Warhammer: Dark Elves / Characters

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Death to the Asur!

"We shall strike down our foe with sharp steel and cold hearts. The weak die so that the strong shall be spared. Then and only then will our enemies know the true meaning of fear."

—Malekith, Witch King of Naggaroth

The Dark Elves, or Druchii, are evil and cruel Elves descended from exiles who left the Elven homeland in the wake of the Sundering, the terrible ritual attempted at the height of the bloody Elven civil war that submerged much of their former territory in northern Ulthuan. Since going into exile, the Dark Elves have built their own cities in the desolate land that would become known as Naggaroth, the Land of Chill. From their grim realm, the Dark Elves raid the entire world for riches, slaves or both, building their forces so that they can one day return and reclaim their lost home. Their leader Malekith is actually the original leader of the losing faction and has kept himself alive and healthy for 5000 years by nefarious means, ruling over a vain, treacherous and bloodthirsty civilization of Elves ready to do anything to get what they want.

In battle, the Dark Elves form a twisted and more aggressive reflection of the High Elves. Also fielding elite units of fast but rather fragile infantry and cavalry, the Dark Elves swap the noble beasts for tamed monsters such as Hydras or Manticores, and their magic users practice Dark Magic. Moreover, the armies of Naggarythe incorporate more underhanded tricks such as assassins, and work alongside the bloodthirsty members of the Cult of Khaine, even more aggressive fighters reveling in close-quarter combat.

The Dark Elves have no allies, only prey. The lesser races of the world are treated as potential slaves, fit only to be worked to death for their masters. They view themselves as the true inheritors of the ancient elven civilization and the legacy of the hero-king Aenarion, and as such reserve their greatest scorn for their High Elf cousins, who they believe to be weak usurpers who robbed them of their rightful homeland.

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General Tropes

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Ambition Is Evil: A faction-wide case. Each and every Dark Elf is aiming for the spot above them while simultaneously keeping an eye on their subordinates, and it's highly implied that Malekith designed this to weed out the weak and promote the strong. In-game this is reflected by the loyalty mechanic, where if you don't treat your commanders right with loot or prestige, they will rebel against you to get what they want.
All Crimes Are Equal: Due to the extreme civil strife that struck the city of Har Ganeth in the past, the city has some of the harshest laws in all of Naggaroth. The punishment for breaking any of these laws is execution by beheading, even for things such as public debauchery and murder, which wouldn't be considered crimes in other cities.
Always Chaotic Evil: The Druchii's morality is unique in that there is a combination of environmental, societal, and martial factors that build up their kind to be among the more evil races in the setting. Unlike other races like the Daemons, Greenskins, and Skaven, the Dark Elves are able to discern a distinction between good and evil as well as virtues and sins, yet their upbringing ensures they are brought up to be vicious, arrogant, and abusive savages who think nothing of other races than to decimate them and showcase their superiority. Where other races are evil because of their biology, the Druchii are blatant and proud of what they grow up to become and intentionally never grow out of it, making them one of the more depraved races in the Warhammer world. That said, some Dark Elves are capable of doing some good out of their own free will, but this is an incredibly rare occurrence and they are capable of showing positive traits like love, affection, loyalty, diligence, and respect, which ends up making the race's sociopathy even more apparent.
Amazon Brigade: The Witch Elves, or Brides of Khaine, a cult of blood-crazed warrior priestesses dedicated to the elven god of war and murder (the male devotees join the ranks of Executioners or Assassins instead). Meanwhile the Sisters of Slaughter are an order of gladiatrices dedicated to their god, Eldrazor the Lord of Blades. Both of these units represent some of the deadliest close-quarters units in the game thanks to neat specialized rules.
Arch-Enemy: To the High Elves of course. The start of their war against the Asur dates back to millennia ago with regular raids and full-scale invasions that were repelled each time, further fueling their enmity. Most Dark Elves models have the Hatred rule against High Elves as a result.
The Ark: When Malekith and his followers caused the Sundering, the land of Nagarythe began to slip beneath the ocean. In an attempt to survive the onrushing waves, the sorcerers of the rebel Elves used their dark magic to protect their castles and towers, causing them to float free of their sinking land and sail to safety. While some of these fortresses were later beached to form the foundations of the cities of Naggaroth, many of these Black Arks still sail the seas spreading the terror of the Druchii amongst the younger races whenever they appear on the horizon.
Athens and Sparta: They and the High Elves are a textbook example of this dynamic; with the Druchii as Sparta, obviously.
Attack! Attack! Attack!: The Dark Elves army is geared toward relentless but careful aggression. Lacking in numbers and with fragile units but having in all units an array of rules and abilities enabling them to easily kill enemy models, the Dark Elves usually aim to destroy the enemy ranks before they break too.
Automatic Crossbows: Dark Elf repeater crossbows, their signature ranged weapons. Called "Uraithen" (lit. "Death Rain") in Druhir. They come in regular versions or hand-sized with a weaker range. Despite their Strength 3, they have the Multiple Shots (2) and Armour Piercing rules that adds to their rate of fire and overall deadliness. Finally, the Dark Elves use as a war machine the Reaper Bolt Thrower that is a big automatic crossbow.
Ax-Crazy: Pretty much the entire race if we're being honest, with the Cult of Khaine members knocking it up even further by having Frenzy.
Bad People Abuse Animals: They like to enslave animals using the lash rather than taming them the High Elf way through mutual trust, respect and affection. They also have no problems with using the bodies of these animals for food and/or clothing.
Beast of Battle: The Dark Elves do not fight alongside beasts but enslave them and drag them to the battlefield. Their armies are known for fielding a remarkably diverse bestiary compared to other factions, with some of the most notorious among these beasts are:
- First of all the War Hydras, big, powerful multi-headed lizards that are already so nasty that whole armies want to avoid their nest. The War Hydras notably downplay the Hydra Problem that usually comes with these monsters as it doesn't grow new heads but at least easily regenerates lost ones. In game, War Hydras have the If One Head is Severed... and Another Takes its Place rules that tie the number of attacks to their number of Wounds and give them the ability to regenerate Wounds on a 4+ roll. Moreover, they are bred by Dark Elves to become more powerful, gaining a Breath Weapon or Super Spit. In short, they are a shock Monster unit meant to outflank, do tremendous damage and break anything they come across.
- Harpies are winged humanoids that roost on the towers of Kar Karond. They're just as predatory and cruel as Dark Elves, and so they have become portents of good omens to the Druchii. Because they can fly, Harpies mainly form a backline harassing unit on the tabletop.
- Kharybdisses are giant sea monsters dragged to the surface. Thanks to their many tentacles they can dish out a high number of Strength 7 attacks and their eldritch appearance and Abyssal Howl makes them especially terrifying to troops.
- Manticores are powerful monsters with the body of a hound and wings. With the ability to Fly, Poisoned Attacks and being a Lightning Bruiser, Manticores are a favored Lord mount. However, they are so out for blood that they are considered as Uncontrollable so each turn the rider must pass a Leadership test or become Frenzy as the Manticore ignores him and runs to kill the nearest thing.
- Black Dragons are Dragons that the Elves corrupted in the egg with Dark Magic, making them extra vicious on top of being a giant fire-breathing Lizard. Used as Lord Mounts, the Black Dragons are especially powerful monsters although they do not compare to the High Elves' Star Dragons.
- Dark Pegasi are dark winged horses favoured by Sorceresses as mounts for giving them maneuverability on the battlefield. They also have a small unique horn on the forehead, enabling a Horn Attack result in a +1 Strength on the charge.
The Beastmaster: Dark Elves Beastmasters are a notorious group of Dark Elves from Klar Karond specialized in capturing monsters and then breaking said monsters to use them on the battlefield. From Cold Ones to Kharybdisses, they are responsible for taming and handling them which is extremely dangerous. High Beastmasters have the Beastslaver rule, granting a nearby monster with D3 additional attacks with A Taste of the Lash.
The Berserker: The Brides of Khaine in general are bloodthirsty warriors out for anyone's blood since Khaine isn't difficult to please. Witch Elves and Death Hags have the Frenzy rule but also Madness of Khaine, causing a nearby allied hero to risk being wounded as the Witch Elves want to sacrifice him too.
BFS: The executioners of Har Ganeth, an order of elite holy warriors devoted to Khaine, are renowned for their use of the "Draich", a vicious two-handed blade. Unlike many other Dark Elves the Executioners are notably not sadists, but cold and efficient killers who see it as a religious duty to kill their foes as quickly as possible.
Black Knight: Several of their high-tier troops, such as the Black Guard and Cold One Knights, fit this trope to a tee, being dark armored elite warriors in service to an Evil Overlord.
Black Magic: The Dark Elves are the foremost practitioners of "Dhar" or Dark Magic, one of the most destructive and malevolent of all magical lores.^note The necromancy practiced by the Vampire Counts originated as a subset of Dark Magic devised by Nagash, the first human necromancer, who in turn obtained his knowledge of it from a trio of Dark Elves he had taken prisoner. The Lore of Dark Magic is a Difficult, but Awesome lore with rather difficult to cast but also powerful offensive spells with the sorceresses being rewarded with additional destructive power for taking risks with the dice.
Blood Bath: Something the matriarchs of the Brides of Khaine engage in once a year as part of a Blood Magic ritual to rejuvenate themselves. The process was first invented by Morathi and by withholding all but the most basic details of the ritual, thereby keeping the Witch Elves largely dependent on her, she has established no small degree of control over the Cult of Khaine.
Blood Knight: All Dark Elves qualify to some extent as Khaine — a god of war and murder — is the patron deity of their civilization. This is represented in game by a boost being given after they've been in battle long enough. The Cult of Khaine are the biggest offenders in this regard. More specifically, the Witch Elves are living weapons of mindless violence, cruelty and destruction, whilst the Executioners, are colder and more reserved but no less bloodthirsty.
Born Under the Sail: The call of the sea is considered sacred in Druchii society, to the point that corsairs are afforded great respect throughout Naggaroth, and embarking on their first raiding cruise is an important rite of passage for young nobles.
Chainmail Bikini:
- The Brides of Khaine (AKA, the Witch Elves and Death Hags), whose combat armor seems to consist largely of a loincloth, a metal bikini, warpaint and above-the-knee boots. Of course considering they're blood-crazed berserkers with next to no sense of self-preservation any "armour" they wear is purely decorative in nature as they are pure Glass Cannons. Further, they like the way fresh blood feels as it splashes against their skin. The Sisters of Slaughter are also dressed similarly.
- Sorceresses tend to be similarly attired; though they rarely involve themselves in physical combat to begin with.
Challenge Seeker: Because the regular fights in the arena have come to bore them, the Sisters of Slaughter regularly try to walk real battlefields and seek foes that will truly pose a challenge to them. Their Trial of Blades rule confers them a +1 bonus to Hit and Wound against units with higher Weapon Skill or Strength, representing how the challenges pushes the Sisters to go beyond themselves.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Dark Elves are marginally less fratricidal than the Skaven or the Orcs. Marginally. Indeed, Druchii society promotes unrestrained ambition, arguing that constant intrigue will weed out the weak and encourage those who have the potential to best their superiors, leading to a constant state of mutual suspicion and omnipresent treachery.
Cold-Blooded Torture: The Dark Elves' favorite past-time and partly why they go on so many raids; their slaves die on a daily basis due to being overworked and then tortured to death.
Cool Horse: Dark Steeds are corrupt Ellyrion steeds with generally darker colors and a vicious streak. They tie for the best horse unit in the game with their Movement 9 instead of the regular 8.
Dance Battler: Sisters of Slaughter have an instinctual fighting style, stated to perform beautiful choreographies when killing their preys in the arena. Their Dance of Death rule cancels the rank bonus of the enemy and gives the Sisters a Ward save in close quarters.
Dark Action Girl: Wyche Elves and their leaders the Death Hag as well as the famous Sisters of Slaughter worship their nefarious gods by making the blood flow and thus they need the enemy directly in close quarters to spill blood as soon as possible. All of them are elite fighters on the tabletop with some models having a Weapon Skill 6 worthy of lesser race Lords.
The Dark Arts: The Lore of Dark Magic is certainly the most dangerous Lore one can study outside of Chaos lores. Indeed it involves the manipulation of the raw Winds of Magic directly out of the Chaos Realms with all the dangers and corrupting side effects it has. The Sorceresses do not mind as all they want is power.
Dark Is Evil: The Druchii take this trope and run with it, perhaps more than any other faction. They're called the Dark Elves for one, they dress in colours like black and purple and practice dark magic. Generally speaking if you took a shot every time the words dark or black were used in relation to the Druchii or their units, you'd likely be dead within an hour.
Decadent Court: Depending on the place but most courts around a Tyrant and even Malekith's are particularly deadly places, where treachery is the name of the game in order to acquire a better place under Malekith. Morathi's own court places more emphasis on the decadent part with untold rites performed in Ghrond.
Divide and Conquer: The Dark Elves caused the War of the Beard, driving a wedge between the High Elves and Dwarves and weakening the latter so they struggled to deal with the disasters/Orc invasions afterward. During the war, Malekith managed to assault Ulthuan and actually conquered some of it for a time.
Domesticated Dinosaurs: The Dark Elves have Cold One Knights and Cold One Chariots, heavy cavalry and chariots units relying on the dinosaur-like Cold Ones that were “tamed” and used as mounts. They are slower and have the Stupidity rule but they have higher stats and the Thick Skinned rule gives the riders a +2 bonus to Armour save. In lore, riding a Cold One is considered Power at a Price since the riders must cover themselves in poisonous slime in order to even get near the lizards without being smelling like prey; in time these riders lose all their senses of touch, smell and taste due to the slime damaging their nerve endings so they can't enjoy mundane pleasures anymore.
Dragon Rider: Black Dragons are available if expensive mounts that different Lords can possess, with even Malekith having one. It's actually revealed that the Dark Elves are trying to monopolize the whole dragon riding thing; their various army books blatantly state that Malekith is responsible for the strange, sorcerous affliction that is making it harder and harder for the High Elves to wake their dragons for battle.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Almost all Dark Elves have pale skins and dark hair, a stark contrast to their fairer, generally nicer cousins.
Evil Counterpart Race: Again, to the High Elves.
- In lore, the High Elves are traditionalist, are known for their discipline and belief in all that is good. They also worship the Cadais, more benevolent Gods of Heavens. They are haughty in a way that makes them believe in their moral superiority. Finally they use the purest form of magic, High Magic. In contrast the Dark Elves only believe in strength and cunning, easily replacing the old and inadequate for better tools and they follow nothing but their cruel whims. As a result, they pray to the dark gods of the Cytharai for strength. They also use raw undiluted magic power in the form of Dark Magic.
- This also applies in game. Dark Elves have an universal rule named Murderous Prowess that directly contrasts the High Elves' Martial Prowess. Murderous Prowess provides no rank bonus but rather allows Dark Elves to reroll failed to wound rolls. Moreover, many Lords, Hero and Core units are a direct evil reflection of High Elves units, for instance Dreadspears against the Spearmen.
Evil Is Deathly Cold: The Dark Elves come from a kingdom known as the "Land of Chill", some of their most iconic spells are associated with ice and cold, and their temperament overall is a bit, well, icy.
Evil Sorcerer: All women, all bad news. Malekith is one himself but he's the only male Druchii sorcerer at the moment. The reason for this is because a particular prophecy indicates Malekith will be killed by a male sorcerer, and he's taken a proactive response by killing any male druchii that tries to become a sorcerer. That being said, in the 7th edition fluff, illegal male sorcerers are said to exist... they just have to keep their heads down or be killed for the aforementioned prophecy aversion. 8th edition keeps this and adds a whole unit type, the Doomfire Warlocks, who are cursed surviving sorcerers who must constantly eat souls to keep their own souls from being consumed by Slaanesh.
Evil Tower of Ominousness: Naggaroth is covered in these as Dark Elves settlement are usually built around huge dark towers serving as a stronghold and palace for the local Tyrant. Most prominent are the Black Tower of Naggarond, Malekith's home, and Morathi's Tower of Prophecy.
Evil Wears Black: The entirety of the Dark Elves army is clad in black clothes, black armors, and have mostly black hair, with typically black mounts. The occasional red, purple or golden ornaments are present to break the monotony. No units respect black as much as the aptly named Black Guard of Naggarond.
The Exile: The Dark Elves consider themselves unwilling exiles from their rightful kingdom of Ulthuan. The ultimate Dark Elf goal is thus to reclaim Ulthuan and exterminate the High Elves who supposedly deprived them of their prize for far too long.
Expy: They are pretty much Melniboneans in all but name, being a race of pale-hued, dark-haired, elf-like beings whose culture is defined by cruelty and decadence, relying heavily on slavery and dark sorcery, older than any other modern empire and regarding all other races as mere disposable toys.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: With their Grim Up North homeland and armies made of infantry with crossbows and polearms, they have a lot in common with post-Viking period Medieval Scandinavia, though they also borrow a lot from the Ancient Greeks - particularly the Spartans (with the High Elves as the Athenians) and generally the more depraved side of antiquity. They are also descendants of a colonial empire, formed from an island nation, that heavily rely on slavery for economic progress, and are even located in a similar geographic location to the United States of America.
Fantasy Pantheon: Although they technically have the same ones as the High Elves, they tend to lean more toward the Cytharai than the Cadai. Most important to their society is Khaine, the god of murder and cruelty.
Fantastic Race Weapon Affinity: Like their sundered kin, the Dark Elves favor the use of spears — ranks of spearmen defended by great tower shields form the backbone of their armies — but exchange traditional bows for more efficient repeating crossbows.
Fantastic Racism: While all elves are guilty of this to some degree, the Druchii take it further regarding the various non-elven races of the world as nothing more than slaves to serve their whims or vermin to exterminate. Even the other elven races are subject to their disdain. The High Elves they consider effete weaklings, while the Wood Elves are regarded as little more than primitive savages.
For the Evulz: As one of their army books pointed out; while the followers of Chaos are capable of their own brand of vile horrors, they at least do so in the name of their Dark Gods. The Dark Elves will do similar things solely because they love to inflict pain and suffering on others.
Gladiator Games: Various blood sports are popular forms of entertainment in Naggaroth; appropriately enough considering the depraved Greco-Roman theme of the Dark Elves. An order of gladiators, the Sisters of Slaughter, are even available as an infantry unit for Dark Elf armies.
Glass Cannon: Because of army-wide Toughness 3 and a lack in numbers, Dark Elves armies do not want a battle to drag on into a knockdown drag-out fight, because otherwise they easily lose their warriors. However, they have an easier time taking out enemy models than other armies, with most notably their Murderous Prowess rule allowing them to reroll failed to wound tests or the extremely aggressive Lore of Dark Magic. Thus, it is better for them to strike as fast as possible.
Grim Up North: The Dark Elves live in Naggaroth, the Land of Chill, the equivalent of Canada and the United States on the world map. It is quite inhospitable in places but habitable, and is home to many horrifying monsters, but none as monstrous as the Druchii.
Harping on About Harpies: They're a One-Gender Race of winged humanoids resembling elven women with batlike wings and cruel talons. Many lair in desolate islets and sea stacks and use their entrancing songs to lure sailors to their doom, but others perch among the towers of the Dark Elves' strongholds and follow their armies and fleets to war. The Dark Elves themselves consider the harpies to favored by Khaine, and greatly admire their bloodthirsty and cruelty.
The Hedonist: Dark Elf society exhorts its members to revel in every indulgence and luxury they can desire or imagine, no matter how senseless or cruel. It's given them an association with Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess, that has waxed and waned over editions. The most prominent example is in 6th edition's "Storm of Chaos" event, which debuted a new Dark Elf variant army called the Cult of Slaanesh — an alliance of Slaanesh-worshipping dark elves, chaos warriors, and daemonettes.
Harpoon Gun: The dreaded Scourgerunner Chariot has a pair of Harpoon launchers mounted on its metal frame, pulled by a pair of Dark Steeds. These colossus Chariots are used to capture some of the greatest beasts that prowl the Land of Chill, and as such offer a rather large bonus against monsters, both from their barbed harpoons, barbed nets they carry to ensnare foes, and their spiky frames.
Horse of a Different Colour: The Dark Elves utilize raptor-like reptiles known as "Cold Ones", or "Nauglir" in their own tongue, as mounts. Cold Ones are notoriously vicious and difficult to train so mastering one is a major status symbol in Druchii society. The Lizardmen also utilize the creatures, although theirs are a separate, jungle-dwelling breed.
Hot Witch: Sorceress are powerful magic users who also tend to be incredibly beautiful, scantily-clad and aggressively seductive in nature.
Human Sacrifice: A staple of their religion. Though it need not be humans, any intelligent race will do.
Hunter of Monsters: Beastmasters personally hunt down the monsters they will then whip into obedience, driving Scourgerunner Chariots across the mountains of Naggaroth to get their quarries.
Immortality Seeker: Like other elves, the Druchii know that nothing awaits them after death but an eternity of torment in Slaanesh's realm, and will do anything to avoid this. Unlike the Asur and Asrai, who bind their souls to their homelands after death, the Druchii aim to avoid this fate by simply never dying. As a result, they have no funeral customs or means to protect the souls of the dead because their culture views dying as a personal failure. Very few actually succeed in this goal, but those that do, such as Malekith, Morathi and Hellebron, have cheated death for millennia and have long outlasted the already long elven lifespan. Notably, undeath was originally devised by Nagash as a Flawed Prototype in an attempt to recreate the forms of life extension used by the Druchii.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The Scourgerunner Chariots have a Ravager Harpoon that shoots Barbed Bolts that sink into the flesh, being designed to allow the chariots to drag monsters into their pens. Not only are the Ravager Harpoon fearsome Strength 7 Multiple Wounds bolt throwers, they can drag a shot Monster Unit D6 inches towards it and potentially make it lose another further wound.
Interservice Rivalry: The three main core Dark Elves warrior types do not appreciate each other. The crossbow wielding Darkshards are looked down upon for not risking their lives in close quarters but they pride themselves on their sharpshooting. Meanwhile the Consummate Professionals Dreadspears have a Technician vs. Performer relationship against the Blood Knights sword-wielding Bleakswords.
In Vino Veritas: Drug use is not only normalized among Druchii society, it's expected, and in any kind of social gathering it's rude not to accept intoxicants when offered, with narcotic-laced wine particularly popular. The rationale is that someone who doesn't partake seems like they have something to hide which might come out if their inhibitions are impaired, and therefore someone who does Straight Edge Evil is seen as untrustworthy. That said, intoxicated elves do have Loose Lips and are likely to say something that could potentially be seen as treasonous later, and that kind of information always gets back to Malekith. This kind of drug-fueled panopticon allows Malekith to help maintain control because everyone knows that they've probably said or done something while under the influence that could be used to rationalize punishing them, inspiring them not to be found wanting in other areas to try and stay more on his good side than his bad.
It Amused Me: This is one of the main reasons for why Dark Elves torture, kill and pillage the "lesser races". That is, everyone except them.
Klingon Promotion: The common method of advancement in Druchii society, only the direct subordinates of Malekith himself are considered immune for their lives belong to the Witch King alone. Not that this makes them much safer, Malekith's typical tolerance for error is low.
Kraken and Leviathan: The Kharybdiss, a monster-sized sea creature. It is one of the most terrifying units the Dark Elves can field that can deliver up to 12 Strength 7 attacks on a single model and with Toughness 5, 5 Wounds and Scaly Skin.
Lady of Black Magic: The only sanctioned spellcasters in Naggaroth are the female Sorceresses and their leaders the Supreme Sorceresses. These Sorceresses are notorious for using the Lore of Dark Magic, based on using the corrupted raw Winds of Magic, while also invoking demonic entities to assist them, and other unpleasant rituals.
Magic Cauldron: One of the most unique Dark Elves weapons and magic tools are the Cult of Khaine's Cauldrons of Blood. Installed on a special altar, Cauldrons of Blood are powerful items for performing Blood Magic in the name of Khaine. In the lore they are always full to the brim with blood without overflowing and through a Blood Bath in them, they allow Death Hags to regain their youthful appearances. In game they have several abilities buffing the Brides of Khaine. Bloodshield of Khaine gives Brides of Khaine near it a ward save, Fury of Khaine grants nearby allies the Frenzy rule or Frenzy +2 Attacks, finally Strength of Khaine allows all nearby allies to reroll failed to Wound rolls.
Magic Is Feminine: Enforced. The vast majority of magical practitioners in Naggaroth are female, and males who practice dark magic (other than Malekith himself of course) are to be put to death or turned into Doomfire Warlocks. The reason for this is because Malekith has heard of a prophecy that he will be killed by a sorcerer "of male aspect", and believes that he is averting the prophecy by only permitting female dark elves to become sorceresses. Male sorcerers do exist, but they remain incognito for fear of the Witch-King's wrath.
Magic Knight: The Doomfire Warlocks. Haggard, decrepit, and frighteningly pale figures, that appear as if they're horsemen of the apocalypse, and are what any Dark Elf male unlucky enough to be "blessed" with the gift to use magic eventually becomes. Their souls are forfeit to the Great Devourer, and so they desperately try to forestall their own horrible final fate by capturing the souls of others and offering them in place of their own. They ride gaunt, dark horses clad in barded plate, and many wear hideous black masks to hide their haunting visages.
Master Poisoner: Khainite Assassins are masters are creating and using poison through Poisoned Weapons but also secretly administering it inside of food. In game they have access to three Forbidden Poisons to undermine/assassinate the enemy leaders. The Black Lotus assaults the target's sanity and inflicts a Leadership penalty for each unsaved wound. The Dark Venom causes agonizing pain and so grants the Assassin the Killing Blow rule. Finally the Manbane is so powerful a mere scratch can fell a man, represented as granting the Assassin a bonus of +1 to wound.
Master Swordsman: Har Ganeth Executioners are famous for constantly training in swordsmanship with their draichs when not performing guard duty or executions. They have become some of the foremost experts in killing by dispatching all kinds of foes or creatures in one well-placed strike. As a result, they get the Killing Blow rule.
Medusa: Bloodwrack Medusae are former Dark Elf sorceresses who were twisted into monstrous shapes by the goddess Atharti, who cursed them into their present form as punishment for their hubris in using magic to make themselves more beautiful than her. Their hair turned into writhing tangles of snakes, their gaze deadly, their teeth into fangs and their legs into serpentine trunks. It's said they have just enough of their rational minds left to remember what Atharti stole from them, which makes them mournful and bitter and more than happy to share that pain with everything around them.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Their iconic manticores (human-faced bat-lions with vaguely scorpion-like stinging tails) and technically their harpies (half elf-maid, half bat-like monster). 8th edition gives them the Kharibdyss which can be loosely described as a mashup of a hydra, a kraken, a cluster of lampreys, and a whorl shark (a prehistoric shark distinctive for its buzzsaw-like lower jaw).
More Despicable Minion: An interesting flip-flop and a downplayed case; both Malekith and his Druchii forces are raging forces of destruction and carnage, but their greatest desires and personality traits are actually quite different. Malekith predicates a darwinistic society, which does its job of keeping the Druchii strong, prepared, and more than wary of their battles, but this has also made them incredibly smug, arrogant, and narcissistic, in addition to feeding into their vicious, sadistic desires to the point of hedonism, not to mention some overly-ambitious ones intent to overthrow the Witch-King to prove their superiority. Malekith, on the other hand, still retains some principles he used to practice back in Ulthuan such as loyalty, love, and affection, and while his goals are inherently selfish, he disavows sadistic and hedonistic acts as being beneath him, if mainly for practical reasons, and merely sticks to his desire to take over Ulthuan. That said, he's aware that there are some Druchii who are personally worse than him and allows them to indulge in their worse impulses, though not without a warning of submitting them to eternal torment should they fail him or attempt to backstab and usurp him.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Naggarothi Black Dragons possess maws filled to the brim with large, jagged, irregular fangs. They almost make other dragon breeds seem dentally challenged by comparison. And that's not even getting into the Kharybdis, the bastard lovechild of a hydra and a lamprey.
Mythology Gag: The Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar and Exodites of Warhammer 40,000 began as "Warhammer High Elves, Dark Elves, and Wood Elves Recycled In Space". In 8th edition, Dark Elves acquired the same "their souls are ultimately forfeit to Slaanesh" lore that had traditionally defined their Eldar kin.
Name of Cain: The Dark Elves worship several gods but none as furiously as Khaine, their chief god. They dedicate thousands of sacrifices to the Cult of Khaine, and its followers are numerous.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Dark Elves actually invoke this trope deliberately in their naming conventions. Druchii nobles will usually assign themselves a suitably intimidating epithet as a form of boast, and are said to go to almost theatrical lengths to prove said boast. If the noble in question fails to live up to their self-proclaimed title, however, they can expect nothing more than a gruesome death at the hands of their countrymen, typically in a manner ironically reminiscent of the title itself.
Nemean Skinning: Corsairs and Fleetmasters all wear a Sea Dragon Cloak taken from the iron-hard skin of the eponymous monsters. The cloak grants any model with it a 5+ Scaly Skin rule.
Nostalgia Filter: If there is one thing that Malekith always thought, it's that Nagarythe was perfect in every way. Accordingly, traditions from Nagarythe have endured the millenia as Malekith basically ordered his subjects to not deviate from Nagarythe traditions. In fact, not many Dark Elves want to change the traditions because Malekith's word is law and wanting to change them would amount to admitting to being unable to adapt, which is weakness.
Obviously Evil: Between the slave driven economy, master race ideology, spiky armour, dark magic, massive black fortresses, naming conventions, murderous cultists, rampant sadism and colour palette, it's not subtle at all that they're very bad news.
Our Dark Elves Are Different: They're archetypal dark elves, with the sadism, the Religion of Evil, the spikes and the undying hatred of the High Elves. They're however quite pale-skinned and live aboveground, unlike the usual appearance of dark elves in fiction.
Our Hydras Are Different: War hydras are a specialized breed created from regular hydra stock, and distinguished from their naturally occurring kin by their greater size, greater strength and fiery breath. Like regular hydras, they're many-headed, four-legged reptiles with bony crests, potent regeneration and highly aggressive natures. An article on White Dwarf #261 describes a couple of hydra variants further bred and magically modified by the Dark Elves: royal hydras are created from particularly successful war hydras through the dark magic of the dark elven king and have acidic blood and bony armor, while spellthirster hydras are highly resistant to magic at the cost of being physically weaker than the normal kind.
Our Manticores Are Spinier: The Manticores native to the Land of Chill are much larger and far more fearsome than the ones prowling the Chaos Wastes and Manticores in general are held as sacred to Khaine in Naggarothi society.
Pegasus: Dark pegasi, which are essentially this trope combined with Hellish Horse, are favoured as mounts by Druchii sorceresses.
Pirates: How the Dark Elves make their living. Going to sea on their Black Arks, Fleetmasters and their Corsairs underlings serve as a collective Evil Counterpart to the Lothern Sea Guard, being at the forefront of constant seaborne attacks and raids on the whole world.
The Power of Hate: It would be fair to say that the Dark Elves are practically fueled by this concept. Their entire race is both consumed and driven by their hatred for the High Elves, and for nearly all the other races for that matter. The mindset is perhaps best exemplified by a quote from the Malus Darkblade novel series:
Malus Darkblade: Through hate all things are possible, and my hate is strong.
Praetorian Guard: The Black Guard of Naggarond are Malekith's personal guard and only answer to him. They are all taken at birth from families favoured by the Witch King, are put through Training from Hell, and if any Guard survives a 200-year-long tour of duty, then he is greatly rewarded with titles and territories, often becoming a favoured member of Malekith's court. Being elite soldiers among the elite, they have Weapon Skill 5 and Leadership 9 with heavy armour and a spear as standard weapon, as well as Stubborn, Immune to Psychology and Eternal Hatred allowing them to reroll failed rolls to hit every turn.
Professional Killer: Khainite Assassins are killers for hire that the Cult of Khaine, responsible for their formation, hires out to anyone with sufficient wealth or political favours. With Naggaroth as their playground, the Khainite Assassins are among the deadliest representatives of the profession. In game they mainly serve as a Hero killer with their Hidden rule allowing them to hide inside a given unit and with Weapon Skill 9, Initiative 10 and 3 Poisoned Attacks, they can fell commanders easily and at the most crucial moment.
Properly Paranoid: Any intelligent Dark Elf will be paranoid about their peers constantly... as those peers do want to assassinate them to get rid of the Dark Elf, their minions who want to assassinate said Dark Elf because the boss is in the minions' way for their own promotion and even the Dark Elf's superiors who may assassinate them if those superiors discover the Dark Elf's ambitions against them. Because of this the Druchii have a rigid etiquette that revolves around Dark Elves always protecting themselves. For instance, personal space is measured entirely in swordlengths, with minions not being allowed within three blades' length of their lords.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Deconstructed. Their slave trade is due to the original Nagarythe exiles who became them being so proud that they flatly refuse to learn any infrastructure maintaining skills, so they had to find a labor source somewhere. Their descendants are even worse about it.
Psycho Serum: The Death Hags may drink a Witchbrew in the middle of battle, granting them +2 attacks and enhancing their Frenzy as they are overcome with bloody visions of Khaine.
Pyrrhic Victory: It is mentioned that if the Druchii ever achieved their goal of conquering Ulthuan and exterminating the Asur, they would be left with an utter void of purpose that they couldn't ever fill from that point onward, as so much of their cultural identity is centered around the perpetual war with Ulthuan. So, attaining their objectives wouldn't fulfill them in the slightest.
Rage Helm: Most closed helmets are sculpted in the likeliness of a screaming face, most notably the Executioners' helmet which resembles bone-bleached skulls. Likewise, the Sisters of Slaughter have grimacing golden masks.
Religion of Evil: The High Elves worship two pantheons, one of "good" gods that should be worshipped and served, and one of "bad" gods that should be appeased and kept at bay. The Dark Elves give themselves over to the Bad gods, like the God of Murder.
Sadist: One of their defining characteristics. You would be hard-pressed to find a Dark Elf who isn't one. It says a lot that they have been called "the cruelest of all mortal races" in various Warhammer sourcebooks, considering the competition they have.
Scary Impractical Armour: Dark Elf armour, particularly that of high-ranking individuals, tends to emphasize intimidation over practicality. Spikes, blades and other such adornments are especially common.
Screaming Warrior: Death Hags have a Cry of War ability, which consists of screaming one of Khaine's hidden names of power to break the enemy.
Sea Monster: The Druchii employ numerous oceanic monstrosities in addition to land-bound creatures such as the Hydra. Most of these are utilized by Naggaroth's naval forces, often pulling black arks, but the nightmarish Kharibdyss is noteworthy due to its ability to fight on land. Resembling a hideous amalgamation of hydra, Kraken and lamprey, these monstrosities dwell in the abyssal depths of Naggaroth's seas and are infamous for the effort required to both locate and subjugate one, to say nothing of their power and ferocity once goaded into battle. As such, they bring great wealth and prestige to any beastmaster able to acquire one.
Sinister Scimitar: In contrast to the Asur, who usually prefer straight-bladed swords, the Druchii tend to favour curved, jagged blades.
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Dark Elves do not deign to perform any mundane task, as they are killers who do not need to waste their time on such petty matters. As a result, their fleets scour the world to bring thousands of slaves to Naggaroth so that these thralls can do the many undignified yet necessary tasks to maintain Naggaroth, like tending to the crops and constructing new buildings. Karond Kar, also named Slaver's Gate, is their greatest slave market.
Snake People: Bloodwrack Medusae were former sorceresses that turned into horrifying snake ladies for the crime using magic to become more beautiful than the gods themselves. Atharti, goddess of pleasure and seduction, didn't appreciate being outstaged by mortals so she transformed the entirety of Ghrond save Morathi into these. Slithering across the battlefield, the Medusae have a Deadly Gaze that tests against Initiative instead of Toughness and ignoring armour, representing their eyes that can turn people into stone.
The Social Darwinist: Most Dark Elves believe only in cunning and strength. To them, the inadequate must be replaced by someone better, usually themselves. As a result, Naggaroth is a stage for many power struggles between Druchii in order to weed out the weak, the dumb, and those with compassion still in their hearts. This even extends to their views of the afterlife: while High Elves entomb their souls in waystones on their deaths so they can live on and the Wood Elves let their souls be reclaimed by Athel Loren, the Dark Elves see this kind of behaviour as making a roundabout admittance that they can be killed, and thusly say "fuck that".
The Sociopath: The Dark Elves advocate for a society where they dominate with no compassion for other races and the weak, and this, alongside their darwinistic philosophy employed by Malekith, bleeds into their kind largely being composed of sociopaths. In general Dark Elves are incredibly vain, bloodthirsty, sadistic, arrogant, shrewd and manipulative, abusive, and devoid of showing respect and compassion for anyone not a part of their race. There are Dark Elves who subvert this, including Malekith and Kouran Darkhand, but those are rare exceptions.
Spikes of Villainy: The Dark Elves seems to like them, provided there's enough space for them.
The Starscream: While Malekith doesn't take any crap from any of his followers, get below that and you'll find that every other entry on the list of ways to advance in Dark Elf society is "kill the guy above you."
Stripperific: All female models are scantily clad, something barely wearing a Chainmail Bikini, often less. In any case, Dark Elves women all wear revealing attires, being beautiful and proud of it. It somewhat helps their case that they're often fast enough to dodge attacks outright.
Stealth Expert: Shades are the old inhabitants of Clar Karond, forced out of the city and having to survive the deadly environment of Naggaroth. In game they are Scouts who will perform harassing tactics and hunt vulnerable units.
Torture Technician: The Dark Elves love to torture and are very, very good at it.
Tunnel Network: The Corsairs have discovered a vast network of tunnels crossing the continent of Naggaroth called the Underworld Sea, as each tunnel is navigable although the darkness and hostile wildlife inside of the tunnels make a crossing into a dangerous proposition. Nonetheless, it allows them to strike both East and West of Naggaroth.
Underground City: Har Graef is a city built at the bottom of a canyon whose walls are rich in ore and gems. It is the most prosperous city of all, and it could challenge Naggarond with the armies on its payroll if Malekith stopped playing Har Graef's ruling families against each other.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Some Dark Elves have indirectly helped the forces of Chaos and Skaven on several occasions, along with distracting the Lizardmen from their anti-Chaos duties. In addition, a few Dark Elf sorcerers washed up on the shores of Nehekhara where they ended up teaching Nagash Dark Magic, leading him to invent necromancy, create the undead, destroy Nehekhara and become the biggest threat to the world outside of the Chaos Gods.
The Vamp: Dark Elves are known to be great seducers and, due to their love for hedonism and debauchery. This is especially true of the Cult of Pleasure, whose members are said to excel in the arts of carnal pleasure. This is the main reason why Slaanesh has such an influence on their culture, despite Malekith constantly trying to put it down.
Whip of Dominance: The Dark Elves, or the Druchii as a whole are commonly associated with whips, due to their sadistic and hedonist culture that is obsessed with domination in all its forms:
- Dark Elf slave overseers and taskmasters carry whips in order to control and punish slaves. They're so sadistic with their whips that they often go overboard, which is partly why dark elf slaves are known to meet a premature end.
- Dark Elf beastmasters are known to be extremely cruel in handling and taming their animals, from horses to War Hydras and other Beast of Battle. This is symbolized by their weapon of choice being long barbed whips, which they don't only use to just tame and goad their beasts, since these whips are designed to inflict pain on large thick-skinned monsters, making them quite deadly against conventional enemies.
- Sisters of Slaughter are a female unit of gladiatrixes armed with barded whips designed to mutilate their enemies. They are infamous for their fanatical devotion to Khaine (The elven god of murder) and they fight with sadistic glee.
Wicked Cultured: Dark Elves are no less urbane than their cousins, just instead of sipping wine from glasses to music, they prefer drinking drug-laced blood to the sounds of tortured prisoners. This is really underlined when Malekith fights a host of Chaos warriors in one of his quest battles, and he states that the Dark Elves' idea of torture is much more refined and inventive than theirs. Let that sink in for a bit.
Wizarding School: The dark convent of Ghrond is the evil version of this trope; training Naggarothi sorceresses in the ways of The Dark Arts. As one would expect, many prospective sorceresses never live to see graduation.
Your Soul Is Mine!:
- It is stated that upon death, all Dark Elves souls are taken and consumed by Slaanesh as no one feels that they should bother protecting dead and now irrelevant souls. It only serves to fuel further atrocities as Dark Elves consider that since they will suffer such a horrible fate, they might as well live to the fullest and make everyone suffer.
- Doomfire Warplocks revolve entirely on this trope. Being male sorcerers, Malekith curses them and so Slaanesh has a direct grip on their souls (Prey to the Dark Prince gives them a conditional 4+ Ward save as Slaanesh calls dibs on them). Directly feeling a Chaos God's claw around their souls at all times, the Doomfire Warplocks will do anything to stall Slaanesh, stealing others' souls and making offering to the Dark Prince to temporarily appease him. As a result, they know Soulblight and Doombolt.

The Dreaded Tyrants of Naggaroth

Malekith

Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth

The Dark King

"Ulthuan belongs to me. If it takes a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will claim my rightful place as king. I am the son of Aenarion. It is my destiny."

The disgraced son of Aenarion, the first Phoenix King, and his second wife, Morathi, Malekith was once the heir to the throne of Ulthuan and was a key figure in founding the original alliance between Elves and Dwarves. However, fear of his grim nature and what darkness he might have inherited from his parents, combined with politicing, resulted in another elven noble being given the throne. Although Malekith feigned satisfaction, resentment burned within him, and he took a long and bloody path that led to his murdering the second Phoenix King and trying to take his place. Rejected and horribly burned by the Flames of Asuryan, Malekith caused the fracture in elven society that created the three elven people today, eventually claiming the throne of Naggaroth as the immortal Witch King.

24-Hour Armor: Malekith's Armour of Midnight was permanently fused to his ruined flesh while still hot from the forge. Some lore even state that some pieces were actually riveted to his bones.
Abusive Parents: Malekith's parents didn't exactly leave a positive impression on their son mentally. While Malekith admired his father, Aenarion became hostile and neglectful of his child during his final years, and this resulted in him not looking after Malekith, which would only make things worse when Aenarion died in battle against the Forces of Chaos. Morathi sought to have her son become the Phoenix King by whatever means necessary. While attentive and close to Malekith, she proves to be an abusive influence by encouraging his more negative character traits and pushing him into rebellion, hate, misery, and malice. As if to make matters worse, Morathi kills Malekith's wife to push him further into darkness. It's easy to see why much of Malekith's fall of grace was because of his parents having failed him as a mentor and role model.
The Ace: A great warrior, a skilled general, a magical prodigy: Malekith had it all. Naturally, this saddled him with an ego proportionate to his gifts, ultimately helping pave the way for his eventual fall.
Achilles' Heel: While his armour and various other artefacts provide him with a truly formidable set of defences against both physical and magical attacks, he is still extremely vulnerable to the power of Asuryan in any of its forms. Something which Teclis exploited at the Battle of Finuval Plain by using his magic to ignite the flames of Asuryan which still smouldered within the Witch-King's body.
Ambition Is Evil: Alongside Nagash, Malekith is one of the most notable villains in the series with a definitive goal in mind. He genuinely thinks he's the best leader the Elves could have when it comes to the Forces of Chaos and is one of the reasons he wants to rule Ulthuan as the Phoenix King. He is insanely determined and committed to fulfiling his desires and his rage upon being denied this and for facing numerous setbacks in his ultimate goal are what kept Malekith alive for thousands of years.
Antagonistic Offspring: Zig-Zagged. Malekith does not trust his mother by any stretch of the imagination and primarily keeps her close in order to keep an eye on her. He also knows very well that it was Morathi who organized the death of his wife, Allisara, and while he publicly forgave his mother, he forbade any aid being sent to her and didn't shed any tears when the vengeful Wood Elves breached Ghrond.
Anti-Hero: Prior to the Sundering, Malekith was a respected and commendable Elf general who showed signs of being reckless and being rather aloof about his race's customaries. Despite that, however, he was a good man... until Morathi further drove him to ambiguity and eventually, villainy.
Anti-Magic: Many of his enchanted items are geared towards negating the power of enemy mages or magical items. Which makes sense when you remember his armor already renders him all but impervious to mundane attacks.
Arch-Enemy: He's had a number of them over his long existence, most famously Caledor the Conqueror: his main adversary during The Sundering. In the modern era he seems to regard the twins Tyrion and Teclis as his greatest foes, particularly the latter who was responsible for thwarting his latest major invasion at the Battle of Finuval Plain.
Artifact of Doom: The Circlet of Iron, an ancient crown of unknown origin which Malekith found in a primordial ruined city before The Sundering. The crown enhances the arcane abilities of the wearer but also appears to exert a malign influence over them, encouraging the study of dark magic. It's heavily implied that wearing the circlet took a heavy toll on Malekith's sanity. In-game, it grants him a bonus die for casting and dispelling attempts.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The Dark Elves respect strength above all else and ultimately, regardless of birthright or any other such claim, Malekith's authority entirely hinges on the fact that he is the most powerful being in Naggaroth. A fact which he is fully aware of.
Ax-Crazy: The flames of Asuryan ravaged more than just his body. On a good day, he's a cold pragmatist bent on conquest, on a bad day a raging psychopath who would see the world destroyed for the sake of his own pride and vengeance.
Bad Boss: Malekith does not tolerate failure or dissent from his underlings and is more than willing to inflict horrific punishments on servants who disappoint him. One the other hand, he is also generous in rewarding success; just don't get on his bad side. Which is famously easy to do.
Being Evil Sucks: Ultimately, the path Malekith took led to just more pain for him, the death of everyone he loved and has left him perpetually bitter towards life. The fluff implies, deep down, he knows it and secretly despises himself, but chooses to continue on because he feels since he's started the path, there's no turning back anymore.
Big Bad: Of the Elven Civil War and for the High Elves as a whole.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: It's surprising how messy Malekith's family turned out to be. During his early years, his father became a ruthless tyrant that alienated much of Ulthuan, his mother discreetly manipulated him into becoming a villain and he himself is an ill-tempered and prideful man whose inherited many of the bad seeds of his parents and butts heads against his mother several times. There's also the fact that he was to consent to a sexual relationship with his older sister if he became the Phoenix King, which alienated the High Elves's opinions for having Malekith succeed his father. Of course, he is distantly related to Tyrion and Teclis as well, both of whom have inherited the corrupted mind and body of Aenarion to an extent as well.
Black Knight: The Armor of Midnight is a pitch-black armor, which is infused into Malekith's body, granting him with the appearance of a tall, overshadowing and frightening dark knight.
Blood Knight: Even before his fall Malekith thrived in war, and spent most of his time campaigning across the Old World against any enemy of Ulthuan he could find.
Body Horror: Courtesy of the flames of Asuryan, his whole body is covered in burn scars; even his eyelids were burned off.
Broken Ace: He kept his great talent even after getting burned by the flames of Asuryan, but his mind was a different story.
Broken Pedestal: Malekith was a very popular Elf during his early days and was genuinely and highly respected by his peers and the general populace for how talented he was. Unfortunately, the events that led to The Sundering and the Elven Civil War destroyed any sort of respect and praise the Elves had toward Malekith.
Brother–Sister Incest: One of the reasons Malekith didn't get to become Phoenix King. After Aenarion died, the Princes of Ulthuan met to decide who would be the new Phoenix King. Though Malekith was the likely choice, it was later revealed that Aenarion's children with the late Everqueen, who were believed slain by Chaos warriors, were alive. The new Everqueen, Malekith's own half-sister, and if Malekith was the future Phoenix King, they would have to conceive a daughter and the idea of an incestuous monarchy very understandably grossed the Princes out.
Byronic Hero: Pre-Sundering Malekith is this; arrogant, temperamental and very willing to prove his worth, but also has internal, psychological and familial issues alongside having a few people he does care about. Over time, however, Malekith forgoes being a hero, instead turning into an Evil Overlord with the intent to Take Over the World.
Classic Villain: Malekith represents various different aspects of this trope.
- He is incredibly headstrong and determined to fulfil his goal, and it is with this mindset and his sheer hatred that has allowed Malekith to live after he was horrifically burned by the Flame of Asuryan.
- Exhibits a strong sense of envy and jealousy, particularly towards the Phoenix King, Bel Shanaar. It is this jealousy that led him into becoming a villain and its effects still persist a thousand years after Bel Shanaar's death.
- Is very sure and proud of his natural abilities and skills. These aspects are what initially made Malekith very popular with the elves, and this is what led him to become insecure and jealous of Bel Shanaar as he felt that he wasn't being properly acknowledged.
- Malekith is the ultimate leader and king of the Dark Elves, whose color schemes (pitch-black with some purple, dark-blue, and red tints) are a suitable contrast to the visual appearance of the High Elves (white with some bright-blue and gold colour palettes).
Civil War: He initiated one against his own kingdom because he was outvoted in favor of Bel Shanaar, believing that his lineage via being Aenarion's son meant that he should have been the next in line to become the Phoenix King. Despite amassing a legion of devoted comrades to his side, killing Bel Shanaar, and a lot of his followers, Malekith was horrifically scarred in a botched attempt to prove his worth to the throne and lost the Elven Civil War, forcing himself and his followers to retreat to the New World to establish his Dark Elf kingdom in Naggaroth.
Clingy Costume: His armor is literally fused to his skin. Then again, they are instrumental in keeping Malekith alive as they dull the burns that he endured, alongside The Power of Hate.
Cool Sword: Wields a large falchion named The Destroyer, forged by his own hand and named to symbolize his determination to annihilate the High Elves and all their works. The sword is enchanted to drain the magic from enemy spell casters and enchanted items. In-game The Destroyer can, for each inflicted wounds, destroy a single magic item belonging to the enemy on a die roll and making Wizards lose a level.
- Prior to the Sundering he wielded Avanuir, an enchanted longsword whose blade could ignite with blue flame. This sword was eventually lost during the Battle of Maledor, necessitating a replacement.
The Corruptible: For all of his talents, Malekith's nature wasn't exactly perfect and, while honourable and duty-bound, he was mentally flawed and irate, thus making him incredibly susceptible to being manipulated and acting more out of anger and jealousy. His mother, Morathi, took as much advantage as she could, which caused Malekith to turn to evil.
Crown of Horns: His Rage Helm includes two sets of large, hooked horns on either side of his head, giving him a regal appearance and an utterly menacing silhouette.
Dark Lord on Life Support: A downplayed example, but Malekith's body is covered head-to-toe in burns that have remained agonizingly fresh for centuries, and the Armor of Midnight was created to help alleviate the constant pain.
Determinator: Malekith will not stop when it comes to his ultimate goal of usurping Ulthuan and becoming the Phoenix King. Such is his determination that it overlaps with The Power of Hate; it is a mix of intense hatred and utter resilience and willpower that Malekith is still alive, let alone still plotting to overthrow the High Elves.
Disappeared Dad: His father died when he was young. As a result, Malekith is more than determined to prove himself a capable successor to his father and seeks to emulate his legendary status, with tragic and devastating results.
Dragon Rider: During the Elven civil war, Malekith fought from the back of the fearsome Black Dragon Sulekh. After Sulekh's death at the hands of Caledor the Conqueror, Malekith switched to riding in a mighty chariot drawn by Cold Ones until a new clutch of Black Dragon eggs were discovered by a band of Shades. The first of this new brood, Seraphon, impressed Malekith with her ruthlessness by attempting to destroy her unhatched siblings, resulting in the Witch King ordering the young dragon to be raised as his personal mount.
The Dreaded: Being the ruler of a savage and sadistic race is natural to someone with a notorious reputation. Malekith is one of the most dreaded and fearsome individuals in the Warhammer World, and for a good reason. So much so that his Dark Elf minions actively fear the risk of not meeting up to his standards and will do anything to not meet his wrath, including going through absurdly terrible weather conditions or going up against foes that would normally decimate them in battle, lest Malekith would display why he is feared by his subjects.
Dysfunctional Family: Hoo boy. Both of his parents weren't mentally sound for starters, with Aernarion having become hostile and negligent towards his kingdom and his family during his last days and Morathi was willing to play along in tempting Aenarion to act on his worst impulses and then following this by convincing Malekith to rebel against the High Elves and see Ulthuan as weak. Of course, this didn't help Malekith, who went on to develop issues regarding a lack of a paternal figure as well as a sense of entitlement that ended up alienating him from High Elven society, which Morathi had a hand in contributing to. So of course, mother and son don't exactly get along too well, even when they have to work together against a mutual foe.
Entitled Bastard: A byproduct of his Pride, Malekith became a villain partly because him being denied of being Aenarion's successor as Ulthuan's Phoenix King really ticked him off. And even after suffering a good deal of losses, being horrifically scarred physically and mentally, and being exiled to Naggaroth, Malekith still hasn't let go of the fact that he feels entitled that Ulthuan should be his to the point where he would rather destroy it than see anyone else succeed to the throne.
Elves Versus Dwarves:
- Averted prior to his corruption. Malekith was responsible for first finding the Dwarfs, and became a firm, fast friend of their High King, Snorri Whitebeard.
- Invoked: after he and his followers were expelled, he sent minions to commit acts of murder and sabotage against the Dwarfs, knowing that they would be ignorant of the then-raging elven civil war. Malekith knew that once the Dwarfs went to the High Elves for recompense and the High Elves would react poorly to the accusations of sabotage, war between them would be inevitable.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Holds nothing but respect and admiration for his father Aenarion and in his youth, much of his behaviour was born out of a desire to emulate him and prove a worthy sucessor. He also holds affection for his mother Morathi, although their relationship is rather volatile at the best of times.
- He dearly loved his dead wife, Allisara even after falling to darkness. Part of the hatred that plagues his complicated love/hate relationship with his mother is derived from the fact Morathi had her murdered, which nearly caused him to murder her in turn in a fit of extreme rage.
- He once, in front of his court, shared a Man Hug with Urian Poisonblade. The fact that he shared physical affection with anyone, in particular doing so by his own will in front of a court full of Dark Elves, made it a considerable show of favor.
Even Evil Has Standards: Deeply despises Chaos in all forms, and will massacre any Chaos followers he comes across (with the exception of his mother, though her dealings with Chaos-aligned people have caused friction between the two in the past). In fact, one of the reasons he desired to be Phoenix King so intensely was a genuine belief that only he could lead the elves against the forces of Chaos with any hope of victory. He has no problem trying to dominate or enslave various Chaos forces and entities for his own benefit, however, so his attitude towards Chaos seems to lean into Eviler than Thou nowadays, at least in his own mind.
Evil Counterpart: Malekith can be seen as one towards Tyrion and Teclis. Like Tyrion, Malekith is a military genius and an excellent fighter. Like Teclis, Malekith is a very powerful and gifted sorcerer. The stark differences could not be more obvious; Tyrion and Teclis are heroes of Ulthuan and dedicated to it, in stark contrast to Malekith who straight up left after being denied the right to rule.
Evil Is Bigger: Elves are naturally tall, to begin with, and Malekith is no exception. However, upon donning the Armor of Midnight and becoming the Witch-King, Malekith is stated to be taller than any living elf, which also comes with enforcing Evil Overlord archetype.
Evil Former Friend: Before he fell to evil, Malekith was a close friend to the Dwarfen High King of the time Snorri Whitebeard, who is heavily hinted to be the true identity of Grombrindal the White Dwarf.
The Evil Prince: Given that he was Aenarion's son, Malekith was a prince at birth. He didn't start out this way, only becoming more antagonistic due to him claiming that he should have been made king, and it only got worse by Morathi's influence, which led to Malekith opposing his authority and become an exile. That said, he never held any animosity for his father, deeply respecting him above everyone else.
Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is typically described as such.
Evil Uncle: As the distant descendants of his half-brother Morelion, Malekith is the distant uncle to Tyrion and Teclis. This in no way makes him any less malicious towards them.
Evil Versus Evil: Malekith loathes the Forces of Chaos and has made several attempts to destroy them. Considering his father, Aenarion, fought against them and died repelling their forces from the world, Malekith's hatred towards Chaos is also more personal than one might expect and the idea of them wanting to destroy the world doesn't really sit well with him.
Face–Heel Turn: The fact that he was passed over in favour of Bel Shanaar as the Phoenix King was where Malekith's descent to villainy began. Initially one of Ultuan's best heroes, he became its most prominent nemesis,
Fallen Hero: There was a time in his life in which Malekith was not an evil monster. Suffice to say, that is not a time in which the characters are currently living.
Fatal Flaw: Malekith has a strong association with Wrath, Envy and Pride, all of which contributed to him becoming the Witch-King and becoming an exile from Ulthuan. Malekith became embittered, enraged and jealous at being passed over as the Phoenix King and many of the nobles didn't really take him seriously either. This made him incredibly susceptible to becoming tricked and convinced to rebel against his authorities. His Pride as being Aenarion's father did not help matters either and Malekith was hence, very reckless, which cost him becoming terribly burnt and needing a suit to keep him alive.
Flaw Exploitation: Being a skilled manipulator himself, Malekith orchestrated a series of events to fool the Dwarfs into thinking one of their caravans were plundered by High Elf forces, who were actually Dark Elves masquerading as their sworn enemies. The main ploy here was to see if Caledor II's arrogance and petty nature would get the best of him and deny any authority, aid or concern. It worked without a hitch, the end result being the War of Vengeance/War of the Beard, which greatly weakened the Dwarf and High Elven forces after the end of the conflict, rendering them too fragile from the upcoming attacks of the Dark Elves and other antagonistic forces.
Foil:
- While they are not part of the same race, Malekith and Nagash do share quite a number of similarities and contrasts with one another. Both were members of a thriving, prosperous race, were born into royalty, were considered combat and magical prodigies during their younger years, and went on to rebel against their former allegiances just to claim a royal title that they felt entitled to having, which led to them becoming exiled and sworn enemies against Ulthuan and Nehekhara respectively. However, while both attracted a strong following, Malekith had genuine attachments, such as a close friend in Snorri Whitebeard, a wife whom he loved, greatly admired his father Aenarion and aspired to carry on his legacy, and while his relationship with his mother, Morathi, is very complicated, they're still willing to cooperate against mutual foes. By contrast, Nagash was incapable of forming close attachments, only interested in what killed his father rather than grieving for his death and killing the rest of his family without remorse solely to take over Nehekhara's throne and where Malekith desires to still conquer Ulthuan, Nagash had already destroyed its foundation and population. Finally, Malekith rules Naggaroth, a continent known for its cold and naturally uninhabitable environment whereas Nagash lived and dwelled in Nehekhara, which was known for its hot, arid atmosphere and whose uninhabitable environment was entirely because of Nagash's machinations.
- He is also one to Archaon as both of them were devoted followers to a kingdom and order respectively and were immensely talented warriors who were driven to villainy due to tragic circumstances. Both of them are also driven by destiny, however, Malekith wants to achieve said destiny, even if he isn't a part of it whereas Archaon accepted his in a moment of crisis. Lastly, Malekith wants to rule Ulthuan and, by proxy, the world because he believes he is the only one who can lead a decisive victory against the Chaos Gods whereas Archaon shares the Chaos Gods' goals in wanting to destroy the world, though he's doing it entirely for his own reasons.
Founder of the Kingdom: Despite losing the final battle in the Elven Civil War, Malekith was able to survive. He took whatever remained of his troops and territory and sailed westwards to the New World, stumbling across Naggaroth. Knowing that they were low on troops, they decided on settling in this new land, establishing a new kingdom for themselves and rebranding themselves as the "Dark Elves of Naggaroth". Naturally, Malekith took to asserting himself as the supreme leader of his forces and took the title of Witch-King.
Freudian Excuse: Despite his overwhelming presence in the Warhammer World's history and the sadistically evil nature of his race and kingdom, Malekith became the way he is primarily due to being manipulated and tempted by Morathi and developing insecurity issues from not becoming the Phoenix King. Furthermore, Malekith became more distraught by the deaths of his best friend Snorri Whitebeard and his wife, Allisara, which played a factor into his boiling rage and temper.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Even with all of his faults and tragic circumstances, the people of Ulthuan have all but given up on Malekith and only see him as enemies from there on out. Interestingly, Malekith himself is aware that his fall to darkness and his evil deeds have left him with nothing but despair and dissatisfaction but feels that he cannot turn back, what with the damage he has done to Ulthuan itself. That doesn't change the fact that he wants to usurp and rule it when the time comes.
Frontline General: Malekith is more than eager to be in the front lines fighting alongside his followers and allies. Part of the reason why he was initially a celebrated figure among the High Elves was that Malekith was not only an incredible swordsman and a powerful magician, but was also a skilled general who understood various military tactics and strategic plans that would help him win a lot of battles.
Green-Eyed Monster: Malekith became jealous of Bel Shanaar when he became the Phoenix King. This was fueled by the fact that he genuinely thought that being the son of Aenarion meant that Malekith was the next king by default and he felt cheated by being passed over. That said, he was able to hide his discomfort about it for a good period of time.
Hates Their Parent: Zig Zagged; Malekith has an incredibly vitriolic relationship with his mother. At one point, they can be affectionate to each other, but at other times, Malekith is aware that Morathi is the main architect for his misery and her being responsible for the death of Allisara isn't helping matters. Heck, Malekith has made attempts to kill his mother, only stopping from doing so because he does believe that Morathi can be useful in greater schemes.
He Who Fights Monsters: A major motivating factor behind Malekith's original desire to be king was a legitimate belief that only he, like his father before him, could lead the elves to victory against Chaos. Suffice to say, he ended up becoming almost as great a threat to Ulthuan as Chaos itself.
Heartbroken Badass: To the uninitiated, Malekith is a vicious, bloodthirsty, brutal and maniacal warlord who is more than willing to sunder the world if he cannot get what he wants. On a closer analysis, however, he's actually mentally worn out and broken by the constant schemes Morathi has put him through and he's aware that his actions haven't bought him closure or fulfilment at all. If anything, Malekith doesn't like being an Evil Overlord, it's just that being the Witch-King is what he's got left.
Hot-Blooded: One of Malekith's most infamous personality traits is his short temper and his overly critical stance to failure and dissent. While he is a cold and calculating strategist at times, he would sometimes showcase very irate reactions to events that displease him. And that's not to mention just how furious he could get if his temper gets the best of him in the worst situation...
If I Can't Have You…: A non-romantic/lustful example and more to do with entitlement and pride. Malekith believes that Ulthuan is his, and only his to conquer and if he can't have the throne of the Phoenix King, than he would rather destroy his former home and possibly the world than see it have another successor other than him.
Immortality Immorality: Like his mother, Malekith has kept himself alive for 7,000 years through devious methods. That, and by focusing his mindset towards rage and bitterness towards Ulthuan and the events that led him down to become the Witch-King.
Inadequate Inheritor: Despite his popularity, many of the higher-ups in Ulthuan were concerned that Malekith may not make a good Phoenix King due to his boisterous and temperamental nature and his tendency to relish a battle, thinking that he would instead spend his time traveling and usurping other settlements and lands. This trope is further driven when Malekith enters the Flame of Asuryan and ends up getting permanently scarred, an event that confirmed to the Elves that Malekith was not fit to become the Phoenix King.
It's All About Me: Malekith has this trait like the rest of the Dark Elves, though his case is vastly different compared to his kin. He does show some camaraderie, friendships, and genuine attachments to others and is sincere about his desires, he's also very entitled and arrogant, literally believing that he is the only one who can rule Ulthuan and defeat the Forces of Chaos. It's also this form of entitlement that had the High Elves decide that Bel Shanaar was a better fit for the Phoenix King than Malekith was.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Before the Sundering, while Malekith was a jerk and rather boisterous about his status as the son of Aenarion, he was capable of showing care and respect to those who were friends and family, particularly the dwarf Snorri Whitebeard and his wife Allisara. He loses this personality as he steadily turns to darkness, though Malekith does manage to retain his affection towards them. Nowadays, one must seriously consider treating Malekith with an ounce of respect. On a bad day, he's a raving, impulsive and voracious monster who will subject his followers to a Fate Worse than Death. Even when in a cool state of mind, he can be abrasive, albeit in an authoritative fashion.
Join or Die: Malekith enacted a ploy which would allow him to gain control of the city of Hag Graef; the city was founded by a group of defeated Dark Elf generals who, aware of Malekith's reputation of dealing with failure, established the city in a deep valley that would reduce the effectiveness of any punitive attack Malekith might send. The Witch-King wanted to crush Hag Graef utterly as a warning to any other dissenters, but Morathi urged him to be subtle. Instead, he invited the highest-ranking nobles of Hag Graef to a feast, during which he made them a wager; one of the goblets of wine being served was poisoned and any noble willing to drink would receive his blessing to rule a share of the city. Not wanting to lose face in front of their rivals, the nobles all drank...at which point Malekith gleefully revealed that every wine goblet had poisoned, and only by swearing unconditional loyalty to him would they receive the antidote.
Knight Templar: Evil and bloodthirsty as he may be, Malekith wholeheartedly believes that Ulthuan's leadership isn't particularly powerful and may not stand a chance against another grand invasion from the Forces of Chaos. This happens to be one of the reasons why he is so fixated on taking over Ulthuan and becoming the Phoenix King.
A Lighter Shade of Black: He interestingly is one in comparison to most of the Dark Elves, a faction that he leads.
- While Malekith loves a good fight and is generally a very hateful individual, it's also made clear that he doesn't take pleasure in causing harm and misery towards others, something that almost everyone in his race is fond of doing. While it's mostly because of pragmatism, he also thinks it's a waste of time and, while very rare, is capable of showing genuine affection and respect towards others, something that he retains from his past self when he served for Ulthuan.
- For a more definitive take, he's this towards his mother, Morathi. While Malekith is the one with much more authority over the Dark Elves, he does retain a sense of honor, camaraderie, and affection that he once highly embodied during his time as a prince of Ulthuan and, as stated above, generally dislikes torment for the sake of it, even if it's mostly pragmatic in nature. Morathi, on the other hand, is a sadistic, if borderline-sociopathic, hedonist who leads the Cult of Slaanesh and gets sick kicks out of hurting and humiliating others for her own pleasure. More often than not, Malekith is not above chastising his mother for being too self-indulgent and petty in her hobbies, and this is just a tamer example of their vitriolic relationship.
Lightning Bruiser: Malekith has Strength 5, Toughness 4 and Initiative 8, showcasing that he is exceptionally strong as a single unit alongside having a lot of swiftness to strike as quickly as possible.
The Lost Lenore: His wife, Allisara is one of the few individuals Malekith truly has a positive affection for, and even after she deserted him after predicting his fall from grace, Malekith was determined to reunite with her. A faction of his own rage comes from the fact that Allisara was murdered on Morathi's command. While she isn't mentioned all too much (if anything, she was introduced in the 8th Edition), Malekith truly loved her.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The Supreme Spellshield, which reflects offensive spells back at the caster. It grants Malekith with Magic Resistance and if a spell aimed at him is dispelled, then the enemy spellcaster suffers a random number of Strength 6 hits.
Magic Knight: Not only does Malekith avert Armor and Magic Don't Mix, he is both one of the most lethal fighters in the game as well as a powerful Evil Sorcerer. While Malekith is a level 4 Wizard, it shouldn't distract from his fearsome Weapon Skill and Initiative of 8 and Strength of 5.
Master Swordsman: With a Weapon Skill of 8, Malekith is an experienced and well-trained swordfighter and combined with The Destroyer being designed to nullify and destroy magical items, this makes Malekith incredibly feared for his swordsmanship skills and gear.
Matricide: Malekith has come close to killing his mother Morathi on some occasions, and much of the reason behind it was due to her manipulations and schemes playing a role in Malekith's corruption and playing a role in the death of his wife, Allisara. The only reason he has her spared is for more practical reasons.
Malevolent Masked Man: Often depicted wearing a golden scrying mask and unquestionably malevolent.
Manipulative Bastard: Like mother, like son after all. It was largely due to the machinations of Malekith that the infamous War of Vengeance/War of the Beard began. By sending agents disguised as High Elves to ambush Dwarfen trade caravans, he set the two races at each other's throats, ultimately culminating in one of the most destructive wars in Warhammer history. A war from which neither the Dwarfs or High Elves have ever fully recovered.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The name, "Malekith" sounds pretty similar to "malevolent", which is rather meaningful, given the very nature of the Dark Elves. There's also his monikers, the Witch-King and the Dark King, which pretty much defines Malekith's character archetype to a tee.
Noble Demon: While Malekith may be a cruel, ruthless and treacherous tyrant with one of the worst tempers this side of the Chaos Wastes, he has still managed to retain a certain degree of honour and responsibility. At least on a good day. It's also worth noting that, in general, his personality seems to be defined by either cold pragmatism or pure rage and he usually seems less prone to the acts of pointless sadism associated with his subjects. Considering that Malekith was born a prince of Ulthuan it isn't that surprising he would retain at least some standards. By contrast, most living Druchii were born into the corrupt and twisted society of Naggaroth, and have had their values shaped accordingly.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Part of the reason why Malekith wants to take over Ulthuan is that he believes that he is the best person to lead the battle against the Forces of Chaos that would eventually resurface and destroy the world after being sealed by Aenarion. While Malekith legitimately believes this and has a point that the threat of the Forces of Chaos is becoming bigger over time, it's also obvious that Malekith's attempted takeover of Ulthuan is more motivated by entitlement and believing that he should have gotten the throne due to being Aenarion's son, something that he hasn't gotten over millennia after he was passed over. The fact that several Dark Elves also pay their services to Slaanesh doesn't help his case either, although these tend to be out of Malekith's reach, seeing as he does despise the Chaos Gods and punishes his subjects in case he finds out they've been worshipping a Chaos God.
The Paragon Always Rebels: Malekith was one of the greatest elves who ever lived. He was a brilliant military leader, was a truly exceptional swordsmen, adept and studious in magic, was well-versed in politics and overall won over the hearts of many of his race's approval. So it came as a shock when Malekith found out he wasn't going to become the Phoenix King. An occurrence that led to him rebelling against the upper authorities that would ultimately end with him and his associates banished from Ulthuan, the formation of the Dark Elves and the battle between them and the High Elves for some millennia to come.
Parental Abandonment: The lack of a father figure midway through his younger days instilled Malekith to try becoming a successor to Aenarion. The fact that he respects him above anybody else, even after becoming a Witch-King indicates that Malekith does miss his father, even if he doesn't say anything about it.
The Power of Hate: All Dark Elves are vicious and hateful creatures but Malekith makes them all look like amateurs. He will destroy the world if it means attaining his vengeance and it's been implied that only his hate allows him to bear the combination of his armor and the still-smoldering Flames of Asuryan that burn within him.
Pragmatic Villainy: He's much more devious and clever than his appearance would suggest.
- Despite being much more hateful than the rest of his kind, he keeps his rage in control and focused on taking over Ulthuan and generally sees hedonistic activities and self-gratifying slaughters as distasteful and a waste of his time.
- He is very strict and harsh towards his subjects and will put them in a horrifically torturous state if they ever dare to fail him. Yet Malekith is also very praiseworthy towards those who win his respect and approval and is willing to reward them for it. While cruel, it lines up with the Dark Elves's darwinistic culture, prompting them to take their tasks seriously in addition to being determined to succeed in their tasks, because getting Malekith's blessing is a sign that they are approved to be among the best in their ruler's servitude.
- Even his allowing slavery in Naggaroth is this; it's the best way to keep his subordinates motivated in developing necessities like fortified bases, weapons, crops for food, and vehicular travel, especially considering that nobody wants to be associated with Dark Elves, prompting them to capture and force their victims into slave labor to keep their nation stabilized.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: As the son of the legendary warrior king Aenarion, and the prince of Nagarythe, the most warlike of all the elven realms, Malekith was always one of these. This actually proved detrimental when he was passed over as phoenix king due to the belief he would be too harsh and bloodthirsty to rule in an age of peace, setting the stage for his eventual betrayal.
Rage Helm: The Armor of Midnight comes equipped with a large helmet, complete with four long and curved horns and a golden mask plate meant to be based on Malekith's perpetually angry facial expressions.
Retroactive Idiot Ball: Through all but the very last edition, the story of the Dark Elves and their leader Malekith was more or less the same: Malekith wanted to become Phoenix King like his father but was deemed too ambitious to deserve it, and when he tried to force the issue (by assassinating the previous king and jumping into the Flames of Asuryan) he got horrifically burned and was rejected by the gods, which lead to him and his followers starting a bloody civil war, splitting from their kin to become the Dark Elves and starting the millennia-long conflict between them and the High Elves. At the end of the game's lifespan, the End Times revealed that Malekith had actually been worthy all along, but had jumped from the Flames a few seconds too soon and all the following Phoenix Kings had been usurpers and cursed by the gods. Why the actual gods themselves (at least two of which have living incarnations in the world, but all of whom can communicate with the world to various extents) never bothered telling anyone (which would have avoided the elven civil war, kept the elves unified, and all in all prevented an enormous chunk of the world's problems from existing) either when this first happened or at any point during the thousands of years between then and the End Times was never explained, nor was how the long line of supposed "cursed" High Elven kings managed to reign more or less adequately throughout.
Really Gets Around: According to the 8th edition army book, most of the nobility in Naggaroth claims to have some trace of Malekith's blood running through their lineage somewhere. Quite impressive for a guy burned to a crisp and sealed inside armour 24/7. Of course, whether this is actually true or not is never stated; other sources quite clearly state that Malekith is incapable of such a thing, for obvious reasons.
Rightful King Returns: His sole overriding obsession and what drives him to constantly invade Ulthuan through the ages.
Scary Impractical Armor: Malekith's armour looks incredibly large, tall and intimidating, and one might expect that the suit would hamper his movest somewhat. Unfortunately for his enemies, the Armour of Midnight is anything but impractical; it grants Malekith high magical resistance alongside keeping him alive and it definitely doesn't take away his mobility one bit.
Secret Test of Character: What reduced him to a hideously burned up corpse was utterly failing one of these tests and paying the price.
Shadow Archetype: Ironically enough, Malekith is this towards his own father Aenarion. Both are masterful soldiers and leaders who led Ulthuan to victory countless times. Unlike Malekith however, Aenarion never fell into darkness, though it can be presumed that Morathi played a negative influence on both of them, it had a larger effect on Malekith though. In another note, Malekith also represents what Tyrion and Teclis would be if they had no scruples for the greater good and were driven by envy.
Smug Super: Malekith is arrogant and is not above letting his enemies know just how powerful he is. And given his combat prowess and experience and the fact that he is also gifted in using and understanding magic, his proclamations aren't exactly wrong. Then again, he is one of the most powerful beings in his world, barring a few exceptions.
The Social Darwinist: Malekith generally encourages the Chronic Backstabbing Disorder going on to make sure his society stays strong and focused.
Sorcerous Overlord: Malekith is both the fanatically tyrannical ruler of the frozen wasteland of Naggaroth, and a mighty magic user whose skills are only exceeded by those of his mother. In-game, he has to be the General if he is included in an army, possesses the Absolute Power special rule — that demonstrates his authority by making his Inspiring Presence bubble have a higher range than normal – and is a level 4 spellcaster who uses the lore of dark magic.
Spikes of Villainy: The Armor of Midnight is studded with sharp points and edges from top-to-bottom, the most notable being the dual pair of longhorns, one pair interlocking with the other, on his helm.
Start of Darkness: The seeds of his start were ultimately sown when Bel Shanaar was elected king rather than Malekith though they took a long time to fully bear fruit.
Strong and Skilled: Naturally enough. Malekith is a talented swordsman, a trained user in magic, an experienced diplomat, well-read and a competent military leader rolled into one. And these skills and experiences are over a millennia-old.
Take Over the World: His ultimate ambition; to create a globe-spanning elven empire and subjugate all the 'lesser races'. With himself as ruler of course.
Time Abyss: One of the oldest living mortals in existence, by the modern-day he's just shy of 7000 years old.
Tin Tyrant: Completely encased in an irremovable suit of black armour called the Armour of Midnight. In addition to providing protection on the battlefield the Armour of Midnight also keeps Malekith's ruined body alive after he was ravaged by the Flames of Asuryan. In-game, the Armor provides a weak armour save relative to its importance but a 2+ Ward Save against all non-magical attacks and cancels rules that allow several wounds to be taken from him at once.
Tragic Bromance: His relationship with Snorri Whitebeard in a nutshell. Snorri's death drove Malekith to "complete despair", further darkening his outlook on the world and pushing him further down the path of darkness. He even reflected later that "Part of him had died with that noble dwarf".
Tragic Villain: All things considered, Malekith tried to pursue an incredibly high standard, given he was the son of Aenarion. While starting off as a Hot-Blooded, yet still decent and caring elf, his jealousy upon not being crowned the Phoenix King and manipulation schemes bought forth by his mother drove Malekith into committing terrible actions that culminated in him being scarred for life by the Flame of Asuryan. All that said, he's not exactly happy about how his life turned out to be.
Unstoppable Rage: Malekith is an incredibly temperamental elf and tends to resolve things in battle better than he does in other reasonable terms. And if things aren't going his way, he becomes homicidal, with barely anything being able to quell his mood until the battle is finished.
Villainous Incest: Prior to 8th Edition, it was heavily implied he and his mother were lovers. Whether or not they are in actuality, it remains a rumor in-universe (though not one it would be wise to discuss anywhere in Malekith's influence,) and may say more about Morathi than it does about him, given her own reputation.
Villainous Mother-Son Duo: Malekith shares this dynamic with his mother, Morathi, considering that she is his most personal mentor and the one who knows him greater than anyone else and the two have been arch-opponents towards the High Elves ever since their defection. That said, their partnership is on very vitriolic terms due to Morathi's part in corrupting Malekith into becoming a villain and ordering the death of his wife, Allisara.
Warrior Prince: Inspired by his father, Malekith became a warrior at an early and proved himself to be among the greatest fighters Ulthuan had thanks to his talent, ingenuity, and skill as a fighter. As a result, he was proud of his occupation and chose to travel to other parts of the world, seeking to hone his warrior skills as much as he did discovering new lands and races. Unfortunately, pride got the best of him and he got himself thinking that his combat skills should have made him the Phoenix King and was passed over for multiple reasons, one of which is that he didn't put much emphasis on diplomacy. This, coupled with his mother's poisonous words and convincing, slowly drafted Malekith drifted towards a much darker path.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Malekith highly respected his father and looked up to him, in part of him being the greatest Elven hero who ever lived. Much of his personality even after his turn into darkness can be attributed to the fact that Malekith is desperate to live up to his father's expectations.
Wound That Will Not Heal: Six millennia after being burnt to a crisp in the Flame of Asuryan, Malekith's burns still have not healed one bit.
You Have Failed Me: His reputation for this is such that his generals would rather march their troops through horrific weather conditions and fight to the death against impossible odds rather than go back and tell Malekith they failed to carry out his orders.

Morathi

Morathi, The Hag Sorceress of Ghrond

The Mother of the Druchii

"A scratch from an envenomed dagger, a sip from a poisoned chalice, a slight to a proud warrior's honour... In time these things may do far more grievous harm than the broadsword or the axe, my love..."

The mother of Malekith and second wife of Aenarion. One of the most powerful magic users in the world, Morathi is as twisted and manipulative as she is beautiful.

Abusive Parents: While affectionate to Malekith as well as doing anything to ensure her son wins against the High Elves, Morathi manipulated Malekith for years, which included tempting him to act out on his impulses and dissatisfaction and rebelling against the kingdom that he loved and served for so long. It only resulted in Malekith not just becoming evil, but also mentally disturbed and miserable over the circumstances he and his mother had carved. Morathi murdering Malekith's wife, and her own daughter-in-law, didn't help much matters either.
The Archmage: The first and greatest Druchii Sorceress and one of the most powerful spellcasters in the setting, with only Nagash, Teclis and the greatest of the Slann said to match or exceed her. She is a Level 4 Wizard of the Lores of Death, Shadow and Dark Magic, moreover her rule The First Sorceress translates her sheer experience into a constant D3 bonus to spellcasting.
Ax-Crazy: Morathi is severely unhinged, and unlike Malekith, generally needs no more reason to commit atrocities beyond It Amused Me.
Bad Boss: Even by Druchii standards. She has a tendency to berate, abuse, and outright murder her subordinates for the slightest infractions. Or sometimes simply out of boredom.
Beauty Is Bad: She's one of the most beautiful women in the world... and also an ancient, hideously evil, and utterly corrupt monster. Her rule Enchanting Beauty forces everyone near her to pass a Leadership test or see their Weapon Skill take a staggering -5 penalty as the poor soldiers are entranced by her charms.
Beauty Is Best: She's a Proud Beauty, and sometimes seems to value it even more than her considerable magical power and cleverness.
Cassandra Truth: She received visions about the coming of Chaos since she was a child, but none of the elves believed her warnings. It outraged her back then, but now she looks back on it with amusement and proof of Asur's foolishness.
Casting a Shadow: In addition to her dark magic she also has access to the Lore of Shadow.
Chickification: The changes/retcon to her backstory in the 8th edition, caused this according to many. Morathi was retconned from being the high priestess of Slaanesh to being just a worshipper of the elf goddess of decadence, as well as being removed as a major factor in her son's fall into villainy, and her role in the sundering of elves. The 8th edition also decreased the influence she had on Malekith. It also gave her an obsession at the point of her deceased husband, and her searching a substitute for him in the form of Tyrion as a major motivator, while previously she may not have even loved Aenarion.
The Corrupter: One of the principal causes of Malekith's fall to evil and was said to have encouraged Aenarion's darker nature when he was alive as well.
Dark Action Girl: While primarily a spell caster, Morathi is by no means incapable as a physical combatant.
Deal with the Devil: Perfectly willing to bargain with any and all malevolent entities she thinks will grant her greater power.
Dragon with an Agenda: Officially Malekith is the ultimate authority in Naggaroth with Morathi as his chief counsellor and general Number Two. However, she finds it far easier to ensure others accept her son's authority than accept it herself and indeed brooks no outside interference to her rule at her personal fortress of Ghrond.
Dual Wielding: Morathi uses her apear Heartrender (which doubles as a Magic Staff) alongside the Darksword. The Heartrender is enchanted to seek the hearts of foes while the Darksword is ladden with strength-sapping curses. Thus Morathi has the Killing Blow rule and for each unsaved wound, her enemies see their Toughness, Attack and Strength stats reduced by 1.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In spite of her villainy she is said to have genuinely loved her husband Aenarion, in her own twisted way. Likewise for her son Malekith.
Evil Counterpart: Essentially one to the High Elven Everqueens, in particular Astarielle, the first wife of Aenarion. It could even be said that Morathi embodies the darkness of the elven spirit in the same way that the Everqueens embody the light.
Evil Is Petty: She enjoys playing cruel games with her servants out of simple boredom.
Evil Matriarch: Malekith's mother and a depraved manipulative Evil Sorceress.
Evil Sorceress: The first practitioner of the lore of dark magic and one of the most powerful of her kind to emphasize her position as the second-most prominent and powerful of the Druchii after her son.
Faux Affably Evil: Mockingly polite, and courteous, it's all just an act to hide her loathsome true nature.
Femme Fatale: She has used her great beauty and sexual prowess to gain influence and seduce others even before she became corrupted.
Femme Fatalons: Commonly sports a set of long, black, pointed nails.
Glamour: She was always beautiful, but her natural beauty didn't satisfy her vanity, and she wraps herself in enchantments that inspire distraction and lust in those who look upon her.
God Save Us from the Queen!: The queen mother of the Druchii, and one of the most depraved and malevolent individuals in history.
The Hedonist: A worshipper of, depending on the version of the lore you subscribe to, either Atharti the Elven goddess of pleasure and indulgence, or the Chaos God Slaanesh the Dark Prince of pleasure. Or perhaps both. Her own personal faction during the Storm of Chaos campaign was even called "The Cult of Pleasure".
It's All About Me: She is a narcissist of the highest order, putting herself, her pleasure, and her ambitions at the fore in everything she does. The only exception to this is her son, whom she seems to care for genuinely. Whether or not she cares for him more than herself or at least on the same level is far less clear.
Immortality Immorality: She's managed to keep herself alive and youthful for well over 7000 years. Suffice it to say that the methods she has used to achieve this feat have been anything but pleasant.
Kingmaker Scenario: She had great influence in pushing Malekith to become Phoenix King of Ulthuan and most of his supporters during the Sundering can be traced back to her.
Lady of Black Magic: Queen mother of the Dark Elves and an ancient and powerful wizard of great renown. Although she is also quite a vicious hand-to-hand fighter too when the mood takes her, wielding a wickedly sharp excoriating spear called Heartrender and an enchanted sword.
Living Aphrodisiac: She's so beautiful and seductive that merely being in her presence causes one to be distracted, which is translated into her "Enchanting Beauty" special rule, which makes it harder for enemies to hit their attacks when targetting her.
Magical Barefooter: She's a sorceress who often doesn't wear any kind of footwear.
The Man Behind the Man: She aims to be this to Malekith when he reclaims the Throne of the Phoenix King and thinks of herself as this in Naggaroth. Their relationship isn't quite that clear-cut, but she is at the very least heavily responsible for his fall.
Manipulative Bitch: One of the premier examples in Warhammer Fantasy, her propensity for manipulation could nearly rival Tzeentch himself.
Ms. Fanservice: Not only does she have a very seductive personality, but her design is easily the most sexualized out of any female character in Warhammer (See Stripperiffic). In fact, she is the only model in the game of a topless woman (excluding Daemons of Slaanesh who are another thing altogether).
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Her name begins with the prefix "Mor", need we say anything else?
Narcissist: Incredibly vain and self obsessed. She could give Sigvald a run for his money in this department.
Non-Indicative Name: In terms of appearance at least she is about as far from the traditional meaning of the word hag as it is possible to get.
Pegasus: Her mount of choice, the dark pegasus Sulephet.
The Pornomancer: Justified by the beguiling enchantments she wraps around herself. She uses this aura to temp enemies, solidify allies, and for her own pleasure. The depravity she induces attracts the attention of daemons, which in turn she uses as fuel to further her arcane power.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Morathi's skin is almost unnaturally pale, likely as a result of her millennia-long immersion in dark magic. It's often used to contrast with her long dark hair.
Really 700 Years Old: She may look as young as any sorceress, but is actually over 7000 years old and is one of the oldest elves in the setting, having been around even before Chaos invaded. She has only maintained her youth and beauty due to dark rituals that she keeps a closely guarded secret.
Really Gets Around: Her reputation for taking lovers is staggering in its scope, and given both her lifespan and dedication to indulgence, is hardly an exaggeration. She's taken elves, humans, and even daemons as lovers across her very long life.
Replacement Goldfish: It is made disturbingly clear throughout some Warhammer lore (later has heavily leaned away from this) that she appears to see Malekith as one for his deceased father Aenarion. Meanwhile, she was this herself for Aenarion after the death of his first wife Astarielle.
Rescue Romance: She was originally a mere maiden, rescued by Aenarion from a Chaos slave caravan and he was so taken with her that he took her to be his new wife, having recently lost his first wife Astarielle to a Daemonic attack.
Retcon: In previous editions, it was established that Morathi was a (secret) follower of the Chaos God, Slaanesh. In 8th edition, the writers wanted to distance her from Slaanesh, so she was changed to a worshiper of the Cytharai (the Elven Gods of the Underworld) and devoted to Atharti (the Goddess of Desire and Slaanesh's equivalent).
Sex Goddess: As a worshipper of Slaanesh/Atharti and the head of the Cult of Pleasure (which is Exactly What It Says on the Tin) her sexual prowess is second to none among the Druichi.
The Sociopath: Morathi is a high-functioning sociopath and is proud of her reputation as such, being incredibly vain, indulging in barbaric acts of violence and over glamorized pleasure for the sake of it, taking great delight in hurting others, and being eager to manipulate and play on the desires of others with no shame. While the Druchii in general are a sociopathic society, Morathi is their greatest example.
Stripperiffic: Her model is one of the raciest in the Warhammer range as she wears a metal thong and little else. In the fluff she is usually seen mostly or fully naked.
Squishy Wizard: She's not very durable, probably as a result of her Stripperific outfit. Before the Sundering, Malekith defeated her in a duel by punching her in the face and capturing her when she was still stunned.
Time Abyss: She is the single oldest living mortal in the world, though you wouldn't know it by looking at her. She was born before the Cataclysm, eight thousand years in the past, and has seen all of recorded history pass by since, a distinction shared with no other member of an otherwise mortal race.
Took a Level in Kindness: Somewhat in connection to the above Villain Decay, Morathi now at least seems to have genuinely loved Malekith and Aenarion. Possibly partly a Deconstructed/Subverted Trope, as Malekith still described Morathi's love as a "cruel love".
Toxic Friend Influence: She's served this to both her husband and son, bringing out all their worst vices and dragging them down the path of darkness. Even when the world was about to come to an end, she almost convinced Aenarion to host unspeakable orgies of depravity instead of actually fighting back against the never ending tide of demons. She succeeded with her son and nearly did with her husband, if it wasn't for the best efforts of his best friend, Caledor which inspired him to die a hero. She continues her streak of corruptive influence with Tyrion.
Vain Sorceress: She's a vain Proud Beauty who famously uses dark rituals, magic and regularly bathes in blood to preserve her beauty and youth. While other dark elves also do this, she is notable to be much better at it and keeps the why a closely guarded secret. This is partly why Hellebron hates and envies her so much.
The Vamp: As befits someone who was a worshipper of Slaanesh in earlier editions and became a priestess of the elven goddess of decadence in 8th edition. She's a villainous seductress, and has used her skills to manipulate elven society for thousands of years. Even after The Sundering, it's not unusual for her to manage to get rival Asur and Druichi to end up in bed with her, only to meet their ruin not long after.
Villainous Incest: Prior to 8th edition, at least, it was implied that Malekith and Morathi were lovers.
Warrior vs. Sorcerer: She has this dynamic with Hellebron, as Morathi specializes in magic while Hellebron is a melee fighter.
Woman Of Wealth And Taste: She enjoys basking in luxury and her rooms are always described as being full of elegant tapestries and the finest of silks.
World's Most Beautiful Woman: Her beauty is legendary. Among the elves, only Alarielle, the Everqueens of the High Elves, rivals her in this regard.

Hellebron

Hellebron, The Blood Queen of Har Ganeth

The Blood Queen

"Send the word out across the world. Celebrate and give thanks to the mighty Lord of Murder for delivering unto us his world-born son. We have been blessed and in His name we shall bare our blades in readiness for His will as voiced by His avatar. Hail Malekith, Eternal Khaine Incarnate."

The high priestess of the Cult of Khaine and a bitter rival to Morathi; Hellebron is so ancient that she can only attain any measure of her former beauty through her Blood Bath rituals.

Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: Her Amulet of Dark Fires gives a big +4 bonus to dispell spells aimed at her.
Archenemy: Views Morathi as this. She is almost as ancient and influential as Morathi and thus views the Sorceress as her primary rival.
Ax-Crazy: Would you expect any different from the leader of the Cult of Khaine? Even for a Witch Elf, whose kind already take the normal Dark Elf kill happiness up a notch, Hellebron is a crazed animal on the battlefield, butchering enemies with sadistic glee, and someone who's ready to snap at any second out of it.
The Berserker: Like all Khaine's cultists , she charges into the fray with wild abandon, wearing little in the way of protection and paying no heed to her personal safety.
Blood Knight: Like all witch elves, Hellebron craves the thick of battle where blood flows both for Khaine and her pleasure.
Blood Magic: Whilst Hellebron doesn't have the Black Magic wielded by a sorceress, she knows several rituals and spells powered by her lord Khaine that are sourced by blood sacrifices that can augment the power of Khaine's cultists.
Dual Wielding: Bears the enchanted weapons known as the Deathsword and the Cursed Blade. They count as a pair of hand weapon, and while the Deathsword grants a Strength 10 in close quarters, the Cursed Blade enables vicious CounterAttacks since enemy rolls of 1 to Hit result in them taking a Strength 4 hit.
Even the Girls Want Her: In one of the stories describing her rejuvenating Blood Bath ritual, the Witch Elf attending her becomes Distracted by the Sexy watching the naked and fully rejuvenated Hellebron rising out of her liquid, which Hellebron finds amusing.
Evil Old Folks: An ancient, withered woman who truly deserves the title "Crone", most of the time; and a depraved, sadistic, blood-mad fanatic.
Evil Versus Evil: Has a standing grudge against Morathi, and fights against her on more than one occasion.
Green-Eyed Monster: What actions she doesn't take for the sake of pleasing Khaine or her own bloodlust, she does in an attempt to outdo Morathi due to her immense jealousy and envy over her power and persisting beauty.
The Hedonist: She's fond of indulging with her Sex Slaves. Her pleasure harem is legendary for its vastness and the variety of races she enjoys.
High Priest: The leader of the Cult of Khaine and by extension the highest religious authority in Naggaroth.
Immortality Immorality: She attempts to do this, but Morathi keeps a total monopoly on the effective way of staying eternally young and refuses to tell Hellebron. Hellebron has to settle with blood baths that only manages to renew her body for increasingly shorter spans of time and she is understandably bitter about this.
It's Personal: Was furious with Morathi for destroying her Cauldron of Blood, mainly because it was hers.
I Was Quite a Looker: She was noted to have been extremely beautiful in her youth, but, thanks to Morathi withholding knowledge regarding blood magic, has been unable to keep her looks; save for short periods of time following a Death Night.
Narcissist: Even as a Princess in Athel Toralien, her vanity was supreme. Morathi wounding her pride is actually what drove her to embrace Khaine.
Never Mess with Granny: She's a withered and ancient-looking woman who truly fits the measure of the term "hag" most of the time, but she's also a lethally quick and agile fighter who can cut down anything in her way. Indeed, a granny with Weapon Skill 7, Strength 4 and Initiative 9 is not to be trifled with.
Our Manticores Are Spinier: She can ride a manticore as one of her mount options, as the Druchii consider the beasts to be sacred to Khaine.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: It contains the word hell for starters, and that's before you even get to the "Blood Queen" part.
Never Mess with Granny: She's an ancient, and aged-looking woman who truly fits the measure of the term "crone" most of the time, but she can butcher anything you throw her against in close-quarters combat, due to being frighteningly fast, skilled, and strong.
The Rival: She and Morathi have been at each other's throats for thousands of years.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Hellebron is the ruler of Har Ganeth and is noted to have particularly draconian laws, in order to keep the blood-crazed cultists from tearing the city apart on a daily basis. Breaking these laws is typically punished by an executioner's blade. Hellebron is happy to bend these laws or give immunity for those who manage to gain a measure of favour with her.
Showing Off the New Body: Usually revels in her newly gained youth whenever performs her annual Blood Baths.
Smug Snake: She truly believes she's Morathi's equal in power and influence, but it's clear Morathi simply entertains the idea to manipulate Hellebron and that her cult of Slaanesh in Naggaroth is far bigger than Hellebron and her witch elves know about or could possibly deal with.
Time Abyss: Like Malekith and Morathi, she's been alive since before the Sundering and unlike Morathi, she looks it. Most of the time anyway.
Vain Sorceress: She greatly values her appearance and loathes the fact her beauty is fading with her. That fact Moriathi keeps to herself the rituals to preserve her youth is one of the reasons Hellebron hates her, as Hellebron is forced to make it do with rituals that are far less effective.
Villainous Friendship: "Friendship" may be stretching it a little, but, in spite of the mutual hatred she shares with his mother, Hellebron and Malekith are on reasonably good terms. The fact that Hellebron is the daughter of Malekith's old lieutenant Alandrian probably helps in this regard. Of course, Hellebron still strongly disapproves of Malekith's tendency to use the Cult of Khaine for his own political benefit, and is fully aware he is not truly the "Chosen of Khaine" as he is wont to claim.
Warrior vs. Sorcerer: Has this dynamic with her rival Moriathi, as Hellebron specializes in melee combat while Moriathi is an Evil Sorcerer.

Malus Darkblade

Malus Darkblade, Scion of Hag Graef

Through hate all things are possible, and my hate is strong.

"Shut up Daemon!"

An ambitious Dark Elf noble who foolishly released a daemon named Tz'arkan, which commanded him to bring forth five ancient relics of power and use them to fully release it, or have his soul be consumed. Malus succeeded against all odds, but found his soul stolen anyway when Tz'arkan was freed; enraged, he tracked the daemon down and reclaimed his soul, but found himself possessed by Tz'arkan again.

Anti Anti Christ: Malus is the Scourge, destined to wield the Warpsword of Khaine and bring about the Time of Blood. However, he's a bit more interested in using the Warpsword to save his own soul rather than usher in any sort of apocalypse. Even better, the prophecy was indirectly created by T'zarkan, who intends to use Malus' body to enact it himself. Malus has other plans.
Ascended Extra: Malus started out as the protagonist of a series of comics which proved popular enough to be adapted into a full novel series. Malus himself later made the transition to a fully playable character in the game proper.
Bastard Bastard: He is the improper offspring of Vaulkhar Lurhan and Eldire the hag-sorceress, and he's definitely a bastard.
Bait the Dog: In the opening scene of The Daemon's Curse, Malus offers that a single prisoner will be set free before his raiding ship reaches Clar Karond. Just before the ship enters the city port, the prisoner in question — after hearing what the druchii did to his lover — is simply thrown overboard for the mer-creatures in the water to devour.
Blessed with Suck/Cursed with Awesome: He has a daemon stuck inside his body and which takes over more and more of his body whenever he falls asleep, but he's skilled enough in magic that he can go without ever sleeping for the rest of his life and, when he allows the daemon control, his killing powers are increased dramatically. In-game, Malus can choose to release the demon and gains Frenzy as well as sees his stat augment dramatically. However, rolls of 1 to hit enemies mean a minion is hit instead.
Boxed Crook: In Lord of Ruin as the 'champion' of Malekith's army.
Demonic Possession: What he's been stuck with ever since he released Tz'arkan.
Evil Weapon: The Warpsword of Khaine is an evil sword, which rerolls failed rolls to Wound and ignores armour.
Expy: Arguably, of Elric of Melnibone, being a cursed noble who practices alchemy, is allied with daemonic entities, wields a death-dealing black sword and who flies into berserk furies in which he slaughters all around him.
Horrifying the Horror: In his comic in issue #5 of Warhammer Monthly, after he casually and perhaps needlessly kills his own father to take the Dagger of Torxus for himself, Tz'arkan confesses that there are times when Malus scares him. And Tz'arkan is a Daemon of Tzeentch.
The Insomniac: Malus constantly drinks a special potion to keep himself awake, so that Tz'arkan cannot take over his body completely. When he needs Tz'arkan's strength, he drinks a second potion that instantly knocks him out, so the daemon can take control.
It Can Think: Malus' Cold One, Spite, is dangerously more intelligent than ordinary Cold Ones, not being subject to Stupidity and having the Eternal Hatred rule.
Meaningful Name: "Malus" litterally means "bad" in latin.
Screw Destiny: Towards the end of the series, Malus' goals evolve into this on top of 'get my body back'.
Self-Inflicted Hell: Malus was possessed because of his own greed and lust for power, and was often sabotaged by his own previous schemes.
Self-Made Orphan: Killed his own father, Lurhan.
The Soulless: T'zarkan takes Malus' soul as it flees after its defeat, leaving Malus as this.
The Unfavorite: Being the bastard offspring of his father and a sorceress, Malus isn't very high in his family's pecking order. It really says something when even your deformed, crippled half-brother is more highly-regarded than you in the Social Darwinist Druchii society.
Villain Protagonist: Malus is a deeply unpleasant person but he's the main character and it's possible to cheer him on simply because his enemies are just as bad or worse than he is.
Would You Like to Hear How They Died?: Early in his career, he tormented a captive by describing what the crew of his raiding ship did to his lover when she offered herself in exchange for his "freedom", complete with showing the man her skinned-off face, before casting him overboard.
Malus: " Would you like one last kiss before you go?"

Shadowblade

"Now look upon the face of death!"

The greatest of the Khainite Assassins and undoubtedly one of the deadliest killers Naggaroth has ever produced. It is said no one looks upon his face and lives.

The Dreaded: Mentioning him in a room full of Elves is a good way to make them all go deathly quiet. He's the greatest assassin the Dark Elves have ever produced and more importantly, their best infiltrator. (Most assassins can hide in their army's forces; Shadowblade can hide in the enemy army.) He's called Shadowblade because he personally killed everyone who ever knew his real name, save maybe for Malekith and that's only because he's on Malekith's payroll.
In the Hood: Standard attire for Khainite Assassins.
Master of Disguise: One of his rules, named word for word. While ordinary assassins infiltrate one allied unit for the rest of the game, Shadowblade can switch between ally units every Movement Phase. Not even magic items that would allow to detect hidden models can precisely pin his location down.
Master Poisoner: Shadowblade carries all poisons available to Khainite Assassins on him.
Neutral No Longer: Now works openly for Hellebron and has spied on Malekith.
Only Known by Their Nickname: "Shadowblade" is obviously not his true name and it is probable that his real name was cast out long ago.
Professional Killer: As a Khainite Assassin this comes with the territory.
Red Baron: He is nicknamed "The Death that Walks Unseen", and earned that nickname.
Stealth Expert: It comes with the job. One of his most famous exploits was to manage infiltrating a High Elf ship and over the course of several days kill the crewmen one by one without being detected, only leaving the captain alive as a witness.
Super-Reflexes: Has the Dance of Doom rule which gives him a 5+ ward save in all situations, representing his evading skills.
Super Serum: His Potion of Diabolic Strength is a powerful brew made from Troll blood, Chimera Bile and other nasty ingredients. It will temporarily grant him a +4 bonus to Strength on the tabletop whenever he chooses to use it.
Taking You with Me: Shadowblade carries with him the Heart of Woe, a ruby that will explode should he be slain, killing anyone who could defeat him. In game, all models near will receive a Strength 3 hit if he is slain.
The Unreveal: No one sees his face and lives.

Lokhir Fellheart

Lokhir Fellheart, Krakenlord of Karond Kar

One of the most notorious of all dark elf corsairs, Lokhir Fellheart commands the black ark Tower of Blessed Dread and is a scourge of the seas the world over.

And Your Little Dog, Too!: He has sacrificed his rivals and their families to the gods for favour.
Arch-Enemy: Seems have one in Sealord Aislinn of the High Elves.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He maintains his reputation by killing mutineers and enemy heroes in combat.
The Captain: Considering that he commands a Black Ark, which is litterally a seaborne fortress that serves as the base of operations of the Dark Elf navy, Lokhir qualifies as this, even if he's actually closer to being an admiral in status.
Cthulhumanoid: Invoked by his Helm of the Kraken which has tentacle decorations sticking out of it.
Cool Mask: He wears the Helm of the Kraken, an enchanted golden helmet that makes him look like he has a squid for a head. Its enchantments mean he inflicts Terror and he has a Healing Factor with Regeneration.
Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: On the taunting side. Killing Mathlann's herald, Aislinn, made Mathlann create a storm that sunk most of Fellheart's fleet and nearly destroyed his Black Ark.
Dual Wielding: His trademark Red Blades, forged from molten enchanted metal looted in an Indan temple. They count as paired weapons and reroll failed to wound rolls.
The Dreaded: Lokhir is one of the most infamous corsairs and slavers in the world. His rule Merciless Slaver gives a -1 penalty to Leadership to an enemy that has broken in close quarters combat.
Dynamic Entry: Daring Leap allows Lokir to redirect attacks to a model not in contact with him during close quarter fights, representing him as leaping across a battle to swiftly gut a chosen opponent.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He at least respected his father enough not to kill him and usurp his position. Apparently, it's a Fellheart thing.
Four-Star Badass: One of the highest ranking naval commanders in Naggaroth.
Klingon Promotion: Averted surprisingly, Lokhir is said to be unusual for not killing his father to gain his position, and the Fellhearts are considered one of the few Naggarothi families to hold blood to be Thicker Than Water.
Family-Values Villain: The Fellheart clan is known for its member sticking together, at least relatively to other evil Dark Elves slavers.

Kouran Darkhand

Kouran Darkhand, Captain of the Black Guard

The Right Hand of Darkness

"You are the true king of the elves, Malekith. You are the son of Aenarion, champion of the Daemon War, heir to the Phoenix Crown. It is your right by deed, merit and birth and I would give my life to see that ancient wrong reversed and your rightful position restored. As an elf I can think of no higher calling."

The current captain of the Black Guard and Malekith's right hand man. Kouran is a true rarity among the Druchii in that he is genuinely loyal to Malekith and would gladly give his life in service to his lord.

Attack Reflector: The Armour of Grief which belonged to one of Malekith's first lieutenants, has the ability to share damage. Successful to Hit rolls in close quarters against him result in the guilty model receiving an automatic Strength 5 hit.
Combat Pragmatist: Whilst he favors the Crimson Death, a powerful enchanted spear that is the symbol of his position, he will use anything and everything that is at hand as a weapon. The eighth edition mentions him killing people with bits of corpses from people he'd killed just before.
The Dragon: Malekith's most trusted and loyal enforcer. On the tabletop he even has a rule called The Right Hand of Darkness that makes his unit of Black Guards Unbreakable to represent his authority and drive to not fail his mission.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Kouran started out as a street urchin who was conscripted into the Black Guard. He not only survived his training but rose to lead the whole organization.
Improbable Weapon User: Seventh edition mentioned that he became a Tower Master by strangling the previous incumbent with their own hair.
Klingon Promotion: Got his job as the commander of Malekith's personal guard by strangling his predecessor with his own hair.
Make It Look Like an Accident: One of his methods for dealing with rivals.
Noble Demon: He's sincerely loyal to Malekith and content with his job. Not that this stops him butchering anyone who thinks this makes him weak.
Old Soldier: Kouran is the oldest living Black Guard, having served the Witch King for almost a thousand years old. Despite his age he can still cut down almost anything in his way, including any young upstarts looking for a Klingon Promotion.
Undying Loyalty: To Malekith, unlike every other Dark Elf who fear him. It has more to do with Kouran wanting revenge on Morathi and thus being loyal to the only Dark Elf who can crush her.

Tullaris Dreadbringer

Tullaris Dreadbringer, the Hand of Khaine

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warhammer_tullaris_deathbringer.png

The Chosen of Khaine

"Lord Khaine. I send you this meagre offering, the first of many, on your night, Death Night. Let this be a sign of the compact between us, and lend your strength to me. Let the murders I commit this night be in your name and for your glory."

The current captain of the Har Ganeth Executioners, Tullaris is a fanatic who believes he has been chosen by Khaine himself to spill blood, a belief stemming from the constant visions and whisperings that plague him, enticing him to kill and main all around him.

Ax-Crazy: Even by Khainite standards Tullaris is considered a blood crazed maniac. One noteworthy incident saw him massacre an entire village simply because the voices in his head egged him on. On another occasion he refused to abandon a crusade despite Hellebron herself claiming that Khaine had been sated.
BFS: Like all executioners, he wields one: The First Draich. It grants him +2 strength but also Always Strikes Last like a heavy weapon and it enhances his Killing Blow rule.
The Chosen One: He's regarded by many to be the chosen of Khaine and there's strong evidence that it's true.
The Dragon: As the captain of the Executioners he serves as one to Hellebron. Though his true allegiance is to Khaine and Khaine alone.
The Dreaded: Due to his murderous reputation, Tullaris is one of the most feared individuals in the entire world. Entire armies fleeing the battlefield when they catch a glimpse of his armour and even Witch Elves try not to rouse his terrible fury. In-game this is represented by Tullaris casing Fear, a trait he shares with the Witch King himself.
Hearing Voices: Is said to be able to hear the voice of Khaine in his head, urging him on to greater acts of slaughter.
Religious Bruiser: Of Khaine's faith. His devotion to Khaine is such that he has the Khaine's Sacred Slaughterer rule making his unit Frenzy.

Beastlord Rakarth

The greatest of Naggaroth's beastmasters.

The Beastmaster: As indicated by his title, Rakarth is the most renowned beastmaster in all of Naggaroth. His ability to break wild beasts is seen as almost supernatural.
Cool Horse: Rakarth's first noteworthy deed was the taming of Bracchus, an especially powerful and aggressive dark steed. Rakarth was the first to able to subjugate the beast and Bracchus served as his mount until his death at the Battle of Finuval Plain.
Dragon Rider: His current mount of choice is the black dragon Bracchus, named in honour of his now deceased horse.
Demoted to Extra: Rakarth was playable back in the 4th and 5th editions of the game, but has been absent from newer ones. He still shows up in the lore from time to time though.
Malevolent Masked Man: He's usually depicted with a metal mask, not too dissimilar from Malekith.

Historical Figures

Urian Poisonblade

A champion of Malekith. Urian Poisonblade was said to be the greatest swordsman the Druchii had produced in generations. He was sent to infiltrate Ulthuan in preparation for the Witch King's latest invasion and was eventually slain by Tyrion at the Battle of Finuval Plain.

Becoming the Mask: Two centuries in deep cover among the Asur strongly affected his sensibilities, to the point he came to enjoy and identify more with the life of a High Elf noble than he did as a Dark Elf assassin. However, his Undying Loyalty to Malekith may as well have been written in blood for all the enchantments placed on him to ensure his infiltration mission was a success.
Demoted to Extra: Like Rakarth, Urian has been absent as a playable character since the 6th edition. He remains a notable lore figure however and received a prominent role in the Tyrion and Teclis novel trilogy.
The Dragon: Served as one to Malekith.
Master Swordsman: As noted above Urian is said to be the greatest swordsmen Naggaroth had produced in years. Even Tyrion acknowledged his skill with a blade, having been on the receiving end of it many times during sparring sessions when Urian was still posing as a High Elf.
The Mole: He spent two centuries among the Asur, gathering information and laying the ground work for Malekith's long planned invasion of Uthuan. His death was faked as an execution for disloyalty, then he was subject to extensive surgical and magical alteration to groom him to take the place of a son of a noble family in Lothern. His guise as a scholar of Asur history and elf of leisure gave him the opportunities he needed to gather strategically relevant information, and his close position to the Pheonix Throne allowed him to carefully keep tabs on the Asur's leadership.
Nothing Personal: He came to be genuinely fond of many High Elves during his time among the Asur, including both Tyrion and Teclis and the previous Everqueen. However, that wouldn't stop him from killing any of them immediately if ordered. He's quite good at separating his personal sentiment from his duty to Malekith.

Characters / Warhammer: Dark Elves

The Dreaded Tyrants of Naggaroth

Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth

Morathi, The Hag Sorceress of Ghrond

Hellebron, The Blood Queen of Har Ganeth

Malus Darkblade, Scion of Hag Graef

Shadowblade

Lokhir Fellheart, Krakenlord of Karond Kar

Kouran Darkhand, Captain of the Black Guard

Tullaris Dreadbringer, the Hand of Khaine

Historical Figures

Urian Poisonblade

Alternative Title(s): Warhammer Malekith

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Characters / Warhammer: Dark Elves

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The Dreaded Tyrants of Naggaroth

Malekith, the Witch King of Naggaroth

Morathi, The Hag Sorceress of Ghrond

Hellebron, The Blood Queen of Har Ganeth

Malus Darkblade, Scion of Hag Graef

Shadowblade

Lokhir Fellheart, Krakenlord of Karond Kar

Kouran Darkhand, Captain of the Black Guard

Tullaris Dreadbringer, the Hand of Khaine

Historical Figures

Urian Poisonblade

Alternative Title(s): Warhammer Malekith

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