Kabal of the Splintered Tower

Name:  Kabal of the Splintered Tower

The Kabal of the Splintered Tower is a very young Kabal, being less than 1000 years active.  Initially, they were a group of Dark Eldar running as a gang at the base of the Splintered Tower, for which they are named.  That was until the rise of a dangerously charismatic ganger known as the Black Hunter rose to power in their gang.  This ganger, now known as the Archon Nareth Valzt, took the gang of small-time raiders, smugglers, mercenaries, arms dealers, and drug runners, and formed them into an organized syndicate that took to the streets, gaining wealth bit by bit, and piece by piece.  Using his skills in diplomacy, and the strength of arms when those failed, Valzt absorbed several other gangs into his own, until he had the strength to strike out on his own.  Leading his newfound followers to what remained of the mostly intact base of the Splintered Tower, his gang began a purge of the first several floors by presenting the denizens of each with an ultimatum.  He offered them the choice to join him and enjoy the glory that was to come and the safety of his ranks, or a swift and brutal death.  With this in mind, the Kabal of the Splintered Tower truly began to form as they took over drug labs, smugglers dens, rival gangs, and small dock-spires.  Floor by floor, they rose through the ruin of the Splintered Tower until at last, Valzt stepped into the open air of its shattered peak.  As he turned to face his warriors, he released a near-demonic war cry, signaling the beginning of the reign of the Kabal of the Splintered Tower.

Characteristics:

 The Kabal of the Splintered Tower has a massive variation of characteristics among their number thanks to their absorption of gangs, recruitment from the Null City, and acceptance of deserters from other Kabals.  The only overarching characteristic of the Kabal is they follow in the likeness of their Archon, who follows a ritualistic tattooing of his body using the blood of defeated enemies.

Location:  

Initially, the Kabal of the Splintered Tower were a group of Dark Eldar running as a gang located in the base of the Splintered Tower, the remains of a shattered, fallen crystal spire located in Low Commoragh, near the Null City, Sec Maegra, and bordered by a small estuary of the River Khaides.  The Tower was struck by some ancient weapon during the Fall, causing it to break and collapse, leaving it in several pieces with only the lowest levels, by Commoragh standards, standing intact and the rest became scattered ruins of shattered glass, mirrored labyrinths that stretch for miles, and desolate wastes covered in razor-sharp, crystalline shards.  The sprawling ruins of the Splintered Tower, once a wickedly magnificent shard-city controlled by some ancient pleasure cult before the Fall, were used as bases and hideouts for the many gangs warring for power in the Null City, or as decrepit nests for the Parched, the wretched and starving remains of Dark Eldar who have devolved to little more than violent beasts who prowl the Sprawl, maze-like corridors, and mirrored hallways of the Splintered Tower’s ruins.  Following the rise of Archon Nareth Velzt, and the takeover of the Splintered Tower, the Splintered Tower is now a guarded fortress.  Using their power and wealth, gained through their dealings with other Commorites, they have fortified the structure, and added their own additions to its various smuggling dens, dwellings, dock-spires, slave pens, and labyrinths.  One such addition, and one of the most important to the Kabal, is the arena that Nareth Valzt had constructed in the remains of the exposed uppermost portion of the tower.  This arena, named Amal’rett, or the Blessed Void, provides a means for the numerous gangs amongst the Kabal’s number to compete, all while benefitting the Kabal as a whole.  This arena, fueled by slaves, warriors, Wych gladiators, and beasts of all sorts, is a primary source of income and life-force in the relatively decrepit expanse of Low Commoragh, and it attracts fighters from numerous Wych cults, beast masters, and warriors alike searching for recognition.  Below the Splintered Tower lie the once-glorious Obsidian Catacombs.  These ruins are now employed by a small sect of the Children of Bone homunculus coven.  In the dealings of diplomacy and charisma employed by Nareth Valzt, these catacombs were given over to the coven as a functional outpost and laboratory for this coven in return for allegiance and access to the regenerative tanks and twisted sciences of the homunculi.  The Kabal of the Splintered Tower is extremely adamant in maintaining good relations with this coven and their unique Grotesques, and deliver many slaves and supplies as part of their bargain.
The Parched prowl at the base of the tower, attracted by the steady flow of violent energies, and the guards near the first few floors of the Splintered Tower often fend off the attacks of these rampant, starving remains of Dark Eldar.  Meanwhile, the Tower is often attacked by the surrounding gangs of Hellions and raiders that dot the rest of the ruins, though these attacks do little damage.  Other Kabals in the area are also in competition with the Kabal of the Splintered Tower for control of the Null City’s resources, just as all Kabals in near vicinities rival with each other.

First Contact:  

The Imperium first made contact with the Kabal of the Splintered Tower during the beginning of the Medusa V campaign, where they served as a mercenary force in the employ of No’akei, the Daughter of Pain, during her raid into realspace.  This was the first major conflict that the Kabal had taken part in, and they served as excellent raiders and vanguards to large invasions using their piratical methods of combat.  However, when knowledge of No’akei’s betrayal of Lord Vect and the Kabal of the Black Heart became apparent, Archon Valzt ordered his forces to return to the Splintered Tower with all the slaves, beasts, and weapons they had captured or stolen immediately.  In a quick ploy to avoid destruction by Vect’s hand, Valzt presented the Kabal of the Black Heart with a gift of thousands of captured slaves from the various races battling on Medusa V, along with an oath of allegiance to the Black Heart.  While the ploy was desperate and dangerous, Valzt avoided the inevitable destruction of No’akei and her allies upon their return to Commoragh, where the attempt to unseat Vect was righteously put down.

Capabilities and Dealings with Others:

The Kabal of the Splintered Tower wage war in typical Dark Eldar fashion, relying on speed and precision strikes to annihilate the enemy quickly and efficiently.  Much of their force is composed of lowborn Dark Eldar, and Trueborn are openly despised, and often murdered within the walls of the Splintered Tower.  Instead of the trueborn of other Kabals, the Kabal of the Splintered Tower uses the strongest and deadliest of their numbers as rank, with all respect going to those who have earned their place in the arena.  This often leads to the elite units of the Kabal including members that have unique war gear and personalized trophies earned through blood, rather than the treasure vaults of trueborn nearer to the core.  The Kabal of the Splintered Tower relies on piratical tactics, focusing on maneuverability and speed.  This leads to them fielding large numbers of transports and vehicles, and they strike where it matters most.  Valzt maintains good relations with both Wych cults, who come to fight in the Amal’rett, and the Homunculi Covens, specifically the Children of Bone in favor of their powerful Grotesques.  The Kabal also pays tribute, like most of Commoragh, to Vect and the Kabal of the Black Heart and answer his call when he beckons, if only out of a will to survive.  However, as long as their client is not acting in opposition of Vect’s power, the Kabal of the Splintered Tower will offer their services as mercenaries to other Dark Eldar forces in hopes of slaves and wealth.  They willingly serve as mercenaries to the Craftworld Eldar for a hefty fee, and will ally with the races of realspace for an even greater amount.  This occurrence is incredibly rare however, and these dealings are usually treacherous in nature or serving as a means to a far greater end.  

Technology:

The Kabal of the Splintered Tower is a typical Kabal, using weapons and vehicles common across most Dark Eldar forces.  However, since they do not (yet) maintain their own fleet of spacefaring vessels, they do not maintain many Voidraven or Razorwing aircraft and instead prefer to rely on mounted infantry and standard anti-grav technology in battle, usually released from low orbit or secret webway portals, or dropped in by a larger force to which the Kabal is employed.  Also unique to the Kabal of the Splintered Tower is their choice to distill a majority of the toxins so common amongst the Dark Eldar from the nearby estuary of the River Khaides.  Other than this, they have nothing extremely noteworthy to mention with regards to technology.
Sociality:  The Kabal of the Splintered Tower is organized strictly by order of those who have earned their place and those who haven’t.  Whether this is achieved by glory in the arena, skill in battle, bringing in wealth, or acquiring important information, the Archon has final say over just how important a member is.  This is also maintained on a gang level, and the rival gangs within the Kabal often battle each other in the arena to maintain favor or gain prestige.  Each Dark Eldar in the Kabal has their own set of allegiances within the Kabal, just as they are sworn to it, for those without an ally are quickly trampled beneath the feet of those with.

Valzt maintains a significant and extremely elaborate information and contact network amongst all the districts of Commoragh despite his lowborn beginnings, as well as in realspace.  He barters information very frequently to the highest bidder, and his homunculi allies are talented torturers indeed if only due to practice.  The Kabal of the Splintered Tower also deals with numerous other goods, and fund themselves with a wide array of activities ranging from piracy, smuggling, arms dealing, drug running, and assassination to simple mercenary work.  Oddly enough, much of the Kabal could even be considered loyal, as each member owes homage to the Archon and the Kabal itself runs like a very large crime syndicate.  Inside the tower are the means of production to acquire these products.
No kabal survives long on its own in Commoragh, and the Kabal of the Splintered Tower is no exception.  While they do not hold enough power to have the allegiance of other Kabals, they do hold power over numerous gangs and raiders within the Null City and much of Low Commoragh thanks to their usefulness on the black market, and these warriors of the underbelly can provide a significant aid when called upon.  Just as well, some more powerful pleasure cults and Kabals who use their products or rely on the Kabal of the Splintered Tower to supply them with unique items or drugs will come to their aid in able to keep their supply flowing.  Also, the Kabal has access to the mutated reinforcements of the Children of Bone in dire circumstance, since if they fall from power above, the next tenants may not prove to be as profitable as the Kabal of the Splintered Tower.

Threat Index and Imperial Policy:

Overall, the Imperium does not actively know about the Kabal of the Splintered Tower due to their existence being relatively short lived.  However, a few of their number were captured on Medusa V and returned to Imperial space for interrogation.  As to whether the Imperium knows of the Kabal or not, none can say, but the Archon has heard that some of his communication networks have begun to break down, spreading from the center of Imperial space.

Comments? Criticisms?  Let me know!  I'll add more in the coming weeks but I just wrote through all this over the past few hours and my brain is fried.

Sincerly, Storm

Seems a great intro to the Kabal, good detail and a great starting point for more adventures.