Hello all, going to sound really really bad now but could some one awnser me some questions about Eldar and DE.
So what i want to know is, whats going on background wise between these two races ??
are they still mates if so why did they split. Like what made them split in the first place (assume they used to be one force, before the whole slannesh thing)
Many thanks
"Lieutent, your request is denied. It's only one pointy-eared Eldar. Surely you can handle it without an Orbital Bombardment?"
For sale thread
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Oh wow, yeah you probably need a few books worth of background. To make it simple:
-They were one race. Still are really, just two sects that behave very very differently
-They work together if it happens to work out that way. They don't exactly "hang out." It's not "Chaos Eldar" or anything, but just the twisted and depraved Eldar who survived the fall without living on a craftworld.
-They didn't split per say. Craftworld Eldar evaded the fall by running as fast and far away as they good. Now they protect themselves from Slaanesh using the Infinity Circuit (?) and Soulstones. Dark Eldar instead sort of... feast on souls in some sense (maybe I'm wrong?) and torture those they capture in order to draw attention away from themselves for Slaanesh? Someone better with DE fluff with come in and correct me on that.
There are instances where DE and Eldar come together, but they're somewhat rare. Usually a particularly nasty insult to the Eldar (such as a famous general who wore a soulstone as a necklace..) brings them to both lay fury upon the same enemy. There are still more Sects to the Eldar, one being Harlequins, who work with both and neither, so to speak. If they show up to dance the dance-of-death, awesome. If not, well you didn't exactly expect them to show up I imagine.
Think of them as brothers, they really don't like each other all that much, they rarely agree on anything, and they fight amongst themselves all the time. The Eldar view the Dark Eldar as morally bankrupt libertines and addicts who would do anything for that next high, while dark eldar view the eldar as stuck up puritanical dullards. Despite all this, when it comes down to it, they're still eldar (brothers) and even if you hate him and abuse or shun him, there's nothing that pisses you off more than seeing someone else pick on your brother.
Originally Posted by G-u-n-l-i-n-e-t-a-s-t-ic, stupid word filter
Alternatively imagine you are in a universe infested with vile corosive cockroaches, (Admitidly cockroaches capable of a grunting and inarticulate form of comunication, and oposing thumbs).
Now your neighbour may be a drug addled sadist, but they are still a member of the Eldar race. Even in their drug addled state they are more trustworthy than the cockroaches that insist on swarming about the place, despoiling maiden worlds, and generally being a nuiscence.
@BooTMGSG
I'm sure you're referring to all races; but I can't help but feel you're talking about my beloved Orks<3, you must just love the little buggers
They love Eldar..
Eldars are orky:
Last edited by Drasanil; 15-08-2012 at 20:07.
While the whole eldar species has psychic potential, another key difference is that the dark eldar intentionally seal away theirs to avoid the attentions of warp denizens. The craftworld eldar do not, but as with all things on the Path, the development of that psychic potential is rigorously controlled and safeguarded.
lmao. The link didn't work but I went ahead and found the Scorpion I believe you're talking about.
Edited the original post with an uploaded pic
As people have said before, they are kind of estranged brothers. Eldar dont go to Commoragh and vice versa, but there is an awful lot of interaction going on in the spaces inbetween, including the other eldar factions, in neutral cities or stations in the webway (see Path of the Outcast).
One of the biggest differences between the two is psychic power. All eldar are psychic, even the basic farmer on a craftworld uses psychically activated tools and equipment. Even shurikan pistols are psychically activated. Dark Eldar do not use psychics whatsoever, their weapons are still arcane but you pull a trigger not shoot it with your mind. They have abandoned psychic power so much that the part of their brain which controls it has atrophied. They absolutely fear psychic powers because they believe it calls down the attention of slaanesh. I forget his name but one of the archons risked everything by having a "pet" farseer in Commoragh.
Chaos Daemons 40K 6th Edition: W = 2, L = 3, D = 0.
Can someone elaborate the DE stuff I had incorrect, or clean it up so it is *more* correct?
Dark Eldar are Eldar as they behaved at the time of the fall. They avoided having their souls ripped out of them due to being in the webway at the time, and the reason they were in the webway was because various groups of the depraved Eldar had setup shop there to better focus on having their mega-orgies. The downside though is that the pull of Slaanesh continues to exert itself on the souls of the DE, so they refresh themselves by absorbing the pain and terror of other races in the galaxy.
Craftworld and Exodite Eldar are the Eldar who ran for the hills prior to the fall. They were far enough away to not get crumped when Slaanesh was born, and the soul drain thing that afflicts the DE isn't a thing for them. They use soulstones and the Infinity Circuit to prevent their soul from being taken by Slaanesh when they die, and they follow the various paths in order to focus and control their rather obsessive psychies. Think of it as similar to a Codex Astartes for whatever role they're playing in society.
Harlequins are Eldar who, depending on your take, behave as Eldar did prior to the start of the debauchary or they are Eldar who have found a balance between the two paths that their other kin have taken. They don't use soulstones, instead they bank on the Laughing God, the only Eldar god to not get eaten by Slaanesh (or trapped by Nurgle) to save them when they die. They also get free passage within Eldar space, and it probably wouldn't be too far off to think that all factions hold them in awe.
Yeah, sure I'll have a go. I'm also sure someone else will tell me everything I said is wrong and provide a far more complete answer, but anyway...
To go into a little more detail with the background thing, via a simple timeline:
- Some time in the very, very, very distant past: Eldar are created by the Old ones in the war of the science geeks (the Old Ones vs. the Necrontyr)
- Some time in the very, very, very distant past: Necronty go to sleep, the old ones have died out and the Eldar are masters of the galaxy
- Some time in the very, very, very distant past: Eldar colonise a bunch of worlds that form the heart of the Eldar Empire.
- circa 30,000: The Eldar have been partying for a couple of million years and found that they like being cruel sadists. Most Eldar join in the massive orgy, with a few (the exodites) fleeing away from the heart of the Eldar Empire.
- circa 30,000: More Eldar realise that what they're doing isn't the smartest thing, with seers predicting the downfall of the Eldar Empire. These chaps build giant ships called the Craftworlds upon which they flee, leaving behind their depraved selves. Other Eldar laugh at the fools and decide to move some of the party to the Webway. Yet more do nothing and continue to believe that Real Space is where the party is at.
- circa 30,000: The birth of Slaanesh, She Who Thirsts. **** hits the fan, with any Eldar in the heart worlds dying instantaneously, forming the Eye of Terror. Some of the Craftworlds are also sucked dry, although most ride out the psychic shockwave. The Exodites are safe in the ****-end of nowhere and those in the Webway are partially shielded, becoming Dark Eldar.
As such, the Fall of the Eldar created three distinct sub-groups:
-The Exodites: Effectively the eldar version of the Amish, they reside on planets far from the Eye and use very little technology. They use a 'World Spirit' to store their souls and hide them from Slaanesh. The 'World Spirit' acts in much the same way as the Infinity Matrix, where it basically sucks a soul from the soulstone that captured it upon death and stores it. Judging from the OP's lack of Eldar knowledge, it would be relevant to mention that (unlike the vast majority of humans [i.e. everyone but the Emperor]) an Eldar remains fully aware as their soul is sucked into the Warp upon death. Meaning that they are able to feel it when Slaanesh begins to devour their soul.
-The Craftworlders: They are nomads whom still use the vast majority of the psychic technology their ancestors created and used. To protect themselves from Slaanesh, the Craftworlders follow a series of strict 'paths' which codify their behaviour and emotions, so as to prevent the hedonism that gave birth and empowered She Who Thirsts. This combined with a soul stone prevents the Craftworlders from attracting demonic attention, with the Infinity Matrix storing their essence after death.
Do note that should a soulstone be destroyed, the Eldar soul it contained will be lost to Slaanesh. It is for this reason that the Craftworlders will sacrifice much to recover such things.
-The Dark Eldar: Basically the ancient eldar still kicking it off in the Webway. Due to only partially being shielded from the birth of Slaanesh, they do not/ cannot use psychic powers. The other side effect is the Thirst. The Dark Eldar have a hole in their soul, through which Slaanesh is slowly sucking them dry. To prevent Slaanesh nabbing them, the Dark Eldar torture people, using the pain as a sacrificial method to draw Slaanesh's hunger from themselves.
To use an analogy, the Dark Eldar soul is iron, Slaanesh is oxygen and pain and suffering is a zinc coating. The oxygen reacts with the zinc, not the iron, leaving the later intact .
All three factions do not hate each other per se, but none has a great deal of regard for the other (the exception being the Craftworlders having some respect for the Exodites). The Exodites think the Craftworlders and Dark Eldar are the spawn of the depraved, the Craftworlders view the Dark Eldar as the shadow of the idiocy that birthed Slaanesh and the Dark Eldar view both as dour fools who can't enjoy themselves. Drasanil's analysis pretty much sums this up
^^^ All this mentioned above, but it should be noted that there is one more Eldar faction: the Harlequins.
They are basically the Eldar equivalent of Daemonhunters. As previously mentioned, their souls are protected by the Laughing God so they don't wear Soulstones. They operate out of a hidden Craftworld deep within the webway called the Black Library, which stores masses of information on how to combat Chaos. Very few Eldar know of it's whereabouts, and only a very very few humans know about it- even fewer have been admitted within. The Harlequins are welcomed and revered within all other circles of Eldar society.
These Eldar present as enigmatic clown/ performer/ jester warriors whose job it is to preserve knowledge of Eldar history and pass it on to other Eldar in the form of various dances. Their combat style also reflects this as they are even faster, more acrobatic and deadlier than normal Eldar or Dark Eldar. The ultimate dance is that which tells the story of the Fall of the Eldar, which requires a Solitaire to be present to play the part of Slaanesh. The Solitaire basically sacrifices his soul to be a complete bad@$$ and upon death he is the only Harlequin that Slaanesh has dibs on, although the Laughing God can still try to dispute that. The Solitaire is the only one who can play the role of She Who Thirsts without going completely insane, and so is a vital part of this particular performance.
Last edited by Master_of_Asgard; 17-08-2012 at 22:19.
In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium, there is only pseudo-science!
I don't think they abandoned it so much as purged it. I believe the exact quote is something along the lines of "In Cormorragh, a psyker is considered a rare delicacy". Since most Dark Eldar are actually cloned rather than naturally born, it's more likely that any Dark Eldar psykers who did survive the fall have long since became lunch / amusement / test subjects / subjected to a fate probably best not thought about.
I think there's a quote in the Dark Eldar codex which pretty much sums it up - there's a point where the DE save Iyanden from getting destroyed by an Ork Waagh. When the Seers ask why they bothered, the reply is that they found "their angst ridden forays into necromancy most amusing". Essentially, the Craftworlders tolerate the Dark Eldar because they're Eldar, and with their race on the brink of extinction they need all the Eldar they can get, even if they are sadistic, anarchic sociopaths. For the Dark Eldar they recognise the Craftworlders as sentient beings, which is more than can be said for the rest of the galaxy and probably as friendly as you can get with someone who'd happily slaughter their own mother if they thought it would be entertaining for an hour or two.
Thanx a bunch guys, has sorted every thing out for me
"Lieutent, your request is denied. It's only one pointy-eared Eldar. Surely you can handle it without an Orbital Bombardment?"
For sale thread
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=281423
It's also worth noting there is ANOTHER faction of Eldar.
As previously mentioned the core of the Olde Eldar Empire was centred in and around the Eye of Terror. During the Fall this area was mostly annihilated and most of them died. Well some of them didn't. Some of the worlds, the Crone Worlds, were sucked in to the Eye and now reside in the Warp as hideously mutated, Chaos infested Daemon Worlds. The thing is, on these worlds the Eldar still live, corrupt beyond all reason, and evil as all hell (where we're going we don't need eyes!). Imagine how evil the Dark Eldar are. Now add in an unhealthy addiction to the stuff of Chaos and worship of the Chaos Gods (Khorne I'd imagine, being as he's so close to Kaela Mensha Khaine, or Tzeentch to help them with their mighty Psi powers: Both Tzeentch and Khorne being more powerful than Slaanesh currently, and so able to protect the Eldar from Him). It was mentioned in Realms of Chaos that the most powerful of all Chaos followers are Eldar. The Primarchs are Chaos followers (half of them anyway). Chaos Eldar are more powerful than the Primarchs. Says something, doesn't it.
A morte perpetua, Domine, libra nos. That thou wouldst bring them only death, That thou shouldst spare none, That thou shouldst pardon none, We beseech thee, destroy them.
Order of the Brazen Petal
The Ecclesiarch's Finest - My blog.
Well, if we're already talking about "the others", there are more. In total there are:
1) Craftworld Eldar
2) Dark Eldar
3) Corsairs (somewhere between 1 and 2)
4) Outcasts (somewhere between 1 and 3)
5) Exodiths
6) Harlequins
7) Chaos Eldar (although these are basically not explored in the fluff much at all)
Except 3 and 4 each faction is totally different than any of the other.
I can't agree though that Chaos Eldar shall be more powerful than Primarchs. After all, full Daemons are neither.
Last edited by Hendarion; 20-08-2012 at 15:28.
Eldar - Fear The Rainbow!
My Eldar Painting Log (including Revenant/Phantom/Super Heavies) or direct gallery - random selection of 16 years painting Eldar
I don't think they will be physically more powerful than the Primarchs, no. However, bearing in mind that all Eldar are very powerful psychers, and all Chaos Eldar (on the Crone Worlds at least) have free and unlimited access to the Warp and its denizens I would imagine you'd find a LOT of Alpha ++ level psychers amongst them. Maybe the Primarch would punch one in two. Doesn't help though if the Primarch could never find the Eldar, or the Eldar knew where the punch would land a thousand years before it was thrown.
A morte perpetua, Domine, libra nos. That thou wouldst bring them only death, That thou shouldst spare none, That thou shouldst pardon none, We beseech thee, destroy them.
Order of the Brazen Petal
The Ecclesiarch's Finest - My blog.
Using this logic would imply that Tzeentch-daemons would know that too, no? Still, they don't.
Eldar - Fear The Rainbow!
My Eldar Painting Log (including Revenant/Phantom/Super Heavies) or direct gallery - random selection of 16 years painting Eldar
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