"The Carrion of the Desert, whose mighty outstretched wings darken the sun on the day of slaughter"
- —Climax of an invocation chant of the Liche Priests used at the Temple of the Sun in Khemri.[1a]
A pack of Carrion attack a Bretonnian mounted expedition.
Carrion are terrifying Undead birds of prey that resemble reanimated Giant Vultures which feast upon the carcasses of those that have fallen within the lands of ancient Nehekhara, now the Land of the Dead. Their broad wings, covered in feathers as black as midnight, darken the sky and spread the shadow of doom upon those dying in the desert. These Undead birds can smell blood from leagues away,[1a] and are drawn to battlefields, as well as unholy summonings,[3] like moths to flame. Wherever Carrion are seen to fly, death and carnage are surely nearby.[1a]
According to inscriptions, the Carrion were sacred beasts, agents of Ualatp, the vulture-headed god of scavengers, who bore the spirits of lost warriors to the sky to fight in endless battles against the Daemons of darkness. This belief led to the Nehekharan Mortuary Cult burying corpses of Carrion in their necropolises, entombing many thousands of them within the pyramids of the Tomb Kings from the time of Nekhef I, who claimed to be the first ruler to use Carrion in his army of eternity and onwards. From these ancient corpses, the Carrion would once more fly across the skies of lost Nehekhara to feast once more.[2a]
Role[]
An Undead Carrion as depicted in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
Carrion resemble the black desert Giant Vultures that inhabit the plains of the Land of the Dead, but they are far larger and more dangerous creatures. Carrion are repulsive scavengers that stand taller than a man and have vast wingspans. They have bodies that are decayed and bloated with death. Putrefied ropes of muscle hang from their frames as they fly with slow, sorrowful strokes of tattered wings. Bones poke through the rotten skin of Carrion, and gashes in their distended bellies often expose the skeletal contents of their last rotting meal.[1a]
Carrion are bald-headed creatures, and in life they would push their long necks deep within their prey's bodies, emerging slick with blood and viscera. They have razor-sharp beaks used to rip flesh from their victims and crack bones for the marrow within. The feet of these Undead scavengers are tipped with viciously hooked claws that can rend and tear their prey apart with frightening ease.[1a]
A Carrion as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
Carrion will feast on the flesh of anything they can find. These scavengers are not fussy eaters and will gorge themselves on both freshly slaughtered corpses and cadavers that have festered for too long under the baking heat of the desert sun. Because of their immense size, Carrion will also prey upon the living.[1a]
When Carrion hunger for live prey, they prefer to hunt the wounded and weakened, for in life they were notoriously cowardly birds, hesitant to battle foes that were able to fight back. When their victims are isolated and outnumbered, however, their ravenous hunger overcomes their craven nature and, with a hissing cry, they swoop down upon the enemy, eviscerating them with flurried swipes of their talons.[1a]
Carrion lived in the mountains to the east of Nehekhara and also the deserts to the west. Huge numbers of Carrion also nested in the towers and spires of Nehekhara's tomb-cities. After a great battle, with the slain strewn over the stricken field of war, the Carrion descended to feed in flocks so vast that they blotted out the light of the sun.[2a]
Warfare[]
A Carrion as depicted in Total War: Warhammer II.
At the will of the Liche Priests, these revered avian creatures are imbued with magical essence and once again take to the skies, their horrifying forms spreading fear amongst those who feel the chill of their shadow.[1a] Fortunately, as the revered birds eventually became extinct, only those that were entombed remained.[2a] Once awakened from the slumber of death, the Carrion never again return to rest within the tombs and vaults of the pyramids.[1a]
Instead, they soar above the lands of fallen Nehekhara as they did in life, never tiring in their search for prey. Being primitive beasts, Carrion are driven by the need to feed their insatiable appetites, and they will go to great lengths to find their next meal. These ugly creatures learnt long ago that when armies clash they leave a swathe of corpses in their wake, and so when the Tomb Kings go to war, they are accompanied by great flocks of Carrion that circle high above.[1a]
