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

Dark Eldar Portal

Wyches battling Eldar^{[Needs Citation]}

Wyches are gladiatorial warriors of the Dark Eldar, they each belong to one of the various Wych Cults of Commoragh. Wyches fight in arenas in duels with one another and with various captured aliens and beasts; few survive their first duel but those who live learn quickly. Ruled over by their Succubi, the Wyches are highly proficient at close-quarters combat, practising their skills for their entire lives. Wyches often use a cocktail of combat-enhancing drugs to improve their performance on the battlefield. A Wych squad-leader is known as a Hekatrix.^[2]

Equipment

A Wych^[1a]

Wyches possess great variety of different kind of close combat weapons. These are, for example, weighted flails, vambrace blades, knives, swords etcetera. Each Wych owns an elegant dagger made invidually for her only by artisans of Commorragh. These knives are kept in a sheath with an inbuilt sharpening field to ensure it stays eternally keen. Wyches generally also carry splinter pistols and plasma grenades.^[1a]

In battle they can also be armed with haywire grenades and be carried into combat on a Venom or Raider.

As most of Wyches master their skills with knife and splinter pistol some choose more destructive weapons -

Razorflails

Wyches using razorflails are known as Lacerai. These weapons are a kind of retracting sword which can be wielded either as a solid blade or as a flexible whip-like series of segmented blades. Razorflails are usually wielded in pairs an are a difficult weapon to counter, as they are almost impossible to block or parry.^[1a]

Shardnet and Impaler

Yraqnae are Wyches who use a shardnet and an impaler. These weapons are a lethal combination - the impaler being a long, wickedly sharp close combat weapon, whilst the electrified shardnet leaves opponents unable to strike back at the wielder. Being caught by a shardnet is an extremely painful way to die as the net constricts around its victim, cutting through flesh, muscles and bone leaving a pile of shredded gore.^[1a]

Hydra Gauntlets

Hydrae are Wyches mastered skill of using Hydra Gauntlets. These gauntlets are extremely strange weapons of unknown origin that can grow multiple deadly crystalline blades in combat. Even though a Wych cannot control the amount of blades grown on gauntlets, they are still very lethal as they can cause many times more damage than conventional weapons.^[1a]

Wychsuit

Wyches wear a flexible bodyglove known as a Wychsuit. The most notable feature of this suit is that it has been designed to particularlly protect one side of the wearers body (usually the side they most often expose to their opponents) whilst the other side has sections cut away, baring naked flesh.^[1a][1b]

Hekatrix Bloodbrides

Each wych squad is led by hekatrix. These elite wyches form in time to time a clique of murderesses known as Bloodbrides. These Bloodbrides are under command of Syren who answers only to high command of Wych cult. Bloodbrides are known to have fierce rivalries between each other but in time of raids they unite their bloodthirsty powers on battlefield. As Bloodbrides are the elite among wyches they are granted a greater number of special weapons than "normal" wyches.

Notable Wyches

• Lelith Hesperax

Images

5th edition Wych Squad

3rd edition Wyches

Sources

• 1 Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition)
  • 1a: pg. 27
  • 1b: pg. 62
• 2: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440170a&prodId=prod900152a&rootCatGameStyle=

Uncited

• Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition)
• White Dwarf #328 (April 2007), pg.7