Weeping Cobras

Dedicated to the regeneration and rejuvenation of their forces, the Weeping Cobras distinguish themselves from the more bloody work of their fellow Aspect Warriors. Characterized by a tender heart towards those who are suffering, they are sworn to fight only in self defense of themselves or the ones under their care. This would, at first look, make them seem as not a warrior, but a peaceful combat medic undeserving of the title as an aspect of war. 
However, violence has become deeply ingrained in the very center of their work. For they must stride across the corpse strewn fields to find those who need their assistance. But by being so close to the fighting, they are often forced to fight against the warhost's foes to ensure that their patients are kept safe, both physically and spiritually, from the horrific assault of the enemy. Thus, despite their more pacifist attitude, they are still just as skilled as other Aspect Warriors when it comes to the destruction of the enemy, capable, willing, and eager to defend their patients with a ruthless, cold heartened proficiency. Lacking in mercy to those who would harm their kind, they are the worst nightmare of the opponent's ranks, and a cascade of healing grace to the blood of their blood. 
==History==
Ancient legends of the Aeldari mythology speak of the creature known as the Weeping Cobra, a slithering creature whose venom was an enigma to the many biologists and chemists of the Aeldari Empire. But the fact that was key to their position within the culture of the Eldar was the tales surrounding their origins. It was claimed that these creatures were created by Isha when she sought a pet to keep her company when her husband was gone. It is for this reason that their poison would cure the illnesses of the Aeldari, but would leave the other sentient species physically stricken and, in the worst cases, stone cold dead. 
So potent was the poison that pumped from their veins that they became holy, sacred animals of Isha. They would be taken to her temples, where they would be pampered and live with luxurious accommodations that even the wealthiest Eldar could not secure. When doctors could not heal deathly hurt patients, the patients would go to the temples to be treated by the Weeping Cobras. Or, if a festival was occurring on that day, they would go to the parades where, no matter what deity was being honored, the Weeping Cobras would be brought along to represent Isha, the mother of the entire race. 
The creation of these elite soldiers can be followed back to Craftworld Keil-Xin, when an atrocious battle saw not only defeat, but a humiliating defeat caused by the brutal massacre of countless soldiers. Horrified by what he had seen, the Autarch who would become the Phoenix Lord of this aspect sought for some remedy, and a way to ensure such a horrific tragedy never again occurred. Along the way, the encountered Asurmen and went under his personal tutelage. After discovering and successfully replicated the venom of Weeping Cobras, a species that had gone extinct during the Fall, after accidentally wiping out an Imperial forge world, he would mold his discovery and newfound knowledge into a new aspect, becoming a full fledged Phoenix Lord and the first ever Weeping Cobra. Ever since he has gone form Aeldari civilization to Aeldari civilization, ensuring that the rain of heaven and its unique philosophy are spread and championed, bringing back the gentler, nobler part of the Eldar psyche. 
==Role==
Something that has separated these Aspect Warriors from their more barbaric peers is that, rather than specialize in the absolute destruction of their foes, they act as combat medics, focusing on healing the other troops fielded by a warhost. Operating in squads of five to ten warriors that are occasionally led by their Exarchs, they are carried around by Wave Serpents, sent to wherever their services are most needed. These healers are, for the most part, back line fighters. Staying just behind front lines, they act from a distance, spraying the terrain with their mist to mend those who are too broken to push forward. This way they stay out of the heaviest of fighting, surviving to aid their allies another day. 
Still, even though they may not be the fiercest of fighters, they are still a force of utter annihilation, one that a foe would regret forcing a reckoning with. When an enemy force interferes with their work, or the cost of victory would be too steep in terms of lives, they will drown the offenders with a torrential flood of devastation, quickly and effortlessly clearing almost any objective of even the toughest adversaries. When challenged, they show their faces as deadly and merciless killers. The only times they are not willing to do battle are when doing so is when it would get in the way of their sacred mission, or when taking up arms would require them to hurt other Aeldari. For the boundaries and identities that Craftworlds provide are seen as trivial and meaningless to the Weeping Cobras, whose purpose is to the species as a greater whole, and not to any particular sect. 
==Notable Weeping Cobra Shrines==
*The Precision of Intercession Shrine - Famed for their particular talent at butchering their foes in melee and healing their allies from a mere heartbeat away, the warriors of this shrine are usually equipped not with the standard Venom Spitter, but utilize Venom pistols paired with Serpentine fangs, weapons usually reserved only for the Exarchs.
==Weeping Cobra Exarchs==
Every Aspect Shrine of the Aeldari is led by an Exarch, an Aeldari who has been called permanently to the Path of the Warrior. But unlike the shrines of other aspects, the Exarchs of the Weeping Cobras have not committed their very soul as a high priest of Khaine. Instead, they have dedicated themselves fully to Isha, the goddess of healing. These Exarchs wear more elaborate and ornate versions of Aspect Armour which incorporates the spirits of their past wearers, granting an Exarch not only wisdom and knowledge stretching across the millennia but a raw pool of potent psychic energy that can be used in combat.
This permanent acceptance of the Aeldari's "war mask" provides Exarchs with enhanced skill and dedication to their craft and entitles them to access their Shrine's oldest and most advanced wargear. It is not, despite common belief, the appetite for conflict that has seen these individuals become trapped upon the Path of the Warrior. Instead, it is a burning passion to act in the best interest of those who have fallen and save lives when they can, not seek to shed the blood of others without good reason. Still, only through unrestrained and brutal defense can those under their care be saved from the death that encompasses them. As fighting has become a fundamental part of this aspect, so have these Exarchs become masters of war, using these skills to teach, direct, and guide the future generations so that those wounded do not join the departed. 
For the most part, Weeping Cobras stay away from the blistering heat of battle, but some occasions will call for them to come forward and clear out hordes of foes that would be too costly for infantry to clear out. Thus the Weeping Cobras spray their gas, clearing the objective of any enemy resistance. Other times they will need to jump into the front lines to save critical individuals or rescue bedraggled survivors of a devastating attack. During times like that, the fighting becomes up close and personal, and simple ranged combat will not suffice. In those cases, Exarchs will often, unlike their fellow warriors, wield Venom pistols paired with either a Rattle whip or a Serpentine fang. 
==Phoenix Lord==
The Phoenix Lord for the Weeping Cobras is Pythus Kor, "the Rain of Heaven." One of the later students of Asurmen, he was always the most gentle and compassionate of Asurmen's pupils. At the core of his essence and the principles he stands for is the ideal that any Eldar, regardless of the reputation that follows them, is deserving of help above all else, even at the sacrifice of glory or the exhilaration of personal agendas such as revenge or blood shed. The first to put the welfare of his people above his need for warfare by seeking first to heal and to minimize the harm he deals, he is considered to be an outsider when compared to the other Phoenix Lords. Strange and queer, he has spent all of his time travelling through the galaxy, spreading the seeds of his revolutionary ideas to even the most far flung of Craftworlds, his aspect has spread through Aeldari society like a wildfire. Renowned for both infamous and exulted, constructive and deliberating, dark and brilliant deeds, he is a force of creation, or a source of annihilation to those who raise his ire and hurt his brethren. 
==Weeping Cobra Wargear==
*Aspect Armor - Like other Aeldari Aspects, Weeping Cobras wear lightweight synthetic bodysuits, reinforced with plates of psycho-sensitive bioplastics that will instantly harden to resist impacts. These plates can also morph their shape in accordance with the wearer's movements, meaning the armour does not encumber the wearer in the slightest, offering both good protection with excellent mobility. The reinforced breastplate of the Aspect Warrior's armour bears his Spirit Stone, a precious item for all Aeldari. This psycho-receptive gem is attuned to the individual so that at the moment of death, when the Aeldari's psychic spirit is released, it is captured instead within the stone. Otherwise it is believed by the Aeldari that the spirit would be released into the Warp, where the Chaos God Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts," awaits to consume it. Contrary to popular belief, the small domes and blisters on the Weeping Cobra Aspect Armour are not extra gems, but small compartments that contain ammunition for their Venom Spitters. Harsh and triangular like the scales of a snake, the peices of the armor are always, regardless of the shrine the warrior is from, colored with a gray and brown color scheme.
*Aspect Helmet - Each Warrior Aspect has its own distinctive helmet, and within each shrine the helmet may vary in form slightly, with correspondingly more elaborate versions for the shrine's Exarchs. The standard Weeping Cobra Aspect Warrior's Cobra Hood is sharp and angular in the front, like the pointed snout of a serpent with fan-like appendages on each side. Their distinctive masks contain phsycite crystals on the hoods that act like psykic nulls, shielding the wearer and those nearby from malign energies by cleansing, and thus making harmless, the tainted energies of chaos that impact the aura barrier the Cobra Hood produces.
*Venom Spitter - These elaborate shotgun shaped weapons fire a small spray of special pellets containing a special chemical solution. Once these pelts hit a hard surface, the skin of the pellet splits and the solution inside reacts with the oxygen that rushes to meet it. Upon having contact with the air of any sort, the solution becomes a gray mist that bonds with the air molecules around it and spreads into a massive cloud of fine gas. Rapidly spreading into a massive radius, the smoke-like vapor will slowly drift across the battlefield. Unless the suit that the victim wears is airtight and their helmet contains an effective gas mask, nothing will stop the gas. The mist itself is keyed to the DNA of the Aeldari. Due to this, the mist actually heals the Eldar kin of the Weeping Cobra, mending bones and cuts, and even regrowing limbs at times while simultaneously healing internal injuries. For enemies who do not share the same genetic information, including the necrodermis of the Necrons, the mist is fatal. Instead of healing them, the chemical compound seeps into their bodies upon having contact with their bodies. As it pulses through their veins, it begins to change their physical composition as it turns them into a fragile, glass-like figure that can easily be shattered in its paralyzed form. That is, if the compaction of their atoms, immobilization of their organ functions, and crushing of the internal parts of their bodies don't kill them first. With a medium range similar to that of a Dragon Fusion gun, these guns can either be the salvation of their race, or the doom of those who oppose their species.
*Venom Pistol - These are smaller, pistol versions of the Venom Spitter, with a more limited range and firing only a single pellet. Still, they are just as lethal as their larger counterpart, and are easily as capable of taking down even the most determined of foes.
*Serpentine Fang - These double pronged swords are laced with a special poison when wrought from the flames of creation. This, when injected into the bloodstream of an Eldar, will actually replace blood lost by the wounded victim. However, for those who are of a different xenos race, they will find that the poison is like acid, eating away and consuming all their blood till they die. Sharp and lethal, these blades are able to easily slice through even the toughest power armor.
*Rattle Whip - Made of razor sharp Shuriken filaments braided into a razor sharp blade, these long whips make a rattling sound when used. Flickering with lightning from tip to tail at the mental command of the wielder, it is enough to jump start the hearts of their patents or fry the brains while sending their enemies into cardiac arrest, depending on how much mental charge they channel into it. Such is a deadly tool that is difficult to use, but can be a masterful tool when in the hands of an expert.
Category:Eldar
Category:Eldar Aspects