The Wych Cult of the Dancing Death
The Dancing Death
pride themselves on mastery of the aerial artform, In their home arena it's
considered bad taste to touch the floor before the killing blow is delivered,
with fights carried out on spear tips protruding 12 feet above the sand.
The cult is looked
down upon somewhat by the Commorite elite who are used to drawn out bouts with
the eventual victor torturing their victim with countless cuts in a long
process to maximise their enjoyment. Bouts that would last minutes and hours in
any other setting last but seconds in the Spear Stadia, appealing to a select
minority who enjoy the demonstration of sheer superiority provided by a
lightning quick finish.
As a result of their
respect for speed and the traditions of the cult, there are a greater number
than usual of Reaver gangs affiliated with the cult, and the leaders have a
strong relationship with an elite section of Razorwing pilots. This is
evidenced in that the cult rarely conducts a realspace raid without at least
one of these supersonic fighters. They
also have extensive dealings with scourge messengers, and in fact many of the
scourge have been elevated to scourge from Gladiatrixes due to their
appreciation of aerial duels.
The colours selected
by the cult convey these themes, with dark purple bodysuits implying both a
regal superiority and a homage to the shadows the cult invariably strikes from,
whilst the lightning blue spot colours reflect the speed with which the killing
blow is delivered.
In terms of
leadership, unlike most Wych cults which are led by a triumvirate of Succubi,
in the Dancing Death there are but two Succubi, with overall power within the
cult being finely balanced between the lightning fast Lanudhae, once a famous
Gladiatrix who now turns her hand to enhancing the external perception of the
cult through regular realspace raids, and the shadowy Yaqorae, of which little
is known and less spoken.
In keeping with the
traditions of the cult, ambitious Hekatrix are unlikely to bide their time for
long, and regular challenges to the two Succubi's leadership are common. As
such when leading realspace raids it is much more likely to see a Succubus in the
company of trusted bodyguards from one of the Icubi orders rather than in the
midst of potential upstarts.
Recent Sightings.
There is a marked
difference between the cults open strength, and their hidden strength, but the
known participants in recent raids, and thus those that currently hold the most
favour within it's ranks, are as follows:
Lanudhae - Most of
the cults' raids recently are led by the spinning death herself, armed with her
deadly archite glaive and protected by a mysterious Cuirass known as the Armour of Misery - Magnifying the fear that her enemies feel in her presence tenfold
Khamor - The silent
leader of the Incubii responsible for protecting Lanudhae, the calm with which
he and his fellow Incubus butcher any attempts on his mistresses' life are
disturbing to any not familiar with the dark kin.
Gladiatrix: Three
Hekatrix lead the gladiatrixes of the
Dancing Death on their realspace raids, each at the head of up to 10 wyches
normally transported into battle by a Raider boasting the best in dark eldar
technology to allow them to blend into the shadows when necessary before
speeding in for the killing blow. Each Hekatrix will normally carry an Agoniser
into battle, a vicious whip covered in toxins with which are designed to attach
themselves to their victim's nervous system to cause immense pain whilst
quickly incapacitating them. They are commonly accompanied by the cult's weapon
specialists, deadly Hydrae wielding gauntlets that spout crystalline growths on
demand that rip apart their victims, covering those nearby in arterial spray
that serves to further excite the battle rage within them.
Reavers: The current
leader of the Reavers associated with the cult is Therys, although he has
little of a leadership role once battle has begun, with various cliques of
Reavers splitting up and advancing at high speeds to harrass enemy tanks before
joining in the slaughter once their job is done.
Razorwing: "The
Razorflight" is the combined name for the trio of Razorwing pilots
associated with the cult, although there are many who aspire to fly the sleek
fighters in combat the current cadre of elite pilots seems to be living a
charmed existence. Their planes dodging and weaving through anti air fire,
dropping their deadly monoscythe missiles on their primary targets before
dispersing to wreak havoc amongst enemy armour and heavy infantry alike.
