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do craftworld eldar ever take prisoners?

In Path of the Warrior , by Gav Thorp, the Eldar do take 1 Dark Eldar prisoner that becomes a Striking Scorpion.

Anything to do with Chaos - No.

Anything to do with the Imperium - Probably not.

I dont think you can take tyranids and Orcs prisoners anyways.

As far as other Dark Eldar? Mabe?

Probably just Dark Eldar, and maybe sometimes Imperium.

Everything else - no.

Depends on their whims. Eldar are fickle and capricious creatures.

Certain members of the Inquisitions Ordo Xenos are actually considered to be allies with to the Eldar. On occasion, Imperial Guard Senior Officers or Space Marine Chapter Masters / Captains work with Eldar so I imagine these people would be shown mercy, but, and I can't stress this enough. There is problably less than 1000 such individuals like that in the entire galaxy....so this would be extremely rare. Most of the time, they would be slaughtered without a second thought.

Ronin wrote:Depends on their whims. Eldar are fickle and capricious creatures.

This exactly.

If the have a need for a prisoner, they'll take a prisoner. Their reasoning and logic is typically alien to ours.

DarknessEternal wrote:

Ronin wrote:Depends on their whims. Eldar are fickle and capricious creatures.

This exactly.

If the have a need for a prisoner, they'll take a prisoner. Their reasoning and logic is typically alien to ours.

I would argue that Craftworld Eldar aren't fickle at all. They're very measured and unimpulsive, they have to be to walk the paths of the craftworld Eldar.

Everything they do is for a reason just that its not something simple humans can understand.

I don't think they have the space to put captives in. Taking a prisoner would also put the craft world at risk of being discovered. Overall eldar seem to be the more sneaky sneaky kind of army and sneaky armies don't take prisoners because it's hard to be sneaky well carrying a load of POWs. It's much better for them to just kill them.

They took a Dark Eldar prisoner in Path of the Warrior because he was of the Eldar race. Nobody of the "lesser" races will be taken prisoner, unless there's a specific reason like a prediction that they must save this human or else the Craftworld is doomed blah blah. Craftworld Eldar will shoot babies in the face (and they have) if their Farseer tells them too.

In Path of the Warrior there is a specific scene where an Administratum adept gets on his knees and surrenders, he's then tore to pieces by monofliament wire fired from a Warp Spider.

If that person is important to future events, I think they'de avoid killing them and take them prisoner instead. The farseers will release that person where they see they will have an important effect. If you're the average guardsmen, you're out of luck.

I'd actually disagree and say they would take prisoners unless ordered not to. In path of the seer it seemed like they were alwayse told it was to dangerous to leave any imperial survivors but they actually seemed to feel bad about it. The main character even had a lasting emotional trauma about killing a family. Also the more recent fluff points to a better eldar, imperial relationship then ever before.

Basically craftworld Eldar are all about fighting only out of necessity and needless killing seems too chaosey for them. Plus farseers are always skimming the future and if showing mercy would later save Eldar lives, mercy it is.

Smitty0305 wrote:
Anything to do with the Imperium - Probably not.

It depends on the future they see regarding the individual. I can't see them doing it though, as they would have little reason to. Not for information-they can see the future. Not for pity-they would have little room for such things as humans aboard their craftworlds.

They have little or no use for prisoners, but that doesn't mean they can't temporarily capture enemies if it's convenient. A disarmed unit or one without transports (or both) is out of the battle as surely as one that's been slaughtered to the last man, after all. The Eldar move fast and will be long gone by the time those enemies get new guns and a ride.

Promise some hapless militia their lives if they lay down arms and get out of the way of the Eldar strikeforce? Why not, it will save lives on both sides. Eldar commanders that do this will probably also be careful to keep their promises so enemies know they can surrender in the future too.

Harriticus wrote:They took a Dark Eldar prisoner in Path of the Warrior because he was of the Eldar race. Nobody of the "lesser" races will be taken prisoner, unless there's a specific reason like a prediction that they must save this human or else the Craftworld is doomed blah blah. Craftworld Eldar will shoot babies in the face (and they have) if their Farseer tells them too.

In Path of the Warrior there is a specific scene where an Administratum adept gets on his knees and surrenders, he's then tore to pieces by monofliament wire fired from a Warp Spider.

Read this guys.

To me the Eldar only take prisoners if they need them for something, ex: manipulating events etc, otherwise if they don't kill you they just leave you alone.

Corporal_Reznov wrote:

Harriticus wrote:They took a Dark Eldar prisoner in Path of the Warrior because he was of the Eldar race. Nobody of the "lesser" races will be taken prisoner, unless there's a specific reason like a prediction that they must save this human or else the Craftworld is doomed blah blah. Craftworld Eldar will shoot babies in the face (and they have) if their Farseer tells them too.

In Path of the Warrior there is a specific scene where an Administratum adept gets on his knees and surrenders, he's then tore to pieces by monofliament wire fired from a Warp Spider.

Read this guys.

To me the Eldar only take prisoners if they need them for something, ex: manipulating events etc, otherwise if they don't kill you they just leave you alone.

This pretty much sums it up. (Craftworld) Eldar make war for specific reasons, to protect themselves/acquire something/alter future events, so if taking prisoners is a part of that they will. But when they are at war they ritually prepare themselves, put on the personality of their aspect or just mentally put their war face on, and are completely merciless. So anyone who doesn't need to be captured can expect a quick end.

Incidentally eldar corsairs are actually fickle (as opposed to just doing everything for a solid but inscrutable purpose) so might spare peoplem, but likewise when their blood is up it would be unlikely.

Harriticus wrote:They took a Dark Eldar prisoner in Path of the Warrior because he was of the Eldar race. Nobody of the "lesser" races will be taken prisoner, unless there's a specific reason like a prediction that they must save this human or else the Craftworld is doomed blah blah. Craftworld Eldar will shoot babies in the face (and they have) if their Farseer tells them too.

In Path of the Warrior there is a specific scene where an Administratum adept gets on his knees and surrenders, he's then tore to pieces by monofliament wire fired from a Warp Spider.

Yes but he has unknowingly been corrupted by the chaos artifact in his hands!

DarknessEternal wrote:

Ronin wrote:Depends on their whims. Eldar are fickle and capricious creatures.

This exactly.

If the have a need for a prisoner, they'll take a prisoner. Their reasoning and logic is typically alien to ours.

They might appear so to the Imperium, but that's just because the Eldar play the long game. Their Farseers allow them to have access to data on outcomes that will occur centuries in the future, so while their current activities might not make sense, they are always going to be working towards the greater goals of the preservation of the Eldar race, the defeat of Chaos, and the rebuilding of the Eldar empire.

If those goals are furthered by taking prisoners, then prisoners will be taken.

Craftworld Eldar HAVE taken imperial prisoners before. Certain heinous crimes against them require that they take the humans alive.

Craftworld told human colonised world it was theirs and they should politely bugger off.

Colony told them to stuff it.

Eldar sent a 'negotiation' team. Imperial Governor had them killed and used their waystones as jewellery.

Eldar took the world back, capturing the Gov' alive. They had plans for this mon'keigh who made jewellery of eldar souls.
They had their rangers give him to the Harlequins, who passed him onto their dark cousins. I hear he still lives, whimpering in a hole somewhere.

chromedog wrote:Craftworld Eldar HAVE taken imperial prisoners before. Certain heinous crimes against them require that they take the humans alive.

Craftworld told human colonised world it was theirs and they should politely bugger off.

Colony told them to stuff it.

Eldar sent a 'negotiation' team. Imperial Governor had them killed and used their waystones as jewellery.

Eldar took the world back, capturing the Gov' alive. They had plans for this mon'keigh who made jewellery of eldar souls.
They had their rangers give him to the Harlequins, who passed him onto their dark cousins. I hear he still lives, whimpering in a hole somewhere.

And this is why I love the Eldar.

Eiríkr wrote:

chromedog wrote:Craftworld Eldar HAVE taken imperial prisoners before. Certain heinous crimes against them require that they take the humans alive.

Craftworld told human colonised world it was theirs and they should politely bugger off.

Colony told them to stuff it.

Eldar sent a 'negotiation' team. Imperial Governor had them killed and used their waystones as jewellery.

Eldar took the world back, capturing the Gov' alive. They had plans for this mon'keigh who made jewellery of eldar souls.
They had their rangers give him to the Harlequins, who passed him onto their dark cousins. I hear he still lives, whimpering in a hole somewhere.

And this is why I love the Eldar.

Why? We should like the armies we play but love them is creepy.

Uh...

Figure of speech, chap.

I've read somewhere in a thread about eldar-human relationships that eldar (not dark eldar, which would be pretty obvious) often keep human sex slaves of some sort. In that case, they do take prisoners. I have no idea what their source was, though.

monkeypuzzle wrote:

Harriticus wrote:
In Path of the Warrior there is a specific scene where an Administratum adept gets on his knees and surrenders, he's then tore to pieces by monofliament wire fired from a Warp Spider.

Yes but he has unknowingly been corrupted by the chaos artifact in his hands!

Darn! Beat me to it!
Good old Warp Spiders, they know how to destroy the taint good and proper!

The eldar took me prisoner.
The farseer said one day, Dakka Dakka would question this, and it way my destiny to say that the eldar are all nice guys, so please stop using guardians as a meat shield. Oh, that, and we totally got hosed on that whole starcannon thing. Witch blades suck too.

Phew, glad I got that out there, good thing I didn't get goo'ed by they warp spiders.

-Matt

If need be, yes I'd say

There are numerous examples in the fluff of Craftworld Eldar taking prisoners for various reasons - many of which have been mentioned here:

During a battle its less likely as, again mentioned earlier, they take on their warrior mask - especially the Aspect Warriors which attempts to remove distractions like mercy.

They may apear fickle to the Imperium but there is alomst always a clear reason (to the Eldar) why they are doing what they are doing.

It will also depend on the Craftworld - Biel-Tan for instance - are much less likely to take prisoners....

Well, the Imperium does see the Eldar as fickle since they generally can't tell Dark Eldar from Corsairs from Craftworld, nor can they even tell the difference between the individual Craftworlds most of the time - which is why the more informed of the Imperium (such as Inquisition) are in general on a working, if complicated, relationship with most Craftworlds.

Belexar wrote:I've read somewhere in a thread about eldar-human relationships that eldar (not dark eldar, which would be pretty obvious) often keep human sex slaves of some sort. In that case, they do take prisoners. I have no idea what their source was, though.

I believe they have either read Goto, or that you put "Dark" accidentally inside the parenthesis instead of outside the parenthesis (or that we're dealing with trolling, which is always a possibility on the intarnets). Craftworld Eldar can't really afford to consume sex in large enough quantities to warrant more than one partner at a time, and given their view on sex and partnership (and the general physical perfectness of the entire race) having a human as for sex seems redundant.