Meneads

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The cabal of **Meneads** were founded by happenstance when the Slaaneshi warband, the Sisters of the Night, lost their way and noticed a planet that seemed like it could use a little bit of fun. The planet had very large trees and amazing scenery. The Sisters landed there in order to make repairs to their ship and while they were waiting for their slaves to fix the ship, they had a grand party. This awoke the nature spirits of the land who were annoyed by the loud sounds. The ground shook and the spirits awoke in anger but they soon realised that perhaps they had been missing something for so long. They watched and eventually made themselves known by changing into forms similar to the humans that danced among their weeping willows. These tree spirits enjoyed themselves with the Sisters of the Night and soon accepted the offer to join them in their worship of the Dark Prince. Slaanesh realised the opportunity he had before him, nature spirits, shapeshifters. He decided to bless them with the gift of freedom. The Meneads would now be known as the **Followers of Slaanesh**, the Meneads, daemons, bringers of pleasure, excess and pain.

## Background

The cabal of Meneads were essentially nature spirits on a far off planet on the outskirts of the Imperium. When they were disturbed by the Sisters of the Night, these tree spirits were angered so they took on their true form, in hopes of scaring the intruders off so they could live in peace again. The Meneads approached the clearing where the sisters were partying loudly and indulging in a buffet, music and other activities. At first, the Meneads watched to assess the threat, hiding in plain sight, shifting into the shape of weeping willows but it backfired. They watched and started swaying to the music and enjoying watching the Sisters. Eventually, they approached the Sisters, appearing like female humans scantily clothed in black and purple with green leaves in their hair.

They circled the group of sisters who were having a party of sorts  and the sisters turned their attention to the newcomers. They were invited to join in the festivities and they agreed tentatively. Many questions were asked and answered as they listened to the teachings of their God of excess. As the Meneads enjoyed these excesses, they decided to join. Slaanesh was pleased with these xenos, as he realised the advantage of these unique creatures. He chose to bless them immediately with his gifts and rise them to the status of daemons.

These shapeshifting creatures could infiltrate any group and spread the pleasures of Slaanesh and if they refused, they would be able to destroy their enemy in the cruelest of ways possible. They became fearsome creatures, frenzied in their desire to enjoy life to the fullest or completely destroy anyone who refuses their offer. In this way, they were offered weapons as appendages and beauty that could not be refused.

## Physical appearance

The original appearance of the Meneads was similar to Terran willow trees but when they were awakened by the Sisters of the Night, they took a more mobile form which was similar to the members of the warband. After receiving the gift of Slaanesh, the Meneads were not only able to copy the physical attributions of the targets that they approached but could also take on a monstrous appearance when they are refused.

When their targets refused to join the daemons in their festivities, the Meneads would grow and their skin would be so pale that it was practically translucent. They all have very long black hair when they are in their daemon form. Their lips are dark purple and their eyes are very dark black. They wear long ragged robes which are also dark purple and have bright green leaves in their hair. Their nails elongate into long tree branches and they can use them to capture fleeing targets and strangle or whip them, they can also  stab with those fingers. Their feet can, at times, turn into roots and dig into soil so they become immovable or they can use them as weapons. Their teeth become pointy and fangs grow.

## Organisation

The Cabal of Meneads have a welcome party that includes Willow: The leader, Trixie: The Enforcer and Babette: The Ripper. If Willow is successful, Trixie and Babette are excitable daemons ready to party and introduce their new friends to their new life of pleasure and excess and the other Meneads are free to start organising the celebration of successfully turning people to chaos. If Willow is refused then the two pounce into action and earn their names. If there are too many people refusing, then most of the other Meneads will give chase laughing and enjoying every moment of gruesome elimination of their victim.

## Culture

Menead culture is inseparable from parties. If anything their culture is parties. If meneads had any kind of unique or distinctive culture before the coming of the sisters of the night, it is completely forgotten and buried, overcome entirely by their new passion. Their new culture is heavily influenced by the sisters of the night and other Slaaneshi forces. Some of it even by Dark Eldar. A Menead party is characterized by excesses of all kinds. All the many temptations of Slaanesh are reveled in and celebrated. They love partying amongst themselves, but nothing is better than a party with guests. A guest, to a Menead party, can be many things. What others would call prisoners, fellow celebrants but most commonly prisoners. These types of guests can be used for many things. They can be tempted through all the various tools of the Meneads, heavy intoxication, seduction, threats of violence, and magic of all sorts to join the party. Or they can serve the party as decorations.

Menead parties are full of decorations. Pennants strung between trees, the finest stolen plates, tables perhaps made of dead Meneads who’s corpses are used to perform what they loved in life. The most interesting of these decorations to outsiders is those of non-Menead corpses. A guest who resists, or some other being they have killed, will potentially be turned into a decoration. Corpse Piñatas, heads and ropes of bleeding intestines are common in Menead parties. These shock many who see them at the sheer careless brutality of the Meneads, who are too intoxicated in love of excess, to feel any shame. Many of these more brutal habits come from the Dark Eldar, after the Menead’s saw the way they partied. The rest are from human imperial sources, taking many traditions like the birthday cake, a cake with candles to blow out for every year a Menead has lived, eaten on special parties to commemorate their birth, from small imperial towns. Another is Uberfest, a party specially focused on drink, where they will reach levels of alcohol intoxication that would kill a human. The rest of their partying habits come from the parties of the sisters of the night like the one they first observed, for that showed them how to really have fun the Slaaneshi way.

## Specialties and Tactics

The battle tactics of the Meneads are quite unique. Adept at using their own bodies as weapons not only via seduction, the Menead’s have a variety of possible attacks while in their true tree like forms. Their branches can be used as painful whips, their teeth can pierce armor. But perhaps the most distinctive of attacks can be done with their roots. A Menead is capable of planting her feet on the ground and shooting roots into it. Once the roots are firmly in the ground a Menead can quickly pull herself in. Here she can stay stationary, sensing movement on the ground above her or even move underground using her roots. The use of roots like such is perfect for ambushes, or disarming the unsuspecting.

Idur Olija specifically is known for her use of this ability, her tactic of setting up Menead’s beneath guests' feet to ambush in case of refusal has been adopted by many other Menead partyers. Menead’s are not too powerful in large scale combat, excelling in surprise attacks or overwhelming weaker or unsuspecting foes. Due to lack of organization, a true army could annihilate the bands of Menead’s chaotically running at them with no unit structure or order. But in guerilla warfare or the parties they are famous for, Menead’s are powerful foes. In fact, their cruelty to the captured and lack of any kind of moral boundaries makes them excel at terror tactics, causing many brave men to break in fear as they see their comrade’s organs being used as party decorations.

Male partygoers are encouraged to either share their knowledge of the Dark Prince gained from the Meneads and their experiences. They were cut loose to fend for themselves, follow the daemons and serve them or join other warbands. The females are evaluated for potential warriors to join the Sisters of the night or they are cast away and sent as the males to join other warbands and share their experiences. Some males are also sent to the Sisters of the Night for their entertainment. The best of the men and women are kept for the Cabal of Meneads.

## Members

* **Willow**- Willow is the leader of the cabal. When the Meneads are looking for new pleasure seekers, she makes the first approach. Being very charismatic and having beauty on her side, she is the most successful at recruiting new party followers of Slaanesh. She appears as a very attractive young woman of the species she is approaching. She flirts and invites the people she meets to join their festivities while the other daemons prepare to celebrate or destroy. Being the leader, she orders the Meaneads under her to either welcome the new partygoers or to rip them apart.

* **Trixie**- Trixie evaluates the potential of prospects for the Sisters of the Night warband and is the go between between the Meneads and the Sisters of the Night. She also evaluates where the new followers of Slaanesh should go, according to their potential. She is also sent with Babette after those who refuse their leader Willow.

* **Ashlee**- Ashlee is the organiser. She makes sure that everyone is enjoying themselves during the festivities and if someone is not, she may simple kill them.

* **Babette**- Babette is not as easily entertained as the other Meneads and needs violence to be perfectly happy. If someone decides to try to skip out on the experience, she is sent to rip them apart. She is psychologically unstable and crazy. She also is sent after those who refuse to join them in the servitude to Slaanesh.

* **Juniper**- Juniper supplies the food and beverages for the festivities. Her sap being transformed into alcoholic beverages. The food she supplies being filled with drugs to enhance the experience. She coordinates with other Slaaneshi warbands to enhance the experience.

* **Idur Olija**- Idur Olija is the first Menead to have discovered that she can use her roots in order to ambush, capture or kill a target who is unwilling to join the Meneads in the festivities that they organise. Her tactics are subtle, quiet and effective, whereas Babette is loud and messy in her endaevours. Olija enjoys the look of confusion and understanding when her targets understand that she is responsible for their demise and did not have to lift a single finger to kill or capture her prey.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Sisters of the Night** - The sisters of the Night and the Meneads get along very well as they have the same goal. Where the Sisters of the Night will capture their potential recruits, the Meneads do not bother with this. If a person refuses to join them in their glorious festivities, then they are simply killed rapidly and without any ceremony.

* **Noise Marines**- The cabal of daemons always enjoy meeting other Slaaneshi warbands as they have the same goals. The festivities are usually most exciting when some noise Marines are available to play for them. Sometimes, the cabal of Meneads will even invite themselves into campaigns with the noise Marines, never losing an opportunity to party and enjoy the noise and the screaming of those who refuse to join them in the service of the dark Prince.

### Enemies

* **Adepta Sororitas** - The Adepta Sororitas are very boring to the cabal of Menead, preferring to die than join them in their festivities. They are too uptight and into deprivation that the Meneads feel as though they must be destroyed for their stubborn refusal to have a bit of fun. The Adepta Sororitas being enemies of the Sisters of the Night are natural enemies to the Cabal of Meneads.

* Anyone who does not accept the Slaaneshi way and the gracious offers of the meneads to just kick back ad have some fun, are considered enemy that must be eliminated as soon as possible.