Pariah
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Previous Edition Warning: This article discusses a topic from a previous edition of Warhammer 40,000. Its Canonicity is in question but was once considered canon. |
Pariahs are a symbiosis of Necron technology and human evolution, representing the next stage of the C'tan's ideal for the galaxy. They look like beings of soulless perfection and radiate a sense of terror and menace to all around them. They can also blot out the psychic emanation of others, making them deadly to armies with high amounts of psychic troops, such as the Eldar. They are sometimes referred to as blacksouls, psychic nulls and the soulless and have no presence in the warp.
On the other hand, they are deadly to non-psychic races as well, as they are armed to the teeth. A squad consists of between 4 and 10 Pariahs armed with a Warscythe and built-in Gauss Blaster, allowing them to kill from a range and then rip apart most armies in combat
Fortunately for all life in the galaxy, humans that become Pariahs are still relatively rare, and as such are not likely to be encountered en-masse. They are generated by the 'Pariah Gene', a minute proportion of the population, perhaps one per planet per generation have this gene. They don't tend to live long as the feelings of hatred and distaste they generate means they have few friends and many enemies. They are often used, if they can be found, by the Inquisition and the Ordo Hereticus in the fight against the witch and psyker. Also, due to their soullessness, they are completely fearless. Some rumours abound that they are actually created from Culexus Assassins, and one piece of Eldar literature hints that, when humans had been mere ape-creatures, the 'Devoured Ones' (possibly the C'tan who were devoured during the great wars) had sown a terrible crop that they would then harvest.
According to Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, their bodies still have some living organic parts, as is mentioned in the unit description and instruction manual (the newest breed of Necron, Pariahs are a revolting combination of flesh and metal), further weight is given to this theory because when they are hit, blood can be seen pouring from their wounds.
Notes
The Pariahs were first introduced in Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition) and as game units in Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. However, they are not present as troop choices in Codex: Necrons (5th Edition) nor are they mentioned in the book.
