Chapter 368: The Priestess of Putrefaction
(General POV)
Location the Warhammer Old World-Kislev/Deep in the Festering Dark Woods-The Lair of the Maggotkin Priestess
Meanwhile as the Warp Gods were gaining new daemonic subjects to their respected legions, as the Living Daemon Fortress, Enzium, was swimming across the traitorous waters that divide the chaotic north, with the last northern bastion for the southlands, it will take some time for the Dark Legion to not only landfall on Kislev's shores but also increase their numbers to a grand legion of Chaos.
Regardless the invasion of the Motherland, soon to be unleashed on Kislev, all the while another evil was steering.
A evil that it gravely ill, but not rots, as a legion of restilence and decay prepares to use the chaos and panic that Kislev is suffering from the soon arrival of the Chosen of the Gods and their Dark Legion.
In a hidden location in the only forest that hags dare not touch and Mother Ostankya has marked as forbidden, called the Festering Dark Woods there is a dank, rot infested, and putrid filled cave, filled with rotting carcasses, decaying beats and innards hanging from bone and wood Madd charms that also held incenses of rusted metal spewing unimaginable horrendous stench of death and rot.
Runes, sigils, and withering wooden totems dedicated to the Plague God, OW-Nurgle were inscribed all around the cave walls.
As screams and sickly laughter echoed the horrific lair of a powerful cult dedicated to OW-Nurgle, deeper one goes in this den of disease and miasma, they'll find the Putrefied Temple where many Maggotkin gather in revelry and joy under the leadership of a former kislevite wet nurse that fell to the Grandfather's embrace, rising in power and renown until they call her the Priestess of Putrefaction or the Maggotkin Priestess...
For the Maggotkin of Nurgle are the greatest and most devote followers of the Plague God, generous in their distribution of epidemics and loving in the care they have for the foul creations of the Grandfather, the Maggotkin of Nurgle seek to bloat the Old World with rot and contagion.
Considered by many as the strongest and most infected with the Maggotking's gifts, they spread across the world in the single, and glorious mission on spreading the endless, generous gifts of Papa Nurgle.
By allowing diseases to spread far and wide, they herald the coming of life in its most vivid and natural expression.
Indeed, if one is to value and cheer at the birth of every maggot and parasites allowed to thrive in raddled corpses, then disease and rot become not the faltering of life towards death, but the overabundance of life.
In this, the Maggotkin are the enforcers of the natural cycle, their ever-loving actions ultimately making the circle of life so vividly round that its curves can be seen by mortal eyes, to their greatest displeasure.
In this sacred place dedicated to their beloved Grandfather, and vile Dark God wad the secret temple and altar surrounded by hundreds of Maggotkin.
From a couple of Harbingers of Decay are mighty commanders of Rotbringer armies as they ride atop on mouldering saddles equipped on the backs of monstrous Daemonic Steeds with their bloated form, like sacks of flyblown offal, making them quite confident in their god's approval of them and many consider them the gaze of Papa Nurgle himself, those under him fighting with morbid vigour when under their sight.
It said that OW-Nurgle rains down plenty of vile blessings on them as a reward for committing their disgusting deeds with a sinister pride, the Harbingers were holding on to their sacred Plague Scyrhes while standing next to their loyal, rotted steeds, these emaciated and vile Nurglite Daemonic Mounts that look more dead than alive, they spread diseases with their flyblown bite.
Several Lords of Blights which are brutish and swollen lords amongst the Maggotkin, who both create and destroy, their bellies of these swollen lords, dispense maggots at an alarming rate.
In battle, while a great hammer and shield, commonly seen with a rack of heads strap to their bloated backs, the Lord of Blights are also known as the "Farmers of Corpses" for they remain vigilant for any hardy enemies so their bodies can be added to his orchards after the battle, they plant corpse orchards from the meat-mulch from battles and various plagues.
From these orchards arise twisted gallows trees that blight the land and bear aloft the bodies of the Lord's chosen victims.
Then there's the Lords of Plagues are blessed mortal followers of Nurgle, poisoning anyone that get's close enough to him with Nurgle's Rot, their repulsive body is infested with a myriad of diseases and bloated with rancid boils, open sore and cankerous bulges, and, like all Nurgle's servants, have the ability to regenerate.
They are typically the most directly belligerent of Nurgle's champions, charging into where the fighting is thickest and leaving the battlefield ready for colonisation by Nurgle's diseases in their wake, by reducing their foes into filth-ridden rotten corpse mulch, acting as great leaders of Putrid Blightkings.
Putrid Blightkings are the most numerous and enormous bloated warriors, festering with pustules and plagues, and some of Papa Nurgle's most favoured mortal servants, these rotting, bellicose murderers, blessed with the bite of daemonfly, lumber into battle with their tocsins tolling.
Blightkings have rotting bodies that can absorb tremendous amounts of punishment allowing them to relentlessly push through a foes battleline, their bodies can also release virulent discharges that heals those aligned with OW-Nurgle and infects with dangerous illnesses those that don't.
Near the sacred cauldron of putrefaction, were a couple of Rotbringer Sorcerers are Nurglite magic users of the Maggotkin armies, they were aiding their Priestess in her latest ritual feast.
The Rotbringer Sorcerors are sustained by their vile god often sustains them in battle, by blessing them with vitality, the support of their master brings them great joy and makes them chuckle with glee, like many of Plague God's followers they are always eager to share and spread the gifts of OW-Nurgle.
Returning to giant cauldron in the center of this horrific "Altar of the Fly", the young former kislevite woman, named Yuma Trollvile the Priestess of Putrefaction, smiling as she mix the cauldron filled with boiling slime, vile, and ungodly horrors from old bones, and rotted meat, to fresh innards and organ from the sacrifices they've collected today.
As Blightking dragged a kislevite man, struggling to escape bringing him to Yuma, Yuma was a fern greenskinned young woman with some freckles and spots of olive green on her skin.
She has wild, unruly, curly, dirty faded moss-green colored hair exposed through her maw-like hood, which twitched like a living creature, and antler sprouting on top her head, coming through the hood.
That she hasn't bloated or decayed or badly mutated thank to a specific act that lead to her downfall, as she stopped steering the cauldron and turn to the man being dragged towards her.
She smiled exposing her jagged, dirty yellow teeth to him, rised her right arm over to his face showing that the end of her long sleeves were also maw-like with her arm sticking out, as she was grabbing his chin tightly in her deep, dark green fingers, with yellow claw-tips on them, Yuma inspecting him and forcibly move his face around with her surprising greater strength.
Giggling she said in a cheery sounding tone, "Good meat on this one. Such a shame it isn't age and rotten. But don't you all worry..." as one of the tentacles on her hooded robe's called "Gul'galg" back reached out and grabbed for her a massive cleaver.
A special cleaver called the "Spoiling Blade" a huge rusted but ever-sharp cleaver bestowed to her by the Grandfather itself which holds the "Fleshretcher Touch" that poisons, rots, and...spoils...the flesh that, that cleaver cuts into, her lovely Gul'galg gave handed her the cleaver, as she motions to the blightking to place on the gore and festering table on the side.
Knowing his life was in danger the young kislevite man, struggled more fearsomely only for a bloated tribesman smashed his aged bloodstained hammer to his head, stunning and concussing the man.
Which Yuma gratefully thanked as she walked over to the "chopping block" of the Altar of the Fly, with pep in her step, and humming in her voice with her cleaver resting on her right shoulder with Gul'galg's sleeve tentacles helping her, in holding it.
Once the mam was dumped on blood, gore, maggot and fly infested preparation area, she addressed her followers and family, "On this horrid day!!! We sacrifice this soul to you, ohh great Grandfather, accept his soul into your loving embrace!!! Let his corpse and bone feed new life both in us, and in your garden!!!" all cheered and praised OW-Nurgle, especially the young flee and diseased ridden, or digustingly mutated, or straight unwanted children among the Maggotkin.
The reason Yuma and her followers take these discarded children into their care and raise them into the love of OW-Nurgle and to become strong, plague infested warriors of the Maggotkin of Nurgle.
As Yuma started to prepare the sacrifice, and feast that will dedicated to Papa Nurgle and feed their warriors and young for days, as she swung down and cleaved right through the forehead of the now young kislevite, and she rised again to chop, and cut the quickly spoiling corpse for the cauldron and meal that they'll feast upon in the Plague God's name.
But who is Yuma Trollvile?
Her story is quite a tragic one, but also one respected amongst the countless children of the Plague God, as she was once called Svetlana Vor'Vasilieva a proud kislevite that at her younger years worked and rise children for the warrior women protecting the sacred motherland, even something acting as a wet-nurse for them, for this kindness and motherly instincts she was considered as a second mother to these infants and children, beloved and respected by a all.
Svetlana life was good, and was destined for greater blessing as she was engaged with a young kislevite prince named Surgei Kornthar'nar.
But it became one tragedy after the next for the young child-caretaker, starting when a huge invasion of trolls was reported to be coming from the accursed mountain region called Troll Country.
These trolls were luckily not under the command of the infamous, and dreaded Troll King, but still a massive threat to Kislev, days later while her fiancee Surgei, lead a force to deal with the mix trollish invaders, from cave and stone to ice trolls from further north they came to pillage and cause destruction in Kislev, trusting her childhood fiancee and Ursun, on his safe and successful return but several weeks later her father-in-law to be, Lord Rulge, came to her home and told her that Surgei has died in the campaign to quell the trolls, only a couple survivors returned and the trolls were still raiding their precious lands...
Svetlana cried for long time friend and future, former husband but in truth she didn't truly love him, but she didn't wish for his death, she feel into sadness and grief, but remain a caretaker for those that needed her.
Until one night, a troll-raid occurred on the settlement that she was nursing from, to save the children and the pregnant mothers under her care she hid them under the nursery building, but even with her heroic sacrifice she was captured by the trolls, along with several other people.
In a filty cage she'd watched and suffered as one by one her former townspeople were killed and ate by the trolls, on one of the times that the trolls came to her cage, for new meat she'd managed to escape but all the while being chased by angry and starving trolls, despite being weak from starvation and thirst being a kislevite served her, in trek throught the snow and forests to finally escape her monster pursuers.
Svetlana managed to evade and lose several of the troll chasing her with exception of one, one that was particularly persistent and hungry, while running through the cold night shrouded forests, she and the troll fell into a deep hole, hurting her leg on the fall and also her belly but fortunately the fall managed to kill the Troll as his body was laying on the snow-covered ground with it head at a twisted angle...the fall cause the troll to snap its neck on impact.
She stayed in that cold, dark hole for days hoping to be rescued and also afraid that the troll might spring back alive, knowing of the trolls strong, potent, and infamous regenerative abilities.
Not only that her wounds she'd feared that they would get worse if not treated soon, but in a twisted way of fate, the cold and frost keep them quickly festering but it also didn't help to alleviate the pain and discomfort...
As days passed and eventually the hunger and desperation, were overtook her fear and worries, Svetlana she crawled over at body partially frozen and to her surprise still fresh...searching the corpse she found what can be considered a knife for the creature, while being a small sword to her's.
A sharp-blade tied to a piece of bone, and she used it to cut, stab, and carve the troll so she can eat it...
With that fresh and surprising still regenerating source of food she survived for weeks, eating the cold tough flesh, but the warm blood was soothing she even used from of the troll flesh to remain warm and later replace once the blood and flesh froze.
After soo long, Svetlana, she was found by Lord Rulge Kornthar'nar and his men they brought her back to her hometown, covered in filth, vile, blood, and muk...but when she was taken to be treated and she discovered that extensive period with a wound that managed to reach her womb left her barren.
This was a utter shock, but the healer also told her that strangely her body was healing...almost regenerating that's when she realized that her once close to be killer and devourer, gave her its ability.
Now a young woman, that has always been a mother figure and caretaker can never be a mother herself...she tried to return to return in her work as a wet-nurse.
But her tragedies weren't over, Svetlana she had a brief moment of peace, returning to her work and healing back to...almost...full health, when a plague started to spread and infect many, many people across Kislev.
As many fell to this plague, suffering bone aches, bleeding dark tone and constantly vomiting...but even with her working alongside many healers and sick she'd never got infected, only a slight fever followed by a quick restoration and she was back to full-health again.
This wasn't the only time things like that has happened to her, if she got hurt or feverish she'd feel fine the next day.
As a couple of years have passed, at first Svetlana, she thought that her regeneration that it a blessing, a reward from Ursun for enduring all the hardship and suffering for the last years.
But then the ice witches from the Ice Court along with the fanatics from the Great Orthodoxy came for her, accusing her of heresy and dark worship to the vile Plague God, OW-Nurgle!!!
For her resistance and survival of all the sicknesses and wounds it must be unholy, they did this accusation in the middle of her home settlement, they started to surround her, she knew she was innocent and said the reason of her regenative abilities.
Exposing Svetlana past to survive, she ate raw troll meat for weeks to live, this only made her a greater, and disgusting outclass as they still wanted to judge her.
Meaning that she'd to run to survive again, they threw muk and other filth on her, as she was chased out to the cruel wilds.
Eventually Svetlana, she was self banished and rejected by her people and as twisted for of "mercy" they banished her to the cold wilds of Kislve, she wandered for days only barely cause of the troll regeneration she'd acquired, until Svetlana she heard cries of pain that lead her across a greatly putrid and corrupted unknown creature.
It was wounded and suffering, feeling symphothy for the creature, and with her mothernal instincts guiding her, Svetlana stayed by it's side and tended to it, and hunted for food for it, while it because greatly affectionate towards her, she named it Gul'galg for some reason it fitted it and they spend a longtime together in the bitter cold wilds.
Then a horde of tzeentchian cultists from those calling themselves the Disciples of Tzeentch, they came and attacked her and Gul'galg.
Seeing her and the creature as vile spawns of the Plague God, they took their time and enjoyed their pain, Gul'galg was trying to help her but they keep it pinned down, with blades and tzeentchian magic.
The creature was badly wounded but it still wanted to protect the sole person that has been kind to it, but it still didn't want to die, it didn't want to leave Svetlana, and the Lord of Flies, Papa Nurgle feeling touched and sympathetic to it devition, loyalty and love to the mortal woman that has been catching the gaze of Plague God since her encounter with the trolls, OW-Nurgle he granted the creature new life to rip its hide and flesh off the creature and wrap around Svetlana.
Gul'galg sprouted maws on various parts on its body, and several fleshy tentacles from it body, which it used to defend her.
Using those new tentacles to strangle, smash, tear and protect her, also using their weapons against them as well.
In the end they fought together and survived, and thus in the end, she gain what is called by several nurglish followers as the Still Living Robes of Gul'galg, actual living and vile robes with mouths for a hood, wrist-sleeves, and tentacles that either come from within or it back protecting it master forevermore, since then she'd worn Gul'galg and never taking it off allowing the stench, stains of blood, muk, scum, and mold to spread and permeate him, to both of their delight!!
That day she forsake the name Svetlana Vor'Vasilieva, and started wandering the cold wilds of Kislve, seeing that Papa Nurgle has done more for her than Ursun and any other before, at that moment she turned to OW-Nurgle, gaining more and more favor from Papa Nurgle that she'd realized has always been there for when others and the false God, Ursun, were not.
She started rising in power and fame or infamy in several battles against Kislve, Yuma as she started to call herself and her hatred towards trolls didn't diminished Yuma, hunted and ate them all that she'd faced, which drastically increased her regeneration powers, and made it quite difficult to cause decay, putrefaction, and rot on her body, as it healed to quickly to make a drastic mutation, aside her antlers, teeth, claws, skin and more, this also gain her the full-name Yuma Trollvile for her hatred of troll, and her love of troll-meat.
For years she waged many wars against the Tzarina's Ice Courts, and Mother Ostankya's followers, targeting hospitals and shelters causing a huge spike of carrion and illness all over the Motherland, gaining a huge following of the most favored of the Plague God's, the Maggotkin, leading them in these wars and spreading the gift to Plague God.
In one of those attacks she faced off with a Ursunian Patriarch name Aleksandr the Faithful, a strong figure in the Great Orthodoxy with great magical power.
They fought and using a rusted cleaver, the Spoiling Blade, and the Troll Knife that she went back to the previous site of her original fall to OW-Nurgle and claimed as one of her weapons, they fought for several hours.
While a devoted daughter of the Grandfather, and also a dedicated preacher of Papa Nurgle's love and gifts.
That same devotion to her Dark God, has awakened her magical abilities but without a foci, she wasn't able to truly unleash the power of the Lore of Nurgle, but casting a well placed [Blight Boil] spell as a filthy, pulsating blister rapidly grows before suddenly bursting, showering the enemy with its disgusting fluid and all the maladies contained within, that exploded behind Aleksandr bathing him vile and puss, melting him, as she struck cutting down the fanatic.
Seeing that he didn't need his staff anymore, she took it removed everything dedicated to the fake, Ursun, hanging rotting deathheads, from rusted hooks, and a massive troll-eyeball stab onto the top.
She even added a chained, spiked-incense, flail, with unimaginable poses and stenches spewing a thick miasma, this is one of the symbol of power that Yuma obtained and with her dear Gul'galg, holding for her they can fight better together, and improve her magic casting, this is called the Morana Scepter.
Since then she has been known as the Priestess of Putrefaction, and the leader of the Maggotkin of Kislve.
Now back in current time, as she feed her followers, family, and children, soon she'll lead her Maggotkin into a new attack, as she heard that the little brother of the Tzarina was after her and her warrior.
She was eager to chop his head off, and added said head onto her staff to show it to Tzarina Katarin, since Kislev belongs to the Grandfather not the weak and nearly dead God, Ursun, that cowards as the forces of Chaos were coming to the Motherland, she smiled as she was quite excited to offer countless souls to Papa Nurgle!!