vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Aeldari - Qa'leh, the Mistress of Blades: Traditionalist Wych Cults also often seek the ritual favour of the Mistress of Blades with a sacrifice for good fortune before combat.
Aeldari - Ynesth: Ynesth is known to be a Dark Muse particularly revered by the Kabal of the Onyx Scar.It searches for her ashes in the Warp rift known as the Screaming Vortex in the Segmentum Obscurus, where they are rumoured held in a chalice on the pirate-held world of Sacgrave.
Aeldari Empire - Aeldari Empire: Aeldari Empire 	 	 	 		 			 		 		 		 	 Head of State:UnknownCapital:Crone Worlds now in the Eye of TerrorOfficial languages:Aeldari LexiconGoverning body:Unknown; included the first HaemonculiState Religions:Aeldari MythologyMajor Species:AeldariMilitary ForcesUnknownThe Aeldari Empire, also sometimes anachronistically called the Eldar Empire, was the great interstellar empire of the Aeldari species. The Aeldari Empire was the dominant power of the Milky Way Galaxy in the years after the end of the War in Heaven until the Fall of the Aeldari in the 30th Millennium A.D.The Aeldari Empire held almost complete control over the galaxy, even during Mankind's Age of Technology, and was characterised by both its own highly advanced technology and the increasingly cruel and hedonistic excesses of its people in its final years.It was this excess that ultimately brought about the empire's destruction when its people's psychic resonance in the Immaterium birthed "She Who Thirsts," the Chaos God of amoral pleasure, Slaanesh. Slaanesh's birth was a catastrophic event that consumed the heart of the Aeldari Empire's homeworlds within the newborn Warp rift called the Eye of Terror, as the Prince of Pleasure sought to absorb every Aeldari soul.Some Aeldari survivors of the catastrophe fled the empire's core worlds in their massive, continent-sized voidcraft called craftworlds, creating the Infinity Circuits and pursuing the Asuryani Path to safeguard their life essence from Slaanesh's thirst -- even after death. They named themselves the Asuryani, the followers of the Aeldari god Asuryan, though they became known to outsiders as the "Eldar."Other survivors, the hedonistic adherents of the Aeldari pleasure cults who had been protected from She Who Thirsts by settling within the interdimensional framework of the Webway, became the Drukhari or "Dark Eldar" of Commorragh. Among this group of survivors were many members of the empire's leadership, who would become the first of the Haemonculi.Other Aeldari survivors included the Harlequins, the servants of Cegorach, the Laughing God, who roamed the far reaches of the Webway and moved between Commorragh and the Craftworlds at will.The final group were the Exodites, Aeldari who, like their Craftworld brethren, had fled the excesses of the empire's heart, surrendered much of their advanced technology and lived peaceful, largely pastoral lives on the Maiden Worlds. All of these survivors surrendered the term "Aeldari" as a name for their species, casting it off as a reminder of their lost glory. Instead, until the late 41st Millennium when the term began to become common once more, they became known as the Eldar. Their empire is now little more than a forgotten dream.
Aeldari Empire - History: Millions of Terran years ago, as the galaxy emerged from the defeat of the Necrons in the War in Heaven and the disappearance or extinction of the Old Ones, their creations, the Aeldari, emerged as the new masters of the galaxy. The technological prowess of the Aeldari soon eclipsed that of all the other civilisations of the galaxy, and they pushed the existing menaces of the time, such as the Orks, to the far fringes of their realm.The Aeldari became increasingly arrogant and condescending towards other intelligent species. Their empire spread across the galaxy, eventually encompassing at least 10,000 star systems and thousands more colonised planets, many concentrated in the region of the galaxy that would one day become the Eye of Terror. At this time, when an Aeldari died, his soul peacefully became one with the Warp, later to be reborn once more and begin the cycle anew. The Immaterium had not yet become the hostile place it is now, and some of its most powerful denizens were the Gods of the Aeldari.
Aeldari Empire - Birth of a Dark God: The torture cults eroded the future of the Aeldari as a viable galactic empire. This process lasted for thousands of Terran years, corresponding to the historical era that was Mankind's Dark Age of Technology, although when Slaanesh finally came into being the results within the material universe were apocalyptic and sudden. As depravity riddled every aspect of Aeldari society, the Pleasure Cults sought ever more violent thrills. Before long the streets of Aeldari cities ran with their blood. The elegant architecture of their palaces became battlegrounds as the Aeldari preyed upon each other, revelling in the cruelest of crimes.While this debauchery would have been destructive within any society, it was even more damaging for the Aeldari because of their powerful psychic abilities. Within the parallel dimensional realm of the Warp, the psychic emanations of these perverse activities began to gather, strengthened by the souls of departed Aeldari hedonists and cultists. As the Aeldari's vices grew, this dark mass of negative psychic energy did as well, producing the terrible Warp Storms that defined humanity's Age of Strife and made all interstellar travel and communication impossible for the human colonies of this period. What an unimaginably foul and sickening thing it was that the Aeldari unknowingly raised in the Warp; it was a dire shadow of themselves, of what they had become, of nobility and pride brought low by perversity and shamelessness. Worlds burned as the Aeldari slew and laughed and feasted upon the corpses of the dead.Slowly, the Great Enemy stirred towards wakefulness. Too late, the Aeldari realised that they had created a new god in their own image, a god grown immense and potent by suckling upon the dark fodder of the Aeldari spirit. Eventually, this growing mass of negative psychic energy came into a life of its own and came to consciousness over ten thousand standard years ago at the end of the Age of Strife in the early 30th Millennium as the newborn Chaos God Slaanesh, the Devourer of Souls and the doom of the Aeldari -- and their Eldar successors.When Slaanesh finally burst into divine consciousness, there was not one Aeldari alive who did not feel its claws in his or her soul. With a howl of raw power, Slaanesh roared into supernatural life. A psychic implosion tore at the universe. The psychic scream of Slaanesh's birth tore the souls from all the Aeldari within a thousand light years of it, sparing only those sheltered in the Wraithbone hulls of the Craftworlds. Countless billions of Aeldari screamed aloud and fell dead.In a heartbeat, the shining Aeldari civilisation that had lasted for aeons had its heart ripped out, leaving a pulsing afterbirth of pure chaos in its place. The spirits of the Aeldari were drawn from within them and consumed as their blasphemous creation took its first infernal breath. Intoxicated with this draught, Slaanesh laughed and looked upon a universe ripe for the taking.
Aeldari Empire - Death of an Empire: The epicentre of the psychic apocalypse lay within the gilded heart of the Aeldari realms. All Aeldari within thousands of light years were reduced to lifeless husks, their souls forever claimed. Even those who had foreseen the catastrophe and fled upon the Craftworlds were overwhelmed, with only those furthest from the devastation surviving. The remote Exodite worlds remained largely untouched, but within the space of a single moment, the Aeldari had become a doomed people. Their nemesis was born and would hunt them for the rest of eternity. Though the psychic shockwave focused upon the Aeldari, billions of humans, Orks and creatures from other races were obliterated as well.Warpspace convulsed as a cosmic hurricane raged across the galaxy. The fabric of reality was torn apart and the Warp spilled from the newborn dimensional rift into the material universe, turning hope into despair and paradise into hell. Psykers of all races howled with pain as their people died in storms of blood and madness. The roiling wound in realspace spread outward until it completely encompassed the Aeldari realms of old. This gaping lesion would come to be known as the Eye of Terror; the largest area in the galaxy where the Warp and the material universe overlap until the birth of the Great Rift in 999.M41. Within its reaches Daemons bathe in the raw energy of the Warp, whilst Daemon Princes and the worshippers of Chaos rule over Aeldari planets turned into nightmare worlds of fire and darkness.For ten thousand long Terran years before the Fall, the Warp had been riven with storm and tempest, making it almost impossible for the vessels of the lesser races to travel between the stars. With the birth of Slaanesh, the Warp was becalmed, its rage temporarily spent. A new equilibrium was reached as Slaanesh joined the ranks of the Chaos Gods. With the Warp Storms around ancient Terra dispersed, the Emperor of Mankind was able to launch his Great Crusade. A new power took its place in the galaxy as isolated human worlds from across the stars were united under the same banner. In this way, the Fall of the Eldar heralded the rise of the Imperium, and Mankind inherited the stars.
Aeldari Lexicon - Sentences: Aeldari Lexicon SentenceLow Gothic TranslationNotesShea nudh Asuryanish ereintha Asuryanat.May the blessings of Asuryan protect the children of Asuryan from abomination.Most potent and dire of all Aeldari prayers.Da gceilfi an fhirinne, b'flieidir go neosfai breag-If the truth were hidden, perhaps a lie would be told-This sentence may be incomplete.Bhi se chomh dorcha gur cheapamair go raibh an oichie tagtha.It was so dark that we thought night had come.Bionn an fear ciallmar ina thost muai ná bîonn pioc le rá aige.One shows good sense in silence when one has nothing to say.Elthir corannir rhiantha en.The Aeldari maiden who weeps tears for the warrior-folk in the starlight of Rhidhol during the winter.A more basic translation renders this entire phrase as "mourner" or "widow", though this term represents a much deeper meaning for grief and loss in the Aeldari Lexicon.
Aeldari Lexicon - Trivia: In keeping with the fey-inspired theme of the Aeldari as "space elves," the structure and pronunciation of the Aeldari Lexicon is heavily inspired by real-world Celtic tongues from the British Isles, particularly Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic.
Aeldari Mythology - Aeldari Mythology: Aeldari Mythology, also called the Aeldari Myth Cycles, is an ancient cultural force of myths and legends which binds the surviving members of the Aeldari species together and forms a basis for much of their thinking about their ancient past.There were several gods that composed the pantheon of Aeldari myth, yet all but three -- Cegorach, Isha and Khaela Mensha Khaine -- were destroyed in the Fall of the Aeldari and the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, absorbed like so many other Aeldari souls into the psychic mass of She Who Thirsts.A new Aeldari god, Ynnead, who is not part of the original mythology, is said to be forming from the souls of the Asuryani dead within the Infinity Circuits of the craftworlds and to have recently partially awoken during the Battle of Port Demesnus in ca. 999.M41, giving rise to the new Aeldari kindred known as the Ynnari.
Aeldari Mythology - Genesis of the Aeldari: The mythology of the Aeldari teaches that they are the children of Isha, the goddess of fertility and the harvest and Kurnous, the god of the hunt. In the early days of the Aeldari race's existence, there was no barrier between the gods and mortals -- no boundary between the Materium and the Immaterium -- and the deities walked among the early Aeldari, teaching them and leading them in a golden age of peace and prosperity.
Aeldari Mythology - Isha's Tears: Yet one day, Lileath the Maiden, the Aeldari goddess of dreams, dreamed that the Aeldari would cause the destruction of Khaela Mensha Khaine, the god of war. As Lileath was well-known for the power of her prophetic dreams among the gods of the pantheon, Khaine took the warning very seriously and resolved to wipe out the Aeldari race rather than let them destroy him. The ensuing slaughter was of such proportions that Isha, goddess of the earth, petitioned Asuryan, the Phoenix King and leader of the Aeldari pantheon, to stop it.Asuryan did so, and created a barrier between the Aeldari and their gods, forever separating the two, and decreed that no god was to intervene or communicate with the Aeldari ever again, thus creating the barrier that separates the physical universe from the Immaterium. So, Khaine's war on the Aeldari was stopped, for a time.This was too much for Isha, though, and her consort Kurnous, god of the hunt. Isha and Kurnous loved their children the Aeldari and could not bear to be separated from them. They approached Vaul, the smith god, with their woes, and the kindly Vaul agreed to help them. With Vaul's aid, they forged Spirit Stones through which mortal Aeldari could communicate with the gods.With these stones, Isha and Kurnous continued to teach and mentor their mortal children in secrecy. Peace was not to last, though, as one day Khaine stumbled upon the two as they communicated with the Aeldari, and took the information of their violation of his edict straight to Asuryan.Though Asuryan was sympathetic with Isha and Kurnous, they had broken his own laws and he reluctantly decreed that the two gods be given to Khaine, to do with as he wished.
Aeldari Mythology - War in Heaven: Khaine tortured Isha and Kurnous, utilising every cruel art he knew. Many of the Aeldari gods thought Khaine was going too far and secretly supported Isha and Kurnous, but only one was willing to stand up for them in public. The smith god Vaul petitioned for their release, and eventually he and Khaine came to an agreement. In one year's time, Khaine would release Isha and Kurnous in exchange for one hundred divinely-crafted swords. Vaul was such a master smith that a single blade of his was of incalculable value -- indeed, a single mortal armed with such a Sword of Vaul could stand against a thousand warriors armed with mundane weapons.Vaul immediately set to work, rejoicing. Unfortunately though, when the year was up, he had only completed ninety-nine swords, rendering the bargain void. He took an ordinary mortal blade and mixed it in with the others, hoping that Khaine would not notice. Upon delivery, Khaine was so pleased with the weapons that he released Isha and Kurnous forthwith, delighting in the craftsmanship that had gone into the swords. It was only when Isha and Kurnous were long gone that Khaine discovered the one mortal sword.Khaine roared in anger, calling Vaul a cheat, a liar, and a thief. He immediately set off to track Vaul down and make him pay. The conflicts that followed, remembered as the "War in Heaven," polarised the Aeldari gods, as Khaine's faction and Vaul's engaged in bloody warfare for an eternity. Gods changed sides, great deeds of heroism and of craven evil were performed by both factions, and the war was mirrored in a struggle between the Aeldari in the mortal realm. Asuryan himself never took a side, watching the carnage impassively, slowly coming to regret his impetuosity in sentencing Isha and Kurnous.This is not the only version of the Aeldari myth of the hundred Swords of Vaul; another consists of the Aeldari and Khaine going to war with the Necrons and failing because of the one "mortal" sword, thus encapsulating in Aeldari mythology more of the truth of their species -- that they were created as a psychic warrior race by the Old Ones to help defeat their enemies the Necrons and the C'tan.
Aeldari Mythology - Anaris, the Light of the Dawn: As the conflict between the Aeldari gods escalated, Vaul reforged the final sword that had been meant for Khaine, and it proved to be the greatest of all. Vaul called it Anaris, "the Light of the Dawn." Armed with this weapon, Vaul strode forth to do battle with Khaine. It was a long, hard-fought struggle, but even with Anaris, Vaul was no match for the war god. Khaine cast down Vaul, maiming the smith, and bound Vaul to his own anvil.However, the falcon Faolchú, consort of the Great Hawk Asuryan, who had fought for Vaul, took the sword Anaris and delivered it straight to Eldanesh, the greatest of the mortal Aeldari heroes. With Anaris in hand, Eldanesh of the Red Moon took up the fight and faced Khaine in single combat. Eldanesh fought well, but in the end he, too, was defeated by Khaine, his body crushed by the god of war.As Khaine slew Eldanesh his hands began to drip with red blood. Forever after, he was to become known as "Khaela Mensha Khaine," which means "Khaine the Bloody-Handed" in the Aeldari Lexicon. Asuryan had seen enough of the slaughter and proclaimed the War in Heaven over. Khaine had attained his vengeance and left the field satisfied.
Aeldari Pantheon - Aeldari Pantheon: The Aeldari Pantheon, known in earlier sources as the Eldar Pantheon, are a collection of ancient gods of the alien Aeldari, most of whom were consumed by the creation of the Chaos God Slaanesh at the moment of its birth during the Fall of the Aeldari.The Aeldari still revere all the gods of the pantheon and preserve their stories within the Aeldari mythic cycles and epics which bind the entire Aeldari species together and forms a basis for much of their way of thinking when it comes to their ancient past.Yet the Aeldari of the present do not call upon their gods for aid or hope for their intervention any longer. Sadly, all but three of the Aeldari Pantheon -- Khaine, Cegorach and Isha -- were destroyed during the Fall of the Aeldari.However, a new god, Ynnead, the Aeldari god of the dead, who is not a part of the old myth cycles, was long said to be forming from the souls of the Aeldari dead within the Infinity Circuits of the Asuryani craftworlds. Ynnead's awakening was dramatically accelerated during the Battle of Port Demesnus in 999.M41 by a ritual undertaken by the Farseer Eldrad Ulthran.Partially awakened within the Immaterium, Ynnead reached out across the galaxy and chose the former Aeldari Corsair and Commorrite arena gladiator Yvraine, the "Daughter of Shades," to serve as his prophet and high priestess on what became known as the "Night of Revelations." She founded a new Aeldari religious group, the Ynnari, who in the Era Indomitus seek to unite all the Aeldari factions across the galaxy to destroy Slaanesh and restore the Aeldari's lost glory.
Aeldari Pantheon - Kaela Mensha Khaine, God of War: Kaela Mensha Khaine is one of the only two surviving gods of the Aeldari before the recent awakening of Ynnead. In the old Aeldari Pantheon, he was second only to his twin brother Asuryan, the Phoenix King, in power, and was often shown as the enemy of Vaul. He is also the most violent and reckless of the gods.Asuryan was so appalled by his murder of Eldanesh, a mortal Aeldari, that he cursed Khaine and made his hands drip eternally with the blood of Eldanesh so that everyone would remember what he had done.The Aeldari say that when Slaanesh awoke, She Who Thirsts consumed each of the other Aeldari gods in the Immaterium in turn. While his counterparts were all devoured, Khaine took up his great sword and did battle with Slaanesh instead.Khaine was not strong enough to destroy Slaanesh, but he was too powerful to be defeated. Instead his psychic signature in the Warp was broken, and scattered into fragments. These fragments were driven from the Warp where they had done battle and came to rest in the heart of the Infinity Circuit of each Asuryani craftworld.These fragments of the god became the Avatars of Kaela Mensha Khaine. In times of war the Asuryani can awaken one of these Avatars to lead them into battle. But the price is the sacrifice of an Exarch's life, for the Avatar needs to possess a physical body to enter the material universe.The Avatars of Khaine are towering monsters with skin of iron and molten cores, hands permanently dripping with blood as Khaine's did.
Aeldari Pantheon - Cegorach, God of Tricksters: The only other god of the Aeldari Pantheon to survive the birth of Slaanesh, Cegorach, also known as the "Laughing God," the "Great Harlequin," the "Great Fool" and the "First Fool," was a consummate trickster and the artist of the Aeldari gods.While most of the Aeldari gods were consumed by Slaanesh during the Fall of the Aeldari, according to legend this deity survived because his mocking nature distanced him from the collective psychic corruption and amoral decadence of the ancient Aeldari Empire that birthed the Chaos God. Other legends tell that when all the other gods were destroyed, Cegorach fled before Slaanesh until Khaine rose to do battle with her.It is said that during the fight between Slaanesh and Khaine the Laughing God hid behind Khaine for protection, and in the aftermath of the struggle Cegorach fled into the Webway where Slaanesh could not find him. He still resides there, and is the only being in the universe who knows exactly where every door and tunnel in the Webway leads.As the master and patron god of the mysterious Harlequins, Cegorach is the only Aeldari god that still remains in his original form. The Harlequins are protected from Slaanesh in a different way from their Craftworld Aeldari brethren.While Craftworld Aeldari wear Spirit Stones which absorb their souls when they die to prevent them from being devoured by Slaanesh in the Warp, the Aeldari Harlequins are directly protected by their faith in their god's power and spiritual resonance with his nature, becoming one with his Warp emanation upon their death. The only exception to this are the Harlequin Solitaires whose souls must be won from Slaanesh after their deaths by the Laughing God.
Aeldari Pantheon - Isha, Goddess of the Harvest and Fertility: The Great Mother of the Aeldari race, Isha is a fertility goddess in many respects. She was imprisoned by Khaine for a period of time, until Vaul paid her ransom. She is often depicted crying, and her symbol is a teared eye, symbolic of her sorrow in being separated from her mortal children. Her tears are said to have solidified to form the Spirit Stones which keep the Asuryani safe from Slaanesh after their death.It is rumoured that the Chaos God Nurgle coveted the Aeldari fertility goddess, and rescued her from consumption by Slaanesh only to imprison her in his decaying mansion that lies within his foul realm in the Warp. Nurgle "cares" for Isha by feeding her the various diseases he concocts, only for her to whisper the cures for each one to mortals in realspace when his back is turned.
Aeldari Pantheon - Ynnead, God of the Dead: Ynnead, called the "Whispering God," is a dream, the embodiment of a possibility that has yet to be fully realized. Some Aeldari Seers long believed that when the last Aeldari died during the Rhana Dandra, the Final Battle with Chaos, Ynnead would be born from the Immaterium with the strength of all the Aeldari souls stored in the Infinity Circuits of the craftworlds and the World Spirits of the Exodites.Ynnead would then have the power to destroy Slaanesh forever in a final battle, thus correcting the mistakes which led to the Fall of the Aeldari and allowing the Aeldari species to be reincarnated from the Warp as of old into a universe free of the taint of Chaos.Or at least that is what the Aeldari believed would happen for almost ten thousand standard years. Then, in 999.M41, during the Battle of Port Demesnus on the moon of Coheria, the High Farseer Eldrad Ulthran partially completed a ritual intended to awaken Ynnead using the power of the souls found in the Infinity Circuits of every craftworld in the galaxy.While the intervention of the Imperial Deathwatch interrupted the ritual before it could be completed, the god of the dead was partially awakened, and sought out a champion to complete his rise in the form of Yvraine, the "Daughter of Shades," during the Night of Revelation in Commorragh. Yvraine founded a new Aeldari faction dedicated to the Whispering God's full awakening known as the Ynnari.The Ynnari, with members drawn from the Asuryani, the Harlequins, and the Drukhari of Commorragh, seek the restoration of the ancient Aeldari race by collecting the artefacts known as the Croneswords from across the galaxy.Their combined ritualistic use at a single focused point in realspace will allow Ynnead to fully manifest his power in the Warp, where he will combat Slaanesh, hopefully destroying the Prince of Chaos and freeing the Aeldari from the soul-devouring curse of She Who Thirsts forever.Only then will the Aeldari people, restored to the unity of the ancient Aeldari, seek to rebuild a new and better interstellar empire.
Aeldari Pantheon - Asuryan, King of the Aeldari Pantheon: Sometimes known as the "Phoenix King," Asuryan was the king of the pantheon of Aeldari gods. While the ancient Aeldari myth cycles seem to indicate that he held sway over all other gods, Asuryan was nevertheless consumed by the Chaos God Slaanesh.He is often depicted in relation to fire and light, his chief symbols. Asuryan is a key player in many of the legendary cycles of Aeldari Mythology. Asuryan's brother is the god of war, Kaela Mensha Khaine. The goddess Gea is said to have held both Asuryan and Khaine as her twin consorts.Before the Fall of the Aeldari, Asuryan was the third primary contributor of knowledge to the Aeldari, after Kurnous and Isha. Among Asuryan's gifts to the early Aeldari after their creation was wisdom and the ability to manipulate psychic energy.The psychic power bound into the Aeldari by Asuryan brought both boon and bane. Though the Aeldari's lifespan and already potent mastery over psychic energies increased following Asuryan's gift, it also decreased their fertility, leading the species to begin a slow decline.
Aeldari Pantheon - Vaul, God of the Forges: The artificer and smith of the Aeldari Gods, Vaul is one of the central gods of the Aeldari Pantheon, and an enemy to Khaine. In order to purchase the freedom of Kurnous and Isha, Khaine demanded one hundred blades from the Smith God as a ransom.Vaul was unable to finish the last blade in time, and so hid a simple, mortal-forged blade amid the others of divine craftsmanship. This fooled Khaine long enough to get Isha and Kurnous to freedom, but when the god of war realised he had been tricked, he cried out for vengeance.Vaul finished the final blade, Anaris the Dawnlight, and took it to do battle with Khaine. Though it was the greatest sword ever forged, Khaine was the better warrior and crippled Vaul. The Smith God is often shown chained to his anvil, the punishment that Khaine set upon him for his deception.
Aeldari Pantheon - Kurnous, God of the Hunt: Kurnous was the Father of the Aeldari race and the companion and consort of Isha, the goddess of fertility and the harvest. He is often shown in conjunction with hounds, hawks, and other trappings of the hunt. Along with Isha, he too was imprisoned by Khaine, initiating the event that marked the start of the Aeldari myth known as the War in Heaven.
Aeldari Pantheon - Gea: Gea was an Aeldari goddess notable for being the consort of the twin deities Khaine the Bloody Handed God and Asuryan the Phoenix King.
Aeldari Pantheon - Hoec: Revered amongst the near-invisible assassins known as Aeldari Pathfinders, the mysterious wandering Aeldari divinity known as Hoec is said to be one with the Webway, and has walked the paths between planets since the stars themselves were young.
Aeldari Pantheon - Lileath the Maiden, Goddess of Dreams and Fortune: Lileath, also known as Lilcarth, was the goddess of dreams and fortune. She is the daughter of Isha and was the youngest of the Aeldari gods in the main pantheon.
Aeldari Pantheon - Morai-Heg, the Crone, Goddess of Fate and Souls: The Crone-Goddess Morai-Heg is the consort of Khaine and the third in a trinity of female Aeldari goddesses also including Lileath the Maiden and Isha, the Mother of the Aeldari. Morai-Heg appears as an ancient and withered creature who holds the fate of mortals inside a skin rune pouch.In Aeldari myth she sought to partake of the wisdom contained in her divine blood. She manipulated Khaela Mensha Khaine to cut off her hand so that she might drink deep of her own vitae. It was the fingers of this lost hand that were fashioned into the Croneswords that now offer hope of an Aeldari resurgence to the Ynnari.With this deed Morai-Heg gained the knowledge that she sought, and in return, Khaine gained the aspect of the banshee.The original homeworlds of the Aeldari Empire that were lost to the Eye of Terror after the Fall of the Aeldari became known as Crone Worlds, a reference to the Crone Goddess.The inhabitants of Craftworld Iybraesil are noted for being followers of Morai-Heg.
Aeldari Pantheon - Cobra-God: The Cobra-God is an animistic creature of destruction who does not care who is caught in his wake; he is venerated by the Exodites.
Aeldari Pantheon - Scorpion-God: The Scorpion-God is an animistic spirit of defence, brother of Cobra; he is also a spirit deity venerated by the Exodites.
Aeldari Pantheon - Serpent-God: The Serpent-God is an animistic creature of secrets who knows all there is to know in the universe; he is the third major spirit deity venerated by the Exodites.
Aeldari Pantheon - Trivia: There are many similarities between the mythology surrounding the Aeldari pantheon and aspects of the ancient mythologies of the Greek, Celtic and Norse cultures of the real world. It is assumed that the Warhammer 40,000 writers drew heavily on these existing sources of real world mythology when creating the Aeldari race and the defining mythic stories of their culture.
Aeldari Titans - Aeldari Titans: Aeldari Titans are great, bipedal combat walkers produced by the Craftworld Aeldari, the Asuryani.Similar to the lumbering Titans that are the greatest war machines of the Imperium of Man, Aeldari Titans combine grace, speed and deadly firepower.These tall, slender war engines are built to be aesthetically pleasing as well as fully functional, like all Aeldari technology, and possess a grace and beauty rarely seen amongst the deadly implements of Mankind.Aeldari Titans move with a smooth agility and grace unachievable by the Imperium's Titans.
Aeldari Titans - Revenant Scout Titan: The Revenant is the smallest grade of Aeldari Titan, comparable to the Imperial Warhound-class Scout Titan. All Aeldari Titans are agile and graceful constructs, but the Revenant's compact size allows it to move with a swiftness and smoothness quite simply impossible for the massive war machines of the other intelligent races.In addition to their speed and agility, Revenant Titans are also well-armed, making them formidable foes. Their primary armament are a pair of Pulsars, immensely powerful laser weapons, although some are instead armed with Sonic Lances.Secondary armament consists of a shoulder-mounted Revenant Missile Launcher, loaded with plasma warheads for defence against infantry. In place of the heavy armor of lesser races' Titans the Revenant is principally protected by an image-distorting Holo-field projected from the Titan's fins which confuse auspexes of all types.The Revenant also mounts a number of powerful jump jets on its slender frame, turning its movement into a series of drifting leaps, or even gentle floating sweeps over the battlefield.Despite this almost ethereal grace, Revenant Titans are well-armed, powerful adversaries. Their pace, agility and ability to leap difficult terrain allows them to harry the enemy lines in quick scouting raids before disappearing back into cover with the same terrifying speed.Revenant crews are small, guided partially by the spirits contained within their wraithbone core, as is the case with all Aeldari Titans.Where the larger Aeldari Titans are sometimes crewed by Asuryani twins or triplets, the smaller Revenants are often manned by just one member of a pair of siblings, the second of whom will pilot another Revenant, leading to the Titans hunting in packs, psychically linked to one another by the inherent bloodties of their twin pilots.Incredibly versatile, the Revenant is deployed in a variety of ways. When serving alongside the larger Phantom it can operate in a forward scout role. Its jump jets give it the speed to be deployed in support of assault waves of Asuryani armour, or it can act as extra force support for defensive squads of Guardian militia.A noted tactic for the Aeldari is to pair their Titans together. Linked telepathically by the blood-ties of their pilots or "Steersmen," they always fight side-by-side.Paired Aeldari Titans often have joint names. Long and complex by the standards of the Imperium's Titan Legions, these war machines bear elaborate titles which when translated from the Aeldari Lexicon into Low Gothic read as Hearts Armoured for Battle, Eagles Born of Flame, Revenge upon Ancient Wrongs, Guardians of the Gates of Infinity, and Protectors of the Fallen.
Aeldari Titans - Warlock Titan: A rarely encountered variant of the Phantom Titan is known as the Warlock Titan. It contains within its wraithbone core the spirits of mighty Asuryani Farseers and Warlocks.As they were powerful psykers in life, so too are they in death. The psychic strength of these dead spirits, focused and amplified by the Titan's Wraithbone structure, is phenomenal, far outstripping the powers of the living.This potent psychic ability combined with the smooth agility of the Aeldari Titans and their sophisticated weaponry, places the Warlock Titan at the very pinnacle of Aeldari achievement in the realm of psychic engineering.Warlock Titans, as a result of the precognitive power of their possessing Seer spirits, possess an insight into the shape of the future or possible future and they act in conjunction with the ebb and flow of the fates, moving with them in perfect synchronisation to assault the enemy at the most propitious time and place.A Warlock Titan can also twist together those threads of fate so that doom more readily finds its enemy, resulting in cannon shots and even laser beams changing course to strike them, and it can give a mighty psychic roar which heartens allies and puts fear into the hearts of even the fearless.The psychic energy crackling through the Warlock Titan's body can ward off blows, instantly destroy Greater Daemons in close combat, and give power to its most feared weapon, a Titan-grade Psychic Lance.The Psychic Lance uses a short burst of psychic energy directed through a crystal mounted in the Warlock Titan's visor. The resonance set up in the crystal acts to wipe out aggressive instincts from the creatures in its area of effect.This weapon was originally used by Exodites to pacify local wildlife, but the effect can be amplified to launch devastating assaults on the minds of sentient enemies, particularly when backed by the full psychic might contained within a Warlock Titan.The Warlock Titan is also armed with twin Missile Launchers and either a Pulsar or Titan-grade Power Fist, and is protected by reinforced wraithbone armour plate and a Holo-Field emitted from projectors mounted on its large rear wings.
Aeonstave - Aeonstave: An Aeonstave is a Necron weapon used only by Cryptek Chronomancers. Indeed, it can be considered their signature weapon and symbol of office.Taking on the appearance of a simple stave with an ornate head, the sapphire crystalline headpiece of an Aeonstave contains a massive chronal charge that, when unleashed, can trap a foe in a bubble of slow-time for an extended period of time, severely degrading the enemy's physical capabilities and power to defend themself.This is because each blow from an Aeonstave generates a low-level stasis field that encapsulates the foe and moves them outside the flow of the normal space-time continuum.
Aerion Mersaror - Aerion Mersaror: Aerion Mersaror was a centurion who served as the commander of the Vindicus Squad of the elite 1st Company of the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.He was slain in the wake of the Battle of Calth when he sacrificed himself by using his Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour's homing beacon to provide crucial targeting assistance to the Ultramarines' battleship Macragge's Honour which led to the crippling of the Word Bearers' flagship Infidus Imperator, though at the cost of his own life.
Aerion Mersaror - History: Centurion Aerion Mersaror served as commander of the Ultramarines Legion's 1st Company's Vindicus Squad during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Present during the Battle of Calth initiated by the Word Bearers Legion, Mersaror would defend the Ultramarines flagship -- the Macragge's Honour -- from the Traitor forces. Leading his warriors to victory, Mersaror would accompany his old friend and the second Legion Master of the XIII Legion before its unification with its primarch -- Marius Gage -- in their pursuit of the fleeing Word Bearers fleet led by its first captain -- Kor Phaeron.Following the Infidus Imperator into the Warp, the Macragge's Honour would engage the warship with its broadsides as Mersaror's squad  infiltrated its hull. Slaying every Chaos Cultist unlucky enough to cross their path within the Traitor warship, the Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour-clad Ultramarines attempted to thwart the Word Bearers' Chaos rituals, yet proved unsuccessful. Unleashing its fell power, the Word Bearers' completed sorcerous ritual would seemingly kill the members of Vindicus Squad and inflict critical damage on the Macragge's Honour.Continuing their traversal through the Immaterium, the Macragge's Honour was again ambushed by Daemonic forces as Kor Phaeron fled from the battle and re-engaged the overwhelmed forces of Marius Gage. However, Mersaror survived the force born from the ritual and activated his homing tracer aboard the Infidus Imperator.Fighting a desperate battle within the bowels of the Word Bearers' flagship, Mersaror beseeched Marius Gage to fire upon his position before being overwhelmed by the Word Bearers Astartes. Targeting the Infidus Imperator, the Macragge's Honour made its attack run and crippled the Traitor voidship with its macrocannons. Slain by the blast of the Macragge's Honour's guns, Mesaror died as a valiant martyr for his Legion. His example of self-sacrifice and honour secured the survival of his Legion's flagship and achieved a modicum of vengeance for the Word Bearers' stunning betrayal of the Imperium at the Battle of Calth.
Aerion Mersaror - Sources: Macragge's Honour (Graphic Novel) by Dan Abnett; illustrated by Neil Roberts
Aerius - Aerius: AeriusHive WorldImperiumthstThere had indeed been many strange portents. A great comet had appeared in the skies of Aerius, the baleful star of legend, which appears only once in every two millennia, and whose appearance always presaged doom. Showers of falling stars descended on the world at the moment of its appearance.The plague was connected with the mysterious Black Pyramid, an impenetrable Aeldari psychic construct which was built, unknown to the local human population, to restrain a Greater Daemon of Nurgle named Botchulaz.
Aeronautica Imperialis - Aeronautica Imperialis: The Aeronautica Imperialis is the branch of the Imperial Navy that is dedicated to atmospheric combat aviation.The Aeronautica Imperialis usually works in conjunction with the Astra Militarum to provide combat transportation and tactical and strategic air support for its ground forces.
Aeronautica Imperialis - Fighters: ThunderboltLightningLightning Strike FighterAvenger
Aeronautica Imperialis - Bombers: MarauderMarauder DestroyerMarauder ColossusMarauder Vigilant
Aeronautica Imperialis - Gunships/Transports: Aquila LanderArvus LighterValkyrieVendettaVultureValkyrie Sky Talon
Aeronautica Imperialis - Sources: Death from the Skies (7th Edition), pp. 6-7, 24-25Aeronautica Imperialis (2020 Edition), "Rynn's World Air War Campaign Book" (Specialty Game), pp. 3, 63
Aetaos'rau'keres - Aetaos'rau'keres: Aetaos'rau'keres, the Slayer of Souls, is a Lord of Change, a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch. He is known by many other names and falsehoods across the galaxy, including: the Lord of Hosts, Distorter of Worlds, The Shadow of All Colours and None, Ashenwing, Render of Veils, and Tzeentch's Mad Satrap.
Aetaos'rau'keres - History: The true origins of the being known to some as Aetaos'rau'keres has been lost even to the scholars of the arcane in the Imperium, though the Blue Scribes chatter that this daemon lord has hunted down and extinguished every mortal soul or Warp entity that knows the truth of his nature save for his patron lord Tzeentch. Aetaos'rau'keres is a dreaded and feared figure amongst the pantheon of Tzeentch, his name spoken in hushed tones and shrouded ambiguities even by those who worship the Great Conspirator.The extreme power and mastery of the Warp that this loathsome creature possesses allows him to pierce the veil of time and turn the power of other psykers against themselves. Though the daemon lord has been granted great power, Tzeentch has fettered his servant in multiple layers of ward-pacts and riddling incantations, controlling this Lord of Change's ultimate fate. These restrictions on his free will and the determination of his own fate have shattered the Greater Daemon's reason, making him spite-filled and hateful.When he is summoned forth upon the mortal plane, the daemon is forced to appear and vent his wrath. Only the most apocalyptic of Tzeentchian cults would venerate such a hateful creature, seeking to bring forth this daemon lord only when their intent is to murder whole worlds in the name of Tzeentch.
Aexe Cardinal - Aexe Cardinal: Aexe Cardinal is an Agri-world of the Imperium of Man located in the Sabbat Worlds Sector in the Segmentum Pacificus. The planet was home to a number of different nation-states that varied in culture, though each had a proud heritage of nobility and venerated the Emperor of Mankind with the reverence typical of any loyal Imperial world.Formerly a peaceful world, Aexe-Cardinal was riven by war as part of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade fought between the Imperium and the forces of Chaos.
Aexe Cardinal - Aexe War: During the fall of the sector to the forces of Chaos, Aexe Cardinal at first managed to remain free of Chaos influence. However, one of its nation-states, the Republic of Shadik, was corrupted by Chaos and launched a great war against the rest of the world, with the objective of conquering it in the name of the Dark Gods. In response, the other nation-states of the Aexe Cardinal formed the "Aexe Alliance," led by the most powerful of the nation-states, Aexegary.The attack by the forces of Shadik caught Aexegary completely by surprise, as the enemy was able to cut across the Upper Naeme Valley. After five Terran years of heavy combat, and the decisive Battle of Diem, the so-called line of fortifications known as the "Meiseq Box" was established to contain the Shadik forces, and the nearly-razed city of Meiseq was rebuilt.The nation of Kottmark was the first to join the Alliance as a senior partner twenty Terran years into the war, and its entry saved Aexegary from conquest by Shadik. Later on, the Principality of Fichua also joined the alliance. The result was forty standard years of stagnation as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition. The battle lines changed very little if at all over the course of the conflict, and despite the growth of the Aexe Alliance, Shadik was able to hold its own against the combined might of the other nations. Combat on the Northern Front between Aexegary and Shadik was concentrated in three primary regions -- the Meiseq Box, the Peinforq Line, and the Seiberq Pocket. Kottmark was separated from Shadik by its own defensive barrier, the Ostlund Shield Line.The cost of this continual warfare proved devastating in blood and treasure to all the nations of Aexe Cardinal. Casualties were so high during the conflict that the Principality of Fichua, which joined the war on the side of the Alliance in 763.M41, would have had its entire population wiped out nine times over from the combined casualties suffered by the other nations of the Aexe Alliance.
Aexe Cardinal - Outside Aid: Forty standard years after the start of the war, the Loyalist nations of Aexe Cardinal finally received aid from the forces of the Astra Militarum, which dispatched a task force of infantry and armoured units to aid the Aexe Alliance and achieve a breakthrough that would hopefully end the war in the Imperium's favor. However, at the same time, Shadik received similar reinforcements from the forces of Chaos, in the form of the Chaos warband known as the Blood Pact, which also brought powerful, long-ranged siege guns to the world in an attempt to end the stalemate.The outdated and inefficient methods of the Aexe Alliance's command and control protocols hamstrung the operating capacity of many of the Imperial Guard units. Attempts to prevent Shadik spies from stealing battle plans resulted in many units not learning information vital to efficient combat operations, and constant politicking between high-ranking officers produced bickering and suspicion between the off-world Imperial Guard regimental commanders and the generals of the local Alliance that degraded the ability of the Loyalist forces to coordinate their actions.As a result of this bureaucratic in-fighting and lack of unity on the Loyalist side, a breakthrough was not achieved before the Imperial Guard units were rotated out to other theatres of the war. However, the Tanith First-and-Only Regiment, under the command of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, was able to succeed in a mission to destroy the enemy siege guns before they could be fully deployed, thus also preventing the forces of Chaos from gaining an advantage in the continuing stalemate on the world.The outcome of the war remains unknown.
Aexe Cardinal - Geography: Most of Aexe Cardinal's geography is unknown, but the terrain of the nation-state of Aexegary was idyllic, with a large number of forests, fields, and rivers in picturesque scenes, dotted with orderly towns and villages. However, near the battle lines, the terrain became muddy and more desolate, the product of forty Terran years of unrelenting war. Blasted trees and great muddy plains covered the area between the Aexe Alliance and Shadik lines, punctuated here and there by a ruined structure that had managed to survive the near-constant shelling.To the southeast, Aexegary had a large stretch of coastline along the Cardinal Ocean, which gave it a lifeline to the sea. Aexegary shared a border with the much smaller nation of Fichua, and across the Kottmark Massif lay the nation of Kottmark. Aexegary and Kottmark both were bordered by Shadik, making them part of the war's front line. The eastern front line was anchored by Frergarten, an Aexe Alliance fortress.
Aexe Cardinal - Flora and Fauna: The flora and fauna of the world included flowers, along with animals like the behj, a large ursinoid creature that was the alpha predator on the planet, and the struthid, a massive, quadrupedal avian that was heavily muscled, had long claws on its feet and a great, sharp beak.The struthid were used as mounts by the cavalry of Aexegary. Struthid riders bonded with their mounts using cybernetic neural links, which could have horrific consequences if the mounts were killed while their riders were still in neural communion with them. Juvenile struthids were often used as the combatants in "cockfights" put on by bored soldiers. Due to the casualties the war wrought on men and beasts alike, the species' numbers were slowly dwindling.