"Every caravan master transversing the Ivory Road to far Cathay fears the shaking of the earth that proceeds a Dread Maw attack, for even the most expensive guards and bribed Ogres are useless against their burrowing assaults on horse and heavily-laden wagons"
- —Francisco de Pazzi, Tilean Merchant Prince[1a]
A Dread Maw bursting through the earth.
The Dread Maw is a terrifyingly powerful subterranean Chaos beast similar to a great, reptilian worm which has haunted the mires of tainted sludge and ooze that stretch across the vast expanse of the Chaos Wastes.
History[]
"There are those within my order that believe the Dread Maw originally comes from the distant Hinterlands of Khuresh. Nightmarish tales involving the fabled Blood Naga queens say that the Dread Maw were created -- not born, created -- to prevent easy travel from the west. Such tales could be entirely dismissed as irrelevant hearsay, if not for the fact that a cult dedicated to those distant horrors was uncovered in Sylvania just a few years ago -- one that had been attempting to enact a terrible blood ritual that would summon a Dread Maw even unto the Empire."
- —Kistiane Brockdorf, Jade Wizard[2a]
A Dread Maw attacks a party of unfortunate Greenskins.
The first sign of these loathsome beasts is an ominous rumbling from beneath the ground as the Dread Maw grinds and chews their way through the earth, swiftly followed by an eruption of mud and the stench of putrid slime as their gaping maws burst forth.[1a]
With their circular mouths, studded with rows of sickle-shaped teeth and glistering tendrils, Dread Maws can seize and devour a fully armored warrior in seconds. Often smaller prey is swallowed whole, to be slowly digested within their grossly distended bellies, the Dread Maw's flesh being translucent enough that their victims' struggles can be seen by their comrades.[1a]
Even the largest creatures will fall prey to Dread Maws. Bursting forth from beneath the ground and latching on with their hooked teeth, they can tear their way inside the greatest beast, eviscerating them form within and quickly hollowing out their ruptured carcass.[1a]
Few can forget the sight of a mighty Dragon or Chimerae bellowing in object pain as it is being eaten alive, the wriggling tail of a Dread Maw protruding from the wounds made in its own torso. There are few creatures as horrific as the Dread Maw, their malted grey flesh shot through by pulsing veins of unhealthy hue and choked with corruption and rot, and stigmatised with open wounds and severed limbs and mutations.[1a]
The entire length of a Dread Maw, their bodies stretching for many yards, is coated in a disgusting layer of poisonous slime and any warrior brave enough to assault them will have their weapons fouled and limbs caught in the vile substance, which is almost impossible to hack through. Due to its unnatural nature as a Chaos beast, most Dread Maws never look exactly alike, and such is the price of mutation.[1a]
Wargear[]
- Cavernous Maw - The Dread Maw's cavernous mouth is so deadly that it can inflict multiple wounds upon its prey.[1a]
- Tunneler - Due to its subterranean nature, the Dread Maw can appear and reappear through the earth.[1a]
Miniatures[]
