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==Overview==
 
==Overview==
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[[Image:SlannMiniatures.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Slann Miniatures]]
 
The Slann had originally evolved from amphibian stock and their appearance demonstrates their ancestry, as their hands are long as well as webbed with cool, moist skins, along with large heads and protruding eyes.  They are able to draw oxygen from water or other poorly oxygenated atmospheres directly through their skin and are also quite comfortable in watery surroundings.  Skin colour tends to vary a great deal, with blue and green being the most common, yellow being well-represented, and other tones being rarer such as albino as well as melanistic forms.  Slann that are brightly pigmented tend to be extroverts, talented or noteworthy in some manner.  On some occasions, their skins tend to be mottled, striped or otherwise marked (though among certain Slann worlds, such as primitive ones, these tend to represent tribal divisions).  In terms of height, Slann tend to be fairly consistent, with adults reaching two meters high whilst females tend to be slightly bulkier and larger.{{Fn|1b}} It is believed that the Slann are likely to have [[psychic powers]].{{Fn|1a}}
 
The Slann had originally evolved from amphibian stock and their appearance demonstrates their ancestry, as their hands are long as well as webbed with cool, moist skins, along with large heads and protruding eyes.  They are able to draw oxygen from water or other poorly oxygenated atmospheres directly through their skin and are also quite comfortable in watery surroundings.  Skin colour tends to vary a great deal, with blue and green being the most common, yellow being well-represented, and other tones being rarer such as albino as well as melanistic forms.  Slann that are brightly pigmented tend to be extroverts, talented or noteworthy in some manner.  On some occasions, their skins tend to be mottled, striped or otherwise marked (though among certain Slann worlds, such as primitive ones, these tend to represent tribal divisions).  In terms of height, Slann tend to be fairly consistent, with adults reaching two meters high whilst females tend to be slightly bulkier and larger.{{Fn|1b}} It is believed that the Slann are likely to have [[psychic powers]].{{Fn|1a}}
  

Revision as of 09:25, 20 April 2018

A Slanni warrior as depicted in the Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition Rulebook.[3]

The Slann,[1b] also known as the Old Slann[2a] and as Slanni,[3] are a sentient reptilian or amphibian alien species.

History

Among all the races of the galaxy, the Slann claim to be one of the oldest, who evolved, matured and spread throughout space hundreds of thousands of years ago. At the height of their empire, they discovered and nurtured many primitive creatures. They encouraged the evolutionary process on countless worlds where they eradicated or moved dangerous species whilst seeding many worlds with promising stock. Over the course of millennia, they experimented and played with the galaxy in this manner; some credit the Slann with creating the modern races in the galaxy.[1b]

In this distant past, the Slann were known as the greatest of the spacefaring races and encountered the Eldar. Through this contact, the Eldar learnt many of the Old Slann's arcane secrets of the universe. Thousands of years before mankind's first forays into space, the ancient Slann empire began to collapse.[2a] As their civilisation dwindled, the pace of their empire slowed and they largely abandoned their genetic experiments. The reasons for this change in behaviour were not known, as there are no records of destructive wars or disasters that befell their empire. Instead, it was believed that they had a sudden change in their racial motivations that led to them abandoning any desire for physical conquest or power. This was followed by a retirement from active affairs in the galaxy and they engaged in a long period of indolence as well as introspection. What their true reasons for doing so is unknown; some believe that the Slann discovered some unknown secret of the cosmos or a spiritual truth or even gained a supreme mystical insight.[1b] It is known that they were conscious of the existence of Warp Entities, which they called the Powers of Chaos and even forewarned the Eldar of the dangers they would face in the future, including the cataclysmic Fall. Some of the Eldar heeded their warnings, leaving their homeworlds for the Craftworlds.[2a] During this time, the Old Slann not only taught the Eldar of the dangers of the Warp but also of its benefits.[2b]

The Slann are also speculated to be the creators of the Jokaero species, given that the Slann are believed to have visited Earth on numerous occasions, coupled with the Jokaero's resemblance to Terra's Orangutan species.[1c]

After their retreat from the galaxy, the Slann are known to have resided on a number of proximate and prosperous worlds located north of the galactic pole.[1b] When the Eldar created their mighty civilisation, they not only adopted but also refined and perfected the ancient Slann knowledge of the warp as well as its movements.[4]

During the Age of the Imperium, some primitive tribes of Slann reside on planets within the space of the Imperium. Despite the great era of their empire being long gone, the Slann remain among the most enigmatic race within known space.[1b]

Overview

Slann Miniatures

The Slann had originally evolved from amphibian stock and their appearance demonstrates their ancestry, as their hands are long as well as webbed with cool, moist skins, along with large heads and protruding eyes. They are able to draw oxygen from water or other poorly oxygenated atmospheres directly through their skin and are also quite comfortable in watery surroundings. Skin colour tends to vary a great deal, with blue and green being the most common, yellow being well-represented, and other tones being rarer such as albino as well as melanistic forms. Slann that are brightly pigmented tend to be extroverts, talented or noteworthy in some manner. On some occasions, their skins tend to be mottled, striped or otherwise marked (though among certain Slann worlds, such as primitive ones, these tend to represent tribal divisions). In terms of height, Slann tend to be fairly consistent, with adults reaching two meters high whilst females tend to be slightly bulkier and larger.[1b] It is believed that the Slann are likely to have psychic powers.[1a]

The society of the Slann remains closed to other races but is seemingly homogenous throughout, with entire planets holding a similar technical base, language, and culture. Some of these groups live as savage primitives outside Slann space and in the territory of the Imperium. Such communities are in fact scattered throughout the galaxy, leading to the belief that these sites were once locations of an even greater Slann settlement in the past. These primitives tend to have little or even no contact with their more technologically advanced kin. Ultimately, however, the Slann remain a curious race though they rarely ever trade with outsiders and even prove to be unpredictable during territorial disputes or rivalries. This is due to the simple fact that there is little that the Slann need or want. As such, any traders encountering a tribe of Slann feel as if they were being watched or studied, with no interest in any exchange of goods.[1b]

They hold no equals in the realm of psychic-philosophy or mystic-technology as they fulfill themselves by the study of spiritual lifeforces along with the secret powers of other realities.[1b] The Old Slann believed that the object of life was to perfect the mind and through this they held the view that this allowed an individual to become an immortal spirit in the Warp.[2b]

Notes

Slann in Rogue Trader.

The Slann make their first appearance in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader where a section covers their involvement in the galaxy such as teaching the Eldar of the warp as well as predicting the emergence of Slaanesh.[Needs Citation] Slann are also suggested as being the possible creators of the Jokaero.[1c]

Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness also describes the Slann's knowledge of the warp being perfected by the Eldar when they created the Webway.[Needs Citation]

After the early editions, the Slann made no further appearances in the setting, though a picture of a reptilian alien known as a Slanni appears in the pages of the Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition Rulebook.[3]

By the fourth edition, much of the background of the Slann is taken over by the Old Ones mentioned in Codex: Necrons. A possible link between the Slann and the Old Ones is implied within the campaign sections of the Codex, which states that the C'tan maintain a hatred of any of the degenerate descendants of the Old Ones, though it is unclear whether the Slann are one of these descendants, or a subject race.[Needs Citation]

Sources