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Overview
Asdrubael Vect is the archon of the Kabal of the Black Heart and supreme overlord of Commorragh. He rose from slavery to dominate the Dark City and has survived millennia of plots against him.
He rides into battle on the Dais of Destruction, a modified Ravager, and carries the Sceptre of the Dark City and Obsidian Orbs that drain souls to heal him. His rule rests on fear, wealth and the cunning to stay ahead of rivals. He is one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, and he enjoys reminding others of that. Asdrubael Vect is the Supreme Overlord of Commorragh and archon of the Kabal of the Black Heart. He was born a slave and rose by guile and murder to become a dracon and then master of the Dark City. In the 35th Millennium he broke the old noble houses. In the 41st he was the target of countless assassinations and seemingly died during the Dysjunction of the Night of Revelations, then returned. Every Drukhari knows that betting against Vect is the surest way to end up on a slab.
Origins
He was born a low-caste underling and sold into slavery as a child, and clawed his way up through guile and murder.
Vect's genius was to break the power of Commorragh's ancient noble houses. He provoked an Imperial invasion of the Dark City, through raids that led a Salamanders strike cruiser to stumble into Commorragh, and used the resulting chaos to destroy the nobles and replace them with the kabals. His rise from slave to overlord is legendary in Commorragh.
Key events
- Founded the Kabal of the Black Heart.
- Gained power during an Imperial invasion of Commorragh in the 35th Millennium.
- Destroyed Archon Kelithresh and his realm with a black hole disguised as a bribe.
- United Commorragh's sub-realms behind guarded Great Gates.
- Plotted to eliminate Yvraine after the Night of Revelations without being seen to do so.
- Was slain in the dysjunction on the Night of Revelations, then resurrected at his own funeral with the blood of rival archons who had attended, massacred by the Harlequins of the Masque of the Veiled Path.
The full story of the Desaderian Gulf shows how carefully he set it up. Vect's raiders made ships disappear in the gulf until a Salamanders strike cruiser searching for Vulkan's relics came to investigate. His fleet crippled Captain Phoecus's Forgehammer with haywire bombs and dragged it through the Webway into Commorragh. Archon Xelian then arrived with a far larger fleet and took the prize, as Vect had intended. Inside the hulk, Librarian Hestion sent a psychic call for help. Salamanders, Howling Griffons and Silver Skulls came through a Webway portal directly above Xelian's spire. Five hundred Space Marines held the Kraillach Quarter. Archon Kraillach was killed by a 'stray' dark lance shot, and Salamanders Terminators teleported onto the Forgehammer to free it before the fleet broke out.
He dealt with other rivals the same way. When Archon El'uriaq of Shaa-dom defied him, a burning Imperial battleship came out of a warp rift three days later, crashed into the city and detonated its warp drive, destroying El'uriaq's palace. Daemons poured through the breach and within weeks Shaa-dom was haunted ruins, and Vect reportedly allowed himself a rare smile. Yvraine's rebirth in the Crucibael arena, which set off the Great Dysjunction, was an insult he could not ignore. He sent hunters after her, the most dangerous led by Drazhar, Master of Blades, who struck from a hidden Webway portal at Saim-Hann's debating fires. His blade came within a hand's breadth of her neck before Jain Zar parried it, and even with Ynnead's grace she could only hold Drazhar off.
Battles & campaigns
- The Imperial invasion of Commorragh (M35): He used it to destroy Houses Xelian, Kraillach and Yllithian.
- The Desaderian System: His forces tore apart the Imperial Guard regiments there.
- The Dysjunction: He was thought dead as Commorragh tore itself apart.
Personality
Ruthless, playful and endlessly scheming.
He is cruel and ruthless, but also playful, enjoying the elaborate schemes he spins. He values cunning and success, and he punishes failure without mercy. His survival depends on his ability to foresee and outmanoeuvre his enemies, and he has never shown any desire to share power.
Weapons & Vehicles
The cruel crystal-toxin firearms of the Drukhari Kabals, firing storms of venomous shards designed to kill targets in maximum, soul-nou…
The nerve-shredding neural whips and moisture-vaporising Huskblades of Drukhari Archons and Succubi, turning close combat into an arena…
The reality-tearing distort weapons of Craftworld Wraithguard and Wraithknights, opening miniature Warp-rifts inside a target to banish…
Faceless mercenary swordsmen of Commorragh who serve whoever pays and live only to perfect the killing stroke with the klaive.
Masked, surgically remade servants of the Haemonculus Covens, Drukhari who chose to become living instruments of torture.
Winged Drukhari mercenaries who submit to Haemonculus bone-hollowing surgery to soar among the spires of Commorragh and rain heavy weap…
Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.
Connections
Characters (4)
Slaanesh enemy · Chaos DaemonsCommorragh's Drukhari feed on the suffering of others to keep Slaanesh's thirst for their souls at bay.
Factions
- Drukhari primary faction
Related units (7)
Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.
Legacy
Asdrubael Vect is the Supreme Overlord of Commorragh, a tyrant who rose from slavery to rule the Dark City through cunning and terror. His reported death and inevitable return show how he turns even catastrophe into advantage. He remains the hub of Drukhari politics, and every archon's scheme is measured against him. The modern Commorragh of kabals over nobles is Vect's design, built on one of history's best-hidden betrayals.
Appearances & sources
- Codex: Dark Eldar / Codex: Drukhari
- Path of the Dark Eldar trilogy (Andy Chambers)