"When I first encountered the wild huntresses, 'twas the harm of their claws and the obscene aspect of their steeds that foremost afflicted my soul. Thanks be, I can see neither in my mind’s eye any longer, but the huntresses’ otherworldly singing still echoes through my dreams. It is a sound at the same time both terrifying and wondrous, possessed of an ethereal beauty that is eclipsed only by its perversity. The more I try to banish it from my thoughts, the more hungrily my mind yearns for its blasphemous harmonies."
- —Liber Malefic.[1a]
The Seekers of Slaanesh known also as the "Riders of Slaanesh," "Disciples of Decadence" or "Darkling Delighters" are the outriders and cavalry of the Daemonic legions of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of pleasure and pain. The Seekers are comprised of a Daemonette mounted on a swift and deadly Steed of Slaanesh.[1a]
Role[]
Malign of intent and with the predatory swiftness of a striking cobra, Seekers of Slaanesh dart across the endless battlefields of the Realm of Chaos, springing ambushes on vulnerable prey. These Daemonic huntresses are swift beyond belief. Some legends say that the Seekers can charm time itself and so travel between the seconds. Other tales claim that the Seekers' Daemonic Steeds are formed from the guilty desires of all living creatures and so can never be outrun.
Wherever the truth lies, to become the quarry of the Seekers of Slaanesh is to doom oneself to an inevitable, torment-filled death. The Steeds of Slaanesh can taste the Winds of Magic and seek out the spirits of mortals just as a natural creature senses odours on a drifting breeze. Each soul has a unique flavour and, after but a single taste, the Steed can follow that one specific being throughout eternity if it wishes.
Their riders find this most useful for, like all Daemonettes, the Seekers are playfully cruel. They delight in running a luckless mortal ragged, pursuing him across leagues and leagues of rugged and broken countryside. Then, when all seems lost, the Seekers break off their pursuit, allowing the prey to regather their failing strength and rekindle a waning hope of escape.[1a]
Such hunts can continue for months or even years, with the Seekers goading the mortal to the very edge of mental and physical endurance. Only when the quarry's mind collapses and they willingly succumb to their pursuers' embrace do the Seekers end the hunt and drag the mortal's soul back to the Realm of Chaos. With their surrender, the mortal robs the Seekers of their entertainment, but damns themself to an eternity of exquisite torment in the Palace of Pleasure's loathsome chambers.[1a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 52
- 2: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)