Incubus

A Dark Eldar Incubus wielding the signature Klaive of his order

An Incubus (pl: Incubi) is a member of an order of Dark Eldar warriors very similar to the Aspect Warriors of their Craftworld counterparts, as the Incubi train for combat and combat alone. Warriors of the highest calibre, the Incubi dedicate themselves to perfecting the killing stroke. Despite their unusual ascetism for a Dark Eldar, no shred of true virtue exists within their black souls, for though they seek perfection, their only true desire is to take other lives as often as they can.

Role

Eveything about an Incubus bleeds menace. His armour is spiked and segmented and his horned helmet is framed by a pair of razor-sharp blades. He walks with the grace of a stalking sabrecat and when he does so there is no sound, for his formidable warsuit is so perfectly designed that it subtracts from his native agility only slightly. The Incubi lead lives of rigorous discipline; so much so that some Dark Eldar whisper in astonishment that they can actually be trusted to keep their words and their promises. Incubi are highly valued in Dark Eldar society as bodyguards and shock troops. It is believed that the very first Incubus was the first Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors, Arhra, who fell to the service of Slaanesh by walking the Path of Damnation and joined the Dark Eldar. Arhra became the first Hierarch of the Incubi and created the first Incubus Shrine in the Dark City of Commorragh. Arhra is believed at present to be Drazhar, the Master of Blades, the greatest of the Dark Eldar Incubi.

However, all Incubi are ultimately mercenaries who will fight for anyone, for any cause and will even impart their formidable skills to any who prove themselves worthy of the training. Their forbidding obsidian shrines, each presided over by an Incubus called a Hierarch, the dark counterpart of an Exarch, are filled with patrons and aspirants eager to learn the deadly arts of the Incubi. Through long and gruelling training, the strong will prosper and learn, while those who are weak will fail, be slain and their bodies burnt as an offering to the iron statue of the War God Khaine that lies at the heart of every Incubus shrine. Should an aspirant actually live long enough to defeat an Incubus in combat and take his armour from him, the final training will begin. Only when the initiate has killed an Eldar Aspect Warrior of the Craftworlds in single combat and shattered his victim's Spirit Stone and rebuilt it into one of the psychic torturing devices known as Tormentors, can he be fully inducted by the Hierarch of his shrine as an Incubus.

An Incubus Hierarch

The Incubi focus not on artistry but on the pragmatic method of killing their opponent as efficiently and quickly as possible. Though they are trained in the use of every form of blade and ranged weapon, they favour the use of the potent Power Swords they call Klaives. A Dark Eldar Klaive is a masterwork weapon, displaying the exquisite balance and form to be expected from a work of Eldar craftsmanship. The Incubi consider the Klaive to be the only weapon properly used by any true warrior, though the Incubi's warleaders, who bear the title of Klaivex, sometimes favour the usage of such variants as the Demi-Klaive, two smaller powered blades that can be wielded separately or clasped together to form a much larger sword that adds to the wielder's strength. Every Klaivex is a born killer whose skill in taking lives is so extraordinary that even other Dark Eldar believe there must be something supernatural about their power.

Despite their skill in one-on-one duels, Incubi scorn fair fights in actual combat conditions. When they close with their enemy, they send out waves of damaging neural energy from the Tormentors mounted on their armour's chestplate, leaving their enemies wracked with pain before the killing can truly begin. Some Incubi also possess special Tormentors known as Bloodstones that are crafted from the broken Spirit Stone of a slain Eldar Exarch. These weapons can fire a neural pulse so powerful that they can boil an enemy's blood, killing him outright from afar.

The Incubi do not swear allegiance to any specific Kabal or Wych Cult, as servants of Khaela Mensha Khaine, their loyalty is first and foremost to their war-shrine, an aspect in which they are eerily similar to the Craftworld Eldar Aspect Warriors. These obsidian crafted shrines are led by an Hierarch, the most senior an potent warrior amongst the elite group. The Hierarch is the spokesperson of the Shrine with the rest of Commorragh, and it is he who will bargain with prospective patrons, and cull the most valuable initiates from amongst the many aspirants eager to steep themselves in the murderous arts.

Training to become an Incubus is extremely hard and gruelling and most aspirants die along the way. The only way to stay alive is to quickly master everything taught by the Hierarch, and those who fail are burnt as an offering to the iron statue of Khaine at the heart of each shrine. The only way for an aspirant to attain the rank of Incubus is to best a proven Incubus in mortal combat and claim his armour for himself. At that point, the aspirant will only have one last trial to fulfill: kill an Aspect Warrior of the Eldar Craftworlds in single combat, claim their prey's precious Soul Stone, and ultimately debase and rebuild it into a psychic torture device known as a Tormentor. Only when this is done can the aspirant truly call himself Incubus, and take his place amongst his fellows at the heart of the shrine.

The same process is applied for promotion within an Incubus Shrine: should an Incubus desire promotion, he must challenge and best the holder of the place he covets in personal combat. Unlike everywhere else in Commorragh, assassination is not tolerated amongst the Incubi. Should a Hierarch fall on the field of battle, the Incubi will fight amongst themselves to determine which one will become the new Hierarch of their shrine. This process of selection ensures that only the best warriors ever remain Incubi or Hierarchs for long, ensuring that the quality of the service they offer remains at a peak.

Incubi are the greatest pure warriors of Dark Eldar society, serving as mercenaries who live only to fight and kill. Due to the time-honored tradition of promotion through assassination that defines Dark Eldar society, the services of Incubi as bodyguards is highly sought after. Incubi are by their nature completely neutral in matters of a Kabal's hierarchy. They follow the code of their contract zealously, and are elite warriors, all of which make them perfect bodyguards. Few Archons ever hesitate to invest their raiding spoils into securing the exclusive assistance of an Hierarch and his shrine of Incubi, and any subordinate who wishes to attempt to take the place of the Archon must first find some loophole or circumstance that will make such a contract void, lest he wishes to face the Incubi in combat.

Notable Incubi

Drazhar, the Master of Blades, wielding his Demi-klaives

• Dark Father - The Dark Father is the head of the Incubi sect, and is thus the most powerful Incubus Hierarch in existence, due to the manner in which seniority is decided in Commorragh. It is believed that Arhra, founder of the Eldar Warrior Aspect of the Striking Scorpions, is the original Dark Father, although this cannot be confirmed. In the event that Arhra did found the Incubi sect, it likewise cannot be confirmed that he was not killed by one of his students, and thus overthrown as Dark Father. The argument for Arhra being the founder of the Incubi is based primarily on the fact that Eldar refer to Arhra specifically as "The Fallen Phoenix", and refer to Incubi as "Fallen Warriors", stating that their Dark Father had, "turned from the light into the shadows". This evidence, coupled with the similarities between the Incubi's Tormentor Helms and the Striking Scorpion's Mandiblasters, and the aesthetic similarity of the scorpion stylings between both warrior orders, lead most Imperial savants versed in this issue to this conclusion, although it has never been confirmed.
• Drazhar - Drazhar, known as the Master of Blades, is the champion of his order. An utterly deadly master of the Demi-klaives, Drazhar is an enigma amongst the Dark Eldar, for nothing is known about him. Even his name, "Drazhar", which means "Living Blade" in the Eldar Lexicon, is a title used by the other Incubi to speak of him, for no one has ever heard Drazhar utter a word or seen him remove his mask. Some whisper that Drazhar is actually Arhra, the Fallen Phoenix, the founder of the Incubi and the true Dark Father of the order. The truth remains unknown.
• Morr - Morr is a powerful and loyal Incubus in service to the Kabal of the Realm Eternal.

Wargear

Incubi are trained in the use of many different weapons unique to their warrior sect. Almost all Incubi favour a great two-handed Power Sword they call a Klaive. A Klaive is a masterpiece of balance and form; the Incubi consider Klaives to be the one and only true weapon. However some Incubus shrines prefer to promote the use of a Punisher, a two-handed Power Weapon resembling a halberd, manufactured in such a way as to assist the wielder when swinging, effectively increasing the strength and reach of their attacks. All Incubi are equipped with an extremely resilient suit of armor, called an Incubus Warsuit. The Incubi jealously keep the procedures to manufacture and repair such armour to themselves, and as such they are the only ones to wear them. An Incubus Warsuit offers protection similar to a Space Marine's Power Armour, without inhibiting its bearer's movement in the least. The helmet of the suit incorporates the signature Tormentor weapon of the Incubi. Some Incubi possess a Bloodstone, a rare and exotic Tormentor forged from the broken Spirit Stone of an Eldar Exarch, that can boil an enemy's blood with a pulse of potent energy.

More experienced Incubi who serve in the role of squad leader to their fellows sometimes favour the versatile Demi-klaives, paired Power Weapons which can be wielded either separately to increase the amount of strikes the user can make, or clasped together to form a much larger blade, thus increasing the force of the blows.

Sources

• Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pp. 14-17, 22, 52
• Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition), pp. 12, 18, 36
• Path of the Renegade (Novel) by Andy Chambers
• Path of the Incubus (Novel) by Andy Chambers

Gallery

A Dark Eldar Incubus wielding his Klaive

A Dark Eldar Incubus prepares to face the foe