Dancing Blades

The Dancing Blades, known in the eldar lexicon as “Liltamacil”, are an Aspect Shrine of the path of the warrior that specializes in dueling and protection of key individuals. The Dancing Blades learn to control “starswords”, grav-propelled power swords that they manipulate with their mind. A skilled dancing blade has several power-weapons humming and dancing around them in a graceful display of aerial acrobatics.
Controlling a starsword requires immense dexterity, mental flexibility, and perceptive abilities. A novice can maintain but one while a fully-trained warrior can manage to use three of these flying swords at once. It has been likened to “carrying on three conversations at the same time” and an exarch can manage four. Training begins with sword juggling, dueling lessons, technical exercises with starswords, before moving into more philosophical aspects of the shrine. Those who join the ranks of the Dancing Blade do so only after mastering not only a starsword but their own perceptions.
Dancing Blades are used as bodyguards for leaders or other VIPs and are as skilled at attacking with their flying weapons as they are at using them to deflect incoming projectiles. They are also masters of close combat, though they tend to fight at a range of 1-10 feet due to their floating weapons. Often Dancing Blades will be deployed, either alone or in small squads, to take out enemy commanders. They can surf on their swords like a jetbike to arrive at their destination and extract themselves and if assigned to assassinate a commander they will ride straight to them.
=== Wargear ===
* Star Sword (x3): This power weapon is able to levitate on its own thanks to dozens of tiny grav engines that are controlled by the warrior. A skilled aspect warrior can made coordinated attacks with 3 at once.
* Shuriken Pistol: Most Dancing Blades keep a shuriken pistol as a backup weapon.
* Aspect Armor: Dancing Blades wear a modified version of aspect armor that looks more formal but is none the less effective.
* Conductor: The helmet of a Dancing Blade has minute controls integrated in it to respond to the thoughts of the one who wears it. This interface allows them to control their star swords.
== Exarchs ==
Those who lose themselves on the path of the Dancing Blade become so adept at using starswords that they use 4 or even 5 at a time. They are consummate duelists, able to match even the chapter champions of space marine chapters in one-on-one fights. They are retained by the leaders of craftworlds
=== Exarch Wargear ===
* Star Sword (x4): Some exarchs can control up to 5 star swords at a time.
* Song of Death: The conductor of a Dancing Blade exarch can subtly influence power weapons wielded by their opponents at a close range. A skilled exarch can cause a power fluctuate at the perfect second in an enemy weapon, cause their blade to nude a little to the left, or even short out altogether (if the weapon is of poor quality).
* Exarch Armor: Though they sometimes forgo it in favor of more ceremonial attire, exarchs always have decorative armor as they are required to attend ceremonial functions with the VIPs they protect.
== Exodite Dancing Blades ==
On the exodite worlds dancing blades are exceedingly rare due to the lack of star swords. Those that do are closer to “blade dancers” who juggle blades or levitate them with psychic powers rather than use the technically perfected grav-engines of a star sword. They act as guards to the leaders of their planet and regularly engage in duels of honor.
== Gimilzagar- The Sword of the Stars ==
The Phoenix Lord of the Dancing Blades is Gimilzagar, translated as “The Sword of the Stars”. Gimilzagar, born Kaldias, was a powerful farseer who had mastered her witchblade to the point that she could control many in combat with her subconscious thoughts alone.
After the Fall of the Eldar she turned her talents to fighting the daemons the plagued her world and she grew mightily in her skill. Gimilzagar took a hardline approach, prioritizing those who were most needed over those who would be less helpful to the Eldar in the future. Dark rumors say she even slew those who slowed her people down or rebelled against their leaders (such stories are only told to detract from her majesty by the Dark Eldar and followers of Slaanesh). She traveled between many craftworlds after the fall and saved many of the leaders of communities who needed to be spared their fate. She became a key figure in saving the Eldar from their fate after she joined the Asurya on Asur and studied his Path of the Warrior.
She aided Asurmen in his efforts to save their people and was his personal bodyguard in many battles. It is said that she could control a dozen swords at once and possessed tremendous psychic powers. They disagreed on many things though, Gimilzagar though in terms of economy; save the “best” and most “valuable” eldar with the least chance of incurring losses while he saw a bigger picture. In time she was made a Phoenix Lord and her shrine continues her legacy to this day. Because of her harsh stance hers is not a popular shrine but many Craftworlds venerate her. Her first death came at the hands of Qildare of the Eld but, like the other Phoenix Lords, Gimilzagar has been reborn time and time again to defend those that need defending most.
=== Wargear ===
* The Coven: These thirteen witchblades are wielded by Gimilzagar and are effortlessly controlled by her subconscious. One among them is red and is said to have beheaded ten captains of the space marines.
* Runes of the Farseer: As a farseer herself, Gimilzagar adorns her armor with the runes of a farseer that empower her psychic abilities.
* Robe of Cold Vigilance: This Rune Armor extends a psychic field around those who are under Gimilzagar’s protection. Lesser versions of the wounds that would have befell those under her charge form on her body spontaneously later.
* The Shroud: The helm worn by Gimilzagar is a veil that enhances her psychic powers and allows her to bend the will of weapons to impale their owners (if their owners are weak of will).
== Notable Dancing Blade Shrines ==
* Shrine of the Heart’s Guardian (Craftworld Varantha)
* Shrine of the 7th Song (Craftworld Zhforan)
* Shrine of the Coven’s Crescendo (Craftworld Karan-Ske)
* Shrine of the Crimson Waltz (Craftworld Nova’cor)
* Shrine of the Vigilant Moon (Craftworld Dolthe)
Category:Eldar
Category:Aspect Shrine
Category:Aspect Warrior