Hunt for the Diadem of Morai-Heg

The Hunt for the Diadem of Morai-Heg is the Crone Shard's pursuit of an ancient, Aeldari artefact that may be of great value to the Ynnari cause.

## Prologue

Ilythyrra was once a Maiden World of the Aeldari, conquered and paved over centuries ago by the Imperium and turned into one of their frontier worlds. The Exodites were hunted down and killed over the course of a long and grueling campaign, and their surface holdings were laid to waste, but the World Shrine and and a reliquary of irreplaceable Aeldari relics remain intact beneath the surface, the World Spirit and the souls of the slain Exodites sleeping peacefully beneath the asphalt and plascrete shroud of crude human colonization. Now, Ilythyrra is ravaged by war once again as Necrons have descended upon the world to snuff out its World Spirit, and the Ynnari of the Crone Shard stalk their way towards the World Shrine, hoping liberate its treasures before either side can destroy them.

Foremost among the prizes the Crone Shard seeks is the Diadem of Morai-Heg, a ritual crown of wraithbone and spiritstone once worn by an ancient priestess of Morai-Heg, Phyrra of the Obsidian Needle, who made her grave on Ilythyrra long before the Fall. She practiced a psychic discipline unique to Morai-Heg's faith and lost during the Fall, and much of her power and knowledge is believed to be held within the Diadem. Synistrid and Tishriel hope that that power and knowledge can be used to help salvage the prophesy of the Crone Swords, or that the knowledge held within can be used to strengthen Ynnari practice of necromancy and the Revenant Discipline, and perhaps deepen their understanding of any possible connections between Morai-Heg's power and Ynnead's.

## Planetfall

The forces of the Crone Shard made planetfall on Ilythyrra, at a location where Tishriel's Rangers had detected a signal originating from the dormant World Spirit. Upon arrival, Ishtá's forces discovered Inquisitor Coteaz with a retinue of Astropath Psykers and elements of both the Vostroyan Firstborn and Death Korp regiments at his command, consolidating his hold over the location and preparing it for the construction of a forward operating base to call for reinforcements from the Imperium. Ishtá's operation could not proceed with the Imperium dug in on top of her only lead, so she set about driving them off.

The Kabalites and Wracks were ordered to surveil the battlefield and scan for the signal while the bulk of the Crone Shard forces met the Inquisitor's in battle to keep them occupied, and to cut the head off the eagle while it's neck was exposed. Wyches and Incubi crashed into a vanguard of Bullgryns and Death Korp cavalry in a brutal and bloody melee, while Hellions silenced the Inquisitor's artillery and eviscerated the Death Korp marshal commanding his zealots from a rearline command post, making a charnel house of the infantry securing it. A coterie of Wyches cut into the Inquisitor's rear lines and carved his Astropath retinue to pieces.

The Inquisitor and Captain Sorcha broke through the Wyches assailing them with the battered remnants of the Vostroyan infantry, and saw the last of the Bullgryns and Death Korp Riders being picked apart by Wyches and hunted down by Hellions, his Astropathic lifeline to the Imperium severed, and the Death Korp under his command killed nearly to a man with their leadership structure completely decapitated. Having neither the means to secure the location nor the means to call for help as planned, Inquisitor Corteaz signaled a retreat of his surviving forces, to regroup and dig in for a long and bitter campaign against the Necrons with little hope of reinforcement.

Ishtá and her commanders collated the data the Kabalites and Wracks had diligently gathered during the battle, and charted a path towards the point of its transmission, a ruined Exodite shrine on the world's surface. Ishtá had no idea what an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor was doing on a world under siege by the Necrons, but she knew she had to hurry to achieve her goal before they capitalized on the savage blow she'd dealt their mutual enemy.

Batrep

## The Nightbringer Cometh

Securing the ruins of the shrine, paved over by the Imperium to build a shipping yard, Synistrid and Tishriel devised a series of rites to commune with the World Spirit from this transmission point and discover the location of the World Shrine. As the ritual was about to begin, Ishtá's fears were realized when her forces came under assault by a Necron Overlord shepherding both a Shard of the Nightbringer and a Tesseract Vault into battle at the head of a legion of Warriors. Once again, the Kabalites and Wracks were given assignments of vital importance as they were tasked with carrying out the rites as Tishriel had instructed at the locations Synistrid had calculated.

To buy them time, Ishtá and Synistrid lead a desperate holding action against the Necron vanguard as Ynnari blades clashed with both C'tan shards, an unyielding tide of living metal, and the Overlord himself in a blaze of anti-matter, falling stars, and the Nightbringer's reaping scythe. Nyktas led the remaining Wyches and Incubi in a countercharge against the Necrons rearguard, Wyches and Incubi littering the ground with Warriors and Destroyers carved into living scrap metal while Hellions assassinated the Lokhust Lord coordinating their fire support. But it wasn't enough, and as the Necrons rear lines fell silent beneath Nyktas' blade she was just in time to see Ishtá and Synistrid hacked limb from limb by the Nightbringer and the Ynnari who'd stood with them ground into dust by the C'tan's reality warping powers. With the flank broken, Necrons and C'tan began spilling across the battlefield.

There was still hope, though, the Kabalites and Wracks had succeeded at their task and stirring the World Spirit, and they had learned the location of the World Shrine from it. With the prize in hand, Nyktas led a retreat of the surviving Crone Shard forces into the Webway. Tishriel's Rangers picked through the battlefield in the Necron's wake and retrieved as many of the Ynnari bodies as they could, including those of Ishtá and Synistrid. The two leaders awoke from their regeneration tanks, learning that they now had the location of their prize, but needed to retake a foothold on Ilythyrra.

Batrep

## Gilded Idols

The time required to regroup gave Synistrid and Tishriel time to present a piece of psychic technology designed as a collaboration between the two: a set of psychic taps that, when attached to the altars and menhir of the World Shrine, would allow the souls of the Exodite within the World Spirit to be extracted and evacuated to a temporary but more portable medium. Now reinforced with fresh Wyches and Kabalites, as Scourges newly created by Synistrid's hand, the raiding force departed for Ilythyrra again, now intent on salvaging both the Diadem of Morai-Heg, and the souls of the Exodites if possible.

Descending upon the doomed Maiden World again, Ishtá was surprised to see that the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor had received aid from the Imperium after all, despite the the deaths of his Astropaths. Even more surprising, that aid took the form of a Shield Host of the Shadowkeepers, the Corpse God's hand picked jailors. Arriving in time to watch the Custodes drive the Necron legions from the gates of the World Shrine, she was doubly surprised when they breached those gates themselves and forced entry into the World Shrine. She couldn't imagine what prize they might seek, but the raiding force of the Crone Shard raced into the World Shrine after them to ensure that the Diadem of Morai-Heg and the entombed souls of the exodites left in Aeldari hands.

As the raiding force caught up with the Custodes and began to fan out to take position, a lucky opening salvo from a Telemon's cannons felled Nyktas' raider. She and her Incubi found shelter from the Custodes' fire, but Ishtá was forced to commit to an assault on the Custodes' position earlier than she'd planned. The raiding force leveraged their mobility to secure the perimeter of the World Shrine, as Wyches and Incubi assaulted the Custiodians fortifying the center. With the Custodes' attention focused on more immediately threatening targets, Kabalite Warriors and Scourges used the time bought with their allies' blood to scour the reliquaries and attach the psychic taps to the World Shrine's greatest focal points of psychic power.

Despite the success at the periphery of the Shrine, the premature assault Ishtá had been forced to make rendered it difficult for her forces to get a proper footing against the overwhelmingly resilient Shadowkeepers. They were forced to strike where the Custodes had gathered their strength to meet them. The seemingly unbreakable golden wall ground through Reborn Drukhari bodies faster than their blades could find purchase in the slabs of Auramite and Storm Shields their momentum broke against. Ishtá and Nyktas both suffered grevious injury leading the assault, but as she dragged her bloodied and plasma ravaged body to the shelter of an altar, Ishtá received the message she'd been waiting for: the Diadem of Morai-Heg had been secured. Her pride burned almost as badly as her body at the notion that the blood and determination of her people would be remembered by the humans as just another story of the Emperor's hand picked golde angels driving their enemy back and slaughtering scores of Xenos for every one of them that fell, but her pride had not been the objective here.

Her forces beginning to break under determined assault from the 10,000 and her prize secured, Ishtá gave the order to retreat through the Webway with their prize and as many Exodite souls as could be saved while they still could. Synistrid was waiting when they slipped through the webway gate, redirecting its connection to prevent pursuit. The forces of the Crone Shard escaped with thoroughly pillaged reliquaries, but only about two thirds of the Exodite souls they'd hoped to save. With the Imperium and Necrons tightening their grip and the World Shrine breached, Ishtá knew there was little point pretending to hope that the remaining souls could be saved later; the souls of a great many of her people were lost.

Receiving treatment for her injuries from a contingent of Tishriel's healers and seers waiting to receive the battered raiding force, Ishtá gathered her surviving forces and set out to return to the Crone Shard, focusing her thoughts on what to do with the additional Aeldari relics looted from the reliquaries and the Exodite souls they had managed to save.

Batrep

## Building Bridges

Recuperating from their injuries and rebuilding their forces at the Crone Shard, Ishtá and her partners knew that they would need a more permanent home for the souls they'd managed to save. Nyktas' intelligence networks presented a dossier on a Craftworld called Ithyl-Loc, featuring a strong cohort of Ynnari and experiencing an growth and prosperity unheard of among Craftworlds. Ishtá and Tishriel felt relief and an undercurrent of jealousy at the Craftworld's fortunes, but all concurred that Ithyl-Loc seemed an ideal home for the Exodites' souls. The dossier also detailed a prominent Autarch named Thalinia leading the Ithyl-Loc Ynnari, an influential figure considered a hero by her Craftworld, and her renegade daughter, Lyanna, who'd chosen the life of a Corsair Princess. Records showed that Lyanna's fleet, the Stardancer Corsairs, was due to make port at the Crone Shard soon.

Shortly after Lyanna docked to resupply and sell the spoils of her latest raids, a team of Nyktas' Incubi approached her, conveying Ishtá's message that the Imperatrix of the Crone Shard wished to discuss important business with her. A Raider was already waiting to transport Lyanna and a chosen retinue to the meeting. Lyanna mulled it over but decided to follow, seeing that the Incubi served no Commorite shrine she knew of. She brought her Void Dreamer and trusted advisor, Anatheia, along with a quartet of Bladesworn bodyguards. Both sides postured additional forces in case of treachery, and the Raider set off for Ishtá's arena, the Orchestra of Shades. Lyanna made idle conversation with the recalcitrant Incubi during the trip, a mix of youthful immaturity and an effort to get a read on the people she'd be dealing with. The Raider docked in one of the arena's VIP docking cradles, and the Incubi directed the Corsairs to one of the VIP box seats, where Ishtá and Tishriel awaited, along with a holographic projection of Synistrid and a hologram of the wraithbone and spiritstone lattice housing the Exodite's souls. A gladiatorial show was in full swing in the arena below, showcasing the skills of Ishtá's Bloodbrides. Lyanna quietly noted elements of the Howling Banshee fighting style in the Wyches' display.

Ishtá greeted Lyanna and Anatheia, and offered them and their bladesworn refreshments and seats with an excellent view of the show in the arena. The Incubi and Bladesworn kept watch over their respective charges as Lyanna mentioned bad memories of her own time in the Arena. In response to Ishtá's curiosity, Lyanna spoke openly about her abduction at the hands of her Grandparents, whom she previously had no knowledge of, and being thrown in her Grandmother's arena to fight for her life. Ishtá saw an opportunity to get to know her prospective business partner better and engaged in the small talk. She noted a mix of immature naïveté and acute awareness in the young Corsair Princess, and found the story a little surprising even for Commorite grandparenting. She also formed a private suspicion that the Carnifex's 'miraculous' had been arranged by Lyanna's grandmother, knowing how few coincidences there are in Commoragh. Still, Lyanna's performance had been impressive for an inexperienced Corsair thrust into the arena with no preparation. As Lyanna's story concluded, Tishriel's serene Farseer demeanor revealed a subtle hint of the deep anger she felt hearing what Lyanna's Grandparents did to her, her own grief at the loss of her daughter rousing a fury at others treating their family so callously. The slip of her mask earned a curious glance from Anatheia as she silently speculated on precisely which nerve had been touched in her Seer counterpart. Ishtá half jokingly offered Lyanna the chance to fight in the Orchestra of Shades as a guest if she ever wished to fight in an arena again of her own accord. Lyanna brushed off the difficult memories with a joke about the recruits she'd gained from the spectacle, but declined the offer, though not without some hesitation.

Satisfied with the insights gained from the small talk, Ishtá redirected the conversation slightly to Craftworld Ithyl-Loc, verifying that Lyanna was indeed the daughter of Autarch Thalinia and verifying that Thalinia was as influential as Nyktas' informants said. Lyanna felt slightly exasperated at discussing her immediate family, keenly feeling the eternal shadow her mother's status cast over life, but confirmed both pieces of information, though she warned that Thalinia's influence did not come without complications from opponents of the Ynnari on the Craftworld. Lyanna also confirmed that she had the means to contact her mother easily. A satisfied smile crossed Ishtá's face as she shifted the hologram of the lattice holding the Exodites' souls to the center of the room. She briefly explained the recent history of the Maiden World Ilythyrra: the ravaging of its surface and the extermination of its Exodites by the Imperium, the centuries long slumber of its hidden World Shrine, the recent battle for its fate between the Imperium seeking to hold their colony and the Necrons seeking to snuff out the Aeldari World Spirit, and Ishtá's attempt to rescue the souls before either side could destroy them. She asked Lyanna to facilitate transport of the lattice to Craftworld Ithyl-Loc, so that the souls within could be transferred to the Craftworld's Infinity Circuit. Lyanna was taken aback a little as the story unfolded, growing surprised and concerned by the fate that befell the Maiden World. She cautioned that the purists of the Craftworld would likely oppose the idea, but the Ynnari wouldn't leave such a collection of souls to potentially be consumed by Slaanesh. Before Lyanna could agree to anything, however, Anatheia cut in and asked to verify the nature of the lattice and the souls within.

Ishtá expressed hope that Lyanna could appeal to her mother and convince her to put her influence behind the idea before opposing factions could intervene. Lyanna divulged the tragedy that had befallen her fleet when the Dathedain opened, and how she had successfully made a similar request of her mother once before with the soulstones of her own fallen crew. Meanwhile, Tishriel and Synistrid briefly conferred with each other and agreed to Anatheia's request. Tishriel further offered to let Anatheia enter the lattice, under the close supervision of one of her spiritseers, to verify the nature of the souls inside. Synistrid discussed the details of its construction, always eager discuss her work. To her pleasant surprise, Anatheia proved capable of holding up her end of the conversation on the esoteric sciences behind the lattice's design. If at least one of the two appreciated good art, they might prove a worthwhile correspondence.

Tishriel offered a shuttle to take the Corsairs to the Wraithspire, and once more Lyanna took the opportunity for idle conversation, expressing curiosity about the Howling Banshee techniques she'd noticed in the Wyches' fighting style. Ishtá figured there was little need to keep her background a secret outside of Commoragh and indulged bubbly Corsair, divulging her past as a Howling Banshee Exarch, and her loss of faith in the Asuryani after the tragedies of Craftworld Iyanden contrasted the strength of the Drukhari against the weakness of her own people. The two had contrasting views on Ishtá's former opinions that the Drukhari represented the future of the Aeldari, but came to understand each others' reasoning. The had both grown disappointed in the self-destructive excesses of the Asuryani and the Drukhari, hoping that the Ynnari would offer a middle ground and a future. Lyanna even opened up about Thalinia's past as a Wych before her and her sister's betrayal by a Dracon and their defection to the Asuryani. The irony of their precisely opposite journeys amused Ishtá.

The shuttle arrived at a Wraithspire docking bay, staffed by Tishriel's Reborn Asuryani. They were met by a security detail of Howling Banshees and a Spiritseer. Synistrid was physically present in the chamber where the lattice was stored, her holographic projection no longer needed, along with a small team of Wracks monitoring the lattice alongside Tishriel's shapers and seers. Not knowing what experience Anatheia might have, Tishriel and her seers took the cautious stance of assuming they were working with a novice. Tishriel prepared wraithbone warding runes for Anatheia, the type used to insulate a Craftworld's Infinity Circuit from errant psychic energy from a novice seer, while the Spiritseer who greeted them at the docking bay walked Anatheia through the process of supervised entry into an Infinity Circuit. Anatheia appreciated the thoroughness, wishing to verify the quality of the seers who'd been caring for the souls in addition to the nature of the souls themselves. She offered her full cooperation with Tishriel and her Spiritseers, though once inside the lattice, it became clear she had experience with the world of spirits, navigating the psychic confines of the lattice with the grace and precision of a veteran Spiritseer. Tishriel made a mental note of Anatheia's talents and techniques, curious what path might have lead a woman of her experience to become a Corsair. The supervising Spiritseer took the role of a more passive observer, still keeping close watch over Anatheia given the precious nature of the lattice's contents. Anatheia was able to commune with the souls within, who were indeed the souls of the Exodites of Ilythyrra. They shared memories of their world, some dating back to life on the Maiden World before the Fall, others of the world laid to waste by the Imperium a few centuries ago, and a few tearful memories of conflict raging in the World Shrine and their hurried evacuation, one that was cut short prematurely and left many souls stranded in the doomed Shrine. It did not escape Anatheia's notice that the lattice, designed specifically to accomodate Ilythyrra's World Shrine, was only at two thirds capacity.

Having verified the contents, Anatheia separated herself from the lattice and gave Lyanna a nod, her expression steely and composed, resolutely masking the sorrow stirred by the memories she'd shared. Lyanna, agreed to contact her mother and arrange the transfer of the souls to Ithyl-Loc's Infinity Circuit. She expressed confidence that they'd be able to transport the lattice through the Craftworld's Webway gate, as long as she gave Thalinia sufficient notice. Lyanna cautioned that she would need to accompany the Crone Shard's delegation, as a familiar face to the Craftworld to who would help ease suspicions. Ishtá accepted this condition and arranged accomodations for Lyanna and her crew while Lyanna negotiated with her mother. Lyanna ultimately decided to accept Ishtá's offer fight as a guest in the Orchestra of Shades. While Ishtá spotted several areas where Lyanna's fundamentals could use refinement, Lyanna's combination of Howling Banshee techniques, unconventional Corsair swordsmanship, and natural charisma and showwomanship made for an admirable performance that charmed the audiences. It was not long before she received confirmation from her mother that Craftwrold Ithyl-Loc would accept the souls.

Tishriel, Ishtá, Synistrid, and Lyanna boarded a small vessel, along with the lattice and a delegation of Tishriel's Reborn Asuryani including a few Spiritseers and Bonesingers and a detail of Howling Banshees. Synistrid employed a set of Pre-Fall Webway charts and rune-graven orbs similar to those typically used to tear open new Webway Gates, except these were Pre-Fall specimens restored and modified by Synistrid's own hands, allowing her to efficiently open new passages between Webway subrealms for a safer and speedier journey. Lyanna remained her bubbly and conversational self, getting to know everyone aboard the vessel. Tishriel warmed up to Lyanna over the journey, the girl's exuberance stirring a mix of fond and painful memories of her own daughter. Synistrid indulged her some as well, carrying herself with an eccentric charm as she discussed esoteric sciences and Pre-Fall Aeldari fine arts.

The vessel arrived and hailed Craftworld Ithyl-Loc to open their Webway Gate. Upon crossing the threshold, Ishtá, Tishriel, and Synistrid were met by a substantial security detail assembled from Ithyl-Loc's Aspect Warrior Shrines, not a single Guardian or Wraith Construct in sight, all commanded under the steely gaze of Autarch Thalinia herself. Her appearance did not betray her age, but her mannerisms implied centuries of experience, maintaining a warm tone despite her wary vigilance. Her suspicion eased when Lyanna crossed the Threshold, though her vigil remained close. Ishtá was hit with a sense of Deja Vu upon seeing the Aspect Warriors, stirring memories of the earlier and more prosperous days of the Craftworlds that she'd only glimpsed in an Exarch's memories. Ishtá and Tishriel greeted Thalinia as Synistrid directed the transportation of the lattice through the Webway Gate. Thalinia welcomed them to the Craftworld, inquiring about the lattice and and the origins of the souls within.

Tishriel and Synistrid explained the technical details of the lattice's design and construction, as well as how to transfer the souls within into an Infinity Circuit. Ishtá answered Thalinia's latter question by recounting the campaign in which the souls were rescued: a salvage raid on a doomed Maiden World paved over centuries ago by the Imperium, who built a colony on the bones of the Exodites they murdered; Necrons invading to ensure the destruction of the former Maiden World and its still sleeping World Shrine; an unexplained intervention by the Shadowkeepers of the Adeptus Custodes and a desperate race for the World Shrine; and a bitter retreat with only two thirds of the souls saved. Thalinia relayed Tishriel's and Synistrids' the instructions to her own seers. As the campaign was recounted, Thalinia grew saddened and angry at the notion outsiders despoiling the Maiden World and attempting to destroy its World Shrine.

As Ithyl-Loc's seers took the lattice to their Infinity Circuit, Ishtá offered an exchange of contact information with Lyanna and Thalinia, hoping to build tighter knit bridges among the Ynnari. Lyanna agreed without hesitation, but Thalinia was skeptical, eternally wary of Drukhari, Reborn or otherwise. Tishriel was given the lead on convincing her, since negotiating with Ynnari powers skeptical of Reborn Drukhari was one of her roles in Ishtá's coalition. Tishriel appealed to the mixed Reborn Drukhari and Reborn Asuryani nature of the Crone Shard, and the recovering fortunes of her own people as a result, to ease Thalinia's concerns. She also appealed to the Exodite souls that had just been saved as proof that there was value to be gained for both parties, and the Ynnari as a whole, from future collaboration. Eventually, Thalinia agreed. Ishtá offered to pass along word of opportunities the Craftworld may be better positioned to exploit or dangers that might threaten them, for which Thalinia thanked her and reciprocated.

## Conclusion

With the Exodites' souls permanently housed and new allies made, Ishtá and her partners returned to the Crone Shard. Despite the loss of so many souls, the Diadem of Morai-Heg that they sought after had been secured. Tishriel and Synistrid were already pouring over its secrets, discovering that the crown held not just echoes of Phyrra of the Obsidian Needle's knowledge and memories, but a partial echo of her spirit as well. Synistrid remained hopeful that what was learned from the Crown and the spirit may shed more light on the nature of the Crone Swords, while Tishriel delighted in the opportunity to converse with such an ancient luminary of her faith in Morai-Heg, even if only as a fragment, and learned what the spirit had to teach about her arts. What the two scholars learned would find itself circulated among the Ynnari. Even if nothing else came of it, the reservoir of pre-Fall psychic knowledge would surely be of value.