Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Ma n-Fl e s h
Centigors have a greater than normal appetite for man-flesh.
Beastmen ravage the areas through which their warherds pass,
slaughtering and devouring villagers in bloody feasts. Their
unnatural ability to detect the scent of Humans often causes
drunken Centigors to forget the commands of their Beastlord.
A favoured torture method amongst the kings and potentates
in the early days of the southern Old World involved locking
captives within the belly of a brass oven shaped in the form of
a Centigor. A fire was lit beneath the device, and the screams of
victims were channelled through tubes and valves as they were
roasted alive, causing a dreadful bellowing sound to emit from
the brass beast’s mouth. Chaos Dwarfs use a similar device for
dedicating sacrifices to their god, Hashut.
Chapter XI: Flora, Fauna
and Foes of the Forest
Special Rules:
• Woodland Stride: Centigors are able to gallop along winding
tracks and weave through the trees with great speed, ignoring all
movement penalties in woodlands (see WFRP pg. 137).
• Blood-scent: Centigors can smell Humans from a great
distance, gaining a +20% bonus to all Follow Trail and Perception
Tests involving humans. This ability makes them excellent
scouts for a warherd.
Mi n o t a u r s
Source: Tome of Corruption, pg. 104
Ma r k o f t h e Be a s t
The earliest accounts of Minotaurs can be found in Estalian
mythology and heroic tales such as the poem “Prince of Tylos
and the Minotaur”. In this ancient fable, the valiant prince volunteered
himself as bait to lure the beast away from his people
and into the labyrinth of the Abasko Mountains. The tale reveals
that an ancient king’s wife had been cursed, and that it was she
who birthed the strange beast into the world. Minotaurs believe
this beast-child of their ancestry was the legendary Mugrar, the
Lord of Minotaurs. Estalians play out the struggle between man
and beast with the Toreo, the sport of bull-dancing. Most scholars
assume Minotaurs are a larger sub-species of Gors.
Minotaurs are guardians of sinister shrines located in the darker
parts of the forest where only a Bray-Shaman would dare to
tread. Although they are normally solitary creatures, the smell
of blood and the sound of battle draw Minotaurs to a warherd.
Other Beastmen believe Minotaurs are favoured by the Chaos
Gods, or perhaps living manifestations of Wild Chaos made
flesh. When a Minotaur falls in battle, the warherd receives its
death as a bad omen which invariably results in challenges to the
Beastlord’s leadership.
La i r s a n d Tr e a s u r e
Minotaurs travel for miles, instinctively drawn to the magical
fulcrums that leak Wild Chaos into the world (see pg. 115).
While in transit they favour caves as temporary shelters, and
they only remain stationary until the urge to continue their
search for Wild Chaos becomes powerful enough to spur them
onward.
Minotaur caves or shrine glades are littered with excrement and
bones that have been split apart for marrow. The skulls of fallen
victims, along with their weapons and armour, are often piled
into grotesque monuments to the dark gods. Such shrines are
typically located within the heart of a labyrinthine cave system
or thicket. Guardians of these shrines, often called Doombulls,
are challenged by other Minotaurs seeking the dark gods’ favour.
Bray-Shamans also visit Minotaur shrines seeking communion
with Dark Powers or access to sources of Wild Chaos.
Tu s k g o r s
Source: Tome of Corruption, pg. 105
Be a s t s o f Bu r d e n
It is well known that after Beastman warherds have passed
through an area, they often leave surprises for returning villagers
in the form of mutated lambs and calves. These corrupted
livestock are commonly slain and burnt, unless the entire stock
is threatened and cannot be replaced.
One sub-species of Beastmen, called Tuskgors, are products of
similar crossbreeding. Wild boars are warped by the corrupting
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power of Chaos, channelled through dark rituals and sacrifices
performed by Bray-Shamans under the shadows of Herdstones.
Imperial scholars believe that Bray-Shamans choose the Wild
Boar for their rituals because, to early Human tribes, the animal
represented strength and courage.
The story of Sigmar and Blacktusk the Boar is the most iconic
example of boar reverence. After the raging Blacktusk was driven
mad by a spear-tip lodged in its flank, the animal was relieved
of its pain by Sigmar and released back into the forest. The Asrai
simply regard Tuskgors as abominations that are used as beasts
of burden to pull the Gors’ crude chariots.