Vect’s Court isn’t a formal council or a royal household. It’s the loose web of kabals, mercenaries, and terrified rivals that keeps Asdrubael Vect on the throne of Commorragh, the dark city of the Drukhari.
What is Vect’s court?
Vect’s Court is the informal power structure around Asdrubael Vect, the Supreme Overlord of Commorragh. He rules through the Kabal of the Black Heart, the strongest kabal in the Dark City, and everyone else either serves him, fears him, or is waiting for a chance to stab him.
There’s no fixed guest list. The court shifts with whoever’s useful or dangerous at any given moment: archons, haemonculi, Incubi, and even Harlequins drift in and out of his orbit. What holds it together is simple. Vect has spent over ten thousand years proving that crossing him is a fatal mistake.
How Vect built his power
Vect started as a slave in Commorragh. He climbed by deception and violence, founded the Black Heart, and by 984.M35 had forced the city’s squabbling sub-realms under his control. The old nobility only realised how dangerous he was when it was far too late.
His next move was a masterstroke. He captured the Salamanders strike cruiser Forgehammer, which dragged the Imperium into invading Commorragh. The Space Marines killed most of the city’s lords in the fighting, and Vect walked out of the wreckage as the undisputed ruler.
The Dysjunction and the fake death
In M41, rival kabals resurrected the tyrant El’Uriaq to challenge him. That triggered a Dysjunction, a catastrophic breach that flooded Commorragh with daemons. Vect’s ancient power base crumbled and he fled, his kabal sheltering in ruined port cities while he planned a counterattack.
He returned at the darkest moment, called in old debts, and rallied the Incubi to save the heart of the city. Then Mandrakes seemingly cut him down. It was a trick. Vect faked his death to flush out rivals and see who’d celebrate, while quietly hiring Drazhar to hunt Yvraine.
- The Dysjunction was caused by the birth of Yvraine, prophet of Ynnead.
- Vect survived by feigning death, not by winning outright.
- Drazhar was his chosen hunter during the chaos.
Why the court matters
Vect’s Court is the closest thing the Drukhari have to a central government. Commorragh is a city of backstabbing kabals, and Vect is the only thing stopping it from tearing itself apart, mostly because everyone knows he’d enjoy watching them try.
For the wider galaxy, that’s bad news. A united Commorragh under a ten-thousand-year-old schemer is a threat to the Imperium and anyone else unlucky enough to catch his attention.
Key facts
- Vect rules Commorragh through the Kabal of the Black Heart.
- He was born a slave and rose to power by 984.M35.
- He captured the Forgehammer to trigger an Imperial invasion that killed his rivals.
- The Dysjunction in M41 nearly destroyed him, but he faked his death to survive.
- He’s possibly over 10,000 years old, making him one of the oldest beings in the galaxy.
FAQ
Who is in Vect’s Court?
It’s not a fixed group. Archons, haemonculi, Incubi, and mercenaries like Drazhar move through his orbit when it suits them. The only constant is Vect himself.
Is Vect still alive?
Yes. He faked his death after the Dysjunction to expose his enemies. Sources agree he survived, though the details of his return are deliberately murky.
How old is Vect?
He claims to have witnessed the Fall of the Eldar, which would make him over ten thousand years old. If true, he’s one of the oldest living mortals in the galaxy.