The Carrionclaw Grand Court

## History

### A Curse is Born

The Carrionclaw Grand Court originated in Hysh, once a monastic culture of Ascetic warrior priests who spent their days in meditative prayer and honing their bodies to physical perfection. When word reached the Grand Monastery of a vicious beast haunting the forests surrounding the villages feeding the Monasteries tributaries a muster was called and a hunting party set forth. Weeks passed with no word from the hunters until a lone survivor staggered, beaten and ragged from the forest. The survivor would not speak of what had happened to him or his companions but all noted the pallor of his flesh and the gauntness of his sunken features.

Over time monks began to disappear from the Monastery without trace as the survivor appeared to glow with an unnatural vigour, his body swelling with strength. The stronger the hunter grew the darker the skies above the Monastery became as the monks within grew increasingly aggressive and insular. Events culminated on the day of ten thousand gods when the Monks held a great feast with the main course being the flesh of the Grand Master of the order who had offered himself up that his brothers may inherit his strength and wisdom.

It was as the last morsel was consumed that the doors of the feast hall were flung open and the hunter strode forth flanked by the guards posted to watch over the monks on their day of celebration, the realisation of what they had done dawned on the holymen and their minds broke before the emergent Ghoul King's presence. Thus was the Carrionclaw Grand Court born.

### A Madness born of Enlightenment

The madness of the Carrionclaw Grand Court is a breed of its own. The Grand Court believes that their King turned Arch Regent is the chosen Grand Master of their order, fully aware that he is a vampiric predator they see not the swollen, hulking monster he truly is but instead appears a tall and powerfully built man with features akin to the statuesque beauty of an Aelf.

Knowledge of the nature of their Lord has permeated the identity of the Grand Court its members see themselves not as bare human cannibals but as their Grand Masters vampiric disciples practicing their ancient traditions and practices of bodily worship dedicated now to their GrandMaster rather than the ten thousand gods of their ancestors.

Members of the Grand Court will drape rags and poorly cured garments of flesh around their bodies or bind bone forged armour plates to their bodies. They wield crude and roughly shaped weapons made from the remnants of their prey though to the Mordants they wield finely crafted sunsteel blades.

The Mordants of the Carrionclaw demonstrate a surprising level of intelligence and sapience unlike the addled and beastial Mordants of most Grand Courts. While still considered feral even by Orruk standards they possess rudimentary individuality, decision making skills and the capacity for basic speech above the atypical snarling and growling of most Mordants perhaps as Hyshian scholars believe a side effect of their shallow madness or mayhap the result of their environment encouraging heightened intellectual capability due to the large amounts of Aether Quartz found throughout their Monasteries.

Those who become exalted within the Grand Court are blessed with a portion of the Grand Masters power; those who are gifted with his strength rise to become Horrors and those gifted with his swiftness become Flayers. The most exalted of his students become Varghulf the only beings of greater prestige amongst the Carrionclaw being the Ghoul Kings those who have shown the strength of body and mind to attain ascension and join the Grand Master as Temple Masters who will go found new Monasteries and raise students of their own.

The Grand Court looks upon the Terrorghiest that follow them to battle as the animate forms of the Guardian beasts of the temples, great Birds of Prey to whom statues adorning the cardinal points of each Monastery are raised.

## A Cannibal Clergy

* Grand Master Somnos Carrionclaw - Once Somnael a brother of the Order of Ten Thousand he was by all accounts a meek and humble individual small of stature and indistinct by nature he assigned to one of six hunting parties dispatched to the Sathai-Loktol forest south of the Orders Grand Monastery. All six parties are wiped out by the monster they were dispatched to destroy, Somnael alone returns carrying the monster's Curse within his veins. Somnael would over the following months undergo both a physical and mental transformation emerging at the Feast of the Ten Thousand reborn in a tall and savage form as Somnos Carrionclaw. Somnos is worshipped by the Carrionclaw as a living god and fosters something close to a true civilisation of Mordants.

* Master Jun Marrowslake - First amongst the Ghoul Kings under Somnos' command he commands the faction of the Carrionclaw Grand Court that operates from the Caethweld Temple on the banks of the Caethweld river northwest of the Sathai-Loktol Grand Monastery. Master Marrowslake oversees the "recruitment" and induction of new supplicants to the order, venturing out to raid Human settlements across Hysh and Ulgu via the Realmgate beneath the Caethweld temple.

* Master Graeg Talonspine - Master Talonspine also known to the Carrionclaw mordants as 'Graeg of the Living Spear' was once an arms master of the Order of Ten Thousand. Overseeing the Orders' principle forge and armoury west of Sathai-Loktol in the Ymtrix Temple he now crafts arms and armour from the remains of those devoured by the Grand Court.

* Master Teng Goreblind - Once the Orders quartermaster Goreblind now leads raids against neighbouring settlements to procure meat for the Orders feasts. Based out of Sathai-Loktol he also acts as Somnos' head chef.

* Watch Master Lahm - A hulking Crypt Haunter courtier Lahm was appointed Watch Master of the Carrionclaws territories and commands the defence of it's temples when the Masters and Grand Master are absent.

* Spy master Tam - Tam was named Spy Master as the swiftest amongst the Grand Courts flayers empowered with further draughts of the Grand Masters blood, this Crypt Infernal Courtier is ever watchful from threats without and within.

* Bilik the Keeper - Once Somnos' sworn brother and fellow student when the Order of Ten Thousand fell to the madness of Somnos he was sought out and raised above the ranks of Mordants as a Crypt Ghast Courtier. His new posting sees him caring for and performing the rites of awakening that stir the guardian beasts of the Carrionclaw ahead of a raid or invasion.

* Theng - An unusual figure within the Grand Court, Theng is the personal disciple of Somnos a mordant who Somnos believes is prodigal in skill and revolutionary in ideology he is ever at his Master's side ready to partake of his wisdom.

## Orders of Madness

* Heirs of the Carrionclaw - A one hundred strong force of Mordants in the time before the orders fall they were the Disciples of Tatmuhnd the Twelve Handed god now however they embrace the creed of Somnos hailing the Abhorrent as the Lord of Ten Thousand Talons whom they honour in his aspect of the Carrionclaw he who brings death with his touch. They are identified by the roughly shaped plates of fused bone they wear as armour and the crudely shaped bone "blades" they carry.

* Aspirants of the fifty-second Talon - A force of twenty three Crypt Horrors styled as students of the Lord of Ten Thousand Talons in his aspect as he whose iron hard talons form the greatest shield and mightiest spear. They form Somnos' personal guard and watch over his chambers.

* The Chiropteran Spears - two-hundred mordants clad in crudely cured and stitched leather hauberks and carrying spear ls tipped with the splintered bones of their prey, each spearman hangs the skull of a particularly delicious meal from it's spear. The Chiropteran Spears form the temple guard of the Caethweld temple.

* Guttergluts Wings - A fifty strong formation of Crypt Flayers they haunt the Lithililt Valley that marks the south entrance to the Ymtrix Temple.

## Relics

* The Key of Talfalaem - A skull carved from an unspecified type of Realmstone that allows it's wielder to change the destination of a Realmgate.

* Brahiim's Blade - Once wielded by the first Grand Master of the Order of Ten Thousand when they were known as the Seekers of Worldly Truth. Brahiim's sword is said to be blessed by Tyrion and will dispel all Illusions within its presence.

* Radanvahsnel - Unearthed from the banks of the Caethweld river, this spear is believed to be one of the mythical Cythai weapons. None amongst the Carrionclaw may draw out it's power as it proves anathema to all unclean beings and emits a blinding light. It now sits a beacon atop the Caethweld temple.

* The Litanies of the Ten Thousand - An ancient tome containing the accumulated  knowledge of the Order and many Alarith scholars who had taught and studied with the priests of the Ymtrix Temple. It contains knowledge on many of the Hyshian Aelementari including the rites of summoning and pacification.

* The Scourge of Talibarahm  - Shortly after Somnos' rise the Carrionclaw came under attack from the Hedonite horde of the Godseeker Talibarahm the Profane, Carnal Emperor of the Host of Rapturous Orgy. Somnos slew the Slaaneshi warlord and had his remains transformed into a lash of writhing living bone.