"And behold, a Daemon Lord comes in the full panoply of battle. At his passing, the trees gibber their rage, and the stones shout their hate to the uncaring sky. He hunts the enemies of his Master, for his meat is mortal flesh and his wine mortal souls. At his left hand moans a Daemon, bound in the shape of an axe. Its songs of blood and hatred echo forth and fill the sky with a moaning that stirs the dead. At his right hand stand Lesser Daemons, huntsmen all, straining at the leashes of the Hounds. They chomp upon the shades and spirits they have harried, throwing morsels of innocence to each other, so that all may sample the sweetest meat. Behind him wait the Legions of his Master, arrayed in armour fluted and chased with gold, brighter than the sun and darker than midnight. Each holds a shrieking sword, each screams in disharmony with his blade, each joins the chorus of Chaos, a promise of worse than death for those that hear it. Beneath their feet, the earth writhes at their touch, as if seeking to escape their presence. Behold, a Daemon Lord comes, and we are doomed..."
- —Codex Daemonica[1a]
The mightiest of the Daemon servants of the Chaos Gods from the Realm of Chaos are known as the Greater Daemons. They are incarnations of their Chaos God, living embodiments of everything Chaos represents. They are the guardians of their god's realm and the executors of its will.
Often the Greater Daemons lead incursions into the mortal world, and act as the heralds of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos to Champions of Chaos and Chaos Sorcerers. Yet, they still have their own ambitions and plans, each contributing a part to the greater consciousness that is the Dark Gods.[1a]
While Exalted Daemons and Daemon Princes are forces of great power, they are as nothing when compared to the magnificence of the true Masters of Chaos. The Greater Daemons exemplify the qualities of their dark masters, most closely resembling those traits and characteristics mortals expect to find in the Dark Gods. Their powers are beyond all others in the Old World. They are capable of slaughtering armies on their own, and can warp the very landscape with their presence. To know them is madness, to face them is death. They are Chaos incarnate.[1a]
The Greater Daemons are the mightiest minions the Chaos Gods have in their employ, capable of great destruction in the mortal realm and influence over weak-willed mortals. Since they have such power, they are the closest to the Ruinous Powers, mirroring many of the same emotions and actions of their gods. Greater Daemons always operate to advance their master's cause. They may be at the centre of a vast conspiracy to undo the structures and organisations within the Empire or be the driving force behind a horde of mortals spilling out of the Wastes to raze Kislev. But one would do best never to underestimate the cunning of these creatures. They are intelligent and driven, and their existence is a blight on the world.[1a]
Types of Greater Daemons
Major Chaos Gods
Greater Daemons of Minor Chaos Gods
- Verminlords - The favoured Daemons of the Horned Rat. They also share a similarity to Daemon Princes, as they are former Lords of Decay who have been granted Daemonhood.
Daemons of Hashut
- K'daai Destroyers - The K'daai Destroyers are Daemons of Hashut, similar in power to a Greater Daemon, and bound into a metal body.