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How do the Dark Eldar maintain their population? They are taking constant casualties from their raids, not to mention the 24/7 backstabbing and murdering that goes on in their society. To make up for this, they would require an enormous birthrate and somehow I can't see them staying home to raise the kids.

They live in the webway iirc, so I don't think it's mentioned how many there are.

I may be wrong, but I thought that most of the Eldar turned to the dark side, so there would originally have been more Dark Eldar than there were Eldar.

In regards to raising children, they might have their slaves do it.

*shrugs*

I am not really up on Dark Eldar to be honest.

Most of them (All Eldar withing 1000 light years iirc) had their souls ripped out of them and just dropped dead when Slannesh was born. According to the Eldar codex they kind of just appeared and have cities in the webway.

Also, just for some perspective, the human race only occupies one planet (as vaguely presumably do the DE) - is murdering and backstabbing, and has multiple wars killing huge oodles of people all the time but our population continue to grow...and the DE are *way* more into doing the nasty then the average human as far as I can extrapolate from the fluff.

Also, it is cannon that the Warp does not play well with the time stream of the rest of the universe. So perhaps Commeragh sits on a spot with accelerated time to allow quicker rearing of progeny.

Thor665 wrote:Also, just for some perspective, the human race only occupies one planet (as vaguely presumably do the DE) - is murdering and backstabbing, and has multiple wars killing huge oodles of people all the time but our population continue to grow...and the DE are *way* more into doing the nasty then the average human as far as I can extrapolate from the fluff.

Also, it is cannon that the Warp does not play well with the time stream of the rest of the universe. So perhaps Commeragh sits on a spot with accelerated time to allow quicker rearing of progeny.

Somewhat true. However, we don't have a galaxy full of enemies who want to exterminate us nor do we have to go out and kidnap people to torture so a Chaos god doesn't suck out our souls while we're alive. Also, we don't have to kill our superiors to get promoted. Also, we do occasionally work things out peacefully.

My guess is that they are humping like bunnies. The dark eldar have been steadily Increasing their activity and their holdings. So I am of the opinion that their numbers are in fact increasing. Unlike the prudish craftworld eldar.

Giant cloning vats.

I like the 'breed like rabbits' answer. And come on, even evil people care for their children (unless they are UBER evil.)

Maybe they are just the ultimate.. wait what was it you called it when people had as many kids as possible just for the economic support(of course, the DE would exploit their offspring in totally different ways) ... society.

Breed like rabbits, all get neglected and abused by the whole population, grow up just as angry as their ancestors. Has got to be that.

Naw, they probably take their kids with them when they raid.

Hey, gotta start em' young!

"Okay son, this is a Raider. We ride atop them so the slaughter may begin as soon as possible. They are made of only the finest wet cardboard..."

They are made of only the finest wet cardboard..."

Ahahahahahahaha! That part nearly made me wet myself.

They dont raid hard targets - overwhelming numbers, superior firepower and surprise - in the fluff they would not generally take many cas operating like they do

think using a warhammer to crack open a peanut

Thor665 wrote:"Okay son, this is a Raider. We ride atop them so the slaughter may begin as soon as possible. They are made of only the finest wet cardboard..."

"Alright son, now pay attention. When the Raider crashes it's essential to jump off immediately before someone stabs you and acts like you died in the crash. I know, because that's what I did to my father at your ag- *gurgle*"

well, it wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if they were churning out babies, i mean they are addicted to pleasure!

yeah, I second the humping like rabbits. The dark eldar have given themselves over to Slannesh, it would only make sense that they're a tad less prudish than the Craftworld eldar.

Actually, a slight bit of threadjacking now... I thought the dark eldar chilled on Commoragh and nowhere else, using the webway only for transportation. I didn't think one could live in the webway.

My main army for the longest time was the Dark Eldar. They may be backstabbing and murderous, their ancestors being closest to the Fall than the other Craftworlds. They hide their Craftworld in the Webway to escape the clutches of the Great Enemy.

They hate Slaanesh and Chaos even more than normal eldar. So much so that they have almost no psykers in their entire sub-species. But because they don't have an infinity circuit or soulstones they need to constantly harvest souls to extend their own life spans. If not Slaanesh will slowly turn them into empty husks.

So the higher their status, the more slaves and subordinates they have. The longer their lives are. And less a chance Slaanesh as to devour their souls. So its a closed circle. Bound by the circumstances of their own existance. The only way to survive when you have a Chaos God eating your race is to be as ruthless and terrible as you can.

In a way I pity the Dark Eldar.

The only fluff I've read about their raids was against a village which only had a handful of peasants with hunting rifles to defend it; they lost about 3 men...

I imagine Commarragh as one big decadent city; filled with pleasure cults and as many places of vice as places of slaughter; I imagine they do pop out kids and just leave them with the slaves; at the end of the day, the DE can pop out anywhere at anytime for a brief raid, they don't need manpower to do that: So even a lone city could still be capable of what they are... with a positive birth rate.

I mean, they're hardly Empire-builders...

Maybe they even impregnate their Eldar slaves?

Dark eldar see themselves as superior to other races so from my own personal point of view im not sure they would allow one of their own species to be born through a 'lesser' race. Then again theres nothing to say they dont view other races as carriers for their own 'superior' race.

Henners91 wrote:Maybe they even impregnate their Eldar slaves?

All I can imagine now is Eldrad chained to the floor while a Dark Eldar stands over him undoing his belt and doing a menacing laugh.

Dark Eldar rape thier slaves.

Paul Atreides wrote:Maybe they are just the ultimate.. wait what was it you called it when people had as many kids as possible just for the economic support(of course, the DE would exploit their offspring in totally different ways) ... society.

It's a demographic that simply doesn't exist, made up in the 80s to foster support for funneling social services money into the military industrial complex.

MasterSlowPoke wrote:military industrial complex.

That's what the Imperium of Man IS.

...actually every race in 40K is basically that, yeah.

Dark Eldar rape anything with sexual weapon

romulus571 wrote:yeah, I second the humping like rabbits. The dark eldar have given themselves over to Slannesh, it would only make sense that they're a tad less prudish than the Craftworld eldar.

Actually, a slight bit of threadjacking now... I thought the dark eldar chilled on Commoragh and nowhere else, using the webway only for transportation. I didn't think one could live in the webway.

Why does everyone think they are given over to Slaanesh? They are not. They know only of pain. Slaanesh is always pulling on their souls. Their society is trapped in its current existance with no way out. They are given to extremes as all Eldar are. But are more predisposed to doing so because of it. The webway is the only place where the pull of Slaanesh is weak since it exists outside normal reality. Commorragh is a Craftworld, like Iyanden, Samm-Hain, Ulthwe etc. It is a world sized thing. Entirely self-sustained. They probably have forested zones, lakes and other things to maintain their population and to recycle the air.

The only other Craftworld to exist inside the Webway is the Black Library.

TauAdmiral wrote:

romulus571 wrote:yeah, I second the humping like rabbits. The dark eldar have given themselves over to Slannesh, it would only make sense that they're a tad less prudish than the Craftworld eldar.

Actually, a slight bit of threadjacking now... I thought the dark eldar chilled on Commoragh and nowhere else, using the webway only for transportation. I didn't think one could live in the webway.

Why does everyone think they are given over to Slaanesh? They are not. They know only of pain. Slaanesh is always pulling on their souls. Their society is trapped in its current existance with no way out. They are given to extremes as all Eldar are. But are more predisposed to doing so because of it. The webway is the only place where the pull of Slaanesh is weak since it exists outside normal reality. Commorragh is a Craftworld, like Iyanden, Samm-Hain, Ulthwe etc. It is a world sized thing. Entirely self-sustained. They probably have forested zones, lakes and other things to maintain their population and to recycle the air.

The only other Craftworld to exist inside the Webway is the Black Library.

I always thought that the dark eldar were given over to slaanesh in the sense that they are almost addicted to dealing pain and the thrill it gives them. The fact they gain pleasure from it means that their corrupted by slaanesh. However at the same time i know they loath slaanesh and essentially fear it?

Yes because slaanesh feeds off thier souls.I think it's because they don't have sprit stones.But dark eldar either breed like rabbits which has said many times over(chica chica wow wow chica wow)or they could clone themselves.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Thor665 wrote:Also, just for some perspective, the human race only occupies one planet (as vaguely presumably do the DE) - is murdering and backstabbing, and has multiple wars killing huge oodles of people all the time but our population continue to grow...and the DE are *way* more into doing the nasty then the average human as far as I can extrapolate from the fluff.

Also, it is cannon that the Warp does not play well with the time stream of the rest of the universe. So perhaps Commeragh sits on a spot with accelerated time to allow quicker rearing of progeny.

Or maybe it's the opposite where is really slow in that area of the warp.So it could be hundreds of years and they could still only have aged a day practiclly immortal.

Kids are just another weapon for the dark eldar. You pop them out and train them, and they are loyal for a while until they get it in their heads that you are weak and old. Then the stupid ones wake up dead while the smart ones either start their own kabals or take yours.

I dont see them doing anything to their immediate family. That would weaken their own power base and open them up to attack from outsiders. Kabals are constantly vying for each other. Open war is a product of only the lowest kababls that control perhaps a block or two.

But more intricate battles take place in the high Kabals. Where it is a murder here or there. Well placed lies and theivery.

I think people have the wrong view about the Dark Eldar.