For over seven thousand years, House Helmawr has ruled over Necromunda in one form or another, making it one of the oldest noble families in the Segmentum Solar and certainly the oldest on Necromunda. In this instalment of the Apocrypha Necromundus, we take a look into the origins of the Great House of Helmawr, and some of its most noteworthy noble lords and ladies.
Martek Helm’ayr, the First Helmawr
Necromunda has been part of the Imperium for ten thousand years, brought into compliance by the Imperial Fists Legion during the Great Crusade. Few reliable records of Necromunda remain from these early centuries, and those that do tell of a world suffering almost constant warfare as one warlord or another vied to be planetary governor.
During this lost age, Necromunda repeatedly rebelled against the Imperium, and the Adeptus Terra was forced to send forces to pacify the planet more than once. After three millennia of strife, a true leader, at last, emerged from the throngs of corrupt hive lords and savage gang kings.
Martek Helm’ayr, a street tough from the drudging-habs of Hive Primus, led a war of conquest, first within his own hive, and then out across the wastes of Necromunda. House Helmawr’s progenitor remains an enigmatic figure within the histories of Necromunda, though if the grandiose statues and paintings in the Spire of Hive Primus are to be believed, he was 10 feet tall and impossibly handsome.*
Martek and his reign have largely been lost to history, though rumour has it that within the Spear of Dorn, the Imperial Fists fortress atop Hive Primus, there is a fresco depicting one of the few remaining true images of Martek Helm’ayr, kneeling before an Imperial Fists Captain, taking the Oath of Governance.
The Two-Faced War
After centuries of able rulers and countless attempts by the other Great Houses of Necromunda to unseat House Helmawr, Martek’s line had begun to stagnate. By the 37th Millennium, the House of Helmawr was succumbing to decadence and decline, its rulers often more interested in personal excesses than governance.
Voss the Younger spent his rule in a Ghast-induced coma, while his followers were forced to listen to his dreaming whispers for their commands. Targan III created chaos when he moved his entire court to the underhive to escape the incessant criticism of Necromunda’s moons, while Dagorn the Scaled spent years indulging in horrific genetic experiments on himself and his kin.
It was not until the death of Hyrodo Helmawr, however, some time in the mid-point of the 37th Millennium, that Necromunda faced the greatest threat to the Pax Imperium since the Second Great Pacification. Hyrodo left two children with equal claims to rule – Lady Cinderak and Lord Gothrul. While this was not the first time a Lord or Lady Helmawr had died without a clear line of succession,** it was complicated by the fact that the two siblings lived on opposite sides of the planet.
Lady Cinderak resided in Hive Primus, and Lord Gothrul in the Needle. Each had their own armies and massive power bases. What followed was known as the Two-Faced War, as the two Helmawrs fought for rulership, all the while being careful not to let things get out of hand lest the Imperium intervene.*** In the end, Cinderak emerged victorious, and Gothrul got a hive named after him. Some say his remains are still beneath it somewhere.
Gerontius Helmawr
In more recent times, few have seriously opposed the rule of House Helmawr, and succession has passed from one generation to the next with a minimum of disruption – not that there hasn’t been the odd assassination or strange occurrence.
In 646.M41, Marius Helmawr was killed in his bed by the underhive gang leader Dogbit Karg. How a scummer like Karg made it into the Spire, let alone the inner sanctum of the Lord of Necromunda, still remains a mystery. Some say the assassination had something to do with a debt owed by Marius to House Delaque, others say it wasn’t a debt but a secret Marius couldn’t be trusted with – of course, Marius’ eldest son Tiberius, who succeeded him to rule, didn’t waste too much time looking into it. That House Delaque won a number of Imperial House contracts during those first years of Tiberius’ reign probably has nothing to do with Marius’ death.
The current Lord Helmawr, Gerontius, is perhaps the most formidable Helmawr to hold the title of Lord of Necromunda for a hundred generations. Born under auspicious astrological signs and a rare convergence of Necromunda’s three largest moons, it was whispered among the seers of Hive Primus that Gerontius might be the last of his line.
Despite these dark portents, Gerontius quickly made his mark upon the world. Under his rule, the planet has prospered like never before, despite record levels of conflict between the Clan Houses and their proxies. By his command, the Ghast harvests of the Forbidden Cities flourished, and enemies, like the Rebel Lords of Aranthus, were weeded out and exterminated.****
Gerontius has also done much to secure the legacy of his family, siring dozens of sons and daughters, some of whom are more capable (and less homicidal) than others. Most of his children resent their father his long life and his reluctance to give up power. They’re also not fond of Gerontius’ pet Caryatid, Blinky, whom many of his offspring believe he loves more than any of them.*****
Today, Gerontius keeps his court in the Spire of Hive Primus, surrounded by throngs of advisors and bodyguards. One eye is focused on the billions toiling for his benefit, and the other on the Imperium, lest they meddle in his affairs.
If this look at the ruling house of Necromunda has inspired you to take up arms in the underhive, you can get started with the Necromunda Rulebook and a gang box of your choice – check them out now and choose your favourite.
* Inscriptions on these statues and paintings also claim Martek was the fittest man in all Necromunda, able to walk the wastes without a respirator, and also a great dancer.
** Not that nominating an heir always works. More than one Lord or Lady Helmawr secured their position by ‘aggressively’ moving up the line of succession.
*** If you are a planetary governor you don’t want the Imperium to intervene in your affairs, as this usually involves orbital bombardments and Guardsmen shooting up the place.
**** Or so the Imperial House supposes…
***** Not without justification, considering Blinky has more staff to see to its needs than most spire nobles.