Aeldari

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"Perfidious Eldar! They had the stars in their grasp and now are left to sift the
dust of their once fabulous realm. For all their intellect and mysticism they could
not contain the beast within them, nor tame the wild monsters of the Shadow.
Why should we pay them any heed?"

—Inquisitor Gründwald, Ordo Xenos

Rune for the Aeldari species in the Aeldari Lexicon.

The Aeldari, or the Eldar as they were long known to outsiders, are an ancient
and highly advanced species of humanoid xenos whose vast empire once
extended the width and breadth of the known galaxy.

In its time, the Aeldari Empire was without equal in the galaxy, spreading across
both realspace and the Webway. They counted themselves masters of the stars
and every Aeldari was born a potent psyker, their abilities often used to both
create and power their almost magical technology.

Even death was no barrier, for when the Aeldari's spirits eventually left their
mortal bodies they dissolved peacefully back into the Immaterium to be reborn
again in new forms, for the Warp did not thirst for Aeldari souls then as it does
today.

But ten millennia ago, the Aeldari's overweening pride and their fall into amoral
and hedonistic practices led to a cataclysm that all but eradicated their kind and
resulted in the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, known as "She Who Thirsts" to
the Aeldari.
An Autarch of the Asuryani Craftworld Biel-Tan
Despite their boundless power, the heart of their civilisation was torn out by this
catastrophe of their own making, forcing many of the surviving Aeldari to pursue
different strategies for survival to protect their souls from being consumed by
She Who Thirsts. These strategies have shaped the nature of the surviving
Aeldari cultures.

In the 41st Millennium there are five major sub-cultures or kindreds of the
Aeldari species: the Asuryani or Craftworld Aeldari, the Drukhari, the Harlequins,
the Exodites, and the Ynnari.

There are also bands of independent Aeldari who survive by raiding other
species' shipping and commerce, many of whom are Asuryani who have left the
often rigid and confining culture of their people behind. They are known as the
Asuryani Outcasts and the Aeldari Corsairs.

The Asuryani fled the original homeworlds of the Aeldari Empire in great,
continent-sized starships called craftworlds. These craftworlds are now
scattered across the galaxy, only connected to each other by the labyrinthine
corridors of the Webway. The Asuryani seek to protect themselves from the
hunger of She Who Thirsts through the use of a soul-capturing psychocrystalline
technology known as Spirit Stones and a rigid code of behaviour called the
Asuryani Path.
A Kabalite Warrior of the Drukhari
The Drukhari are the descendants of those Aeldari who originally settled within
the Webway, particularly the ancient city of Commorragh. The Drukhari protect
themselves from the hunger of Slaanesh by following what the Asuryani call the
"Path of Damnation"; these piratical people revel in the physical and emotional
pain of others, for feeding upon the psychic residue of suffering is the only way
they can stave off the slow consumption by She Who Thirsts of their own souls.

The Harlequins are the servants of the Aeldari Laughing God Cegorach who fled
into the Webway at the time of the Fall of the Aeldari and were protected from
the thirst of Slaanesh by their god's power.

The Harlequins are the keepers of the Aeldari repository of Chaos knowledge
known as the Black Library and they are the only Aeldari who still move freely
among all of the other factions. Their purpose is to maintain among their fellows
the knowledge of the Aeldari mythological cycles that form the foundation of all
Aeldari culture.

The Exodites are those Aeldari who fled the ancient homeworlds before the Fall
and chose to settle on verdant, unsettled planets known as Maiden Worlds. The
Exodites are protected from the soul-thirst of Slaanesh by unifying their souls
upon death with the World Spirits of their home planets and from the darker
impulses of the Aeldari psyche by pursuing lifestyles marked by more hardship
and less labour-saving technology than any of their brethren.
 The Ynnari, also called the Reborn, are a religious sect of Aeldari drawn from all
of the other factions who serve the partially awakened Aeldari god of the dead
Ynnead. Led by Ynnead's high priestess and chosen prophet, Yvraine, the
Daughter of Shades, the Ynnari came into existence just before the birth of the
Great Rift and the start of the Era Indomitus.

The Reborn seek nothing less than the full awakening of Ynnead, who will then
do battle with Slaanesh, destroy the Chaos God and restore the Aeldari people to
their lost greatness. Ynnari no longer need fear Slaanesh's thirst, for upon death
they become one with Ynnead.

Contents
 1Nomenclature
 2Anatomy and Physiology
 3History
o 3.1Children of the Stars
o 3.2Descent into Darkness
o 3.3Birth of a Dark God
o 3.4The Fall
o 3.5Diaspora
o 3.6Time of Ending
 4Kindreds
o 4.1Asuryani
 4.1.1Alaitoc
 4.1.2Biel-Tan
 4.1.3Iyanden
 4.1.4Saim-Hann
 4.1.5Ulthwé
o 4.2Drukhari
o 4.3Harlequins
o 4.4Exodites
o 4.5Ynnari
o 4.6Outcasts and Corsairs
 5Aeldari Lexicon
 6Aeldari Religion and Mythology
o 6.1Kaela Mensha Khaine, God of War
o 6.2Cegorach, God of Tricksters and Artists
o 6.3Asuryan, King of the Gods
o 6.4Isha, Goddess of the Harvest
o 6.5Vaul, God of the Forges
o 6.6Morai-Heg, Goddess of Fate
o 6.7Ynnead, God of the Dead
o 6.8Other Gods
o 6.9Dark Muses
 6.9.1Shaimesh, the Lord of Poisons
 6.9.2Lhilitu, Consort of the Void
 6.9.3Vileth
 6.9.4Hekatii, the Red Crone
 6.9.5Qa'leh, the Mistress of Blades
 6.9.6Ynesth
 7Unique Aeldari Technology
 8Videos
 9Sources
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Nomenclature

The Asuryani Warlock Arquellia of the Ulthwé craftworld, wielding a Witchblade while being
accompanied by her pet Grynix.
The entire species of beings who once ruled the galaxy-spanning Aeldari Empire
for millions of Terran years are called the "Aeldari." In the wake of the Fall of the
Aeldari, the survivors of the great cataclysm adopted new names for their
varying sub-cultures or kindreds.

The Aeldari who fled their ancient empire in the craftworlds eventually called
themselves the "Asuryani" since their culture was redefined by their decision to
pursue the Asuryani Path that they believed had been laid out for them by the
chief Aeldari god, the Phoenix King Asuryan.

Linguistically reflecting their diminished status, the Asuryani made themselves

known to outsiders as "Eldar," a name which came to be applied mistakenly to
the entire species by Imperial scholars for many millennia.
Likewise, the Drukhari were the malevolent faction of the ancient Aeldari who
had chosen to remain within the Webway after the Fall and continued to pursue
the decadent and hedonistic ways that nearly led to their extinction. However,
they were often referred to by outsiders as "Dark Eldar," a term which they rarely
used for themselves and which was first coined by Asdrubael Vect, the supreme
overlord of Commorragh, from the Aeldari phrase "Eladrith Ynneas" in the 32nd
Millennium.

Those wilderness-loving Aeldari who settled on Maiden Worlds many solar

decades before the Fall in the hope of avoiding the worsening corruption of the
original Aeldari culture are known as "Exodites."

The servants of the Aeldari Laughing God Cegorach, who were protected by his
influence within the Webway from being slain during the Fall, are called the
"Harlequins" in the most common translation of the Aeldari term for the faction
into Low Gothic.

In recent years, since the formation of the Ynnari faction which contains
members of the Aeldari species from all of the other factions, it has become
common for many of the different cultures to once more refer to themselves
using the ancient term "Aeldari." This reflects the Ynnari belief that with the
awakening of Ynnead, the Aeldari god of the dead, their species is once more on
the path to resurrecting its lost glory.

In the Era Indomitus, the term Aeldari has come to be preferred to Eldar, though
the original name for the Asuryani best known by the Imperium of Man is still
often used interchangeably. However, it is now more correct to refer to the
Aeldari of the craftworlds as simply "Aeldari," "Craftworld Aeldari," or when
comparing them to the other Aeldari kindreds, the "Asuryani."

The Drukhari are still often referred to in the Imperium as "Dark Eldar."
Anatomy and Physiology

An Asuryani Autarch of Craftworld Iyanden.

The Aeldari appear very similar to Humans in their anatomy, although the
comparison can only be made on a superficial basis, for in their minds and souls
the Aeldari are truly alien. The Aeldari stand taller than the average Human
male, with longer, cleaner limbs and handsome, striking features to Human eyes.

Their skin is pale and unblemished as polished marble, yet with a surprisingly
supple strength hiding beneath it. Their keen ears are pointed and their slanted
eyes possess a penetrating quality more akin to that of a hunting cat than a man.

The most fundamental difference can be seen when the Aeldari move, for they
each radiate an inhuman elegance and poise. This is especially evident in the
sinuous grace with which they fight and the dexterity with which they field their
weaponry. Every gesture is laden with subtle intent, and their reflexes are
dazzlingly fast. A casual, languid gesture can end in a pinpoint thrust should the
necessity arise.
On closer inspection, every aspect of the Aeldari physiology betrays their alien
nature. Their hearts beat at twice the speed of a Human's, and their minds race
through possibilities and process emotions so fast that even the so-called
geniuses of Human history appear dull by comparison.

Even their lives are greater in span -- the Aeldari enjoy lives of rich sensation and
wonder that can stretch over a thousand Terran years, unsullied by illness,
frailty or disease, unless they die by violence or accident. Most Aeldari are not
even considered mature until they have lived for at least a standard century.

All Aeldari can manipulate mental energies to a degree. Each is psychic to one
extent or another; it is said the ancient Aeldari could read thoughts at a glance,
whilst those who trained their minds for war could crush a foe's weapon with a
simple narrowing of their eyes.

Even the complex technology of their race is based upon psychic engineering,
the manipulation of and even creation of matter using mental energies alone. But
such raw power has its price.

The same neurological mechanisms that grant the Aeldari mind such power also
inclines it far more towards extremes than that of a Human. To an Aeldari, all of
life's experiences are available on a far grander scale: the individual rewards of
study, the exhilaration of battle, and every imaginable pleasure or sensation in-
between.

An Aeldari will at some point climb the most noble peaks of accomplishment,
just as they will plunge into the darkest abyss of doubt. Their capacity to
experience emotion enables them to attain transcendent bliss or, in contrast,
experience soul-wracking sorrow.
A Drukhari Kabalite Warrior slaughtering Orks.
This spiritual intensity is writ large throughout their culture, manifesting in
sublime works of art and music, but also giving rise to a darkness that threatens
to engulf them all.

No creature, not even an Aeldari, can taste such rich fruits in an uncontrolled
way without consequence; for an Aeldari to yield absolutely to the intensity of
their desires would destroy them. Such was the fate of their ancient empire,
whose depravities brought about the Fall of the Aeldari race itself.

The Aeldari that actively cultivate their psychic potential seem to exhibit a
much-extended lifespan even by their standards as well, one proportional to their
prowess as a psyker. In this way the leaders and Seers of the Asuryani may live
for several thousand standard years.

One matter of note is that the Aeldari have sometimes referred to Humans
simply as "mammals" typically with a derogatory label in the Aeldari Lexicon like
"Mon-keigh," implying that for their part, the Aeldari evolved from something
else, something more advanced than the primates that are the ancestors of
Mankind.

However, given the Aeldari's legendary arrogance, this may also simply be a way
for them to put themselves above the other intelligent races of the galaxy,
particularly the Humans who are currently the most dominant intelligent species,
much to the Aeldari's disdain.

The Aeldari likely see themselves as completely separate from the normal
classifications of animal groups. Indeed, they may not even have naturally
evolved at all, as they are the genetic creations of the Old Ones, much like the
Orks, created to defend the galaxy and the Old Ones' civilisation from the
depredations of the Necrons and their C'tan masters during the War in Heaven.

In matters of reproduction, the Aeldari kindred called the Drukhari actually

produce much of their population through artificial means, raising new
generations from their artificial conception in amniotic tubes. Naturally-born
Drukhari as a result of sexual reproduction are rare, due to the long gestation
period of the Aeldari infant. The ones that are naturally birthed from their
mothers' wombs, known as "Trueborns" in the society of Commorragh, are often
very privileged in Drukhari society because of the circumstances of their birth.

As such, Trueborn Drukhari are arrogant and see themselves as far better than
the majority of other Drukhari, those born in the amniotic gestation tubes and
derisively called the "Halfborn" by the small minority of Trueborns.

History
"When war calls we all ought to answer. Would that it were not this way, but for
our people to survive we must all tread the darkest of paths. Yet I regret that
many of our kin have grown to see such obligations not as a duty, but a joy. I do
not love the blade for its form or its keen edge, but only for that which it
defends. Must we pay for existence with our very souls? "

—Introspections Upon Perfection, Kysaduras the Anchorite

All of the sub-cultures of the Aeldari people known to the Inquisition in the Era Indomitus: 1.
Aeldari 2. Exodites 3. [REDACTED] 4. Asuryani 5. Aeldari Corsairs 6. Asuryani Outcasts 7.
Drukhari 8. Harlequins 9. Ynnari

Children of the Stars

The ancient history of the Aeldari stretches back over the millennia to a time
when they dominated the stars completely. Yet, for all their splendour and might,
the Aeldari brought a terrible curse upon themselves that sundered their empire
forever, leaving the ravaged fragments of their race teetering on the brink of
annihilation.

The starfaring history of the Aeldari is long, and encompasses glories and
sorrows alike. When the Aeldari Empire was at its height, their homeworlds were
paradises, their powers godlike and their armies unsurpassed. As the Terran
centuries slid past, their status as lords of the galaxy bred an arrogance that led
to a cataclysm.

A proportion of their race survived that dark time by fleeing from disaster upon
the great vessels known as craftworlds. Others settled verdant planets far from
the heart of their empire, and still more hid in private realms of their own
making. Yet there was no real escape from what was to come.

Apparent perfection like that of the ancient Aeldari is all too often blighted by
pride. Over a million Terran years ago, the Aeldari alone ruled the stars as the
undisputed masters of their own destiny. Such a position was their right, they
thought, and their preeminence was beyond doubt.
In many ways, the Aeldari had good reason for such hubris, for no other race had
posed a serious threat to their wealth and stability for time immemorial. They
were convinced that they no longer had anything to fear from the galaxy at large,
and they may have been right, but the true threat came from within. The doom of
the Aeldari, when it came, took a form far more subtle and dangerous than that
of alien invasion.

At their peak, nothing was beyond the Aeldari's reach and nothing was forbidden.
The ancient race continued their glorious existence unaware or unwilling to
acknowledge the dark fate that awaited them. They plied the stars at will,
experiencing the wonders of the galaxy and immersing themselves completely in
the endless sensations that it offered them. Such was the technological mastery
of the Aeldari that worlds were created specifically for their pleasure, and stars
lived or died at their whim.

On hundreds of idyllic planets seeded across the stars, the Aeldari pursued their
inclinations as they willed, indulging every dream and investigating every
curiosity. They mastered the labyrinth dimension of the Webway, expanded their
realms into the furthest corners of reality and learned much about the universe
that has since been forgotten.

When their spirits eventually left their mortal bodies at death, they dissolved
peacefully back into the Empyrean to be reborn again, for the Warp did not yet
hold the danger for Aeldari souls that it has since their Fall.

There were, of course, many wars. Even when the galaxy was young there were
upstart species seeking to gouge out petty empires of their own, and the Aeldari
waged wars against the sprawling Necron dynasties that ravaged dozens of star
systems and cost trillions of lives. Most of these conflicts, though, were so short-
lived that the ease of their victory left the Aeldari ever more sure of their
ascendancy.

Even the greatest of all their wars, the conflict over sixty million Terran years
ago that first forged their species in alliance with the legendary beings called
the Old Ones, dimly remembered in the mythic cycles of the craftworlds as the
War in Heaven, did not humble them. In their hearts the Aeldari reigned supreme,
and no other power could end their dominance.
Descent into Darkness
The catalyst that brought about the Aeldari race's fall came from the very depths
of their collective psyche, the innate need to fuel their passions and indulge in
every extreme. Their people had long outgrown the need for physical labour or
manual agriculture due to the highly advanced and automated nature of their
technology.