Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka is a fictional character from the table top miniature game Warhammer 40,000. He featured heavily in the Armageddon campaigns in which he led a huge Ork horde to try and take the planet. Every campaign in Armageddon also features his nemesis Commissar Yarrick. Cover of the Warhammer 40,000 4th edition rulebook Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a science fiction tabletop miniature wargame, produced by the British gaming company Games Workshop. ... Armageddon is a fictional planet in the universe of the table top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... Orks are the equivalent to Warhammer Fantasy orcs in Warhammer 40,000 (Warhammer 40K for short), another wargame produced by Games Workshop. ... Commissar Yarrick is a fictional character from the tabletop miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000. ...

History

Early History

Ghazghkull started off as a common Ork of the Goff tribe, on the world of Ork. During a raid, Ghazghkull suffered extensive brain damage from a bolter round to the head. He was tended to by an Ork 'Painboy' known as 'Mad Dok' Grotsnik, who used a bionic device made from adamantium to replace Ghazghkull's cerebellum. Ever since that operation, (although it is unknown if it was because the implant triggered latent psychic powers, or Ghazghkull was just delusional), Ghazghkull began to claim that he was the recipient of visions from the Ork gods, Gork and Mork. Orks are the equivalent to Warhammer Fantasy orcs in Warhammer 40,000 (Warhammer 40K for short), another wargame produced by Games Workshop. ... Adamantium is a fictional chemical substance, often a metal. ... Figure 1a: A human brain, with the cerebellum in purple. ... Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ... The Gods of the Orkoid species in the Warhammer 40K series are refered to only as Gork and Mork. ...

From this point, Ghazghkull rose through the Ork power structure in an ascent that has been described as "meteoric". His strength and courage earned him the respect of other Orks. Ghazghkull also possessed something most Orks lacked - vision. His speeches concerning the Orks' mission to conquer the galaxy. He granted the Orks a sense of unity and purpose (as much as these words can be used to describe Orks and their actions).

The Waaagh!

At the time Ghazghkull reached the peak of his influence on the world of Urk, the star the world orbited began to show signs of entering the final stages of its life cycle. Ghazghkull claimed that this was a sign from Gork, proclaiming that it was time to launch a great Waaagh!. The Orks of Urk were given a choice; follow Ghazghkull or die.

To an Ork they followed Ghazghkull, wanting to claim the galaxy or die in the attempt. The first system to be attacked by the Waaagh! was Armageddon, creating a massive conflict that would come to be known in the Imperium as the Second War for Armageddon. Despite initial successes, Ghazghkull was defeated, and retreated from the system. The Imperium of Man is a fictional galactic empire that contains the majority of humanity, set in the Warhammer 40K universe created by Games Workshop. ... Armageddon is a fictional planet in the universe of the table top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ...

A notable effect of this invasion resulted in Ghazghkull earning the wrath of Commissar Yarrick, who dedicated his efforts after the Second War to hunting down Ghazghkull, with little success. Commissar Yarrick is a fictional character from the tabletop miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000. ...

The Third War for Armageddon

During the fifty years following the Second War, Ghazghkull regrouped his forces, and reassessed his strategy. He led several small attacks on Imperial worlds to test his new methods and technology, and fifty years to the day of the previous invasion, he again led the Orks to the Armageddon system.

The campaign waged by both sides was long and bloody, leaving the vital world of Armageddon in a continual state of war.

After the Third War had been fought for a year, Ghazghkull left his forces, leaving the system in a modified Space Hulk. He was pursued by an entire Crusade of the Black Templars Space Marines, along with Commissar Yarrick. The whereabouts and fate of Ghazghkull and this pursuit force are unknown. Cover of the first edition of Space Hulk Space Hulk was a board game by Games Workshop. ... In Warhammer 40,000, the Black Templars are a Second Founding chapter derived from the Imperial Fists and their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. ...

Special Character History

Ghazghkull first appeared in White Dwarf Magazine (issue 134). He was the 'Boss' of Andy Chambers' sample Goff army list; his 'attributes' of an admanatium skull and the ability to call on the Waaagh! were randomly generated. The first Ghazghkull model was an in-house conversion. White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. ... Orks are the equivalent to Warhammer Fantasy orcs in Warhammer 40,000 (Warhammer 40K for short), another wargame produced by Games Workshop. ...

Ghazghkull's next appearance was in the Battle for Armageddon boardgame, based around the events of the Second War for Armageddon, featured opposite Commissar Yarrick. Inspired by the game's backstory, Jervis Johnson wrote up special rules for the two characters' use in Warhammer 40,000 and Epic 40,000 games, making Ghazghkull one of the first two 'special characters' ever released by Games Workshop. The special rules were based on the random attributes selected by Andy Chambers back at Ghazghkull's first appearance. Armageddon is a fictional planet in the universe of the table top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... Commissar Yarrick is a fictional character from the tabletop miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... Cover of the Warhammer 40,000 4th edition rulebook Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a science fiction tabletop miniature wargame, produced by the British gaming company Games Workshop. ... Epic 40,000 is a tabletop wargame made by Games Workshop set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. ...

Rules for Ghazghkull appeared in the third edition of Warhammer 40,000, and a new model was created for the worldwide campaign organised around the Third War for Armageddon. The rules were updated to reflect Ghazghkull at a point just prior to the Third War for Armageddon. Armageddon is a fictional planet in the universe of the table top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ...

References

• White Dwarf Magazine (Australian Edition) - ISSN 0265-8712
  • 'Power of Da Waaagh!', published in issue 248 by Games Workshop Australia, August 2000.
  • 'Best of Enemies', published in issue 249 by Games Workshop Australia, September 2000.