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"Wights are driven by a malign intelligence all their own, not the unquestioning allegiance of their lesser counterpart. Just as a powerful Necromancer will some day die and rise again as an Undead, all his vile powers intact, so too can the greatest of the warrior heroes. Many of them are truly ancient, the remnants of an aboriginal, tribal people who once occupied the lands of the Empire thousands of years before it was so known."

—Waldemarr, Scholar of Nuln.[2a]
Grave Guards

The Grave Guards of Drakenhof Castle

The Grave Guard are elite Wights, the Undead corpses of long-passed heroes and warlords that have arisen from their graves at the call of a necromancer with a partial flicker of the original soul trapped within.

Role

Wh main vmp grave guard great weapons

A Grave Guard armed with a greatsword as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.[3]

The process of creating a Wight allows them to fight the enemies of the necromancer that raised them with the skills and tools of their former life. On other occasions, Wights are often arisen by their own means when the place of their rest, such as a tomb or mound was desecrated by outside intruders, forcing the deceased spirit to be sucked into his former body by the Dark Magic that permeates from such an evil place.[1a]

Although their bodies have decayed, leaving only bones and tattered flesh, a Grave Guard is held together by evil magic so strong that it has endured for centuries. They wear ancient battle gear of primitive alloy, corroded by time and dusty with the years. These eerie, silent sentinels stand constant vigil on the crumbling battlements of many Sylvanian Castles, never resting, and eternally ready to defend their Vampire masters. When a Vampire marches forth, his Grave Guard advance at the head of the Undead host. They form a formidable corps of warriors, using the skills and tools of their former life to their own advantage.[1a]

In battle, the sheer resilience of the Grave Guard has become well known across the nations of humans, Elves and Dwarfs. Their combination of stout shields, thick armour plates, and the natural resilience of the Undead means that a simple sword blow has little chance of stopping them. Only with the most powerful blows from a weapon, or the magical properties of spells and items could hope to pierce the Dark Magic that protects a Grave Guard in combat. In battle, the Grave Guards form the elite and disciplined core of an Undead army, where they are considerably more durable than the typical Skeleton Warriors yet far more disciplined than even the most docile Vargheist. As such, it is common to see the Grave Guards at close proximity to the Vampire or Necromancer that raised them.[1a]

Grave Guard Watchtowers

"Throughout the cursed realm stand watchtowers of bone. Within are the Grave Guard - always on duty and ready to strike."

—The Watchtowers of Sylvania.[3]

Standing sentinel throughout Sylvania are watchtowers. At the top stand the vigilant Grave Guard, with yearning mouths always open and piercing red eyes that never close. The tower's inhabitants do not take such action just against the smallfolk, but any intruders and invaders that dare approach.[3]

Notable Regiments

  • The Sternsmen - The Sternsmen are the honor guard of Undead infantry who serve Verek the Blade, the first castellan of Sternieste.[3]

Miniatures

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Count (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 38
  • 2: 'Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
    • 2a: pg. 66 - 67
  • 3: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)

Gallery

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