Ok I posted this on Dark Reign hoping to get some help on filling it out but due to thier rules about not being able to double post its slowly slipping down to the bottom of the page as I was the last poster. Hopefully posting here will give more input.

First here is the background for why I need for some underhive gangs for my campaign followed by the stuff that I have started working on. All this is subject to change so suggestions are welcome, I also made this up as I went along so ideas to expand it would be great. Even better if someone would take one of my ideas and writing it up.

Background (If my players would kindly not read this it would be appreciated)

Ok my current story arc in my Dark Heresy game is coming to its conclusion. The players have so far made sure that the Pilgrims of Hayte did not gain possession of an artifact containing the ritual for summoning a blood thirster. The Pilgrims in question are led by the false prophet Lady Solace from the DotDG. She has set herself up in the underhive of Hive Sibellus in a mile high cooling tower for a disused reactor. Her plan was to summon the Bloodthirster inside the hive and watch the place tear itself apart, now thats no longer an option so she has moved to her backup plan which tbh isn't much different just less ambitious. The point is to cause as much death, misery and confusion in Sibellus before leaving to start again.

To that end she set up near a large concentration of Underhive gangs who she has recruited from and has maneuvered people inside the Red Redemption to draw them to the area, it is working an rumours are that Ludmilla has arrived to direct the Redemptionists. All the while she has been setting up the surrounding area as a giant ritual summoning circle with chaotic runes placed strategically around the surrounding area. She has also been recuiting from other areas of the underhive, moving them to the area and arming them. She knew the ritual to summon the Bloodthirster would require death and war on a large scale and she had been attempting to make each faction errupt into warfare and add her own followers to create the bloodshed necissary. Her revised plans are to summon three Rakasya (pg 128-129 of DotDG).

The Inquisition sees the Pilgrim connection in the recent rise of violence between the two faction but does not know how or why they are manipulating them so the PC's have been sent down to try and find out the reasons and to try and stop it or at least use it to thier advantage. The Inquisition is willing to back them up when the time comes but the area is lawless at the moment so investigation attempts have been almost impossible. Due to this the PC's are to try and infiltrate/get close, any way they can.

The Veritaf Underhive Region

The Veritaf Underhive Region sits below far below the Lucid palace and is considered the "middle" of the underhive by most although geographically this would be inaccurate. The boundaries are marked out by 4 major support stuctures that play a vital roll in holding the spire up and as such the region covers a large geograpgical area but is relatively shallow as far as underhive goes due to it being a fairly well maintainted region.

The Gangs

As a relatively well maintained region of the underhive it has become a gathering point for those gangs strong enough to maintain a hold of this prime territory. New gangs are constantly attempting to force thier way into the region which is dominated by three major gangs and those allied to them. The three major "gangs" hold such a dominating position not because of thier physical strength (which is significant) but because of thier links with those outside the underhive. The Marcas for instance are the only gang with significant connections to narco manufacturers outside the underhive and so most of the drugs that come into the underhive are supplied directly by the Marcas. Only a few new gangs have emerged to compete with existing ones like the Drecon Sump Gang an ally of the Marcas.

The other two are the Hars and the Steel Falchions. The Hars are the most sinister gang in the underhive as they are almost directly controlled by the Skaelen-Har Hegemony, financed and equipt to find promising potential members and test them in the cut throat politics of the underhive. The Hars are call themselves the Reapers as neither side publically admits relationships with the other but it is common knowledge of thier true purpose. Getting chosen by the Hars is one of the very few ways out of the underhive and while few would admit it most would welcome being chosen.

The Steel Falchions name has stuck since thier inception centuries ago where the gang leader apparently thought is sounded cool, several attempts have been made to change it to something more suitable but none have ever stuck. The SFs are the most well connected of all the gangs to the organisations of the Imperium. Through contacts in the Minitorum they have weapons, ammo and anything they need redirected thier way. Thier way of paying for this is via contract killings, the SFs employ a wide array of assassins and bounty hunters home grown in the underhive. Chosen by some because of the expendability of thier assassins and thier resourcefullness the SF's have fulfilled a great many contracts on many levels of society. A job for the SF's is not payed in a one off payment but rather an agreement where the employer supplies the SF's whenever he can do so discreetly for a period of several years, the minimum required level agreed upon depending on the importance of the target. Failure to provide the SF results in them releasing information about thier killings to the authorities and many who have felt themselves immune to retribution have been dragged away in the night by the Magistratum.

Architecture

The Veritaf region is a conveluted mess built created from the myriad repurposements of buildings during their legitimate use followed by centuries of use by gangs and criminals modifying them for thier own purposes and fitting unsteady walkways over gaping chasms. Almost all semblance of the origional architechtural styles have been lost, plastered over and demolished to be replaced by hasty repairs when the region lost its importance. Only a few hundered meters deep the region of the underhive quickly deteriorates into a crush of colapsed buildings becoming unihabitable for anything bar rodents. The region has been picked clean of any useful technology that could be sold back to those further up the spire and the three major gangs have members much further afield searching in more unexplored regions of the underhive for any such treasures.

The Drecon Sump Gang

Now an established part of the Veritaf underhive region the Drecon Sump gang was formed around 150 years ago as a loose collection of outcasts seaking mutual protection. Origionally known as the Decon Sump Gang due to the decomissioned decontamination facility they used to inhabit the name changed over time as they moved location after the elimination of their rivals the Harkers making the origional name less relivent.

Due to thier inauspicious start (even for an underhive gang) they developed a reputation of being willing to do anything no matter how low. They hired themselves out to other gangs attacking thier rivals and slowly moving up in the underhive.

By making smart choices in allies the Drecon Sump Gang recently came out of a series of gang wars in a strong position. Only now have the bigger gangs realised how powerful the Drecon Sump gang has become. The DSG has a key ally in the Marcas who have the largest share of the Narco trade in the region, they have become the Marcas violent right hand and are often the ones that act against those who have betrayed the Marcas.

The DSG have a reputation of horrendous over the top violance mixed with shrewed political decisions. Violence is a means to an end with the DSG and they are always looking to advance in the heirarchy of the gangs.

Leaders

Its current leader is Vamious a fairly young leader full of underhive ambition and a sharp mind to back it up. He sees the situation with the Redepmtionists to be an oppertunity to advance thier cause by allowing their less militant rivals to take the worst of the beatings with the DSG coming to the aid of those who they feel they can dominate in the aftermath. Vamious has underestimated the strength of his rivals however as well as the threat that the Redemptionists pose.

His second in command is a grizzled ganger called Hacka who is more wary than Vamious of relying on the Redemptionists to do thier dirty work but more than happy at the prospect of violence and consolidating their position as a powerful force in the underhive. Hacka is a brute, he fights and little else, his loyalty is to the DSG and Vamious and anyone who wants to pick a fight with Vamious is picking a fight with Hacka.

There are several gang members concerned with Vamious's ambitious plans feeling that he doesn't realise the difference between the bigger gangs and thier previous rivals. Thier leader, a gang vet, Shamas would like to take over from Vamious but the thought of going up against Hacka is one that no one wants. He is also wary of causing a situation that would weaken the gang at this tubulent time as Vamious is well liked by the majority of the gangers. Shamas would be willing to step up and take leadership if the situation arised but will not move againsr Vamious directly.

Style

The Drecon Sump Gang embody the underhive stereotype with most of them sporting brightly coloured mohawks with some sporting even more unusual hairstyles. Mismatched clothing emphasising chains an leathers are the norm. Many of thier previous rivals considered thier stylings to be a sign of amaturish weakness only to find out that behind the strange facade is a group of hardened killers.

The DSG favour las weapons due to their bright flashes, ease of maintainance as well as the ease of replenishing ammo as well as close combat weapons that reinforce thier reputation for brutality. They have a bewildering armoury of las weapons from Las Locks to fully automatic las carbines and even one or two long las.

It is rumoured that Vamious has recently aquired a pair of upper spire duelling las's although his favoured weapon is in fact a roaring chain axe. Hacka has recently aquired an eviscerator from a Redemptionist that he killed himself.

The DSG prefer to get up close and personal favouring weapons that work well in close quarters. New gangers and juves tend to be given support rolls, giving covering fire to let the more experianced members get into close combat. This allows thier juves to get a taste of fighting without the risks involved in thier favoured tactics.

Recruitment

The DSG is a mix of outcasts of other gangs, absorbed reminants of thier defeated rivals and juves drawn into the gang from the families it protects. Kids are taken in at an early age to preform many non combat rolls in the gang.The youngest kids act as lookouts and runners darting around the underhive informing the gang on its rivals activities. As they get older the older members of the gang begin to teach them how to shoot and survive in gang wars. As they become adept at shooting a las gun they are taken out to hunt vermin to feed the gang.

If a ganger decides a juve is ready he will take him along on a fight where he will be told to support the gang as they attack, a few expericanced gang members will usually hold back to direct the juves and retreat if things go badly. A juve who proves himself skillful with a close combat weapon in a practice fight against a ganger is elevated to full ganger status where he is allowed to participate in full assaults.

Kaihlik

This is inspiration from Cyberpunk:

Maelstroms an ultra violent Narco gang who specialise in Frenzon like drugs. Older or wounded members take their last dose and let rip looking for the most glorious way to die.

The Ironsides: A gang controlled by a reclaimator with connections to the heretechs, expert climbers, chock full of cyberware, they extort communities because the have an understanding of the ventilation, plumbing & power grids. In their belief they are also the self proclaimed protectors of the systems and view the hive as a living being. Have knowledge of an abandoned docking station

The Burning Chromes: Cars, bikes, lifts if it runs of promethium they love it . . .

Hope you can use this

The Cobalt Vipers

The gang is named after a highly poisonous snake not native to neither world nor hive, but that somehow managed to find it´s way into the undercity. Cobalt vipers are much looking like their Terran namessake, but bigger in size and scales of cobalt blue and a very strong poison. This animals used to be "en vouge" with some of the wealthy in the past, but only for a short period of time. Back in the days the creatures could be "tamed" with a small device emitting soundwaves (unhearable by human ears) "pacifying" the animal in a state of sleep-like inactivity. This technique was used to turn the shimmering snakes into "living jewelry" for younger nobles and others of good standing whom looked for "something outragious". After some generations however, some of the snakes started to become immune to this technique with dreadfull results for their "wearers"). The practice was later forbidden by the Magistrate, but due to the inccidents that happend before some of the snakes managed to escape and survive in the warmer parts of the hive (heat vents, etc.)

The gang (which startet "farming" cobalt vipers) has a rite of initiaten that incorporates catchinig a cobalt viper with bare hands (the trick is not to get bite or surviving the bite). Needles to say, the majority of the gangers either sport quick reflexes or are very resilent. The caught snake is later killed and eaten by the new member, the skin becoming his "gang tag".

While only few in numbers, the Vipers are vicious about protecting their turf (near some heat source) and mostly make a living with scrounging and selling Viper Venom (which they farm from the Vipers they do breed & is used both by some medicus as part of their medication as well as an assasines tool). They even mix the viper venom into some kind of drink (based on liquers destilled from industrial alcohols) which they consume in a regulated fashion. While the substance is in itself poisonous, it somehow heigtens their immunity against poisens which steels them against the harsh conditions in some of the underhive districts they forage in.

A gang from an old campaign of mine...

The Skulls of the Holy Martyrs, or simply the Skulls, are a moderately powerful gang from another part of the underhive looking to expand into this region. The Skulls have a strong power base, based around an old waste recycling center in a neighboring region. As their name implies, the Skulls make heavy use of religious iconography and phrases from the Creed in their ciphers and gang cant, often using religious titles for their leaders. These religious affectations, however, do not imply a strong adherence to any orthodox version of the Imperial Creed.

The Skulls moving into the local region are led by Dav the Rat, a charismatic dwarf and able leader. While a capable and sometimes ruthless fighter, Dav's main strategy is to win the "hearts and minds" of the local underhive population. He already has won a number of close allies in the local underhive communities, giving the Skulls a number of safe havens and bolt holes provided by sympathetic locals. Dav's second in command is a nightsider mutant called Jude. Jude is Dav's opposite in many ways, tall, thin quiet and intimidating to the Rat's short, wide, talkative and friendly nature. Jude is a deadly unarmed fighter and stealth expert. The pair are regularly accompanied by Lilly, Jude's woman, who the inattentive observer will take merely for a bit of female decoration. In fact Lilly, a telepath-psyker, is perhaps the most dangerous of the the three. (In my original campaign, Lilly was actually an acolyte for a Radical Inquisitor using the Skulls as muscle while she investigated heretical activity in the area...)

ScavCann

The ScavCann aren´t a "gang" in the common means of the word but a pack of scavenging cannibalistic (ScavCann) mutants. They do not use the name for themselves, it is a name given to them (and other like them) by the underhive settlers. They arrived a while ago in search for food. While their exact size isn´t known by other & kept secret. , the group counts about one and or two mutants clad in what every kind of protective clothing they could find, armed with scavenged or self-made weapons like clubs, knives, pipe/powder-pistoles, nailsgunsm laslockse etc. Their leader is a mutated wild psyker ("Beastmaster"; CA) who uses his powers to call in and command hive vermin in their assaults.

While ferocious fighters, the ScavCann perfer to either ambush travellers away from their settlements/homes or to threaten a settlement with an assault (calling in a swarm a score of vapourrats or ripperjacks normally does the trick) in order to make the settlement leave "tribut". This demand may or may not include the demand for a living victim...

Normally, the pack is roving and isn´t staying to long in place. But this time, things might be different. Who knows what the Pilgrims have placed in the hand of this loathsome marauders? (Dybuk Beasts? Better weapons? A small and miscreated daemonic artifact/weapon? Perhaps possesion of the "leader" by a lesser daemon who act on the whims of the False Prophet?)

Ok thanks for the replies, I will write up my main three gangs, The Hars, The Steel Falchions and the Marcas and then figure out how to fit some of your suggestions around them. I especially like the cobalt vipers. Here is what I have for The Hars so far. I’m still missing the section on relationships with the other gangs and the prominent members but they will come soon. Comments and Criticisms welcome. Oh and also I realise that when I’m typing I constantly misspell their, I know how to spell it, its just something I do when touch typing, its unconscious and annoying.

The Hars
Technically called “The Reapers”, the Hars have been an established part of the Veritaf Underhive region for hundreds of years, well beyond the recollection of anyone living there. The Hars are not a conventional gang but rather a recruiting tool for the Skaelen-Har Hegemony.

Although the two groups are claim no affiliation with each other it is a common knowledge with anyone familiar with the Hars that the two are directly linked. Due to the use of the Concordium to determine eligibility of candidates the Hegemony accepts members from all levels of society. In practice this would be impossible, as the Hegemony has no capability of screening candidates from the Underhive. The Hars seek out promising individuals and take them under their wing, training and assessing them according to the scriptures of the Concordium.

The majority of the Hars are seasoned fighters, instructors and talent scouts. Only a very small percentage at any one time are actually candidates.

Training

The Hars train the candidates by providing them with as many different and challenging tasks as possible from organising attacks on rivals to setting up political or trade deals with other gangs. Candidates are expected to command their operations according to the Concordium, taking a clear and logical approach to any mission they are assigned to. Occasionally instructors will assign the candidates to organise criminal activities outside of the underhive to add an extra layer of complexity although this is only done with advanced candidates on the cusp of being accepted into the Hegemony.

Occasionally a member of the Hegemony will be given a fake identity and join the Hars in order to train their command skills in a challenging environment. This is rare however as the risks if the Hegemony member is identified are large.

Another training tool used by the instructors is to perform some act to weaken the gang’s position or to create an enemy for the candidates to overcome. This is usually done by simply launching an attack against a gang likely to retaliate but sometimes simply reigning in on an agreement made is enough to create a situation to test the candidate’s abilities.

Style

Most of the Hars are not from the underhive, they are professional killers and are outfitted as such, most wear and use guard issue gear although solid shot weapons are preferred due to the wider range of ammunition available as well as the ability to suppress them if required. Black is the most common colour although other urban camouflage patters are evident within the Hars.

The Hars signature is their professional attitude to their jobs, they act and move like soldiers and this makes them one of the most potent fighting forces in the underhive. Despite their professionalism the Hars are not a large gang and can often count on being outnumbered, they make up for this in their equipment and weapons that are supplied (clandestinely) by the Hegemony.

It is known that the Hars guard a large armoury of heavy weapons including many RPG’s, Missile Launchers, Heavy Stubbers and rumour has it a heavy bolter they keep in reserve in case of major attack. It is an armoury that most of the smaller gangs would kill to get their hands on but any attack on the Hars hideout would surely result in massive casualties and likely fail.

Hideout

The Hars control what used to be a three-story mansion house millennia ago when it was still on the surface of the hive. The inner walls have since been removed and the building has obviously been used as a factory building for centuries before being abandoned. The only clue to its original design is in the shape of the few surviving windows long ago boarder up. Most of the building has been rebuilt at one point or another during its lifespan.

The Hars have repaired the worst of the structural damage and installed a generator. They have repaired the balcony that runs along the first story overlooking the gaping hall that is the rest of the building. Flackboard has then been used to create rooms on the ground floor for storing goods and equipment and the gang members sleep in the rooms leading off from the main hall.

The main hall is a command centre housing vox equipment far in advance of what would be expected in the underhive. There are two dedicated vox operators that can relay the orders of the candidate in question allowing him to train to command men properly without the need to be in the field (although field command is also trained).

Kaihlik

Kaihlik said:

I think that is a little much. Especially the heavy bolter. True, in your campaign the "Hars" are sponsered by the Hegemonie, but equipping them with the equivalent of fieldworthy combat unit is a bit heavy. Especially when the Hars do not want anyone to know that this group is sponsored. In addition, if most of the members aren´t from the underhive, I would suggest that the underhive perceives them as "foreigners" and perhaps as a merc-group of unknown purpose (possible a recruiting operation?) and alignment. ESPECIALLY if you want to keept the said arsenal.

The Arsenal is hidden and has never been used. Most of it was actually obtainted as part of training advanced candidates by doing arms deals with contatacts outside of the underhive. It is thier insurance policy against attack. Its an open secret that the Hars and the Hegemony are related but they need to avoid legal connections to prevent action being taken by the Arbites against them. Any action is doomed to failure but the Hars may be shut down because of it. All those weapons are guard weapons aquired from corrupt Munitorum officials and within the Scintillan Guard regiments they are quite common.

They do precieve them as foriegners but I havn't gotten around to writing their relationships with the other gangs yet so thats why its not apparent.

Kaihlik

Here is a less than orthodox idea for you, but it might be a total blast for your group. Don't tell the group your overall agenda, but announce that you are starting a Necromunda campaign based in Hive Sebilus of Scintilla instead of Necromunda, so please make your gangs with a Scintillan flair....

Play your new Necromunda game for at least long enough for the individual gangs to develop a clear style and flavour. Now when playing your DH game slip in one or more of the gangs from your Necromunda game.

This also gives you the option of converting individual character stats into Necromunda and playing out a game session as a tabletop mineatures game once in a while if the mood strikes your group. This is far easier than it sounds.

The Sons of Tarsus
The Sons of Tarsus represent the losing faction of the infamous Fire Vendetta war on Hive Tarsus between various skin-sider gangs. The survivors fled to Sibellus to avoid complete destruction. At present their territory consists of a number of hab blocks that lie on the borders between the under hive and the middle hive as well as some of the entrance ways to the Hive itself via the under hive. Supposedly they also control a large number of settlements outside Hive Sibellus in the wilderness areas of Scintilla.

The Red Sepulchre.

A group that has seemingly come from no where in the last two or three years. Originated in the Hadros sector the Red Sepulchre have muscled in on the narco-trade, the cold trade and even act as guns for hire. More recently and very worryingly there have been rumours of the Red Sepulchre using unsanctioned psykers. It won’t be long before the Adeptus Arbites get involved, and that is bad for business all round.
Word is that the Red Sepulchure has united a number of smaller middle hive gangs in Sibellus and is preparing to consolidate its holdings under ‘one banner’.

House Shavlo
Once a real force to be reckoned with House Shavlo is now but a shadow of its former self. It used to boast it had ‘more guns than the Magistratum and more authority than Lord Hax‘. However this hubris was the gang’s undoing. A decade ago the Magistratum launched a major purge against the gang which claimed the lives of virtually all its upper echelons including Hive Boss Symon Shavlo.
The gang has been struggling to maintain its territories and is mostly concerned with its holdings in the under hive.

The Rakemoor Dominion is a group of former Imperial officers and dispossessed nobles that has slowly tricked into the Calixis Sector. At present they have only a small amount of territory in Hive Sibellus. However rumour is they have made valuable contacts with nobles and are growing in power. They also have a fair amount of influence in Gunmetal City.