House Delaque

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The symbol of House Delaque, very subtle.

House Delaque is one of the six Hive City Houses of Necromunda, making it one of the six original playable factions for the game when it was debuted.

House Delaque is known as a house of spies and information mongers, with a particularly close relationship to Imperial House Helmawr. They have a reputation as assassins, spies, sabotuers and double-agents, which means that nobody in their right mind trusts a Delaque. The House is also defined by its pale skin, baldness and light-sensitive eyes, traits that have led some fans to assume they may actually be contaminated by Genestealers. Then again, as the Genestealer cults are now playable in Necromunda, perhaps they are secretly servants of the Alpha Leg*BLAM*the Alpha Legion does not exist

In the relaunch, House Delaque is said to be the primary information broker of the gangs, observing rival Houses and reporting what they find to House Helmawr. No mention of their number being Genestealer-tainted is made; however, it is said that they have somehow allied themselves with the descendants of Necromunda's long-forgotten indigenous life (or perhaps they are those descendants). Few have heard of this claim, and fewer still believe it could be true- which is exactly how House Delaque likes it.

History

The history of House Delaque is a strange one, muddied with rumour and misdirection, which is how the House prefers. Some tales tell of them being manufactured in the same laboratories as the Goliaths, or being the last survivors of a broken hive. But the truth is likely stranger still...

The name "Delaque" did not arise until some time during M36, when the rogue planet Somnus passed close to Necromunda. Many hivers from various backgrounds, whether they be poor workers, wealthy overseers, and even children, were touched by dark dreams and were found sleepwalking. Many of these people simply vanished, seemingly never to be seen again. This mass dreaming did not occur all at once, and instead trickled over the long course of the planetoid's drift through the system. Inquisitors, Rogue Traders, and other Imperial Agents who investigated seemed to determine that whatever was snatching sleepers from their beds was searching for something.

When Somnus finally passed, those who had vanished returned, bound with a singular will and purpose: Delaque.

Fortuitously, the chaos left by the passing of Somnus also left behind rich avenues for exploitation. House Delaque slotted themselves neatly into Necromundan politics, not with wealth or violence, but a seeming knack for being able to persuade people to assist their cause, whatever it may be. It must be poured out that at this point, the Delaque were still relatively weak, and had not yet taken their modern appearance.

My M38, the Delaque entered into an alliance with House Avarest, who were vital in establishing the Ghast trade on Necromunda, a drug that has the potential to unlock psychic ability. At first they came as advisors, but steadily coerced the Avarest into signing over their industries and contracts to the Delaque. It was also over this time that the appearance of the Delaque was beginning to change to incorporate baldness and augmetic implants, as well as their penchant for concealment and misdirection, leading the other Houses to suspect them of warpcraft, or some other heresies.

Realising his fate far too late, Lord Avarest tried to rally support from the other Houses to remove the usurping Delaque, but was met by a stony silence. Ultimately all he could pull together was an "army" of bounty hunters and religious extremists. The last stand of House Avarest it barely reported anywhere, and hardly made a dent on the rise of the Delaque, if anything, it established Delaque as a major power player. Leading some to surmise that they had struck some deal with the Imperial House Helmawr to secure their safety.

In modern times, Delaque has an overall monopoly on the Ghast trade, but have their fingers in other pies too, famously holding the Ulanti Contract up until it was taken from them by House Orlock. Rarely do Delaque operate these fringe industries themselves, instead operating through third parties and proxies who might not even be aware of who benefits from their labour.

The Psychoterica

There are only two hard truths "known" when referring to House Delaque:

The First is that they seem to have some kind of instinctive bond with one another, leading many to suspect that they are a House of psychics.

The Second is that they are led by a group known as the "Silent Ones", though the meaning of that term is not actually understood by anyone outside of the House.

The truth boils down to something called the Psychoterica, a gestalt shared consciousness that all Delaque have the ability to access. This is not the same as true telepathy, and most members of House Delaque are not measurably psychic. It does allow them to instinctively sense who is connected to the Psychoterica and who it not, as well as allowing them to convey feelings and ideas to one another. It is NOT the same as a hive mind either, as each member still retains his or her personality and ambitions, allowing for rare instances of plotting and violence within the House itself.

Hangers on / Brutes

Spyker

It is said that they use particularly vile concoctions made by House Escher to forcibly bring out psychic powers in some of their number. These unfortunates are strapped into medicae harnesses and injected with a concentrated Ghast solution over many months or years in order to enhance any latent psychic potential. Those who survive the process have their bodies atrophy from prolonged lack of use; and must remain within the support of the harness for the rest of their lives. In exchange, those medicae harnesses are upgraded with flight mechanisms, giving them a means of moving around, and their craniums enlarge along with their destructive psychic potential, essentially becoming warp infused versions of Goliath Zerkers.

Psychoteric Thralls

Members of House Delaque are not the only ones who can tap into the gestalt network of the Psychoterica. Presumably it is quite easy for House Agents to locate these individuals and capture them before they become a threat. These Thralls can be used as the focal point for allied Delaque psykers, who are able to cast wyrd powers using them as the origin source

Most times they are simply unfortunate citizen workers who have been caught up in gang warfare, but other times they are actual gangers from other Houses. Giving players a great opportunity to add a model forms different faction to their collection, even coming with steep debuffs to Leadership and Willpower to their former allies.

Unique Mechanics

House Delaque is the sneaky, shooty gang of the House Gangs; everybody in it can learn both Shooting and Stealth skills, which is comparable to House Van Saar and arguably superior to House Orlock. Whilst gangers can learn Agility, this gang is extremely ill-suited for frontal assaults; only gang leaders can learn Ferocity and Combat skills. Recent expansiins have further given Delaque their own flavour by having them focus on Psykers.

Playable Factions of Necromunda
Clan Houses:	Cawdor - Delaque - Escher - Goliath - Orlock - Van Saar
Noble Houses:	Catallus - Greim - Ko'iron - Ran Lo - Ty - Ulanti - Spyrers
Others:	Ash Waste Nomads - Corpse Grinder Cults - Cult of the Redemption Ironhead Squat Prospectors - Palanite Enforcers - Ratskins - Scavvies