# Ghazghkull and the Great WAAAGH!



## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Having received and read the new Ork Codex about two weeks ago I am quite impressed by the additions that have been made to Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka's lore Post-Armageddon. The real reason Ghazghkull left Armageddon is revealed and his new goal is revealed, one that if successful may well see the galaxy conquered by the Orks. It is the apocalypse, and the Orks are slowly realizing this, and it's time for their Aporkalypse to begin.

Ghazghkull is now travelling the galaxy, stomping every other Ork Warlord in the galaxy and adding to a new WAAAGH! that will be the final WAAAGH!, the WAAAGH! to end all WAAAGH!s. After ditching Helbrecht, Grimaldus and Yarrick, whose whereabouts are still unknown, Ghazghkull has crushed Urgok Da Slayer but rather than kill him as normal, has recruited him and his entire army to join Ghazghkull's. The Ork Codex's last mention is that he plans to move against the Overfiend of Octarius and do the same thing; defeat him, recruit him and then move against another Ork Warlord. Once he's done Ghazghkull believes this Great WAAAGH! will allow Gork and Mork to manifest and lead the Orks into the final battle.

Ghazghkull's goal is helped by the fact that the racial psychic network of the Orks is apparently goading them into more and more WAAAGH!s, the Imperium notes that the amount of WAAAGH!s across the galaxy is steadily increasing into numbers never seen before. The current theory by some is that the Orks psychic network recognizes that the End Times are upon the galaxy and is trying to ready them for the final battle.

And now with the Ghazghkull supplement the next stage of his plan has been revealed. Ghazghkull and his army, which has now swollen to the same size as the WAAAGH! of the Great Beast that nearly destroyed the Imperium in M32 and wiped out multiple Astartes Chapters. Arriving in Octarius Ghazghkull lands with his army and absolutely wrecks the Tyranids on the surface, destroying every last Tyranid on the surface of Octaria and earning the allegiance of the Overfiend, who actually swears loyalty to Ghazghkull without a fight, and in doing so has now created the greatest WAAAGH! that the galaxy has ever seen. And then it gets even worse for the galaxy; it is revealed that Ghazghkull can enter the Great Green, the racial psychic network of the Orks, and is dispensing orders to the Orks that still remain on Armageddon. Ghazghkull is still directing the Third War for Armageddon, only now there is no Yarrick and Helbrecht to stand against him. Ghazghkull is now preparing for the counter-strike by the Tyranids who are coming in immense numbers with bio-forms that the galaxy has never seen before and that have been created solely for the purpose of ending the war and destroying the Orks in Octarius permanently. Meanwhile Orkimedes, Ghazghkull's personal Mekboy, has nearly finished his work on the most powerful Tellyporta' in the galaxy, which if it works will be able to teleport Ghazghkull from Octarius back to Armageddon at will.

Ghazghkull's theory is that if he can get three or four more galactic sectors engulfed in an Armageddon/Octarius-level conflict then it will be enough to swell the Ork population to critical mass and begin the first stage of the Great WAAAGH! that will sweep across the galaxy.

Very much liking this new direction. Gives the Orks a real goal in the approaching apocalypse rather than just being bystanders between the Imperium and Chaos, the Orks have their own vision of the end and they plan to make it happen. And if Ghazghkull can unite the Orks, then the galaxy is in real danger of being overrun by them.


LotN


----------



## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

Oh wow.. The Imperium pretty much -NEEDS- the Second Comming of the Emperor to stand this carnage in the making.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Brother Lucian said:


> Oh wow.. The Imperium pretty much -NEEDS- the Second Comming of the Emperor to stand this carnage in the making.


They're also going to need horus as well once the emperor get's strangled by ghazkull.


----------



## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

A few rounds of Cyclonic Torpedos on Octarius shoudl take care of Ghazkull. I just don't know why the Imperium is waiting?


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Over Two Meters Tall! said:


> A few rounds of Cyclonic Torpedos on Octarius shoudl take care of Ghazkull. I just don't know why the Imperium is waiting?


And they get close enough to do that how?


----------



## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

I think they are getting to intelligent for their own good, time for some weed killer.


----------



## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Hrm...not sure how I like this new change of direction.

I don't mind Ghaz getting a super mega-WAAAGH! going. That's fine. It's how he's doing it.

_Not_ killing the other war bosses? So...un-orky.

I mean, they could easily just written that he was wiping out the other Ork leaders and absorbing their tribes into his own. 

This way he gets (almost) all the talent from these other Ork tribes while at the same time keeping the killy status quo.

On the other hand, Ghazz has always been a higher thinker than your standard war boss, so I guess there's enough wiggle room for him to be un-Orky in this absorption business.

Still, I feel this need to make other factions act closer to humanity a disturbing standard. I still have nightmares about the Necron fifth edition retcon. The poor Tyranid Hive Tyrants are also individuals as well...with the Swarm Lord being the purest example of this.

Urgh.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Most of the time orky fluff never had them killing other warbosses. They accepted the one whose bigga and that was that.


----------



## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> Most of the time orky fluff never had them killing other warbosses.


Sometimes they join the WAAAGH on their own free will, but if an actual fight occurs? I can't think of an example of when an Ork would stop. The only time I can think of is when Ghaz left the Old Man survive to fight another day.

I can't find anything in the fourth edition Codex about war bosses sparing other war bosses. There's a bit about intra-tribe fighting, where Nobs of a tribe can and do challenge their warbosses to duels to the death.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

hailene said:


> Sometimes they join the WAAAGH on their own free will, but if an actual fight occurs? I can't think of an example of when an Ork would stop. The only time I can think of is when Ghaz left the Old Man survive to fight another day.
> 
> I can't find anything in the fourth edition Codex about war bosses sparing other war bosses. There's a bit about intra-tribe fighting, where Nobs of a tribe can and do challenge their warbosses to duels to the death.


Purging of kadallus.

Ghazkull and another warboss fought each other then stopped due to him having tech that ghazkull saw was useful.


----------



## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> Ghazkull and another warboss fought each other then stopped due to him having tech that ghazkull saw was useful.


Anything outside of Ghaz? He seems to be a one-off sort of guy.

I'll profess, the inner workings of the Orks eludes me. I haven't read too many novels about them outside them being a mostly brainless antagonist to be overcome at great cost (like so many other factions in the BL, haha).

I haven't found anything to really dispute or confirm exactly when two tribes come into conflict what happens to the losing warboss. Hrm.

Could someone find some non-Ghaz examples?


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

hailene said:


> Anything outside of Ghaz? He seems to be a one-off sort of guy.
> 
> I'll profess, the inner workings of the Orks eludes me. I haven't read too many novels about them outside them being a mostly brainless antagonist to be overcome at great cost (like so many other factions in the BL, haha).
> 
> ...


One of the cain books, the main ork base has banners from several different tribes. And one warboss in controll of the waaagh.


----------



## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> One of the cain books, the main ork base has banners from several different tribes. And one warboss in controll of the waaagh.


Well, aye, I know that warbosses can cooperate. That's how WAAGHs get going. Plenty of sources of that.

Question is, what happens when two tribes begin start a conflict and one of the other Ork warbosses defeats the other?


----------



## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

hailene said:


> Well, aye, I know that warbosses can cooperate. That's how WAAGHs get going. Plenty of sources of that.
> 
> Question is, what happens when two tribes begin start a conflict and one of the other Ork warbosses defeats the other?


Usually the loser is slain and the winner takes ownership of the other tribe. I think for two warbosses to actually co-operate requires co-operation to have been on the cards from the beginning. As you said, Ghaz seems to be the exception. I'm not aware of any others that exhibit this sort of behaviour.


----------



## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

This seems like a positive direction to take Ghazghkull and the Greenskins in. He always seemed a bit too... ridiculous... before. Abandoning Armageddon because he was bored? Hardly an individual capable of crushing the Imperium. Giving him an army the size of The Beast's also adds to the potential danger. 

The one element I particularly like, is that the Imperials speculate the reason for Ghazghkull's gathering of this army is because they can, on some level, sense that the End Times are upon us.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> This seems like a positive direction to take Ghazghkull and the Greenskins in. He always seemed a bit too... ridiculous... before. Abandoning Armageddon because he was bored? Hardly an individual capable of crushing the Imperium. Giving him an army the size of The Beast's also adds to the potential danger.
> 
> The one element I particularly like, is that the Imperials speculate the reason for Ghazghkull's gathering of this army is because they can, on some level, sense that the End Times are upon us.


It does make sense. After all the orks were designed as super weapons.


----------



## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Reaper45 said:


> It does make sense. After all the orks were designed as super weapons.


They were most likely the last species created by the Old Ones. I think they were also the most hastily created hence their simplicity in terms of biology and mentality compared to the Old One's first creation, the Eldar.


----------



## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

Serpion5 said:


> Usually the loser is slain and the winner takes ownership of the other tribe. I think for two warbosses to actually co-operate requires co-operation to have been on the cards from the beginning. As you said, Ghaz seems to be the exception. I'm not aware of any others that exhibit this sort of behaviour.



There is mentions of a warboss that fought and ouwitted the Tau under farsight. It is stated in the Tau 5th ed codex that they never would have been successfull if not for all the Blood axe bosses under this warbosses command.


----------



## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Malus Darkblade said:


> ...the Old One's first creation, the Eldar.


Just a nitpick, but the Eldar were far from the Old Ones' first creations.


----------



## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

I like the new direction. I'd like to see more lore on the Tyranid Ork war. But Armageddon always sparked my interest.


----------



## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

I wonder what will happen when he reach octarius. Since the overfiend would see all who comes there as allies to fight for him. If Traka turned up and wants the overfiend to fight under him? What this is my war! You fight for me! An inter-ork war could give the Tyranids the upper hand.


----------



## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Moriouce said:


> An inter-ork war could give the Tyranids the upper hand.


...or a united Ghazghkull super-Waaagh! could crush Leviathan utterly.


----------



## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

Malus Darkblade said:


> I think they were also the most hastily created hence their simplicity in terms of biology and mentality.





Mossy Toes said:


> ...or a united Ghazghkull super-Waaagh! could crush Leviathan utterly.


This is the first time I've ever been interested in the Orks, but from some of these discussions, it would make sense that the Old Ones created the Orks as their relief valve from galaxy-spanning enemies just like the Tyranids. They really activate when a galaxy-wide violent incursion is made, driving them to organize and aim right at the threat, be it the early Imperium or something like the Tyranids, which has more brawn than brains. From the new fluff, it would seem that the EOT and Chaos are just as much of a target, and an increasing one at that.

When a WAAAAGH! runs its course in a particular system and the Warlord leaves, is it safe to assume the remaining orcs just go into feral mode and no longer pose the broader threat?


----------



## Angel of Lies (Oct 10, 2011)

The Orks seem a little less ridiculous and background characters and more invested in the doom soon to come. Overall, a good thing.


----------



## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

I mean, if you looked at the galaxy map of ork populations in old books, they've always had a _massive_ population. Now that Ghazghkull is mobilizing them on a galactic scale, practically an Ork Emperor embarking on a Great Waaaghsade, though... this makes them a real threat to the integrity of the Imperium on a level with the Nids or Chaos--arguably moreso than the 'Crons, for all that Anrakyr is trying to do the same thing as Ghaz.

One partial reaction on my part is an eye-rolling, _"great, another Imperium-destroying threat."_ On the other hand... it's nice that orks get their time in the spotlight, and are elevated to a level that the fluffis well-established to back them up on.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Mossy Toes said:


> I mean, if you looked at the galaxy map of ork populations in old books, they've always had a _massive_ population. Now that Ghazghkull is mobilizing them on a galactic scale, practically an Ork Emperor embarking on a Great Waaaghsade, though... this makes them a real threat to the integrity of the Imperium on a level with the Nids or Chaos--arguably moreso than the 'Crons, for all that Anrakyr is trying to do the same thing as Ghaz.
> 
> One partial reaction on my part is an eye-rolling, _"great, another Imperium-destroying threat."_ On the other hand... it's nice that orks get their time in the spotlight, and are elevated to a level that the fluffis well-established to back them up on.


The orks were always an imperium destroying threat.

The only difference now is that the threat isn't passive.


----------



## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Reaper45 said:


> The orks were always an imperium destroying threat.
> 
> The only difference now is that the threat isn't passive.


I don't think you can use the word passive in any context whatsoever regarding Orks. 

I like the sound of this new fluff. The idea of him leaving Armageddon just because he got bored never sat right with me. 

If the big guy can start teleporting around the galaxy at will, galvanising the numerous smaller ork hordes by his sheer force of will and calling them to join the rest of his forces, that could nearly double what he has already.

What does jump out at me though, is that it looks like the two most imminent threats to the Imperium might just cancel each other out. The hive mind can't resist all that lovely biomass, and the Orks can't resist a good fight. If that turns out to be the case it would appear to be a bit of a cop-out on the part of the writers.


----------



## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> Ghazghkull can enter the Great Green


Honestly this is the most ridiculous approach they could have taken on the Great Ghazkull, and honestly it ruins my image of him. Ghazghkull is many things; a great Leader, Warrior, and Ork philosopher. He's also bat shit crazy, but in a kind of cool way. Now he is psychic.......RUBBISH!!!!! That just puts him in a God-like class like the emporer, and ruins the whole point of the mighty WWAAGGHH!! leader.



Lord of the Night said:


> Arriving in Octarius Ghazghkull lands with his army and absolutely wrecks the Tyranids on the surface, destroying every last Tyranid on the surface of Octaria and earning the allegiance of the Overfiend, who actually swears loyalty to Ghazghkull without a fight, and in doing so has now created the greatest WAAAGH! that the galaxy has ever seen.


This is also stupid, the Nid Fleet besieging Octaria is massive, almost half the size of the Fleet that beseiged Ultramar. Your telling me that, even as mighty and strong as he is, that the Ork WWAAAAGHH! leader just swooped down and crushed them all? That would mean that Ghazghkull would have to have defeated half of them on his own, and killed the Bio-Titans, and taken out the Breeding pods, and killed their Spore production creatures. 

Holy hell folks, it;s frick'in *Ork Jesus!! *Honestly I'm pissed at GW, I don't think I'l contiue my Ork Army any further at this rate.


----------



## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

emporershand89 said:


> our telling me that, even as mighty and strong as he is, that the Ork WWAAAAGHH! leader just swooped down and crushed them all?


I only quickly glanced at the new Codex, but what from what I gathered, the OP took some liberties with the fluff. Notably it only said that Ghaz was going to he turned his attention to Octarius. He hasn't arrived yet...much less crushed the Tyranids.

I'll give LotN the benefit of the doubt and believe he was just a little overenthusiastic as opposed to purposely misleading.


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

emporershand89 said:


> Honestly this is the most ridiculous approach they could have taken on the Great Ghazkull, and honestly it ruins my image of him. Ghazghkull is many things; a great Leader, Warrior, and Ork philosopher. He's also bat shit crazy, but in a kind of cool way. Now he is psychic.......RUBBISH!!!!! That just puts him in a God-like class like the emporer, and ruins the whole point of the mighty WWAAGGHH!! leader.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Orks were always latent psykers, and as the fluff proves latent psykers can become active psykers with the right stimulation.


----------



## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

Ghazgkull have always had psyker talents after a fateful encounter with a bolt shell to the brain, starting to have visions of gork and mork after the painboy Dok Grotsnik replaced half of his brain with cybernetics.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Ghazghkull_Mag_Uruk_Thraka
Ghazghkull started off as a common Ork of the Goff Klan on the world of Urk. During a raid, Ghazghkull suffered extensive brain damage from a bolter round to the head. He was tended to by an Ork Painboy known as Mad Dok Grotsnik, who used a bionic device made from adamantium to replace Ghazghkull's cerebellum. Ever since that operation, (although it is unknown if it was because the implant triggered latent psychic powers, or Ghazghkull was just delusional), Ghazghkull began to claim that he was the recipient of visions from the Ork Gods, Gork and Mork.


----------



## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Reaper45 said:


> Orks were always latent psykers, and as the fluff proves latent psykers can become active psykers with the right stimulation.


But why now, it just doesn't seem right. IMHO Ghazghkull is a Warrior, not a Magician. I want to see a Weirdboy, much like a Librarian for the Astartes, take care of that. I want to see Ghazghkull crush everything but not in a way like Magnus did. It just does.....sit right with the vision of Ghazghkull that they had been building before. Besides lets be honest this WWAAAAGGHH! to end all WWWAAAAGGHHH!'s has been coming for years. They are just now using it because Orkdom fans (like myself) have been whining for years since 4th Edition that Orks need an upgrade. 

Still......it will sell.....which means profits for GW.


----------



## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

emporershand89 said:


> But why now, it just doesn't seem right. IMHO Ghazghkull is a Warrior, not a Magician. I want to see a Weirdboy, much like a Librarian for the Astartes, take care of that. I want to see Ghazghkull crush everything but not in a way like Magnus did. It just does.....sit right with the vision of Ghazghkull that they had been building before. Besides lets be honest this WWAAAAGGHH! to end all WWWAAAAGGHHH!'s has been coming for years. They are just now using it because Orkdom fans (like myself) have been whining for years since 4th Edition that Orks need an upgrade.
> 
> Still......it will sell.....which means profits for GW.


You do realize that even the earliest versions of Ghazghkull used the Hammerhand psychic power?


----------



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

emporershand89 said:


> But why now, it just doesn't seem right. IMHO Ghazghkull is a Warrior, not a Magician. I want to see a Weirdboy, much like a Librarian for the Astartes, take care of that. I want to see Ghazghkull crush everything but not in a way like Magnus did. It just does.....sit right with the vision of Ghazghkull that they had been building before. Besides lets be honest this WWAAAAGGHH! to end all WWWAAAAGGHHH!'s has been coming for years. They are just now using it because Orkdom fans (like myself) have been whining for years since 4th Edition that Orks need an upgrade.
> 
> Still......it will sell.....which means profits for GW.


Latent psykers does just get their powers turned on like flipping a switch. It normally takes outside influence to activate them.

Either by a warp artifact or a case of extreme emotions. Orks being orks I imagine their trigger would be brutal battle which is something ghazkull caused.


----------



## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Brother Lucian said:


> You do realize that even the earliest versions of Ghazghkull used the Hammerhand psychic power?


Really, 1st or 2nd?


----------



## kwak76 (Nov 29, 2010)

I think this is great for the orcs . Now orcs can be one of the major players in the galaxy.


----------



## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

[QU OTE=kwak76;1815162]I think this is great for the orcs . Now orcs can be one of the major players in the galaxy.[/QUOTE]


Whos da orcs? Only Orks 'ere!


----------



## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

kwak76 said:


> Now orcs can be one of the major players in the galaxy.


They always have been brother, but now they actually have a updated storyline. For the longest time the Ork Fluff was based around the remnants of an War that has long died down in the wake of Ghazghkull's departure. A few Warbosses here and their but nothing to crazy or stand-alone. 

Now the sudden prospect of his return, and at the head of the mightiest WWAAAAAGGHH! since the early days of the Imperium. Not only that but one headed with most of the major Ork warlords right behind him?? It's like Seven Samurai meets Gundam.........and the fallout will be most entertaining. Besides I'm waiting for Ghazghkull to strike somewhere more important this time. Say Cadia, or perhaps the Tau'vre, or Holy Terra itself?


----------

