The release of the Genestealer Cults is a total win for me as I've always loved the fluff of the tyrannids and the way the race is encountered in the 40k universe- massive hive fleets encroach on the imperium from the depths of space threatening the very existence of mankind; jungles and death worlds team with alien life; and Space Hulks, silent and brooding, drift through space infested with countless scores of horrific beasts that can rip through the best armour the imperium has to offer with the greatest of ease.
The way they infiltrate societies in industrial worlds and hive cities has always appealed to me, subversive socialist that I am, and this got me thinking about how susceptible a hive world like necromunda could be to such infiltration. The physical signs of a Genestealer cult shouldn't be too hard to miss- bald heads, pale, discoloured skin. The way they operate is harder to detect; secretive in nature, subversive, manoeuvring into positions of power... sounds awfully familiar to a certain House of Hive City, doesn't it?
Most of the Houses have some sort of genetic trait. Escher breed predominantly women and the men are meek and feeble. Could this be through deliberate genetic engineering, or a mutation caused by the industry they specialise in?
Goliath are rumoured to have inherited their genetic quirks from a distant ancestor summoning the two-backed beast with an Ogryn (either that was a very pretty Ogryn, or that years Wildsnake was a particularly vicious batch).
Van Saar are famed the Imperium over for the quality of their beards. Even the women get in on the act and can manifest magnificent chin hiders, and can even put some of the men to shame.
Okay, I made that last one up.
We don't know any of this for sure, of course, but at some point in their history something must have happened to give the Houses such distinct characteristics. These characteristics have taken root at a deep genetic level and are passed on hereditarily and have come to define the Houses fundamentaly.
Which brings us to that other House that is genetically distinct- Delaque.
At some point in the genetic past of this House they developed the prominent features that we see today, features that are passed on hereditarily and are part of the fundamental make up of each and every progeny that forms the House. They have pale skin, speak in hushed voices, are master spies and can seemingly disappear into the shadows, ergo they must have a natural instinct to be secretive and clandestine.
To extrapolate on these features and traits it isn't hard to imagine that they are incredibly withdrawn from main Hive society and guard the borders of their domain jealously. What could they possibly be hiding in there?
We know they have very low light in the domes they inhabit further increasing their ability to navigate through, or ambush trespassers in, their territory. A strong defense system for keeping that which wishes to remain hidden, hidden.
Could their ability to fade into the shadows be some form of subtle psychic manipulation? Perhaps they are incredibly easy to spot normally, but a veil of psychic energy cloaks them and causes the eye to pass across them and make no mental note of their presence?
It's like there is a black hole in the social strata of the hive, a great big secret that is hiding in plain sight, because as far as anyone can remember the Delaque have always just been.
It's easy to think that Genestealer Cults would be easy to spot, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In isolation, people wouldn't think twice about seeing a bald guy walking to work. The more prominent Genestealer-featured hybrids would be kept out of sight, but the ostensibly human looking 4th generation ones could pass quite easily as regular guys. Of course, when the time is deemed ripe they alll gather and burst forth like a torrent of purpley coloured bald guys, but until that point alarms aren't being raised.
Planetary Defence Force, Imperial Guard, even Spayz Muhreenz must be aware of the signs to look out for where GC's are concerned as there is strong evidence to suggest they infiltrate even military establishments. They join PDF's, they travel the universe as IG's, they infest SM chapter's home worlds, and join the ranks of the defenders of Humanity and attack it from the inside, so recruiters and soldiers alike must be trained to spot potential Cultists. However, we can't have pogroms against bald guys just for being bald- most psychers are bald and so are many Spayz Muhreenz, so there mustn't yet be an inherent mistrust of the man who cultivated forehead.
Thus, the following formula must be true:
pale bald guy x 1 = pale bald guy
pale bald guy x < 4 = pale bald guy support group outing
pale bald guy x > 4= possible Genestealer Cult
So individual pale bald guys are okay, massed collections of pale bald guys are suspicious. Where else do we have massed ranks of pale bald guys, operating clandestinely, trying to usurp power from others, and all of this in plain sight?!
House Delaque might just be the most audacious Genestealer Cult the Imperium has ever borne witness to. To usurp a Noble House, and ultimately Helmawrr itself, is the goal of all Houses in the Hive. This provides the perfect cover for overt political and military manoeuvring. The very fabric of Necromundan society provides the perfect cover for the Cult of Delaque to operate in broad daylight (so to speak). They simply play the game- watching, waiting, patient and ever vigilant.
The way they infiltrate societies in industrial worlds and hive cities has always appealed to me, subversive socialist that I am, and this got me thinking about how susceptible a hive world like necromunda could be to such infiltration. The physical signs of a Genestealer cult shouldn't be too hard to miss- bald heads, pale, discoloured skin. The way they operate is harder to detect; secretive in nature, subversive, manoeuvring into positions of power... sounds awfully familiar to a certain House of Hive City, doesn't it?
Most of the Houses have some sort of genetic trait. Escher breed predominantly women and the men are meek and feeble. Could this be through deliberate genetic engineering, or a mutation caused by the industry they specialise in?
Goliath are rumoured to have inherited their genetic quirks from a distant ancestor summoning the two-backed beast with an Ogryn (either that was a very pretty Ogryn, or that years Wildsnake was a particularly vicious batch).
Van Saar are famed the Imperium over for the quality of their beards. Even the women get in on the act and can manifest magnificent chin hiders, and can even put some of the men to shame.
Okay, I made that last one up.
We don't know any of this for sure, of course, but at some point in their history something must have happened to give the Houses such distinct characteristics. These characteristics have taken root at a deep genetic level and are passed on hereditarily and have come to define the Houses fundamentaly.
Which brings us to that other House that is genetically distinct- Delaque.
At some point in the genetic past of this House they developed the prominent features that we see today, features that are passed on hereditarily and are part of the fundamental make up of each and every progeny that forms the House. They have pale skin, speak in hushed voices, are master spies and can seemingly disappear into the shadows, ergo they must have a natural instinct to be secretive and clandestine.
To extrapolate on these features and traits it isn't hard to imagine that they are incredibly withdrawn from main Hive society and guard the borders of their domain jealously. What could they possibly be hiding in there?
We know they have very low light in the domes they inhabit further increasing their ability to navigate through, or ambush trespassers in, their territory. A strong defense system for keeping that which wishes to remain hidden, hidden.
Could their ability to fade into the shadows be some form of subtle psychic manipulation? Perhaps they are incredibly easy to spot normally, but a veil of psychic energy cloaks them and causes the eye to pass across them and make no mental note of their presence?
It's like there is a black hole in the social strata of the hive, a great big secret that is hiding in plain sight, because as far as anyone can remember the Delaque have always just been.
It's easy to think that Genestealer Cults would be easy to spot, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In isolation, people wouldn't think twice about seeing a bald guy walking to work. The more prominent Genestealer-featured hybrids would be kept out of sight, but the ostensibly human looking 4th generation ones could pass quite easily as regular guys. Of course, when the time is deemed ripe they alll gather and burst forth like a torrent of purpley coloured bald guys, but until that point alarms aren't being raised.
Planetary Defence Force, Imperial Guard, even Spayz Muhreenz must be aware of the signs to look out for where GC's are concerned as there is strong evidence to suggest they infiltrate even military establishments. They join PDF's, they travel the universe as IG's, they infest SM chapter's home worlds, and join the ranks of the defenders of Humanity and attack it from the inside, so recruiters and soldiers alike must be trained to spot potential Cultists. However, we can't have pogroms against bald guys just for being bald- most psychers are bald and so are many Spayz Muhreenz, so there mustn't yet be an inherent mistrust of the man who cultivated forehead.
Thus, the following formula must be true:
pale bald guy x 1 = pale bald guy
pale bald guy x < 4 = pale bald guy support group outing
pale bald guy x > 4= possible Genestealer Cult
So individual pale bald guys are okay, massed collections of pale bald guys are suspicious. Where else do we have massed ranks of pale bald guys, operating clandestinely, trying to usurp power from others, and all of this in plain sight?!
House Delaque might just be the most audacious Genestealer Cult the Imperium has ever borne witness to. To usurp a Noble House, and ultimately Helmawrr itself, is the goal of all Houses in the Hive. This provides the perfect cover for overt political and military manoeuvring. The very fabric of Necromundan society provides the perfect cover for the Cult of Delaque to operate in broad daylight (so to speak). They simply play the game- watching, waiting, patient and ever vigilant.
Last edited: