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]

Warhammer Har Ganeth Executioners — Executioners beheading a horde of daemons with ease.

The Executioners are some of the deadliest fighters within the Dark Elf city of Har Ganeth.

Overview

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. It is from Har Ganeth that Hellebron rules over the Witch Elves, 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. 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 Har Ganeth society and a punishment for all manner of diverse crimes.^[1a]

So adept have the guards of Har Ganeth become at their bloody art, they are now notorious throughout Naggaroth as the Executioners. Each spends half his waking day in his duties as sentry, and the other half practising with his 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. The Executioners are not frenetic butchers, but rather cold-blooded killers who take pride in dispatching their foes with the minimum of effort. 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.^[1a]

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. It can take decades for an Executioner to perfect his chosen strike, to judge precisely the angle of the blow and how the blade might be deflected or otherwise cheated by splinters of bone. Every Executioner carries a draich, the ceremonial weapon of his calling. Each draich is forged by its wielder under the supervision of the armourers of Khaine's great temple. As an Executioner learns his bloody skills, he also refines his weapon so that the two are as one. Some Executioners prefer a heavy axe-like blade, others 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]