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| + | The '''Liche Priests''' are the undying members of Nehekhara's Mortuary Cult, and they hold the secrets to unlife. They know the rituals needed to draw forth spirits from the Realm of Souls and bind them once more into corporeal bodies. It is the Liche Priests who rouse the Tomb Kings and their courts from their slumber and awaken their armies for war. Liche Priests are also the keepers of Nehekhara's arcane lore.{{Fn|1a}} |
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| − | [[File:Liche_Priest_vs_Dwarfs_Colour_Illustration.png|thumb|300px|A Liche Priest restoring his [[Temple Guard]]s to fight against the [[Dwarfs]].]] |
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| − | '''Liche Priests''' are the servants of the Mortuary Cult of ancient [[Nehekhara]]. Obsessed with both the veneration of the dead and the search for eternal life, the Liche Priests finally discovered a way they could live forever. However over the millennia of their unnatural lifespans, the Liche Priests' bodies have decayed, forcing them to use embalming techniques and other methods to keep their fragile corpse-like forms in one piece. Disgustingly gaunt and fleshless, the Liche Priests now serve the resurrected [[Tomb Kings]] in their unlife, casting incantations that draw on the divine power of the Desert Gods in the Land of the Dead. |
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| + | Through ritualistic incantations, they call upon the power of ancient gods to bestow blessings upon the warriors of the Tomb Kings, infusing their ancient bones with magical energy. Similarly, Liche Priests cast terrible curses upon their foes, summoning vengeful desert spirits to feast on their souls.{{Fn|1a}} |
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| + | ==Overview== |
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| + | |||
| + | Since its founding, the Mortuary Cult was commanded to study the arts of mummification and communion with the gods. Steadily, over many centuries, the priests learned how to preserve a corpse from decay until the art of embalming had become very elaborate. The priesthood also devised a vast lore of magical incantations and rituals intended to bind the souls of the dead kings back into their royal bodies. Since a king depended on the Mortuary Cult's knowledge and loyalty in order to live beyond his own death, the Liche Priests held great power in ancient Nehekhara. Indeed, Liche Priests were the only subjects who could not be executed. In this way, the priesthood became a formidable power behind malty thrones. Licht: Priests acted as advisors and viziers to the kings of Nehekhara, and their status was second only to that of the ruling families.{{Fn|1a}} |
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| + | Each necropolis, with the burial pyramids of the Tomb Kings at its core, has a temple dedicated to Nehekhara's Mortuary Cult, and it is here where the Liche Priests preside. In addition to the rituals of summoning, Liche Priests have many duties to perform in the necropolis, including renewing the seals upon the portals of the tomb vaults, maintaining the incantations of preservation, and determining the moment of a Tomb King's awakening. The Liche Priests continue to perform these duties for centuries because they cannot die a natural death, cursed forever by their own lust for immortality: Long ago, the Liche Priests used their accumulated knowledge to trap their own souls within their bodies, and in doing so they extended their lives far beyond those of mortal men. However, whilst their spirits never passed into the Realm of Souls, their bodies have withered with the passing of centuries, and it is their spirit alone that now animates their forms. Without realising it, the entire priesthood cursed itself — not to eternal life, but to eternal undeath. Liche Priests' physical bodies are now little more than withered corpses.{{Fn|1a}} |
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| + | ==Warfare== |
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| + | When Settra calls for war, the Liche Priest gather to awnser the call. Hunched and frail, their dry, wizened skins are stretched like old parchment over their brittle skeletons. Each is garbed in an elaborate headdress, and clutched in their skeletal hands are ritual knives and rune-inscribed staffs, which act as both the Liche Priests' crutches and symbols of office. The Liche Priests believe the Winds of Magic to be the breath of their gods, a power that connects the mortal world to the realms beyond. The magical incantations of Nehekhara's Liche Priests have been perfected over millennia, and they have remained unchanged since that time. The wording of each and every incantation is recorded on dusty papyrus scrolls written in the mysterious hieroglyphs of Nehekhara's ancient language. Uttered in long, monotonous rituals, the incantations of the Liche Priests must be precisely pronounced, for the slightest mistake can incite the wrath of the gods. It is not unknown for the angered deities to snap the bones of the offending Liche Priest, set his form ablaze or even rend his soul asunder as punishment — such are the risks when harnessing the power of gods.{{Fn|1a}} |
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==Miniatures== |
==Miniatures== |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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| − | * ''Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings'' ( |
+ | * {{Endn|1}}: ''Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings'' (8th Edition) |
| − | * pg. |
+ | **{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 31 |
| − | * pg. 34 |
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| − | * pg. 35 |
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| − | * ''Warhammer Armies: Tomb Kings'' (8th Edition) |
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| − | * pg. 31 |
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| − | * pg. 61 |
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| − | * ''Warhammer RPG 2nd Edition: Lure of th Liche Lord'' |
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| − | * pg. 80 |
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| − | * pg. 81 |
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| − | * pg. 82 |
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[[es:Sacerdotes Funerarios]] |
[[es:Sacerdotes Funerarios]] |
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[[Category:L]] |
[[Category:L]] |
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Revision as of 01:40, 23 October 2016
The Liche Priests are the undying members of Nehekhara's Mortuary Cult, and they hold the secrets to unlife. They know the rituals needed to draw forth spirits from the Realm of Souls and bind them once more into corporeal bodies. It is the Liche Priests who rouse the Tomb Kings and their courts from their slumber and awaken their armies for war. Liche Priests are also the keepers of Nehekhara's arcane lore.[1a]
Through ritualistic incantations, they call upon the power of ancient gods to bestow blessings upon the warriors of the Tomb Kings, infusing their ancient bones with magical energy. Similarly, Liche Priests cast terrible curses upon their foes, summoning vengeful desert spirits to feast on their souls.[1a]
Overview
Since its founding, the Mortuary Cult was commanded to study the arts of mummification and communion with the gods. Steadily, over many centuries, the priests learned how to preserve a corpse from decay until the art of embalming had become very elaborate. The priesthood also devised a vast lore of magical incantations and rituals intended to bind the souls of the dead kings back into their royal bodies. Since a king depended on the Mortuary Cult's knowledge and loyalty in order to live beyond his own death, the Liche Priests held great power in ancient Nehekhara. Indeed, Liche Priests were the only subjects who could not be executed. In this way, the priesthood became a formidable power behind malty thrones. Licht: Priests acted as advisors and viziers to the kings of Nehekhara, and their status was second only to that of the ruling families.[1a]
Each necropolis, with the burial pyramids of the Tomb Kings at its core, has a temple dedicated to Nehekhara's Mortuary Cult, and it is here where the Liche Priests preside. In addition to the rituals of summoning, Liche Priests have many duties to perform in the necropolis, including renewing the seals upon the portals of the tomb vaults, maintaining the incantations of preservation, and determining the moment of a Tomb King's awakening. The Liche Priests continue to perform these duties for centuries because they cannot die a natural death, cursed forever by their own lust for immortality: Long ago, the Liche Priests used their accumulated knowledge to trap their own souls within their bodies, and in doing so they extended their lives far beyond those of mortal men. However, whilst their spirits never passed into the Realm of Souls, their bodies have withered with the passing of centuries, and it is their spirit alone that now animates their forms. Without realising it, the entire priesthood cursed itself — not to eternal life, but to eternal undeath. Liche Priests' physical bodies are now little more than withered corpses.[1a]
Warfare
When Settra calls for war, the Liche Priest gather to awnser the call. Hunched and frail, their dry, wizened skins are stretched like old parchment over their brittle skeletons. Each is garbed in an elaborate headdress, and clutched in their skeletal hands are ritual knives and rune-inscribed staffs, which act as both the Liche Priests' crutches and symbols of office. The Liche Priests believe the Winds of Magic to be the breath of their gods, a power that connects the mortal world to the realms beyond. The magical incantations of Nehekhara's Liche Priests have been perfected over millennia, and they have remained unchanged since that time. The wording of each and every incantation is recorded on dusty papyrus scrolls written in the mysterious hieroglyphs of Nehekhara's ancient language. Uttered in long, monotonous rituals, the incantations of the Liche Priests must be precisely pronounced, for the slightest mistake can incite the wrath of the gods. It is not unknown for the angered deities to snap the bones of the offending Liche Priest, set his form ablaze or even rend his soul asunder as punishment — such are the risks when harnessing the power of gods.[1a]
