Xathrodox

"The Red Flayer: proud and merciless This child of Khorne spat in his father’s eye The Blood God drained his husk But the essence of the Red Flayer survives He still lives—in the Brass Skull He still lives—in the Dagger of Yul K’chaum He still lives—in the Chalice of Wrath Trapped and bound, he craves blood The Red Flayer will rise again"

- Dark Portents

A monstrous horror of impossible size, Xathrodox the Red Flayer, also known as Xathrodox Incarnadine, stands over twenty feet tall. It has red skin that bristles with black hairs that seem to move of their own accord. Its face is a mass of snarling teeth and horns, dripping acidic drool that scorches the earth where it falls. A mane of black hair frames the flaming red eyes and brutish features. Armoured in the skins of fallen knights, their faces wailing with each movement, he hefts a mighty axe that ignites with unholy black flames.

History
Eons ago, there was a great mortal champion of Chaos, a mighty warrior who had the blessing of Khorne. He was undefeated on the battlefields of the Chaos Wastes, slaughtering any rival champion, warrior, or beast of Chaos that sought to match arms with him. He grew so mighty and fearsome that he amassed a great army of corrupted flesh to fight at his side. He pressed onwards, leading his horde in a bloody swathe of countless victories. Through it all he sought the Meadows of Khorne, where he would fight for his master for all time. One day, a century of fighting later, the Chaos Champion came upon the Bastion Stair, the border between the Outer Realm and Inner Realm of the Blood God. His generals, who had no interest in pressing on into the divine mysteries of Khorne, craved the blood of Slaanesh’s minions and bickered amongst themselves. Battle erupted between the champions and all were slain in a terrific combat that rang throughout the Chaos Wastes. The Chaos Champion suffered a grievous wound, one that leaked his lifeblood onto the crimson sands spreading at the base of the blasphemous stair. Instead of finding death, release, and relief from the consuming need to kill, Khorne bestowed a final blessing, transforming him into a vile Daemon. And so was Xathrodox the Red Flayer born.

As the favoured of the Blood God, each day Xathrodox’s arrogance and power grew, until fickle Khorne cast the Daemon low. Pinning the Daemon with his boot heel, he tore his essence into three parts, placing each piece into a different vessel: a brass skull, a dagger, and a chalice. The god granted the artefacts to his three most powerful champions, instructing them in visions to spread his bloodlust throughout the world of men.

Over the centuries the artefacts changed hands many times, but their use left a stamp on the land, causing much death and spilling of blood. Eventually, each disappeared.

Xathrodox's True Name
The Red Flayer’s True Name is unpronounceable in any Human tongue, though many have tried. Eons ago, before the Xathrodox was sundered, he enjoyed a large following of mortal servants. Each time they held a ritual to conjure his essence, they attempted to sound out the name as best they could. At times, this led to disastrous results, whereby one or more of the Cultists would be sucked bodily into the Realm of Chaos. A few times though, it worked. The closest approximation to the Daemon’s true name is “Zath-ruh-dochs.”

Wargear

 * Doomrazor: Xathrodox wields a terrifying greataxe in combat. When he enters a frenzy the axe ignites with dark flames.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Ashes of Middenheim
 * pg. 44


 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Forges of Nuln
 * pg. 29
 * pg. 30
 * pg. 92


 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Spires of Altdorf
 * pg. 44

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