Norelle wrote:Hey, I've been wondering, what are the physical differences between Eldar and their Dark Kin?
There is no physical difference.
They are the same kin, just like High Elfs and Dark Elfs are the same kin.
Brothers and sisters, parents and children could belong to the two opposed "races" (both in WHFB and in WH40k).
But let's remain in 40k.
Eldars were ruling the universe.
Most of them lost control of their emotions, and dropped any morality.
Only a very few Eldars resented this situation as "wrong". Some of them settled in very far planets. Some other decided to become sort of ascets and leave their world in spacecraft, especially since their prophets were feeling that a big catastrohe was becoming imminent.
It was indeed. In a huge big bang, nearly all the eldar population was annihilated by the coming of Slaanesh, materialized by the very depravation of the Eldars.
Four categories of Eldars survived.
- the ones in very remote planets => they are Eldars, but somehow more savage than the other ones
- the ones in their spacecraft, now with no home planet left => they are the typical Eldars
- Arlequins live in the warp; they have no spacecraft nor planet; they go where they want => they can join Eldars or Dark Eldars
- Dark Eldars are the very few who survived the huge explosion. They live usually in Comorragh, not really a planet, which has no sun. This is why they are supposed to be highly accustomed to dark, and why their skin is supposed to be less tanned than other ones.
Their fate is different when they die.
- The ones in their planets merge with the planet. Think about the movie Avatar.
- The ones in the spacecraft would be swallowed by Slaanesh if they died; instead, they are absorbed by their individual stone, which can inhabit post mortem the space craft.
- Arlequins are hidden from Slaanesh while they are in the warp.
- Dark Eldars know that they will be swallowed, but Homonculus have found a way to resurrect their deads before it happens (and if they can pay).
The physical appearance should reflect that:
- Planet Eldars should be more raw, more nature akin, something like space Wood Elves.
- Regular Eldars are bound to remain ascets and thrive for perfection thoughout their live. They know that if they let their emotions loose, they could become Dark Eldars (and some of them do). So their appearance should reflect their impressively strict discipline.
- Arlequins are outcast. They are the hippies of the Eldars. They spend nearly all of their time in the warp, which can only increase their eccentricity.
- Dark Eldars have abandoned themselves to their immoderate lust, which is beyond imagination. Sure it must reflect on their bodies (especially the ones who were victims of haemonculus imagination). This is how you find some of them to have been changed to birds, or to shadow spirits.
So take two Eldar twins.
One remained in his spacecraft while the other one selected to become a Dark Eldar.
A few centuries later:
The Eldar one should show centuries of ascetism and the perfection of his mastery of the art he is working on at the moment.
The Dark Eldar one should show centuries of depravation, drug consumption, body building (in the litteral sense), scars, blood lust in arenas, speed lust, whatever lust. And hardly any light.
Just like ordinary brothers/sisters...