* I own nothing seen below. Credit goes to Games Workshop, Black Library, and the equally awesome people who did the rest of the pictures and videos. If I forgot about someone then credit goes to you.
====AIR COMBAT=====
Razorwing Jetfighter
Type of Aircraft: Jetfighter
Fighter or Bomber? : Bomber primarily
Weapon Type: Various
Speed: Above 3600 km/h (in the book their MAX speed is apparently so high that it can't be recorded, so I went above the highest that is ) -2,236 mph
Armor Type: Unknown light material
Classification: Ground Annihilation/ Air Superiority (mostly anti-ground)
Basic Description:
An Aircarft with speed unmatched by even the fastest of of the Craftworld vehicles, the Razorwing jetfighter is commonly used as heavy support and to rapidly advance ahead of the main force, taking out gun batterys and battle tanks to prevent casualties to the main fleet. The Razorwing is piloted by those few elite ex-reavers who earned enough to escape the carnage of the death races, and now seeks to main and kill without risking his own skin.
Loadout:
Armament:
Each Razorwing has the following
--2 twin-linked splinter rifles which can optionally be switched out for a splinter cannon :
-- 2 Dark Lances which can optionally be switched out for a disintegrator cannon :
--4 Missiles of the following types:
--Monoscythe missiles - designed to release a wave of energy at head-height upon impact, decapitating nearby foes.
--Necrotoxin missiles - Filled with deadly neuropoisons, it fires shards of toxic shrapnel when it detonates, killing and pinning the enemy
--Shatterfield missiles - has two separate detonation chambers, the first one sucks away all warmth, turning the foe into ice-like statues. The second one sends out a powerful force that blows the brittle enemy to pieces.
Defense: Flicker and Night shield: see Ravager. Also extreme speed.
Special:
Additional Factors:
-Dark Eldar traits, particularly Night Vision
--Ace Pilots: Only those very, very few ex-Reavers who can not only survive but succeed get to pilot this craft, thus gaining a lot of experience beforehand. Expect these pilots to be extremely good at what they do.
VoidRaven Bomber
 |
| Sometimes models are the best you can find |
Type of Aircraft: Airplane
Fighter or Bomber? : Bomber primarily
Weapon Type: Bombs and Lances
Armor Type: Unknown Metal
Speed: Probably less then Razorwing, but still extremely high
Classification: Heavy Bomber
Basic Description:
Though considered by the Dark Eldar to be the ultimate in heavy weapon deployment, the Voidraven Bomber is an extremely agile aircraft capable of outmaneuvering Imperial aircraft with ease. In addition, Voidravens are equipped with sonic dampening systems, making them virtually silent to unsuspecting victims below. Equipped with a void lance and missiles, the Voidraven is well suited for ground attack missions. However, this is not its most feared weapon. Each Voidraven carries a single Void Mine which introduces darklight into real space in a catastrophic implosion that leaves nothing but an enormous hemispherical crater in its wake. It is for this reason that Voidravens are one of the most feared weapons deployed by the Dark Eldar,
Loadout:
Armament:
Each Voidraven carries
-2 Void Lances :The Void Lance is a heavy Dark Eldar weapon usually equipped to Voidraven Bombers. This weapon fires pulses of highly destructive eldritch energy harvested from shattered forgotten regions of the Webway.
--4 Missiles of the Following Types:
-Shattershard
- Necrotoxin
-Monoscythe : See Above Razorwing profile
-Implosion: These missiles emit a field of molecular dissonance which instantly implodes its victim in upon themselves, leaving only a scorched silhouette.
Finally the piece de-resistance : Void Mine: Delivered with pinpoint accuracy by Voidraven Bombers, the void mine has two warheads, the first detonates a split second before the other. The first has no direct effect, it merely creates a bubble in reality that protects everything outside and condemns everything within. The second contains a particle of darklight, which when introduced into realspace produces a catastrophic implosion. If it were not for the initial bubble in reality, the Voidraven would also meet its end. As it is, though, anything caught within the crackling sphere is all but annihilated and a hemispherical crater is all that remains in the void mines wake
Defense: Night and Flicker Shields:
Special:
Additional Factors:
--Ace Crew: See Razorwing, applies to both gunner and pilot
--Dark Eldar traits, particularly Night Vision
Raven
Type of Aircraft: Airplane
Fighter or Bomber? : Strike Fighter
Weapon Type: Various
Armor Type: Light Metal
Speed: See Razorwing
Classification: Strike Fighter
Basic Description:
The Raven Fighter is a Dark Eldar Strike Fighter, which are considered the oldest and smallest, and the least elegant. For that reason they are starting to get phased out, though I might emphasize it is a slow process. These are still being used fairly frequently, and though it is the most dangerous craft to fly in it does manage to attract the most bloodthirsty, experienced ex-reaver pilots out of the three.
Some Dark Eldar raiding forces have noticed the extreme vulnerability of their light-weight transport skimmers, the Raiders. Therefore they have utilized Raven Fighters to support advancing Raiders by destroying tanks with their dark lances. After all tanks which might interrupt advancing of Raiders are destroyed, Raven Fighters start to use their splinter cannons to pound enemy infantry positions.
The Raven is noted for being exceptionally evasive to hit, and for its ability to sneak up on enemy flyers and assassinate them. Thus one of the favorite tactics for these fighters is the Raven Muder Squad. Appearing out of nowhere and striking with deadly accuracy, squadrons of Ravens lead the devastating Dark Eldar assault. First they knock out key defenses then they circle back around to cover the rest of the Dark Eldar force from enemy air craft.
Loadout:
Armament:
--The Raven Fighter may be armed with the following:
-Long Baroll -Splinter Cannon at front tip (some versions, but not all)
-- Twin-linked Dark Lances on Wings
--Splinterstorm cannon on tail : The Splinterstorm cannon fires thousands of crystalline shards that are positioned, ensuring maximum lethality.
Defense: Flicker and Nightshields:
Special:
Additional Factors:
--Role: Seems to function both as air superiority and ground
--Ace Pilots: See Voidraven, but exceptionally bloodthirsty.
===MISC AIR===
Venom
Type of Aircraft: Skimmer
Purpose of Aircraft: Transport
Classification: Sky-Chariot
Basic Description:
The Venom is a small Dark Eldar skimmer that is the fastest and most agile aircraft in the Dark Eldar fleet. It is also used sometimes by Eldar Corsairs and Harlequins, both of whom may spend time in Commorragh and gain access to Dark Eldar technology. The raids of the Dark Eldar rely above all else on the advantages of surprise and sheer speed. As a result, all Dark Eldar skimmers are extraordinarily fast and highly manoeuvrable in-atmosphere. The most agile of all Dark Eldar transports is known as the Venom, an arrowhead-shaped skimmer that carries an elite group of Dark Eldar warriors into battle. Rather than present one obvious target, Dark Eldar strike forces attack in waves, with a veritable horde of their skimmer craft pouring out of the Webway portals they open in the tortured skies of targeted worlds. Although many of these Dark Eldar craft can still be intercepted by enemy antiaircraft fire, even a highly disciplined battery will prove unable to stop all of the craft in the black swarm that falls upon it. Additionally, it is always the largest and most populous of transports that draws the attention of well-drilled enemy soldiers. Thus, the most devious Dark Eldar ride to battle upon aircraft no larger than the Vypers used by their Craftworld counterparts or the sky-chariots once so ubiquitous in the skies of the planets ruled by the lost Eldar empire. Speed is always of paramount importance to the Dark Eldar -- should even one Venom penetrate enemy air defences it can be enough to prove the doom of the opposition, as its lethal passengers do their bloody work.
Though the Venom's booster engines and the anti-gravitic emitters implanted within its ribbing is similar to that found on other Dark Eldar skimmercraft, the transport is so agile and sensitive to the commands of its pilot that it can juke through a hail of incoming fire, its holographic Flickerfield confounding enemy snipers and Auspexes. A skilled Venom pilot can even manoeuvre his craft into those segments of the Webway designed only for the passage of a single individual at a time. It is for this reason that Venoms are very popular with Commorrite hunters and those Dark Eldar nobles of the Dark City's upper spires who enjoy running down their enemies as a form of vile sport.
Despite its small size, the Venom can carry a small squad of up to 5 hand-picked elite warriors who have been trained to enter combat as a coordinated unit. Though most Dark Eldar lords and elite warriors prefer to lead their Kabalite Warriors into battle from aboard a larger Raider personalised to their specific tastes, this does not sit well with those especially arrogant Comorrites who do not wish to consort with mere footsoldiers. Sometimes Venoms are used to transport only a single warrior to battle in unusual style. This is usually those Dark Eldar nobles so convinced of their own superiority that they believe they do not need bodyguards -- or those so paranoid that they fear them. Those amongst the forces of the Imperium who have seen the Dark Eldar in combat know that a single one of these malicious xenos warriors is sometimes all it takes--the true toxin delivered by a Venom is its passengers, not its weapons.
Loadout:
Armament:
The Venom is either armed with
-Two Twin-linked Splinter Rifles and 1 Splinter Cannon
OR
Two Splinter Cannons :
Defense:
--Flicker and Night Shield:
Special/ Detailed Purpose:
May be equipped with any of the following:
Retrofire Jets, Chains Snares, Grizzly Trophies
Additional Factors:
--Can Transport five Dark Eldar + pilot at once.
Support:
Cronos Parasite Engine
Weapon Type: Soul-draining
Armor Type: Armor Carapace
Speed: Similar to Talos
Bonus: Soul Draining
Classification: Soul Drainer
Basic Description:
The Cronos Parasite Engine is a disturbing, bizarre creation and is used, much like the Talos, as a torture device and war machine. Through the strange blend of alchemy and science practiced by the Haemonculi covens, the Cronos drains away not the physical constituents of its victims, but their life essence. What remains of its prey when the vile creature has drunk its fill is little more than a grey shrivelled husk that quickly collapses into dust. The stolen life force is then sent to the Dark Eldar around the hideous engine, boosting their pain power. An Archon will often keep a Cronos in his employ for when realspace raids take longer than expected as their mere presence can drive the Dark Eldar into a murderous frenzy that few defenders can hope to stop.
LOADOUT:
Armament :
-Spirit Syphon: A Cronos's spirit syphon casts a baleful field of energy that allows it to feed on the opponents nearby.
--Spirit Vortex: Cronos machines can be modified with a device that will allow it to hurl out a massive bolt of negative energy, draining the lifeforce of dozens of victims.
--Spirit Probe: The Cronos Engine jams a tube into one of its victims, sucking his/her life energy dry.
All Attacks above then precede to transfer the stolen energy to any Dark Eldar around them.
-Finally they can be equipped with a close combat weapon ala the Talos Engine.
Defense: See Talos Pain Engine. Same Defensive Traits
Special:
Additional Factors:
--Role: Support Pain Bringer, Tank.
--Both the Talos and Cronos engines are commanded by Haemonculli but have limited Artificial Intelligence.
Raider
Armor Type: Various Shields
Type of Support: Transport, Attack
Classification: Fast dedicated Transport
What Bonus do they give?: Main Troop Transport
The Raider is the Dark Eldar anti-gravity combat skimmer that is used as the primary troop transport for Dark Eldar Kabal raids into realspace from the Webway. The first indicator of a Dark Eldar raid into realspace is always a viridian light in the sky, that unfolds and spirals outwards into a shimmering, multidimensional portal that blazes with green flame. Through this gateway comes dozens of bladed anti-gravity assault skimmers, that angle downwards to seize their unexpecting prey. The most common of these anti-gravity combat transports are known as Raiders. Raiders are the most favoured vehicles of the Dark Eldar and are in use across the galaxy. Lightweight and extremely manoeuvrable, the Raider epitomises the Dark Eldar's belief that velocity always triumphs over durability. Unlike the lumbering vehicles of the human Imperium, a Raider does not carry its passengers within heavily armoured Ceramite shells. Instead, these skimmers are more like the gliding anti-gravity pleasure yachts once common on the homeworlds of the ancient Eldar empire, modified to enhance their speed and fitted with blade-sharp fins and jagged keels to slice apart any foes.
The primary motive power for a Raider comes from its compact, air-breathing jet turbine engines. The transport is held aloft by anti-gravity emitters built into the vehicle's ventral ribbing. This technology allows a Raider to skim even the most rugged terrain at an extraordinarily rapid speed. Though each of these transports is customised by the Kabal that owns it and is adorned with the severed body parts of past victims, all have certain basic features in common, including a repulsor keelblade manned by a talented steersman, Aethersails to harness the multidimensional shear energies that flow from the Webway portal from which they emerge, and a prow-mounted heavy weapon, usually a Dark Lance, to sow slaughter amongst the unexpecting enemy. The curved hull of every Raider possess sweeping fairings and its metal deck is pierced through with tesselating designs intended to lessen the skimmer's weight and increase its speed. Sickle-blades, Electroshock Rams and Splinter Rifle racks are also frequently mounted on Raiders, for the Dark Eldar will always use any weapon available in their vast arsenal of pain.
One favorite tactic of the Dark Eldar is the so-called Splinter Raider Force. For this tactic, involving Raiders and Reaver jetbikes, the Archon suddenly has his raiders appear among-st the enemy via his mastery of Webway portals unleashing early volleys and screaming battle curses. Then before the enemy can pull up a adequate response Reaver jetbikes swoop in, filling the air with projectiles and explosive dark energy, further devastating enemy troops and defenses. Then, as the enemy finally scrambles to bring up a adequate defensive force, the Dark Eldar soar rapidly away.
Loadout:
Armament:
--Dark Lance or Disintegration Cannon:
--Whatever weapons its passengers carry.
Defense: Night and Flicker Shields :
Special/Detailed Purpose:
Everything the Ravager can equip (envenomed blades, enhanced aethersails, shock prow, grisly trophies, chain snares, retrofire engines) so can the Raider. Also
--Splinter Racks: Allows passengers to unleash devastating volleys of splinter rifles while traveling at full speed.
--Troop Transport Capacity: 10. The Raider's primary function is to serve as a troop transport during a realspace raid and it has a passenger capacity of 10 Dark Eldar warriors, whether they are drawn from a Kabal, a Wych Cult, a Haemonculi Coven or from one of the various mercenary Dark Eldar groups of the Dark City. Such is the surety and confidence of its Dark Eldar occupants that they can hang onto the balustrades and trophy-hooks of the Raider with ease even as it races forward at breakneck speeds, rejoicing in the thrill of the hunt as the enemy's shrapnel bursts all around them. It takes them but a second to detach from the transport and drop into the midst of the enemy, already savoring the screams to come.
--Torture Amp: Some Raiders have small modifications when they are ridden or operated by Haemonculi. These raiders are known to contain a torture amp which allows a Haemonculus to torture captured slaves during the battle. The haemonculus's work traps the screams and voices of tortured slaves into special voice-boxes. These horrifying cries are filtered through complex projectors to create a wave of terrifying sonic energy around the vehicle. That special kind of sonic energy can scatter enemy units and make them flee in sheer horror of the voices.
Additional Factors:
-These vehicles will easily number in the tens of thousands thanks to all the soldiers who can equip it, as the Dark Eldar more then anything else favor mobility.
Misc : Slaves: This term applies to those unfortunate individuals who happen to be captured by the Dark Eldar, who then subject them to a very grizzly fate. For this tournament those slaves captured in battle will apply here, whereupon they are either worked to death building buildings/defenses, making weapons, fixed with control devices and sent in as fodder or are killed horrifically when the Dark Eldar need to feed off some pain.
Rarely but when it suits them the Dark Eldar have been known to give their slaves extremely cheap improvised weaponry and send them into the front without any concern for their safety.
DEFENSE:
The Dark Eldar are a faction that prizes speed, mobility, and maneuverability above all else and thus the concept . They seek only to take and to steal, and thus the concept of base holding or fixed positions aren't going to maek any sense to them. Indeed, their strategy of running and gunning everywhere makes it hard for the Imperium and forces that rely on taking and holding positions, to counter. In the words of one Imperial Commander they like to just run in, take what they want, and then leave. However there are two tactics that they can use that would fit into here.
Traps:
Simply put the Dark Eldar are masters of this, and they can booby trap a area that they know the enemy wants with all sorts of strange and terrible devices, from poisonous spines to soul traps to a chemical gas release (think the Gas Plague) to even miniature black holes (Vect has done it before!) . A fuller list includes invisible monifilament trip-wire as thin as a spider line, gravity traps, semi-sentient venom clouds, flame funnels, sudden pit-falls into realms of pure-nothingness, boiling acid traps, blood wasp nests, traps that induce nothing but pain ... Technically these falls into "asset-denial" more then defense, but they could easily use this tactic to slow down the enemy as they try and advance on the Dark Eldar. Worse still the Dark Eldar have spent so long refining their assassination techniques that many poisons and explosives are undetectable even by their advanced technology! Also according to Planetary Empires force supplement the Dark Eldar have been known to use force pylons, which stop enemy vehicles from moving through a certain area until destroyed.
Sometimes they have been known to deploy some of these traps offensively, such as obscuring a area in total darkness for a raid.
--Tower of Loathing: If the Dark Eldar really want to slow an enemy down and inflict mass causalities they can place a automated Tower of Loathing. Depending on how much time the Dark Eldar have they can equip it with splinter cannons, dual twin-linked splinter cannons, dark lances or all of the above in tangent. It is equipped with enough armor to at least slow the enemy down somewhat, barring extremely powerful weapons.
"HEROES"
Contained herin are the various scheming archons, violent rebels, and sadistic killers that make up the Dark Eldar's hero section. Though it might seem baffling that they would all work together, they are indeed unified by two things: the need for slaves and contempt for "lesser" races beneath them. As Nyos Yllithian aptly pointed out, even though he may hate and despise Supreme Overlord Vect, Vect is still a Dark Eldar and infinitely above the salve races below them. It is fortunate that they carry that attitude as they all kind of want to kill each other.
Lady Aurelia Malys:
Height: 6'6 ?
Weight: ????
Age: Supposedly less than a 1000 physically , at least 6,000 by human reckoning.
Type of Hero Bonus: Sub-commander, schemer equal to Vect
Classification: The Would-Be Usurper
Lady Malys is, other then Vect himself, the smartest and cleverest archon. In fact the codex claims her to be an equal to Vect on all accounts, which is fortunate since she had a notorious grudge against him and seeks to one day topple his rule.
Aurelia's Story begins fairly early on, where her leadership in the Pancea Wars succeeded in crippling the Imperium long term (she took as her trophy a device that would allow the Imperium to cure all their diseases) and impressing Vect. For a while she became his lover and consort however since Vect is a bit of a jerk he got bored of her, treated her terribly and then banished her from Commoragh. Infuriated, Malys and her followers left Commoragh for the webway. In the "wilderness" of the webway, Malys had encountered one of the many strange beings that inhabit the realm. The being banished Malys' followers, and challenged her to a contest of wills, the victor of which would gain the heart of the loser. Amazingly, Malys had won the contest with the trickster, and the being had dissipated, leaving an animate blade and its crystal heart behind. Malys used the blade to remove her own heart, and replaced it with her crystal prize. Malys returned to Commoragh, determined to have revenge on Vect, and began her slow rise to power.
Her plans and ploys seemed impenetrable, and on real-space raids she fights like a women possessed, always maneuvering to achieve the greatest amount of spoils over those other, lesser Kabals. In Commoragh more and more flock to her banner, though she only admits the most quick-witter to her court. Publically she puts on a face of frosty politeness and perfect decorum, never smiling once. However privately, when she is sure no one is around, she begins to giggle. The giggle becomes a laugh and the laugh develops into a pure hysteric fit that seems to come from two throats, to voices at once. Though no one knows what entity shares her body it is clear that she does not plot alone anymore, as the entity and Malys form a perfect tag team. She adds the extreme cunning and intelligence; the entity, actual precognition and immunity to psychic powers.
Loadout
Ranged:
-Plasma Grenades:
Melee:
Dual Wielding:
-She wields a steel fan with jagged, sharp edges that functions as well as any Eldar sword.
-The Lady's Blade: Its a semi-sentient sword that may be the weapon that Malys used to cut her original heart out. The sword counts as a power weapon and due to its sentience can attack faster then normal, though it might be prone to rebelling.
Defense:
-Kabalite Armor:
She is also precognitive and is rather hard to hit, as she sees the attacks before-hand and preemptively dodges them.
Special:
-Immune to all Psychic Attacks.
--Precognition: This applies not only defensively but offensively, as she outmaneuvers her foes in both the personal duelist theater and in command.
--Court of the Archon: See Archon
Additional Factors:
" Another Flawless Victory. Ah well. It almost makes one long for a loss, just to keep things interesting. Almost but not quite...." - Lady Malys
--Excellent Sub-Commander: Malys is considered in the codex to be on par with Vect, and it isn't hard to see why. In a raid on a Ork world she successfully poisoned the Green Skins using their own spore system, returning a little while later to find those orks left on the planet a race of weaklings. By far however she shined most in the Pancea campaign.
--Enemy of Vect: Malys has sworn to bring down Vect once and for all, and in line with that goal she is slowly building her power. She isn't hasty though, and will not strike unless she is absolutely positive she can win, for at current her Kabal, the Kabal of the Posioned Tongue, is still much weaker then Vect's.
-Possible Weakness: Seems to fly into huge rages and prone to anger easily. Might have changed after being combined with another entity though.
Duke Traevelliath Sliscus the Serpent
Height: 6'6?
Weight: ????
Age: Several Thousand
Type of Hero Bonus: Corsair Leader, Terror, unpredictability
Classification: The Unpredictable Serpent
The Duke is a sociopathic enigma among the Dark Eldar, both an outcast and extremely popular in Commoragh. His last actions within the City of Commoragh were to steal three powerful Kabal's flagships - and he never looked back. Gathering up a fleet of corsairs, like-minded outcasts, and those few loyal to him he set about on a sociopathic raiding spree. He has raided thousands of planets, devastating their population and instilling terror. One time he tricked a mercenary group who was supposed to be hunting him into warping into the middle of the sun, which his ship's emerged primed and ready for invasion over the mercenary's homeworld. Another time he allowed a Imperial Governor to surrender only to butcher him and his entire congregation when they mispronounced either his name or one of his titles (he has about 100 of each). In yet another instance he beat a Imperial admiral, flayed him and uses his skin as a flag.
Duke Siliscus is the type of leader who would sacrifice all of his troops in a glorious charge, so long as he emerged alive and with more fame. One moment he is charming and charismatic, the other he longs for blood and death. He dines on poisoned food to build up a immunity, he never wears the same two clothes twice, he has his servants scrub his skin to a near translucent color everytime he is in the presence of someone not Eldar, and even is known to carve epic poetry into the flesh of his victims.
Regardless of personal quirks. Duke Silcarus is noted for being very good at infiltration and sabotage tactics, and given that he has survived many millenia with three powerful archons and the Imperium after him I'd say he is very competent. He even defeated the legendary Space Wolf Lucas the Trickster and carved out one of his hearts, though Lukas lived and laughed about the encounter. He has performed countless low-orbit raids and from them his legend grows every year.
Loadout
Ranged:
--Blast Pistol:
--Plasma Grenades:
Melee:
-The Serpents Bite: Silcarus fights with two twin poisoned swords that is apparently so toxic that it can ignore certain types of armor.
Defense:
--ShadowField and Ghostplate armor:
Special:
--Combat Drugs:
Additional Factors:
--Corsair Leader: The Duke allows a significant contigent of Corsairs to follow him, both to serve as servants and in case things go awry as sacrifices.
--Contraband and Poisons: Duke has huge stockpiles of both, and thus those under his command benefit from better poisons and plenty of combat drugs.
Baron Sathonyx
Height:???
Weight: ???
Age: Thousands of years old
Type of Hero Bonus: Leader of the Underdogs
Classification: "Lord Hellion"
Once a noble of the Kabal of the Slashed Eye, the Baron was punished for brining a Eldar farseer to court after capturing her. Swearing revenge he fled into the underworld, killing all those sent to kill him and building a army of disconents and degenerates. He fought tooth and nail every day of his life, and gradually more and more flocked to his banner. He deposed his former Kabal, and is now well-known as a criminal kingpin of the Commoraghan Underworld. Those Commoraghan Kabals have dealings with him now, for he can ensure that a large force of normally rebellious discontents joins a given Archons force-for the right price. In the last couple of years a number of Kabals have fallen under the sway of Baron-supported candidates, showing that he seeks to extend his reach to the upper nobles once more.
The Lord Hellion is a master of hit and run sky attack tactics that ended up bringing his former Kabal to its knees. He is an expert of espionage even without his seer bones, and more often then not will know where the enemy is. He is also very good at handling dangerous terrain.
Loadout
Ranged:
--Splinter Pistol and Phantasm Grenade Launcher:
Melee:
--Hellglaive: See Hellion
Defense:
-Wychsuit:
-Shadowfield:
Special:
--Custom Skyboard: his skyboard is stronger then average apparently, and harder hitting.
--Twilight Shroud: This device incorporates darkness inward, shrouding the Baron and any unit he leads into it. This boosts his stealth and infiltration abilities.
--Bones of the Seer: By scattering a farseer's crystal lined bones in a pool of blood, the Baron can see dimly into the future. In this way he can plan movements and stay on step ahead of his hunters.
Additional Factors:
--Master of Secrecy: The baron is extremely difficult to find, and he is further a master of blackmail for those that do find him.
Kheradruakh the Decapitator
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Age: Thousands
Type of Hero Bonus: Decapitating random enemies and then running away
Classification: Headhunter
Kheradruakh is a bit of a weirdo in the Dark Eldar army, and that is saying something. He takes the notch on the creepiness level for mandrakes and turns it up to- well he breaks it. Kheradruakh, whose name literally means He-Who-Hunts-Heads, lives entirely for one thing- collecting heads. Archons have to pay extortionate prices of slaves (who possess nice, cuttable necks) to even get his attention, and once he joins battle he justs decapitates everything he can find. Sometimes he goes unbidden though, and randomly emerges within the enemy ranks to make a single decapitation, whereupon he then runs away.
However unbeknownst to the Archons, that is only one half of the story. Once he gets back to the lair he then peels away the skin of the head until its just a skull, whereupon he examines it diligently probing every dint with his hands AND tongue. If it doesn't pass muster he throws it upon the floor of his layer, and thousands litter the area to the point where every step probably crushes one. If it does pass he neatly perches it on one of his shelves that are quickly getting filled up. Each of these skulls, these shelves have been manipulated so that they all stare into one location- the center of his lair. That one area already gives off a a forbidden power, and his followers believe that once the stares reach a critical mass it will bore a hole through reality, and Kkeradruakh will take control of Commoragh in the ensuring chaos.
Loadout
Ranged: Balefire: See Mandrake. Has 4 arms and only 2 are required to use the Decapitator, so maybe he can use two balefires at once?
Melee: Decapitator: His signature sword, the Decapitator ignores armor and kills instantly, no matter where it hits.
Defense: Shadowskin: See Mandrake, but a little better for this guy.
Special
Additional Factors:
--Has every Mandrake attribute: See Mandrake profile, additional factors. Everything that applies there applies here. He is even more stealthy then they.
-- Altered Physique: The Decapitator is so immersed in pain that he already feels the effects of it right off the bat.
-- Preferred Enemy/Hero Killer: Though the Decapitator is pretty random, he does seem to like the heads of notable people. Thus he'll probably stalk enemy heroes with the high possibility of killing them.
Urien Rakath
Height:??
Weight: ????
Age: Probably the single oldest character here.
Type of Hero Bonus: Haemonculi bonuses, monster creation, pain
Classification: Haemonculi Master
Urien is a depraved genius in the fields of bodily manipulations anatomical sculpture, and his skills as a flesh-crafter are legendary. Through the many centuries of his existence, he has developed a uniquely expansive knowledge of pain and torture. Although he once enjoyed a senior position in Commorragh's intrigues, Urien has long since transcended such squabbles entirely. Now he only exists to revel in depravity.
As the progenitor of the art of regeneration, Urien has died and risen back to life so many times that he now savours death like a fine wine. Each time Urien dies, his remains are used to slowly grow another iteration of himself., and now his multiple spines and limbs growing out of him Each of his surgically-altered bones holds the key to his resurrection. In recent centuries, however, something seems to have been corrupted in the regeneration process, and Urien's latest incarnations have each borne a vestigial part of the one before.
Through his experiments, he has destroyed his own sanity, and wanders the macabre catacombs that make up his laboratory aimlessly, gibbering crazily to himself as he performs pointless "experiments" on his unfortunate test subjects.
"We learnt long ago that the inscrutable universe turns upon an axis of suffering, because pain is inevitable." - Urien RakathLoadout
Ranged: Anything from Haemonculi arsenal
Melee: Ichor Gauntlet: He wields a unique Flesh Gauntlet except that it injects boiling extremely poisonous, Ichor into them.
Anything from Haemonculli arsenal
Defense:
In addition to Haemonucli arsenal, he has a archon clone field. Oh and he has low-mid scale regeneration allowing him to heal some wounds on the battlefield.
Special: Anything from Haemonculli arsenal
Additional Factors:
--Standard Dark Eldar Traits--Father of Pain: Not only does he start under the effects of pain enhancement but so does everything around him.
--Monster Creator: The codex states that Urien is the greatest Haemonculli and flesh-crafter, and in the Tau conflict he demonstrates this by helping to make countless Groteques and Wracks.
--Ancient Allies: Urien is one of the two heroes here who is actually a ally of Vect, however the codex describes it as more akin to the wary respect between killers then true friendship.
Drazhar, Master of Blades
Height: ???
Weight: ????
Age: ????
Type of Hero Bonus: Killing
Classification: Master Duelist
"He has no name for he never speaks. We call him Drazhar- the living Sword. He is the deadliest of our brotherhood, the undefeated, the true master of blades!" - Morr, Path of the Incubi
Drazhar was first encountered at the gates of the Great Shrine in Commorragh. He walked straight into the shrine, cutting his way through any guards who tried to stop him. When he reached the inner sanctum, Drazhar challenged the enthroned Hierarch of the Shrine with a bow. The Hierarch stepped down from his throne into the dueling circle with Drazhar and took up a battle stance. The Hierarch's self-assured superiority soon evaporated when his challenger blurred into action. The duel took only a couple of minutes until it ended with Drazhar stepping over the Hierarch's dead body before making a small bow.
Despite it being his right, Drazhar never took the position of Hierarch. When Incubi tried to demand that he take it he killed them. When Incubi tried to venerate him as the returned Ahra (semi-mythical Incubi founder) he killed them too. When some tried to remove him forcibly from the Incubi chambers he killed. After killing plenty of Incubi and intruders alike it was ultimately determined that Drazhar existed only to kill, and he was appointed Incubi executioner. And Drazhar was fine with that.
Loadout
Ranged: None
Melee: Demiklaives: See Incubi. Drazhar is a duelist without peer though, able to attack faster then most foes can perceive and handles his blades like a true expert. To date he has not lost a duel or even been wounded.
Defense: Ancinet Incubi Warsuit: He wears an ancient Incubus Warsuit, perhaps even the original Warsuit, which is significantly tougher than those worn by others of the sect. He is also extremely difficult to even wound, such is his skill at dueling.
Special:
--Presumably he has the tormenter ability that other Incubi have, shooting waves of pain into the foe before reaching close combat.
Additional Factors:
--Duelist Without Peer: Has never lost a battle and even the most skilled opponents have so far lasted only a couple moments against him. He seems to exist only to kill, and to date the only time he did NOT kill a opponent was when said opponent wanted him to kill, showing that he knows how to troll in Dark Eldar fashion.
--Under semi-control: As Path of the Incubus illustrates Drazhar does respond to general orders, but can refuse if he really doesn't want to do something. And the Hierachs can't do anything about it.
Lelith Hesperax
Height:???
Weight: Light
Age: At least 8,0000
Type of Hero Bonus: Hero-killing, Morale......."Snuff videos"
Classification: Death-Dealer, Succubus Champion
Lelith Hesperax is a Dark Eldar Succubus of the Wych Cult known as the Cult of Strife, and the undisputed champion of the gladiatoral arenas of Commorragh. She is by far the most deadly of her deadly kind, able to bring swift death with the slightest flick of her lithe limbs or flowing hair sewn with razor sharp barbs. She rarely speaks, although her voice has been compared to honeyed velvet. Most other Succubi look upon her in envy and awe. Rival Wych Cults whisper that her incredible skill is unnatural -- that she was modified by the Haemonculi, or that she sleeps in a baryonic sarcophagus filled to the brim with stimulant serum. The truth is far simpler -- she is a natural born killer.
The most deadly of her kind, Lelith's skill in the arts of combat bear all the hallmarks of true genius. Lelith is deadly grace embodied, her movements hypnotic, sensual and spellbinding -- watching Lelith go about her blood-soaked business is a privilege that only the wealthiest Dark Eldar can afford. To see such a superbly talented Succubus perform first-hand is a dream come true for most Kabalites, for it energises and reinvigorates even the eldest of their kind.
Though the purr of her voice has been likened to honeyed velvet, Lelith rarely speaks, for she is an artist, not a politician. Nonetheless, her pronouncements are always carried out to the letter by her handmaidens, the Wyches of the Cult of Strife, who look in jealous awe at their mistress' flawless form and supernatural physical dexterity. On the eve before a realspace raid, Lelith will often pad like a hunting cat into the halls of an Archon preparing for battle, flanked by dozens of her hand-picked Wych acolytes. Lady Hesperax blesses raiding Kabals with her presence in this manner only in order to search out unusual prey; she loves to match her abilities against the most formidable elites and champions of the other starfaring species in the galaxy. She has yet to return without blood upon her blades and a new clutch of grisly trophies for her private museums of pain.
Alone amongst the Wych Cults, Lelith does not use combat drugs to enhance her performance. Lelith's disciples, the Cult of Strife, maintain that their mistress needs nothing more than a piece of edged steel to outclass her foes. Sure enough, although she is expert in the use of all the exotic weapons used by her deadly kind, Lelith can most often be seen in the arena fighting with two simple but exquisitely weighted daggers.In combat, Lelith uses her body as a weapon as well as her flashing blades. Her mane of silky hair is sewn through with barbs and hooks that she uses to snare the blades of her foes in much the same manner as the shardnets of the Yraqnae. Her long legs and feet are edged with spurs, the better to tear open a throat with a perfect pirouette kick, and her fingernails have been reinforced and honed to the sharpness and surgical precision of a scalpel.
Lelith can kill a dozen lesser warriors in the space of a few seconds, her blades tracing a path between each fatal slash, before finishing with a flourish and the attainment of perfect poise. In game her attacks are so precise that they can find the smallest chink in the best armor. In the the Coup of Commoragh (see leader profile) she tore through armored space marines like a regular Wych would through Imperial Gaurdsmen in close combat. Vid-captures of her doing so are traded throughout Commorragh and beyond by those with a twisted taste for violence. Perhaps, her spectators often say, it is not only mortals who gaze with such rapt attention as Lelith completes her deadly and beautiful dance of death.
"The Caress of Cold Steel upon warm flesh is a divine gift, a sensation unmatched in all existence in its purity and simplicity. I have drunk deep in its echoes in more opponents than I care to count, but never experienced the sensation itself. Will you be the first to gift me with the experience, or shall you be another whom I must feel the gift vicariously. "
Loadout
Ranged:
--Plasma Grenades:
Melee:
--Wicked Blades - Wych Cults utilise a variety of wicked blades which often includes an individually made, elegant dagger. These knives are kept sheathed until they are needed, so that its in-built sharpening field will ensure it stays eternally keen and lethal.
--Barbed Hair - Lelith possesses a spectacular mane of hair, as long as she is tall. Woven into her hair are numerous small blades and hooks, and her athletic control of her own body is so total that the silken caress of her seemingly free-flowing mane can incapacitate an opponent in the same way a net used by a lesser Wych would.
--Sharpened Finger Talons - Lelith's skill is so high that she needs no other weapon than the short edge of her sharpened nails to dispatch even the most formidably armored opponents, striking lightning-fast at vulnerable points with the tip of her fingers.
--Leg Spurs - Another weapon demonstrating Lelith exceptional skill, she uses these small, spur-like blades against opponents who would otherwise have the advantage of reach against her, capable of ending someone in a single kick.
Some literature with her also implies that the flashing of all that skin is in and of itself as weapon, a potent weapon of distraction against male foes.
Defense:
--Wychsuit: See Wych, but she wears less of this then even a Wych. She is however extremely hard to hit thanks to her incredible agility.
Special:
Additional Factors:
--Dark Eldar standard traits here
-Master Duelist:
--Apparently she is the Dark Eldar version of a porn star, and even those that require a massive amount of sacrifices and pain are satisfied in just seeing her once.
--Ancient Allies: Lelith is one of the two heroes here who is actually a ally of Vect, however the codex describes it as more akin to the wary respect between killers then true friendship. Still she did play a role in his rise to power.
--Wych Commander: Has led thousands of raids into real space, returning every time with blood on her blades.
Important Characters:
See Archons additional Factors section
LEADER PROFILE:
Asdrubael Vect and all the warriors of the Black Heart are mine to command."
Asdrubael Vect
Height: 6'6 (average Eldar Height)
Weight: ???
Age: 10,000+
Type of Hero Bonus: Command, Destruction
Classification: The Great Tyrant
For the last 8,000 years Asdrubael Vect has ruled as the Supreme Overlord of Commoragh, his will unquestionable within the city and enforceable over roughly 1/3 of the Eldar race. His origins are a mystery; he claims that he survived the Fall of the Ancient Eldar Empire and then led a group of survivors to found Commoragh. However the 5th edition codex plants out a different story, with Vect being a mere lowly slave who cunningly and brutally rose through the ranks to rule the Dark Eldar. It was he who introduced the Kabal system of meritocracy, and made Dark Eldar society far more cut-throat then it had ever been before. It is said that his cunning and ploys match Tzeenth, the God of change and plots, himself.
Loadout
Ranged: Obsidian Orbs:
Extremely advanced and rare Dark Eldar soul-technology. When an Obsidian Orb is used against living opponents, it can suck out their very souls and use their stolen life-energy to heal Vect's own wounds.
Melee:
-Sceptre of the Dark City: This unique sceptre is the badge of office of the Supreme Overlord of Commoragh and is an advanced Power Weapon that contains sophisticated pain-inducing devices. Thus it both ignores armor and invigorates Vect at the same time. He is skilled enough in combat to defeat a Greater Demon of Nurgle 1 vs 1.
Defense:
-Ghostplate Armor:
-ShadowField:
Special: Dias of Destruction:
When Vect deigns to lead a battle personally, he often does so upon the Dais of Destruction, a transport vehicle dedicated to his own use and armed with Dark Lances and multiple powerful force shields.The Dais of Destruction is a heavily modified Ravager Heavy Support craft that craft consists of two firing platforms on either side of a raised platform, the Dais, to support the throne of Lord Vect and his personal plaything slaves. Vect is also accompanied by personal Incubi bodyguards, and three gunners. It is a extremely good craft, and in Soulstorm has a beam that can be targeted to disintegrate everything in a wide arc.
--Ziggurat: In Path of the Reneage Vect is shown to have a horrendous large Ziggurat of floating metal equipped with a holographic projector to show his face, advanced searchlights, multiple antennae and probes, advanced armor capable of repelling disintegrator cannons and the ziggurat itself is equipped multiple disintegrator cannons and Dark Lances. This was built solely so he could terrorize his citizens while he himself remains in the palace. It can obviously take a horrendous amount of damage before going down. Probably the largest thing in the Dark Eldar arsenal.
--Court of the Archon: See Archon, though Vect's court is liable to be extremely large.
Additional Factors:
--Leader of the Black Heart Kabal, Commoragh's largest
The rest of Vect's factors shall be covered in the leader profile.
Short Story on Vect Here
Command Profile-
Asdrubael Vect was born as a low-class underling in Commorragh and sold into slavery as a child. According to Vect's own account, related to a human slave, he himself was witness to the Fall of the Eldar in the late 29th or early 30th Millennium, probably as a youth. Never accepted by the privileged high-born "betters" of his race, Vect was forced to climb the murderous hierarchical structure of the Dark City from the bottom, rung by tortuous rung. This survival in the face of incalculable odds explains his razor-sharp mind and infinite talent for intrigue. It was during this time that Vect vowed to himself that he would one day rule the Dark City, even if it took an eternity. Vect's talent for subterfuge was exceptional. Vect's rivals had a propensity for being murdered in plots or for suffering apparent misfortunes, although events were never connected to Vect himself. By the time his rivals realized the threat represented by this upstart, it was usually only an instant before their heads had been separated from their bodies.
Vect's power grew and in an unknown date in the 32nd Millennium, he founded the Kabal of the Black Heart, the first organisation to openly refer to themselves as "Eladrith Ynneas" or "Dark Eldar." Though the Black Heart began as a flickering flame, it has since been fanned into a searing firestorm. Thriving on being underestimated, Vect played a low profile as the Dark City fought a long civil war of its nobility against the Solar Cults who controlled the captured twin suns that powered the city, "The War of the Sun and Moon," in the 35th Millennium. The nobility were ultimately victorious. A Kabal like Vect's had almost no power compared to Commorragh's nobility, and Vect was was opposed at every turn by the most influential of the Dark City's noble houses -- Xelian, Kraillach and Yllithian (those who have read Path of the Renegade will note that these are the main character's descendants).
The Coup:
"Death is my meat; terror my wine." - Vect
(lot of copy +pasting, as the description was very good)
In the 35th millennium The slave Asdrubael Vect had risen, through pure guile and murderous ambition, to become the Dracon of what he later named the Kabal of the Black Heart, when the elite forces of the Imperium of Man mounted a full-scale invasion of the Dark City. At that time Vect, the hidden architect of this time of strife intended to cement his own rule, was opposed at all turns by the most influential of the Dark City's noble factions, the Houses Xelian, Kraillach and Yllithian. By the time the human invaders had been repelled, the powerbases of these houses were in ruins, their Archons slain. It was not long before Vect and the more meritocratic Kabals had replaced them as the source of ultimate power in the Dark City, just as he had planned. The seeds of the Imperial invasion were sown in the region of the galaxy called the Desaderian Gulf. This area of wilderness space was well-known among the human starfarers of the Segmentum Tempestus for the number of spacecraft that had disappeared within its confines. General Imperial practice was to avoid it at all costs. Unknown to the Imperium, there existed a vast portal into a main arterial of the Webway within Desaderian space, shielded by holofields that made it appear to be nothing more than a shimmer in the starlight, perhaps a result of gravitational lensing. Behind this portal lurked the pirate fleets of Commorragh, waiting for unwary prey.
The Dark Eldar's noble houses preyed upon Imperial shipping lanes only rarely in order to escape retribution; hence the missing ships were always considered acceptable losses or written off as bureaucratic errors of the Administratum. Vect's first move was to increase the frequency of these piratical raids tenfold. He made it his Kabal's priority to capture every Imperial Navy warship and invade every human world within reach of the Desaderian portal. He tore apart the Imperial Guard Regiments garrisoning the planets of the Desaderian System, devastated their fortifications and disappeared with his living bounty into the depths of the Dark City, leaving nothing but utter ruin in his wake. This campaign saw the Kabal of the Black Heart grow rich in plunder and souls, though Vect's detractors thought him a fool for antagonizing the massive Imperial war machine.
With its usual ponderous, bureaucratic slowness the Imperium eventually reacted to the disappearances in the Desaderian Gulf. A Strike Cruiser belonging to the Salamanders Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes was close enough to investigate. It was patrolling the edges of the Gulf in search of the sacred artefacts and relics of their Primarch Vulkan. Captain Phoecus of the Salamanders ordered his ship deeper into the Desaderian Gulf. After a short but violent exchange with Vect's Kabalite fleet, Phoecus' Strike Cruiser Forgehammer was crippled by Haywire Bombs and transported through the Desaderian portal into the heart of the Dark City. The furore that resulted from this audacious capture set the spires of High Commorragh aflame with new intrigue. A Space Marine Captain was a great prize indeed, for such an individual could withstand extreme and prolonged mental and physical torture before divulging his vital secrets about Imperial defence. Before long, Vect found his Kabal's fleet in the Desaderian Gulf dwarfed by the armada of the Archon Lord Xelian. The Forgehammer, still rendered impotent by Vect's Haywire field, was confiscated by Xelian, taken to High Commorragh and analysed by a long dissection process.
In his arrogance, Lord Xelian had not reckoned with the resourcefulness of the Space Marines trapped within the stricken Strike Cruiser. The ship's vox communications network had been shorted out by the Haywire field, but unknown to Xelian there remained a more pervasive method of communication available to the Astartes. Captain Phoecus' close friend, the gifted Librarian Hestion, had sent a psychic request for aid as soon as the starship's systems had been disabled. Hestion acted as a living beacon to the rest of the Salamanders Chapter, a beacon now trapped within the spires of Xelian's realm in the Dark City. When Lord Xelian sent the elite of his warrior court to bring the Space Marines to his torture chambers, they were met with far sterner resistance than anticipated. The Dark Eldar found it easy to carve through the hull of the strike cruiser and gain entrance to its dark corridors, but overpowering the Space Marines proved impossible. Lit only by the flashes of Boltgun fire, a desperate battle took place within the hull of the Forgehammer until Astartes and Dark Eldar blood had mingled upon its hull plates. Xelian was quick to realize that he had underestimated his victims. He returned the salvage rights for the Astartes starship to the Kabal of the Black Heart, appearing generous but actually intending to seize the Space Marines once the Black Heart had suffered the losses in taking them captive. Vect readily agreed, forming small strike forces of all those warriors in his Kabal whom he suspected of disloyalty and sent them to face the Strike Cruiser's defenders piecemeal. Vect's Kabalite Warriors, triumphant on dozens of worlds, marched into the Forgehammer without fear, but the battle lasted for days.
Xelian was happy to let Vect drive his so-called Kabal to destruction, believing the Kabal's Dracon to be a fool for not attacking with all the force at his disposal in a single, massive assault. Vect played a waiting game, feeding the disloyal elements of his Kabal and spies of Xelian to the guns of the Space Marines to buy time and even employing Commorrite mercenaries with well-known ties to Xelian's court, all of whom were soon swallowed by the violence within the human Strike Cruiser. On the sixteenth day of the siege, the skies above High Commorragh suddenly broke open. The Salamanders Chapter had received the coordinates that had led them to their beleaguered Battle-Brothers from the Librarian Hestion's psychic broadcasts. The Desaderian portal had mysteriously been left fully operational, its guards slain and its controls locked so that it could not be closed.
The full fury of the Imperium of Man thundered from the crackling jade-coloured Webway portal directly above Archon Xelian's personal spire. Through it came starships bearing the heraldry of not only the Salamanders but also the badges of the Howling Griffons and the Silver Skulls Chapters of Space Marines. Two dozen Strike Cruisers, each appearing like a chunk of Gothic architecture reshaped for war, hammered though the wide-open portal into the shadowy skies of the Dark City. At their heart was the great Battle Barge Vulkan's Wrath, an immense spacecraft with broadside batteries that could flatten whole cities. Its prow was a vast jutting ram that ploughed straight into the spire where Xelian stood, crushing it like a hammer driven into a priceless sculpture.
The Dark Eldar overcame their surprise quickly. From nearby Port Shard came hundreds of exotic craft, each a needle-like splinter next to the slab-like Imperial vessels, but no less deadly for that. Voidraven Bombers and Razorwing Jetfighters careened out of their towering hangars like bats from a cave, descending in swarms to attack each Astartes Strike Cruiser. Though many were destroyed by the Imperial cruisers' broadsides, others systematically targeted the larger ships' guns with focused Void Lance fire and sustained hits from their Disintegrator Cannons. The Vulkan's Wrath was struck by thick blasts of electromagnetic force produced by Port Shard's salvage spars, rendering the majority of its weapons systems useless. One by one, the Imperial ships' guns were silenced. But these were Space Marines, and they were nothing if not resourceful. Ejecting from each Strike Cruiser came Drop Pods, fired with such force that they were projectile weapons in their own right. The Drop Pods hurtled down, smashing through Dark Eldar fighter craft and Commorrite starscrapers alike, each containing a squad of Space Marines who deployed upon impact with their weapons blazing. They left pure ruin in their wake as priceless Eldar statues shattered and the spires of the Dark City fell.
The Astartes' counterattack robbed the Dark Eldar of the initiative. Within only moments of the Drop Pod assault, the Space Marines had established a perimeter in the obsidian-paved streets of the Kraillach Quarter. Though they took constant fire from Kabalite Warriors and Scourges that flew through the dark skies above, Astartes Power Armour proved to be an effective barrier to the Dark Eldar's splinter weaponry. Yet it was not long before more of the Dark City's denizens joined the fight, drawn to violence and death like sharks to blood. Massed swarms of skyboard-mounted Hellions and Reaver Jetbikers swooped down to rake and tear at the Space Marines, who returned fire, literally, with their Promethium-fueled Flamers. The half-daemon Mandrakes and Raider transports loaded with Dark Eldar Warriors assaulted the Space Marines with claws, knives and Splinter Pistols. Battle was joined from one side of High Commorragh to the other and the streets seethed with violence. Entire sections of High Commorragh burned as the invading Space Marines cut down or incinerated each new breed of horror that assaulted them. Word spread quickly through the Dark City of the human invasion and high up in the arenas, the gladiators of the Wych Cults mobilised for war.
The Space Marines within the city were 500 strong, almost half the size of a full Chapter, and they maintained a defensive perimeter throughout the Kraillach Quarter. High Archon Kraillach himself led a massed charge against the Astartes, intending to crush the invaders that were destroying his personal fiefdom. Yet Kraillach's rampage was ultimately halted by a "stray" blast from a Dark Lance that vapourised him where he stood.It was then that the Wych Cults joined the fight. Hundreds of beautiful but deadly fighters leapt into the fray, lead by none other than Lelith Hesperax herself, already a legendary name in the dark city. Warriors fell apart before her; chainsaw swords slipped from lifeless hands and bolter rounds soared through thin air where Lelith had only occupied moments before. Seeing his chance for glory Archon Yrillian joined the fray. Forced to retreat with over half their numbers lost, the Space Marines were forced to cede that area to the Dark Eldar. Barely a second went by before Lelith and her warriors tore the Archon and his bodygaurds apart, ending the last noble leader. Her part done, Lelith melted into the shadows.
As the Forgehammer lay shackled by electromagnetic force high in the spires, the battle in the skies of the Dark City intensified. Xelian's last command had been to destroy the captive human ship no matter the cost, for if mere humans recovered his prize, the Archon's authority and that of his fellow noble-born peers would be shattered forever. Flights of winged Scourges armed with Haywire Blasters and Heat Lances began to systematically destroy the captive ship while a fleet of Ravager gunships forced the Space Marines who sought to rescue the vessel's Battle-Brothers back into cover. Then, in a storm of light generated by their teleportation technology, Terminators from the Salamanders' 1st Company teleported directly onto the hull of the Forgehammer and returned fire. The Scourges were driven back and Captain Phoecus seized his chance. His men emerged from cover as a single force, sending a Krak Missile soaring into each of the nine towering spars that held his craft captive with their beams of electromagnetic force. Miraculously, each missile triggered a chain reaction of explosions, and the burning spars crashed down into the streets below. The Librarian Hestion summoned a psychic storm of his own, a raging inferno in the shape of a flaming drake that tore the Ravager gunships out of the sky one by one. The Forgehammer had been ravaged by the Dark Eldar assaults, but it was free at last from the Dark City's clutches. With a roar, the Strike Cruiser began to ascend into the sky and freedom.
Far below, the Space Marines fighting in the Xelian Quarter were completely encircled as the full weight of Commorragh was pressed against them and warriors from dozens of noble houses joined the defence of the city. Yet the Space Marines' objective had been achieved, for the Forgehammer was free. A single curt comm-signal was sent and within mere moments, the main bulk of the Space Marines in the Dark City teleported away in a brief burst of light. Those that had been cut off from the main assault gave their lives to buy their brethren time or else were paralyzed by Dark Eldar hypertoxins and taken away to later fight and die as warrior-slaves. Confusion reigned as the Haywire fields that had shackled the Imperial spacecraft were disengaged one by one. The Battle Barge Vulkan's Wrath, now joined by the badly damaged Forgehammer, fired its retros and disengaged itself from the ruins of what had been Archon Xelion's pride. The vast starship's engine blast flattened spires and starscrapers alike before the Space Marines made their escape. The entire Astartes fleet then passed through the still-yawning Webway portal above High Commorragh and escaped triumphantly into realspace.
In the aftermath of the Imperial invasion, Commorragh changed forever. The power vacuum left by the vanquished noble houses of High Commorragh was quickly filled by Asdrubael Vect and his jubilant Kabal of the Black Heart, who had proven their superiority to their rivals in the crucible of war. In the years that followed, Vect played politics like a true Machiavellian master of intrigue, forever asserting the meritocracy of the Kabals over the ancient aristocracy of the Eldar noble houses. So it was that the Kabal of the Black Heart rose to ascendancy over the Dark City in place of the old nobility and Archon Vect's new position as the Supreme Overlord of Commorragh and the Dark Eldar race was sealed.
Gradually Vect seized more and more power as he took control of not only the Dark City but its various sub-realms, each done brutally and without mercy. When one of his archons tried to revolt he sent a casket disguised as a tile that contained a Black Hole, sucking the archon and his entire realm into the abyss. When the greatest Sub-realm, Shaadom, declared itself more worthy to rule then Vect he opened up a rift that caused a Imperial Battleship, its warp drive about to explode, to crash straight onto the palace of the ruler of the sub-realm. In yet another instance of dickery, when yet another of his Archons named Qu tried to revolt the Supreme Overlord secretely seduced Qu's daughter, made her his concubine, and then had her murder Qu when he went up to hug her. Recently when another one of his archons tried to rebel and summoned a demon army Vect put a dimensional barrier around the realm, causing hungry demons to tear the Dark Eldar apart.
Vect, through plots more labyrinthine than most mortals could hope to comprehend, is still Supreme Overlord of Commoragh in 999.M41- 7,000 years after he became it in the first place. This achievement is perhaps even more impressive than his becoming Supreme Overlord in the first place. As a result of his low-born status, he had never been accepted by the nobility of Commoragh, and he is still hated fiercely by the noble houses he usurped power from. Yet even other Kabals' Archons, unimaginably devious themselves, have never been able to outwit Asdrubael Vect. All who have tried have died in indescribably horrible ways.
Notable Battlefield Accomplishments:
Vect is the type of man who plans brilliant and almost incomprehensible plans from afar, however he has less feats on the direct battlefield. However that isn't to say that he has none! In fact he probably has more experience then 80 percent of the leaders in this tournament. He has conducted massacres after massacre on Imperium forces, fought countless skirmishes against Eldar and Dark Eldar forces, and recently destroyed a Tau force on Rubikon, brilliantly using a small zombie force to force as much pain as possible before his main forces arrived. According to the codex he has fought and beaten every force in 40k at least once, and studied their weaknesses thoroughly. Also according to the same page, the amount of real-space raids that he leads is increasing every year, and given the nature of Commoraghan politics according to Path of the Renegade and Outcast (where just a small failure can pave the way towards ultimate doom) it is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of these, if not all of them, are great successes.
Personality:
As the founder of the Kabal System and the first to openly consider himself a Dark Eldar, Vect has all the best and worst traits of his race. Cunning, Clever beyond measure, sadistic, proud, brilliant, persuasive, domineering, callous, cruel beyond reckoning and utterly malevolent Vect has used these traits to ensure his rule for over 7 millennial He enjoys the sense of fear, uncomfort, pain and abject terror he can instill into anyone, both friend and foe,and will even gut the closest thing he has to allies just to make a point. Another personal hobby of Vect is to pit his enemies, allies and subordinates against each other, taking enjoyment most of all at watching a foe die due to their own hubris or inadequacy. Though a master of covert planning, he can be surprisingly overt, and brutal public displays are often the order of the day to keep his Dark Eldar subjects in line. Vect is very unforgiving of failure, which may be why he instituted meritocracy, and will take his sweet time in killing subordinates that fail him.
*Command Designation:
Chief Commander: A chief commander has absolute control over his forces. He has the say-so on all that there is, both tactical and strategic. It creates a simple chain-of-command and maintains one of the fastest methods of getting things done. However, it puts a lot of stress and responsibility on a single individual. General Grevious is a good example.
That said his subordinates have a surprising amount of independence, and so long as they do what he wants they are free to carry out the objectives as they please.
Leader X-factors:
Adaptive Creativity: 91/100 :
Essentially every major enemy he has killed so far has died in a unique way that they couldn't even conceive, making it extremely hard to keep track of what Vect is planning. Lore-wise he also helped define the Dark Eldar culture, instituting the Kabalite System, meritocracy, and even the cutthroat social effects among the Dark Eldar. In terms of planning the vast labyrinth that has been described as his mind can take into account and counter plans before the opponent even concieves of them, and again do so in innovative and horrible ways (see the Coup). He has foiled literally thousands if not millions of plots against his life, which is a god-like feat even for the Byzantine Dark Eldar.
Tactics: 80/100:
Vect is clearly very good at this given his immense experience, known feats, and the fact that the codex even blatantly gives him the master tactician rule. In fact he is the best Dark Eldar in existence, with thousands if not hundreds of thousands of successful raids beneath his belt. Judging by Path of the Incubi and the account of his battle with the Tau, Vect seems to have a uncanny ability to perfectly time his attacks and strikes.
Strategy: 83/100 :
Vect's mind has been compared to Tzeenth's, Chaos god of plot-making and change. His psych has been called a labyrinth of plots, counter-plans and ploys, each winding and twisting past many centuries. In this aspect not one of his enemies, most notably the great clever archons of the various Kabals, have managed to beat him (though Malys might be able to potentially do it, she is described as his equal here). It was this trait that allowed Vect to rise from a slave (in a society where slaves can be expected to be tortured to death mercellesly) to one of the most powerful figures in 40k. Raids are often planned meticulously down to the last detail before actually performed, allowing for somewhat flawless performances.
Audacity: 60/100:
Vect isn't a extremely cautious leader per say he just understands that his faction, while hitting like a freight train in combat, also has armor made of glass compared to most factions. In the Tau battle on Rubikon he held off committing his mainstream troops against the Tau, whose powerful pulse rifles among other weapons could reek untold amount of damage onto his Kabalite Warriors, until the air was so filled with pain that the Dark Eldar were charged with pain enough to take them on easily.
Intuition: 75100:
Ties into strategy. Vect is extremely good at predicting enemy moves and capitalizing them, or else using a foe's own hubris against them. Again he has broken apart thousands of schemes. However he does not have actual foresight, which stops him from achieving a higher score.
Psychological Warfare :87/100:
" I value my pride, but to speak with Vect my pride had to be… humbled, crushed before the great tyrant. I entered with thoughts of making a deal, of coming to a mutually beneficial arrangement for access to Yegara and the Sable Marches. Before I was permitted to leave I promised Vect everything – a vast plunder in wraithbone and spirit stones. In exchange I asked only to be permitted the honour of extending his rule over the Sable Marches as its appointed suzerain..."- Dark Archon Vyle, ruler of one of Commoragh's most powerful Kabals, Masque of the Vyle
Dark Eldar are naturally extremely good at this, with Vect being the best. Not only does he outwit his own people, use an enemy's hubris against them and participate in grandiose displays of macrabe terror inducing terror, but he can also subtly get under a person's skin, telling them a great story but then leaving it deliberately blank so to leave them desperate for the ending (which Vect will never tell!). He can read someone accurately just by the tiniest body motions and glints of a eye, and can outmaneuver even the canniest of foes as the above example shows.
Intelligence: 75/100:
See above profile
Experience: 93/100:
Generally every Kabal launches about several raids per year, with Vect's Kabal lasting over 10,000. Also the codex mentions that he has been spamming them in recent years. In addition Vect is mentioned to have not just survived but prospered from all manner of coups, pogroms, civil wars, revolutions, alien invasions, disasters and even Dysfunctions- a term that refers to the horrific event of a all out demonic invasion of Commoragh, of which Vect has endured several. Finally the codex mentions that he has fought and knows the weakness of every other 40k faction. Though a figure like the Swarmlord may have more overall experience Vect probably has the most experience directly against the mainstream 40k factions.
Discipline: 74/100:
Vect is pretty calm under pressure, especially when navigating the byzantine politics of his kabals, however he can be prone to excessive or extreme emotion, like all of his race.
Leadership: 67/100:
Rules through fear rather then anything else, and many Dark Eldar archons will secretely try to disobey him or undermind him in minor ways, though again fear prevents this from being overt and Vect's intelligence prevents it from being successful.
Corruption: ??
The Dark Eldar literally don't have a concept of morality. By our standards however he would be in the 90s, so evil.
Additional Factors:
--IF Vect dies Commoragh and the Dark Eldar fall into a civil war.
--Motivations? : It is believed by some that Vect's hold upon the Dark City is beginning to loosen: he visits uncharacteristically blunt retribution on those who defy him with increasing frequency. His realspace raids have become increasingly frequent as well, leading some to speculate that he has finally passed beyond even the capability for rejuvenation that the agonised murder of thousands of slaves can bring. Typical of the Dark Eldar, theories abound that Vect may be tired of success, rulership, or even his long existence. Others say he may be gambling against himself as it is now the only challenge that he can find in a city that has never had his equal. More sensible Dark Eldar believe that he is only feigning weakness until his true enemies reveal themselves, at which point he will destroy them. Nothing is ever sure when it comes to Asdrubael Vect, except that if he falls, the Dark City will be torn apart by vicious civil war.
--One potential Weakness here is that he doesn't care one iota for the lives of his fellow Dark Eldar (even those of the Kabal of the Black Heart), and will kill whole scores of them to destroy one enemy rival.
" When the universe ends Vect will still be alive in the nothingness that comes after, floating in an unbreachable bubble of his own deviousness and sense of self-satisfaction." --Commonly held view of Low Commoraghans on the feasibility of Vect dying.
" I raised a pillar Cyllidh's city gate and I flayed all of the dracons who had revolted, and I hung the pillars with their skins. Some I sealed at the base of the pillar, some I impaled upon the pillar on barbs, and others I bound round about the pillar with chains of burning ice....And I cut the limbs of the officers, of the noble officers who had rebelled....Many captives I burned with fire and many others I took as living slaves into my own house. From some I took their fingers and toes, from others noses and tongues of many I put out the eye so that all might know the hand of Vect." --Path of the Renegade
Sub-leaders:
Not even Vect can be there 100% of the time, and thus it often comes down to sub-leaders to save the day. To document every Archon known would be mindbogglingly difficult so instead I shall describe some general traits of these sub-leaders. Most of the Heroes profiles can be factored into here as well, and in order to fully evaluate this section one should read over the Archon/Haemonculli/Succubi profiles, as well as the organization notes in the beginning.
The Dark Eldar are unique in that they are part of a bitter meritocracy that dominates Dark Eldar leadership. Essentially it is next to impossible for a Dark Eldar to survive long if he/she is dumb, weak, or pampered, so no spoiled princes or political appointees such as what exists in the Imperium . Those that manage to get leadership positions riding on the coattails of allies are expected to be competent, capable of fulfilling the new Archon's desires, and showing at least formal, insincere loyalty (the only kind that exists in Commoragh). If the prospective appointee fails in any of these tasks then the Archon would discard him in a instant, for in the cutthroat world of the Dark Eldar only personal power and prestige matter. Incompetent underlings provide a real threat to that. Even the few remaining noble houses of Commoragh are now more or less meritocracies, with many of the nobles noted for their cunning.
Almost to a man(or woman!) Archons are cunning and far-reaching . They will spend hundreds of years crafting the perfect plot, planning the perfect real space raid, or avenging grudges. These schemes and plans are usually thought out to the smallest known detail, and though unknown factors always have a chance of mucking up the plan, in general these brilliant plots succeed over the so-called "lesser races". Furthermore for the most part they are naturally adept at sniffing out plots and discovering enemy-and their fellow Commoragh- plans, having come to power through some powerful plans of their own.
Raids are rarely just about slaves for the Dark Eldar; there is usually a ulterior motive. Whether its the increase of prestige in Commoragh, avenging a perceived insult to the Archon or a the Dark Eldar as a whole, or the pursuance of a mysterious themed objective (see "Themed Organizations") , Dark Eldar are constantly focused only on the future and their inevitable rise to power (at least in their eyes!). As forward-thinking creatures who only really look to the past in regards to slights or grudges, the Dark Eldar Archon nearly has his full attention turned towards the future. This can of course backfire, as Archons rarely learn from mistakes of the past unless it happens directly to them.... assuming they survive of course!
In contrast Succubi and Haemonculli are far more dedicated to their craft then the Archon. To them it is the perfection of their "art", whether it be perfecting a method of killing or pain inducement, as well as the prestige gained from their endeavors that matters. Haemonculli and Succubi commanders are often competent but comparably narrow-minded in their objectives when looked at alongside the Archons.
At lower levels you again see the example of meritocracy at work. Lieutenants of all stripes- whether they be Klaivex, Sybarite, Syren ect- get their position through being the strongest, most cunning, ruthless or most experienced. Should they prove inefficient they are swiftly replaced by their ever eager peers.
Perhaps the most obvious issue with Dark Eldar leadership is the tendency towards betrayal on all levels. After all what better time then when the other Dark Eldar are presumably distracted by the Dark Eldar? A Kabalite warrior might "accidentally" get hit in a chaotic melee with a poisonous spine, a blade might get inserted between a Archon's ribs while his attention is focused on a mortal foe, allowing the mortal to finish the fight, an ancient grudge might get pain in blood when a misaimed Dark Lance suddenly cuts through a ravager. On the more mundane level every archon will try to make sure another Cult/Kabal/Coven bears the brunt of enemy firepower rather then his or her own, and take great pains to blame others for failures.
However the Dark Eldar are creatures of cold, savvy calculations more then anything else, and will never commit hasty betrayals unless they were both sure of its success, positive that all negative repercussions could be accounted for, and weighed in possible repercussions. Still the prospect of on-battle betrayals is frequent enough to where it generally does not cause serious disruptions in Dark Eldar battle plans. Furthermore there is a degree of top-down regulation. For example if a Trueborn usurps and betrays a Dracon in battle that held a key position in a Archon's plan with the result being that the plan fails, then that Trueborn will have to deal with a wraithful Archon. At the top level Vect is shown to be capable of controlling the betrayals of his underlings on some level through pure fear of the consequences however it should be noted that Vect violates his own rules when its convenient for him.
One final weakness of the Dark Eldar leadership is arrogance. Though striving for perfection and attempting to plan out for all variables, Dark Eldar are nevertheless creatures of overconfidence. This sometimes causes them to underestimate their rivals, particularly if they believe their enemy to be of a "lesser" species.
Army X-factors
Morale: 75/100:
The Dark Eldar are extremely confident in their own abilities to the point of arrogance (extreme arrogance even) and I haven't read of many battles where their morale just breaks, though they will retreat in place of last stands and overwhelming odds. Each Dark Eldar may hold the utmost contempt for their foes, but value in their own life.
Logistics:72/100:
The Dark Eldar have a near untouchable supply route in the form of the Webway, and will usually plan very well for campaigns. However their raids and massacres are usually short-lived affairs, and they will be at a disadvantage for long term conflicts.
Espionage: 79/100:
Dark Eldar exceptionally good here, frequently using infiltration, sabotage, advanced scouting and meticulous panning to achieve their ends. And that is just against the non-Dark Eldar! They are far more subtle with their own kind....
Discipline: 61/100:
Extremely wishy-washy for one reason. While their battlefield tactics are honed and perfected over many millenia its the political backstabbing of the Archons themselves that gets in the way, as each tries to pursue their own political agenda while fighting the enemy. Such maneuvering has delayed the defeat of Dark Eldar enemies before.
Overall Army Intimidation: 74/100:
The initial score is based on FIRST IMPRESSIONS ONLY. The Dark Eldar wear horrifying armor, come suddenly and without warning out of the gloom, often stacked with horrifying trophies and monsters among them. They feed on fear, and will enjoy the sight of their enemy near petrified with fear.
Worse for the enemy as the truth behind the mass captures of the Dark Eldar becomes known this score will bump even higher, as men refuse to fight or commit suicide if it looks like any chance of them getting captured. Such is their reputation. Yet they are not quite as horrifying as Demons and the like, either based on first impressions or detailed background knowledge.
Misc x-factors:
Reinforcement Rate
*Low-Moderate :
The Dark Eldar probably beat out the regular Eldar here but other then that they have the lowest reinforcement rate of any 40k faction. However they can work around this via Resurrection techniques of Haemonculli (see additional factors). Corsair reinforcement will be almost non-existent.However as their Reinforcements come in from portals via the Webway it cannot be interfered with in any way. Also the Dark Eldar may be able to fudge around with this be using their cloning vats to grow new warriors, however this would naturally have a delay and wouldn't be of the best quality compared to those whose lives have fully been tempered in the Dark City of Commoragh.
The Dark Eldar have a huge list of enemies, given that they deliberately seek out everyone who they can to fight, and thus have a rather large experience with all of the below factions. Also though I may restate this Vect has personal experience agaisnt every faction listed here according to the codex.
--Dark Eldar:
Yep, ironically the Dark Eldar probably spend more time fighting themselves then any other race listed below. Nothing is forbidden to get a leg up in Commoragh and the various Kabals/Haemonculli Covens/Wych Cults ect frequently fight both against each and within each other, as ambitious underlings periodically make a attempt for power. In this way even when they are not raiding the Dark Eldar are accumulating tons of valuable experience, to the point where they are probably one of the best factions in their established niches. They are extremely hard to trick by non-Dark Eldar, simply because they have seen/done so many examples of deviousness. For this tournament all of them, without exception (but in particular Vect), are going to have immense experience with foes that are cunning, lithe, fast, and brutal beyond any measure.
--Imperium:
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The Dark Eldar have a particular hatred for the Imperium and humanity, viewing them as little better then beasts who pollute the "Great Wheel" as they call the galaxy, and resent the fact that the Imperium has taken over the Eldar's spot as the top dog in the galaxy. As such they seem to make it a particular issue to raid their worlds without restraint, taking millions if not countless billions of humans back to the Dark City each year. The Imperium fights back by trying to drown the Dark Eldar in the blood of countless masses of lasgun wielding troops, heavy armor (including the massive Titans), intelligent inquisitors, the mysterious Adeptus Mechanicus, fanatic Battle Sisters and countless other little different troop types, with some of it actually being good in the quality section.
In general the Dark Eldar gets the better in their engagements, as the Imperial Battle Doctrine is unsuited for combating them. The Dark Eldar don't bother with fortifications or defensive lines. Imperial lines frequently get overextended trying to counter the Dark Eldar, leading to exploitable weak points. Those Imperial officials who have successfully innovated to beat the Dark Eldar are targeted for viscous retribution.
 |
| One of the reasons the Imperium is inefficient in their battles is the tendency to lie and understate their enemies, as the red margins from a battle experienced Guardsmen notes. |
---Space Marines:
A subset of above, these are post genetically engineered bad-asses wielding some of the Best weapons that the Imperium has available, to defend humanity from threats such as the Dark Eldar. These warriors often carry hundreds of years of experience, are very intelligent, carry powerful weapons & armor, as well as Brute Force that the Dark Eldar cannot hope to match. Alone among the Imperium the Dark Eldar have the tiniest of respect for the Space Marines, and do go out of their way to fight them. Generally this seems to be a mixed bag, with plenty of accounts of the Space Marines prevailing however also there are just as many of the Dark Eldar winning, with Space Marines being a popular toy with which to break at will (the reasoning being that they are mentally strong enough to last hundreds of years before breaking, meaning more time to torture!).
--Orks:
Possibly the only race that the Dark Eldar look down upon more then humans, the orks are a persistent problem in the 40k universe. Wielding untold hordes of troops, a psychic reality warping field, and huge amounts of dakka, the orks are a formidable foe to be sure. They even once invaded Commoragh somehow, though it was put down once the Archons finally stopped fighting each other long enough to do something. Still the Dark Eldar aren't too impressed by this foe, regarding them mainly as a nuisance at best and a parasite upon reality at worst. They like to capture orks and force them to fight in the arena though, and are probably the only race that managed to poison the orks before on several occasions. Generally the Dark Eldar, from what I have read, get the better of the Orks. Vect will have experience with them of course, but Lady Malys might actually be the best commander against the orks here.
-Eldar:
Ahh the Craftworld Cousins! Though they will occasionally ally with them, the Dark Eldar look down upon them for denying themselves after the Fall, instilling their silly path system to stave off Slaanesh instead of tortuing billions to save their own souls like the Dark Eldar! The Eldar wield psychic powers including their much vaunted far-seeing, technology advanced enough to equal the Dark Eldar's own, and a extremely disciplined/cohesive force. Unfortunately I haven't heard of much other then skirmishes on this end, possibly because of the Eldar being one of the few forces capable of reaching Commoragh directly (though it would, according to Masque of the Vyle, require all Craftworlds moving towards one purpose and would incur horrific causalities) however the Dark Eldar have drained at least a few craftworlds dry for their amusement (see Masque) . The Dark Eldar have also fought and hired the shadowy and slippery corsairs before, as well as Exodites which are the primitive third of the Eldar race that uses giant dinosaur armies, lots of traps, and giant conscious planet-wide world spirits to defend themselves(which control all nature on the planet, and can wield powers such as creating Earthquakes and Volcanoes) .Such is the mastery of Haemonculli poisoning that they can taint even these world spirits.
--Tau:
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The Dark Eldar history with the Tau have been one of thinly veiled contempt and manipulation. Posing at first to be their allies convinced them to hand over some of their own citzens voluntarily while collecting information on the Tyranids (which Vect had ordered). Once the Tau finally figured out what happened to those that they had sent to the Dark Eldar for a "cultural exchange" they angrily rushed the Dark Eldar ships, only to find that no one was there. Meanwhile the Dark Eldar, led personally by Vect, rolled into the Tau main garrison, crushed it after spirited fighting, and spirited those inhabitants it didn't kill back to Commoragh to be tortured. Tricking the Tau yet again the Dark Eldar force then kited the vengeful Tau into a Eldar maiden world and the Craftworlders guarding it, which the Tau destroyed . This resulted in a retaliatory war with Craftworld Iyandean. However in straight up fighting, which the Dark Eldar don't usually fight, the sheer firepower of the Tau has resulted in victories by their force. The Tau wield very advanced technology, have alien auxillaries and disciplined, cohesive forces.
--Tyranids:
The Dark Eldar are one of the few races not intimidated by the Tyranids, thanks to living safe in the Webway. According to the Codex they aren't really worried about them at all, and will actually set up planets to be consumed by the Tyranids just so they can capture some of those beasts to bring them to Commoragh. In the War of Dark Revelations the Dark Eldar, helping the Tau breifly for their own insidious purposes, efficiently and painfully butchered entire army sections of Tyranids sent at them. The Tyranids wield hordes larger then the Orks, bio-organic weaponry, and pioneered the Zerg Rush.
-Necrons:
Little is known about battles between the Dark Eldar and re-awakening Necrons, though it is known that the Dark Eldar are wary of them yet very, very knowledgeable. The Necrons are their ancient-most enemies, and wield technology beyond even them, in addition to a deathless legion of soldiers. These robotic foes easily rank among the Dark Eldar's most formidable.
--Chaos:
Though Chaos might be more formidable. Perhaps more then any other faction the Dark Eldar hate and fear Chaos, for it is in Chaos that their doom ultimately awaits. Periodically in Commoragh there is a event known as the Dysfunction wherein hordes and hordes of demons invade the city. Each time (and these seem to be fairly frequent, given that the Haemonculli Bellathonis mentioned 4 happening in his life time) the Dark Eldar have fought off the limitless demons, corruption (including corrupted Eldar and Space Marines) and all sorts of psychic phenomena, though no one, not even Vect, particularly enjoys these moments.
--Other:
It is mentioned that the Dark Eldar raid a huge variety of species, such as the peace loving Naid Republic, though admittedly there isn't much concrete feats except that they raid other species. Usually it ends badly for the species they are raiding.
Quantity vs. Quality: Heavy Quality: The Dark Eldar are meticulous planners, and shun, even disdain the giant armies of meat that the Imperium, Orks and Tyranids throw around. Their units are each fitted to a specific role, and they combine that with extreme speed and finesse.
Offensive vs Defensive Modifier: Lean Heavy Offensive: Though the Dark Eldar recognize the value of whittling a enemy down through attrition or fainted attacks, they are heavy into offensive rushes and raids.
Reasons for Battle: Most often their singular reason for leaving the Webway to go into real space is the taking of slaves to return to Commoragh with. Other times it is mass infliction of pain in true massacres that both fulfills their need for pain and inflicts terror in the lesser species. However at times they have objectives, like creating a new weapon, vengeance for something done in the long distant past, the elevation of one Kabal over the others, or something truly unique or heinous. Usually they can find a reason to fight anyone.
ADDITIONAL FACTORS:
-Specific Tactical Maneuvers: The Dark Eldar, though incredibly varied in individual Archon's tasks, are known to use the following tactics, techniques and sometimes technological tools with frightening regularity.
--Lords of Twilight: Remember how the Dark Eldar excel at fighting in the Darkness? Well with this they don't have to wait for the night. Using Arcane technology the Dark Eldar choke the skies with baleful gloom, lowering enemy morale and enhancing their own fight capabilities.
--The Serpent's Strike/Combat Stimms: At a signal from the Archon the Dark Eldar abandon all restraint, injecting themselves with combat drugs and charging en mass into the fray. Obviously this would be used if the Archon in question really wanted a close quarters battle.
--Glorious Pain: The Dark Eldar injure themselves with their own weapons, the mass amount of pain in the air conversly making them more powerful. This is a way that they can bypass noticeable handicaps in dealing with enemies that don't feel pain, for the Dark Eldar are masochists as well as sadists.
--Webway Assault: The fabric of the Webway breaks apart at whim as the Dark Eldar can suddenly emerge from the Labyrinth dimension. They are known to use these portals to launch sudden, devastating assaults, quick retreats
--Hellish Cacophony: When the Dark Eldar choose to use this tactic it is generally prior to battle. Right before they attack the Dark Eldar are known to let loose hellish screams and wails in order to induce fear before a sudden assault.
--Dawn Raid : The Dark Eldar will often attack at Dawn to maximize the Element of Suprise. The Dark Eldar will use the preceding night to move as close to the enemy positions as possible. When the first rays of Dawn streak the target, Reaver Jetbikes and Raider transports suddenly swoop down on the target guns a blazing. As the enemy reels from this sudden onslaught the Dark Elda troops will dismount from their transports, leveling devastating splinter fire and viscous close quarter weaponry on their foes. In this manner the battle is often won before the sun clears the horizon.
--Carnival of Pain:
The twisted flesh-sculptures of the Dark Eldar require a vast intake of raw material. As a result, the Haemonculi of Commorragh's vile underbelly frequently have no recourse but to lead a Carnival of Pain to gather fresh 'volunteers' for their living experiments. A Carnival will commonly attach itself to a Dark Eldar raid, gliding forward with macabre grace to claim a tithe from the living plunder.Accordingly, the Master Haemonculus leading the expedition equips his lethal toys with broad-spectrum pain amplifiers that not only induce agony in the enemy but also nourish and invigorate the Dark Eldar nearby. Essentially another way to bypass enemies with the "feel no pain" rule. This formation requires a number of pain engines, Haemonculli, and their servants .
--Olympiad of Pain:
The three-year build up to a Dark Olympiad consists of a gruelling program of gladiatorial contests. During the Olympiad's finale, a major realspace portal is opened in the centre of the gladiatorial arena, and Wych Cult and audience alike are invited to pour out into the realm of mortals to bathe in an orgy of killing. Essentially what this means is that there is a chance that a mass of enthusiastic Dark Eldar randomly pour forth into Real Space, armed with lots of combat drugs and a surprisingly jovial desire among Dark Eldar to spread the pain bonuses to other Dark Eldar.
--Kabalite Web Strike: The Kabals of the Dark Eldar would swiftly fade into nothingness without the slaves and captives seized in each realspace raid, for the Dark City survives only through the
suffering of others. Though such raids are usually comprised only of those in high favour,an Archon will occasionally wish to gamble his entire power base on the slaughter and pillage of a preselected target in order to prove his might beyond all doubt. Such an attack will scream out of a webway portal without warning, its arrow-swift grav-craft breaching reality with such speed that their victims stagger backwards in disarray. The Kabal will then descend at breakneck speed, falling upon its victims with overwhelming firepower before disembarking to begin the killing at close quarters. This force is made of Kabalites, an archon and his bodyguards, and lots of Ravagers.
--Slave Raids: Sometimes a raid is made for captives more then just to kill, and in this manner the Dark Eldar will deploy viscious but lethal disabling mechanisms while still slaughtering those that exist.
--Feigned Retreat: The Dark Eldar are masters of deception, and take perverse pleasure in tricking their opponent and leading them to their doom. Should an enemy manage to gather themselves and launch an attack on a Dark Eldar raiding force, then the Dark Eldar will rarely stand and fight. Instead they will fire a slurry of shots and then fall back as if in panic. The Dark Eldar's flight however will be nothing more then a ruse to draw the attackers into a position where cunningly hidden Dark Eldar reserves can launch a ambush or devastating counter-attack. The Dark Eldar will fall back just quick enough to keep themselves from getting in serious danger but slowly enough that the enemy can keep up and be led into the site of the ambush. When the trap is sprung the enemy will find themselves fighting for their lives against a foe that had appeared to be already defeated.
--Splinter Raid Force: In this tactic, involving Raiders and Reaver jetbikes, the Archon suddenly has his raiders appear among-st the enemy via his mastery of Webway portals unleashing early volleys and screaming battle curses. Then before the enemy can pull up a adequate response Reaver jetbikes swoop in, filling the air with projectiles and explosive dark energy, further devastating enemy troops and defenses. Then, as the enemy finally scrambles to bring up a adequate defensive force, the Dark Eldar soar rapidly away.
--The Flaying: Dark Eldar raiding forces never attack the foe directly, but use their speed, mobility and the advantage of surprise to attack swiftly and then withdraw, with the intent of slowly bleeding the foe dry. As a result of this tactical doctrine, Dark Eldar forces never gather in a single place that would leave them open to an enemy counter-attack. This also allows them to attack the foe where he is weakest. During large battles, the Dark Eldar favour a style of combat that might be considered a "wave attack." The Dark Eldar in large war fleets assaulting well-defended targets organise themselves into successive waves made up of units with differing tactical capabilities and destroy the enemy in a series of separate but linked sequential assaults. Each wave will target a specific type of enemy unit or will pursue a specific tactical objective, which weakens the foe's defences just in time to face the next Dark Eldar assault wave. After several such assault waves, the enemy forces' defences are stripped away until only the weakest units are left to be ripped apart in the final assault. As a result, the Dark Eldar refer to this combat doctrine as "The Flaying."
By attacking the most dangerous enemy units with the lightning-fast assault that only the Dark Eldar are capable of, the Dark Eldar are able to create the opportunity for their other units to move into position and attack the survivors. The faster vanguard waves buy the time needed for the slower units of a Dark Eldar raiding force to outflank the enemy and deliver the coup de grace. An example of The Flaying proceeds as follows:
Wave 1: Splinter Raid -- Striking without warning, a Splinter Raid comprised of a single Archon and his bodyguard of Kabalite Trueborns on a Raider, 2 Reaver Jetbike squads and 3 other squads of Raiders attack the foe from out of the sky after emerging from a Webway portal, destroying and pinning those enemy troops that present the gravest threat.
Wave 2: Strike from the Shadows -- In the second wave, 2 squads of Scourges drop out of the sky and use their Dark Lances to target the vulnerable rear armour of enemy armoured vehicles, while 2 squads of Mandrakes appear from the shadows themselves to assault enemy infantry unexpectedly who are taking cover from the Scourges.
Wave 3: Mounted Kabals and Cults -- A much larger wave of swift-moving Dark Eldar troops, comprising an Archon and his bodyguard of Kabalite Trueborns on a Raider, 2 squads of Raiders, a squad of Hellions, a Ravager and an entire Wych Cult transported by a Raider, swoop in to engage the survivors of the earlier waves' attacks, and in particular this wave targets enemy command units.
Wave 4: Kabals and Cults on Foot -- By the time the fourth wave of The Flaying breaks upon the foe, the slowest elements of the Dark Eldar war fleet have had time to join the attack, and this wave includes 2 squads of Kabalite Warriors, 2 squads of Wyches and a pack of Warp Beasts led by a Beastmaster. This wave moves in for the kill on the ground and catches the enemy defenders between their own advance and the Dark Eldar elements already engaged from the sky, crushing the enemy in a classic hammer-and-anvil movement. Once the defenders are defeated, the torture and culling of the population into hideous enslavement will begin.
And I shall also restate some of those tactics that had already been mentioned above here:
Tactic: Ravager Titan-Hunters: I am sure some of you are thinking "these speedy craft are good and all, but aren't the Dark Eldar kind of helpess against a Titan or something massive"? Wrong! Against these giant behemoths the Dark Eldar deploy specialized Ravagers that come equipped with shadow beams. After using a avanced technique known as "Shadow Dancing" to hide themselves behind the sillouhettes of enemy vehicles they get in close to the Titan/Gargant/insert massive unit here. Once the Ravagers get in close the lead figure turns on the shadow beam, which creates rifts of warp energy that causes weaknesses so minute in the titan that not even its crew can detect it. However the other Dark Eldar can, and they move forward to rapidly accellerate and destroy the titan by targeting those key areas.
The best thing about this tactic is not only does it exploit physical weaknesses in armor, but it also allows the Ravager squad to IGNORE energy shields as well. Requires 3-5 Ravagers to pull off the stunt though.
--Tactic : Skyscythe Slaughter Host:
Sometimes Tantalus ships are paired with Reapes in a formation known as the SkyScythe Slaughter Host. In this formation the Dark Eldar move quickly through hidden webway portals into enemy lines, appearing to the screams of terror in the sky. Without missing a beat Reapers quickly target and disable the ships that they can, while Tantalus vessels, carrying in addition to their own weaponry Kabalite Warriors armed with Splinter Cannons or Dark Lances, unleash havoc on the enemy. The Tantalus horde then moves to skimmer across the ground, literally cutting down what remains.
--Tactic: Raven Murder Squadron: Requires 3 Ravens per squad. Appearing out of nowhere and striking with deadly accuracy, squadrons of Ravens lead the devastating Dark Eldar assault. First they knock out key defenses then they circle back around to cover the rest of the Dark Eldar force from enemy air craft.
--Tactic: Sickle Squadron: The most wealthy and ostentatious Razorwing pilots compete with each other during prestigious realspace raids,fiying in the face of the direst threats the enemy can bring to the field. When these masters of aerial combat gather, they will customise their jetfighters, installing generators along the sicklewings of their craft so that monoscythe fields project as horizontal blades of force. As they approach the enemy, these pilots turn their craft so that their wings are perpendicular to the ground. Anyone caught by their fields will be treated to the cleanest death the Dark Eldar have to offer. To bisect a preselected enemy officer from scalp to groin is seen as a true feat of skill by these Razorwing pilots, especially if the monoscythe field happens to dismember several of the victim's men in the process.
--Divine Intervention:Children of the Bloody-Handed God: Very, very rarely the Dark Eldar can appeal, after taking a number of losses, to their War God Khaine for aid. If he responds then his presence drives the Dark Eldar and their Eldar corsair allies to ever greater feats of murder, essentially making them more bloodthirsty (quite an achievement) and fight harder then before.
"Explain your meaning, slave, and in plainer words. My translator has clearly fouled on your primitive tongue, as it incessantly repeats some nonsense phrase about a "fair fight", whatever that is intended to mean."
-Archon Morygis
Dark Eldar raids are almost always extremely fast paced affairs, launched suddenly and without warning through the Webway. As often as they can, they will seek to catch their enemy by surprise doing as much damage in as short amount of time as possible, reveling in both the destruction they cause, the thrill of combat, and even the process of proving, in their minds, their innate sense of superiority they have over everything. Often it will be one ambush/sneak attack after another, each raid sent in at a critical point to the enemy's stratagem, or else a weak one. Should they manage to utterly destroy the enemy at this juncture, which they do the majority of the time, the individual Kabals will split off teams to gather up as many survivors as possible to take back to Commoragh.
However if they don't all is not lost, though Dark Eldar prefer very much to get out as fast as possible. Should they fail they will use all the dirty tricks their minds hold (about 100 times more than humans) to slowly whittle down the enemy by a thousand cuts - a raid through the webway inside the enemy lines, small squads sent to pick off portions of the enemy army and inflict terror, sneak attacks, destruction of enemy infrastructure, diseases and much more. They will be constantly moving too, split up into many different subforces acting independently to cause the most havoc and are notoriously difficult to pin in one place. Whereas the Tau want the complete destruction of a foe's military, in such situations where the Dark Eldar are truly committed they will seek nothing less then the ultimate destruction of not only the enemy's forces, but the enslavement of whatever remains on the planet. This is why when relief forces finally show up the most they usually find is eerie silence and only scant few environmental evidence that a battle recently took place. Well that and the mutilated bodies if the Dark Eldar choose to leave that.
--Contempt of Aliens: Though the Dark Eldar are not very unified, they are unified in the contempt for non-Eldar life and even those Eldar who they view as fools (Craftworld Eldar/Exodites). However nevertheless they will use aliens if it suits their purposes, having formed deals with human pirates among others in the past.
--Haemonculli Resurrection Techniques: So long as even the tiniest piece of flesh of a Dark Eldar can be brought back and given to a Haemonculli within a single day(has to be done within 24 hours), the Haemonculli can resurrect him/her. This is one of the ways that the Dark Eldar cheat death, allowing Dark Eldar to reemerge back into the fray in a later period. As for time of rebirth I would imagine it depends on the severity of the resurrection (just regrow a few body parts or regrow the whole thing from a severed finger?) and the amount of energy put into the resurrection, with the hardest regenerations requiring more pain or pain from very specific slaves . There are some apparently rare ways to resurrect someone who has died even thousands of years before, but these are frowned upon as they tend to leave the patient open to demon possession, thus leaving the Dark City to suffer. Also some few deaths that leave no cell left to rebuild from (like the Glass Plauge) or demonic possession (in which Haemonculli are obligated to put down for good) are beyond the Dark Eldar's ability to regenerate, thus counting as the dreaded True Death.
--Plague Masters: Only the followers of Nurge can match the Dark Eldar in the creation of biological weaponry. They have succeeded in poisoning both the Tyranids and Orks before, two enemies notoriously difficult to manipulate on that level. In another example they tailor-made a virus that ate the flesh out All sorts of different and horrible ideas are able to be created, with the Haemonculli being brilliant at creating both plagues and counters to plagues. The most information virus of the Dark Eldar is the dreaded glass plague, which causes mutations that turn victims into living glass statues. It is a hyper-virus, spreading as fast as the rage infection did in 28 days later (Haemonculli could probably create a rage virus too for laughs if they wanted).
--Unity of Purpose: All Kabals, Wych Cults, Haemonculli Covens and more are united by two desires the desire for power and the desire for slaves. Because of that even the most terrible of rivals will work and participate on raids together to get these vital resources- or make sure a rival doesn't get too powerful. They also love to participate in a true slaughter, which they will do if they can't get slaves.
-Weaknesses: Despite many strengths the Dark Eldar do have some profound weaknesses, some of which have already been mentioned.
--If Vect dies, the Kabalites collapse into civil war: If the head honcho of the Dark Eldar dies then its semblance of unity follows also. Eventually after a long grueling period of warfare i'd expect Lady Malys to prevail (or, if Vect was revived in time by one of his haemonculli supporters, probably him) , but we are still looking at a huge hurtle from a campaign perspective.
--Disunity: The Dark Eldar are selfish to the point of extremity. Even the lowest warriors secretly strive to replace the top positions, and in all levels the Dark Eldar will try to strive to maximize his own benefit. the Ork invasion of Commoragh, Dark Eldar disunity and infighting caused the Ork Waagh to do more damage then it should have. Though in both cases they ultimately prevailed, it is still a problem. During the Dsyfunction- the demon invasion of Commoragh- the Dark Eldar essentially had to be forced by Vect into a semi-unified front that Archons obeyed only officially, as they secretely assassinated each other, commited great acts of sabotage and coups, and even manipulated messages sent to Vect that would imply a foe's realm was (in this case ) falsely overun by Demons, which would lead Vect to sealing the realm and dooming everything inside (he probably realized the deception but Vect doesn't care too much about the lives of even his own people). In addition Vect himself used the Dsyfunction to try and assassinate known rivals, hampering true unity. In the greatest irony of the tale the most cohesive and disciplined section behind Vect's domain (where he ruled with an iron fist and accepted no dissension among his Kabal) was the section known as Null City, the section of the city where ALIEN mercenaries lived and were hired by Kabals periodically.
--Speed/Finesse over Defense/staying power: Though a Strength also, it should be noted that Dark Eldar specialize in quick raids and hit and run tactics. They will not do well when forced to rely on defense.
--Arrogance: The Dark Eldar view all other races (and indeed, the other 2/3 of the Eldar race) as vermin, and has lost to them at times through pure underestimation, though this is the exception rather then the norm.
Victory Gains:
-The Dark Eldar are willing to hire the darkest of mercenaries willing to work with them, and in fact have a entire realm in Commoragh dedicated to them (though they probably treat them only barely better then slaves). They are also willing to acquire new beasts to break and pets for the arena, and might be willing to acquire certain weapons/substances for use in eliminating their rivals. But of course their biggest gains will be slaves, as it always is.
Unfortunately due to their arrogance, they will not assimilate alien tech very much if they do so at all (low Tech gain score), will not create or use auxillaries/alien barring the worst of the worst mercenaries (and even then they will look on them with contempt) and of course unlikely to gain very much biologically.
Established Victory Gains:
VS. The Flood
To the victor goes the spoils, and just as canonically a given faction can win over new technology, weapons ect, so too can these factions. Through their finesse, rapid assault, and unique battle doctrine, the Dark Eldar of this tournament managed to score a victory over Halo's Flood as determined by the voters. Through such a victory they have gained new experiences and even weapons to use....
--Weaponized infection forms:
Though many of the more cautious Dark Eldar are loath to use such a dangerous weapon, some are reckless enough to throw caution to the wind, just as you occasionally hear Dark Eldar allying with demons or Necrons. These rogue Kabals keep a small portion of Flood infection forms in stasis to study and observe them. Should a Kabal get desperate enough, or as part of a plan, they may even try to release a few within the enemies ranks to start the inevitable spread. However such endeavors possess the possibility of backfiring....
--Fleshworkers:
Haemonculli are fleshworkers who love to craft new and terrible creations from whatever they get their hands on. Between the Humans and the Flood they have now a huge excess of material to work with, leading to the creation of tens of thousands of Grotesques (40k specifically for this tournament). The power of the Haemonculli Covens has grown, as well as their ability to provide for armies.
--Experience Gain: The Flood:
Though similar to the extra-galactic Tyranids the parasitic Flood proved to be a hardier foe altogether. Whereas the Tyranids devour the flesh the Flood consumed body and soul on a universal level. Once scheming Kabalites could be turned into mindless Flood servants in a minute, all the content of their minds laid bare for the all-consuming Gravemind to absorb. Once brilliant plans collapsed would collapse into ruin if the Flood happened to consume just a few Dark Eldar aware of it. Though they lacked the sheer deadliness of the Great Devourer by quality of troops in numbers they were akin to a great virus, spreading faster then even Tyranid production. For the first time the Dark Eldar were truly tested by the sheer rapidity of their foe's creation of new life as preventive measures fell short. Only through precise strikes and brief unity were the Dark Eldar able to prevail- and only barely.
The Flood give the Dark Eldar experience against a foe that can spread faster then any other, is able to hijack and take control of the bodies of the host, and finally can gain whatever knowledge available from their host.
Sources:
-Generic Lexicanum and Warhammer 40k wiki
- Path of the Incubus
-Path of the Renegade (both by Andy Chambers)
--Masque of Vyle (Andy Chambers)
- Path of the Outcast (Gav Thrope)
--Treasures of Biel-Tanth, Night on the Streets of Knives, Bellathonis and the Shadow King, and Curse of Shaa-dom (Andy Chambers mostly)
- Mistress Baeda's Gift by Braden Campbell (Short Story)
- Dark Eldar Codex, 3e
- Dark Eldar Codex 5e
- Dark Eldar Campaign, Dawn of War Soulstorm
--Harlequins Codex
--Imperial Armor Aeronautica
--Imperial Armour - Apocalypse
--Imperial Armour - Apocalyspe 2
--Imperial Armour Second Edition Apocalypse
--Unknown Supplements edition to the 3 above.
--Imperial Armour 2A - Dark Eldar, Eldar and Orks
-Imperial Armour 11: Doom of Myemara (corsairs)
--Apocalypse
--Apocalypse Reloaded
--Battle Missions: 40k Supplement Read here
--Death From the skies
--Warhammer 6th edition Rulebook
--Dark Heresy Dark Eldar
--Dark Heresy :Purge the Unclean
--Rogue Trader: The Korunas Bestiary
--Rogue Trader: Soul Reaver
--Only War: The Enemies of the Imperium
--Short Story: The Torturer's Tale
--Planetary Empires
--Munitorium: Shadow Field
--Iron Harvest (Apocalypse Short Story)
--White Dwarf 372, 380
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