House Escher

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A tiger's eye and three crossed stilettos: the symbol of House Escher

House Escher, known as the House of Blades, is one of the Clan Houses of Necromunda. The House is populated almost entirely by females, who are said to look down on and pity all males.[1]

Overview

Escher Ganger[12h]

House Escher is the oldest Clan House upon Necromunda and can even trace their genetic strength back to M32, when legendary warrior women known as The Blades first made their mark upon the planet. In the intervening millennia, they have celebrated many successes and suffered many defeats.[12a]

In M35, Escher was created formally at the conclusion of the Two-faced War where the House Ulanti sect known as the Eschaki exiled themselves from Hive Primus's Spire. Wars with House Goliath raged on and off until the Great Poisoning during the Mynerva Famine, which killed thousands of Goliath warriors and saw them all but wiped out in the subsequent fighting.[12a]

However, during M39, the house was infected with the Flesh Curse, and some nine out of every ten male children died before reaching their second cycle. Other clans tried to take advantage of their weakened position, and the House of Blades suffered many losses. It was left to the matriarchs of the clan to claim leadership and over the years; through means both subtle and violent, they have risen to reclaim their place among the Clan Houses.[12a]

Arrogant and heartless, the Escher have a reputation for cruelty, and are perhaps the most vicious house. They are as tough and heavily armed as any other gang, both fast and deadly, and tend to have a strong bias towards hand-to-hand combat. When choosing guns they prefer plasma weapons for their high firepower.[5a][5b][6] The Eschers' gang-dialect is known as Argot.[23]

House Escher's wealth depends upon the stimm trade, in particular the supplying of their stimms to House Goliath and medical elixirs to House Van Saar. 90% of all stimms produced on Necromunda come from House Escher's chymist clans.[12a] Its products are manufactured to the high standards of the house's alchemyst covens under sanction by the Imperial Houses.[40a]

Like all the other clan houses, Escher maintains their own workshops, which, under the watchful eyes of the Adeptus Mechanicus, churn out weapons of numerous classes - those favoured by the house's warriors appear lethal and artfully refined, just like their owners. [16m]

In Hive Mortis, Escher has risen to dominance among its peers (though their 'death-maiden' gangs are not unchallenged), extracting and fermenting drugs from the dead.[16c]

Population

Almost all Escher are female, making them unique and perhaps the most strikingly different of the Houses of Necromunda. The few Escher males are physical derelicts; shriveled and imbecilic, perhaps due to a genetic defect in the House bloodline, or the aftereffects of an alchemical plague which many believe was the same as that which decimated the population of House Aranthus several centuries ago and ultimately led to its downfall.[1][2] This physical dereliction may manifest as the males being born "simple, stupid, shameful slops of humanity." while "Most of them are stillborn".[10b]

One notable exception to the physical derelict male population is Reiko Tori, the twin brother of Bri Tori - the pair being the female and male offspring of Red Tori [10b] of House Escher (leader of the Wild Hydras gang). The twins "came from the same genesis cycle" and "... shared a womb and shared a hammock".[10b]

Society & Organisation

Matriarch Faryrari Skal, ambassador to the Upper Hive, noble of House Escher[12g]

Escher society has long since developed to compensate for their imbalanced population (which is no longer seen as a disadvantage), and like all other Houses have a ruling family which, along with close relatives and families in service, dominates the institutions and political life of the House.[1]

Traditionally, the House of Blades has always had a single ruler, varying in title and method of succession, from hereditary rites to popular support or treachery. After the Flesh Curse ended the line of Patriarchs, Matriarchs became the sole rulers. For the past 1,000 years, House Escher has been governed by a Matriarch Primus, or 'Queen'.[12c]

Supporting her are the Council of Crones, made up of members from Escher’s most prominent families and powerful individuals. It’s their responsibility to enact the will of the Matriarch Primus and govern the day-to-day running of the clan.[11]

House Escher's internal structure revolves around the ancient triumvirate of Maiden, Mother, and Matriarch, representing different aspects of femininity, adapted to their unique culture.[12f]

Additionally, there are the shivvers, wise women who serve discreetly within the clan, often seen as oracles. They provide insights into the future and lay curses, with some hiding in plain sight while others remain hidden. The clan protects shivvers from external threats, ensuring their safety from those seeking their potential psychic abilities (no shivver has ever undergone psychometric testing).[12f]

Known sub-factions

House Relations

House Escher and House Goliath are old enemies, and their mutual borders are the scene of frequent skirmishes. Escher's typical disdain for all males is particularly acute when it comes to Goliaths, who they dismiss as simple and brutish, and often refer to as "Meatnecks".[1][3][16e] At the same time it's Escher that provides House Goliath with the growth stimms their members need to attain and maintain their prodigious frames.[16f]

House Orlock also borders Escher territory, with the House typically considering Escher as one of its two strongest allies. The Escher leadership respect the prominent position of many fellow females in House Orlock, and the famous Orlock penchant for political marriages has led to many occasions when particularly cunning Orlock women have held the balance of power. The Escher view this with haughty satisfaction and as a result their leaders suspend their usual dismissive arrogance of men when dealing with House Orlock, but this does not stop them seeing the males of the House as disadvantaged and piteous.[2]

Escher also benefits from close ties with the noble House Ulanti. The Escher actually began as a secret sect within House Ulanti, known as the Eschaki. Following the infamous Two-faced War between Ulanti and House Athenos, the Eschaki chose a self-imposed exile from the spire as they had become disillusioned with how far Ulanti had drifted from their origins. Even as the Eschaki evolved into the Escher, they maintained their alliance with Ulanti, a deal that had served both sides well over the years.[11]

The House is known to have a long-standing contract with the Janus Clan, to provide them with vat-grown clones.[9a]

Female Uphivers

Female refugees from the spire of the Hive, such as "Mad" Donna and Yolanda Catallus, are often associated with House Escher, though not exclusively; indeed, "Mad" Donna led a gang of Orlocks after drifting away from the Escher gang that took her in, and many also become unaligned bounty hunters.[3][4]

Gang Personnel

Escher Ganger by Karl Kopinski

Known Equipment

Known Gangs

Escher gang.jpeg

Notable Eschers

Gang leaders

Boss Skarro[44]

Known ex-members

Images

Miniatures

  • House Escher Classic miniatures

  • House Escher 2017 miniatures[13]

Trivia

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

See also

Sources


The Houses of Necromunda
Imperial House Helmawr
Noble Houses Athenos • Catallus • Craft • Greim • Harrow • Ko'iron • Ran Lo • Ty • Ulanti
Clan Houses Cawdor • Delaque • Escher • Goliath • Orlock • Van Saar
Fallen Houses Aranthus • Credo • Hasbel • Helm'ayr • Mung • Olwar • Orlund
Other/Unknown Status Averest • Gorshed • Hera • Jungar • Olrak • Olwyr • Vosak • Weyter • Yoranta
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