Grotesque var addthis_config = {"data_track_addressbar":true};

Ambiguous Term? This article is about the Dark Eldar. For other uses of Grotesque, see Grotesque (disambiguation).

Dark Eldar Portal

A Grotesque fighting against Orks

Grotesques are hulking monsters of muscle and bone created by crazy Haemonculi. One Haemonculi Coven, Children of Bone, are known because of creating exceptionally big grotesques.

Background

Unlike Wracks, none becomes grotesque voluntarily.

Insulting a Haemonculus is the most terrible sin of them all in Commorragh. Thee shall not get over of it easily. If captured by a Haemonculus you may be the next grotesque in his ranks. The process becoming as grotesque truly is long and painful. The Haemonculus starts the long trip of humiliating body modifications of his victim. Then victim is pumped up of all kinds of growth elixirs, macrosteroids and muscle stimulants. Eventually every victim is going to swallow in muscular formes of their own. Cutting starts again. The victim's bonegrowth is driven into hyperactivity by injections of osseovirals, resulting in external spines holding that tower of flesh in one piece.

In the end, maybe many years later, the hands of the poor victim are replaced with metal claws or dripping tubes that can eject spray of his own blood-ichor. In this point of process grotesques are mostly lobotomised so they will mindlessly, without hesitation obey their Haemonculus master. Lastly of all, the victim's horrifying face is covered by mask made of black iron.

After these means grotesques are mindless slaves of their Haemonculus eager to fulfil every order made by their twisted masters.

Equipment

Some grotesques (perhaps the most ferocious of them) known as Aberrations are granted by Haemonculus some more deadly weapons than their claws. These weapons are mainly gauntlets which should be easy to install and remove from grotesques as they may be too mindless to actually wield weapons.

In war grotesques could be used as linebreakers. The Dark Eldar and especially Haemonculi are only eager to see death and pain. Grotesques are usually sent into frontline of the attack as they will kill from the moment their master tells them to, to the moment their master says "stop". Grotesques are also reported to attack against their own ranks. It may be the cause of those steroids and stimulants that they go into berserk-like rampage and kill everyone on their way. After this they usually die, by their Kabalite or Wych allies or just by an unknown reason.*¹

3rd Edition

In Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition) Grotesques were more like wracks in 5th Edition than grotesques. Here is typical canon mixup between editions. But grotesques should be considered as written above, not as they were in 3rd Edition.*²

Image

5th edition Grotesque

3rd edition Grotesque

Sources

• Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition)*¹
• Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition)*²