Cryptek

A Cryptek is one of the technologists and engineers of the Necron race, and they are responsible for studying and maintaining the technology of the Necron dynasties. A Cryptek's powers mirror that of the psykers found amongst the other intelligent species of the galaxy. However, while psykers channel the energies of the Warp to accomplish their seemingly supernatural feats, a Cryptek uses his highly advanced knowledge of science and technology to manipulate the universe's fundamental forces and produce many of the same seemingly magical effects. What a Cryptek often accomplishes with his technology is nothing short of magical to the eyes of the lesser intelligent races. With his knowledge of arcane sciences, a Cryptek can transmute a foe into liquid adamantium, turn him into a speck of dwarf star matter, set the air ablaze, call down eldritch bolts of lightning and other equally impressive feats of technological arcana.

History
Cypteks are members of a pan-galactic conclave of Necron technologists whose purpose is to study and maintain the eldritch devices of their ancient race. They are masters of dimensional dissonance, singularity manipulation, atomic transmutation, elemental transmogrification and countless other reason-defying technologies. In many ways, a Cryptek's powers mirror those employed by the pyskers of other intelligent races, but instead of using their innate psychic abilities by channeling Warp energies, the Cryptek employs arcane science to harness the universe's fundamental forces. Every Cryptek conclave specialises in a particular field of techno-sorcery in one of a hundred thousand disciplines. These conclaves were originally founded to share information and expertise amongst Necron settlements from one end of the galaxy to the other, but have since become fragmented and isolated. In the long millennia since the Necrons' biotransference, Crypteks have become just as stagnant and fragmented as every other aspect of Necron society. In the present era of the late 41st Millennium, the surviving Cryptek Conclaves are maintained out of force of habit more than for any practical purpose.

Though Crypteks have no official rank in the political structure of a Necron dynasty, they wield immense influence. A Cryptek's power springs from the army of Canoptek Spyders, Wraiths and Scarabs under his control, but is mainly acquired from the ignorance of the disinterested Necrontyr nobility, who have no interest in the working of the technology they employ. As Tomb Worlds need perpetual maintenance to maintain their countless systems functioning at peak efficiency, it is not unknown for a slighted Cryptek to bring the maintenance cycle to a screaming halt should his supposed "betters" require a reminder of the power he and his kind wield. Even the proudest Necron Overlord will muster an apology when his soldiers and weapons seize up on the eve of battle.

On occasion, a Necron Overlord will go so far as to recruit a particularly trusted and knowledgeable Cryptek to serve in his Royal Court. To entice a Cryptek to serve it is common for an Overlord to grant him the first pickings of precious alloys, power cores and focus crystals in exchange for his services in a campaign. This can prove politically dangerous for the Overlord, as this essentially elevates the Cryptek to the same rank as the Necron Lords already serving within his dynasty, and so inevitably fosters resentment amongst his regal subordinates. Nonetheless, having the Cryptek's wealth of knowledge and expertise close at hand is normally viewed as more than adequate compensation for the political risk. Ultimately, the only thing that holds the ambitions of a Cryptek in check is another of his kind. Should a retained Cryptek rise too far above his station, a Necron Overlord will attempt to replace him by luring a different, and more tractable, Cryptek away form the service of a rival. This process can also have complications, for whilst no Cryptek will knowingly supplant another of the same conclave, a rival from another conclave will not hesitate to do so. This usually results in plots and counterplots which can lead to rivalry, or even outright conflict, between different Crypteks and their respective conclaves.

Notable Crypteks

 * Drizyan
 * Illuminor Szeras
 * Navgran the Eternal - Navigran was a Cryptek in the service of the Sautekh Dynasty who was known as the High Transmuter.
 * Orikan the Diviner
 * Osiskor, Harbinger of Transmorgrification
 * Rahkoz, Chronomancer of Suhbekhar
 * Raunek Ka, The Holder of Keys

Cryptek Disciplines
The Crypteks have developed countless disciplines of techno-sorcery, down through the aeons. Further, each individual Cryptek makes its own unique advancements in its chosen expertise. As such, it is unlikely for two Crypteks to ever wield quite the same abilities and weapons. Presented here are the five most common Cryptek techno-sorcery disciplines, but by no means are these the only ones, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of such disciplines in use by the different Cryptek Conclaves:

Harbinger of Despair (Psychomancer)
Accomplished psychomancers are amongst the most keenly retained of all Crypteks. If their abilities are employed properly, the enemy's morale will be quickly shattered within moments of the battle's start.
 * Nightmare Shroud - When this small, black cask is opened, the worst terrors of a thousand aeons are unleashed on the Cryptek's foes, assailing their enemies with phantasms of dread as potent as any mortal danger.
 * Veil of Darkness - With a simple wave of its skeletal hand, the Cryptek can summon a billowing sheet of almost tangible shadow, enveloping it and nearby allies before disappearing along with the enshrouded Necrons. When the darkness ebbs, the Cryptek and his comrades have disappeared, only to rematerialise some distance away.

Harbinger of Destruction (Plasmancer)
Plasmancers are not subtle beings, for they choose to wield raw energy rather than go to the trouble of binding it into other forms. Thus are they known as Harbinigers of Destruction, as the spread of destruction is their gift to the galaxy.
 * Gaze of Flame - Some Plasmancers choose to implant hidden weaponry within their own bodies. Many Necrons find this practice unsavoury, at best. Few, however, would question a Harbinger of Destruction to his face, particularly when that face may conceal all manner of terrifying weaponry. When in battle, the eyes of a Cryptek who has granted himself the Gaze of Flame burn with an unnatural, ghostly fire.
 * Solar Pulse - Often incorporated into an Eldritch Lance, the Solar Pulse unleashes a sizeable portion of the Lance's energy, not as a coherent beam, but as a fl ash of light bright as a solar flare.

Harbinger of Eternity (Chronomancer)
Chronomancers are known as Harbingers of Eternity, as knowledge of the future flows through their every act. Few Harbingers of Eternity are trusted, as they always have a shrewd idea of how any event will unfold.
 * Chronometron - The bearer of this arcane device exists slightly outside the flow of time, allowing him to glimpse possible futures and modify his recent actions accordingly. A Cryptek utilising a Chronometron appears blurred, its movements sudden and spasmodic like a primitive pict-reel or degraded hololith.
 * Timesplinter Cloak - The most accomplished of chronomancers can weave together disparate strands of time, forming an unassailable shield against any attack that does not originate from the time stream corresponding to the precise moment of impact.

Harbinger of the Storm (Ethermancer)
Harbingers of the Storm are ethermancers, with the fury of the turbulent skies at their command. They can summon lightning, or set enraged winds upon the foe.
 * Ether Crystal - An Ether Crystal can control the fundamental forces of nature, summoning storms from tranquillity and lightning from clear skies. In seconds, the chosen area is assaulted by gale-force winds from nowhere as black storm clouds gather to block out the sky.
 * Lightning Field - A Cryptek equipped with a Lightning Field is surrounded by crackling, incandescent electricity that arcs across his body and any nearby Necrons. Bolts of emerald lightning arc between the Cryptek and his comrades, electrocuting any foe who comes near.

Harbinger of Transmorgrification (Alchemist)
Harbingers of Transmorgrification are adepts of geomancy and masters of the science once known to Mankind as alchemy. These Crypteks specialise in the transmutation of matter from one form to another and the instilling of animus within inanimate objects.
 * Harp of Dissonance - Many an enemy has underestimated the power of this strange, alchemical weapon, most often fatally. An irregularly shaped metallic casket, a Harp of Dissonance is laced with numerous strings of different materials, each perfectly calibrated to a precise level of tension. A correctly played note, when amplified and focused through the arcane technology housed within the Harp, can burst the molecular bonds of nearly any material, transmuting it to brittle porcelain.
 * Seismic Crucible - A skilled geomancer with a Seismic Crucible may command the very earth beneath his feet and, more importantly, the feet of his enemies. The Harbinger of Transmogrification can precipitate a powerful, localised quake.

Wargear
Most Crypteks will be armed with a form of staff, which often contains unthinkable technologies related to the Cryptek's chosen discipline, which the Cryptek can use to perform his techno-sorcerous powers against the enemy. The most common forms of these staffs are listed below:
 * Necrodermis - Like all Necrons, a Crypteck's body is built from the living Necrodermis metal, whose self-repair abilities allow a Necron to endure through massive amounts of punishment unscathed.
 * Staff of Light - The Staff of Light is both a weapon and a symbol of authority for those Crypteks who have no real specialisation in the arts of techno-sorcery. Its haft is actually a disguised power generator rod, and the crest is a finely tuned focussing device, allowing the wielder to unleash searing bolts of energy at his foes.
 * Abyssal Staff - Crypteks that are accomplished Psychomancers utilise Abyssal Staves. As dark as onyx and decorated with symbols designed to prey on the subconscious fears of mortals, an Abyssal Staff blasts the sanity of a Psychomancer's foes. To succumb to the swirling ebon mists called by the Abyssal Staff is to be swallowed in inpenetrable darkness.
 * Eldritch Lance - The Eldritch Lance is utilised by Crypteks who are also Plasmancers and are able to wield raw energy. This long stave is laced with arcane circuitry, its flared tip studded with focusing crystals. An Eldritch Lance emits a beam of annihilating energy, compared to which the Staff of Light seems but a toy. The passage of its blasts of furious energies can make even the air scream in agony. For those rare cases when the Cryptek's enemies survive long enough to engage him in close combat, the Eldritch Lance can be wielded in a manner akin to a spear.
 * Aeonstave - Utilised by Crypteks that are masters of Chronomancy, the crystalline sapphire head of an Aeonstave generates a kind of low-level stasis field that contains a massive chronal charge. With each blow from the Aeonstave, the energies unleashed will encapsulate and trap the Cryptek's enemy in a bubble of slow-time.
 * Voltaic Staff - The Voltaic Staff is used by those Crypteks who are Ethermancers. Energy continuously crackles along the length of this heavy staff, arcing between exposed storage crystals. An ideal weapon for the Cryptek who wishes to demonstrate the superiority of Necron technology, the impossibly high voltages emitted by the staff are enough to fry even the most sophisticated Imperial technology. Just as the Ethermancer commands the Voltaic Staff, the Voltaic Staff commands lightning.
 * Tremorstave - A Terrorstave is utilised by those Crypteks who are adepts of Geomancy and masters of the science once known as alchemy. A large staff enclosing numerous gyro-engines, grav-flux generators, and other sophisticated devices, a Tremorstave is as deadly a weapon as it is unconventional. When a Cryptek drives the tip of his Tremorstave into the ground, a wave of energy is released, travelling in a straight line directly towards his intended target, splitting the very ground open and sending shards of stone and sprays of dirt blasting out with deadly velocity; knocking any survivors sprawling.

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