Caryatid
Caryatids (Homo sapiens caeruleum)[9] are small, winged, blue humanoid creatures which infest the many air-ducts and vents throughout Necromunda's hives in great numbers.[1b]
Contents
Overview
Caryatids are seen as good luck charms by many hivers, as they tend to attach themselves to charismatic, powerful and successful individuals: for example, very successful gang leaders and their henchmen are often attended by several Caryatids and Necromunda's Planetary Governor Lord Helmawr was known to have at least one named Blinky.[1a][2][6]
Mildly psychic, they are particularly attracted to the soon-to-become-powerful and can penetrate human minds, usefully recognizing malicious intentions against their companions (and sometimes even fighting alongside those they latch onto.[3a] Although they are a sign of good fortune of those they adopt, an individual whose 'pet' caryatid leaves them is regarded as waiting for death, as the departure is seen as an omen of doom.[1b][2]
Caryatids' blue skin is generally covered by an intricate, tattoo-like pattern, and some are known to paint their faces (such as Lord Helmawr's) and wear bracelets, bangles, anklets, and earrings. As well as fighting with small auto weapons, they have also been seen to carry light sources, such as a candle.[1a][2][3a][3b]
They should not be confused with the artificially constructed cherubim sometimes used as familiars by psychic inquisitors which are also sometimes seen in the Underhive, though it is less clear if they are related to other small winged humanoids found elsewhere in the Imperium, such as those which ring bells and bear incense in the Imperial Palace.[4][5]
Caryatid-servitor
House Aranthus valued Caryatids for their psychic abilities, but hated the creatures' capricious nature. In order to solve this problem, the House killed them and turned their bodies into Servitors. These Caryatid-servitors then became eternally loyal to their owners.[10]
Known Caryatids
- Blinky - Bound to Planetary Governor Gerontius Helmawr[6]
- Stix - Bound to the House Escher bodyguard, Athera Sabine[7]
- Omen of the Eye[8]
Images
Caryatid-servitor[10]
See also
Sources
- 1: "Confrontation", White Dwarf 130 (UK)
- 2: "Confrontation", White Dwarf 132 (UK), pg. 33
- 3: "Confrontation", White Dwarf 137 (UK)
- 4: Necromunda: Underhive, pgs. 2, 26, 91, 141
- 5: Codex Imperialis (Background Book), pgs. 3, 15, 46
- 6: Apocrypha Necromundus: House Helmawr (posted on 02/04/2019) (last accessed on 09/02/2023)
- 7: Warhammer Community: House Escher’s Top Bodyguard Protects Her Matriarch One Slice at a Time (Posted on 05/09/2022) (Last accessed on 09/02/2023)
- 8: Necromunda: Gangs of the Underhive, pg. 115
- 9: Liber Xenologis, pg. 103
- 10: Warhammer Community: World Championships Preview – Ozostium Aranthus seizes the throne of Hive Primus (Saved archive page, dated 7 November 2025, last accessed 7 November 2025, original link: https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/o1rgb5xp/world-championships-preview-ozostium-aranthus-seizes-the-throne-of-hive-primus/)
Uncited
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- "Confrontation", Gang War 5, front cover
- "Necromunda Gangs", White Dwarf 131 (UK), pg. 67
