Slaaneldari

[Lords of Preyspire]

Hello all!

 

A few weeks ago I started buying up bits to kit bash wythes into a eldar slaanesh cult (stand in for demonettes). Its intention really was to legitimize the use of the deathwatch army in a mini campaign I’m playing in. But it’s got me thinking, have we seen much in the way of mad slaanesh eldar?

 

Obviously it’s a pretty crazed thing to do but you never know what pacts a desperate group or Craftworld might make to save (hehe) their souls. I have heard rumors of a fabled Craftworld in a past WD and a slaanesh eldar emissary in one of the black library books.

 

I have also seen around the wikis the doomed Craftworld whose avatar has been possessed by a keeper of secrets.

 

So if anyone has any thoughts or info please share away!

[Spiritual Liege]

Why not? It'd be an unique and awesome idea. 

 

For modelling, those Age of Sigmar Witch Elves or Sisters of Slaughter could make quite decent ones, especially with the Sisters' masks on.

[Karhedron]

I believe the Slaaneshi herald was a pre-Fall thing intended to lure the Eldar further into depravity and hasten Slaanesh's awakening. Much the same relationship between the Yncarne and Ynnead.

[Lords of Preyspire]

Why not? It'd be an unique and awesome idea. 

 

For modelling, those Age of Sigmar Witch Elves or Sisters of Slaughter could make quite decent ones, especially with the Sisters' masks on.

Hehe, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing!

I believe the Slaaneshi herald was a pre-Fall thing intended to lure the Eldar further into depravity and hasten Slaanesh's awakening. Much the same relationship between the Yncarne and Ynnead.

Ahhh multi quote fail......

 

Ok so not a real eldar? Don’t happen to know what it’s in do you?

[Wulf Vengis]

Slaan...not what i thought I'd be seeing here.

[ERJAK]

Why not? It'd be an unique and awesome idea.

 

For modelling, those Age of Sigmar Witch Elves or Sisters of Slaughter could make quite decent ones, especially with the Sisters' masks on.

It would not be unique or interesting, it would be Drukari but with all the unique and interesting parts stripped away.Dark Eldar behave in exactly the same way a Slaanesh eldar cult would, only they have much more compelling reasons to do so than for 'teh evuls'. It's totally redundant.

[Claws and Effect]

 

Why not? It'd be an unique and awesome idea.

 

For modelling, those Age of Sigmar Witch Elves or Sisters of Slaughter could make quite decent ones, especially with the Sisters' masks on.

It would not be unique or interesting, it would be Drukari but with all the unique and interesting parts stripped away.Dark Eldar behave in exactly the same way a Slaanesh eldar cult would, only they have much more compelling reasons to do so than for 'teh evuls'. It's totally redundant.

Was it really necessary to go to the trouble of posting just to dump on someone's idea?

 

Yes, it's similar to the concept of Dark Eldar. But his specific idea was a Craftworld that fell to Chaos.

 

I think it's an original enough idea to be worth doing.

[carnosaur93]

 

I think it's an original enough idea to be worth doing.

 

 

me too! the idea of chaos eldar has always been interesting and oddly under-represented

 

but especially now with all the new daughter's of khaine stuff just around the corner, there has gotta be some sweet conversion possibilites in some of those new models

[Marshal Wolfhart]

It's basically a pact with the devil thing, just needs a really good explanation for slaanesh to let them go instead of just having a snack... why the eldar would want to be on the good side of she who thirsts is obvious imo.

It's an awesome idea with loads of potential, i'm really interested to see what might come of this :tu:

[Claws and Effect]

It's basically a pact with the devil thing, just needs a really good explanation for slaanesh to let them go instead of just having a snack... why the eldar would want to be on the good side of she who thirsts is obvious imo.

It's an awesome idea with loads of potential, i'm really interested to see what might come of this :tu:

Maybe they can be let go in order to feed other Craftworlds to Slaanesh?

[Xisor]

It's cropped up in the lore a lot, with the likes of the market world in "Atlas Infernal" - there's a cool opportunity to do neat conversions and work to some more 'classic' Chaos colour schemes.

 

I'm vaguely certain that Josh Reynolds' 40k stories have had Chaos Eldar in then somewhere.

 

I think, though, the main 'problem' with them is that, being Eldar, they tend to burn brighter for shorter times - hence giving the perception they don't exist. Outside the deep Eye of Terror and such places, I imagine the other Eldar make short work of them. (E.g. few successful empires out in the real world.)

 

Still, it's a fascinating bit of the 40k setting to explore I'd love to see more of it!

[Ioldanach]

Ancient pre-Fall elder serving Slaanesh have been part of the lore since the craftworlds as we know them were first introduced in 1990 (my copy of that issue White Dwarf is in the garage somewhere, so I'm quoting from the Warhammer 40,000 Compilation).

Even so, these planets [Daemon Worlds in the Eye of Terror] are not devoid of life, but are home to countless mortal followers and champions of the Chaos Powers as well as immortal daemons and their masters. Among the mortal inhabitants can still be found Eldar, some preserved since the time of the Fall, who champion the cause of Chaos on the Daemon Worlds and throughout the galaxy.

The last of the true Eldar eventually deserted their planets on board the few remaining spacecraft, beginning a new phase of Eldar civilization - the age of spaceborne travel and the Craftworlds. The creatures that screamed and cackled over the ruins of the Eldar worlds could no longer be called Eldar.

I always thought that these Champions of Slaanesh looked like they could have started life as eldar before turning to She Who Thirsts.

[Withershadow]

 

 

I think it's an original enough idea to be worth doing.

 

me too! the idea of chaos eldar has always been interesting and oddly under-represented

 

but especially now with all the new daughter's of khaine stuff just around the corner, there has gotta be some sweet conversion possibilites in some of those new models

It hasn’t been explored because it is in the realm of female Space Marines and Chaos Grey Knights. The birth of Slaanesh and his consumption of the Eldar gods gives him full claim on their souls. Turning to Chaos serves no purpose because they just get gobbled up. The only thing another Chaos god could offer is claiming their souls instead of Slaanesh, but Craftworld have spirit stones for that, and Drukhari have their vampire shtick.

[Kinstryfe]

I could see some traction for it though lore wise. The ruinous powers are known to reward those who offer up souls to them. There's no reason an Aeldari couldn't work out the same deal with Slaanesh. One yummy soul now, or a steady snack of souls. Sure it gets into Drukhari territory, but since Dark Eldar were a fan made army before they were a twinkle in GW's eye, there's no reason you shouldn't go with the idea if you like it.

[Skaorn]

 

 

I think it's an original enough idea to be worth doing.

me too! the idea of chaos eldar has always been interesting and oddly under-represented

but especially now with all the new daughter's of khaine stuff just around the corner, there has gotta be some sweet conversion possibilites in some of those new models

It hasn’t been explored because it is in the realm of female Space Marines and Chaos Grey Knights. The birth of Slaanesh and his consumption of the Eldar gods gives him full claim on their souls. Turning to Chaos serves no purpose because they just get gobbled up. The only thing another Chaos god could offer is claiming their souls instead of Slaanesh, but Craftworld have spirit stones for that, and Drukhari have their vampire shtick.

I disagree with this. Chaos Eldar have existed in fluff for a long time and have never been retconed. Though not mentioned directly they are still hinted at. The paths exist to try to prevent Eldar from falling to their old ways, Altansar is not trusted because they are believed to be tainted, Mandrakes might be daemon/Eldar highbreds, etc. Turning to the other gods might be desperate attempts to get away from Slaanesh. Slaanesh could easily keep Eldar around to help spread his/her will, because what god wouldn't like their evangelicals. Besides, it's not like you need a soul in 40k.

 

The difference between Chaos Eldar and female marines or Chaos Grey Knights is the unknown elements to it. Female marines are explicitly stated as not existing due to background that dates to times in gaming when it was okay to say things like a female fighter could not get up to an 18/100 Strength, when nowadays it makes more sense to appeal to a wider market (sorry, SoB are not female SM). Grey Knights have the potential to fall and must protect themselves vs the influence of Chaos but the likelihood that it happens to more than one at a time and aren't dealt with in house before there is any problem is slim. With Chaos Eldar there is a much larger realm of possibilities that could happen.

 

I'd say the biggest problems for seeing Chaos Eldar as official armies is concept and scale. How would you go about making an army that is substantially different from Dark Eldar, thread the needle between existing Chaos threats, and avoid the call for Chaos Orks too? I might go with a cross between sirens and the Ring for aesthetics, myself, but that's just me. I think they would also have a similar problem as Exodites would for wandering around the galaxy, picking fights. Chances are they would be a small percentage of the Eldar population as a whole and they probably wouldn't be seen much of outside the Crone Worlds beyond some hidden covens trying to avoid detection among other Eldar.

[Plasmablasts]

Sounds like a good idea. Skaorn makes some good points about why we might not see a Chaos Aeldari Codex, but there certainly seems enough precedent in the old fluff to justify the concept.

 

And with the new Daughters of Khaine and the forthcoming Idoneth, you’ve got plenty of material for conversions, which is ample justification for the project!

[Brother Tyler]

I see the Slaanesh-aligned Eldar as something that would be appropriate as an add-on to the Lost and the Damned concept. Instead of a dedicated force, they are simply a type of unit or units (potentially including HQs) that might be taken in a larger Chaos force.

 

In the meantime, there are probably plenty of modeling/conversion options for players that want to incorporate such concepts into their Chaos forces (daemon princes, mutants, champions, whatever). Hobbyists can go a long way towards incorporating the theme into their army via model appearance rather than relying on nifty rules.

 

Going back to a question posed in the OP by Lords of Preyspire, I doubt we would see any craftworlds align with Slaanesh-aligned Eldar. Even those that are rumored to be corrupted (e.g., Ulthwé, Altansar) still fight against Chaos. The craftworld Eldar loathe She-Who-Thirsts.

[Xenith]

Read C.S. Goto's "Eldar Prophecy" once, then burn it. 

 

 

Plot twist. The Eldar ruling council were a chaos cult all along!

[Lords of Preyspire]

Apologies to all. I totally forgot that I made this thread! I appreciate the replies. I’m taken with the idea that they might be eldar hunters themselves. Thank for the WD snippets, great info.

 

Anyone remember that tune tablet thing? If I remember it had a rune for the dark kin and a more shunned rune for those that are diabolic. I like the idea that this has something to do with Slaanesh.

[Brother Tyler]

This one?

[Slan Drakkos]

Ahhh multi quote fail......

Ok so not a real eldar? Don’t happen to know what it’s in do you?

Book 2 of the Macharius Crusade; The Fist of Demetrius. Granted, it's only shown for a few paragraphs.

 

Found it. Since it's very long, I'm going to divide it into one spoiler box for each page.

 

Page 1

Macharius divided us into watches and we threw ourselves down, using our packs for pillows. My head no sooner hit the ground than I was asleep and my dreams were weird and haunted. At first I remembered my early life in the slums of Belial. I saw my father, old and worn out by work. I saw the guild factorums in which Anton and Ivan and I had laboured. I was chased through them by gangsters. They were going to pull off my fingers with red-hot pliers. There was something daemonic in their faces. Somehow they followed me into the camp where I did my basic training for the Guard, but now they were instructors, always threatening with the pliers if I did not learn fast enough, and I knew I could not. They were officers howling commands at me in the jungles of Jurasik and the lava flows of Karsk.

 

Page 2

They pursued me through the airless tunnels of the asteroid fortresses of Mahagan and the dimly-lit streets of Hive Skarthius, where skull-masked priests led armies of grey-skinned men. As the dreams progressed I became aware of changes in my surroundings. I was still being pursued, sometimes through familiar landscapes, then through places that resembled the valley above – but around its edges were the streets of a city, which extended down into the tunnels below. At first the streets were empty, but as the chase continued they were crowded by those thin-lipped, fine-featured xenos we had seen modelled in the statuary. They watched me being pursued and they made no move to help, although they seemed interested in a vague and distant way. I dived into the middle of a crowd of them, determined to lose the things that hounded me. Suddenly there were more of the xenos and they no longer noticed me, crowds of them went about their business, got on with their lives. Somehow the urgency of the pursuit fled and I knew I was, for the moment, safe. I paused and studied my reflection in the mirrored window of a shop, and I saw now that my form was not human but eldar. I was taller and thinner and far better looking. With the strange logic of dreams I did not question the transformation. My own life as a soldier of the Emperor was the dream now. Memories crowded into my head, of my life as an eldar, of a family and a house and an existence that felt as real as my waking career as an Imperial Guardsman. I looked up and once again my surroundings were changed. I was in the valley above, but now it was entirely occupied by a prosperous city of stone and crystal, of egg-shaped buildings and oval towers with minaret spires. I strode up a long curved walkway and looked down upon the valley. There were temples there, huge and ancient and familiar. The gods looked down on their blessed followers. Looping over everything was a massive roadway reminiscent of the one we had walked through the gate. It floated over the buildings and vanished into the surrounding mountains. I noticed in the streets that there was a preacher, robed in gold and purple and green. He smiled beatifically at passers-by and preached words of love and charity and hope. He told of the coming of a new god, that would lead the eldar once more to greatness of soul and spirit, who would provide guidance to the lost, hope to the dejected, peace to the troubled. He would lead the eldar to a life of simple, endless pleasure.

 

Page 3

The priest spoke, and folk listened to the sweetness of his voice and words. I listened too, and I was troubled without knowing exactly why. My people were at the height of their greatness. There was no poverty, no hunger, no hatred in our hearts. What could such things mean to us? There was a sense that all problems had been solved. The only things that troubled us were of the spirit; we faced the boredom of a serene, happy existence. There were troubling reports of great wars among the other races, but we took no part in them. Things shifted once more. Time had passed. The city no longer looked so clean and clear. The lights seemed dimmer. There were more shadows everywhere, but not because of catastrophe. It was because the people of the city wanted it this way. They wanted shadow now. They wanted quiet places where they could move apart and smoke their pipes and lie in each other’s arms and pass their time most pleasantly. The priests in gold and purple and green moved among them, smiling approvingly, speaking their words of tolerance and comfort, encouraging the folk in their pursuit of pleasure. Life was sweet, and desires were to be embraced. Experience of any sort was good. I heard sermons preached that soon the bright golden god would appear and speak his word and the universe would be transformed in the light of his presence. Listening to the words I felt a sense of falseness and was disturbed, but I took another puff from the narcotic hookah and reached out for my lovers and found peace. More time passed. The people had turned their faces from the old gods and swarmed into the temples of the new god, who was yet to be born. Shrines lay neglected. Offerings went unmade. Life had altered strangely. People ignored their daily business now, lost themselves in sleep and the consumption of narcotics and hallucinogenics. Few people went about their business by day, but emerged only at night, to revel and indulge in orgies of love-making and drug-taking and the consumption of hallucinogenic wine. The priests led the revels now and preached the word of the imminence of their god, and people watched and waited, sensing that soon the world would change forever. In the tunnels below, new statues were erected to the god. It was not like the friendly beings of old. Not everyone approved. Not everyone took part in the revels. Other preachers appeared, saying that something was amiss, that some great disaster was imminent, that soon there would be a cosmic crisis that would destroy eldar civilisation. Few paid attention.

 

Page 4

Sometimes those who spoke out were found beaten to death or overdosed on narcotics. Sometimes I saw priests in gold and purple and green standing over their corpses. Some packed their families and belongings and left, taking flight to new planets or setting out for the great world-ships. Some built a great vault, a safe place into which they could retreat within the webways. They began to experiment with devices that would tap the flows of power, let them restructure reality. Most stayed, too drugged to move, too overwhelmed by the pleasures of life to do anything other than take part in the day-long rituals in the temples of the new god. I sensed a mighty presence looming over everything, biding its time, waiting its moment. I was not alone in this. The sense of presence, of being at the end of something, gave the revels a desperate fury. People turned to darker pleasures. Blood flowed in the streets, and not all the victims of violence were unwilling participants. All sense of proportion, of restraint, departed. Now, day after day, night after night passed to the beating of great drums, and dancing and revelry to the sound of hellish, discordant piping. Eldar ran naked through the streets, bodies covered in tattoos written in blood, or woven from scars. Sacrifices were made everywhere to the new god as all vestige of sanity seemed to be extinguished. The priests in gold and purple and green cavorted lewdly in the streets, leading the revels, consuming the potions with the greatest enthusiasm, speaking mad words of revelation that eager-eared listeners drank in. The day of embodiment was fast approaching. The sermons grew ever less restrained, ever more vehement. The priests led the population in ritual chanting, in the defacing of the statues of the old gods, in the creation of newer and less wholesome idols. Under cover of night things began to appear, that looked like people but whose limbs ended in claws. They danced in the moon-lit streets surrounded by clouds of intoxicating perfumes that drove all those who breathed them in to greater and greater heights of hedonism. The day arrived. The sky split. On a thousand worlds, the god appeared and looked down on his people and smiled. And they screamed for they saw at last the visage of the being they worshipped, and they were afraid. Their screams lasted but an instant for the newborn god breathed in and their souls were sucked from their bodies and drawn into his maw.

 

Final page

With every soul devoured the god grew in power and strength. It became harder and harder for those who resisted to endure. Starting with the weaker souls, he gained strength until not even the mightiest could stand against the strain. The worst of it was that even as they died and were devoured, their screams of terror turned to screams of ecstasy. Hearing these, those who resisted, resisted no longer and the mad scramble to escape doom became a willing submission to it. Bodies fell in the street, drained of spirit and animation, as the daemon-god fed. The streets of the city became filled with corpses. Ships fell from the sky, no longer piloted. Vehicles slewed off roads as their drivers were absorbed into the presence of the newborn deity. In moments, stillness settled on the city as all of its inhabitants died and were transformed into part of the new entity. Lights still flickered, signs still flashed, but there was no one there to stand witness. An end had come to the city, and I knew that all across the galaxy, on every world the eldar had inhabited, it was the same. A new evil had been born, weaned on the souls of an entire people, a creature of cosmic power and malevolence, a new Power of Chaos destined to strive with the others for dominance of the universe. In my mind I saw thousands of suddenly empty worlds, and I felt the new god’s presence. A single titanic word echoed through my mind in the aftermath of its birth, a name: Slaanesh. I woke screaming. I was surrounded by men doing the same.

[Slave to Darkness]

So visually, how would you guys imagine Slaaneshi Eldar?

[Slan Drakkos]

So visually, how would you guys imagine Slaaneshi Eldar?

partially warped/mutated eldar. They would of course look/act like dark eldar. They wouldn't be so obsessed with the pain aspect of slaanesh, maybe with different cults that specialize in different aspects of slaanesh.

 

I imagine they'd look quite a bit like a solid mixture of Dark Eldar and Juan Diaz daemonettes

[Lord_Caerolion]

To me, I'd say they wouldn't look that different from normal, at least at first glance. Maybe the eyes would be a bit darker than normal. Upon closer inspection, their skin is a bit too flawless, almost like porcelain. Their features too symmetrical, their mouths a fraction too wide. Now that you look closer, their eyes aren't just dark, they're entirely black. Their features, wrong as they looked before, are now the epitome of perfection, and now your soul is theirs.

[Kinstryfe]

I know that this is a WHFB thing, but since Chaos has a history of going both ways, it may be at least /thermically/ relevant. There was for a short time a Dark Elf Slaanesh cult army, and their leaders were Anointed, who were dark elves who had been exposed to the chaos wastes for a very long time. They were generally resistant to mutations, but their eyes usually darkened to black, and their skin tended to change in color. Since Aeldari were GW's space elves, it stands to reason that this is one possible effect of chaos worship on Aeldari.

 

There were also, I believe, some designer comments on why the Yncarne looks quite Slaaneshi, effectively being because Slaanesh and Ynnead were both primarily shaped by the Aeldari psyche. So a traditional Slaaneshi aesthetic would work with little adjustment, as it's already quite Eldar inspired anyway