Bloodwrack Medusa

"Stripped of their beauteous forms by the goddess Atharti, Medusae know nothing but pain, torment, regret and anguish."


 * —The Medusae of Ghrond.

Bloodwrack Medusa is a Dark Elves monstrous missile unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Shadow and the Blade DLC.

Description
It is said that the the Bloodwrack Medusae were Sorceresses of Ghrond who used their magics and blood-feasting rituals to become more beautiful than even the gods. In so doing, they came to the attention of the goddess Atharti, who is vain beyond measure and suffers no mortal competition. In retribution, the Goddess of Pleasure stripped the upstart mortals of their beauteous forms and caged them in pain-wracked, serpentine bodies. Even this punishment she deemed insufficient, and so she reduced their minds to be little more than those of beasts. Atharti left only one sliver of awareness to her victims, enough that they might always remember with torment the beauty and power they had once possessed.

Morathi, who alone had accounted her comeliness in no need of magical enhancement, drove her former sisters from Ghrond's walls. She then gave thanks to Atharti for delivering a punishment well-earned, and set about replenishing the Dark Convent's ranks. Now the Bloodwrack Medusae are bent to serve Morathi's needs once more, though in a manner entirely different to that of their former lives. When a great campaign beckons, the Hag Sorceress sends warriors into the caverns below the Spiteful Peaks and the squalid lairs therein. Those who survive return to Ghrond with prisoners in tow -- Bloodwrack Medusae, 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. Not all Bloodwrack Medusae are goaded to war atop monolithic shrines, however. Some emerge willingly from their lairs and follow the scent of blood to war. They are unreliable allies who pay no heed to any battle plan, seeking only to share their own torment with their luckless victims.

Attributes

 * ↑ 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.
 * ↑ Decent Melee Combatant: Despite being primarily a missile unit or spellcaster, this unit can also hold its own ground when fighting in melee.
 * ↑ 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.

Strategy
This unit is a solid generalist monster unit that moves quickly, causes terror, has decent melee stats, and has a damaging missile attack. Her missile attack fires very quickly so is actually better suited to enemy cavalry rather than infantry, because she can actually hit them. Medusae have low armour values, so focus fire from missiles or intense fights will wear them down quickly.