Nighthaunt Lore: Nagash's Cursed Spirits, Lady Olynder and the Necroquake (Plus How to Start an Army)

The Nighthaunt are armies of ghosts: souls stolen from the afterlife by Nagash, the god of death, and twisted into weapons of terror. Each spirit is cursed with a punishment that mirrors its crimes in life, and together they sweep across the Mortal Realms like a howling storm.

Army guide, last updated November 4, 2026. Lore summarised in our own words from Black Library novels, codexes and community wikis. For game rules, use the official battletome or the official app.

The Nighthaunt in 30 seconds

First, the Mortal Realms

Age of Sigmar takes place in the Mortal Realms, eight magical worlds born from the ruins of the old Warhammer world: the realms of Fire (Aqshy), Metal (Chamon), Life (Ghyran), Death (Shyish), Beasts (Ghur), Heavens (Azyr), Light (Hysh) and Shadow (Ulgu). Each has its own wild landscapes and magic, and Chaos, Death and Destruction fight Order for control of them all.

Nagash, god of death

Nagash was once a mortal necromancer in the world-that-was. In the Mortal Realms he became the god of death, ruling Shyish. Nagash believes every soul belongs to him and resents the other gods who keep souls in their own afterlives. He is obsessed with order: in his perfect world, everything would be dead and obedient.

Cursed souls

The Nighthaunt are made from souls Nagash has claimed and punished. Each spirit's curse reflects its life: a cruel judge becomes a ghostly executioner, a liar is bound in chains of guilt, a greedy noble is forced to wail for eternity. These torments are what make the Nighthaunt so terrifying, and so tragic.

Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief

Nagash's most important servants are his Mortarchs. Lady Olynder, the Mortarch of Grief, leads the Nighthaunt. In life she was a noblewoman who wove sorrow and despair into everything she touched; now she carries the grief of a thousand souls and spreads it like a disease.

The Necroquake and the Soul Wars

Nagash spent ages gathering a powerful magical stone called grave-sand and building a giant black pyramid in Shyish to pull the realms' magic towards death. When rival Skaven interfered with his ritual, the result was the Necroquake: a wave of death magic that swept across every realm, raising the dead and turning ghosts into storms. In the Soul Wars that followed, endless Nighthaunt armies attacked the living.

Famous Nighthaunt

• Lady Olynder: the Mortarch of Grief.
• Kurdoss Valentian: the Craven King, a betrayer bound to Olynder.
• Reikenor the Grimhailer: a spirit who hunts the souls of other wizards.
• Knight of Shrouds: ghostly generals who command the hosts.

Black Library books to read

• Soul Wars (Josh Reynolds): the Necroquake and the war against Nagash's hosts
• Lady of Sorrows (C. L. Werner): a dark tale of the Nighthaunt

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.

Collecting Nighthaunt: a quick guide

Fast, ethereal and scary, gliding over terrain to strike in close combat. Start with: a Nighthaunt Spearhead or the Christmas Battleforce.

Painting tip

One of the fastest armies: white or pale primer, a green or blue "spirit" contrast paint and a light drybrush. A contrast paint set is perfect.

New to the hobby? Start with our Warhammer beginner's hub, and see the other army guides.