House Goliath

Might makes right. In strength lies power. Such are the mantras of House Goliath, the nascent but hugely influential house of giants. These towering men and women boast inhuman strength, genetically programmed from birth to be the perfect workers. Their simple and clear way of thinking has proven unstoppable — for they have the incredible constitution to back it up. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the foundation of Necromunda's industry depends on the scions of House Goliath. Yet their incredible strength comes at a price: very few of their number are capable of reproducing, and most are grown in vats, reliant on other Clan Houses in both material and method. No one can say if this will always be the case as natural-born Goliaths continue to emerge, though all clans fear the day House Goliath no longer has anything to keep its immense power in check.

As capable in combat as they are working the forges, the hardy subjects of House Goliath are almost incomparable in terms of raw strength. They fight with pure, blunt force using unwieldy weapons and tools taken straight from the furnaces and forges of their territories. It is nigh-impossible to talk down a Goliath on a rampage, for once they have set their mind on destruction, they enter a violent frenzy, often injecting themselves with combat stimms that propel their physical prowess to new heights whilst shutting down their higher brain functions.

House Goliath is a relative newcomer to the battlefield that is Necromunda's industry. Their constitution allows the Goliaths to tread where regular humans cannot, such as into blazing-hot volcanic foundries or frigidly cold factoria. This has allowed them to carve out an empire that only their own can survive in. It is from here that House Goliath produces their metals and base materials that have proven vital to the other houses' production lines for several centuries. Not everyone is happy with the Goliaths' abrupt rise to power, but as of yet, none have been able to stop them — largely because they are simply bigger and stronger than almost every other human on the planet.

The secret to House Goliath's strength lies at the moment of their creation: they were genetically manufactured centuries ago on the orders of Lord Alberoth Helmawr, who sought the perfect slave caste to carry out work unfit for even lowly factoria workers. It was Alberoth who paid the houses of Escher and Van Saar to conceive this caste, the former using their knowledge of genetic engineering and the latter employing their vast technological resources. Lord Alberoth believed that commissioning two houses to do the job would prevent them from claiming these new genesmiths wholly as their own. Yet, the Van Saar Archeoteks and Escher Chymists were constantly at each other's throats, and it was several generations before the Imperial House had its uberworkers.

The Goliaths were deliberately created to have short lifespans and limited intelligence. Most were infertile, making them reliant on the technology of their creator houses. This was by design to prevent the workers from uniting and rising up, keeping them subservient and limited in their understanding of the world. Yet, like all living beings, the Goliaths eventually evolved. They began scrawling in crude languages on the walls of their foundries for the next generation to find, learn from, and add to. No one could have anticipated the house's quiet rise to power. Hiding their hopes of rebellion, they continued to meet their production quotas all the while. When the Goliaths finally rose up, they took over only the areas they already worked — factoria located within the most extreme environments — knowing the other houses would not be able to take them back without huge casualties. The uprising led to the Van Saar striking an alliance with their former creations, making rival clans reluctant to challenge the nascent house's power. Alberoth's daughter, who had ascended following her father's death, recognised House Goliath and allowed them to take their place amongst the Clan Houses.

What the Goliaths lack in intelligence, they make up for with a hardy practicality. Their biggest weakness is the necessity of artificial creation for many of their number — in theory a well-placed strike on their gene-vats could cripple the house's manpower — thus the Goliaths station their best and strongest to guard these vats, relying on their raw strength to overcome all others. However, the Goliaths are yet to solve the problem of their reliance on other houses to reproduce. They reluctantly trade with the Escher for the chems to birth more of their kind, and still deal with the Van Saar in order to keep their gene-vats running. With House Goliath holding a monopoly on refining raw materials and processed metals, trading with them remains a lucrative prospect for now.

The Goliath dream of a day where they might become entirely self-sufficient. In every handful of Vatborn workers, some emerge with the ability to reproduce. Resulting 'Natborn' Goliath live much longer than their artificially crafted siblings and boast a more advanced intelligence. Should the Goliath ever manage to establish consistent familial lines of Natborn, the house might rise to even greater heights. Technology also exists that can transform regular Necromundans into Goliaths — and the house is willing to accept anyone who wishes to prove themselves and join their numbers in search of personal might. It is rare to survive the process, though those who succeed are known as 'Unborn' and can even go on to lead Goliath gangs themselves. These outsiders bring valuable tactics and intelligence from beyond the house's boundaries that further bolster their forces.

Many outside House Goliath consider their culture of brutality and violence to be barbaric. Yet, with strength alone deciding the rank of their subjects, Goliaths are free of the other houses' political constraints and endless scheming. Even the Overtyrant, considered the strongest Goliath on Necromunda, is decided via combat — current Overtyrant Djangar 'Gunfists' has famously won the title twice.