Gender specialization among DE. Why COK are male?

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Calisson
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Gender specialization among DE. Why COK are male?

Post by Calisson »

I was trying to find the rationale for which some units are male-only, some are female-only, and some are mixed.

Female mandatory: the servants of Khaine.
There are only females models, and the fluff supports it.
DH.
COB crew. Note that the COB is the only one single-gender mount.
WE.

Female preferred: sorceresses.
There is a stong bias for women, but Malekith himself is a sorcerer.
The fluff allows male sorcerers, even though no model is available save Malekith.

Mixed:city dwellers.
Not only these units display some female models, but for some of them, the fluff mentions explicitely both genders.
Dreadlord & Master (models).
Warriors (fluff & models).
RXBmen (models, and former fluff).
RBT crewmembers (models).
Beastmasters (models).
COC charioteers (models).

Male only to be seen: mostly outdoors expatriates.
COK (EDIT: no female model at present, however Heldrak indicates that there were female Cold One Knights in older iterations of the Dark Elf range).
Corsairs (no female model, old and new alike).
DR (no female model, old and new alike).
Shades (no female model, old and new alike).

Male mandatory: Khainite warriors, and BG.
Assassins (fluff & models).
Executioners (models, and even if fluff does not specify male-only, it can be understood).
BG (fluff & models).


Gender logics:

- Khaine sect requires purity.
Female and male Khainites specialize into different sacred duties.
Females become WE/DH, males become Execs/Assassins.

- Some specific duties require a total dedication and allow no distraction:
virgin sorceresses in their convenants,
BG maintaining celibacy in order to concentrate on Malekith’s guard duties.

- Apparently, a permanent life far away from home is for male only:
Shades live mostly outdoors
DR are professional messengers and travel all the time
corsairs are absent for years
(and yes, I know the joke, after a month at sea even harpies look desirable to a corsair... no comment).



There is one unsolved question:
Why COK models are male only?

- Not because it is too difficult to ride a CO:
sorceresses can ride DR, CO, Pegs, Mantis and Dragons. There are female charioteers and beastmistresses.

- Not because females can’t become noblemen:
they are indeed some female noblewomen models, Dreadladies and Mistresses.

So why are there no female COK to be seen?

Is it because they would stink so much that it would lead them to be able to marry only other COK (this is a good explanation why sorceresses, as professional virgins, dare mount COs)?

Your opinion?
Last edited by Calisson on Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:25 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Drainial »

A simple overlook when making the models is I think about all it is. There is no reason a female noble couldn't be a cold one knight, there simply are not any sculpted by GW. If you want and explanation it would not suprise me to find that just as in human culture males are more prone towards violence and warfare than women and as such are more prepared to give their lives to it. Noble Druchii women prehaps as a rule go to war only when they have to, rather than because they want to (with exeptions obviously) and so do not want to make the sacrifice of the cold one venom or put in the time required to learn how to ride a massive great lizard in combat (venom just lets you get close without being munched).

This would also apply to Corsairs as it is a life basicly at war with hard physical labour everyday when not fighting. I hesitate to equate human and elven society but that kind of life seems to apeal a lot more to men than to women. Evidently there are not enough exeptions to warrent a model.

The same divide would not be true to the same extent for the lower orders, spear elves and RXB elves are essentialy a (very well trained) militia and therefore are drawn almost equaly from males and females. Beastmastery is a way for moving up in the world if you are poor and show a talent for it, thus attracting enough females to warent a model.

I am not sure you can even say that dark riders are not female, you can see so little of their bodies that there could easily be females mixed in.

All that said I still put it down to no one thinking 'hey, shall we do a girly one?'
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Post by Tribun »

@Male Sorcerer

Malekith prohibited per law all male Druchii to study the arcane arts, because of his fear of an upcoming opponent. Morathi as his mother controls all witch-convents and so Malekith has an overview over his magic-able citizens.

Known male sorcerer like Balneth Bale, Witchlord of Naggor and Urial, Brother of Malus Darblade are illegal but to powerful to eliminate for Malekith.
All this can be read in the Darkblade- Novels.
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Post by Heldrak »

There are male sorcerer models and female Cold One Knights in older iterations of the Dark Elf range, and there may be again in future releases, so I wouldn't make assumptions about background based solely on what is currently available in the model range...
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Post by Dalamar »

Also, Executioners and Black Guard aren't supported by fluff to be allowing only one gender.

They simply never got around to making a separate model for them just for the sake of equality.
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Post by Tribun »

The followers of Khaine are seperated:

Boys go to the Executioners, girls become Witchelves.

Probably the Assasines are mixed by both genders, but you can't see them very often and when they come close enough to examine, you're dead :)
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Post by Slortor »

no assassains have to be male - they are the result of throwing male chosen of khaine into the cauldron of blood during death night. Any surviving girls are taken to be witch elves, any boys become assassains.

Therefore no female assassains.
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Post by Tribun »

ah yes, I forgot that!
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Post by Dalamar »

Assassins - kidnapped male babies that survived the cauldron
Witch Elves - kidnapped female babies
Executioners - Druchii who devoted their lives (not kidnapped, their own choice) to Khaine and martial arts. There's nothing in the fluff supporting they're male only.
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Post by Varaken »

On the female COKs, one of Malus' retainers, Lhunara, was female with her own CO so no fluff reason for it. I'd imagine it is just a modelling oversight, little more.
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Post by Sulla »

Lazy modelling. That's the only reason for the lack of female models lately. Every release of DE that comes out, I keep hoping for a proportion of female models but alas...

Even for assassins, there could not be female temple assassins, but there are always freelancers out there...
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Post by Kuanor »

I'd also guess it's just a question of models. Same for DR. I have plans for modeling female ones for my COs anyway. And about corsairs: Well, their heads look not very… female, but you cannot know what is under their armour. There is space anough. ;)
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Post by Bounce »

I would say this is mostly from oversight.
Generally though it would be difficult to tell the difference in Knights.
Most likely female warriors would fit into similar shaped armour as male elves. I don't believe though could be wrong on this that the heavily accentuated Warrior model armour is actually required.
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Post by Nathaneal_deathchaser »

Tribun wrote:@Male Sorcerer

Malekith prohibited per law all male Druchii to study the arcane arts, because of his fear of an upcoming opponent. Morathi as his mother controls all witch-convents and so Malekith has an overview over his magic-able citizens.

Known male sorcerer like Balneth Bale, Witchlord of Naggor and Urial, Brother of Malus Darblade are illegal but to powerful to eliminate for Malekith.
All this can be read in the Darkblade- Novels.


There is a prophecy that Malekith will be killed by a male sorcerer. So that rule is put to save his skin. And Urial is an acolyte of Khaine so he has to stick around or Malekith will tick a god off.
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Post by Nathaneal_deathchaser »

Heldrak wrote:There are male sorcerer models and female Cold One Knights in older iterations of the Dark Elf range, and there may be again in future releases, so I wouldn't make assumptions about background based solely on what is currently available in the model range...


I sure hope for future releases. I'm for female fighters.
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