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Hello Dakka!

The Dark Eldar Codex talks a lot about how loyalty is rarely seen in Commoragh, how backstabbing and clawing your way to the top of the hill is the usual procedure. Everybody fights everyone and has some plan to overthrow his superior. Imperial and Craftword texts go so far to describe the Dark City as a festering place only vomiting hate and intrigue into realspace.

But...new Dark Eldar are born. This is done in two ways: Either by growing them in tubes or, well, the traditional way.

I was wondering...who orders the first process to be started? Who cares for Dark Eldar children? If everbody is a backstabbing son of a grox in Commoragh, a young boy or girl seems like a valuable target for whatever scum lurks in the alleys. Who has the movitation to protect them? The Kabals? The Kabals are conglomerates of high warrior elites and plan realspace raids, can you imagine them running a daycare institution?

The natural way opens up maybe even more questions. Dark Eldar becoming parents and raising one of the "Trueborn" that people love to give Blasters and put onto Venoms...this seems to require a lot of effort and emotions that are VERY rarely associated with the Eldarith Ynnead. Male Wyches are mentioned to be a source of strong offspring for their cults...do you think male and female Wyches actually fall in love with each other, raising their children in the partial safety of a Cult's house? Or might it be more that the Succubi choose female Wyches to bear new children for the cult and the whole sexual act is more of an ordered, forced thing? In this case, again, who cares for the children?

Has anybody else thought about this? I'd like to hear your ideas and thoughts about this!

In "fear the xeno" there is a dark eldar story about a warlord, who's right hand man is his daughter. He hoped that, one day, it would be her who overthrew him and not some stranger he didn't train himself. Children are seen as the continuation of their bloodline and are as cared for as much as any child, though maybe not as lovingly.

Well eldar experience all mental states and sensations at higher levels than humans. So maybe love and caring for children and spouses feels especially good.

In that same line of thought it feels pretty good to make a new friend. And if eldar have their mental states intensified, imagine a kabal that runs around making friends with everyone because it's considerably pleasureable. That would be the best kabal ever.

Actually maybe that's why a kabal works, the emotions tied with friendship are so strong that they all stick together. How touching! I want to see more kabals centered around pleasure gained from good deeds!

Anyway, not all DE are in a Kabal, the same way only about 1-2% of Earth's population are soldiers. There's plenty of regular DE who could start families. I'm sure those guys aren't worried about all the intrigue, they don't really have anything to intrigue about, they got no stakes in the games of nobles. Though I'm sure they all love to gossip about it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Edit: I wonder if they think jokes are extra funny.

The normal tube grown DE are grown to be adults not kids, so they can be discounted. Trueborn DE are born out of nobles and they protect them to ensure they have very loyal children helping them.

Loyal in the sense of

"Son , if I somehow shown a sign of weakness , STAB ME"
"'Kay dad, no worries"

I would say they do actually fall in love. I mean, the Eldar fall in love for sure, they just have children really slowly.

Biologically the Eldar and the Dark Eldar aren't tooooo different. Especially since the Dark Eldar are out seeking pleasure and ecstasy all over the place I would imagine falling in Love is an especially good feeling. Caring for children and producing more babies probably is as good for them as all those drugs.

So I expect it's part of the natural order of life, even if the reasons for staying in love are more because "it's the most powerful drug there is" rather than 'true' love.

Interesting so far...however, the question WHY some Dark Eldar are grown in tubes and who orders the process to be executed by the Haemonculi has not yet found an answer. It seems something that might just be done if there's a lack of Dark Eldar or competent Dark Eldar...but in a city as big as Commoragh, when might that be?

On a related note concering love for Dark Eldar...the warriors are known to wear their armour in a way that the connecting strings of their segmented plates have hooks or barbs that carve deep into their own flesh, to "keep their senses sharp". If it seems like the Dark Eldar get some kind of pleasure out of this...it seems somehow strange that they would enjoy harmonic affection and love at the same time.

I guess the way Dark Eldar are described in the codex, every single one of them is into hardcore S&M in the bedroom. They feed on pain, right? I guess the pain of a loved one might be even more stimulating and invigorating for them...

Brrr. The Dark Eldar are in a way even more creepy than the twisted traitor legions...

With all the orgies that probably go on...

Witzkatz wrote:Interesting so far...however, the question WHY some Dark Eldar are grown in tubes and who orders the process to be executed by the Haemonculi has not yet found an answer. It seems something that might just be done if there's a lack of Dark Eldar or competent Dark Eldar...but in a city as big as Commoragh, when might that be?

On a related note concering love for Dark Eldar...the warriors are known to wear their armour in a way that the connecting strings of their segmented plates have hooks or barbs that carve deep into their own flesh, to "keep their senses sharp". If it seems like the Dark Eldar get some kind of pleasure out of this...it seems somehow strange that they would enjoy harmonic affection and love at the same time.

I guess the way Dark Eldar are described in the codex, every single one of them is into hardcore S&M in the bedroom. They feed on pain, right? I guess the pain of a loved one might be even more stimulating and invigorating for them...

Brrr. The Dark Eldar are in a way even more creepy than the twisted traitor legions...

I think test-tube DE are grown just so a kabal can have more soldiers. I'd imagine an Archon would place these orders. I also doubt that they would have this procedure for civilians. I guess DE like all sensations, pain, love, pleasure, and so on. They just have a really perverted vision of each mental state and they of course obssess over them.

Being creepy is why I love my Deldar so much <3

Witzkatz wrote:Interesting so far...however, the question WHY some Dark Eldar are grown in tubes and who orders the process to be executed by the Haemonculi has not yet found an answer. It seems something that might just be done if there's a lack of Dark Eldar or competent Dark Eldar...but in a city as big as Commoragh, when might that be?

On a related note concering love for Dark Eldar...the warriors are known to wear their armour in a way that the connecting strings of their segmented plates have hooks or barbs that carve deep into their own flesh, to "keep their senses sharp". If it seems like the Dark Eldar get some kind of pleasure out of this...it seems somehow strange that they would enjoy harmonic affection and love at the same time.

I guess the way Dark Eldar are described in the codex, every single one of them is into hardcore S&M in the bedroom. They feed on pain, right? I guess the pain of a loved one might be even more stimulating and invigorating for them...

Brrr. The Dark Eldar are in a way even more creepy than the twisted traitor legions...

I thought the codex stated that "natural babies" took a lot longer and thus test tube babes were being born to account for the slow rate of natural reproduction. Also, it seemed that having a natural born was a luxury and thus only nobles would have them. Either way, DE are fethed up. That's why I love'em. Why does it seem strange that one would love to love but love to hurt also? I see people like that all the time. Usually locked in a marriage.

I'm totally going to change my kabal's fluff into guys who get crazy pleasure out of simple things like gardening, telling jokes, and taking care of toddlers.

I also forgot the bit about only nobles having babies. Then again I don't think every noble is in a kabal, or at least they aren't all on the frontlines, so they can afford to have kiddies. I wouldn't be suprised if lower classes were not allowed to have children as some form of control/oppression.

asimo77 wrote:I'm totally going to change my kabal's fluff into guys who get crazy pleasure out of simple things like gardening, telling jokes, and taking care of toddlers.

I also forgot the bit about only nobles having babies. Then again I don't think every noble is in a kabal, or at least they aren't all on the frontlines, so they can afford to have kiddies. I wouldn't be suprised if lower classes were not allowed to have children as some form of control/oppression.

The Kabal of Friendship and Bunnies?

I think that researching how people like the Mongols raised children would give some insight. The real-life Mongols were just about as brutal as the Dark Eldar, murdering, raping, and pillaging their way across half the globe.

I know that the rape part garnered them some offspring and I assume the slave woman would raise the child?

But as for young Mongols, reading just a little bit about Ghengis Khan, I know that he had a rather violent upbringing, but it seems that he received some protection from his immediate family. I imagine that the Dark Eldar would likewise have some desire to protect their own children. It need not necessarily even be love, but pure pragmatism. I don't know a ton about the Dark Eldar, but I seem them capable of lots of lust but no true love.

Kabal of Friendship


And now I must repaint my half my army......

"Eat your guts boy, or no eyeballs for dessert!"
"But moooom!"

Mukkin'About wrote:"Eat your guts boy, or no eyeballs for dessert!"
"But moooom!"

"don't you talk to your mother like that, or i won't let you go see the Mon-Keigh vs wythes fight on saturday!"

I like to think of it as how very wealthy human nobles would have raised there children back in the day. Very callous and proffesional, totally devout of love and affection, a means to an end. The DE child would be tutored by all the kabals best warriors, scholors, and politicians. groomed from the day of birth to be a badass trueborn or dracon. The is no love, no effection in the dark city.

Laughing God wrote:I like to think of it as how very wealthy human nobles would have raised there children back in the day. Very callous and proffesional, totally devout of love and affection, a means to an end. The DE child would be tutored by all the kabals best warriors, scholors, and politicians. groomed from the day of birth to be a badass trueborn or dracon. The is no love, no effection in the dark city.

Actually i think it would be very similar to how the Dark Elves in Fantasy raise their kids...
They have an heir who they favour and they favour the next child less and the last child is probably the target for casual assassinations and is only protected so that no one can see any weakness in the family.

purplefood wrote:

Laughing God wrote:I like to think of it as how very wealthy human nobles would have raised there children back in the day. Very callous and proffesional, totally devout of love and affection, a means to an end. The DE child would be tutored by all the kabals best warriors, scholors, and politicians. groomed from the day of birth to be a badass trueborn or dracon. The is no love, no effection in the dark city.

Actually i think it would be very similar to how the Dark Elves in Fantasy raise their kids...
They have an heir who they favour and they favour the next child less and the last child is probably the target for casual assassinations and is only protected so that no one can see any weakness in the family.

IDK anything about fantasy DE but thats sounds about right, though I cant imagine DE archons making than many offspring given how difficult the eldar reproducion cycle is.

Laughing God wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Laughing God wrote:I like to think of it as how very wealthy human nobles would have raised there children back in the day. Very callous and proffesional, totally devout of love and affection, a means to an end. The DE child would be tutored by all the kabals best warriors, scholors, and politicians. groomed from the day of birth to be a badass trueborn or dracon. The is no love, no effection in the dark city.

Actually i think it would be very similar to how the Dark Elves in Fantasy raise their kids...
They have an heir who they favour and they favour the next child less and the last child is probably the target for casual assassinations and is only protected so that no one can see any weakness in the family.

IDK anything about fantasy DE but thats sounds about right, though I cant imagine DE archons making than many offspring given how difficult the eldar reproducion cycle is.

They have plenty of time, being practically immortal and such...

Yeah I see it the same as the Dark Elves based off what I read in the Malus Darkblade books it makes sense. His father was a Delf Lord and his mother was a Bride of Khaine, his father pretty much hated him, had nothing to do with him and tried to kill him a couple of times. He was very close to his mother though even though he didn't see her often, his brothers and sisters where just weird though. The favored brother was a Captain of a ship who was sleeping with his own sister who another brother wanted that was a Disciple of Khaine and then his other sister was a sorceress and a member of a Slaaneshi Pleasure Cult who was killed by the brother who is a preist of Khaine.

I'd assume it's pretty much the same in a Deldar household

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:Yeah I see it the same as the Dark Elves based off what I read in the Malus Darkblade books it makes sense. His father was a Delf Lord and his mother was a Bride of Khaine, his father pretty much hated him, had nothing to do with him and tried to kill him a couple of times. He was very close to his mother though even though he didn't see her often, his brothers and sisters where just weird though. The favored brother was a Captain of a ship who was sleeping with his own sister who another brother wanted that was a Disciple of Khaine and then his other sister was a sorceress and a member of a Slaaneshi Pleasure Cult who was killed by the brother who is a preist of Khaine.

I'd assume it's pretty much the same in a Deldar household

That's what i based my view of it on...
I have to say though considering the odds Malus came up against he did well to survive...

Laughing God wrote:I like to think of it as how very wealthy human nobles would have raised there children back in the day. Very callous and proffesional, totally devout of love and affection, a means to an end. The DE child would be tutored by all the kabals best warriors, scholors, and politicians. groomed from the day of birth to be a badass trueborn or dracon. The is no love, no effection in the dark city.

So basically Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother? Or Khymerae Mother in this case. I think it's far more interesting if they actually do have somewhat functional families. Like a mafia family. They're tight but they do some naughty things, but together In fact Kabals are a lot like space mafias.

I read the title of the post, and the first thought to hit ,my mind was: "Are you serious?"

Someones gotta do it...
Unless they kidnap a load of babysitters...
That would be a strange raid.

I suppose they have slaves to raise their kiddies. A bit like in ancient Rome, where the wealthy families used slaves to raise and educate their young ones. I guess it could be the same with DE. But by slaves, I mean DE slaves, not orks or humans since a DE would never trust a xenos with the life and education of his children.

I also suppose DE kids are raised the hard way and learn to love the lash very quickly. I suppose it strengthens the will and resistance of DE kids and prepares them for the cruel life in Commoragh. I guess it also sorts out the men from the boys right from the beginning. It also produces sadistic and psychopathic adults perfectly fit for the DE society.

Concerning weddings, I could perfectly imagine that they are all arranged. First of all, love does not look like a DE feeling. Secondly, weddings could perfectly be used to forge alliances between families and Kabals. A bit like during the Middle Ages.

DE feel emotion just like humans but they feel it dozens of times more... they might be able to fall in love but they may have a different understanding of it... also it probably doesn't help with the whole sadistic torture image of theirs.

I think Mafia is a good way of describing them.

I think the tanks where they're grown is the Dark Eldar equivalent of childcare. They can drop them off in the tanks and leave them until they're grown up.

The wealthy and powerful can afford (time and money) to raise them manually.

I would hazard that DE are capable of love but to them it's means to an end. Whether that end be pleasure, power, heirs , or whatever. They don't fall in love because it's a nice thing to do. Then again I guess IRL people fall in love because it feels good, intensify that feeling and it's not too crazy to think DE can love.

its possible that Dark Eldar are taught not to form lasting relationships with anyone, due to the whole shifting alliances, dagger in your back attitude that is a major part of their culture, so i agree that dark eldar probably do experience love, but forming a family unit is probably seen as too risky at best or a powerplay by another group at worst.