the narrative background of my khornate army

[dasdom]

I really like the feel of the KHORNE army and I wanted to base my army around him, but I found the fluff of the berserker-cannibals of the bloodbound unintersting( mostly because they mirror my beastmen too closely); therefore I took inspiration from Sparta and a bit from the Iron Warriors in 40k and wrote my own background.

 

Once, in the Age of Myth, there was the proud kingdom of Thrun. Spanning the steaming jungles where Ghyran's life met Aqshy's fire, Thrun was mighty indeed. But like so many others, ist armies could not withstand the wrath of chaos, and in the closing days of the Age of Myth, its last king had to make the decision to either die in a blaze of glory or flee in shame to save his people. The sigmarite cult implored the king to find shelter in Sigmars realm, and finally, the king relented. Led by the high priest of sigmar, Thruns people made a harrowing trek across the jungle, plains and mountain, towards the pillars of heaven high in the mountains. Always beset by chaos forces and having to move through harsh terrain, they lost many people, but hope gave them strength. When they reached the pillars of heaven and its gate to azyr, the gate was dead and the path barred. As the high priest started praying to sigmar and the chaos hordes drew closer, the kings heart grew bitter from hatred. His ire was drawn to the mewling priest beside him, and those of his proud people who wailed to the god who abandoned them. Overcome by bitterness and rage, the king loudly denounced Sigmar and the pantheon and butchered the priest, yelling to his people to stop praying and joining him in cursing the godking. Many were devout enough to withstand the blasphemy, but so many more shared there king’s bitterness and desperation. As the kings blade beheaded the priest, those amongst his people who still prayed to sigmar were butchered in a frenzy. Then the king screamed to heavens, offering his soul, the souls of his people and all their descendends to any who would give them strength to overcome their enemies and to take revenge at those who wronged them. So pure was the hatred of the king, that as the blood of betrayed splattered the ground, their prayers were answered. Warriors and even normal people down to children grew strong in their anger, and they surged from the mountains, slaughtering the changed host following them in a frenzy of blood. They retook the city at the base of the mountain, sheltering there. Soon the young prince realized the prize the blood oath extracted from his people. No longer noble and restrained, they fell upon one another when no enemy was in reach, arguments turning into combat every time. He realized that his people were doomed by the power that saved them. Worst of all of them was the old king, who quickly turned into a uncontrolled berserker. With heavy heart the prince killed his father and set to the task to save his people from themselves. Drawing upon their old warrior-traditions and stoic philosophy, the prince created the Iron Code, a set of rules to govern his people and shackle their rage with iron discipline.
Once, in the Age of Myth, there where the people of Thrun, a noble and proud kingdom of warrior-poets. Now there are is only the Iron Legion, a society of wild warriors controlled by iron discipline. Those who cant cintrol their rage are put in the arena, where they slaughter each other to amuse the patron of the legion, or flee the city to join the reaver cults living in the plains below the black city. Slaves toil day and night to feed the Legion, to forge their weapon and armor under whips of the forgemasters and to serve every need of citizens. Unusual for a khornate society, cannibalism is frowned upon, as it represents the slide into the baser instincts of a warrior. Instead the people of the Black City dine upon the fruits of their slave-worked fields, finding joy in their oppression. The children of Thrune are trained from their birth in discipline, and in combat as soon as they walk. Any arguments are solved through ritualistic combat, curbing the selfdestructive tendencies the bloodoath gifted them with. This makes the Iron Legion one of the most disciplined forces in the khornate kingdoms, and what they lack in blessings of the bloodgod compared to the more unrestrained warbands, they make up in logistics, tactics and discipline, grinding their enemies into the dust.