Rolling Alone: RPG, Board Games and Wargaming

- 5 Hives - Factions and Patrons in Necromunda setting / Noble Houses

Hey!

Currently I am working on quite comprehensive retheme / reskin of well known solo wargame - 5 Parsecs From Home. Below you may find a solid Patron / Factions list you can use in your own games when you roll for a Patron job or create a new force in the underhive.

Noble Houses

Overview of House Helmawr

Narrative Hooks for House Helmawr

Political Intrigue

  1. Succession Crisis:
    • With the current planetary governor’s health failing, rival heirs hire gangs to eliminate threats, secure resources, or sway influential factions.
    • Rumors of illegitimate offspring spark chaos, with gangs tasked to prove—or disprove—claims to the Helmawr throne.
  2. Spy Games:
    • A Helmawr noble employs a gang to uncover traitors within their own ranks or gather incriminating evidence against rivals.
    • Rival houses attempt to infiltrate Helmawr operations, forcing Helmawr agents to use gangs as counterintelligence operatives.
  3. The Lost Heirloom
    • A priceless Helmawr family artifact has vanished. A noble hires the gang to retrieve it discreetly before its absence becomes public and undermines their standing.
  4. The Double Agent
    • Rumors suggest a high-ranking Helmawr official is secretly aiding a rival house. The gang is tasked with uncovering the traitor's identity and gathering evidence.

Resource Exploitation

  1. Control of Guilds:
    • House Helmawr cracks down on rogue guilds, hiring gangs to eliminate rebellious guild leaders or enforce new trade agreements.
    • Helmawr nobles use gangs to establish secret trade routes for smuggling contraband past guild oversight.
  2. Tithes and Taxes:
    • A gang is hired to intimidate delinquent tithe collectors or retrieve stolen tax shipments.
    • Helmawr nobles force a gang to infiltrate a rival house’s treasury to disrupt their operations.
  3. Silent Sabotage
    • Production in a key Helmawr-controlled manufactorum has mysteriously slowed. The gang must infiltrate the facility to identify and eliminate the cause without drawing attention.

Military and Security

  1. Underhive Pacification:
    • Helmawr enforcers sponsor gangs to restore order—or crush dissent—in particularly chaotic hive sectors.
    • Gangs are hired to destroy rogue cults, mutant uprisings, or rebellious clans challenging Helmawr’s authority.
  2. Fortress Defense:
    • A Helmawr-controlled spire or outpost comes under attack from a rival house or xenos forces. The gang must defend it, ensuring the safety of critical assets.
    • Helmawr nobles task gangs with guarding key officials or VIPs traveling through dangerous territories.
  3. Operation Darklight
    • A rogue psyker threatens to unleash chaos in the underhive. The gang is hired to capture or eliminate the psyker before rival factions exploit the situation.
  4. Escort Mission
    • A VIP's route through the hive is compromised. The gang must devise an alternative path and ensure the VIP's safe passage amid ambushes and betrayals.

Dark Secrets and Forbidden Power

  1. Hidden Labs:
    • Helmawr scientists conduct secret experiments, often involving xenos tech or Chaos artifacts. Gangs are hired to protect these operations or eliminate witnesses.
    • A rival faction discovers these secrets, forcing the gang to silence or retrieve them before word spreads.
  2. Relics of Power:
    • A Helmawr noble commissions a gang to recover a lost relic tied to the house’s legacy, such as an ancient weapon or artifact of political importance.
    • Gangs uncover forbidden Warp-tech linked to House Helmawr’s meteoric rise, drawing the attention of the Inquisition.
  3. The Obsidian Vault
    • The gang stumbles upon clues to a secret Helmawr vault rumored to contain forbidden technology. A Helmawr agent offers a deal: secure the vault for mutual benefit.
  4. Echoes of the Past
    • An ancient ritual site linked to House Helmawr is discovered. The gang is hired to protect archaeologists from both rival houses and lurking horrors.

Helmawr's Internal Conflicts

  1. Fractured Alliances:
    • Infighting among Helmawr’s lower-ranking nobles spills into the underhive, with gangs caught in the crossfire.
    • A disgraced Helmawr family member hires a gang to reclaim their status or exact revenge on those who cast them out.
  2. Corruption and Betrayal:
    • An ambitious Helmawr noble secretly conspires with rival houses or guilds, using gangs to manipulate events in their favor.
    • A Helmawr official betrayed by their allies employs gangs to uncover the conspiracy and turn the tables.
  3. Shadow Coup
    • A faction within House Helmawr plans to overthrow the current leadership. The gang must choose between loyalty to their patron or the promise of greater rewards from the usurpers.
  4. The Exiled Noble
    • An exiled Helmawr scion seeks to reclaim their place. They hire the gang to retrieve incriminating documents that could topple their rivals.

Ties to Other Factions

  1. Control Over the Enforcers:
    • Helmawr nobles use gangs to undermine the Enforcers' authority in sectors where their loyalty is uncertain.
    • A gang is forced to choose between siding with a corrupt Helmawr patron or an idealistic Enforcer commander seeking to restore justice.
  2. Guild Wars:
    • House Helmawr pits guilds against one another to secure better terms, using gangs to stoke the flames of conflict or sabotage competitors.
    • A gang is hired to protect an influential guildmaster from assassination during negotiations with Helmawr officials.

Rogue Elements

  1. Helmawr Splinter Factions:

    • Breakaway factions within House Helmawr seek to establish their own rule, hiring gangs to disrupt central authority.
    • A secretive Helmawr family member establishes a criminal empire in the underhive, using gangs as enforcers and assassins.

  2. Rebellion Suppression:

    • Workers in Helmawr-controlled manufactorums rise up against harsh conditions, forcing the house to employ gangs to suppress the rebellion.
    • A radical underhive faction openly challenges Helmawr rule, prompting a violent crackdown using gang proxies.

  3. The Phantom Syndicate

    • A criminal organization claims lineage from House Helmawr. The gang is tasked with dismantling the syndicate and uncovering the truth behind their claims.

  4. Rebel's Gambit

    • Revolutionaries plan to broadcast a manifesto exposing Helmawr's secrets. The gang must infiltrate their ranks and stop the transmission.

    Other High-Spire Nobles:

    Lesser noble families often need loyal agents to safeguard their interests in the underhive, acting as spies, enforcers, or assassins.

    Aranthus (Destroyed by plague in 364.M40)

    • Legacy: Once a powerful house that controlled vital trade routes and amassed great wealth through medicine and alchemical goods.
    • Rumors: Whispered tales accuse Lady Annyr Helmawr of orchestrating their downfall using a custom-engineered plague.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Plague Revisited
        • A mysterious illness spreads in the underhive, mirroring the plague that destroyed Aranthus. The gang is hired to find the source and a possible cure.
      • Echoes of Aranthus
        • Descendants of Aranthus seek artifacts to prove their heritage. They enlist the gang to navigate treacherous ruins guarded by ancient defenses.

    Catallus

    • Legacy: Known for their refined culture and patronage of the arts, House Catallus was deeply intertwined with the Spire’s social elite.
    • Reputation: Catallus still commands respect among nobles and often acts as mediators in political disputes.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • The Stolen Symphony
        • A masterpiece musical composition is stolen before its debut. The gang must recover it before the house's reputation suffers.
      • Masquerade Intrigue
        • During a grand masquerade ball, the gang is hired to discreetly protect a Catallus noble from an unknown assassin among the guests.

    Eschaki (Lost noble status in the Second Great Clan Wars, became House Escher)

    • Legacy: Once a noble house with a reputation for innovation and fierce independence, now transformed into the matriarchal House Escher.
    • Rivalries: Other noble houses consider Eschaki's fall a cautionary tale of hubris.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Echoes of Ancestry
        • A forgotten Eschaki vault is rumored to hold secrets that could restore the house's noble status. The gang is hired by an Escher matriarch to retrieve its contents before rival houses do.
      • Bloodline Betrayal
        • An individual claiming to be the last male heir of Eschaki surfaces, threatening the matriarchal rule of House Escher. The gang must investigate the claim and deal with the potential upheaval.

    Gorshed (One of the first noble houses, status unknown after Second Great Clan Wars)

    • Legacy: Known for their pioneering role in Necromunda’s early hive expansions.
    • Rumors: Some claim Gorshed remnants still operate in secret, aiming to reclaim their lost title.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • The Lost Cartographers
        • House Gorshed's ancient maps have resurfaced, showing hidden passages and resources. The gang is hired to secure these maps from a black market auction.
      • Echoes in the Hive
        • Strange machinery from Gorshed's time begins activating, causing havoc. The gang must navigate these relics to prevent a catastrophic chain reaction.

    Greim

    • Legacy: Renowned for their martial traditions and service to Necromunda’s military forces.
    • Reputation: Greim nobles are often skilled tacticians and proud warriors, holding key positions in the Planetary Defense Force.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Martial Mandate
        • House Greim seeks to test new combat doctrines. The gang is hired to participate in war games that may have real and deadly consequences.
      • Defender of the Faithful
        • A Greim officer defects with valuable military intel. The gang must track them down before the information falls into enemy hands.

    Harrow

    • Legacy: Mysterious and insular, House Harrow is known for controlling forbidden knowledge and esoteric artifacts.
    • Reputation: Feared and respected for their secrecy, Harrow’s dealings often border on the heretical.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Secrets Unearthed
        • Whispers of a hidden Harrow library containing forbidden knowledge reach the gang. They are offered a fortune to retrieve a specific tome before the Inquisition arrives.
      • The Spectral Summons
        • House Harrow conducts a ritual that tears a rift into the Warp. The gang must either assist in controlling the rift or stop the ritual to prevent a daemonic incursion.

    Ko'iron

    • Legacy: Masters of industry and infrastructure, Ko'iron controls many of Necromunda’s manufactorums and trade routes.
    • Reputation: Pragmatic and calculating, they value efficiency over tradition or sentiment.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Engineer's Demise
        • Key infrastructure is failing due to sabotage. The gang is hired to protect Ko'iron engineers as they make critical repairs under fire.
      • Trade Secrets
        • Rival houses attempt to steal Ko'iron's innovative blueprints. The gang must safeguard the designs and expose the spies within.

    Mung (Met its end in 777.M36)

    • Legacy: An ancient house destroyed by unknown forces, rumored to have dabbled in dark powers.
    • Rumors: Legends say Mung’s leaders made a pact with Chaos, which led to their downfall.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Shadows of the Past
        • Artifacts linked to House Mung are causing mutations. The gang is tasked with collecting these items, navigating both physical dangers and moral dilemmas.
      • The Forbidden Pact
        • Cultists claiming to be descendants of House Mung attempt to summon a daemon. The gang must intervene before the ritual reaches completion.

    Ran Lo

    • Legacy: Masters of finance and trade, Ran Lo is one of the wealthiest noble houses in Necromunda.
    • Reputation: Known for their economic dominance and ruthless business acumen.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Market Manipulation
        • A financial crisis is orchestrated to weaken House Ran Lo. The gang is hired to uncover the perpetrators and stabilize the economy.
      • The Golden Ledger
        • An encrypted ledger containing details of Ran Lo's clandestine dealings is stolen. The gang must retrieve it to prevent scandal.

    Ty

    • Legacy: A reclusive and enigmatic house focused on knowledge and secrecy.
    • Reputation: Often dismissed as eccentric, Ty nobles are said to hoard vast libraries of forbidden lore.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Labyrinth of Lore
        • House Ty offers access to their vast library if the gang retrieves a stolen grimoire from a dangerous cult.
      • The Silent Archive
        • A mysterious signal emanates from a long-abandoned Ty facility. The gang is hired to explore the site and recover any valuable data.

    Ulanti

    • Legacy: One of Necromunda’s oldest noble houses, known for their arrogance and political maneuvering.
    • Reputation: Ulanti nobles often hold positions of power and see themselves as the rightful rulers of Necromunda.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • The Noble's Masquerade
        • Ulanti hosts an exclusive event where alliances are made and broken. The gang is hired to infiltrate the ball and gather intelligence.
      • Crown of Thorns
        • An ancient Ulanti heirloom surfaces in the underhive. The gang must retrieve it before it becomes a symbol for rebellion.

    Weyter

    • Legacy: An ancient house that thrived during Necromunda’s early expansion, focusing on mining and metallurgy.
    • Reputation: While not as prominent as others, Weyter remains influential in the resource trade.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Metal and Might
        • Weyter's mining operations unearth a new alloy. The gang is hired to secure the mining site from opportunistic rivals.
      • Depths of Despair
        • A collapse in a Weyter mine traps workers. The gang is enlisted for a perilous rescue mission amid unstable tunnels.

    Yoranta

    • Legacy: Known for their religious fervor and close ties to the Ecclesiarchy.
    • Reputation: Yoranta nobles often sponsor Redemptionist movements and act as inquisitorial agents.
    • Narrative Hooks:
      • Purity's Pursuit
        • Yoranta declares a holy quest to cleanse the underhive. The gang must decide to aid in their crusade or protect those targeted.
      • Relic of Redemption
        • A sacred Yoranta relic is prophesied to appear. The gang is hired to find it, navigating both physical dangers and tests of faith.
#### Subscribe to my blog

#5 hives #5 parsecs #necromunda