Poxwalker

Chaos Portal
Nurgle

A ravenous, grinning horde of Poxwalkers^[3]

Poxwalkers are Chaos troops which often accompany the Death Guard and other followers of Nurgle into battle.^[1]

Overview

Poxwalkers are the victims of the so-called Walking Pox - one of the numerous diseases created by Nurgle. Victims of this virus find their bodies shutting down and rotting until, eventually, they die, though not completely. Such is the jolly humor of Nurgle that they remain cruelly conscious and aware of all that happens around them, souls of victims trapped in their dead bodies; with a rictus grin they stagger out in search of living meat to feast on.

Many Inquisitors of Imperial Ordo Sepulturum claim that the Walking Pox is a variant of Nurgle's Rot: the victim's flesh often mutates even after physical death, sprouting out horn-like spikes similar to other unfortunates who have become Plaguebearers.^[2]

In battle, Poxwalkers display only simple coordination and wield various debris or primitive weapons. Although slow and clumsy, they are very resilient and can withstand heavy damage. Worse still, they can groan with such volume that the resulting cacophony can damage the souls of nearby living creatures, spreading the Walking Pox further away. Poxwalkers are particularly dangerous in large hordes; because of their groan ability, resilience, and sheer numbers, they can overrun enemy lines, ripping, bludgeoning, and gnawing their screaming victims in an orgy of bloody and mindless violence.^[2]

Infection Process

It isn't clear how the various strains of metaphysical contagion known as the Walking Pox spreads, but it can transmitted through both air and liquids. Blight strains can also be infused into stimms to infect unknowing individuals or further bolster acolytes of Nurgle. An individual infected by a strain of Walking Pox tends to go through two stages of transformation.^[6]

The initial stage of an infected individual in the process of transforming into a poxwalker is sometimes called a "Groaner", as some acolytes of the Inquisition refer to them. While still mostly human, the individual's body is ravaged with mostly mundane, if excessive, symptoms of disease, infection, and malnutrition. The infected eventually lose control of their body, but still remain conscious and clinging to life. Often heard bemoaning the sensation of things crawling inside their body and mind, they're filled with an unnatural cold and hunger, desperately yearning for warmth and to be sated. They can be heard groaning and mumbling "hungry" or "cold" as they shamble about, laughing or crying manically as unnatural forces drive their actions and breaks their psyches. When happening upon other humans they will lunge; attempting to attack with whatever melee implements they have on hand while also clawing and biting to feast on fresh meat. While pursuing their targets, a groaner will often call out for their misery to be ended or express their want for warmth and fresh meat.^[6]

The second and final stage is the individual becoming a poxwalker. They mutate further into an atypical poxwalker, sprouting a variety of mutations such a large horn on their head, additional eyes in clusters of three, or tentacles. This final stage usually occurs after a Groaner dies one or more times. Poxwalkers inevitably rise again due to the supernatural blight. Poxwalkers display all of the prior traits of a groaner, but speak little and instead express inhuman screams alongside growling and snarling.^[6]

Images

• 

  A squad of Poxwalkers^[4]

• 

  Mutated Poxwalkers^[5]

• 

  Poxwalker (left) & Groaner (right)

See also

• Chaos Cultist
• Lost and the Damned
• Plague zombie

Sources

• 1: Warhammer Community: Part 5: Painting the Poxwalkers (Posted 16 Jun 17) (last accessed 06 January 2021)
• 2: Dark Imperium (Game), 'Death Guard Booklet', pg. 9 — Poxwalkers
• 3: Codex: Death Guard (8th Edition), pg. 43
• 4: Warhammer Community: Warhammer 40,000 Launch Date Announced (posted 23 May 2017) (last accessed 06 January 2021)
• 5: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Steam announcement: Special Live Event - The Grandfather's Gifts (last accessed 20 December 2024)
• 6: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
• 7: Twitter, Warhammer 40K: Darktide^[7]