"Wights are driven by a malign intelligence all their own, not the unquestioning allegiance of their lesser counterpart. Just as a powerful Necromancer will some day die and rise again as an Undead, all his vile powers intact, so too can the greatest of the warrior heroes. Many of them are truly ancient, the remnants of an aboriginal, tribal people who once occupied the lands of the Empire thousands of years before it was so known."
- —Waldemarr, Scholar of Nuln
The Grave Guards of Drakenhof Castle
The Grave Guards, or Wights as they are sometimes called, are the Undead corpses of long-past heroes and warlords that have been arisen from their graves with a partial flicker of the persons soul trapped within, allowing the Undead to fight the enemies of the Necromancer that raised them with the skills and tools of his former life. On other occasions, Wights are often arisen by their own means when the place of their rest, such as a tomb or mound was desecrated by outside intruders, forcing the deceased spirit to be sucked into his former body by the Dark Magic that permeates from such an evil place.
Although their bodies have decayed, leaving only bones and tattered flesh, a Grave Guard is held together by evil magic so strong that it has endured for centuries. They wear ancient battle gear of primitive alloy, corroded by time and dusty with the years. These eerie, silent sentinels stand constant vigil on the crumbling battlements of many Sylvanian Castles, never resting, and eternally ready to defend their Vampire masters. When a Vampire marches forth, his Grave Guards advance at the head of the Undead host. They form a formidable corps of warriors, using the skills and tools of their former life to their own advantage.
In battle, the sheer resilience of the Grave Guard has become well known across the nations of Human, Elf and Dwarf. Their combination of stout shields, thick armour plates, and the natural resilience of the Undead means that a simple sword blow has little chance of stopping them. Only with the most powerful blows from a weapon, or the magical properties of spells and items could hope to pierce the dark magic that protects a Grave Guard in combat. In battle, the Grave Guards form the elite and disciplined core of an Undead army, where they are considerably far more durable then the typical Skeleton Warriors yet far more disciplined then even the most docile Vargheist. As such, it is common to see the Grave Guards at close proximity to the Vampire or Necromancer that raised them.
Source
- Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (8th Edition) -- pg. 38