Heldrake
The Heldrake is a type of flying Daemon Engine employed by Chaos Space Marines.
Contents
Overview
A blasphemous fusion of man, machine, and daemon, these fell creatures of Chaos have enormous wingspans that make them even larger than Stormraven Gunships. Once fighter aircraft flown by noble Space Marines, these have since been mutated by the powers of the Warp into something far more hideous. Their original pilots are still inside, fused to their machines for eternity, and it is their anguish and hate that adds to the feeling of "wrongness" that a Heldrake gives. After centuries of gradually fusing to their machine and becoming overcome by the Daemon that inhabits it, in the end the pilot is only a foetal ball that burns deep within the core of the aircraft.[3] A crude hierarchy pervades Heldrake swarms, with the most powerful and experienced entities commanding their followers through pack dominance.[4]
Heldrakes are often the first wave of any full-scale Chaos Space Marine invasion. Fully capable of traversing space, Heldrakes will often cling to the underbelly of Chaos warships like a swarm of bats, feeding off the vessels' energy through cables and pipes. Sometimes, Heldrakes will claim areas within warships for themselves, daring any to come to oppose them.[4] The Heldrakes which lead their packs are known as Annointed, and are distinguished by the application of the blood of sacrificed victims applied by their heretical Warpsmiths.[6]
A Heldrake's preferred method of attack is to soar from high altitudes down upon unsuspecting enemy air support, ripping them to pieces with their claws, cables, and talons.[1][2][3] Heldrakes carry ranged weaponry in addition to their talons, usually mounting either a Hades Autocannon or Baleflamers, which spew daemonic bullets and fire.[2]
Helscourge
Celebrated Heldrakes are known as Helscourges, ancient and terrifying beasts akin to ace pilots.[6]
Known variants
Two-headed Heldrake
The Two-headed Heldrake is a bigger variant of the common Heldrake that has two heads.[5c] It is armed with flamers in both mouths,[5a], a sonic scream capable of stunning the systems of a Thunderhawk[5d] and teeth that can bite through Space Marine Power Armour with its unnatural force.[5e] The Two-headed Heldrake has a wing span of at least eighty feet,[5b] with the bio-mechanical wings themselves being a hundred feet broad.[5c] Through its sheer weight, it can force a Thunderhawk to crash by slamming into it, holding on to and tearing at the aircraft with its talons and teeth.[5d]
Notable Heldrakes
- Abomination (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Baneclaw (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Bloodmaw – World Eaters[6]
- Cacophonous[6]
- Cruelty Incarnate (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Daemonium – Black Legion[6]
- Devourer – Black Legion[6]
- Eater of Souls – The Purge[6]
- Eye of the Warp – Black Legion Helscourge[6]
- Firewyrm – Black Legion[6]
- Infernal Harbinger – Black Legion[6]
- Malice Draconius – Thousand Sons[6]
- Malificum – Black Legion[6]
- Monstrosity – Black Legion Helscourge[6]
- Monstrum Diabolus – Red Corsairs[6]
- Nyctophobia (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Paroxysm of Madness – Emperor's Children[6]
- Primordial Horror – Night Lords Helscourge[6]
- Proclamatino of Flames (Annointed) – Word Bearers[6]
- Purgatorax (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Savagery Incarnate (Annointed) – Black Legion[6]
- Unspeakable Horror – Brazen Beasts[6]
- Unrelenting Slaughter – the Wrath[6]
- Voidheart – Black Legion[6]
- Voice of Madness – Crimson Slaughter[6]
- Wraithserpent – Alpha Legion[6]
Images
Sources
- 1: Games Workshop webstore : Heldrake (saved archive)
- 2: White Dwarf 394 (UK), pgs. 8–10
- 3: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 52
- 4: Death From the Skies (7th Edition) — Daemon Engines of Chaos
- 5: Morvenn Vahl: Spear of Faith (Novel):
- 6: Flyers of the Dark Millennium, pgs. 20-27
| Daemon Engines | |
|---|---|
| Chaos Undivided/Unaligned | Decimator • Defiler • Forgefiend • Heldrake • Helstalker • Maulerfiend • Soul Grinder • Venomcrawler |
| Khorne | Blood Reaper • Blood Slaughterer • Blood Throne • Brass Scorpion • Cauldron of Blood • Death Dealer • Doom Blaster • Kytan • Lord of Battles • Lord of Skulls • Tower of Skulls • Skull Cannon |
| Nurgle | Blight Drone • Contagion • Foetid Bloat-Drone • Plagueburst Crawler • Myphitic Blight-Hauler • Plague Centurion • Plague Hulk • Plague Tower |
| Tzeentch | Doom Wing • Fire Lord • Silver Tower |
| Slaanesh | Subjugator |
