Manticore

A deadly Manticore.

Manticores are huge, leonine beasts that soar on leathery wings. ^[3a]

They are amongst the most powerful of all the predators that live in the north's mountain ranges. The mutating power of Chaos ensures that no two Manticores are truly alike. However, all Manticores are berserk killers saturated with primal fury. They are so fierce that they are held by the Dark Elves to be incarnations of Khaine, God of Murder.^[1][2][6]

Appearance

The typical Manticore has a leonine body, a large pair of batlike wings, and a whiplike tails. Due to the influence that Chaos has over these creatures, however, no two Manticores share entirely the same traits. Some have manes of writhing serpents, others pelts of iron scales or bleeding spikes, and many sprout spiked tails with a poison strong enough to boil a man's blood in his veins.^{[1][2][4b][6]}

Ecology

Manticores live primarily in mountainous areas, often far from civilization.^[2] The species ultimately originates from the mutating energies of the Chaos Wastes. Some Manticores remain there, but most fly south to less inhospitable lands and have established large populations among northern mountain ranges.^[4a]

Manticores tolerate no intruder into their territory and will attack anything that intrudes on it, be it a human, a Great Eagle, a Griffon or even a Emperor Dragon. Their ferocity often allows them to prevail over all but the largest foes.^[4a]

In culture

Heraldry

The Manticore often appears on shields and banners across the Old World.^[4a]

Training

There are rumours that certain Elves practice the breeding of Manticores amidst the black obsidian peaks of the mountain ranges that dominate the Land of Chill, far to the west of the Old World. How they manage to tame such vicious creatures is unknown, although many stories indicate that the Elves of that land are every bit as fierce as the Manticore they raise. Scholars that ask too many questions about such matters tend to find few answers or a messy death.^[1][2]

Shades are the favoured hunters of such beasts, but even so many Dark Elves die in the expeditions to capture them. They can not be fully broken, but enough to allow a rider to mount them. Even so, they will sometimes ignore the rider and plunge them both into a unexpected battles. ^[3a]

Warfare

The vast Dark Elf Black Arks contain many monsters inlcuding Manticores which are ridden into battle by Dark Elf Lords. In naval actions they are able to swoop down and tear apart the enemy crew or drop huge barbed spheres of meteoric iron known as Deathfist to inflict massive damage on their vessels. ^[5a]

Weapons and Equipment

• 8th Edition: May have Bloodrage, Iron Hard Skin, Lash Tail and Rending Fangs. ^[4a]
• W:TOW: Scaly Skin (Heavy Armour), Wicked Claws. May have Venomous Tail. ^[6]

Gallery

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  Manticore

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  A Dark Elf on a Manticore

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  Warhammer Online Manticore

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  Manticore vs Skaven in Mordheim

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  Manticore

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Miniatures

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  Dark Elf Beastmaster on Manticore

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  Chaos Lord on Manticore

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  Dark Elf Manticore Riders for Man o' War

Quotes

The rage of a Manticore is legendary and to behold such a creature in its wrath is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Its roar alone can cause warriors to flee the battlefield. ~ Korhil, Captain of the White Lions.[4a]

Sources

• 1: Warhammer Armies: Chaos Warriors (7th Edition)
• 2: Old World Bestiary
• 3: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (7th Edition)
  • 3a: Dark Elf Bestiary, pg. 59
• 4: Storm of Magic
  • 4a: Manticore, pg. 88
  • 4a: Manticore, pg. 101
• 5: Sea of Blood Rulebook
  • 5a: Airpower, pg. 20
• 6: Ravening Hordes (TOW): Warriors of Chaos Army List, Manticore, pg. 73