Hungerborne

## Overview

**The Hungerborne** **Court,** or simply the **Hungerborne**, is a Flesh-Eater Court located on the Cursed Island in the Broken Continent. Once humans of a prosperous nation, the Hungerborne came into existence after the Breaking, with survivors turning to cannibalism to survive, and eventually devolving into the mordants. The Hungerborne Court was formed by an abhorant ghoul king, and since then the lands around the Eastern Isles have been prey to the Hungerfleet of the court, which frequently sets sail and assaults other lands to capture live flesh and humans to add to their kingdom.

## History

### Origins

The Hungerborne were originally a group of survivors of the kingdom of Satalarish, a powerful domain that extended control over a prosperous and fertile region, famed for its lush forests. Then came the Age of Chaos, heralded by the Breaking, which caused huge waves and earthquakes to shake the ground and break the foundations of the land itself. Huge swathes of the ocean swept in, creating the Needle Straits and (eventually named) Cannibal Sea. Much of Satalarish was drowned, but portions remained in the formed of a large island.

Few survivors lived after the destruction of the kingdom, and they quickly turned to infighting, and, with time, even more barbaric practices, eating each other in order to live on. They quickly devolved into hideous mordants, and remained so for many years.

Eventually, however, a wandering abhorrent ghoul king strayed into the island, and in his madness saw poor souls desperate for salvation. He took them into his own fold, sharing his tainted blood, and thus created the Hungerborne Court, a vile and monstrous mockery of the true civilization, built upon madness and the bones of the consumed. This specific ghoul king would eventually be killed, and a new one to take his place, but the Hungerborne Court remains and continues to be a deadly plague upon the Broken Continent.

### Notable Conflicts

Since their creation, the ghouls of the Hungerborne have become infamous for their very nature, frequently invading other lands with their Hungerfleet. These have lead to numerous engagements, most within the Eastern Isles.

* **Marrow War** - A large invasion of the island of Kera during the later stages of the Age of Chaos lead to the Marrow War, a lengthy war between the native islanders who were abandoned by the other Broken Isles. The Hungerborne initially had the upper hand, but due to the military tactics of Mulweri Mabasa, they were slowly pushed back. The Second Battle of Tibakitom saw the destruction of a large number of ghouls, and after that the Marrow War became a slow push to wipe out the remaining Hungerborne ghouls. Due to this costly conflict, a huge number of the mordants of the Hungerborne were killed, leading to a period of dramatically less activity by the court.
* **The Battle of Vamenur Cove** - A battle that was fought between a the attacking Hungerfleet and the aelven port of Vamenur Cove, a prominent city of the Freewind Fleet. Initially a raid, it the insane ghouls began to attack and attempted to conquer the city, but were met with fearsome resistance. A nearby fleet of Scourge Privateers destroyed most of the ships of the Hungerfleet, but lost most of their own ships as well. Aelves and ghouls fought in the streets of the city, before eventually the last of the ghouls were wiped out.
* **First, Second, and Third Battles of the Hungerborne** - The Hungerfleet has frequently fought with the Freewind Fleet, with the aelven sailors often harassing the Hungerborn ghouls. The First, Second, and Third Hungerborne Battles are notable conflicts between the two. The larger and more organized Freewind Fleet usually is able to wipe out the pitiful navy of the Hungerborne, but often with heavy costs, especially during the Second Hungerborne Battle.

### Current Status

The Hungerborne remain the largest and most dangerous flesh-eater court in Panghura, From the Cursed Island they constantly hunger for more food and flesh, and this had frequently lead to infighting, with ghouls turning on each other for more sustenance. In their minds, these are honorable duels or large tournaments, or merely the typical machinations of courtly politics.

The Hungerfleet is constantly being sent out to find new humans to capture and feed upon, and this has constantly drawn the ere of neighboring kingdoms and cities. However, any invasion of the Cursed Island is doomed to fail eventually, and the Hungerborne are safe from invasion. However, there prey is far more unitied and well-defended, with the Eastern Isles benefiting from the unity of the Age of Sigmar. The Freewind Fleet and the Merchant-Houses of the Broken Isles have paid for mighty fleets and armies that can defend their towns and villages, and have set up effective methods to hamper the threat of the Hungerborne. While the Necroquake and Soul Wars have given the ghouls some time to gather strength, whether or not the Hungerborne will be able to survive into the Age of Sigmar remains in doubt.

## Homeland

The Hungerborne originate in Ghur in what was once a the kingdom of Satalarish, a fertile region that broke apart during the Breaking of Panghura. The Cursed Island formed afterwards, with the survivors of the Satalarish turning to harsh measures in order to survive, and eventually discovered by an abhorrent ghoul king. The Cursed Island is now their domain, and is completely under their control.

The Cursed Island itself is the largest of the Eastern Islands, swarming with ghouls and those afflicted with the madness of the court. The large Bitter Mountains cut down from the north, while Blightergut Lake stands at the center, full of dead bones and the carrion of human and animal flesh. Flowing out from the lake is the great Bident River, the main sources of aquatic travel by the Hungerborne courtiers. The strength of the curse of the Hungerborne upon the island has warped it to such a degree that any mortal who even sets foot upon it is effected. Very few can remain long on the Cursed Island without some form of madness and insatiable hunger overcoming them, which, unless they wisely flee, will cause them to gorge on every food and drink they have and eventually even their own friends and family.

## Equipment

### Weapons and Armor

The Hungerborne wear no armor and use no weapons beyond simple bones and fleshly armaments of the dead, usually preferring their own claws and weaponry. Beyond this, however, the Hungerborne due make use of natural materials, using broken branches as impromptu clubs and spears, and smearing grass and plant matter upon their body and faces. In their madness, they believe that they are covering themselves with bright green armor or clothing, the ancient color of Satalarish.

### Relics

* **The Armaments of the Old Kings** - The traditional garbs and armor of the old kings of Satalarish. It is now worn by Butcherghast, the leader of the court, who in his madness believes himself to be King Buterion and dressed in the most magnificent of armor fit for a king.
* **The Black Grail** - A mythical cup, once said to possess magical properties, it has been corrupted by the curse of the flesh-eaters. Now it constantly flows with putrid blood, covered in black metal, and used to fill the hunger of thirsty ghouls.

## Organization

### Heraldic Ranks

Amongst the court, nobility follow a specific marker, with the king at the top, his courtiers and royal advisers below him, with the queen, then royal advisers such as lords, ladies, and margraves. Below them are the common knights, refereed to as sirs, and below them are the "commonfolk"

### Tactics

The Hungerborne are known to be rather patient when compared to other flesh-eater courts. They can wait quietly in their forests and jungles they conquer, waiting for a force to enter in and then strike from the shadows with ravenous fury.

Even worse than this is the fact that the ghouls of the court have learned to sail upon the seas. Using washed up wreckage and the shattered branches and roots of fallen trees they craft crude and very simple ships, most barely able to float and kept together only by a fasten of bone, sown carcasses, and other fleshy bits. Together these form the Hungerfleet, which set sail from the Cursed Island in an attempt to raid the lands of Panghura. Many of these ships barely last that long, but the ghouls will merely band together in the water and literally hold the remnants together, pulled by zombie sharks and undead creatures reanimated by foul vampric magic.

Once the Hungerfleet has washed up on a shore, they quickly descend upon the unsuspecting inhabitants, who are either killed or captured, placed into bone cages or tied down. The dead are eaten or stored for future consumption, while the living fare little better. They are brough to the Cursed Island, forced to eat human flesh and soon are consumed by the madness of the ghoul king, joining the ranks of the Hungerborne. In this way, the Hungerborne are able to grow and spread, constantly feeding themselves and their population.

### The Delusion

The madness of the Hungerborne is strong, enough so that even those who land upon the Cursed Island are effected by it. The delusion, however, is notably specific, causing a never-ending hunger within the afflicted, who will consumed almost anything to satiate it. The cursed, however, simply believe that resources are few and that they are on the brink of starvation along with the rest of their kingdom.

In their minds, their court is constantly low on resources, and they must sail out from their island for two purposes. One is to gather more resources for their people and families back home, while the other is that they truly believe that the lands around them have fallen to chaos and ruination, home to monsters and vile tribes. In fact, their delusion is so strong that they believe that they are rescuing their captured prisoners, saving them from the dangers of the world and bringing them to safety. This has become a righteous duty of the Hungerborne, a mission to save as many as they can from the predations of Chaos and even the dead, and offer them protection and a new home.

The pathetic ships they call a Hungerfleet is seen instead as a glorious work of unity, gleaming ships and impressive works of naval art, which are unbeaten in their glory.

### Monstrous Menagerie

The Hungerborne Court possesses few zombie dragons and other large terrestrial creatures, but instead is makes far more use of undead monsters of the deep. The corpses of sharks are especially common, reanimated to pull the ships of the Hungerborne, or their body parts are used to form the Hungerfleet itself. Even worse are the zombie whales and larger aquatic creatures, such as the megadons.

## Notable Characters

* **King Butcherghast** - The Abhorrent Archregent and leader of the Hungerborne, he has endured for centuries, believing himself to be the wise descendent of ancient kings and the final defense against a dark world. He hates the undead and forces of Chaos, and believes that his court is the last bastion of order and civilization in the Broken Continent. He rules over several ghoul kings and queens, each who believe they rule different fiefdoms for their king.
* **Lady Glitterslut** - The "wife" and queen of Butcherghast, she is his confident and royal adviser, and an abhorrent ghoul queen. Glitterslut also cares for the "children" of Butcherghast, and believers herself to be a loving wife and caring mother to her people.
* **Prince Blackslit** - The "son" of Butcherghast, who currently leads his own court next to the Hungerborne. He wears the Red Ring and an ancient necklace of a long-lost kingdom, and believes himself to be a master poet and singer. He takes baths in the literal blood of his enemies, ironically believing he is cleaning himself from the grim and muck of his position.
* **Aekelai the Damned** - Aekelai wields the Sword of Dailin, an ancient heirloom and magical weapon that clears his mind and allows Aekelai to see the true horror of what he is and what has become of his people. His cursed life is spent between bouts of maddening rage to grim clarity, eternally suffering and constantly attacking and killing the ghouls of the Cursed Island in an attempt to gain redemption. The other ghouls, however, believe him to be a traitor and cursed to be a monster.
* **Archbishop Bloodamoth** - Before he fell to madness, Bloodamoth was once a devout servant of Sigmar, before captured and brought to the Cursed Island. Since then, he has become an mad varghulf, believing himself to be a faithful religious leader who inspires the people into acts of devotion and piety, while in actuality whipping up his fellow ghouls into a true feeding frenzy.
* **Grand Princess Cryptraki** - The "daughter" of Butcherghast, she was a captured sea aelf, once an Idoneth, and now lives life as one of the highest ranking members of the court. Mutated and twisted, she is covered in sea bones and sickly fins, her arms now forming bat-like wings that allow her to glide underwater or take to the skies. She dives from the seas to strike at swimmers and unsuspecting ships, and rides a great zombie megadon into battle, believing herself to be an adopted daughter of the court.

## Relations

### Allies

Due to their monstrous nature, none among the Hungerborne can count any true friends and allies, not even from the dead of Nagash, whom the ghouls of the Hungerborne Court view as vile monsters and unholy creatures.

### Enemies

All can be considered the enemies of the Hungerborne, but the aelven Scourge Privateers of the Freewind Fleet might ranks as the most prolific. They are constantly hired to hamper the Hungerborne and have done so to great effect. In addition, the nearby Idoneth Deepkin frequently raid the Hungerbone themselves. Even the generally peaceful merwyn and other sea-dwellers find common cause against the Hungerborne.