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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 and technology, though they are often lacking in resilience. They are the equivalent of the Warhammer Fantasy Dark Elves in some respects, although they lack the equivalents of the more heavily armoured and punch-packing units of the Dark Elves. 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 (or 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.
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," stating 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 center of the Eldar Empire, leaving only a few Craftworlds that had been stationed on the fringes. The hole which She Who Thirsts tore through the warp still remains; it is now 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 Torture of Gideon *. In preparation, the Seers had crafted vastly and unimaginably huge space vessels, some the size of large planets. These ships became known as Craftworlds. Though many Craftworlds were able to survive the Fall and the creation of the Eye of Terror (most notably the Craftworlds of Iyanden, Biel-Tan, Saim-Hann, Ulthwé, and Alaitoc), several others who were patrolling the area around where the Eye was created were sucked in and destroyed.
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, this adds a desperate edge to an otherwise simplistic nature: they are inevitably damned so their thirst for death is in part motivated by the gnawing fear that in the end their souls will be consumed.
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. For example, instead of having Aspect Warriors, Dark Eldar have drug-using gladiators called Wyches. Rather than having their heavy weapons systems transported by walkers or miniature anti-grav floaters, they are carried by specialised Warriors wearing jetpacks - these are called Scourges. The mecha-like Wraithguard and Wraithlords of the Eldar are replaced with the Talos, a bizarre mechanical weapon which is half grav-tank and half floating torture device, powered by the suffering of the tortured creature bound into its "cockpit".
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 Essentially, the Lord's heavy-armored bodyguards, and the only units in a Dark Eldar force to use heavy armor. In addition, their helmets have splinter pistols mounted on them, if the need for long range fighting occurs. It is heavily implied in Codex: Dark Eldar and in a few novels that the Incubi are in fact, "fallen warriors" from the Eldar Striking Scorpion Aspect Warriors. Additionally, the first Incubi was rumored to be the dark Phoenix Lord, Arhra.
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 disintigrators. 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. They have been referred to as mobile scenery.
Haemonculus (plural Haemonculi) are characters from Codex: Dark Eldar. They make use of the most sophisticated and precise torture methods available in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are the ones who create the Grotesques and the Talos. They will also lead Dark Eldar into battle when no Dark Eldar Lords are available.
Dark Eldar Grotesque is a type of Dark Eldar which has become enamoured of inflicting pain. Grotesques may be unlucky Dark Eldar Warriors (prisoners) picked by the Haemonculus, or a human, now hardly recognizable. A harsh close combat choice, the Grotesques are fierce and relentless in combat. Generally they have fallen victim to the torture and experimentation of the vicious Haemonculus cult.
Wyches (singular Wych) are gladiatorial warriors of the Dark Eldar. 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 Dark Eldar 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.
A Dark Eldar Hellion is a Wych who has mounted on a "skyboard", a flying platform from which they use assault the ememy forces before they have a chance to fire back. They wield Hellglaives, double sided spears with small splinter rifles built in to ensure that the enemy is dead. They often deploy ahead of the army, or even during the battle.
A Dark Eldar Scourge is a Warrior equipped with a large 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 vehichles and heavy infantry.
A Warp Beast is a creature built by Wych cults and are living emboidements of the fear and terror that slaves experience. They are extremely predatorial in nature and will attack what ever 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 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 it's 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.
Notable characters
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.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. 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.Lelith Hesperax, Mistress of Death
The leader of the Wych Cult of Strife, Lelith Hesperax is one of the most skilled Wyches known.Drazhar, the Master Of Blades
Drazhar, the Master Of Blades is an extremely skilled Incubus. He mainly serves his 'Shadow Lord' (rumoured to be the creator of the first Incubi), but will happily work for any other that can afford his fee. Drazhar's signature weapons are the Disembowler Blades.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.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.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 is leading 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.References
External links
Warhammer 40,000 species Fictional psychopaths Fictional sadists Fictional masochists
"Dark Eldar"