Unlike humans, elves in the world of Warhammer Fantasy are extremely resistant to the corruption of Chaos – with one sad exception. You will even be able to play this one yourself soon.
Those who succumb to Chaos in Warhammer typically suffer severe mutations – a side effect of the blessings of the four gods of Chaos. Depending on who is affected, the disfigurement can be more or less severe.
In Warhammer Fantasy, the oldest of the Warhammer worlds, elves are particularly considered to be resistant to the physical influence of Chaos. Although they are not immune, their transformation takes significantly longer. Nevertheless, many of them fall to Chaos, for example, the Cult of Pleasure under the later elven goddess Morathi.
Now one of these Chaos elves is coming to Total War: Warhammer 3: Dechala, the Denied One. Dechala has a very tragic backstory involving betrayal, coercion, and violence. These emotions apparently also influence her gameplay.
From one of the most beautiful elves to the six-armed serpent
According to the most well-known tale in the existing lore, Dechala was once an elf and even the daughter of a prince who led one of the most important kingdoms of the high elves. Her father even fought alongside the Phoenix King, the sovereign of all high elves, against Chaos.
Even by elven standards, Dechala was said to be unusually beautiful. However, this became her undoing when she caught the eye of Samael, a demon prince of the Chaos god of excess: Slaanesh. Driven by the desire to possess Dechala, Samael pursued her and her family wherever they went.
However, the demon prince did not want to simply abduct the elf but gave her family an ultimatum: Either they hand over the princess, or he would terrorize them until they did.
Samael killed the family’s servants and pets in particularly gruesome ways. He spread terror and brought Dechala’s family closer to the brink of madness. Ultimately, her father broke and handed Dechala over to the demon prince. He then began to corrupt her to preserve her beauty forever.
Dechala seeks revenge – and chooses freedom
Dechala was bitter about her family’s decision to hand her over to Samael. So she made the demon prince an offer: she would become his wife if he allowed her to take revenge on her family. Samael agreed and granted her powers, skill with blades, and strength. He then sent her toward her father’s camp, where she killed her entire family – her father last.
Slaanesh certainly enjoyed this sight. The god of excess gave her his mark, which initially made Samael jealous. However, he still wanted to marry her – only she did not truly want him. Unwilling to serve Samael forever, Dechala fled into the Chaos wasteland.
The demon prince was quite furious about this and turned directly to his god. After being reprimanded by Slaanesh, the latter proclaimed: As long as Samael lives and Dechala does not return to him, she shall never achieve the rank of demon prince. Hence her nickname: “the Denied One.”
Through her corruption, Dechala’s appearance has also changed significantly: Her skin has become milky white, but most notably, she has three pairs of arms and a serpent body that extends from the waist down. Nothing remains of the beautiful elven princess.
Total War uses the background for more cool units
Dechala will not only receive her own model with six arms and strong combat abilities in Total War: Warhammer 3. Her faction will also gain access to new units that fit her story, including:
- Druchii Anointed and the Exalted Hero of Slaanesh as heroes
- Pleasureseekers as cavalry
- Champions of Slaanesh as monstrous infantry that resemble Dechala
To express her cruelty, Dechala has the unique mechanic Pillars of Cruelty
, which allows her to force captured settlements into various forms, including slave camps and pleasure palaces – although pleasures
under Slaanesh do not necessarily have to be pleasant
…
Another character coming to the game with the new DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 – Tides of Torment is Aislinn. The high elf is actually one of “the good ones,” even if he does not behave that way. You can read more about him in our article: Even the king of high elves in Warhammer Fantasy finds Aislinn too harsh, but he needs him
