House Escher

Maiden, Mother and Matriarch: the Escher embody each aspect of life, from the lithe dexterity of youth to the power of leadership and the knowledge of elders. As the oldest surviving Clan House on Necromunda, they command fear and respect in equal measure. Each subject of the Escher hones their body to peak ability and favours a blindingly fast fighting style using envenomed knives, earning the Escher their title the ‘House of Blades’.

Many also cultivate a prolific knowledge of toxins and gene-smithing in order to turn their foes' very bodies against them. This all-female house has built their empire upon their innovation and intelligence for millennia, surviving the wasting disease that plagued their menfolk and emerging all the stronger for it. With flashy styles and bright hair, they stalk the hives like venomous snakes, their bold colours a clear warning to stay away — or risk a swift but agonising death.

There are few who survive an Escher gang out for blood. Armed to the teeth with stiletto knives and chem-throwers, their fighting style is focused on precision over strength. Each hit inflicted by their foes is repaid with the sharp tip of a poisoned dagger. Thus have the fighters of House Escher built their empire over the centuries: by becoming faster, nimbler and more lethal than any of their rivals.

Whilst their gangs fight in the filthy depths of the underhive, House Escher is a family of immense wealth, born from their monopoly over the chem trade. As one of the oldest houses of Necromunda, their knowledge of alchemical methods reflects entire millennia of knowledge otherwise lost, passed down only through the generations of Escher Chymist Cults. Many other houses depend on Escher chems to survive. House Van Saar readily trades weapon components in return for high-grade rad purgatives to prevent their wasted bodies from collapsing, whilst House Goliath reluctantly coughs up payment for the chemicals needed to breed more of their lab-grown kind. Every attempt by other houses to recreate the chems of the Escher has so far been unsuccessful, for even the most advanced in chemical technology can do nothing without the formulae and methods behind their production.

The house can be categorised into three sects: the Maidens, the Mothers, and the Crones. Maidenhood epitomises the skill and dexterity of the house's youth, as well as the strength of their gangs. Fresh prospects will often elect to leave their hives entirely before joining a gang, running with other girls in groups referred to as Wyld Runners. The skills these prospects acquire surviving the ash wastes better equips them for a life of violence in the underhive. Mothers are those considered to nurture the clan's wellbeing and guide their sisters, such as the Matriarch advisors, Oracles, and those women touched by the wyrd that are subsequently granted special powers, often nicknamed Shivvers. Finally, those who fall under the mantle of Crones boast exceptional knowledge and artisanal talents, passed down through many generations. The Chymist Cults, overseers of much of Clan Escher's alchemical industry, are counted amongst these.

The women of the Escher are hardworking and dedicated to the mastery of their craft, occasionally to the point of undermining each other in their rivalry. The house judges a woman's worth entirely on her merits and victories. Even the ruling title of Matriarch Primus is not off-limits to a simple fighter if they prove themselves worthy. The most brilliant of the Escher are elected to the Council of Crones, advisors to the Matriarch Primus, and these are drawn from all areas of the house's subjects. As a result, the sects of the house often harbour hidden agendas to get ahead of the others, each seeking more representation on the council — or the crown of the Matriarch Primus. Whoever rules the Escher is considered to embody Maiden, Mother and Crone in equal measure, and the crown bears three faces, one for each of the clan's founding rulers.

Those who remember the legends of the women who would become the Escher are few and far between. The passage of time has caused much of Necromunda's early history to pass into myth. The most common tale is of three heroes known as the Blades who swore themselves to Martek Hel'mayr, first ruler of Necromunda. The three women mixed their blood to create the progenitors of the Escher, and all members of the House of Blades can trace their lineage back to these first children. However, the history of the Escher has not always been so glorious.

Not content with strength and hale health, the Escher spent centuries modifying their bodies with chems and gene-smithing. Over long grand cycles the menfolk of the Escher began to grow visibly weaker until the day came when no male born to the house had the strength to stand, instead spending their short lives in an unresponsive state, protected in vats of preservative chems. Though the women of the Escher proved immune to this so-called Flesh Curse, the wasting disease persists within their bloodline to this day. Yet the Escher did not let this prove their downfall. The women of the house reforged it in blood, adopting the philosophy of the Blade's Edge that prioritises intense focus and clear-headedness, and developed the quick-witted and sharp-edged fighting style they are known for today.

In the current era, House Escher use advanced stimms to boost their combat capabilities, but save the more biologically devastating chems for their foes. Bioengineered diseases, neurotoxins and deadly poisons are favoured by every part of the house, engineered day and night by the Chymist Cults. Exotic beasts led by the Wyld are also a common sight — phyrr cats and phelynx prowl after their Escher handlers to finish off any foe unlucky enough to get cornered in a fight.