. A special position within their bands included that of the Shaman that were able to wield magic. These figures acted as intermediaries between the Beastmen and the Realm of Chaos whereby they spirit-walked into the realm and spoke to the Daemons of the Chaos Powers. They never lead other Beastmen but their advice and aid in battle were often sought by the strongest of leaders. Their position meant that they were treated with the utmost respect even by powerful Champions (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Typically, Beastmen had little issue with fighting one another but on occasion it was necessary for them to gather their forces. This could be to marshal their strength for an attack against a common foe or to defend against such an attack or even for a night long time of festivals. Regardless of purpose, these events were referred to as Brayherds that involved the gathering of various different warbands. These were marked by the arrival of a Champion at an established meeting ground with these being well-hidden from human eyes such as being situated in caves or valleys. The locations were marked by massive Herdstones that could be natural rock outcroppings or ones erected by the Beastmen with them being blackened by soot from meeting fires. Upon arrival at the Herdstone, the Champion lit the signal fire whilst their warband made camp nearby as they waited for the arrival of other Beastmen Champions who scratched their names or mark on the Herdstone in the Dark Tongue runes of Chaos. After the arrival of all the warbands, the Brayherd officially began with the first Champion explaining the reason for the call of their comrades including any plans with this being followed by discussion among the Beastmen whether they agreed to participate or not whilst discussing their own respective plans. Whilst this was occurring, the warbands embarked on a period of festivals that involved feasting, wild dancing and brutal singing. The Shamans went on spirit-walks through either dreams or by comatose trances that were achieved through excess drinking in order to consult with the Chaos Powers themselves thus reminding them that they were the Children of Chaos. Sometimes, fights broke out but these were contained by the Champions as it was forbidden to spill blood during the Brayherd with even bitter rivals respecting this tradition. Those that were unable to resist fighting one another were then obliged to leave the Brayherd where they were to remove their name from the Herdstone and take their warbands some distance in order to resolve any differences. Once resolved, the surviving Champions returned to the Brayherd where they rejoined it by writing their name on the Herdstone once more. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

The height of the Brayherd was the Gorfight where the winner led the Beastmen campaign. Typically, only Gors were allowed to participate though any warrior was able to do so as long as the Champions agreed to it. Around the Herdstone, the warbands formed a ring with the contenders starting off equally form the edge. Each Champion was unarmed and had their hands tied behind their back where they were required to head-butt the other in order to win the match. It was for this reason that Gors entered into the fight as they possessed horns allowing for this form of fighting with the last person standing the winner. Whilst open to anyone, it was known that Gors often ganged up together to defeat a person who was not one of their own. No other Beastmen were allowed to enter the ring though the spectators were able to hit the contestants with fists or melee weapons if they came too close to the edge making it a dangerous location for participants as they could become lost in the flurry of hits they could experience there. Another danger was fighting opponents in the centre as that was where the Herdstone was located and a charging contender could smash their heads into the stone. Ultimately, the winner of the Gorfight received the title of Gorlord who led all the Champion's and warbands for the campaign. After the completed their goal, the combined Brayherd fractured back into their respective warbands with normal feuding returning. However, the Gorlord retains their title as a mark of respect for their achievement with the win of the Gorfight and leading their campaign with famous victorious battles being added to their name. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Beastmen were known to had held a natural empathy towards Chaos. This overcame any antipathy they made have had to other races leading to them serving any form of Chaos Champion. It was for this reason that they understood the true nature of Chaos more than most humans. According to them, humans could not stomach the true nature of Chaos and hid their fears of it with lies that showed an ignorance that formed fear of it. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Typically, they raided and destroyed human settlements or targeted caravans and travellers and in some cases even engaged in outright fighting with human armies. Due to their elusive and mobile nature, there was little that could be done by humans in fighting the Beastmen hordes. However, in some cases, such incursions grew to a point that an active campaign was made to hunt Beastmen warbands to eliminate them. They were not immediately hostile to Chaos Cultists due to their mutual status as servants of Chaos. (Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned)

Recently Beastmen have learned to summon the Jabberslythes, abominations against nature that are a fusion of toad, slug drake and insectoid. Their massive bodies are borne aloft on ragged wings, and they secrete vile poison, their blood is acidic, their mouths house long chameleon-like tongues to ensnare their prey and their very appearance can break the enemy's sanity.

Minotaurs are bull-like humanoids twice the height and girth of a man and renowned for their enormous strength. Within the Warhammer setting they are known for pausing during battle to eat the bodies of their slain enemies (such is their blood greed). The most powerful among them are known as "Gorebulls" and "Doombulls" which act as leaders of the Minotaurs. In earlier versions of the game the phrase "Minotaur Lord" was used. Also, with the 7th edition rule book, new minotaur-like creatures have been included in the book such as the Ghorgon and Cygor.

The Ghorgon, not be confused with the Gorgons in Greek myth, are mutated four armed Minotaurs as tall as giants with swords of bones sprouting from two of the Ghorgons mutated arms, overcome and driven only by an overpowering desire to feed on and tear the flesh of the enemy. The Ghorgon is one of the most powerful monsters in the Warhammer world.

There is also the Cygor, a one-eyed gigantic relative of the minotaur that can only see the world in the winds of magic, and feeds upon the souls of its victims. The souls of wizards and magic users are a delicacy to these beasts. The Cygors are also used by the Beastmen horde to hurl massive boulders into the enemy ranks.

Because Beastmen worship the Chaos Gods they are sometimes granted marks just like their human/mortal counterpart. Gors that are changed in this way are given different names, always based on their patron god, to separate them from their normal counterpart.

Beastmen speak Beast Tongue that was a dialect of the Dark Tongue. It was a mix of bestial sounds, the Dark Tongue, and local human languages.

Members

• Gorthor the Beastlord : Gorthor was the most powerful beastlord to have ever lived destroying one entire province and bringing two others to their knees
• Malagor, the Dark Omen : A Powerful Bray-Shaman born with huge raven wings
• Khazrak the One-eye : Khazrak is the most cunning beast lord to have ever lived and is the biggest living threat to the empire
• Ghorros Warhoof : a Centigor who was the bane of the unicorn prince and sire of a thousand young. Possibly the oldest Beastman to have ever lived.
• Morghur : The essence of mutation; just being close to him can break your mind; father of the spawn.
• Taurox, The Brass Bull : A Minotaur Doombull
• Moonclaw : son of Morrslieb
• Ungrol Four-Horn : An Ungor.
• Slugtongue :

Notes

• The Beastmen were created by Games Workshop where they featured in the setting of the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

In other media

Video games

• In Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the Beastmen appeared as antagonist NPCs in the MMORPG video game.
• In Total War: Warhammer, the Beastmen were introduced as a playable faction through DLC in the strategy video game.
• In Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Beastmen appeared as antagonists in the setting of the first-person action video game. A herd of Beastmen had allied with Skaven Clan Fester and the Rotblood Chaos Warband in the End Times. During this time, they were in search for a Herdstone that was sacred to their herd.

Appearances

• Warhammer Fantasy:
• Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned:
• Warhammer Armies: Beasts of Chaos:
• Warhammer Armies: Beastmen:

External Links

• Lexicanum Entry

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