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Tz'arkan

Tz'arkan's true Daemonic form as he appeared during the End Times.

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.

History[]

"I care nothing for pitiful little worlds, or the nations of pale grubs that writhe upon them. I am like unto a god, Malus. You could be, too. If you are worthy."

—Tz'arkan[5a]

Tz'arkan was active during the Great Catastrophe, the first Chaos incursion into the Known World. [3c] A coven of five Chaos Sorcerers, the Lords of the Black Stone, managed to trap the Daemon in a crystal of Warpstone, which they kept in a hidden temple in the Chaos Wastes. The sorcerers drew on his power for their own schemes, but fell into infighting and eventually, the temple was abandoned, its acolytes dying from a lack of food and the growing influence of the Daemon. [1b] Knowledge was preserved in hidden grimoires, such as the Tome of Ak'zhaal and the Tome of Al'khasur, which remained in the hands of the Dark Elven Cult of Pleasure.

In IV, 1492 (800 IC), the Daemon apparently had freed himself or acquired a mortal vessel and led an army into Naggaroth. With a host of Tzeentchian and Khornate Daemons, he assaulted the Altar of Ultimate Darkness and established a gate between the Realm of Chaos and the Ironfrost Glacier. The Dark Elves fought for two decades until they managed to retake the altar and apparently managed to reseal Tz'arkan into his prison.[2a]

An unspecified period of time later, Tz'arkan's prison was discovered by the ambitious Dark Elf Malus Darkblade. Having led an expedition in order to gain riches on the orders of his half-sister Nagaira, the greedy Dark Elf took a single ring from the treasures heaped around the crystal and put it on his finger, thus forfeiting his own soul to the Daemon. [1a] In order to regain it, Tz'arkan demanded that Darkblade assemble five relics that would release him. In return, he would return him his soul and never try to possess him again. The relics, the Octagon of Praan, the Idol of Kolkuth, the Dagger of Torxus, the Warpsword of Khaine, and the Amulet of Vaurog, were lost, but one was in the possession of a Beastmen herd that lived near the entrance to the temple. [1b]

When Darkblade tried to retrieve the Octagon from the Beastmen warherd after killing his retainers out of shame, he was captured. The shaman, Kul Hadar, attempted to sacrifice the Dark Elf and bend the Daemon to his own designs. [1c] In battle against the Beastman, Tz'arkan repeatedly tried to convince Darkblade to accept its help, but the highborn refused him.

When he returned to Naggaroth, Darkblade was forced to hide the signs of his daemonic possession, lest he were to be deemed unworthy to live and be killed for the crime of becoming the slave of another being. [3a] When Darkblade was captured and sentenced to be tortured to death, Tz'arkan kept him alive. Darkblade was saved by Nagaira, a secret member of the Cult of Pleasure who sought control over the Daemon of Slaanesh herself. [3b] When Darkblade directed the attention of the Cult of Khaine to the cell of Slaanesh worshippers, he gained the support of the Khainites and his brother Urial for an expedition against the Skinriders, Nurgle-worshipping Chaos Marauders who maintained their stronghold on the isle of haut. Here, the second relic, the Idol of Kolkuth, resided. Tz'arkan enjoyed seeing Darkblade suffer and teased him with answers, only to evade him further, hoping to goad his host into madness. [3f]

Warhammer Tzarkan

Tz'arkan, Daemon of Slaanesh, confronts his mortal puppet, the Dark Elf Malus Darkblade.

When Darkblade came to the crypt of Eleuril to retrieve the Dagger of Torxus, the Daemon mocked him, telling him that soon all his plans would come to ruin, only a short time before the Dark Elf killed his own father, branding him a kinslayer and basically an outcast in Druchii society. [4b] In Naggor, the Daemon tried multiple times to warn Darkblade against visiting Balneth Bale, where Darkblade was enslaved by the sorceries of Nagaira. [4d] The Daemon became more wary after Darkblade was freed by his mother Eldire, who revealed that it were by her own machinations that Darkblade had found Tz'arkan's temple. [5a] In Har Ganeth, Tz'arkan revealed to Darkblade that he was part of a prophecy that the Daemon itself had a hand in creating. Eldire claimed that Tz'arkan's goal was to transform Darkblade into a Daemonhost, effectively becoming him. [5c] The prophecy of the Scourge was part of Tz'arkan's plan, using a mortal host and the assembled artefacts to lead the Druchii as his personal army. [6d]

Tz'arkan grew restless when Darkblade attempted to take up the Warpsword of Khaine. The sword was able to drive back the influence of the Daemon in Darkblade's body. [5e] In anger, the Daemon began to conspire with Nagaira, who had allied with a Chaos Lord who had led an army south in the name of the Dark Gods, to ensure its freedom. [6d] The Daemon began to work against Darkblade directly, in order to prevent him from touching the Warpsword and breaking away from the Daemon's control. [6d]

When Darkblade was betrayed by his half-brother Isilvar and delivered to Nagaira's camp, Tz'arkan forced him to cooperate. When his retainers came to rescue Darkblade, Tz'arkan sought to kill them in order to further drive its host to despair. The Daemon's plans failed when the Warpsword of Khaine was given to Darkblade. [6e]

In the end, however, Darkblade was forced to resort to uneashing the Daemon's strength in order to defeat Lhunara, the Chaos Champion who had led the horde of Chaos Warriors into Naggaroth, and claim the last artefact. Tz'arkan manged to assert itself permanently when Darkblade used the last of its strength to heal his former retainer, the Dark Elf Hauclir. [6e]

Tz'arkan then drove Darkblade to the north, only rarely resting. [6a] Back in the temple in the Chaos Wastes, Darkblade was forced to cast the ritual and free the Daemon from its imprisonment. Tz'arkan then sought to devour Darkblade's soul, but the Dark Elf used the Warpsword of Khaine and the other relics to defeat it. During its flight, the Daemon took the Dark Elf's soul with it and went into hiding in the Chaos Wastes.[6f]

After a decade, Darkblade found Tz'arkan in the realm of the Screaming God-Child and reclaimed his soul. Darkblade was able to trick the God Child and flee, but when the entity noticed this, it imprisoned Tz'arkan in Darkblade's body once more as a punishment. From then on Tz'arkan would take control of Darkblade's body whenever he slept. Thus Darkblade was forced to drink a magical potion that kept him awake indefinitely. Only when the strength and savagery of the Daemon was required did Darkblade imbibe a potion of sleep to wake the entity and unleash its wrath.

Powers and Abilities[]

"You have your hate, Malus. With hate, all things are possible."

—Tz'arkan[3a]

Tz'arkan was able to grant its mortal host powerful regenerative abilities, as well as enhanced strength and agility. [1c] Its presence within Malus Darkblade was enough to cow Lesser Daemons into a state of fear. [3d] Tz'arkan was also able to leave a tracking mark behind that aided Darkblade in navigating the labyrinth of Eradorius, [3g] and to change parts of his physical appearance, like changing the colour of Darkblade's eyes. [5a] When the Daemon's influence over its host grew greater, Darkblade found his senses greatly enhanced. [5e]

At first, Tz'arkan was only able to bestow its gifts upon Darkblade if he wished it. [1c] As the Daemon's influence grew, it was able to strengthen its host even against Darkblade's wishes. [6b] With the Daemon now imprisoned fully inside his body, Tz'arkan can assert itself whenever Darkblade is asleep, making the latter dependent on magical elixirs to keep himself awake at all times.[7a]

Manifestations[]

On Malus Darkblade, the Greater Daemon's influence manifested as black veins that stretched from the ruby ring he wore that had been taken from the treasure hoard of the Daemon's temple in the Chaos Wastes. [1b] These stretched across his arm, shoulder and neck the longer he was exposed to the corruption. [5b] The Daemon was also able to talk telepathically with Darkblade any time it wished, although consuming large amounts of alcohol could block its voice. [3e]

Darkblade also suffered from strange dreams that the Daemon implied might be visions from the future. [3d] Tz'arkan could block divine magic that sought to influence Darkblade, breaking enchantments. [4a] The more Darkblade drew on Tz'arkan's power, the more dependent his body became on the Daemon, suffering bouts of weakness when not infused with Tz'arkan's strength. [5d] As the Chaos corruption grew too great, Tz'arkan was also able to torture Darkblade by flooding his body with pain. [6c]

The Daemon later managed to transform Darkblade's physical form. The Daemon caused the Dark Elf's teeth to become daggerlike and his fingernails to transform into wicked talons. [3d] As the corruption wore on, animals began to shun Darkblade, even his trusted Cold One Spite. [4c]

Canon Conflict[]

In the original Warhammer Monthly comic, Tz'arkan was a Daemon of Tzeentch.

Sources[]

  • 1: Malus Darkblade Chronicle: Daemons Curse (Novel) by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
    • 1a: Ch. 20: The Temple of Tz’arkan
    • 1b: Ch. 21: Grip of the Daemon
    • 1c: Ch. 23: Feast of Souls
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 18
  • 3: Malus Darkblade Chronicle: Bloodstorm (Novel) by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
    • 3a: Ch. 1: Prodigal
    • 3b: Ch. 4: Marks of Flesh
    • 3c: Ch. 7: Altar of the Lost
    • 3d: Ch. 18: The Dragon's Kiss
    • 3e: Ch. 19: Island of the Lost
    • 3f: Ch. 20: The Coin of the Realm
    • 3g: Ch. 26: The Idol of Kolkuth
  • 4: Malus Darkblade Chronicle: Reaper of Souls (Novel) by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
    • 4a: Ch. 2: The Bride of Ruin
    • 4b: Ch. 9: The Daggers Price
    • 4c: Ch. 10: The Wounded Wolf
    • 4d: Ch. 13: Dark Alliances
  • 5: Malus Darkblade Chronicle: Warpsword (Novel) by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
    • 5a: Ch. 1: Bag of Bones
    • 5b: Ch. 5: The Assassins Door
    • 5c: Ch. 16: Darkness and Doubt
    • 5d: Ch. 19: Reversals of Fortune
    • 5e: Ch. 23: The Burning Blade
  • 6: Malus Darkblade Chronicle: Lord of Ruin (Novel) by Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
    • 6a: Ch. 1: The Mountain in the North
    • 6b: Ch. 5: Fortress of Iron
    • 6c: Ch. 8: The Black Tower
    • 6d: Ch. 20: Midnight Alliances
    • 6e: Ch. 24: The Amulet of Vaurog
    • 6f: Ch. 25: The End of Time
  • 7: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
    • 7a: pg. 56
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