Miasmic Vespates

Young to the Aeldari language, the rune has connotations of darkness, the all seeing eye and the hidden blade, lifted from associated runes. 'The all embracing darkness, accept her into your heart and sleep deeply.'

## Aspect

### **Colours**

Charcoal, Yellow, Red (Exarchs) in district stripes

### **Specialisation**

Masked powerful attacks. Obscuring themselves and allies. Versatile and adaptive

### **Wargear**

Grenades, Shard Weaponry

The **Miasmic Vespates** are a new Aspect, established upon the Craftworld of Penumbra but not constraining themselves to it, they are spreading their wings to a galaxy in turmoil and dangerous days to their kind, and proving themselves across every corner of it that they meet. Already finding homes and forming shrines on a number of Craftworlds, the Miasmic Vespates have an unorthodox past as a Craftworld born Aspect. The Shadow of the Phoenix, an alliance of fringent Aeldari factions, were the patrons of a promising warrior ‘Mepheti’. Sourcing arms, armour, teachers and students for her theorised and personalised combat style they formed an Aspect upon Penumbra in the latter half of the 37th millennia. For thousands of years they built up, established shrines and grew a pool of Exarchs, and grew the power of the first Exarch, Mepheti who had quickly and irreversibly fallen into obsession with the Aspect’s inception. With a number of fallen Exarchs, and other heroes, empowering her Mepheti eventually left the Craftworld and roamed the Galaxies conflicts at large; Her sponsors hoped that she would meet Asurmen and be ascended to a Phoenix Lord.

The Miasmic Vespates are heavily armoured warriors who utilise a shroud of 'Miasma' to cover their advance and protect their allies. While their enemy blindly stumbles the Aeldari deftly move through the shroud and gun them down with ‘Helix Carbines’ and a large variety of grenades, switching their ammunition on the fly to counter whatever the chaos of battle throws them.

## Overview

"*Cover them in your shadow, leave them blind, and leave them incompetent. Gift them eternal darkness with your deadly sting. They will be yours, the Miasmic Vespates, but you. You are the Shrouded Blade. Now, show them why.*"
—Arbiter Ghrian crowns Mepheti and ascends the Miasmic Vespates.
### History

The Miasmic Vespates have no myth and no history during the fall of the Aeldari. A product of the 37th millenia and of their Craftworld Penumbra and the Aeldari alliance the ‘Shadow of the Phoenix’. Mepheti herself was an initiate to the Alliance from the recently destroyed Kabal, the Weeping Mask; In the traditions of the Alliance, its destroyed enemies were welcome to join their ranks. Mepheti was just a child at the time but grew to be a strong leader, a Corsair Princess and one that earned her own renown. It was millenia later that Mepheti came to the Arbiter Ghrian with a proposed Aspect; She had obsessively developed the fighting style, over the latter half of her life and already directed her warriors to adopt it themselves. The signs were there that Mepheti was forming her own path, becoming an Exarch. The Shadow of the Phoenix were eager to be the Aspect’s patron, and their core Craftworld, Penumbra, would be their home.

Armed with Creidann grenade launchers the warriors would provide cover for the warhosts advance using smoke grenades. With a host of veteran warriors and artisans behind them this idea, and the others she had were experimented with and improved upon. For centuries the project evolved and expanded. It was ultimately the infamous *Hamartia* campaign that became their ‘trial by fire’. The Shadow of the Phoenix engaged in open war with the Forces of Chaos to defend Ulthwe; Mepheti's forces were instrumental in protecting them and their allies and saved countless of Aeldari lives through their actions.

They would be the *Miasmic Vespates*, as they stung like hornets within a shroud of smoke. While the Miasmic Vespates have no mythology with the Phoenix Lords and their Champion Mepheti is not one of Asurmen’s original followers, they are recognised as an Aspect of Penumbra and have since expanded.

## Aspect Warriors

### Role in the Battlefield

The Miasmic Vespates are highly adaptive and flexible, coveted for their ability to alter the dynamic of the battlefield. Depending on what the battlefield asks of them they can cover their own advance under their trademark smokescreen, or remain behind the warhost's battleline and provide cover for their allies. Alternatively they can bombard their enemies with barrages of grenades as light artillery. While their adaptive weapons allow them to tackle whatever their enemy throws at them. Their offensive potential source from both their custom Shard weapons and grenade launchers, however the more powerful grenade attacks compete with their source of smoke screen, to strike with full potential means to leave themselves vulnerable. As well as providing cover for themselves or allies the Vespates can blind their chosen enemies making them effectively useless. The Fire Dragon's anti-vehicle ability complements their lack of dedicated anti-armour weaponry, while the Miasmic Vespates are themselves effective allies as a rule they rely upon effective synergy with the Warhost.

The undisciplined, raw militias of their enemies are the favourite prey, for they stumble, fall and even drown in the smoke. No matter their skill, equipment or biology they will all be left equally senseless. “Only discipline will stay their feet”.

The 'Miasma' that makes the Vespate's trademark is no ordinary smoke, it is an intoxicating, entangling almost sentient entity. It embraces the Vespates enemies, tendrils reaching out and enveloping bystanders. Those ensnared must push through a treacle thick smog that wraps around the limbs, feet and neck. While its allies pass through unencumbered, the fog forming a shield around them with their path left clear and the smoke itself thin, becoming transparent for them alone.

This dichotomy can be especially devastating in melee, the Miasmic Vespates carry monomolecular long blades and while their enemy is tangled can move freely between them, scything down the quarry as wheat.

### Wargear

Miasmic Vespates use Helix Carbines and advanced Creidann Grenade tubes to assault their victims with specialist ammunition and their 'Miasmic' smoke screen. Switching between grenade types and crystal shard cores on the fly; Both the launcher and carbines are fitted with autonomous autoloaders.

* **Helix Carbines** - The Vespates specialist Helix Carbines work off the same basis as the similar Shard Carbines and Hex Rifles of the Drukhari, projecting slivers of wraithbone instead through magnetic impulsion. However they have both excellent range and accuracy, but with comparatively slow rate of fire. The shards hit hard against unarmoured opponents, cutting flesh apart through shrapnel, however the truly deadly factor lies in the implanted core of the shards. Specialist shards can include; Explosive, Neurotoxin, Hardened, and Acidic. The ammunition of the carbine can be altered on the fly to send these special shards.
* **Autoloader** - The Helix Carbine is fed by a box magazine, a small automaton feeds the rounds into the Carbine individually immediately before firing. The automaton is psychically attuned to the warrior and therefore it is pure instinct that drives what ammunition is fired, far more efficient that switching entire magazines. The Magazine is open topped, with rounds held by magnetic impel, which allows the automaton to load the magazine directly from the warriors pouches. The warrior themselves can load shards directly to the magazine and weapon if needs must. The automaton are often regarded as faithful companions by the Miasmic Vespates, though essentially replaceable and disposable the small machines are remarked to have quirks and personality of their own. It has been known for these automatons to viciously attack the killers of Miasmic Vespates.
* **Ifiethdann Grenade launcher** - Specialist variant of the Creidann grenade launcher that does not have restrictions of ammunition that its base sibling has. Again the Warrior can instinctively trigger which grenade variant is dispatched, and carries a wide range of grenade types including; Miasmic, Gravimetric, Haywire, Plasma, Shimmer Orb, Spiderfoil, and Shrapnel Storm.
* **Miasmic** - The standard and favourite grenade type of the Miasmic Vespates, unique to their warriors. The Grenade releases a cloud of fine smoke, impenetrable to light, that reacts to the entities within and around it. Allies can pass through unhindered, with full visibility through the archaic material. Enemies are enveloped, with the tar like smoke becoming dense enough to physically slow its inhabitants and mute sounds. The shroud makes an opaque finish to its enemies regardless whether they are inside or out, and stops all electromagnetic waves passing through, light and radio.
* **Spiderfoil** - A pressurised contained of monofilament netting that unravels upon detonation, the superheated wires shreds any unarmoured forces caught in the local area.
* **Shrapnel Storm** - A two stage offensive grenade that releases a cloud of minuscule shurikens, that are then redirected by gravity manipulation to be driven and directed into particular victims, even if they lie behind cover. Rather than wipe out an area of enemies, the Shrapnel Storm is closer to the effect of a sniper, singling out a chosen heavily armoured warrior and reducing them to pulp. With each kill the Shurikens reacquire their target, only stopping once the Shurikens are all embedded upon an unbroken surface.
* **Aspect Armour** - A heavy and durable set, as the Miasmic Vespates are often the target of intensive indirect weapons fire. The eye pieces are enlarged to allow better visibility within the shroud and include predictive projections of grenade impacts. Finally decorative fur is worn, copying Mepheti's personal example.

### Exarch

The Exarchs favour no particular weapon, and switch to whatever the situation requires. Allowing the Exarch to specialise against any one particular foe, while the Aspect warriors remain versatile.

* Special Weapons - Haywire rifles, Fusion Blasters, Flamethrower, Shredder Cannon, or a Power Axe are amongst the extensive armoury available. An Exarch may take any special weapon used by regular squads of the Aeldari.
* Helix volleygun - Advanced Helix variant fitted with four barrels that can send salvos of shards into the enemy. While no more versatile it allows a Exarch to significantly increase squad firepower
* Helix cannon - A converted Helix rifle that can impel grenades instead of shards. The Helix cannon has access to the same pool of grenades as the Ifiethdann, without having to compromise their shroud the Exarch can add a variety of specialist grenades to the squads firepower.
* Distortion grenades - Based around the same technology in the D-Scythe, Distortion grenades tear their victims from their souls. Such controversial weapons are used sparingly, especially if friendly fire is a concern, and are the Dominion of the Exarchs.

## The Shrouded Blade

Mepheti is a champion warrior, accustomed to leading her vespates into battle. Utilising the controversial Shadowshield relic Mepheti can battle without the shield of shroud grenades, becoming an offensive powerhouse, launching a horrific salvo of grenades from both their Maw and Veil. The Shrouded blade can dedicate their firepower to shredding the ranks of their enemies, shielding the battleline of their allies or a little of each.

Upon being crowned the Shrouded Bladed Mepheti donned an exotic suit of armour gifted by the Arbiter Ghrian. Crafted by the Daughters of Vaul, and carrying her future armament. The Shrouded blade has in years since perfected her craft, and taught many others its practice, never taking the armour off and abandoning her former life. The Shrouded Blade departed with a number of Exarchs and has yet to return to her adopted home, instead travelling between craftworlds, fighting to protect their race and spread their shrines.

### Mepheti's Equipment

* Shadow Catcher - Mepheti’s armour is highly ornate and substantially stronger than the Vespates aspect armour. The substantial rig supports a Shadowshield and Mepheti’s Veil. The armour, though of recent design, has already been implanted with the spirit stones of great warriors and Exarchs of the fledgling shrine.
* The Shadows Maw - A powerful weapon that launches volleys of grenades at hypervelocity, penetrating strong armour, often the grenades detonate within its victims. The Maw has a long powerblade that runs along its length.
* Mepheti’s Veil - A uniquely designed Ifiethdann Grenade Launcher with four tubes that can acquire multiple separate targets at once.
* Shadow Shield - This controversial relic is inbuilt into the Shadow Catcher and allows Mepheti freedom from the miasmic shield, to instead volley grenades at their victim.