# Dark eldar fluff page



## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

DE fluff is probably one of the most dark and twisted/interesting that you'll read. 
So i felt obliged to start this page up so people can post some DE fluff, find more about the bakground of DE and have just a general discussion on the topic.

So here's some interesting fluff:

-When the fall happened the craft world eldar were the one's that left the eldar homeworlds - and DE are (most of) the survivors that were left behind. They went into the Webway to found Commoragh, the dark city.

-Their society is based around Kabals which are led by particularly ruthless and capable Dark Eldar Lords. There are also Wych Cults who are the same except that they are mercenary-gladiators.

- the dark eldar after the fall retreated to the Webway - this is protected almost completely from the influences of Chaos.
however Slaanesh’s leeching of Dark Eldar spirits is only reduced, not stopped. 
To replace this drained spirit-essence the Dark Eldar consume the souls of others! This is the primary reason for slave-raids. Besides providing labour and various amusements for their masters, slaves are the Dark Eldar’s main source of souls - this adds to their natural living years as well.

- a tortured soul apparently gives more years to a dark eldars life.

- Eldar and DE are NOT mortal enemies like space marines and choas marines.
They still look upon each other as equals(as they are still both eldar and won't kill eachother on sight etc) just that they have differences of ideas into how to stop slaanesh leeching their souls - and tend to avoid each other.
However DE still raid eldar craft worlds on time to time when slave raids are low - as eldar souls - especially their soulstones add a substantialy more amount of 'soul life' to DE.

- DE will not even refer to Slaanesh by name, instead referring to their dire foe as ‘She Who Thirsts’, ‘The Great Enemy’, ‘The Nightmare That Hungers’, ‘She Who Must Not Be Named’ and other such sinister terms. Dark Eldar view Slaanesh with a mixture of terror and hate, the deepest loathing. It is Her looming presence in the Warp and ever-present soul-draining that fills the Dark Eldar with desperation and drives them to ever more twisted acts of brutality.

- the harlequins act like the mediator in the eldar family - they don't prefer any of the eldar methods as they have ther own when it comes to stopping slaanesh soul eating:
eldar - soulstones
dark eldar - eat souls
harlies - protection from the laughing god. 


this is just to begin with - and i'll add more fluff later.

mr.d


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## Pariah Mk.231 (Mar 2, 2008)

Don't forget that the Incubi were founded by Arhra, Father of Scorpians. Arhra was the original Pheonix Lord of the Striking Scorpians before he fell to Chaos.


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## IronSnake9 (Mar 15, 2008)

why dont they just find the slaanesh god and burn the bitch then ending the struggle for survival. but would that mean that dark eldar will stop being evil?


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

IronSnake9 said:


> why dont they just find the slaanesh god and burn the bitch then ending the struggle for survival. but would that mean that dark eldar will stop being evil?


i think it would be a touch harder then that - gods kill gods (i think) not mortals. it's like saying why don't the inquisitors kill all the choas gods etc it just out of their power.

please feel free to post DE fluff - character fluff etc or any questions about DE background

mr.d


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

FUCKING SWEAT THREAD k::victory::biggrin:
one question What do Dark eldar think of the laughing God


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## vindur (Apr 1, 2008)

he is a god to them as well as the craftworld eldar, but there isnt a lot of worship mentioned in the DE fluff

Mr Darkraider where are u getting the no hating each other bit. The story in the codex where they are fighting seems to suggest other wise


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

every army fights other armys. There is just more to prove when fighting eldar with dark eldar


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## Unknown Primarch (Feb 25, 2008)

when ive read novels were DE have prisoners they have loved torturing eldar and showed no pity. think it was warrior coven when eldar and ordo xenos kill team joined forces and a marine placed something in the infinity curcuit on a craft world. (hope that story arc comes into fruitation) so dont think DE feel anyway to their eldar brethren.


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

vindur said:


> he is a god to them as well as the craftworld eldar, but there isnt a lot of worship mentioned in the DE fluff
> 
> Mr Darkraider where are u getting the no hating each other bit. The story in the codex where they are fighting seems to suggest other wise[/QUOTE
> 
> ...


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

More fluff - 

Asdrubael Vect-
is the leader of the Kabal of the Black Heart, the most powerful Dark Eldar Kabal in existence, thus he is therefore de-facto ruler of the city of Commorragh and the rest of the Dark Eldar race as a whole. 

Vect claims to have witnessed the Fall of the Eldar personally, if this is true he is quite possibly one of the oldest living (mortal) beings in the Galaxy at well over 10,000 years of age. As a consequence of this, surviving for that length of time as the ruler of Commorragh would also make him one of the deadliest individuals in the galaxy too. 

According to his own account, he survived the psychic explosion of the Fall due to his young age during the event. His youthful ignorance of the hedonistic lifesyles of the Eldar protecting him from the birth-pains of Slaanesh. In the turbulent times that followed, he rallied the surviving Eldar hedonists and fled into the Webway where Slaanesh could not reach, becoming founder of the city of Commorragh himself; and also discovering the technique by which the Dark Eldar extract the essence of other species to sustain themselves. 

When Vect deigns to enter battle personally, he usually does so upon his Dais of Destruction; a modified Ravager equipped with a unique force field that protects its riders from harm. 


ill add more fluff later also once again any DE fluff is appreciated!

mr.d


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## vindur (Apr 1, 2008)

I think thats a bit young for vect. i remeber Eldrad saying something to a space marines along the lines of our empire fell before your ancestors crawled on their bellies from the sea. Cant find the quote no think it was in the BBB. And 10000 years ago storyline wise is only the heresy


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

ya true - if you could find his real age that would be great, i assumed it would be around 10 000 plus, but i wasnt to sure


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

aah? so no one as any DE fluff? where are you guys! this is the DE thread to do it in - feel free to ask about DE fluff as well

mr.d


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

This is what i have found I think you have already said this but hear we go
The origins of the Dark Eldar can be found in the Fall, the great cataclysm that nearly destroyed the entire Eldar race. It was an event so terrible that not only did it kill trillions of Eldar, but it breached the gap between real space and the warp, and gave birth to a Chaos God. 

To understand the reasons for the Fall, you must know something of the Eldar mind and soul. 

An Eldar's mind is incredibly complex. Their senses are extremely sharp, able to perceive incredible levels of detail. Their emotions can be so strong that a human’s are merely pale shadows by comparison. They are extremely intelligent; their thought processes are much faster than a human’s. All of this means that an Eldar experiences the universe and all its sensations to a greatly heightened degree. 

Similarly, an Eldar's soul is much brighter in the Warp than those of 'lesser' sentients. Eldar are able to affect the nether-realm much more than most other races. They are all latent psychics and have the ability to become very powerful psykers with training. It is the strength of their souls that was one of the causes of their downfall. 

Before the Fall, the Eldar had an immense galaxy-spanning empire comprising millions of worlds, larger and more powerful than even the Imperium of Man at the height of its power. The Eldar lived in relative peace--barbarian races such as the Orks were kept at easily manageable numbers and never had the strength to threaten the might of the Eldar empire. The humans were not yet virulently xenophobic and did not have a large domain, and the Tyranid Hive Fleets were unknown. The C'tan and Necrons, ancient foes of the Eldar, were long ago defeated and still remained dormant. 

Life on the Eldar worlds was idyllic, with fantastically sophisticated machines to take care of all labour and manufacturing required, leaving the Eldar free to indulge in other, more aesthetic pursuits. With all menial work taken care of for them, the Eldar became indolent and decadent. They began to explore more and more the arts of pleasure, delving ever deeper into hedonism. The descent into decadence spanned millennia. Tradition and order disintegrated as they limited the pursuit of pleasure. Sects called Pleasure Cults were formed, dedicated to achieving the highest levels of hedonistic sensation, and their ceremonies and practices became ever more wild, eventually devolving into violence and sacrifice of their own kind. Some Eldar hated what their race had become and left the Homeworlds for the virgin Maiden Worlds, or left on the newly-constructed Craftworlds, leaving the Pleasure Cults to their madness. 

Meanwhile, something terrible was stirring in the Warp. The millennia of Eldar hedonism had made a massive impact in the psychic realm of Chaos. Within the warp the decadent Eldar civilization was giving shape to a Power of Chaos, which grew and grew over thousands of years, getting stronger and more defined until suddenly it sparked into an intelligence – a shatteringly huge and malign intelligence, with an immense and bottomless thirst for Eldar souls. This was the birth of Slaanesh. 

The process lasted for thousands of years, corresponding to mankind's Age of Strife, although when Slaanesh finally came into being, the results with the universe were apocalyptic and sudden. An almighty psychic shockwave scythed across the galaxy. The souls of almost every Eldar were stripped from them in an instant and devoured by the new-born Chaos god. There were few survivors. Most were driven mad, their minds trapped half in the real world and half in the swirling insanity of the Warp. A great warp rift was created, encompassing the entire Eldar empire, creating the Eye of Terror. 

Of the few survivors of the Pleasure Cults, some remained sane and able. They found to their horror that Slaanesh had not yet finished with the Eldar – She was slowly draining their souls while they still lived. To escape this these survivors fled in small groups to the Webway, the system of sealed tunnels that run through the Warp and enabled the Eldar to traverse the galaxy safe from attack by Daemons and other Warp creatures. Deep in the Webway, these small groups came together and laid the foundations of Commorragh. More and more survivors began to arrive, and added their own parts to the new city, making it even larger and more heavily populated. 

Some Kabals can trace their history back to the creation of the Dark City, including Asdrubael Vect’s Kabal of the Black Heart.

I will try to found some more


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

Some more

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 rejuvinating 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.


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

Arhra, the Father of Scorpions
Arhra is the most sinister of all the Phoenix Lords. His disciples were the Striking Scorpions. Of a murderous nature he fell to Chaos and he became known as the Fallen Phoenix. It has been speculated that Arhra defected to the Dark Eldar and that he is the Dark Father of the Incubi who indeed show great similarities to the Striking Scorpions. The truth of the whole matter is simply unknown. 
Drazhar is an elite member of the Incubus sect, and the only known Incubus to have mastered the techniques necessary to properly use the Disembowler Blades in combat. This accomplishment is what earned him the title, "Master of Blades". His prowess as an Incubus makes his services as a bodyguard be in constant demand, and as such only the wealthiest Kabals can afford him. 
*Drazhar*
Drazhar, along with being a bodyguard of great renown, is rumored to be the right hand of the Dark Father himself, acting according to his wishes so that the mysterious leader of the Incubus sect can remain in the shadows. 


*Decapitator *
Decapitator is a Mandrake champion, and master assassain. Very little is known about him as he, like all Mandrakes, is incredibly elusive, living on the fringes of Commorragh. It is said that his lair is lined with thousands of skulls garnered from his many victims. None know his real name, but his weapon of choice and his killer's call sign have earned him the nickname Kheradruakh, or "He Who Hunts Heads". 

Like other Mandrakes, he is entirely carnivorous, delights in the taste of living flesh, and has no qualms about eating other Eldar. Also like other mandrakes, he lives without any semblance of societal laws or restrictions. As such, the only currency he can be paid with is lives, many times earning literally thousands of slaves as payment to take a single head of his client's choosing. 

Entirely unique to Decapitator, however, is the fact that he has had two additional fully-functioning arms grafted onto his body by the Haemonculi of Commorragh. This provides him with an uncanny strength and ability in melee combat which few are capable of matching. 

I will leave it as that for know


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

*Commorragh*

Commorragh has stood for over ten millenia, and due to the difficulties of surviving the Dark Eldar way of life, combined with needing to live much longer than what is considered possible for normal Eldar, there is only one being who could possibly remember the founding first-hand: Asdrubael Vect, Supreme Lord of the Kabal of the Black Heart. In fact, Vect claims that he is the founder of Commorragh, as well as the one who discovered the way of extracting souls from living creatures in order to prolong one's life. Unfortunately, he is the only one nearly ancient enough to know whether these statements are true or false, so the validity of this claim is unknown. 

Commorragh was built in the Webway for a number of reasons. 

First and foremost, it is a dimension where the forces of Chaos, and specifically Slaanesh, have very little influence. Therefore, the Webway is the location where The Thirst takes its toll the least on the Dark Eldar. 

Secondly, the fact that the Webway connects virtually to everywhere in the galaxy makes it ideal as a staging point for raids on other races. It's not uncommon for a raiding party to be able to run raids on an entire solar system before the Imperium is able to respond, and they have no method with which they can traverse the Webway, so the raiding party can travel back to Commorragh undisturbed. 

Finally, the infinitely large expanse of space makes it the perfect place for a city the size of Commorragh. No single planet would be capable of supporting the sheer size of the Dark Eldar people, and no system of planets could ever hope to be as defensible as the Webway allows Commorragh to be. 

Before the birth of Slaanesh, the Eldar were said to number in the trillions. Only a small fraction of these untold trillions of Eldar held a distaste for the hedonistic pursuits of the masses, and only that fraction left to become the Exodites and Craftworld Eldar. The birth of Slaanesh was indeed felt by all Eldar as a drain of their soul energies. But, of the Eldar who remained, those on the fringes of the Eldar Empire that were the youngest and most virtuous were not destroyed outright, simply weakened by this psychic assault. 

It is these survivors that make up the Dark Eldar ranks. And if one were to consider statistical probability, the number of Dark Eldar could be considered no less than 500,000 strong. Assuming the Eldar Empire numbered two trillion, then positing that due to the extremely long life of the average Eldar, there would be on average one hundred generations worth existing at a time, then having only the youngest five generations survive, the number would come to one hundred billion. Then assuming there were 1000 planets in the Eldar Empire Asdrubael Vect was on only one, and in only one city. Dividing one hundred billion by 1000 brings us to 100 million. Then finally assuming that there were one hundred cities on each planet, this brings the number to 1 million subtracting those that were killed or driven insane afterwards brings about half a million.

Commorragh is split up into regions, and these regions are controlled by Kabals. Members of those Kabals live in and police these regions, as the existence of their Kabal depends, to a large degree, on maintaining districts for its members to live in. Traditionally, Wych Cults maintain Battle Coliseums in the districts of Kabals they're allied with, Haemonculi are given laboratories (usually underground) within the districts of Kabals they provide their services to, and Mandrakes will be given the right to prowl the streets and alleys in search of meals so long as they agree to assist the Kabal of the region when requested.


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## mr.darkraider (Mar 5, 2008)

great fluff green much appreciated

mr.d


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## Insanity101 (Jan 13, 2008)

I've been waiting for a thread like this. IMO DE fluff is the best stuff out there, but it is harder to find than say, Dark Angels.


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## Green Knight (Feb 25, 2008)

that is OK, Mr. Darkraider what else do you what, for DE fluff


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## LordDnigh (Jul 2, 2009)

Two things, one i would like confirmation of source for where you got Ahra as creator of incubi... Just wondering i think its true just can't find a source, and two... if your gonna take my history article and use it on these forum at least tell them where you got it GreenKnight haha... 

Lord Dnigh
Archon of the Unheard Ghost Kabal
www.lorddnigh.com


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## LordLucan (Dec 9, 2009)

Incidentally, the planetstrike rulebook mentions how many of the DE are 'khaine worshippers' just like the craftworlders. Also, during an Eldar assault, the Craftworlders allowed the Dark Eldar to have one of the cities. Not only this, if someone wrongs the Craftworlders, they have been known to hand over prisoners to the harlequins, who then pass them onto the Dark Eldar.

Dark Eldar mandrakes are rumoured to be escaped Haemonculi experiments; wyches taken from their cults, and turned into semi feral monsters, which are partially physical, partially warp entities. This allows them to be shadow-skinned, and 'shift' between reality and the warp instinctively.

Incubi, as mentioned, are storngly hinted to be fallen elements of the original Striking Scorpion aspect temple. Ahra was noted as haivng a completely different style of combat to Karandas

There is a second Dark Eldar city, known as Shaadom, also in the webway.

Dark Lances utilise matter cultivated form within black holes.

The Dark Eldar stave off Slannesh's attentions, by causing other creatures so much misery, to make others suffer so much pleasure and pain and experience, that Slannesh is distracted by this. The older a Dark Eldar gets, the harder it gets to distract Slannesh, so they have to end up devouring soul energy directly. Hence, souls become the most valuable currency in commorragh.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

Informative thread and a good read. Rep for starting it. This will help promote the de as an army.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

vindur said:


> I think thats a bit young for vect. i remeber Eldrad saying something to a space marines along the lines of our empire fell before your ancestors crawled on their bellies from the sea. Cant find the quote no think it was in the BBB. And 10000 years ago storyline wise is only the heresy


Someone may have already said this, but the Fall of the Eldar occured in M30 I believe. Immediatly prior to the Emperor launching the Great Crusade. Thus Vect is generally thought to be around 10,000 years old.


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

Just FYI everyone, if you are going to cut and paste, please, PLEASE! post your sources, or wrap the text in "quote bbcode" please! the last thing that we need is GW citing us for copyright infringement and shutting us down! 

--Commissar Ploss


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

I always found the DE fluff a bit tricky to understand, I always used to think they served Slaanesh as they live as he/she/it want them to live; mixing pleasure with pain. But as you have written here, and someone else answered some time ago, is that they actually suffer as much from Slaanesh as the regular Eldar does. k:


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## Keelia (Aug 3, 2009)

Reference: White Dwarf 241 Febuary 2000, Story by Gav Thorpe

"gideon shivered uncontrollably with fear as he sat huddled in the corner of the cell, listening to the anguished screams that the walls failed to totally muffle. A high-pitched squeal broke the air and then a silence fell, broken occasionally by the rattle of chains and the moans of the still-living. Gideon heard footsteps approaching along the corridor, the heels of a pair of armoured boots making a clicking noise on the hard stone-like substance of the floor. The footfalls stopped outside the door and Gideon drew in a long, shuddering breath and waited, his heart slamming against his ribs with terror. With a hiss, the door opened and harsh light flared in, blinding the prisoner. As his eyes gradually adjusted, he could make out the silhouette of his tormentor – a thin, withered figure with a slightly hunched back. Chains spiked with barbs and hooks hung from its belt, blades that dripped with unidentifiable fluids adorned the jailer's arms and legs. From its hand dangled a long whip, studded with tiny rasps that glimmered in the light. As the creature stepped forward, Gideon could see that it was female, although barely recognisable as such. It lifted a strange device to its lips and spoke in its own outlandish language; a moment later the archaic machine spat out the translation in clipped, ancient Imperial Gothic.

"Thy time cometh, prey-thing. Master awaits thee." The thing grated, beckoning with a finger tipped with a metal claw.

Gideon struggled to his feet, wrapping around him the few tattered rags that remained of his uniform in a vain effort to recover some dignity. As he hobbled down the corridor, his feet blistered and cracked from previous tortures, Gideon tried desperately to recall how he had fallen into the clutches of the depraved Eldar pirates. However, recurring agony and alien elixirs had wiped all memory of the incident from his mind, except for a vague knowledge that he had not always been here, that he had lived a different life at some point, though how long ago he could not tell – in the City of Darkness there was no passing of day and night to mark the time.

As he limped into the familiar gloom of the torture chamber, Gideon looked around. The walls were lined with various implements of pain, some simply blades curved in bizarre shapes, others were more technical and directly stimulated and amplified nerve-endings and the brain's pain receptors. Without any instruction, Gideon shuffled over to the bloodstained slab that served as the Haemonculus's operating table and laid face down upon it. It was then that something different caught his eye. There was someone else in the room, other than himself and the Haemonculus. Rolling over, Gideon sat up and looked at the shadowy figure.

"Who are you?" Gideon asked, his voice barely more than a croak.

"No questions!" the Haemonculus's translator barked and the she-thing slashed a blade across Gideon's chest, slicing a perfect, shallow cut from his throat to his abdomen.

As Gideon winced with pain, he saw the stranger step from the shadows into the red light cast from the lantern-stone hanging above the torture slab. The Dark Eldar was dressed in long, flowing robes, ornately embroidered in silver thread with scenes of torture and debauchery. His face was pale and gaunt, framed by the high collar of his robe. His hair was jet black, shaved in a long scalplock and his eyes were almost black in their darkness. A cruel smile was fixed upon his lips and his dark gaze looked at Gideon intently.

"You interest me, plaything," the Eldar said in perfect Gothic, waving a slender, long-nailed hand to dismiss the Haemonculi.

"Who are you?" Gideon asked again, sliding his legs over the side of the slab so that he could sit more comfortably.

"I am the master," the figure replied with a devilish grin. "I am the one who controls this place, and much of the city around it. I am the one that all bow to and call Lord. I am the vanquisher of worlds, the destroyer of dreams, the creator of nightmares. I am the pirate king, the renegade prince. I am all these things and more, for I am Asdrubael Vect and all the warriors of the Black Heart are mine to command."

Gideon closed his eyes, trying to understand this news. Vect was indeed the sole ruler of the Kabal of the Black Heart, his name was spoken with awe and terror across the city. Before he had been brought to these palaces, Gideon had been imprisoned by another Kabal. The rumour had been that the mere possibility of displeasing Vect had prompted the overlord of the other Kabal to hand over a considerable number of slaves, including Gideon, just to appease this merciless killer.

"Why do you do this?" Gideon asked hesitantly, unsure how long he would enjoy the overlord's rare benevolence.

"Do what, precisely?" Vect replied, brow creased in a frown. The Lord raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke something in his own language. A few moments later a lackey rushed in carrying two slender-legged chairs with arching backs. Vect sat himself down, his cold eyes never leaving Gideon. The lackey brought a crystal jug of liquid and a glass, and set them beside Gideon before hurrying out again, never once meeting either Gideon's or Vect's eyes.

"The torture. The terror. The raiding, the killing, maiming, stealing. Everything. Why?" Gideon answered, dipping his finger in the blood trickling from the cut on his chest and holding it up to illustrate his point.

"Why should I not?" the Lord replied, looking genuinely perplexed. "You are of no consequence. If you had not been captured by my servants and did not fall foul of some illness or mishap, you would still die within another twenty of your planet's short years. Why should I not use such a pointless creature for my amusement and sustenance? You are prey-species, nothing more."

"Your people are twisted, perverted. A whole populace that thrives on murder and fear is unnatural. How could such a people exist?" Gideon asked quietly, pouring himself a drink and taking a careful sip.

"As I said, you interest me, so I will indulge your curiosity," Vect replied, his voice quiet yet authoritative. He gestured to the unoccupied chair with a slight nod of his head. Gideon slipped down from the slab and sat down, grateful to rest the muscles and bones of his twisted back.

"I shall tell you the tale of a great Lord of our peoples, for his tale is the tale of the founding of Commorragh, the tale of our people," Vect said, turning an almost fatherly gaze on Gideon, which was even more frightening than his earlier cruel glances. "Much of it you will not understand, some of it you may not believe. Your species knows little of us, of the Eldar kindreds. That is good, for knowledge is power and we do not wish you to know too much."

"A long, long time ago, over a thousand of your generations ago in fact, our people ruled across the heavens. Few races could oppose our might, and of those most ancient and malignant powers that could, all were dormant at that time and we were wise enough to let them slumber. Unlike your own folk, I might add, who could well bring about the doom of us all with their blundering around. Be that as it may, there were none who could defy our will. We spread across the glittering stars bringing glory and beauty to countless worlds, much as you humans bring pollution and ugliness to the stars with your presence now. There was nothing we could not achieve, for our minds and our technology were perfectly wedded together. A mere thought could be captured and harnessed by our wonderful machines, so that we ourselves did not have to sully ourselves with physical labour. We constructed artificial creatures to farm for us, fight for us, explore for us."

"As you might understand, we did not sit idly by while our creations conquered the galaxy in our name. Of course not! We dedicated ourselves to much higher pursuits: the perfection of literature, of art, of dance, of sport and of acting. Our striving for the perfect aesthetic became enshrined within our culture, our religion and our politics. You clumsy humans think that you know sadness and joy, yet your emotions are mere whims and passing phases to the feelings of our people. You cannot know such happiness as we know, nor the dark depths of our anger and rage. We are a passionate kin and our quest for achievement became greater and greater. There was nothing to fear, we were kings of the stars, why should we not find every pleasure that the universe has to offer? That became the guiding principle of my peoples, that of self-gratification. Why should we not find what sensations we can, for life, all life, is ultimately transitory and ends. There is no need to worry about the future, no need to regret the past, for such things are foolishness. No, far better to enjoy the moment and not consider the consequences."

"You became a society of hedonists?' Gideon asked as Vect's attention seemed to waver, lost in thought elsewhere.

"Hmm? Yes, hedonists is the word you would use," Vect agreed, focusing back on Gideon. "As you might expect, there were some opposed to this. Dull traditionalists, short-sighted fools who didn't have the vision to share in the ecstatic society that we would create. They spoke out against the pleasure cults, yet in turn many of them were to see the benefits of utter self-fulfilment. Others, unfortunately, failed to see the wisdom of such enlightened behaviour and continued to speak out. Some of them fell under the blades themselves, while many of them opted to flee, fearing that some cataclysm would befall our people, as if we were committing some great sin and that a thunderbolt from the gods would strike us down. They renounced all pleasures of the flesh and mind and fled to the furthest worlds; primeval wastelands where our seeding had only just begun. It was good that they left, for there were no more doubters. The cults vied with each other to attract followers, each trying to outdo the last with its extravagances. Oh, such times will never come again." Vect closed his eyes, visibly shuddering with the thought.

"Well, back to our wonderful hero," Vect laughed, looking at Gideon with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "As the pleasure cults grew in power and pleasingly spilt the blood of their rivals in the streets, our Lord-to-be was just a child. It was then that a great many of our people were struck by sudden apprehension. Our seers began to prophesy a great doom. Many were struck by profound grief at what had become of our society and there was a great panic. They built the immense vessels you know as Craftworlds and fled into the stars. That was good also, for every doubting mind had been purged and all who were left were the purist pleasure-seekers. Such gratifications as they found, you could never know. As I was saying, our Lord was but a child, serving in one of the most powerful temples of delight. He was due to be sacrificed for the greater glory of the shrine one night, a dark night that comes but once in every millennium when the stars themselves grow dim."

Vect leant towards Gideon and dexterously plucked the crystal goblet from his grasp, taking a sip of the nectar-like drink before handing it back. His eyes were blank again for a moment and then with a visible start he brought himself back to the present.

"Luckily for our people, that sacrifice was not to be. It was that very night that the Great Enemy was born into the universe. Even you humans have heard of that event. Our hero was on the altar, his body bared to the blade, anointed in the most exquisite perfumes and oils, his mind enraptured by the elixirs he had taken in preparation for the glorious event. Even as the blade touched his throat... Her birth-scream screeched across the galaxy, extinguishing suns and all but wiping out our race. Her scream was joined by the death cries of countless millions of my people, their spirits ripped from their bodies by the hungering maw that is the Great Enemy. Almost all of us died that single night, the victims of She Who Is Not Named dropping to the ground as lifeless, withered husks. Some survived, but not without loss. These were the ones whose spirits were torn between the real world and the realm of Chaos. They were driven insane, half their mind within the rational world, the other half tormented by impossible visions of the Otherworld. Many ended their own lives, others were driven into killing frenzies and rampaged through the streets slaying everything they came across, burning buildings, smashing the beautifully sculpted statues, razing the intricately ornate gardens in their madness."

Vect's face was twisted in anguish as he pictured the tragic fall of his race. In one instant they had lost everything and had become a race doomed to forever teeter on the edge of extinction, and terrified of the god they had created.

"Our Lord, young as he was, was not so steeped in the pleasure and ecstasy of our peoples, so along with many other of the children he had not been as strongly tied to the Great Enemy. This slave boy was a natural leader. Of all the survivors from his cult, he was the first to react. He gathered what weapons he could, rallying the few survivors of his temple. They took to the streets, seeking out the other shrines of indulgence. Some would not accept his leadership and their blood flowed alongside that of his followers. Others were more wise and took up their weapons in his name. Others had also begun to rise to the fore, slaying those who would not bend their knee, mercifully listening to the begging of those who wished to be led. As time passed through an eternal nightmare of half-reality – for the emergence of the Great Enemy created the vortex known to you as the Eye of Terror, engulfing our oldest worlds – it became clear to our hero that She Who Thirsts was not finished with our people, her hunger would never be sated. She had a grip on our spirits and though temporally assuaged by the massive slaking of Her thirst during Her birth, She still needs to drink. Our lord-to-be felt Her thirst lapping at him and saw it in the faces of others, their essence being slowly leeched away by the Nightmare That Hungers."

Vect took another sip from the goblet and then laughed shortly, his lips twisting into a wry smile. Shaking his head slightly as if to dismiss the thought, he turned his gaze back to Gideon, the dark orbs of his eyes reflecting the red glare of the lantern-stone.

"It seemed there was but one way of escaping Her and that was to flee their homes and leave the physical world behind forever. We came here, into the realm between worlds that we created to traverse the galaxy safe from harm. Here, the Great Enemy's grip is weakened, yet to our Lord's horror it was not wholly broken. He had bought his people time, a little instant of time but nothing more. Others followed him, each choosing a place for themselves, building new shrines and around them great palaces. Here, where you sit now, is one of the chambers of the original Temple of the Black Heart. You are very privileged, you know. Not many survive to get this far. Most of them break before they even reach the second level. Perhaps that is why I am interested in you."

"Remind me to thank you for the honour," Gideon said bitterly, swirling the last few mouthfuls of the drink around the rim of the goblet.

"I will," Vect replied, his eyes growing hard, sending a sudden shiver of fear along Gideon's aching spine.

"As I am sure you have already guessed," Vect told the prisoner, instantly forgetting his annoyance, "as more came and built temples and houses and palaces and mansions, the settlement grew into the city some of our people call Commorragh. But even as they were erecting the statues of their lords and masters, our great leader was looking at the world beyond. He saw creatures sprawling across the realms of our people, ugly mon-kei like you humans and the brutal Orks, the insufferable Kroot and others. Now, disgusting beasts from across the voids are ravaging our lands and these young, weakling races are pitiful in their attempts to stop the encroachment. You deserve to be exterminated but not until you have served your purpose."

"What purpose is that?" Gideon asked, stretching his legs out in front of him, looking at the many scars where the flesh had been torn and the bones repeatedly broken.

"Why, for sustenance and amusement of course," the Kabal Lord replied with an evil grin. "Our founder looked upon the outside world, horrified by the beasts rampantly breeding across our domains. But then a thought occurred to him. Perhaps She Who Thirsts would drink others, as well as us. He sent some of his many warriors to capture a few of the man-things that had been spawned by an insignificant blue world in the western spiral arm. His best counsellors and experts examined them and indeed these beasts, for all their crudity, still contained that vital essence of life, that spark of spirit that turns a fleshy vessel into a living thing."

"You mean a soul?" Gideon said, sitting forward and paying more attention to the ancient Eldar's rambling tale.

"Soul? Soul! Soul. Soul…" Vect seemed to be trying the word out for size, repeating it in different accents and intonations, as if he were tasting a fine wine. The words seem to roll around his mouth and throat for a few moments. "What a fascinating people you are, in a barbaric sort of way. Your language is so basic, you think you can capture everything about life and essence in a single, short word. Incredible…"

The Dark Eldar Lord recovered from his distraction and spoke once more into the communicator at his wrist. A few moments later the door hissed open and the female Haemonculus stepped in again.

"I-I don't understand…" Gideon stammered, eyes flicking wildly between the two Dark Eldar.

"No?" Vect said mockingly. "It must be so terrible for you…"

The Dark Eldar leader stood and took the goblet from Gideon's numb fingers. He sniffed at it delicately.

"A good tasting drink," Vect said, swallowing the remaining contents and letting the goblet drop to the floor, where it shattered into hundreds of tiny shards. "It is a pity for you that some of the compounds used in its distillation do not react very well with your human digestive system. I hear the stomach cramps can last for days on end…"

"You didn't finish the story…" Gideon prompted, desperately hoping that Vect's statement was just another cruel jest.

"No, I didn't," Vect answered him with a look of feigned innocence. "I suspect you would like to know how it ends?"

"I would," Gideon whispered, bowing his head in capitulation.

"That is unfortunate," Vect told him as he turned and walked towards the door. "Because not knowing the end of the tale will drive you mad, won't it? In those moments that you can have a clear thought, you'll try to work out the ending. It'll gnaw at you, as a rodent gnaws its food, scraping away the last vestiges of your sanity. Such a shame, you really did interest me."

"You must have had another reason for telling me!" Gideon demanded, knocking the chair over as he pushed himself to his feet and turned to the Lord.

"Oh yes," Vect agreed with a slow nod. "I enjoyed telling the tale. There is no point telling any of my servants, they know it already. A story should be told, it is the very purpose for which it exists. Just as you exist to satisfy me, and nothing more."

The Dark Eldar was almost out of the room when Gideon shouted after him. "So it wasn't true at all! It was all made up!" he called out.

"No," Vect turned on his heel and pulled down the collar of his robe to show his neck. A scar ran a finger's length across his throat.

"Why me?" Gideon begged, falling to his knees.

He looked pleadingly at the Haemonculi who regarded him with a twisted smile. Wordlessly, she pointed towards the bloodstained slab. As the door slammed shut, Gideon could hear Vect's laughter echoing off the walls of the corridor beyond and the Dark Eldar Lord's voice carried into the torture chamber.

"Why not?" "


This was a story written by Gav Thorpe and was published way way way way back in the day when dark eldar actually got a released codex. This is the work of games workshop and gav thorpe, hence the reason it was referenced and sited up top.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

I read that story a while back, and saved it for closure. Its really great and portrays the Dark Eldar quite well.

Not all Dark Eldar hate Slaanesh though, the Dark Eldar Pirate Kaharhaedros in Crimson Tears openly courted Slaanesh and allied with his/her cultists.

Best of all Dark Eldar though are the Incubi, nobody can match them in sheer awesomeness. And Drazhar the Master of Blades is the best of them all.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> Not all Dark Eldar hate Slaanesh though, the Dark Eldar Pirate Kaharhaedros in Crimson Tears openly courted Slaanesh and allied with his/her cultists.


Oh ok, now that was interesting. =)


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