As you may have noticed, we’ve been doing a lot of coverage on The Great Hunger lately, showing you guys what's going on, how to paint 'em, and how to play ‘em; but what's their deal? Well, you clicked the right lore article because that's what I’m gonna talk about here!

For sources I’ll be working off the official lore documents you can find on the Trench Crusade website and the Great Hunger specific lore written by Creature Caster and helpfully collated and beautifully narrated by ScannerBarkley’s video on the topic, which you can find ">here.

Before we dive in, I wanna put a bit of a content warning up here. The Great Hunger lore is gnarly and gets into some dark themes. If stuff like cannibalism and the death of children bothers you, this may not be the article for you.

A Chalice of Evil

To understand The Great Hunger, we have to first establish an understanding of what the Black Grail is. As the forces of Hell marshal under a united-ish front to slay the servants of the divine, the dark lord Beelzebub has taken a bit of a different tact. You see Beelzebub, the glutton he is, isn’t content with just defeating God; he wants to replace Him. He has his own twisted version of creation, one where life exists to rot, decay, and putrefy. As such he hates all aspects of life one and all and would see it all reduced to dust.

While most of the other forces of hell work largely through mortal followers or demonic intervention, Beelzebub sends forth disease and famine in the form of hell flies and locusts into the world to rot it away slowly but surely. There are some depraved few who willingly serve Beelzebub, and those are generally inducted into the order of the fly, but even they will perish in the end.

A Famine Beyond Reckoning

Butcher Knight. Credit: MildNorman

These diseases are where the Great Hunger comes in. Rather than being a specific strategic force on the battlefield, it manifests behind the lines of war in the abandoned villages or forgotten parishes of the faithful. The main symptom of the plague is hunger. Ravenous, insatiable, unrelenting hunger. People subjected to it eat everything in sight, devouring any living matter they can get their hands on greedily, ripping their stomachs open so nothing can inhibit their endless feasting.

This is, obviously, not really sustainable. Eventually all that’s left are the forces of Beelzebub, and sure enough they will devour each other as well one and all. Once the last of the plague has burnt itself out, it will go dormant until life makes its way back to the area.

The infection itself manifests itself in many different ways, but there are a few similarities. Those infected with The Great Hunger tend to sprout extra mouths from under their skin. These mouths gibber and gnash looking desperately for their next meal. Some sing hymns in praise of Beelzebub while others act as weapons for their hosts, being able to be shot over short distances to reel in unsuspecting prey.

The Lord of Tumors

The Lords of Tumors, sometimes referred to as Great Maws, are the hulking leaders of many Great Hunger warbands. They exist with a very particular mission; the consumption of other Great Hunger warbands. While this may seem counter to the goal of spreading the Great Hunger virus far and wide, they view it as a holy ritual for the glory of Beelzebub. Every single thought that goes through their heads surrounds this gnawing need to feed. Despite all this, they are seen as holy icons among the afflicted.

The Matagot Hag

Matagot Hag Credit: MildNorman

Those who survive the Black Grail virus see themselves as lucky and blessed by God, however they are often cursed more than most. As time goes on they will descend into the madness of the Great Hunger. Those who are doomed the most are pregnant women who catch the virus. Soon after giving birth, the baby begs for its mother to eat it, in praise of Beelzebub. When the mother inevitably succumbs to the hunger, she undergoes a change, turning her into a Matagot Hag. Every seven days, in a gross parody of creation, thralls burst forth from the Hag, tearing her body apart. And every seven days she regenerates to create more servants of the Lord of the Flies. These children will do anything to protect their mother, sacrificing their lives to protect her wretched existence.

Butcher Knights

These are soldiers who willingly gave themselves to the Great Hunger in exchange for increased martial skill. They are stronger than any man and masters of close range combat. They have the same rivalry present in the Lords of Tumors, with an insatiable need to feed and a drive to devour those weaker than themselves. If there is one law that drives the forces of the Great Hunger it's this: the strong will eat, and the weak will be eaten.

Desiccated Husks

Desiccated Husks are the bodyguards of the Great Hunger’s elite. Each is infested with worming parasites, as hungry as their host for their next meal. These parasites seem to have a symbiotic relationship with their hosts, holding their ruined bodies together so they may stand and fight. These malformed things do not serve out of any dedication to their Hegemon, but instead out of desperation. So long as they are useful and fight, they can feed on the remains of their enemies, holding off their ever-present hunger for just a while longer.

Grail Thralls

These are the foot soldiers of the Great Hunger. They do not care about any goal beyond eating their next meal. Each has their bellies split open, allowing nothing to halt their feasting. Their eyes rotted long ago, they find their prey using their sense of smell. Generally they hunt in packs, looking to overwhelm their foes by ganging up on their prey and tearing them apart.

Fly Thralls

Thralls that are invested by the hell flies that accompany the Black Grail virus become Fly Thralls. These are living hives, their former human forms twisted to help the swarm feed. The flies change their host’s body to better suit their needs, giving them wings and elongated claws to better chase down and tear apart their prey.

Gregori Gulas

Gregori Gula Credit: MildNorman

The Gregori Gula’s form is made to mock the visage of angels. Their sallow hanging skin may look like a robe and their wings may look like those of the divine, but both carry only putrescence and decay. Not even death can stop their insatiable hunger. If a Gregori Gula is brought low, it will enter a stage of dormancy. If an unwitting victim approaches a dormant gula, it will feast upon them and be reborn anew, immediately on the hunt for its next meal.

Just Desserts

There is a lot more to go into about the Great Hunger than what we have here. Creature Caster is hard at work creating a massive book, complete with short stories and art, that will tell the full tale of the Great Hunger. It’s available both digitally and physically on their Frontier which you can find by clicking the banner ad above.

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Tags: Lore Explainer | trench crusade | the great hunger