#40k lore

A Blade Champion of the Custodes faces off against Kharn the Betrayer!

From the Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus Custodes trailer.

Going to try and start a new thing where I review my collection of Warhammer 40k books, and I thought a good place to start would be the 3rd edition Necron codex, as it was one of the first I bought. Released in 2002, it was still in use when I got into the hobby in the late 2000s during 5th edition (of course, there would be a codex later in 5th). While I am now an Eldar fan, I was originally set on Necrons, hence why it was one of my first Warhammer purchases. With how popular and much GW pushes the ‘crons these days, I don’t think many people are familiar with how they used to be. I was talking to a friend who got into 40k during 8th a while ago, and he had no idea how big a change they underwent.

While the central idea remains the same, the Necrons are generally radically different, and many of the things people like the Necrons for now and create fan content around on this website didn’t exist. The quickest way to illustrate the scale of this change is by having a look at the roster.

As we can see, it's pretty bare bones. I don’t know if this was typical in the 3rd, but the armies in the 5th certainly had more options. This lack of options was one of the reasons I moved on from Necrons. This lack of options was somewhat mitigated by Necrons having some OP rules, such as Gauss weapons wounding on a six regardless of toughness, and warscythes ignoring armour and invulnerable saves. There wasn’t a whole lot of lore, as there is a strong element of mystery and horror, so a lot is left unsaid and is delivered from an Imperium or out-of-universe perspective. The crux of the lore is the same: the Necrontyr go to war with the Old Ones because they are bitter and jealous of them, the Necrontyr discover the C’tan and build bodies for them, and the C’tan convince the Necrontyr to become the Necrons.

However, all Necrons became soulless, unthinking machines, so there are no Necron dynasties, let alone Necrons with individual personalities, thus no dynastic drama/tragedies or wacky robot hijinks. The C’tan have full control over their new robotic legions and then set about eradicating all life from the universe. However, eventually C’tan begin to fall to infighting, and with all the psychic races the Old Ones have created, the enslaver plague devastates the galaxy. With the galaxy decimated, the surviving C’tan retreat to their tombs and, with their Necron legions, wait for the day the galaxy is ripe for the slaughter once again.

Unlike their modern depictions, the Necrons are still under the complete control of the C’tan, who are portrayed as the greater threat and have greater agency. The Necrons then serve as the C’tan’s undead legions, commanded in pursuit of galactic dominance and slaughter. You could argue that the codex positions the Deceiver as a galactic big bad with a mysterious behind-the-scenes agenda. In this lore, while there are references to a C’tan called the Outsider and a in the universe suspected connection between the dragon of Mars and a C’tan, the Nightbringer and the Deceiver C’tan are the only active C’tan and the only ones with lore. The Nightbringer and the Deceiver are also not shards but complete god-like beings. The being released on Pavonis was the Nightbringer in old lore.

The Necrons themselves are presented like the Terminators: emotionless, nigh-on-unstoppable machines, with the added cosmic horror of being an unknown threat lurking beneath the surface, waiting to awaken. Should the Necrons ever be defeated, they mysteriously disappear as if they were never there. The rest of the lore and accompanying in-universe excerpts and short fiction describe the Imperium trying to figure out the mystery of the Necrons or meeting a sticky end at the hands of these soulless machines.

Another big change, at least in my opinion, was Pariahs. I’m unsure if this is still canon, but it’s implied that the C’tan created the pariah gene. Building on that are the Necron Pariahs, described as a ‘synthesis of necron technology and human evolution’, which were the C’tans’ idea for the galaxy and were anti-psyker Necron androids. I mean, just read this description.

Real damn shame they don’t exist anymore.

Asuryani society is characterized by its post-scarcity approach to professional divisions.

While all Craftworlders receive martial training and are expected to take up arms as guardians of their home in times of great peril ordinarily each individual member of their society is free to pursue any of the countless branches of the Paths of Asuryan.

Most Asuryani Eldar pursue their chosen Path for centuries at a time before rededicating themselves to a new branch upon the Endless Tree of Life (Yn.edraïn-darū).

The Branches (Paths) count much of what to humans might constitute careers, crafts or arts among them, for example an Eldar may dedicate themselves to scholarly pursuits, spacecraft navigation, the mastery of psychic abilities, an artistic passion, the shaping of Wraithbone, translation and communication with other species or the caring for their fellow eldar’s health or for a Craftworld’s flora and fauna. There are also paths dedicated to meditative contemplation, dreaming, grieving, celebration, child-rearing or the all-encompassing experience of simply living life.

Some Eldar also turn their back on their Craftworld to walk the Path of the Outcast, usually abandoning their home for a time to seek new meaning, experiences and answers to whatever questions or doubts they may carry. Most Outcasts eventually change their Path again and may return to their Craftworld to tread upon a Path oncemore.

In times of peace an Eldar might spent more than a human lifetime perfecting the art of expressive dance, the making of precious jewelry or the keeping, retelling and interpreting of the ancient Eldar Myth Cycles but changing one’s path is considered a very normal thing that every Eldar does multiple times in their life.

As Eldar industries are almost entirely automated even those of the Asuryani who take on the Paths concerning tasks regarded as menial or even demeaning labor do so willingly and for a love of the task or the service to their Craftworld and fellow Eldar.

The Path of Command, one of the countless Paths is one dedicated to leadership, political representation, stewardship and grand strategy.

The Asuryani organize in uniquely egalitarian ways with those who walk the Path of Command being regarded as merely tasked with the organizational efforts required to maintain the wellbeing and safety of all Asuryani within the Wraithbone-spined microcosm that is a Craftworld.

A Craftworld is governed by many intersecting councils, each with a specific focus and for those who walk the Path of Command being voted into a guiding council is considered a great honor. Each council also has members who have walked upon the Path of the Farseer whose clairvoyance is required for the perfect and smooth structuring and governing of a Craftworld’s processes.

Noble Houses exist among the Asuryani as lineages are traced back to great heroes and legendary figures of the Myth Cycles.

Many Noble Houses are also known for a focus on particular Paths and may hold sway over parts of the collective organizing councils of a Craftworld.

As such the nobility of Eldar Craftworlds at times has more in common with semi-hereditary guilds and professional associations than with the forms of nobility known among humanity.

Each Eldar is free and fully liberated to choose their Path and in practice the intensely emotional Eldar are incapable of staying on a Path they lack total dedication and passion for as a Path is not only a career but in truth an individuals whole purpose and their prime regulatory focus to maintain a sense of stability in the everchanging tides of the mercurial nature of the Eldar mind but it cannot be denied that the bonds of kinship or the sway Noble Houses hold do not often impact an Eldar’s trajectory upon the shifting Branches of the Tree of Life.

A unique role among the Paths falls to the Aspect Paths of War upon which an Eldar dedicates themselves in fullness to an Aspect of Khaine, the ancient Aeldari God of War, now a shattered being of manyfold aspects and spends their entire existence honing the arts of war with a focus on the form of combat and warfare their Aspect Shrine deems most sacred. Aspect Warriors are the first to take up arms for their Craftworld, long before the civilian Path-Walkers are required to become guardians.

Your unstable brother seems unhealthily obsessed with Perturabo recently, like a stalker almost. He is probably just being sad and lonely. Everyone knows that the Lord of Iron cares for you the most, that has always been clear.

Your devotion is touching, sweet one! I am honored to count you as a follower.

As for my brother, Fulgrim...

As for his obsession with Perturabo is nothing new. What he fails to understand, though is the difference between basic tolerance and actual love. Sadly, he somehow never learned the difference between positive and negative attention.

Perturabo made me beautiful, arcane things at his work table.

The only thing he ever did for Fulgrim at that table was break the nose that he’s so often looks down at us from.

When I was overcome with weakness fighting for my sons, Perturabo carried me. Nursed me. Would not let anyone else touched me.

Meanwhile, the only time Perturabo has ever carried Fulgrim was his metaphorical carrying of him during the brief and disastrous roadtrip.

In some ways, I genuinely feel sorry for him. He will never have the kind of intimacy that Perturabo and I share.

Oh god thank you and have a kiss on your forehead. I love giving my Aeldari blorbos little babies so I've thought about this too much.

While the previous post about more general biology wrt writing smut was based on some actual source material, we are going to less charted territory.

Red trying to piece together Aeldari reproduction based on vague hints and prophetic visions

As far as material we have this in xenology:

And several mentions in passing that:

The process is long (several human years) (too many mentions here and there)

It's crippling for the female (as Marazhai says: she's at her most vulnerable and useless on a raid)

The birth is not fun for the mother (Da Big Dakka)

Twins are a thing (Path of the Eldar) but they're rare. Can't recall a mention of triplets but there might be.

They don't seem to care much about short flings at all and there's even sort of "dedicated" spaces for that on the Alaitoc Craftworld in Path of the Eldar

Outside of pregnancy there doesn't seem to be a big sexual dimorphism between males and females ie they have the same physical strength as a rule

They have boobs (cfr female models) that aren't excused in lore as being something else than milk glands, they're aware of what milk is (Marazhai insulting craftworlders as "milk-blooded" ie weak)

Babies stay with their parent(s) for a while and for Craftworlders, they are psychic at birth and highly attuned / melted with their mother. They progressively separate and become their own person, alone inside their head (Asurmen)

Kids need to learn to speak and use psychic powers and a bunch of other things, they're not born fully capable like a baby giraffe that can walk in an hour or so. (Asurmen)

They inherit traits from their parents

And then there is the Drukhari insistance that being born from a Real Vagina(tm) is a feat and difficult to achieve in Commoragh.

This is honestly what we have and it's not that much.

We are now moving into headcanon space

Pregnancy

I don't think fertility is the biggest throttle on new Aeldari babies, I think it's soulstones for the Exodites / Craftworlders and Commoraghan culture for the Drukhari. As in, they can have children when they put their minds to it, it's more that given the circumstances it's a Huge Thing to do.

You have to consider that Aeldari were created as weapons of war. Not having a constantly running "reproduction" program running in the background frees up energy. So, I don't think they have spontaneous ovulation cycles either. I don't think they menstruate either, not only because of that but menstruation as a whole is rare in the animal kingdom.

All in all, I think it is only in specific instances that the body will expend energy on making new babies. Which is why they can be so casual about ONS and flings.

In my headcanon, the body shifts into baby-making mode with repeated exposure to psychic waves or hormones or whatever that the male (or both) would secrete at stage zero. It's not such a crazy idea since human sperm also contains prostaglandins and other signalling molecules that can get absorbed through the vagina but granted not a lot of people know that.

For example, what could be part of the whole process of getting the Eldar body ready for pregnancy would be dissolving the cartilage plates that they have on their stomach, so it can expand around the growing baby and not jab it in the eye. Sort of like in humans we secrete relaxin, that allows ligaments to expand so hips get a bit bigger (and your feet). Or we start making extra blood. The placenta does a lot of this work in humans but the director of the process could be the interplay of the male and female body for Eldar.

In the same way the male Eldar body then also adapts and starts delivering other things (the multiple organs mentioned in xenology or progressive gamete thing). Then we move onto a different stage of reproduction and the feedback loop of each affecting the other keeps the pregnancy running along smoothly.

In that sense then both of them have to keep going at it for a long time, with the man and woman needing to stick around each other. That ties down two of your designer race soldiers but I think that was the point. The Old Ones created two species to fight the Necrons, the Aeldari which were more rare but more refined and and the Krorks (later Orks) that were canon fodder and reproduce mushroom-like, so much quicker. But for Aeldari, when they fight they won't be encumbered by something like pregnancy on the battlefield, but they can reproduce, it just takes time and stability.

Veering into even more speculation, but imo unequal gender roles are a result of unequal force between sexes and the fact that one sex has 99% of the burden of reproduction - so I just like making it so that both Eldar men and women have to chip in continuously and it erases that imbalance. Plus it ties into the "progressive gamete delivery" shtick.

With all that being said, I do think that if for example the male disappears, the pregnancy just stops. It doesn't need to be bloody and tragic either. They cristallise, supposedly, so you could just HC that the unborn foetus dissolves back.

Birth