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''' Zhufor the Impaler''' is the [[Chaos Lord]] of the [[Skulltakers (World Eaters)|Skulltakers]], a powerful warband of the [[World Eaters]] Legion. He is also referred to as the '''Butcher of Vraks''', following his participation in the siege of [[Vraks]].^2c{{Fn|1c}}

Originally, Zhufor was known as '''Balzach''', a [[Space Marine Sergeant|sergeant]] of the [[Storm Lords]] [[Chapter]]. During a battle against the World Eaters for the [[hive]]s of Paramar, he was wounded and taken captive by the enemy. Balzach was drugged, tortured and underwent psycho-corrective surgery which rearranged his brainwave patterns. When his ordeal was over, he was reborn as Zhufor and joined the World Eater's ranks as a psychopathic [[Khorne Berzerker|Berzerker]].^2c{{Fn|1c}}

In the millennia after his fall to [[Chaos]], Zhufor rose from a Berzerker to a [[Skull Champion]] and eventually an [[Exalted Champion]] of [[Khorne]]. He became the master of his own warband when he and his men attacked and subjugated an allied warband, the Skulltakers. Even as a Chaos Lord he wanted to further increase his power. To that end he sought the favour of [[Abaddon the Despoiler]]. He offered his service to the Despoiler in order to have access to his massive armouries. By doing so, he hoped to turn his warband into a mighty host.^2c{{Fn|1c}}

Lord Zhufor led his Skulltakers during the siege of [[Vraks]], aiding the [[Vraksian Renegade Militia]] and the forces of Chaos. His presence on the planet was part of Abaddon's long-term plan to disrupt the defences on worlds around the [[Eye of Terror]].^2c{{Fn|1c}}

He fought alongside the other Chaos forces on the planet and led his men to the front, rather than committing himself to a war of attrition. When the [[Imperium|Imperial]] forces began to reclaim ground, Zhufor sought to take control of the war himself.^2c {{Fn|1c}} He challenged and killed the Lord of the [[Berserkers of Skallathrax]] in a duel and absorbed the warband into his own. Then, he made a pact with the master [[daemonancer]]s of [[the Sanctified]]. He would provide them with the means to summon the mighty [[Bloodthirster]] [[An'ggrath]] in return for their support. Having secured the aid of the [[Chaos Space Marine]]s of Khorne, he turned his attention to the other Chaos forces. Zhufor's men attacked the [[Black Brethren of Eyreas]] and killed their Lord and Champions in a demonstration of power towards the other warbands and disposed of renegade-[[cardinal]] [[Xaphan]] as the symbolic leader of the [[Vraksian Renegade Militia]] in a bloody coup.^2a{{Fn|1a}}

When the war had turned in favour of the Imperium, Zhufor and his warband fled the planet through the [[Vraks portal]], which had been opened by the Sanctified.^2c{{Fn|1c}}

Zhufor and his Skulltakers returned during Abaddon's [[13th Black Crusade]], fighting at the forefront of the conflict. So far, the [[Officio Assassinorum]] attempted to locate and eliminate him four times, but without success.^2b{{Fn|1b}}

Zhufor is an ambitious devotee of [[Khorne]], who believes that the Blood God has chosen him for great things. His accumulation of power and servitude to the Despoiler are just means to better serve his true master.^2c{{Fn|1c}}

As a result of his treatment by the World Eaters, Zhufor possess a massive stature, towering even over other Space Marines. He wears an ornate suit of [[Terminator armour]] in the colours of his legion. During the siege of Vraks, Zhufor mounted the body Commisar-General [[Maugh]] of the 143rd regiment on his armour as a gruesome trophy. ^2c{{Fn|1c}}

He is armed with a [[Power Weapon|power axe]] and the Claw of Demnos, a [[power fist]] of ancient design with a built in [[Combi-weapon|combi bolter]]. The power fist once belonged to the [[Dark Apostle]] [[Demnos]] who died during the [[Scathak]] war. Zhufor, still a Skull Champion at the time, robbed it from Demnos' lifeless hand.^2c{{Fn|1c}}

*^{{Endn|1: [[Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two]]*²}}: [[Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three]]**^2a{{Endn|1a}}: pppgs.17/-18**^2b{{Endn|1b}}: ppg.88**^2c{{Endn|1c}}: ppg.174===Uncited==={{Uncited}}*[[Imperial Armour Volume Six - The Siege of Vraks - Part Two]]