#113 - Sons of Gulaab

Long. long ago, back in the Age of Chaos, the ancient kingdom of Gulaab Kaphool was a beacon of hope. The worshippers of Sigmar, Alarielle, Tyrion, Grungni and Nagash all lived and worked in harmony, resisting the incursions of the Ruinous Powers. But the kingdom fell when Nagash became jealous of his rivals' worship and sent his servant Lord Elohiim to splinter the priest-king's soul into five and draw all its shards to himself. For Nagash is all, and all will be one in Nagash.

The portion of Gulaab's soul which worshipped Nagash was rewarded with eternity in his service as a terrifying wight, the Kings of Thorns. Having lost a fifth part of his very soul, the once great king's mind was broken and he became known as 'Gulaab the Fool'. Inevitably, his kingdom rapidly crumbled. Lord Elohiim then granted Gulaab the blood kiss, thus drawing all of Kaphool's soul under Nagash's dominion (or so he thought). The newly-reborn Soulblight vampire fled his kingdom, leaving it in the hands of the King of Thorns. Together, the wight king and his warden Lord Elohiim raised a new army of undead, which later became known as the Lost Thorns. It was prophesied that one day, all five shards of Gulaab's soul would be reunited - the so-called Legend of the Cinquefoil. But Elohiim had no idea that Sigmar had managed to snatch his own fifth soul fragment from Nagash's grasp, which he kept safe for an age before restoring it upon the Anvil of Apotheosis.

Even now in the Age of Sigmar, the army of the King of Thorns endures. Resplendent in faded green and corroded bronze, the deathrattle host of the Lost Thorns still displays shadows of its ancient origins. In eternal mockery of Gulaab the Fool, Elohiim took the trouble to raise a few duardin, aelves and even sylvaneth to join the ranks of their human allies in life. Thus the so-called 'Sons of Gulaab' include the remains of individuals who worshipped all five deities of Gulaab's pantheon, although the most blessed among them is of course a creature of Nagash. 

The Sons of Gulaab (Velmorn)

The Lost Thorns also include some long-vanquished enemies of Gulaab the Fool: The Vassal King leads the skeletal Servants of the Rose, all once followers of Chaos, but now firmly held to the will of Nagash. 

The Vassal King (Wight King)

The Vassal King with the Servants of the Rose (Skeleton warriors)

The Lost Thorns in mainly comprised of deathrattle skeletons and the elite Guardians of the Barrow, while the King of Thorns is ever accompanied by his chosen Knights of the Lost Thorns. have also taken over control of the Rose Guard, formerly servants of both the Bloody Pilgrims and Heisenbergs. And of course,  Uniting all these disparate deathrattle warriors is the Matriarch, one time Priestess of Nagaash in the court of Gulaab Kaphool. 

The King of Thorns leads the Knights of the Lost Thorns

The Matriarch (Watch Captain Halgrim) and the Vassal King