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Note: This article discusses material that was once considered canon but whose canonicity is now questionable.

Pariah 1

A pair of Necron Pariahs wielding their Warscythes

Pariahs are crafted from a terrible symbiosis of Necron technology and human evolution. They are created from human victims that are abducted by the Necrons, and bear the "Pariah" Gene that severs the bearer completely from the Warp; effectively making them both soulless and immune to the effects of psychic abilities. Pariahs do not live long as the feelings of hatred and distaste they generate among others means they have few friends and many enemies. Pariahs are very rare in the galaxy since perhaps only one person on an entire world will be a carrier of the gene in every human generation. Pariahs are often used by the Inquisition and the Ordo Hereticus against witches and renegade Psykers. Also, due to their soullessness, human Pariahs are completely without fear. Necron Pariahs are encased within new cybernetic bodies forged from the living metal called Necrodermis by the Necrons, and their minds are soon enslaved to the will of the Necrons much like the more common Necron Warriors, as their new bodies drain their abilities to feel any emotion or pleasure. The Pariah gene is extremely rare and confined solely to Mankind, meaning that Pariahs are relatively rare, and there are very few even amongst the Necrons. Pariahs have an extreme detrimental effect on the psychic powers of any Psykers they come into contact with. Pariahs wield spear-like Warscythes that are also outfitted with built-in Gauss Blasters that make them extremely dangerous opponents. Pariahs also radiate an unnatural aura as a result of their soullessness that has a terribly unnerving effect upon their enemies, but especially for psykers who can become incapacitated by their sheer presence.

Necron Pariah

A Necron Pariah

The Eldar have hinted in the past that the Pariah Gene was deliberately engineered by the Necrons and their C'tan masters into the ancient primate population of Old Earth millions of Terran years ago in the hope of eventually creating a biological anti-psychic weapon. The resulting soulless individuals could then be used to defeat the Old Ones and their successors, psychically-empowered species like the Eldar and the Orks. Certainly the Pariahs have proved to be a potent weapon for the Necrons against the Imperium of Man since they emerged from hibernation. The truth of this contention remains unknown to the Imperium's savants at this time.

Necrons Pariahs normally operate in squads composed of 4 to 10 of these monstrosities. Pariahs radiate a constant sense of palpable menace and horror to those around them, blotting out all psychic emanations and infusing those nearby with the sense of their own mortality. In this way, Pariahs embody the ultimate horror of the Necron threat to the galaxy. However, they possess one known weakness; they lack the powerful regenerative ability of true Necrons due to their human roots and still retain many of their fleshy human organs encased within their necrodermis shell, making them far more vulnerable to weapons fire than their immortal counterparts amongst the former Necrontyr.

Notable Pariahs

  • Thomas Macabee: Prior to his transformation, Macabee was an archeology professor and prominent Gue'vesa on the Tau world of Kronus. However, when his archaeological expedition to explore the Necron ruins on Kronus unknowingly opened the entrance to the Necrons' subterranean stasis tomb complex, the expedition awoke those ancient warriors. Most of the team died then and there, but Macabee was taken by the Necrons and remade as a Necron Pariah. In the ensuing campaign of extermination, he would act as an adviser and spokesman for the otherwise-silent Necron Lord of Kronus.

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