# The undead - more Tzeentch or Nurgle?



## Kramseth (Dec 19, 2013)

I'm coming up with lore for my Lightbringers Legion (a T-Sons rip-off, not gonna lie lol) and with all the Egypt-y stuff I would love to get some mummies and skeletons there. At first I thought they'd all be a Nurgle death cult (the Imperium would have virus bombed them for worshipping ancient heathen gods very much alike the Egyptian pantheon and right before the bombs fell the marines would have prayed for the god of death that revealed himself as Nurgle and saved their lives, their death throes changing to cries of satisfaction as their bodies were mutilated but ultimately saved) but then I thought Tzeentch has more to him so I chose to go with the Luciferian, enlightened Tzeentch vibe, maybe having both Tzeentch and Nurgle units. Still wondering, which god do the undead fit better?

Nurgle seems like the obvious choice, but he seems way too focused on pestilence and rot than actually people coming back to life after dying for certain. I know uncle Typhus has Plague Zombies, but even they're an extension of the boring disease theme. I know it fits 40k but it's still different to what I'm thinking here. Tzeentch on the other hand is about secret and forbidden knowledge, so necromancy would fit him like a glove. I think Nurgle would actually detest mummification and remind mere mortals that death will still take them no matter their petty rituals and superstition. Like "If you're not with me you're against me". He will make people just about immortal but only to make them his heralds, his children. Tzeentch could fetch your soul back and be like "I see promise in you, here have another go. You were smart enough to get so far anyway!" Rules-wise I'd love some Nurglite mummies in ancient and corroded armour... What do you think?


----------



## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Nurgle has been the god of pestilance,death, and decay...If I'm remembering right Mort, DG primarch, took on the form of a skeleton with a scythe post demon primarch.

EDIT: In one of the soul drinkers books it mentions a nurgle cult with starships controlled by 'skeletal crew'


----------



## Kramseth (Dec 19, 2013)

Yeah, I love the lore of Nurgle, it just seems GW likes to emphasize the pestilence over other themes. I guess the undead would fall in two categories: those called back/actually dead but animated again (Tzeentch) and the types that are just mostly dead on the outside (Nurgle). The idea of having a unifying theme for a legion while having different gods in the mix is interesting, not like the Black Legion where the core is Undivided and allied warbands being added in. The warlord could be a Tzeentchite but with non-hostile Nurgle worshippers as battle brothers. I'm sure the respective daemon armies wouldn't make much sense since they're living embodiments of the opposite forces in the galaxy but for mortals (especially the ever pragmatic Tzeentchites and the indifferent Nurglings) it could work.


----------



## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Kramseth said:


> .


The two gods basically represent vitality (tzeen) and death (nurgle) if you can't make an egyptian army out of those two then you can't make one.

Nurgle, death, pesitlance and decay, what is a skeleton but the final stage of all of those.
Tzeen, vitality and change, what is a magically reanimated corpse than both.

Nurgle has the zombie plague which is basically modern day zombies.
Tzeentch can have reanimated corpses which are your voodoo corpses.

It isn't the worshipers of the chaos gods that are hostile to each other it's usually the gods themselves, Demon codex, mentions all 4 gods' demons fighting along each other.


----------



## Kramseth (Dec 19, 2013)

Hmm, great point on the duality thing. My problem with 40k fluff is that it's always so absolute and extreme, feels silly really thinking into stuff lol. Yeah, that's what I meant, the daemons must hate each other (and so so per the rules for Daemon Princes).


----------



## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

Nurgle got the whole zombie gig going on. Whereas Tzeentch is more towards wights and revenants. Undead with a sorcerous bent.


----------



## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Kramseth said:


> Hmm, great point on the duality thing. My problem with 40k fluff is that it's always so absolute and extreme, feels silly really thinking into stuff lol. Yeah, that's what I meant, the daemons must hate each other (and so so per the rules for Daemon Princes).


Like I said it's only the gods their demons will fight alongside others and DPs were human so unless they are possessed then they should still willingly fight alongside each other.


----------

