Gloomspite Gitz

Grand Alliance Destruction Gloomspite Gitz

I’m gonna go higher! I’m pissing on da Moon!

Lore Tactics General Tactics

"Da Bad Moon spoke to me, once. All dese years, through all dese realms, I've followed it in da skies and 'ave heard all da stories about 'ow it came to be..."

– Skragrott the Loonking

"Don't go 'round tonight. It's bound to take your life. There's a Bad Moon on the rise."

– Creedence Clearwater Revival

The Gloomspite Gitz are a loose coalition of Moonclan Grots, Spiderfang Grots, Troggoths and more all united in the worship of the Bad Moon, which they see as an aspect of Gorkamorka. This combination has created a faction that somehow ended up much more “chaosy” than Chaos, being more Heath Ledger Joker than evil cults and barbarians following their gods’ rules. They personify the horror and madness that comes with reckless destruction, with no aim other than to cause more of it.

The Bad Moon

"Vast, horrible eyes staring down, seeming to see straight into her soul. Tattered clouds scattering as though fleeing in horror from the lunar abomination that settled low and gibbous in the skies above. The jagged suggestion of fangs the size of mountains, set in a leering, pockmarked face whose sanity-blasting immensity dwarfed the city as an armoured warrior dwarfs an insect."

– Excerpt From “Gloomspite” by Andy Clark

The Bad Moon itself is a supernatural moon (even moreso than Morrslieb from the world that was) that travels between realms in no discernible pattern. A thing of horror and mystery, with those who seek to divine its path (Tzeentch sorcerers, Azyr astronomers, Skaven Grey Seers, and many more) driven mad by the celestial object. It also sends ill portents across the realms wherever it passes. It can even speak, though the only person it has done so to is Skragrott, allegedly, at least. If you take as many mushrooms as the Night Goblins do you'd probably begin to hear voices as well. He ain't called "Loonking" for nothing.

There are three stories of its origins. Most greenskins claim it's a moon that Gorkamorka tried to eat. It broke some of his teeth so he spat it out but unintentionally left a bit of his power in it. The Spiderfang Grots see it as an egg of their spider god which will one day hatch and flood the realms with spiders. Grot shaman's believe it is made of the coalesced souls of every grot shaman who has ever lived.

Whatever the case, the Bad Moon fills the Gloomspite Gits with lunacy, which they refer to as “Gloomspite” that fills them with fervor and strength but also takes a toll on their sanity. Just as Waaagh! energy builds up and empowers orruks, which is generated through their belligerence and battle-hunger; Gloomspite is generated out of the grots’ cruelty, spite, hatred of those more fortunate and sheer meanness. When the Bad Moon waxes, wars rage.

As the moon approaches an area, strange things occur. All surfaces will become clammy and slick with cave-moisture, animals will go insane or start to speak in weird and disturbing tongues, water drips up instead of down, insects and arachnids crawl out of every crevice and become aggressive to everyone. Worst of all, giant fungi grow on every material, from stone, wood, earth, to metal and even flesh. People will suffer from insomnia, nightmares, paranoia, and in the case of those unfortunates who are already weak minded, full-on schizophrenic insanity. For instance, in the novel Gloomspite by Andy Clark the coming of the Bad Moon was a source of Lovecraftian dread; as acts of anarchy, bouts of madness, and surges of murderous insects from below plagued the city of Draconium for a week before its arrival which itself caused shifts in gravity and the collapse of government; All of which works to further prepare an area for takeover by the Gloomspite Gitz, who thrive in these uncomfortable times. By the time the Bad Moon itself leers overhead the hordes of Grots, Squigs, Spiders, and Troggoths are already invading from hidden tunnels below or pouring from caves in the hills. And if the Bad Moon is feeling particularly spiteful it will “spit” out meteorites of loonstone called “Fangz of the Bad Moon”. They crash down onto its enemies with cataclysmic force and become the sites where the Gitz build their Loonshrines, from which even more Grots will pour out of.

The Bad Moon is also followed and orbited by a smaller moonlet or asteroid that crashes into celestial objects in its way. Much like how the Grots have varying ideas of what the Bad Moon itself is, they believe the smaller moon to be the Bad Moon's punishing fist, its pet squig, or even the ancient spirit of a powerful Grot warlord who conquered eight mighty mountain peaks in the primeval World-That-Was...

"Do you see me down ere'??!! I'm Skragrott the Loonking, Lord of da' Gloomspite Gitz!! ANSWER ME!!! WILL I EVER HEAR YOUR VOICE AGAIN??!!?"

History

“Da Age uv Miff”

Greenskins, grots included, have always existed in the mortal realms. Even when Sigmar’s pantheon worked to cultivate new kingdoms and nations on their own, scheming hordes of grots scraped and stabbed their way to survival. Sigmar eventually gained the trust of Gorkamorka, which meant the majority of his children would stop raiding the newly built bastions of Order. However, a few lesser known or obscure spots of the realms still suffered from regular attacks from the grots.

It’s around this time that the main grot sub-factions begin to emerge, born out of their environments and a religious desire to justify their spiteful actions. The Moonclan Grots take to worshiping the Bad Moon from the safety of dark dank caves, the Spiderfang take up residence in the the massive nest lairs of the Aracnarok spiders, the Grotbag Scuttlers somehow created workable flying ships and took to the skies, while the nomadic Gitmob Grots began riding wolves in Ghur and many more minor sub cultures that GW will likely never talk about again. Also noteworthy in this age is the god-beast Boingob, the grand progenitor of all squiggly beasts. The living meteor of rubbery fleshy chased after the light of Hysh, thundering across the Realm of Life before finally jumping up to bite it...only to have its body charred black and collapse to the ground. Boingob’s body becomes a holy place to the Moonclan Grots, the surrounding Orborean Woods becoming a stronghold for the grots that survived even the advances of the Age of Chaos.

“Da Age uv Kaos”

Unlike the orruks and ogors who thrived in the Age of Chaos, grots weren’t as lucky. Most tribes where viciously hunted down by the ruinous hordes or delved underground to escape persecution. Here the first documented Gloomspite Gitz made their appearance as Moonclan lurklairs struck deals with the Spiderfang nests. Starting from mere trading relationships these gradually evolved into full on alliances that proved very beneficial to both sides. Shortly thereafter, the newly formed Gloomspite Gitz realized that when properly interacted with and rewarded with food, the various Troggoths that also made their home in the same dark caverns and ravines could be made into excellent allies and bruisers to their mobs. Their combined swarms were used to great effect in pushing out the taint of Chaos from the dank depths of the Mortal Realms, carving out entire empires beneath the earth. Expectedly though, this meant they commonly clashed with the Fyreslayers and Skaven with these conflicts usually leading to the destruction of the losing party.

The grots following these events had minimal impact on the realms during the Age of Chaos, most preferring to carve out their own underground empires and leave the surface world to its fate (outside the occasional raid for supplies and plunder). During this period the only true large scale grot resistance to Chaos was Zigsnak's Waaagh, but ultimately this was put down with brutal swiftness. The grots overall still fared quite well considering, especially compared to many other races, not only surviving but managing to thrive and arguably becoming the true rulers of the underdark of the realms.

“Da Age uv Da Hamma-Git”

By the Age of Sigmar, grots were rarely seen by the surface world, becoming regarded as either myth or a very rare sight from survivors of their raids. The main reason stemming from besides small scale raids on villages or storehouses, moonclan grots would usually only come out in large numbers when in the presence of the Bad Moon. And for many centuries this was a very rare event, and probably for the best as when the Gloomspite Gitz gathered in mass it usually resulted in whole settlments disappearing off the map overnight. Incidentally this meant the Gloomspite Gitz for the most part had relatively little impact on the beginning of the age (the “biggest” thing to happen to them being the many inebriated gargants flocking to their caves to sleep off their hangovers).

This however would change with the coming of the Necroquake. This major event, while causing great destruction throughout the realms, also had the unintended effect of causing the Bad Moon to appear far more frequently. The various Gloomspite hordes saw this as a sign from the Bad Moon and Gorkamorka that time to bring the Everdank to the surface had began and started making major incursions into the surface world in numbers not seen since the Age of Myth, followed closely by their various allies and cave-beasts (so yeah, you can thank Nagash for the Gloomspite Gitz rampaging). Since then, the moonclan, spiderfang and troggoth forces have been making many invasions to secure greater territory for themselves but also to find a way to find where the Bad Moon will appear next.

Currently the Gloomspite Gitz’ greatest territorial conquest is the lands of Ayadah in Chamon at the hands of Skragrott, with the Bad Moon now blotting out the sky in that particular area for some unknown reason (Skragrott believes its because they impressed the celestial object enough with their conquest). Skragrott claims the former home of the Gnoblars, Skrappa Spill as his new capital, allowing for an above-ground empire to be created. While all the various sub-factions of the Gloomspite Gitz have different reasons and motives in venerating the Bad Moon, all are ultimately united in wanting to see the surface world bow before them.

Broken Realms

The Loonking himself lead a mass contingent of Gitz alongside the Fist of Gork Gordrakk and the other Destruction factions in a siege of the free city Excelsis. Skragrott isn’t overly fond of this endeavor as it means he doesn’t have the same level of authority/respect among these Ghurish greenskins like the ones back in Chamon, but the strange thumping sound he’s been hearing in his head and an ill prophecy from a Tzeentchian magister tells him whatever happens at Excelsis is gonna be important.

Turns out the important thing was the awakening of the End of Empires Kragnos, who wrests control over the Waaagh from Gordrakk...and still leads them to Excelsis. Skragrott schemes with an Ogor Mercenary troupe to send them far ahead of the main army to sell their services to Excelsis’ defenders, and then promptly betray them once the Waaagh! arrives. While the grots themselves weren’t noted to have done much, the Troggboss Glogg of Glogg’s Megamob made a viscous last stand on the outer walls of the city. Kragnos gets tricked by Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine to go through a wormhole and the destruction army scatters, with Skragrott likely feeling very peeved over the whole thing.

Era of the Beast

Following the disastrous(?) attack on Execlsis, the Loonking and his mobs quickly slunk back to Chamon…only to find it in complete chaos thanks to Be'lakor’s own schemes. Their home turf of Ayadah was thankfully spared from the looming warpstorms, and while the grots battened down the hatches, Skragrott started to plan ahead. He felt the surging energies from Ghur like all the Destruction races did, but more importantly he felt the Bad Moon becoming much more aggressive and frequent in its appearances. This newfound vigor would be the excellent opportunity for the Gitz to push out all unwelcome guests in Ayadah, finally claiming the whole region for grotkind. Dawnbringer crusades and Kruleboyz lairs were washed over by a tide of Stabbas, Squigs, and Spiders, all quickly being absorbed into the Loonking’s empire. Their real obstacle came from the Skaven of the Minewarren Strip, an underground network of tunnels and magic focal points that have long been contested by rat and greenskins. The Clans Skryre were able to harness these natural founts of metal magic to create terrifying war machines against the Gitz. After the initial shock of this counterattack was over, the Grots started refocusing their mobs towards the power sources of the new Skaven machines, hoping to take them over with their own Gorkamorka blessed fungus.

Groups/Subcultures

"Listen child and heed me well,
A grave warning you must fear.
Go to bed and silent stay,
Lest the blackencap might hear.
Shuttered must your windows be,
Your eyes, quickly, close them fast!
Or the Bad Moon’s light you’ll see,
And the sight will be your last."

– An Azyrite nursery rhyme

Moonclan Grots

The Moonclan Grots are pretty close to old Night Goblin lore, but with even more fungi. Moonclan Grots can't even stand outside during the day without their skin burning and their eyes clamping shut in pain, so they wear their heavy robes to hide from the terrible entity they call Glareface Frazzlegit, AKA the Sun. They believe that old Glareface exists to kill and hurt them, opposite their beloved Bad Moon. They work with the rest of the Gloomspite Gitz to bring about the Everdank - the permanent extinguishing of the sun and an eternal Bad Moonlit night. Because they so rarely appear aboveground, grots of all sorts are seen as children's fairy tales and drunkard's pink elephants, right up until the Moonclan are pouring into the streets and murdering everyone. They also have a strange obsession with bottles, and consider them the most valuable items to steal and loot from other races. The reason is twofold: first is that Grots love magic potions and their shamans can craft many clever varieties from a myriad of mystical mushrooms and fungi, and secondly Grots lack any skill or knowledge of glassblowing, meaning that they cannot craft bottles themselves. To the Moonclan, a successful raid might be several tons of food, weapons, armor pieces, building scraps, and so on, but an equally successful night of raiding is a couple dozen glass bottles in good shape.

The Moonclan Grots have become highly adept at taming the creatures that lurk within. In particular they make extensive use of squigs which they breed for various purposes such as food, war beasts, tracking hounds, decoration and even lighting (yeah there is a glow-in-the-dark breed they use in addition to bioluminescent fungus and fire to light there lairs). Entire tribes will focus entirely around the breeding of squigs and look to create ever new or more aggressive breeds of the creatures to sell to other grots. In addition, they also make use of other cave flora and fauna like various fungi and insects. Fungus and various insects/arachnids are also cultivated/bred for food, potions and for other stranger uses. However the most heavily used creature by the Moonclan grots besides squigs is the segmapede; giant centipedes used as transportation, a beast of burden and tunneling creatures for the grots, allowing them to expand their caverns very quickly.

Skragrott the Loonking, self titled leader of the Gloomspite Gitz, has a plan. He abducts every seer and prophet he can find that's had contact with the Bad Moon. Then he infects them with a fungal strain that turns them into half-human, half-mushroom hybrids (Something he seems to be trying to weaponize in the Gloomspite Novel). The Loonking keeps these captives in his creatively named "fungal asylum". He hopes they will foretell where the Bad Moon will rise, with mixed results so far. He also delights in the torture of captives as he uses the maddening transformation as a means to acquire information from those that would stand in the Bad Moons way. His ultimate goal is to cover all the Mortal Realms in the Clammy-Dank and he has already achieved this in Ayadah.

Spiderfang Grots

The Spiderfang Grots are a little different than their Fantasy predecessors; they still worship the Spider-god, but they also zealously follow the Bad Moon around for a different reason. They believe it is actually a FUCKHUEG egg laid by the Spider God, and that if they can make it stand still long enough it'll hatch, and spill a never-ending tide of Spiders across the Mortal Realms. Yeah. Says something about how crazy these gits are when even the Loonking thinks their interpretation is hard to believe. Regardless they are not to be trifled with as their hordes of grots and spiders (of varying terrifying sizes) pose a great threat to any who oppose them. Another interesting aspect to the Spiderfang is even in comparison to the Moonclan Grots, the Spiderfang have a very deep religious aspect to their society and is heavily influenced by their shamans. The Webspinner Shamans of the Spiderfang are powerful priests and wizards whose prophetic visions of the Spider-God (often brought on by the consumption of venom and hallucinogenics) have lead many stalktribes to victory, or defeat depending on the situation. They have also mastered the art of rearing and taming many large species of spiders for different purposes(food, mounts, webbing, specialized venom, etc), with the obvious exception of Arachnaroks as they are seen as holy creatures that allow the grots to live in their nests in exchange for a regular supply of food. The oldest of these colossal spiders have large shrines built upon their backs and act as focal points for worship of the Spider-God, while the youngest ones are little more than feral monsters, striking from the shadows to pull screaming prey into their nests.

Troggoths

Troggoths are pretty much the classic idiot troll. They’ve always existed in the Mortal Realms and no one is quite sure where they came from. Numerous legends are told by the Destruction factions on how they came to be, ranging from crawling out of the funk between Gorkamorka’s green toes, to being actual aliens from the Bad Moon who rode down to the Realms on its Fangs. They come in a couple varieties: Fellwater (River), Rockgut (Stone), and Dankhold (Mountain), with a passing mention of a fourth Sulphurbreath (Fire) variety. Fellwater Troggoths love to live in stinky swamps, fetid bogs, and stagnant pools, and stink so bad even ghosts hate them. Rockguts have the unique magical power to reshape rock and stone with their bare hands, but instead of using this power to create beautiful works of art or massive underground cities, they use their powers to scoop big rocks to throw at the enemy or make basic clubs out of. Lastly, Dankhold Troggoths are a strange breed that have hard, rocky flesh that fungus of all types can grow in. They also love to sleep, often sleeping for hundreds of years. Dankhold Troggoths also change size based on their environment, like huge humanoid fungus-goldfish, and if a Dankhold decides to squeeze itself into a tiny crevice, he'll wake up half his original size. Conversely, if a Dankhold sleeps in a huge, open cavern, he'll awaken taller than a Gargant. Lastly Dankholds love to eat fungus, especially fungi that grow on Realmstone veins, and instead of dying on the spot from consuming highly magical and radioactive fungi like any sensible creature, the Dankhold Troggoth internalizes the magic, making them magic resistant in the highest degree.

There are several other Troggoth species mentioned in passing in other battletomes and sources. Sulphurbreath Troggoths had half a sentence written about them in a White Dwarf article and live in the crevices in volcanos. Deepwater Troggoths were mentioned in promotional material for the Idoneth Deepkin, most likely an oceanic breed, which were actually present in Warhammer Fantasy as Sea Trolls, also called "Shugons". The Mirebrute Troggoth is another swamp-dwelling species that has been cowed into servitude by the Kruleboyz Orruks, as is the Marshcrawla Sloggoth, which is forced onto all fours and adapts to be quicker, serving as a mount for the Grots who work for the Kruleboyz. The Angujakkak is a creature described as resembling a hybrid of Deepwater Troggoth and Mega-Squid.

Troggoths don’t really act as a unified group, no troll king barking orders or whatnot. Staying true to the classic "wild giant only here to fuck your shit up," Trogherds are formed when random groups of Troggoths just start to follow the lead of a bigger Troggoth, for no reason or goal other than to rampage. Even a Dankhold Troggboss only leads his "army" through some sort of poorly understood instinctive leadership or alpha quality, and most Troggbosses are too stupid to read, or even speak. This does not stop them from causing ridiculous amounts of destruction as they blunder through farmsteads, homes, villages, or even cities as the leader picks a direction and just starts walking, with a dozen or two other species of Troggoths following him close behind. Apparently they also have their own afterlife, the Droogrind.

Gitmob Grots

The vanilla/plain Goblins of Fantasy existed in AoS first edition, comprised of all the regular gobbos, wolf riders, and war machines. They were phased out rather quickly and left in obscurity, with only passing mentions in the lore. These nomadic raiders worship the light of Hysh, which they refer to as Glareface Frazzlegit. It wasn’t until the Warhammer Underworlds warband “Rippa’s Snarlfangs” was released that we got a little more info on the Gitmobbers.

Gitmob Grots live and die on Snarlfangs, large wolves native to Ghur and Hysh whose venomous saliva and relentless endurance made them perfect mounts for the natural pack-mentality of the Gitmob. Snarlfangs are kidnapped and raised as pups by the greenskins, instilling a tenuous bond between mount and rider.

Notable Gloomspite Hordes

• Da King’s Gitz: Also called Skragrott’s Konkererz, these grots are the Loonking’s personal army that led the invasion of Chamon. Following Skragrott are the High Gobbapalooza, which includes The Mighty Mezmerizmo and Curdlegore the Arch-Spiker. The ‘Eavies are a quintet of Dankhold Troggbosses who usually guard the entrance of the fungal asylum, but are more than happy to smash heads for the Loonking. The bulk of the army is made up of two Moonclan Skrap battalions, both groups constantly vying for Skragrott’s favor. Other detachments include the Badgob Batterers (Squigalanche), Warrblag’s Lurkers (Spiderfang Stalktribe), and the Lumberstomp Brothers (three Aleguzzler Gargants).

• Waaagh!Zigsnak: Led by a particularly influential Fungoid Cave Shaman, this horde also included the likes of orruks and ogors, a feat unheard of among most Grots. With this massive collection of belligerents, Zigsnak won many a fight. Until the Waaagh! collided with a Khorne Goretide, and after a brutal eight day battle, the shaman’s head was claimed by Korghos Khul, and the Waaagh! was soundly butchered. This conflict has since been known as Zigsnak’s Folly, and is regarded by the Gloomspite Gitz as a cautionary warning. Specifically, "Don't fuck with Khorne."
  • This also serves as a retcon for the absence of surface dwelling grots, as most grots fully committed to the underground life after this event, with only small remnants surviving in the wilderness like the Gitmob Grots.

• Claggit’s Smotherers: The closest thing to fire fighters in AoS. Loonboss Claggit, the “Grand Smotherdouser”, has a burning hatred for fire and has devoted his entire tribe to extinguishing all flames they find. Considering they make their lurklairs in the Kindling Forests of Aqshy, they are considerably busy fighting Fyreslayer lodges, Tzeentchian cabals, and the Clans Skryre. A favored tactic of the horde is to employ large mobs of Fellwater Troggoths, who vomit all over the fires of their obsession. The grots wear dark green and grey robes, made to blend into the clouds of smoke and ash they create.

• The Badsnatchers: You know that one idea where if you yell something loud enough people will believe it’s true? That’s kind of the story of the Badsnatchers in a nutshell. The horde’s leader, Ogwotz Da Magnificent, has proudly claimed to have covered all of Ulgu in the Everdank. This is very likely false given the nature of the realm of shadow, but none dare argue with the grots, who have become a special breed of arrogant braggarts who regularly pillage the surface world, confident that the Bad Moon is watching over them. They operate out of seven large lurklairs all situated in the Hushed Hills.

• The Scurrowstabberz: Another Ulgu tribe, these grots are earnest allies to the Frazzleshun stalktribes in Hysh. Using realmgates, they trade refined realmstone for spider riders and arachnarok venom.

• Zarbag’s Gitz: Through one way or another, the Madcap Shaman Zarbag and his personal crew ended up in the mysterious Nightvault hidden away beneath the city of Shadespire. Oh well, time to pillage and plunder!

• Da Moon City Murderboyz: A Kharadron Sky-Port called Barak Khazzar made the fatal mistake of trying to reclaim a lost hold from the Grots. Unfortunately this backfired spectacuraly with the grots using their stolen ships to invade the city itself and with the help of an armada of Grotbag Scuttlers overran the Sky-port. Now their precious city is controlled by the Gitz and renamed to Da Moon City, where they also create cyborg squigs that they sell to other Gloomspite hordes.
  • We can only hope this gets expanded on more because this could be the perfect backdrop for a specialist game.

• Narkleg’s Backstabbas: A Chamon horde who migrated into the Glinting Deeps during the early years of the Age of Chaos. Their lurklair of Stabb Hole quickly expanded due to an ever expanding Grot populace and their new Troggoth allies. They mistakingly burrow into the magmaholds of the Sigyorn Lodge, resulting in endless territorial warfare between the Greenskins and Fyreslayers.

• Boomsplatta: As their name suggests, this tribe has a proclivity for explosive fungi and dropping said fungi onto their enemies. These tactics were implemented and perfected by their Loonboss Wyngle.

• The Undersnapperz: A Moonclan Skrap from Ghur noted to work alongside the Gargants of the Rhondol Stomp.

• The Jaws of Mork: A gargantuan and inexorable Squigalanche that rumbles through Ghyran chasing after the Bad Moon. Their leader is the masked Overbounder, a mysterious Grot who never lets his skin show. His reason? He wants to be “in cognee toes” so he can sneak up on the Bad Moon and bounce right over it. The real question is how he plans to do so when his miles wide horde creates tremors that can be heard across the realm. The Overbounder rides on a pair of Mangler Squigs named Gobbit and Chompa. The Jaws lack any uniform heraldry or unifying symbols as the living avalanche of Squigs is always attracting smaller hordes that will drop everything they’re doing just to keep up with them.

• Frazzleshun: Dwelling in the Crackenmaw Chasm in the Realm of Light are swarms of spiderfang grots who spurn the shining radiance of their realm. Through their trade agreements with the Scurrowstabberz, they have crafted special shadow-silk webbings that they regularly use to block out the light and launch massive attacks with their venomous hordes against the native aelves. The tribe is led by a shrewd committee of shamans known as the Spider’s Eyes.

• Glintfang: By feeding their spiders bits and bobs of metal, the Glintfang stalktribes create steel-silk, which is basically metal cabling. These wires are used to create anything from false jewelry to parachutes for dive bombing hapless foes.

• The Grimscuttle Tribes: Also called the “Deff Grotz”, these Shyish stalktribes lurk in the haunted forests just outside of Nulahmia. They make sure to avoid Neferata’s wrath by only making the occasional raids of the lonesome human settlements that sit on the outskirts of her territory. This still doesn’t stop them from working with (then promptly backstabbing) the various Chaos Lords who seek to penetrate the Mortarch of Blood’s defenses. All the Grimscuttle Tribes are bloated with Skitterstrand Arachnaroks that flocked to the grots after the Webspinner Shamans attempted to open a realmgate to the Evercrawl, proving you can in fact fail upwards. The largest of these Arachnaroks is named Boss Seven-Eyes, who recently ate a bunch of vampires for some deathly ritual.

• Murkthudd’s Troggherd: Murkthudd was a Troggboss of spectacular size and stupidity, and one day he decided to go for a walk. When he emerged from underneath the Domtanguan Mountains, he was followed by two dozen various Troggoths and a horde of Squigs. They wrecked havoc throughput the settlements surrounding the Ferrus Sea, regularly clashing with Freeguild and Stormcast regiments. Eventually they tore through the city of Azyrvale and marched right off the pier and into the sea. What became of them is unclear, though rumors persist that Murkthudd is still walking at the bottom of the sea to this day.

• Mollog’s Mob: The ancient pygmy Dankhold Troggoth called Mollog only wants to find a quiet place to sleep. Unfortunately for him, a group of tunneling Skaven woke him up and ruined his cozy hideout. Now he wanders through Shadespire to find a new hole to crawl in and sleep. He’s followed by a collection of various cave critters, all of whom are fiercely protective of their master.

• Glogg’s Megamob: This colossal nomadic Trogghorde is among the most feared of Gloomspite armies for their seemingly endless energy and appetite for violence. An attack by the Megamob is signaled by a horrible grinding noise that echoes for miles around. This noise originates from the sneering Loonshrines that the Troggoths drag with them wherever they go. The leader of this monstrous gathering is the monosyllabic Glogg, a regenerating mass of scarred flesh and an Ogor-like hunger. He’s followed by two bodyguards (and possible brothers) Blogg and Clogg, and a Troggoth Hag named Big Mudda, who has taken an...interest in Glogg’s exploits. They made an appearance in “Broken Realms: Kragnos” as a glorified meat shield for Gordrakk’s Waaagh, and Glogg was seemingly killed while fighting an entire Freeguild regiment. He got better though, since it’s stupid impossible to kill a Trogboss for good.

• The Stoical Gobblemaws: Located in the Stoical Vast of Ymetrica in the Realm of Light, these half-blind Troggoths are loathed as a constant threat to the Lumineth Realm-Lords of that continent. They regularly chew and chomp their way through their cavernous home, destabilizing the mountain range and upsetting the bull-headed earth spirits that call it home. So naturally the Alarith temples regularly clash with the teeming hordes of Rockgut Troggs and their Dankhold Boss Gorp, who only appears when the Bad Moon rises over the Stoical Vast. Each time his goal is always the same; rampage his way to the tallest peak Tjenaka and “consuming its heart”...whatever that means. He’s been beaten back by the Aelves countless times, but like Abby in 40k, he keeps coming back.

List of Known Fungi used by the Gitz

• Badloon Bossfungus: An extremely rare mushroom known for its crescent moon shape that is revered as a sign of the Bad Moon’s favor. This particular fungus grows on the top of Skragrott’s staff.

• Bitterspurts: Pale blue shrooms found exclusively in Moonclan dung heaps. Used to brew “urgeblurt poison”, a toxin so revolting that it causes victims to vomit their guts up in agony.

• Blue Gorkshroom and Green Morkshroom: Tall stringy like fungus that regularly “war” over territory in the darkest depths of the Gloomspite tunnels. Both are harvested by shamans to be mashed together, creating an hallucinogenic paste.

• Deffcap Mushroom: A magical and addictive shroom eaten by Fungoid-Cave Shamans to increase their spell output. Grows only on the rotting flesh of mass graves of grots. Causes powerful brain-wracking hallucinations that are invariably prophetic in nature and often reveal the will of Gorkamorka 'imself, if you can survive the ten to twenty hour acid trip it involves.

• Dincap Mushroom: A dark purple fungus that, when ingested, causes a person’s lungs to vibrate and turns their voice into a microphone. Though the effects are temporary, they do last for a while so be sure not to say anything secretive while under its effect.

• Glowey Morkeye: Small light blue mushrooms that emit an eerie bioluminescence which is used by Grots to navigate their pitch black tunnels.

• Grey Spattlethwapper: Glowing spheres attached to thin stalks. A highly volatile fungus which erupts into a cloud of madness-inducing spores upon even the slightest of contact.

• Looncap Mushroom: A rare fungi that only grows in the light of the Bad Moon. While it can grow virtually anywhere, it has a habit of sprouting out of the heads/backs of living creatures. They are harvested by Sneaky Snuffler teams who then use them on fellow Moonclan Grots to “enhance” their fighting prowess. Also refined in a magic potion and force-fed to the unlucky sods chosen to become Fanatics of either the Loonsmasha or Sporesplatta variety.

• Madcap Mushroom: A magic-enhancing shroom used by Madcap Shamans. Not to be confused with the similarly named Madcap Toadstool, despite looking, smelling, and tasting identical to the impossibly toxic 'shroom.

• Madcap Toadstool: A deathly toxic fungus often confused with Madcap Mushrooms. It looks, smells, and tastes identical to the powerful Madcap Mushroom... at least until the poor idiot who ate it dies horribly from cramps so strong their organs implode.

• Puffgut-Balls and Hopsplatter Fungus: These fungi are fed to Squigs to make them incredibly springy, creating Squig Hoppers and Boingrot Bounders. As a side effect, it also makes them even more irritable than the stock Squig.

• Redcap Mushroom: Likely colored as their name implies, this fungus is primarily used by Loonbosses who ride upon Squigs. Ingesting then mushroom makes them much more aggressive in combat. A secondary use was discovered by Loonboss Brikkit of Brikkit’s Backstabbas; when fed to Troggoths, the redcap mushroom boosts their regeneration abilities.

• Scaldyscratch Spores: A fine powder like substance that Loonbosses often use to blind their enemies, creating a painful burning sensation that only worsens as they try to claw their eyes out.

• Squig Eggs: Small spherical growths found in clusters near Squig dens. Not actually connected to the squiggly beasts’ reproductive cycle.

• Stinkcranny Fungi: A foul smelling violet fungus harvested for usage in various poisons. Usually it’s avoided by Grots and Squigs alike because of its horrendous odor.

• Stragglenekk Fungus: These stalactite-like mushrooms grow around the entrances and ceilings of Moonclan lurklairs and display an almost predatory nature that causes them to slowly coil around and consume any one who runs into them.

• Twackweezer Puffshroom: A pale fungus that releases lung-clogging spores upon the slightest contact. Thwackweezers grow quickly and silently in inconvenient places, such as under grots pillows or just behind their bathroom door and spray a foul spore filled gas that drives grots into a tooth-gnashing frenzy and everything else into coughing fits. Of course, grots being the vindictive little shitheads they are, they use them as "hilarious" pranks. Then some enterprising (and very insane) grit decided to replace a Fanatic's metal ball with a Thwackweezer, and after a few messy test runs and about a dozen dead volunteers, the Sporesplatta fanatic was born, which swings the heavy and solid fungus in a chain to generate a cloud of obscuring spores and drive nearby grots into a battle frenzy.

Soulbound

Now, few people would look at a Grot or a Troggoth and think "hero" - even amongst the races of Destruction. But they have their place. Destruction Bindings traditionally relied on Grots to be the brains of the group, and though this position has been threatened since the Kruleboyz revealed themselves, this has only galvanized the Gitz to prove themselves harder. Moonclans believe they are called by the Bad Moon, and Spiderclans by the Spider God, but in the end, they're all part of the same WAAAGH!

But there are Gitz who get Soulbound to the races of Order and/or Death, too. Troggoths, well, who can say why they do anything, but as for Grots... well, let's not kid ourselves: usually, a Grot does it because the choice was either serve Order, or experience an unsavoury demise, and any Grot worthy of the name has a very strong attachment to the integrity of their skin. But not every Grot was forced to join; some actually made a proactive step to prove themselves worthy of the Binding, usually by being more eager to go after Chaos, Death or rival Destruction forces than the forces of Order. And, after all, more than any other faction of Destruction, the Gloomspite Gitz have a penchant for surprising others with their actions.

As for what a Grot thinks about being spiritually linked with non-Grots? Well, aside from the confusing rules about who is okay to stab and when it's okay to stab, Grots actually find it tends to be pretty nice hanging out with Order types. No beatings on a whim, for example. Sure, they remain mischief-loving little monsters, but a good Binding learns to appreciate and utilize their natural flair for being wildcards, and even a Grot can understand the idea that not all mischief has to be fatal, for instance, as the Binding is performing mighty heroics, someone has to take the liberty to rob the enemy war camp and pay chest blind and Grots are excellent at happening to coincide upon such hauls.

Gloomspite Git Soulbound typically hail from the following factions:

• The Badsnatchers: Having claimed a territory in the Hushed Hills of Ulgu, the Badsnatchers are a Moonclan who believe they have found their race's paradise - the Everdank, a land free of the touch of Glareface Frazzlegit (the sun). Badsnatcher Soulbound typically either join a Binding because they see it as the ultimate trophy to enhance their power and prestige, or because they have realized that Ogwotz is lying about having brought on the Everdank. Heroes of the Badsnatchers get "Spite Makes Right", providing the Trophy Taker talent to all archetypes as well as a free piece of common or rare gear. In addition, they can make called shots without making it any more difficult.
• Claggit's Smotherers: This Moonclan has expanded their theology to denounce fire as the emissary of the sun. So of course they've decided the best place to live is beneath the eternally burning Kindling Forests of Aqshy, where they battle endlessly to extinguish the flames. This pyrophobia complicates their relationship with non-Destruction Soulbound - the very concept of "Soulfire" makes many of Claggit's grots get twitchy - but it's not unheard of for them to find common cause after agreeing that the baleful warpflame of Chaos is evil and regular fires are good - or at least, harmless. Heroes from Claggit's Smotherers are "Eternally Moist", which halves Fire damage and lets them do Double Damage to creatures with an affinity for fire.
• Frazzleshun: This most unfortunate Skittermob made the mistake of trying to live in Hysh, specifically in the Crackenmaw Chasm, home to a realmgate to Ulgu and the single darkest place in the Realm of Light. Obviously, most Frazzleshun grots accept a place in a Binding just to be able to leave this hellish place behind once and for all, and couldn't give a damn about who they fight alongside with or why. A few, weirdly patriotic for their kind, instead seek out Ulgan realmstone, or some way to dim the eternal light of Hysh. Heroes from the Frazzleshun gain "Bringers of Darknetz", letting them start with a free Shadowsilk Net and add Vanish as a talent to all archetypes. They can see clearly in both Lightly Obscured and Heavily Obscured Zones and can Seize the Initiative as a free action in such zones.
• Glintfang: Native to Chamon, where they feed their spiders metal and use the resultant silk to sail through the air, this Skittermob lives for two things: seeing cool new sights, and pinching anything they can get their hands on. For this reason, they love to become Soulbound, so they have an excuse to go on fascinating new journeys. Heroes from the Glintfang gain "Grabbin' Gubbinz", starting play with a free Steelsilk Parachute, and gain Sleight of Hand as a talent for all archetypes. They double Dexterity and Stealth when testing to steal all sorts of shiny stuff.
• Grimscuttle: This Skittermob inhabits the Evercrawl in Shyish, a place they believe to be the residence of the Spider God and the afterlife of all arachnaroks. As such, they are some of the most frequently chosen Spiderclan Soulbound, and always, they believe, to work the will of the Evercrawl. Heroes from the Grimscuttle gain "Deffly Traps", which gives them the Blessed (Spider God) talent for all archetypes. They can also spend ten minutes to create a Major Hazard in a zone, trapping unlucky victims in spider webs that Restrain enemies.
• The Jaws of Mork: Consisting entirely of squig-riders obsessed with either jumping over or biting the Bad Moon, this Moonclan hails from the Yskian Veldt in Ghyran. Content to let destiny (and the beserker squigs they ride) take them where they will, they regard becoming Soulbound as just another fact of life. Heroes from the Jaws of Mork have the "Yskian Bounder", providing the Loyal Companion (Cave Squig) talent to all archetypes. If they take this talent, their Cave Squig grows to Large size and if it ever dies, a clone will grow from its corpse over the period of a Rest.

The archetypes available to Grots are the Boingrot Bounder, Fungoid Cave Shaman, Loonboss, Spider Rider, Web-Spinner Shaman and Wise-Grot. Troggoths have their own archetypes to pick from, the Fellwater Troggoth and Rockgut Troggoth.

See Also

• Tactics/Gloomspite Gitz
• Gloomspite Horde Creation Tables