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Hi all, Unfortunately, due to injury, my painting and writing skills are somewhat limited at the moment! So, thought I'd share some models I painted up some 3 or 4 years ago. My painting skills have improved, since, but constructive criticism is most welcome. :)

CRUSADE GAME 2 - TAU VS ELDAR Who could have foreseen this? Immediately after successfully fending off an Imperial tank push, the two order-aligned Xenos factions have, inevitably, fallen to their own squabbling. Game 2 for the Crusade saw 500 points of Tau V Eldar on an alarmingly small board. It's fine, neither of us brought much in the way of close combat, which is more than can be said for the Chaos fight that used the board before us. We're probably going to enlarge our standard board size for the rest of these low-points games. Danger close! James brought his guardians and bikes, I brought more infantry and my battlesuit commander with retinue, and at 500 points those elite units really throw their weight around. This one also ended in a victory for my Tau, but a costly one. It seems my stealthsuits crave death, and are granted it gladly, and my ethereal managed to catch a powersword the moment he was done doing his mid-board objective. Both the battlesuits and strike team took a beating, too, though both squads ended up winning things for me by sheer weight of firepower, and a dogged refusal to die. None of these units should be in close combat. Things to take away from this one: massed pulse pistols can, sometimes, make up for the abysmal Tau punching, and I really, REALLY need to make my ethereal a firewarrior bodyguard if I want him to keep doing that 3DP agenda. Don't worry, I have plans. I'll leave you with some shots of James' delightful Ulthwé force, on what turned out to be their final index game! We'll see how it does with a new set of rules and points costs. A commanding presence. Gotta go fast, again.

Thought I'd make a quick post to share my Call to Arms progress after 23 days. Everything but the webway gate is undercoated, and the current colours things are are in the list below: 1x Neurotyrant (5pts) 2x neurospore things (2pts) 11x Neurogaunts (11pts) 5x Barbgaunts (5pts) 3x VRL's (3pts) 1x Screamer Killer (5pts?) 1x Winged Tyranid Prime (5pts) 1x Psychophage (5pts) 5x Wraithguard (5pts) 1x Spiritseer (5pts) 1x Webway gate (6pts) Completion 15/59pts The Barbgaunts were conpleted on Friday, and the Wraithguard finished also. I quite enjoyed painting these, the wraithguard in particular went quickly with contrasts!

I had a trip to WHW with a few other B&C folk a couple of weeks ago and managed to get some games in, mostly with @Excessus, either playing with or against him! It's been a while since he'd played, so we just did primaries on a random mission, which turned out to have 5 objectives, we did 5pts per command phase for each objective held, and used nachmund rules. My list 1250pts Craftworlds Patrol - Swift strikes and mobile fighters Autarch, Warlord, 2+" move, falchou's wing, fusion gun 5 rangers, wireweave 10 avengers, dual cats 10 banshees, piercing strikes, mirrorswords 6 spiders 3 spears, hearstrike, paragon sabre Prism Serpent - lances Serpent - scatters Alpha Legion Chaos lord in TDS - Black mace master of possession - fleshy thing and 4+ invuln 10 renegade guard - plasma, grenade 10 renegade guard - plasma, grenade 2x 5 marines, plasma 5 terminators hellbrute - tllas, MoT hellbrute - bolters, MoT grav rapier venomcrawler venomcrawler Deployment - I won the roll off and Excessus had to deploy first and stuck everything pretty much as far forward as possible, the lord and terms started in DS Reserve. The 5 man csm unit forward operaratived onto the east objective. CWT1 I won the roll off to go first, and generally shuffled around and the prism advanced 21" onto the north objective. Nothing got out yet. The prism shot the lascannon hellbrute, but the MoT deflected one of the wounds, however I rolled well on the second and knocked it down to 1 wound, the rangers then managed a lucky mortal on it to kill it. The lance serpent then killed the grav rapier before I could find out what it does. Spears shuffled back. ALT1 Everything moved forwards, venomcrawlers shoot and kill the spears (!), a crawler and the other CSM make it onto the central objective, so it's currently 3-2 to the alphas. Other random shooting knocks 6W off the prism. CWT2 10 vp for primaries. The other dread has to die, so I maneuvered stuff around. This was a generally unsuccessful turn, I got 10 VP for 2 objectives, but it took basically all my shooting to kill that second dread and knock some wounds off a crawler. The avengers got out to shoot something also (mistake) ALT2 15vp. The terms came in 9" from my front line, blocking access to the central objective. Avengers got shot up with 5 dead, one crawler managed a charge on a serpent, but fluff the attacks, the terminators fail the charge. Score is 10-15 to the AL. The CSM approach... End of my T2 The Terminators arrive CWT3 10vp for primaries. The banshees hopped out to counter the terminators, they basically go where they want with a 6" advance, 8" move then 3" deploy, but the chaos lord was tucked away limiting access. I fall back with the serpent being attacked by the crawler and fire and fade to let it shoot. The spiders then hop onto the objective to either shoot the crawler or something else. Everything shoots the venomcrawler, it dies and explodes, kiling 3 banshees (!), wounding my autarch twice, and killing a spider. Scatters start thinning cultists on their home objectve. The exarch goes into the lord with 3 other banshees, the remainder, minus the dead 3, go into the terms. I forgot to battle focus the autarch, so he goes in as well. The exarch and 3 banshees knock the lord down to 3w (very good rolling on saves) while the rest of the banshees kill 3/5 of the terminators (less good rolling). The lord then swings back with the black mace wound spillover and wipes the banshees alone. ALT3 Terms go after the rangers on my home objective, the MoP heals the lord for 3W. the east CSM move to the centre with the MoP, the central CSM move toward the western objective. Bit of scattered shooting kills some spiders lord charges my autarch and kills him. 20-30 to the AL. CWT4 10 vp. all my tanks cycle clockwise to get onto the SE objective, scatters wipe their guard off the home objective, prism shoots the other cultists, but CP spent to auto pass morale. random shooting kills a term. ALT4 10VP. Terms move towards the rangers, the get fleshed to recover the flamer which kills the rangers. lord tries to chase a serpent. CSM moves to the serpent on the NW objective in the photo below and manages a long charge into it to ObSec me off it. 30-40 to the AL What was left at the end of T4. My tanks had managed to get into the AL DZ, however hadn't inflicted enough damage to knock them off objectives. The terms at the bottom fleshy cursed the flamer back to life and flamed the rangers, a lone csm marine managed a long charge onto my lance serpent to the left there, which denied me that objective sealing the win for the Alphas - I should have kept a CP for a to hit roll. CWT5 5 vp. I just shuffle, prism and scatters try to kill the last guard, but they survive to deny me the east objective. bracketed serpent fails to kill the csm in contact with it. ALT5 terms move onto my home objective. Nothing else of note. 15VP at the end, for a final score or 35-55 to the despicable Alpha legion!

Hi everyone, I've been working on a project for a few months creating aspect warrior styled wraithlords - because not every soul stone plugged into one of these wraith constructs is going to come from a dead farmer who died in glorious battle, right? Don't get me wrong, I love the vanilla wraith constructs and I think their designs are an absolute classic (as most Eldar designs are - yes I'm biased), but it would be nice to give them a little more flavour for the heroic spiritstones who died while following one of the warrior paths. All of the wraithlords for the main infantry aspect shrines (barring warp spiders and shadow spectres) are already converted and one is completely finished and painted. As such, I'll be posting WIP pics of them from completion of the conversions up to them being fully painted. I may also do a few more for other paths (the afformentioned warp spiders and shadow spectres, but also possibly a ranger wraithlord and who knows what else?), but those will be started somewhere down the line, possibly after I've finished painting the ones I have converted so far. So, to kick things off, here's a group pic of all the converted wraithlords, barring the one that is painted, which was completed last but ironically painted first. From left to right, I have: Vanilla wraithlord with converted double handed sword grip (who is the companion for another modelling project who's already completed and painted - I may post her here, too...) Striking Scorpion wraithlord with converted mandiblasters, chainsword and modified, sneaky pose. Dark Reaper wraithlord with double missile launchers, antenna and double shuriken catapult Dire Avenger wraithlord with handheld shuriken cannon, back-slung wraithsword and telescoped camera Swooping Hawk wraithlord with handheld bright lance, exarch hawk wings backpack and decoractive shoulder guard wingtips, plus landing (or possibly taking off backwards) pose. Howling Banshee wraithlord with double swords, converted head/hair and balancing (hopefully graceful looking) one footed pose. The vanilla, scorpion and banshee wraithlords are based on other people's conversions. I'll update with individual pics of each wraithlord over the coming weeks, starting with the only one not pictured (Fire Dragon) in the next few days. Hope people enjoy them!

I started a proper Harlequin army the day 9th edition was announced. This thread is a consolidation of my Harlequin work, thoughts, and maybe even battle reports. I'm always open ro positive criticism. I fear my best painting days lie somewhere in the '90s, and I hope to learn new stuff nevertheless. Completed Models First Starweaver 1 / 2 Second Starweaver 1 / 2 Third Starweaver 1 / 2 Fourth Starweaver 1 / 2 Work in Progress Shadowseer Day One 1 / 2 My Harlequin Gallery

I'm looking to build an 8th ed army from my favourite eldar unit, the Swooping Hawks. I have Baharroth and about 20 Hawks still left over from when I sold my eldar army back in the day. I'm interested in seeing if any of you eldar lore masters have any knowledge about a craftworld that puts particular focus on the Hawks. I know that Baharroths craft world got eaten by chaos marines so that out. But I would love to know if there is one out in the greater fluff. If not I'll just have to focus on a shrine. Cheers chaps Sam

Hello there! First time poster, long time lurker in the Eldar sub-forum. I'm a longtime Heresy player and decided to finally dip my toe into 40k. Eldar were my very first 40k army way back in the late 90's so it's nice to come back to them. Ulthwé has always been my favorite craftworld; I enjoy painting black and the Farseers and Warlocks were always my favourite units to field. I've got a substantial amount of minis lying around that I'm now getting onto, and decided that it would be rude not to start with a HQ choice. I love the plastic Farseer so he was my first port of call. I know Eldar aren't known for their 'gritty' style, and it isn't for everyone, but I come from a predominantly Heresy background and I've always gone heavy on the weathering. I decided to try a little on my Eldar. Not so much rust, and proper chipping but trying to make it just look a little more...aged. I love seeing Eldar with clean lines but I'm a dreadful painter when it comes to that sort of style so plumped for what I know best! Here's my Farseer, I think he's pretty much done now. I wanted the focus to be pulled to certain spot colours. Teal is my favourite colour so went for Hawk Turquoise on the gems, and had red for any sashes and such. To make these stand out, I went for as much black as possible on the robes. I was a bit unsure re: witch weapons but wanted them to look more subtle and so went with a subtle grey scheme. I've got next up 5 Wraithblades with Ghost Axes I'm just about to start up on. Any c&c's, please feel free to say!

As much as it has consumed my reading for the past year and a half, I've still only scratched the surface of the Black Library's output. As my collection grows and shrinks, I've noticed my main focus is on Space Marines. I'd like to have at least 1 good book for each "faction" down the line, so I was wondering what people would recommend as reading for the main xenos races. That is, recommendations for Tau, Eldar, Tyranids, Necrons, and anything else you can think of. Working through Legends of the Dark Millenium: The Tau Empire at the moment, seems fine so far but nothing mind blowing. Anyone have an opinion on Fire Warrior?

As the title says. What brought you to Commorragh? I'll start, and I have three reasons, first one being that they have good models. Really good models, I'd argue that they are some of GW's very best, as far as armies go. I like the hard edges and flowimg armor panels, and the spikes are a nice, welcome touch. Secondly, the Dark Eldar (usually) have a freedom that the uptight Craftworlders do not, which makes for some quite interesting kabals and characters. And there is absolutely no loyalty or sense of caring for your fellow man, if you're fighting with someone at your side it's because it's safer to have someone with you, nothing more. It's kill or be killed, and almost everything you get for yourself in the Eternal City is earned the hard way. I have an odd respect for that, even though it usually means a lot of knifework. Thirdly, and probably most important to me, is that they're really evil, it's almost impossible to top what the True Kin do for entertainment, the Dark Eldar really ram home the 'grim darkness of the far future' in a way many other things can't. Sure, working on an imperial forgeworld and being doomed to a short, miserable life sucks. Getting conscripted to the Imperial Guard is also bad, but nothing compares to what the Dark Eldar will do, your fate with them is a nightmare that, in certain cases, never ends.

Craftworld Yin-Sarr Name: Yin-Sarr Meaning: The last scream which burns in the heavens. Current location: Galactic north-east Main colours: Dark crimson, bright yellow, white. Reputation: Isolationist, Distrusting Motto: (Approximate primary Gothic translation) "Death need not be the end of hope." Background: It is a terrible fate to be the scions of a dead god. To watch their greatest triumphs fail, see their effigies burn and their realms consumed by a being of hungering night is a sight burned into their racial memory. Each reacts differently, shaping their cultures and the ways of their children for millennia to come. In some such a tragedy inspires fear, in others resentment or even rage, and the all-consuming desire to cling onto the ashes of a revenant empire. Yet in one it inspired rebirth, to cast away all that their ancestors had forged in favour of building an enduring dynasty among the forgotten worlds. The few mariners who brave the dwindling stars of the galactic north speak of a voidborne relic from lost ages in hushed dread tones, knowing it only as an ill omen and by the celestial warriors which follow in its wake. To these mon-keigh it is known by many names: The Baleweaver, Chiron's Longship, the Talon of Thrakan; each fearing it as some god slaking its wrath upon mortal races. Yet none among them know its true nature, or the ambition which drives it onwards even as the galaxy slides ever further towards midnight. Known to antiquity as Yin-Sarr, the craftworld was unique even among the nomadic trade-cities. Serving as a self-appointed pioneer and outpost of the Empire it would disappear into the galactic east for countless centuries at a time; its task was not to spread wealth among the heartland but uncover feudal species to exploit for their treasures. Documenting thousands cultures across the sea of constellations, it escaped annihilation only by sheer chance. Descending from the Webway to recharge its solar sails whilst returning to the Empires heartland, the craftworld was met with a convoy of eldar vessels light years from its borders. Ill equipped for any long journey, its crewmen initially refused contact entirely, only relenting upon realised how little the craftworld's leaders knew of the Empire's decay. From these exiles they learned of a world gone mad. They spoke not of a people in their ascendance but a realm of decadence, populated only by degenerate murderers and savages. Enraged at the very suggestion of the depravity now found in the Empire the Yin-Sarrians were ready to slaughter the exiles, until they were proven all too true. In a screaming cry echoed in the voices of trillions of eldar, Slaanesh tore its way into existence. The craftworld's leaders could only watch in mounting horror as its birth cries ripped open the fabric of reality itself, consuming the core worlds of their Empire. At the sight of such an act, they did as all surviving eldar would and turned tail, racing for the fringes of the galaxy itself. Spurning contact even with other survivors out of fear they might have borne the corrupting influence which had damned their species, Yin-Sarr went into seclusion, hiding among the fringe worlds. Throughout the next ten millennia it would remain there, seemingly dormant, retaining contact only with the cluster of Exodite worlds founded by the fleet they had encountered on that final day. Gradually forgotten by history or ignored by the greater powers of the universe, Yin-Sarr slipped into legend and became little more than a half-remembered myth of an older age. This was exactly as its Farseers had wished. Their return to the Eastern Fringe had not been any mad flight of terror, but a calculated decision. Far from the bleeding Eye which had consumed their home, they began appearing again among the primitive alien societies of worlds charted for resources. Already seen by some as mythical entities or servants of their gods, the inhabitants of these planets were easily bent to their will, selecting those species they felt deserved to ascend and advance at a rapid pace. This was no act of compassion or charity however, but one of self-preservation. Eldar numbers were growing fewer with every passing year. Gradually dwindling as they bore Asuryan's final gift, they simply could not afford to lose more of their kind in war. So, as the Old Ones did before them, Yin-Sarr began to shape primative species into their armies. Some worlds were intentionally seeded with the remnants of defeated WAAAGHs!, to ensure they would grow strong with conflict. Others were besieged by disasters, civil wars or strife to harden them against a future of eternal war, each guided by the subtle manipulations of Yin-Sarr's Seers. Yet for every one allowed through to improve their skills at war, the craftworld intervened to protect them from dozens they were unprepared for. Explorator fleets sent to these planets disappeared into the Warp, druchii raiders were silently cut down even as they fell upon seemingly defenceless primitives, and Rogue Traders mysteriously found themselves side-tracked to new destinations. Even going so far as to destroy the fledgling Jagged Revenants chapter when they threatened a protectorate race, the craftworld savagely defended its interests. While many would die out across the millennia, to failed trials as much as outside threats, the few who remained had been molded by ten thousand years of atrocities and invasions. Each was a warrior race, loyal only to the craftworld and bore a relentlessness which was only matched by their brutality. The perfect living weapons to fight in the name of a Yin-Sarrian Empire. Tested against isolated ork worlds, Imperial outposts and even slumbering Necron tomb complexes, as M42 dawned Yin-Sarr gathered its allies for battle. With the Imperium crumbling, now was the time to ensure eldar dominion across the galaxy once more... Culture And Traditions: For many of the eldar on Yin-Sarr, tradition is something to be despised as much as it is revered. While they view kin obsessed with their lost empire and deities with disdain, clinging to the ghosts of a dead regime, many societal traditions are regarded as sacrosanct. Maintaining face in front of another House or rival group is something crucial to their kind, and breaking with etiquette even among social greetings is considered a high offense. This is perhaps at least in part thanks to what has further cemented a rift between themselves and the rest of their species, as has their treatment of their distant cousins. The exact importance and nature of certain traditions wildly varies between each House, with each retaining entirely different standards of etiquette. While certainly loyal to a core system and series of laws, how it is interpenetrated can result in seemingly contradictory functions. Many mistake this for a weakness at first, as it creates continual friction among their people, but such individuals often do not fully understand the intention of such a society. Rather than ensuring the certainty of internal war, they encourage constant vigilance for the slightest weakness and the ability to adapt to a hundred different personal codes. Yet most importantly, it trains each eldar performs their role without fault. With each House's power relying upon maintaining status, reputation, and cultural understanding of others, many are trained from birth to retain the traits they need to seek out failings and control their serf races. Furthermore, for as often as they indirectly combat one another, the looming threat beyond their borders is what fully unites them, with some Houses existing purely to serve in that role. Many even go so far as to act as a proxy foe in times of peace, testing the defences of the craftworld and probing its weaknesses to ensure no House ever allows its guard to fall. Despite breeding social conflict, order is maintained by devotion to the craftworld as a whole and obedience to their superiors. Discussions and councils among their kind are rare indeed, and conflicts of opinion or dissatisfaction are settled purely by societal rank. In the few cases that some are regarded as being on equal standing on their Path, it is settled by a rapid display of skill, with the loser falling in line without question. Despite this ordered nature, Yin-Sarr's populace favour changing Paths at an astounding rate. Understanding of a Path is valued far higher than mastering it in a martial or skill based sense; resulting in many breaking off and following another way of life so that they might be given time to contemplate their discoveries. Unconventional to say the least, this has led to others returning to certain Paths later in their life rather than leaving them entirely as would be encouraged on the likes of Alaitoc or Iyanden. Perhaps the strangest part of Yin-Sarr's nature and its culture is its attitude towards xenos races, and the future of the eldar. The craftworld is, as all are, determined to survive no matter the cost to others. On the edge of oblivion, they would see the galaxy reduced to ash so long as it ensured the final end of the Primordial Annihilator and the ascendance of a new Eldar Empire. However, as the millennia has worn on, many have begun to question if this is even truly viable. With so many ruined craftworlds now drifting among the stars, with their numbers dwindling with each passing day, any chance of true victory appears increasingly unlikely. This has seeded a grim fatalistic determination among outlying members their kind, who now seek to endure by any meaning or means they can conceive. Should the Ynnead gambit fail, should they prove to be unable to defeat Slaanesh and the last of the eldar fall, their eternal war will have been a pointless endeavor. It would be a footnote following the Fall at best, and little more than the thrashing last moments of a dying beast. As such, their serf species serve more than just as fodder. Many, through both subtle and obvious means, have had their cultures altered to match the ways of the eldar. Through a baseline copy of the Path system and various innate teachings, they have been trained to limit the affects of Chaos and even taught to suppress psykers from an early age. Certain cruder replicates of eldar values even exist among these species, reflecting the craftworld's societal hierarchy. While little more than a shadow of the complex meanings and ideals the eldar hold dear, some Farseers hope that from this seed these aliens might evolve to become their successor should they dwindle to nothingness. Craftworld Description: The few who have been permitted access to Yin-Sarr's inner domains have described a spartan, almost joyless world. Whereas most craftworlds are sanctuaries, refuges and relics containing the remnants of their past society, these eldar have all but abandoned their prior identity. No statues are made in worship to their race's pantheon, few remaining banners still depict the eldar gods at all, and the very act of speaking about the Empire is a taboo at best. While the exact reason is lost to the ages, it has been suspected that this may have been the result of some mad act of shame;' with their ancestors destroying symbols of the flawed realm they once venerated so not to repeat any of their mistakes. Only a scant few remnants such as the Shrine of the Avatar remain, and none truly know how many relics may have been lost amid this alleged purge. The only link to Yin-Sarr's past which has remained truly untouched, even encouraged to flourish, are the craftworld's gardens. Stretching for kilometers at a time, these grounds are home to species once unique to the maiden worlds, many of which are now all but extinct. Considered almost sacred they have even been allowed to run wild and grow unchecked, bereft of the control found elsewhere. These grounds are often used as meeting places between the craftworld's Farseers and diplomats from their primitive serf races. Assisting in making their leaders more malleable to their will, they serve to unsettle the primitives by gathering them in locations familiar to their kind, yet leaving the sight of vast alien citadels dominating the skies overhead. It is also among these jungles that many of their Aspect Warrior shrines can be found, particularly those of the Striking Scorpion, who favour the dense and enclosed fauna. The true cities of the craftworld dominate the upper tiers over the gardens. Linked by vast complex walkways and bridge networks, these core bastions are closer in some respects to Imperial Hive Cities than others of their kind. Total privacy is considered a lie here, and many buildings are openly planned with rooms separated less by walls than simple aesthetic choices. This is in stark contrast to the streets beyond, many of which are so narrow it is difficult for two eldar to walk abreast. This is in part a reflection of the ordered nature of their society, and the greater level of trust shown to the closest of their kin, but also a defensive choice. These streets and bridges make the massed offensive formations favoured by the Imperium's armies or Ork WAAAGHs! impossible, forcing them to advance piecemeal into eldar territory. At the same time the interior layout of many buildings have been constructed to serve as easy staging areas during defensive actions, or even bottlenecks to divert an army away from vital areas of the city-ship. As the craftworld itself has evolved over the millennia, it has gradually transformed to reflect the guarded mentality of its population. While its exterior hull still bares signs of extravagance and a far more open nature, most have long since slipped away. The massive crystal domes which once dotted its surface have long since been covered by massive slabs of wraithbone, leaving only a scant handful still open to space. Furthermore, the solar sails which one adored its dorsal have gradually been drawn back, pushed to its aft as the craftworld's fore expanded into a protective armored bulk. When viewed from the void beyond, Yin-Sarr now resembles a squat arrow-headed bastion of wraithbone. Military Doctrine & Formations: In spite of their militant nature, Yin-Sarr's warhost is often seen as a last resort. Deployed only when all options have been exhausted, they are treated as the craftworld's ultimate sanction and tasked with utterly annihilating a foe. While some mistake this at first as a sign of weakness, it is more a reflection upon their thought process and core ideology. Why risk others knowing of their existence and the lives of so many warriors, when fate itself can be reshaped in their favour? Examining the strands of fate, Farseers pick out and alter careful events at a whim, sometimes offering a minor nudge to alter future events or altering the social consciousness of a population. Their favoured tactic is societal manipulation, telepathically implanting concepts or widespread ideas which alter the nature of a people. While this process is undeniably slow, often taking centuries at a time to bear fruition, its effectiveness cannot be denied. Mon'keigh factions can be easily played against one another by this means, and more than once the very racial memory of certain xenos raiders have been altered until they view the eldar as unearthly reapers of souls. Most importantly however, it has also allowed the craftworld to rapidly expand their influence, making primitive xenos races more accepting of their rule. By this way of war, many battles have been won without their foes ever witnessing an eldar upon the field of battle. Yet, when battle itself it is unavoidable, Yin-Sarr's first response is always its navy. Boasting an astounding armada of capital ships despite the craftworld's limited resources, they are capable of quickly surrounding and annihilated enemy ships in wave upon wave of fast moving voidcraft. Such conflicts are often over within mere hours of sighting the enemy, but a more favoured tactic is utilising the cruisers of their serf species. While certainly crude by comparison, they have benefited from the guidance of eldar shipmasters and reflect the eldar way of war. Many a Rogue Trader has underestimated the speed at which these craft can strike, and are often only aware of any eldar presence once Aspect Warriors have boarded their vessel. The ability to disguise eldar involvement in war is not merely limited to their navy, and the warhost itself is remarkably bereft of eldar. The backbone of any assault often consists almost entirely of xenos serf warriors, each trained to take the place of Guardian squads or more highly valued Wraithguard. Unwilling to risk either civillians or their honoured dead in war, Yin-Sarr instead deploys these warriors as as front-line fighters. At a fundamental level, each warrior is individually outfitted and equipped to cover as many roles as possible, from close engagements to anti-armour duty. This allows them to overcome their inherent sluggishness when compared with eldar warriors, and to quickly adapt to the flow of battle. Through this, they can separate units from a main enemy force, isolating them before Aspect Warriors move in to deliver the killing blow. However, Guardians are not the only unit absent from the warhost. Thanks to their isolationist policies no citizen is permitted to walk the Path of the Outcast and truly explore the galaxy, robbing Yin-Sar of Rangers to call upon in times of war. Instead, the few who break away often join the Exodite clans allied with the craftworld, sometimes going so far as to permanently settle among them. This has allowed them to foster closer diplomatic ties, and as a result Dragon Knights have become a common sight among eldar expeditions. While lacking the innate speed and firepower of a jetbike, their value as scouts is immeasurable, as is the speed at which they adapt to even the harshest Death Worlds. Advancing far ahead of the warhost, many worlds have fallen thanks to these warriors rapidly silencing artillery positions and scouts; some even then annihilating rearguard position of an amassed enemy force once the battle is joined. In return for these services the Exodites themselves benefit from superior equipment, and many clans even retain archaic variants of Wraithknights to assist in the defence of their lands. Foreign Association and Affairs: Despite limiting itself to patrolling its protectorate worlds, Yin-Sarr nevertheless retains a close watch on galactic events. Everything from the rise of the Red Corsairs to the slow death of the Astronomican heralds a new beginning for the universe, and it is one the craftworld can ill afford to ignore. As such, while the craftworld's power is supposedly limited to a handful of systems, for past millennia it has slowly been working its agents into a number of prominent Imperial worlds among the Eastern rim. From traders to bureaucrats, many serve as unwitting spies for the eldar, having been abducted and then mentally remapped by their Farseers. In some cases these acts are subtle, opening a window into the mind of the mon'keigh so his every act and sight might be broadcast back to the craftworld. In others, entire "mask" personalities are woven into their neural pathways, taking control when required and acting in their service. Such spies often find their way into positions of power, or serve as the linchpin for adjoining worlds among the Imperium. Given the apparent incompetence or poor decisions made under their leadership, these figures have been gradually weakening the sectors world by world, as much to prevent expansion as to slowly inspire a hatred for the Terran government. The moment a pro-Imperial power becomes a true threat, the eldar agents can incite chaos, anarchy or infighting to ensure that these worlds remain a backwater slum, each barely able to support themselves. When the most direct intervention and control is not possible, the Yin-Sarrians seek to ensure an optimal future comes into play. The right man in the right place can so often mean all the difference on a world, and it is not unheard of for the craftworld to shape an entire alien life to their will. At the very least, the birth, upbringing, career and eventual defection of Archmagos Thrachan to the Tau Empire has been confirmed; an act which would give the fledgling aliens an edge against a multitude of future druchii raids. Even when confronted by their own kind, Yin-Sarr remains closed off and shuns contact with outsiders. Among the Craftworld Eldar only Biel-Tan is regarded with any measure of respect, thanks largely to their relationship with the Exodites. Meanwhile, all others are treated as potentially corrupted by Chaos or viewed with disdain for venerating their dead gods. This makes contact difficult at the best of times, and is hardly helped by Yin-Sarr's language barrier. While they retain an older dialect of the eldar language, their lexicon seems to have directly altered the meaning of, and even removed, many words linked to the pantheon entirely. This has resulted in stilted and oddly clipped inner language, with some terms even replaced by those normally exclusive to the Exodites. Despite this often rocky relationship, Yin-Sarr rarely displays true hostility towards any craftworld, merely guarded refusal to accept any direct contact with their kind. They have nevertheless been known to assist other forces, returning lost spirit stones to their homes and even diverting impending cataclysms from their borders. While they might not support their actions, they are merely viewed as misguided and untrustworthy rather than deserving of true hatred. In stark contrast to this, the druchii and their corsair brethren are regarded with absolute contempt, representing the worst their race is capable of. Seeing them as little more than remnants of a power which should have been annihilated millennia ago, the craftworld has actively hunted fleets to extinction and Kabalite forces are destroyed on sight. On many occasions, Yin-Sarr has laid traps for their degenerate kin, using their serf races as bait. These are intended not to merely defeat their foes, but subject them to utter humiliation before annihilating them completely. Some have been found in the wake of a battle, left naked and chained in place for the predators of a Death World to find, while others have been stripped of all feeling, sight and taste before being slowly burned alive. Even those who retreat are relentlessly hounded by the Yin-Sarr warhost, and their forces have been seen pursuing Kabalite raiding parties back into the Webway, waging war within its corridors. The only value the Autarchs see in these splintered factions is their strength of arms. This refer not to the warriors themselves but their vessels and machines of war, as many corsair kingdoms retain relics not seen since the Fall. As such, upon finding the home of a pirate prince, Yin-Sarr often deploys its forces en-mass to liberate these assets. Centuries of planning can be put into these operations, even going so far as to trigger entire wars among lesser races to draw them out of hiding or stretch their forces too thin. This would go some way to explain the explosive growth of the Yin-Sarrian fleet, and the mysteriously large number of Haven Spire fortresses which now stand guard over allied Exodite worlds.

So, I thought that I would give an insight into (the pretentiously labelled) "Kage-verse" when it comes down to the Craftworld Eldar. This will be the basis for my idiosyncratic Craftworld for my mini painting (hopefully that will go well), so not a waste either way, but when it comes to the setting this is my basis for the Eldar as a whole that you can tweak to fit the established, canonical Craftworlds. This is probably going to be more bulletpoints/thumbnails until I get to seriously write it up. (It seems that my little supplement was more fragmentary than I recalled!) Inspiration: Peter F. Hamilton. The Reality Dysfunction. Edenist habitats CRAFTWORLD SOCIETY/GOVERNMENT The society of the Craftworlds is a strange hybrid of a number of distinct cultures and sub-cultures forced together as a result of the The Fall. Three major parts of society/government: Ancestor [The Past]. Eldar that have suffered death of the physical form. They transfer into the Infinity Circuit with full consciousness and can act individually for as long as they have the will to do so. Clan [The Present]. These are elective organisations drawing Eldar with similar ideologies and goals. They can be kin-based, but this is the exception rather than the norm. Clan leadership is exclusively derived from those indiviuals who have returned from following the Path of the Outcast. Seer [The Future]. Formed from a combination of the esoteric disciplines. Farseers are separate/advisory, *not* the leaders? Others to include: The Court of Khaine. Kaela Mensha Khaine (Shard; Infinity Circuit) The Young King [Ancestor; ceremonial] The Blood King [Clan; "Autarch"] The Blood Sage [Seer] Other Courts? THE PATH (Ai'elethra) There are five (5) Paths to the Eldar Path: Seer. Development of estoric abilities. Warrior. Development of martial abilities. Steward. Servants to society. Seeker. Explorers of science, art, and the esoteric. Outcast [Eshairr]. Those that fight the constraints of the Path. This differs from canonical treatments where everything is described as a Path. The difference is the use of terminology for older materials, e.g. WD 127, which describes "Ways". Herein, "Ways" are subdivisions of each Path, e.g. the discipline expressed through the "Howling Banshee" is a Way on the Path of the Warrior. The significance here is that an individual can become trapped on a Way OR a Path, with the former being more common than the latter: * Way-sworn. Individuals that have become trapped on a single Way, e.g. Exarchs of a single Temple. * Path-sworn. Individuals that are trapped on a Path, but cycle between the Ways. The wonderful thing about this structure, based on the original background, is that you don't have to invent some nonsense "Path of Command". Autarchs are, for all intents and purposes, Path-sworn Exarchs. (The selected Autarch would likely carry the term "Blood King" or "Blood Queen" if the gendered route is taken.) Thinking More on Outcasts Outcasts must necessarily forgo the protections of the Path. What are those protections? Compartmentalisation of the mind so that the Eldar focuses on the development of a number of related skills/abilities (Primary Abilities). They may readily access Secondary Abilities, or supporting skills that are otherwise not developed on any given Path/Way (as therein defined). Other skills/abilities that are not relevant are locked behind the construct of the Path and are more difficult to access. Outcasts, on the other hand, allow the breakdown of these barriers. <-- Need some way of representing this. (C.f. corruption from GURPS Horror?) TECHNOLOGY Previously I had taken the route that the Eldar had mundane technology to which they added estoric technologies ("warpcraft"). I'm no longer sure about this and would love to discuss the possibilities with learned people of the 40k lore! For example, previously I had Wraithbone as a nanopolymer (based on the literal definition of "psychoplastic") but should I lean towards the "fantasy" interpretation, i.e. psychically malleable energy (or the equivalent of ectoplasm)? This then became a channel for esoteric energies. The long-run idea is to avoid the notion that the Eldar can create matter and are functionally a post-singularity culture that is devoid of resource requirements. Unless they are...? * * * There's a whole bunch of stuff not covered here. I thought that I would throw it out there in case something jarred inappropriately, or there were some possibly better (and newer) interpretations out there that would need to be synthesised into the broader whole etc. Looking forward to the (hopefully) discussion!

BLOOD ANGELS VS BIEL-TAN 2000 POINTS MISSION: SECURE & CONTROL Blood Angels list: Biel-Tan List BLOOD ANGELS DEPLOYMENT Scouts take up position in the fort, tanks and transports fan out, Rapiers, Devastators and Captain in ruins and jump units in orbit… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6950.jpg BIEL-TAN DEPLOYMENT Sneaking in the shadows, out of sight… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6952.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 1 Eldar swarm over the side of the fort and make short work of the Blood Angels scouts… First Blood http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6957.jpg The Crimson Hunter and Artillery barely scratch the paintwork of the Blood Angels armour but the Vyper does some damage to a Baal Predator after a Farseer weakens it with Doom… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6956.jpg The War Walkers take out a Rapier before it has a chance to fire – the gunners duck for cover and come out unscathed… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6955.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 1 The Sanguinary Guard and their commanders descend from orbit and make an immense leap to slice through the Eldar artillery like a hot knife through butter… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6966.jpg The Blood Angels armour focuses fire on the Crimson Hunter and blow it out of the sky… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6967.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 2 The Vyper finishes off the Baal Pred… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6972.jpg Despite their master-crafted armour and concealed position, the Sanguinary Guard take heavy losses from massed Eldar firepower… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6973.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 2 The Red Thirst takes the Sanguinary Guard and their escort, and they charge headlong into a massacre of overwatch and failed charges… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6975.jpg The remaining Baal Pred and Devastators whittle away at the Eldar in the fort… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6977.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 3 It takes the entire Eldar force to bring down the Blood Angels HQs… Slay the Warlord http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6980.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 3 With the forward position overrun, the Blood Angels consolidate to defend their own objective… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6979.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 4 The Eldar march en-masse, taking pot-shots as they go… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6984.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 4 Blood Angels covering fire makes short work of the Guardians… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6986.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 5 The remaining Eldar continue to put pressure on the defenders… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6989.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 5 The beleaguered Angels make a last stand around the objective, with the Devastators and Rapier providing covering fire under command of the lone Captain… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6995.jpg BIEL-TAN TURN 6 In a brutal round of shooting, the remaining Eldar take down the tactical marines to a man. Dire Avengers move on the objective and jetbike-borne Farseers threaten the Blood Angels’ position… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_6997.jpg BLOOD ANGELS TURN 6 Devastators and Rapier fire whittle down the Dire Avengers and destroy another Walker. The Rhino rams the Avengers killing another, but three remain to claim the objective. The other Rhino does likewise to the Farseers but fails to finish them… Linebreaker http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_7001.jpg Meanwhile the lone Warlock has sneaked onto the Eldar’s own objective… http://www.themightybrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IMG_7003.jpg FINAL SCORE BIEL-TAN: 9 BLOOD ANGELS: 0 A sad day for Baal. Lessons learned: spectacular as the charge from deep strike was (I rolled 11, 10, 10 and 9 to bring the Guard, Libby and Priest all into combat), this left them in a vulnerable position with so many of the Eldar still being in that half of the battlefield. This was compounded when the Red Thirst took me and I attempted to make another assault the following turn, when I should have counted my blessings and fallen back to a defensive position – especially as the Priest can revive one squad member per turn (and indeed did so once). In general I also spread my forces out too much and should have kept everything tighter, units supporting each other. I forgot until the last turn that Rhinos can charge (and thus eat Overwatch!). I also kept forgetting my Command Points and ended the game with 6 out of 7 un-spent…