Welcome to the third Malifaux Faction Focus article! Today, we’ll be talking about gribblies, horrors, and things that go “SKRRAWWWWWW!” in the night. That’s right– it’s time to learn about the Neverborn.

Remember that you can also check out the accompanying video on Danger Planet, the premier source for Malifaux video content!

The Lore of the Neverborn

When humans first stumbled through the raw, fresh Breach into Malifaux, they found themselves in a bizarre, surreal environment. Malifaux City is a vast agglomeration, featuring architectural styles from all times and all places in Earth history alongside strange buildings like no human had ever seen. Strangest of all, the city was empty.

The first settlers assumed that was true of the whole of Malifaux. They were wrong.

The Neverborn are what remains of the original inhabitants of Malifaux. Once, they were people– human, perhaps, though the legends don’t confirm that. They had art, and science, and culture, and government. All that fun stuff. And they also had magic. Boy, did they ever have magic. Combined with their technology, they created wonders surpassing anything humans had ever seen. They conquered disease, banished poverty, ended pain, and eventually overcame death.

As typically happens in such scenarios, it ended badly. Bored with their endless lives and drunk on their fathomless power, the greatest wizard-kings and -queens transcended their mortal beginnings and became Tyrants. The Tyrants were like capricious gods, warring with each other and treating lesser beings as toys. The people of Old Malifaux tried desperately to rise up against them, but neither their magic nor their technology had any hope of standing up to the all-powerful Tyrants.

In her desperation, the people’s queen, Titania, began construction of a strange machine. The Kythera device, when complete, did not do what she had said it would. She’d promised her people a weapon that could destroy the Tyrants; what she delivered was a portal to a realm of death and horror. The Grave Spirit, the inhabitant of that realm, reached out into Malifaux, and the people knew real fear.

The Spirit killed the Tyrants, shattering their physical bodies and scattering their essence. Unfortunately, the act of channeling it killed Titania as well and immediately raised her as a sentient undead. The people of Malifaux managed to stop Kythera from fully opening and allowing the Grave Spirit to consume all life, but they could not seal the portal. The Grave Spirit was here to stay, and it brought with it necromancy, the most vile and corruptive of magics.

The people turned on the undead Titania and imprisoned her and her most loyal followers in Nythera, a second device built on the patterns of the first. To their horror, they realized that their sacrifice hadn’t even been enough– the Tyrants remained, though in a greatly reduced and quiescent state.  However, they could reach out to mortals and grant them a fraction of their terrible power. The people captured them one by one before they could re-gather their power, casting each into a specially-made prison: fiery Cherufe was imprisoned in the airless void of space, while Despair was sealed within a puzzle box. Other Tyrants fled to escape the fate of their fellows; Nytemare retreated to the world of dreams, while the Dragon split its essence and sent half of it to Earth.

The people of Malifaux, having dispatched their traitor Queen and the Tyrants, found themselves in a world wracked by war and polluted by death. Many of them had been subjected to Tyrant experiments, warping their bodies and minds. Others did it to themselves, reworking their forms so they could survive in the harsh new world. The cities were shunned as haunts of the Tyrants, and as the people retreated to the wilds, they regressed into barbarism. Many of them became little more than animals, while others, such as the Nephilim and Gigants, built their own strange and inhuman societies.

And so it remained for uncounted centuries, until the opening of the Breach and the arrival of the humans. Some of the Neverborn retreated in fright, while others found themselves captivated by curiosity. The Nephilim, under the sisters Nekima and Lilith, took a “wait and see” attitude that swiftly curdled into anger. The humans proved all too susceptible to the corruptive Whisper of the Grave Spirit. Worse, a human found December’s prison and freed his essence. Only with the help of the Masamune Nihonto, a sword possessed by the essence of the Tyrant Shez’uul, was December driven back from his ascension. The Nephilim sisters came to an agreement: the humans had to go.

With the help of Zoraida, a human witch who had embraced the strings of Fate, the sisters closed the portal and slaughtered the humans who remained behind. Nekima carved the word “OURS” into the chest of one man and tossed his corpse through the portal as it closed. The message had been sent.

When the portal reopened, the Neverborn were not in a position to close it again. Nor could they hope to stand up to the massed human armies in a pitched battle. Instead they watched from the shadows, biding their time, and striking when the moment was right. They pick off lone travelers, burn isolated villages, and hunt unwary explorers. They watch the humans, and learn from them, but they never forget:

Malifaux is OURS.

Why Should I Play Neverborn?

Well, come on, if that didn’t sell you…

Neverborn are the horror faction. The models don’t tend to be the grossest (that trophy belongs to the Resurrectionists) but they’re often very creepy or unnerving. If you like monsters, things with claws and fangs and tentacles, the Neverborn are up your alley. Gameplay-wise, Neverborn tend to be lightning-fast and razor-sharp. They have barely any ranged attacks to speak of, but some of the most powerful melee killers in the game. They also have a great abundance of Malifaux-born magic. Controlling and manipulating terrain, ensnaring enemy models, even controlling their minds… Neverborn do it all. They have dirty tricks up both sleeves and a healthy variety of playstyles, from the uncomplicated face-eating of the Nephilim to the slow, sadistic control game of the Woes. Fitting their symbol and associated suit, the Mask, Neverborn are never quite where you expect them to be, and never quite predictable.

Play Neverborn if: 

• You like combo play and catching your opponents off guard. Neverborn are very good at stringing together a series of innocuous moves that end with your opponent somehow having been cut in half.
• You like to mix it up in melee. Neverborn have some serious brawlers, and Nekima is one of the most dangerous Masters in the game.
• You like horror. Any kind of horror. From Lovecraftian tentacle gribblies and creepy dolls to Silent Hill flesh-horrors and giant, winged demons, Neverborn cover all the bases. A skilled painter can give their opponents nightmares.

The Masters

Marcus

Looking at Marcus, you wouldn’t think that he was the oldest (fully) human character in the setting. He came to Malifaux a feeble septuagenarian, hoping to study the flora and fauna of the amazing new world. A few months on this side of the Breach and he looked 30, in the peak of health. Marcus has cast aside his books and studies and decided that the only way to learn about nature is to experience it, especially the “red in tooth and claw” kind. The order of the Chimera has formed around him, seeking to learn from the master and master the wilds.

Marcus used to be affiliated with the Arcanists; after all, he is an unlicensed magic-user practicing without Guild oversight, and so has goals in common with them.  But over time he was gradually tempted by the wilds of Malifaux, and has thrown in with the Neverborn. He’s “gone native” (not the first human mage to do so) and he uses Malifaux’s magic to shape flesh and bone to create new creatures, hitherto unknown in Earth or Malifaux.

On the table, Marcus’s crew is mostly made up of various beasts. His apprentice/lover Myranda and the Order of the Chimera provide support, but beasts are where it’s at. Marcus can upgrade himself and his followers with Mutations that add new abilities, letting you swap out what your crew can do on the fly. Marcus’s title form has embraced his wild side, spreading mutations through his crew like a contagion as they ripple with fangs, wings, and claws.

Play Marcus if:

• You like animals: Malifaux’s got a lot of weird animals
• You played second edition Malifaux and miss the upgrade system
• You know that face is the place

Nekima

When humans tremble in fear of the Neverborn, they’re usually thinking of the Nephilim Brood. Large, strong, and ferocious, the Nephilim resemble demons of Earth myth, with red eyes, huge claws, sharp fangs, and wings. And a hunger for blood that borders on maniacal. Spilled blood actually grows the Nephilim, transforming them from skulking gargoyles to hulking monstrosities. They are unrelentingly hostile to humankind, hunting them from the shadows when they must and taking them down in broad daylight when they can. Nor are they mindless– the Nephilim have a society and culture all their own, albeit a fairly basic and tribal one.

Once they were led by two chieftains, sisters named Lilith and Nekima. Nekima was larger and stronger and brasher, but Lilith was quiet and clever and patient. Lilith ruled the Nephilim, and Nekima was forced to serve her sister, though her hatred and resentment at being cheated of her “birthright” festered and grew. When Titania returned, Nekima saw her chance, and betrayed her sister. The Nephilim civil war was short and bloody, and Nekima prevailed. The gravely injured Lilith was thrown into Nythera, Titania’s erstwhile prison, by Lilith’s ally Zoraida. Zoraida is keeping Lilith alive and safe while she figures out how to deal with the rise of the barbaric and warlike Nekima.

On the table, the Nephilim are about as unsubtle a crew as Malifaux has– though they’re not without their tricks. Nekima and her brood are melee killers par excellence, able to quickly cross the board with their wings and inflict grievous damage with their claws. They’re fast, strong, and fairly durable, and what’s worse, they feed on their kills. Nephilim that glut themselves on blood can rapidly grow from tiny Terror Tots to massive, hulking Mature Nephilim.  Nekima’s title form focuses on this unnatural life cycle, summoning new Terror Tots and forcing them to grow out of control.

Play Nekima if:

• You always wondered why Khorne Berserkers came with bolt pistols
• You like horror movie monsters as long as they’re not too weird looking
• You don’t mind buying three sets of dudes in three convenient sizes

Euripedes

The Gigants are one of the most reclusive of Malifaux’s tribes. Once, they warred against Titania and her followers. When they were defeated, they bent their knee to her. Euripedes, their leader, sacrificed his eye to Titania and gained shamanic sight in return. He is her haruspex, her seer, who charts the course of fate and leads his people based on the visions he sees in entrails. He’s not your standard cards-and-crystal-balls seer; Euripedes and the Savage forces who follow him are animalistic, reveling in bloodshed and violence.

His Crew consists of Gigant tribesmen, who range in appearance from “big ogre-lookin’ dudes” to “holy crap what the hell is that.” Gigants dwell in Malifaux’s high, frigid mountain range, and their approach to war is as primitive and crude as they are: some of them content themselves by chucking huge boulders at their enemies, while others use shamanic ice magic or (in the case of Euripedes’ henchman, Thoon,) a hooked chain. And when all else fails, you can just pound soft flatland people into dust with your big ol’ fists.

On the table, Euripedes’ crew draws strength from their mountain home– Euripedes and some of his followers can numb enemies with cold or even freeze them solid.  They take advantage of their master’s oracular insights, reading the future in pools of blood. Euripides’ title form blasts enemies with icy winds, shrouding themselves in cold and cracking their foes’ frozen bones.

Play Euripedes if:

• You get nervous when forced to field models that can’t beat ass
• You think “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is an unfairly maligned bop
• You think it’s funny to introduce your opponents to Euripedeez Nuts

Pandora

Is Pandora human? Was she ever? She certainly looks human, which lets her move freely among the human societies of Malifaux. She seems innocent enough, attending shows at the Star or parties in what passes for Malifaux high society, although the ornate puzzle box she carries everywhere certainly draws some attention. When the box opens, people quickly regret their earlier lack of curiosity… but by then it’s too late. The Tyrant Despair has been unleashed, and the horde of Woes that follow it and its vessel are already starting to feed.

Whatever Pandora was originally, she is now host and vessel for Despair. She certainly regrets opening the Box the first time– when Despair emerges, Pandora finds herself trapped in the box, helpless to watch the carnage that the Tyrant wreaks in her form. The Tyrant Fortune is trapped with her, having failed at its own bid for ascension, and Pandora finds herself torn between two otherworldly powers. She was once an ally of Zoraida and Lilith, but with the first preoccupied and the second imprisoned, she finds herself somewhat adrift. Still, this is Malifaux, a place where bad things happen. There’s always plenty of despair to feed Despair, and while Pandora may fervently wish to escape the Tyrant’s influence, so far she remains trapped.

On the table, Pandora and her crew are debuffers extraordinaire. Enemies find themselves overtaken by creeping paranoia or overpowering ego, and friendlies can take advantage of these doubts and fears to empower their attacks.  Pandora can inflict a variety of nasty auras on opponents’ models, making them spread out to avoid hurting each other… and leaving them easy prey to the Woes.  Her title form focuses on spreading Paranoia tokens, and can manifest her opponents’ doubts and fears as new Woe spirits to join her crew.

Play Pandora if:

• You’re a sadistic monster who shouldn’t be allowed around normal people
• You don’t mind tracking every token Malifaux has to offer
• Pushing other people’s models around gives you an illicit little thrill, you pervert

The Dreamer

The Dreamer looks like an ordinary little boy, and that’s because that’s basically what he is. On Earth, anyways. It’s unclear whether, exactly, the child known as the Dreamer realizes that when he sleeps, he’s astrally projecting into Malifaux. It’s hard to tell whether he knows that his dreamscape is actually another world, and the characters in that dream are real people. Maybe if he did know, he wouldn’t be so cavalier about how he treats them. He loves to play with his new friends, and his Nightmare pals always come along to join in the game.

The Dreamer’s power derives, at least in part, from his nighttime playmate: the horrific monstrosity he has dubbed Lord Chompy Bits. “Chompy” is only the latest name this entity has carried; the residents of Old Malifaux knew him as the tyrant Nytmare. Nytmare was originally drawn to the Dreamer by the boy’s powerful imagination and vivid, lucid dreams, but found himself unable to overpower the Dreamer and seize control of his dreamscape. For whatever reason, the Dreamer’s ability to control and shape dreams is unparalleled among humans. Instead of consuming him, Nytmare began to manipulate the boy, seeing in him a way to affect Malifaux and regain his lost power without exposing himself to unnecessary risk.

Lately, the Dreamer is proving difficult and unruly. He’s grown, no longer the innocent child but now more of a tough little urchin, especially as conditions on Earth worsen. Nytmare still feels in control, but he’s begun to wonder if relying too much on a human’s power is a mistake…

On the table, the Dreamer frightens enemies to death… possibly literally.  Foes in the grip of a terrifying nightmare are easy prey for Nightmare models, and the Dreamer can call his Daydream buddies (and Lord Chompy Bits himself) out to play over and over.  The Dreamer’s title form can conjure all manner of nocturnal terrors into existence.  They don’t last long – Nightmares always go away when you wake up – but while they last, they’re deadly.

Play the Dreamer if:

• You like the “creepy Victorian kid” aesthetic
• You want your horror movie monsters to be as weird as humanly possible
• You can’t decide if it’s more fun to debuff people or just kill them

Titania

The Autumn Queen. The Third Law. The Keeper of the Old World. Titania was a legend so old that the humans had never heard of her, and the Neverborn spoke of her only in whispers. She was sealed away forever in the prison of Nythera. And now, thanks to some incautious human mercenaries, she’s back.

When she was initially sealed away, her most loyal followers were sealed with her. These Fae have returned alongside their queen. Titania and her followers are undead now, withered under the Grave Spirit’s power, but they aren’t mindless– they are self-willed and free. What’s more, their own deaths haven’t severed their connections to Malifaux’s natural world. Beneath their touch, the forests and wild places of Malifaux bloom, every thorn and vine serving the Autumn Queen’s will.

Titania’s return upset the power balance among the Nephilim, toppling Lilith from her seat and elevating Nekima in her place. The Gigants returned from their mountain exile at her call, and Zoraida finds herself momentarily wrongfooted, her access to the levers of power cut off. What Titania wants is simple enough: she wants the human invaders gone. She wants the Tyrants sealed. And she wants her throne back. All of Malifaux will bow to the Autumn Queen, or their blood will fill the grooves and hollows of the Letting Stone.

On the table, Titania’s crew makes the flowers bloom. Her and her followers spread Underbrush Markers, little patches of woodland that can slow your enemies and hide your followers. She can throw your models into thorny brambles, or simply send the forest to your doorstep. Her title form spreads forest even more ferociously, carpeting the table in growth that helps your models declare triggers.

Play Titania if:

• Your favorite model type is “forest”
• The Sylvaneth are a little too wholesome and clean for you
• You get agitated when enemy models are allowed to move

Kastore

Nekima isn’t the only Neverborn broodmaster in town.  Kastore, her uncle, is one of the oldest Nephilim in existence, part of the initial population that transformed themselves to escape the blood plague.  In his case, the transformation went wrong, leaving him craving black Nephilim blood instead of the normal red type that the rest of them feast on.  Unwilling to surrender to cannibalism, Kastore had himself put into torpor (like any good Antediluvian), and his followers guarded his resting place in the Hushed Copse.  Over the ages, the power that sustained him kept them going, too, after a fashion: they are, for all intents and purposes, undead, even if their hearts still beat.

In need of support in her power struggle with Titania, Nekima awakened her uncle, and his coven Returned alongside him.  Kastore, for his part, understands that the Nephilim need him if they are ever to escape the rule of the Autumn Queen.  He suppresses his hunger for as long as he can, but when he needs to let loose, his hulking, blood-engorged form is a terror to behold.

On the table, the Returned keyword benefits from vampiric Hunger, which they can inflict on themselves and then slake on the blood of enemies.  Marathine, the living blade, accompanies the crew, and as it can wield itself, it cannot be destroyed as long as Kastore lives (or unlives).  Kastore’s mind is clouded by his long sleep, but with some effort you can clear it – but a starving vampire is always in danger of slipping back into lethargy.  Kastore’s title form abandons all subtlety for destruction, and his followers can push themselves into starvation to become even deadlier.

Play Kastore if:

• You are enjoying our Century of the Vampire content
• You like Nephilim, but Nekima is a little dull for you
• You get anxious about leaving home without healing in your list

The Silken King

The Fae, Nephilim and Gigants aren’t the only examples of Malifaux’s original inhabitants wandering around.  The Sirens once dwelt in Malifaux’s seas, singing their entrancing songs… but with the coming of the Tyrants they, like so many others, were forced into terrible servitude.  Some of them were draw to the Tyrant Meridion, and when She was sealed within Malifaux’s ley lines by the ancestral Nephilim, they followed.  They slept in prisons deep beneath the seas until the dissipation of the Burning Man’s energies cracked their walls.  The Banished have awoken and returned to the surface, to conquer the land dwellers’ domains for the glory of their slumbering Tyrant mistress.

The Silken King and his followers are prime examples of this aquatic peril.  They are masters of mind-altering magic and can drown enemies in magical undertow.  On the table, they’re durable killers with powerful control tools.  As a starter box crew, they’re on the easy end of complexity, but with plenty of tricks for more advanced players.  The Silken King’s title form uses mind-controlling Crowns of Thorns to force enemies to do his bidding… or walk right onto his knife.

Play the Silken King if:

• You like your horror Lovecraftian in a very specific sense
• You are splitting the two-player starter with another player, and prefer the “horror” half of “steampunk horror”
• You loved that one episode of the Real Adventures of Johnny Quest that scared the crap out of me as a kid

Oh, and the Neverborn have their own Nightmare crews. This one actually does double duty with The Other Side, Wyrd’s larger-scale wargame. Behold the slimy, fishy version of Nekima: Adi Adara!

That’s 3/8 factions down. Join us next time for the objectively smelliest faction: the Resurrectionists!