Dark Matter Weaponry
Overview
The Dark Eldar use a rather exotic, extremely dangerous energy dubbed Dark Matter in their anti-vehicle weaponry. How they harvest this energy is beyond current understanding, as it is believed that the only sources of Dark Matter that are available in the Materium are from black holes, warp storms, and similarly hazardous celestial phenomena.
Dark Lance
The most commonly seen example of Dark Matter Weaponry is the Dark Lance. Similar in construction to the Bright Lance of their Eldar cousin's forces, a Dark Lance is redesigned to allow for the use of Dark Matter ammunition. It's commonly found mounted on Raiders and Ravagers, although Warrior Squads are seen carrying them across the battlefield as well. The device uses magnetic containment and stabilization fields to prevent the Dark Matter from damaging the weapon or its user. The Dark Matter is accelerated very rapidly down the barrel by these same containment fields. Upon making contact with its target, it reacts very violently, tearing through armor regardless of thickness or composition, and in the event of the Dark Lances use on infantry, it's incredibly rare that any sign of the unfortunate target is left whatsoever.
Blaster
A Blaster is a smaller, light weight version of a Dark Lance, which includes a semi-liquid stabilizer like that found in the Dark Eldar Splinter Cannon. This allows for Warrior squads to launch volleys of this devastating energy while running, although the more compact build of the gun significantly shortens the maximum range of the device.
Disintegrator
A Disintegrator is a very dangerous adaptation of a Dark Lance. It uses the same Dark Matter munitions principles as the aforementioned weapons, but the Dark Matter used is less pure, and as a result it spreads out over an area, rippling and popping as it reacts to the imperfections found in its shot. The Disintegrator has two firing modes developed to make use of these impurities, the first a short, high-velocity round similar to a Dark Lance or Blaster shot, although less powerful due to the substandard munitions. The second, commonly used on large mobs of weaker beings, builds a sizeable amount of the Dark Matter within a secondary chamber, then lobs it in an arc at its targets, allowing it to spread out and cover a rather large area before hitting the ground, with devastating results.
