Kabal of the Serrated Blades Kabal Lord

[Defcon]

Well, after seeing what a fine job everyone here has done with this website, I figured I'd share first my Kabal Lord with you all, and then put in some Kabal fluff after I get back from classes - Note, his name is just a filler (it's the name of the Decapitator as most of you will probably note) as I've had a streak of writer's block and been unable to properly think of a name that's Dark Eldar enough.

With that - Kabal Lord Kheradruakh!

WS-5, BS - 5, St-4(8), To-6, Wo-4, In-6, At-5, Sv - 2+(4+I)
Points: 395 (filler until I can playtest him)

Kheradruakh may join an army from the Kabal of the Serrated Blades, so long as it as at least 2,000 points strong. If you take him than he counts as one of the HQ choices for the army. He must be used exactly as described below, and may not be given any extra equipment from the Dark Eldar armoury.

Wargear: Desecrated Throne

Desecrated Throne: Kheradruakh and his two Haemonculi ride upon a macabre version of the Throne of Judgement known as the Desecrated Throne. Adorned with bodies of servitors and defiled imperial insignias, Kheradruakh arrives in a perversely ornate fashion when he goes into battle. Kheradruakh, his two Haemonculi and the Throne have all been given a single profile that reflects their overall combat ability. Opponents may not target individual pieces of the Throne. Consider it a Talos or Wraithlord with multiple models on it for purposes of shooting from/at the Throne. In addition, Kheradruakh and his retinue may never join another unit as he technically forms a unit with his Haemonculi.

Weapons: Two Dreadnought Close Combat weapons, Twin-linked Gatling Splinter Cannon. Each Dreadnought Close Combat weapon also incorporates a Haemonculi Destructor. Kheradruakh has one blaster mounted on his throne. He may fire the blaster irrespective of movement speed. All weapons fire at BS 5.

Implacable Advance: The Throne is a towering construct capable of laying down a curtain of fire as it advances into combat. It can shoot up to two weapons when moving 6”, one weapon when moving 12”, or all weapons if it stays stationary in the movement phase.

Super-charged Engines: In testament to the quick raiding attacks the Dark Eldar make, the Desecrated Throne has multiple anti-gravitic drive engines (akin to a Raider) along the back and undersides of its massive structure. This allows the Throne to move like a non-fast skimmer (12” movement, 6” assault). Note: this does not make the Throne a skimmer, so it must still roll for difficult terrain checks.

Deep-Strike: The Desecrated Throne is brought to battle by no less than two raiders that are heavily modified to carry the immense payload quickly into the middle of conflict at the Kabal Lord’s will. The throne may always deploy using the Deep Strike rules for deployment, even if the mission does not allow it. In addition, because of the massive weight of the Throne, scattering onto enemy units or into difficult terrain never destroys the Throne. Simply place the Throne 1” away from enemy models or out of difficult/impassible terrain as if it had landed safely.

Monstrous Creature: The Desecrated Throne is a huge and fearsomely strong opponent. It is treated as a monstrous creature and therefore rolls 2D6 for armour penetration and ignores opponent’s armour saves in close combat.

Holo-field: The Desecrated Throne has a built-in Holo-field that makes it nearly impervious to all but the strongest of weapons. This grants the Throne a 4+ invulnerable save against shooting attacks, even against those that would normally pierce it’s armour or allow no save to be made. In close combat, enemies would be inside of the shield projector, and therefore it grants no benefit towards close combat attacks.

Fearless: Kheradruakh and his Haemonculi are some of the most perverse of Dark Kin. Warriors of hundreds of battles, they have resolve and security when on the Desecrated Throne. The Throne will never fall back, even if attacked by a weapon that would normally make the enemy fall back without a Morale Check, and cannot be pinned.

Inspiring Icon: Members of the Kabal of the Serrated Blades, upon seeing the Desecrated Throne, are inspired to great feats out of reverence and fear for their Kabal Lord, each vying for his favor. When on the field, any Dark Eldar model within 6” of the Desecrated Throne becomes Fearless.

[Defcon]

A very short little bit of fluff on my Kabal, it used to span several pages, but I lost it so now I have to reclaim the glory that once was . I'll probably edit in more as I think of more to write about the Kabal.

Anyways:

In my research about the Kabals of the Dark Eldar, I have managed to create a compilation of hearsay and subdued information concerning one of the most sadistic of Kabals, the Kabal of the Serrated Blades. While in the city of Commoragh, there is a constant struggle for territory. Anger one Kabal, and you pay a tribute to ensure stability, or you start a turf war. In these battles, the victor gains territory from the loser, and in every instance that has been recorded, this is how power is determined in Commoragh. However, it would appear that the Kabal of the Serrated Blades fights a different sort of war in its anarchic lifestyle in the Dark City. The Serrated Blades rarely gain territory; they seem content to remain with what they have. It would be suggested, therefore, that the Kabal is small in power and rather non-influential in the Dark City, yet this does not seem to be the case. This would suggest even more-so that in the power struggle of Commoragh, the Kabal would be easily wiped out by larger Kabals, yet this is not the case. For an inexplicable reason, the Serrated Blades never lose the territory they gain, and while they do perform territorial warfare, they never hold onto that territory either. The surprise is for whomever tries to reclaim that land, as like their namesake would suggest, the Serrated Blades leave an incurable wound on whatever land they touch. They are experts with setting traps, demolitions, and making territory very costly to reclaim. It would serve to guess, therefore, that this knowledge is known in the Dark City, and that is how the Kabal manages to hold onto their lands – it would be incredibly costly to attempt to steal land that the Kabal has held onto since it’s foundations, and one could only imagine what sort of gruesome mechanisms are housed within the Kabal’s headquarters for the time when a Kabal feels they are prepared to take on the Serrated Blades.

This is not to say that the Kabal doesn’t leave Commoragh, as much to our detriment that is not the case. The Kabal enjoys toying with the minds of those that live inside of the Hive Cities most. The Kabal will typically send a very weak raiding force initially, testing the defenses of such locations and then feigning a retreat so that larger forces will be brought to bear if there is a return attack. And there is always a secondary raid. The Kabal will then send out it’s actual raiding force once the beleaguered citizenry are wrought with fear, and the Planetary Defense Force has brought in more troops, and then the blade will be turned. There are always survivors of these assaults, as it’s far more telling if there those to spread the fear and dread of the Serrated Blades’ assaults to the populace. And much like in their Dark City, the Kabal will lay traps inside of the Hive City, or even in the bodies of the dead utilizing a technology that we cannot properly comprehend, as there is never a sign of tampering with the corpses. So when someone attempts to remove the body and more people are relocated to the Hive City, there are always massive casualties, and those first few months are a living hell for the citizenry. This is how the Kabal also receives it’s namesake; the perverse Dark Eldar of the Serrated Blades are always prepared to make the healing process after an attack incredibly painful, much like a serrated blade being pulled out of a wound – more damage is always caused when attempting to dislodge the weapon than when it was put in.

Excerpt from ‘Enemies of the Imperium: Dark Eldar Kabals Of The Thirty-Ninth And Fortieth Millennia’ by Scribe P. B. Oschprey