Khorne

Overview

Khorne is the Chaos God of blood, rage, war and murder, and the most openly violent of the four Ruinous Powers. He is called the Blood God and the Skull Lord. He sits on a vast Skull Throne in his Brass Citadel, set on a mountain of skulls that grows every time one of his followers takes a life. His servants' war cry, "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!", is one of the best-known phrases in the setting.

Khorne is said to be the first of the four great powers to awaken fully, during the wars of Terra's Middle Ages. He is fed by every act of violence, by his own followers or their enemies, because he "cares not from where the blood flows". His followers build no temples: the battlefield is the temple and killing the prayer. His sacred number is eight. Eight towers stand around the Brass Citadel, his Blood Legions march in eight cohorts, and seers say that after eight ages of war a last apocalyptic battle will come. He hates magic and Tzeentch, and loathes Slaanesh most of all.

Origins

Khorne formed in the Warp from the anger, hatred and lust for violence of mortal beings, and he grows stronger with every killing in battle. Alongside the slaughter he also embodies a twisted martial honour. He prizes courage and worthy foes, and he despises sorcery and those who hide behind it. That makes him the bitter enemy of Tzeentch, and he is also especially hostile to Slaanesh.

Key events

1. Claimed Angron and the World Eaters during the Horus Heresy. Angron was raised to daemonhood on Nuceria during the Shadow Crusade, through a ritual of Lorgar's Word Bearers, and he became Khorne's Daemon Primarch.
2. Made the Khornate Legions of daemons, led by Bloodthirsters such as Skarbrand and An'ggrath, one of the most feared forces in the Warp.
3. Turned Kharn the Betrayer into his most infamous mortal champion. On Skalathrax, Kharn set fire to the World Eaters' own shelters and slew his brothers indiscriminately.
4. Banished Skarbrand from his presence after the Bloodthirster was tricked by Tzeentch into striking him. Since then Skarbrand has roamed the galaxy in a state of endless rage.
5. Gained enormous power from the wars of the Era Indomitus, in which the Great Rift brought killing on a galactic scale.

Battles & campaigns

• The Horus Heresy: Angron and the World Eaters were his greatest prize.
• Ka'Bandha and Sanguinius: His Bloodthirster fought the Angel twice.
• Vraks: Zhufor the Impaler and the Khorne Berzerkers butchered the defenders.
• The Sabbat Worlds: The Blood Pact fought in his name against Gaunt's Ghosts.

Personality

Khorne is wrath made divine. He does not care whose blood flows, only that it flows, so friend and foe alike are offerings. He is also deeply contemptuous of weakness, trickery and witchcraft, and he respects nothing but martial prowess. His followers often burn out in frenzy, but those who prove themselves in endless battle may be raised to daemonhood.

His champions include Angron, Kharn, Skarbrand, Ka'Bandha, Doombreed, Skulltaker and the flesh hound Karanak. The battle cry is famous across the galaxy: "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" On Fenris the Space Wolves call him Ghorghe. The greatest Bloodthirster, An'ggrath the Unbound, is said to have been summoned only twice in ten thousand years.

Weapons & Vehicles

ChainaxeMelee Weapon

The screaming, blood-drenched motorised war-axe of the World Eaters and Khorne Berzerkers, trading all defensive finesse for bone-shatt…

GorechildRelic Weapon

The legendary mica-dragon-toothed chainaxe forged for Primarch Angron and rebuilt for Khârn the Betrayer, tearing through ceramite and …

Drach'nyenRelic Weapon

The Echo of the First Murder—an ancient, bound Daemon greatsword wielded by Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler that rends reality and woun…

The Black SwordRelic Weapon

The sacred two-handed obsidian greatsword of Sigismund and the Black Templars' Emperor's Champions, forged to slay the greatest champio…

BloodlettersMonsters & Daemons · Unit

The lesser daemons of Khorne, red-skinned horned warriors who hack down their foes with burning hellblades.

Khorne BerzerkersElites · Unit

Frenzied melee warriors of Khorne, driven to murderous rage by the Butcher's Nails implanted in their brains.

MaulerfiendVehicles · Unit

A fast, close-assault daemon engine that tears through vehicles and fortifications with power fists, magma cutters and lasher tendrils.

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Connections

Characters (5)

• 
  Angron patron · World Eaters

  Angron became Khorne's Daemon Primarch, raised on Nuceria through a Word Bearers ritual.

• 
  Khârn the Betrayer patron · World Eaters

  Khârn is Khorne's most infamous mortal champion and the butcher of Skalathrax.

• 
  Skarbrand banished · Chaos Daemons

  Skarbrand was tricked by Tzeentch into striking Khorne, and was cast out of the Brass Citadel in disgrace.

• 
  Slaanesh rival · Chaos Daemons

  Khorne hates Slaanesh above the other gods, contrasting his martial fury with the Dark Prince's indulgence.

• 
  Tzeentch rival · Chaos Daemons

  Khorne despises sorcery and trickery, which makes Tzeentch his natural enemy.

Factions

• Chaos Daemons primary faction
• World Eaters patron The World Eaters are the Legion of the Blood God.

Related units (4)

BloodlettersBloodthirstersEightboundAvatar of Khaine

Also in this faction

Be'lakorGrandfather NurgleKairos FateweaverKu'gath Plaguefather

Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.

Legacy

Khorne is war itself as a god: honest, hungry and never satisfied.

Appearances & sources

• Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1988)
• Codex: Chaos Daemons; Codex: World Eaters
• The Gaunt's Ghosts series (Dan Abnett), via the Blood Pact