Executioners

"When talking about the warriors you can muster from amongst the population, it is worthwhile to discuss the city of Har Ganeth, known as the Cursed Place by the slaves who are sent there. This city is devoted to the service of our great god Khaine in his aspect as the Executioner. Here the craft of Death is held in the highest esteem. The elite warriors of this city are the Executioners, and they are foremost amongst the warriors of the Witch King. Always ensure you deal well with the lords of Har Ganeth, for no Druchii wishes to feel his neck caressed by their deadly blades."

—Furion of Clar Karond^[2a]

The Executioners, formally the Har Ganeth Executioners, are the elite guards of the Dark Elf city of Har Ganeth and anointed warriors of Khaine, the god of war and murder.^[1a]

History

Har Ganeth is the spiritual centre of Khaine's worship, with many shrines to the Lord of Murder, dominated by the towering edifice of the great temple, and countless victims are brought here to be sacrificed upon Khaine's altars. It was in Har Ganeth that the first ceremonies of execution were held. In the wake of a great victory over the High Elves, the guards of Har Ganeth led thousands of captives to the pinnacle of the temple and beheaded them with full ceremony and ritual.^[1a]^[3]

Such was the Dark Elves' delight when they beheld the bloodied heads tumbling down the steps that, from that day forth, executions became a regular feature in the society of Har Ganeth and a punishment for all manner of diverse crimes. Only in Har Ganeth are acts such as murder, thievery and public debauchery considered to be crimes among the Druchii, a hard burden to bear for a people so steeped in thoughtless depravity, and there can only be one punishment in Khaine's chosen city -- to be led in chains to the summit of the highest sacrificial pyramid and beheaded.^[1a]^[3]

So adept have the guards of the City of Khaine become at their bloody art, that they are now notorious throughout Naggaroth as the "Executioners of Har Ganeth". As they hew their enemy, they cry out their praise of Khaine, a piercing wail that chills the blood of all who hear it, a reminder of the City of Executioners where blood once flowed through the streets in a scarlet torrent.^[1a]^[4a]^[5a]

Role

Total War Warhammer Executioners Render 1 — An Executioner of Har Ganeth as rendered for *Total War: Warhammer II*.

In the name of Khaine and with blades in hand, the Executioners of Har Ganeth bring furious brutality to the battlefield. They are not frenetic butchers, however, but rather cold-blooded killers who take pride in dispatching their foes with the minimum of effort. They are heartless murderers, who see their role as a sacred one and, unlike other Dark Elves, do not make sport of their victims, killing them swiftly and cleanly.^[1a]^[3]^[4a]

Each Executioner spends half their waking day performing their duties as a city sentry, and the other half practising with their blade. This occasionally takes the form of ritual sparring between different Executioners, but more often involves the honing of deathblows upon luckless captives and miscreants. It can take decades for an Executioner to perfect their chosen strike, to judge precisely the angle of the blow and how the blade might be deflected or otherwise cheated by splinters of bone.^[1a]^[2a]^[3]

Executioner Swords Render — Various sword-like *draich* wielded by the Executioners of Har Ganeth, as rendered for *Total War: Warhammer II*.

It is said that a fully-trained Executioner knows the way to kill any creature with but a single blow, whether by decapitation, disembowelment or a single thrust through the heart. Many focus on cutting down infantry, but they are all skilled in the use of their deadly blades, able to deliver a fatal hit to even the largest of foes.^[1a]^[2a]^[3]

The Executioners wear heavy armour, and every one carries a draich, the ceremonial weapon of their calling. Each draich is forged by its wielder under the supervision of the armourers of Khaine's great temple in Har Ganeth. As an Executioner learns their bloody skills, they also refines their weapon so that the two are as one. These draich typically take the form of double-handed greataxes, wielded with murderous skill and grim determination, but while some Executioners prefer a heavy axe-like blade, others make use of a slender sword, depending upon their own abilities and preferred method of killing. Regardless of design, these weapons are fearsome in battle, able to cleave through armour, flesh and bone with but a single, flawlessly placed strike.^[1a]^[3]^[4a]

Notable Executioners

Tullaris Dreadbringer - Known as the "Hand of Khaine", Tullaris serves as the Captain of the Executioners.

Notable Regiments

Bloodcleave - The Bloodcleave are an especially feared cabal of Executioners.

Crimson Draichs - This unit of warriors fought at Talsyn during the End Times.

Ossian Guard - This regiment of Executioners revered Tullaris Dreadbringer as a prophet of Khaine. The Ossian Guard are known for maiming and injuring rather than killing their opponents in order to capture sacrifices for the god of war and murder.