"I, Huinpachutli, spoke with the barbarian leader. He expressed a desire to exchange goods with us. How foolish! How ignorant! What do these barbarians have that we might need! Then he offered to overthrow our enemies upon the sea and return stolen sacred artifacts to us. This was surely a sign of intelligence. Did he not know that these artefacts were very important things which belong to the Old Ones?"
- —Huinpachutli, Skink Priest from "The Tale of Marco Columbo", circa. 1492 IC.[2a]
A mystical Skink Priest bedecked with feathers and jewellery.
The Skink Priests are the most intelligent of their skittish kind, whose role within their society are to act as religious figures, magic-users and important emissaries for their mighty Slann.
Overview[]
On occasion, a Skink spawning will not produce an entire cohort from the pools of life, as is the norm, but instead only a single Skink will issue forth. These individuals are marked by the Old Ones and destined to lead, or otherwise achieve greatness amongst their kind.[1a]
Skink Priests are the only ones capable of interpreting and executing the will of their Slann masters. This is rarely straightforward, as entranced Slann do little more than mumble, yet each utterance, even the most incoherent whisper, might have vast consequences — for of all living creatures, the Slann are the most powerful of mages, and they alone worked under orders from the Old Ones. As it is strictly forbidden to disturb an entranced Slann in any but the direst of times, it is left to a Skink Priest to make many daily decisions for the whole of Lizardmen society. On behalf of their masters, it is their role to ensure that the Great Plan comes to fruition.[1a]
Slann are slow to react and may contemplate a single decision for centuries at a time. The same cannot be said for Skinks, for they are impatient beings. Like the Slann, Skink Priests study the ancient writings, though they apply much less of the studious methodology that their venerated leaders use. Skink Priests often see it as acceptable to take a more proactive role in ensuring that the prophecies of the sacred plaques come true. The Slann, should they notice such activities, find such impulses to be reckless and attempt to censor their Skink Priests, putting a temporary halt to such practices as live sacrifices, the undue veneration of active volcanoes, and any number of new ritual blessings designed by the Skink Priests to attract the Old Ones’ attentions.[1a]
Marks of the Old Ones[]
Skink Priests differ from what lore of magic they can use through the Mark of the Old One that they carry. As such, they can use all Winds of Magic except for Ghyran, the Lore of Life. Ghur, the Amber Wind of Beasts has only becoming usable since the arrival of Sotek.
- Chotec - Fire [3a]
- Sotek - Beast [3b]
- Quetzl - Death [3c]
- Huanchi - Shadow [3c]
- Tzunki - Heaven [3d]
- Tlazcotl - Metal[3e]
- Tepok - Light[3e]
Notable Skinks Priests[]
Miniatures[]
.jpg "Lizardmen - Skink Priest (1).jpg (131 KB)")
.jpg "Lizardmen - Skink Priest (2).jpg (125 KB)")
.jpg "Lizardmen - Skink Priest (3).jpg (138 KB)")
Sources[]
- 1 Warhammer Armies: Lizardmen (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 36
- 2 Warhammer Armies: Lizardmen (5th Edition)
- 2a: pg. 51
- 3: White Dwarf #300 (UK Edition)
Gallery[]
