Editing House Cawdor (section)

==History==
Prior to the rise of the Redemption in the 39th Millennium, House Cawdor amounted to little more than a rabble of organised thieves and scavengers. They were on the brink of extinction, with very few territories and even fewer merchant contracts, they were also embroiled in an ongoing war with [[House Orlock]] over what constituted "mining". Even the scrap lords of the Cawdor constantly bickered among themselves, making the House very difficult to manage centrally.

At the beginning of the 40th Millennium the master of House Cawdor decided to use the Cult of the Redemption as a means to an end, and styled himself as the "Thane of Cawdor", taking on religious trappings and giving the unwashed masses purpose like they had never had before. This worked better than he expected, as within a few decades, those same unwashed masses had risen up, replacing selfish ambition with fanatical zeal, and had usurped him entirely; truly becoming the House of Faith.

By the 41st Millennium, House Cawdor had managed to become a major power player on Necromunda, growing in size on its own, but also finding supporters within other houses and gaining sponsorship from Noble [[House Ko'iron]]; their major link to the Ministorum.

While they are unified like never before and more widespread than ever, even spreading their faith off-world, they remain just as splintered as they were before they discovered their new faith, with varying interpretations of the Redemptionist Creed giving rise to independent sprinter groups of crusaders and violent purges of heretics. The faith they spread off-world even came back to Necromunda in a different form, called the [[Dark Heresy|'''Red Redemption''']], which was somehow even more violent and unforgiving than what they started with.

This resulted in the Noble Houses petitioning the Ecclesiarchy to declare all forms of the Redemption on Necromunda heretics and ban them, which would have resulted in a massive civil war as the gigantic religious population might have risen up in protest. Luckily it never got that far, as the then Thane of Cawdor penned a now sacred document called the ''Pax Redemptos'', which was accepted by the other Houses. This treaty guaranteed that no member of the Cult of Redemption on Necromunda would bear arms in the name of their faith. Resulting in a two-tier society; where any Redemptionist could still bear arms in the name of House Cawdor without legal sanction or fear of retribution, but those whose faith demands they continue to fight solely as members of the Redemption would be treated as renegades.

===Present Day===
House Cawdor's main role in the hive is to scavenge and reclaim any kind of reusable material- the very act of recycling is a miracle in their eyes, and what most people would consider to be worthless garbage they frequently perceive as relics. This is reflected in their new aesthetic of "religious fanatic crossed with dumpster diver". What they lack in wealth and quality they make up for in sheer numbers; they easily outnumber ''several'' of the other Clan Houses combined. If you think in terms of population for a Hive Planet overall, and consider that the industries of the other Clan Houses have their own workforces, House Cawdor must account for an enormous fraction of the population who live in absolute squalor and are not generally being economically productive in the same way as the miners of [[House Orlock]] or the foundries of [[House Goliath]]. Yet as Imperial Citizens associated with a recognised Clan House, they are ''still'' not at the bottom of the heap because they exist above the outcasts, [[Scavvies|mutants]], and [[Ratskins|native populations]] who live in the Underhives.

Their relation with the Imperial House is strained at best, as the Thane of Cawdor has made it quite clear that he believes himself to be the foremost servant of the Emperor on Necromunda ''(ignoring any actual Ecclesiarchy presence)'' and acknowledges Planetary Governor Helmawr and other high ranking Adepts as "Peers", neglecting to observe the necessary protocols during the rare occasions he is invited. The fact that this behaviour is tolerated gives rise to the opposite opinions that either House Cawdor is too inconsequential for such breaches to really matter, or that as the largest House in terms of manpower with any number of hidden supporters within other houses, the House Cawdor is a force to be treated with very carefully.

The reason for wearing the masks is rooted in their faith in the Redemptionist Creed; as to demonstrate too much individuality could itself be a sin. Though it is particularly prevalent amongst those who adhere to the '''Red Redemption''', it is not an absolute requirement for other variants of the creed.

They also speak in a pigdin dialect of Low Gothic called "Pilgrim Cant" which is effectively the same language, but heavily laden with religious metaphor and subtext, making it inscrutable to outsiders, while giving the low caste Cawdor something to feel superior about.

The members of House Cawdor also seem to have rare knowledge of the Emperor's foremost servants: the "Talons of the Emperor". One of their notable "weapons" is a [[Gun Axe|refurbished autogun mounted on an improvised polearm]] as a kind of cargo-cult imitation of the [[Power Weapon#Guardian Spear|Guardian Spears]] of the [[Adeptus Custodes]], who they have vague legends of being the holiest of the Emperor's servants. Similarly, due to the segregation of the sexes, female gang members are rare but do exist, and often style themselves after the [[Sisters of Silence]], based on third-hand information (or worse) and a whole lot of speculation.