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"I was mortal once. A prince then, a prince now. The gods themselves called me to bear their Mark. I have time...to revel in this coming slaughter! I am a puppet no longer! I AM THE GODSLAYER!"

—The Godslayer upon achieving his dark apotheosis as a Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided[1]
Godslayer 1536 x 1536

The Godslayer, Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided

The Godslayer was a mighty Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided who led a Daemonic host known as the Legion of Chaos in the Prologue and Realm of Chaos campaigns for the computer game Total War: Warhammer III.[1a]

In his mortal life, the Godslayer was originally known as Yuri Barkov, a former Ungol prince of Kislev who was deeply devoted to the bear god Ursun. Sent on a dangerous mission north into the Chaos Wastes, Barkov would ultimately be corrupted by Chaos, denounce his former god and pledge his soul to the service of all four of the major Chaos Gods, even to the point of mortally wounding his once beloved deity.[1a]

Unique amongst the Daemon Princes of Chaos is the Godslayer's ability to morph the appearance and capabilities of his Daemonic body depending on which blessings of the Chaos Gods he has accepted. He gained this ability because as a servant of Chaos Undivided, he was able to receive boons from all four of the Ruinous Powers at once.[1]

History

Ungol Prince

"No, you are my prince. A worthy one at that. If I am Kislev's daughter, then you are Kislev's son. One thing you can learn from that fanatic -- let faith power you, let it be your armour and your strength. Then our god will find you..."

—Prince Yuri Barkov is charged by his old friend Tzarina Katarin with finding the missing bear god Ursun in the north[2]
Yuri Barkov

Prince Yuri Barkov of the Ungol people of Kislev, as seen in the prologue campaign of Total War: Warhammer III.

Foremost son of the aristocratic Barkov and Kovalenko families, Yuri Barkov was an Ungol noble hailing from the realm of Kislev, the northernmost kingdom of Men in the Old World, who claimed lands in the Duklys Forest as his own. Yuri's ancestors were granted the title of "prince" by the Emperor Magnus the Pious in the aftermath of the reconquest of Praag during the Great War Against Chaos, but this was merely a symbolic gesture which Yuri was never fond of, as the foreign title meant little in the Motherland.[2]

In the Tzardom of Kislev, Yuri's rank was that of a druzhina, merely a lower noble, but many Ungol tribes were loyal to him due to his heritage. Yuri was close to his younger brother, Gerik Barkov, who believed Yuri should embrace his title as a prince of the Ungol people just as the Gospodars always lorded their own titles over the Ungols they had conquered centuries before when they took the lands of Kislev for their own.[2] Yuri was a loyal follower of the bear god Ursun, the patron deity of Kislev,[1a] although he was dismissive of the patriarchs of the newly established faith of the Great Orthodoxy, which sought to combine the worship of all of the gods of Kislev under a single ecclesiastical hierarchy.[2]

Yuri Barkov was a childhood friend and former secret lover of Katarin Bokha, the current Tzarina of Kislev. They had met when they were only heirs to their respective positions, not a prince and a tzarina, and despite their difference in titles and status, Yuri had known her simply as "Kat." He had fond memories of their time together, and the smiles and jests they had once shared with each other.[2]

Yuri and Katarin had not seen each other in years, both of them assuming the roles they had been born into. Then, six years into a seemingly never-ending winter that was taking a terrible toll on the nation, Yuri was summoned to the capital by the tzarina. He arrived at the outskirts of Kislev City accompanied by his brother Gerik Barkov and Ungol Kossars loyal to him, and they were escorted into the city by Gryphon Legion warriors sent by Katarin. During Yuri's first night in the Bokha Palace he had a strange dream, in which a young man with golden locks and fire in his eyes failed to light the sun and an older, bearded man in chains told Yuri to find him.[2]

The next day Yuri and his followers attended court, where he saw Katarin once again. She was beutiful, yet stern and cold compared to the girl Yuri once knew, and she treated Yuri with the same frigid manner that had earned her the epithet of the "Ice Queen." She publicly asked him the reason he had come before her, despite the fact that Yuri believed she had summoned him.[2]

Confused by the tzarina's behaviour, Yuri and his retinue prepared to make their exit, but before they left he witnessed a tense confrontation between the tzarina and Kostaltyn, the supreme patriarch of the Cult of Ursun and leader of the Great Orthodoxy. When they had both exited the chamber, Kostatlyn seemly sought to make conversation, making threats about rumors of a witch who lived in Yuri's lands before going his own way, not even waiting for Yuri to respond.[2]

Back in his chambers, Yuri inspected his arm, as he had felt a strange sensation when he had talked with the tzarina. There, he saw a thin layer of ice from his wrist to his forearm, which contained a message including a location and a time before it instantly melted. Gathering his followers, Yuri travelled to the shrine of Ursun in the middle of the Winter Gardens.[2]

There he encountered Katarin again, only to be meet not by the cold gaze of the Ice Queen, but by the same warm smile that belonged to the girl he had loved. After the lovers embraced, Katarin explained that they had to meet in secret as she had enemies within Kislev who knew about their past and would seek to use their relationship against them. She revealed the reason behind the seemingly endless winter: Ursun was missing, gone, and without the bear god to break winter with his mighty roar spring would not come. She had a great task ahead for her Ungol prince: find their missing god so that Ursun;s roar could save Kislev from an eternal winter.[2]

However, the pair were interupted by Supreme Patriarch Kostatlyn, surrounded by Orthodoxy Guards, who accused the lovers of defiling the shrine with their actions. He revealed he had read the message on Yuri's arm via touch when he sought "conversation" with the Ungol prince. Kostatlyn demanded that Katarin give him stewardship over the realm, as he believed Kislev's monarchy had grown lazy and corrupt and needed to be replaced by the Orthodoxy if they were to survive their impending doom.[2]

In the confrontation that ensued, the supreme patriarch struck down one of Yuri's Kossars, resulting in Flesh Hounds of Khorne manifesting in the shrine. The opposing parties joined forces to banish the Daemons. Kostatlyn acknowledged Katarin's part in defeating their foe and was exiled from the capital, vowing to go to the coast towards the "true" shrine of Ursun.[2]

Once the lovers were alone again, Katarin revealed she intended to ride towards Black Blood Pass omn the morrow to confront an army of the Blood God. Yuri begged Katarin to let him fight by her side, but she told him his task to find Ursun was far more important. She revealed there were reports from Dervingard, Kislev's outpost in the Chaos Wastes, that said Ursun's roar had been heard in the north.[2]

Katarin told Yuri to return home, prepare his forces and wait for her orders, to use his faith as his armour and strength to find their god and save their Motherland. The two lovers said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, unaware this would be the last time they would see each other.[2]

Beginning of the Expedition

"Kislev, our Motherland, is dying. A dark winter devours her fairer seasons. It has been custom for our god, Ursun, the Great Bear, to break each winter with his roar. Yet for seven long years, he has fallen into silence. And so, the ice thickens. Our prayers go unanswered, the people suffer. The queen has sent me to investigate, to lead an expedition in search of Ursun. I am to make contact with our northernmost outpost, Dervingard. It was there, on the edge of the Chaos Wastes, our god's voice was last heard..."

—Prince Yuri Barkov[1a]

As the tzarina had requested, Yuri led his brother and their Kislevite warriors in an expedition northward into the lands of the Chaos Wastes, to find what had become of Ursun. However, the expedition suffered greatly in that unnatural landscape, and it was not long before the dead outnumbered the living among their forces. While Gerik Barkov encouraged his brother to keep moving forward, Yuri's warriors began to lose hope and demanded they return home. Desperate, Yuri prayed one last time to his god on top of a mountain.[1a]

Warhammer Yuri Respite

Yuri Barkov praying for his god Ursun's guidance. A voice answered his call, which he assumed to be that of the bear god.

In his darkest hour, Yuri heard a voice he believed to be Ursun answer his call, but the god claimed that he remained weak and bound by darkness. Ursun explained that his weakness meant that only Yuri could hear his voice, and only Yuri knew the way to save his god.[1a]

His determination restored by his communication with Ursun, Yuri ordered the expedition to push further north, but the harsh winter began to take its toll. In desperation, the Kislevite expedition sought refuge. In their search, they found supplies from the Kislevite outpost of Dervingard, at the edge of the Chaos Wastes.[1a]

Edge of Darkness

The Barkov expedition made camp in a refuge not far from where they found the supplies. There, a camp was made and a storehouse was created to protect what meagre supplies remained. It was then that the voice he believed to be Ursun once more spoke to Yuri, saying that his people were in danger north of the expedition's camp. In response to the voice, the expedition moved northward until they came across a band of Kislevite survivors travelling the hidden trails to avoid the open grounds.[1a]

Warhammer Yuri Beacon

The Barkov Expedition discovers the survivors of Dervingard.

The survivors spoke of how they left Dervingard after the mighty stronghold had fallen under a horrific assault by the forces of Chaos and that their commander, the boyar Slavin Kurnz, had abandoned his post. Others had fled from a smaller fort not far from their current position which they called "the Beacon." The survivors warned Yuri about the leader of the assault, a tribal chief with a great thirst for bloodshed and slaughter named Skollden, the Wolf of Dervingard. Yuri was presented with a choice to either punish the Wolf or save his countrymen within the Beacon.[1a]

In either case, the army of the Northmen was decimated and scattered by the Kislevite expedition. Skollden retreated into the ruins of Dervingard where Yuri pursued him and put down the barbarian servant of Khorne for good. With the Wolf's death, his mighty sword Wolfbane lay unclaimed in the blood-covered snow. A dark temptation took hold of the prince, the voice within his head tellingg him to take the blade up. With that, the prince took the first step on the road to damnation.[1a]

Road to Damnation

Warhammer Yuri Wastes

Yuri as he descended into the howling Chaos Wastes.

When the citadel of Dervingard was retaken, Yuri ordered his warriors to purge it of Chaos taint by building a totem to their god Ursun. News of its recapture was heard from Zorya, a Frost Maiden who had once served under the boyar Slavin Kurnz and who returned to serve the prince and aid him in his quest.[1a]

In the boyar's private chamber, Yuri discovered what had happened to the former commander of Dervingard by reading his journal. A darkness had taken hold of the boyar, his iron will slowly corrupted into a lust for power. Kurnz had abandoned his post and fled north, killing those who tried to stop him and hanging them upon the walls of the citadel. Determined to find the boyar, Yuri marched his expedition northward, despite the pleas of Gerik Barkov, his younger brother and advisor. All his warriors equally feared the consequences of this decision, for no good ever came to those who headed even further into the Northern Wastes.[1a]

With heavy hearts, the prince's army marched northward, and spurred on by the voice he believed to be that of Ursun, Yuri sought out the Lucent Maze within the Chaos Wastes. As he marched, Yuri read more and more from Slavin Kurnz's journal, falling deeper and deeper under its spell. As they marched ever northwards, Gerik and the troops under Yuri's command grew restless. Fear and suspicion began to creep into their hearts.[1a]

Yet Yuri had become obsessed, for he was desperate to know why this once noble commander had abandoned his duties and followed a dark road to damnation. Along the way, Yuri's army came upon a charred village of huts, the bodies of Northmen and their families scattered all around. The mark of Slavin Kurnz was clear for all to see. Yuri felt no pity for the deaths, for it was clear to him that these wretches had deserved nothing less than death.[1a]

Despite the pleas of Gerik, Yuri pressed on into the Lucent Maze, killing all that stood in his way, whether they were Daemons or Men. Within the maze, Yuri walked. For how long, Yuri couldn't say. Hours, days or even weeks might have passed. Yet finally, Yuri reached the heart of the maze and there he found runes in the Dark Tongue. Using the journal to interpret their meaning, Yuri knew where to go next. When he returned to his army, after so much time had passed, instead of cheers he was met with cold, hard stares. Yuri felt nothing but the sting of ingratitude, and dismissed their growing concerns about his behaviour.[1a]

Coming of a Conqueror

Warhammer Yuri Dominates

The tribes of the Northmen bow before their conqueror.

The runes told Yuri to make his way to the Howling Citadel, but to reach that place one had to first cross the Screaming Chasm. The voice he believed to be Ursun's urged Yuri to seek out the warriors of Khorne and to spill their blood. He should defile their unholy altars and take their power as his own. Then and only then would the being known as the Bridge-Maker be summoned, and a path across the chasm secured.

Yuri spurred his troops on, felling many Daemons and barbaric Northmen as he pushed the expedition further and further north. Soon, words of his exploits reached the ears of all the tribes in the region, including the Tong, Tahmaks, and Kvelligs.[1a]

Where before the tribes would have ridden out to crush these southern invaders, now they sent envoys and tributes to try and buy his allegiance. Yuri saw opportunity and lusted for the power of dominating the tribes of the Northmen rather than seeing them as obstacles to his quest. One by one they fell to his army, until finally Yuri and his troops came upon the charred red lands of the Blood God's warriors. There, Gerik pleaded with his brother one last time, begging him to turn back. He and Yuri's troops were afraid of what would come if they continued on their path, but Yuri only berated his brother and his troops for their cowardice. The expedition would push forward and seek out their god, or die in the attempt.[1a]

Thus Yuri led his army against the hordes of Khorne's chosen warriors. The Kislevites slaughtered the Blood God's warriors. Yuri then defiled the Shrine of Khorne by imbedding his blade upon its altar, and due to the sheer numbers of enemy warriors he and his forces had slain, Yuri was blessed with great power by the Blood God and now knew how to summon the Bridge-Maker. Yuri's embrace of the Blood God's power was watched with horror by the Kislevites, who saw it as heresy. Gerik berated his brother for engaging in such a dark act and many among among the expedition began to wonder if it was truly the voice of Ursun that was driving the prince forward in his quest.[1a]

The Blood-Price

Warhammer Yuri betrays

The price to pay for Yuri to reach the Howling Citadel was the life of his own brother, which he gladly paid...

At long last did the expedition venture into the Screaming Chasm, the last obstacle before reaching the Howling Citadel, where Yuri believed Ursun was trapped in chains. The Bridge-Maker appeared before him, a mighty Bloodthirster of Khorne. While his troops were terrified of the Greater Daemon, Yuri stood emotionless and unconcerned.[1a]

At the Bridge-Maker's behest, skulls rained from the sky and were sent screaming into the abyss which formed a bridge of bone across the Screaming Chasm. But the Bridge-Maker demanded a price for Yuri's army to cross, that thing which was precious to him above all others. And that price was the life of his brother, Gerik Barkov. Good and loyal Gerik, who had trusted Yuri when others would not. Gerik, who had tried to protect his brother from the consequences of his own poor choices. Though sorrowful, Yuri was willing to pay the price the Daemon demanded so that he might reach the end of his quest. He slew his own brother, and with that death, Yuri Barkov's damnation was complete.[1a]

The bridge toll paid, Yuri proceeded into the Howling Citadel. His army wavered, distraught beyond words at what had become of their prince and the foul deed he had just carried out. Yet they still followed the prince, for they now feared his wrath more than they feared for their own souls. They, too, were already damned.[1a]

Betrayal

"What I did... I did for Ursun!"

—Prince Yuri Barkov[1a]

"You did it for yourself! Took what your heart desired! Look how you revelled in your dark baptism..."

—Be'lakor, the First Daemon Prince[1a]
Warhammer Be'lakor Yuri 1

Yuri Barkov was deceived all along by the machinations of the Dark Master, the first Daemon Prince Be'lakor.

It was the end of the road. Yuri had finally reached the Howling Citadel, and it was here that he found the man had been looking for. Slavin Kurnz stood at the gates of the citadel with an army of Northmen at his command, atop a mighty War Mammoth dedicated to the Dark Gods.{Fn|1a}}

Yuri did not falter, even as his troops stood at the threshold to darkness, for with his command, the mighty Bridge-Maker had dedicated his might to the cause of the prince. In a mighty battle, the prince defeated his enemies and took the boyar's cursed pistol for himself. Walking through the corpses of his former comrades and countrymen, Yuri stood before a portal into the Aethyr, and through this portal Yuri was sent deep within the maddening reality known as the Realm of Chaos.[1a]

There, he sought his god, but all he found was shadows. A voice spoke once more, a voice that Yuri felt was all too familiar. Yuri demanded that the speaker finally step out of the shadows. A form appeared before him, and in a dark voice, it proclaimed that it IS the shadow. The voice belonged to Be'lakor, the first Daemon Prince and a servant of Chaos Undivided.[1a]

The Dark Master appeared before Yuri and congratulated him on his journey and how far he had travelled. Be'lakor explained that it was his voice which had spoken to Yuri, not that of Ursun, and that all that had happened had been meant to prepare Yuri to become his champion. Skollden, Slavin Kurnz, and even his own brother, were nothing but obstacles, stones meant to sharpen the blade of the Dark Master's new champion. Yuri became distraught at this deception. In disbelief, he cried out that all he had done had been for Ursun alone. Bela'kor laughed at this self-deception, claiming that Yuri had done it all only for himself.[1a]

Warhammer Yuri renounces Ursun

The mortal wounding of the bear god Ursun at the hands of Yuri Barkov.

With hard eyes, Yuri demanded to see Ursun, and Be'lakor allowed him to see the bear god. Behind the Dark Master, mighty Ursun stood chained in the Forge of Souls, bloodied and dying. When asked by Be'lakor what he saw, Yuri, with a faltering voice, said he saw only weakness. A mere beast not worthy of the worship and sacrifices that Yuri and the people had long made to the bear god.[1a]

His faith faltering, Be'lakor whispered into Yuri's ears, urging him to take the power of the bear god for his own. Ursun pleaded for Yuri to see through the deception and lies of the Daemon Prince and free him, so that his people and homeland might yet be saved. For a brief moment, Yuri stood impassive, his soul conflicted and torn asunder.[1a]

Then, for the briefest of moments, the last flickering ember of Yuri's Humanity was finally extinguished by the raw hate that now consumed him. With the pistol he stole from Slavin Kurnz, its cursed barrel imbued with runes in the Dark Tongue, Yuri aimed the weapon at his former god. Yuri renounced the worship of Ursun and fired a shot from the Chaos-corrupted pistol into the breast of the bear god.[1a]

The Godslayer

"Be'lakor...you betray me! I will not die here. Gods of Chaos...I lie here broken, failed by my god. Cast out by Be'lakor. I have tasted but a morsel of your power...Look at what I have achieved! Let me feast upon it...Kislev will be mine! And together we will serve you. Bestow me, your terrible grace!"

—Yuri Barkov calls out for Daemonic apotheosis at the hands of the Chaos Gods[1a]
Warhammer Yuri Brokens

Yuri Barkov is cast out from the Realm of Chaos after mortally wounding Ursun, betrayed and broken.

The wounding of Ursun by Yuri Barkov sent a shockwave of divine power rippling across both the mortal and immortal realms. And so did Be'lakor's plan come to fruition. He would use the bear god's corpse as bait, leading other mighty champions to this divine carrion in the hopes of gathering more power, so that he might himself become a god and at last gain his vengeance upon the other Ruinous Powers. And so, in that final moment, Be'lakor had also betrayed Yuri Barkov.[1]

Warhammer Yuri Godslayer

Yuri Barkov is no more. He achieved apotheosis and became the Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided known as the Godslayer by the will of all four major Chaos Gods.

Cast out of the Realm of Chaos by the magical shockwave of Ursun's mortal wounding, Yuri's shattered body lay in the snow of the Chaos Wastes, bleeding and broken. But Yuri refused to die there, in those cold, northern lands. With nothing left but his hatred, he pleaded with the Chaos Gods for their power, for their guidance. And in exchange, he promised to forever serve them, and bring low the lands of his birth, placing Kislev at last under their rule.[1a]

As the last bit of life left him, Yuri's body suddenly rose into the heavens, and was torn asunder by Dark Magic. His physical form was remade anew, granted apotheosis by the intervention of the four major Dark Gods so that he might become a Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided. He was Yuri Barkov no more. Now, he would be known only as the "Godslayer."[1a]

Reborn as a Daemonic servant of Chaos, the Godslayer travelled to Norsca, where he gathered an army of Daemons he named the Legion of Chaos. The Daemon Prince intended to march south towards Kislev, conquer his former homeland and take Ursun's place as its new Dark God. However, before he could begin his invasion, he was approached by the enigmatic mortal known as "The Advisor." Thinking he was just another manipulator, the Godslayer sought to rid himself of the mortal interloper, until the Advisor revealed that Be'lakor's betrayal cut even deeper than the Godslayer had realised.[1]

Legion of Chaos Total War Warhammer III

Icon of the Legion of Chaos, the Daemons of Chaos army led by the Godslayer in Total War: Warhammer III

Ursun was not dead by the Godslayer's hand, but still alive. The bear god had been mortally wounded by the Godslayer's shot, no doubt, but had not yet expired. Be'lakor still had the dying bear god imprisoned in the Forge of Souls, and the Dark Master intended to wait for Ursun's death and use the forge to transfer the god's divine power to himself.[1]

Then Be'lakor would at last ascend to the godhood he had felt he always deserved in direct opposition to the Chaos Gods themselves. Direct access to the Realm of Chaos was still blocked by the energies unleashed by Ursun's dying wail, but the Advisor offered the Godslayer a way into the Forge of Souls in exchange for a single drop of the bear god's blood, for the Advisor sought to free himself from his own chains to the Dark God Tzeentch and the Chaos relic called the Tome of Fate.[1]

The Godslayer agreed to the new bargain, intending to finish the job he had started in the name of the Ruinous Powers and claim Ursun's power for himself. He would again quest to find Ursun as he had once done in his mortal life and finally claim the bear god's life -- and the soul of Kislev -- for his own.[1]

Total War: Warhammer III

Daemons Of Chaos Warhammer III

The Godslayer leading the Daemons of the Legion of Chaos in Total War: Warhammer III.

The Godslayer is central to the narrative of Total War: Warhammer III's Realm of Chaos single player story campaign, as well as the first playable Legendary Lord for the Daemons of Chaos faction. Yuri Barkov acts as the protagonist of the prologue campaign, The Lost God, which tells the story of his quest to find Ursun and his fall to Chaos.

Yuri's younger brother, Gerik Barkov, acts as his campaign advisor in The Lost God.

As the player continues through the prologue campaign, subtle changes in Yuri's character model and voice hints at his slow descent into damnation. Interestingly, the voice that speaks to Yuri changes subtly as the campaign progresses, from a noble and strong voice to one with a harsh and dark tone.

In the Realm of Chaos campaign, the player is able to customise the Godslayer by choosing between the gifts of each of the Chaos Gods and Chaos Undivided, being able to change the Daemon Prince's appearance, wargear, abilities and statistics by combining the gifts of the various Ruinous Powers.

The player is also able to choose Yuri's new Daemonic name in-game before beginning the campaign, and when acting as an NPC faction he will take a randomly selected name as his own, but he is referred to as the "Godslayer" in cutscenes.

The short story "Son of Kislev," written for the release of Total War: Warhammer III by Andy Hall, states that Yuri Barkov is the son of both the Barkov and Kovalenko families. The Kovalenko family name is a nod to a minor Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay character, Yuri Kovalenko, an Ungol nomad who was slowly corrupted by his possession of a Chaos artefact. Yuri Barkov's story is likely inspired by Yuri Kovalenko's who was originally only meant to be used as an adventure hook in the 2nd Edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay sourcebook on Kislev, the Realm of the Ice Queen.

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