"They call themselves the Bloody Hand."
- —Hepsus, returning with name of a recently encountered new Norscan tribe, after being dispatched by Valkia the Bloody
The Bloody Hand was a Norscan tribe of Men known for their ferocity in battle and sheer capability for destruction, despite their relatively small numbers. The Bloody Hand was a conflict-seeking tribe that worshipped the Blood God Kharneth. They were of stronger and stouter stock than the Schwarzvolf tribe led by the future Khornate Daemon Princess Valkia the Bloody, with which they would ultimately unite to their doom.[1b]
History[]
The Bloody Hand came to the attention of the Schwarzvolf tribe's Chieftain Valkia after they attacked Eraich, a small contingent of a once-numerous tribe that the Schwarzvolf had taken in under its banner. Curious and cautious about this, Valkia dispatched the tribe's warspeaker Hepsus as a scout to gather information on the motive behind the attack. When the warspeaker returned, he revealed the Bloody Hand were merely looking for a fight. Valkia invited them to discuss joining their strength to the Schwarzvolf to show the Bloody Hand that the Schwarzvwolf were warriors and not mere farmers and tillers as Eraich's people had been. If they wanted a fight, they would find a formidable foe in the Schwarzvolf. [1a]
The Bloody Hand accepted the invitation to feast, and Chieftain Kalir sent his son Deron to treat with Valkia and her tribe. Despite initial misgivings, the two decided to marry and join the might of their people together after a duel to first blood, which Valkia won. It was Deron who taught Valkia about the Blood God, which his tribe called Kharneth and the Schwarzvolf referred to as the Axefather. Joined together, the Bloody Hand and Schwarzvwolf were a formidable force able to cow every other Norscan tribe around them into submission.[1b]
After Deron's murder by Valkia and Kalir's death, the Bloody Hand ceased to be an independent tribe. Instead, it was confederated into the Schwarzvwolf, and its addition cured the Schwarzvwolf of many of their longstanding ailments that had long been a result of their devotion to Chaos. Children were born healthy and without mutation, meat became plentiful, and the worship of Khorne was now open and fervent. However, it was this worship that eventually attracted the attention of the Slaaneshi Daemon Prince Locephax to the combined tribe in a bid to win Valkia away from her devotion to the Blood God. [1c]
Notable Members[]
- Chieftain Kalir - Kalir was the father of Deron and the husband of Bellona, the woman who served as the namesake of Valkia the Bloody's second daughter Bellona. Kalir was a Marauder Berserker, who led the Bloody Hand during the initial contact between his tribe and the Schwarzvolf. He later died on the battlefield shortly after accusing Valkia of murdering his son Deron.
- Chieftain Deron - Deron jointly held the title of chieftain of the combined tribe of the Schwarzvolf and the Bloody Hand with his wife, Valkia the Bloody. Through her, he was also chieftain of the Schwarzvolf. After his murder by Valkia, and Kalir's own death, the Bloody Hand was fully absorbed into the Schwarzvolf.