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"Harkon was the greatest of his order, ranked amongst the foremost warriors of that or any age."

—The mighty Grand Master of the Blood Dragons.[4]
Walach Harkon

Walach Harkon, Grand Master of the order of the Blood Dragons.

Walach Harkon, also known as "Walach the Dark Star"[3] and "Walach the Hated"[3] is a Vampiric Blood Knight second only to his master and mentor Abhorash in fame amongst their order. It was Walach Harkon who created the greatest order of the Blood Knights, the Blood Dragons.

History[]

Ordo Draconis[]

Around 1887 IC,[5b] one night, a man of great stature and noble bearing appeared before the gates of the Blood Keep, an Imperial fortress in the Grey Mountains. The fortress guarded the mountain pass to Bretonnia, and was home to the knightly "Order of the Blood Dragon", who were pledged to the protection of the people of the surrounding area. The man named himself as "Walach of the Harkon family" and demanded entrance, and when the knights granted his petition and opened the gates to him they unwittingly sealed their doom.[3][6b]

Walach challenged the knights to single combat. Fighting them all with peerless skill and unnatural vigour and strength, he slew the mortal Knights of Sigmar one by one with ease. Though none of the knights could hope to defeat the undead monster, Walach spared those worthy opponenets who fought bravely and with honour, passing to them his curse of vampirism and corrupting them utterly while slaying the others and feasting on their blood.[3][6b]

Thereafter the once noble Order of the Blood Dragon became monstrous Blood Knights with Harkon as their new Grand Master. Sallying forth in dark parody of their former selves atop nightmare steeds forged from the carcasses of their once-noble mounts, the bloodthirsty knights began to prey on those they had protected, sowing terror and death among the villages and towns they had once sworn to defend and revelling in their new power and liberation. The people who had once showered the knights with affection now lived in fear under the terrible shadow of Blood Keep, now a spirit-haunted lair of monsters, and cried out for help.[3][6b]

Many decades later , the corruption of the order was discovered by the Witch Hunter Gunther Van Hal. He rallied an Imperial army sent from Wissenland and Reikland, supported by no less thanfour entire templar orders, and together, they besieged Blood Keep. For three years the siege raged before the walls were finally breached in 1946 IC, the Vampires slaughtered, and the fortress smashed to rubble. The Empire believed the darkness had passed. But many of the Vampires survived the destruction of the keep and took its spirit and ideas with them out into the world. Some walked the world alone, whilst others formed their own orders and carried on the brutal parody of knightly traditions of Walach — or their own variation upon them.[1a][5c][5b] Walach himself escaped the Imperial persuers, and was joined by several of his followers.[5b]

Second Vampire War[]

Walach and his Blood Dragons would latter become involved in the Vampire Wars, a series of conflicts between the fragmented Empire of Man and the Vampiric Counts of Sylvania. During the Second Vampire War, it was Count Konrad von Carstein who waged bloody war against the Imperials. Konrad's ambitions paled in comparison to his predecessor, Vlad von Carstein, for he sought not to rule as a Vampire Emperor but only to immerse himself in slaughter like a wild bloodthirsty beast.[5a]

Konrad's warmongering took his army as far south as Nuln and the Grey Mountains, and it was here that the Mad Count first met the Blood Dragons and their Grand Master, Walach Harkon. Though Konrad's behaviour was neither honourable nor noble, the promise of great victories was enough to win the Blood Knights to his cause. With Walach and his Knights in his vanguard, Konrad defeated every foe sent against him, despite his frequent bouts of hysteria and grave tactical errors. None could stand against the raw power of Konrad the Beast's armoured host.[5a]

Konrad's vicious ways also lead to war between the Undead and the Dwarfs. During a savage battle between Konrad's forces and a Dwarfen throng from Zhufbar, the Dwarf King challenged Konrad to single combat, but the Blood Count instead despatched Walach to fight as his champion. Harkon killed the Dwarf King with contemptuous ease and gorged himself on the royal blood of his foe. Within the next hour, the Dwarfs had all been slain.[5a][6a]

Eventually Konrad's disdain for strategy, thoughtless savagery and poor magical ability prooved to be his undoing. In the spring of 2121 IC Konrad's host faced the combined forces of Dwarfs and Men in the Battle of Grim Moor. Foolishly, Konrad attacked in a headlong charge rather than retreating into the safetly of the Grim Moor. Although the Blood Knights were able to endure the punishment and fight on, Konrad's Necromancers finally had enough of his madness and cruel leadership and betrayed him, letting the Undead legions they animated fall apart without their magic. Seeing the battle as lost, the Vampiric Knights fled, leaving the Mad Count to his folly. In desperation, the magically inept Konrad tried to hold the Undead army together, but the effort proved too much to bear and in an instant, what little of Konrad's mind and sanity had finally snapped as his army desintegrated. The Dwarf hero Grufbad captured the crazed Konrad, who was then excecuted by the Imperial claimant Helmar of Marienburg.[5a]

Border Princes[]

HeraldryLordHarkonWarhammerTheOldWorld

The heraldry of the Border Prince known only as "Lord Harkon."[7a]

In the year 2276 IC, during the late years of the Age of Three Emperors and long after the Empire's final victory in the Vampire Wars, the ruins of the Border Princes keep of Ulfreya were ruled by a man only known as "Lord Harkon", whose heraldry was a chalice of blood on black. The origins this Lord Harkon and the tales of how he came to reside in the ruins of Ulfreya are shrouded in mystery. Very few denizens of the Border Princes venture near his darkened keep.[7a]

Return to Blood Keep[]

Many centuries after the fall of Blood Keep and the banishment of the Ordo Draconis, whispers and rumours arose that the Keep was inhabited once more. Those who lived near the mountains spoke of nocturnal hunters troubling the Dwarven Holds. Gossipmongers claimed that immortal knights once again feasted on human blood in the ancient, dusty halls and that skeletal sentries patrolled the ramparts. Some said that Walach Harkon, the Grand Master of the Blood Dragons, had returned and that he had gathered his forces to wage war upon those who had tried to destroy him.[6b][8a]

End Times[]

"You are a fool!” Harkon spat at his bloodied foe. “This is no time for mortal men. This is the hour of the gods, and of those who would become gods!"

—Walach Harkon, while toying with Emperor Karl Franz.[1]

During the End Times, the newly resurrected Nagash started recruiting many of the world's most powerful undead lords to form his generals. Harkon joined and became one of the Mortarchs. To this end, he played a vital role in the defence of the Auric Bastion in the northern Empire. Under the command of Vlad von Carstein, Harkon fought at the Battle of Alderfen. Here a Nurgle force breached the bastion and started butchering the Imperial forces beyond it. All looked lost until the surprise undead counter charge, led by Harkon and his knights, halted the Chaos advance long enough for the breach to be sealed. However, in his zeal Harkon and his knights had penetrated far beyond the Bastion itself and then found themselves trapped behind it.[4]

It wasn't until the Battle of Heffengen that Harkon would resurface. After the collapse of the Bastion, Von Carstein sought an alliance with the Empire and to this end planned to fight alongside the Imperial forces at Heffengen to hold back the Chaos hordes led by Crom the Conqueror. Just as he was about to reveal himself and be recognised by the Emperor as a hero and ally, Harkon and he knights charged onto the battlefield from the Chaos lines. It was revealed that while trapped behind the Bastion, Harkon had fallen to temptation and pledged himself to Khorne the Blood God of slaughter. This treachery reached its peak when Harkon, riding a skeletal dragon, engaged in an aerial duel with Karl Franz. The Grand Master of the Blood Dragons toyed with the Emperor before defeating him and casting him low.[4]

With the apparent death of the Emperor, the Imperial forces retreated and the battle was lost. However, with the armies of the Empire now unwilling to accept the undead as allies, von Carstein would not let Walach's actions go unpunished. When Harkon swept from the sky and pinned von Carstein to the ground, Vlad used his superior magical abilities to wrest control of the skeletal dragon from Harkon and had the beast rip its former master in two, destroying the traitorous Blood Dragon.[4]

Storm of Chaos[]

Warhammer-Template-Spoilers
Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.

Harkon was also greatly insulted by the mortals who removed him from his glorious Blood Keep during the alternate timeline of the great conflict remembered as the Storm of Chaos. His goal, now that he has returned, is to make both the upstart mortals and his fellow Vampires recognise once again the singular superiority of Blood Keep and its knights.[1b]

Walach has sent word to all the Blood Dragons that those who consider themselves worthy should join him in rebuilding the keep and in his new vision for the order. This is not just to reinstate the keep but to use it as the centre for his campaign for total extermination of the race of Men. With the main body of Imperial troops still in the west after the defeat of the thirteenth Everchosen Archaon during the final battles of the Storm of Chaos, there would be little to stop an army of Vampires from the east, and if Harkon gathers his strength quickly, he could very easily make his dream a reality.[1b]

Personality[]

Harkon does not share his master Abhorash's piety - he does not, for example, feed only on criminals - but he does share his devotion to perfection and believes the vows of knighthood are the best way to achieve it. Many believe Harkon takes this too far, as he insists on mimicking every aspect of knightly ceremony, including, since the death of his great love Aurora, absolute chastity. Harkon hears no argument, however, and considers anyone who does not follow his traditions to the letter to be undisciplined swine, better culled with the Humans than allowed to further insult the purity of the order.[1b]

Wargear[]

Walach Harkon was one of the mightiest Blood Knights in existence. He was second only to Abhorash in fame, and only beings such as the Red Duke could compare to him in might. Even Vlad von Carstein, a firstborn Vampire, admitted that Walach was the superior warrior and bladesman.[4a]

  • Crimson Blade - It was the sword that Walach used to cut down the true Grand Master of the Order of the Blood Dragon. Its keen edge means red ruin to any who dare oppose him. 
  • Blood Chalice - This chalice contains the life blood of the greatest opponents Walach has slain in battle. Their pure and noble blood is a potent source of power to any Vampire who drinks it.
  • Blood Dragon Standard - It was held by Mikael, second in command to Walach. After his death the Grand Master has carried the banner himself, to remind his knights of the legacy of vengeance.
  • Walach's Bloody Hauberk - Once belonging to one of the greatest slaughterers of all time, vile magic has fused the blood of Walach's victims into this armour's enchantments, providing a shielding aura made of the souls of the damned.

Trivia[]

Despite otherwise qualifying as a "special character" in the table-top, having his own rules and statistics, Walach Harkon never received a dedicated miniature for Warhammer Fantasy Battle.

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Night's Dark Masters (RPG)
    • 1a: pg. 45
    • 1b: pg. 49
  • 2: Warhammer: The End Times Collection
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (5th Edition)
  • 4: The End Times: Nagash (8th Edition)
    • 4a: pg. 383
  • 5: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (8th Edition)
    • 5a: pg. 13-14
    • 5b: pg. 23
    • 5c: pg. 45
  • 6: Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (7th Edition)
    • 6a: pg. 17
    • 6a: pg. 46
  • 7: Warhammer: The Old World website
    • 7a: Explore the Old World (Interactive Map)
  • 8: Liber Necris (Background Book)
    • 8a: pg. 79
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