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I'm looking to expand my Biel Tan army to include some Dark Eldar and Harlequin allies, and I know that they have worked in tandem before, I just have no idea which actual factions they are, and I'd like to use as realistic a combination as I can when I paint my new models.

Not sure on Dark Eldar but regarding Harlequins:
Masque of the Frozen Stars
Masque of the Laughing Circus
Masque of the Midnight Sorrow
all seem like ones that would work.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
For Dark Eldar Kabals, you might want to look at
Kabal of the Fiend Ascendant
Kabal of the Wraithkind

The major Eldar Harlequin Masques focused on in the Harlequin Codex are essentially each paired up with a major Craftworld in terms of outlook or partnership.

The Frozen Stars believe the Eldar will rise again, and are also hostile to other races much like Biel-tan. The Dreaming Shadow are focused on the Necrons as a threat, much like Alaitoc, and the two work together frequently. The Midnight Sorrow focuses above all else upon the threat of Slaanesh and Chaos, even more so than other Harlequins, which matches up with Ulthwe. The one exception is the Veiled Path which seems to manipulate everyone, and seems to be paired up with Iyanden, though it seems Iyanden and Yriel are the ones being manipulated, just as they apparently set up Lady Malys's Webway encounter.

Awesome, thanks for your input! I definitely think the frozen stars are the harlequins for me, still unsure of the kabals, maybe the wraithkind but not entirely sure they fit with what I want! Though I guess creating my own fluff wouldn't be too tough!

Despite the current rule set and recent fluff, I'd be hesitant to have any Craftworld team up regularly with any of the Dark Kin. The two kindreds are long term enemies with a list of grudges between them as long as any Eldar's memory. Longer, actually.

If you want to go with one-off alliances of desperation against a common threat, sure. Perhaps even a campaign against a foe who threatens the existence of both. But a long term, established relationship seems a bit of a stretch.

The Dark Kin would only maintain the alliance until it was no longer convenient, then stab their Craftworld kin in the back and run. Likewise, the Craftworlders would always be looking for signs of betrayal and consulting their seers waiting for the propitious moment to surgically decapitate their ancient foes.

Just because the rules allow a close working relationship, and it's effective on the tabletop, doesn't mean you should succumb to the temptation.

My two cents.

Warboss Gorhack wrote:
Despite the current rule set and recent fluff, I'd be hesitant to have any Craftworld team up regularly with any of the Dark Kin. The two kindreds are long term enemies with a list of grudges between them as long as any Eldar's memory. Longer, actually.

If you want to go with one-off alliances of desperation against a common threat, sure. Perhaps even a campaign against a foe who threatens the existence of both. But a long term, established relationship seems a bit of a stretch.

The Dark Kin would only maintain the alliance until it was no longer convenient, then stab their Craftworld kin in the back and run. Likewise, the Craftworlders would always be looking for signs of betrayal and consulting their seers waiting for the propitious moment to surgically decapitate their ancient foes.

Just because the rules allow a close working relationship, and it's effective on the tabletop, doesn't mean you should succumb to the temptation.

My two cents.

Craftworld and Dark Eldar are not enemies. They interact with each other quite normally, and it is even possible for Craftworld Eldar to join a Kabal or Dark Eldar to join a Craftworld. That said, it is not all that common for them to cooperate on the battlefield, as a Kabal and a Craftworld usually have very different goals. A Craftworld could however very well hire a Kabal or band of Corsairs to augment its forces during a campaign if there were plenty of slaves to capture, like Mymeara did during the Betalis Campaign.

However, Gorhack is right in that a long term relationship would be unlikely. Dark Eldar are only interested in fighting alongside their kin as long as there is something they can gain from it, or as long as there is a common threat.
I think the Kabals most likely to work alongside Craftworld Eldar would be the more traditional ones of ancient Eldar nobility, such as the Lords of Iron Thorn, the Dying Sun, The Falling Moon or the Bladed Lotus.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Lords_of_Iron_Thorn
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Dying_Sun
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Falling_Moon

 Iron_Captain wrote:

Warboss Gorhack wrote:
Despite the current rule set and recent fluff, I'd be hesitant to have any Craftworld team up regularly with any of the Dark Kin. The two kindreds are long term enemies with a list of grudges between them as long as any Eldar's memory. Longer, actually.

If you want to go with one-off alliances of desperation against a common threat, sure. Perhaps even a campaign against a foe who threatens the existence of both. But a long term, established relationship seems a bit of a stretch.

The Dark Kin would only maintain the alliance until it was no longer convenient, then stab their Craftworld kin in the back and run. Likewise, the Craftworlders would always be looking for signs of betrayal and consulting their seers waiting for the propitious moment to surgically decapitate their ancient foes.

Just because the rules allow a close working relationship, and it's effective on the tabletop, doesn't mean you should succumb to the temptation.

My two cents.

Craftworld and Dark Eldar are not enemies. They interact with each other quite normally, and it is even possible for Craftworld Eldar to join a Kabal or Dark Eldar to join a Craftworld. That said, it is not all that common for them to cooperate on the battlefield, as a Kabal and a Craftworld usually have very different goals. A Craftworld could however very well hire a Kabal or band of Corsairs to augment its forces during a campaign if there were plenty of slaves to capture, like Mymeara did during the Betalis Campaign.

However, Gorhack is right in that a long term relationship would be unlikely. Dark Eldar are only interested in fighting alongside their kin as long as there is something they can gain from it, or as long as there is a common threat.
I think the Kabals most likely to work alongside Craftworld Eldar would be the more traditional ones of ancient Eldar nobility, such as the Lords of Iron Thorn, the Dying Sun, The Falling Moon or the Bladed Lotus.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Lords_of_Iron_Thorn
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Dying_Sun
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kabal_of_the_Falling_Moon

The Kabals view the Craftowrld Eldar as cowards and fools whilst Craftoworlders and Exodites see Commorights as a continuation of the old Eldar Empire, the very people that caused the destruction of their empire and the birth of Slaanesh. They are willing to work with each other, because better another Eldar than any of the other races, but are far from being on the friendliest of terms and often rely on the Harlequins as mediators, though this of course varies from Carfotworld to Craftworld and Kabal to Kabal.

As for allies for Biel-Tan, The Reapers Mirth might be an interesting choice for Harlequins (and one of the simpler colour schemes) whilst any Kabal could do if you can think of a fluff reason why they'd be working together.

I'm not necessarily looking for close allies, but merely ones that would be the most likely to cooperate should the need arise. But from what I've read regarding the Craftworlds and Dark Kin, I see no reason why a Craftworld and Kabal could not form a decent working relationship. I feel Biel Tan would be particularly good for this, as the desire to completely eradicate non eldar forces from a system would correlate quite nicely with the desire of the Kabal to take countless slaves. There could even be ties of kin between the two, potentially even as far as an Autarch and an Archon. If they both recognise that they gain something from the relationship, I see no reason why they wouldn't continue to use it. I think the two ideologies could work quite nicely as a kind of working together to crush inferior races, just not as best friends for life.

This is also why I'd like the Harlequins, as perennial mediators of this alliance. Are there any Kabals that work particularly with the Frozen Stars? The Craftworlders and the Dark Kin may not necessarily like each other all too much, but I think a triad driven by the Harlequins could be quite strong, if not solely for the fact that neither dare cross them, and both recognise the importance of their schemes.

I do get what you mean though, I don't just want to exploit the game mechanics, I just quite like the idea of the major aspects of Eldar society working together to crush some young upstarts, and I want a chance to delve into some different armies and playstyles.