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"Raise buildings and sing songs in My Glory. In My name, pursue your arts and enshrine all beauty. Let all people follow their every desire, sate their every hunger, and deny themselves no adventure. For it is in these things, and in others, that you will find the greatest pleasure, and it is through these things, and through each other, that you shall rise yourselves higher, even unto the steps of My throne. You will take pleasure in all that is, though your bodies will break and your souls be forfeit. For I am Slaanesh, most jealous of gods, and most demanding of lovers, and My thirst for you shall never be sated..."

—The Satin Throne, Verses 1-7, from the Liber Chaotica[3a]

Slaanesh, also known as the "Dark Prince," the "Prince of Pleasure," the "Lord of Excess," the "God of Obsession," "the Serpent," the "Master of Excess in All Things," the "Perfect Prince" and even the "Prince of Chaos," is the major Chaos God of pleasure, passion, obsession, excess, hedonism, decadence and pain.

Born of mortal inspiration and desire, Slaanesh is the great muse, the fulfiller of dreams. He is passion given form. He is pleasure incarnate, from the intellectual satisfaction of a problem solved to the fulfilment of baser desires. His is the domain of frustration and agony, the struggle to achieve that which mortals covet. He is titillation. He is suffering. He is the sum of all mortal experience.[2e]

Slaanesh is the Dark God dedicated to the pursuit of earthly gratification and the overthrow of all decent behaviour, as well as hedonism and amoral pleasure for its own sake, from gluttony to lust to megalomania. In the pantheon of the major powers of Chaos, Slaanesh is the youngest and least powerful of the Chaos Gods, for the complex emotions that drive erotic desire, hedonism and decadence can only exist within the minds of intelligent mortal beings. Above all else, Slaanesh guides and directs the mortal inhabitants of the Known World to go ever further in pursuit of new heights of sensation with no concern for the morality of their quest.[1g][2a]

Unlike the influence of the other Chaos Gods, Slaanesh's power is more prevalent amongst the civilised nations of the Old World. The warlike tribes of the north have very little time to indulge themselves in their desires, for every waking moment is a simple fight for survival. As a result, perhaps the most numerous disciples of Slaanesh hail from the more decadent peoples of the south. It is only from here that a person can indulge themselves in the pleasures of civilised life, such as beautiful artwork, culinary delights, extravagant clothing, and the pleasures of the flesh. And none have more time and wealth to indulge themselves in such delights than the wealthy nobles of the southern aristocracies.[1g][2a]

In one sense, Slaanesh is the embodiment of romantic passion and the desire to create vibrant art. Those that most openly express such emotions are often artists, craftsmen, dancers and the more flamboyant nobles of the southern realms. However, the Prince of Chaos is also the embodiment of hubris, pride, sensation, selfish pleasure and pain-as-pleasure. Each breath is an opportunity to take in a new scent. Each glass raised is a chance to savour a new flavour. Each sword blow can entice a never-before-heard scream of pain. From his glittering palace in the Dark Prince's Realm within the Realm of Chaos, the Lord of Excess revels in each new sensation discovered.[1g][2a]

Manifestation

"Through the souls of your brothers and sisters I take My place amongst the Three; through their pleasure I ascend my throne. Pleasure, for Pleasure's sake!"

—The Satin Throne, Verses 1-7, from the Liber Chaotica[3a]
DaemonettesofSlaanesh

The Daemonettes of Slaanesh are the Daemonic embodiments of both the beauty and sadistic pain that is incarnated in the Dark Prince.

Though his is the domain of decadence and excess, only a fool believes that Slaanesh is concerned solely with the idle pleasures of the flesh. Rather, Slaanesh is fuelled by extremes of mortal sensation, experience, and emotion. The Dark Prince of Chaos grants the power to excel in all things, pushing those who serve him far beyond the normal limits of Human passion, desire, and obsession. None have dreamed until they have dreamed of the power Slaanesh can grant, their horizons expanding infinitely in the very instant their soul is forfeited. While the Dark Prince is as yet the least in power of the four major Chaos Gods, his potential is limitless, for it is defined only by the evils mortals can dream of inflicting upon one another.[4a]

Slaanesh is master of cruel passions and hidden vices, and of terrible temptations. Of all the Dark Gods, Slaanesh alone is divinely glamorous: long-limbed and elegant, with a haunting, androgynous beauty. It is impossible for a mortal to look upon that divine face without losing their soul to his service, for all who see Slaanesh become slaves to his slightest whim. Slaanesh can assume male, female or hermaphrodite form at will, though he mostly manifests himself as a young man -- clean limbed and fresh with the vigour of youth. Slaanesh is seductive as only an immortal can be, disarming in his innocence, utterly beguiling in his manner. Known widely as the Lord of Pleasure, Slaanesh is truly dedicated to the pursuit of excess -- the overthrow of all moderate and decent behaviour.[6a]

Slaanesh also sometimes appears as a humanoid with multiple gender traits -- male on the left side and female on the right. Unlike the other Chaos Gods, Slaanesh possesses an unholy beauty, stunning and glorious on one hand, and utterly disturbing and unnatural on the other. His hair flows like pure, rippling gold, pierced by two pairs of blackened horns that rise out from his forehead. He dresses in a shimmering shirt of mail, fringed with velvets and jewels of untold decadence and beauty. In his right hand, Slaanesh bears a magical jade sceptre, which he claims is his most prized treasure.[2e]

Slaanesh is often referred to as a "he," with the masculine gender, though in fact, like all the entities composed of magical energy called the Chaos Gods, it in fact has no true gender, and Slaanesh prefers a far more androgynous appearance than his fellow Ruinous Powers.[6a]

The sensual pleasures of art, music and companionship fascinate Slaanesh and he is drawn to mortals possessed of physical beauty and charm. Unlike the other major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh goes out of his way to court the affections of mortals, seeking to ensnare their souls in his web of excess. As such, his Palace of Pleasure within the Dark Prince's Realm in the extradimensional Realm of Chaos is not home solely to Daemons and damned souls; it also entertains those mortals Slaanesh wishes to tempt. There they cavort in orgies and feasts of vile, yet exquisite-tasting, food. Slaanesh's minions are always erotic and strangely alluring, yet blended with disgusting mutation or disfigurement.[6a][2e]

The Dark Prince is the master of subverting dreams to lure a mortal's corruptible mind into his realm. Indeed, many have turned to Slaanesh for succour, and the Dark Prince revels in both their worship and their weakness. Where Tzeentch sees a mortal world full of opportunity, Slaanesh views the mortal realm only as a potential source of playthings.[6a]

Temperament

Of all the Chaos Gods, Slaanesh has the widest acceptance in the Old World, as there are those that indulge in carnal pleasures without invoking his name, but who definitely draw his attention. Slaanesh accepts people from all walks of life, though most of his followers come from the upper classes, accustomed to living in excess. Artists, poets, and musicians also are drawn to Slaanesh, finding inspiration in his motto of living life to the extreme. Unlike most of the other followers of the Chaos Gods, individual Slaaneshi Chaos Cults have positive attitudes towards each other, creating a large network for his followers to try new temptations. Worshippers are accepted into his secret temples, regardless of race or realm of origin, and a follower that travels to a new city is likely to find a Slaaneshi cell or two willing to take them in.[2e]

Slaanesh has the strongest presence of all the Ruinous Powers in the largest cities of the Old World. The nobles of Tilea, Estalia, and Bretonnia are particularly drawn to his creed of unabashed indulgence, further spreading the cracks of corruption in the ruling class. In these places, worshippers often put up a false front during the day as dedicated followers of Sigmar, Ulric, the Lady of the Lake, or Myrmidia, while setting up secret, portable altars and performing debased rites to Slaanesh in the evening. More than a few highly respected nobles, merchant princes, and priests are secretly servants of Slaanesh.[2e]

Philosophy and Methods

"The priests of Sigmar preach that the True Gods play on the base emotions of Men, but it is Sigmar who rules through fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the different, but even worse: fear of ourselves, fear of our own power. I throw off those shackles of fear; I live a life fuller and richer than any of the Sigmar-fearing sheep. I dare to be great, I dare to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous. I strive for perfection. If that is heresy, so be it. I may die, but at least I have lived."

—last words of Bertholdt Freude, executed for heresy

Excess and Obsession

Warhammer Cult of Slaanesh

A Slaaneshi Chaos Cult skulking in the shadows of the Empire.

Slaanesh gains power and influence within the Realm of Chaos by fuelling and feeding upon extremes of emotion and experience unleashed within the mortal domains. While no mortal is immune to the temptations of the Dark Prince, some are more likely to attract his attentions than others. In particular, the nobility of the Old World seem most attracted to the gifts of Slaanesh. Without the need to toil just to place food on the table, nobles are at leisure to pursue whatever pastimes they desire, and a life of indolence is strewn with entrapments to ensnare the unwary soul. Wealth and noble birth grant power, which is all too easily abused.[4b]

Nobles have access to resources few others can imagine, including libraries of ancient texts and treasuries full of priceless artefacts. What forbidden knowledge and arcane relics lurk within such places, just waiting to entrap the soul of the dilettante? There are also stories of noble-owned hunting lodges deep in the Reikwald Forest, where the sons and daughters of the Empire's highest-born families retire to practise dalliances they could never risk pursuing in the cities. Some even claim that by night, they cavort about roaring fires with the Beastmen of the forests, sealing some unholy pact in the name of the Ruinous Powers.[4b]

But it is not only members of the nobility that seek the extremes of experience. While many think of Khorne, the Chaos God of blood and murder, as the patron of warriors, many such men beseech the favour of Slaneesh as well. While Khorne revels in the simple, uncomplicated act of killing, however it is achieved, Slaanesh seeks the perfection of the killing blow itself and the experience of killing and dying.[4b] Warriors that look to the Dark Prince do so to perfect their skill at arms into an artful performance, one in which each stroke of the blade is as delicate as a lover's caress and equally as exquisite for slayer and victim alike. Such men drive themselves towards ever-greater extremes, yearning to master the act of killing in every one of its permutations. As much as some warriors seek to perfect their own skills, some come to revel in the cruelty of their arts, becoming masters of pain and torture in all their forms.[4c]

Men in search of knowledge are also susceptible to the temptations of the Prince of Chaos. One might expect that most mortals would turn to Tzeentch for the revelations they seek, but this is not always the case. Scholars who become obsessed with the details of obscure wisdom are driven to ever more extreme acts when granted the dark blessings of Slaanesh. There is no knowledge too terrible for them to bear, or so they believe, and they will make any sacrifice in the ceaseless pursuit of the teachings they crave.[4c]

Such dark scholars inevitably stretch the limits of the knowledge a Human mind can contain, especially where it pertains to the secret histories of the mortal world and its creation, and of the forces that underpin reality. The sanatoriums are said to be full of fallen scholars who gibber and rant of nameless deities and impossible places, their souls and minds blasted by the knowledge revealed to them by their dark patron.[4c]

Those who serve the various religious creeds and cults of the Empire and beyond are especially valuable to Slaanesh, for blasphemy is one of the numerous permutations of his realm. The Dark Prince revels in pushing any and every boundary and expects all his servants to do likewise. Nothing is more pleasing to Slaanesh than an outwardly pure individual, especially an officer of a supposedly upstanding religious creed, revelling in the very acts he condemns. Thus, the witch hunters must regularly search their own ranks, and those of the Cult of Sigmar, for hidden servants of the Dark Prince. Countless outwardly righteous religious leaders have been charged with heretical crimes and put to death after the Mark of Slaanesh is discovered upon their bodies.[4c]

There are many more examples of individuals driven to excess by the dark gifts of Slaanesh. The practitioners of magic must be ever vigilant for the siren song of forbidden knowledge and power, and regular contact with the raw energies of Chaos makes them supremely susceptible to the Dark Prince's influence. Counsellors and administrators too are often tempted by the power they wield, and those denied the full extent of their capabilities by a common birth are all the more likely to sell their souls for access to the status the nobles so jealously guard.[4c]

There are lovers who love as no mortal ever could, and artists driven to create such wonders as to make onlookers pluck out their eyes so they may never be sullied by a lesser sight. Hunters seek the ability to stalk the wilds undetected and long for preternatural aim -- invariably, they are driven to hunt not beasts, but men, and some feel compelled to test their skills against Wood Elves and the like, usually with results fatal to the hunter.[4c]

Invariably, those who partake of even the smallest portion of the blessings of Slaanesh are driven so far along the road to excess that their damnation is inevitable. The cruel reality of Chaos is that it will ultimately destroy all but the very strongest of those who attempt to wield it. Perhaps above all other Chaos Gods, Slaanesh revels in this process, glorying in the downfall of even the mightiest of his champions. In truth, a being as powerful as Slaanesh perceives even the greatest of his mortal champions as nothing more than a brief spark against a conflagration, if he perceives them at all. Though they do not know it, the excesses of a mortal servant of Slaanesh do nothing more than fuel the fires of their own eternal damnation.[4c]

When positioning Slaanesh in the pantheon of Chaos Gods, many dwell on his role as the seducer and the fulfiller of sexual gratification. But Slaanesh is far more than a font of base pleasures. If he were, then he would not enjoy the pernicious success of corrupting Old Worlders ashe has. Instead, Slaanesh stimulates the imagination. He embodies experience. He is the patron of artists and poets. He engenders the pleasure derived from the aesthetic, and serves as a great inspiration for all who would create and take pleasure from their creations. Slaanesh worms his way into mortal imagining by granting success at one's labours, artificially providing the fuel that drives the artist to put brush to canvas, pen to parchment.[2e]

Of course, such sensibilities also extend to the physical. The experiences of the mind and the satiation of mental desires inspire deeper and darker urgings. Slaanesh erects new cravings by numbing the senses, requiring his thralls to seek out new and stranger experiences to achieve the same thrill as that first experienced. When the pleasures of the artistic endeavour begin to pale, his subjects turn to the physical to receive the same excitement, the same sensations as before. In a sense, the path of the Dark Prince is a slippery slope. The more one probes the glistening pleasures found in this god, the greater the need to receive the new heights of passion.[2e]

Those who serve the Serpent for long abandon the sense of restriction imposed by social norms. What was once pleasurable becomes mundane, and his followers must look to stranger and more depraved acts to fulfil their cravings. Soon, even the most carnal of experiences lose their sheen, and so his followers look to the sensations of sweet agony to make them feel anything at all. Decadence blooms into perversion, perversion becomes abomination, until all that’s left is the all-consuming and throbbing urge to feel anything...anything at all.[2e]

Price of Excess

Despite the impossible heights to which Slaanesh's servants soar, all but the smallest fraction inevitably come plummeting back down to earth to be dashed against the jagged rocks of their own sins. The power of Chaos is the most seductive, potent, and addictive drug ever imbibed by mortal souls and, like all drugs, the addicted are doomed as soon as the first taste passes their lips. Those who dedicate their souls to Slaanesh seek to draw power from their pact, the power to drive them to extremes they would never otherwise experience, but the price is terrible indeed.[4e]

Ultimately, the adherents experience all there is to experience, break every taboo, exceed every mortal limitation, and impose every form of suffering the mortal mind and body can endure; all that remains is a soulless husk driven by the hollow desires of one who has seen all and knows there is nothing left to see. For a time, the universe, indeed the multiverse, was a realm of limitless splendour and variation, but now it is a pale, faded, ragged remnant sucked dry and spent of all joy.[4e]

To one dedicated to Slaanesh, such a fate is terrible indeed and one that all but those who achieve apotheosis and are granted daemonhood by the Dark Prince are doomed to meet. One might wonder exactly what the Prince of Chaos gains by exacting such a price from his willing servants. When the mortal mind experiences extremes of emotion, Slaanesh's power within the ever-shifting Realm of Chaos grows at the expense of one or all of his divine kin.[4e]

As Slaanesh's power in the Aethyr waxes, so too do his territories, which encroach upon the lands of the other major Chaos Gods. This process manifests in infinite forms, not least of which is the spectacle of a billion Daemonettes capering through the territories of the Dark Prince's foes, slaying rival Daemonic servants with graceful flicks of their razor sharp claws as they sing the praises of their master.[4e]

When Slaanesh's power waxes so strongly that it can no longer be contained within the Realm of Chaos, the Winds of Magic turn to storms that howl outwards from the ruins of the Polar Gates to saturate the lands of Men with the fell power of the Dark Prince, driving his Daemon and mortal servants onwards and causing them to commit countless unspeakable acts in his name. One day, the storm will be unstoppable and never abate, and all the lands shall be submerged beneath a writhing, twitching blanket of sin.[4e]

Rivals

The four major Chaos Gods all pursue conflicting goals in their equal pursuit of the utter destruction of the mortal world. Khorne would see the world shattered and the building blocks of civilisation ground to dust beneath his cloven feet and that of his mortal and Daemonic legions. Nurgle would see it transformed into a vision of eternal, festering decay and rampant re-growth. Tzeentch wills it that time never ends, one layer of reality peeling back to reveal yet another, still more complex web of fate. Slaanesh however, seeks to impose his darkest dreams upon the world, to remake it to conform with his vision of eternal submission and domination.[4d]

While none of them would openly acknowledge it, the other major Ruinous Powers secretly fear Slaanesh. While Khorne, Nurgle, and Tzeentch fuel wars, plagues, and machinations, respectively, within the world of mortals, Slaanesh gains power by feeding Humanity and the other mortal races' darkest urges, stoking the fires of all that drives mortals forward. Ultimately, such power is self-sustaining, for heresy begets heresy. One day, Khorne will run out of foes, Nurgle's tally of plagues will be completed, and Tzeentch's schemes shall reach their conclusion. None, however, can foresee a time when Men and other mortals shall set aside their darkest passions and selfish desires and forego that which they most crave.[4a]

Yet the other Chaos Gods are repelled and attracted by Slaanesh in equal measure. Nowhere was this shown more clearly than when the Dark Prince presented each of his brothers with a chalice. Beguiled by Slaanesh's artistry, Nurgle and Tzeentch accepted the Chalices of Entropy and Lies -- glad, despite themselves, to be thought worthy of the Dark Prince's attention. Khorne, on the other hand, could not resolve his wrathful nature with the peculiar attraction that Slaanesh aroused. He smote his gift from the Dark Prince, the Chalice of War, a mighty blow, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Yet even as the broken shards tumbled to the ground, Khorne felt compelled to gather the fragments together. For many days and nights, Khorne worked to repair the damage he had wrought, but when the labour was complete the rage waxed strong within him once more and he shattered the chalice again. The Blood God has since recreated and destroyed the Chalice of War untold times, as unable to let the pieces lie as to graciously accept the Dark Prince's gift. Such is the seductive nature of Slaanesh, even among the gods.[6a]

This dichotomy of attraction and repulsion is especially strong between Khorne and Slaanesh, who view each other as the greatest of rivals among the major Chaos Gods. One might imagine that Slaanesh, being the Prince of Pleasure and Pain, possesses the ideology closest to Khorne's. However, while no one can deny that Khorne's Daemonic and mortal legions cause unbelievable pain, Khorne does not actually aim to cause suffering. Indeed, of all the major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh is the most diametrically opposed to Khorne as a patron of the arts and a lover of aesthetically pleasing objects.[7a]

Slaanesh's focus is inward, acting on his followers through their taste for decadent pleasures. He ingratiates them slowly to his service, their taste for pleasure or pain becoming ever-harder to satiate over time and requiring more and more perverse acts in order that they might feel anything at all. Decadence begets perversion, which begets abomination and eventually utter, amoral depravity.[7a]

And it is this methodology that is alien and truly offensive to Khorne. The Blood God has no time for pleasure or eroticism; indeed all emotions are wasteful to him save for rage, hate, and the desire for vengeance. Slaanesh corrupts mortals from within, building on their inner thoughts and desires, while Khorne always builds from without, focusing on the pursuit of physical strength and power.[7a]

Slaanesh would delight in a grotesquely obese follower gorging themselves upon expensive delicacies, but Khorne cares only for muscle and sinew to give strength in battle. Slaanesh lets his followers enjoy life to the fullest, fulfilling their most perverse desires; Khorne simply seeks to cause death. These two gods are constantly at war with one another, each believing that they have the upper hand, or can soon gain it, in their endless struggle in the Great Game.[7a]

Though Khorne is the only Chaos God with an open and intense dislike of Slaanesh, both Nurgle and Tzeencch are uneasy in his presence. This is due, in part, to the fact that in some ways all the major Chaos Gods embody Slaanesh's drive for excess: Kbornc with his rage, Tzeentch with his schemes and deceptions and Nurgle with his love of pestilence. Lurking deep within the psyche of each of Slaanesh's brother gods is the suspicion that the influence of the Dark Prince is steadily gaining in strength and that Slaanesh will perhaps one day eclipse them all.[6a]

It is to the constant relief of the people of the Old World that these innate rivalries of the Chaos Gods have prevented them from remaining permanently united in pursuit of their common aim of destroying all existing mortal civilisation.[7a]

Symbols

Slaanesh's symbol is a synthesis of the symbols for male and female. His other symbols include hermaphroditic breasts, bestial faces, crab-like claws, and a coiled serpent. Most of his followers avoid wearing these symbols out in the open but dress in a sensual manner or wear jewellery with erotic motifs to show their pledge to him. Indeed, worshippers commonly wear the latest, cutting-edge fashions, though modified to show off extra bits of flesh or accentuate the body in ways that push social modicum. In private rituals, worshippers wear robes that expose the right breast, regardless of gender.[2e]

Slaanesh's sacred colours are pastels and electric shades, particularly azure, pink, ruby red, and emerald green, often put together in a garish and contrasting manner. Slaanesh's sacred animals include birds, crabs, snakes, and salamanders. Worshippers are particularly drawn to animals that are beautiful and perfect in most ways but bear some grievous flaw or gross mutation.[2e]

The number six is sacred to Slaanesh, and most of his rites include this number, or a multiple of it, in some way. For instance, a small Slaaneshi coven ideally has six members.[2e]

Tenets

Slaanesh has few requirements for his followers, other than an unswerving dedication to the pursuit of pleasure and hedonism. The longer a follower worships Slaanesh, the more jaded they become, demanding even more disgusting and shocking perversions to stimulate their weary senses. The following are some of Slaanesh's edicts:[2e]

  • The pursuit of experience is an end in itself. Look beyond that which is safe and customary to know the true pleasures and pains inherent in Slaanesh.[2e]
  • Glorify Slaanesh by awakening desire in all. Make no distinction between class or station. All are potential children of Slaanesh.[2e]
  • All pleasure brings honour to Slaanesh. Mind or body, if it advances sensation, do it.[2e]

Cults of Slaanesh

Warhammer Magnus of Slaanesh

A Chaos Cult sorcerer of Slaanesh

Those who venerate the Dark Prince of Chaos in the Old World are wont to form secret coteries, cults, and confraternities, for, perhaps more than for mortal servants of the other major Chaos Gods, their deeds must remain hidden in order to perpetuate. Slaanesh's followers are gregarious by nature, and their rituals require both victims and an audience, though often these are one and the same. No act, no matter how extreme or blasphemous, holds much meaning unless it is witnessed, whether by others who also venerate Slaanesh or by unwilling victims moments before they meet their end. The followers of the Great Powers organise themselves into cults – secret societies of like-minded worshippers who gather in hidden places to practice their vile creed.[4c]

Commonly, cultists are highly placed members of their communities -- the alderman, the magistrate, the lord, or the trader. Each cult is different, but most feature a highly compartmentalised, pyramid-shaped power structure, with each level ignorant of most of what goes on in the level above. Members hide their true identities from the bulk of the cult, though it can be guaranteed that someone will know their name and thereby hold power over them. Many cults are sprawling networks that employ their own staff s and agents, own properties, and conduct themselves more like a business or criminal enterprise than a body of worshippers. Yet, whatever form the cult takes and whatever masks it wears to disguise its true face, it is above all else a sect of men and women dedicated to the worship of a forbidden god.[4c]

Many cults have existed for decades, centuries, or, occasionally, millennia. Over generations they have spread their influence far and wide, working towards some end only the most senior of masters is aware of. It is likely that the lowest ranked cultists, whatever they do by day, are mere foot soldiers in the cult's great undertaking and they are only allowed to glimpse a small portion of the greater plan. The exact nature of this grand undertaking varies enormously, though most have several points in common; it invariably promises a time when the cult will be able to throw off its disguise and rise up against its oppressors, tearing down or taking control of the prevailing social order.[4d]

Even if its lower ranked members believe otherwise, no cult is completely isolated. As they grow in power and status, new cults come into contact with older, established cults. Some worship the same Chaos God, others his brothers, and so war or alliance may follow. Some cults seek out others, especially those only recently incorporated, that they may be dominated and subsumed. Others seek to utterly wipe out all other cults they encounter, whether those of the same god or his rivals, dispatching sinister agents as effective as any Witch Hunter to track down their foes and destroy their works.[4d]

At several points in history, the bitterest of wars have been fought on the streets of the Empire's cities, across the rooftops and along the secret corridors of sprawling castles. Foes determined to not only ruin one another's works, but to offer one another’s souls to their patron gods, grapple for power while men sleep fitfully scant yards away. Anyone captured alive in these conflicts is often sacrificed in appallingly creative acts of blasphemy before hooded congregations of cultists. Often, the only sign that any such war is raging is the sudden disappearance of key members of the community, those who were highly ranked in the cult's power structure. At the same time, the low ranked foot soldiers die by the dozen, but they are rarely missed.[4d]

The oldest and most powerful organisations have existed in one form or another since the earliest days of the Empire; their influence stretches across the world and into the highest of courts. There are numerous cults active in the Reikland today and those dedicated to Slaanesh are particularly virile and dynamic. In Frederheim, for example, the so-called Crimson Eye has existed for nigh on seven decades, its influence spreading insidiously downstream along the River Teufel like spilled blood and infecting the minor nobility almost as far as the Court of Grünburg. The Brotherhood of the Perfect Deliverance is thought to be an offshoot of a far older cult that is well established in Averland and Wissenland, but so far it has been unsuccessful in subverting the established cults of the southern Reikland.[4d]

The Cult of the Purple Moon recently won a long war against a number of lesser bodies in and around Eilhart and looks ready to exploit its gains and attack others based in Helmgart, Ubersreik, and Auerswald. The Cult of the Exquisite Cadaver has only recently appeared in Altdorf but is thought to have its roots in dispossessed nobility out of Bögenhafen. Perhaps the newest cult in Reikland is the so-called Angels of Grissenwald, a body that, for some as yet unknown reason, other cults in the region abhor and fear in equal measure, their blasphemies too dire even for the servants of the Dark Prince to stomach.[4d]

Nobles are especially prone to be seduced into the service of Slaanesh via a life of unfettered indolence. It is said that many of the Chaos-worshipping cults that exist across the Empire have sprung up amongst coteries of idle nobles, individuals whose decadence has transmuted from selfish dalliance to something far darker and ultimately destructive. In such groups, the frisson of trifling indecency all too easily turns to overt and deliberate blasphemy and iconoclasm. Equally, bored yet inquisitive minds are easily turned from the exotic to the esoteric; from there it is but a short, damning journey to the pursuit of forbidden knowledge.[4d]

Those who plot and scheme against rivals or more favoured kin are led astray by the promise of undreamed power, while those afflicted with some weakness, whether real or imagined, might find a means to overcome it, if only they will pay the price. When the dalliances of the idle nobility turn into the active pursuit of power, the agents of the Ruinous Powers are ready to offer counsel and lead the damned even further astray. Hooded strangers appear in the small hours and tell the glazed-eyed nobles of power and experience even they have never imagined.[4d]

Missives are written and rituals conducted. Blood is spilled and pacts are sealed. Souls are bartered and unspeakable deeds performed. All too soon, the group of nobles seeking distraction from the petty concerns of everyday life have become a cult, its members fearful of discovery by the Sigmarite witch hunters who have suddenly appeared in town. Before they realise it, the nobles are devotees of the Ruinous Powers, already numbered among the uncounted ranks of the Lost and the Damned.[4d]

Mark of Slaanesh

MarkofSlaaneshBig

A variant Mark of Slaanesh

Those who attract the dark benedictions of Slaanesh may be blessed with his rune appearing upon their flesh. The Mark of Slaanesh resembles an astrological gender symbol, and as such depicts the aspect of the Dark Prince that is genderless, male, female, both and neither. In short, Slaanesh's worshippers transcend this most mundane yet fundamental barrier in their quest to fulfil the pursuit of their obsessions.[4f]

Many abilities and qualities are associated with the Mark of Slaanesh, but the greatest and most terrible must surely be the ability to corrupt and seduce the most loyal and pure. Those marked by Slaanesh are said to be able to gaze directly into the most hidden depths of another mortal's soul and rip out their most secret desires and fears. Such knowledge is truly the most powerful weapon in the world, for Slaanesh's servants use it to turn even the most bitter of enemies into the most adoring of slaves.[4f]

Others note that those who have long served the Dark Prince and bear his mark seek only new experiences, even the final and greatest experience of death. Such mortals are not capable of feeling fear any longer, for even the end of their own existence represents the possibility of an exceptionally pleasurable experience.[4l]

When borne by a hidden Chaos Cultist, the Mark of Slaanesh is most often manifested somewhere easily hidden from casual searches. Often, it appears on the left breast. This is significant to the servants of Slaanesh, as it alludes to the genderless qualities of their patron and the fact that many of his Daemonic attendants have one female breast. The mark might be hidden elsewhere, sometimes in locations only the most dedicated of witch hunters or the most intimate of lovers would find it.[4f]

The mark may also cause difficulties for the servant of Slaanesh. Such a mark may be difficult to hide, and, as such, anyone that recognises the mark is likely to report the bearer to the witch hunters or local watch.[4l]

Gifts of Slaanesh

Those who seek the blessings of any of the four Great Powers know that each gift they receive might be their last, for all too often a mortal is transformed into a slavering mindless spawn by the sheer potency of their patron Chaos God's power. Mortals are fragile things to the Ruinous Powers; just as a man may not be able to pick up a fly without crushing it between his fingers, so the Chaos Gods are likely to destroy a mortal body and soul by the gifting of even the most inconsequential "blessing." Of course, Slaanesh being the most capricious and wantonly cruel of the Ruinous Powers, he takes great delight in such happy accidents and cares not whether his servants welcome the gifts he bestows.[4e]

Mortals and Slaanesh

Despite the Dark Prince's ability to warp and corrupt the flesh of those dedicated to his worship, it is in the mind and the soul that the greatest changes are wrought. Physical mutation is almost an inevitable side effect of any contact with the power of Chaos but those who seek Slaanesh's gifts desire something far more potent and useful. They lust not only for perfection in all they pursue, but also to exceed perfection and experience every possible aspect of a given pursuit until it is mastered utterly.[4e]

Promise of Perfection

The perfection Slaanesh's followers seek is anathema to the world of mortals, so that to normal folk they appear to be engaged upon some hideous mockery of mortal pursuits. There is a vast gulf between what the follower sees and experiences and what the onlooker perceives, unless perhaps the witness is also blessed by the Dark Prince's gifts.[4e]

For example, a musician might draw upon the blessings of Slaanesh to produce exquisite cadences and tones that no mortal has ever heard, and he experiences such heights of delirious joy in producing them that he feels at one with his fell patron. A mere mortal forced to witness the performance might be driven utterly insane, his mind unable to process the cacophony he is hearing, his ears bleeding from the unnatural sounds they are forced to absorb.[4e]

An artist might draw upon his patron's gifts to communicate such visual splendour as no mortal eyes have ever witnessed, portraying wonders of composition and balance, concept and perspective, power and wit. A mortal forced to look upon the piece might find his eyes bleeding from the sheer atrocity exhibited, his sanity blasted for all time.[4e]

A warrior blessed by the Dark Prince's gifts moves so fast that he is appears as a blur, every artful stroke of his blade parting flesh and spilling blood in patterns that delight and inspire the servants of Slaanesh.[4e]

The hedonist seeks new and novel flavours and scents, passing far beyond what decent folk consider edible and inducing witnesses to gag in disgust while he sups upon the foulest of feasts, his face a mask of delight.[4e]

These and countless more pursuits are subject to the dominion of the Dark Prince and no experience is beyond his followers.[4e]

Lore of Slaanesh

Slaanesh is the Chaos God of pain and pleasure, and the spells he teaches to those Champions of Slaanesh and Chaos Sorcerers associated with his perverse delights reflect his sick passions and appetites. These spells are often intended to prey upon the mind of their targets, creating false sensations and driving victims to commit unspeakable deeds. The Lore of Slaanesh is also known as the "Lore of Pain and Pleasure."[2d][8a]

Dark Prince's Realm

Realm of Chaos-0

A map of the Realm of Chaos; note the positions and distances between the places on this map are only allegorical; distance and time have no meaning in the Aethyr.

Far from the light of any sun or star lies the infernal region known as the Realm of Chaos. This is not a material realm, but a place without physical or temporal boundaries, a vast, formless limbo that exists because of the dreams, and desires and emotions of intelligent mortals. This is the home of the Dark Gods of Chaos.[6a]

In the Realm of Chaos there are no physical laws akin to those that dominate the mortal world. Within its confines dreams become real, and reality is reborn as fevered hallucination. Gravity, shape, space and reason -- all are in flux, utterly mutable to the will of the Chaos Gods.[6a]

Few mortals are capable of perceiving the Realm of Chaos in its true splendour, for the living mind recoils from such otherworldly and impossible landscapes. For this reason, no two visions of the Realm of Chaos are alike, as the mortal mind attempts to hide the impossible with fragments stolen from memory. The Realm of Chaos is a place of dreams and nightmares, where cause need not follow effect and within its bounds anything is possible.[6a]

The Dark Gods of Chaos each have their own particular spheres of influence, their own Daemonic servants and their own sub-dimensional territories in the Realm of Chaos. All of these things are solely maintained by the willpower of the god in question -- without that drive, the kingdoms and Daemonic scions of the Chaos Gods would collapse once more into formless magical energy.[6a]

The Realm of Chaos is not merely the home of the Dark Gods. It is their battlefield, the arena for the Chaos Gods' eternal Great Game for power, influence and ultimate supremacy. The brothers in darkness are constantly at war with one another, vying for power amid the immaterial planes. Despite their myriad differences, the major Chaos Gods all share a common goal: total domination of all that is. Such absolute power cannot be shared, even amongst gods.[6a]

Daemonic armies clash across crystal plains, venomous forests, bone-choked swampland and rivers of churning gore, pursuing vast wars of attrition as the Chaos Gods claim and counter-claim territory and the magical life-blood that goes with it. In the Realm of Chaos, where magic is the very stuff of being, the breadth of a god's domain is not merely a symbol of power, it is indeed power itself. As the minions of one god seize advantage, that territory is moulded to the whims and hubris of its new master, sloughing off its old form to reveal a new countenance.[6a]

If Khorne's bloody minions overrun a portion of Nurgle's festering garden, the diseased foliage swiftly decays down to nothing, leaving only a barren and ruddy wasteland. Similarly, should Tzeentch manage to wrest that same territory from Khorne, iridescent crystalline structures will consume the blood-streaked plains.[6a]

Were a mortal of the Empire to travel northwards, passing out from the shadow of the deep forests, over the cold plains of Kislev and the blasted Troll Country, and into the Northern Wastes, they would eventually reach the borders of the Realm of Chaos. The poles of the Known World are realms of seething magic centred upon the remains of the Old Ones' Polar Gates, where reality and unreality merge, where the physical and the spiritual intermingle in ways not possible anywhere else in the mortal realm.[4a]

Were the traveller to somehow survive the predations of the savage tribes and ravening, twisted beasts that haunt the land, they would, perhaps without realising it, step across an invisible barrier and pass from the real world of stone, air, and flesh into a universe that does not exist in any logical sense. Rather, the domains into which they have passed are the kingdoms of gods and Daemons, a land made from the stuff of souls and sustained by the dark will of its most powerful inhabitants -- the dread Gods of Chaos.[4a] Within this limitless, shifting Realm of Chaos, each of the Chaos Gods has their own territory, the unreal borders of which wax and wane as the power of each ebbs and flows.[4b]

The territory of the Dark Prince of Chaos can be imagined as a peninsular of spirit-matter, a spit of land which, while nowhere near as expansive as that claimed by other gods, is supremely defensible, and utterly under the sway of Slaanesh. Unlike the other Ruinous Powers, especially Khorne, Slaanesh does not maintain a fortress or stronghold as such. Instead, his court is found inside a vast, shimmering pavilion where every excess contrived by Humanity is practised to the utmost degree. It is said that this terrible place heaves with such extremes of emotion and experience that it radiates into the dreams and desires of mortals, stoking hidden flames and nurturing secret desires. It is even said that such extremes are practised in the form of contests, adjudicated by Slaanesh himself so that his champions can be chosen and sent into the world to spread their evils amongst men.[4b]

Slaanesh's realm is the smallest corner of the infernal regions, for he is the youngest of the major Chaos Gods, and as yet his power is much overshadowed by his brothers. It is no coincidence that a narrow isthmus separates Slaanesh's domain from the rest of the Realm of Chaos. The power of the Dark Prince is but a fraction of the other Chaos Gods, and he seeks whatever advantage he can -- including that of defensive position.[6a]

Such a place may appear vulnerable to attack by the cohorts of the Dark Prince's brother gods. With the hosts of Slaanesh disporting themselves in every manner possible beneath the eaves of his pavilion, surely his enemies could attack and destroy his domains once and for all. But Slaanesh's holdings are well protected indeed, for their defence is the weakness of the intruders themselves; any attacker must first pass through six circles of temptation before entering the Dark Prince's territory.[4b]

Circles of Seduction

DarkPrincesRealm

The Dark Prince's Realm, as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.

The Dark Prince's Realm is divided into six different domains, arranged in concentric 1ings around Slaanesh's Palace of Pleasure. Slaanesh's domain is commonly thought a paradise by the mortal souls lured here, but nothing is precisely what it seems. Each region is formed around one of the six deadly seductions of Slaanesh: Avidity, Gluttony, Carnality, Paramountcy, Vainglory and Indolency. These circles are not only a continuous celebration of Slaanesh's needs and desires, but also his chief defence. An intruder must pass through each of the six circles in turn before reaching the heart of Slaanesh's domain -- an act of sheer willpower that few souls, mortal or Daemonic, can perform. As one moves from circle to circle, the desire to succumb becomes increasingly overwhelming. Once mortals have sampled the pleasures of Slaanesh's realm, they cannot stop; compelled towards excess, they think nothing of the consequences -- only of the pleasure that indulgence brings. Some, much too late, discover the trap that has been set for them, but this matters not to Slaanesh, who finds moans of ecstasy or cries of horror equally satisfactory, providing they are heartfelt.[6a]

The Circle of Avidity forms the outermost boundary of Slaanesh's domain. The temptations within its borders seek to awaken an interloper's sense of greed. Gold is here, ingots and coins beyond counting. Precious stones are sunk deep into every wall, and gilded sculptures line every path. All who attempt to seize this wealth are doomed. The gemstones hatch Daemonic birthlings that burrow beneath the skin to eat their victim from inside to out, ever after wearing the stolen form as a trophy. To lay but a finger upon Slaanesh's statuary is to join it, with consciousness rendered immortal, but trapped in an immobile golden body for all time.[6a]

Should greed not ensnare, then the next circle is that of the Circle of Gluttony, with sumptuous banquets and rivers of wine. A single taste reduces the imbiber to a bloated fool whose only desire is to gorge until their tortured body gives way under the strain. Beyond the Circle of Gluttony lies the Circle of Carnality, a debauched place where all manner of fleshly pkasures may be sampled. Lissom maidens walk the verdant fields, their face and form seemingly sprung from the heart's dearest desire. Yet to tryst with such a creature is purest folly, for there are clawed hands and serpent's teeth beneath the glamour, for these are actually Daemonettes, the Lesser Daemons of Slaanesh who possess an appetite for fleshly pleasures of a different sort. [6a]

Upon entering the next circle, the traveller is greeted by the roar of an adulating crowd, for this is the Circle of Paramountcy, where intruders are tempted with power and all its applications. Armies, their numbers so great as to blacken the plains, greet those of martial bent, whilst the politically minded are also met in kind, with nations to guide and people to rule. For any traveller with a desire for personal power within their heart this is a paradise of sorts for a time, a place where every whim is obeyed, and every command fulfilled. Yet to tarry within this circle is to be overcome with paranoia, to see a dagger beneath every smile and poison in every chalice -- the cheering throng becomes a tortuous and inescapable prison.[6a]

The Circle of Vainglory is a garden, its maze of paths thick with beautiful flowers and heavy with thorns. Here, unseen voices whisper reminders of past glories, of achievements great and small. Most deadly of all is the remembrance of the previous circles conquered and unheeded temptations. Each step an intruder takes with pride in their heart leads them further from their path, drawing them deeper and deeper into the choked undergrowth. There they swiftly fall prey to the tearing briars and roots, whilst the chanting thorn-children of the garden weave their every failure into a mocking epitaph.[6a]

Last, and most dangerous, is the Circle of Indolency, a serene domain of heavenly choirs and perfumed seas. All within this circle, whether root and branch or stock and stone, works to lull the mind and senses. A single draft of the ambrosial waters can rob a mortal of purpose and will. To sleep here is to never again awaken. The lone and level sands that crunch underfoot are actually the desiccated husks of all those who have succumbed, and the ethereal voices are actually their souls in torment. If this final and most insidious of circles is traversed, then a traveller can finally ascend to the seat of Slaanesh's power.[6a]

Slaanesh does not have a stronghold as such, merely a luxurious palace wherein his Daemonic followers pay court to their master. This shimmering alcazar haunts the dreams and nightmares of mortals in a way that no other place can. It is said that contests in every manner of excess are to be found within the Palace of Pleasure and its fleshy walls pulse to the rhythms within. These debauched competitions occur in six great halls, each cavernous chamber devoted to one of the six deadly seductions of Slaanesh. Such are the incredible depths to which these earthly sins are pursued that their practitioners pass beyond pleasure into torments so terrible that only the truest devotees of Slaanesh can take joy in them.[6a]

In the guise of welcoming guests to his lands, Slaanesh entraps both friend and foe. Once enslaved to the Dark Prince's will, death is a merciful release of which the damned can only dream. Those few who somehow pass through the six circles of the Dark Prince's domain find themselves before Slaanesh himself. Mortals perceive Slaanesh as a lithesome youth, clean of limb and of indeterminate gender, though most perceive him as more male than female. His features are beguiling and young, and to look upon them is to lose one's soul utterly. An eternity of damnation awaits the souls enslaved to the blasphemous desires of the Dark Prince of Chaos.[4b]

Dark Maiden

Some clues seems to indicate that Nahmud the Dark Maiden, long believed to be a servant of Myrmidia, the goddess of strategy, and a minor figure in the mythology surrounding that goddess, could actually be related to Slaanesh, if not actually one of his own aspects. In the Dark Prince's Realm there is also a location named the Grove of the Dark Maiden.[5a]

Notable Servants of Slaanesh

Daemons

  • Masque of Slaanesh - The Masque of Slaanesh, known also as the Eternal Dancer, Accursed Maiden, and the Darkling Deceiver, was once a Daemonette, perhaps even the most favoured of them all. Her sensuous movements enraptured her audience, captivating them beyond distraction. Kings and emperors long past were said to be willing to give away their lands in exchange for a single dance, and even the other Chaos Gods were struck by her prowess. There was good reason for this; her dancing and beauty were unrivalled, even amongst the followers of Slaanesh. The Masque once danced for her lord Slaanesh when he was in a foul temper, thinking to ease his mood, but this only displeased him even further and he cursed the Masque for eternity, forbidding her to ever again know rest. Movement wracks her limbs at all times but she can never stop her dance. Driven insane by the perpetual music that plays within her mind, and her mind alone, she dances, cackling, throughout the Realm of Chaos. When it pleases Slaanesh to unleash his pet, her captivating steps carry her into mortal lands. The Masque is drawn to excess and often appears at banquets, theatres, or operas, dancing for the attendees. All observers are immediately drawn into the pantomime, dancing in time with the Masque until their bones break, limbs and muscle rip, and their brains rupture under the strain. The Masque then dances ever onwards, leaving behind the wrecked minds and corpses of her victims, still twitching to her silent tune long after their hearts have stopped beating. To fight the Masque is to face a creature of intense seduction; any mortal, male or female, will likely be drawn to the endless dance, unwilling to fight the creature.
  • Azazel - Azazel is a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, who was once a mortal man named Gerron who lived during the time of Sigmar. When Azazel abandoned Humanity and pledged his mortal soul to the service of Slaanesh none can say, but it is rumoured that in the distant past he followed Sigmar, the first emperor. The legend says that he betrayed his liege lord and made an attempt on his life which failed. He escaped to the Northern Wastes, pledging loyalty to Slaanesh, the Prince of Chaos. Azazel was greatly favoured by his master, and rose quickly in his esteem. After slaying Arthar, the Exalted Champion of Khorne, in single combat, Slaanesh turned his eyes upon Azazel and elevated him to Daemonhood as his Daemon Prince, making him the commander of one of the Prince of Chaos' Daemonic armies, the Ecstatic Legion.
  • Locephax - Locephax was a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh who took a keen interest in the Norscan Schwarzvolf tribe and their leader, Queen Valkia, the future Khornate Daemon Princess known as Valkia the Bloody. Initially drawn by the Schwarzvolf's fervent and open worship of Khorne, the Daemon was smitten by the feral beauty of the woman already called the "Gorequeen." After making his intentions to enslave Valkia to his will known to the Norscan warrior-queen, she defeated him in battle and pledged to present his skull personally to the Blood God. This quest into the Chaos Wastes ultimately led to Valkia's death and resurrection as a Daemon Princess of Khorne. In return for this gift and show of devotion, the Blood God embedded the essence of the Slaaneshi Daemon Prince within Valkia's shield, permanently imprisoning Locephax. Locephax has since resolved to be a nuisance to the Blood God's consort even if it has to serve her.
  • Tz'arkan - Tz'arkan, called the "Drinker of Worlds," is a powerful Greater Daemon of Slaanesh who is imprisoned within the body of the Dark Elf Malus Darkblade. The Daemon can take control of its host's body whenever Darkblade falls asleep, forcing him to drink magical elixirs to remain always awake.

Mortals

  • Sigvald the Magnificent - Sigvald is a Norscan Chaos Lord, Champion of Slaanesh and former prince of his tribe. Prince Sigvald appears to be a male warrior in the height of his prime, but he is actually several hundred years old. Born the eldest son of a powerful and already depraved Norscan warlord, Sigvald took after his father, and went farther still. The excesses of the chief's progeny disgusted all within the tribe, as Sigvald partook in all kinds of unnatural pleasures and even had a fondness for Human flesh. Despite the handsome boy's skill with the blade and the distinctive aura around him, he was cast out by his tribe into the snowy wilderness. Sigvald took his revenge, slaying his father remorselessly and wallowing in the pleasure of his latest debauched act. Sigvald turned his life over to his dark lord, Slaanesh. Every wish of the vain warlord was granted, and he has grown ever more handsome over the course of his disgusting lifetime. Clad in brilliant gold plate armour known as Auric Armour, wearing a mirrored shield so that he may gaze upon his reflection at all times, and armed with the legendary magical sword Silverslash, Sigvald is an awe-inducing sight on the battlefield. Caring for nothing without beauty, Sigvald puts anything that displeases him to the sword but neither blood nor filth besmirches his magnificent armour. Spoiled by his divine master, Sigvald is rash and petulant, but he remains an incredibly dangerous foe. Despite, or perhaps because of, his utter depravity, the prince inspires great devotion amongst his followers and they would give their lives to defend him. Sigvald himself is a mighty warrior in his own right, having trained and honed his skills over the centuries, and his boyish good looks belie the unnatural strength that lies coiled within his lithe body. Despite his polished exterior, his soul is utterly damned. A capricious and dangerous foe, Prince Sigvald is rightly feared by those who know his name and reputation. Sigvald is the vainest man in the Old World, and calls his troops to him at all times to pay compliments to him and to attend his every whim. Sigvald's mighty, mirrored shield is polished to an incredible degree. Mostly, this is used so that the Scion of Slaanesh can stare lovingly at himself.[4l]
  • Vandred the Majestic - A Champion of Slaanesh and a former member of Archaon's Lieutenants during the alternate timeline known as the Storm of Chaos who was slain by Styrkaar.

Notable Forces of Slaanesh

Warhammer Army of Slaanesh

Slaanesh's Legions of Pleasure, comprised of his mortal and Daemonic servants alike.

All mortal servants of Slaanesh are blessed with a Mark of Slaanesh and the abilities it confers.

Becoming a Warrior of the Dark Prince

What manner of mortal heeds the siren song of the Dark Prince and pledges their souls to Slaanesh? Certainly, those born of noble blood are easy meat for the Great Corruptor, but so too are many others, from artists and musicians to politicians and warriors. When the Winds of Magic gather strength and the hordes of Slaanesh muster, two types of Chaos Warriors can be found in the ranks of his mortal hosts -- those originally born in the civilised lands of Men and those born into the service of Slaanesh.[4f]

It is fair to say that most Men of the Old World who hear Slaneesh's call fall long before they can answer it. Those who hear the call of Slaanesh and make their way north to join his magnificent hordes are fortunate indeed to even begin their journey, for the Templars of Sigmar are ever watchful for those bearing the mark of the Dark Prince. Some are consumed by their passions, drinking too deeply of the wine of obsession so that their sins are clear to all around them.[4f]

Others find themselves gifted with such marks and mutant gifts of their patron that they must flee to the woods before their true nature is revealed, but most of them fall easy prey to the Beastmen and other fell denizens of the forests and never realise the visions that haunt their fevered dreams. Unless their dark passions are husbanded by an established Chaos Cult, such tragic figures invariably signal their pact with the Dark Prince for all to see, the evidence of their sins impossible to ignore.[4f]

A very few, however, manage to contain the excesses of their dark desires in such a way as not to attract unwanted attention and work their way northwards to join the hordes of Chaos. The journey is a mighty feat in itself and is sure to stand the champion in good stead when he encounters the denizens of the Chaos Wastes, who will challenge him the instant he passes into their lands. Such men must fight duel after duel against savage barbarians and towering warriors of Chaos, proving themselves ever more worthy to tread the northern lands with every head they take.[4f]

The few who reach the lands of a tribe of Northmen dedicated to Slaanesh have proven themselves worthy of not just joining those tribes, but of leading them into battle as a Champion of Slaanesh or a Chaos Lord, though more duels await them should they decide to take control of an army of their own. Having made it so far, some mortals simply keep going, passing out of the knowledge of the tribes and into the far Northern Wastes, where the lands writhe and the skies boil under the baleful influence of raw Chaos. Whether they enter the Realm of Chaos itself or pass into some other unfathomable reality, none can say, though certainly they do so in the name of the Dark Prince of Chaos.[4f]

Hordes of Slaanesh

As with each of the Chaos Gods, there are entire tribes dedicated to the Dark Prince in the far north of the Known World. In a land where no law applies other than the will of the strong, the servants of Slaanesh openly venerate their fell god, practising every extreme of emotion and experience possible. Slaanesh is worshipped throughout the north and the Chaos Wastes in all manner of aspects and known by a staggering range of names. The Tribe of the Serpent, for example, calls him "Loeth," and holds that he lives in the seas about Norsca.[4f][4g]

These peoples exist in a harsh land of constant war, where Men must be strong and guileful to survive, and as such one might imagine that the hedonism often associated with Slaanesh would be out of place. What soft pleasures might be found amidst a land of howling gales and hard ground? In truth, the pleasures sought and found by those who serve the Dark Prince are those of war, in all its forms. Hundreds of Northmen tribes revel in every extreme of war and death, arts that they practice daily in wars against one another and the civilised peoples of the south. Before each battle, the Chaos Marauders of Slaanesh imbibe all manner of narcotic substances, often of magical aspect, and under their heady influence make war as the supreme celebration of the Dark Prince's blessings of pleasure and pain.[4f][4g]

The tribes of Northmen dedicated to Slaanesh are among the cruellest mortals of the Chaos Wastes for they seek not simply to slay their foes, but to inflict symphonies of misery upon them. They prefer to debilitate and capture rather than slay, so that they might bind the defeated and haul them back to their settlements. They are masters of torture, which they regard as the ultimate worship of their fell lord. If there are no laws, there are no crimes, and the power of Slaanesh waxes ever stronger.[4f][4g] 

Chaos Marauders of Slaanesh

Chaos Marauders of Slaanesh are vain creatures that take as much pride in their physical appearance as in their abilities. Those who choose war as their obsession endeavour to exceed perfection by honing their bodies until they are as deadly as any blade. Some are mountains of rippling muscle, while others are creatures of whipcord sinew. As many are hulking brutes as are lithe and agile sylphs, yet their standards of outward perfection are entirely at odds with those of the civilised peoples of the south.[4g]

To mortal eyes, the Northmen marauders of Slaanesh are disturbingly alluring, bearing proudly the symbols of their blasphemy. Swirling tattoos trace the contours of flesh, while the runes of the Dark Prince are brazenly born on armour and shield. Perhaps worst of all are the scented oils many apply to their skin before battle, cloying musk that dulls the senses of the marauders' opponents, making it all the more joyous to cut them down.[4g]

Devoted Marauders of Slaanesh

Devoted Marauders of Slaanesh are heavily-mutated Chaos Marauders who are so devoted to the Dark Prince that they will only join warbands led by his Daemonic servants, ignoring the call of mortal Chaos Lords.[10]

When the Norscan tribesmen devoted to the Serpent sweep down from their northern climes to raid fairer lands, they, more than any other Chaos Marauders, debauch themselves with rape and pillage. Before raids and battles they quaff vast quantities of alcohol, and the consumption of rare hallucinogenic plants and roots is commonplace. This renders them mostly oblivious to pain or fear and encourages them to luxuriate in even the greatest dangers.[10]

Where the servants of Khorne care nothing for the pain and misery they inflict, the Serpent ensures their weapons are sharp to satisfy the cruel inventiveness of their twisted minds to toy with their victims before dispatching them. Devoted Marauders wield the Serpent's mutating gifts in the manner of swords and spears, as well as Hellscourges, living whips of pure torment blessed by the Dark Prince and laced with poison.[10]

Beastmen of Slaanesh

Beastmen perceive the world in a manner wholly at odds with the way Mankind sees it, but who is to say their vision is not the true face of reality? Unlike Humanity, Beastmen do not sell their souls in return for power, nor do they undertake pacts or bargains with the Ruinous Powers. Beastmen are naturally the children of Chaos and they are born into its service. Their world is one of power and war, where the raw stuff of Chaos runs through all things.

To the Beastmen, the being Men call Slaanesh is the power that grants them the virility that swells the dark forests of the Known World with their kind. He seeds the hatred of Mankind within these children of Chaos, a hatred they have nurtured for uncounted generations and expressed in their befouling of Men's most cherished symbols of faith. Those Beastmen especially bestowed with the qualities and gifts of Slaanesh are sometimes called Slaangor by heretics, and they are worshipped by the Beastmen warherds as exemplars of potency and power.

Chaos Warriors of Slaanesh

SlaaneshChaosWarrior

A Chaos Warrior of Slaanesh[4g]

Chaos Warriors dedicated to the Dark Prince of Chaos are regarded by the people of the north as walking avatars of their god. Their bodies are clad in Chaos Armour gifted to them by their fell patron and fused to their flesh in a hideous, symbiotic union. Many leave portions of pale flesh bare, as if to titillate their opponents with the illusion of weakness, inviting them to attempt to strike at that imagined weak spot.[4g]

Chaos Warriors of Slaanesh truly walk the path of damnation and excess and the strongest are fated to become mighty Champions of Slaanesh. Consumed by their own dark passions, they appear distant and something other than Human. Their followers bathe in this otherworldly glory, driven by the need for the master's approval to commit still further atrocity. Enemies are frequently struck dumb by the sight of Slaneesh's Champions, unable to raise a shield to ward the blow that brings their own doom.[4g]

Chaos Sorcerers of Slaanesh

Chaos Sorcerers of Slaanesh are masters of the most dire and secret arcane arts. Their magic, the Lore of Slaanesh, focuses on the scrying of hidden truths, blasphemy and coercion, and domination and submission. With a softly whispered incantation, a sorcerer of Slaanesh can make a man believe that the twisted abomination before him is the most pure and beautiful of maidens. With a sly cantrip, he can turn brother upon brother. With a subtle invocation he can tempt the strongest soul with the promise of its most cherished desires.[4g]

Chaos Sorcerers are powerful and dangerous foes, using more of the Winds of Magic than their counterparts at the Imperial Colleges of Magic despite the risk of mutation, possession, corruption, or even worse fates. Sorcerers of Slaanesh are powerful spellcasters capable of distorting and distracting the mind to cause seizures, frenzies, and delusions.[4l]

Some sorcerers of Slaanesh are former students and acolytes of the Imperial Colleges who have fallen and turned to Chaos. There are many reasons why a mage may sell their soul to the Daemonic power of Slaanesh. Perhaps the wizard felt impotent in comparison to their peers or simply desired even greater power. Others, delighting in their creations and cantrips, have fallen into a pattern of excess, devolving over time into a devotee of Slaanesh until their greed transforms them into a mere puppet, a tool of the Ruinous Powers. These depraved sorcerers take great joy in using their powers for destruction or pleasure, weaving through the Winds of Magic with their minds and basking in pure Chaos energies.[4l]

Others still are barbarian tribespeople from the harsh north that have been raised from birth to venerate and serve Chaos. Either through prayer, mutation, or sheer luck, these sorcerers have become attuned to the Winds of Magic and are bestowed with the same great powers as their fallen but more civilised brethren.[4l]

Chaos Champions and Exalted Champions of Slaanesh

To those who see Slaanesh only as the god of pleasure, it may seem odd that he is so venerated by the proud warriors of the north. Legions of Norscan Chaos Marauders and Kurgan are devotees of Slaanesh for the many boons that he can off er. The most prestigious of these warriors are attractive, charismatic leaders that inspire great devotion in their followers. They command legions of barbarian warriors willing to fight and die for them and maintain a host of the most beautiful and adoring womenfolk to continue their line.[4l]

Champions of Slaanesh are great warriors, trained to strike with the utmost precision in order to inflict wounds that cause the greatest amount of pain possible, as opposed to the pure rage and aggression of a Khornate Champion. These warriors strive for perfection in their combat skills, shunning the simple rage and fury of Khorne's followers and instead focusing on becoming swift and efficient killing machines. In combat, they are majestic to watch, their beautifully crafted strikes inflicting mortal wounds time after time.[4l]

Slaaneshi armies often march into battle wearing ornate armour or even brightly dyed leathers replete with frivolous and excessive patterns sewn into the hides, giving the impression of a finely-dressed circus marching to war.[4l]

In the harsh, Norscan lands near the northern Chaos Wastes, there is no guarantee of survival even for the hardy. Warriors considered mighty among normal Men are cast by the wayside, naught but pawns in a great game. For a Chaos Warrior to rise above his peers and become an Exalted Champion is an achievement that brings him infamy and a fearsome reputation. These warriors have proved themselves not only in combat, but also in their devotion to the Ruinous Powers. Exalted Champions bear the scars, and the rewards, of a thousand battles and are often blessed with mutations, Marks of Chaos, and other foul "gifts" of the Dark Gods.[4l]

Exalted Champions of Slaanesh are great and striking leaders. They command mighty forces with a few charismatic words, spurring them on to achieve great victories in the name of Slaanesh. The perfection of their strikes, each one a killing blow, draws followers to them who wish to learn from their impeccable skill. The history of the deeds of Slaanesh's Champions makes for grim reading: entire towns and cities slaughtered to the man and massive armies slain, each corpse's face contorted in perfect agony at its final moment of suffering. These fell achievements are spread out over the course of decades, or even centuries. Exalted Champions of Slaanesh are dangerous and wily opponents indeed.[4l]

Daemons of Slaanesh

Lesser Daemons

Even the Lesser Daemons of Slaanesh exude a hideous beauty. While their bodies, viewed in isolation, are hideous, perverse things that should make a man retch, their exotic movements and sensual words can overpower the resolve of even the strongest men. These sadistic creatures often appear weak and vulnerable in comparison with the Daemonic hosts of the other major Chaos Gods, but they can be just as vicious on the battlefield as any follower of Khorne and as hardy as any worshipper of Nurgle. They strive to perfect the art of battle, wasting no energy with each graceful strike. Foolish is the general that chooses to underestimate the forces of Slaanesh, as his minions are just as potent at warping the mind and soul as they are at causing bloody havoc in battle.[4l]

  • Daemonettes - Daemonettes, known also as the Children of Slaanesh, the Debauched Ones, the Bringers of Joyous Degradation and the Decadent Seekers, are the most numerous of all Slaanesh's Daemonic servants. They are shrouded in a hypnotic glamour, seditious magics that bestow their repulsive features with perverse beauty. Daemonettes attend to Slaanesh's every need and whim. He keeps a vast harem for his own unholy pleasures and these courtesans and handmaidens also act as his personal guard. When in the mortal realm, Daemonettes carry messages to Chaos Cults and lead rituals to glorify their blasphemous master. Daemonettes are great temptresses and those who cannot see through their alluring mask will be eternally damned, their souls despoiled, used, and deposited at the feet of a new, vile master. These potent seductresses are all but irresistible; even the strong of mind, those who can see the foul beast beneath the exterior mask, have been known to enter the fatal embrace of a Daemonette. The bewitching, opal eyes of these creatures and their alluring, carnal features are always considered the height of beauty by the beholder. Like many of Slaanesh's Daemons, however, to give in to this sensory overload is to risk destruction, for the slender arms of a Daemonette end with chitinous claws filled with razor sharp barbs and edges that are capable of severing limbs, ripping through armour, and tearing flesh from bone. Legions of these creatures are a sight to behold; ancient historical texts tell of hundreds of Daemonettes dancing and singing in perfect unison like a choreographed killing machine.[4l]
  • Fiends of Slaanesh - These Hunting Beasts of Slaanesh are a foul race of Daemonic creatures. Spawned from the mad mind of the Serpent, these creatures combine the traits of scorpions, Men and reptiles in the form of an unholy abomination. The Fiends of Slaanesh are one of the most bizarre of the Ruinous Powers' creations. Almost indescribable, they seem part lizard, part arthropod, part equine and part insectoid. Long tongues flicker from the tapered, antlered heads of the beasts, sensing for prey, and despite the reptilian legs, Fiends have cloven hooves. Their skin, while often white, can be any multitude of colours, and their arms end in oversized claws, similar to those of a crustacean. The Fiend is an unusual Daemonic creation, especially for an aesthete like Slaanesh, for it lacks any form of humanoid intelligence and seems barely capable of even propelling itself forwards with any form of skill at times. However, the gangly appendages do not stop Fiends from being incredibly fleet of foot. Half-staggering, half-dancing, the creatures scuttle across the battlefield at an amazing pace. Although frail, Fiends are quite dangerous in combat, attacking with flailing claws and venomous stingers while emitting a thick musk. The poison from their sting can put even an Ogre or Troll to sleep and the pervasive stench numbs the senses, lulling victims into the death's sweet embrace.[4l]
  • Steeds of Slaanesh - Steeds of Slaanesh go by many names; Flesh Lickers, Tongue Flayers, Degraded Ones, Whips of Slaanesh. They are strange, disturbing creatures that roam in herds along the borders of the Realm of Chaos. Steeds of Slaanesh are bipedal chargers; delicate and bird-like in nature with manes silkier than the finest sable. Their sticky tongues taste everything around them, enabling them to sense the terrain and move with alarming speed. The Liber Malefic tells fanciful tales of Steeds even being able to dance in and out of the ether, as if they have control over time itself; few have ever lived to tell the tale, such is the awesome speed of these Daemonic beasts. Steeds can also taste the very souls of those that they face; once the sensation has been sucked deep within them, it becomes like a unique flavour that cannot be forgotten. This allows them to track their prey over vast distances, pursuing them relentlessly and without fatigue until the target inevitably succumbs. These Daemonic beasts take delight in toying with their prey, pushing it to the absolute edge of their sanity before closing in for the kill.[4l]
  • Seekers of Slaanesh - The Seekers of Slaanesh, known also as the Riders of Slaanesh, Disciples of Decadence or Darkling Delighters, are the Prince of Chaos' outriders, darkling Daemonettes mounted on swift, Daemonic Steeds of Slaanesh. Malign of intent and with the predatory swiftness of a striking cobra, Seekers dart across the endless battlefields of the Realm of Chaos, springing ambushes on vulnerable prey and becoming fast-moving instruments of terror. Once mounted, the bond between the two Daemons cannot be broken; a Daemonette always rides the same Steed and takes great pleasure in customising and decorating its mount. Together, the eternally linked creatures become the Seekers of Slaanesh. The Daemonettes spend countless hours painstakingly applying lurid dyes, tattoos, and sigils to the Steed's skin in reverence to their dark master. Each Seeker is unique, and a line of these deadly troops riding into battle will contain a gaudy variety of daubed Daemons. An adventurer that comes into contact with a Seeker had best hope they can defeat their opponent; if not, they will face a breathless hunt that can continue for months or even years, bringing them to the very edge of stamina and sanity. Very often, a Seeker's quarry will collapse and willingly surrender their soul to the Prince of Chaos, damning themselves to an eternity of exquisite torment.[4l]
  • Heartseekers of Slaanesh - The Heartseekers of Slaanesh, comprised of Exalted Daemonettes mounted atop Steeds of Slaanesh, are the elite amongst the Daemonic cavalry of Slaanesh. Heartseekers can be found acting as Champions of their lesser bethren, the Seekers of Slaanesh, leading them into battle for the glory of the Lord of Excess.[9a] But they often forgo the role of directing the carnage of their lessers in favour of forming their own units of cavalry, riding to face the enemies of their Perfect Prince. Death provides no relief for those who dare oppose Slaanesh, or those the Dark Prince has chosen as entertainment, for that matter. Like the Seekers, Heartseekers hunt for the souls of their foes, and those they slay shall become Slaanesh's tormented playthings in the Dark Prince's Realm. As Exalted Daemonettes, Heartseekers can smell the fear of their enemies. Once their opponents lose face and attempt to escape their agonising destiny, the Heartseekers go into a frenzy, striking them down with even more prowess and precision, tearing into their enemies no matter how much armour they tried to use to escape their ultimate fate: to be tortured for eternity to amuse cruel Slaanesh.[10]
  • Seeker Chariots of Slaanesh - Seeker Chariots, known also as Shrieking Shandredhans, Glorious Doomriders or Pallid Vanguards, are fast-moving, chariot-like Daemonic Engines of Slaanesh driven by Daemonettes. As the straining Steeds of Slaanesh who pull the vehicle urge the chariot to full speed, swirling shapes sear the air with unholy hues and the metal axles screech in a disharmony akin to the wailing of tormented souls.
  • Hellflayers of Slaanesh - The Hellflayers of Slaanesh, known also as Scented Harvesters, the Decadent Reavers or the Shred-Chain Sisters, are swift-moving, chariot-like Daemon Engines dedicated to Slaanesh, the Chaos God of pleasure, guided by two Daemonettes and pulled by two Steeds of Slaanesh. Hellflayers drive in the vanguard of Slaanesh's Daemonic armies, blades mangling and maiming all the foes caught in their path.[1a]
  • Heralds of Slaanesh - Heralds of Slaanesh are Daemonettes who have attained elite status in the eyes of the Dark Prince. They not only attend to Slaanesh's whimsical desires, but muster his Daemonic armies, plot his campaigns -- for Slaanesh is easily bored by the minutiae of war -- and carry his creed to the mortal world, returning to bring morsels of courtly intrigue to Slaanesh's ears. Such scraps can lead to the corrupting of a mortal ruler and the Dark Prince is always carefully attentive. At other times, the Heralds of Slaanesh carry their master's word to specific mortal followers singled out for divine notice. Not all such visitations are welcomed by those who receive them, for Slaanesh is nothing if not effusive in his tempers, but the coming of a Herald of Slaanesh has nevertheless become an omen of great import to the servants of the Dark Prince.[9a]

Greater Daemons

The supreme servants of Slaanesh are his Greater Daemons. Whether they have served their master for aeons, or have been newly summoned from the Realm of Chaos, such entities are both hideous and beautiful to behold, such is the depth of their depravity, but also the intensity of their gifts.[4l]

For Slaanesh, war is yet another sensation, one that can be accentuated through victory and the causing of agony. The Greater Daemons of Slaanesh are designed to find the ultimate gratification in the art of killing. Moving gracefully across the battlefield, these creatures scream, moan, and writhe in ecstasy as the thrill of battle rakes through their veins.[4l]

The conduct of these Daemons on the battlefield is horrific to witness, often consuming raw flesh, inflicting pain upon themselves to induce a frenzy, as they are addicted to the sensation of destruction. Causing pain has become a basic need for these Daemons and they will do anything to intensify the ecstasy of violence, but no amount of slaughter can slake their lust. Once the last cruelty has been committed, these foul servants of Slaanesh immediately yearn for their next fix, which can only be found by wreaking still-greater devastation. Commanding utter devotion, these creatures lead great hosts to war, salivating at the untold pleasures to come.[4l]

  • Daemon Princes of Slaanesh - Tales from the Liber Malefic tell how once-great mortal warriors, consumed by their desires and temptations offered by Slaanesh, have literally transformed in front of others. At the moment of final, amazing alteration, skin falls from muscle, bone reshapes, wings and horns sprout, and all manner of foul appendages surface, basking in the glory of their fell master. Often three times or greater in size than their former stature, these creatures rightly inspire thoughts of absolute terror. Once in such a state, these favoured champions also shrug off even their mortality, destined to serve their chosen Chaos God for eternity. They gain an intense thirst for souls and rampage through the mortal and Daemonic realms, hunting their divine master's enemies. As perverse as any other follower of Slaanesh, these Daemon Princes are twisted into a form more pleasing to their master. While sharing common traits such as wings, a powerful tail, and razor sharp talons, Slaanesh's Daemon Princes are lither and far more graceful in their actions than the Daemon Princes that serve the other Ruinous Powers. They may even wear fine robes or armour in a vile mockery of their original mortal form. Their armour is often imbued with disgusting runes, and their potent weaponry is ancient and magical in nature, able to carve through flesh with the greatest ease. Even more so than such creatures of the other Dark Gods, a Slaaneshi Daemon Prince will be at the forefront of its army of Daemons and mortal servants of the Dark Prince, whipping the troops into the lust of battle, caressing their senses with its words, and tearing through flesh with masterful strikes.[4l]
  • Keepers of Secrets - The Keepers of Secrets, known also as the Slayers of Slaanesh, the Feasters of Pain and the Great Horned Ones, are ruiners of purity, a despoiler of the faithful and a harbinger of damnation. It draws strength from the corruption of others, and feasts upon sin and excess as a mortal might sup fine wines and sweetmeats. The Keeper of Secrets is the most beguiling of all of Slaanesh's Daemonic creations. It is an entity that has no conventional beauty. It is androgynous, many-limbed, and yet measured, sensuous, ethereal, and titillating to any that set eyes upon it. The Liber Malefic tells of a great army that fell to its knees at the very sight of a Keeper of Secrets. To look within the piercing black eyes is to know the endless love of Slaanesh. But jealousy broke out amongst the troops because each man believed that he and he alone had the favour of this magnificent being. Angered by this, the army tore itself to pieces limb by limb, until none remained. The Daemon merely watched, licking its lascivious lips at the sight of such blissful violence. Adorned with claws, tentacles, and intricate weapons capable of causing insufferable misery, such an entity would always be a danger. However, Keepers of Secrets are also masters of sorcery, particularly the mind-altering Lore of Slaanesh, and their mouths constantly work to expel their beguiling words and thoughts into the atmosphere, weaving a magical aura over the battlefield. A Keeper of Secrets is capable of turning man against man, brother against brother, clouding or wracking minds with agonising pain or pleasure, and withering men's bodies until they are no longer capable of fighting. A Keeper of Secrets also feeds upon the very souls of those they brush aside and so facing one is doubly dangerous; many defeated have awoken to find themselves in the Realm of Chaos, damned forever to be tormented for pleasure by the followers of Slaanesh. Only the incorruptible should attempt to face such a mighty Daemon, and even then, the pure of heart have often fallen prey to either the subtle manipulations of a Keeper of Secrets or to its overwhelming martial and magical skill.[4l]

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Sources

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