The Hive Mind is not driven by emotion – or even, some Imperial scholars would argue, conscious thought – and rarely takes the stubborn defiance of its prey personally. Yet even a gestalt alien intelligence spread across the stars will sometimes single out a few key belligerents and decide “yes, those ones have to die.” For this purpose it creates towering bioforms that dwarf even Carnifexes, biologically programmed with the sole desire to run down their target and grind it into space meat.*
Of these apex predators, two main genotypes have been identified – known to Imperials as Norn Emissaries and Norn Assimilators.
Each is a hulking mass of muscle and claws, deflecting shots meant for battle tanks off their thick chitinous plate while tearing across the battlefield with uncanny agility for a creature of their size. The Norn Emissary pairs this physical power with fearsome psychic might, gaining a 4+ Invulnerable save and access to a versatile ranged attack.
So powerful is each Emissary that just one was able to smash through Imperial lines and get within a hair’s breadth of killing Lord Solar Leontus, only thwarted at the last moment by the timely intervention of Trajann Valoris and his Custodian Guard. Even still, the creature slaughtered many of the Emperor’s bodyguards before being brought down.
The Norn Assimilator, however, trades psychic prowess and protection for raw damage, spearing infantry and armoured targets alike with its razor-sharp toxinjector harpoons. As if being impaled by poisonous barbs the size of a telephone pole wasn’t bad enough, these wicked weapons help the Assimilator to reel in larger prey when the beast charges.
Both variants share the same Singular Purpose ability, allowing you to decide whether your Norn Queen gene-wove this particular monstrosity to target a specific enemy unit or a specific objective. You’ll choose the creature’s focus at the start of the first battle round, allowing you to adapt your living superweapon to counter each opponent’s army and deployment, throwing an almighty wrench into where it’ll most hurt their war machine.
As big, stompy beasts, the Norn Emissaries and Assimilators particularly benefit from being part of a Crusher Stampede Detachment, but they’re quite happy to join the hunt with any of their knee-high broodmates too. They’re both SYNAPSE beasts, allowing them to direct nearby critters in pursuit of their purpose-bred goal, but neither is a CHARACTER, and so they can’t be your Warlord – these monsters are more akin to a cruise missile on legs than their scheming, strategically-minded Hive Tyrant cousins.
Whether you prefer poisoned prongs or mental malice, this new evolution offers an excellent blunt instrument of bloody-minded destruction, and a threat so terrifying that your opponent won’t be able to help but turn his strongest guns that way.
Want one for yourself? Why not three? The Norn Emissary kit builds both variants, and is up for pre-order this Saturday, so make sure to pick up your brand new Codex: Tyranids and start preying on your opponent’s favourite heroes. Let’s see if the Adeptus Custodes can intervene this time.
* Or worse, capture it. What would a Norn Queen want with such a prize? A nice chat over some hot tea and crumpets, probably.