The World Of 'Warhammer 40K': Drukhari
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The Drukhari are one of the oldest species of alien in the Warhammer 40K galaxy, next to their cousins, the Aeldari. They are best compared to fantasy dark elves, given various physical similarities and cultural details. Refugees from the ancient collapse of the decadent and cruel dominion of the Eldar, which fell when the Chaos god Slaanesh was born, these raiders, slavers, and torturers found a new way to survive.
To stave off She Who Thirsts, the Druhkari literally feed on the agony of others, and have devised barbaric genetic practices to ensure that the most powerful among them can never die. They are an enemy to many other factions across the galaxy, treacherous and cunning, but also fractious and divided, meaning they rarely unite over one goal. Still, they raid the galaxy as merciless pillaging warriors, spreading chaos and misery.
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The Birth Of The Drukhari
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The modern Aeldari are the remnants of the ancient Eldar who chose to abandon the decadent, cruel, and malicious ways of their ancestors. As their great state, which had stood for perhaps millions of years, continued to collapse with an ever-declining state of morality among its inhabitants, the ancestors to the Craftworlders fled alongside others, like the Exodites. But then some stayed, and maintained their way of life, and these would become the Drukhari.
When Slaanesh was born, billions died, but some corners of the ancient empire were spared. Aware of the great evil that yearned for their souls, many of these hedonistic survivors fled the material plane to try and escape Slaanesh and chose the Webway as their sanctuary. The Webway is a sort of underspace sitting between the Warp and material reality, which is accessible through unique portals mostly known only to the Eldar. The Webway’s tunnels were originally constructed by the Old Ones, and they allowed for safe and rapid passage across the 40K Galaxy.
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At the time of Slaanesh’s birth, the Eldar made frequent use of the Webway and there were already pockets of Eldar who had escaped the destructive explosion that birthed the Eye of Terror without being aware of what had happened. But they soon became aware as they were joined by various survivors of the lost empire, and all of these survivors came to fear for their very lives. Slaanesh hungered for the souls of dead Eldar, meaning that when any one of them died, they would fall into the Chaos god’s malicious clutches where they would suffer an eternity of torture. Their souls were also constantly, slowly, being drained by Slaanesh’s power, meaning that time was running out for all of them.
In the ultimate irony, they did not veer away from their cruelty, but leaned into it, and dove even deeper into the very mindset that created the thing they now feared. Unwilling and unable to make use of the Waystones/Soulstones (the method for safely storing a soul used by other Eldar like the Aeldari), the Dark Eldar were driven to cause maximum fear and suffering in the bodies and minds of others to create energies that would be more appetizing to Slaanesh than the feast that were the Drukhari. At the same time, they could also derive sustenance from these acts and rejuvenate themselves. So, through causing pain and suffering, they sate Slaanesh and keep their own souls young and fresh.
Their raids for sustenance began in the wider galaxy soon after they determined this methodology, making use of the hidden or lost portals mentioned earlier to fall upon various worlds and abduct their inhabitants for use in this grand scheme. This method has worked for millennia, and has allowed many Drukhari to survive, though at the cost of their society being incapable of turning back to other ways of living.
During these millennia, the Drukhari have remained divided. The great city of Commorragh, an infinitely expansive hive of activity sitting within the Webway, hosts many competing Drukhari groups. They stand against and with each other but can change their loyalties and stances at a moment’s notice for the sake of survival or some other reason. We’ll explore most of those groups below, but it is important to highlight one of the most powerful Drukhari: Supreme Overlord Asdrubael Vect. Vect seems to be one of the rare survivors of the birth of Slaanesh from out in the wider galaxy, who fled with other survivors to Commorragh in the years following the formation of the Eye of Terror. Once a young Eldar, he was able to form a formidable power base for himself using the Drukhari Kabals. However, recent years, with incursions and disasters in Commorragh, have somewhat weakened his power and created new difficulties for the citizens of Commorragh to navigate. But, we now turn to the Kabals, and the other Drukhari organizations, to explain how such a society could be so fractious and yet thrive.
Kabals
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The Kabals represent the greatest power of the Drukhari, and serve as a blend of gang and army bent on growing their power and their slave stocks. The Kabals thrive on conflict, as when one member of a Kabal is attacked, it often immediately triggers reprisals against the offending party, leading to conflict that is seen as a culling of the weak. These groups are also full of internal plotting despite the protection and camaraderie seen between a Kabal’s members.
The Kabals are the principal raiders who attack the material realm for slaves and also material resources, and often stand at the top of Commorragh society due to that wealth. Kabals are each led by an Archon, with Asdrubael Vect serving as leader of the powerful Kabal of the Black Heart.
Wych Cults
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A dark symmetry to the Kabals are the Wych Cults, groups of mostly-female gladiators who engage in savage pit fights for crowds of surging commoner Drukhari across Commorragh. The Cults don’t just fight other combatants, often using captured members of various species and organizations from the material plane, but also contend against savage and exotic animals. Their own raids are largely in pursuit of special quarries that will put on a good show in the arena as a result, with other slaves generally acquired from the Kabals.
Wyches are well known for using exotic and unusual weapons which they become masters at wielding to cause pain and suffering, but also excitement in the crowds. They also make use of special stimulants and drugs created for them by the Haemonculus Covens to boost their already impressive fighting abilities. They ultimately handle the homefront of Commorragh, and gain public favor from their displays, helping to ensure a degree of societal order where there otherwise might be none. Wych Cults are each overseen by a Succubus, with a Top Succubus representing a leader who controls multiple arenas with other Succubus beneath them.
Haemonculus Covens
The scholars, scientists and tinkerers of Commorragh society, the Haemonculus Covens exist in the lowest reaches of the city and are capable of wonders and horrors in equal measure, if not at the same time. Each individual within the Covens is a custom being, often with multiple limbs and various alterations or enhancements to their bodies, while their dungeons and laboratories are full of horrific experiments conducted without any restrictions. From these, they have created abominations like the Talos Pain Engine, their well-known moniker of “flesh-sculptor” well earned due to their extensive knowledge of genetics.
They are also expert torturers, and masters of many toxins and alchemical creations that have all kinds of effects. But the most miraculous function of the Covens is the ability to resurrect a fallen Drukhari from very small amounts of their genetic material. Regrowing the individual by surrounding them with the stimulus of agony and horror from tortured captives, this deal is still a dangerous one since it allows the flesh-sculptor to claim part of the revived individual’s soul. Their raids into material space are rare since they are constantly focused on their chosen field of study and often gain their resources from others in Drukhari society. But, the Covens will pursue unique materials and subjects for their experiments with horrific beings at their side, sometimes conducting experiments in the field as well.
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