| “ | To the Druchii, the scent of suffering is akin to the finest perfume, and no sound more despairing than the twisted echo of a shrine-bound Medusa. | „ |
Bloodwrack Shrine is a 
Dark Elves war machine unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Shadow and the Blade.
Recruitment
Unlocked with: Tower of Dark Sorcery, Spire of Sorcery or Sorcerous White Tower of Hoeth
Description
When a great campaign beckons, the Hag Sorceress sends warriors into the caverns below the Spiteful Peaks to return with Bloodwrack Medusae in tow, their claws bound and their faces masked. At Morathi's direction, the captives are chained to Atharti's great Bloodwrack Shrines and propelled by Dark Magic to the very forefront of the assembled armies. A Bloodwrack Medusa's gaze is a fearsome weapon; should a victim's eyes lock with hers for even a second, his lifeblood violently rebels, flooding from every pore until his body collapses into a pool of its own gore. It is to guard against this that the shrinekeepers wear masks polished to a mirror-like sheen. Worse still, all who fight nearby find their minds twisted by an echo of the Medusa's endless despair. All save the Dark Elves, that is; to them, the scent of suffering is akin to the finest perfume – a heady brew when mixed with the tang of freshly-spilled blood.
Attributes
- Magic Chariot
- ▲ Armour-Piercing Missiles: The damage of armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
- ▲ Anti-Infantry: Anti-infantry units have an advantage against targets that are smaller than a horse. This advantage can be a damage bonus against small targets, superior weight used to smash through lighter enemies, or an explosive attack from range that effects a large area.
- ▲ Causes Terror: This unit can cause terror, making its melee target rout for a short time. Units that cause terror are immune to terror and fear themselves.
- ▲ Magical Aura: This unit is surrounded by one or more magical auras that either support nearby friends or harm its foes.
Strategy
A Medusae put on a large elevated chariot and given some magical auras. This unit basically loses speed and melee stats for auras and chariot stats. Useful for blob fights and making Dark Elves fight better around it, but will struggle against artillery and armour-piercing missiles.
It has two auras that provided debuffs for enemies and bonuses for allied units:
- Aura of Agony: -4 Leadership and -7 Melee Defence
- Aura of Ardour: +7 Melee Attack and +4 Leadership
These auras are offensive in nature, giving +14% net to hit for your melee units and causing enemies to rout slightly quicker.
In addition to the Medusa's 
Terror, this makes the Bloodwrack Shrine handy for supporting more offensive infantry strategies with Sisters of Slaughter and Witch Elves as opposed to spears+shooting armies.
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