Necromunda (planet)
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This article is about the planet Necromunda. For other uses of Necromunda, see Necromunda (disambiguation). |
Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
---|---|---|---|
Name: | Necromunda[1b] | ![]() | |
Segmentum: | Segmentum Solar[24] | ||
Sector: | |||
System: | Necromunda System[24] | ||
Population: | Believed to be many billions, exact number unknown[1c] | ||
Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
Class: | Hive World,[1c] Adeptus Astartes Recruiting World[25] |
Necromunda is a Hive World in Segmentum Solar, and a major producer of munitions for the Imperial Guard. Necromunda's forges produce lasguns, autoguns, shotguns and boltguns, among other weapons. The planet also levies huge numbers of troops for the Imperial Guard (most notably the "Necromundan Spiders"), as well as other supplies.[6] The world has been governed by the House Helmawr for the past seven thousand years.[1d] Necromunda is typical of most hive worlds, its hive cities rife with powerful gangs.[1c]
History
Pre-Imperium
It is rumoured that long ago the Piscean xenos race were the first to arrive on Necromunda, which at the time still had large oceans. It is said they were both cunning and violent and viciously resisted Humanity's conquest of Necromunda years later. According to the legends of House Delaque, the Pisceans vanished shortly before Necromunda became consumed by industry and war. The Delaque believe the Pisceans did not leave Necromunda but instead took refuge in the subterranean oceans near the planet's core as Humanity first began to arrive.[18a]
Colonization
Necromunda was founded 15,000 years ago as a mining and manufacturing colony.[1c] It used to be the capital of the Araneus Continuity,[27] a small empire of Humans ruled by Techno-nobility, who submitted to the Imperium during the Great Crusade.[8h]
Great Crusade and Horus Heresy
The planet were attacked by unknown Xenos arriving without warning from the system's Warp Gates, leaving only the capital Araneus Prime, which was then renamed to Necromunda.[8h] In M30 the planet was liberated from an Ork presence by the Imperial Fists, establishing the close ties between Necromunda and the Chapter.[26][8h]
According to another point of view, it was not Orks but rather a brief defiance of the former Necromunda's human colony against the coming of the Imperium that unleashed a war that made ash wastes from where hive-cities rise.[29] Necromunda was apparently devastated during the Horus Heresy, and the Ironhead Squats were vital in rebuilding the planet.[20]
Recent History
The ensuing millennia have not changed its basic purpose very much; Necromunda is still a world of mines, factories, refineries and processing plants. The planet is a vast powerhouse of industry, making thousands and thousands of different items for use throughout nearby planetary systems.[1c]
In the aftermath of the Great Rift's creation during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, a world-wide rebellion broke out on Necromunda. However it quickly ended sometime later, once word reached the Hive World that Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade was soon arriving to put down the rebellion.[28]
Geography

Necromunda is a planet devoid of any remnant of its original environment, its surface reduced to a wasteland of windblown ash and accumulated industrial waste. Throughout the wastelands lie the hive cities, grouped into clusters comprising up to a dozen or so individual hives, linked by a network of overground travel tubes and subterranean passages. Those clusters are scattered over surface of the planet and are connected together by roads and transportation tubes supported on pylons and suspended from cables.[1e]
The wasteland that separates the hives are covered in abrasive and highly corrosive ash, the end product of fifteen thousand years of industry. In densely populated areas of Necromunda hives may be separated by only fifty to a hundred miles of waste, while in other areas the waste may stretch for thousands of miles between hives. The ash layer can be miles deep, forming shifting ranges of dust dunes, which can bury roads and transport tubes, and erode the base of a hive during one of the frequent dust storms.[1g] Over this desert lies a cloud layer of airborne pollution, so that the great spires of the hives rise from a drifting mist of tainted vapour like islands out of the sea.[1c]
The ash wastes are mostly composed of metallic oxides, powdered plastics, and inorganic chemicals which take millennia to reduce. The ash occurs in many different, often vivid hues such as sulphur yellow, citric green, cobalt blue, pink, mauve, as well as various shades of grey, and it varies in texture from fine dust to crystal clinker. It’s an inhospitable environment where the ash corrodes equipment and poisons organic life, and no unpolluted air, food or water can be found. Although a surprising variety of creatures do survive, there are fungi, algae and bacteria which live on the waste itself. These are believed to be responsible for the limited free oxygen content of Necromunda’s atmosphere.[1g]
During the planet’s calmer season, which coincides with the long extinct summer, liquid pollutants rise to the surface, forming slick-lakes and short-lived blind-rivers. Streams meander across the land, vanishing into sinkholes in the dust only to rise elsewhere. Imperial scholars who have studied dust ecologies believe that there may be currents and tides within the ash surface. These transient rivers and lakes can dry out, forming a hard pan on the surface of the dust. These dangerous areas conceal deep seas of fine dust beneath them, and to fall through the crust of a pan is certain death.[1g]
In hotter weather, when the sun breaks through the cloud cover, noxious vapours rise up and form poisonous mists and fogs. Mists are invariably followed by toxic rain storms, laden with particles of ash dust and other contaminations.[1g]
The most dangerous hazard in the wastes is the ash storms. A moderate ash storm will strip an unprotected man to the bone in seconds, and then reduce his bones to dust, while strong ones have been known to destroy entire hives. Ruined spires are sometime are occasionally revealed in the wake of one storm, possibly to once again be covered by shifting waste during the next one.[1g]
Much remains hidden beneath the ash surface, ready to be reclaimed and used: derelict spires from lost hives, buried convoys, wrecked stratoplanes, aircrafts and spaceships; long-abandoned mine workings; and even, in places, raw materials from the bedrock of the planet. There are a few places where, due to the natural sorting of the wind and ash itself, veins of pore oxides and chemicals have accumulated.[1g]
The Sludge Seas
Chocked with ash, thick with chemicals and poisoned by heavy metals, the sludge seas are all that remains of Necromunda’s ancient oceans. The consistency of the sludge varies from a thin, chemical soup to viscous polluted mud. Near the equator, the sea’s surface has solidified into a crust of sludge, baked hard by the sun. Conventional ships are useless in such conditions, and only flyers or hover vehicles cross the seas. It is even rumoured that some mutants even live in these areas, utterly isolated from the rest of Necromunda.[1g]
The sludge seas support their quota of hives. Some have been built on massive piles, driven deep into the sea floor, while other (relatively small) hives have been constructed on massive floating platforms anchored in position. On more than one occasion a floating hive have broken free during an ash storm and sunk or capsized. Survivors of such disasters are rare.[1g]
The Forbidden Cities
Running deep beneath the ash waste, cut into the very bedrock, are ancient military tunnels meant to link the hives together. Originally constructed as a way for military forces to be moved quickly around the planet and linked with cavernous storage depots and bunkers, stockpiled with synthetic food and raw materials in anticipation of war or other disaster. Many of those tunnels and bunkers have through the millennia been bypassed or sealed up, forgotten and lost. But after discovery that these places are the only source of valuable psyker drugs they have been secretly recolonised and are now known as the “Forbidden Cities”.[1j][1k]
The Hives

The hive cities of Necromunda retain the ancient names of the cities and settlements from which they grew. There are several thousand Hives on the planet, some massive and populated by billions, while others are desolate and inhabited only by the dead.[8a] Each hive takes the form of many huge spires which rise from the base of the city, covering an approximately circular area of fifty to a hundred miles in diameter. The spires – whose tops can rise to a dozen or more miles above the ground surface, piercing the clouds – are only the top part of the hives, comprising the upper hab zones with factory layers on or above the current surface layer. The older and partially ruined factory and hab layers still exist and, although they are buried beneath the ash wastes, are rarely abandoned until they are utterly derelict or polluted beyond use even by Necromundan standards.[1e] A hive contains thousands of miles of cluttered corridors, many thousands of abandoned and debris strewn chamber, and endless connecting tunnels, ventilation passages, service ducts, and light shafts. But also vast open areas, some so large that they lie under their own artificial sky domes.[4] The funnel-shape of the hive spires is designed to strengthen the hive against the worst ravages of the dust, but even so are they often buried half their height or more in ash. This is stabilised and held in place by the fresh wastes which pour from the drains of the hive factories.[1g]
Shanty towns are built outside the hives, clustered at the outer edge of the shells of the spires. They are inhabited by all kind of hive scum who cannot cope with the life within the hive. Conditions in the shanties are worse than anything in the hives, yet for most shanty-dwellers even their crude home is preferable to wandering the ash waste. The spires at least offer a limited protection against the poisonous rain and corrosive ash.[1l] Beneath and extending around the hives, under the wasteland itself, lies a labyrinth formed of ancient disused factories, sewers and service tunnels of an earlier age.[1c]
Each hive spire is also known by a local name. There are approximately a thousand hive clusters on Necromunda; each cluster is a group of up to a dozen or so individual hive cities, all linked by a network of overground travel tubes and subterranean passages.[1e] There are several thousand hive cities on Necromunda, some big and vast in scale, some decrepit and lost.[29]
Known Hives and notable locations on Necromunda include:
Western hemisphere
- Palatine Cluster
- Hive Primus — Largest and oldest surviving hive and planetary capital under Lord Helmawr. Hive Primus boasts the most magnificent and grandiose architecture on Necromunda.[1f][8a]
- Hive Trazior — Known as the Three Sisters due to the three huge spires that can be seen from this great hive-city. Trazior is located on the edge of the Great Equatorial Wastes and is the southernmost "frontier" Hive of the great Palatine Cluster. Many important merchant clans are based in this hive.[1f] The Hive is dominated by House Orlock.[8a]
- Acropolis Hive — Also known as Hive Acropolis,[9] Another old and ornate Hive in the Palatine cluster, located at a vital intersection of several great road tunnels. The Acropolis Hive is home to some of the most powerful merchant clans and is also home to massive shanty towns from those who hope to get a share of the wealth.[1f] House Delaque is the dominant force in the Acropolis.[8b]
- Hive Temenos — This hive sees the headquarters of the Ecclesiarchy on Necromunda, and its population is said to be the most devout and pious. Many of the resident Clan Houses manufacture ritual items for the Ecclesiarchy while others work in their scriptoriums.[1f] Hive Temenos is a major powerbase for House Cawdor.[8b]
- The Skull — This derelict hive is the largest of a cluster of three remote ruined Hives, once populated but abandoned due to Ork raiders many years prior.[1f][8b]
- Hive Secundus — Originally the second greatest hive city on Necromunda, around a century ago it fell to Genestealer infestation due to unsanctioned Adeptus Mechanicus biological research. The Inquisition was forced to intervene and destroyed the central spire. Despite this the Genestealers were not fully purged and remain alongside feral humans amongst the ruins, which are now guarded by a defensive line manned by Necromundan Conscripts and Penal Legion troopers.[8c]
- Hive Arcos — A former Hive City, which was lost to a Corpse Grinder Cult rebellion, afterwards, the Hive City was abandoned and quarantined.[12a]

- Mynerva Cluster[14a]
- Hive Prosperine[11c]
- Hive Alortis[14e]
- Hive Alpha-Prime[18b]
- Hive Aranthor[13b]
- Hive Bellium[16]
- Hive Ceres[14c]
- Hive Cinus[15]
- Hive Hindsk[12b]
- Hive Janus[12b]
- Hive Meridian[20c]
- Hive Rothgol[13a]
- Hive Thatos[20a]
- Hive Titania[25]
- Hive Uthos[20b]
- Hive Ulantia[14b]
- Hive Valkyria[14d]
- Prison Hive Zalktraa[20d]
- Skygelt Tower[14d]
Eastern hemisphere
- Hive Mortis — Once an industrial lynchpin of the equatorial city clusters, it has now been reduced to a barely-populated wreck after a plague outbreak. Mortuary cults have since been created in the Hive, which subsist by harvesting and breaking down corpses. House Escher holds sway in Hive Mortis.[8c]
- Gothrul's Needle — A spire rivalling Hive Primus, Gothrul's Needle was one of the first original spaceports on Necromunda. and is ruled by a democratic council of elected representatives. Considered insidious, the Houses of other hives have tried to bring down the rulers of Gothrul for years.[8d]
- Quinspirus Cluster — Located on the edge of the solidified sludge sea called the Worldsump Ocean.{Fn|1f}}
- Quinspirus Hive — When the sea was still navigable, it was home to great dockyards now buried deep under the surface.[1f] The Hive has five great spires and is home to constant gang wars between House Orlock and House Delaque.[8b]
- Hive Vosroth[17]
The Ash Wastes
- Bullet Road[19]
- Cinderak Crater[19]
- The Forbidden Cities[1j]
- Great Ash Road[19]
- Great Equatorial Wastes[19]
- Road of Bones[19]
- Worldsump Ocean[1f]
Cycles, Shifts and Seasons

On Necromunda, time is measured differently depending on where you reside within the hive cities. In the upper spire, closer to the Imperium of Mankind, traditional Imperial Standard units like hours, days, and months are used. However, for those in the lower levels, where life revolves around factories and habs, time is marked by three key measures:[20e]
- Seasons: The Necromundan solar year is divided into seven segments, Each segment has ancient names like Solchem, Solsear, Solset, Orwyrd, Wyndawn, Wyndspyr, and Wyndloss, which transition from Fire to Change to Ash respectively.[20e]
- Cycles: Analogous to Terran days but adjusted to match the hive world's longer revolution, each Seasonal segment contains 100 Cycles.[20e]
- Shifts: Each Cycle is further divided into three Shifts: Vigil, Laudate, and Magnificat, each covering a third of the day and distinguished mainly by the workforce operating during each period.[20e]
Timestamps on Necromunda combine these elements: in long form, Cycle and Season are used together, with Shift if necessary (e.g., Solset 034.2 for the second Shift of the thirty-fourth day in the third seasonal segment). In short form, this might be represented as 3.34.2.[20e]
Unlike the Imperial Standard, there is no specific unit for a year on Necromunda. The passage of time is marked by the cyclical nature of the Seasons, where one Great Cycle seamlessly flows into the next without the need for a defined annual measurement. For the people of Necromunda, each cycle resembles the last, reinforcing a perpetual sense of continuity in their lives.[20e]
The Great Horologium
The Great Horologium of Necromunda, known colloquially as the ‘Eye of Helmawr’ or ominously as the ‘Death Clock’, provides detailed information to industrial helots and overseers about production metrics. This includes the current work shift (Vigil, Laudate, or Magnificat), production targets, and specific details about each hive, zone, and sector within Hive Primus. For senior overseers and commissars, it offers additional insights such as Expenditure, Wastage, Yield, Tolerance (measured in lives sacrificed), Average psychopathology levels, and worker Maladjustment grades. This comprehensive data allows overseers to swiftly assess workplace conditions and make decisions, including executing helots if necessary, to ensure targets are met.[8g]
Administration
The planet's capital is Hive Primus (also known as the Palatine), one of Necromunda's many hive cities. The hive, the largest on Necromunda, is enormous in size, reaching from the surface to some 10 miles into the air, and from surface level to roughly 2.8 miles into the ground (although only the first 1.3 miles are habitable by humans), and possesses a population greater than some worlds. Hive Primus, and the planet as a whole, is ruled over by Lord Gerontius Helmawr of House Helmawr. The Hive's Houses are in a constant struggle to gain power and control of the Hive.[8a]
Notable Planetary Governors
- Cinderak Helmawr[30]
- Hyrodo Helmawr[30]
- Targan Helmawr III[30]
- Voss Helmawr[30]
- Dagorn Helmawr[30]
- Marius Helmawr[30]
Necromundan society
Necromunda's society operates under a feudal system typical of larger Hive Worlds. Central administration is impractical due to the unrecorded nature of most inhabitants. Instead, individuals pledge loyalty to others in a hierarchical structure, with families supporting the most powerful member of their group, who in turn swear loyalty to other increasingly more powerful members of the hierarchy. This urban feudalism is self-regulating, as weaker clans seek protection from stronger ones until resource limitations halt further expansion. Rival clans inevitably clash, with combat determining their influence, making constant feuding between warrior gangs a fundamental aspect of life on Necromunda.[1e][8f]
On Necromunda the word ‘gang’ describe many different types of armed bands. It’s a generic term which includes clan warriors, bands of ash nomads, mutant bands, groups of scavvies, armed bands of techs, bands of fugitive psykers, brat gangs of the upper hab layers, sanctioned gangs, professional bounty-hunters, guards and retainers such as Enforcers.[2a] Every clan has gangs of fighters who protect the clan’s territory and attempt to expand its borders into areas controlled by its rivals.[3a]
The number of gangs on Necromunda almost certainly runs into millions, ranging from small gangs which control no more than a section of corridor to the private armies of large and clans powerful which dominate whole spires. The biggest gang on the planet is in practice the retinue of House Helmawr. A typical gang will be made up by around a dozen members, this is an ideal strength for skirmishing and raiding in the corridors and tunnels of the hive. Small groups are simply much more effective in this environment than larger mobs which are far too conspicuous and easily to track down. Gangs need to be able to infiltrate the territories of their rivals undetected for raids, and must be able to hive in the dark recesses and among the pipes and conduits of the road tunnels to set ambushes.[2a] The success of a gang establishes the right of its members to become leaders of their own families and take a part in the administration of their clan's business. Clan leaders and important families are all headed by the most successful gang leaders of their generation.[3a]
All gangs impose some sort of initiation rite on their recruits, in the upper hab layers money or social position may be enough to ensure acceptance. In the lower levels a recruit frequently has to prove his worth, often by fighting other prospective recruits or gang members. [3b] Many of the gangs will only fully accept a new recruit once they have proven themselves during by taking a trophy. Typically this means cutting off a finger, ear, or taking a scalp from a fallen enemy. Attempting to take a trophy from a living enemy is more admired but seen as reckless. The practice of trophy-taking is generally known as ‘scragging’. [2a]
A single clan living in just one spire of one hive may have hundreds of associated gangs, and there are thousands of clans on Necromunda, as well as many gangs not formally associated with clans. [3a]
The great Clan Houses of Necromunda consist of:[7]
- House Cawdor
- House Escher
- House Delaque
- House Goliath
- House Orlock
- House Van Saar
- House Aranthus – Fallen House
The spider and the spider’s web are seen as very powerful symbols to inhabitants of Necromunda.[1e]
The caryatids that exist in great numbers infesting the airducts and vents of the hives are seen by many hivers as good luck charms since they tend to attach themselves to charismatic, powerful and successful individuals.[1h]
A common Necromundan ritual is the atonement of failure of duty and obligation by the atoner cutting off one of their own fingers or, more rarely, one of their ears. This severed piece of flesh is then presented to their superior as a token of reborn loyalty and commitment.[2a]
It’s common for a good fighter to hold up their hands in greeting, palms outwards and fingers spread. This to show any potential opponents that they have all their fingers, and by extension has never been defeated or made a mistake. They are therefore someone to be feared.[2a]
Economy
Necromunda has been thoroughly exploited for its resources, transforming the planet's landscape drastically. Mountains have been dismantled for ore, and oceans have become polluted sludge ponds, fertile plains have given way to city hives. Clusters of these hives are surrounded by industrial ash deserts and covered by a cloud of pollution, making the spires appear like islands in a toxic mist.{{Fn|1c}[8f]
Despite its degraded state, Necromunda remains valuable to the Imperium due to its accumulated waste, which its inhabitants recycle and scavenge for survival. Necromundans have learned reclaim and recycle everything in order to squeeze a living from their exhausted world. The planet's population far exceeds its capacity to support itself, relying heavily on synthetic and imported food. Recycling plants convert organic waste into synthetic food, while real food is a rare luxury. The population is vast, with a census of just one hive's upper levels estimating a billion people, highlighting the immense and uncounted numbers across the thousands of hives on Necromunda.{{Fn|1c}[8f]
Industrial production is controlled by many clans, where each producer fits into a pattern of feudal obligation - taking raw materials, components and power from some clans and supplying others. Powerful clans act as clearing hoses for goods and services provided by their feudal inferior. Clans will often rise in power and importance, as lesser clans in related industries come together in uneasy alliances. [1j]
Workers usually live in or very near the factories where they work, and are as much resources as the machines they tend. Some workers, especially Techs, are surgically adapted to perform special functions – such physical and mental enhancements are expensive to finance, making such worker very valuable.[1j]
The pressures of competition for limited resources (including such basics as food, air and water) means that every group must sometime resort to armed force to secure its survival. [2a]
Religion

The Imperial Creed has deeply permeated the planet, producing numerous saints, martyrs, and religious figures. These saints are categorized into five main types:[21b]
- Imperial Saints: these saints are officially recognized by the Ministorum and are often heroes who performed extraordinary deeds. Examples include Valdor the Blessed and Saint Mina, patron of the Order of the Bloody Rose.[21b]
- Great Saints: Local to Necromunda but acknowledged by the Ecclesiarchy, these saints are significant for their contributions to the Imperial Creed. Notable figures include Martek the Unifier, the first Lord of Necromunda, and Encorderius the Lost Saint, a foundational figure of the Redemption.[21b]
- Lesser Saints: Recognized within specific hives or regions, these saints are often associated with particular localities. Examples include Mung the Eternal and Felstyr of Temenos, whose influence is limited to places like Primus’ Hive City or the Gale Forges of Rothgol.[21b]
- Pauper Saints: Saints emerging from the lower classes, including workers and beggars. These figures, such as Cognus the Saint of Quotas, are tied to the industrial and mechanical lifeblood of Necromunda.[21b]
- Gang Saints: Martyrs revered by the gangs, these saints symbolize values important to gang life. Notable examples are Shanks, the Saint of Knives, and Grog, the Saint of Wildsnake.[21b]
Together, these saints form a complex and deeply rooted religious framework within Necromundan society, reflecting the diverse and often harsh realities of life on the planet. House Helmawr is the ultimate authority on the planet, sanctioned by the Ecclesiarchy.[21b]
Crime
Like most Hive Worlds, Necromunda is home to huge amounts of crime. It might appear that large swathes of Necromunda are anarchic and lawless. This, however, is not true. Necromunda exists only because of its adherence to an ancient canon of rules laid down by the first true lords of the Helmawr line. These know now that if Necromunda is to survive, it must be allowed to war with itself. The Great Web of Necromunda must remain intact, facilitating the murderous competition that drives the houses to ever greater heights of productivity while at the same time, inter-house conflict is restricted to the proxy wars fought between gangs. But the balance between sanctioned violence and true anarchy is a fine one, preserved by institutions such as the Palanite Enforcers. There are however crimes not ignored by Imperial technologies, such as Heresy or engaging in A.I. research. These crimes are often dealt with the Adeptus Arbites as opposed to local enforcers.[10b]
Likewise, some are not content to merely rob settlements or Guilder caravans without the benefits of a Clan House blessing. These nefarious souls are the true criminals of Necromunda, and their crimes are crimes not against the decency or morality of human existence but against the absolute authority of the Houses themselves.[10b]
It has been noted that the underworld of Necromunda have all kind of outcasts with a variety of skills and technical abilities, and many are quite capable of modifying, rebuilding or designing weapons using commonly available materials.[5]
The imperial House distinguish between criminals, outcasts, outlaws and outlanders as such :[23]
- A criminal in Necromunda engages in unsanctioned industries like the Narco Lords or overseers of the Rogue Factoria. While often outlaws, they maintain ties with legitimate businesses and the Merchant Guild, remaining integral to the system and boosting productivity.[23]
- An Outlaw is designated by Palanite Enforcers for breaking Necromunda's laws, whether as mutants, clanners defaulting on Guild dues, or other deviants, all marked with a bounty on their heads.[23]
- An Outcast is expelled from Necromundan society, unlikely to be reinstated. Unlike criminals who may retain societal acceptance and outlaws who can seek redemption, outcasts are wholly excluded from the system and suffer accordingly.[23]
- An Outlander lives beyond the Imperial House jurisdiction, often found in deep badzones or distant ash wastes. Some underhivers qualify as outlanders if they reside far from major settlements, operating under their own laws in areas beyond formal governance.[23]
Mutants
Mutants are feared by everyone on Necromunda, from the highest administrator in Helmawr’s court to the lowliest unskilled workers. Most hive dwellers do not understand that mutation is an inevitable part of life on a planet as polluted as Necromunda. Mutants are branded as evil, corrupted, and tainted by witchery. As a result mutants are persecuted and most mutant do not survive very long once they have been discovered. Those that survive band together in gang of their own.[2b]
Other Elements
- Ironhead Squats – A clan of Squat miners[20]
- Cold Traders – Operate a web of black market goods and do business with all aspects of Necromundan society. Selling all sorts of contraband, xenos artifacts, and military hardware, they wage a constant battle against the authorities of the Adeptus Terra.[10b]
- Imperial Impostors – Charlatans who impersonate Imperial authorities to gain wealth and power. Due to the massive and slow nature of Imperial bureaucracy, this crime is surprisingly simple to pull off. Criminal enterprises exist solely to falsify ones records and impersonate nobility. Usually, they attempt to steal as much as they can before discovery.[10b]
- Rogue Factoria – Hereteks who operate networks of illegal manufactorums churning out non-STC approved designs. They exist in the depths of the Underhive, brutally working swathes of slaves in their factories. The most prominent Rogue Factoria syndicate is the Archwerks.[10b]
- Narco Lords – Drug kingpins who oversee the trade of stimms. Without their drugs, the ruling elite could not extend their lives, work quotas would not be met, and the coffers of the ruling Planetary Governor would be lighter. Many of Necromunda's Ganger Houses, such as House Escher, are heavily involved in the narcotics trade.[7]
- Rebel Lords – These are insurgent leaders, often from Fallen Houses that have since been removed from grace by Lord Helmawr. Rebel lords have high bounties placed on their heads and are formidable fighters, augmented with bionics and exotic weaponry.[10a]
- Helot Cults – Such as the Corpse Grinder Cults[31] and covens of Rogue Psykers known locally as Psi-Syndica.[10b]
- Genestealer Cults – Such as the Cult of the Slithering Star and Cult of the Second Son.[11a]
Imperial Fists
Necromunda is one of two official recruiting worlds of the Imperial Fists Space Marine Chapter, along with Inwit.[25] The Fists are based from the Spear of Dorn Fortress.[30]
Satellites
Necromunda has a moon called Juggerata.[14d]
In addition, Necromunda possesses a number of artificial satellites, the most notable of which is the Eye of Selene, an orbital trade port (one of the busiest such localities in Segmentum Solar). The Ring is the only means by which goods are legally brought to or from Necromunda. Goods from the Ring are shipped to Hive Primus then sent out by land to other Hives in exchange for manufactured goods.[8a]
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Trivia
- Necromunda was originally created as a setting for the game Confrontation (game) and was developed by Nigel Stillman and Bryan Ansell.[1a] The planet was first presented in White Dwarf 130 (UK) and was described as very similar to many other hive worlds.[1c][1e]
- There is a Rough Riders Ratskins Regiment,[33] it's unstated if they are recruited from the Ratskin tribes of Necromunda's underhive or just share a name.
See also
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 130 (UK) — Confrontation
- 2: White Dwarf 131 (UK)
- 3: White Dwarf 132 (UK)
- 4: White Dwarf 137 (UK), pg. 58
- 5: White Dwarf 142 (UK), pg. 60
- 6: Codex Imperialis (Background Book), pg. 27
- 7: Necromunda Sourcebook, pgs. 12-13
- 8: Necromunda Rulebook (2018):
- 9: Necromunda: Gangs of the Underhive, pg. 39
- 10: Necromunda: The Book of Judgement:
- 11: Necromunda: The Book of Ruin:
- 12: Necromunda: Dark Uprising:
- 13: Necromunda: House of Artifice:
- 14: Necromunda: House of Blades:
- 15: Necromunda: House of Chains, pg. 36
- 16: Necromunda: House of Faith, pg. 11
- 17: Necromunda: House of Iron, pg. 16
- 18: Necromunda: House of Shadow:
- 19: Necromunda: Ash Wastes manual, pgs. 7-13 — Welcome to the Wastes
- 20: Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession: Cinderak Burning:
- 21: Necromunda: The Aranthian Succession - The Vaults of Temenos:
- 22: Necromunda Core Rulebook (2023), pgs. 8-9
- 23: Necromunda: Book of the Outcast, pg. 7
- 24: Warhammer Monthly 58, Kal Jerico in Above & Beyond Part 3 pg. 2
- 25: Space Marine (Novel), Chapter Two
- 26: Index Astartes II — Emperor's Fist, pg. 13
- 27: The Horus Heresy Book Three - Extermination, pg. 77
- 28: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition), pg. 20 — The Indomitus Crusade
- 29: Necromunda Setting (saved archive page, dated November 2017)
- 30: Apocrypha Necromundus: House Helmawr (saved archive page, dated November 2019)
- 31: Forge World Webstore: The Eightfold Harvest Lord (saved archive page, dated October 2020)
- 32: Apocrypha Necromundus: Dust Falls (saved archive page, dated March 2019)
- 33: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pg. 29