vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Skyrar's Dark Wolves - Warband Organisation: The Dark Wolves are known to be in possession of a number of heavy tanks, which they field together as an armoured spearhead known as the "Company of Steel." It remains a matter of conjecture amongst Ordo Malleus war-savants whether the warband possessed these mighty and venerable war machines before its fall to Chaos, or if they were acquired afterwards.The lead war machine of the Company of Steel is the Fellblade known as the Aegisvisir which the Inquisition's savants believe is the command vehicle of the company's war leader, whose identity has yet to be established. The Company of Steel has led numerous Dark Wolves assaults, falling upon unsuspecting Imperial worlds as a rockslide from a towering mountain that grinds all in its path to dust.
Skyrar's Dark Wolves - Notable Dark Wolves: Skyrar - The Chaos Lord Skyrar was originally a cadre-captain of a chapter of the Sons of Horus Legion who during the early days of the Horus Heresy united his warriors with a contingent of Space Wolves drawn from the 6th Great Company of the VI Legion. These sons of Fenris had declared for the cause of the Warmaster Horus and betrayed their own primarch. Under Skyrar's leadership, the warband was tasked with ensuring the Dark Compliance of the westernmost fringes of the Imperium just after the galactic civil war's start, but eventually transformed into a band of piratical reavers who served no cause but their own, becoming feared Blackshields who were responsible for the slaughter of entire planetary populations.
Skyrar's Dark Wolves - Warband Colours: This warband wears dark grey power armour with light blue trim and addorned with red, blasphemous Chaos iconography. The Dark Wolves' vehicles are known to bear numerous fell sigils and debased primitive runes of the Dark Tongue.The most potent of these blasphemies has been identified by Ordo Malleus Warp-seers as the Ottastufir, a powerful symbol used by fallen sorcerers as a compass, providing them with a path through the Realm of Chaos, and to provide protection from the denizens of the Abyss as the bearers pass through that heinous region.
Skyrar's Dark Wolves - Warband Badge: Skyrar's Dark Wolves are identified by the profile of a red, corrupted wolf's head, its maw agape, with a Daemonic tongue protruding from its mouth on a dark grey background. They adorn their armour with the usual heretical Chaos fetishes, totems and trophies of their slain enemies.
Skyspear Missile Launcher - Skyspear Missile Launcher: The Skyspear Missile Launcher is a potent anti-aircraft weapon system deployed by the Hunter, the primary surface-to-air combat unit of the Adeptus Astartes. The Skyspear Missile Launcher fires pre-blessed savant warheads, each a Chapter relic in its own right, housing the entombed remains of a distinguished Chapter Serf.This servitor's mummified brain augments the missile's auto-targeters, allowing it to second-guess enemy pilots or home in on the heretical radio wave emissions of their debased Machine Spirits (artificial intelligence). Against the dogged pursuit of a savant warhead and its macabre automated pilot, there can be little chance of escape, while the Hunter's servo-loaders maintain a steady rate of fire.
Skyspear Missile Launcher - Sources: Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), "Armoury of the Space Marines - Ranged Weapons - Skyspear Missile Launcher"Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 121
Skyweaver - Skyweaver: A Skyweaver is a specially modified Jetbike utilised exclusively by the mysterious Aeldari Harlequins. These heavily armed and incredibly fast vehicles accommodate both a pilot and a rider, with each playing a specific role.While the pilot steers the Jetbike with incomparable grace, the Harlequin on the rear deals death with their specially designed melee weapons. In battle, squads of Skyweavers outmanoeuvre their foes before cutting them to pieces with concentrated firepower.Their ripping streams of shuriken fire and crackling bolts of electromagnetic energy slaughter foot troops and reduce enemy tanks to sparking wrecks with equal ease. When they deign to close with the foe, Skyweavers are equally lethal, their Harlequin Players hurling Star Bolas or lashing out with zephyrglaives.The enemy can do little in return, for the Jetbikes move faster than the eye can follow. Furthermore, they are wreathed in holographic fields and psychodisruptive mirages that confound sensors and tug at the sanity of those who dare to fight back.
Skyweaver - History: In Aeldari mythology, the Skyweaver was the youngest and most capricious of the Cosmic Serpent's brood. Depicted as a gestalt being composed of hundreds of small flying serpents, the Skyweaver spoke always in riddles, and was forever hurried and distracted by his myriad desires. As a boon to the Laughing God, the Skyweaver is said to have scattered himself across the heavens, each facet telling a subtly different tale of Cegorach's deeds. Thus did the Skyweaver spread confusion amongst the Laughing God's foes, striking down many with its fiery bite when their backs were turned.In battle this is exactly how the Skyweavers fight -- Shuriken Cannons loosing a torrent of mono-molecular discs to scythe through armour and sever limbs. Enemies who cower within armoured vehicles are not safe either, for a Skyweaver can swap the customary Shuriken Cannons for Haywire Cannons when circumstances call for specialised wargear.Skyweavers descend upon the enemy like a prismatic storm, trailing cloaks of hallucinatory colour and light as they punch through the enemy ranks. Skimming dangerously low, their Harlequin pilots whoop with glee and an eerie moan fills the air as the Players spin their Star Bolas in rapid arcs before letting the weapons fly.Guns blazing, the Skyweavers tear onward, the thumping concussion of plasmic blasts lighting their wake. Where the traditional Jetbikes of Craftworld Guardians or Commorrite Reavers are single-seat grav craft, Harlequin Skyweavers accommodate both a pilot and a rider, each playing a specific role. While the Skyborne Prince steers the arrow-fast craft and fires the main gun, the Great Falcon fights from the Jetbike's rear.Many wield Star Bolas: weighted plasma charges that are hurled to wrap around necks, limbs or gun barrels. The ferocious detonations of these wicked devices can easily tear a Space Marine in two, or sever the leg of an armoured combat walker. Though Star Bolas are undeniably powerful weapons, their main disadvantage is that they can be hurled but once, so some Players choose to go into battle bearing long-bladed zephyrglaives instead. These weapons are wielded with consummate skill, carving arcs through the air as they lop heads from shoulders or bisect torsos in fans of blood.Traditionally, a Harlequin masque incorporates two bands of Skyweavers, their aerobatic prowess serving to add a breathtaking edge of speed and danger to the Harlequins' performances. However, there are those masques, such as the Masque of Soaring Spite and the Masque of the Leering Moon, who prefer to field great swarms of Skyweavers, their deployment a ritual acknowledgement of the multifarious nature of the divine serpent that the Jetbikes are named for.During conflicts such as the Gorlian Scourging or the Bladed Curtain's Fall, these tactics have proved incredibly effective, the enemy outflanked and overrun by hosts of light grav-craft performing the Dance of the Cosmic Serpent's Brood.
Skyweaver - Unit Composition: 2 Skyweavers
Skyweaver - Wargear: Skyweaver JetbikeHolo-Suit - Harlequins in battle transform into dazzling blurs, their outlines exploding into blizzards of light that leave the foe's aim confounded and their thoughts bewildered. The Holo-Suit, or dathedi -- meaning "between colours" -- is responsible for this transformation. The device incorporates a programmable Holo-Field that breaks down the wearer's profile into a fractal lightstorm as they move; the faster they travel, the more pronounced the effect. So it is that a charging Harlequin appears as nothing more than an indistinct, prismatic storm that is nigh-on impossible to hit, allowing them to simply avoid blows that would otherwise lay them low.Star Bolas - Star Bolas, or tredalil, are melee weapons that mount three weighted plasma charges at the end of mesh-weave cords. These charges arm when the bolas is spun with sufficient vigour. The weapon is designed to be hurled in a scything arc, tangling about its target before its plasma charges explode with the fury of a dying sun.Mirage Launchers - These pods launch Holo-grenades that veil Harlequin vehicles from sight, surrounding them in a confusion of light and colour.
Skyweaver - Sources: Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 12, 34, 48-49, 64, 94-96, 151-152, 184-185White Dwarf Weekly 54 (07 Feb 2015), "Skyweavers," pp. 4-10
Skâlfi's Kindred - Skâlfi's Kindred: Skâlfi's Kindred is a Kindred of the Leagues of Votann. It is an example of a Kindred that has been named after its founding Ancestor.
Slaanesh - Allure of Slaanesh: For most of the remaining Aeldari, the birth of Slaanesh and the fall of their civilisation marked a profound change in the course they would take, not only through history, but also as a people. Retreating to their craftworlds, they forged a new way of life, defined by discipline and a determination to fight back against their doom and survive.This resolve was bolstered by fear, which brought the overwhelming majority of those who resisted any change ultimately in line with the new way, that of the Asuryani Path. Slaanesh was not content with the souls it had harvested in the moment of its birth. It continued to seek out the remaining Aeldari, savouring the succulent taste of each soul it claimed.For a member of a race once so proud and seemingly eternal, the thought of being snuffed out forever to nourish a twisted god was terrifying. That it was a deity of their own creation only served to magnify the horror. Yet some refused to change. Whether from pride, a sense of defiance, or the simple inability to change, some Aeldari -- the kindred known as the Drukhari -- continued down a path of excess and sensual indulgence and do so to this day. They live each moment knowing it could be their last, not only in mortal life, but in eternal existence. This heightened feeling of risk, of spending each moment on the edge of a knife, fuels them to indulge in even greater acts of depravity and to push the limits of sensation. They are not, however, the only ones who damn themselves this way.The powers of Chaos hold sway over so many mortals not because they represent some esoteric concept with rare appeal; no, they are so insidious because they are precisely the opposite. With Khorne, it is the inherent nature of conflict and the struggle for survival. For Nurgle, it is the inevitability of death and decay and the fear and despair this engenders. For Tzeentch, it is the ever-changing nature of the universe and the need to feel some measure of control through the pursuit of knowledge and worldly power. These are all base instincts of every mortal mind, primal parts of the lives of every intelligent living thing in the galaxy.Slaanesh is no different. Its appeal is grounded in such seemingly innocent ideals -- every being's pursuit of happiness and the desire to improve to achieve it. Very little, if anything, holds more sway over the heart of any mortal, no matter the species, than desire in all its forms. It is universal.All beings want more than they have. They are never content. Where an Imperial Guardsman seeks glory, he finds Slaanesh. Where a Rogue Trader seeks wealth, he finds Slaanesh. Wherever there are desires, at the end of the quest to sate those desires lies Slaanesh, and utter damnation.
Slaanesh - Manifestation: While Khorne is a frightful and terrible warrior, Tzeentch's sorcery forces its form to defy mortal logic, and Nurgle is the ultimate embodiment of its own decaying and physically disgusting creations, Slaanesh alone is divinely beautiful. While generally referred to as a "he" by Humans and as a female by the Aeldari, Slaanesh is actually neither gender, combining characteristics of both and perfecting them.Slaanesh typically appears in an androgynous form in which it is a woman on the right side and a man on the left with two sets of devilish horns growing from its head. Slaanesh can assume any physical form; male, female, both at the same time or no gender at all, but it prefers male bodies. In whatever physical form it chooses, Slaanesh is perfection. A long-limbed, elegant figure with a haunting, almost frightening beauty, Slaanesh's appearance depends more on the observer than the observed, changing eagerly to please and seduce the eye of the beholder.Whatever its form, two pairs of slender horns always rise from the god's flowing golden hair. Slaanesh is often depicted wearing luxuriantly lined, form-fitting armour and bearing a jade sceptre that is said to be its greatest treasure. Rumour amongst its cultists says that to look upon Slaanesh is to forfeit your very soul to the god's every whim.
Slaanesh - Sensation Without Limitations: Slaanesh can see its hand at work across the galaxy in countless ways. The joy a parent feels when a child is born, the pride a commodore feels when his fleet executes a cunning battle plan, the stirring of a lover's heart when in the embrace of a paramour, the heady rush of pleasurable relief that reminds a soldier how good it feels to be alive after an unexpected skirmish -- all of these sensations, on some small level, are pleasing to the Master of Delights.They are not enough. Though the decimation of the Aeldari and its pursuit of the remaining few of their species is a source of great joy to Slaanesh, it has much, much grander desires to fulfil. Every breath is an opportunity to take in a new scent. Each glass raised is a chance to savour a new flavour. On every battlefield, each chainsword blow can elicit a never before heard pain-filled scream.From its glittering palace in the Dark Prince's Realm, the Lord of Excess revels in each new sensation discovered. It guides and directs the inhabitants of the galaxy to push ever onwards towards new heights of sensation.A god experiences existence on a level far beyond that of which a mortal can ever dare to dream, but that does not mean Slaanesh is content to leave the galaxy to its own devices. It sees the stars, the planets, and indeed the very fabric of reality itself as its plaything, to be poked, prodded, ripped, and tightly bound to its will in order to squeeze out every last sensation there is to enjoy.Those who choose to serve it emulate Slaanesh as best as they can, limited as they are by mortal form and mortal imagination. In every corner of the galaxy, worshippers of Slaanesh spend their time inventing new delights and challenging themselves to craft experiences for themselves that no one has ever had before. This can be something as base as eliciting a new reaction to a carnal entwining, or as high-minded as creating a master work of art so profound that it brings tears to all who behold it. The truly inspired, though, have much larger stages to play upon.There are so few that have had the pleasure of seeing entire squads of Space Marines evaporate under the fire of a Subjugator Chaos Titan. Fewer still are those who have heard a million voices cry out in fear and then nothing but dripping stillness as nucleic-acid bombs dissolved away flesh.Most lack the vision to create scenarios where these delights can be experienced. It is likely not even possible for the greatest excesses to be achieved in the mortal realm. In the Realm of Chaos, however, all things are possible.
Slaanesh - Addiction: When the Dark Prince tore a hole in reality with its coming, its nascent form knew only hunger and cruelty. Slaanesh consumed billions of Aeldari souls, revelling in their horror as they greeted eternal damnation deep within its form. Quickly it moved on to other torments, not only seeking ways to devour the rest of the species that had given it life, but taking delight in the task. The sensation of consuming those who had created it was a pleasure that few can comprehend. Ever since, Slaanesh has pushed itself to find new joys to fill the gaps between its soul-meals.Slaanesh takes delight in suffering and pain, and basks in the adoration of those it punishes. One such as it is not a simple being, however, and these pleasures can only go so far in sating godly desires. Through its followers, Slaanesh continually experiments with sensation. All beings, both mortal and Daemonic, feel pride, want more, seek improvement, or obsess on both material and immaterial longings. The Lord of Excess gives these beings the power to claim what they seek and in so doing allows them to experience the sensation of gratification.The cruel trick the Lord of Excess plays upon all its followers is that along with power, it also gives them cravings for more. It gives them addiction to sensation. As they sate themselves and in turn become insatiable, Slaanesh binds itself to its followers and it feels what they feel.Each bolter recoil that jars the shoulder of the Chaos Space Marine firing becomes a lover's caress. Each drug-induced dream is shared as a sumptuous meal. Each vile urge of the Dark Prince is, to a tiny degree, passed back to its followers, rewarding them for their obsessive actions and inciting them to greater deeds.Even the other Dark Gods of Chaos can satisfy the desires of Slaanesh, through the actions of their servants. A berzerker who kills in the name of Khorne is proud of his achievement and takes satisfaction from his gory deed, and Slaanesh feels that pride and the drive for greater glories.A spy whose actions topple a regime is rewarded for their service to Tzeentch, and delights in their stealth; Slaanesh feels that spark of pleasure and increases the mortal's need to perfect their abilities.A diseased plague victim that draws strength from Nurgle to survive rests with comfort, and Slaanesh fuels their love of the resulting indolence and serenity. In these ways, the actions and sensations of all beings can serve to feed the lustful hungers of the Perfect Prince.
Slaanesh - Slaaneshi Corruption: Those corrupted by Slaanesh at first experience every sensation and new situation with an unbridled sense of wonder and flush of pleasure, feeling every aspect of life as if through new eyes tinted with wonder. But as time goes on, it requires ever more extremes of sensation to feel the same bursts of pleasure, soon leading to a need to be constantly surrounded by extremes of sound or garish colour, particularly bright pinks and purples.In time, moral degeneration sets in as an individual corrupted by the Prince of Chaos engages in only the most extreme behaviours, such as sadistic murder or highly degrading sexual practices in order to feel the enhanced pleasure offered by Slaanesh. By this point, an individual is usually so beholden to the Chaos God that he or she will begin to be granted mutational "gifts" by the Dark Prince intended to enhance their pleasure or physical "perfection."Groups that have been knowingly or unwittingly corrupted by Slaanesh often engage in radical body modifications using makeup or clothing or even begin to surgically alter themselves if the technology is available, intending to increase their "perfection" or ability to experience pleasure with every sensation. Ultimately, even death itself becomes an experience of immense pleasure, both dealing it out to others and in the end, undergoing it oneself, a final moment of orgasmic pleasure before the soul is absorbed by Slaanesh in the Immaterium.The enhanced pleasures and sensations experienced by every soul corrupted by Slaanesh, and all the corrupt things they do to service this need for pleasure, strengthen the Prince of Chaos in the Warp, where the psychic emanations of such deeds further feed the young Chaos God's power.
Slaanesh - Champions of Slaanesh: Across the galaxy, billions of souls give themselves over to Slaanesh through corrupt acts of devotion. Men and women throw themselves upon the altars of degradation or wear the skins of their loved ones in the hope that their divine lord takes note. For most, this is a futile effort as most acts of depravity and sin are common in a vast galaxy populated with the insane and depraved.It takes much more to attract attention and be noticed by a god of insidious excess, and true artistic achievements of pain and pleasure. To be recognised as the most devoted of wicked souls requires dedication and effort far beyond what most mortals can achieve. Those who can push themselves ever-closer to perfect depravity, who can reach the greatest levels of excess, may be recognised as champions within the ranks of the followers of the Lord of Delicious Torments. For the rest, there is no glory, no reward, only common death or the short and painful lifespan of a degraded Chaos Spawn.But recognition as a champion of the Dark Prince comes with a price the chosen are glad to pay. Their souls are forfeit, but the lure of possible immortality in the form of daemonhood makes this price a pittance. To stand at the grand stage with the Lord of Sensation, in a life forever onwards dominated with unquenchable desires, is the one desire truly fulfilled.
Slaanesh - Rivalry: Slaanesh is said to have little interest in the other Ruinous Powers, being too caught up in its own pleasures to be interested in alliances or co-operation. However, the followers of Khorne with their boorish beliefs in bloodshed for its own sake are particular enemies. Cults dedicated to Khorne and Slaanesh clash frequently in the mortal realm just as their Daemonic legions are believed to battle endlessly in the Realm of Chaos.This relationship has an effect upon the nature of the armies dedicated to either god. Slaanesh's comparative weakness in direct confrontations is balanced by its endless capacity for corruption, often even leading Khorne's faithful astray through their own battle lust.A widespread and technologically advanced conflict is particularly vulnerable to Slaanesh's influence as a single well-placed convert can have the means to wreck a fleet or destroy an entire city. Wherever Khorne's followers become most strident those of Slaanesh can be found working subtly in the background to bring about their opponents' downfall.While it is the youngest of the major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh is still a crucial player in the incomprehensible Great Game that they play for dominance. Although it cannot yet hold its own against any one other major Chaos God, Slaanesh's support in an alliance is often enough to swing the balance, allowing Slaanesh considerably more influence than its absolute level of power would otherwise allow.Of all the complexities of the Great Game, the most compelling is perhaps the relationship between Slaanesh and its brother gods. None can amplify Khorne's fury like the Lord of Excess, whose earthly luxuries and lusts defy the Blood God's desire for indiscriminate slaughter. The mere mention of Slaanesh or its schemes is enough to cause volcanoes to erupt across the Blood God's Domain in the Realm of Chaos.Though Khorne is the only god openly hostile to the Dark Prince, Nurgle and Tzeentch are also ill at ease in its presence, despite the fact that the most typical hierarchy of power between the four major Chaos Gods sees Slaanesh at the bottom. Even they feel the magnetic pull of Slaanesh's matchless charisma, and are both attracted and repelled by their younger brother.This is due, in part, to the fact that all the Chaos Gods embody in some form the excess for which Slaanesh is known: Khorne with its bloodlust, Tzeentch with its scheming, and Nurgle with its spreading of plague. Each is an obsession that the Dark Prince can turn to its will with merely a whispered promise. Lurking deep within the psyche of each of its brothers is the suspicion that the influence of the Dark Prince is rapidly growing, and that Slaanesh will perhaps one day eclipse them all in strength.With this thought in mind, any alliance of convenience with Slaanesh is especially short-lived; while this could be attributed to simple distrust of one who changes sides at a whim, there is an argument that the Dark Prince's rival gods fear the secret power it holds over them.
Slaanesh - Dark Prince's Realm: Slaanesh is unique among its brother-gods. It does not try to keep others out of its home in the Realm of Chaos, the Dark Prince's Realm. It invites them in. Through a series of tests, it defends its gleaming palace against assault.Tales such as that of the Heretic Cardinal Wogalta above describe this Palace of Slaanesh, also known as the Palace of Pleasure, as sitting at the centre of the Dark Prince's empire, surrounded by six other domains arranged in concentric rings. Each ring holds different temptations for those who wander through it, imploring them to succumb to the pleasures it offers. Temptation is a weapon just as powerful as a chainsword or bolter. Traps can be sprung to eliminate the weak and dim. The bodies of those who succumb to the myriad temptations of the Dark Prince's Realm are consumed by the land itself, or turned into statues that beautify the view for others.The souls of these lost and damned unfortunates feed Slaanesh's insatiable hunger. It invites them in so that they might sustain the god and its realm. Those who pass early tests may catch Slaanesh's eye, giving it some amusement for a time as it watches them resist, only to inevitably lose themselves to one seduction or another. Those rare few who make it to the outer walls of the Palace of Pleasure may be graced by a visit from the Lord of Excess itself.None have ever made it into the palace unless Slaanesh wished it, for all who have looked upon the god's perfection have fallen to their knees and given themselves over, mind, body, and soul, to its dark majesty.
Slaanesh - Excess of Riches: The Ecclesiarchy use stories of wayward souls like the Heretic cardinal to try to warn their servants of the dangers of temptation, drawing from the crazed descriptions of the Dark Prince's domains and minions that are related in such tales. It matters not if these accounts have any basis in real experience or if they are purely mad ravings brought on by fever or drugs. Real or imagined, they are powerful tales for protecting the simple-minded from, among other things, dreams of wealth and the pleasures it can buy.In the first of the rings of the Dark Prince's Realm, day turns to night and the golden hues are replaced by soft blue, the sky shimmers ceaselessly. The heavens are filled with diamonds that seem as if they could be plucked from their place in the sky if one could but reach just a little further. Indeed, many try to do just that, forgetting themselves as they do, not paying attention to their surroundings.Higher and higher they reach, climbing trees made of pure gold, even leaping from the boughs, only to plummet back to the ground, fracturing skulls and rupturing organs when they crash. The end comes to them then, but it is a joyous one, for in their minds they see only handfuls of glittering jewels. It is a temporary joy, however. In exchange for a fleeting moment of false elation, they forfeit their immortal souls.Scholars of the Ruinous Powers collate tales of the impossible realms of Pleasure and Pain, and often describe the first of Slaanesh's treacherous domains as confronting visitors with a spectacle of riches beyond the wildest dreams of even the most avaricious merchants. They tell of trees, grass, and other plants made from living gold. Gentle breezes cause the grass to shimmer like the waters of an ocean under a noon sun. As the wind passes over the blades of grass and through the branches and leaves of the trees, it takes on a voice that beckons all to take as much as they want and more. The mountains that rise up on the horizon reflect a glorious warm light, letting all who see them know that they too are formed from gold.Pathways through the fields are paved with cobblestones not of granite or shale, but of ruby and emerald. At the edges of the paths, loose gemstones and gold nuggets sit, waiting for anyone to pick them up and slip them in a pouch. There is always room for one more glittering stone, one more pebble of gold.Wandering souls ensnared by this domain would do well to recall the legends that say that if those who lined their pockets with these treasures were able to take their eyes off the objects of their desire, they would note that not all they see was shining. Dull bits of bone and other remains are plentiful here as well. These are all that is left of those who filled their pockets, pouches, sleeves, and boots with so much gold that they collapsed under the weight of it. Unwilling or unable to let the riches go, they died where they fell, smiles on their faces despite their impending ends.
Slaanesh - Excess of Sustenance: Mad ravings from those who claim to have seen into the beyond say that if an intruder is able to pass through the ring of golden fields without succumbing to greed, he is next confronted with a lake so vast, its shorelines fade to nothing in the distance. The only other land to be seen is a smattering of pale islands, connected to each other by a network of bridges.The finest wine serves as water in this lake but no cups wait to be filled. The bouquet of the wine is strong, pleasant, and enticing. Words from fiery sermons begin to fade in the face of such serenity. Most visitors take very little time before they give up on the idea of cups and fall to their knees to drink directly from the lake. Heads swimming with delightful intoxication, many continue to drink until they slip into the waters and sink below the surface, never to be seen again.Those who are able to lift their heads from the wine cast their gaze more closely on the islands and see them for what they are -- hunched giants holding aloft great tables heaped with extravagant feasts. Exotic fruits, rich breads, and meats of every kind are present. Swimming to these islands is perilous, and many whose senses have become wine-addled sink beneath the waves, joining the countless others who have slipped beneath the carmine liquid. For the ones that make it, the reward is astonishing.Each bite is better than the finest meal they have ever experienced. Each morsel is a decadent delight for the tongue. Faster and faster the wayward consume the food. The voracious eater forces handful after handful down their throat. In their blind need to consume, they do not notice that some of the meat comes from carcasses with an all-too-familiar form.Even if they were to somehow stop forcing food into their own stomach long enough to recognise the fate that awaits them, they could not stop. Given completely over to gluttonous indulgence, the mortal only stops eating when their body fails and they finally collapse into the feast, awaiting the next hungry diner.
Slaanesh - Excess of Bodily Delights: There is perhaps no easier way to corrupt a mortal than to appeal to their carnal instincts. Entire Imperial libraries are filled with tales of lurid corruption on one side and manuals with instructions for fighting it on the other. In his heart, a Preacher knows that his congregation is most likely to fall because of the indulgences of lascivious desire than from any other temptation.The Dark Prince surely knows this as well, and it is why the legends say it fills the third ring of its domain in the Realm of Chaos with visions, scents, and experiences that overload the mind and body of anyone who makes it this far. Rich fields of pleasingly textured grasses fill this ring, lit with teasing, golden hues. Soft tents made of spun dream-threads reflect visions gleaned from the deep subconscious of those who gaze upon them, forming sinuous corridors so narrow that a traveller cannot help but brush up against them and feel their cloying embrace. From one vista to the next, visitors travel through a series of decadent tableaus, each more twisted and inviting than the one before it.The crude flesh dens of the underhives or the elegant shadowed parlours of the hive spires cannot present anything close to what the Lord of Endless Delights offers. Daemon and mortal bodies entwine until they become one. Forms so beautiful they are difficult to look at lie couchant, beckoning. Resisting is all but impossible.The sights and sounds of the offered pleasures are sufficient to enthrall most who see and hear them. The assault on the senses does not end with these things, though. The air hangs heavy with an intoxicating musk so rich and pervasive that it penetrates the flesh of all who pass through it, quickening the heart and opening the senses further than thought possible.Thus stimulated, flesh becomes hyper-sensitive to even the most gentle breath of air or tender caress. Scents waft from braziers in which smoulder the embers of an incense that triggers memories of amorous encounters of the past. A mortal in this state is easy prey for the purveyors of delights that surround them. Closing in on their now-willing victims, Daemonettes offer comforts with softly voluptuous flesh, kisses from razor-fanged mouths, and embraces from piercing claws.
Slaanesh - Excess of Adoration: Within the ranks of the militaries of every starfaring species, talk of glory is common. Troops are motivated to achieve more than they believe they can by speeches from commanders who exhort the ranks onward to glorious victory. When battles are won, the returning heroes are held high and showered with praise and adoration.This effect on the hero can be profound. More is possible, he thinks. More can be achieved. More glory can be his. Insidiously, this can also lead to fears of letting it all slip away, of failure and derision. In these thoughts, a path to Slaanesh is laid at the feet of the hero. This path is not restricted to the military. Leaders of government, churches, and cults all seek approval as well. Even fathers want their children to look up to them. The path described in the Heretic cardinal's confession is crowded with wayward souls -- a path that leads to the fourth circle of the Dark Prince's Realm.For each visitor here, the experience is unique, though there are commonalities for many. Massed throngs may greet a soldier, cheering his name and erecting statues in his honour. Planetary governors may see themselves establishing such complete order that they gain control of an entire star system. Whatever the scenario presented to him, the victim of these visions finds it incredibly difficult to pull themselves out of the pleasant dream.Unlike the dreams experienced when a person sleeps, these illusions do nothing to seem impossible. A soldier has seen others elevated and has been trained for acts of glory. Histories are filled with tales of governors who have carved out greater realms among the stars. These and more offer solidity to the visions encountered, drawing the dreamer farther and farther into illusionary depths.Only self-doubt gnaws at some, and these are the ones who break free. When they do, the dream shatters, revealing, if only for an instant, a vast plain of black soot. Upon it heaps of bones are buried beneath the bodies of millions of others, standing and lying in the burned ashes, still trapped in their individual delusions. The unsettling image flashes by in an instant and the traveller is confronted by the traps of the next circle.
Slaanesh - Excess of Achievement: When the Corpse-god of the Imperium created the Space Marines, legend has that He faced the difficult task of engineering a warrior that was eager to serve Him through great deeds of heroism and by achieving the impossible in His name. At the same time, these soldiers needed to be humble enough to realise that victory earned in the name of the Emperor is not personal, that they are simply weapons to be wielded in His hands, unquestioning and obedient.As is known to those who have studied those ancient times, He failed. Legions rebelled, led by prideful primarchs who questioned the Emperor's plans and thought they could do better. All the while, the the Prince of Chaos whispered encouragement in their ears, as it does to all visitors to the fifth circle of its domain, if the blasphemous tales are to be believed.What appears to be a grand forest, with dense clusters of majestic trees that house secluded glades is, of course, a trap. The sound baffling effect of the trees puts the mind in an introspective position. The long walk gives it time to wander. The glades are inviting and serene. In the centre of each glade is a perfectly still pool that invites the traveller to sit and reflect upon their thoughts. As they stare into the pool, they recall their accomplishments and dwell on what more they could achieve. Sitting there lost in thought, the undergrowth of the glade begins to creep in on them. Thorny branches reach toward them. Strangling vines descend from the trees and gently coil around their neck.As they close their eyes and imagine themselves striking down legendary foes, conquering galaxy-spanning civilisations, or negotiating heavily favourable Warrants of Trade, the waters of the pool rise up and take the shape of whatever represents defeat for the dreamer. Sensing something is amiss, the ensnared visitor opens their eyes and is confronted by a vision of shame and defeat just before the branches and vines rip at their flesh and choke the air from their lungs. The sound of their final scream, stifled by a lack of air, is a delight to the Dark Prince.An incredibly small number of travellers resist the temptation to dream and are spared the torment of confronting their failings. They rise, exhausted by their trials, and pass into the sixth and final circle that stands between them and the Palace of Pleasure.
Slaanesh - Excess of Repose: Life in the 41st Millennium is hard, short, and brutal. For many, each day is a struggle to simply survive to the end of the day. Even species that do not suffer the oppressive yoke of Imperial rule are not without burdens. The Aeldari, for example, must ensure that their craftworlds are supplied and ready to repel invaders, all the while haunted by the knowledge of the terrible fate that can await them should their souls fall to She Who Thirsts.Still, bodies need rest. Surely any wanderer who has made it to the last of Slaanesh's defensive rings must be weary, and especially deserving of repose, even if only for a moment. Upon emerging from the delightful torments of the previous five circles, anyone who could resist the seduction placed before them at this point would surely become legend. Awaiting the beleaguered traveller, say the whispers of those depraved wretches languishing in perfumed palaces and pleasure dens, is a vision of sublime peace.All struggle is surely a thing of the past. All torment a distant memory. Here is a beach of softest sand, warmed by the rays of a golden sun. Gentle breezes push scattered clouds through a perfect azure sky. Music is carried on those same breezes, soothing the spirit. The ground itself rises up and caresses the body of the weary wanderer. Cherubs begin to remove armour plates and burdensome belongings.Coalescing from the salted mists of the waves that break upon the shore, figures with placid features and soothing hands approach and rub tired muscles. The memories of an arduous journey fade into nothingness. Peace is the wanderer's at last.It is peace eternal if the will is not strong enough to snap consciousness back to reality. Determination sends the placid apparitions screaming back to the seas. Resolve collects displaced armour and other possessions. Herculean effort forces the few strongest invaders to rise up and approach the final destination. The Palace of Slaanesh lies ahead, and surely any who could pass through the six trials is prepared for what awaits.
Slaanesh - Palace of Pleasure: A determined warrior, Daemon or mortal, who survived the predations of the six circles of the Dark Prince's Realm and their inhabitants would naturally assume that the Palace of Pleasure, Slaanesh's residence and seat of power, would be defended with legions of Daemonettes and Fiends. Surely his Keepers of Secrets would confront any invader that made it to the Dark Prince's abode. Thick walls must surround the grounds and towers of his demesne.Slaanesh has no need of such defences, however. Any invading force, from a lone Space Marine, to legions of Bloodletters, would find that the only guardians present would be statues of the finest alabaster and perfectly shaped trees. Confused as these warriors might be, nothing could prepare them for the presence of the master of the realm. As the invaders contemplate what they perceive as a lack of defence, the air stills.Unseen choirs sing, and ears weep at the unholy harmonies. A god emerges from his palace. Striding confidently toward the awestruck invaders, the Dark Prince smiles. It is enough to completely disarm any who stand in its presence. They are lost, and they care little of the fact. This, the tales say, is why there are no defensive walls or Daemonic hordes around the Palace of Slaanesh. There is simply no need. Resistance in the face of perfection is not a possibility.What becomes of those thus ensnared is beyond speculation and more the subject of fevered dreams. Not one soul has trod upon the grounds of the Palace of Pleasure and returned to tell the tale. Scholars of the obscene and decadent debate not only the fate of those who get this far, but even the very structure of the grounds and the palace itself.There being no firsthand accounts, who can say for sure what form the citadel takes? Some say the palace is a single humble dwelling, making the appearance of the Prince of Pleasure even more grand in comparison. Other say it is the most opulent structure ever conceived, stretching for kilometres in every direction, including upward.Most agree that it must be magnificent. A god of excess and perfection must have a domicile to match. If this is correct, then the spires of gold and marble surely ring an inner courtyard wherein statues of exquisite realism are placed. These statues might be the final form of those who succumbed to the disarming allure of Slaanesh. If so, then their faces would bear a countenance of absolute joy. These statues would capture forever the perfect moment of grace that one would surely feel in the presence of perfection.It may be that the only inhabitant of the Palace of Pleasure is Slaanesh itself. Perhaps no Daemons of any kind are required to embellish its inner sanctum. Or it may be that the palace is filled with life, a den of iniquity where decadence unrivalled is played out eternally.Regardless, it is the seat of power for the Lord of Pleasure, the Master of Painful Delights, the Prince of Obsession. It is home to Slaanesh.
Slaanesh - Slaanesh and the Aeldari: The birth of Slaanesh at the end of the period that Imperial historitors call the Age of Strife in the early 30th Millennium marked the downfall of the Aeldari, who refer to Slaanesh in the feminine form as "She Who Thirsts," an epitaph that refers to Slaanesh's constant hunger for their souls.The Aeldari's most populous homeworlds were destroyed by the realspace shock wave of the Prince of Pleasure's birth during what they call "The Fall," along with many of the craftworlds created by the most forward-seeing among them to escape this cataclysm of their own making. But the destruction of their homes and the death of their brethren was not the only disaster for the Aeldari. Slaanesh proceeded to combat the very gods of the Aeldari in the Warp, slaying all but three: Khaine, Cegorach, and Isha, who is held captive in the decaying Garden of Nurgle.Born from the dark side of the very essence of Aeldari being, Slaanesh has fed on that race ever since. When most Aeldari die, if no Spirit Stone is present to receive their soul, it is consumed by Slaanesh in the Warp.The Aeldari of the craftworlds, the Asuryani, have taken many steps to defend themselves against the attacks of Slaanesh, including a strict code of "Paths" or ways of studying a particular aspect of life or occupation to avoid unbridled seeking of pleasure or knowledge, and Spirit Stones that shield the souls of the fallen against the predations of Slaanesh.The enigmatic sect of Aeldari called the Harlequins go through what is known only as "The Ritual" to free themselves from this fate, and it is believed they are then under the protection of Cegorach or "The Laughing God" or "The Great Harlequin" (also a title used for a high-ranking leader of the Harlequins). The even rarer beings known as the Solitaire, who are alone in their ability to play Slaanesh in the most rare of the Harlequins' dances, are said to already belong to Slaanesh. For this they are considered cursed, although it is also said that when a Solitaire dies, Cegorach will emerge from the Webway to fight Slaanesh for his or her soul.The sadistic Drukhari do not protect themselves against Slaanesh, and their souls are devoured by Chaos even while they still live. Unlike the Craftworld Aeldari, they continued the hedonistic and sadistic acts in the Aeldari domains of the Webway that brought about the creation of Slaanesh, and so the Dark Prince can draw upon their life forces in the Warp even while they are alive. To slow the drain of their souls by the Prince of Chaos and embrace immortality as the only defence against the predations of She Who Thirsts, the Drukhari psychically drink the souls of others, thus prolonging their lives and requiring their constant slave raids across the galaxy.
Slaanesh - Slaaneshi Daemons: Being by far the youngest of the Dark Gods, the Daemon host of Slaanesh still pales in comparison to those of the other Ruinous Powers. However, the numbers of Slaaneshi Daemons grow with every passing moment and they are not to be taken lightly.The Daemons of Slaanesh possess some elements of the perverse and unnatural beauty of their master, a beauty that provokes loathing and desire in equal measure. Their very presence evokes a tide of sensuality strong enough to drown a living soul, while their seductive promises can enslave even the stoutest heart.Their physical forms are both beguiling and monstrous, fairness and foulness intermingling to blast the soul of the viewer with their monstrous dichotomy.