Warhammer 40,000 is full of incredibly powerful individuals – the strongest among them are Psykers, the spellcasters of the world. However, there are counters to them: Humans with a very special gene. However, they have a hard time just trying to survive.
Although Warhammer 40,000 is a science fiction world, there is a significant fantasy element. Psykers are something like wizards, using the powers of the Warp to perform spells.
Psykers often fall into chaos – or are directly consumed by demons. They are extremely rare, at least among humans. While all humans (like Aeldari) are psychically active, only Psykers can utilize their vastly greater power. The most famous and powerful Psyker to have ever lived is, by the way, the Emperor himself.
Nonetheless, there are humans who can simply shut down Psykers, quite literally: Blanks, also known as Pariahs or Untouchables. Simply put: Blanks deactivate the Warp around them, making any use of psychic powers impossible.
They cannot be directly affected by spells, nor can spells be cast in their proximity. This makes them something like “Anti-Psykers” and quite literally so.
The Sisters of Silence were founded during the Horus Heresy. You can see their first leader in the cinematic:
Humans who can simply keep the Warp out
Strictly speaking, Pariahs are a mutation. Although mutants are generally reviled and killed in the Imperium, there are some “sanctioned” and controlled mutations – including Psykers and Blanks.
One gene makes it impossible for Blanks to establish a connection to the Warp or be perceived by psychic powers. They are in the Warp what a black hole is in real space. Consequently, they even have the power to grant demons a “true death” and not just banish them back to the realm of chaos.
Since the Warp is the realm of emotions and souls, they are considered soulless by many. While this is demonstrably false, the claim persists stubbornly, to the point that even most Pariahs believe it – even when the opposite is proven.
As humans normally possess some psychic power or connection, being near Untouchables is even unpleasant for “normal” humans to the point that Blanks are sometimes killed immediately after birth or even beforehand. They appear “wrong” to humans and can even drive them insane simply by their presence.
Exactly this makes Untouchables equally powerful. Because they are so uncomfortable for humans, Blanks can learn through proper training to become physically unnoticeable. The human brain simply filters out that someone has come through the door – because it’s more pleasant not to have to see or hear this “thing”.
“Why aren’t there any truly powerful Blanks?”
On Reddit, a user wants to know why there are no Blanks that are as powerful as unnaturally powerful beings like the Emperor, Malcador, or Magnus. Veterans provide several explanations for this:
- On one hand, Blanks are extremely rare. Powerful Psykers like Magnus or the Emperor did not arise naturally; only one has been “born” in the last 40,000 years. The chance for Blanks is even smaller.
- On the other hand, such a powerful Blank would probably not survive long. If they are not killed at birth or prior because they appear so “wrong”, they would likely be so reviled that they would be cast out and accepted nowhere.
- It is even possible that the Blank is so powerful that they are simply ignored unintentionally because people cannot or do not want to perceive them. For a newborn, this is naturally a death sentence.
Unlike Psykers, the Pariah gene that grants Untouchables their power is inheritable. Consequently, it would be possible to breed Blanks – only, very few people actually want to have anything to do with them.
Two organizations gather the rarest mutants in the Imperium
Although they are so rare and no one wants to have anything to do with them naturally, Blanks are highly sought after in the Imperium, but of course as a weapon. They particularly serve the Inquisition to neutralize Psykers. There are even two organizations that explicitly consist only of Untouchables:
- The Sororitas Silentum (also known as Sisters of Silence) are, like the Adepta Sororitas, an all-female order. They have taken a vow of silence and communicate through sign language. They serve as the military arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, in which Psykers are searched for and recruited (or destroyed).
- Culexus Assassins are the rarest, most feared, and dangerous members of the Officio Assassinorum. Their exclusive targets are Psykers. Although almost exclusively men become Culexus Assassins, there are also women among them. The Culexus Temple is said to breed Blanks in laboratories – causing their members to become particularly devoid of empathy due to lack of parents.
However, it is not just the Imperium that uses Pariahs as weapons: among the most gruesome fates in Warhammer 40,000, there is one where a Blank was literally sewn to one of the founders of the Grey Knights to permanently disrupt his connection to the Warp.
Even though Blanks sound particularly powerful now, they are not invincible. For example, Psykers can use projectiles or – very comically – drop heavy objects on a Pariah. After all, they are only immune to direct influences, not to psychically manipulated but physical objects.
Even demonic beings have a chance against them. A Khorne Berzerker, for instance, killed the first leader of the Sisters of Silence, Jenetia Krole, without even realizing what he had killed – he simply could not perceive her.
Blanks and assassins in general do not have the easiest job in Warhammer 40,000 and certainly not the safest. However, they could still have it worse: Life in the Imperium of Warhammer 40,000 is already hard enough, but these 5 jobs are really ones nobody wants
