The Cult of the Dancing Death

Hi guys,

I had a bit of time this morning and I figured I'd write up some of the thoughts bouncing around my head for my Wych Cult themed force for an upcoming escalation league at my local club, I was hoping I could ask the more experienced Archons here to cast an eye over it and ensure I've made no glaring errors.

I've not done anything like this before so would welcome any feedback you may have and appreciate anyone taking the time to read it.

The 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 Incubi 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 the mysterious orb known as the "Animus Vitae" which has the ability to elevate the wych's battle rage 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.

I like it - if I were to suggest a couple of tweaks though to make things 'flow' better?

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.

This passage reads like a justification for your colours (which I realise it is). Disguising that justification in a description though tends to make it easier to read. I'd go with something like...

The cult look with disdain upon those they see as less talented than themselves, preferring to clad themselves in imperious purple shadowsuits, vivid blue detailing searing the vision as they strike from the darkness only to disappear once more.

My second point is a more technical one.
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.

Incubi is the plural, Incubus is the singular term, so if you want to use both terms the above sentence should read:
Khamor - The silent Incubus leader responsible for protecting Lanudhae, the calm with which he and his fellow Incubi butcher any attempts on his mistresses' life are disturbing to any not familiar with the dark kin.

Keep up the good work - hope my input helps!

Thanks that's great, I'll incorporate both changes if you don't mind me stealing your description?

StokieRich wrote:

Thanks that's great, I'll incorporate both changes if you don't mind me stealing your description?

I don't mind at all!