Archaon

"Fear me mortals, for I am the Anointed, the favoured Son of Chaos, the Scourge of the World. The armies of the gods rally behind me, and it is by my will and by my sword that your weakling nations shall fall."

- Archaon, Lord of the End Times



Archaon is the Everchosen, the Three-Eyed King, the Lord of the End Times and the self-proclaimed supreme champion of the four Gods of Chaos who was sent to command the last, and greatest Chaos Invasion during the cataclysmic apocalypse known simply as the End Times. According to rumors, he was once a zealous Templar of Sigmar, devoted to battling the menace of Chaos. He read ancient manuscripts written by Necrodomo the Insane, which contained blasphemies about the religion of Sigmar and the nature of Chaos. Screaming in rage, he called the gods liars and burned down the temple and manuscript. He then hunted down and killed his entire family. Adopting the name Archaon, he travelled north towards the Chaos Wastes.

There he offered himself to the Chaos Gods as a tool of destruction. His lifespan unnaturally extended by his Chaos patrons, Archaon spent the next century gathering six artefacts of Chaos:
 * The Mark of Chaos: This shows the bearer to be the chosen of all four Chaos Gods. It was received at the Altar of Ultimate Darkness in Naggaroth.
 * The Armour of Morkar: Extremely resilient and dark black, this armour was worn by the first Everchosen of Chaos, who was killed by Sigmar.
 * The Eye of Sheerian: When mounted in the Crown of Domination, the Eye grants the bearer potent powers of prophecy and omniscience. It was taken from the hoard of the Chaos Dragon Flamefang.
 * Dorghar, Steed of the Apocalypse: A massive, daemonic horse, Dorghar was claimed at the Gates of Chaos, stolen from the Daemon Lord Agrammon.
 * The Slayer of Kings: A huge blade with the raging soul of a captive daemon, U'zhul, bound inside it. Archaon took it from the hands of a Dragon Ogre.
 * The Crown of Domination: A symbol of absolute authority to the forces of Chaos. Found in the First Shrine to Chaos at the World's Edge Mountains. Archaon learned of its location from Be'lakor. Archaon fought a Bloodthirster (Greater Daemon of Khorne) single-handedly to obtain it.

Upon retrieving the Crown, the daemon prince Be'lakor performed the coronation that made Archaon the Lord of the End Times, where is there that the last spark of Archaon's humanity was finally extinguished, finally accepting the Gods of Chaos to be the one true Gods of the Universe. From here, Archaon leads a bloody campaign against the armies of the World, where the final battle shall take place upon the lands of the Empire itself.

History
In his former life, he was known as Diederick Kastne, a highly devout and zealous Templar of the Twin-Tailed Comet, born scant few years after Magnus the Pious and the first Great War against Chaos. Though Diederick Kastner, the man who would in his despair take up the dreaded mantle of Archaon, was born as an Imperial in the province of Nordland, it was foretold in the Liber Caelistior, the dread Book of Divination penned by Necrodomo the Insane, that North and South would meet in the Everchosen's blood. And indeed this was so; for Archaon bears mixed Norscan and Nordlander heritage, his father having been a champion from the Varg tribes who forced himself upon a cowering innocent during a raid that had seen his birth-village of Hargendorf burned to the ground in 2390 IC. With the death of his mother, and the hatred of his step-father for his origins, the rape-spawned child would later go on to be adopted by a local Sigmarite Priest and become a Knight-Templar of the Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb, fighting valorously and faithfully in the service of the God-King Sigmar. But once his true heritage and destiny was revealed to him, Diederick Kastner despaired and looked for salvation, travelling many miles towards the heart of his faith.

Upon the massive Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf, the cursed Templar knelt before the Golden Statue of Sigmar and begged for a sign, to ask for his help from the darkness that has come to consume him. But the golden statue stood silent, and with it's unspoken words, the Templar knew that it was hopeless. He renounced the gods of the south but still affirmed his hatred for the dark gods of his father, accepting the cruel destiny engineered for him as a final means to repay the Fates for the evil they had done upon him. Thus did Diederick become Archaon the Everchosen, the Three-Eyed King, greatest of all the champions of Chaos. His deeds legend and his armies vast, innumerable foes of dauntless might lie bleeding in his calamitous stride. But deep inside, he wholly resented the Gods of Chaos and the misery they have brought upon him. Thus the half-Norscan warlord stood ready to fulfill his destiny and to usher in the end of all things, and in the very end, he shall come face the very God of his people, of all Mankind.

The Six Treasures of Chaos
"Forged from the other world, six treasures shall he possess....Upon his head the crown shall see all, and open eyes will prove woe to mortal kind"

- Prophecy of Fate, taken by the Book of Divination by Necrodomo the Insane

So it was that Archaon journeyed to the waste for nearly 100 years, searching for the legendary Artifact that would exalt him to his true destiny as the Everchosen. The first treasure he sought was a unique "Mark of Chaos", that bears the blessings of all four powers in unison. It combines all of the advantages of the individual Marks of Chaos, blessing the bearer with all their power. The first part of Archaon's dark quest was to go to the Altar of True Darkness in Naggaroth and offer himself to the Gods to gain their favour and recognition. He gathered a small band of Chaos Warriors he called the Swords of Chaos and battled his way to a citadel so tall it appeared to pierce Morrslieb itself. Inside the citadel, it was said to be blacker than even the heart of a Dark Elf soul, for when one of Archaon's followers attempted to light a torch, it was snuffed out instead by the all-consuming darkness. Archaon was unafraid, and marched off alone with his steed into the darkness. As he continued to march, an untold number of creatures had thrown themselves upon the potential Everchosen. In this dire moment, his loyal steed was consumed by these monsters, and realizing the death of a loyal friend he knew since his early years as a squire had boiled Archaon into a killing frenzy. Within a matter of hours, he was able to slay hundreds of the misshapen monsters that have infested the mighty citadel, until finally his sword-arm turned numb and the ground grew slippery with the blood and gore of the fallen. Rising up from the filth, Archaon reconsecrated the altar for the Gods of Chaos, offering up the hearts of the creatures that had crawled in and defiled it. When he emerged he bore the eternally burning Mark of Chaos on his forehead.

The next artifact he sought was the "Armour of Morkar" the armour worn by the very first Everchosen. It makes the wearer invulnerable to all but the most powerful of attacks, making the wearer nigh-unstoppable in the heat of combat. After leaving Naggaroth on a stolen ship made of black metal and pulled by a massive sea-drake, Archaon took leadership of a seafaring war-band along the way to his destination. They sailed to a mysterious land populated with savage half-humans. Neither sun nor moon had ever touched their pallid skin and after six days and six nights of battle after battle, the city of these creatures had been reduced to rubble. Archaon delved deep into their necropolis until he found the Tomb of Morkar and the armour he sought. However, as Archaon reached out to take it, the spirit of Morkar animated the armour and attacked him. The vengeful spirit laid down a relentless flurry of blows until Archaon cursed it in the language of the Unberogen tribe. The attack ceased for a moment, and Archaon smashed him aside, banishing the spirit of Morkar and allowing him to claim the armour as his own.

Then there was the "Eye of Sheerian", which is named after the Tzeentchian Sorcerer who discovered it. Although on its own it grants the bearer prophetic powers, when placed in the Crown of Domination its prophetic powers can be used to their true ability and allow the bearer to predict and avoid the attacks of the enemy. After claiming the Armour of Morkar, Archaon set out to retrieve the Eye of Sheerian. At that time it lay in the lair of the Chaos Dragon Flamefang, who valued the Eye above all of it's other treasures. Archaon placed his claim for the Eye by smashing his axe into Flamefang's head. Long did man and monster battle at the base of the Cliff of Beasts. Flamefang breathed fire and even swallowed Archaon whole, but the Armour of Morkar protected him from its acidic stomach. Archaon hacked his way out of the Dragon's gullet with the ferocity of a Flesh Hound, until Flamefang's throat was hacked to shreds and it died of exhaustion and blood loss. Archaon plucked the Eye of Sheerian from its place on the belly of the Dragon and hung it around his neck as his rightful reward.

The next treasure to be won was the dreaded demonic mount of Agrammon. Alternatively known as "Dorghar", "Ghurshy'ish'phak", "Yrontalie", or the "Steed of the Apocalypse", this daemonic beast was stolen from the menagerie of the Daemon Prince Agrammon in the Realm of Chaos. Archaon battled his way past the Daemons guarding Agrammon's palace and sneaked inside, hiding beneath a beast that was part man, part mammoth and part insect. Inside was every beast imaginable, and some that are not. Archaon tracked Dorghar through the menagerie by its sulphurous stench. When he found it he vaulted on to its back. The Steed of the Apocalypse changed shape and burst into flames, but Archaon was able to break it like a wayward stallion and escape from the Realm of Chaos.

Eventually he sought a legendary Chaos Blade, known by many as the "Slayer of Kings" which was the sacred blade of Vangel, the second Everchosen. He bound the Greater Daemon U'zuhl into the blade, and the millennia of imprisonment have sent it insane with rage and fury. It was said to rest at the top of Chimera Plateau, located near the roof of the world, where Archaon and his steed Dorghar has journeyed. The warriors battling around the plateau saw the determination and destiny of Archaon, and he quickly gathered a huge horde of followers to wage war against the Chimera's. They swiftly defeated the Chimera hordes guarding the higher passes where Archaon and his three companions climbed to the top of the plateau. From the top, Archaon looked down on the world, swearing that he would one day rule over all of it. Suddenly, what he had taken for a mountain behind him turned over in its sleep, causing a series of earthquakes in the lands below. Archaon soon realised that the mountain was actually the father of the Dragon Ogre race, Krakanrok the Black. Even he could not defeat such a foe, so instead he and his companions sneaked past the titanic monster, only to find that the Slayer of Kings was clasped into its chest. Prince Ograx the Great, the strongest of Archaon's companions, was able to lift up one of Krakanrok's talons high enough for Archaon to retrieve the Daemonsword. However, the Daemon bound inside began to shriek with deafening volume. As Krakanrok began to stir, Archaon thought fast and plunged the Slayer of Kings into Prince Ograx's chest. With the blade's thirst quenched with royal blood, Archaon was able to sheath it and return from the plateau to the cheers of his followers, carrying his blade with him throughout all his battles.

After many years of endless journeying, Archaon has finally gathered all Five of the Artifacts except one. Forged before the dawn of man, the "Crown of Domination" once held the Eye of Sheerian, but had since been lost to history. It strikes terror into the bearer's foes and gives strength to his very allies. Decades after finding the Slayer of Kings, Archaon still had no clue as to the whereabouts of this ancient battle-helm. Eventually Be'lakor revealed its location, planning to steal the crown after Archaon found it. The crown lay in the First Shrine to Chaos, high on an icy peak in the Worlds Edge Mountains. Be'lakor led Archaon up the mountain, the Steed of the Apocalypse carrying him over the most difficult terrain.



After a day and a half of ceaseless climbing, Archaon stood before the massive double gate that was the entrance to the Shrine. Through the gateway was a labyrinth filled with dire beasts and vengeful Daemons. Archaon was tested by each of the Chaos Gods to see if he was truely worthy to be the Everchosen. Nurgle sent deadly diseases that Archaon fought off with sheer willpower. Tzeentch created a labyrinth of crystal, but Archaon blindfolded himself and used instinct alone to navigate it. Slaanesh sent temptation after temptation, but Archaon resisted, never diverting from the path to the inner gates of the Shrine.

After passing through the inner gates, Archaon found himself on a narrow causeway surrounded with hellfire that scorched his skin and burnt away his hair. Suddenly, a mighty Bloodthirster of Khorne erupted from the flames and attacked the potential Everchosen. The Greater Daemon was strong, but Archaon drew strength from the Slayer of Kings and wrested the Bloodthirster's weapons away and strangled it with it's own whip. The hellfire died away, leaving Archaon gravely injured and standing in a simple shrine. A throne stood at the back of the shrine, with a withered corpse sitting on it. On the top of its withered skull sat the Crown of Domination. Archaon took the crown and, with his wounds healing and frame swelling with power, he held it to the heavens. After over a century of searching, he had claimed the title of Everchosen. All that he needed now was a coronation. Upon retrieving the Crown, the daemon prince Be'lakor performed the coronation that made Archaon the Lord of the End Times, and begins mustering the largest army ever seen by mortal kind. It was from that day forward that the last spark of Archaon's humanity was extinguished, and from now until the end of days, Archaon has finally embraced the destiny that lays before him.

The Beginning of the End
"Then shall he ride unto the World, then will the World know that the last war has begun"

- Prophecy of Fate

By the cursed year of 2519 IC, to herald the beginning of the end, the Twin-Tailed Comet soured through the night-sky like the birthing of a second sun. No mortal could deny its existance, for the comet's bright aura of light would illuminate the very night sky. Within the realm of Chaos, the Dark Gods gathered in the Court of Covenants, all Four Powers having agreed to put aside their differences for a time in order to bring the world to their rule. Soon, massive warpstorms broke out of the Chaos Waste in great numbers, and eventually swept their mutation down south into the mortal kingdoms of the Old World. With this sudden phenomenon, Warp rifts would suddenly open in random locations around the world, disgorging a host of daemons for mere moments before they once more disappear.

To the north, the Winds of Magic grows like a torrent down towards the south, and the whispers of the Dark Gods fell into every mortal ear. Very few could have resisted such urges, and soon thousands of Mankinds own people have committed atrocities unspeakable, following the whispers north where a great gathering was taking place. Within the walls of the Inevitable City, Archaon sat upon a throne of brass and bone and saw the chieftains and warlords of uncountable tribes lend their allegiance to the new Everchosen. Though these tribes crave bloodshed, Archaon was patient and bided his time.

Soon some tribes left south or fought against each other to quench their battle-lust, but Archaon did not intervene, for he knew that those that stayed their hands were the strongest of will and strength, and would follow the Everchosen to the very end. The End Times is upon this world, and Archaons hour of triumph is nigh.