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- —Anonymous
Like one who hurls oil onto a raging fire, the Bloodstoker plies his lash to feed the flames of fury. This brutish champion is a formidable foe, more than capable of flaying flesh and breaking bones, yet it is his use of others as his weapons that elevates him to true glory in Khorne’s gaze.[1a]
Overview
Lumbering into battle amid the roaring hordes of the Bloodbound, the cunning brutes known as Bloodstokers strike at friend and foe alike with their coiling lashes. The whip-crack of each blow cuts through the clangour of war, accompanied by screams of pain as blood-gushing rents are torn in flesh, and bones are viciously shattered. Where the Bloodstokers’ attacks leave enemies broken upon the ground, the cruel kiss of their lash serves to goad allies to a heightened state of battle-frenzy. Such is the way in which Bloodstokers offer praise to Khorne – not only through the shedding of their enemies’ blood, but through the rage-fuelled killing sprees to which they drive the Bloodbound.[1a]
On the long and twisting path to glory, the Deathbringers of Khorne must face countless savage battles. Many will seek to win their way to power through the simple application of brute force and aggression. Yet some are cannier than this, seeking out other, more cunning routes to power. Becoming a Bloodstoker is one such divergent path, centred around the revelation that he who wields others as a weapon can harvest many more skulls for Khorne than any single warrior ever will.[1a]
Thus do Bloodstokers learn the arts of the lash and the torture blade, often practising their skills upon resilient beasts like Khorgoraths or Chaos-tainted troggoths in order to perfect them. A truly talented Bloodstoker is a boon to any Chaos Lord, for he can whip the lord’s followers into a killing madness that sees them spill over the enemy’s defences like an unstoppable flood of gore. So do the Bloodstokers offer praise to Khorne, alongside a mighty tally of skulls.[1a]
Wargear
A Bloodstoker is armed with a Torture Blade and Blood Whip.[1b]