Coven Thrones

Compensating for a cursed existence with grandeur and luxury is a common theme amongst the Vampire elite. A true lord or lady of undeath refuses to churn through the mud of a battlefield like a common peasant or be content with the dubious dignity of sitting astride a grave-beast. Instead, the monarchs of the night are often borne to war on gilded palanquins known as Coven Thrones. These bone-frame constructs are held aloft by the departed spirits of those who have fallen in love with their owners and got nothing in return but a violent death. Mortal men shiver in awestruck disbelief at the exotic beauty of the handmaidens lounging upon these Coven Thrones - hypnotised by a beguiling glance, a kiss upon the air, or a subtle finger beckoning them into eternal servitude.

The legend of the Vampires originates in the desert realm of Lahmia, and it is the Lahmians who are famed above all for their use of Coven Thrones. Those who hail from that land consider themselves the first amongst the aristocracy of the night, for their darkling city was the first ever to bear the curse of vampirism. All Lahmians descend from Neferata, the Queen of Mysteries, who is said to despise men with a passion.

Consequently, very few Lahmians are male. Instead, the most enchantingly beautiful maidens are chosen from amongst the noble families of Bretonnia and the Empire and granted the Blood Kiss. They then gain control of the humans around them with cunning and intrigue, for Lahmians take an active interest in human affairs - no one knows how many eccentric noblewomen, widows and high-born ladies are, in truth, members of the Undead. The Lahmians are hedonistic, selfindulgent creatures that take great pains to present themselves in splendour and majesty at all times. Thus the Coven Thrones that carry the Lahmian sisterhood are bedecked with rare artefacts and strewn with silk-embroidered cushions and other finery. Over the centuries, the Lahmians have become skilled in the arts of foretelling and prescience in order to stay one step ahead of the agents who pursue them. The Coven Thrones bear great enchanted bowls full of fresh virgin's blood, within which the Vampire's handmaidens can scry the future. What the Lahmians' final purpose is, however, none can fathom.

Despite their luxury, these ostentatious palanquins are potent weapons upon the battlefield. The Vampires themselves move so swiftly as to be virtually invisible to the eye, but their true strength lies in their unity. A coven of Vampires fighting as one is as formidable a prospect as any Dragon or Daemon Lord.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (8th Edition) -- pg. 52