Commorragh
"Is an eldar not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the eldar in the Exodite Worlds, 'it belongs to the land.' 'No!' says the Harlequin, 'it belongs to Cegorach.' 'No!' says the eldar in the craftworld, 'it belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Commorragh. A city where the artist would not fear the censor; where the Haemonculus would not be bound by petty morality; where the Archon would not be constrained by the slave! And with the sweat of your brow, Commorragh can become your city as well."
- --Asdrubael Vect on Commorragh
Commorragh is the main realm (there really is no better word for it) of the Dark Eldar. It sits at the heart of the Webway. Games Workshop named them after the Cammora clans of Naples and the Biblical city Gommorrah.
It started out during the days of the Eldar Empire as a bunch of private realms where bored Eldar could do perverse things in privacy -- or in large groups, if that floated their boats. These realms' relative isolation from reality partially shielded those within from the birth of Slaanesh, preventing them from being outright sucked into the Warp, though they quickly realized that they were still in danger as their souls began to erode from within their bodies.
Then, they discovered that causing pain to other creatures allowed them to top up their souls and stay youthful and energetic. These realms slowly coalesced as their occupants found common purpose in raiding realspace for victims, and then bringing them home to torture them. Eventually, some of these raiders banded together under the banners of the old noble houses, and the alliances and mergers brought about the Dark City we all know and love.
Because Dark Eldar have no need for foolish things like supports or foundations, structures get built at all sorts of crazy angles, which makes things that much more entertaining for the residents; from jet-bike races among the rooftops to gladiatorial challenges in the arenas to the therapist's office, Commorragh has it all!
A Tour Guide of Commorragh
If you're not a Dark Eldar, Harlequin, or a badass mercenary, Commorragh's best is much harder (nigh impossible) to attain. It's a city that destroys the weak, torments the slow, and kills the stupid. Despite popular theory, non-Eldar can prosper in Commorragh, since there are several parts where aliens live in towns and the most fearsome can be recruited into Dark Eldar Kabals.
A list of tips for newcomers.
- You were most likely brought back so Dark Eldar could feed off your pain so Slaanesh won't eat their souls/ sacrified to Slaanesh in their place.
- You may have been brought back to be a Haemonculi's guinea pig, snack, pet, or a diversion so they won't get bored (which still involves unspeakable torture).
- You may be sent to the gladiator arenas of Commorragh to fight for your life against Wyches, dangerous beasts ranging from Razorwing flocks to captured Carnifexes, or both at the same time. This will last until you die.
- You can be killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or even if you went were you're supposed to go).
- If you're a slave, you're expendable currency, or used for other things.
- If you stare at Scourges for too long, they will fly down, pick you up and impale you on a spire.
- There's no night or day, just the dull, baleful glow of stolen stars. It also has many arenas where light never reaches (Dark Eldar adapted by developing natural night vision).
- In the shadows you can encounter Mandrakes, who will kill and/or eat you.
- The unnatural geometry of Commmoragh can be extremely disorienting for visitors.