Dark Eldar/Eldar Physical Differences...

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Norelle
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Dark Eldar/Eldar Physical Differences...

Post by Norelle »

Hey, I've been wondering, what are the physical differences between Eldar and their Dark Kin? I heard that Dark Eldar's eyes have black schlera or the 'whites' of their eyes. I'd like to hear any of any other differences...
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Post by Norelle »

Where is everybody? O.O
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Post by Deroth »

Don't know, why dont you try a website relating to dark elder or elder instead of a fantasy website, might be more knowledgeable people on the topic there.
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Post by Ichiyo1821 »

He is posting in the 40K section yah know...
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Post by Deroth »

I meant that if no one was responding, another forum that is focused on 40k would probably have more people that are more intimate with the 40k fluff and could answer the question.
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Post by Drainial »

And from that we can probably assume that he is not a member of such a site or that if he is he did not get the desired information there. Please try to maintain a civil attitude in this forum.

As for your question Norelle I am not particularly well placed to answer it as I have limited knowledge of Dark eldar but I think I am right in saying that in addition to the black eyes they are supposed to have the same differences that Druchii and Asur have i.e. paler skin and greater preponderance of dark hair. Obviously they are also more likely to have mutilated skin though I think that goes only for certain sections of their society.
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Post by Norelle »

Drainial wrote:And from that we can probably assume that he is not a member of such a site or that if he is he did not get the desired information there. Please try to maintain a civil attitude in this forum.

As for your question Norelle I am not particularly well placed to answer it as I have limited knowledge of Dark eldar but I think I am right in saying that in addition to the black eyes they are supposed to have the same differences that Druchii and Asur have i.e. paler skin and greater preponderance of dark hair. Obviously they are also more likely to have mutilated skin though I think that goes only for certain sections of their society.


Thanks, Dranial, I was just curious, but just for future reference, I'm a girl. XD
;)

EDIT: Sorry about that, I suppose one shouldn't assume such things. No offense meant. -Drainial
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Post by Norelle »

It's ok, some people make that mistake. XD
Warhammer is I guess more of a boy's game than a girl's...
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Re: Dark Eldar/Eldar Physical Differences...

Post by Calisson »

Norelle wrote:Hey, I've been wondering, what are the physical differences between Eldar and their Dark Kin?
There is no physical difference.
They are the same kin, just like High Elfs and Dark Elfs are the same kin.
Brothers and sisters, parents and children could belong to the two opposed "races" (both in WHFB and in WH40k).

But let's remain in 40k.
Eldars were ruling the universe.
Most of them lost control of their emotions, and dropped any morality.
Only a very few Eldars resented this situation as "wrong". Some of them settled in very far planets. Some other decided to become sort of ascets and leave their world in spacecraft, especially since their prophets were feeling that a big catastrohe was becoming imminent.
It was indeed. In a huge big bang, nearly all the eldar population was annihilated by the coming of Slaanesh, materialized by the very depravation of the Eldars.

Four categories of Eldars survived.
- the ones in very remote planets => they are Eldars, but somehow more savage than the other ones
- the ones in their spacecraft, now with no home planet left => they are the typical Eldars
- Arlequins live in the warp; they have no spacecraft nor planet; they go where they want => they can join Eldars or Dark Eldars
- Dark Eldars are the very few who survived the huge explosion. They live usually in Comorragh, not really a planet, which has no sun. This is why they are supposed to be highly accustomed to dark, and why their skin is supposed to be less tanned than other ones.

Their fate is different when they die.
- The ones in their planets merge with the planet. Think about the movie Avatar.
- The ones in the spacecraft would be swallowed by Slaanesh if they died; instead, they are absorbed by their individual stone, which can inhabit post mortem the space craft.
- Arlequins are hidden from Slaanesh while they are in the warp.
- Dark Eldars know that they will be swallowed, but Homonculus have found a way to resurrect their deads before it happens (and if they can pay).

The physical appearance should reflect that:
- Planet Eldars should be more raw, more nature akin, something like space Wood Elves.
- Regular Eldars are bound to remain ascets and thrive for perfection thoughout their live. They know that if they let their emotions loose, they could become Dark Eldars (and some of them do). So their appearance should reflect their impressively strict discipline.
- Arlequins are outcast. They are the hippies of the Eldars. They spend nearly all of their time in the warp, which can only increase their eccentricity.
- Dark Eldars have abandoned themselves to their immoderate lust, which is beyond imagination. Sure it must reflect on their bodies (especially the ones who were victims of haemonculus imagination). This is how you find some of them to have been changed to birds, or to shadow spirits.


So take two Eldar twins.
One remained in his spacecraft while the other one selected to become a Dark Eldar.
A few centuries later:
The Eldar one should show centuries of ascetism and the perfection of his mastery of the art he is working on at the moment.
The Dark Eldar one should show centuries of depravation, drug consumption, body building (in the litteral sense), scars, blood lust in arenas, speed lust, whatever lust. And hardly any light.

Just like ordinary brothers/sisters...
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Post by Norelle »

Thanks, that really helped clear it up.
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Post by Deroth »

Drainial wrote:And from that we can probably assume that he is not a member of such a site or that if he is he did not get the desired information there. Please try to maintain a civil attitude in this forum.


I apologise if anything I said seemed like I was attacking her, obviously something in the tone of my answer has been misinterpreted. I simply responded that I did not know the answer and suggested an idea of where she might find the answer.

I don't assume everyone is the same but I don't really know a lot about 40k and thought that it was fairly likely that more people here are knowledgeable in fantasy rather than 40k so a 40k website might yield a better answer to the question because it isn't just a simple question (as far as I know).
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Post by Norelle »

Deroth wrote:
Drainial wrote:And from that we can probably assume that he is not a member of such a site or that if he is he did not get the desired information there. Please try to maintain a civil attitude in this forum.


I apologise if anything I said seemed like I was attacking her, obviously something in the tone of my answer has been misinterpreted. I simply responded that I did not know the answer and suggested an idea of where she might find the answer.

I don't assume everyone is the same but I don't really know a lot about 40k and thought that it was fairly likely that more people here are knowledgeable in fantasy rather than 40k so a 40k website might yield a better answer to the question because it isn't just a simple question (as far as I know).
Could you perhaps reccomend somewhere I might get my question answered better? I am quite curious...
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Post by Deroth »

I think Calisson answered it quite fully but if you are looking for more answers maybe try 40konline.com in the eldar or dark eldar sections. They probably have some good eldar smarts :P
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Post by Sulla »

Warseer used to have a very good 40k background section. They're worth a look.
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Post by Norelle »

Alright, thanks both of you!!! ^.^
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Post by Syjahel »

Calisson has answered this very well in my opinion. It's an excellent summary. But if you want to know more, the best thing would be to read up on the two sub-races in the relevant Codices. I'd recommend the most recent Dark Eldar Codex over the older one (there have been only two iirc) as it has more background information. But, I'd definitely recommend reading not only the latest Eldar Codex, but also the first one as it is more or less the 'original, expanded' version of their culture.

I say "more or less" because the first full (or more full) writeup of Eldar culture was in White Dwarf 127, but the first Codex might be easier to get hold of (it went for very little on eBay or Amazon the last time I checked, as rules-wise it's out of date).

Forums can be very good (this is one after all :p), Warseer I know has some good stuff, but at the end of the day the only way to really check the details is to go back to the original sources :) And since we can't peer inside Jes Goodwin's brain*, that means the books ...

Eldar are a bit of a pet subject of mine ... can anyone tell I wonder XD But yes, borrow or buy the Codices and see what you think, they're a good read anyhow :)



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Post by Norelle »

Syjahel wrote:*what a brain to look into. But asking a Haemonculus to do so would be wrong.


That all depends on what your definition of wrong is!!! Haemonculus don't think they're wrong...XD
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Post by Danceman »

I would like to add something, or change, to carlisson's list and that is the way he describe harlequins. They're the tricksters and preformers of the Eldar. They're acrobatic and relentless is combat and their ultimate plan, whatever it is, has something to do with the unification of the Eldar race.
The harlequins are also completely protected from Slaanesh, she who thrists have no hold of them at all. "The ritual" which is the initiation in the harlequin ranks severs whatever hold Slaanesh had. The harlequins are not outcast, they're included, feared and respected by all Eldar. Even the megalomanical Dark Eldar are impressed by their combat prowess.

The "hippies", if we should use that to describe any of the Eldar sub-sects, are the exodites. They exiled themselves to live in tuned with nature and fiercly protect their home-worlds.

Calisson is completely right that the major difference is in philosophy and mind. They are different in clothing and Dark Eldar are generally pale, their skin being described as alabaster, and often have body modification performed on themselves, an example from the codex is that some replace their eyes with that of a wraithspider or add barbed quills. Some even replace their skin with scales like a snake. Scars or other imperfections are without exception surgically removed(unless the dark eldar in question would prefer it to stay there for sentimental weakness, like for example Asdrubael Vect). Dark Eldar is also more physcially fit due to the extreme envoirment they inhabit. The prime example being the wyches.
The covens(the haemonculi aspect of DE) have become something new altogether and mandrakes are even more removed from the Dark Eldar.

Put simply, DE does not have a line to cross for in their mind they are the masters of the stars and why should they settle for anything less than they want? Infact, to limit yourself is only a sign of weakness.
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Post by Norelle »

danceman wrote:I would like to add something, or change, to carlisson's list and that is the way he describe harlequins. They're the tricksters and preformers of the Eldar. They're acrobatic and relentless is combat and their ultimate plan, whatever it is, has something to do with the unification of the Eldar race.
The harlequins are also completely protected from Slaanesh, she who thrists have no hold of them at all. "The ritual" which is the initiation in the harlequin ranks severs whatever hold Slaanesh had. The harlequins are not outcast, they're included, feared and respected by all Eldar. Even the megalomanical Dark Eldar are impressed by their combat prowess.

The "hippies", if we should use that to describe any of the Eldar sub-sects, are the exodites. They exiled themselves to live in tuned with nature and fiercly protect their home-worlds.

Calisson is completely right that the major difference is in philosophy and mind. They are different in clothing and Dark Eldar are generally pale, their skin being described as alabaster, and often have body modification performed on themselves, an example from the codex is that some replace their eyes with that of a wraithspider or add barbed quills. Some even replace their skin with scales like a snake. Scars or other imperfections are without exception surgically removed(unless the dark eldar in question would prefer it to stay there for sentimental weakness, like for example Asdrubael Vect). Dark Eldar is also more physcially fit due to the extreme envoirment they inhabit. The prime example being the wyches.
The covens(the haemonculi aspect of DE) have become something new altogether and mandrakes are even more removed from the Dark Eldar.

Put simply, DE does not have a line to cross for in their mind they are the masters of the stars and why should they settle for anything less than they want? Infact, to limit yourself is only a sign of weakness.


What scar does Vect keep for sentimental weakness? I remember reading in a Codex he doesn't have any scars...
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Post by Syjahel »

Firstly, nicely put danceman, credit where it's due :) I don't know where the idea of a ritual for the Harlequins comes from (would you have a reference?) but so far as I know they are looking for some kind of unification of the race once more, so that in this way, the Eldar can overcome the Great Enemy.

Mr. Vect has a scar on his throat from his attempted sacrifice as a slave boy. The source for this is a short story by Gavin Thorpe (I think it's called The Torturer's tale, and it's not bad at all, IMO - and I'm not a GT fan :D). So like all fiction it may not be cannon, but as the scar is a reminder of his humble origins, how far he's risen etc I think it's the sort of thing Asdrubael might do.
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Post by Norelle »

Oh that scar. I wondered if it was some other scar or something. Apparently the cut must not have been very deep or he would have bled to death...
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Post by Danceman »

Yet in the new codex is not mentioned, to the contrary infact, he's described to not have any scars at all. A strange and pointless change, I really liked Gav's Torturer's Tale.

I have the WD with it right here and the cut didn't get very deep. It was also cut on the back of neck, ie, they didn't slit his throat. Slaanesh also appear to having been born almost the instant the cut was made. So I guess the cultist performing the ritual never had the time to go through with it before going "omfg what just happend!?" :P
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Post by Norelle »

danceman wrote:Yet in the new codex is not mentioned, to the contrary infact, he's described to not have any scars at all. A strange and pointless change, I really liked Gav's Torturer's Tale.

I have the WD with it right here and the cut didn't get very deep. It was also cut on the back of neck, ie, they didn't slit his throat. Slaanesh also appear to having been born almost the instant the cut was made. So I guess the cultist performing the ritual never had the time to go through with it before going "omfg what just happend!?" :P


...And then having his/her soul promptly devoured. Does it ever mention Vect's parents or anything? And why he was being sacrificed?
And I like to picture Vect with no scars but that one, it's kinda awesome!!! But I do think he has tattooes and interesting piercings.
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Post by Danceman »

Both where in commorragh so this might not have been the case. That said, the cultist leader would probably be far more steeped in the levels of depravity. During the time, Vect was a but a slave boy to be offered up to DE dark "gods" known as dark muses. As Vect grew up he swore he would rule supreme, and here he is. It was he who introduced the kabalite system(much to the noble's dislike but there was nothing they could do). This went on to shape the whole of DE society as birthright means absolutely nothing if you're not strong enough to put your money where your mouth is. There still is a bit of a divide between DE born as true eldar and those that a born in the labs which makes up a large portion of DE and is, coupled with the haemonculi's ability to regenerate dead DE, the reason DE population is actually increasing. DE born from the lab are often refered to as half-borns and are severely handicaped in the political game due to their unfortunate status as not being true eldar.

In short, Vect radically changed the eldar society to ensure only the strongest of mind and power rule. This is not from the goodness of his heart but rather that DE needs their very strongest and able fighters to be able to sustain themselves. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough slaves for the forges or souls drink and DE society would eventually devour itself.
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Post by Darkmark »

Do ask at The Dark City. I'm sure they'll help you out with any DE needs ;)
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