Khorne - Philosophy and Methods: The fundamental conflicts that drive mortal life forward sustain Khorne on a base level, much as bread and water might sustain a creature of flesh. But just as a mortal body craves more substantial food, so too does Khorne desire greater conflicts. It is not content to lurk in the background, inciting petty squabbles or drinking in the joys of a remote border dispute. Khorne is not some mere beast or other lowly temporal being. It is a god, and the appetite of a god is terrible and insatiable.The worship of Khorne takes many forms. Primitive Human cultures have followed Khorne since the time they first were able to hunt game and make war upon their neighbours. Many of them are not even aware that the god they venerate is the Blood God itself. Some do not even think of it as a god. To them it is a force of nature to be appeased or a spirit to be persuaded.A common representation of Khorne in these cultures is that of a great beast, such as a shadowy mastiff, eyes ablaze as it seeks prey. Enlisting the aid of such a spirit can ensure a productive hunt or bloody victory in a battle with another clan.Humans are not alone in following this blood-soaked path. Khorne's favour can also come to the brutal Orks, despite their own gods Gork and Mork. Fierce Nekulli mercenaries, bloodthirsty Rak'Gol hunters, or indeed any warrior from any intelligent species can serve the purpose of the Lord of Skulls. They need only pledge blood and skulls to their master to receive his strength in their arms and his rage in their hearts.Even deep within Imperial space, there are those who would unwittingly turn to the worship of Khorne. On Hive Worlds, gangs fight one another for territory and supplies. Sometimes they recruit a deadly assassin to eliminate a particularly powerful opposing gang leader. Such an assassin, at the direction of their temple's leadership, may seek a divine hand to guide their dagger's stroke over the throat of their target. In praying for help to commit such a murder, the assassin runs the risk of attracting the notice of Khorne, the Lord of Murder. The assassin's masters may or may not know that their servants end up serving Khorne in turn. They may think they are offering sacrifices to some other deity, or could simply not care to whom the blood of the kill is consecrated as long as the temple gains power and influence.Regardless, Khorne offers its help and claims the blood in payment. Regardless of the need that pushes someone to it, no matter the circumstance, or indeed even the name or form by which it is known, one constant binds all to Khorne -- blood. Above all, Khorne seeks the spilling of blood. Through murder, slaughter, and war, servants of the Blood God rip apart the flesh of their enemies, staining the soil on thousands of worlds with crimson gore, all in the name of Khorne.Nothing pleases Khorne more than the free flow of sanguine life force. It gives the god its power, sustains it, and eases the spreading of its influence. Those who worship Khorne must ensure that the supply of blood never ceases, for Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, only that it does. A follower who displeases Khorne by failing to provide sufficient blood sacrifices will likely find themselves as the next offering, their blood drunk, their soul consumed, and their skull tossed upon the vast mountain of such bones that surrounds the Throne of Skulls.Though Khorne's influence is a steady, constant tide of aggression pushing the world of mortals to acts of brutality, murder, and bloodshed, this is not enough to satiate the thirst of the Lord of Battle. Minor, isolated, or subtle acts cannot keep the rivers of its realm flowing with blood or elevate his throne ever higher upon a mound of skulls.They cannot fuel the fires of the boundless rage that exists at the very core of Khorne's being. Khorne demands slaughter on a planetary scale, the murder of entire species, and, most of all, unending battle. Warfare -- constant, epic, and merciless warfare -- is required to reap the blood and skulls required to feed the cravings of a god.All intelligent species wage war upon their rivals, even those that claim to seek unity and enlightenment. Those that do not willingly submit to the cause of another's greater good are brought to heel through armed force. For reluctant soldiers, war is a duty performed in service to a higher cause. It serves its purpose as a means to an end of peace. Many, though, find the means of carnage to become an end in itself.To those who serve Khorne, war needs no justification or purpose beyond the glorious act itself. Splitting a head with a chainaxe and feeling the blood strike the flesh of the hand that wields it is its own reward. It becomes a compulsion. Killing begets killing. Blood demands blood. Devotion to Khorne is a life, no matter how brief or long, filled with days of brutal destruction, broken up only by the need to gather strength until the assault can be launched anew.A single rage-fuelled man can kill a handful of people before he falls, but when hundreds or thousands of such individuals gather together, cities, planets, and even galaxies shake in fear. Armies of Khorne's devoted worshippers descend upon a planet with a single purpose -- to reap skulls and spill blood for their master. Huge Daemon Engines of war, weapons of incalculable destructive power, are granted to the armies that show the greatest devotion and total the largest body counts.As the Doom Mortars of these chosen forces rain gravedigger shells down upon the heads of a terrified populace, ranks of frenzied warriors tear into a planet as if it were itself a living thing. Orbital defences are smashed, cities are razed, and enemy war machines are obliterated, clearing the way for the killing to begin in earnest.Destruction inflicted from ranged weapons is a start, but true martial achievement can only be realised in close quarters. Each kill committed fuels the greater slaughter. There are no captives taken, no lives spared; Khorne does not abide mercy. As streets become rivers of blood and bones shatter beneath advancing boots, the armies of Khorne push themselves to greater and greater feats of carnage.At first, pistols are holstered in favour of chainswords and power axes. The blades bite deeply into the chests and necks of terrified enemy soldiers, the resistance of the flesh generating a feeling of grim satisfaction for the wielder. Soon even this sensation is not gratifying enough. The warriors of Khorne need to feel the heat of freshly spilled blood as it pumps out of hearts directly onto their skin. They need to revel in the snapping of arms and ripping of flesh that the jagged bone protrusions cause. In these moments, Khorne and its followers reach a level of communion that gives the Blood God the closest thing it gets to a feeling of being satiated.This feeling, however, is fleeting. As soon as it subsides, Khorne bellows in rage and pushes its followers to regroup and prepare to assault their next target. The warfare -- and the killing -- never ends.Even in Khorne's own realm, the Blood God's Domain, where enemies only rarely present themselves, there is war. The generals of Khorne's Blood Legions, the mighty Bloodthirsters, lead legions of Bloodletters, Flesh Hounds, and other Daemons into battle against one another. They hone their brutal skills, even as they dull their blade edges against the armour of other Daemons.Axes cut into unnatural flesh in a constant orgy of destruction. Limbs are severed, chests are impaled on horns, faces are ripped apart by teeth and claws. When a battle ends, the wrecked bodies of the fallen are crushed under foot or tossed into great bottomless chasms. The battlefield remains idle for only as long as it takes for fresh legions to mass.Then the battle cries are heard once more and war begins anew. The only respite from the conflict is reserved for the furnace Daemons who work the forges, creating weapons for the Blood Legions to wield in their next battle, be it within Khorne's realm or in the material world.