Dark Eldar
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In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Dark Eldar are a Kindred of the Eldar, an ancient and advanced race of elf-like humanoids. Their armies usually have the advantages of speed, though they are often lacking in resilience. They are the thematic equivalent of the Warhammer Fantasy Dark Elves, and indeed Dark Elves in general. The Dark Eldar revel in piracy, enslavement and torture , and are sadistic in the extreme. Dark Eldar armies make use of various anti-gravity skimmers such as Raiders and Ravagers to launch high speed attacks. They strike with little or no warning, using an interdimensional labyrinth known as the Webway to traverse the galaxy safely and far more quickly than most races are able to with their Warp jumps.
The Dark Eldar are unique amongst the Warhammer 40,000 factions in the sense that they do not occupy many planets, but rather one dark city - Commorragh. They are mainly pirates, though are sometimes used as mercenaries.
Dark Eldar, like most Eldar Kindreds, make use of advanced technology, including anti-gravity devices, dark matter (in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, something more akin to antimatter) weaponry, nanotechnology and psychic artifacts. While Dark Eldar do make use of psychic devices, they do not use psychic powers themselves. Psykers are treated as playthings in Commorragh, and given the twisted sadistic nature of the Dark Eldar, this necessarily involves pain and torment for the psyker.
Games Workshop decided to make the Dark Eldar as a separate army, after it became fairly common to see gamers collect "Dark Eldar" armies, which are total conversions/customizations of Eldar miniatures while still retaining the standard Eldar rules. It was also relatively convenient to add the Dark Eldar to the existing Eldar storyline without any conflict, right at the catastrophe that destroyed the Eldar homeworld.
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[edit] History
Once part of their sister species, the Eldar, the Pleasure Cultist ancestors of the Dark Eldar were the cause of the Fall. Before the Imperium rose to power, the Eldar ruled the galaxy and spread beauty and grace to all the worlds within it. Perfectly set in their power, they turned their energies inward in an attempt to improve themselves to the point of perfection. Their quest, known as the Path, still continues today. Bringing to their race arts, sciences, and martial training, the Eldar sought to experience emotions and sensations to their fullest extent, disregarding the morality of their actions. Foreseeing a terrible outcome, the Seers of the Eldar warned against these "pleasure cults," warning that no good could come out of them. The Eldar eventually sacrificed so many of their own people ritualistically that it caused the God Slaanesh to be born, and its birthcries tore a hole in the centre of the Eldar Empire, leaving only a few Craftworlds that had been stationed on the fringes. The hole through which She Who Thirsts tore from the Warp still remains; it is known by the Imperium as the Eye of Terror.
Thousands of worlds were ravaged by this, killing millions upon millions of Eldar. In the confusion, many more Eldar died fighting one another. A tale of exactly what happened is recounted and is now known as The Torturer's Tale. In preparation, the Seers had crafted vast and unimaginably large space vessels, some the size of large planets. These ships became known as Craftworlds. Though a few Craftworlds were able to survive the Fall and the creation of the Eye of Terror (most notably the Craftworlds of Altansar, Iyanden, Biel-Tan, Saim-Hann, Ulthwé, and Alaitoc), many of those patrolling the area around which the Eye appeared were sucked in and destroyed (most notably Altansar, which re-emerged from the Warp during the 13th Black Crusade).
Over time, Dark Eldar begin to suffer more and more from 'the Thirst'. They develop an all-consuming and ever-increasing need to drink the souls of other beings. It is postulated that the cause of this is the Chaos God Slaanesh, the Great Enemy of the Eldar, who leeches the soul-essence of the Dark Eldar while they still live. Dark Eldar drink souls to stave off this leeching - perhaps by sating the thirst of Slaanesh, or perhaps by replenishing the essence of their own souls with that of the consumed one. Slaanesh will also consume the souls of Dark Eldar whole should they die. Dark Eldar are long-lived but not immortal; drinking souls has a rejuvenating effect that reverses aging, thus Dark Eldar need not fear falling into the clutches of Slaanesh due to death from old age, if they have a constant supply of souls. The usual source of souls are those of the many captives taken during Dark Eldar raids, adding a desperate edge to an otherwise simplistic nature: they are inevitably damned, and so their thirst for death is in part motivated by the gnawing fear that in the end their souls will be consumed.
[edit] Gameplay
In the game, many of the Dark Eldar units are similar to the units used by the Eldar army, but twisted to fit in with the darker nature of the Dark Eldar. Their units are very fast, but often have only light armor.
Dark Eldar Lord The Archons and Dracons of Commorragh lead the Kabals of the Dark Eldar into battle. The Archons are fierce warriors who lead their Kabals ruthlessly, claiming any and all spoils of battle. "Dark Eldar thrive on domination and power, and those who are vicious and ruthless enough will quickly rise to positions of authority. The Dark Eldar Lords lead their servants into battle in the search for slaves and souls, leaving worlds in ruin with a veritable mountain of dead heaped in their wake." - Codex: Dark Eldar.
Dark Eldar Incubi A neutral faction of Dark Eldar who are hired to become a Lord's heavily-armoured bodyguards, and the only units in a Dark Eldar force to use heavy armour. They are often needed to protect their master from his own power-hungry followers as much as from his enemies. They are equipped with great power-weapons in the form of halberds that are able to cut through armour with ease. Their helmets have neurally-linked splinter pistols mounted on them that can be fired using mental commands. The first Incubus is rumoured to be the dark Phoenix Lord, Arhra, who originally founded the Craftworld warrior Aspect the Striking Scorpions before rebelling against the other Phoenix Lords and disappearing into the Webway. Striking Scorpions are indeed known to have a particular hatred for Incubi, who they term 'Fallen Warriors'.
The Dark Eldar Ravager is a vehicle of the Dark Eldar. It carries the heaviest armament of all Dark Eldar vehicles, sporting three Dark Lances which may be individually upgraded to disintegrators. It, like the Dark Eldar Raider, is lightly armoured and should not lead an attack.
The Dark Eldar Raider is a light transport vehicle used by the Dark Eldar. Dark Eldar Raiders transport up to ten Dark Eldar around a battlefield. They are exceedingly fast, yet lightly armoured and are highly vulnerable.
Haemonculus (plural Haemonculi) are the master torturers of the Dark Eldar. They consider inflicting pain the highest art and are revered among the Dark Eldar. They may be present in the retinue of a Dark Eldar Lord, or leading a Dark Eldar army into battle on their own.
Grotesques are twisted and deformed Dark Eldar, due either to their own need to inflict pain or the attentions of a Haemonculus, although the now twisted forms of other races (usually humans or Eldar) have been found amongst their ranks, having been experimented on by the Haemonculi. They are immune to pain and fearless in battle.
Wyches (singular Wych) are gladiatorial warriors of the Dark Eldar. They fight in arenas in duels with one another, aliens and warp beasts, few survive their first duel but those who live learn quickly. Ruled over by their succubi, the wyches are highly proficient at close-quarters combat, practicing their skills for their entire lives. Wyches use a cocktail of combat-enhancing drugs to improve their performance on the battlefield.
A Mandrake is a type of Dark Eldar whose physique has adapted to make him camouflaged almost anywhere. Advanced infiltrators, Dark Eldar Mandrakes strike from the shadows, surprising and rending their enemies apart. They have shadow-skin, which is possibly from warp exposure, that makes them incredibly hard to see when combined with their stealth. Mandrakes are often cannibalistic and wild, living separate from other Dark Eldar.
A Dark Eldar Hellion is a Wych who is mounted on a "skyboard", a flying platform from which they assault the enemy forces before they have a chance to fire back. They wield Hellglaives, double sided spears with small splinter rifles built in to ensure maximum damage to the enemy. They often deploy ahead of the army, or even during the battle.
A Dark Eldar Scourge is a Warrior equipped with a streamlined jump-pack. Unlike other armies, who have assault-oriented jump-troops, Scourges carry heavy weapons into battle, often employed for hit-and-run tactics against vehicles and heavy infantry.
A Warp Beast is a creature harnessed by Wych cults and are living embodiments of the fear and terror that slaves experience. They are extremely predatorial in nature and will attack whatever they see. They are often lead by a Wych beastmaster to ensure that they attack the intended target.
A Dark Eldar Reaver is a form of jetbike used by the wych cults for quick close-combat raids. They also employ ranged weaponry to soften up enemies before they can assault.
A Dark Eldar Raven is a form of fighter-jet armed with two Dark Lances and one Splinter Cannon. They are often used to destroy the enemy's armour to make it easier for Raiders to move about the battle field. Once they are finished, they will continue to mow down infantry until a path has been formed for the main attack forces.
A Dark Eldar Razorwing is mainly a Raven with its weapons reversed and attached to another Raven. They are used to decimate opposing troops with their two twin-linked Splinter Cannons. They also employ Dark Lances against armoured troops.
A Dark Eldar Talos is a large killing machine along the lines of a Space Marine dreadnought. It is armed with two powerful claws granting it a variable number of attacks, and has a wild fire special rule in its Talos sting. It is powerful in melee so can act in an anti-tank or an anti-infantry role should it get close enough.
[edit] Notable raids
[edit] Medusa V
Asdrubael Vect's handmaiden No'kaei, the Daughter of Pain launched a raid on Medusa V to gather enough slaves to attempt to overthrow Asdrubael Vect. This raid lasted the duration of the Medusa V conflict and was so successful that the Dark Eldar were using slaves as starship fuel. But it was still not enough to gather the support needed to overthrow Vect.
[edit] Delta 9
The Delta 9 massacre - which is mentioned in Codex: Dark Eldar twice - was one of the largest raids ever committed. It was from this one raid that the Imperium learned most of what they know about the Dark Eldar. On the page for Asdrubael Vect it mentions a comm reading of the massacre, where a lord (presumed to be Asdrubael Vect himself) says that he will give the humans two hours to escape through the wastes. After that he will unleash his warriors again, and if they wish they can send forth a representative to discuss negotiations.
[edit] Notable characters
[edit] Asdrubael Vect, Overlord of the Kabal of the Black Heart
Asdrubael Vect is one of the most powerful Dark Eldar, having founded Commorragh after the Fall of the Eldar. He is the High Lord of the Black Heart Kabal, the most powerful Kabal in the Dark City. In the past, many have tried to claim power through his destruction, but all have died. Vect rides into battle on the Dais of Destruction, a heavily modified Ravager that carries him and his bodyguard.
[edit] Kruellagh The Vile, Archon of the Emasculators
Kruellagh The Vile is another Dark Eldar Archon, from one of the less respected Dark Eldar Kabals. This is due to their leader's love of killing, and thus they bring in few slaves.[citation needed] Kruellagh uses the unique Soul Flayer, two long spikes producing from each arm that drain the victim's vital juices. Her name is a play on Cruella de Vil.
[edit] Lelith Hesperax, Mistress of Death
The leader of the Wych Cult of Strife, Lelith Hesperax is one of the most skilled Wyches known. Lelith is renowned as the most vicious fighter in the arena of Commorragh. She has never been injured in combat.
[edit] Drazhar, the Master Of Blades
Drazhar, the Master Of Blades is an extremely skilled Incubus. Drazhar's signature weapons are the Disemboweler Blades, a pair of long serrated swords wielded in each hand.
[edit] Urien Rakarth
Urien Rakarth is the master Haemonculus in Commorragh. He once had a motive to his work, but now lives only to feed his obsession for pain and suffering. Among his creations are the hideous creatures dubbed 'Uber Grotesques' by their master.
[edit] The Decapitator, Mandrake Champion
The Decapitator is a Mandrake, but one about whom little is known. What is known is that he has four arms and a deep craving for flesh and blood. Supposedly, his lair is made up of a thousand skulls. He is known as the master infiltrator and is named after his weapon, the decapitator. There is currently no model available to represent The Decapitator.
[edit] No'kaei, the Daughter of Pain
Former handmaiden and bodyguard of Asdrubael Vect, No'kaei has since been cast out of the Kabal of the Black Heart for an unknown reason. Angered by her enforced exile, she led a large force of Dark Eldar to the world of Medusa V, in an attempt to capture enough slaves to bribe Asdrubael's followers and launch a coup. However, when she returned to challenge Vect she was betrayed by her own followers; her current fate is unknown.
[edit] The Discontinued Dark Eldar
By late 2006 the Dark Eldar Codex and models were pulled from Games Workshop stores, as well as Rogue Trader stores. This unannounced pull sparked a flurry of rumors across the many Warhammer related internet forums about the future of the Dark Eldar. Having seen neglect in terms of new model releases and/or a new codex, this latest move seemed to indicate a move by Games Workshop (GW) to remove the Dark Eldar race from circulation, and eventually tournament legal play. Despite the multiplicity of these claims, it is not true. While GW has yet to state reasons for removing models from stores, it can be supposed that they perennially sell very poorly (the Dark Eldar are perhaps the least played/collected army in Warhammer 40,000) and so GW is removing them in order to make room for higher selling merchandise. As of 2007 the full range of Dark Eldar models are still available for purchase through the GW website. Spring 2007 will also feature the release of a new DE box set, featuring repackaged models from the Wych line. Additionally it is speculated by many enthusiasts that the Dark Eldar will receive a major overhaul in fall/winter 2008, following the overhaul of the Orks and new content for either the Blood Angel or Space Wolf factions of Space Marines.
[edit] References
- Thorpe, Gav. The Torturer's Tale. Games Workshop. Retrieved on February 21, 2006.
- Johnson, Jervis; and Thorpe, Gav (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Dark Eldar. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-307-1.
