Htarken, also called "Htarken the Everchanging," was a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch with special interest in the Dwarfs who helped to provoke and prolong the War of the Beard between the Dwarfs and the High Elves in a successful attempt to weaken both of the Elder Races.
History[]
Htarken fought at the side of the Nurglite Daemon Prince Alkhor during the reign of the Dwarf High King Snorri Whitebeard, leading a host of Tzeentchian Daemons to meet the armies of Prince Malekith and Whitebeard in battle at the slopes of Karag Vlak. The Daemon betrayed his ally, but was slain afterwards by the high king through the sacrifice of the rune hammer Angazuf.[1a]
In secret, Htarken returned, posing as a Dwarf named Drogor Zarrdum, whose clan had left the south to search for Karak Zorn. As Drogor, Htarken claimed that his clan had been eradicated during the journey by an attack with arrows that resembled those of Elves. [1b] In this way, the Daemon sowed discord and suspicion against the Elves among the Dwarfs, with Prince Snorri Halfhand becoming one of his friends. [1c] Htarken accompanied Halfhand on the first Dwarf raids against the Asur, fanning in the Dwarf prince hatred and pride that drove him even further, taking care to avoid the presence of Runesmiths who might reveal his true, Daemonic nature. [1g]
Halfhand valued Htarken's counsel, even making him a thane. [1d] Htarken watched as Halfhand began the assault on Kor Vanaeth, beginning what would become known as the War of the Beard. [1e] During the conflict, Htarken served as Snorri Halfhand's standard bearer, encouraging the prince to ever more brutal acts of war and offering counsel which led to Halfhand's confrontation with the High Elven Phoenix King Caledor II. [1f] The Daemon filled Halfhand with doubt about his destiny before the fateful duel, weakening his resolve. [1g]
After Snorri Halfhand's death, "Drogor" vanished. Instead, he reappeared in Barak Varr, lending aid and knowledge to its engineers in the creation of tharzharr, an incendiary that would burn through anything it touched and which was created from a green-black substance the Dwarfs called "Foulstone." [2a] Commanding one of the airships constructed in the city, Htarken took his place in the battle above the Skarrenawi city Kazad Mingol. The airship was destroyed by Dragons allied with the High Elves, and crashed into the settlement, killing hundreds of Dwarfs, including large parts of the army of the Skarrenawi. Other airships were engulfed by flames, causing them to crash, too, which resulted in the Dwarfen Engineers Guild forever after banning these constructions.[2a]
The Daemon Prince later reappeared in Barak Varr, killing the engineer responsible for building the first airship and masking it as a gas explosion, knowing that if this technology were allowed to flourish, the Dwarfs could easily defeat the High Elves and even become a threat to the legions of Chaos. [2b] Htarken detonated the reserves of tharzharr stored in the harbour of Barak Varr, killing most of its army including King Brynnoth, then led the relief force commanded by Morgrim Elgidum to Asur forces commanded by Lord Caerwal who were poisoning Barak Varr's water supply.[2c]
Afterwards, Htarken inserted himself in the retinue of Morgrim, seeking to drive him to further excesses in battle to avenge the wrongs committed by the Elves and maneuver him into a position where the fabled Dwarf hero could be killed to further incense his fellow Dwarfs against the High Elves. [2d]
Htarken was present during the destruction of Athel Toralien under the command of Morgrim and the Daemon sought to convince him to slaughter its fleeing Elven civilians, but was overruled. [2e] In the end, High Runelord Morek Furrowbrow revealed the Daemon's masquerade on the night before the siege of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir, using a feather taken from the Daemon Prince in his true form as a trophy after Htarken's defeat by High King Snorri Whitebeard. After trading accusations with the Dwarfs, the Daemon gloated that it had nothing to do with the war -- it simply had watched the pride and stubbornness of the Dwarfs take its natural course, leading to a conflict which would leave the main enemies of the Dark Gods among the Elder Races as wasted, ruined shells.[2e]
Htarken then fought the retinue of Morgrim and nearly killed the Dwarf hero. In the end, the Daemon Prince was slain by Rundin Torbansson, wielding both the rune axe of Morgrim, Azdrakghar, and the reforged blade of Imladrik, Ifulvin. With its last power, Htarken killed the Dwarf that had slain it before its essence was banished back to the Realm of Chaos.[2e]
Appearance[]
While the Daemon Prince Htarken had many forms, in war, when it had no need to hide, it chose the shape of a cowled, humanoid figure with feathered wings and a beak. Swathed in multicoloured flesh-cloth, the Daemon wielded a staff of obsidian carved with the faces of the damned.[1a]
Its voice was a hundred different voices at once, mixed with the crackle of fire, the howling of wind, the breaking of wood and other sounds, like the gibbering of the insane, pleas for mercy and cries of slaughter, putting any listener on edge. [1a]
In its identity as Drogor Zarrdum, Htarken had the shape of a male Dwarf with tanned, dark skin and sun-bleached hair, always clad in a mantle of multicoloured feathers. The only thing strange about Drogor were his nearly unblinking eyes.[1b]