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The Warhammer 40,000 game, and consequentially the fictional universe, is made up of many races and species. Many of these species are represented in the actual game through armies and figurines. However, not all of the species that are important to the game and its storyline are available as an army. Instead, these 'extra' species are written about within the codexes, rulebooks and other literature available for the game in order to build up a more elaborate storyline and to explain the current state of the game better. The major ones are:
Human The same familiar species, Homo Sapiens Sapiens, has in the millennia passing after the present day spawned a number of minor subspecies referred to (somewhat perjoratively) as 'abhumans'. The vast majority of humans in the galaxy are nominally citizens of the Imperium of Man. The Imperium of Man is the empire that contains the majority of humanity. It was created by the Emperor, an all-powerful being, whose life is sustained artificially since the mortal wounds he suffered at the culmination of the Horus Heresy. Currently it is controlled by a ruling body of 12 of the most influential and powerful men in the galaxy, collectively knows as the High Lords of Terra. The Imperium features a wide variety of organisations and affiliations, which are represented in the game by a selection of four playable armies: The other major factions of the Imperium that are not playable as armies in their own right include: Many of these non-playable forces can be represented using existing forces; White Dwarf has in past done features on armies such as a Custodian Guard force created using Space Marine rules and a Mechanicus force based upon Imperial Guard. Others, like the Arbites and the Officio Assassinorum, function as allies for armies that do exist, such as an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor bringing along a Culexus Assassin. Chaos The forces of Chaos consist of those humans who rebelled against the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, as well as renegades and corsairs who turned in the 10,000 years since then, and their daemonic allies. The Eldar Eldar are an ancient, elf-like race, who once were the dominant force in the galaxy. However, at some time in the past (most commonly conjectured to be just prior to the Humans' Great Crusade) the Eldar race experienced a dramatic catastrophe known to them as The Fall. The Eldar's highly psychic nature as a species had caused significant repercussions in the Immaterium, ultimately resulting in the genesis of a new Chaos entity known as Slaanesh. The Eldar's close link with the new God resulted in a massive intrusion of the Immaterium into the material realm (now known as the Eye of Terror) and the instantanous destruction of many billions of Eldar; the majority of their species. There are four main factions of Eldar: Ork (Warhammer 40,000)|Orks The Orks are a warlike composite race of humanoids; properly known collectively as Orkoids. All the Orkoid species share a unique biochemistry incorporating a second DNA strand resembling that of Terran algae or fungi, and this trait manifests as an exceptionally tough and adaptable physiology featuring vivid green pigmented skin. The dominant species, Orks, are considerably larger and more muscular than either Humans or Eldar, and in comparison are highly aggressive and brutish. They are however not stupid, and display a significant low cunning and intellect. The Gretchin (known as 'Grots' to the Orks) are far smaller and physically weaker, and much less aggressive, and as such are treated as a slave race by the Orks. They do however display considerable intelligence and are highly adept tinkerers, looters and thieves. Often thought of as cowardly, they can nevertheless show a highly vicious temperament when confronted, and like the Orks are not to be trifled with, particularly in numbers. Other Major Species and Races Minor Species, Races, and Groups Along with the major races and species, there are a number of smaller races and species. Not all of these are active within the game, but all play a part in the history and storyline of the game. an insectoid species, whose empire is centred on the swarmworld of Loqiit. a squid-like race with colour changing skin. a species of floating spheres with a hard, black carapace. See also | ||||||||
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