Saircallo Altalumenyárë

Saircallo is an ancient eldar autarch, perhaps the eldest, who walks among the craftworlds. He knows well not only the ways of war buti s a well-versed lore master who gathers all that there is to know and transcribes it. Many of Saircallo’s works are housed in the Black Library but legend has it that, deep in the webways his sanctum, Taras Táva (or “The Keep of the Great Tree”) is home to secrets he wishes none to know. He is as mysterious as he is revered by the Eldar; a mythic loremaster and historian who taught some of the wisest of the eldar who now resides in self-imposed exile after a great sin.
== Name & Titles ==
The name of “Saircallo” is a conjoined word comprised of the root words “saira” and “callo”. In Eldar “sira” means “wise” and “callo” refers to a “noble person” or “hero”. The name effectively means “The Wise King” or “The Hero of Wisdom” and is more of a title or epithet. He is also known as the “Altalumenyárë” and this translates to Low Gothic as “The Great Accounting” or perhaps more accurately as “The Full History” as it is his self-appointed task to recount the elder days of the Eldar and recall all that is forgotten. Among the Eldar he is called one of these names though Imperial records ascribe “Saircallo” as his first name and “Altalumenyare” as his last name.
He is also called “Liritmahtar”, which is accurately translated as “the warrior poet” or, literally “the warrior of the poem”. Many have this title who have been scholars and warriors and it is considered something worth of pursuit in certain craftworlds. Those who emulate him are awarded the title of "Liritmahtar" by his students (or their students, etc). He used to personally bestow the upon wise loremasters of the eldar in a revenant ceremony but does not anymore as he is in exile.
On the feral Exodite worlds this term has degraded to “Litmar” and any king or leader well versed in lore is given this title. The mythological figure “Alalitmar” (“The Great Litmar”, a degraded form of “Alatliritmahtar”) is no doubt inspired by Saircallo Altalumenyárë himself as he visited many Exodite worlds in their early years.
== The Scholar of Old ==
None but the Altalumenyárë himself know of his earliest days but it is said he knows well the days before the birth of Slaanesh and has much knowledge that was thought lost when the Eldar Empire fell. He was a disciple of a lore master and after the fall the few loremasters who were left went forth to teach those who had survived and learn what had become of the rest of their race. Together he and his sibling scholars pieced together what remained and wrote the first works on the matter. In time the other scholars fell away like petals from a dying lotus and only Saircallo remained. Some say the other loremasters died in a ceremony to bestow him with great power (as the shaman died to give birth to the Emperor) but all but the most heretical sources reject this. He spent many years visiting the various craftworlds as they were being established and was among the first to visit Exodite worlds. On Exodite worlds he would secretly leave mysterious gifts of writing for them to discover so they could survive (but still do so by their own hand).
== The Warrior Poet ==
In the ages that came after the fall Saircallo walked many paths. He spent time on the Path of Awakening, Grief, as a dreamer, a mariner, a merchant, a healer and a warrior. He learned well the ways of war and learned better the nature of his people. He was ever and always and advocate for peace but when there was no better choice he was the first to release the fury of Kaela Mensha Khaine upon the foes of his people. To the Orks he became known as “Ol’ Grey Cloak” (after a grey-blue cloak he normally wears), to the Drukhari he is called he became known as “Altafofri” (lit. “The Great Fool”), and to the Imperium he was “Autatch Wordbane” (which is a poor translation of the Drukhari name for him). His foes know him as well for his cunning as they do for his skill, having bested some of the strongest warriors of his foes. Never did he fight with strength or speed that exceeded his foe but always with cunning and grace that outclassed them.
He is said to have walked all the paths an eldar might before reluctantly taking the mantle of command. For this and his great knowledge he was dubbed “Liritmahtar” (see titles and names above). He was always gun-shy in battle, even for an eldar, but this reluctance came from a place of wisdom. He knows better than anyone how fragile the fate of the Eldar is and each battle he lead troops in he only did so when absolutely necessary. After several centuries of command he felt the weight of the losses that he had suffered, few though they had been, and retired to compile the great codexes he is so famous for.
== Taras Táva ==
After retiring from command Sairacallo built for himself a secret place within the webways known as Taras Táva. There he dwelt for many years simply contemplating what to write and then many more before he began to do so. The result was the “Parmaprima” or “First Book” which, using allegory and metaphor, described in great detail the history of the Eldar. Within its pages was encoded much wisdom and many lessons on morality. There arose students who took his work to heart and sought him out, making pilgrimages to Taras Táva to learn from the old masters. He refused each student three times and only relented if he saw that they genuinely understood his teachings. He taught them each in the ways of war, song, and hope- eventually creating brilliant captains and loremasters who could teach as well as they fought. The craft he taught them was a dangerous one though- if misunderstood it could tempt the heart with such exquisite cunning and trickery that one would lose themselves. When he had taught each student, he sent them back to the craftworld from which they had come.
== The Longshots ==
Many called him a fool for wasting so much time on hopeless causes but he sees things differently. He knows that the only shot the Aeldari have for survival is the longshots; the unexpected and the unrealistic. To this day he walks the stars and gives little nudges to lost causes, heretical endeavors, supports the dreams of the smallest of his people, and takes changes few would dare.
== The Four Dirges ==
He has taught only twenty students and sixteen of which have become shining examples of the highest virtues of the Aeldari while four have turned so vile that their cruelty and cunning is lauded even by the Dark Eldar (who they have joined). These so-called “Four Dirges” are Drukhari Archons of great infamy who target and terrorize Aeldari in particular. They have never been bested by any Aeldari commanders and have only ever been matched by other Liritmahtar trained by Sairacallo. The Four Dirges are Sairacallo’s greatest failure and source of shame. After they turned he put himself in self-imposed exile, beyond the reach of his own people so that his knowledge could never harm them again.
Still, there is a poem from one of his blessed liritmahtar whose wisdom now guides the Craftworld Zhforan on Sairacallo’s current endeavors:
He walks now and then among the stars,
In places unwatched by all but the shadows,
Places no moon looks upon and no sun graces,And offers gifts of wisdom for those with room in their mind for such things,Now among the Exodites as a beggar,Then among the Craftworlds as a corsair,Saircallo Altalumenyárë, Alatliritmahtar en Aeldari- peace be with you for you are wise.
Note: The language and word choice used on this page is a result of Tolkien's Quenya Elven language with aspects of Sindarin thrown in and traditional Aeldari words thrown in when relevant. This was done to reflect an "ancient Aeldari" language rather than what we have today.
Category:Eldar
Category:Xenos