What wil Nagash do?

[Mr Mystery]

Afternoon.

Been a productive night/morning here at Mystery Towers, and I've been building Undead. Dug out my Skellingtons I originally bought to do the Sigmar's Blood campaign, as well as Hexwraiths (never again....awkward model got on my wick), and a Mortis Engine.

And it's got me thinking....at present, Nagash has little in the way of an answer to like of Stormcast Eternals.

Sure he has absolutely never ending legions at his command, but being a power mad deity, I can't help but wonder what he's planning.

And now for a spoiler for the audio books - ready?











We know that's he's pulled himself together after Archaon gave him a good shoeing, and we know he still has at least three Mortarchs - Neferata, Arkhan and Mannfred. But more than this, he's also captured Tarsus Bullheart. Last we heard of perhaps the most hapless of Stormcast (he also went for a very bracing run in the Garden of Nurgle....) Nagash was intent on peeling him like an onion to see just what Sigmar has done. He's not killing him, because it's clear Nagash is aware the souls of the Stormcast elude his grasp to return to Azyrheim to be reforged.

But just what could Nagash do with that knowledge?

[Theik]

Make undead space marines?

[Erik Setzer]

Improved the Morghasts, I'd imagine. Weren't they meant to be his elite warriors? IIRC, the Morghasts were supposed to be cream-of-the-crop spirits given powerful bodies to fight at the forefront of Nagash's armies. Improving them would be a solid plan.

[Mr Mystery]

Originally, before Nagash did them over, they were effectively Angels of Ptra, the Nehekharam sun God.

I'm wondering if we might see 'light' versions of them? Dunno about anyone else but I like their aesthetic. It's just an army of the ones we have now might be a bit much!

Hmm.....wonder if it's within Nagash's powers to relocate souls, like putting a Vampire's essence into a construct? Being, originally, a Heirophant, it seems he'd have the right, erm, rites in his dusty noggin - and there's certainly Magic aplenty to fuel such things?

[Mr Mystery]

Speaking of dusty noggins....why bother putting Vampires into your constructs? You can't trust them...

But say you were the God of the Underworld....with a solid knowledge of Constructs in The World That Was.

Surely you'll have noticed that your average say, Zombie Dragon, is a bit mooshy, due to being well rotted.

Could you not take your unique knowledge of Necromancy and Constructs (sorry. Can't remember if had a proper title) and put the animus of a Dragon in a specially constructed replacement body? No time consuming rituals needed, just the magical equivalent of an injection and there you have it. Body of a construct (hardy, resilient, stone or metal yet with a proper consciousness, which although likely dimmed will retain its instincts (like Skellingtons do) and thus prove superior to the ersatz spirits filling olde Nehekharan constructs.

Would be an interesting way to bring back that element of the Undead, no? No reason it wouldn't follow the same rough aesthetic as Tomb Kings - Nagash may have enough vanity to reflect that?

[Erik Setzer]

There's a possibility for doing that, but I think he'd avoid the Tomb Kings aesthetic, and for fluff reasons, not because GW killed off the line. Khemri pretty much rejected Nagash and was the source of a lot of trouble for him. Creating something like a new Necrosphinx is likely not on his list.

That said... his subconscious would likely still have a bit of that swirling around inside, so he might create a new body for said dragon spirit, but rather than being a traditional dragon look, it'd have a hint of Khemri styling to it, but not enough to be screaming Khemi. Just kind of a subtle bit of design.

[Mr Mystery]

I dunno.

Using the aesthetic of a people who rejected you, and are now extinct seems somewhat spiteful, and thus quite 'Nagashy'.

Otherwise, yeah. Not a Dragon in a Khemrian head dress - but perhaps recognisable sigils (if they works, they works and there's no need to tinker beyond that on most, only on 'can I soup this up any?' experiments)

[David Crossley]

I wouldn't be surprised if animated constructs, with an aesthetic more in keeping with the rest of the line, end up making a return at some point. Probably Liches as well.
As for what Nagash is up to studying a Stormcast, I'm under the impression that he is not best pleased with the fact their souls return to Azyr, rather than into his care, his rightful due as death being stolen by Sigmar.

[Mr Mystery]

Indeed he's not....but I'm guessing a Stormcast falling into his mitts isn't something Sigmar is particularly keen on....

[David Crossley]

Well I expect we're only a couple weeks off at most before we find out if Nagash gave a response to Knight-Azyros Huld when he made sigmar's offer of alliance, which might provide a few more clues to his intent.