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[Placeholder for resource gathering, discussion and preparatory content for Eldar-themed games.] ++ THE STARS, OUR RUINATION ++ ++ THE AELDARI DARK AGE ++ (A Treatise upon the Aeldar, and premise for roleplaying them in M30 and beyond, compiled by Ordo Xenos Scriptor Primo, Adept Hyronimus Bosch, M.42, by the blessed command of His Most Learned Masters =[REDACTED]= of the Ordo Xenos.) 'It was not a quiet thing. To go silently into the Night was beyond us, for night had already come, and it had a name: She Who Thirsts.' - Warlock Ranoch Alai'Karadryel, First Soulguard of the Shrine of Wayfarers, Craftwold Alaitoc. 'Hell is empty, and all the devils are here!' - Gwillim Shiek'Caspar, Human Dramatist and Sage. The Great Remembrance: The Imperium of Man has stood the test of time, forged in and by events which have echoed darkly throughout millennia of our existence. It falls to the great edifaces of the Imperium to recount their part in it, for each has committed acts of courage and atrocity as they will in the name of the Emperor, yet each account differs in degree to either impress or expose. Mainly, Imperial history comes from deeply entrenched sources within the Inquisition, or even the Space Marines, who dutifully keep such records, the latter more intact than the first, for Astartes are ever in want to recount their grievances and shortfall, and, likewise, their opportunities for vengeance. Not many, indeed few, are alive today in this, our 42nd Millennium that would recount the steps of the Emperor on Ullanor with any great clarity - but the few who do can recall the lustre of his armour, and the colour of the dust upon his cloak. Such radiance exists in thier memories alone, and so, little by little and oft poorly understood, such remembrances are stored, hidden away as the great treasures they are - for there is nothing more important than being close to the fabric of origin, the weave of historical events both great and terrible, from which all subsequent existence and decisions flow. It gives a reason for persistence in the face of an uncaring universe, and yes, oblivion threatened upon that people in the howling darkness, each a small spark in a mightier conflagration, convulsing, shimmering, and provided succour by their cause - an immortal man of immortal power. It is a source of thier courage, and a long thread of hope, thinly extricated from the violent roil of warp storms and silent thunder of the cosmos, to cling to, to remain upright in the gale which batters them. Yet, the Eldar experience this as well - except almost every Eldar remains close to the source, to this fountain of youth which pervades all they do. It is a thing quickly countenanced upon that race since birth, their gestational development replete with songs of warning, of temperance, even ensconced in the strange, precarious, otherworldly safety of the womb. These songs were old when the stars were young, and so, whilst the Humans of the Imperium struggle to even comprehend the incredible adversity heaped upon them at birth, and by the time they have done so are likely dead, the Eldar are given the understanding of their birthright - the heavens are the inheritance of these immortal creatures, for they were not only made from it, but for it, and each day they exist is a deep connection not just to the beginning of their ancient race, but the commencement of the universe the Imperium and Younger Races take for granted. It is a story recounted always, and doomed to an eternal ruin, even as they see the lesser races make the same mistakes they themselves did. The Eldar remember their glories, and their histories, and the time when all was shining and peaceful. Through intemperance and wantonness, they discarded it, and in that great disposal of life and sanity, became bitter and resentful of themselves, lomging for a return to wonder and the absence of the shadows stalking their souls. It is this which proves so challenging in their encounters with other races, since Mankind's oft wilful ignorance and blundering folly reminds them so closely of their own tottering towards doom, the promise of eternal certainty and peace eclipsed in the half light - half-life - of the dark ravages of a wounded heart and limitless mind. The Differences of the Everlasting Mind: The so-called aloofness perceived by the other races is a byproduct of self-inflicted wounds, and the painful admission their race was responsible for much of the tumult which now engulfs every living thing, and now to them falls the task of surviving the downfall of that inherited existence. Indeed, the motives of the Eldar are deeply - and intentionally - concealed and misunderstood that races ignorant of the true scale of the threat find them capricious and incomprehensible. In part this is due to the motives of the Dark Kin, who, acting as slavers and reavers break even the fragile peace that exists betwixt the flickering lights of Mankind and Eldar threading order in the black canvas of the galaxy. The concealment is also a defence mechanism against the inevitable - that the scale of the fall should be revealed, and the Eldar's power be appraised for the fraction of what it once was. To understand how the facade of projected sovreignty is applied is to grapple with the instantaeneous nature of the ancient race's technology, a mirror of the completeness and adroit comprehension capable in the Aedar mind, and the seeds sown into the ultimate downfall. To Mankind, now wallowing in desperate stagnation, leaps of innovation is frowned upon, but yearned for, that things may improve and make the life of those who serve Him easier, safer and that duty may be done swiftly. It is a groaning shift of a leviathan, putting wheels into motion that may not resolve their screeching resentment of activation for centuries. Yet, it is within the power of the Eldar to deliver - now - and always has been. Indeed, this impatience is waht brought about the depths of gluttony, the terrible hunger of want - for unlike the hard-serving toilers found under the Imperium's own auspice, the Eldar became idlers, lackadasical dreamers, and fondlers of lethargy. Therefore it is the shame of this that precludes inspection, the desultory glances and guarded secrets, but it is not the sole thing. Completing the trifecta of burden is the simple truth: The Eldar must hide their own words and souls from the very one who pursues them eteranally. Known from Eldari Lexicii as She Who Thirsts. As all Emperor-fearing and loyal servants know, words and names have power, and the secrets of the universe are terrible. Think well of the maxims imparted by Inquisitor Lord Czevak, who has the most dealings with this old xenos race, and you have the soul of the Eldar in written, solid form. 'Ask not the Eldar a question, for they will give you three answers; all of which are true, and terrifying to know.' These truths are most evident as stemming from the great division in the Aedar's empire and character in a cataclysm known as the Fall. The Doom of the Asuryani: Via a translation of ancient texts, the exact date of the Fall is surrounded and obscured by events only described as the 'Terror'. The long-shrouded texts within the Black Library carry reports from outliers such as Exodites, and the original inhabitants of the Craftworlds. Launched in a mix of desperation and technological supremacy, these cosmos-faring colossi carried many hundreds of thousands of Eldar into the glacial embrace of galaxy-spanning tours which would take aeons to complete. Bookended afore and after by ruinous bloodletting, the final collapse of the old race-as-was appears to have occurred in Imperial terms around M.25. The first claws of She Who Thirsts scratched through the embryonic miasma of the warp, and into the Asuryani psyche at around M.18 with the plethora of pleasure cults, and general malaise that began to take hold in many different echelons of the culture. What was an idle fetish became an obsession, what was benign became malignant. All things were achievable to the Eldar will, thier command of psychic mastery and utter control of thier own, Old One given technological prowess, and so they engineered whim into cudgels of cultural, psychological and emotional mortification. The sane formed enclaves, preaching restraint and withdrawal from hedonistic delinquence, a return to old ways of order and challenge against the troubles of soul and firmament. Yet all knew they were somehow altered, all marked for a death at the hands of a wickedness wearing their face, speking their tongue. This was the abandonment of reason in a slowly pulsing wound, which was desperately trying to be stemmed, the lifeblood of a civilisation, of a race, being poured out to rapturous applause, a libation to oblivion. This was the First Aeldari Dark Age. The Setting: Once of a cohesive body and mind, the fractures that appeared started to fragment the Eldar flesh and psyche, for both things were the same. Yet even just before the Fall, the Aeldari were not yet fully doomed. A full spectrum of differing ideals, goals, paths and possibilities were in competition. Sects operated which were to form the burgeoning Wych and Cabal cults, along with the tender flickering of the Craftworld's Path of Seer, Warrior and Outcast. These Temples or Shrines to the Aspects were not yet fully established, nor were all the Eldar gods slain or imprisoned. The Asuryani had large fighting forces, mainly composed of automata and professional warriors, pushing out on the fringes of known space, ever expanding the empire, with their deities in harness to these goals - and the previously benign warp become more and more tumultuous. Sanity battled madness, each so fulfilling to the Eldar mind, with the absolute conviction it was right and true. The Factions: The Coreworlds: The Aeldari once lived on many worlds, but their homelands, the crucible of their birthplace was what now abides in the Eye Of Terror (Croneworlds). The cults of deviance had easily taken root here, for like Terra, where there are riches and power, there is decadence aplenty. Career Paths: Any. Cosmopolitan: Coreworlders gain (Talented) for any one Skill. The Corsairs: The Eldar who sail the stars, exploring, fighting, raiding and repelling the enemies of the Eldar. They form the ad-hoc navy of the Craftworlds they support, or pitch thier aid to noble houses with whom their idiosyncrasies align. Career Paths: Voidfarer, Pilot, Explorer, Militia (Non-Guardian), Seer. Star Children: Corsairs never count Null-G as Difficult Terrain. The Craftworlders: The city-sized spaceship voidfarers who have abandoned the Coreworlds in order to be free of the excesses and extremes, those who heard the call of reason, and saw the frightful menace swelling to encompass their race, using the strictures of the myriad Paths set by the strange and capable messianic figures of the Phoenix Lords and their discipline. Career Paths: Any Civilian, Militia Guardian (Defender, Storm Guardian), Aspect Warrior, Seer. Disciplined: Craftworld Eldar may make use of Special Tactics (Squad Mode, effectively). Soul Stone (Uaigh'fhánach). The Exodites: Outcasts of easy living and the knowledge of conurbation, these frontier-types value practicality, animal husbandry and agriculture, blended with the technological marvels to facilitate it. Shirking all but the Outcasts and Pathfinders who tread the Road of the Wanderer, and maybe the Corsairs they deal with, they immerse themselves in caretaking the maiden Worlds entrusted to them. Career Paths: Ranger, Pathfinder. Frontiersman: Exodites treat all Advanced Skills like Wrangling, Tracking, Survival etc as Basic Skills. The Hedonists: A gestalt nomenclature for the rebellious, insane, or depraved. Varying degrees of line to be crossed or those that have been. Found in Corsair parties and Coreworld salons, these salacious slaughterers and pleasure-indulgers are as varied as those they despise or ignore as weak. In control of several noble houses, if not subverting them from within, their reach is long, and their appetites deep. Career Paths: Caballist, Wych, Haemonculus. (Ability). Roleplaying as an Aeldar: Prima Facie: The superficial similarities in appearance notwithstanding, the Eldar present an interesting and varied challenge to beginner and veteran Roleplayers alike. The default setting, I would argue, is that of supercilious, aloofness. This isn't a bad start, as on the face of it, most Eldar portrayals have this all in common due to their shared history and perspective. However, there is a lot of latitude in even this attitude, especially with the situation during Fall's Prelude. The ability to portray a proto-Drukhari in a mix with normal Eldar provides for a sparky, dynamic party mix as objectives are confronted wih varying conflicting methods and attitudes. Most Eldar are contemptuous of lesser races, and with good reason; as the primary inheritors of the universe, created by the old gods as a psychic weapon and the reward was eternity as they willed. This outlook is more likely the case pre-Fall, and more so post-Fall due to the terrible resentment of loss. The Psyche: The Eldar are agile and graceful, and all things must extol this. It is a common theme to all PC Archetypes, and as such, clumsiness in speech, thought and action are all frowned upon. This is the standard the Aeldari hold, and it is one which can be so easily exploited when there is a problem. Emotionally, they have no real soft pedal, all their emotions are heightened, far in excess of the Human range, and delivered or expressed immediately. In gameplay terms this would likely be represented by some kind of Insanity Point mechanism, and person-to-person work with the GM in Session Zero to establish what these boundaries are (obviously board compliant, here). The brakes on this train would be applied by the Eldar Path chosen, so each Path (or lack thereof) would restrict the accumulation of IP's, but more IP's lets the PC do more crazy things (Perhaps a Bloodlust Talent which more IP = more bonus to attack, in exchage for less defence). The Eldar language is full of metaphor and parable, each strand of thought is a spiralling whorl of indirectness and hidden meaning. In practice, this would exceptionally tedious to go through page after page, and should be mostly used 'outside' of the immediate Character - so for example, interaction with Mon'keighs, Uruks, Double-Mon'Keighs, and people from Mablethorpe. You may refer to each other by maybe two or three names - each one appropriate to a facet or function, or 'friend' name, but perhaps not a true one. This may be a process of many different wills - as a psychic race, obviously the power of names is known, but as a cultist it is perhaps wise to have a 'street name' in order to avoid connotations...

I have a lot of scouts. Here are two of the squads using the current models. Thanks for looking.

I have two craftworlds. A bone theme I started in 3rd edition. I bought a used eshin gray army. It had a wraith lord and a unit of wraith guard in it. I completed two more wraithlords using that scheme. Wraithlords Wraithguard One model broke apart when I unpacked it. I didn't photograph it.

Going through the closet and took some photos of these models. Most of these are 3rd edition though there may be some older models scattered within. Models painted within a month of release (and it shows). I much prefer plastic. Asurmen Banshees Dark Reapers Fire Dragons

CRUSADE INTRODUCTION & GAME 1 Mêlée à Two-V-Two Aaaah, it's been too long! Truly, Crusade is the only way to play modern 40K. 10th may not be perfect - far from it - but for largely casual, theme-focused Crusade games? It's a lot of fun. After ending my last Crusade early - you can find how that all ended over on my WIP Thread Post Here - we all took a break to paint something other than Space Marines and Tyranids (and, in one case, to have a child!) before finally getting our act together in January this year to start something fresh. The line up this time is a little more diverse, which is always a good thing. Man cannot live on Marine-Nid matches alone, after all. Here's what everyone is bringing to the party - which may change, we have a few armies that are being tried out, and may be swapped for other options as the Crusade rolls on. - @Agnostic Doggo - The Treachery of Twilight, a Death Guard warband, currently infantry with some vehicle support. - Andrew - Balhaut 23rd Armoured Recon, Imperial Guard with plenty of vehicles. - Heath - The Blood Masons, World Eaters Warband, who may transform into Emperor's Children once those kits get downunder. - James - Craftworld Ulthwé, Infantry with bikes and more to come. - Kieran - WAAAAAAGH Grot-Snicker, a veritable horde of Grot Tanks. - Your Humble Blogsmith - The Ky'Vash Recon Cadre - Disorganised T'au stuff in camo. We're running Pariah Nexus, though I don't believe any of us are that interested in Blackstone, just after a different set of missions to flail at! We're also starting with more evenly painted forces, too! That extra time between Crusades has paid dividends, and we have a minimum of bare plastic, which I just LOVE to see. GAME 1 - TAU & ELDAR VS IMPERIAL GUARD The Engines of Balhaut. The Guns of Ky'Vash. Game one was lightly derailed by a positive COVID test, so we did a mix of 1v1 and 2v1 games, 500+500 against 1,000. Andrew's Guard was most ready to play at that size, so we started with James and I having a team-up. We won, too, with some casualties. My Hammerhead put in some real work, the first casualty of the game - if not for the Crusade as a whole, because by the time we started playing the 1v1 was in full swing - was the unfortunate Chimera it obliterated. It then proceeded to put holes in tanks, and be weirdly hard to hit until finally exploding on turn 4, having sat on top of a building soaked up the attention of both of Andrew's tanks. Poor bugger wasn't lucky with those hit rolls. It was other wise pretty standard. Rough Bikers taking down my Ghostkeel, James' Windriders taking out the other wing, and all our infantry scuffling over the middle objective. My Firewarriors didn't move all game, they just sat on the home objective and blasted away. Love that Fireblade, though he put in WAY more work in game 2. What really matters is that I got to shoot my railgun. Felt good. Balhaut 23rd Armoured Recon - 1,000 points. Craftworld Ulthwé - 500 points.

YTHIRIL WILD HUNTER HOST SILVER SPEARS & FIRE PRISM Three Spears of The Wild Hunt. Iyanneth's mount snarled in her mind, and bucked beneath her with every searing blast she let off with her laser lance. The bike wanted those kills for itself, or better yet to feel the hot wash of Mon-keigh blood against its hull. She soothed it - for a moment - with a gentle push through their psychic link, calming the blood crazed jetbike's proto-soul long enough to allow her next blast to strike through, and tear the leg from the crude, but dangerous walker, which crumpled to the ground as she and her hunt-mates fired past. A bad sign. That her mouth - Athrin - was so lost to The Path, what did that say of her? Too long, perhaps, among the wild and deadly Spears. It was long past the time where a more careful warrior would have stepped from The Path, and engaged oneself elsewhere, but where? What could she do but war, and what war could ever match the joy of swift death, and the searing burn of her lance? To ride the wind among the simple warriors, once-joyous seemed to flat now, so bloodless. Perhaps it would be good to give in, to be an Exarch. To give in as Athrin had, her loyal steed of wraithbone and speed, so fine beneath a gleaming, silver skin. Perhaps it would be good. Iyanneth, Shining Spear Exarch. Two updates today, only one of which I'm terribly happy with. The Shining Spears were a massive pain to assemble, even compared to the other jetbikes, as the wrist-connection made them very awkward to assemble after painting. Those open hands are much more forgiving. Also, I swear these bikes are slightly wider at the ankles. If I end up doing more Shining Spears I'll probably just assemble them on the bike and be done with it. I'll also try a different scheme, because all the silver isn't really working for me. I miss the gradient hull, and while the Exarch's spear tip looks good in red, there isn't enough outside of the green and silver going on. I'll experiment a bit, see what works next time. Illum Zar - Fire Prism. Killing light, a scouring beam that leaps from the crystal tip, and tears apart the dull and lifeless bodies of lesser warmachines. No more fearsome a weapon can be found amongst the Wild Hunt, for no greater weapon can be brought to battle at the speed the Hunt demands, but it is mighty enough. A bonded pair of pilots work in perfect unison as gunner and conveyer, bringing the heat to bear against foes of Ythiril, a weapon of such intricate perfection that any comparison to Imperial Las weaponry is laughable. True, of course, for they ultimately work on similar principals, but it is the difference between an animal swinging a held rock, and a master swordsman swinging a carbon-steel blade. Swift, scouring death. This, on the other hand, I've very happy with. The colour mix feels right, and I'm quite proud of how the cockpits came out. The freehanding isn't my best work, but it's suitable. The crystal may need to be brightened a little, it looks a little too red, but other than that this came together well. Still a pain to assemble, of course. For one thing, the bloody stand doesn't work. The balance is way off, so I can't just plug it in, it seems to require gluing, which I'm not really willing to do here. Needs to be transported somehow, and I know how much flying stands crave death. I'll probably make some other arrangement, possible via magnets. Beyond that, it was also not a perfectly fitted kit. I had to really force the halves together, and didn't quite manage, as you can see with the read of the main chassis. Not quite aligned with the rearmost fins. Oh well. I need to get a mounted hero for the army, and it'll be good for 500 point games. Probably just a Warlock on Jetbike. We'll see. I'm going to hold off on getting a bike Autarch till I know what the new version of that model - when it comes - will have access to.

YTHIRIL WILD HUNTER HOST SHROUD RUNNERS Those who roam beyond the Cold Iron Stars. Precise and true. Bound as it is to a slow, languid procession around the spior- ad a' bhàis - The Doom Spiral - Craftworld Ythiril must send its children out far afield to watch for threats to the long watch. More integrated into the Craftworld than most who walk the Path of the Outcast these rangers often choose to go to war in the style of Ythiril, joining the Wild Hunts on seeds fit for their purpose as harassers, scouts, and sharp-shooters. Rider pairs are often lovers, siblings, or bond-mates, all the better to act as one. - At 80 points a unit I'm going to be working on this little force for a while. Still, it's a fun scheme, nice and methodical, and I think it's coming together nicely with the very grounded, earthy tones and pops of warm spot colours. Need to work on my gems, though. They're a bit naff. These kits were a nightmare to put together. I do everything in assemblies, which meant assembly riders and bikes separately. Easy enough to get away with that on the Windriders, but the cloaks on these elves made it... Less fun. Ah well. Not like I'm likely to do a second squad on these. They're nice to have, but not really the focus. I have a box of Shining Spears ready to go next, and a possible Fire Prism in my immediate future. I was tempted to go with JUST bikes, but no, I think adding in a tank or two works. Eldar tanks are all so zippy anyway, they fit. Just need to decide if I want to grab a Hornet or two... Decisions, decisions.

Here is my first attempt at painting nebulas on models. The 1st pic is an airbrushed painting on a plastic card. After are my stages of completion. Thoughts are always welcome.

Started Eldar this edition. What I have isn’t really optimized, just the units I wanted to paint.

YTHIRIL WILD HUNTER HOST WINDRIDER Riding out in close formation. I've finished the first squad, and had a delightful time. I really liked this kit, even if I ran into some... Problems with my magnetisation. The weapon hole is an awkward size for the magnets I have left over from basing all my Tau, and even more awkwardly my drill bit doesn't fit my hand drill, so I had to do it manually. As such, the guns aren't quite level, with one of them unfortunately droopy. Oh well. Ultimately, I shouldn't have bothered. I've checked the rules and in 10th there's little reason not to take the Shuriken Cannon, especially because it's also the best looking option. I suppose I'll be good to go if they bring points back in 11th. The gradient is pretty close, though looking now I think I used a slightly different paint mix for the test rider. I'm not likely to do more of these until next year, but when I do I'm planning to grab some Shroud Runners. I plan to take one of every bike unit - well, every modern-ish bike unit, I think I'll wait on that Autarch - including the Harlequins, who I'm currently trying to source some alternate heads for. I like the idea of having them be more wild hunt themed, get some deerskull masks in there, some antlers. We'll see what I can dig up.

YTHIRIL WILD HUNTER HOST WINDRIDER Windrider Jetbike with Shuriken Cannon. The core of the Wild Hunt, warrior-bond teams of Windriders scour the battlefield of the enemies of Ythiril, and its charge to guard the Cold Iron Stars. The Craftworld, militaristic and dedicated, blurs the lines between citizen soldiers and the Holy Aspects, especially amongst the main body of the Host, mounted on Jetbikes that will, in time, be coaxed into becoming steeds for their riders through many paths. Note clan-marks on shoulder and wing. - Good lord, it's been a minute! I've actually painted a whole lot of things since my last update back in September, mostly T'au and additional marines for my little Badab project, but haven't really had the drive to photograph and write up blog posts. As good as the Call to Arms was, it did drain my posting energies. I've got like 700 points worth of models that only exist on the site over in the CtA. I'll have to do something about that. Meanwhile, here's an early attempt at my plan for 2025! I'm still on a xenos kick, and will be building an all jetbike (plus some grav tanks) Eldar force! That's the plan, anyway. Craftworld Ythiril is, at this stage, a minor craftworld running a lazy orbit around the ancient and mysterious 'Cold Iron Stars', some standard Weird Space Cuss for the sector I set my armies in. It's been a good year for painting green, for me, after 2023 was all about red. God help us all when I enter by blue period...

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2023/12/13/mix-and-match-aspect-warriors-to-create-the-deadliest-blades-of-khaine-kill-team/ This is one of the Asuryani kill teams that I've been waiting for. Short description (for those that haven't read the Warhammer Community article - link above) - you can mix and match Dire Avengers, Howling Banshees, and Striking Scorpions, with one Exarch from one of those shrines, into a single kill team. This is the Craftworlders' "veteran" kill team (I don't count the Anhrathe/Corsairs as "Craftworlders"). All I need now is a Black Guardians kill team and I'll have my Aeldari trifecta.

Seems like Auspex has seen a new Asurman model https://youtu.be/MfXsgB7Ynb8?si=KvLnDkZXhjHsS9xu