Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent
Jutting from eternally belching plumes of stinking, corrosive smoke is the Iron City of Dis; and atop its shrieking, black keep can be found the Infernal War Council. There sits seven of the greatest, most wicked and cunning of Arch-Devils, each representing one of the Seven Mortal Sins made manifest. They are the rulers of the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent which oversees Hell’s war against Creation on Earth. Each is known as one of the Heads of the Serpent, and ultimately it is their commands that dictate all the military forces of the Great War in the service of the infernal hierarchy.
In this twisted, treacherous and ever-shifting political arena, even the mightiest of Devils rarely sit at the great War Council for long. Towering statues of the Serpent Heads representing Wrath, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth and Lust are erected in Dis by slavering work gangs of yoke fiends, only to be torn down again and crushed into rubble as new Devil Lords rise to the pinnacle of power by trampling over their rivals.
The hierarchy of the Court is anything but stable: only Mammon is said to have held the position of the Serpent Head of Greed almost without break for the duration of the entire Great War. Other positions have seen a bewildering parade of dukes, marquises, margraves, barons and baronesses, paramounts, princes, lords, ladies, earls and myriad other high nobles that make up the infernal hierarchy. This whirlwind of political glory, followed by utter ruin, is reflected as shifts of power amongst their mortal followers on earth. The Council operates on majority vote and often with the thinnest of margins. It takes very little for an ambitious prince or princess of Hell to make so many enemies that they are deposed and their wings torn, forced them to begin their ascent from the bottom once more, with the mockery of their rivals burning them like venom.
Countless envious pretenders work against the Heads of the Serpent, seeking to replace them and gain the glory and prestige that comes with such a lofty position. The might of the demons also waxes and wanes based on how many mortal followers they can corrupt to their cause, and thus there is a constant change in which demon lords can don one of the seven serpent-headed crowns.
While Beelzebub is the most powerful Devil of Gluttony by far, the Lord of the Flies scorns his rightful place at the Court, waging his battle against creation through his Black Grail instead. This leaves his seat open so the lesser fallen angels can struggle for the honour of sitting on the Hungry Throne.
Upon the commands of the Court, the warbands of Hell gather at the Hellgate and strike out to blight our unhappy world. Yoke fiends muster under the banners of their praetors and sorcerers. The shattered forms of the Hell Knights are forced into their suits of armour, emerging from their fiery tombs where their bodies are kept crushed under mighty, ever-turning slabs of black basalt while they are not serving in the war effort. Desecrated Saints are brought forth to act as unholy war altars that pollute and pervert the land which they travel over. Ahead of the warbands fly Pit Locusts, the clatter of their wings heralding the coming of the Court, their poison stings leaving burns that cannot be healed. And sometimes, when the deathly omens in Hell’s burning sky and black stars are favourable, a Hunter of the Left-hand Path will join a warband as they strike out from the Mouth of Hell. As the warband marches to join the Great War, joyous and triumphant music played by unseen hands can be heard at these times, for taking part in one of these hunts is seen as a great privilege within the Sheol.
Before most warbands, the whips of the yoke fiends drive living human slave soldiers of the Court known as the wretched. These unfortunate souls possess not a drop of demon blood. They act as disposable shock troops or are used as subjects of torture to power the Goetic magic of the sorcerers and other users of the dark arts. Captured during one of the hunts of the Court, sold to the devils in the heretic domains or having the misfortune to have foolishly pushed through in the places where the borders of the world are thin, their minds are scarred by witnessing the horror of damnation while still alive. Willing to do anything to escape their fate a million times worse than death, they grasp at the thinnest of straws. Should a wretch bring down a mighty opponent, the Law of Hell is clear: the mortal will gain its freedom, in memory and honour of the First Rebellion when there was war in Heaven and blood of the angels painted the firmament red.
The Court and the Great War
When the Gate of Hell was opened by the Ultimate Heresy of the Templars, it was the warbands of the Court that poured out and took the Levant by the storm, long before the first Heretic Legion was ever formed. They fell upon the people of the Middle East, Asia and Europa. They crushed the mortal armies sent against them like fire burning dry chaff. Only at Antioch and at the Iron Wall were they eventually checked, though at a terrible cost. Meanwhile, awed even by these least of Hell’s servants, countless men and women fell to their knees at the sight of the dark splendour of the Court and worshipped them as gods. Those with truly wicked hearts were spared and they became the first heretics. Eventually their numbers would swell into the millions who now fill the teeming cities and domains under the shadow of the Hellgate.
Being both of the material world and of the world of spirit, the Court’s foot soldiers can march to make war on Earth without a fear of divine retribution as they do not break the Covenant of Hell. The Court also carefully limits the size of these warbands, so that most of the suffering and dying of the Great War is done by mortals, both to spite the God-Tyrant YHWH, but also to enhance their own power, as more humans are corrupted and die in the rebellion, the more God’s plan is disturbed and the greater the power of the devils waxes.
The missions of the Court against the Faithful do not follow the same logic as one a mortal commander might have. A mighty praetor could strike at a militarily insignificant village only to kill a new-born future saint, betray their own mortal followers by suddenly falling upon some unsuspecting heretic settlement or even clash with a warband of a rival Head of the Serpent. The wise do not question the motives of Hell’s rage and Heretics accept these occasional attacks against their forces as a fitting judgement for their lack of success in the war against the Faithful.
Faction Rules
Many of the warriors of the Court have access to Goetic abilities – Powers and Spells which use the suffering of mortals as spiritual energy to unleash the reality-bending powers of the Demons. As God’s plan for the universe is disrupted and perverted, the infernal sorcerers and other demonic creatures can use the released primordial energy of Creation to alter reality. Demons have to be quick, however: God’s omnipotence will soon reassert itself and the opportunity for Demons to disturb the world is lost. Thus infernal creatures have a continuous and growing need for human sacrifices, pain and endless warfare to enable their supernatural powers.
Goetic Spells are marked with the Keyword GOETIC (x) where the number in brackets indicates how many BLOOD MARKERS will have to be spent to trigger the effect of the Spell. If multiple numbers or a range of numbers are listed in the brackets, any one of those numbers can be chosen. These BLOOD MARKERS can be taken from any model currently taking part in the battle, be they friendly or enemy models. However, they must come from models that do not have the Keyword DEMONIC or BLACK GRAIL.
BLOOD MARKERS used this way are removed from the game and the described effect of the Goetic Spell or ability then takes effect as described – no ACTION roll is needed, unless outlined in the spell. Despite not requiring an ACTION roll, Goetic Spells are ACTIONS and, as with other ACTIONS, spells can only be used by the model once per Activation. Some Goetic Powers are not marked with the Keyword GOETIC (x). These powers are typically passive abilities.
Seven Deadly Sins
Many of the warriors of the Court have access to a selection of devastating Spells and other Powers as detailed in the list below which can be purchased at the indicated cost when the model is initially purchased. Depending on the type of model and which Deadly Sin the warband is dedicated to, the selection available to you may vary. All such limitations are clearly marked below.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
Warband Options
Captains
You may purchase up to two GOETIC Powers or Spells for the Praetor (or only one if you command a Wrath Warband).
The Praetor can be equipped with any weapons, armour and equipment from the Court Armoury.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
You may purchase up to three GOETIC Spells or Powers for the Sorcerer and must purchase at least one.
This GOETIC (2/4/6) Spell can be cast immediately before an injury is rolled for the Sorcerer. If it is, deduct 1 from the injury result for every two BLOOD MARKERS spent. This Spell can be cast outside of this model’s Activation.
The Sorcerer can be equipped with any melee weapon, armour and equipment from the Court Armoury.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
Elite
You may purchase one GOETIC Power or Spell for the Model.
Before rolling an injury caused by the Hell Knight’s melee or ranged attack, it can cast this GOETIC (1) Spell to roll that injury with +1 DICE. When this Spell is used on an injury caused by a BLAST weapon, it applies to every injury caused by that attack ACTION
The Hell Knights are always equipped with a suit of Infernal Iron Armour which is included in their cost. This armour can never be removed or lost. Hell Knights can be equipped with any weapons, armour and equipment from the Court Armoury.
Infernal Iron Armour
| Modifiers | Cannot be Ignored |
Injuries against this model are rolled with a flat -2 penalty. This penalty applies against injuries that ignore armour.
This armour is forged simultaneously in Hell and on Earth, so that no weapon, whether infernal or man-made, can overcome its protection. It serves both as protection and a torturous prison for the Hell Knights that are forced to wear it.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
As a Retreat ACTION with GOETIC (2), the Hunter Retreats from Melee Combat without enemy models getting any free attacks against it.
Once during its Activation, when the Hunter moves into contact with a piece of scenery at least 2” wide, it can cast this GOETIC (2) Spell to walk the path between Hell and Creation. Remove the Hunter and immediately place it into contact with any other piece of scenery over 2” wide on the battlefield, including on top of or inside it. The Hunter then continues its movement as normal. It can cast this Spell again as part of the same movement, spending a BLOOD MARKER each time, but it cannot cast it later as part of a different movement during the same Activation.
This spell can be cast as part of any movement the Hunter takes during its Activation (Standard Move, Retreat, Charge, Dash etc.). If it is cast as part of a Charge, it does not need to take the most direct route possible, but it still selects the target as normal (Line of Sight, within 12” etc.).
Once per Turn, the Hunter can use this GOETIC (3) after an injury is rolled against it to negate the result (and any other effects caused by the triggering event) entirely. Effects from the triggering event, such as BLAST weapons that originally targeted the Hunter, still affect other models as normal.
The Hunter can be equipped with any melee weapons, armour (though not Infernal Armour which would disrupt the powers of the Hunter) and equipment from the Court Armoury. The Hunter always carries the Bow of Lethe as its ranged weapon and it cannot swap or lose this weapon. It always takes the use of one of the arms of the Hunter.
Bow of Lethe
| Range | 24" |
| Hands | 1 Hands (Ranged) |
| Modifiers | +2D to Injuries OR Ignore Armour |
ASSAULT
Before rolling an injury for this weapon, choose one of the following effects to apply to that roll: The injury ignores armour. Roll the injury with +2 DICE.
This bow is grown by the Hunters of the Left-Hand Path out of their own flesh. It can be tipped with a deadly poison made from the blood of the nameless beasts that the Hunters stalk in the wastelands of Hell, or it can shoot one of the iron bolts of Pandemonium that weigh nine tonnes on Earth.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
Infantry
Depending on which Deadly Sin the warband is dedicated to, the Desecrated Saint emits a powerful aura of that sin.
The Desecrated Saint is encased in nigh-impregnable Cocytus Armour reflected on the profile above. This armour cannot be removed or lost. The Desecrated Saint has three functional arms. They can carry up to three melee weapons, only one of which can be a two-handed weapon. The Desecrated Saint can be equipped with any melee weapons from the Court Armoury, and can make a Melee Attack ACTION once per Activation with each melee weapon it is equipped with and suffers no off-hand penaties.
When the Pit Locust makes a melee attack, it can make an additional attack with its stinger if it charged during this Activation. Pit Locusts suffer no penalties for fighting unarmed, nor do they suffer penalties or restrictions for making Off-Hand Attacks with their stingers. The first attack made by a Pit Locust has the Keyword SHRAPNEL and therefore causes an additional BLOOD MARKER.
A Pit Locust wears a suit of Reinforced Armour which is reflected in its profile above. They can have no other armour, weapons and equipment, except for the Crown of Hellfire. They do not suffer penalties for fighting unarmed.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
If a Wretch manages to take any enemy ELITE model Out of Action or performs a Glorious Deed, it gains its freedom and is immediately removed from the battle and from your warband permanently. It does not count as a casualty, but your warband’s total size for this battle is reduced by one for purposes of Morale.
When a yoke fiend is Activated, if there is an enemy model without the Keyword BLACK GRAIL or DEMONIC within 12” that it can see, it must make a Charge against the closest enemy model without the Keyword BLACK GRAIL or DEMONIC as its first ACTION. If it begins its Activation Down and the above conditions are true, it must stand and then Charge, unless it cannot stand. If it begins its Activation in melee combat, it ignores this ability.
The Yoke Fiend can target friendly non-DEMONIC models within 1” with melee attacks. When it does, it can only make a single melee attack during its Activation.
Yoke fiends can be equipped with any melee weapon, armour and equipment from the Court Armoury. They can be equipped with any one ranged weapon from the Court Armoury that costs 30 ducats or less.
Mercenaries
As a RISKY ACTION with +1 DICE, the Warlock can Teleport up to 6” in any direction into a free space it can see, including into melee with an enemy model. The Warlock may bring a single enemy model that is in Melee Combat with it and has a base size of 32mm or smaller. There must be suitable space for the Warlock (and a possible passenger which must end the teleport in Melee Combat with the Warlock) at its target destination or this teleport automatically fails. It may not teleport out of the battlefield. It may teleport even if it is currently Down, but remains so after the teleportation.
Enemies cannot Retreat from the Goetic Warlock. Additionally, if a model is able to move out of Melee Combat with the Warlock because of a special ability (such as the Assassin’s Dagger), they cannot.
This is an ACTION which is modified exactly the same way as a ranged attack, executed against one enemy the Warlock can see within 24”. If successful, the model suffers one BLOOD MARKER. If the success is a Critical Success, the target suffers two BLOOD MARKER instead. This ACTION can be used against enemy models in Melee Combat without having to randomise the target.
Sword / Axe
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 1 Hands (Melee) |
CRITICAL
Because of the martial traditions of many proud nations and due to the advances in armour technology, swords and axes are extremely popular, especially amongst elite units and officers. They are supremely useful for finishing off downed opponents and causing profusely bleeding wounds.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Goetic Warlocks are horrific creations from the death factories of the 3rd Circle of Hell, manufactured from captured priests, prophets, vicars, rectors and monks. Fiendish machines first burn their flesh away with hellfire, encasing the still-living skeletons in an infernal suit of armour and stamping them with goetic runes. The process is so agonising that they consent to a demonic pact to bring end to their pain. Thus a new Goetic Warlock is born, ready to hunt the living they once swore to protect.
The mere gaze of the warlock causes necrosis and in close quarters they embrace unsuspecting enemies with their iron claws, using their goetic magic to gate themselves to a secluded location where they can finish their victim by slowly shredding them apart. Their favourite method is by skinning their victims alive and using their gruesome trophies as repulsive vellum to write grimoires and unholy religious texts, or wearing the faces of their victims to power their illusionary spells to confound their enemies.
Due to the rarity of victims required to create Goetic Warlocks, they are only assigned to the Heretic commanders with the greatest renown, need and with the right connections in the twisted web of Heretic politics. Mammon, the great devil of Greed, sells the services of his own personal battalion of Warlocks to the highest bidder.
Scripture Guardian has a halved Dash distance (i.e. 3”).
The Scripture Guardian reads words from the holy (or unholy!) text it carries. This is an attack ACTION with 18” range, and it can be used in either Melee or as a Ranged attack (though not both during the same Activation). Use Ranged and Melee Characteristics as appropriate. This attack ignores armour and cover. For each BLOOD MARKER the target has, add +1 to the Injury roll. Note that if armed with a melee weapon, both the Melee attack and the use of the Vengeageful Scripture can be used simultaneously.
Combat Helmet
Ignores additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword SHRAPNEL.
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
As a RISKY ACTION, the Sin Eater can attempt to consume a model, friend (in which case the ACTION is not RISKY and is done with +1 DICE) or foe, that is on a 40mm or smaller base and is within 1”. If successful, remove the model from the table and set aside any markers that the model has (BLOOD, INFECTION, BLESSING etc.). While it is devoured the model cannot be targeted by any attack or ability. When Activated, the devoured model may make one melee attack ACTION available to it, but the attack suffers a -3 DICE penalty when rolling to hit. A devoured model counts as being Down for all rules purposes (including Morale) and, if it is still devoured at the end of the battle, it counts as being Out of Action instead.
Whenever the Sin Eater is activated, the devoured model suffers one BLOOD MARKER automatically that cannot be avoided by any means. If the devoured model suffers a BLOOD MARKER in this way when it already has six BLOOD MARKER, it is immediately taken Out of Action and it is no longer considered devoured. If the Sin Eater is taken Out of Action, the devoured model is placed Down where the Sin Eater was. The Sin Eater can only ever have one consumed model in its belly.
The Sin Eater attempts to purge a model it has devoured as an ACTION with +4 DICE. If successful, the model’s controller places the model within 1” of the Sin Eater. If no suitable space exists, the vomit fails and the model remains devoured. The vomited model is Down. The Sin Eater can only use this ACTION if it has a model devoured.
Tenderizer Maul
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
| Modifiers | +1 to Injuries |
HEAVY
Its huge reach means that the Sin Eater may make one Melee Attack ACTION against each enemy model it is fighting in Melee.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Sin Eaters are horrific creatures: once they were mortal men and women, but their overwhelming greed and hunger for human flesh tainted with Sin, combined with the corrupting influence of the Hellgate, has turned them into a form that matches their inner foulness. They’re swollen into monstrous proportions and are always at a point of nearly bursting, yet forever ravenous for more flesh and human sins to devour.
The Sin Eater is one of the very few creatures that Beelzebub approves of outside his own followers due its insatiable gluttony.