Ku-Quar

**Ku-Quar**, the Herald of Zectoka, is the favoured general of Starmaster Zectoka, and often leads the slann’s army within the Mortal Realms. Mounted upon a vicious Carnosaur, the Scar-Veteran ploughs through battle amid the terrified screams of the enemy, smashing down foes with his celestite warblade. Zectoka often summons Ku-Quar ahead of the bulk of his army, for the slann knows well that the saurus’ ferocity reaches new heights when they witness the greatest of their number spilling the blood of their prey. Ku-Quar has earned a fearsome reputation among the Realms, and tales of the Scar-Veteran are told from the Soothsaying Conclaves of Hysh to the Gore Caves of Nirge. It is said that when the Gallowspire fell it was Ku-Quar who cast down its first stones, and when the Mighty Lord of Khorne Rygoranx was slain, it was the Scar-Veteran who took the warlord’s head and hung it upon his saddle. Ku-Quar’s hatred of Chaos is such that it is said Rygoranx’s spirit still bellows in fury behind the stitched-shut eyelids of his shrunken skull.[1c]

## History

### The Pits of Filth

On the edges of the Forest of Claws, beneath the broken walls of Scar Citadel, an azure glow spread across the land. From its light emerged the slann Zectoka, the ancient wizard’s gaze fixed upon the crumbling citadel. A heartbeat later, radiant ghosts took shape within the glow, and hundreds of seraphon materialised.

Atop his massive Carnosaur, Ku-Quar led the seraphon vanguard into the ruins of the Scar Citadel, tightly packed ranks of Saurus Guard flanked byscuttling skinks and lumbering warbeasts. As they advanced into the citadel they beheld the foul work of Clan Pestilens, the air reverberating to the sound of screaming, braying beasts as they were herded into carcass-filled pits brimming with disease. With a booming roar the seraphon charged.[1a]

The first plague creatures were quickly overwhelmed, their fetid blood spattering on the citadel’s cobbles as celestite blades and razor fangs tore open their throats. It was not long, however, before the skaven reacted inforce, and throngs of Plague Monks surged out of filth-streaked ruins.[1a]

There was an almighty crash as the Saurus Guard surrounding the slann locked shields and a wave of rancid fur and scrabbling claws broke upon their line. Ku-Quar himself led the charge toward the Runnel Pits and the broken tower that stood in their centre, for the ancient orrery at the tower’s peak was a reservoir of celestial energy that would allow Zectoka to sweep the taint of Chaos from the citadel.[1a]

As if sensing the slann’s intent, PlagueMonks hurled themselves in the path ofthe seraphon until the ground was thickwith broken skaven bodies. Yet thesecasualties were less than nothing to theskaven, and ever more ratmen chargedscreeching into battle.[1a]

As Zectoka’s army forced its way toward the centre of the citadel, great plague engines added to the carnage.Toxic missiles rained down around the seraphon and scores of their warriors vanished in billowing poisonous clouds. From the ranks of the Plague Monks came wild-eyed Censer Bearers, who charged into seraphon shieldwalls only to be blasted to pieces by the magic of the Starpriests. Soon, the battlefield around the tower was covered in a thick pall of noxious gas flickering with blasts of celestial energy.[1b]

From atop his lumbering horned mount Skink Priest Ik’tak manipulated the Engine of the Gods, restoring the afflicted forms of the seraphon. Ku-Quar and his saurus guarded the priest’s advance until his Stegadon barged into the foundations of the orrery tower, the Engine of the Gods thrumming as it grew in power.[1b]

Plague Drones and Ripperdactyls tore at each other in polluted skies as Plague Bearers rose up from the depths like detritus from a bursting sewer. Saurus bit off chucks of mangy hide and sliced open bulging guts, but they in turn were cut down, their forms guttering like failing lights before fading away into nothing.[1c]

Mucafex, Herald of Nurgle, hauled his expansive necrotic form from the pit, flaps of weeping blubber dangling from his warty hide. The sheer presence of the seraphon struck the daemon immediately, and he hocked a long, ropey strand of phlegm in disapproval. Mucafex had faced the seraphon before ,and knew well the hindrance they posed to Nurgle’s tally – and also the secret of their power.[1c]

Leaving the teeming swarms of skaven to mire the seraphon’s advance, Mucafex gathered his Plague Bearers and lurched towards the slann. Ku-Quar led his saurus once more into battle, leaving the slann’s side to bear down upon the skaven war machines. The catapults continued to hurl arcing missiles into the ranks of the seraphon, each one impacting in a great splatter of putrescence. The Scar-Veteran hacked and slashed, while his mount scooped up a mouthful of squealing skaven in its maw before biting down with a wet crunch, broken limbs and twitching tails protruding from between its fangs.[1c]

Roars echoed across the city as the Scar-Veteran and his kin closed withthe skaven artillery. Hundreds of ratmen swarmed around the flanks of the Saurus Guard and Carnosaur, their pitted blades scrabbling to find weak-points in scaly hides. Most were hacked to pieces by the polearms of the saurus, but a few managed to drive their weapons home. With pained bellows a dozen seraphon vanished under a tide of filthy claws and chisel teeth, but Ku-Quar’s charge did not falter.[1c]

With Ku-Quar bearing down on the Plagueclaw Catapults, one of the warmachines’ crews tried to bring their creaking weapon to bear upon the Scar-Veteran. Leaning in his saddle, Ku-Quar didn’t flinch as the first missile sailed past his head, well wide of its mark. Even when the second crashed into the Carnosaur’s side, the beast merely shook the filth off like a great hound before thundering onwards.[1c]

The skaven tried to abandon their warmachines, but it was too late. With the crack of splintering wood and groan of twisting metal the monster smashed the engines apart and crushed their crews under its massive clawed feet.[1c]

Even as the skaven lines fragmentedNurgle daemons took their place,hacking their way through friend andfoe to reach the seraphon. Now withinsight of the slann, Mucafex called uponthe festering magic of his god to bringthe gifts of Nurgle to his foes.[1c]

As Mucafex coughed the last syllables of his spell, scores of seraphon collapsed under the weight of their withering forms before dissipating into nothing. Reaching into the strands of magic spilling down from the orrery, the slann began his own spell, heedless of the corpulent daemon hacking a path towards him.[1d]

Like pus from a septic wound the daemons oozed between the warriors of Zectoka’s army, smothering the ferocity of the seraphon. Ku-Quar had already returned to his master’s side, while his Eternal Starhost herded the daemons toward the tower. Mucafex continued to spread Nurgle’s gifts among the saurus, breathing a maudlin sigh at the realisation that his own efforts were adding to his own monumental task of counting the diseases of the realms.[1d]

When at last the Herald of Nurgle came to stand before Zectoka, a dozen stars began to move in the heavens.The celestial bodies fell upon blazing trails of azure light, gaining speed as they did so. Mucafex’s host was massed around the slann, and did not think to look up until the stars’ roar drowned out the buzzing of the daemon-flies ringing constantly in their ears. Before the herald could drive his blade into the slann’s belly, Zectoka and his army faded to nothing, returning from whence they came. Then the meteors struck. Searing starlight filled the citadel, before transforming it into a raging caldera of celestial energy. Mucafex did not see the demise of the Runnel Pits. His bloated form had already been scorched away with all the other foulness of the Scar Citadel.[1d]

## Sources

* 1 *Order Battletome: Seraphon*.

	+ 1a Pg. 74
	+ 1b Pg. 75
	+ 1c Pg. 76
	+ 1d Pg. 77