"Death's true face radiates sinister magic; the cruel laughter of ancient gods echoes within its shadow."
- —Description of a Hierotitan in Total War: Warhammer II.[2a]
A mighty Hierotitan
A Hierotitan is a gigantic, magically-animated statue whose face is carved in the likeness of one of the Nehekharan deities of death. These idols radiate a sinister aura of magic, and it is said that those who stand within their shadow can hear the cruel laughter of ancient gods.[1a]
Hierotitans were constructed to stand within the uppermost chambers of the Tomb Kings' burial pyramids. It was believed that they would act as spirit guides for the souls of deceased priest-kings, responsible for ushering the eternal spirits of these ancient monarchs between the mortal world and the Realm of Souls.[1a]
Role[]
A Hierotitan armed with the Icon of Ptra and the Scales of Usirian, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
No expense was spared in sculpting a Hierotitan, a towering effigy whose form was lavished with gold and gems. In one hand, a Hierotitan carries an elaborate staff, known as the Icon of Ptra, which bears the hieroglyph of the ancient Nehekharan sun god and lights the Hierotitan's path as it walks in the abyss that separates the mortal world from the Realm of Souls. This light wards away the evil spirits that dwell in the dark, Daemons who would otherwise prey on the souls of those wandering the void.[1a]
A Hierotitan of the Tomb Kings as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
The Hierotitan's other hand grasps a giant pair of scales, called the Scales of Usirian. According to legends, it is upon these scales that the priest-king's soul is judged by the god of the Underworld to see if it is worthy enough to enter the realm of the honoured dead, or whether it is to be cast into the fiery pits of the Netherworld. Both these items are wrought with powerful incantations, for the fate of the king's eternal spirit depends upon them.[1a]
Interred within the chest of a Hierotitan is the mummified body of an ancient Nehekharan priest. These were the high priests of the Mortuary Cult that lived and died as mortal men, before the time when their knowledge was such that they could walk the lands of Nehekhara for all time as the Undead Liche Priests. In their lifetime, these priests studied the art of communion with the gods. Thus, as they served their king in life, so their soul would continue to serve him in death. It is the magically attuned soul of the deceased priest that allows the Hierotitan to walk in two worlds at once, acting as a conduit between the two realms.[1a]
Warfare[]
A Hierotitan unleashes beams of blazing magical power from its eyes against a force of Skaven in Total War: Warhammer II.
To a Hierotitan's guiding soul, the mortal world appears as a dream. Their very presence on the battlefield creates a direct link between the mortal plane and the Realm of Souls through which the Nehekharan gods hear the rituals of the Liche Priests. When a Hierotitan strides across the land, the incantations of the Mortuary Cult are leant great power. Entire regiments of enemy soldiers are dragged beneath the sands at the uttering of the simplest incantation, and a single syllable read from a magical scroll can summon a vast plague of desert locusts that envelops and consumes their foes.[1a]
In battle, the Hierotitan can infuse its staff with the light of the sun god Ptra, causing those caught in the dazzling rays to burst into flames. Likewise, the Hierotitan can unleash the power contained within its foreboding scales, and ethereal claws will stretch out and rip their foes' souls from their bodies.[1a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 52
- 2: Total War: Warhammer II (PC Game)
- 2a: Unit description of Hierotitan
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