"Lord of Murder, we give our bodies to you
God of blood, we pledge our souls to you.
Master of a Thousand Faces, we spill this blood in your name.
Renew us now, that your work may be renewed through us.
Cleanse us now, that the impure may be cleansed by us.
Grant us your strength, that we may show your strength to our enemies."
- —From the Rite of the Cauldron of Blood.[5]
A Dark Elf Hag Queen of Khaine in the city of Har Ganeth prepares a bloody sacrifice for her god.
The Cult of Khaine is the paramount religious organisation within the Dark Elf kingdom of Naggaroth. It is dedicated to the worship of Khaine, the god of murder and war in the Elven Pantheon.
Ruled by the Hag Queens, the heart of the cult resides in the Naggarothi city of Har Ganeth, with Hag Queen Hellebron of the cult the chief amongst Khaine's disciples.
History[]
In the beginning, the Cult of Khaine was but one of the various Cults of Excess that sprang up within Ulthuan during the time of the first Phoenix King, Aenarion. In that era, it was overshadowed by the Cult of Pleasure and the Cult of Luxury, which were in ascendance prior to the Elven civil war known as the Sundering.[1a][2a] It was not until the year 990, Restless Spite (-1745 IC) that it became the dominant religious cult within Naggaroth, with the city of Har Ganeth as its bloody centre.[2b]
While Clar Karond prospered, politics and infighting became rife within Naggarond. Remnants of the many pleasure cults from Ulthuan continued to hold sway over the Dark Elves, but one sect in particular rose to dominate all others. They were cultists of Khaine, the Elven god of murder, and their bloody sacrifices made a great spectacle for the Dark Elves.
The fumes from their pyres swathed the city of the Witch King Malekith, and bloodthirsty mobs ran rampant through the streets, killing and maiming in mindless bursts of violence. Rather than quell these excesses, Malekith sought to focus the devotion of these Druchii and turn it to his own ends.
The Witch King proclaimed himself a mortal incarnation of Khaine, the god's merciless instrument in the realm of the living. Malekith swore undying devotion to the Lord of Murder in the shrine of Naggarond, and poured a goblet of his divine blood into the braziers where the Witch Elves burnt the hearts of their sacrifices.[3a]
Morathi again aided her son, and gifted the Witch Elves of Khaine with the sacred Cauldrons of Blood. The Hag Queens who led the cult bathed in the blood of their sacrifices and rejuvenated their bodies, as did Morathi herself. Unlike Morathi, who kept the innermost secrets of the Cauldrons for herself, the Hag Queens' revivification was only temporary. As the months passed, they began to age once more and needed to bathe again to reclaim their youthful beauty. For decades, the most powerful Witch Elves indulged themselves in this bloody manner, realising too late that Morathi had ensnared them with an addiction to eternal youth and beauty.
The Hag Queen Hellebron, leader of the cult, once refused her ritual bathing, but became so decrepit and age-worn that her loyal followers had to sustain her with their own blood until she repented and bathed in a Cauldron of Blood once more. She has been defiant of Morathi ever since, but ultimately it is Morathi who controls the fate of the Hag Queens, not Hellebron.[3a]
Beliefs[]
An altar dedicated to Khaine
"My god knows nothing of mercy. He does not forgive. He cares nothing for redemption. He simply hungers, and I live to see him fed."
- —Grand Carnifex of Khaine.[4b]
For the worshippers of Khaine, god of murder and war, the greatest power in existence is the ability to end a life. The act of killing is thought to bring the believer closer to Khaine and eventually allow them to become as the gods themselves, holding the life of all around them in their hand.[4a]
The holy scripture of the Cult of Khaine includes the Parables of Sundered Flesh.[4c]
Strictures[]
- Conflict is necessary for peace to reign.[3b]
- Only slaughter gives the promise of life any meaning.[3b]
- Love is nothing unless tempered by the blackest of hatreds.[3b]
Sects[]
While the Temple of Khaine is the most influential sect of the god of murder in Dark Elf society thanks to their alliance with Malekith, other sects that worship Khaine exist in Naggaroth. These saw themselves as the heirs of the true faith, who worshipped Khaine not in great ceremonies, but in battle on the field and road. They rejected Malekith as the worldly incarnation of Khaine and the central authority of a singular temple, leading to a bloody schism between the temple and the zealots.[4a] In this sectarian struggle, the Witch Elves abstained from taking part.[4a]
The "true believers" eventually lost the struggle and were banished from Har Ganeth. The group continued to harbour the belief that one day Khaine would send his Scourge to the world and the Time of Blood would begin, an era of slaughter and carnage without end. They would wander around Naggaroth, mastering the killing arts, deepen their devotion and wait for the promised day of reckoning.[4c]
These so-called "true believers" rose up in a bloody revolution when Urial of Hag Graef proclaimed himself to be the prophesied Scourge, but he was foiled by his half-brother Malus Darkblade.
Another sect, called the Disciples of Khaine, arose in Clar Karond, consisting of those few that had survived Death Night as babes and been reborn with brass eyes that showed the favour of the Bloody-Handed God. Reaping the very life-essence of their foes, these warrior priests were shepherds of war, ensuring the bloody slaughter can continue in the name of their dark god.[5]