A Rot Fly as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.[2]
Rot Flies are flying, insectoid Daemons of Nurgle known for their particular malevolence and spite against mortals, traits unusual among the Neverborn servants of the Plaguelord. The Daemonic Plaguebearer stewards of Nurgle's Garden, known as Plague Drones, ride into the mortal realm mounted upon Rot Flies, who are greatly prized by the these Plaguebearers as mounts for their speed. It is said that the appearance of a Rot Fly is so repugnant that it leaves festering scars upon the mortal mind.[1a]
The Rot Flies are amongst Nurgle's most loathsome creations. Some Beasts of Nurgle, the larval form of the Rot Flies, become perpetually disappointed by the rag-doll inactivity of their mortal playthings, developing a kernel of bitterness in their ebullient souls. Crestfallen puzzlement leads to frustration and ultimately an aching resentment of the mortals that spurn its company. Over the millennia, a thin seed of malice grows in such a Beast's heart, feeding upon the Daemon's depression and angst until it throbs like a canker at the Daemon's core.[1a]
The final straw comes when the Beast of Nurgle is betrayed unto death by those mortals it wishes to call its friends. Banished to the Realm of Chaos by some ingrate's blows, the Beast flops and huffs into a tremendous sulk, its tiny mind gnawed by the knowledge that it cannot return to the mortal domain. This is when the Rot Fly that lurks within begins to take over. Over the centuries that the Beast is bound to remain in the Realm of Chaos, it slowly pupates, secreting a thick mucous of negativity to protect it from the harsh reality outside.[1a]
As the chitinous nub of hate that lurks within the Beast grows strong on the sallow bulk of its former incarnation, a Daemonic metamorphosis takes place. Eventually the creature within bursts out of its fleshy sac as a full-grown Rot Fly, a creature of pitiless malice hell-bent on wreaking its revenge upon an uncaring universe.[1a]
As the Rot Flies fall upon their prey, blade-sharp legs sink into soft flesh and leathery wings buzz in a flapping purr of motion. Prehensile probosces and posterior mouth-parts latch onto the faces of their victims, and the Rot Flies let out titters of mean-spirited laughter as they pluck heads from necks and swallow them whole. When facing the unremarkable warriors of the mortal realm, a Rot Fly will slowly digest all meat from a skull before spitting out a plague-infused Death Head of Nurgle that its Plaguebearer rider can hurl at the foe.[1a]
Given the chance, though, Rot Flies will hunt down the impertinent mortals that slew their previous incarnations. A special fate is reserved for such individuals. Opening their maws wider than physical law should allow, they consume their persecutors whole, keeping them trapped in their mucous-filled abdomens for eternity as punishment.[1a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 46
- 2: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)