Seekers

Seekers, also known as the Seekers of Slaanesh, are the heavy Daemonic cavalry of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of amoral pleasure, combining a Daemonette with a Steed of Slaanesh as their mount.

Hidden within the circles of Slaanesh's domain within the Realm of Chaos are great meadows of gold and silver that crest into rolling hills and idyllic dales. Here roam herds of Steeds of Slaanesh, running uninhibited across the iridescent plains. They are incarnations of the Dark Prince's free spirit, allowed to flit and gallop as they please. Like birds on the wing they migrate across the arcane pastures, changing direction at the blink of an eye.

A Steed of Slaanesh is a swift and powerful bipedal creature, with a serpentine body propelled on two long, muscular legs. The colour of its hide eternally shifts from soft blues to pastel purples and gentle ochres. Its head is extremely narrow, little more than a slender snout with eyes, from which a tongue several metres long darts.

The Steed's tongue can taste the desires of mortals, and so swollen are their sensoriums that they can trace fear, joy and lust on the breeze from a kilometre away. Their eyes glint with the energies of the god that created them.

Sometimes a Daemonette or, rarer still, a mortal Champion of Slaanesh, will steal into Slaanesh's glorious pastures to secure themselves a Steed from amongst the herds. Such an endeavour is arduous, for the beasts do not tire and can run at great speed for an eternity if required, outpacing any pursuer. To succeed, the hunter must be wily and exploit the creature's insatiable curiosity.

Like all Daemons of Slaanesh, the Steeds crave sensory experiences, and they will quickly investigate something that is new or different. A cunning pursuer can lure a Steed with shining gems or a silvery bauble, or ambush them as they drink from rivers of exotic spirits or scented oils.

If a Daemonette can sneak close to a Steed while it is distracted, she can use a chain of fine gold or silver to ensnare it. Steeds are vicious, and their clawed feet kick and their tongues lash out like whips as they seek to escape.

Once chained, however, a Daemonette has many ways to placate the beast and calm its anger, making it her own. With her new mount secured, the Daemonette will ride to war as a Seeker of Slaanesh, one of the Dark Prince's immortal huntresses. These squadrons of Daemonic cavalry are led by Daemonette officers known as "Heartseekers."

Role[]

Seekers of Slaanesh form the vanguard of many of the Dark Prince's Daemonic Legions of Excess, and are the core of his Hunter Legions.

The Steeds of Slaanesh are swift beyond belief, their long, sinuous bodies undulating as they speed towards the foe on delicate, bird-like feet. With their unnatural tracking ability, there is little sense in running from a Seeker, and few of their chosen quarry ever escape.

The Daemons often back off in their pursuit so as to prolong the terror of their victim, fanning the flames of false hope for a little longer. When they go for the kill, the Steeds' long, toxin-coated tongues dart out to ensnare their victims, shuddering in delight as they taste the mortals' souls. Before the horrified morsel can struggle free, they are dragged towards the Daemonic beasts and their riders, whose fanged smiles and curving claws welcome them to an agonising oblivion.

Yet sometimes, those who stand in the path of the Seekers are spared destruction and allowed to join the armies of the Dark Prince, if they show the proper appreciation and desire.

Unit Composition[]

• 4-19 Seekers

• 1 Heartseeker (as squadron leader)

Wargear[]

Daemonette Rider[]

• Piercing Claws

Steed of Slaanesh[]

• Lashing Tongue

Sources[]

• Black Crusade: The Tome of Excess (RPG), pg. 13
• Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 35
• Codex: Chaos Daemons (4th Edition), pg. 41
• Codex: Chaos Daemons (8th Edition), pp. 66, 112
• White Dwarf 368 (UK), pg. 26