Aeldari Battle Rider

## Battle Rider

### Weaponry

Pulsar (Or Heavy D-Cannon), Two Support Weapons, Heavy Missile Launcher, Eye of Kurnous.

### Height

Six to Eight metres

"*Tiomaenai Cathe*", or Battle Rider in Gothic.

"*With an unwavering eye, and steady grip, the gallant hunter takes their step and brings it's quarry low. With heart and mind pure of thought their will is not slow. Intrepid and Courageous Knight, little light, lost to time and history. Who is left to grieve for you but the families of your enemies?*"
—Comments of Navigator Susan Harvath at the Vth Battle of Huroushi, while witnessing the 'final charge' of Battle Riders after the Aeldari withdrew their Warhosts and accepted defeat against combined forces of the Vth and XIVth Legions.
Sitting in a strange place within Aeldari mythology and the battlefield, Battle Riders have fallen into obscurity but remain revered. A Battle Rider competes with Exodite War Knights, though it does not feature their grace, flexibility or psychic potential. It is also a main line battle tank designed for long range operations but limited in the same way as War Walkers. In history Battle Riders were seen the most by the Imperium during the Great Crusade where they fought the Legions, following on from their legacy as God Machines of the War in Heaven. As an Aeldari God Machine they were designed to be piloted by an Artificial Intelligence; They were part of the automated armies of the time. Their myth, and even mindset, are likeable in mindset to chivalric knights, they achieved feats of legend but were sundered in vainglorious efforts. The curse of the Battle Rider is perhaps that it is capable of engaging super heavy armour elements, but it is not itself such a vehicle. Battle Riders sit tall and carry a Pulsar, like those seen in pairs on the Scorpion. With this mighty tool it is bane of most tanks but less flexible than the fire prism’s lance, though it has greater range. To accompany this armament they have a powerful shield, surpassing that of the War Walker or the Serpent Shield of Wave Serpents; Additional Mirage Launchers can provide further protection. They take and level punishment, the pilot intimately aware of the extent their shields can absorb and the risks they can take. While they remain in obscurity amongst many Craftworlds now they can be seen throughout, sometimes in greater numbers amongst particular Houses or Corsair Coteries.

## History

### War in Heaven

Forged in the War of Heaven as a scouting mech to escort larger War Master mechs and Titans, Battle Riders operated in large wings, using group tactics and combined firepower. Often referred to as ‘Hunting Dogs’ or Wolves of Khaine. While they are a ‘God Machine’ they can, and routinely were, designed to carry a rider. In such cases the automated systems and a more simple artificial intelligence allows a single rider to operate the entire mech efficiently and still even without their pilot they can operate at standards exceeding most Mon’Keigh capabilities. The true God Machines could operate to capacities just short of the Aeldari’s ability. Aeldari piloted Battle Riders often led squads or worked together in special groups. While the technology was relatively mundane it was lost to the Fall and subsequently fell into obscurity.

### Great Crusade

The widespread invasion and attempted xenocide meted against the Aeldari by the Imperium during their Great Crusade was the mantle undertaken by Battle Rider, and one that would see them broken in their service to protect the innocent. Both the AI commanded and organic pilots were driven by this cause. The Aeldari pilots are drawn to the Battle Rider by its mythology and a singular mindset; One that can be compared to a ‘Chivalric’ attitude. Therefore the Battle Rider pilots were almost uniformly drawn to defending their Kin. Unfortunately the high costs of these wars wrought their toll upon the Battle Riders and they nearly died out. Their performance against the Legions was nothing to be ashamed of however, they were recognised as their bane.

### Obscurity

Battle Riders have since become a rare sight, though exceptions of entire armies or multiple Warhosts are amongst the Coteries, Craftworlds and even Exodites that still field them. Typically however they are relics of Houses, a steed of certain heroes or at least those that aspire to be, chasing the past and its many fallen. Increasingly they walk alone, or escort packs of War Walkers. More often they are used so sparingly or carefully that they are not truly challenged, and some riders move on; Hoping for true adventure and challenge. They are a machine of the past, a relic of bygone glory, and so it is that the ‘Bane of the Legions’, a God Machine of the War in Heaven, is forgotten by its enemies.

## Specifications

Battle Riders stand between 7 and 8 metres tall, though they are slender. They feature gyroscopic stabilisers, as seen in the War Walker, and many equivalent featural designs such as the legs and feet with their smaller siblings; Except for the fully enclosed canopy, which is considerably bigger to sustain the weapon systems. A large weapon mount, suitable for a Pulsar, sits on their right side while a counterweight that features the machinery behind the extensive forceshields sits on their left. Smaller support weapon mounts fit onto the walkers’ chin and on top, and their missiles pods across the back are universal. Each Battle Rider features a ‘Eye of Kurnous’ in the centre of their front canopy, which is an advanced targeting system that coordinates with the other Battle Riders to allow blind firing of missile ordnance, as well as guiding War Master’s plasma strikes.

While Pulsars are the norm other weapons can be seen in the minority, the most common alternative being a heavy D-Cannon. Support weapon systems can support a number of heavy weapons, routinely twin shuriken catapults under the ‘chin’ and a shuriken cannon or scatterlaser on its top.

## Nomenclature

Battle Riders share a name with the War Knights of the Exodites, with the latter being an evolution of the technology and purpose. "Battlerider War Knights" sit taller and wider, with full functionable arms and only feature the simpler AI in support of the Aeldari pilot. The confusing lack of nuance to their name comes from the gothic translation of the Asuryani name for the ancient Battle Rider "Tiomaenai Cathe", and the Exodite name for the 'relatively' newer War Knight "Cath Marcach"; Both translating as the same.

## Combat Role

Battle Riders may now fight alone but in their inception they fought in large packs. Their combat style is antiquated to the Aeldari, fighting a flexible back and forth relying on attrition. Their shields and mirage launchers cheat death, and allow them to remain in the battle. They are versatile brawlers, with redundant weapons systems allowing them to engage many targets of different types at once. While the Pulsar may be their main weapon, the missile pods are their signature. A single Battle Rider may be directly engaged but a barrage of missile munitions will join theirs thanks to the long range and arcing trajectory; Sharing designs with the Dark Reaper Exarch’s Tempest Launchers. They are team fighters, ‘Wolves’, that do not fight alone and often send outriders to the flanks of the battle, and draw enemy vehicles into prepared ambushes with bait.

As Battle Riders have come to fight alone they rely upon War Walkers to support their pack mentality. They also more typically augment their weapons, replacing the Pulsar with a Heavy D-Cannon and fitting heavier support weapons in their secondary mounts. Though this makes them slower, and pushes the Battle Rider to a sniper's role.