Depiction: N'kari (Blood of Aenarion/Sword of Caledor)

Jaxhammer#8130

So!

Was Reading BoA/SoC last night trying to get a good idea of what N'kari looked like, since it was clear it wasn't the Age of Reckoning version or the Warhammer III version. No, according to those books, he resembled a horse, albeit a monstrous one. Thought I would depict that, with some trademarks from N'kari to identify it as him, namely his tendrils, color, and his braid!



Since N'kari has had three noteworthy forms at this point, I think it could be neat if CA incorporated his shapeshifting abilities in game. The same way you can swap between mounts for heros, you could perhaps swap between forms and use the one that best suits you at the moment? Just an idea!

Captain_Rex#1635

Yap agreed. After reading the 2 books I also thought about a shape shifting ability.

endurstonehelm#6102

Awesome depiction. Thanks for posting.

Jaxhammer#8130

Captain_Rex#1635 said:

Yap agreed. After reading the 2 books I also thought about a shape shifting ability.

Hmmm, I might post some test stats for this later...

endurstonehelm#6102 said:

Awesome depiction. Thanks for posting.

Also, thanks a lot! I'm quite proud of it, might add a body!

yolordmcswag#6132

Spoilers for the Tyrion & Teclis trilogy:

N'kari in those novels does a lot of shapeshifting, showing their power as a greater deamon but not revealing their true form most of the time. For example, while speaking with Malekith N'kari took the form of a woman but with skin of iron inscribed with runes similiar to Malekith himself, which Malekith believed was to mock to him. In the decisive fight against Teclis after Tyrion killed the assassins N'akri looked like a normal keeper of secrets, which makes sense since it's their main battle form.

In the prologue to those same novels N'kari also looks like a Keeper of Secrets while fighting Aenarion, complete with four arms and crab claws. Just like this classic picture which is one of the few official artworks of N'kari, even included in the 8th edition Big Rule Book:



So for total war I think it makes perfect sense that N'kari looks the way they do, since it's the form they have worn in their most important battles.

Jaxhammer#8130

yolordmcswag#6132 said:

Spoilers for the Tyrion & Teclis trilogy:

N'kari in those novels does a lot of shapeshifting, showing their power as a greater deamon but not revealing their true form most of the time. For example, while speaking with Malekith N'kari took the form of a woman but with skin of iron inscribed with runes similiar to Malekith himself, which Malekith believed was to mock to him. In the decisive fight against Teclis after Tyrion killed the assassins N'akri looked like a normal keeper of secrets, which makes sense since it's their main battle form.

In the prologue to those same novels N'kari also looks like a Keeper of Secrets while fighting Aenarion, complete with four arms and crab claws. Just like this classic picture which is one of the few official artworks of N'kari, even included in the 8th edition Big Rule Book:



So for total war I think it makes perfect sense that N'kari looks the way they do, since it's the form they have worn in their most important battles.

How does this relate to the OP?

Edit: Nevermind, I just realized. Anyway, not neccesarily. In the fight against Tyrian and Teclis, N'kari takes a form like the above. The image you've provided is the duel against Aenarion. His truest form is said to be "bestial" and that is further described as "Horse-like". In "Sword of Caledor" when he isn't mocking Malekith, he is in horse forme hence the image.

Caffynated#2235

I think N'Kari appears as what you most desire.

For Malekith, he loves him some Malekith so N'Kari appears as hot FeMalekith.

Who was it that saw him as a horse? One of the only characters who refuses to ride anything other than his beloved horse? Is there something Tyrion needs to tell us?

Jaxhammer#8130

Caffynated#2235 said:

I think N'Kari appears as what you most desire.

For Malekith, he loves him some Malekith so N'Kari appears as hot FeMalekith.

Who was it that saw him as a horse? One of the only characters who refuses to ride anything other than his beloved horse? Is there something Tyrion needs to tell us?

He does!

The Horse was his "truest form" according to the book (though the book also makes the caveat of "if a daemon could be said to have such a thing"). He tries a elf chick on Mal, that fails, so he switches to his monster form instead. The game does mention if seduction fails, N'kari has no problem just opening a can of smackdown on a target and using good ol fashion force and violence to coerce people.

Your implications do make me giggle though lmfao

PhoenixKingMalekith#5710

Truest form? Can you show us please where is it stated which one is his truest form? In theory, as a daemon, he doesn’t have a “true” form. In practice, he adopts some shapes more than others because he (or she) likes them more, so… his truest form is his only available depiction, where he fights Aenarion. TWW3 version is alike that.
I would have preferred a version even more alike to the 6th edition drawing of N’kari, but it’s not as bad as it could have been.

Said this, I wouldn’t be contrary to represent his shape changing ability somehow.

Jaxhammer#8130

Truest form =/= True Form

#254403 said:

Truest form? Can you show us please where is it stated which one is his truest form? In theory, as a daemon, he doesn’t have a “true” form. In practice, he adopts some shapes more than others because he (or she) likes them more, so… his truest form is his only available depiction, where he fights Aenarion. TWW3 version is alike that.
I would have preferred a version even more alike to the 6th edition drawing of N’kari, but it’s not as bad as it could have been.

Said this, I wouldn’t be contrary to represent his shape changing ability somehow.

I always imagined a Slaaneshi's true form to be whatever they choose whenever they are no actively trying to decieve someone or otherwise make use of the form's physical utility. They do this for their own pleasure too. N'kari says something about enjoying being on all fours, for instance, as a quadruped.

Maedrethnir#1968

This description is based on the old miniature of KoS:

Jaxhammer#8130

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

This description is based on the old miniature of KoS:

Actually, according to the book's description, it's a bit different.

N'kari is said to have three human arms and only one pincer. Early Keepers were said to be bovine and caprine, which are distinct from horses.

IMO, this isn't horse-like in the slightest, so I'd have to disagree.

Maedrethnir#1968

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

This description is based on the old miniature of KoS:

Actually, according to the book's description, it's a bit different.

N'kari is said to have three human arms and only one pincer. Early Keepers were said to be bovine and caprine, which are distinct from horses.

IMO, this isn't horse-like in the slightest, so I'd have to disagree.

Hm, where does it say that his 'truest' form has only one pincer? Even the posted excerpt mentions 'claws', meaning plural. Not that it matters much, it's a small departure from the miniature after all.

It looks like a horse head to me:



That's probably what the author thought too.

Jaxhammer#8130

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

This description is based on the old miniature of KoS:

Actually, according to the book's description, it's a bit different.

N'kari is said to have three human arms and only one pincer. Early Keepers were said to be bovine and caprine, which are distinct from horses.

IMO, this isn't horse-like in the slightest, so I'd have to disagree.

Hm, where does it say that his 'truest' form has only one pincer? Even the posted excerpt mentions 'claws', meaning plural. Not that it matters much, it's a small departure from the miniature after all.

It looks like a horse head to me:



That's probably what the author thought too.

That's in the other book, written by the same author. Also claws and pincers are not the same thing. It describes two hands free for casting, one bearing a sword, and one with a Pincer in Blood of Aenarion.

And we'll have to agree to disagree I suppose *shrug*. I have this miniature; it has hooves, rather than talons and the horns don't appear to be the same either.

I'm not really here to argue the accuracy of it, either way. The OP is my interpretion of the books so all this debating is kind of pointless ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Maedrethnir#1968

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Maedrethnir#1968 said:

This description is based on the old miniature of KoS:

Actually, according to the book's description, it's a bit different.

N'kari is said to have three human arms and only one pincer. Early Keepers were said to be bovine and caprine, which are distinct from horses.

IMO, this isn't horse-like in the slightest, so I'd have to disagree.

Hm, where does it say that his 'truest' form has only one pincer? Even the posted excerpt mentions 'claws', meaning plural. Not that it matters much, it's a small departure from the miniature after all.

It looks like a horse head to me:



That's probably what the author thought too.

That's in the other book, written by the same author. Also claws and pincers are not the same thing. It describes two hands free for casting, one bearing a sword, and one with a Pincer in Blood of Aenarion.

And we'll have to agree to disagree I suppose *shrug*. I have this miniature; it has hooves, rather than talons and the horns don't appear to be the same either.

I'm not really here to argue the accuracy of it, either way. The OP is my interpretion of the books so all this debating is kind of pointless ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The excerpt makes a distinction between talons and claws. I assume it means pincers, especially since the word 'claw' is used in the context of pincers in Blood of Aenarion:

They had overpowered Sardriane and his mother and carried them to their leader, a strange creature whose outline shimmered and shifted constantly sometimes suggesting a crab-clawed hulking daemonic thing, sometimes the most beautiful woman he had ever imagined, sometimes the most noble king. He had thrown himself towards the monster, trying to strike at it with a dagger he seized from the scabbard of one of his tormentors, and had been struck unconscious by a blow to the head.

It's probably not exactly the same, and I should have used the word 'inspired' rather than 'based'. Anyway, you are right like you said, it's of little importance, and let's agree to disagree!

It's an interesting visual interpretation.

Jaxhammer#8130

Just read another source saying N'kari had a bull phase (Dark Elves V7 I think), so looks like that might go on my "list of things to depict".

I wonder why Keepers always turn into Goats or Bulls or other hooved creatures and never anything predatory?

Caffynated#2235

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Just read another source saying N'kari had a bull phase (Dark Elves V7 I think), so looks like that might go on my "list of things to depict".

I wonder why Keepers always turn into Goats or Bulls or other hooved creatures and never anything predatory?

Ram and bull heads/horns have long been associated with devils and uncivilized gods in Earth's mythology.

Pagan gods like Baal or Moloch had the heads of bulls and their symbols were carried into battle by barbarians (well, at least who Romans called barbarians) who pillaged civilized lands.

Satan's symbol is the horned ram. I don't think he needs a lot of explanation about why he's associated with bad things.

Depicting real world myth and religion in a fantastical way is the nature of Warhammer. For whatever reason, ancient human cultures viewed bulls and goats as more majestic/fearsome than wolves or lions, so that's what is fearsome here.

Jaxhammer#8130

Just seems odd, because Bulls are Khorne's animal iirc. They're brutes, violent, rageful. Not really a Slaaneshi animal except for perhaps their representation of virility and fertility.

Belisaurio#7536

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Just seems odd, because Bulls are Khorne's animal iirc. They're brutes, violent, rageful. Not really a Slaaneshi animal except for perhaps their representation of virility and fertility.

Didn't know that! When thinking about Bulls, I've always have the same chaos god in my mind:

Jaxhammer#8130

Belisaurio#7536 said:

Jaxhammer#8130 said:

Just seems odd, because Bulls are Khorne's animal iirc. They're brutes, violent, rageful. Not really a Slaaneshi animal except for perhaps their representation of virility and fertility.

Didn't know that! When thinking about Bulls, I've always have the same chaos god in my mind:

Hashut! I need to look into this lad more. I know he has a flying bull as a daemon, but Khornate animals do also include bulls according to "Tome of Corrpution"