Death Cult
Death cults are extreme cults characterized by their worship through bloodshed, and can be found on many Imperial worlds.[1a]
Contents
Overview
While many of these cults serve Khorne the Blood God, others are extreme sects of the Imperial Cult and fanatically loyal to the Emperor of Mankind. As the Emperor sacrifices himself for mankind's continued survival, these cults in return slay the enemies of the Emperor, offering them as sacrifices. Death cult assassins are often utilised by the Inquisition, the assassins' skill in the arts of killing making them excellent executioners and infiltrators. They employ exotic ritual weapons for their work: stilettos and blades backed by digi-weapons and needlers.[1a][2b]
They specialise in ritual murder and assassination, with the art of the blade being paramount to the Cult. Different forms of incisions, lacerations, punctures, the type of the weapon used, the part of the body that has been struck all have special significance to dedicating the soul to the Emperor. Many of the ritual weapons used and lovingly maintained by the Cult are highly specialised. They range from knife-rings to whip-scythes with more fanciful and symbolic weapons including cross shaped throwing knives or knives made from the bones of the faithful or heretical.[2b]
Death cultists are quite frequently cannibals - haematophages - in that they drink the blood of their victims. Death cultists believe they become purified by consuming the blood and flesh of a slain enemy, and that by doing so they have taken their enemy's prowess and soul. Often blood is siphoned off from the dead as offerings to the Emperor and it is quite common for Death Cultists to make pilgrimages to a great cathedral of the Ecclesiarchy in order to present their gift to the Master of Mankind.[2b]
Death Cultists are expert, cold-blooded killers who can stalk their prey for hours or days, waiting for the right moment to strike. Then, a sudden explosion of power and speed occurs as the assassin makes numerous cat-like leaps from the shadows with blades extended that sever limbs or disembowel their target with savage grace. This makes them valued companions to an Inquisitor who turns a blind eye to their eating habits and some are even sent to the Officio Assassinorum for further training.[2b]
The Feudal World Fervious in the Calixis Sector is known for its many death cults,[5c] and by some accounts is largely governed by them.[7b]
Known death cults
- Ashen Tear — Death cult within the Logicians.[7c]
- Astral Knives[5a]
- Bathorite Death Cult[18]
- Bloodspun Web[21]
- Brethren of the Risen — Resurrectionist death cult.[7d]
- Children of the True Resurrection — Resurrectionist death cult on Kalf.[9]
- The Covenant — Chaos death cult, part of the Cholercaust armada.[13]
- Cult of the Sacred Blade[16b]
- The Death Cult of Saint Wellas — Death cult of assassin-monks who venerate Saint Wellas the Silent.[6]
- Disciples of Duran Eckert — Redemptionist death cult on the Drusus Shrine World.[17]
- Emperor's Blades.[24]
- Endurists
- The Faceless
- Gilded Tears — Macharian Sector.[19]
- Haemovores
- The Moritat[5b]
- Thrice Blessed[16c]
- Winged Skull
- White Maiden — Death cult on Fervious.[7e]
- Widow-Maker Cult[16a]
Known Death Cult Assassins
- Apocalypse — Partook in the Pyrus Reach Conflict.[9]
- Dakloss — Assassin of the Inner Circle of the Thrice Blessed.[16c]
- Emerah — Acolyte to Inquisitor Tymer Quintarus.[10]
- Esme Blackheart — Moritat cultist. Acolyte to Inquisitor Srax-Rhame.[7c]
- Jhen Harrak — Assailor of the Widow-Maker Cult.[16a]
- Joaqhuine Desdemondra[3]
- Kibellah — Secund Spinner of the Bloodspun Web[21]
- Kiera[4]
- Knosso Prond — Winged Skull cultist. Serves the Rogue Trader Elucia Vhane.[14]
- Mery — Acolyte to Inquisitor Emeline Smythe[11]
- Nwana Zhankis — Moritat cultist. Also known as KXK-99. In service to the Tenebrae Collegium.[15]
- Severina and Sevora Devout — Emperor's Blades cultists. Acolytes to Inquisitor Eisenhorn.[2a]
- Slyrian — Acolyte to Inquisitor Agustius.[12]
- Zalkov — Vindictor of the Cult of the Sacred Blade.[16b]
- Hel — A Death Cult Assassin who works with Inquisitor Morgravia Sanctus of the Ordo Sepulturum.[22]
Images
Death Cult Assassin miniatures (3rd Edition)[1b]
Death Cult Assassin miniature for Kill Team: Blood and Zeal[23]
Emperor's Blades Death-Cult Assassin assigned to the Order of the Sacred Rose during the Kaurava Campaign.[24]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition):
- 2: Inquisitor Rulebook:
- 3: Atlas Infernal (Novel), Prologue
- 4: Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, pg. 183
- 5: Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook:
- 6: Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook, pg. 36
- 7: Dark Heresy: Disciples of the Dark Gods:
- 8: Dark Heresy Second Edition: Enemies Within, pg. 73
- 9: Dark Millennium (game system): Dark Millennium — Card description (Last accessed on 16 January 2024)
- 10: Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pgs. 7-8
- 11: Wrath & Glory: Dark Tides, pgs. 125-126 - Twisted Strands
- 12: Warrior Brood (Novel), Chapter 9
- 13: Legion of the Damned (Novel), Chapter 18
- 14: Codex: Elucidian Starstriders, pg. 18
- 15: Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook, pgs. 8-17
- 16: Dark Heresy: Ascension:
- 17: Dark Heresy: Blood of Martyrs, pg. 64
- 18: White Dwarf 257 (UK), pg. 19
- 19: Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum, pg. 270 - The Powers of Dao Teyras
- 20: Codex: Inquisition (6th Edition), Digital edition, Death Cult Assassins
- 21: Owlcat Games Youtube Website Death Cult Introduction | Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Posted on 26/06/2024) (Last accessed on September 24, 2024)
- 22: Sepulturum (Novel) pg. 18
- 23: Warhammer Community: Wield the power of the gods in Kill Team: Blood and Zeal (posted 01/03/2025) (archived from the original, posted 04/03/2025)
- 24: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm Sisters of Battle Commander - Honour Guard List
External links
- Inquisitor Rulebook - broken link
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