House Escher
House Escher, known as the House of Blades, is one of the Hive City Houses of Necromunda Hive Primus. The House is populated almost entirely by females, who are said to look down on and pity all males.[1]
Contents
Overview
House Escher is the oldest Clan House upon Necromunda and can even trace their genetic strength back to M32, when legendary warrior women known as The Blades first made their mark upon the planet. In the intervening millennia, they have celebrated many successes and suffered many defeats.[12]
In M35, Escher was created formally at the conclusion of the Two-faced War where the House Ulanti sect known as the Eschaki exiled themselves from Hive Primus's Spire. Wars with House Goliath raged on and off until the Great Poisoning during the Mynerva Famine, which killed thousands of Goliath warriors and saw them all but wiped out in the subsequent fighting.[12]
However, during M39, the house was infected with the Flesh Curse, and some nine out of every ten male children died before reaching their second cycle. Other clans tried to take advantage of their weakened position, and the House of Blades suffered many losses. It was left to the matriarchs of the clan to claim leadership and over the years, through means both subtle and violent, they have risen to reclaim their place among the Clan Houses.[12]
Arrogant and heartless, the Escher have a reputation for cruelty, and are perhaps the most vicious House. Their gangs may be all female, but they are as tough and heavily armed as any all male gang. They are fast and deadly, and tend to have a strong bias towards hand-to-hand combat. When choosing guns they prefer plasma weapons for their high firepower.[5a][5b][6] The Eschers' gang-dialect is known as Argot.[23]
House Escher's wealth depends upon the Stimm trade, in particular the supplying of their Stimms to House Goliath and medical elixirs to House Van Saar. 90% of all stimms produced on Necromunda come from House Escher's Chymist clans.[12]
In Hive Mortis Escher have risen to dominance among their peers (though their 'death-maiden' gangs are not unchallenged), extracting and fermenting drugs from the dead.[16c]
Population
Almost all Escher are female, making them unique and perhaps the most strikingly different of the Houses of Necromunda. The few Escher males are physical derelicts; shrivelled and imbecilic, perhaps due to a genetic defect in the House bloodline, or the aftereffects of an alchemical plague which many believe was the same as that which decimated the population of House Aranthus several centuries ago and ultimately led to its downfall.[1][2] This physical dereliction may manifest as the males being born "simple, stupid, shameful slops of humanity." while "Most of them are stillborn born".[10b]
One notable exception to the physical derelict male population is Reiko Tori, the twin brother of Bri Tori - the pair being the female and male offspring of Red Tori [10b] of House Escher (leader of the Wild Hydras gang). The twins "came from the same genesis cycle" and "... shared a womb and shared a hammock".[10b]
Society & Organization
Escher society has long since developed to compensate for their imbalanced population (which is no longer seen as a disadvantage), and like all other Houses have a ruling family which, along with close relatives and families in service, dominates the institutions and political life of the House.[1]
The leader of the house is known as the Matriarch Primus – the Queen of all Escher upon Necromunda. Supporting her are the Council of Crones, made up of members from Escher’s most prominent families and powerful individuals. It’s their responsibility to enact the will of the Matriarch Primus and govern the day-to-day running of the clan.[11] Below these Matriarchs are Shivvers, Gang Queens, and the Chemist Clans.[12]
Known sub-factions
House Relations
House Escher and House Goliath are old enemies, and their mutual borders are the scene of frequent skirmishes. Escher's typical disdain for all males is particularly acute when it comes to Goliaths, who they dismiss as simple and brutish, and often refer to as "Meatnecks".[1][3][16e] At the same time it's Escher that provides House Goliath with the growth stimms their members need to attain and maintain their prodigious frames.[16f]
House Orlock also borders Escher territory, with the House typically considering Escher as one of its two strongest allies. The Escher leadership respect the prominent position of many fellow females in House Orlock, and the famous Orlock penchant for political marriages has led to many occasions when particularly cunning Orlock women have held the balance of power. The Escher view this with haughty satisfaction and as a result their leaders suspend their usual dismissive arrogance of men when dealing with House Orlock, but this does not stop them seeing the males of the House as disadvantaged and piteous.[2]
Escher also benefits from close ties with the noble House Ulanti. The Escher actually began as a secret sect within House Ulanti, known as the Eschaki. Following the infamous Two-faced War between Ulanti and House Athenos, the Eschaki chose a self-imposed exile from the spire as they had become disillusioned with how far Ulanti had drifted from their origins. Even as the Eschaki evolved into the Escher, they maintained their alliance with Ulanti, a deal that had served both sides well over the years.[11]
The House is known to have a long-standing contract with the Janus Clan, to provide them with vat-grown clones.[9a]
Female Uphivers
Female refugees from the spire of the Hive such as "Mad" Donna and Yolanda Catallus are often associated with House Escher, though not exclusively; indeed "Mad" Donna led a gang of Orlocks after drifting away from the Escher gang that took her in, and many also become unaligned bounty hunters.[3][4]
Troops
- Gang Queen
- Gang Matriarch
- Escher Cutter
- Gang Sister
- Little Sister
- Death-maidens
- Wyld Runner
- Chymists
- Shivvers
- Phyrr Cats[20e]
- Phelynx
- Khimerix[21d]
- Chem-matron
Known Gangs
- Amazon Jaguars[24]
- Badzone Banshees[33]
- The Banecats[22]
- Bittersweet Blades[18e]
- Black Orchid[18b]
- Black Serpents[34]
- Blistering Blades[9e]
- Bloodmaidens[19a]
- The Blue Milliasaur Cartel[26]
- Carrion Queens[7][16g]
- The Caustic Girls[28]
- Chem Fall Runners[7][16l]
- Crimson Harpies[8]
- Cult of Awoken Eyes[36]
- Dead Eyes[9c][18g]
- Drek-sump Hell Cats[18c]
- Feral Claws[7][16a]
- Hell's Own[16w]
- Hellions[22]
- Hive Queens[32]
- Howling Harpies[25]
- Ice Cold Savages[16n]
- Irad Widows[8]
- Jade Lotus[15]
- Morbid Mavens[8]
- Murder Dolls[17]
- Omega Bloodmaidens[19b]
- The Pale Princesses[29]
- Poisoned Claws[34]
- Praxic Wildcats[8]
- Queen Lizzy's High Heel Commandos[30]
- Red Widows[16p]
- Scarlet Reavers[14]
- The Selkies[27]
- Skinners[7][16b]
- Stimm Queens[35]
- The Stitch Queens[31]
- Sump City Sirens[Needs Citation]
- Toxic Alleycats[9b]
- Tunnel Harridans[9d]
- Violet Death[18f]
- Wildcats[7][16s]
- Wild Hydras[10]
- Wyld Panthers[20d]
- Wyrd Sisters[16i][18a]
Notable Eschers
- Queen Adina Sabine[16e] — Matriarch Primus.[11]
- Tynas Sabine — Past Matriarch.[11]
- Vhoadycia — Past Matriarch who ruled before it was infected with the Flesh Curse.[11]
- Ashonari Skal — Council of Crones Matriarch.[11]
- Bethana — Council of Crones Matriarch and a former Gang Queen.[Needs Citation]
- Faryrari Skal — Matriarch.[11]
- Orlena Deytheros Escher — Matriarch Majoris and mother of Belladonna De'Escher.[9a][20h]
- Cyniss — Queen of Poisons.[Needs Citation]
- Betti Banshee — Former Gang Queen.[Needs Citation]
- Jelena — Leader of The Carrion Queens.[Needs Citation]
- Kria 'The Huntress'[16w] — Death-maiden and Bounty Hunter.[Needs Citation]
- Helza 'Slickblade' — Tunnel Harridans.[9d]
- Estker Diamondblade — Blistering Blades.[9e]
- 'Slippery' Yonda — Manacled Mavericks.[9f]
- Red Tori — Leader of the Wild Hydras.[10a]
- Tessera — Leader of The Banecats.[22]
- Lindi Synn — War-maiden. [20c]
- Hellion Anni — Leader of the Hellions.[22]
- Lady Niko 'the Queen of Claws' — Leader of the Wyld Panthers.[20d]
- Xenrian [20a]
- Lady Echolns Escher — Maiden of the Menageries.[20g]
- Sadie 'Original' Sinn — Dead. Legendary gang-leader.[20f]
- Lady Cassandra Vicious — Leader of the The Caustic Girls[28]
- Ubrat the Unborn — A male Escher, who was cloned in a successful experiment by its gene-matrons to restore the virility of their menfolk.[Needs Citation]
- Aryn Shivergloom — Perhaps the most feared leader to rise from the Eschers of Hive Temenos.[16u]
- Yolanda Vor — Killed the Arbiter General of Hive Trazior.[16u]
- Gabriella Aves — Mythical gang-leader that ones dominered the western ward of Hive Primus.[16u]
Known ex-members
- Yolanda Skorn — Mad Bounty Hunter. Former member of the Bloodmaidens gang.[19a]
- Belladonna De'Escher — Noble Bounty Hunter formerly of House Escher.[16h] Daughter of Orlena Escher.[9a][20h]
- Dora the Shade — Underhive tracker, formerly of House Escher.[16j]
Known Products
- Autopistol[16m]
- Boltgunwith auxiliary needle rifle[16e]
- Camoelean Elixir
- Escher Cutter
- Khimerix
- Laspistol with duelling grip[16m]
- Lasgun with extended trigger guard[16v]
- Nightshade Chem-Thrower[16n]
- Plasma Pistol 'Vixen' sub-type[16k]
- Shotgun with semi-grip duelling stock.[16m]
- Stiletto knife[16o][16p]
- Shock Whip[16o]
- Chem-synth[16q]
- Choke Gas Granade[16r]
Images
Sources
- 1: Necromunda Sourcebook, pg. 12
- 2: "House of Iron", Necromunda Magazine vol 2, 1, pg. 29
- 3: Kal Jerico (Graphic Novel Series)
- 4: Outlanders Rulebook, pg. 78
- 5: White Dwarf 194 (UK)
- 6: Necromunda: Underhive (Living Rulebook), pg. 79
- 7: Necromunda Facebook Page: Enforcers Factfile #2
- 8: Necromunda Facebook Page: alternative Eschers from the Specialist Games team
- 9: Necromunda: The Book of Peril
- 10: Terminal Overkill (Novel)
- 11: Warhammer Community: Enter the House of Blades (posted 8/19/2020) (last accessed 8/26/2020)
- 12: Necromunda: House of Blades, pgs. 5-16
- 13: Warhammer Community: Sunday Preview Codexes and a King (posted 9/27/2020) (last accessed 9/28/2020)
- 14: White Dwarf 302 (UK), pg. 93 — Necromunda: The Iron Lords
- 15: White Dwarf 303 (UK), pg. 80 — Necromunda: The Iron Lords
- 16: Necromunda: Underhive
- 17: White Dwarf 485, pg. 127 — Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession : Civil unrest engulfs Necromunda in the first part of a campaign, 'The Subjects of Necromunda'
- 18: Necromunda: Gang War
- 19: Necromunda: Gang War II
- 20: Necromunda: Gang War III
- 21: Necromunda: Gang War IV
- 22: Necromunda: Underhive Wars
- 23: Warhammer-Community: Apocrypha Necromundus: Lingua Primus Part 1
- 24: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 25: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 26: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 27: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 28: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 29: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 30: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 31: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 32: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 33: Necromunda Facebook Page: NecroMonday
- 34: Necromunda: Hired Gun
- 35: Once a Stimm Queen (Short Story)
- 36: Necromunda: The Book of Ruin, pg. 49 - Genestealer Cults
The Houses of Necromunda | |
---|---|
Imperial House | Helmawr |
Noble Houses | Athenos • Catallus • Greim • Harrow • Ko'iron • Ran Lo • Ty • Ulanti |
Clan Houses | Cawdor • Delaque • Escher • Goliath • Orlock • Van Saar |
Fallen Houses | Aranthus • Credo • Hasbel • Helm'ayr • Mung • Olwar • Orlund |
Other/Unknown Status | Averest • Gorshed • Hera • Jungar • Olrak • Olwyr • Vosak • Weyter • Yoranta |