After a few Warhammer Horror short stories, Blood of the Flayer is Richard Strachan’s first main-range Age of Sigmar story for Black Library, an intriguing tale of an unusually non-committal Chaos warlord. In Chamon, the realm of metal, Lord Huthor gathers warriors to his banner and dreams of power and purpose. When a Slaaneshi seductress lures him away from Chaos Undivided, Huthor leads his warband into the service of the god of excess, but never truly embraces that path. As the years pass and his armies grow, Huthor walks many different paths in search of his destiny, confidently taking only what he needs from each.
The idea that a servant of Chaos might not be wholly committed to only one power is an interesting concept, and something that isn’t often explored in Warhammer fiction. It’s an ambitious arc to cover in just a single short story but it’s paced well, starting off with an expansive introduction to Huthor’s character before narrowing in focus as time passes and the plot progresses, with everything tying neatly together by the time the satisfying and very Warhammer-appropriate conclusion comes around. Strachan’s prose is atmospheric and evocative, and he keeps things focused on character as much as possible, choosing to mostly hint at the bloody slaughter being committed and spend more time exploring Huthor’s personal journey. It all makes for an engaging, elegantly constructed story, and a fresh and interesting angle on Chaos in the Mortal Realms.
Blood of the Flayer is available either as a standalone e-short or in the Oaths & Conquests anthology.
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