Wights

"Unquestioningly loyal. Infallibly brave. The pinnacle of the necromantic arts. If I had a hundred such as them, I could conquer any nation, rout any army—and never lack for camaraderie either. Although, they are typically poor conversationalists."

- Lady Ariette von Carstein

Here is necromancy at its peak—a creature with the dark will of the Spectre combined with the bodily strength and unflagging discipline of the Skeleton. Though their flesh may rot, their bones remain strong, and their minds retain their mastery of the art of combat and their lust for slaughter. As the Skeleton is to the Empire’s foot soldiers, the Wight is to its great generals and heroes.

However, the creation of a Wight requires the deepest study of the black art. As such, it is typically only done for those whose mortal existences marked them as worthy of such immortality.

Vampire lords may occasionally bestow the gift on close friends or family, but in the main, the honour goes to their greatest warriors and generals, so they may continue their martial careers in death. There are also Wights that come to life through some magical accident or ancient curse. The races that lived in the Old World before the coming of Humans buried their dead in barrows entwined with ancient magic. Their Skeletons have been known to rise up to defend their resting grounds or respond to a summons from a powerful Vampire.

Regardless of their origin, they are skilled in the ways of war, and all have an eternal thirst for battle and warfare. Most carry terrifying Wight Blades that cut through armour like the cold talons of a Spectre, and many are mounted on hideous skeletal Nightmares. The image of the Wight riding into battle with lance and sword is so common that, amongst the Vampire armies, Wights are often known as “Black Knights.” Their personalities are not as complete as that of a Vampire, but their intelligence is deep and their goals often extensive. Wight lords are sometimes found ruling small duchies or necropolises or harnessing armies of Skeletons, just as their Vampire masters do. They also lack the great charisma and noble bearing of the Vampires, but since Wights have little taste for political machinations anyway, they are quite happy to leave such things to their masters. Like any good warrior, the Wight knows his station and seldom exceeds it.

Source

 * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Night's Dark Masters
 * : pg. 127

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