Drukhari

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Dark Eldar Warrior[7]

The Drukhari[12] or Dark Eldar are Dark Kin to the Asuryani and other Aeldari, 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 and numbers. The Dark Eldar revel in piracy, enslavement and torture, and are sadistic in the extreme. Dark Eldar raiding parties make use of advanced anti-gravity skimmers to launch high speed raids on their enemy while still transporting a large number of their warriors. Due to their use of the galaxy-spanning inter-dimensional labyrinth known as the Webway, they are extremely mobile, striking from seemingly nowhere, with little or no warning, and vanishing with their captives before significant military reaction can be mobilised.[1a][1b]

The Dark Eldar are unique amongst the races in the sense that they do not occupy many planets, but rather one dark city called Commorragh. They are mainly pirates, though are sometimes used as mercenaries.[1a][1b]

Asdrubael Vect is the supreme overlord of the dark city of Commorragh and of the Dark Eldar as a whole. The term "Dark Eldar" also comes from him, being the first one to openly refer himself with "Eladrith Ynneas" in M32.[1c]

History

Origins

Rune of the Dark Eldar[14]

The origins of the Dark Eldar can be found in the Fall of the Eldar, 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 Slaanesh, a Chaos God.[1a]

To understand the reasons for the Fall, it is necessary to know something of the Eldar mind and soul.[1a]

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 psykers and have the ability to become very powerful 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.[1a][1b]

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. This 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. During this time the Eldar had also discovered the Webway and soon mastered it to further their galaxy-spanning civilisation. Building realms and outposts within the Webway to act as ports for inter-galactic travel, the city of Commorragh was founded. Isolated within the Webway, Commorragh itself soon became a bastion for pleasure cults and increasingly depraved acts.[1b]

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 civilisation 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 with mankind's Age of Strife, although when Slaanesh finally came into being, the results for 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 and creating the Eye of Terror.[1b]

The denizens of Commorragh, however, were tucked away safely in the Webway, protected from Slaanesh and its thirst. Though much of the Webway was in ruin, they had endured, and unlike their Craftworld counterparts, remained unrepentant. Though they discovered Slaanesh was still slowly claiming their souls, the denizens of Commorragh soon discovered that by absorbing the pain and torments of another's soul, they could rejuvenate themselves and cheat death. Assuming they could feed regularly, the Eldar of the Webway had become physically immune to the passage of time. Soon the Eldar of the Webway began raiding realspace in search of captives and slaves to rejuvenate themselves with. Moreover, despite the physical requirement for thirsting for souls, many Dark Eldar have discovered a thirst for absorbing the pain of others, a side-effect of Slaanesh picking at their souls.[15a] So it was that the Dark Eldar were born, a race of sadistic murderers who feed upon the anguish of others to prevent the death of their immortal souls. Into this city of horrors rose the ruthless Asdrubael Vect, who has purged his rivals and ruled Commorragh as its undisputed Overlord for millennia.[1b]

Recent Dark Eldar activity[13d]

Ages of the Dark City

Since the founding of Commorragh, Dark Eldar history has been divided into four primary periods: the Age of Dark Genesis, the Age of Pain, the Age of Plenty,[11] and the Age of the Living Muse.[13e]

Since the formation of the Great Rift (known to the Drukhari as the Dathedian), there have been tumutulous developments in Dark Eldar society. Massive Dysjunctions saw Commorragh beset by Daemons, the most notable of these was the Battle of Khaine's Gate.[13e] While this situation has largely stabilized, other developments such as the rise of the Ynnari order have further thrown Commorragh into turmoil. This culminated in the Dark Eldar Civil War, where Vect, now reborn as a living Dark Muse, attempted to purge the Dark City of the Ynnari's growing influence.[20] Despite these setbacks, the Dark Eldar are conducting a level of raids unseen in their history and show no signs of stopping their campaign to sustain themselves with the torment of others.[13b]

Biology

The Dark Eldar at war[13c]

Dark Eldar are similar in many ways to the rest of the Eldar race - tall, lithe, humanoids with tapered ears and sharp eyes. However, generations of physical conflict combined with living inside the Dark City has led to a number of distinct variations.[1a] As Aeldari, Drukhari have a long gestation cycle and in a city with so many dangers naturally-born children are a rare status symbol; those belonging to the ancient lines which predate the fall are known as the Trueborn.[1e] Far more commonplace are artificially-grown Drukhari which gestate on the breeding-walls of the lairs of Haemonculi, where fertilised eggs are placed within a honeycomb of amniotic tubes and growth is hyperaccelerated, these specimens born to Wrack attendants are commonly referred to as Half-born, and are looked at with contempt by Trueborn aristocrats.[1e] Also within Commorragh are all other manners of Haemonculus experiments, sculpted of Aeldari flesh,[13l] as well as the Mandrakes of the shadowed realm of Aelindrach whose many rumoured origins include a cult which sought to escape the Fall of the Eldar by passing into shadow and heinous unions between Aeldari and Unholy Entities at the height of the Twilight Cults. The truth is unknown.[13j]

The skin of a Dark Eldar is almost translucent, an effect of the lack of sunlight within Commorragh.[1a] Due to being bred over the many millennia for combat[13a], the strength and reflexes of the average Drukhari warrior are actually superior to that of their Craftworld Eldar counterparts [1a] Pict-captures of the Evolus Massacre had to be slowed to one-fourth speed in order to follow the movements of individual Kabalites as they slaughtered Imperial civilians.[5b] Stories of Dark Eldar dodging shots from lasguns and kicking frag grenades back into the enemy's ranks are common,[5b] and within the gladiatorial arenas a single Wych is more than a match for any ten human warriors.[6] Dark Eldar senses are also sharper, allowing them to see their enemies perfectly well even during pitch darkness.[5a]

However, Dark Eldar psykers are virtually unheard-of, in large part due to millennia of genetic drift as Asdrubael Vect the Master of Commoragh ordered the execution of psychically-gifted individuals lest they inadvertently provide a foothold for Daemons,[21] but additionally as a natural decline where through their focus on physical athleticism the innate psychic abilities common to the Eldar race have atrophied within the Dark Eldar.[1a] Furthermore, to use any psychic powers would draw the attention of Slaanesh, and is one of the few things expressly forbidden even by outsiders within Commorragh.[1a] Because of their lack of psychic presence the Drukhari are often able to evade the visions of their Farseer cousins and are one of the few forces that can thus approach a Craftworld without warning.[15b] It is possible through the guidance of other kinds of Aeldari for Drukhari outside of Commoragh, such as those who live among the Corsairs, to slowly recover lesser psychic abilities.[21]

Technology

Main article: Dark Eldar Armoury

Dark Eldar, like most Eldar kindreds, make use of advanced technology, including anti-gravity devices, darklight weapons, nanotechnology and psychic artefacts. However, this technology is manufactured instead of being psychically grown, and while Dark Eldar do make use of psychic devices, they do not use psychic powers themselves, for in order to use their gifts Psykers must channel the chaotic energies of the Warp. Such an act would attract the gaze of She Who Thirsts and invite disaster upon the entire race. As such, the use of the psychic pyrotechnics that are so familiar to their Craftworld kin is one of the few things forbidden in the dark spires of Commorragh.[1a]

Culture

A Wych observing various sacrificial slaves.[19]

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 ageing, 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 is the many captives taken during Dark Eldar raids.[13a] Drukhari of means need not fear a violent death either, for in exchange for a small portion of their soul a Haemonculus will gladly regrow their body and bind their soul to it oncemore.[1e] The Dark Eldar do not see the misery they inflict as mere necessity to survive, they relish in their cruelty.[13a]

The occupants of Commoragh are sadistic murderers all, abjectly self-serving and incapable of compassion. Violent infighting is common, but full-blown anarchy is prevented by the ruthless hand of Vect. To survive in such a society one must exemplify a ruthless self-sufficiency and embrace an attitude of survival of the fittest.[13f][13g] Compassion of any sort is seen as not only disgusting in Dark Eldar society, but also self-damaging as it will inevitably lead to ones enemy's taking advantage of it. This lack of comradery extends even to ones own kin, betrayal, treachery, and power grabs are all common in Dark Eldar society and are even encouraged by its rulers - Vect most of all - as a way to keep any potential opposition divided.[15b]

Society

A Dark Eldar raiding party[8]

Dark Eldar society is highly stratified. With a cruel and opulent nobility living in the highest spires of Commorragh, while the miserable and misbegotten underclasses dwell in near-savage conditions in its outermost districts and pocket dimensions.[15b] A myriad of other subcultures and factions dwell in the middle, all preying upon one another in a perpetual cycles of violence. Beneath them all are the throngs of slaves of the Dark City, who are little more than an omnipresent resource to be exploited and tormented.[13g]

Within Dark Eldar society, the most important sub-factions are those that wield the most martial strength. These include:[13b]

  • Kabals - Essentially large autonomous armed syndicates, many of which are connected to the ruling nobility of High Commorragh.[1d] Kabals are led by powerful Archons and wield significant military forces. Essential to conducting realspace raids for more slaves, Kabals are the most powerful and numerous type of organisation within Commorragh's complex web of power.[13b] The most powerful Kabal is Vect's own Kabal of the Black Heart, but other significant Kabals include the Flayed Skull, Poisoned Tongue, Obsidian Rose, Last Hatred, Dying Sun, Iron Thorn, Broken Sigil.[13h]
  • Wych Cults - Predominately female orders of gladiatorial fighters who specialize in making killing a spectacle. Their life-and-death performances in Commorragh's arenas emit such a level of torment and suffering that the audience members are left well-fed.[13h] Led by Succubi, Wych Cults are often frequently called upon to lend their service to realspace raids and can amass significant power and influence despite most of its initiates having once been slaves.[15b] The most prominent Wych Cult is the Cult of Strife, but other significant Cults include the Cursed Blade, Red Grief, Seventh Woe, Blade Denied, Wrath Unbound, Thirteenth Night[15c], and Pain Eternal.[13h]
  • Haemonculi Covens - Are led by biotechnological masters dubbed Haemonculi, who are perhaps the most feared and sinister denizens of the Dark City. These diabolical figures are essential to any Kabal, providing not supreme arts of torture just radical military technologies but also biological enhancements. Most importantly, Haemonculi provide regenerative arts to those in their employ should a Drukhari be grievously wounded or killed – denying death itself by regrowing the body and returning its soul.[1e] In exchange for their services, Covens usually demand a certain tithe of slaves taken by the Kabal. The most notorious Covens of Commorragh are the Prophets of Flesh, Dark Creed, Coven of Twelve, Black Descent, The Hex, The Everspiral, and The Ebon Sting.[13h]
  • Mercenary orders that employ their services to any who can afford it. These include the elite Incubi Shrines, Lhamaean courtesans-poisoners, and terrifying extra-dimensional Mandrakes. Certain non-Drukhari species such as Sslyth are also known to act as mercenaries.[13h]
  • Gangs drawn from the lower regions of Commorragh. These include Reavers, Hellions, and Scourges.[13j][13k] While crude and savage, they nonetheless can wield significant power in the more dangerous and destitute regions of the Dark City.[13k]

The Drukhari have a complex relationship with the rest of their Eldar kin. While sometimes targeting their Craftworld or Exodite[9b] cousins for raids, they are also known to cooperate with them if the situation demands. The Dark Eldar will also accompany Eldar Corsairs or Harlequins for realspace raids when united in purpose.[13b]

Military Forces

Utilizing the Webway for realspace slave raids, the Dark Eldar way of war is defined by shock, speed, and sowing terror amongst the enemy. Utilizing swift Grav-vehicles such as Raiders, Ravagers, and Venoms backed by heavy airpower, the primary goal of any Drukhari attack is usually to simply scatter any opposition so slaves can be gathered to be taken back to Commorragh. As such, many of their weapons are designed to maim or incapacitate rather than kill. The Drukhari avoid extended campaigns or wars of attrition, unless the potential rewards in suffering are monumentally high.[13b]

Haemonculi Covens raiding an Imperial World

Despite the treacherous nature of Dark Eldar society, their military machine is a well-tuned machine and consist of coalitions of Kabals, Wych Cults, Haemonculi Covens, and other mercenaries all united in the potential for slaves and plunder. Only the most capable warriors are recruited for realspace raids, which makes them terrifying opponents. While acts of betrayal are common within Commorragh, on the battlefield Drukhari usually display uncharacteristic cooperation and discipline while conducting raids due to the value of slaves and torment.[13b]

Much like Commorragh itself, Dark Eldar armies are anything but uniform and usually tailored to the specific needs of any raid. This exemplifies the Drukhari saying of K’lthrael Aht’Ynris Khlave, or "tailoring the toxin of the blade".[13b]

Notable Dark Eldar

Drukhari Archon defeats White Scars.[22]

Related Videos

Development History

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

The original 1987 "Dark Elf Space Trooper"[16]

The origins of the Dark Eldar as a concept first appeared in Games Workshop limited edition 1987 "Dark Elf Space Trooper", which slightly predated the release of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.[16] Brutal Eldar Pirates and Corsairs are mentioned throughout the 1st Edition,[17] but it took until 1998's 3rd Edition Codex for the Dark Eldar to receive their first fully fleshed out lore and army. They originally did not have much lore or models, leading to a "revamped" 3rd Edition Codex in 2002.[18]

See also

Sources

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