The Genestealer Cult is the foretelling of a coming apocalypse for a planet. Let’s take a closer look at the mutations that foreshadow the death of worlds.
The is a deadly collection of mutated beings that pave the way for a large scale Tyranid invasion. They are a deadly part of the bugs master plan.
Via: Lexicanum
Background
Such a cult forms if a Genestealer infects members of another species with its genotype. The resultant changes in the genome of the host cause a fanatical loyalty to the Genestealers as well as a drastic change to their reproductive system; their firstborn children will be Hybrids, a grotesque mixture of the host’s race and Genestealers. These hybrids infect further victims, and the infection spreads exponentially. Fourth generation hybrids produce Purestrain Genestealers, and the cycle starts once again.
This brood of Purestrains, hybrids and Brood Brothers is held together by strong psychic and genetic bonds, and assembles around the original Genestealer which becomes the Patriarch. Because this community is often hidden behind the facade of a religion or political movement, it is called a Genestealer Cult by the Imperium.
Hierarchy
At the top of a Genestealer Cult stands the Patriarch – he determines every action of the cult as its progenitor – he is beloved and seen as a kind of father-figure or, in the case of the Brood Brothers, as a god. Besides him in the hierarchy stands the Magus and Primus, hybrids of the fourth generation, who operates as a public leadership figure. Patriarch, Magus, and Primus form, together with the other hybrids and Genestealers, an inner circle which is responsible for leading the cult. Beneath them are the Genestealer Hybrids, Genestealer Aberrants, and Genestealer Familiars.
Brood Brothers may exist outside the cult but are still ultimately part of the clan. Even further outside stand the uninfected allies of the cult, mostly members of suppressed minorities, social fringe groups as well as mutants. These groups are not considered ideal hosts as they cannot contribute to the cult’s political power. They are mostly seen as unessential elements, of use only when the cult actively rebels, and are exploited ruthlessly. The Patriarch and the Magus hold the highest level of leadership within the cult. The death of either, or worse, both figures causes at first confusion among the cult members.
The order structure, however, can adapt and recover rather fast, and even the deaths of both figures will not shatter or destroy a cult. In the case of the Patriarch’s death, the Magus assumes the sole leadership over the cult, until the next oldest Purestrain Genestealer becomes the new Patriarch.
Genestealer Cults and Tyranids
Genestealer Cult forces
Genestealers are effectively the heralds of Tyranid invasions, because the psychic power of the Patriarch shines like a beacon in the Warp and is perceived by the Hive Fleets of the Tyranids. As the cult’s power grows over the world, the beacon becomes stronger, signaling to the Tyranids the location of a biologically rich world. By the time the Hive Fleets arrive, the world may already be completely in the hands of the genestealer cult, or torn apart by civil war between the cult and the remaining free society, or at least weakened and rife with traitors. However, after the planet comes to the Hive Fleet’s notice, the destiny of the cult is sealed, because all surviving members are absorbed like the rest of the planet.
Genestealer Cults in the Imperium
Even before Genestealers were revealed as being a part of the Tyranid race, their infiltration of human worlds was a dire threat. A single Genestealer or infected human on a planet can easily lead to the corruption of the planet’s entire human population. Once a cult achieves numerical advantage, the planet becomes doomed. At a certain point the only sensible option would be to sterilize the planet through exterminatus.
At first Genestealers and their methods of reproduction were poorly understood, and the menace they presented terribly underestimated. With the investigation of the reproductive cycle and the aggressive propagation resulting from it, this changed. As deeper knowledge of Genestealer cults was gained by the Imperium and the Inquisition, subtle hints could uncover the existence of Genestealer cults within human societies. Infiltrated planets could be recognized and cleansed of Genestealers and infected humans by Space Marine troops or even by Exterminatus.
