Craftworld Arkendar
This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.
Craftworld Arkendar existed from the Fall of the Eldar until the year 001.M31, when it was destroyed utterly by the Sons of Fire Space Marine Legion. The inhabitants of Arkendar were mainly writers, artists, philosophers, historians, and poets. Due to the actions of Farseer Jeron, their course was forever set along the path of humanity. Their every action was to assist the junior race towards a higher state of being. In the 41st Millennium, the surviving Arkendarites live scattered across various Craftworlds working along the Paths of the Warrior with the sole intent of the extermination of human kind.
History
The Craftworld Arkendar was built with the sole intention to preserve Eldar culture in a pure, scholarly form set apart from the debased masses. While men and women murdered indiscriminately in the homeworlds, catalogs of ancient texts and old folklore was saved from total annihilation by being brought aboard the vessel. It barely survived the Birth of Slaanesh, with nearly half the grand world-ship being split in half by the pains of the Chaos God's first cries. Limping in the void, they were assaulted from unknown Xenos raiders with jittering, crackling voices who used boxy vessels with striped paint. Barrages of missiles compounded into Arkendar while their meager fleet marshaled to combat them. Seeing the massive ship in danger, the local defense ships of a human colony raced to aid. Their timing was impeccable, saving the entire Craftworld from destruction by coming into the side of the pirates' formation.
Jeron the most prominent Farseer of Arkendar's Seer Council, who helped guide Arkendar from certain doom, found the inhabitants of the local planet fascinating. Before proper contact could be made however, the Xenos who had been previously forced back struck returned, coming with vengeance burning their hearts. A coalition of other races followed behind them, drawn by greed or malice. Knowing that they would certainly be overwhelmed, Jeron chose to leave the humans to their fate before his home would be overtaken. Years later, those on the Path of the Outcast with curiosity as to ultimate outcome of the conflict would report coming to a world cracked by void weapons. Jeron was said to be sent into a deep sadness upon hearing of the deaths of his home's saviors.
For the next few decades the Eldar of Arkendar delved into the stories they had saved, raising up a new generation on the tales. The doomed reality of their race was banished as they took part in retellings of old myths much akin to the Harlequins. Jeron could not be complacent with the rest of his people, and neither could the twin Autarchs Marri Hu'lana and Baereu Hu'lana. Together, the three discussed on what little they could do to help bring the vision of their ancestors to the forefront of these dark times. Jeron spent countless weeks locked away discovering what the future could bring. Once, and only once, he saw humanity in a distant future. Living as they did now, with each member being a Psyker and a utopia reigning over the galaxy.
This single revelation marked a sharp change in the direction of Arkendar forever.
The entire Craftworld could sense the turbulent emotions of their chief seer. His feverish searching of the future for how this future humanity could come to pass, what it implied for the Eldar, for any piece of information that could be of aid to him. He found few answers. Upon deliberating with the other Farseers and Warlocks, who were equally shocked, discussion came to the whole of Arkendar's leadership in all Paths. The passionate Farseer spoke proudly for his cause, being supported by both Hu'lana twins giving him significant military backing to his proposal: Humanity has shown from what Outcasts tell them, to contain rising numbers of born Psykers among their people. If this trend continues, they could perhaps be entirely in tune to the warp same as they.
Jeron's grandest, most audacious declaration of the assembly however had to be his passionate cries that the Eldar will never reach a semblance of the glory they once held. There are multiple ends to their proud race coming, licking at the edge of time. Communications with various other Craftworlds confirmed this. Similar Farseers with the legendary foresight akin to Jeron's own spoke the same. The Necrons arising after their long hidden slumber, a Wall of Midnight veiling itself in hungry need across the galaxy after that. And the Neverborn legions unfolding from the old heart of their once great realm.
Every Craftworld had their own solution to dealing with the end, a hundred different prophecies. Jeron denied them all, pointing out each kept the Eldar as the key factor. This was untrue, the Eldar were not a minority in the void. Instead, as the elder race, it was their place to safeguard their younger kin. Humanity would reach a point in the future, as he had saw it himself, were their Psyker population would become their entirety. At this moment of ascendance, Man and Eldar could face the oncoming night together. Skepticism abounded inside of the councils of Arkendar, but two very proud voices added to the chorus of those in favor of Jeron.
The Hu'lana Twins, both Autarchs sworn to the Craftworld, roared in approval of the brave speech. To make such an audacious declaration without hesitation brought the siblings to openly support the action. If humanity was to be the instrument on which the fate of the galaxy would rest, the Eldar would ensure their ascendancy. The debate took a radical turn then, setting Arkendar on the course that would shape much of their history. Jeron spent his time not divining the future forming the most potent post-Fall poetry in Eldar reckoning. He chose to be a figure seen more by the people afterwards as well, building up his reputation as a man of the common folk rather than an elitist fallen to his Path.
Countless worlds, unknowingly, were saved by the foresight of Farseer Jeron. The limited warriors of the Craftworld fought with a fervor under the leadership of the Hu'lanas. Xenos invasion and mutant uprisings were culled in their infancy before they could serve a threat to fledgling worlds. Even an Ork WAAAAAGH that would have spilled into the Sol system during the infancy of the Imperium was destroyed by a sniper's bullet killing the to-be-Warboss. Not only were human colonies saved from total destruction in the Long Night, but pathways were made for the Expedition Fleets of the Imperium by the Craftworld. Jeron ignored initial warning signs about the Imperium, saying that it would one day emulate the Eldar Empire. He had no proof, only assumptions backing his fervent belief in this perceived inevitability.
Marri Hu'lana saw a rising brother to the Imperium just beyond their borders forming during one of her long soldiery ventures to recently ignored space. A technocracy republic that would use Xenos in a tributary status providing tech and soldiers. The nation would, by Jeron's sight, one day come to blows with the Emperor's faction. The STC based Imperium would be crushed by what would one day arise from this place, but the republic itself would crumble due to infighting and losses taken in the conflict. Humanity would glimmer out on a few worlds before being totally annihilated due to prejudice accrued in the Great Crusade by Xenos peoples. The Autarch took up an eleven year campaign along with Jeron and her brother to wipe out the people to a point the Imperium could relatively crush them, and absorb them.
Their efforts were for naught. Though wounding the enemy, it would not be enough to keep the Imperium afloat after the devastating conflict. In a last ditch battle, an ancient Eldar Empire weapon was ignited at the heart of the realm causing a supernova to engulf numerous systems in a radioactive firestorm. The hope that man would grow from the forgotten domain was lost forever, along with any history that they even existed in the first place. The traumatic event nearly sent Marri to suicide in a traumatic fit, but her hand was stayed by Jeron. A bond was formed that words could not accurately describe.
By 840.M30 however it became abundantly clear that the Imperium was unrelentingly, without exception, hostile to sentient Xenos. The Eldar of Arkendar found themselves appalled at the actions of cleansing carried out in the wake of the Emperor's armies. Jeron was forced to be removed from leadership, and was replaced by the capable Hu'lanas. The military command of Arkendar saw a rapid build of ships, housed by those of the dead who had fallen in aid of humankind. During the following decades Arkendar selectively chose which worlds to help, only daring to act if absolutely necessary to the path that humanity had to follow.
The Genocide of Arkendar
Jeron leaves on the eave of an unprecedented attack by the Imperium. Tensions between humanity and the Eldar had been only escalating up to this point. The world of Travaal declares independence, begging Arkendar who historically have been close to them to assist. The world had been brought into compliance by Uriel Starikov, who asks Inferox to cull the Xenos while he quells the rebellion. The Burned King marshals nearly eighty percent of all forces underneath the command of his Legion to assault the Craftworld. Half of the forces committed are lost, while the Arkendarites are scattered to the void brought down to only some odd three thousand survivors.
Legacy of Arkendar
Culture
Creativity dominated the landscape of Arkendar society. Upon reaching maturity, the Eldar took paths that would cultivate creative desire before committing to any other path. The exceptions of this were the first leaders of the Craftworld, such as Jeron and the Hu'lanas. After completing a path, it was common place for Eldar to return to such academic and artistic paths to use their experiences to fruition in expanding upon the great libraries and galleries aboard their home vessel. Out of all the Craftworlds, Arkendar hardly had any of its citizens following the Path of the Outcast. Tragically, this only amplified the horrendous nature of the loss of the Craftworld.
Human culture was readily absorbed, but always in a clinical fashion. Observing and ruminating upon the seemingly primitive musings of philosophy and storytelling being explored by the emerging civilizations clawing out of the Age of Strife. Promoted by Teleri Ashan on behalf of Farseer Jeron, Terran culture arriving from the Imperium was wildly regarded as the most advanced of all the human peoples. This added to the belief the Imperium would come to inherit the mantle of the Eldar Empire, coming to bring order against the Necrotyr and the forces of the Primordial.
Notable Figures
Jeron the Hopeful
"No one saw the fall of our home. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. If only Jeron was even that."
Jeron was an orphan, preyed upon the streets of a far flung colony of the decaying and debauched Eldar Empire. He was adopted by a powerful adept Psyker named Perspekon, who trained the fledgling but promising abilities of the young man. When the world began to build its own world ship, Jeron aided by providing his abilities as a bonesinger. The construction took twenty years, and would be dedicated to the lore of the Eldar. Jeron's strength had been vastly improved by years of study, following what could be best described as the early stages of the Path of the Seer. Perspekon fled to gather more rational minded people in the core worlds, never to be seen again as the maelstrom of violence that erupted there engulfed all in an orgy of death.
The role of Farseer was adopted upon the eve of Arkendar's flight from its terrestrial home. A dread feeling of doom pervaded over Jeron's dreams, his first signs of his wondrous precognitive capabilities. Saving the Craftworld from certain destruction, Jeron guided them through the arcs of galaxy rending warp fire. The Empire was consumed, its sins being paid in full. Was it not for the act of charity made by humanity on their behalf, there would be little hope for the Craftworld. Many brushed it off as the foolishness of the lesser species, but he knew it was something honorable, glorious, and selfless. The qualities exalted in myth but rarely exemplified by the Eldar themselves.
For most of his natural life, Jeron fought to legitimize mankind in the eyes of his peers. His position and reputation lent him immense clout allowing a minority of followers to grow in the Craftworld. Though even fewer saw his true vision of partnership with humanity, he was able to pursue military expeditions to protect and safeguard countless enclaves of humans during the Long Night. The addition of Marri Hu'lana to his cause, who would eventually become his wife, brought half of the military forces of Arkendar to his side. By the time of the Genocide, half the population believed in his vision for the galaxy.
He stood taller than other Eldar, a towering eight feet and seven inches(2.7m). His features were angular, regal, and his gaze was said to be empowering with an unusual youthful vibrancy. His reclusive lifestyle due to his inability to leave the Path of the Seer led many in the Craftworld to speculate on his behavior out of the empowered speeches for humanity. Though who came to know him desired his company, with a few desiring more. Marri Hu'lana had the right mixture of bravery and audacity to finally court a marriage with Jeron, that scorned her brother greatly.
Jeron lives his life in perpetual agony, a deep self-loathing that leaves him in a vegetative state for decades at at time. The Jeroe, the name given to his few dozen followers left, take care of him on the Exodite world of Valyr. During moments of lucidity he tells them about some apocalyptic vision that is given with perfect clarity. He has made three such predictions, all coming to be true. The Third Black Crusade, the Arrival of the Tyranids, and First War for Amaggeddon.
Baereu Hu'lana, the Slayer
Marri Hu'lana
"She was both radiantly beautiful, and terrible in her wrath. I pity those who had to fight her."
Jeron, Farseer of Arkendar
Baereu Hu'lana
"Where one is the storm, the other is the ocean. While one will rip apart a fortress to the foundations, the other will erode the base with time into nothingness."
The Grand Storyteller, Teleri Ashan
Teleri Ashan
"Never humble. Always audacious. Capable of giving words immortality with his voice."
The Screaming Night, Marri Hu'lana
Clia Zush
"What beauty, lost forever. Another lament to add onto all the others."
Baereu Hu'lana, the last Autarch of Arkendar