House Catallus
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| Emblem of House Catallus[3b] | |
| Affiliation: | Imperium |
| Parent House: | House Van Saar |
| Found on: | Necromunda |
House Catallus, also known as the House of Masks[3a], is one of the seven Noble Houses of Necromunda's Hive Primus, and was once second only to House Helmawr until a civil war divided the House. The losing faction was exiled to the Ash Wastes where they became the Nomad gangs, and are hunted by the Catallus Spyrers to this day.[2a]
Contents
History
House Catallus Civil War
Once a large and proud, prosperous House, preeminent among the elite Noble Houses of Necromunda, second only to House Helmawr itself, it had large stakes in most Hives on the planet. Then, over two-thousand years ago, civil war broke out in what is still remembered as the most vicious conflict in the archived history of the Noble Houses. What triggered the war or even why the factions disagreed is not known, but for over a hundred years House Catallus was torn apart by assassinations and embroiled in open warfare between House factions and bloodlines in internal power struggles for the House's wealth.[2a]
The ancestors of what is now House Catallus emerged as the victorious faction, exiling their defeated relatives into the Ash Wastes in what was supposed to be a death sentence. Some outcasts survived in the wasteland, becoming the Nomad gangs that wander the toxic wastes, and still living with the shame that their ancestors cast them out from the safety of the hive.[2a]
Present Day
House Catallus is led by the Faceless Lord, an honorary title given to the leader of the House.[3b]
Today, House Catallus is known as deal brokers, matchmakers, and social overseers of Necromunda. They facilitate the connections between the Great Houses and off-world organisations, but are nonetheless known as one of the most mysterious of the main houses. Their hierarchy is unclear and many assume its agents are often a single entity. They have taken many forms over Necromunda's long history, allying with and battling most of the Great Houses at various times. The only permanent alliance seems to be the pact with House Van Saar for unknown, mysterious reasons.[3b]
Personnel
House Catallus Carnival
A House Catallus Carnival is an unusual and deadly group, appearing to deliver violent retribution on behalf of House Catallus.[3b]
These Carnivals, varying in size from one individual to dozens, are led by a Masked Killer, a skilled and extravagantly armed noble armed with Van Saar weaponry.[3b]
The Masked Killer is often assisted by a Mindfrayed, whose terrifying mask spreads fear and acts like a hunting hound to flush out enemies. The Mindfrayed, typically the first to encounter opponents, serves as bait, luring foes into the Masked Killer's trap. This gruesome display of violence serves to exact the House's vengeance on those who have wronged them.[3b]
Spyre Hunters
House Catallus sends out its young men and women in Spyrer teams to prove themselves ready to rule like the other Noble Houses. They are sent to the Ash Wastes to hunt the Nomads descended from their ancestors' enemies in what is more a traditional ritual than genuine revenge. In practice, Nomads, Shanty dwelblers and even Guilder caravans are all hunted as vermin, who hate and fear the Spyrers in return.[2a]
Equipment
Double-Bladed Knife
The double-bladed knife was a ritual weapon traditionally carried by members of House Catallus dating back to the House's prominence. Since the exile it has become a common weapon of the Nomads and other Outhivers, and a symbol of the Nomads' struggles. The double-blade allows a fighter to parry with it like a sword even though it is just a knife.[2b]
Notable Catalli
- Yolanda Catallus - daughter of Lord Catallus, Underhive outlaw "Outlands Annie"[4] and later took the new outlaw identity of the "Silver Talon"
[Help] - Arbelesta Raen Catallus and Aramista Dae Catallus.[5]
Trivia
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- The lore which made exiled House Catallus nobles the forebears of the Ash Wastes Nomads was retconned in 2022, when the Ash Wastes Nomads were presented as being the last citizens of the Araneus Continuity's empire who fled from their oppressors into the wastes, way before House Catallus existed.[5] No mention of 2002's House Catallus civil war[2a] was found in the 2021 Necromunda: House of Artifice book.[3b]
- Unlike Necromunda Magazine Issue 3's article The Ash Wastes, where Catallus was presented as divided in a civil war and only the losing faction was exiled into the wastelands,[2a] the house was presented in Fanatic Online 31's article Necromunda: Ash Waste Nomads as a fully fallen house whose members were all cast out into the wastelands.[7]
See also
Sources
- 1: Necromunda: Sourcebook, pg. 10
- 2: Necromunda Magazine Issue 3:
- 3: Necromunda: House of Artifice:
- 4: Kal Jerico (Graphic Novel Series), [Help]
- 5: Necromunda: The Book of Peril, pg. 40
- 6: Necromunda: Book of the Outlands, pgs. 6-7
- 7: Fanatic Online 31 - Necromunda: Ash Waste Nomads
| 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 |
