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HOUSE ESCHER
THE HOUSE OF BLADES
House Escher are one of Necromunda's oldest powers, the majority-female house able to trace their lineage back to the first servants of Martek the Unifier. Over millennia they have evolved into a Clan House of immense wealth, built on the chem trade and as the foremost producers of lasguns on the planet - as well as on the backs of their quick-witted fighters. Escher gangs stalk the depths of every major hive, protecting their clan's interests with their envenomed knives. These women are trained in an art honed over many generations, wearing well their moniker as the House of Blades.
Though House Escher is undoubtedly the planet's foremost producer of powerful stimms and chems, their history in developing these substances is dark indeed. During an era of rampant genetic experimentation, a wasting disease corrupted the Escher and caused their men to be born withered and frail, limited to a short lifespan. Their most hated rivals, Houses Van Saar and Goliath, maintain that the House of Blades was afflicted by a rogue gene-rot of the Escher's own devising. The Escher themselves theorise that it was their forebears' unchecked decadence that doomed their menfolk. Whatever the case, the present-day House Escher
prefer to turn their concoctions upon their foes rather than tamper with their own bloodlines. Their chem industry is also crucial to keeping the other Clan Houses alive. The Van Saar need Escher chemicals to stabilise their irradiated bodies, whilst the hated Goliaths cannot create more of their kind without the synthetic amniotic fluids brewed by the chymist cults. Many in the Escher would happily see these rival houses wiped out, but depend on them in turn for rare technologies and refined materials. Lord Helmawr encourages this stalemate in order to keep the Clan Houses in check. The Council of Crones, House Escher's ruling body, is selected based upon personal merit, meaning that any distinguished gang queen or chymist could rise to power in the house with enough infamy behind her. As such, their gangs fight to prove their exceptionalism, seeking to outdo each other in audacity and daring alongside the venomous xenos beasts they breed as companions. Whispers claim even death does not stop the warriors of House Escher, so potent are the concoctions of their chymists - and legends of pale death-maidens stalking the enemies of the house do little to dissuade this notion.
ESCHER HISTORY
Of the six Clan Houses, it is the Escher that have endured for the longest. They have been known by multiple names and iterations, yet their ancestry can be traced back to the chaotic era of Martek Helm'ayr's unification of Necromunda, something the Escher take delight in reminding the younger Clan Houses. Many of their customs, from bladework to ancient chem-brewing, have been handed down from that distant age.
ERA OF THE BLADES
The people that would eventually become the Escher can credit their existence to three women - amongst the most famous warriors in the planet's history. These were the Blades: the sisters Celestria, Sydrena and Solarana. Escher oral tradition holds that they existed even before the arrival of the Imperium on Necromunda, either as allies of the Iron Lords or enemies, depending on the storyteller. Fearing that the Imperium would end the world as they knew it, the sisters secured their legacy by cloning themselves in gene banks deep underground, using such forbidden fleshcraft to effectively grant themselves immortality.
Stories of the Blades span over the first three millennia of Imperial rule. A handful of these tales might even be true, but this period is so poorly recorded that Escher crones take many liberties in their retelling. The Blades have been painted as rulers of entire hives and have been pitted against everything from warlord kings to ancient xenos monsters. Most famously, the sisters fought their way up the Dreaming Spire in order to cleanse it of psychic beasts that were feeding on the life force of the spire's residents. Tales of their showdown against the shapeshifting Blood King has inspired many a young Escher to take up bow and blade.
What are thought to be the first known facts about these legendary figures only emerged alongside the founder of the Imperial House, Martek Helm'ayr the Unifier. It was he who sought to bring Necromunda under one house in order to satisfy the Imperium and stay their conquerors' hands from culling the population. The Blades swore themselves to his banner, seeing him as their only means of survival. Once the Helm'ayr line had secured the planet, the Blades were finally provided a modicum of peace - and the potential of a future.
THE BIRTH OF THE ULANDARI
The Blades knew that they could not continue to clone themselves forever. Each time they underwent the process, a bit more of themselves was lost and all it would take to end them for good would be one precise strike upon their clone vaults. Thus did the three sisters pool their genetics into twelve children, seeking to cement their legacy with the creation of a Noble House. The legends do not say what eventually became of the Blades, their names fading into the annals of history and making way for their progeny - the newly minted House Ulandari, named after one of Necromunda's moons.
The children of the Ulandari were truly blessed amongst a population riddled with toxins and mutation. The descendants of the first twelve were strong of constitution and sharp of mind, having inherited their genetic precursors' sword skills and cunning. They continued to pledge themselves to the Helm'ayr line, bringing the house immense wealth as his domination over the planet grew.
Yet, as time went on and generations lived and died, so did the discontent amongst the Ulandari grow. Some felt that the house had become too decadent, grown soft with the luxuries of nobility. Others felt they had earned such a lifestyle and chafed against the more outspoken members of their house, who sought to further the Ulandari's great legacy through violence. This came to a head at the dawn of the 35th Millennium, which saw the Ulandari split into two: House Ulanti, who remained amongst the other nobility within the Spire; and House Athenos, who struck out downhive to bring about the great deeds they so craved.
SUNDERED HOUSE
The Ulanti were glad to see the back of House Athenos and fully embraced their hedonistic lifestyle, holding parties that spanned the spire and founding obscura lounges of prodigious size. Meanwhile, the warriors of Athenos eagerly accepted their new status as a Clan House. The majority of the Athenos were youthful, having attracted those of the Ulandari that were strong and eager for battle. They were led to Hive City by their first Patriarch, Lord Athoros, in an exodus now known as the Pilgrimage of a Thousand Steps.
Whilst the ancient blood of the Blades began wearing thin through Ulanti intermarriages, Lord Athoros continued to strengthen his position, siring over eight hundred children. It is during this time that the Athenos developed many of their chem-brewing methods, the secrets of which are fiercely guarded by the Escher chymist cults today. Athenos gangs took over huge swathes of the chemical industry until almost every chem factoria was stamped with their tri-bladed sigil, their dominance only growing with each passing century. With Athoros himself having ensured the survival of the Ulandari bloodline, his children and grandchildren continued to boast genetic purity with strong bodies and a distinct lack of mutations.
Yet even House Athenos could not last forever - with so many strong and gifted warriors, they were sundered by their own infighting time and again, turning on each other as often as they did their foes. With both Athenos and Ulanti in decline, something drastic had to be done, lest both branches of the bloodline face complete extinction.
RISE OF THE ESCHAKI
Unknown to Ulanti rulers, a cult was forming within their house's numbers known as the Eschaki. These were the youth of the house that preserved the Blades' creed of loyalty and violence. They split from the Ulanti, uncontent with the monotony that came with living a life of luxury, not unlike how the Athenos had done before. The new House Eschaki absorbed much of the remnants of House Athenos.
Most of their territories and chem-factoria in Hive Primus were taken with little resistance, for the nascent house was stronger and more warlike than the Athenos ever were. The remaining Patriarchs, cast out of their house and stripped of their power, fled into the wastes.
When the Two-Faced War began, the exiled Patriarchs attempted to forge their house anew within Gothrul's Needle. With Gothrul Helmawr fighting his sister Lady Cinderak for the throne, they hoped his victory would wipe out the nascent House Eschaki. Instead, the Eschaki helped Lady Cinderak to victory by supplying her forces with advanced combat stimms. As the last embers of the war faded, the Eschaki pounced on the chance to eradicate the last of the Athenos and cement their legacy.
The few surviving stragglers from Athenos fled to join House Goliath, the dominant force of the Mynerva Cluster, bolstering their numbers and making them the hated foes of the Eschaki. The Goliaths of old were not the same as the manufactured brutes of the 41st Millennium, but rather natural-born forge workers of impressive constitution. In order to fight against this threat, the Eschaki began experimenting on their flesh in order to be stronger and more agile. War raged between the two houses for many years - the Goliaths had an advantage of numbers, boasting army-sized gangs of Ogryns and burly workers. Yet the Eschaki slowly gained ground with the increasing potency of their combat drugs and genhanced warriors. Eventually, the previous Goliath were almost eradicated. The Eschaki were left revelling in their victory, having seized the Goliaths' lasgun factoria - though the war left them with an obsession for physical perfection that demanded they strive for the pinnacle of human performance.
Genetic meddling would become the Eschaki's trademark over the next millennium. Their assassins and chem-warriors were so feared that territory was ceded to the Eschaki upon mere threats. For an age, the house was amongst the most powerful on Necromunda.
THE FLESH CURSE
No one truly knows how the Flesh Curse began. Some believe it was a side effect of a disease manufactured by the Eschaki, unintentionally turned upon their own. Others believe one too many changes were made to their natural biology. But as the centuries rolled by, more and more Eschaki men were born malformed, dependent on tanks and wires to survive. Drugs that were once used to help the Eschaki reach peaks of physical performance were repurposed to merely keep their men alive. Eventually, Eschaki women outnumbered their menfolk many times over.
The final Eschaki Patriarch, Eloch Twice-born, ruled from a bed of tubes and chems at the end of the 39th Millennium. He lacked the energy to fight back as rival houses began to notice and exploit the Eschaki's weakness. House Van Saar all but drove them out of several hives, while the nobles of Ran Lo began orchestrating the takeover of Eschaki factoria in order to get ahead of their ally, Ulanti. Yet what could have been the end of the bloodline once and for all was prevented by a single woman: Queen Vhoadycia. Originally a simple hab-mother, Vhoadycia watched as House Eschaki declined and was filled with rage over Eloch's silence. She fought back against the alliance of clans that were attempting to conquer her home of Vat City, becoming the leader of an all-female army. Where rivals expected easy victory, Vhoadycia visited bloodshed upon them with swift, envenomed blades. After her unexpected victories, disillusioned Eschaki flocked to her banner and marched upon Eloch's council chamber.
Within the chamber Vhoadycia found every Patriarch long dead. Only female council members remained in the halls, divided over whether to change or to preserve Eloch's legacy by following the Eschaki's old ways. It was Vhoadycia that united them. She took the title of Matriarch Primus and announced the house's rebirth from the Eschaki's ashes, renaming it House Escher - a name that has endured to this day.
A NEW MATRIARCHY
Vhoadycia's seizure of control was swift. All men were removed from positions of authority and replaced with female warriors, who though they carried the curse were unaffected by it. It took decades, but House Escher gradually reclaimed the ground they had lost and their status as a Clan House in the eyes of the Lord Helmawr. No more did the house feel the need to conceal the existence of the Flesh Curse, openly championing their gang queens, wytch-chymists and founding the Council of Crones. The men that remained were interred in life support chambers and stasis tubes, placed away from public view and kept alive long enough to continue the Escher line.
As House Escher has flourished, they have made many attempts to overcome the Flesh Curse and reintroduce healthy Escher men into their gene pool. Though the assassins and blade-dancers of the Escher still inject themselves with combat stimms, their lesson has been learned - experimenting has been primarily returned to the secrecy of the chymist covens.
THE ARANTHIAN SUCCESSION
At the close of the 41st Millennium, Necromunda was thrown into turmoil after an assassination attempt on Lord Helmawr. Both Clan and Noble Houses were faced with a crisis of succession, believing Lord Helmawr to be dead. From the wastes emerged a rebel lord who swore to the then Matriarch Primus, Adina Sabine, that she would place her upon Necromunda's throne. There was one catch: Adina must aid in returning the long-absent House Aranthus to power. This rebel lord, Lady Credo, showed proof of an affiliation with the ancient Blades. It was a convincing half-lie - for Lady Credo's Aranthian master had his own designs on the throne.
Adina Sabine made a fateful decision, she would throw House Escher's backing behind Lady Credo and help her revive House Aranthus in return for governorship of the planet. Her champion and gene-sister Athera was dispatched to Cinderak City to quash Goliath forces and their contender for the throne - the young Agriote Helmawr. Athera led a final stand against the Goliaths and successfully drove them out of Cinderak City, Agriote himself killed by Goliath infighting. The Escher had won the first battle in their war for succession.
Yet the consequences of Adina's decision would not be felt until Ozostium Aranthus, the so-called 'Divine Prince', arose from his entombment. Lady Credo's promise of power was never meant for Adina, but for her reawoken master - and Adina had kindly removed much of his legitimate competition. Yet by the time she realised, it was too late. Ozostium was once an Iron Lord, ruler of Necromunda during the Dark Age of Technology, and was thousands of years old. His psychic powers were as dangerous as they were immense. Countless Escher gangs had fallen under Ozostium's psychic sway. The Matriarch Primus was in too deep to turn back - it was either execution for treachery should the Helmawrs win, or execution by Ozostium should she turn on him. Outwardly, she continued to back the Divine Prince, her fury bubbling under the surface.
In the shadows, Escher discontent was also brewing. The house was far from united. Cyniss, the head of the chymist covens, was not expecting House Escher to abandon their oaths of allegiance upon the mere promise of power, and desired a return to the old ways. Those Escher that resisted Ozostium's psychic control flocked to her side in the depths of the underhive. A deal was struck with the Delaque to topple Adina along with House Aranthus, and should a Helmawr return to the throne, Adina would take the fall and be replaced as Matriarch Primus by
Cyniss herself. In return, Cyniss cured the dying Lord Helmawr with her own potent antidote and let the Delaque get to work.
Ozostium was ultimately forced into exile at the culmination of the succession wars, following a crucial battle for the Spire of Primus. The Helmawr family returned to power and the Delaque made good on Cyniss' deal. Adina Sabine and her champion fled into the underhive before they could be executed for their crimes against the throne. With great ceremony, the former Mother of Poisons ascended to become the new Matriarch Primus.
THE BALANCE OF POWER
Cyniss' position is not as secure as the Matriarch Primus would want. Her ruling Council of Crones has skewed away from nobility and is mostly comprised of clan chymists, and many younger members of the clan resent her more experienced but ruthless rulership. In particular, the maidens of the house - the Escher youth of the wyld and some of the more prominent gang queens among them - still privately support Adina Sabine. Cyniss routinely circulates rumours of Adina's death, but these are disproven time and again by the ex-Matriarch Primus's appearances in the underhive. Rumours hold that Adina and Athera now work as hired guns, building power until the day they can retake House Escher. As many gangs still respect and revere Adina, even large bounty offerings from the Guild of Coin are doing little to persuade them to capture her. Goliath gangs have shown considerably more enthusiasm, seeking revenge for their defeat at Athera's hands in Cinderak City.
HOUSE STRUCTURE
House Escher harbours many cults and subcultures within its fold, yet broadly all groups fall under the three Escher archetypes of maiden, mother, and matriarch. Only the Matriarch Primus claims all three titles for herself. All archetypes are valuable to the house in different ways and are considered equal in status.
MAIDENS
Those designated as maidens by House Escher include its most active and healthy members, capable of defending the house's assets and interests through gang warfare. Though gangs from other branches of the house are occasionally seen, those of the maiden archetype are typically gangers in the prime of their lives that have honed their fighting skills to the absolute limit. Even when a gang queen is recognised for her skill and elevated to the Council of Crones, she is still associated with this division. Death-maidens also belong here, having died and been resurrected by alchemy, forever frozen in the role of the maiden.
The wyld is a major part of the maiden structure. This group of prospects live primarily in the ash wastes, or occasionally in the wide open badzones within underhives. They have their own unique culture, developed far from the prying eyes of their Clan House leaders - though this is purposeful to encourage them to learn how to survive and thrive as packs. Some older members of the house obsess over the youthful beauty of the athletic gang sisters and women of the wyld, trying desperately to fight off the effects of age with invasive and painful rejuve treatments and chems. Though their lives can be extended this way, treatments can render their appearances uncanny or warped. Escher gangs refer to these women as the 'Maiden Cults' - often to be derogatory.
MOTHERS
The title of mother is given to those who nurse the industries of House Escher. Chief amongst these are the chymist cults, who provide the Escher with much of their influence through the chems other houses have come to rely upon - and Escher gangs with all the stimms they need to overcome their foes. Whilst chems are produced in great, churning chem-factoria, the chymist cults themselves are much more secretive. They have a lot to protect: alchemical recipes, ongoing experiments and stores of rare ingredients are all curated and tended by the clan chymists. Their covens are well hidden and located in the forgotten places within the hives and the wastes, far from prying eyes. Legends even tell of chymist cults claiming lost and forbidden cities from the times of the tron Lords in order to gather and produce their psychic-augmenting ghast for Lord Helmawr's Psykanarium.
Those factorum sisters who work the many lasgun factoria are also considered mothers and are no less important, responsible as they are for the bulk of the house's wealth. Watching over them are the hab-mothers, who lead the domes in Hive City where they live. These roles are assigned to Escher otherwise incapable of being on the front lines of gang warfare, yet they still demand respect for their authority over the lives of the house.
MATRIARCHS
Matriarchs are those whose word carries the greatest weight for the Clan House's future. Even though Cyniss as head of the house embodies all three aspects together, it is her role as Matriarch Primus that gives her words the weight of law. The matriarch designation refers primarily to the shivvers: wise women that chart the course of the house and provide advice to the Council of Crones. Shivvers are closely guarded by House Escher due to being touched by psychic power, making them eagerly sought by Lord Helmawr. They are kept from the house's spires and their existence is concealed from the younger members of the house. Those that have harnessed their gifts are known as oracles and primarily operate as seers, whilst shivver youths are known as wyrdlings.
VENOMOUS HUES
COLOURS OF THE ESCHER
Subtlety is not a word known to the Escher of the underhive. House Escher clothing philosophy follows that of the venomous phelynx and lurid toxic plants from which they brew their chems: the bigger, brighter and more colourful, the more deadly the poison, or the more wicked the predator. The variation of colours displayed depends entirely on each Escher's rank. An Escher prospect, for example, might sport bright yellow armoured plating and dye her hair a vivid violet or hot pink to achieve an effective colour clash. Yet a gang queen at the top of the hierarchy might wear an outfit more akin to a prismatic oil spill. The most famous have donned everything from khimerix-fur coats to elaborate, multi-coloured hairpieces. Being able to fight faster and more accurately despite this ornamentation is another testament to a gang queen's capabilities, compared to that of her subordinates.
WYLD GARBS
Unlike the rest of the house, wyld runners and other members of their hunts opt for more muted colours. Their hunting grounds are primarily out in the ash wastes, where it is important to blend in amongst ash storms and dunes in order to avoid the gaze of nomads or great mutant monsters - both of which care little for the social subtleties of clothing choice. However, these women still travel with brightly hued phelynx that have toxins pulsing under their scales and fur. Phelynx are fantastic hunters and their loyalty to wyld runners that are able to tame them is unbreakable. Not only do they help take down enemies, but wyld runners use their blood and bile to coat their weapons, achieving deadly effects. Compared to other gangs that stalk the ash wastes, the wyld are still considered visually striking with their painted armour and neon-scaled companions - right up until they see a gang queen strut into Cinderak City, fresh out of the underhive, who gives 'distinct' a whole new meaning...
Pistols such as the needle pistol or stub gun are a popular choice that can be paired with a toxin-coated melee weapon.
Charged weapons such as the power axe are a hallmark of Escher champions. Those made by House Escher feature an elegant curve.
Markswomen of the Escher primarily favour a needle-shaped gun tip. These needle rifles dispense ammo coated in a crone-brewed toxin so powerful that it can instantly down a sumpkroc - provided the gunner can strike just the right place. Repeater needle rifles are owned by wealthier Escher fighters.
Escher fighters will decorate their autopistol's multi-harness with bejewelled symbols of their house. The more adornments, the higher the fighter's rank.
Escher gangs favour a slender blade - whether in the form of a wicked stiletto knife to poison foes, or as a slick and lightweight stiletto sword.
Sometimes, nothing beats the explosive power of a well-made shotgun. House Escher shotguns are renowned for being light and well-balanced.
Every gunner worth their creds knows their way around a plasma gun. Those made by the Escher are marked out by thin, decorative handles.
Escher brawlers employ khimerix sting gauntlets, which also inject their enemies with toxins extracted from the eponymous khimerix.
Escher chymists and docs carry handy auto-chems for hands-free administration of healing chems or combat-enhancing stimms.
House Escher timeline
ANCIENT ORIGINS
The legendary ancestors of House Escher predate even the House of Helmawr itself. It would be one fateful decision made by the three Blades - to give up immortality and begin a lasting legacy - that would set their future in motion...
HUNTRESSES OF THE WASTES
The ancient Blades, Celestria, Sydrena and Solarana, stalk the wastes of Necromunda extending their lives far beyond their natural lifespan using clone banks built from ancient technology. As the planet descends into all-out war, they swear themselves to Martek Helm'ayr in a desperate attempt to secure their future and their legacy.
CREATION OF THE ULANDARI
With Martek Helm'ayr firmly on the throne of Necromunda, the Blades end their cycle of rebirth. They pool their genes into twelve children before fading from the world, their eventual fate unknown. These children become House Ulandari and flourish, strong and healthy.
SUNDERING OF THE HOUSE
Over the centuries, the Ulandari's lifestyle degrades into luxury and decadence. Its youth chafe at what the house has become and eventually strike out to form the Athenos, taking their place as a Clan House. The remaining Ulandari reform as the Ulanti and continue life in the Spire.
LEGENDS OF ATHENOS
House Athenos and its Patriarchs build a bloody reputation through the hives. The deeds of leaders such as Gormund the True, Avalos of Trazior and the Blade King are circulated across the planet as warnings. Yet their power does not last, as these legendary figures fight amongst themselves for supremacy.
RISE OF THE ESCHAKI
A cult known as the Eschaki takes root within House Ulanti. These more warlike fighters have preserved the legacy of the Blades and trained their bodies and minds for combat. Desiring to return to the times of old, they leave the Spire and begin absorbing the divided Athenos, becoming the new Clan House Eschaki.
THE TWO-FACED WAR
The Two-Faced War proves a decisive time for House Eschaki. The exiled Patriarchs of House Athenos back Gothrul Helmawr in an attempt to regain their status and free themselves of the Eschaki, who have backed Lady Cinderak Helmawr. Cinderak's victory ultimately results in the extinction of the Athenos, while House Eschaki gain immense wealth and power from the Imperial House.
LEGIONS OF CHEM-WARRIORS
House Eschaki thrives over their first millennium; their chem industry profits boom. Their warriors become stronger and faster with each generation, pumped with an ever-growing variety of stimms. At the height of their power, House Eschaki defeats the original House Goliath using their chem-warriors.
The diagram below preserves the date labels and their event associations. Fine or truncated date glyphs have not been guessed.
House Escher timeline - dated source diagram Open full-size chart ↗
House Escher timeline - Escher ascendant
ESCHER ASCENDANT
As the Flesh Curse starts to take its toll on House Eschaki after an era of unprecedented power, women begin to outnumber their men many times over. Despite these setbacks, they are determined not to go down without a fight...
THE WASTING BEGINS
As generations go by, more and more men of the Eschaki are born withered and live short, painful lives. The Eschaki rulers struggle to conceal this fact from those outside their house but refuse to admit to the Flesh Curse, unwilling to show any weakness.
RUMOURS OF THE ANCIENTS
Eschaki chymists accidentally uncover an old clone vault thought to belong to the Blades. Upon awakening, the clones go on a berserk rampage, confused and furious, killing everything in the vault before vanishing into the ash wastes.
A REBIRTH OF QUEENS
The Eschaki's problems are no longer a secret. The Van Saar are first to strike, taking large swathes of Eschaki factoria. Other houses join in until the Eschaki's existence hangs by a thread. Hab-mother Vhoadycia storms the ruling council demanding answers - and finds all of the men dead, including the Patriarch. She takes over the council and declares herself Matriarch Primus of a new house: House Escher.
CREATION OF A HOUSE
Houses Escher and Van Saar are tasked by the ruling Lord Helmawr to create a new race, born of technology and biochemistry. This servile class is designed to take the brunt of the worst labours on Necromunda. The Escher name this new class 'Goliaths' after their ancient rivals.
THE HIDDEN CABAL
An Escher gang discover a hidden cabal of Eschaki men living deep inside one of the Forbidden Cities below Primus. The Escher set to squabbling, some unwilling to engage with the chem-warriors and others desperate to use these men to try to overcome the Flesh Curse. During this chaos, the Eschaki cabal disappears into the wastes, choosing to live free of the Eschers' infighting.
THE ARANTHIAN SUCCESSION
Matriarch Primus Adina Sabine pledges her house to Ozostium Aranthus, believing his faction will lead her to the very throne of Necromunda. However, she is taken for a fool, her gangs used to put Ozostium on the throne. Once the pretender is dealt with, Adina is found guilty of treason but escapes into the underhive before she can be executed.
MOTHER OF POISONS
At the close of the 41st Millennium, Matriarch Primus Cyniss rules over House Escher. However, civil war brews deep within the hives - it appears Adina will not be vanquished so easily...
The diagram below preserves the date labels and their event associations. Fine or truncated date glyphs have not been guessed.
House Escher timeline - dated source diagram Open full-size chart ↗
CLAN HOLDINGS
As one of the oldest Clan Houses, Escher enclaves can be found in every hive. Huge areas within the hive cities of Primus and Mynerva can be found emblazoned with the triple-bladed sigil of House Escher. The house's nobles have grown extremely wealthy from the mass production and export of las weaponry and chems, and its many chymist covens are tucked away in the most obscure of places. Every holding maintained by the house is designed to protect its assets and avoid its enemies.
With House Ulanti as their patrons and the Imperial House entirely dependent on their chem-tithes, House Escher are a mainstay within Primus. They fight constant wars in the shadows against the Van Saar for control of the upper levels and lasgun factoria. With Escher nobility controlling the flow of traffic into the Spire itself, it is little surprise that they have a close relationship with the Guild of Coin, keepers of gates and passages across Necromunda. Both at the very top of Hive City, and at Dust Falls near the very bottom, Mercator Gelt convoys and Escher enclaves are placed close together for mutual benefit. Many have murmured that House Escher all but controls Hive Mynerva in the south-west, with the Mynervan Spire absolute territory of the Ulanti. However, Escher can be found wherever there is power to be had.
THE SIRENS
Nestled against Hive City's upper reaches, the Sirens are where House Escher's ruling council dwells. This trio of ornate towers represents the Escher society of maidens, mothers and matriarchs, each spire named after one of these titles. The Sirens also harbour the Sky Gardens, a sunlit artificial paradise and residence of the current Matriarch Primus. Here the Council of Crones meet to discuss the house's fate.
HOUSE OF GILDED GRACE
The House of Gilded Grace is not only the largest Escher conclave within Cinderak City, but also home to a vast number of wyld girls in training. These Escher youth seek to learn the arts of death and poison, and once they come of age, strike out into the ash wastes in gangs. The House of Gilded Grace also has dedicated pens for breeding phelynx, the toxic wildcats that accompany Escher prospects in their escapades.
CHEM-PITS OF
SUB-LEVEL GAMMA SIX
Escher chem-pits are notorious places within the underhive where new combat stimms are tested. Everything from huge khimerix to genhanced warriors that twitch with every breath are set against one another as test subjects. The pits in Gamma Six are the most infamous, as they are where the current Matriarch Primus, Cyniss, trained as a clan chymist many grand cycles ago.
THE PAINTED PHELYNX
The largest high-end bar within the Spire of Primus is owned by the Escher. Providing nobility with colourful drinks made with off-world ingredients, with stronger stuff available in the back for those in the know, ensures the Painted Phelynx stands out even in the Spire. As a favourite of the Ulanti, every column and table is buffed to a high shine and tame phyrr cats wander the tables to be fussed by the young nobles that frequent the bar.
THE SHIVVERING HALL
Shivvers are Escher wise-women and seers - but many are touched by the Warp. As a result, their enclaves are hidden deep within the underhive to avoid capture by Lord Helmawr and servitude in his Psykanarium. The Shivvering Hall is the largest of these, built into the ruins of a forbidden city hundreds of metres below Hive City. Its entrance is decorated with the bodies of those foolish enough to try to gain entry.
MYNERVA HIVE CITY
Hive Mynerva, famed for its fungal gardens, is where many chymists conduct their work. However, unbeknownst to the Council of Crones, it has become a hotbed for rebellious Escher who still support Ozostium Aranthus and deplore Cyniss' rise to power. Clad in ancient white plate and with fine crafted gear, the Escher of Mynerva all but rule its Hive City. They plan their rebellion under the guise of increasing Mynerva's exports.
GANGS OF LEGEND
Many Escher gangs have risen and fallen over the centuries, legends of their most charismatic leaders enduring for many generations. Gang names such as the Dustblind Dyvas and Bittersweet Blades have been enshrined in Necromundan history. Yet the preservation of these women is more literal in the eyes of House Escher, for powerful gang queens' genetic material will often be used to create gene echoes in order to reproduce their spectacular results. If a skilled diplomat or master swordswoman might be required in the future, an Escher child can be manipulated before their birth to incorporate genetic strands from the vaults of the chymist covens, resulting in biological descendants decades or even centuries later. The past two generations of Matriarch Primus have both come from the genetic legacy of Queen Vhoadycia, one of the most successful rulers the house has ever known.
Due to the ruling council - and therefore Escher nobility - being decided on merit rather than descent, every Escher gang is deeply motivated to rise above their peers. Even attaining the position of Matriarch Primus is possible should a Queen conquer swathes of territory or cut a red path through the underhive. This has motivated daring feats throughout every hive on Necromunda, from the Sump City Sirens that conquered their eponymous settlement, to the more esoteric Wyrd Sisters that have brought down all manner of psychic monstrosities. However, such recognition is a double-edged sword. Many leaders have their lives cut short in their pursuit of glory. However, even death may not end their legend if the clan chymists deem them worthy of undergoing the Rites of the Moraegan. This process brings the corpse of a vengeful gang queen back to life with a cocktail of chems, resurrecting them as lethal death-maidens.
WYRD SISTERS
There is only one reason the Wyrd Sisters are famed despite being so disliked: they are very good at fulfilling their contracts. Led by Jerra the Stalker, the Wyrd Sisters specialise in eradicating psychic threats, and are the first people called in by local lords if helot cult activity is suspected. Most people give them a wide berth when there is no job to be done -just being around this gang causes inexplicable discomfort.
BITTERSWEET BLADES
Operating out of Girder City in the underhive, the Bittersweet Blades are often sought out by narco lords and mercators in order to deal with rogue Enforcers or Venator bands. They are renowned as hunters of killers that specialise in taking the lives of the corrupt. The gang have grown prosperous from this trade, dominating vast swathes of the surrounding badzones and taking a cut of any bounties claimed on their turf.
CARRION QUEENS
The Carrion Queens are one of the largest Escher gangs thanks to their prominence in Dust Falls, positioned just under the gate to Hive City. Their current leader Jelena has claimed the coveted territory linking Dust Falls to Two Tunnels, a crucial trade route for gunk vendors, making the Queens powerful allies. They are particularly close with the Mercator Gelt, who are currently funding their war against House Goliath.
SUMP CITY SIRENS
The Sump City Sirens have a knack for recovering from adversity, having defended and rebuilt their city several times over. Their leader, Sadie 'Original' Sinn, has cemented her place as Queen of the Sump after weathering Sump City's latest fall into its own gunge. Rumour says she survived for thirty cycles adrift in the sump following its collapse on nothing but spider meat before washing ashore.
LESSER GANGS
There are many Escher gangs of renown across Necromunda, from the Dustblind Dyvas of Cinderak City to the exiled Red Widows in Hive Mynerva. Many Escher now move cautiously when encountering their own kind, for some continue to support the previous Matriarch Primus from the shadows, and will happily betray those loyal to Cyniss. However, they will still unite without question should enemies of the house arise.
House Escher - Model showcase
- Gang Sister with lasgun
- Gang Sister with chem-thrower
- Little Sister with two laspistols
- Gang Matriarch with autogun
- Gang Sister with lasgun & stiletto knife
- Little Sister with plasma pistol & stiletto knife
House Escher - Model showcase
- Gun Maiden with chem-thrower
- Chem Wytch with shotgun & servo-medicae
- Blade Maiden with laspistol & shock whip
- Blade Maiden with khimerix sting
- Escher Cutter with plasma guns
House Escher - Model showcase
- Gang Matriarch with power hammer
- Gang Queen with plasma pistol & servo-claw
- Gang Matriarch with needle sniper
House Escher - Model showcase
- Gang Matriarch with heavy wyld bow
- Phyrr Cat
- Gang Matriarch with plasma gun
House Escher - Model showcase
- Wyld Runner with whip
- Phelynx
- Wyld Runner with wyld bow
- Phelynx
- Death-Maiden with needle pistol & venom claw
- Phelynx
ADDITIONAL GANG LISTS & EQUIPMENTNo two House Escher gangs look the same. Each one is shaped by the vision and strengths of their gang queen; some focusing on lightning-quick raids, some on maximising production from clan holdings and others on terrorising the underhive.
WYLD HUNTS
Due to layers of secrecy and rivalry, the methods used by the Clan Houses to train their fighters varies greatly. House Escher prizes independence more than most, stemming from their proud lineage from the original Blades whom they claim put the first Helm'ayr on the throne. This freedom is crystallised within the wyld: a catch-all term for Escher prospects learning their place in the world - and their capability for violence. Most Escher women spend a few grand cycles within wyld enclaves in the underhive or ash wastes, then will take their place within a gang or secure a house role. However, some Escher find that there is no place more fitting for their free spirit than that of the wyld, and choose not to return, instead roaming the outlands as wyld runners.
Wyld runners reject the traditional house structure. They will ally with nearby Escher gangs for convenience, but usually prefer the feline company of a phelynx, which provides them with toxins for their weapons - and an extra set of claws. Should they ever want for chems or rations, they will visit Escher enclaves within the ash wastes, but prefer not to dwell in such places for too long. Many Uld runners prefer the security of a recurve bow over more traditional weapons, allowing them to fashion their own ammo when they run out. What wyld runners lack in strength is made up for in the creative ways they fashion such ammo, boasting everything from toxic to explosive to smoking arrows in order to confound their foes. Of course, should they be cornered in a fight, a wyld runner is always happy to fight dirty as well.
In places as dangerous as the badlands or ash wastes, some wyld runners have found kindred spirits amongst their own, forming loose gangs that belong nowhere and bow to no one. These gangs are known colloquially as wyld hunts. This moniker befits the thrill of the chase and the constant violence-seeking behaviours of such feral packs of fighters. Wyld hunts are agile, fast and strike from unexpected angles to leave rival gangs dazed and disadvantaged. Some command entire prides of phelynx to fight alongside them, blurs of teeth and toxic claws that will find enemies before they have even considered their first strike. Others trade methods passed down through generations of the "ld in order to improve their bows, or fire multiple arrows at once for more devastating and precise attacks.
The head of a wyld hunt is known as a wyld leader. Wyld leaders choose what jobs their gang takes on and who their allies are. They are also in charge of recruiting more members and liaising with sorority enclaves to resupply their gangs when necessary. Many women who have ascended to a leadership position in the wyld will have taken breathtaking risks to earn such respect, such as slaying monsters, retrieving ancient archeotech, or defeating a hated Goliath rival. Famously, Nomeia of the Ash Wyld ascended to leadership after slaughtering a pair of Arthromite Duneskuttlers and forcing the retreat of a nomad raiding party from Cinderak City. These leaders will often involve themselves in the running of the wyld as a whole, making sure the Escher prospects are matched with suitable phelynx and given the materials to craft their weapons before they strike out alone.
Though there is no formal hierarchy beyond that of a leader within wyld hunts, those that have earned enough respect from their peers will often receive the title of big sister. Amongst their fellow wyld runners, these women are revered for their advice and experience, and will have often spent multiple grand cycles within the outlands. Big sisters are looked to for guidance when all else fails, and have the know-how to plan complex hunting strategies and manoeuvres. Eventually, they may even ascend to power by breaking away from their parent gang along with their closest confidantes, beginning journeys and legacies of their own.
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The Escher enclaves from which these wyld hunts recruit are often located within underhive settlements or towns within the ash wastes - big enough to provide effective training and resources; unimportant enough to pay off nosy Enforcers and make the area difficult for rivals to attack. It is here that phelynx are bred and trained, often by the resident House Mistress. It is rumoured that the biggest, most bloodthirsty phelynx alphas are bred within Onese houses, grown hulking and with barely tamed temperaments thanks to the remote and highly dangerous settlements in which they are born.
CHYMIST CULTS
Though House Escher is ruled by its Council of Crones, there can be no doubt that the Chymist Cults have a great deal of sway amongst this august body. The majority of its members, as well as the current Matriarch Primus, began as chem mothers and clan chymists. Chems are the signature export of the entire house, and are responsible for much of its wealth and status. When the Chymist Cults need a territory for its bounty of ingredients, they will emerge swiftly from their network of hidden covens to strike with vicious toxins.
Seeing a Chymist Cult on the prowl within the underhive is rare. They conduct most of their work in utmost secrecy due to the sheer value of their techniques and produce. Whilst chymists will maintain a presence at major Escher strongholds, the bulk of their number are tucked away in ancient factoria, disused heat ducts and outland fungal gardens. They are considered cults for a reason, as each passing cycle is filled with experimentation of dubious legality and even more questionable morality. Some sects focus on prolonging youthfulness even beyond that granted by existing rejuve treatments, allowing senior members to remain young for hundreds of grand cycles
- assuming they can survive the side effects. Others focus on the efficiency of the human body. They continuously seek to concoct new and more extreme stimms to test on volunteer Escher gangs, turning their blood to venom and supercharging their blood until it boils. Finally, there are those vital covens that refine the drugs exported to other houses - advanced rad treatments for the sickened Van Saar, and growth serums for the Goliath amneo-vats. Of all the cults, these are the most secretive, for the very customers they serve would slaughter them and steal their produce if only they knew where to find it.
The Chymist Cults are considered mothers in the Escher trinity of mother, maiden and matriarch, for they are one of the house divisions that allow the Escher to secure and nurture their future. As such, the leader of a Chymist Cult is usually referred to as a chem mother by her subordinates as a sign of respect. These are often women much older than most Escher are used to seeing in a fight, for they have spent dozens of grand cycles perfecting their toxic craft. It is said a skilled chem mother can craft toxins so potent that one drop is enough to kill an entire settlement. Those that rise to this position often boast unique titles that brag of their expertise,
such as Mistress of Genecraft or Tox Mother; no two are ever the same. Most famously, current Matriarch Primus Cyniss was originally a chem mother who earned the title Mother of Poisons. So renowned were her concoctions that rumour says she sold poison to the Officio Assassinorum for creation of their murder-cyborgs. Whilst many Escher gang leaders command their gangs using fear and earned respect, the followers of a chem mother often treat her with an obsessive reverence, and seek only to glean her knowledge. Many would happily lay down their lives to protect their coven mother and her craft.
It is the clan chymists that do most of the production within their coven. These chem-reliant champions communicate with customers of the house, are in charge of both schedules and quotas, and are often posted to Escher strongholds to tend to others of their house. Within their home cult, they will travel in groups in order to do their chem mother's bidding or to procure ingredients for their own research. Despite being below the lofty status and genius of their leader, every clan chymist is a walking alchemical data crystal in their own right, and will have already spent a long time learning their craft. Their chems are worthy of the House Escher stamp when exported, and they are charged with training gang sisters that show promise in medicine in order to expand their ranks.
Chem wytches are often the newest recruits of a Chymist Cult, though they are by no means weak. These are already seasoned gangers, recruited due to their promising medicinal talent, and will often be hand picked from their original gang or house by a clan chymist in order to apprentice under them. Whilst chem wytches may also travel with regular gangs in order to patch up injuries and enhance performance, allowing them to train more efficiently, they always eventually return to their coven.
Finally, despite their lack of medicinal knowledge, death-maidens cluster around Chymist Cults like moths to a flame. It is the unique cocktail of chems produced by the cults that keeps these once-dead fighters alive, and many will be retained by their benefactors for protection. Occasionally, chymists felled in battle have also been known to rise up and join the ranks of these Moraegan, using their own toxic blood to concoct even more deadly poisons than before...