Malifaux JargonBuster: Neverborn

The time has come where my journey around Malifaux is nearly at an end! I'm not going to lie, it's been emotional! I know that I have one faction to do now and I thought I'd introduce some basic mechanics in another post so you can get the hang of it!

For the penultimate time; Ladies and Gentlemen... please listen to your health and safety announcement before continuing with your journey. This post is intended for new players/players who are not yet into the wonder world of Malifaux and want to know a little bit more about each faction and master. They are not comprehensive guides on how to play or provide you with additional background.

If you're reading this and you're wondering where the funk the others are, well, they're here of course:
Background
Gremlins
Arcanists
Guild
Ten Thunders
Resurrectionists
Outcasts

Today... THE NEVERBORN!

The city of Malifaux is a dangerous place, but it is as cosy as a roaring fire on a snowy night compared with what lies beyond the city limits in the Badlands. Every nightmare ever dreamed has a part of Neverborn included in it. These horrors manifest themselves and are a very real threat.
When the Breach closed for the first time, no one Earthside knew what had happened, but many scholars agreed that the Neverborn had something to do it with it. When it reopened, the Guild expected a mass attack but none came. The Guild began a recovery mission to 'take back' the city. After a few months, they eased back their control and they thought they would be safe.

They were wrong...

Unlike humans, Neverborn are not limited to a familiar shape. Many begin life as small creatures, growing into larger beasts. Others might seem little more than a child, but bear no greater desire than to cause pain and suffering.
Some tell tales of creatures who assume human form, not only fitting into a crowd, but impersonating their victim in the midst of horrible crimes. Just because the Guild can't see them, doesn't mean they're not there. Many lives were lost to the unseen threat, and the Guild is certain the threat has been incorporated into their ranks.
Neverborn draw strength from the primal magic that flows through Malifaux, rather than the surface magic which the Arcanists twist to their own devices. It is through this power that some of the more skilled creatures are able to twist fate to their own designs.
There are many cults which have been dedicated to reaching this magic, through the blood rituals performed by ignorant humans serve only to strengthen the power. To this end, some of the more clever Neverborn foster human worship, and convince man to deprave themselves in the service of the darker forces.
The Guild has grown desperate in their fight against the Neverborn, hiring just about anyone who is willing to join their 'Neverborn Hunter's Task Force'. Rare is the person who returns from their first hunt, and rarer still are those who come back unchanged.
No two Neverborn need ever use the same tools. While some lash out at humanity with bloodshed, others drink deep off mankind's emotions. Others still twist the strands of ate, or touch upon the madness in every man's heart.
One thing remains constant, however. Malifaux is theirs, and they do not appreciate guests.

 

Lilith

Lilith is the first Neverborn. A calm and cunning leader one moment, a frenzied creature of hatred and malice the next. She remembers the end days of Old Malifaux as fleeting memories. She will not stand by while humanity takes over, what Lilith sees as her domain. 

When the Breach first opened over a century ago she was curious, inquisitive to see what these creatures were like in numbers. She had been aware of humans which had slipped through reality from time to time; Zoraida being the prime example. What she learned was that humans were a pest which must be exterminated.

For now, Lilith is content to plot on a short term basis, slowing but not thwarting humanity's expansion beyond the city walls. Her steady hit and run tactics have earned her prominence on the Guild's Most Wanted List. The bounty grows with each successful attack.

In Lilith's box you get: Lilith, Barbaros, 3 Terror Tots and a very cute Cherub

Pandora

The Neverborn take on many guises, but none are so at odds with their true nature than Pandora's appearance. Pandora uses this youthful facade to stroll the streets of Malifaux undisturbed, enabling her to pursue her dark and terrible agendas without suspicion.
She carries with her an ancient box which remains firmly sealed until she is ready to release its contents. Opening the box unleashes pandemonium, twisting sanity until the lines of reality blur.
Maliciously mischievous, she has a cruel sadistic streak which comes out when the mood strikes her. She is a force of all the suffering in Malifaux, feeding on the anguish of the popluation. Unlike Lilith, she has little desire to see humanity leave the city, as they are delicious treats for her macabre whims.
Where Pandora walks, hope dies.

In Pandora's box you get: Pandora, Poltergeist, 3 Sorrows, Candy and Kade.

 Jakob Lynch



The Bliss-Pushing Card Shark. Like the fates of Malifaux. Jakob Lynch can find himself in incredible good fortune, though more often than not, his luck is sour. Winning the whole Honeypot Casino was a stroke of good luck that would only end poorly for the young entrepreneur. Quickly, Lynch found himself in debt... to the Ten Thunders.
Then one day, very curiously, an offer came Lynch's way. Two men would pay off his debt if they could use the basement of the Casino. This offer was too good to refuse so Mr. Graves, Mr. Tannen and Mr. Lynch became partners in business.
Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him and he slipped down to the basement to see what was going on. There, in front of him, the moment of truth; a terrible creature that was the source of all his success. Now Lynch is torn between the Ten Thunders and the Neverborn, barely able to keep either at bay. If he has any hope of surviving he may have to dive into even darker places to become the master of his own fate.

Lynch's crew box you get: Jakob Lynch, The Hungering Darkness and 3 Illuminated.

Zoraida

 Desperation can drive men and women to do desperate things like moving for the relative safety of the city into the Bayou. Those who travel out of the city and find her, find themselves in an unusual position as she knows their names and why they have come. In order to answer any questions they may have they are challenged to a game of cards - if they win, she tells them what they need to know but if they lose, she collects a unique ante. Most never see the city's lights again.
Zoraida is the hag with the second sight. Centuries old, she is not truly in one faction or another. Being placed as a Neverborn master, really she is a human who traversed the inbetween and reached Malifaux long before the first opening of the Great Breach. Over time she become one of the Neverborn and she knows more about the weaving's of fate and where to pluck than any other creature in Malifaux.
Zoraida interweaves her own designs into fate's plan and maneuvers hundreds of desperate elements together to achieve her desired results.

In Zoraida's box you get: Zoraida, Voodoo Doll (totem), Swamp Fiend and 3 Silurids

Lucius Mattheson

In the Guild is the right hand of the Governor - Lucius Mattheson or to give him his correct title: Lusius Gustavius FitzWilliam Mattheson. He is master of guile and an effective leader. He uses his influence to move minions around the board and do his bidding. No-one realizes (or in fact knows) how much influence Lucius wields, or how many in Malifaux are now loyal directly to him instead of to their duties.Nobody knows many spies he has, how far his reach extends. Nobody knows who comes to speak with him in the dead of night, or the company he keeps when he vanishes into the Quarantine Zones or the Neverborn-haunted wilderness. Nobody knows...
Lucius has an affiliation to both the Guild and Neverborn which make him the last dual faction master and indeed the last master of the Guild. He has many movement tricks which focus on the minions around him.

 In Lucius' box set you get: Lucius, 2 Lawyers, 2 Guild Guard, Captain Dashel (a bit brute with a fearsome reputation among the Guild but thick as shit) and a scribe, Lucius' totem who carries a spare mask for Lucius... just in case!

Collodi

 There are many old relics from humanity's first time through the Breach. Most of these are the usual - ruins, coins, books. But there are some forgotten things as well, things that were imbued with magic and life.
Collodi is a living puppet, the size of a human adult. It was made to be an entertainment device, a performer, sharing stories with the humans. At the closing of the Breach, Collodi was left alone with no more children to share stories with. To make up for the loneliness, Collodi began making new puppets from bits of wood it scavenged.
When the Breach reopened, Collodi rushed to the newly arrived settlers, drawn by the laughter of the children. It wasn't to be like before, the adults attacked the puppet, forcing it away with torches and axes.
Unable to fulfill its purpose, Collodi learned to hate. It vowed to teach humanity the emptiness it had felt for so long. It started making a new kind of puppet, using the blood of stolen children. Collodi wanders Malifaux in its painted wagon, hiding in plain sight behind the masks it wears, still committed to its now twisted purpose.

Collodi's box has not yet been released, however I would expect you will receive: Collodi, Vasalisa and 4 Marionettes! Not much I know, maybe they'll throw something else in!

Finally... my personal favourite in the whole of Malifuax... The Dreamer

Dreamer

 Nytmare has twisted human's dreams since the fall of Old Malifaux, feeding on the terror he causes. In that time, there is only one child who has resisted his efforts.
The Dreamer simply reshaped his dreams back again, never once fearing the lurking Tyrant. When Nytmare tried to leave the boy's dream to feed on easier prey, he was surprised to see the boy follow him. In the darkness of Malifaux, the boy demanded a playtime with 'Lord Chompy Bits' - a game of hide and seek. He seemed unaware that his mind was no longer inside his own dreams, but bending the fabric of reality in Malifaux.
The power this offered Nytmare was tremendous; if he could only determine how it worked! Unwilling to risk finding anyone else or even harming the boy, he has since indulged in every demand for the new game, watching gently over his host until he can understand how a mere boy can wield such power so casually.

In Dreamer's box you get: Dreamer, 3 Alps, 3 Daydreams, Lord Chompy Bits and Coppelius.

So that's it! We've run down all of the Malifaux factions and even see what the crew boxes look like! I hope you've enjoyed the run down and are considering the game! If you've experienced the game before, I hope you continue playing and expand your collection, there is a lot of tasty models out there!
The game is refreshing from the usual endless dice rolling and brings a new dynamic to playing.

Thanks for reading!

I'll see you soon!