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"Come, take my hand! There is no wish of yours I can not grant, no desire I cannot fulfil. Forget your gods, your family, your loved ones. What can they offer you! I can give you more than you have ever dreamed of, I have such things to show you, such pleasures for you to taste! There is no love greater than mine! Come now, join me! It is such an easy step, such a short climb! Yes that's it. Come to me, my champion, stay forever..."

—Azazel, Prince of Damnation[1a]

Azazel, also called the "Prince of Damnation" and "Captain of the Ecstatic Legions," born as a Human named Gerreon, is a powerful Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of pleasure and pain.[3a]

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 of Man. The legend says that he betrayed his liege lord and escaped to the Northern Wastes, pledging his loyalty to Slaanesh, the Prince of Chaos, who soon raised him up as a Champion of Slaanesh.[1b]

Azazel was greatly favoured by his divine 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 the Dark Prince's Daemonic armies known as the Ecstatic Legions.[1b][4a]

Those who come face to face with the awesome presence of Azazel risk gambling with their very souls. Many who see him lose their free will and become incapable of opposing him. They are used as playthings by Azazel until he grows bored and disposes of them as he sees fit.[1b]

History

Ally of Sigmar

"If I cannot escape my fate, then I embrace it."

—Gerreon[2e]
7F5F0BE5-30D4-41AE-8BC7-7BCD8B0989ED

Total War: Warhammer III concept art for Azazel.

Azazel was once a mortal man, born Gerreon of the Unberogen tribe, the twin brother of Trinovantes and the younger sibling of Ravenna. At the brothers' birth, a seer predicted that only one of the twins would know both the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain. Trinovantes grew up to be one of the best friends and sword-brothers of Sigmar, who also fell in love with Gerreon's sister Ravenna.[2a]  

Being of a similar age to Sigmar, Gerreon would have fought at the Battle of Astofen Bridge against the Orcs in -15 IC alongside his twin Trinovantes, had his wrist not been broken after he had attacked Wolfgart Krieger after the older boy mocked him for the lavish care he afforded his hair. As such, when his twin's dead body was brought back to the Unberogen capital at Reikdorf, Gerreon was inconsolable, despite Trinovantes dying a heroes' death.[2a]

In his anger, Gerreon blamed Sigmar for being responsible for his brother's death. Despite his sister trying to reason with him, Gerreon remained determined to blame Sigmar.[2a] Even when Sigmar offered Gerreon Trinovantes' shield and told him that he mourned Trinovantes as much as he did for the sacrifice he had made, resentment against the Unberogen prince remained firmly rooted in Gerreon's heart.[2b]

0D423396-A3ED-46BF-A938-080780898825

Azazel as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.

In public, Gerreon made his peace with Sigmar, who asked him to become his sword-brother and stand beside him where his brother had once stood. At the Battle of the Barren Hills, Gerreon saved Sigmar's life, neatly beheading an Orc Warboss that had pinned the Unberogen prince beneath the body of its slain Giant Wolf mount. Gerreon also took it upon himself to teach the warriors of the tribe in the way of battle, becoming the blademaster of the Unberogen. Under his guidance, the Unberogen started to train with sharpened rather than blunted weapons, to learn the value of pain.[2c]

Yet in secret, Gerreon's resentment against Sigmar continued to fester, even if he found it harder and harder to actually hate Sigmar as the years passed. From the Hag of Brackenwalsch, Gerreon sought counsel about how he should take his vengeance and received knowledge of the omens that would mark the time when it was his destiny to strike against Sigmar. Yet when that time came and King Björn of the Unberogen rode to war against the Norsii in -9 IC, doubt crept in his heart. [2d]

Seeking to steel his resolve, Gerreon entered the Brackenwalsh again. Upon entering a pool, he found a cluster of water hemlock. As he struggled with himself over his desire for vengeance and looked into the reflection of the Known World's twin moons in the water, it was as if a pair of shimmering eyes was watching him from behind Morrslieb, filled with indescribable beauty and cruelty. Upon looking upon those eyes, Gerreon realised that the strands of his fate had been woven long before his birth and that to struggle against his destiny was pointless. Taking up the water hemlock, he prepared himself to kill Sigmar.[2e]

Betrayal of Sigmar

Gerreon confronted the prince of the Unberogen at a pool while Sigmar was together with his sister Ravenna. Cursing Sigmar for having killed his brother, Sigmar replied that if Gerreon was half the man Trinovantes had been, he would not have waited six years to bring his grievances before him. Enraged, Gerreon sought to stab Sigmar with a poisoned blade, but Ravenna lunged at him to defend her love. Gerreon's instincts as a swordsman took over and he mistakenly plunged his blade into her stomach.[2f]

As Sigmar tried to fight Gerreon despite the poison coursing through his veins from the traitor's blade, he saw a terrible light building up behind the traitor's eyes and knew that the soul of his former companion had fallen into the clutches of something ancient and monstrous. Newly empowered, Gerreon pushed Sigmar into the pool, leaving him to drown.[2f]

Yet Sigmar survived and Gerreon's name was a declared a curse among the Unberogen. On the order of the Unberogen prince, no one was to offer Gerreon shelter or succour upon pain of death.[2g] Gerreon fled across the Sea of Claws, where he was ultimately found by the shaman-sorcerer Kar Odacen. Proclaiming that the gods of the north had given him his true name in ages past already, the shaman renamed Gerreon "Azazel."[2h]

Invasion of Cormac Bloodaxe

Azazel por Wayne England

The Daemonic face of Azazel

Azazel eventually rose to become a mighty warlord among the Norsii, his speed and ruthlessness in battle only matched by his beauty and cruelty. Under Kar Odacen's guidance, Azazel made a pilgrimage into the Chaos Wastes and swore himself to the service of Slaanesh, the Dark Prince.[5a]

Together with Cormac Bloodaxe, High King of the Norsii and a Champion of Khorne, Azazel prepared for a great invasion of the lands of the young Empire of Man. Together with his mentor Kar Odacen, he journeyed into the lands of his birth in order to kill Gráinne, the hag of Brackenwalsch.[5b]

Thanks to Azazel, the Norsii learned to fight as a disciplined force in regiments who made use of marching orders rather than assaulting the enemy head-on without rhyme or reason, as had been their prior practice. With Kar Odacen's guidance, Cormac and Azazel marched against the Imperial city of Middenheim, where the shaman-sorcerer had prophesied that the Flame of Ulric had to be extinguished, lest the name Sigmar would become a rallying cry for all Men who opposed the Dark Gods.[5c]

On the thirteenth day of the siege, the forces of Chaos managed to enter Middenheim, empowered by the summoning of a Greater Daemon of Khorne. Azazel fought Pendrag, the first Count of Middenheim and banner-bearer of Sigmar, as well as King Otwin of the Thuringians. While Azazel managed to kill Pendrag, he was hit by crossbow bolt from Myrsa, the Warrior Eternal, and was forced to flee.[5d]

When an enraged Kar Odacen claimed that he had seen visions of Azazel toppling the walls of Middenheim and bathing in the Flame of Ulric and asked him why he retreated, the Champion of Slaanesh told him that that day might yet come, but it was not today. Azazel and Kor Odacen were the only members of the great Chaos army led by Cormac Bloodaxe that managed to escape alive after reinforcements arrived from the other tribes of the Empire who proceeded to utterly annihilate the Chaos troops.[5d]

Ascension

"Anger is not your friend, boy. Learn to control it or I will throw you from these cliffs. Listen to me, and listen well. You are the last of your tribe. No other will take you in except as a slave, and the land will kill you if you do not start using your head. We are going to travel into the north and you will do exactly as I say or it will be the death of us both. I will teach you what you need to survive, but if you ever disobey me, even once, I will kill you."

—Azazel addressing his apprentice Morkar.[6a]

Azazel fled back to Norsca, where Sigmar's victorious armies followed in order to eradicate the Norsii once and for all. During that campaign, many Norsii tribes were killed or driven further north. Among their number was Morkar, the sole survivor of the Taalos tribe and a mere boy at that time. Azazel took the young man under his wing, and trained him to lead the armies of the Dark Gods back to the Empire in vengeance for Sigmar's destruction of his people and their home. Azazel's tutelage would prove to be highly effective, for Morkar later became the first Everchosen of Chaos.[6a]

TheEcstaticLegions

The icon of Azazel and his Ecstatic Legions Warriors of Chaos army in Total War: Warhammer III.

The record of Azazel's life becomes hazy from this point on. What is known is that in the wake of his triumph over Arthar, the Exalted Champion of Khorne, in single combat, Slaanesh finally elevated Azazel to Daemonhood as his Daemon Prince, and made him the commander of the Slaaneshi Daemonic armies known as the Ecstatic Legions. At his ascension, Azazel gained the ability to see into the very hearts and souls of mortals, revealing their hidden desires and most perverse pleasures.[1b][4a]

Few have ever managed to oppose Azazel, as most who set out to challenge him are convinced by his silver tongue to join the service of the Prince of Chaos instead.[2]

Myths and Legends

Legends tell of the Templars of Ulric, zealous warriors who vowed before the sacred Flame of Ulric to bring down Azazel or to die trying. Before they could land one blow on Slaanesh's Daemonic general, however, they were reduced to gibbering imbeciles, slaves to the slightest whim of Azazel and his divine master.

Another tale of Azazel tells of a Questing Knight named Guido de Brionne who knelt before the Daemon Prince before he could issue his challenge and had his head cut off while not moving an inch, utterly convinced of the justification of the act.[1b]

End Times

During the End Times, Azazel was one of the many servants of the Chaos Gods that followed Archaon, the thirteenth Everchosen, against Middenheim. When the Incarnates of the Winds of Magic arrived to face the forces of Chaos and determine the fate of the mortal world, Azazel came face-to-face with the returned Sigmar, who had possessed the body of the slain Emperor Karl Franz.[7a]

The Deamon Prince mocked and taunted the returned deity, believing himself superior and even dangling the magical warhammer Ghal Maraz before his former friend in order to deal him an even more humiliating defeat. This hubris proved to be a mistake, as the resurgent Sigmar was greatly empowered once he reclaimed his weapon and banished Azazel back to the Realm of Chaos with a single stroke of the warhammer.[7a]

Appearance

Azazel Total Warhammer

Azazel leading the mortal and Daemonic servants of Slaanesh who comprise his Ecstatic Legions into battle.

It is said that the beauty of Azazel is second only to that of his divine patron Slaanesh. But as irresistible as Azazel's beauty is, there is a deadly edge to it. Those who have gazed upon him never forget the sensual temptation his presence arouses. It is a beauty which evokes loathing and a temptation that sickens the soul. Azazel's hair is long, jet-black, and as fine as flax. Two, great, lacquered horns crown his handsome brow.[1b]

His eyes are full of innocence and yet they are cruel, calculating and without pity. His smooth skin is white, the colour of the finest porcelain, and his movements are graceful, his limbs long and delicate. In his right hand he carries an enchanted, Daemonic blade that writhes as if alive, and his left hand is a long, chitinous claw, delicate and yet deadly.[1b]

His wings are of the purest white, their beauty unmatched by swans or other creations of nature. He soars over the battlefield, sometimes sweeping low to strike his foes, and yet his feet never touch the ground. Azazel dresses in robes made of the finest silks, and his body is bedecked with gorgeous jewels and shining gems.[1b]

Azazel commands the armies of Slaaneshi Daemons called the "Ecstatic Legions," and under his command the armies of the Prince of Chaos have enjoyed one blissful triumph after another. Most of their opponents give up the fight before it even begins, for few can bring themselves to harm such an enchanting and wondrous being as Azazel. Azazel, on the other hand, has no such qualms.[1b][4a]

Azazel sees into the very hearts and souls of mortals, and even their deepest desires and hidden passions are plain to him. With his silvery voice Azazel whispers to his opponents, promising them all they have ever desired if they abandon the folly of opposing Slaanesh and embrace the mercy of the Prince of Chaos instead. And there are very few that can resist his temptations. All who know of him dread to face him in battle, for the cost of losing to Azazel is not only the death of the body, but the damnation of the soul as well.[1b]

Wargear

  • Daemonblade - A Daemon Weapon fashioned for use by the Prince of Damnation, it is a sword that no armour can ever hope to deflect.[1c][1d]

Miniatures

Videos

Canon Conflicts

Originally, in the 5th Edition Champions of Chaos army book, Azazel was said to have been the leader of the Gerreon tribe, one of the twelve tribes that had sworn themselves to Sigmar's cause. Azazael betrayed Sigmar and was exiled to the Chaos Wastes.[1b]

Trivia

"Azazel" is a Hebrew term for a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews during Yom Kippur is sent. Christianity and Islam, however, present Azazel as a fallen angel who tempts humans through manipulating their desires and offering forbidden knowledge. This could be the influence for the Daemon Prince's own semi-angelic appearance.

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Champions of Chaos (5th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 5
    • 1b: pg. 38
    • 1c: pg. 39
    • 1d: pg. 40
  • 2: Heldenhammer (Novel) by Graham McNeill
    • 2a: Ch. 3
    • 2b: Ch. 4
    • 2c: Ch. 7
    • 2d: Ch. 8
    • 2e: Ch. 9
    • 2f: Ch. 10
    • 2g: Ch. 12
    • 2h: Ch. 15
  • 3: Liber Chaotica: Slaanesh (Volume II) (Background Book)
    • 3a: pg. 82
  • 4: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
    • 4a: Azazel Lore on Faction Selection Screen
  • 5: Empire (Novel) by Graham McNeill
    • 5a: Ch. 9
    • 5b: Ch. 14
    • 5c: Ch. 17
    • 5d: Ch. 22
  • 6: God King (Novel) by Graham McNeill
  • 7: The Lord of the End Times (Novel) by Josh Reynolds
    • 7a: Ch. 18
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