Kabal of the Poisoned Claw (WiP)

And here we go...

So a long time ago I wrote out the history of my kabal and this grew with new short stories which I wrote to chronicle the progress of the Kabal. But with 5th Edition we have learnt alot more about the racial history and society of the Dark Eldar, so I'm trying to rework the fluff into something more current and to be honest of a higher quality.

In this thread I'm going to try and work out what's what. Below in this post is the WIP draft of the final document, and then I'll add my notes into a second post below.

C&C is appreciated and encouraged. Enjoy.

Edit: Scroll down for the latest WIP version, and take the notes with a pinch of salt.

Preacher

---

Kabal of the Poisoned Claw

“The Kabals appreciate the toxic spectrum much as your artists would appreciate the myriad colours of a sunrise. I plan to paint the finest sunrise the universe has known, and your world is my canvas.”
– Archon No’ki Vankar, Lord of the Poisoned Claw, Mistress of Poisons

The Kabal of the Poisoned Claw is obsessed with creating the finest toxins in the galaxy, frequently boasting of their latest creations. And rightly so, for the many districts of the Poisoned Claw’s territory turned over to the arts of Shiamesh produce some of the most potent and exquisite toxins to be used in the Dark City, allowing the Kabal to demand nearly any price they wish.

With strong ties to the Cult Lhamaea and the Broken Sting Coven, their vast production facilities and a fleet constantly plying the void to feed their insatiable hunger for new compounds to use in their art it is no wonder their name is whispered to rival that of the Poisoned Tongue.

To sustain such an economy the Poisoned Claw boasts vast numbers of kabalite warriors to protect their territories and facilities. Drawing fresh blood into the Kabal is little effort, the lure of their famous elixirs often being enough and the velvet words of their master No’ki Vankar removing the doubt from any clouded minds.

But the quest for the perfect poison is not the only thing which drives the Kabal. At its beating, toxic heart, lays Archon No’ki Vankar. An ambitious and farsighted lord No’ki understands that true immortality does not lie purely in sustaining the flesh, but the name. The dark muses never really die, although their flesh may long ago have perished. The essence of Shiamesh, Lhilitu, Qa’leh still exist as long as the Dark Eldar continue to revel in their deeds. No’ki plots for true immortality, to join the ranks of the Dark Muses beside the lord of poisons himself.

So here are the notes I'm working from on writing the final document.

Kabal of the Poisoned Claw
Archon: No’ki Vankar
Important Figures: Soldaan Darkclaw- Lord of Port Dalai (Master of the Fleet)
Draco Hellspite- (Master of the Guard)
?????
Jabud the Flayer (Coven of the Broken Sting)

Stronghold: The Palace of the Poisoned Claw
Other territories: Port Dalai
Emblem:

Allied Coven: The Broken Sting
Allied Cult: None known,

Rival Kabals: The Poisoned Tongue, The Crimson Lotus

Notes:
-> One of the finest collection of poisons in Commorragh,

-> Current leader of the Ra’Star Council, a loose alliance of Kabals “dedicated” to preserving the true Eldar race.

-> Three lesser lords control factions within the Kabal. No’ki holds them in a delicate balance, each of the triad despise the others, ensuring should any plot to remove No’ki they would quickly be eliminated by the other two and her own household.

-> Relies heavily upon large numbers of kabalite warriors, rather than dealing with the Wych Cults. A few mercenary Hekatarii have been sighted fighting alongside the Kabal, whether this is for the chance to obtain the kabal’s poisons or to learn from Praetor Hellspite is not clear.

History:

-> The House of Vankar reformed into the Kabal of the Poisoned Claw soon after Vect’s rise to power. Led at the time by a figure known only as Vankar the Mad, they cut a venom soaked path through the darkcity before drawing Vects ire.

->Legend (likely spread by No’ki and her supporters in the Broken Sting) says the House of Vankar’s knowledge of poisons was bought in a bargain with Shaimesh, in exchange for any and all daughters of the house.

-> Supported by the Black Heart, lower members of the Kabal rose up and betrayed Vankar, supposedly ending the family line, and replacing the Poisoned Claw with the Crimson Lotus.

-> The Crimson Lotus gradually lost the knowledge of toxins possessed by the old house of Vankar, along with it their power and renown.

-> A young trueborn, Dracon No’ki quickly rises to prominence within the Crimson Lotus after dealings with the Coven of the Broken Sting. Using her knowledge of poisons both on and off the battle field she quickly gains a large following in the Kabal and close ties begin to appear between her and key members of the Broken Sting.

-> Civil war erupts in the Crimson Lotus as No’ki and her forces make an open bid for power supported by the creations of the Broken Sting. No’ki and her supporters win, but a few Lotus diehards escape.

-> No’ki reforms the Crimson Lotus into the Poisoned Claw, takes the name Vankar, and sets about teaching the Kabalites their “birthright”. The Crimson Lotus continues to exist in exile.


The Temple of Vankar

-> No’ki Vankar plans to etch her name in the racial memory of the Dark Eldar and become one of the Dark Muses, powerful enough to rival her “father” Shaimesh.

-> The Temple of Vankar is where the best of the Kabal, particularly the Trueborn, train in the dark arts of their lord.

-> Master of the Temple, Praetor Hellspite has dedicated himself to the perfection of the poisoned kill. It is said he has entered many Incubi Temples to challenge their finest warriors but has never taken up the bloodstone.

-> As of yet Vect has largely ignored the re-emergence of one of the noble families. This may be due to the rivially between the Poisoned Claw and Lady Malys.

Awesome start. I've updated your Kabal in the Kabal list with a hyperlink to this thread.

Hrmmm..... Makes me wonder more of what my Archon wants... Hmmmmmm......

Very good with all those info parts, makes me wanna write such things too.

Saintspirit wrote:

Very good with all those info parts, makes me wanna write such things too.

Cheers. To be honest the notes are just way of getting down the countless random musings I have whilst driving. Why do the best ideas come when you can't get them down? It also helps to filter out the bad/cliche ideas and leave you with the good solid ones.

I felt it was important to give No'ki a goal, a reason for what she does. It could be said that the Dark Eldar do things for the sake of doing, or because of their selfish etc etc but I felt this would leave the character rather 2D and bland. Yes she plots and schemes and hordes power, but not just for powers sake, she has a plan and everything she does is just another thread in that tapestry.

Not a bad read. I enjoyed it.

Although, there are a few grammatical errors that threw me off. This was the main one:

Quote :

With strong ties to the Cult Lhamaea and the Broken Sting Coven, their vast production facilities and a fleet constantly plying the void to feed their insatiable hunger for new compounds to use in their art it is no wonder their name is whispered to rival that of the Poisoned Tongue.

At the moment, there isn't much to critique, for most of the story is made of several small notes. They show great potentially, but nothing really concrete.

Wow it's been a long time since I've added anything here, but what's a few months to the dark kin? Well life has been life and getting in the way of hobby as it does, but I managed to sit down the other day and write out a bit more for the Kabal. A few ideas and things have changed, so take the notes above as general "proof of concept" ideas as they have evolved in my hours of commuting.

So here is V2 (Well actually 6 now, but second I'm posting), work in progress as always.

The Kabal of the Poisoned Claw
“The Kabals appreciate the toxic spectrum much as your artists would appreciate the myriad colours of a sunrise. I plan to paint the finest sunrise the universe has known, and your world is my canvas.”
– Archon No’ki Vankar, Lord of the Poisoned Claw, Mistress of Poisons

Overview
Outwardly the Kabal of the Poisoned Claw is obsessed with creating the finest toxins in the galaxy, frequently boasting of their latest creations. And rightly so, for the many districts of the Poisoned Claw’s territory which are turned over to the arts of Shiamesh produce some of the most potent and exquisite toxins to be used in the Dark City. This quality allows the Kabal to demand nearly any price they wish for their more refined cocktails.

With ties to the Cult of Lhamaea and to the Broken Sting Coven along with their own vast production facilities the Kabal is able not only to produce vast quantities of toxins, but also ones of great quality. Combine their power base within the dark city with a large fleet, which constantly plys the void to feed their insatiable hunger for new compounds to use in their art, and it is perhaps no wonder the name of the Poisoned Claw is whispered to rival that of the Obsidian Rose. Indeed combine a weapon manufactured by the Obsidian Rose with the toxins of the Poisoned Claw and you would have one of the most formidable weapons in Commorragh.

To sustain such an economy is a difficult task and to this end the Poisoned Claw boasts vast numbers of kabalite warriors to protect their territories and facilities. The life expectancy of the average Kabalite, let alone lower workers within the production districts is perhaps understandably low within the kabal, even by Comorrite standards. It is for that reason the Broken Sting Coven continues to draw massive business from the kabal, both in so called “antidotes” as well as other insurance policies.

However, for all outward appearances, the quest for the perfect poison is not the only thing which drives the Kabal. At its beating, toxic heart, lays Archon No’ki Vankar. An ambitious and arguably farsighted lord, No’ki understands that true immortality does not lie purely in sustaining the flesh but the name. The dark muses never really die, although their flesh may long ago have perished. The essence of Shiamesh, Lhilitu, Qa’leh still exist as long as the Dark Eldar continue to revel in their deeds. No’ki plots for true immortality, to join the ranks of the Dark Muses beside the lord of poisons himself.

Territory
Eridanos was once an independent satellite realm much in the vein of Shaadom. Unlike Shaadom however, Eridanos was consumed by the dark city long before Vect rose to power and breached the sub-realms. It is a swirling mass of toxic water ways and noxious mist, for it is in Eridanos that the KhaÏdes dies and is reborn.

The toxic waters of the KhaÏdes and its many tributaries pour into Eridanos over immense waterfalls, each as tall as the spires of High Commorragh. Passing beyond these boundary curtains the waters twist their way through innumerable canals, rivers, grottoes, weirs and falls until they snake their way to heart of the city-state. And it is here that the waters join again, plunging down into darkness and eventually, through some twist of the labyrinth dimension, flow back out into the dark city.

Here at the heart of the realm, straddling the plunging Lhilitu Falls, sits the Palace of the Poisoned Claw. (Incomplete)


History
Part 1: The Legend of Vankar
The truth behind the founding of the Poisoned Claw now lies deeply shrouded in the legends and emerging folklore of the Eridanos region and the mists of the KhaÏdes. What parts of the story are true and which just the embellishments of madmen are unknown to those beyond the original weavers of the tale, but the numbers of those who know the legend are growing daily in the grottos and sewers of Eridanos.

The legend says that in the years that Vect was first refining his Kabalite system and forging the shape of things to come for all Eladrith Ynneas, that is to say the Dark Eldar, that another, equally ambitious individual was devising his own plans in the mists of the Khaides in Eridanos. Much like Vect, this figure, VanKar, sought a power that was not his birth right. Vankar longed to rule, to have the fate of millions within his grasp. He knew that knowledge was power and that those who had it would not surrender it to a lowly corpse feeder like him. But slowly he drew his own plans against the aristocracy of Eridanos and Commorragh at large.

Beyond this point the legend becomes vague and fragmentary, different versions being told by each story teller adding their own spin to the rise of VanKar. A few key facts do however shine through in all tellings, and these form the basis of the ever growing “Cult of VanKar”.

VanKar drew to himself a vast hoast of the underclass of Eridanos; fleets of corpse fishers rose from the Khaides, legions of Parched crawled from their caves and hovels whilst flocks of Hellions filled the skys. It appeared that the great river had grown jealous of the eye watering towers that loomed over it and had risen up to take its revenge.

The overlords of Eridanos however would not be toppled by such a rabble. The coup of High Commorragh was still fresh in their minds and the aristocracy here would not fall in the same way. Even if someday they must bow to the upstart Vect, they would not permit a second slave to rise. With all their might they threw VanKar’s rabble back into the depths from where it came, the battle costing both sides dearly.

Defeated and disgraced as he was VanKar would not be deterred from his ambition. So he travelled the infinite water ways of the realms of the Dark Eldar, seeking an answer to his problem, an answer he and his remaining followers could use to rise up once again, but this time there would be no victory but his own.

For decades he wandered, finding no answers in the labyrinth of canals and rivers that he searched, in all the realms ruled by the dark kin. Finally VanKar returned to the source of the Khaides deep at the heart of Eridanos. And it was here he found his answer. Starving and at his wit’s end, a great serpent rose from spring of the Khaides before him. Shaimesh, Dark Muse. The lord of poisons listened to VanKar’s pleas and his dreams of power and offered a fair trade. Blood for blood. Shaimesh would reveal all his secrets to the aspiring lord, filling his veins with his own venomous blood and in exchange all VanKar had to promise in exchange was his own blood.

VanKar willingly agreed, letting the serpent drink in his blood before burning venom filled his veins in return. With a chuckle and a promise to return the Serpent slithered back into the river and vanished. (Incomplete).