We’ve learnt a little about the Ash Wastes and caught sight of the mammoth new Necromunda boxed set. It’s now time to take a wander around the Great Equatorial Wastes and discover why they’re so important to trade on Necromunda, and perhaps find out a little more about those who dwell there – the enigmatic Ash Waste Nomads.
A City in the Wastes
Necromunda is a world of staggering industrial output. Its hive cities are great factories with billions of workers endlessly churning out weapons, equipment, and goods for the greater Imperium. At the centre of this web of industry stands Hive Primus – the gateway to the great orbital station known as the Eye of Selene, and the stars and systems beyond – through which all trade must flow.
To feed the armies and worlds which rely upon Necromundan manufacturing, there must be a constant stream of maglev trains, stratoplanes, and tubeway capsules carrying cargo from across the planet to the Palatine Cluster at which Primus is the centre.
The bulk of goods, however, must be transported overland across the inhospitable Ash Wastes on Cargo-8 Ridgehaulers or dune runners. These convoys are run by the Mercator Gelt (the Guild of Coin to the layman) make many perilous journeys along the north/south or east/west trade routes. Those coming from Hive Rothgol in the west or Hive Chronos in the east travel the Great Ash Road, while those hailing from the Mynerva Cluster must traverse the Mynerva Highway.
Key to this north/south trade is Cinderak City and the Great Crater in which it shelters. Resting on Necromunda’s equator, this marks the halfway point between Hive Mynerva and Hive Primus. It was created centuries ago, during the civil war between Lady Cinderak Helmawr and Lord Gothrul Helmawr,* when the former obliterated Hive Meridian in a fit of rage at their sibling.
The outland settlement of Cinderak City was built upon the bones of the old hive, quickly growing into a trading hub only loosely controlled by the Merchant Guild – and far beyond the reach of the Noble Houses. It was not long before the Clan Houses moved in to take a cut of the trade, House Orlock principal among them. Rigs and runners bearing the icon of the House of Iron are a common sight in the wastes around Cinderak – guarding the land trains or, just as often, running them off the road.
Of course, everyone knows that the farther you travel from the shadow of Hive Primus and its sister hives, the more dangerous the wastes become. Beyond the heavy fortifications of the Mercator Gate, the power of the outland Enforcers wanes and the strength of the wasteland tribes increases. Cinderak City itself only endures the frequent nomad raids by virtue of its high walls and the unforgiving nature of its inhabitants.
Ash Waste Nomads
Few of the many dangers in the wastes terrify travellers more than the Ash Waste Nomads. To the hivers, the nomad tribes are as alien and unsettling as any xenos species, and though they might appear as men, there can be no doubt that their culture, and perhaps their very biology, diverged from the rest of Mankind long ago.
The origins of the Ash Waste Nomads are mired in myth and legend. Ancient tales recount how, when the Iron Lords were cast down by the Imperium, the last true citizens of the Araneus Continuity fled from their oppressors into the wastes of their now-blighted world. Some say the nomads are descended from these first people, tormented and changed by the wasteland into the creatures that stalk the wilds today, a hatred of the Imperium and its proxy House Helmawr still fresh in their hearts.
The ruthless Ash Waste Nomads are brutal in battle, striking with utter surprise. Clad in their flowing Haaz arn (or ash cloaks), they lie for hours beneath shifting ashen sands, waiting for their prey to draw near. They strike with sudden and overwhelming force to bring down their quarry and claim their loot before fading back into the wastes.
Their habit of taking their dead with them only adds to the dark tales concerning their true nature. The more superstitious hivers believe they cannot be killed – a claim only reinforced by stories of nomads surviving injuries that would kill a normal man.
One of their most terrifying aspects is their connection to the wasteland Helamites. These deadly insect predators, designated Endomorphs by Imperial scriveners, are seemingly as old as the wastes themselves. Born of the toxic deserts and chem-rich soil, Helamites live in great rubbish-infused mounds, yet the Ash Waste Nomads have somehow managed to tame them – and now ride them into battle.
Ah, so that’s where those giant bugs come from! We’ll have loads more Ash Wastes lore and rules as we get closer to the release of the new Necromunda boxed set – sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest updates from the plains. In the meantime, learn more about what’s happening on Necromunda in the Black Library anthologies Status: Deadzone and Uprising.
* Learn more about the storied history of House Helmawr.