Enderlord's Random Banter #230 (Friendly warning: Might teleport. Don't get wet.)

[Tarmor]

What are your ideal super-powers?

Like, not from any given setting, just in general if you get to custom powers what do you pick?

1. Flight - probably not using wings, although if my arms became wings that would work fine.
2. The ability to change into a bird of prey. (Specifically a peregrine falcon.)

[The Fury]

So... Work boots vs. fashion boots... It seems like if it has that padded collar around the ankle it's a work boot, if it doesn't have it it's a fashion boot. Steel toecaps and nonslip soles apparently don't matter, so what it the actual deal with that padded ankle collar? It can actually be kind of painful.

[Form]

Do amalgamations of multiple dark elves count as a dark elf?

Becuase if so, I'm intrigued by this freak.

Spoiler

Show

This is about a dozen dark elf warriors, each bonded to a small piece of Venom, who willingly Cronenberged themselves into that thing when they realized they weren't a match for Thor's Step-Mother.

I usually try to be open minded, but I rather question their life choices in this particular instance.

[Anonymouswizard]

I remember PE chests z I always got picked least for teams. Only sports I had any proficiency at were Rugby (a.k.a. Safe American Football) and sincerest sprinting.


Also, two two things that I always liked about Warhammer's Dark Elves was that 1) they had page pale skin, and 2) that it's a political/cultural distinction. I mostly preferred High Elves though because as a dyspraxic robes are easier to paint.

[Peelee]

Rugby (a.k.a. Safe American Football).

I don't know much about rugby, but from what little I know, that sounds like it should be the other way around.

[Fyraltari]

Rugby (a.k.a. Safe American Football)

I don't know much about rugby, but from what little I know, that sounds like it should be the other way around.

Yup, rugby is actually safe soule.

[Anonymouswizard]

I don't know much about rugby, but from what little I know, that sounds like it should be the other way around.

Same number of fatalities, fewer lasting injuries.

Rugby tackles are much, much safer for two reasons: being a drag rather than a slam, and only being allowed to tackle the person holding the ball. What's problematic in Rugby is rucks and mauls, where the teams pile on top of each other. Aim to be one of the ones pushing, not one of the ones on the floor.

[Peelee]

Same number of fatalities, fewer lasting injuries.

Rugby tackles are much, much safer for two reasons: being a drag rather than a slam, and only being allowed to tackle the person holding the ball.

Again, not a big sports guy, but I'm like 80% sure you can only tackle the ball holder in American Football too.

I'm not trying to say that American Football is safe. I'm just shocked that rugby is safer.

[Rogar Demonblud]

They don't call them tackles, but there are plenty of hits that amount to the same thing. Especially on quarterbacks.

[Tvtyrant]

Again, not a big sports guy, but I'm like 80% sure you can only tackle the ball holder in American Football too.

I'm not trying to say that American Football is safe. I'm just shocked that rugby is safer.

It's the helmets. American Football helmets are so good they encourage slamming into people like a ram, which leads to everyone doing it, which leads to head to head impacts. They are slowly pushing away from it, but the penalties are smaller then the benefits so people do it anyway.

[Rater202]

I usually try to be open minded, but I rather question their life choices in this particular instance.

In short, it was a situation where these specific elves were very likely to die if they didn't find some way to power up, and also whichever side won this battle would win the War.

A judgment call was made.

[Bartmanhomer]

Also, Mystic Muse, I've heard about Warhammer but not the Dark Elves in Warhammer.

[Mystic Muse]

Also, Mystic Muse, I've heard about Warhammer but not the Dark Elves in Warhammer.

So, there are at least two types of Dark Elves in Warhammer (maybe 3 or more). I typed all this on my phone at work, so typos are probable.

First are the Drukhari or Dark Eldar. They're in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and are one of 4 types of eldar in that setting. The Drukhari are 100% Chaotic Evil as a faction. They basically have to create untold amounts of suffering to avoid having their existences devoured by Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess.

The other elves there are the generic craftworld eldar, the Harlequins who serve Cegorach, the Laughing God, and are all about making sure the Eldar remember why they fell from grave in the first place. Last are the exodites who got out before all the Slaanesh BS happened, and ride dinosaurs. The Exodites don't get models, sadly.

The Laughing God is one of the few surviving Eldar Gods. All except two others were devoured by Slaanesh. Khaine, the Eldar god of War and murder was shattered into a bazillion pieces but is technically still alive, and Ysha is imprisoned by another Chaos God, Nurgle. There's also Ynnead, the Eldar god of Death who they're trying to wake up so it can kill Slaanesh.

And that takes us away from the Grim Darkness of the Far Future and into Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar.

Slaanesh exists in that world too. The Chaos Gods seem to be multiversal singularities. Morathi is the leader of the faction of elves known as the Daughters of Khaine, the aforementioned Elf god of War, murder, general bloodshed, etc. She was once devoured by Slaanesh but slithered forth from Slaanesh's throat, the experience having turned her into a lamia with gorgon hair. A fair number of her people have also been turned into part snakes. She is intent on becoming a God herself, and presumably killing Slaanesh. Morathi is probably not a goodguy by any stretch of the imagination, but she is at least on their side.

And then I think that there are some more generic dark elf models, but I don't know much about that faction, or even if it's its own faction at this point.

[Anonymouswizard]

What's Age of Sigmar? And now I wish I knew people willing to play WFRG or Wrath & Glory.

[Bartmanhomer]

So, there are at least two types of Dark Elves in Warhammer (maybe 3 or more). I typed all this on my phone at work, so typos are probable.

First are the Drukhari or Dark Eldar. They're in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and are one of 4 types of eldar in that setting. The Drukhari are 100% Chaotic Evil as a faction. They basically have to create untold amounts of suffering to avoid having their existences devoured by Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess.

The other elves there are the generic craftworld eldar, the Harlequins who serve Cegorach, the Laughing God, and are all about making sure the Eldar remember why they fell from grave in the first place. Last are the exodites who got out before all the Slaanesh BS happened, and ride dinosaurs. The Exodites don't get models, sadly.

The Laughing God is one of the few surviving Eldar Gods. All except two others were devoured by Slaanesh. Khaine, the Eldar god of War and murder was shattered into a bazillion pieces but is technically still alive, and Ysha is imprisoned by another Chaos God, Nurgle. There's also Ynnead, the Eldar god of Death who they're trying to wake up so it can kill Slaanesh.

And that takes us away from the Grim Darkness of the Far Future and into Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar.

Slaanesh exists in that world too. The Chaos Gods seem to be multiversal singularities. Morathi is the leader of the faction of elves known as the Daughters of Khaine, the aforementioned Elf god of War, murder, general bloodshed, etc. She was once devoured by Slaanesh but slithered forth from Slaanesh's throat, the experience having turned her into a lamia with gorgon hair. A fair number of her people have also been turned into part snakes. She is intent on becoming a God herself, and presumably killing Slaanesh. Morathi is probably not a goodguy by any stretch of the imagination, but she is at least on their side.

And then I think that there are some more generic dark elf models, but I don't know much about that faction, or even if it's its own faction at this point.

Hmmm.....I prefer the D&D dark elves, the Warhammer Dark Elves are crazy.

[Anonymouswizard]

Hmmm.....I prefer the D&D dark elves, the Warhammer Dark Elves are crazy.

D&d Dark Elves are crazy. Their society is literally built around the fact that they can't trust anybody (and involves strong familial ties because you can't build a society if that's literally true). They basically have regularly scheduled wars over key positions!

For all the sociopathy of the Dark Eldar, there is a point to it compared to the cruelty of the D&D Dark Elves. Due to the metaphysics of the setting 40k DE are heavioly tied to the god of excess, and there are only a few ways around his grip (don't have your ancestors there when the fall happened, purposefully trap your soul in the physical realm, or wanton cruelty are the three I know of).IIRC the Dark Eldar aren't even psykers anymore because of their attempts to escape his grip.

Their is a cold, hardly rational sanity to the society of the Dark Eldar, although a self serving variety. No matter how they act the Fall has condemned them to damnation anyway, why should they care about how they act if it can help them escape damnation. For all the cruelty and murder they inflict upon other species they are following a logical path.

Make no mistake, the Dark Eldar are a society of instituionalised evil of the highest order. But that doesn't make their evil crazy, and in many ways they couldn't have built that order without a decent amount of sanity.


Note that in Warhammer Fantasy (not Age of Sigmar) the Dark Elves were, essentially, originally a splinter faction of High Elves who believed that the Phoenix King position should be hereditary rather than elected (I am massively simplifying how selecting a Phoenix King works, but in essence he's elected by courtiers). While they have since fallen from the purity of this position and are now hate-fueled beings they are still mainly a faction of elves who are ideologically opposed to the High Elves. They have nowhere near the ties to Slaanesh, I think that Morathi and her witches might have links but they aren't cruel to escape damnation, Dark Elves are cruel because of spite.

Also at this point Morathi is still just an elf. She's also the mother of Malekar, the son of the first Phoenix King who got burnt by the same fire his father passed through.Malekar leads the Dark Elves, at least officially.

[Bartmanhomer]

D&d Dark Elves are crazy. Their society is literally built around the fact that they can't trust anybody (and involves strong familial ties because you can't build a society if that's literally true). They basically have regularly scheduled wars over key positions!

For all the sociopathy of the Dark Eldar, there is a point to it compared to the cruelty of the D&D Dark Elves. Due to the metaphysics of the setting 40k DE are heavioly tied to the god of excess, and there are only a few ways around his grip (don't have your ancestors there when the fall happened, purposefully trap your soul in the physical realm, or wanton cruelty are the three I know of).IIRC the Dark Eldar aren't even psykers anymore because of their attempts to escape his grip.

Their is a cold, hardly rational sanity to the society of the Dark Eldar, although a self serving variety. No matter how they act the Fall has condemned them to damnation anyway, why should they care about how they act if it can help them escape damnation. For all the cruelty and murder they inflict upon other species they are following a logical path.

Make no mistake, the Dark Eldar are a society of instituionalised evil of the highest order. But that doesn't make their evil crazy, and in many ways they couldn't have built that order without a decent amount of sanity.


Note that in Warhammer Fantasy (not Age of Sigmar) the Dark Elves were, essentially, originally a splinter faction of High Elves who believed that the Phoenix King position should be hereditary rather than elected (I am massively simplifying how selecting a Phoenix King works, but in essence he's elected by courtiers). While they have since fallen from the purity of this position and are now hate-fueled beings they are still mainly a faction of elves who are ideologically opposed to the High Elves. They have nowhere near the ties to Slaanesh, I think that Morathi and her witches might have links but they aren't cruel to escape damnation, Dark Elves are cruel because of spite.

Also at this point Morathi is still just an elf. She's also the mother of Malekar, the son of the first Phoenix King who got burnt by the same fire his father passed through.Malekar leads the Dark Elves, at least officially.

Well, the D&D Chaotic Good dark elves are better than the D&D chaotic evil dark elves. I prefer to hang out with the chaotic good dark elves rather than the evil ones.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well, the D&D Chaotic Good dark elves are better than the D&D chaotic evil dark elves. I prefer to hang out with the chaotic good dark elves rather than the evil ones.

What Chaotic Good Dark Elves? Like, I suppose there might be one or two in hiding so as not get get killed by assassins or mobs, but there can't be that many. Drow do tend to try to kill traitors and escapees.

[Rater202]

I don't really eat steak very often.

It's partly just because steak can be expensive, but...

For one, I don't like meat with big bits of fat hanging on it. For two, I have this weird hangup about eating anything that's still on the bone, and finally, I like my meat thoroughly cooked. It's partly becuase I'm paranoid about parasites and partly becuase I don't like the taste of blood.

So I can only eat certain cuts of steak, and onl if they're cooked all the way through. There are some cuts of beef that you just can't cook well-done, and some steaks that you can cook well done, but there's a trick to it and if you don't know the trick you're gonna ruin the steak.

Good example: There used to be a really good steakhouse around here that my family used to go to on special occasions, it's been closed for a while now though, and I used to get a small fillet mignon well done there.

I will pause for your gasps of horror.

What they would do is if you ordered it well done they would butterfly it and then once it was cooked they'd add just a small extra dab of the garlic butter they served it with while it was still hot from the grill. I've eaten "properly cooked" fillet on occasion and I tell you I don't notice a difference in texture when it's cooked well done this way.

One time while visiting with family out of state, we went to a steak house, I ordered a fillet well done and got the fillet cut normally and cooked normally, just for longer, and while it was edible I realized then and there why so many people are willing to eat medium and rare steaks.

And then one time we went to a chain steakhouse and they just refused to cook the fillet the way I ordered it and brought it out medium. Luckily there was enough musroom sauce to cover up the taste of the blood.

[Mystic Muse]

And then one time we went to a chain steakhouse and they just refused to cook the fillet the way I ordered it and brought it out medium. Luckily there was enough musroom sauce to cover up the taste of the blood.

Even as someone who enjoys making the King of the Hill joke about politely asking anyone who asks for a steak well done to leave...

Screw this restaurant and the horse they rode in on. This isn't something where they could be held liable, or an unreasonable request like substituting 1,500 things. This was a perfectly reasonable request, and they deserve to lose business if they're going to act like this.

[Anonymouswizard]

And then one time we went to a chain steakhouse and they just refused to cook the fillet the way I ordered it and brought it out medium. Luckily there was enough musroom sauce to cover up the taste of the blood.

But medium beef shouldn't have blood.

Now I like my steak rare or rawer, ideally it should have been mooing when I ordered it. But I have occasionally had properly cooked well done steak and yeah, it is amazing, just few places do it and not in my opinion as good as a rare steak.

Side note, if you are eating raw beef, do be careful. There's nothing safer than adding some egg (or maybe I just have a hankering for beouf tartare).

[Bartmanhomer]

What Chaotic Good Dark Elves? Like, I suppose there might be one or two in hiding so as not get get killed by assassins or mobs, but there can't be that many. Drow do tend to try to kill traitors and escapees.

Well, Drizzt is one of the Chaotic Good Dark Elves that I know.

[Mystic Muse]

Well, Drizzt is one of the Chaotic Good Dark Elves that I know.

How many other chaotic good dark elves, except for Ellistraee can you name?

[Bartmanhomer]

How many other chaotic good dark elves, except for Ellistraee can you name?

Gee, that's a tough one. None.

[Rater202]

Even as someone who enjoys making the King of the Hill joke about politely asking anyone who asks for a steak well done to leave...

Screw this restaurant and the horse they rode in on. This isn't something where they could be held liable or an unreasonable request like substituting 1,500 things. This was a perfectly reasonable request, and they deserve to lose business if they're going to act like this.

Out of two times* that we went to this place, they only did it the first time so either the waiter didn't write it down or it was a chef error rather than it being restaurant policy.

The only reason I think it was deliberate is because everything else(four people each with an entree, two sides, and a drink each, plus a shared appetizer) came out perfectly as ordered--in my experience when there's a mistake at a restaurant it's usually two or three things and it's usually "we brought you the wrong sandwich" or "gave extra mayo when you said no mayo" rather than something as relatively minor as this.

It could have just been a goof for all I know, I'm just infering based on my experiences.

[Rawhide]

Luckily there was enough musroom sauce to cover up the taste of the blood.

What blood? If there's blood in your steak, it wasn't butchered correctly. The red liquid is myoglobin.

[Rater202]

What blood? If there's blood in your steak, it wasn't butchered correctly. The red liquid is myoglobin.

Huh... You learn something new every day.

[Fyraltari]

So, there are at least two types of Dark Elves in Warhammer (maybe 3 or more). I typed all this on my phone at work, so typos are probable.

First are the Drukhari or Dark Eldar. They're in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and are one of 4 types of eldar in that setting. The Drukhari are 100% Chaotic Evil as a faction. They basically have to create untold amounts of suffering to avoid having their existences devoured by Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess.

They don't have, they could join the other Eldar groups instead. Any Dark Eldar with a spaceship is there because they chooses to.
Also, Slaanesh exists because of they homicidal hedonism, not the other way around.

She is intent on becoming a God herself, and presumably killing Slaanesh.

Succeeded actually. Well, she didn't kill Slasla because of course not, but she's a goddess (or rather, two), now.

Hmmm.....I prefer the D&D dark elves, the Warhammer Dark Elves are crazy.

Maybe you'd like The Elder Scrolls's take on Dark Elves, the Dunmer? Although they are often at odds with other races and are definitely odd by any metric, they can't really be called more evil than any other race on Nirn.

[Bartmanhomer]

They don't have, they could join the other Eldar groups instead. Any Dark Eldar with a spaceship is there because they chooses to.
Also, Slaanesh exists because of they homicidal hedonism, not the other way around.


Succeeded actually. Well, she didn't kill Slasla because of course not, but she's a goddess (or rather, two), now.



Maybe you'd like The Elder Scrolls's take on Dark Elves, the Dunmer? Although they are often at odds with other races and are definitely odd by any metric, they can't really be called more evil than any other race on Nirn.

What's the Dunmer?

[Fyraltari]

What's the Dunmer?

The elvish name of the Dark Elves in the The Elder Scrolls series of video games.