Cabal of Ke-Shah

Warrior Nomads from distant Araby

Far away in the distant lands of Araby, the shifting sands of the desert hold many secrets unknown to the vari-
ous peoples of the Old World. Many a nomad tribe makes a living in these harsh and dry lands, where the dead
more than often roam the ancient ruins of once great cities and haunt the tombs of glorious kingdoms past. The
ancient curse that long ago fell on the lands of Nehekhara stretches far, and desert folk wander often beyond the
border towers of this dreadful land.

It is no wonder therefore, that some of the nomads learn of the ancient secrets that held the neighbouring lands
in an iron grip. Lured by the powerful magic that still lingers in the ruins, they gradually uncover more of the
bloody past and are seduced into the worship of the kings and sorcerers of that bygone age.
The Cabal of Ke-Shah is comprised of such desert nomads, who travel far and wide on errands for their undead
masters. They seek magical artefacts and tomes of ancient spells in order to appease the spirits who command
them. Through wicked incantations and foul rituals the gifted sorcerer priests of the cabal of Ke-Shah restore ever
more power back to the dead heroes, who in turn offer their allegiance to the one true master of this world.
The warriors and sorcerer priests of the Cabal of Ke-Shah are clad in billowing robes of dark blue or crimson red,
with black sashes wound around their heads and faces, obscuring all but their eyes. The swift and deadly swords-
men use light armour only, mostly from woven strips of tanned camel leather, valuing speed above cumbersome
protection. The scabbards holding their uncanny sharp scimitars are bedecked with jewels, gems and precious
stones, forming arcane patterns that, when reflected in the light of the sun or moon, dazzle those who look upon
them.

The men and woman of the Cabal of Ke-Shah are swift as the desert winds and able to perform deeds of almost
uncanny speed when fighting in close combat. Many a warrior has found multiple scimitars in front of him while
charging a seemingly lonely desert warrior. Then, the robed swordsmen seem to disappear right before their eyes,
to be replaced by volleys of arrows fired by concealed brethren with short bows. The sorcerer priests of Ke-Shah
are capable of wielding ancient necromantic magic and hurl spells at their opponents that can invoke the powers
of the desert and scourge all in their path.

Recently their travels have brought them to the damned city of Mordheim, where their masters have sensed the
sudden presence of the precious stones of Morsslieb. The cabalists are ruthless in their quest to recover as much of
the legendary Abn-i-khat, having been promised that enough of these stones can restore power to the old dynas-
ties of Nehekhara.

Choice of warriors
A warband of Ke-Shah cabalists must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold crowns to re-
cruit your initial warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 15.

Sorcerer Priest: Each Cabal of Ke-Shah warband must have one Sorcerer Priest to lead it: no more, no less.
Sorcerer acolyte: Your warband may include up to 2 Sorcerer acolytes.
Ke-Shah warrior: the warband may include any number of Ke-Shah warriors

Starting experience
A Sorcerer Priest starts with 20 experience
Sorcerer acolytes start with 8 experience
Ke-Shah warriors start with 0 experience
Special skills
The Ke-Shah Cabal may use the following skills list instead of the standard skill lists.

Swift as the desert wind

The desert warriors of the Cabal of Ke-Shah are trained from a very young age to become as swift as the
desert winds. On top of being able to run as if Deamons are on their tail, they can fluidly move through ruins
and around obstacles.
Models with this skill treat difficult ground as open ground and very difficult ground for difficult ground. A
model with this skill is also able to leap over barriers less than 1,5” high. On top of that, a model with this
skill increases the interception area to 3”.

Ancient Knowledge
The Sorcerer Priests and acolytes of Ke-Shah have long studied the secret and ancient lore of the Nehekharan
sorcerers. Once per game, they can re-roll the dice when rolling for the difficulty score of a spell from the
Necromancy spell list.

Uncanny strike
The cabal needs warriors that are as ruthless as the masters they serve. Each is trained to kill without hesita-
tion and strike charging opponents in a flurry of movement. If a warrior of Ke-Shah is charged by an oppo-
nent, it may roll a D6. On a roll of 4+ the warrior of Ke-Shah strikes first.

Flurry of movement
If a warrior of Ke-Shah is attacked by an opponent it can confuse the enemy by making sudden movements
that cause the robes to billow and swirl around. A warrior with this skill gives his opponent a -1 penalty on its
to hit roll.

Unflinching dedication
The members of the cult of Ke-Shah know of the terrors that live in the lands of Nehekhara and fear their
masters more than anything in this world. They would rather die than return to them in failure.
Models with this skill may re-roll all fear tests and do not have to test when they are fighting alone against
multiple opponents.

Dust in the wind

A warrior with this skill is able to move out of combat voluntarily. He may only do so after at least one round
of close combat has been played out. If he moves out of combat he can only move 3” away and his opponent
first gets an opportunity to strike as if the warrior has broken from combat. The opposing player rolls a D6
and on the outcome of a 5+ his model will automatically hit the warrior as he moves away, inflicting 1 wound.

Cabal of Ke-Shah skill table

Combat Shooting Academic Strength Speed Special
Sorcerer Priest * * * *
Sorcerer acolyte * * *
Ke-Shah warrior * * * * *
Cabal of Ke-Shah equipment lists
The following lists are used by the Cabal of Ke-Shah to pick their equipment.

Hand-to-hand Combat Weapons Missile Weapons

Dagger 1st free/2 gc Short bow 10 gc
Sword (scimitar) 10 gc Sling 2 gc
Spear 10 gc

Armour Miscellaneous Equipment

Light armour 20 gc Rope & hook 5 gc
Scorpion venom 40+D6 gc (see rules below)
Mummy dust 20+D6 gc (see rules below)
Scarab charm 10 gc (= lucky charm)
Tome of magic 200+D6x25 gc (sorcerer priest only)
Healing herbs 20+2D6 gc(sorcerer acolytes only)
Unholy relic 15+3D6 gc (sorcerer priest only)

Sorcerer Priest of Ke-Shah

70 gold crowns to hire
The sorcerer Priests lead the warbands of Ke-Shah warriors. They have studied the secrets of ancient Ne-
hekhara and the deserts of Araby. They are utterly loyal to their dark masters and will do everything in their
power to obtain their goals.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
5 3 3 3 3 1 5 1 8

Weapons/armour/equipment: Sorcerer Priests may be equipped with weapons, armour and equipment from
the Cabal of Ke-Shah equipment lists.

Special rules
Leader: Any warband member within 6” of the Sorcerer Priest may use his/her Leadership characteristic
when taking Leadership tests.

Sorcerer: The Sorcerer Priest is a magic user. See the Magic section for general rules. The Sorcerer Priest may
generate spells from the Necromancy or Ke-Shah spell lists.

Sorcerer acolyte of Ke-Shah

50 gold crowns to hire
The Sorcerer acolytes of Ke-Shah are novices that have shown their aptitude in the ways of the desert magic
of the Ke-Shah. They are therefore in the early stages of training of the arts of necromancy. Not as powerful as
the Sorcerer Priests, they are still formidable foes.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
5 3 3 3 3 1 5 1 7

Weapons/armour/equipment: Sorcerer acolytes may be equipped with weapons, armour and equipment
from the Cabal of Ke-Shah equipment lists.

Special rules
Sorcerer: The Sorcerer Acolyte is a magic user. See the Magic section for general rules. The Sorcerer acolyte
may generate spells from the Ke-Shah spell list.
Warrior of Ke-Shah
35 gold crowns to hire
These are the trained warriors who make up the bulk of the warband. They are trained in the art of swordplay
and very swift in their movements.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
5 4 3 3 3 1 5 1 7

Weapons/armour/equipment: Warriors of Ke-Shah may be equipped with weapons, armour and equipment
from the Cabal of Ke-Shah equipment lists.

Special rules
Expert swordsman: Warriors of Ke-Shah are so skilled with their scimitars that they may re-roll any failed
hits when charging. This applies only when they use their deadly scimitars.

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Special poisons and drugs from the lands of Araby

Scorpion venom
The deserts of distant Araby offer not much shade from the unrelenting sun. The few patches of shade that
can be found need to be approached with great care, for it is here that the black desert scorpion can be found
in great numbers. A sting from its tail causes great agony and the skin around the wound will soon turn a
dark blue and black, slowly dying and rotting.
The warriors of the Ke-Shah cabal ritually extract the poison from the scorpions and use it on the blades of
their scimitars before entering a fight.
Effect: If a hit is scored with a weapon that has been treated with the scorpion venom, increase the strength
of the attack with 1 point. If a wound has been scored and the model is not taken out of action, roll another
D6 at the beginning of each subsequent round. On a roll of 5+ the model gains another wound.
Cost: 40+D6 gc
Availability: Rare 9

Mummy dust
The warriors of the Ke-Shah cabal sometimes carry small pouches that contain a magic powder called
Mummy dust. The ingredients and rituals to produce this powder are known to the Sorcerer Priests only and
are guarded well. Once inhaled, the dust grants the user a clear vision and sharper senses, making him very
much aware of his surroundings.
Effect: Once inhaled, the model increases its range for spotting hiding models with 2”
Cost: 20+D6 gc
Availability: Rare 9
Ke-Shah spell list
The magic of the Ke-Shah flows the deserts of Araby. This dry and harsh landscape has shaped the way the
sorcerers harness the raw power of the sands, rocks and heat.

D6 Result

1 Sandblast Difficulty 8
The Sorcerer thrusts both his hands forward and invokes a blast of sand that hurls towards his
opponent.
This attack has a range of 8” and causes D3 S5 hits. It hits the first model in its path.

2 Scorpions’ sting Difficulty Auto

As the powerful incantations of the sorcerer rise in volume, the ground breaks and giants scorpions
creep up. The deadly creatures gather around the sorcerer to do his bidding.
This spell may be used before the game, and may only be used once. When cast, the spell sum-
mons D3 Giant scorpions, which are placed within 6” of the sorcerer. The scorpions disappear
after the battle. They do not count towards the maximum size of the Cabal of Ke-Shah warband.
The scorpions have the following profile:
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
6 2 0 3 3 1 4 1 4

3 Flames of the unrelenting sun Difficulty 7

The sorcerer brings about some of the heat of the sun that bakes the desert lands.
The flames of the sun have a range of 18” and cause 1 strength 5 hit. It strikes the first model in
its path. Armour saves are taken as normal (ie, with a -2 modifier)

4 Water of life Difficulty 5

The sorcerer cups a hand at a fallen warriors mouth and clear water pours from his hand into the
mouth of the warrior.
The purifying waters will heal any model in base contact with the sorcerer. The warrior is re-
stored to his full quota of wounds.

5 Armour of dust and wind Difficulty 8

A hot wind whips up rocks and dust, which start to swirl around the sorcerer, obscuring him from
sight and blocking most weapons.
The sorcerer has an armour save of 2+ which replaces his normal armour save. The armour lasts
until the beginning of the sorcerer’s next shooting phase.

6 Sandstorm Difficulty 10
The sorcerer calls upon the most deadly threat of the desert. A small sandstorm appears at his bid-
ding and temporarily engulfs his opponents.
The sandstorm materialises up to 18” from the sorcerer model. It has a radius of 2”. Once placed,
the storm may be moved in any direction up to 4” from centre point to centre point. Any model
that falls (partly) under the sandstorm’s path are engulfed in the blasting sands. All afflicted mod-
els lose 2” of movement in the next movement phase, cannot use ranged weapons in the next
shooting phase and suffer a -2 penalty on their next to hit roll in close combat. After that, the
storm abates and leaves only the unpleasant feeling of grating sand in their clothes and hair.