Index Xenos: Karrneshla

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

Karrneshla & The Kabal of Seared Souls

 

The Kabal of Seared Souls  is a combined Craftworld/Dark Eldar society, the only one known of its kind.The Kabal's Supreme Archon is Lord Aerazabael Dethezara, who is one of the youngest Kabal leaders in Dark Eldar society (although, compared to most races, that isn't very young).  Despite seeming to appear suddenly,  The Kabal of Seared Souls has a long and secretive history which has led it to become one of the largest and most powerful Kabals.  However, they are one of the youngest Kabals in Dark Eldar society in terms of "official" recognition.  The last confirmed sighting of Karrneshla by Imperium agents was in The Liber Cluster.

 

Imperium Report of Last Confirmed Sighting

 

 

                                                                                        +++Scout Report 4E-O76+++

 

+525.M35+

++Sub Sector Colvin++

 

+++Xenos Sighting+++

++++Forward to Ordo Xenos++++

 

A lone Eldar craft was spotted by scout ships 3 days ago.  Pict-captures are hazy at best.  Reports suggest a large vessel, possibly a craftworld, although it was impossible to verify due to extreme range.  Connection to other reports of Eldar activity unknown.  Presence of Eldar could explain anomalies of the sub-sector.  Advise Ordo Xenos and full investigation.

 

+++End Report+++

 

++EDIT++

 

Note by Ordo Xenos - This is the last known transmission from Scout Flotilla B59.  Flotilla is presumed lost, suspected Eldar attack.  Advise that a Deathwatch kill-team be dispatched.

 

Origins of Karrneshla

 

They say that Aerazabael Dethezara was once a powerful Dracon in The Kabal of the Black Heart.  At some point it was discovered that he had secretly decided to form his own Kabal and try to split form Vects direct control, with his own beliefs and culture at the Kabals center.  He had started by rallying together his followers and exiles, Kabal-hopefuls, and other rebellious members of the ancient Kabals.  It would appear that the resources lost by the other Kabals over the previous years, literally lifetimes now, had been taken in secret by this new Kabal.  It had hidden most of its members in the areas of the Dark City that the Kabals care nothing for, waiting until it had grown enough in strength to defend itself from the others.  He named it The Kabal of Seared Souls and upon its discovery he led a rebellion aimed at taking the port of Commoragh.  Given that The Kabal was discovered earlier than he had planned, Lord Aerazabael Dethezara, now calling himself The Supreme Archon of The Kabal of Seared Souls, aimed his rebellion at capturing ships at the port to use in their escape from Commoragh because he knew that his Kabal was not strong enough to battle Vect indefinitely in Commoragh.  His plan succeeded in capturing enough ships to carry the majority of The Kabal into space.  He left a contingent of the most fanatical followers, fellow exiles lead by former members of The Kabal of the Black Heart, to cover their escape, knowing that they would die before being captured.  The Kabal of Seared Souls was outlawed by Vect for their rebellion. 

 

They traveled constantly, searching for a suitable safe heaven.  And after being forced to spend prolonged periods in real space they found that their depravity from the time altering aspects of the webway caused their power and bodies  to start deteriorating.  Fortunately, they stumbled over a damaged craftworld and upon docking, they found the local Eldar asking for help.  They had been ravaged by a tyrannid splinter fleet and had barely won the battle, but their numbers were reduced to a tiny fraction of their former strength.  Given that both were in a crisis, they decided to join their forces and rename the craftworld Karrneshla.  Despite the fact that these two races are very similar in how they feel emotion and yet they have both travelled down completely different paths, the desperation of their situations caused them to see the practicality of merging.  Consequentially, they created a system where both races could live peacefully together and benefit from their union.  In this system, the DE used their numbers to jumpstart the population and provide defense for the craftworld.  The Eldar would help the DE by introducing them to the infinity circuit and using spiritstones to protect their souls, power, and longevity.  The Eldar essentially become the stewards of the craftworlds inner workings and caretakers of the spiritstones, while the DE taking up the bulk of society, including the military.  The Kabal of Seared Souls became accustomed to Eldar psykers as they depend on them for repairing the craftworld and protecting their spirits.  The other Kabals curse and hate The Kabal of Seared Souls to this day for their blasphemous merge with Eldar.  Above all other aspects of The Kabal, this has earned them the scorn and hatred of other Dark Eldar.  In recent times, the Kabal has come to direct its spiritual focus towards the awakening Ynnead, the Eldar God of the Dead and have since become members of the Ynnari, seeking to follow the Seventh Path to save their race.  They have come to regard Gyrinx familiars as holy spirits due to their new association with Yvraine.  They also harbor a distrust of Lelith Hesperax, despite her new alliegance.  The Kabal members now take peace in those that fallen whose souls now feed the Infinity Circuit, giving life to Ynnead.

 

Organization

 

The Kabal more complex hierarchy, which was brought about by its size and merge with the Eldar.  Within The Kabal, the upper ranks/classes are more defined than in traditional Kabals and there is the addition of ranks/classes unique to the Eldar members.  The Kabal is broken into Covens, each lead by an Archon or Farseer, which vary in size and determine the power held by its leader. Above these Archons/Farseers are the Kabal Lords, they are the leaders of The Kabal under the Supreme Archon, whose leadership they never question. This increased complexity has several benefits: The Kabal is easier to lead and maintain control of, ones standing in the hierarchy is clearly defined, The Kabal is more effective in combat and only the fittest survive.  The Kabals tough history ( for both Eldar and DE) has made its members adept survivors.  Together, the union of Eldar and Dark Eldar of The Kabal, of Karrneshla, have made them very powerful and unique.

 

The Hierarchy of The Kabal

Supreme Archon Lord Aerazabael Dethezara

Kabal Lords (High Archons and Lord Seers)

Archon/Farseer

Hierarch

Incubi

Draconvar

Dracon

Trueborn

Sybarite

Warrior

 

 

The Covens

The Kabal of Seared Souls in broken up into Covens. Each Coven is led by an Archon/Farseer, followed by a Hierarch. Although the number changes regularly (this is explained below), there are about 18 Covens in The Kabal of Seared Souls and there is the Supreme Archon's personal Coven, called The Blessed. The Covens can operate with almost complete autonomy, but are dependent on the strength of The united Kabal for survival. Their dependence is maintained by never allowing a single Coven to grow large enough to challenge the Supreme Archon and his Blessed Coven. When a Coven reaches an alarming size, a number of its members are separated from it. They are either moved to another Coven or form the basis of a new Coven; the later of which must have the approval of the Supreme Archon. The Blessed Coven and the Kabal Lords are largely responsible for maintaining this balance.

 

Trueborn and Dracons

Both Eldar and DE are considered Trueborn.  In The Kabal, Dracons are simply the leaders of Trueborn squads, they do not command the immense power of other Kabals' Dracons.  As such they do not have the same access to level of equipment as other Kabals' Dracons.

 

 

Hierarchs and Draconvars

 

Hierarch

Hierarch is a title given to a member of a Coven within The Kabal. The Hierarch acts as a sort of councilor to the Archon/Farseer of a Coven. They are the Coven leader's right hand, and are expected to keep ever vigilant against the threat of insurgents, and to enforce their leader's will throughout the ranks in the Coven.  Hierarchs are similar to Craftworld Warlocks. The majority of Hierarchs are promoted from Draconvar, being the position in the Coven most likely to come in frequent contact with the Hierarch as a subordinate and thus have the best chance to kill them.

 

Draconvar

Draconvars rank above Dracons and below the Hierarch. They are the elite above Dracons and Trueborn and act as commanders.  They are more similar to traditional Kabals' Dracons.

 

Armour

They usually dress very similarly to an Archon (although they are careful not to outdo them), wearing light, pressurized, neuroresponsive armor that has been customized with talismans, trophies, and ornate modifications in order to distinguish themselves and emphasize the importance of their rank to subordinates. In fact, most other races have difficulty telling Archons Hierarchs and Draconvars apart because of this. To make this mistake in the presence of one, however, is to almost guarantee one's own death, and perhaps even the Dark Eldar in question depending on circumstances.

 

Wargear

By the time a member of a Kabal has achieved the rank of Draconvar, they more than likely have attained access to the full armory of the Kabal, and as such are frequently seen equipped with the same incredibly advanced wargear, or ancient and valuable artifacts. In the event of a full-scale operation, one that would include the Archon in battle, Hierarch and Draconvars obviously must allow their lord first choice on any equipment they might want. Hierarchs and Archons have complete access to the armory.

 

 

Archons and Farseers

An Archon or Farseer is the highest ranking member of a Coven within The Kabal of Seared Souls. They are considered the single most powerful, ruthless, and cunning member of their Coven, due to the fact that if there existed anyone who held greater ability in these aspects, they would no doubt kill their Archon/Farseer and claim their title.  Indeed, the singular power they hold over the members of their Coven make the title incredibly appealing to subordinates, and assassination attempts are not only common, but frequent. The average Archon/Farseer suffers dozens of assassination attempts before finally succumbing, and some have maintained their position even after well over three hundred attempts on their life.  Farseers are less common than Archons but they are extremely powerful.  Farseers are from the Eldar that The Kabal merged with.

 

Weapons

Archons/Farseers have access to the most powerful weapons, equipment, and artefacts available to their Coven, and as such are frequently seen using amazingly advanced technologies when they deem it necessary to appear on the field of battle. Although some arcane items of Haemonculi or Incubi are restricted even from the archons, as powerful as they are.

In spite of the nature of the archon/farseer, everyone carries a splinter pistol. Though some may carry more powerful darklight-weapons such as blast pistol or even blaster. Some preferring close combat, may boost themselves with combat drugs more commonly used by wyches. They also may carry many kind of blades like djin-, husk- or just common powerblade. Whips such as agoniser and Electrocorrosive Whip are also popular.

 

Armour

Archons/Farseers, like the vast majority of Dark Eldar, feel that speed and dexterity are more than a replacement for defence, and wear only a light pressurised neuro-responsive body armour, allowing them to traverse vacuum when necessary and shrug off most civilian arms fire. Their suits, however, are usually covered in trophies and ornate fixtures that are better representative of their lofty position within the Coven. Nowadays archons may also possess lightweight Ghostplate Armour which also incorporates minor forcefield technology.

More rare protective gear is also being used by Archons/Farseers. Very rare Shadow Field provides best protection of all Dark Eldar technology. There is also strange clone fields used by some archons.

 

Retinue

Archons/Farseers are almost always seen with a retinue in the field, and this retinue is usually the same group of Warriors or Incubi that work as bodyguards when in Karrneshla, protecting them and their estate from would be assassins or rival Dark Eldar.

 

Kabal Leadership

 

Supreme Archon

The Kabal's founder and leader is Supreme Archon Lord Aerazabael Dethezara, whose rule over The Kabal and Karrneshla is as undisputed as Vect's rule over Commorragh.  There have, of course, been several assassination attempts but all have failed.  These attacks have mostly come from outside of The Kabal.  In fact, compared to other Kabals, there have been shockingly few assassination attempts from inside The Kabal due to the members' high respect for their founder.

 

Kabal Lords

Under the Kabal's Supreme Archon, there is a small group of 6 Lords, also known as High Archons and Lord Seers, who form a council.  They gain their positions either by direct appointment by the Supreme Archon or (more commonly) by simply being the most powerful Trueborn within the Kabal.  Each Kabal Lord is the leader of one of the most powerful Covens in The Kabal of Seared Souls, ensuring that only the best sit on the council.

 

Currently Undeveloped Content:

 

The other traditional groups within Dark Eldar society, such as haemonculti and hellions, are also present in The Kabal. Their relations with The Kabal will be eventually be added but I have not gotten to the details.

 

Special Thanks

 

This is still a work in progress, but I like the second version.  Special thanks to Cavash, Mushkilla and other sources from The Dark City community, where I originally posted this.

Edited October 18, 2017 by The Lord Marshal

[Conn Eremon]

I haven't given this a full read through yet, but it's nice to see the Liber Cluster xenos tackled once more.

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

Minor Update - corrected some redundancies and grammatical issues.

Edited October 18, 2017 by The Lord Marshal

[Brother Tyler]

This is a very interesting (and very different) concept.

 

Do you have any images of color schemes?

 

How would you play these Eldar? Would they use pure homegrown rules? Would they be an Aeldari soup army? Would you use Ynnari rules? Would you use Eldar Corsairs rules (which are very limited or rely on homegrown versions)?

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

This is a very interesting (and very different) concept.

 

Do you have any images of color schemes?

 

How would you play these Eldar? Would they use pure homegrown rules? Would they be an Aeldari soup army? Would you use Ynnari rules? Would you use Eldar Corsairs rules (which are very limited or rely on homegrown versions)?

 

Thank you!

 

Sadly I do not, tbh I am not sure I ever really thought through the color scheme, which is unheard of for me.

 

I actually have never been a tabletoper, I have painted some models in the past, but am more of a lore and art guy.  So while I am not knowledgeable on the rules, I would guess I would likely use Ynnari rules or something similar, as those would fit with the overall direction this faction has gone.