"I have no right to pray to Sigmar anymore, but from the Daemons guarding the gateway to the Realm of Chaos, I ask for your deliverance. Rest now, sleep for eternity. You are now free of the withering clouds of war."
- —Count Mordrek the Damned, to a dying Reiksguard knight[1a]
Mordrek the Damned is a count and a legendary Chaos Lord who was given the ultimate gift of immortality, a gift which proved to be both a blessing and a curse, as is often true with the "gifts" of the Dark Gods.
History[]
"Let Mordrek be a warning to all those who would seek fame and life eternal from the Daemon Gods of Chaos, for he has both these things and yet he is damned."
- —Hugo Lazzare's "Grim stories and cautionary tales"[3a]
Origins[]
Count Mordrek is an enigma to most of the mortal world. None remember how Count Mordrek the Damned came into his fate. Are there even any amongst the wise of the Old World who recall which god he served? If such men exist they keep their own counsel.[1a]
However, what is kwoen is that in 1882 IC, Count Mordrek, who was the son of the Reikland Emperor, led a disciplined army of Sigmarite Middenlanders to retake the Brass Keep in the Middle Mountains. Mordrek's dominion over the Brass Keep proved a troubled one, and somehow the influence of the mountains or the cursed halls drove Mordrek to embrace the worship of the Ruinous Powers.[6a]
It is commonly supposed that the Chaos Gods rewarded Count Mordrek with the gift of Living Damnation. He walks the world at the whim of the Dark Gods, never dying, yet never ascending to the Realm of Chaos as a Daemon Prince. He has been slain many times and each time he is resurrected to serve again. He has endured many deaths and lived many life-times of mortal Men.[1a]
The curse that lies upon Count Mordrek the Damned is to endure eternal change as well as eternal life. Within his Chaos Armour his form writhes with constant mutation. Only the Chaos Gods know why they have chosen such a fate for their servant, and their reasons are not for mortals to understand.[1a]
The legends say that Mordrek hopes one day to be freed of this curse of non-permanence and ascend to the peaceful rest of death. This is a dream of one in denial, for Chaos Gods never tire of their games. Mordrek must slay in the name of his infernal masters, for he is a pawn in their great schemes that they never tire of using.[3a]
Surely he must envy even those victims that are transformed into grotesque Chaos Spawn by the touch of his sword, for they have gained the oblivion he craves, but cannot have. Such is the curse of Mordrek the Damned.[3a]
Count Mordrek maintains his own fortress in the Chaos Wastes, which for whatever reason has become every bit as resiliant as its master. If the fortress is knocked down, it will simply grow right up again, ready to face the next assault. At some point the Skaven launched an assault on the fortress for unknown reasons and have been stuck in an endless siege ever since. It's unknown if Mordrek is even aware of the attack the ratmen have launched against his stronghold.[4]
During the 26th century IC, in the sun-kissed lands of Tilea, Mordrek occupied a structure called the Stalking Tower in the city-state of Miragliano. Atop its undulating battlements he duelled with the Dwarf Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson. Though the duel's outcome is unknown, the Slayer did not find the death he sought that day against the powerful Chaos Lord.[5a]
End Times[]
"I never stood a chance..."
- —Last words of Mordrek the Damned.[2a]
It was revealed during the End Times that Mordrek was once the lord of Brass Keep, an Elector Count of the Empire and the son of an emperor. He besieged Middenheim, where he fought against Valten, the Chosen of Sigmar. After a brief but brutal duel, Count Mordrek the Damned was brought low and finally laid to rest for the last and final time. His last words betrayed a sigh of relief, a final end to his long, hard journey.[2]
On two separate occasions before the Fall of Middenheim in 2527 IC, the Norscan Chaos Lord Wulfrik the Wanderer was challenged by the Chaos Gods to hunt down and defeat Mordrek the Damned. He did so and managed to kill Mordrek both times, though the Chaos Lord was quickly reborn after those defeats.[2]
Wargear[]
- Chaos Sword of Change - This sword has the ability to mutate all those it touches into Chaos Spawn.[1a]
- Chaos Armour - Modrek always wears a suit of Chaos Armor, as all Champions of Chaos do.[1a]
- Chaos Steed - Like many Chaos Champions, Mordrek is almost always seen with a Daemonic Chaos Steed.[1a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Champions of Chaos (5th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 20
- 2: Lord of the End Times (Novel), by Josh Reynolds
- 3: Liber Chaotica (Background Book)
- 3a: pg. 387
- 4: Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Other Damned Count (Archived)
- 5: Gotrek and Felix: The Serpent Queen (Novel) by Josh Reynolds
- 5a: Chapter Map
- 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: The Horned Rat Companion (RPG)
- 6a: pg. 75