Malstrain Genestealer
Malstrain Genestealers are a type of Genestealer variant found on Necromunda.[1]
Contents
Description
A Malstrain Genestealer is a unique Genestealer subspecies that was created on Necromunda due to the world's heavy radiation and generations of inbreeding. Malstrains are heavily mutated from baseline Genestealers, and as a result, the Tyranids' Hive Mind refuses to answer their psychic call. Malstrain Genestealers have a twisted and heavily mutated appearance. They commonly sport sloughed skin and exposed organs, and have asymmetrical features not seen in pure Tyranid species.[1][2]
Malstrain Genestealers are often accompanied by familiars dubbed Malstrain Tyramites. These creatures are not Tyranids, but rather local tick-like insectoids that have fed on the dead and evolved. These creatures are nonetheless directed by the Malstrain Patriarch.[1]
Origins
Hermiatus, a Tech-Priest of Necromunda, came to believe that the Genestealer plague was not just genetic manipulation but a psychic infection. In his obsessive quest for answers, he connected his mind to a Purestrain Genestealer via a neural interface, despite warnings. The experiment ended with Hermiatus releasing the creature, which infected his assistants and ultimately himself. Hermiatus merged Genestealer DNA with his own, becoming an ally to the xenos, and helped establish the Cult of the Second Son within Hive Secundus.[5a]
During the war for Hive Secundus, Inquisitor Vestrix identified the unique strain of the Genestealer Curse, dubbed the "Malstrain", which exhibited unpredictable and aberrant genetic traits. Unlike traditional Genestealer Purestrains, the Malstrain showed no regular generational cycle, with each new generation often producing horrific mutations. This was likely a result of genetic tampering by Hermiatus and the effects of inbreeding over time.[5b]
Spread on Necromunda
It is suspected that the Malstrain escaped Hive Secundus before its destruction. Evidence of mutated Genestealers has since been discovered in other hives on Necromunda, though such cases are officially dismissed as typical Genestealer genetic diversity. In reality, the Palanite Scrutinators have gathered substantial evidence of the Malstrain's spread, but under orders from Lord Helmawr, the information remains concealed. Should the Adeptus Terra learn of the Malstrain's proliferation, Necromunda could face devastating retribution from the Imperium.[5b]
Known Groups of Malstrain Genestealers
- Heralds of the Venomed Talon[3]
- Cult of the Second Son
Images
Malstrain Genestealers with Malstrain Tyramites
See Also
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Community: Hive Secundus – Undoing Perfection With the Horrors of the Malstrain (posted 14/7/2024) (last accessed 18/7/2024)
- 2: Warhammer Community: Warhammer Preview – Plunder the Haunted Depths of Necromunda: Hive Secundus (Posted on 18/05/2024) (Posted on 18/05/2024)
- 3: Warhammer Community: The Gangs and Genestealers of Hive Secundus, Painted by the Warhammer Studio (Saved archive page, dated 19 July 2024, last accessed 19 July 2024), for details see Malstrain Genestealer/Sources
- 4: Warhammer Community: You Can’t Run or Hide from the Unstoppable Malstrain Alpha (posted 24 June 2024)
- 5: Necromunda: Hive Secundus
