Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ossiarch Bonereapers Lore


Where are they from? What do they do there? All explained of course.




via the Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/10/31/the-ossiarch-bonereapers-an-empire-of-bonesgw-homepage-post-2/

We’ve looked at just who the Ossiarch Bonereapers are, and what they want, but just where do these immortal warriors of Death go when they’re not… reaping bone? We’re glad you asked! In today’s preview, we’re taking a further look at the lore of this fascinating faction.






How Ossiarch Society Works

All Ossiarch Bonereapers are built for a specific purpose and assigned a role based on the souls from which they’re formed. This is codified through a caste system, with Nagash at the top, the highest ranking Ossiarchs underneath him and various ranks beneath that.
While many Ossiarch Bonereapers are warriors, there are castes of crafters, like the Ossifact, or preachers, like those in the Priad caste. 














































There is movement between castes, but only downwards, as a punishment for failure. A Liege Kavalos who fails in their mission, for example, may be remade as a Kavalos Deathrider, or as a steed, if he has truly disappointed the Great Necromancer. 

Where They (un)Live

The Ossiarch Bonereapers can be found all across the Mortal Realms, aiming to conquer everything from Azyr to the Eightpoints. At present, the main factions of the Ossiarch Bonereapers are concentrated in Shyish, inhabiting the great nations that surround the Shyish Nadir. This allows them easy access to a vast source of magical power and establishes them as a permanent garrison around this most valuable of territories.








How They Build

The Ossiarch Bonereapers build according to principles laid down in the Principia Necrotopia, a set of guidelines that ensure optimal construction. In the first stages of colonising a new region, the Ossiarchs will establish tithing sites.
Next, they will fortify key territories with small fortifications, following up with a number of Mortisan workshops to fuel the next stage of their expansion. These small holdings will eventually develop into vast and imposing fortresses, growing ever upward as the Bonereapers’ numbers grow. These are not just barracks, but places of a dark and unusual culture.






















Ossiarch scholars will endlessly study scrolls in charnel libraries, recording the details of cultures in the Mortal Realms they have subjugated and those they seek to subjugate. After all, knowledge is power! These vast citadel-states eventually resemble Nagashizzar itself, symbols of the might and ingenuity of the Ossiarch Bonereapers to all who live in their shadow.
The use of bone in construction allows these fortresses to thrive in even the most hostile of environments – the lightweight bones of vast undersea leviathans, for instance, are perfect for constructing ocean-borne structures.