"Why did i not have you killed?"

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In the fictional universes of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy, Slaanesh is one of the four major Chaos gods. Slaanesh is depicted, in both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy as the youngest of the four major gods. Like his brother gods, Slaanesh grew from a single survivalist emotion: in his case, the emotion was pleasure. He is the god of excess, hedonism, pride, aestheticism and self indulgence; he is also known as the Dark Prince or the Prince of Excess.

Slaanesh is described as taking many forms, be they female or male, even hermaphroditic or androgynous. In any case, he is always unnaturally beautiful, and irresistible to mortals who view him. Slaanesh is generally regarded as being male, with the notable exception that the Eldar race of Warhammer 40,000 refers to Slaanesh as a female, normally referring to "her" as She Who Thirsts or the Great Enemy.

Slaanesh is opposed by the Chaos God Khorne. Slaanesh acts inwardly by enjoying every experience and every act he undertakes- even torturing or killing others; whereas Khorne seeks to act outwardly by joylessly killing as many opponents as possible. Khorne is also said to detest Slaanesh's decadence, while Slaanesh sees Khorne as crude and unsophisticated. This relationship has an effect, in both game settings, upon the nature of the armies dedicated to either god.

Cult of Slaanesh

Mortals

Slaanesh's followers seek pleasure in every experience, and quickly become inured to more mundane things, including sounds and colors; thus they frequently wear garish, brightly colored armour, or clothing which is extravagantly decorated. In Warhammer Fantasy, worshippers of Slaanesh are known for their complete lack of fear, as they see losing a battle as a new experience to be enjoyed.

In Warhammer 40,000, he is served primarily by Chaos Space Marines of the Emperor's Children legion, although he is not served exclusively by them. Chaos Space Marines worshipping Slaanesh frequently take to the battlefield wielding unusual sonic weaponry; these warriors are often called Noise Marines. Slaanesh-worshipping Chaos Marines also have the ability to emit piercing shrieks which can disorient their foes, giving an advantage in combat.

Slaanesh's nature makes him extremely seductive; because of this, he has had very important roles in the backstories for both Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000.

• In Warhammer Fantasy, it was the Cult of Slaanesh which contributed to the corruption of the High Elves who would eventually become the Dark Elves. While most Dark Elves do not worship Slaanesh, the mother of Witch King Malekith, Morathi, was held captive by the Cult of Slaanesh, and it is said that she was corrupted while in captivity; this corruption likely spread to her son. Morathi still rules over the Cult of Slaanesh that remains among the Dark Elves; this cult took part in 2004's Storm of Chaos campaign.
• In Warhammer 40,000, it was the birth of Slaanesh which nearly annihilated the Eldar race and led to the rise of the Imperium; this catastrophic event is known as the Fall of the Eldar. The surviving Eldar factions still live in fear of Slaanesh, who seeks to finish destroying their race; much of the background for the Eldar factions involves this relationship.

Daemons

The daemons available to Slaanesh's armies, including a brief in-universe description, are:

• Daemonettes are feminine-looking creatures whose seductive bodies are at contrast with their grotesque claws. They are lightning quick, and fearsome foes in hand to hand combat.

• Keepers of Secrets, the greater daemons of Slaanesh, are huge and powerful creatures whose very presence is capable of bringing the bravest warrior to his knees in anguish and ecstasy. They typically have four arms- two which end with human-like hands, and two which end with large crab-like claws. A Keeper of Secrets is a very powerful foe in close combat.

• Steeds of Slaanesh are bipedal smooth-skinned creatures with prehensile tongues, vaguely resembling seahorses. Their fleshy-crested heads have long tubular snouts that contain their prehensile, poisonous tongue.

• Mounted Daemonettes are Daemonettes riding Steeds of Slaanesh.