#SACRED EXECUTIONER (SKARBRAND HEADCANONS);

[skxrbrand]

Part one of the Big Skarb Reference project im doing. Since Skarbrand already has a canon reference in his concept art, I'm doing my personal headcanon version of him. Though broadly similar to his concept art, there are some differences:

My Skarbrand has a snout, in accordance with the book for which he is best known: Thanquol's Doom. Skarbrand is also described as having tusks during The End Times and I also decided to give him a blue-ish tongue.

The very first iteration of Skarbrand has a line of brass studs running down the length of his horn. Instead of the brass caps he is often shown with, I decided to go with those.

My version of Skarbrand has bottom lips and is somewhat more expressive than the typical skull-faced Bloodthirters. However, he doesn't have enough lip for his teeth to be hidden. This was taken from the Trading Card Skarbrand.

Skarbrand actually has very small horns right before his primary ones. This is on his mini but for some reason his model lacks them. I thought they were very cute, so on my HC version it goes! The 40K art sometimes also has them. The miniature also has skulls tied into the mane. It also has a rat tail but we don't talk about that fucking thing.

My Skarbrand has Lichenburg Figures (or Lightning Scars), following a battle with Kha'xanzyr and Khazaan. This is only a bust: They extend down his back and are sensitive. When it storms, they itch and ache.

A lot of people don't know this but Skarbrand has a Skull Birthmark on his game model between his clavicles. It's unique to his game model and doesn't show up in any other iteration of Skarbrand.

Speaking of things unique to his game model, Skarbrand is the only the only Bloodthirster who has a "frosted tips" thing going on with his mane + ashes and embers coming off of him. I've always though this was a side-effect of his curse. My boy runs HOT.

Welp. I've gotta do his wings and his back, and that'll about do it to get that ref comm going. Might take a while but I ain't in a rush...

[skxrbrand]

SINDAY, I'm gonna be mostly gone tomorrow so let me do this now...

Skarbrand is hung, quite literally. The weight in his phallus is distributed in such a way that his erections do not stand and are instead held down by gravity (and drips in anticipation of use). This is a trait he shares with his father, @kharrneth.

Originally offended by them enough to self-mutilate, erections are just a fact of life when you have so many Slaaneshi living around you, not to mention sharing your bed. Now, Skarbrand doesn't really notice them and definitely doesn't feel the need to penectomize himself anymore.

If they get too annoying and persistent, he might stroke himself to completion when he's reasonably sure he's alone. There's nothing indulgent or 'spicy' about it and Skarbrand goes about the act in the same way you might untangle a set of wired headphones.

[skxrbrand]

hc + 💪 (for Skarbrand)

hc + ☕ (For Khazaan)

hc + 🗡 (For Kha'xanzyr)

hc + 💪 for a sport-themed headcanon

Blood!Bowl AU - Team Captain and star player of the Exiles. Responsible for the most hospitalizations and on-field deaths. Doesn't try to score; JUST tries to injure other players. Called "The Reaper" by foes and friends alike.

hc + ☕ for a drink-themed headcanon

Khazaan was inadvertently responsible for a Nurgh-plague outbreak when he was in his father's legions. This was due to his tendency to mix their "produce" into his drinks to give them an extra kick. Usually these deals go smoothly, but this particular one went sour and resulted in widespread death and mutation. To this day, no Khornate but him knows who was responsible and Khazaan himself went sober for a while after it happened.

hc + 🗡 for a weapon-themed headcanon

Though skilled with axes and hammers, Kha'xanzyr's specialty lies in swords and halberds. Alone of the three, he could be called graceful, particularly when wielding one of these weapons. Something he's very good at doing is spearing flying enemies out of the sky.

[skxrbrand]

I feel like Kha'xanzyr probably sits on his throne with his hooves crossed at the ankles.

Khazaan sits sideways in a chair like a millennial, but with one hoof on the ground.

And Skarbrand does the classic manspreading like his dad, only he hunches forward and broods with his chin on his fist or stroking his beard....

[skxrbrand]

𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐌𝐒 & 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐒: 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

Skarbrand is, in a word, melancholy in comparison to other Daemons of Khorne. An eternity stuck on the Mortal Plane has affected the way he carries himself.

Bellowing: As the Dominant Bloodthirster, and indeed force in Infernius, Skarbrand begins some days roaring off of the edge of Fortresses runway. By doing this, he lets everyone (especially his brothers), know that is the Top Daemon in the land.

He licks his lips a lot, namely the boney portion of his face as it tends to be dry.

Somewhat prone to staring off into the distance. When 'idle', Skarbrand may enter a mild dissociative mind state. Tends to get grumpy when these are disturbed.

That one sigh dog's do as if they work or something.

Aching scars makes for an ichy boy. Skarbrand will rub or scratch at long-healed wounds with the pads of his fingers.

Wrinkles his nose up a lot, particularly when he gets bad news.

He manspreads like...come on. Obviously.

Hunches over when walking, more obviously than other Bloodthirsters.

Walks with a noticeable limp, when outside of battle. When in battle, it is far less noticeable.

He stomps when he walks. This motherfucker is that guy you can hear all the way down the hall if you cohabitate with him.

Skarbrand will always occupy any prominent positions (such as the head of a table) whenever possible.

Caping his Wings, Goliath Style.

Tetchy about his personal space, especially from Daemon Princes and other Greater Daemons. Especially other Bloodthirsters and Keepers of Secrets.

Strokes his beard when in thought, or when daydreaming.

Has an inside voice, surprisingly enough. Skarbrand speaks with a sort of threatening low menace outside of battle. The volume and bass come in when he's angry or at war.

Has a nicely varied vocabulary-- does not use filler words when speaking. Uses silence to communicate; either disdain or more vulnerable emotions he cannot articulate.

Doesn't respect personal space-- will manhandle enemies and allies.

[skxrbrand]

The Lichenburg Figures on Skarbrand's back. This was an interesting angle...first time I've drawn a back I think. Came out well! I dunno about that tail though lmao

[skxrbrand]

1, 4, 34

sleep-related headcanons!

1.what size bed does your muse typically prefer to sleep on? (ex. twin, full, queen, etc)

King sized because Skarbrand is a big boi. "Bed" is generous word for it-- I imagine his "bed" is many skinned furry creatures (self-killed of course) set over a collection of brassed and fused skulls and bones. It would not be comfortable for a human to sit on at all. The only thing remotely comfortable is the Mammoth skin comforter, which was a gift from N'kari. That thing has been through a lot.

4. what position does your muse usually sleep in?

Skarbrand actually prefers to sleep upright and so half the time he can be found either sleeping against the wall or in his throne. He used to sleep on his back, but has gotten comfortable enough lately to lay on his front.

34. has your muse ever cried themselves to sleep?

Skarbrand is physiologically incapable of crying.

[skxrbrand]

Us skarbrand touch averse?

Somewhat. It depends on the nature of the touch and who's doing the touching, but generally speaking he isn't a huge fan of anyone putting their mitts on him without asking (and even then the answer will probably be 'no'.)

[skxrbrand]

How can you tell skarbrand is relaxed or happy by his body language?

Bloodthirsters are normally very stiff and purposeful with their movements, even when they're not moving. If he seems slack and his movements are more fluid, this means he's relaxed and feels safe. A lot of Khornate communication that isn't overtly threatening or aggressive is non-verbal. This is also (commonly viewed as) an implicit impugnment to any other Khornate daemons around him if done in his presence.

If Skarbrand feels safe, this means he does not consider them a threat or more accurately, he does not consider them strong enough to threaten him in any meaningful way.

[skxrbrand]

Though most skulls are surrendered to Khorne, high ranking Daemons of the Blood God are afforded the right to keep a personal collection of skulls, which they may horde and keep from the sight of rivals or proudly display for foes and fellow Blood Daemons (occassionally the same thing) alike. The method of display differs from daemon to daemon, with U'zhul the Skulltaker owning the most infamous display in his cloak of skulls.

While Khorne prefers personally taken skulls, he will not turn down those won in conquests or even scavenged from the fields of battle. As battlefields are the holy sites of Khorne, his followers see the reaping of the skulls of the dead as the Blood God's right and due. Of course, though, there is little personal glory in claiming a skull from a kill that isn't your own...

---

Skarbrand hoards his skulls in the Skull Caverns beneath Infernius. In the past, these were tithed en masse to Khorne whenever the cavern was full to bursting. Now, the Reaper keeps what he collects for himself and his chosen Bloodreapers guard the Caverns to make sure no theft occurs. For particularly worthy foes, the Reaper will append these skulls directly on his person. Often, they are tied directly into his mane.

Unsurprisingly, Khazaan has no especially notable method of storing skulls. When taken, they are not well cleaned; excess meat is picked off by the Chaos Furies that frequent his person. The Skulls may be semi-buried and stored in several different half-hidden areas to ensure that if theft occurs, the thief may not take everything there is to take. Of course, Khazaan usually endeavors to murder the offender before it gets that far.

Kha'xanzyr is by far the pickiest of the trio when it comes to both skulls chosen to keep and how they are displayed. His trophies are immediately distinguishable from the others because they are carved before being tithed or displayed. Kha'xanzyr's trophy chamber is sparse, organized, and each skull is marked by name and tale of it's acquisition, carved by the Bloodthirsters own talon.

[skxrbrand]

is skarbrand completely fireproof?

No, not perfectly. I imagine if you launched him into the sun he'd die just like anything else, save maybe Khorne himself.

[skxrbrand]

 AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Skarbrand isn't affectionate. His affection, or the closest thing to it, would be the passive acceptance of affection from another person without savaging them.

Kha'xanzyr is the most affectionate of the bunch. His desire for tactile affection is surprisingly strong, but his affection is more acts of service based than cuddling or holding (though like Skarbrand, he will not reject these things if they are given to him by the correct person and in moderation).

I got you blue becky lemme smash Gift giving, though he's much more tactile generally than his brothers. This comes from a past of being a Chaos Fury, who are a more sociable grouping of daemons. Khazaan keeps his gregarious streak as a Bloodthirster and may bundle a favorite (or possessed) person into his wing. This sounds romantic until you remember he is covered in a thin sheen of mucus-y blood at all times and has a near constant nasal drip going on.

[skxrbrand]

The Exile Trio - 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒

A Daemon Weapon is any axe, blade, or other armament that is inhabited by a daemon, lesser or greater. Once mundane weapons, the blades take on the qualities of their prisoner and are all the more powerful for the doing. Death commonly means nothing to daemons, who simply reform their bodies given enough time, and so eternal capture is the next best thing.

𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃

Skarbrand has wielded three daemon weapons in his time. His first was Scourge, a daemon-axe containing the soul of Nurgle’s then-tetrarch, Ki’litzli Poxdame the Scourge, rider and master of the Pox-viathan. He would keep this single, massive axe until the monumental Battle of Infernus Plains. As great a foe as Ki’litzli had been, she was still nothing before the Bloodthirsters of the first host and his two brothers, Khazaan and Kha’xanzyr.

In the rather rare instance that a Khornate daemon binds a Nurglish daemon to his blade, the familial nature of the plague daemons tends to grow on the Khornate overtime, like a fungus. The result is a daemon loathe to give up their weapon. For ambitious Skarbrand, this was not the case, but when he made weapons of his two brothers, he did release Ki’litzli, replacing her daemon-axe with the twin war axes Carnage and Slaughter.

𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐀𝐍

Khazaan’s axe is called Splitter and it contains the soul of a Tzeentchian Daemon, particularly a Lord of Change. Of the sibling trio, Khazaan isn’t exactly the brightest, so that he was able to outmaneuver one of Tzeentch’s watchers is a bit of a surprise. The Lord of Change, called T’x’rrarikani, has actually duped his captor into releasing him several times, only for the dogged Bloodthirster to hunt him down like a Birdhound and cram him back into Splitter each time. Changing disguises and monikers does not help, for every spirit has a unique scent to it and Khazaan is very accustomed to the smell of T’x’rrarikani’s soul and the taste of his blood.

He enjoys recounting his tales of the hunt to anyone who will listen and no one is more keen to hear these escapades than Nurglish daemons. During Khorne-Nurgle alliances, Khazaan is popular, for every plague daemons enjoys his spiritedly retold stories about the time he chased T’x’rrarikani to the Crystal Lands themselves, snatching up the Watcher before he could flee into the Labyrinth of Tzeentch for good.

All except T’x’rrarikani of course, who seethes within the axe, plotting his bloody revenge.

𝐊𝐇𝐀'𝐗𝐀𝐍𝐙𝐘𝐑

Havoc is the name of Kha’xanzyr’s Great-Axe, and it is a tall weapon as both the daemon wielding it and inhabiting it. A classic Khornate daemon, Kha’xanzyr loathes the Slaaneshi more than any of their other chaos-kin and so it comes as no surprise that one is enslaved within his weapon, languishing eternally. Not just any Keeper of Secrets, Sla’thill’or’kilak’ki was a Ring-Lord of the Dark Prince’s Realm, beaten and captured during Skarbrand’s razing of Slaanesh’s First Temple. They were one of the Co-rulers of the Ring of Carnality, taken as a spoil and trapped within Havoc at the conclusion of the siege.

Sla'thill'or'kilak'ki’s relationship with their captor is predictably antagonistic and in the times they deign to speak, he and the Keeper of Secrets will trade verbal barbs with one another. Kha’xanzyr rarely wins these battles of wit, as Slaaneshi daemons are simply heir to these particular kinds of duels, but the fact the Bloodthirster can put up any defense at all for any appreciable length of time is definitely appreciated.

Whenever Kha’xanzyr loses, he channels his searing static touch into the daemon inhabiting the weapon. Given the nature of the Slaaneshi, and of  Sla’thill’or’kilak’ki’s in particular though, this is probably not the punishment he’s desiring it to be...

[skxrbrand]

Do they have soft snouts?

" No."

[skxrbrand]

𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 - 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃

While it is easy to assume ( and the Daemons would certainly like you to believe ) that Daemons, Greater Daemons especially, are nigh-undefeatable, this is not true. Not even for the Legendary Exile of Khorne, Skarbrand.

Many Armor Piercing Projectiles

Engaging Skarbrand in a melee competition is a supremely terrible idea. The more blood that is spilled, the stronger he becomes; this includes his own blood. The best way to fight Skarbrand is from a distance (and KEEPING that Distance) and with many high-powered weapons designed with armor piercing in mind. Magical weapons work the best.

It would take an entire host of high powered projectiles to fell Skarbrand.

Easy to Anger / Lead

"Choices made in anger cannot be undone!" or so the saying goes and it is correct: If sufficiently roused to anger, Skarbrand can be led into traps. This is a double-edged sword however; the Reaper is by no means slow.

[skxrbrand]

Skarbrand's dental situation. My version of Skarbrand is sort of an amalgamation of his appearances over the series. In some art and in some books, he is described as having tusks. In the games, he actually has a blue tongue like some dog breeds. Of course, he's missing one of his secondary canines from where he was attacked by Khorne in all iterations. I based his dentition on modern hyenas, since it seemed fitting to me that he have teeth capable of breaking bones and shredding flesh.