Savage beyond reason, the Abhorrant Ghoul Kings are a majestic horror born of blood and shadow. Gifted with vampiric strength and speed, and tempered by raging madness, they can reduce mortals to offal in moments. Captivated by their fury, their courts throng about their feet, eager to help in the gory task.[1a]
Overview
An abhorrant king is a vicious beast that believes himself a noble king. Whether scrambling across the ground with impossible speed or riding upon the back of an undead monstrosity, an Abhorrant Ghoul King is death incarnate. Time and the curse of the Carrion King have given the abhorrants a hideous appearance, far removed from the ageless beauty of other vampires. However, they are no less deadly than any of their bloodsucking kind. This is most evident in battle, when the abhorrant feeds messily upon his foes, and streams of gore spill down his face as he drains one screaming warrior after another of their vital essence.[1a]
If the size and supernatural strength of an abhorrant king were not enough to strike fear into his foes, then there is also the madness that burns in his eyes. The vampire’s delusion make shim a terrifying and unpredictable opponent, much feared by the races of the Mortal Realms. Driven by the belief that he is a just noble, and that almost all creatures outside his court are savage barbarians, the king offers no quarter to threats against his people. Perhaps more frightening than the conviction this madness lends the king is its infectious nature. Those who linger too long in the abhorrant’s presence risk losing their own minds, until they too see the king as he sees himself.[1a]
Abhorrants, like many vampires, are powerful wizards, steeped in the magic of death and darkness. Abhorrant Ghoul Kings can use their fell sorcery to knit together their wounds, mend the broken bodies of their mounts, hurl bolts of death magic or even summon troops with but a gesture. It is also via this dark wizardry that the abhorrant is able to transform a wretched cannibal into a mordant – it is the vital ingredient in his dark feasts, and the key to expanding his court. With a delicate stir of one of his claws, he can imbue blood draughts with strange and savage power, transforming all who sup upon them into disturbing horrors slaved to his will.[1a]
Wargear
An Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist lashes out with his gory talons, whilst his fearsome Terrorgheist steed wracks its foes with its death shriek, and rips them in half with its fanged maw and skeletal claws. If he rides a Zombie Dragon, the dragon’s pestilential breath can strip flesh from bone. On foot, the abhorrant is a terrifying opponent possessed of inhuman strength and agility, who rips his victims apart with his gory talons and fangs.[1b][1c][1d]