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Commorragh

2023-06-01T12:49:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Exodite commorragh.PNG|600px|thumb|center|Commorragh as it was shown in [[The Exodite]].]]

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Commorragh
|image=[[Image:Dark Eldar Lexicon Flag.PNG|230px|center]]
|bgcolor=
|fgcolor=
|Capital= [[Commorragh]]
|Official Languages=Eldar Lexicon
|Power=Great Power
|Size=Unknown, presumed Galactic
|Head of State=(''Incumbent'') [[Asdrubael Vect]]
|Head of Government=Ythillian Dynasty, Kraillach Dynasty, Xelian Dynasty (''prior to Vect''), Various [[Archon_(Warhammer_40,000)|Archons]] (''current'')
|Governmental Structure=[[Monarchy|Authoritarian]] [[Noble|Aristocracy]] (''M30-M35'') Libertarian Meritocracy (''M35-current'')
|State Religion/Ideology=State Atheism/Secularism (''Post-Fall of the Eldar'') Temple of Khaine, Dark Muses, Secularism (''32nd Millennium onward'')
|Demographic= [[Eldar]], [[Mandrakes]], [[Sslyth]], [[Humans]], various [[Xenos]], various slaves
|Military Force= [[Kabal|Kabals,]] Wych Cults, Haemonculi Covens, [[Fleets of Commorragh]], [[Eldar Corsairs| Corsairs]], and Mercenaries.
}}
{{Topquote|Is an Eldar not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the Exodite, 'it belongs to the land.' 'No!' says the Harlequin, 'it belongs to Cegorach.' 'No!' says the Craftworlder, 'it belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Commorragh. A city where the artist would not fear the censor; where the Haemonculus would not be bound by petty morality; where the Archon would not be constrained by the slave! And with the sweat of your brow, Commorragh can become your city as well.|<s>Andrew Ryan</s> Asdrubael Vect on Commorragh}}
{{Topquote|If the galaxy was a giant rundown town, Commorragh would be the local nightclub-turned-insane asylum.|[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|Big E making his opinion on the city clear]]
}}

'''Commorragh''' is the main realm (there really is no better word for it) of the [[Dark Eldar]]. It sits at the heart of the [[Webway]]. Games Workshop named them after the Mafia-esque Camorra clans of Naples and the Scriptural city Gommorrah. Other influences are the Mos Eisley spaceport (though Commorragh makes Mos Eisley look like an Amish community), Port Royal, BEIC-era Singapore, and, since elf, [[Erelhei-Cinlu]] and [[Menzoberranzan]]. If there is ONE place in the galaxy you don't want to end up in (except Daemon Worlds and New Jersey), it's Commorragh.

Sounding like something that would be named by a [[Ork|Mon-Keigh]], it started out during the days of the [[Eldar]] Empire as a bunch of private realms where bored Eldar could do perverse things in privacy -- or in large groups, if that floated their boats. These realms' relative isolation from reality partially shielded those within from the birth of [[Slaanesh]], preventing them from being outright sucked into the [[Warp]], though they quickly realized that they were still in danger as their souls began to erode from within their bodies.

Then, they discovered that [[Grimdark|causing pain to other creatures allowed them to top up their souls and stay youthful and energetic]]. These realms slowly coalesced as their occupants found common purpose in raiding realspace for victims, and then bringing them home to torture them. Eventually, some of these raiders banded together under the banners of the old noble houses, and the alliances and mergers brought about the Dark City we all know and love.

Because [[Dark Eldar]] have no need for foolish things like supports or foundations, structures get built at all sorts of crazy angles, which makes things that much more entertaining for the residents; from jet-bike races among the rooftops to gladiatorial challenges in the arenas to the [[Rape|therapist's office]], Commorragh has it all!

Despite it being hidden in the Webway and being crazy heavily defended Commorragh has been invaded multiple times: often by [[Orks]], one time by [[Space Marines]] ([[Salamanders]] and their successors, fittingly) or [[Chaos Space Marines]] ([[Death Guard]] of all people), but mostly by Daemons. Almost '''all''' of these invasions were engineered by the Dark Eldar themselves to deal with their rivals in the ensuing chaos of battle. Denizens don't even consider these incidents threatening anymore. If anything your average Kabalite sees it as an upgraded version of a realspace raid - you get the joy of the hunt without leaving the Dark City and subjecting yourself to a withering influence of materium sucking half of the energy you take from torturing your quarry, AND you can backstab your competitors, superiors or aspiring underlings as there's no realspace raid truce to stop you. Sure, some would die in the fighting, but most invaders don't have body annihilating weapons, so the neighborhood Haemunculus can fire up a resurrection chamber and regenerate you from little more than a phalanx digit in their back-alley shop of horrors. Anyone who gets "accidentally" vaporized by "friendly" darklight fire certainly ''deserves'' to stay dead for not watching their back. Despite probably having one of the smallest populations for a faction in the galaxy, the fact that they are all in one "place" makes any attack a supremely risky proposition.

However, in at least three instances the forces of the [[Imperium]] have displayed that they can locate, enter and exit Commorragh, with both the [[Deathwatch]] and [[Space Wolves]] having done so and the forces of the [[Forge World]] Stygies also having marched an army right into the city before. While Imperium does have a lot of horrific planet-destroying weapons, marching into a Commorragh and blowing one likely won't work: the dark city is actually not one place, but thousands of webway nodes connected through instant-travel portals, so any WMD powerful enough would at best only destroy one district and make already dreadful Commorragh traffic a bit worse, as some other districts would have to redirect routes that led through destroyed districts. Considering Dark Eldar often destroy each other's districts in their multiple internal conflicts, Imperium blowing up some wouldn't even register.

==The History of the Dark City==
[[File:DEMapNew.jpg|500px|right|thumb|Known [[Kabal|Kabals,]] webway gates and planets leading to Commorragh.]]
Commorragh's history begins with the rise of the Eldar Empire, an interstellar nation which straddled the galaxy for countless millennia and was the dominant force in the galaxy until the Fall which saw their almost total collapse. One of the key advantages which allowed the Eldar Empire to grow so powerful was their ability to use the Webway, a form of FTL travel left to them by their creators; the [[Old Ones]]. The Webway was the principle mode of transportation for the Eldar during the tenure of their Empire and, as a result, numerous port cities were constructed within it. Greatest of these was the city of Commorragh itself.

However, when the spiritual malaise and decay that would doom their species set in, places like Commorragh were not exempt, with the inhabitants becoming cruel and capricious creatures, seeking ever more decadent, and often violent, forms of self-gratification. When [[The Fall]] occured and [[Slaanesh]] was birthed into the galaxy in an orgy of...well just about everything, the Eldar Empire practically ceased over night, with countless Eldar simply falling dead.

The Eldar within the Webway, however, were shielded from this effect. Although Slaanesh had purchase on their souls, the Young God could not simply extract it at will, instead slowly draining the soul away. As a result the Webway, like the [[Craftworlds]], [[Cegorach]] or the World Spirits of the [[Exodites]], became a form of refuge for the surviving Eldar. Commorragh, as the greatest of their Webway Port Cities, became a hub for surviving Eldar to gather and exist in relative safety.

Unlike their Craftworld, Exodite and Harlequin cousins, however, the Eldar of Commorragh chose not to give up their old ways, even though it had now literally damned their souls to an eternity of torment. Instead they devised a method by which they could sustain and feed themselves off the misery and suffering of others, ensuring they could live and escape Slaanesh as long as they could get access to adequate amounts of pain, sort of like garmonbozia. Indeed the Dark Eldar are, effectively, pain [[vampires]].

In the initial history of Commorragh it was ruled by dynastic noble families and clans, feuding with each other, and leaving it a rather anarchic place. Their rule was, however, eventually overturned by a former slave known as [[Asdrubael Vect]] who was smart enough to realize that there wasn't anything that couldn't be solved by a Space Marine and, so, managed to lure the heads of the major noble families into fights with some Salamander Chapter Space Marines which saw them all promptly killed. In the aftermath Asdrubael took over and instituted a new system based off Kabals, and became the top authority within the Dark City. Of note the term 'Dark Eldar' only came to be used by the inhabitants of Commorragh to describe themselves following Asdrubael's rise to power.

During the [[Great Crusade]] the Dark Eldar were not heard from much, but continued to be the sadistic freaks that we know and loath today, but with one new addition to their gruesome to do list. In order to hold off Slaanesh from devouring their souls they needed slaves (lots of them) to take their place. The Dark Eldar proceeded to launch raids across the galaxy where they plundered countless defenceless worlds including [[Vulkan]]s adopted home world which certainly didn't help to convince the Imperium to drop its xenophobic views. In the aftermath of the Great Crusade the Dark Eldar were involved in one incident; it is believed that the [[Primarch]] of the [[White Scars]] went missing pursuing Dark Eldar into the Webway. What exactly happened is unknown though, but it is unlikely he ever was taken to Commorragh or found by any of the leadership of the Dark City as the Dark Eldar would most likely all be dead in that case.

After the Horus Heresy the next major event to occur to the Dark City was when the Champion of Slaanesh, [[Lucius the Eternal]] was briefly detained along with [[Fabius Bile]] within an outer satellite of Commorragh. The capture was revealed to be a ruse, however, by the [[Emperor's Children]] who proceeded to release Daemons to feast upon the souls of the Dark Eldar present. It was noted as being the largest single loss of Eldar life in ages, with the Daemons of Slaanesh so overjoyed that the entire Dark City was briefly cowed from action as they looked to their own defences. Turns out that trying to outsmart a demigod-like being doesn’t work so good.

Despite these incidents the reign of Asdrubael Vect only saw one serious challenge, from the domain of Shaa-dom, a powerful holdout of the former nobility. Although they proved a worthy adversary for a while the master of the Dark City eventually doomed the domain to a Daemon infestation, removing that threat. Although the leader of Shaa-dom was briefly restored to life by descendants of the nobility, and plunged Commorragh into war, this threat too was halted eventually at great cost. Only much later would another, more serious, competitor for power emerge in the form of a jilted former consort of his; Lady Malys.

Lady Malys became a powerful Archon with connections to the Harlequins, who seemed set to guide her on a path perhaps connected to the [[Ynnari]] as they helped bring [[Yvraine]], future Herald of [[Ynnead]] to her attention. For a while the Dark City began to devolve into tension from the rising enmity between Lady Malys and Asdrubael...as well as the ominous collapsing of the defences around a part of Commorragh named 'Khaine's Gate'. Amusingly, the Dark Eldar took inspiration from the Golden Throne on Terra and attempted to construct an ersatz "Black Throne" at Khaine's Gate, using their own tech to create the machine and attempting to acquire some of the Emperor's genetic material to create a psychic battery to power it.

==Fracture of Biel-Tan==
Of late Commorragh has been rather turbulent. The emergence of [[Yvraine]] as the Herald of [[Ynnead]] saw the largest dysjunction in Commorragh's history, the infamous Khaine's Gate tearing open and allowing a veritable flood of Daemons to begin overwhelming the city. Although Vect had put counter-measures in place, and the Kabals did attempt to counter-attack, these did little to stop the invasion, with the Daemons continuously gaining ground and feasting on the souls of the slain Dark Eldar. Indeed the situation became so grim that many Dark Eldar began to talk openly of overthrowing Vect for allowing such an event to occur in the first place. Actually when you think about it it couldn't have been ''that bad'' considering they had the luxury of plotting a coup over the dinner table rather than being more worried about being gutted by a daemon and sent on the express route to their creepy stalker goddess.

Certainly the Dark Eldar did not help themselves by continuing to fight against each other and by dispatching some of their own even in such a dire time to chase down and slay the Ynnari.

However, just as things began to look truly dire for the home of the Dark Eldar two things occurred; first the famed Decapitator of the Mandrakes completed his ritual, causing the Dark Dimension to flood out into Commorragh proper and a tidal wave of Mandrakes to counter-attack the Daemons, and secondly the Haemonculi decided the threat was at last dire enough that they opened up their abattoirs and released their most deranged and fearsome of beasts. Combined, these two attacks finally quelled the Daemon invasion, saving Commorragh from destruction.

In the aftermath, though, the status quo had shifted. The city is damaged like never before, Asdrubael Vect's position is now shakier than ever and the effects of the Mandrake's dimension intruding on Commorragh is not yet fully known.

== Law and Order ==
Yes, there are LAWS in this god forsaken place. Like all laws, it is something that stops the society itself from collapsing. For a society that runs on debauchery, piracy and slavery however, this is no exception.

The laws are:

*Do not bring psykers (unless they're a [[shadowseer]]) or use any psyker power. This one in general has to do with the frigging Gates of Khaine which block daemons from entering the city, as well as not letting Slaanesh itself sense their presence and follow it to the city.
*Obey Vect. He is the top dog of the city. If he tells you to jump, you jump. If he tells you to go on a death match in the arena, you do it; it's not like the Haemonculi won't patch you up afterwards.
*Obey the Kabals, unless doing so involves disobeying Vect (even then one may still suffer for disobeying the Kabals).

That's pretty much it. However, since there's no police force in Commorragh, the city has a lot of personal freedom where you can murder people whenever you want, stealing shit and play grimdark cyberpunk grand theft auto. However, killing the wrong or important people like a member of a Kabal or a Haemonculus can grant yourself an instant death sentence (note: the actual dying part of that probably won't be instant), where instead of people watching you get publicly execute, you will find a mob of fully armed Commorrites on your ass. The same goes to messing with the fighting arena (dark eldar need their entertainment), Haemonculi (dark eldar needs their healing and resurrection) and Scourges (dark eldar need their communication relays). Non-Commorrites without the protection of a Kabal such as corsairs and exiles tend to limit their adventuring to the ports and markets which are merely seedy and dangerous. Only the Harlequins enjoy the street cred to wander the dark city at will without being regarded as prey, and only because of their own deserved reputation for gratuitous violence.

The religious situation in the Dark City has been complex. Given their tendency towards selfish hedonism, Commorrites tend to play fast and loose with religion as a whole, with secularism as the main order of the day. Many in Commorragh outright dismiss religion and gods altogether for their own selfish desires. After the Fall of the Eldar, Slaanesh nommed all the Eldar gods save Khaine, Cegorach and Isha; coupled with their toxic culture, social Darwinist tendencies and selfishness, many decided to just abandon religion altogether - although atheism was never officially enforced it was encouraged (this is commemorated in-universe with Iconoclast's Mound, a mountainous landfill of various religious icons from all different races, beginning with Eldar religious icons when the Commorrites threw away their own beliefs). Later they learned that Khaine, Isha and Cegorach survived. Some Dark Eldar do revere Khaine and some occasionally join the ranks of the Harlequins, but most Dark Eldar are either non-religious or atheistic. Vect himself has some syncretized views on religion in Commorragh; he is a self-serving - as our frenemies at Tv Tropes say - naytheist (meaning he believes gods exist but refuses to worship or follow them), is dismissive of religiosity in all its forms unless he finds an adherent useful to him (unless they serve Chaos), and brushed off Ynnead as a myth until Ynnead awakened his power in Yvraine while in Commorragh, whereupon Vect's view on anything Ynnead changed from "it's a worthless myth" to "destroy it all".

As of the Gathering Storm, Yvraine's sudden awakening to Ynnead's blessed power has broken one of the above law to not use any psyker power. As a result, daemons poured in and Vect had to deal with this shit himself. Welp surprisingly, he failed and now Commorragh is more chaotic than before, riots everywhere with Dark Eldar joining either Lady Malys or Vect for more misunderstood infighting.

So yeah, order for the sake of disorder, ironic huh?

== A Tour Guide of Commorragh ==

[[File:Commorragh_Better.jpg|thumb|400px|The skyline of Commorragh. Can--and will--be viewed from any angle.|right]]

If you're not a Dark Eldar, Harlequin, or a badass mercenary, Commorragh can be difficult to get around in (if not outright impossible). It's a city that destroys the weak, take from the stupid, torments the slow, and kills the innocent. Of course, all the previous four will die with a whimper and with no dignity intact, it just varies on how and when. Despite popular theory, non-Eldar can prosper in Commorragh, since there are several parts where aliens live in towns and the most fearsome can be recruited into Dark Eldar Kabals. In particular, it's not unknown for Orks to be wildly successful in the fighting rings only to give their masters a good crumping and go free agent.

A list of tips for newcomers.

* Head to the district called 'Null City' and become a badass alien mercenary (humans are aliens to Dark Eldar).
* Do. not. fuck. with. [[Asdrubael Vect]].
* NO PSYKERS ALLOWED, EVER!!! (and that goes triple for anything that reeks of daemonic)

Otherwise.

* You were most likely brought back so Dark Eldar could feed off your pain so Slaanesh won't eat their souls/ sacrificed to Slaanesh in their place.
* You may have been brought back to be a [[Haemonculus|Haemonculi's]] guinea pig, snack, pet, a diversion so they won't get bored (which still involves unspeakable torture) or all of the above.
* You may be sent to the gladiator arenas of Commorragh to fight for your life against Wyches, dangerous beasts ranging from Razorwing flocks to captured Carnifexes, or both at the same time. This will last until you die.
* You can be killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or even if you went where you're supposed to go).
* If you're a slave, you're expendable currency.
* If you stare at [[Scourges]] for too long, they will fly down, pick you up and impale you on a spire.
* Don't feed the Scourges, they're not pigeons, if you do expect things to end up like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds!
* There's no night or day, just the dull, baleful glow of stolen stars. It also has many areas where light never reaches (Dark Eldar adapted by developing natural night vision).
* In the shadows you can encounter Mandrakes, who will kill, torture, rape and/or eat you.
* The unnatural geometry of Commmoragh can be extremely disorienting for visitors.
* That banging noise near Khaine's Gate isn't [[Skarbrand]] and his daemonic hordes (see [[If The Emperor Had a Text-To-Speech Device]]) it's absolutely nothing at all. NOTHING-AT-ALL!
* Commoragh could be called a "tourist trap" in the most literal sense of the word, as anyone who tours Commoragh will end up trapped in an arena or Haemonculus lab and end up as a meat puppet for some demented Haemonculus who thinks you'd look better with snake skin and swords for arms and legs!
* Commoragh has free healthcare, just see Dr Haemonculus for the slightest cough.
* [[Reaver Jetbike]]s and [[Hellions]] HATE each other and they hate you too, but while it's likely that the reavers would run you down for fun, the hellions aren't as sadistic, they'd give you a head start first! If you're being chased by one group of fliers, flee towards more fliers and then escape in the ensuing air battle.
* Don't go out alone... unless you're [[batman|stupid powerful]], in which case going alone is always the best choice. Basically you have to balance being threatening enough to deter casual interest, without looking like you're out to fight a small war (because someone will take you up on it).

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Dark Eldar]]

{{Template:40k-Governments}}

Red Corsair's Domain

2023-06-01T12:43:25Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Heresy}}
{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Red Corsairs' Domain
|image=[[Image:CorsairsEmblem.png|200px|center]]
|Capital=New Badab
|Official Languages= High Gothic, Low Gothic, other minor Human and Xenos Lexicon
|Power=Middle Power
|Size=The entire [[Maelstrom]]
|Head of State=[[Huron Blackheart]]
|Head of Government=[[Huron Blackheart]] and other Pirate Lords
|Governmental Structure=Libertarian Meritocratic Confederacy
|State Religion/Ideology=Chaos Worship (''de jure'') Atheism (''de facto'') Code of Conduct Socialist-Liberalism
|Demographic=[[Space Marines]], [[Human]]s and [[Xenos]] ([[Loxatl]] and [[Tarellian]])
|Military Force=[[Red Corsairs]] Pirate Legion, [[Red Corsairs]] [[Fleets of Chaos|Space Fleet]], [[Red Corsairs]] PDF, [[Xenos]] Auxiliary
}}

The '''Domain of the Red Corsairs''' is the unofficial name of [[Huron Blackheart]]'s personal empire of pirates. Think the Republic of Pirates of 40k. After the aftermath of the [[Badab War]] left Huron missing half his body, he alongside the surviving [[Astral Claws]] fled to the intergalactic anus known as the [[Maelstrom]] to seek refuge and to reciprocate. Here, Huron pledged his allegiance to [[Chaos]] and was promptly rebuilt via bionics and renamed both himself and his old chapter as the [[Red Corsairs]] in order to <s>become the [[One Piece|KING OF THE PIRATES]]</s> craft his own [[Ultramar]].

Whilst the Red Corsairs is predominantly a fleet-based Warband, centuries of pillaging and plundering as well as absorbing other bands of Renegade Space Marines and outlaws, has turned this from a normal Chaos warband into a full fledged ''Legion'', turning the Red Corsairs into one of the largest renegade fighting force; dominating the near entirety of the Maelstrom and becoming the region's de jure and de facto rulers. Huron's empire of merry band of misfits would prove to be quite the pain in the ass for the [[Imperium]] right into the 42nd Millennium.

==Overview==
[[File:Maelstrom_Detail.jpg|400px|left|thumb|Astrographical map of Huron's personal empire.]]
Although Huron's empire is listed as a [[Chaos Space Marine]] legion, this is actually far from the truth. If anything, the Red Corsairs are de facto [[Imperial Truth|atheistic]], only partaking in Chaos sacrifices for lip services more than anything else. Making the Red Corsairs the least Chaos-aligned Chaos Space Marines after the [[Iron Warriors]] and [[Night Lords]] respectively. Hell, one can even say that the Red Corsairs is actually pretty god damned [[SJW|diverse]] and pragmatic in its religious makeup. Huron being the chillest Chaos Lord like...''ever'', doesn't really ''care'' who you worship, so long as you pledge your allegiance to him and his legion. So you can be both a filthy Chaos worshipper or a worshiper to the Emprah and it wouldn't even matter.

This strong brand of liberalism and pragmatism also extends to the demographics as well. The Domain of the Red Corsairs isn't made exclusively out of Space Marines. Whilst they do form the core fighting force, they are also backed up with vast amounts of Traitor Guard, Pirates, Mutants, and even Xenos, alongside any other willing to pledge themselves to Huron Blackheart. Known Xenos forces includes the the [[Loxatl]] and [[Tarellian]]s.

The Red Corsairs is also extremely meritocratic. Possibly ''the'' most meritocratic government right after [[Ultramar]]. Huron wants competent folks running his own fiefdom no matter if they are posthuman supermen, undying aliens, immortals, or mortals. Huron therefore, strives only for results and to that end will allow mortals in high-ranking positions and even [[This Guy|converse with him somewhat casually and without pomp]]. That being said, he still demands that all refer to him as Lord to tickle his fancy. This strong level of [[Communism|pragmatic egalitarianism]] is pretty goddamn unheard of in a Space Marine society, let alone a ''"Chaos Space Marine society"''. The end result is that the Red Corsairs are racking up a shit ton more PR points and respect in less than a century than [[Failbaddon]]'s [[Black Legion]] could in ''[[EPIC FAIL|ten millennia]]'', and also proves to be infinitely more politically stable than the fractious Black Legion which only unites under a [[Black Crusade]].

Nevertheless, as a pirate-dominated region, the society there is quite cut-throat (Sometimes ''literally''), with displays of strength being the only thing that determines one position. Huron himself is suspicious of most of his own lieutenants, and is constantly seeking to maintain his power over them.

===Skull Harvest===
The Skull Harvest is a tournament that takes place upon the world of New Badab. It is presided over by the master of the Red Corsairs, Huron Blackheart, who rules the planet. Many alien mercenaries and Chaos warbands gather, and the warbands' leaders (or the leaders' champions) fight to the death, till only the best three remain. These warriors fight in a free-for-all moshpit, till one triumphs. The failed leaders' skulls are presented to Blackheart, and adorn the spikes before his throne. The victor becomes the leader of all the collective warbands, as well as receiving recognition from Blackheart and a temporary honour fleet.

In or around 999.M41, that sick fuck [[Honsou]] won the tournament in a bid to create an army large enough to exact his vengeance upon the Ultramarines Captain [[Uriel Ventris]]. Thanks to his victory, his army swelled from a handful of Astartes to 17,000 warriors, as well as several powerful warships from the Red Corsairs' fleet.

{{40k-Governments}}
[[Category:Chaos Space Marines]]

Craftworld Altansar

2023-06-01T12:43:06Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name = Altansar
|image = [[Image:Altansar_Banner.png|150px|center]]
|bgcolor = D63368
|fgcolor = 14131B
|Capital = Altansar
|Official Languages = Eldar
|Power = Minor Power
|Size = Craftworld
|Head of State = ''Unknown''
|Head of Government = ''Unknown''
|Governmental Structure = ''Unknown''
|State Religion/Ideology = Eldar Mythology
|Demographic = [[Eldar]]
|Military Force = [[Craftworld]] Guardians [[Craftworld]] fleet [[Aspect Warrior]] hosts Wraith hosts [[Corsair]] allies
|Colours = Red (primary) Black (secondary)
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a [[craftworld]] that has a penchant for surviving against near impossible odds. Back during the fall, when the Eldar were busy making snuff porn videos 24/7, Altansar ended up being one of the last craftworlds to leave the empire. However, they were thought lost after being outright swallowed by the Eye of Terror.

The Pheonix Lord Maugan Ra was thought to be the only survivor, and being [[/tg/ gets shit done|atypical]] of his entire race, barged through the Eye of Terror and saved their space elf asses in the aftermath of [[The 13th Black Crusade|Abbadabbadoo's 13th Temper Tantrum]] and the [[Great Rift]]. Despite being saved, many Eldar distrust the Altansari because they think there is no way they can't be somewhat corrupted by Chaos.

==History==
Altansar got its start just like all the others; a craftworld fleeing just in time to avoid being [[/d/|tentacle raped]] by Slaanesh. However, Altansar had the misfortune of being way closer to the Eye of Terror than even Ulthwe, so the gravity well of the warp rift began to swallow them in. Altansar put up a ferocious fight, but in the end they were swallowed up by unreality leaving Maugan Ra as the sole survivor. After this, all contact was thought lost with Altansar, and for 10,000 years nobody heard from them again.

Enter the Great Rift, which conveniently left open a hole in the Eye of Terror where Altansar should be. Maugan Ra grabs his Eldar LMG, [[rip and tear|rips and tears]] until he finds his home, and leads the whole craftworld out of the Eye of Terror, finally freeing them from the evil of Chaos. They don't get a warm welcome though, since pretty much every other craftworld holds them at gunpoint due to thinking of them as little more than a trojan horse for Slaanesh. The Altansari have aligned themselves with the Ynnari, which is either a good sign or extremely terrible depending on your perspective. Lately they've been fighting alongside the Imperium, with their forces fighting the Planet Killer at Sangua Terra.

==Culture==
Altansar literally means "The Broken Chain" in Aeldari, an almost on the nose reference to their seperation for 10,000 years. Altansar is notable for being silent and aloof speaking only in whispers. They also never remove their masks to strangers from other craftworlds. This is bound to make visits to anyone even from any other Eldar feel extremely awkward, creeped out, and uncomfortable with every Altansari staring at their guests with wholly unreadable and expressionless masks on. Funnily enough, the Pink Soldiers from [[Meme|Squid game]] have the same color scheme as the Altansari, which is almost certainly a total coincidence.

The other thing about Altansar is that they are really fucking good at killing Daemons. They also fight to their last dying breath in their 9th edition rules. which further suggesting that Altansar are the closest Eldar get to an army of [[Grey Knights|Doomslayers.]] In fact, it is this daemonslaying expertise combined with their alliance with the Ynnari, that keeps the usually hatful, paronoid and xenophobic Imperium of man from trying to blow them off the map immediately. Altansar happens to be extremely close proximity to holy Terra as you can see and the [[Roboute Guilliman|powers that be]] figure it's better to let some space pansies chill nearby killing Chaos rather than needlessly waste time trying to make enemies where none need be made. A refreshing outlook for the Imperium to have, and a welcome turn of events for the already isolated Altansari. What their Ynnari allies think of them is hardly elaborated on. They also seem to be the next faction getting a supplement.

{{40k-Governments}}
[[Category:Eldar]]

Scourge Stars

2023-06-01T12:42:48Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name= Scourge Stars
|image= [[Image:Death_Guard_Flag.PNG|300px|center]]
|bgcolor=
|fgcolor=
|Capital=Unknown, perhaps the Plague Planet
|Official Languages=Low Gothic
|Power=Minor Power
|Size=3 Systems, 10 Confirmed Planets
|Head of State=[[Daemon Prince|Daemon]] [[Primarch]] [[Mortarion]]
|Head of Government=[[Daemon Prince|Daemon]] [[Primarch]] [[Mortarion]]
|Governmental Structure=Unitary Totalitarian Theocratic Dictatorship
|State Religion/Ideology=[[Nurgle]] Worship
|Demographic=[[Humans]], [[Daemons|Daemons of Nurgle]], Warp Beasts
|Military Force=[[Death Guard]], [[Plague Zombies]], [[Daemons|Daemons of Nurgle]], Cultists
}}
The Scourge Stars is the new mini-empire formed by the [[Death Guard]] under the leadership of [[Mortarion]] and a few others (But mostly Morty).

Made up of 3 diseased star systems, [[Cringe|pretentiously named Noxias, Verminox and Rottgrave Imperium]] (seriously, Administratum? Might as well wrap the stars in tape and hand'em to Nurgle), it was created during the waning years of the [[Indomitus Crusade]] in the 42nd millennium and its existence is there to simply [[Troll]] the fuck out of the [[Ultramarines|Smurfs]] and annoy the heck out of [[Roboute Guilliman|Rowboat Girlyman]] since it is located right to the galactic north of [[Ultramar]].

Essentially speaking, the Scourge Stars is pretty much the North Korea of WH40K. You know, as in that they are [[That Guy|that asshole neighbor that borders just north from Ultramar (South Korea), ''really'' want to have Ultramar despite being significantly weaker, have a fat and bloated tin-pot dictator that rules over a half-dead population and is constantly flinging shit over your fence.]] Except instead of shit, it's... ok, it's still shit but it's Nurgle shit alongside [[Plague Wars|waves of Virus Bombs, Nurgle Marines, and Mortarion's unwashed socks and underwear]]. How rude.
[[File:Scourge_Stars_Map_2.jpg|400px|left|thumb|[[Troll|"That's a nice sector there, Rouboute.]] [[Plague Wars|Mind if I remodel it?"]]]]
==Overview==
[[File:Scourge_Stars_Map.jpg|400px|left|thumb|Star systems of the Scourge Stars. [[Edgy|GW's naming sense at its finest.]]]]
The Scourge Stars were originally three loyal systems of the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium,]] until [[Black Crusade|Abaddon's thirteenth bender]] caused [[Great Rift|reality to get a little funny]]. With [[Dark Imperium|half of the galaxy finding reality was out to lunch]] with communications and [[Warp]] travel virtually impossible, Ol' Morty and his boss saw a prime opportunity to troll the overly-clean [[Ultramarines]] and promptly invaded the north of Ultramar in the [[Plague Wars]].

A [[WAAAGH|WAAAGH!]] was sighted during the formation of the Scourge Stars, in which [[Warlords|Warlord]] Badsmak led a headlong charge against the Death Guard to the Galactic West of the Scourge Stars. It would have gone off swimmingly for the [[Orks]] if the opponent they faced did not possess a fucking daemon Primarch, especially one such as [[Mortarion]] who is not only an accomplished infantry commander before his heresy, but also quite adept at biological and chemical warfare after. [[Rape|As you can guess from the likely outcome,]] Warlord Badsmak got proper krumped before fleeing like a pussy. Hmmmm.....[[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka|An Ork Warlord that flees when the situation goes dire?]] [[Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter|I wonder where I heard that before?]]

The Nurglite forces located within the Scourge Stars are commanded by three of Nurgle's greatest commanders, who are charged with the single goal of adding the worlds of Ultramar to the Chaos God's Garden. It's unknown whether the [[Plague Planet]] is considered the capitol of the Scourge Stars (seeing as how unlike [[Sortiarius]], it is still trapped in the [[Warp|Immaterium]]), but considering the strategic and religious importance of the Plague Planet, it probably is.

With the conclusion of the Plague Wars, its future is currently unclear. The forces of Nurgle seemed to withdraw from Ultramar to protect the Scourge Stars which had come under threat from other followers of Chaos. The resultant conflict is known as the "War in the Rift". It also appears as if Guilliman intends to launch a campaign against the systems in the near future.

{{40k-Planets}}
{{Template:40k-Governments}}
[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Chaos Space Marines]]
[[Category:Death Guard]]

Blood Pact

2023-06-01T12:42:06Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name= Blood Pact
|image= [[Image:Blood_Pact_Flag.png|250px|center]]
|bgcolor=
|fgcolor=
|Capital=Ghourra
|Official Languages=Low Gothic
|Power=Middle Power
|Size= Disputed, Almost a 100 Systems
|Head of State=Gaur
|Head of Government=Gaur
|Governmental Structure=Unitary Authoritarian Theocratic Stratocracy
|State Religion/Ideology=[[Khorne]] Worship, Gaur Personality Cult
|Demographic=[[Humans]], [[Loxatl]], [[Daemons|Daemons of Khorne]], Warp Beasts, various Xenos
|Military Force=Blood Pact Army, Blood Pact Air Force, [[Loxatl|Loxatl Mercenaries]], Khornate Daemons
}}
{{heresy}}
{{Awesome}}
The Blood Pact is a [[Chaos Cults|Chaos Cult]] dedicated to [[Khorne]], naturally. Whilst they look like your typical run-of-the-mill [[Lost and the Damned|Renegades]], they actually operate a lot more like an [[Imperial Guard]] regiment than blood-mad Khornates; they also behave as an actual nation rather than a rag-tag team of blood fetishists. They are agreed to be the very definition of [[Awesome]] by [[/tg/]] without going full [[Chaos Space Marines|Supersoldier Special Snowflake Mary Sue.]]; then again, most of their fluff is written by [[Dan Abnett]], so that's not really much of a surprise. The Blood Pact hail from the [[Sabbat Worlds Campaign|Sabbat Worlds Sector]] and have gained notoriety with the [[Imperium of Man]] for their highly disciplined and ruthlessly competent leadership brimming with [[Just As Planned]].

A unique cultural custom of the Blood Pact is that they slice their palms on the jagged edges of the Archon's Power Armour as an oath of allegiance and loyalty to both each other and Khorne; that is where they get their name from. In rare cases, such as for snipers whose hands are essential to their trade, another part of the body may be cut to seal the pact. Also unusual is their frequent hiring of [[Xenos]] as part of their recruitment strategy; the Blood Pact are nothing but pragmatic and their frequent success over the Imperium shows that a [[Heresy|little bit of unorthodox change can bring results.]]

Sounding a little strange, right? The Blood Pact uses [[Imperium of Man|Imperial]] [[Adeptus Mechanicus|manufacturing]] and orthodox command hierarchies to field [[Heresy|Chaos armies who are not chaotic]], in the sense that they're organized. They use [[Tzeentch|complicated strategies]], are backed up by [[Heresy|Khornate Sorcerors]] (which [[Firaeveus Carron|aren't a thing]] but maybe are more like priests or shaman in this case) and created fucking [[Aerie-class Aircraft Carrier|''land aircraft carriers''.]] They are basically the most anti-Khornate group of Khorne worshipers in the entire galaxy. How do they still have Khorne's favor? Probably because unlike every other faction, Chaos is acting in-character by acting completely out-of-character at times. Perhaps Khorne looked at those Blood Pact guys getting shit done so much harder than his other forces and just gave them a big bloody thumbs-up. Or it’s simply that Khorne is the God of War, not mindless stupidity. And the competency of the Blood Pact sure results in a lot more blood and skulls than suicide charges ever will. He’s also the God of Martial Honor. In any case, Abnett managed to portray [[Reasonable Marines|reasonable Khornates]] in such a refreshing way that [[/tg/]] wishes that the majority of Chaos Warbands were this competent and awesome. Now if only [[Failbaddon]] could hire a few of these guys, then maybe he can break even and win a few more [[Black Crusade|Black Crusades]] eh?

Turns out, it’s damn hard fighting a sane, pragmatic military with a structured industry and logistics, lead by superhumans, and favored by the God of fucking WAR.

[[File:3rd edition Blood Pact rules..jpg|200px|thumb|left|Underwhelming, isn't it?]]
Unfortunately, these magnificent chaps are woefully underrepresented in the tabletop game, having only rules for the standard infrantry and Death Brigades in [[Chapter Approved]] in issue 292 of [[White Dwarf]]. No update has been given for these [[Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition|third edition]]-compatible rules, leaving players to use the awful [[Counts As]] rule. Though recently a fan made codex was released for public use for 9th edition reference here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d3Wq9tqt7fMzzOG9CUptRh1urcCbnHsV0KbhBKbfmE0/edit?usp=sharing

==History==
[[File:BloodPactSoldier.jpg|280px|right|thumb|Nice skull you have there.]]
While no one knows for sure where these guys came from, what we do know is that they were first sighted some 3,000 years ago on a planet known as Ghourra, sometimes pronounced Gaurra [[Derp|because nobody knows the proper way to say that broken piece of Low Gothic,]] at the edge of the Sabbat Worlds. At that time, the tribal society of Ghourra was ruled by a feudal overlord, or Gaur (sometimes referred to as "Ghour" or "Gour", [[Herp|which is not to be confused with the]] [[Beastmen (40k)|Beastmen's Gor]]). The Gaur surrounded himself with an elite priesthood who conducted the ritual observances by which the Gaur made tribute to the one and only Khorne. This militant-priesthood evolved over time into a bodyguard force which practiced its martial skills as diligently as it had once conducted its bloody sacrificial rites.

As the Gaur's influence grew, he eventually started to expand his power and conquer neighboring worlds and yadda yadda yadda-- basically every Chaos origin story told to man. After that cliche, it soon became a mark of respect to be 'bloody-pacted" to the Gaur. Numbers grew, recruited from vassal worlds, and the bodyguard force eventually became an army in its own right: the current Blood Pact.

Uniquely, every single member of the Blood Pact (and Imperial tactical estimates suggest there may be as many as three quarters of a million Blood Pact warriors) is personally inducted into service by the Gaur himself to prove his allegiance in blood to both the Gaur and the Blood God.

Suffice to say, as the Blood Pact grew in size and power, it was an eventuality that they will come into the noggins of the IoM. The Imperium's first encounter with the Blood Pact occurred in the aftermath of the Battle of Balhaut in 765.M41. After some personal infighting, Gaur's Blood Pact had been encountered in combat during the early years of the Crusade, but never properly identified. However, once he became Archon, the Blood Pact became a backbone element of the Chaos host. It is believed many other archenemy units and divisions, wishing to prove their loyalty to the new Archon, converted to the Blood Pact. Within just a few years, the Crusade forces came to recognize the Blood Pact as elite infantry of the archenemy after several rounds of being metaphorically pimp-slapped.

This recognition was aptly demonstrated at the Battle of the Akkorite Peninsula on Belshiir Binary in 771. A vital and much-contested world due to its promethium wells, refineries and processing depots, Belshiir Binary was the site of a notable Blood Pact victory. A force of two hundred Blood Pact troopers, supported by just four [[Stalk Tank|stalk-tanks]] and two [[Loxatl]] brood groups, [[FATAL|cut off and annihilated a force of three thousand Imperial Guardsmen.]] The outnumbered Blood Pact force was commanded by an officer called Vesh Etogaur (the second word indicative of rank, as in 'demi-gaur' or General) whose strict command led to the Pact force lying in baking heat for three days without breaking cover until the Imperial forces had moved into the cone of their ambush. The resulting combat lasted twenty-two minutes. No members of the Guard unit survived the slaughter, and the Akkorite Peninsula refinery remained under Chaotic control for a further fifteen months. Pimp-slapped indeed.

==Organization==
[[File:BloodPactartwork.jpg|280px|right|thumb|Khornholio's less retarded cousin.]]
As a military organization the Blood Pact is quite diverse, being made up of accumulation of various lesser warbands absorbed into its ranks. [[Reasonable Marines|The leaders of the Pact encourage the integration of other Chaos warbands, especially traitor Imperial Guard regiments and soldiers.]] The Blood Pact is also allied with alien races and mercenaries, such as the [[Loxatl]] (which are like giant quadrupedal lizard salamanders). That any species is evil enough to ally, as a species, with Chaos is enough to prove the Imperium right about some, if not most xenos.

The Blood Pact is a highly organized army, consisting of effective soldiers rather than pants-on-head retards. They often have support in the forms of plundered tanks, which are [[Looted|looted]] from defeated Imperial armies or manufactured in captured [[Forge world|Forge Worlds.]] They are drilled and trained in warfare techniques to a standard of competence at least equivalent to the [[Imperial Guard]] but probably greater as they don’t have to waste training on indoctrination and such and must maximize their skill to make up for a lack of numbers. They have excellent (often captured) communication systems and a firm chain of command, meaning that they can be confidently deployed with tactical precision. A Blood Pact General is called an Etogaur. The Blood Pact can hit specific targets or accomplish specific missions, and individual warriors have the intelligence and field training to operate independently, if necessary, for the Pact's interests. This is what makes them so dangerous. They are not mindless fanatics; they are excellent battlefield soldiers in the sworn service of Chaos.

One of the most concerning parts of the Blood Pact's organisation is that they make an effort to gather intelligence and data as well as sociological and psychological profiles of their enemies, namely the Guard. They will employ specialists to comprehend every minutia of what makes regular human soldiers tick, to the extent of heavily scrutinising why men find fried eggs tasty (I mean, yeah, they're good, but they're probably not from a fucking chicken) or why non-command authority officers (read commissars) inspire fear/loyalty/greater effort in their troops (large weapons pressed hard against skulls). The Pact - and the worlds they hold - represent some of the deepest fears of the Imperium: a stellar cluster of Chaotic cultural worlds locked in realspace and unassailable by crusading forces. The fact that they need to find out what makes regular humans tick is far more worrying than reassuring - while most traitors are converts, these evil sphincters are born seeing the Imperium as heretics rather than the other way round.

The Blood Pact even have their own [[Stormtrooper|elite]] or [[Militarum Veteran Squad|veteran]] sections called the '''[[Awesome|Death Brigades]]''', representing the finest and most ruthless storm squads in the Blood Pact. Though few in number, the Death Brigades are often encountered at the spearhead of assaults, as the private company of senior Chaos leaders, or deployed on specialist missions, and are the most dreaded of all Blood Pact units.

Because they are not a bunch of [[World Eaters|Mindless Morons]] [[Khorne Berserkers|that like to charge head long into a wall of guns]], a Blood Pact trooper will be armed with a lasgun or autogun as his primary weapon. In close-quarter environments such as trenches, or when storming techniques are required, they favor plate or chainmail tunics and arm themselves with billhooks, trench clubs and grenades. Some are able combat specialists in the field of demolition or sniping.

Furthermore, thanks to these captured Forge Worlds, the Blood Pact have [[Dakka|numerous armor and artillery formations.]] Blood Pact armor is generally slightly inferior to standard Imperial issue, most of it being Urdeshi-pattern variants such as the [[STeG 4]] and the [[AT70 Reaver Battle Tank|AT70 Reaver Battle Tanks]], though they do also have more limited numbers of the larger and more powerful [[AT83 Brigand Super Tank]] as well as a few of the rare [[Baneblade]] super-heavy tanks. The Blood Pact also field a lighter-armored variation of the Defiler known as the [[Stalk Tank]]. All Blood Pact armored vehicles are painted red, inscribed with numerous obscene Khornate slogans, and are often decorated with the skulls and hides of their enemies.

Oh, and did we mention that they have [[Wat|Khornate Sorcerers?]] But unlike [[Firaeveus Carron|certain failures]], these guys are actually [[awesome]] and somehow actually manage to make the Blood Pact more Khornate than ever despite using [[Tzeentch|filthy sorcerous magic]] and avoiding too much [[Fluff]] breaking. These are called '''Gore Mages'''. These dark wizards can possess Blood Pact warriors with Daemonic spirits, turning them into [[RIP AND TEAR|ferocious, almost unstoppable creatures]] that they call [[Awesome|'''Blood Wolves'''.]] Also, Gore Mages radiate a sense of irrational fear and have access to many other [[Blood Angels|powers involving blood.]]

Perhaps the biggest threat the Blood Pact represents is that their success is starting to catch on amongst other Chaos factions, leading other warlords and magi to forge trained, disciplined armies in the Blood Pact's likeness-- even improving on the Pact's doctrine by capturing and converting Imperial officers to train them.

{{40k-Governments}}

[[Category:Lost and the Damned]]
[[Category:Chaos]]

Severan Dominate

2023-06-01T12:41:18Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Heresy}}
{{awesome}}
{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Severan Dominate
|image=[[Image:Severan_Dominate_Flag.jpg‎|300px|center]]
|Capital=Karacallia
|Official Languages= High Gothic and Low Gothic
|Power=Minor Power
|Size=11 known Planets, 42 Solar Systems within the Periphery Sub-Sector
|Head of State=Duke Severus XIII
|Head of Government=Council of Planetary Governors, Ducal Legates and the Duke
|Governmental Structure=Supranational Confederal Dukedom
|State Religion/Ideology=Modified [[Imperial Cult]]
|Demographic=[[Humans]], a few [[Dark Eldar]]
|Military Force=Severan Dominate Forces, Severan Dominate Fleets, [[Dark Eldar]] Forces
}}

Throughout the [[Imperium]]'s history, many have sought to [[heresy|secede and rebel]] against the authority of the [[Emprah]], with many rebelling Planetary Governors ended up [[Blam|facing their nose against the barrel of a Bolter.]] Whether it is the [[Badab War]], the [[Macharian Heresy]], or the [[Nova Terra Interregnum]], the Imperium usually succeed in quelling these upstarts after a while.

However, some '''''very''''' fortunate rebels manage to survive intact due to either crafty politicking, competent leadership or just pure luck. The Severan Dominate is all of these combined; in particular, these guys have the fucking luck of the Irish. Founded by an eccentric [[Rogue Trader]] going by the name of Duke Severus I, the Severan Dominate is basically what happens when the various rebels actually know a thing or two about Realpolitik. [[This Guy|Imagine Caesar’s Legion from Fallout but without the ideology, or think the Tau Empire but full of WIN]]. For all intents and purposes, they are the non-chaos equivalent of the [[Blood Pact]], having their own [[Imperial Guard]], [[Commissars]] and even their own fucking '''''Special Forces'''''. These guys earn /tg/'s seal of [[Awesome]].

==Overview==
[[File:SD_Map.jpg|440px|left|thumb|Astrocartography of the Severan Dominate.]]
Originally part of the Imperium and consisting of worlds Severus acquired in the Periphery Sub-Sector of the Calixis Sector with the [[Heresy|help]] of [[Dark Eldar]], Severus I was nothing short of pragmatic to the point of rustling the [[Inquisition]]'s jimmies. The reason why the [[High Lords of Terra|higher-ups]] did not touch Severus was due to the fact that he was already considered a hero of sorts during the Angevin Crusade that added the Calixis Sector to the Imperium of Man in the 39th Millennium. Without the Rogue Trader’s influence and [[Creed|tactical genius,]] the war to control the Calyx Expanse would have taken centuries to complete.

Heck, some people with [[Extra Heresy|super heretical opinions]] even suggest that the revered Saint Drusus might not have completed his conquests without the successes of Severus. Of course, Severus’ biggest flaw was his enormous ego and ambition; the Duke was pretty jelly at the power of the High Lords but also viewed them the same way as /tg/ views them: [[That Guy|useless old ballsacks that spends more time bickering over laxatives than improving the]] [[Administratum]]. So when the region began to plunge into chaos during the Spinward Front wars, Severus saw the opportunity and proceed to pull a Postumus, [[Tactical genius|announcing his annexation of the worlds under his influence into a private fiefdom]] and popularizing the move as [[Communism|a revolution against Imperial tyranny.]]

The Dominate has a bastardized version of the [[Imperial Cult]] used to enhance the power of the current Duke, Severus XIII. To sum it up simply, it claims that the Dominate are the true Emperor Loyalists while the High Lords of Terra are super Heretics. To this end, the Dominate maintains a corps of political officers known as Ducal Legates to enforce its ideology; essentially the Legates are ideological police that maintain the loyalty and support of the subservient Planetary Governors. Unlike the Imperium, however, the Severan Dominate actually know how to do [[Diplomacy]], as the Ducal Legates maintain interplanetary relations via excellent oratory speech and charisma. If anything, Middle Power Diplomacy and Finlandisation are one of the key foreign policy goals for the Severan Dominate; the Duke's ability to play the Great Powers against each other whilst currying favour with various neutral or aligned powers is actually competent from a strategic perspective. This is necessary as the Severan Dominate is in an astropolitically precarious situation, besieged on a two-front war between the Imperium of Man and the Orks of WAAAGH! Grimtoof.

Dominate ideology emphasizes three pillars: Interdependence, Justice, and Honesty. While they seem lofty and progressive on paper, in truth Dominate ideology is twisted to allow for a functional totalitarian state.

So why hasn't the Imperium crushed these upstarts as an example to others?

The Severan Dominate is very small, remote, and comparatively new. They're only a nuisance to the Calixis sector, not to the larger Segmentum or the Imperium as a whole. It's unlikely a report of their existence has even made it to the High Lords as of yet. But more importantly, because they're notionally still loyal to the Emperor, it makes their dispute a little more difficult to simply crush. As long as they have A church that worships Him, and as long as their version of the Mechanicus isn't practicing tech heresy, their dispute can be waved away as the sort of job the Arbites are supposed to sort out (purge the leaders and bring them into conformity). Nevermind that the Calixis Arbites aren't exactly equipped to fight a war against an entire subsector. The Dominate seems to know that they're safe from a full blown crusade as long as they have the right answers to a couple key questions.

==About those Dark Eldar==

Yeah, remember the Dark Eldar we spoke of earlier? The Severan Dominate actually has a covert and vested alliance with the Dark Eldar Kabal known as the Children of Thorns, which is part and parcel of why Severus I declared independence in the first place for [[Heresy|understandable reasons.]] Now, the Imperium do alliances with the [[Eldar]] from time to time, but no sane individual would do the same with the [[Dark Eldar]] [[Derp|''of all people''.]]

This, of course, starts to make sense under the functions of Realpolitik. The Severan Dominate is outnumbered and outgunned and therefore, has no qualms in making friends with anyone that could facilitate their interests: the survival and prosperity of the regime. Beggars can't be choosers and all that. The Children of Thorns want what all Dark Eldar want: slaves to do their [[Rape|'sexy time'.]] So Severus I and his descendants struck a deal with the Dark Eldar: we will give you entire worlds to make your peepee hard and in turn you supply us with weapons, military support and protection. Granted, this is the Dark Eldar we are talking about and they are not the most reliable of allies, with the Kabal constantly reminding the Duke to find new worlds of sex toys or they will rescind the alliance. But seeing as this relationship has survived for over a thousand years by now, it seems that the Duke is able to uphold his end of the bargain. Though, it's probably more a testament to how heavily populate said worlds are (and probably skimming the unnoticeables and undesirables of his worlds instead of giving whole populations). And that the Imperium hasn't decided to simply squish the Dominate. Of course, if they were to learn of the alliance with the Dark Eldar, or even just notice that the Deldar don't attack Dominate forces, the Imperium's strength would probably come crashing down in a berserk fury. At the very least, the Salamanders and their friends would come to play with a hate-boner even Dark Eldar wouldn't enjoy.

It must also be noted that not all Kabals are as [[Stupid Evil|mustache-twirling eeeevule]] as [[Kabal of the Black Heart|Vect's crew]]. Even in the relatively limited Dark Eldar fluff, there's [[Kabal of the Lords of the Iron Thorn|examples]] of Kabals that are sinister but pragmatic. So it's quite likely that in the Children of Thorns the Dominate found a kindred spirit that wants what it wants but sees the big picture and isn't stupid enough to sabotage a good deal just because they were programmed to betray by [[Games Workshop|some Brits]] who suck at writing morally murky material.

==Known Planets==
*Karacallia - Capital
*Thrax - Frontier World
*Maesa - Frontier World
*Orbiana - Feral World
*Lukius - War World beset by Orks
*Stalynthia - Mining World, perhaps their most valuable asset.
*Fourtheden - Agri-world
*Ohmsworld - Hive World
*Kokytos - Ice World, the site of fierce fighting between the Dominate and Imperium.
*Chuyavale - Rain Forest world
*Cyrda - Grave World

==Notable Members==
*Duke Severus XIII
*General Frederique Constantine
*General Harvax Scarus
*Lieutenant Roderick Kraig

==Military Forces==
Yes, under [[Only War]], you too, can play as the Severan Dominate. As previously mentioned, these guys are sensible enough to have their own standing armed forces; despite being besieged by all sides, [[Creed|they somehow continue to withstand them all, if only tenuously.]] Militarily, the Dominate maintains a small but capable army of mainly PDF troops and mercenaries.

The Severan Dominate has only a miniscule number of soldiers at its command in comparison to the innumerable forces of the Imperial Guard; because of their small force, the Severan Dominate don't waste their troops and armour unlike some [[Valhallan Ice Warriors|Imperial]] [[Mordian Iron Guard|Guard]] [[Death Korps of Krieg|regiments.]] Though the rebels lack the resources of the Imperial Guard, their shorter supply lines and familiarity with the environments ensure that the ranks of Severan Dominate troops are a threat to the men and women of the Imperial Guard. Severan Dominate forces echo the Imperial Guard in their organisation. A typical squad consists of nine soldiers led by a sergeant. One soldier may carry a special weapon, most likely a ﬂamer or grenade launcher. More technologically sophisticated weapons such as plasma guns and meltaguns are not unheard of, but the Severan Dominate’s access to these rare weapons is substantially limited. In addition, two soldiers can work together to operate a heavy weapon, most commonly a heavy ﬂamer, missile launcher, or autocannon.

===Severan Dominate Soldiers===

The most basic armed infantrymen. These chaps are drawn from across the worlds under Duke Severus’ leadership. Had events transpired differently, these very individuals might be serving in the Imperial Guard rather than opposing it. For many of these soldiers, ﬁghting against the forces of the Imperium is an uncomfortable prospect at best. They do not view themselves as traitors or enemies of the Emperor, but as victims of the unjust policies of the Adeptus Terra—that is, if they hold any view whatsoever of the wider issues at play.

For many Severan Dominate soldiers, it simply is a matter following orders and protecting their families back home-- of course, the same could be said of many Guardsmen. Severan Dominate soldiers are generally equipped in a similar manner to the Imperial Guard; in fact, much of their equipment was supplied by the Departmento Munitorum prior to the secession of the worlds which now swear allegiance to the Severan Dominate. However, [[Derp|the lack of Departmento Munitorum oversight and resources ensures a broader range of equipment than is seen even amongst the diverse regiments of the Imperial Guard.]] Which sounds useful but actually isn't. Regiments have equipment best suited to them for a reason. Many Severan Dominate regiments simply utilize the equipment of their homeworlds’ standing armed forces, which they are able to keep maintained and supplied due to their close proximity and short supply lines. Consequently, various patterns of autoguns, shotguns, and other stub weapons are as common as lasguns amongst the forces of the Severan Dominate.

====Wargear====
*Armor: Flak armour
*Weapons: M36 lasgun, autogun, or shotgun, combat knife, 3 frag grenades
*Gear: Severan Dominate uniform, basic toolkit, rebreather, 2 reloads for primary weapon, Severan Soldier’s Guide to Battle, homeworld memento, and standard regimental kit.

===Sergeants===

Sergeants of the Severan Dominate military are usually enlisted just as those under their command; in most cases, a sergeant and his squad served together within a planetary defence force before being drafted to the Severan Dominate cause. In this way, they are not unlike most Imperial Guard sergeants. Also like their counterparts in the Imperial Guard, sergeants of the secessionist forces often have only a vague understanding of why they are ﬁghting a given battle, knowing only that they are following orders. In some cases, they do not even fully comprehend the nature of the war or the true severity of the Duke’s actions. Others, though, are fully dedicated to the secessionist cause.

====Wargear====
*Armor: Flak Armor
*Weapons: autopistol, laspistol, or shotgun; combat knife, chainsword, 3 frag grenades
*Gear: Severan Dominate uniform, basic toolkit, rebreather, 3 reloads for primary weapon, Severan Soldier’s Guide to Battle, homeworld momento, standard regimental kit.

===Officers===

The majority of those who have risen to leadership positions within the armies of the Severan Dominate hold a deep commitment to the secessionist cause, yet also a ﬁrm devotion to the Emperor and belief in His divinity. Though this seems an impossible contradiction in the minds of many loyal Imperial citizens, the Duke has spent many decades laying the groundwork for his rebellion.

Ducal Legates and others continuously spread the Severan Dominate’s propaganda, painting the Imperium and its forces as the true traitors. Positions of responsibility within the armies of the Severan Dominate are reserved for those committed to the cause: those who believe that Duke Severus the Thirteenth is the rightful representative of the Emperor’s will. As befits their status, lieutenants of the Severan Dominate have access to superior arms and armour. Those with the right connections or who are held in particularly high esteem by the Duke and his circle of advisors covet deadly bolt pistols and several lieutenants have earned the coveted Golden Laurel through acts of valour or in recognition of their tactical acumen.

====Wargear====
*Armour: Flak armour
*Weapons: autopistol, bolt pistol, or plasma pistol, chainsword, 3 frag grenades
*Gear: Severan Dominate uniform, 3 reloads for bolt pistol, rebreather, basic toolkit, homeworld memento, Severan Soldier’s Guide to Battle

===Shock Troopers===

Remember the aforementioned Special Forces? Yeah, these are the guys who are essentially the Severan Dominate's equivalent of [[Stormtrooper|Stormtroopers]]. Although military resources are stretched thin for the Severan Dominate, certain soldiers who display a high level of ability earn recognition.

These veteran soldiers are equipped with the ﬁnest weapons and armour within the Dominate’s possession and grouped into squads of Shock Troopers comparable to the elite Stormtroopers of the Imperium. Most Severan Dominate soldiers are relatively green, especially by the standards of a typical Imperial Guard regiment; consequently, Shock Troopers are quite rare. The Dominate leadership does not waste these elite troops’ talents and deploys them only under circumstances where other soldiers are insufﬁcient.

The loss of each shock trooper is a serious blow to the Dominate’s limited resources, and the decision to risk their lives and equipment is not made lightly. Shock Troopers are highly dedicated to the Duke’s cause and willing to give their lives in the protection of the Severan Dominate. Though typically assigned to special operations missions and lightning raids, Shock Troopers are sometimes given the duty of protecting an important ofﬁcer or other ofﬁcial of the Severan Dominate, where their experience and unﬂinching loyalty can mean all the difference.

====Wargear====
*Armor: Carapace armour
*Weapons: Hot-shot lasgun, autopistol with man-stopper bullets, combat knife, 3 frag grenades, 2 krak grenades
*Gear: Severan Dominate uniform, micro-bead, rebreather, photo-visor, 3 clips of man-stopper bullets, Severan Soldier’s Guide to Battle

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:SeveranSoldier.jpg|Soldiers of Severus. Just one Football helmet from becoming 40k's Caesar’s Legion.
File:Severan_Officer.jpg|Officer of the Severan Dominate. Now if only the Officers of the average Imperial Guard look as dope as this guy.
File:SeveranStormTrooper.png|Shock Troopers. Somehow, even more badass looking than normal Stormtroopers.
File:Ducal_Legates.png|Ducal Legates of the Dominate.
File:1447000628425.jpg|Failed a spot check.
File:General_Scarus.png|Harvax Scarus, one of the Generals of the Severan Dominate.
</gallery>
{{40k-Governments}}

Leagues of Votann

2023-06-01T12:40:19Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{awesome}}
{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Leagues of Votann
|image=[[Image:‎NewLeaguetemplogo.jpg|300px|center]]
|Capital=Decentralized, Greater Thurian League being most powerful
|Official Languages= Squat Lexicon, High Gothic, Low Gothic
|Power=Great Power
|Size=Galactic Core, a third of Segmentum Solar, several thousand Mining Worlds, many Holds of various sizes
|Head of State=Decentralized, [[Votann|Votanns]] act as Head of State
|Head of Government=Votannic Councils (Hearthspake)
|Governmental Structure=Confederated Gerontocratic Supranational Union
|State Religion/Ideology=Ancestor Worship Achievement Ideology Mercantilism A variation of Familialism
|Demographic=Kin ([[Squats]], Ironkin,
[[Imperium|Humans]])
|Military Force=Kinhost Forces, [[Leagues of Votann Fleet|Prospector Fleets]]
}}
{{topquote|Right after Mankind’s colonization of the galaxy came its first true golden age. Reared by machine prophets, the survivors of the Oedipal plagues built civilizations that equaled and even surpassed their Solar forbears.| CM Koseman, ''[[All Tomorrows]]''}}
{{topquote|Better a soulless clone... than a souled roach.|David Mitchell, ''Cloud Atlas''}}
{{topquote|This is very simple. We don't want your liver, your coin, or that junk you call technology. We want your world. We want the riches you didn't even realize you had, and that you definitely don't deserve. Leave while you have the chance. Or don't. Either way, we're coming to claim what's ours.|Ultimatum delivered by the Cthonian Guantlet Consortium, ''Codex- Leagues of Votann''}}
{{topquote|Rock and stone to the bone!| Warchant of the deeprock league}}

The '''Leagues of Votann''' or otherwise known as the '''Squat Homeworlds''' (Or if you're in /tg/; as the '''Domain of Squats, Squat Territories, [[Dwarf Fortress|SPESS DORF FORTRESS]]''' & '''Deeprock Galactic''') is the areas in which one can find our beloved space midgets in the early days of 40k and its current modern reboot. They could also be called the Leagues of Bullshit given how utterly ridiculous their lore is and that their technology hasn't been ripped from them kicking and screaming (literally). However, these are motherfucking dorfs and squats, so they get a pass.

Back in the [[Rogue Trader (Sourcebook)|good old days,]] the then-named Squat Homeworlds, unlike other Imperial-aligned entities in the galaxy, enjoyed a significant degree of autonomy. Whilst de jure, the Squat Homeworlds were part of the [[Imperium of Man]], de facto as is its own self-sustaining and self-sufficient society unlike places such as [[Ultramar]] or the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] which has an interdependent and semi-autonomous relationship with [[Terra]].

Of course, we all know how the Squats were Squatted soon after making the debut, with the [[Tyranids]] [[Derp|''SOMEHOW'' targeting '''''only''''' the Squat worlds whilst leaving the rest of the Imperium-controlled space right next door to the Squats largely untouched.]] This is ridiculous when taking into account that the territories of the Squats weren't some small specks like the [[Tau Empire]], but rather, a significantly large domain that took up half of the entire Galactic core. This is made worse when taking into consideration that [[Lolwut|it was completely out of character for the Imperium to stop and do nothing against such a large incursion of Tyranid forces in an area considered Astro-strategically important for them.]] [[Games Workshop|Games Workshop's]] [[Fail|shitty excuse/explanation in removing the Squats from canon]] [[Rage|had never really stood well within the community,]] [[RAGE|much less among the Squat players.]]

However, their reintroduction as the Leagues of Votann has somewhat radically changed their origins whilst still keeping some old lore modernised. The '''Leagues of Votann''' (also known as the [[Squats|Unsquatted Squats]]) is now a [[retcon|""new""]], more fully independent, faction in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] universe. They are gatherings of short abhuman clones called the Kin (more commonly known as Squats by the dirty Necromunda gangers), bound together by the [[Votann]], super-cogitators from the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. Kin originate from far space and no knowledge remains about their origins [[Belegar Ironhammer|though they are increasingly approaching the idea of sending out expeditions rediscovering it]]. Each League has its own Votann, and are organized in strongholds around it. [[Powergamer|They used the data stored to survive among the stars and maintain their culture across generations]]. Of course, since some [[Adeptus Mechanicus|factions]] are touchy about AI, the Leagues are very cautious when dealing with [[Imperium of Man|its nearest relatives]], hence their secretive lifestyle.

However, because of the [[grimdark|setting]], everything is not that simple. Since Dorf Windows is not regularly updated anymore and issues that have arisen from having remained active for literal millennia, the Votann began to deteriorate. If they want to repair their computer, <s>[[Dwarf Fortress|they must wage war with other shitcoin miners for more processing power]]</s>, the Kin have to once more brave a galaxy full of danger. Aside from that they have a culture valuing wasting nothing, which is a fun way of saying they drain suns of energy and cooled minerals and at best economically enslave indigenous groups while at their worst they’ll mine your planet to dust around you and respond to resistance with military force. Imagine if Italian Corporatists, the Monopoly Man, and the Evil Mining Heads in fiction were merged with the seven dwarves.

==Rogue Trader Era Fluff==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
Given the sheer extensive history between the old and the new. This section will contain all the fluff from the old Rogue Trader days. For the sake of preventing page bloat, this entire section will be put in a collapsible page.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
===Historical Overview===
[[File:Squat-logo_banner.png|300px|right|thumb|The original emblem of the squats]]

The Squat Homeworlds were all worlds filled with rich mineral resources, which led the Human ancestors of the Squats to lay down, settle and mine the shit out of. Most of these were located within the galactic core where unique and rare minerals were found in abundance in exchange for being sterile and barren of life of course. But for the early Human colonists, it was a gold mine as [[Terra]] ran out of all of its resources, so the search for raw materials was needed. Their planet's gravity is great, usually two or three times that of Terra. Their atmospheres are either thin or non-existent. Even those planets with atmospheres are blasted by tremendous storms. But hey? Who gives a shit about all of that when you have all the resources to make you rich, and rich the Squats got.

Like the Gulf States, the Squats quickly took a monopoly on these minerals and started to get wealthy, and with money comes an increase in development and technological advancements. These planets became Mining Worlds and with the coming [[Age of Strife]], the Squats got themselves the good end of the stick by both inhabiting hostile worlds and cranking up the technological kazoo when the rest of humanity plunged into a galactic-wide [[shitstorm]].

Squat history can be split into several eras.

====Age of Founding====

The first is the Age of Founding, which is the Squat equivalent of the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. This is not technically the first period of the Squats as they had yet to evolve, but it is the time of the founding of the colonies that would become the Squat Homeworlds. Almost twenty thousand years ago contact between these planets and Terra was almost continuous, testament to the importance of these colonies. Terra also kept the worlds well supplied with that which they could not produce for themselves in adequate amounts, primarily food. This period lasted until the [[Age of Strife]].

====Age of Isolation====

The Age of Isolation corresponds with the earlier part of the Age of Strife - around eighteen thousand years ago. The galactic core was cut off from the rest of human space by the devastating Warp storms of the Age of Strife. Many worlds were swallowed by the Warp and disappeared forever, others were trapped in stasis and became lost. Most survived although they were separated from Earth and all contact was lost with the rest of the galaxy. During this time of isolation and danger the Squat worlds still in contact with each other began to organize for their mutual defense. It was at this time that the Squats began to refer to their worlds as the Homeworlds.

The Homeworlds remained isolated for thousands of years and their inhabitants learned to survive in a universe that was becoming increasingly hostile. Those that survived grew and prospered. Settlements were enlarged and fortified into impregnable Strongholds. They soon developed alternative technologies to make up for the lack of supplies from Earth.

During the isolation the complex system of Engineer Guilds developed. These Guilds were responsible for preserving technical knowledge and skills as well as training technicians, miners and other specialists necessary for the Strongholds. The Guilds transcended the Strongholds, allowing every Stronghold to benefit from the preserved knowledge as well as new advances in technology.

During this age the Leagues first began to develop from Strongholds allied for trading and defense purposes.

====Age of Trade====

The Age of Trade took place during a slight abatement of the warp storms during the Age of Strife and led to the Squats encountering other races, including [[Orks]] and [[Eldar]].

At the beginning of the Age of Trade, some strongholds were attacked, but the aliens quickly realized that the Squats [[RIP AND TEAR|were armed to the fucking teeth and prepared to go down fighting]], and that trade was a more practical arrangement. [[Just As Planned|The Squats took full advantage of their tremendous mineral wealth, which they traded for weapons, foodstuffs and high-technology systems.]] To this day, Squat hydroponic plants, [[Heresy|developed with Eldar help]], are among the most efficient food sources in the Imperium. The Squats remained carefully neutral in the numerous conflicts between Eldar and Orks, maintaining trade links with both sides. There were inevitably small wars from time to time, but for the most part the Squats' complex structure of treaties and trade agreements maintained a stable peace.

====Age of Wars====

The Age of Trade lasted for nearly three millennia, but finally collapsed when an enormous Ork battle-fleet, under the command of Grunhag the Flayer, attempted a full-scale invasion of the Homeworlds. Losses on both sides were astronomical, with vicious tunnel-fights through the mine workings and bloody pitched battles in the Squats' underground settlements. The Squats appealed to their Eldar trading partners for help against the invading Orks, but none was received.

The Age of Wars, as it became known, is regarded by the Squats as the blackest chapter in their history, and the double betrayal by Orks and Eldar gave rise to a cultural enmity which still persists. Many strongholds were wiped out by the Orks, and the traditional epic ballad known as The Fall of Imbach commemorates one such destruction. Even today expeditions are mounted from the Squat Homeworlds in search of lost strongholds, and these expeditions are often accompanied by Adeptus Mechanicus priests, eager to rediscover lost Squat technology to [[Blood Ravens|'burrow from'.]]

====Age of Rediscovery====

The Age of Rediscovery was the most recent phase of Squat history, corresponding to the Great Crusade and the current Age of the Imperium. As the Imperium recovered from the Age of Strife and began to reunite the scattered worlds of humanity, the Squat Homeworlds were rediscovered and contact with the Imperium was established.

The Imperium found that a distinct culture had developed on the Homeworlds, and that the Squats had moved outwards through the galaxy, extending their domains. Often they settled harsh planets similar to their own Homeworlds, but they also occupied more conventional worlds able to support normal Human civilization.

====Age of the Imperium====

The current phase in Squat history. It essentially details the various treaties between the Squats and the Imperium.

The experiences of the previous millennia has left the Squats with a strong sense of cultural unity and a fiercely independent nature, and instead of rejoining the Imperium as subject worlds, the Homeworlds negotiated a series of treaties which enabled them to keep their independence. The racial character of the Squats - hard-working, tenacious, honorable, and inimical to alien races - was almost perfect from the Imperial point of view, and the Imperium was content to allow them a great degree of self-government.

A detailed description of their relationship can be read below.

===Squat-Imperium Relations===
[[File:Squat-homeworlds-800px.jpg|480px|right|thumb|Galactic map of the Squat Homeworlds.]]
First contact with the Squats by the Imperium began during the [[Great Crusade]] as the Emperor's forces reached the worlds near the galactic core. Many of these worlds were the Squat Homeworlds and, Squats being Spess Dorfs and Spess Dorfs being just regular Dorfs with tech, conflict became inevitable. Suffice to say, the [[Space Marine]] legions [[Rape|got their shit kicked in]]. Who would have wondered, that 8-foot tall supersoldiers would have trouble trying to fight in 5-foot by 5-foot tunnels with no cover whatsoever. Here's a fun hint, Empy's forces got creamed so hard it led directly to the development of the Mark 3 [[Power Armor]].

The Emprah with all his infinite wisdom, decided that being on friendly terms with midgets all armed with D-Cannons and rapid-firing plasma machineguns is probably a good idea rather than engaging a war that might as well be the Imperium's Vietnam. So a treaty was signed to sweep the whole 'first-contact shenanigans' under the bus and get back to business.

The Squat Homeworlds as aforementioned, have long been part of the Imperium, but enjoy a level of autonomy greater than the ordinary self-governed Imperial world. Hell, the Squats are so autonomous that not even the [[Administratum]] can touch them. Instead, Squat Homeworlds are ruled by strongholds of leagues.

Nonetheless, the Homeworlds, while governing themselves without interference from the Adeptus Terra, are expected to follow Imperial policy on wider issues. Both the Imperium and the Squats benefit from this arrangement: the Homeworlds provide troops for the [[Imperial Guard]]. The Imperial Guard also provides military support to the Homeworlds when necessary, as they would any other threatened Imperial worlds (Space NATO). Additionally the Squats trade their mineral wealth exclusively with the Imperium in return for some sweet, sweet moolah. The [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] are highly interested in the Squats and the Homeworlds for several reasons: Squats possess a high level of technical expertise which seems to come naturally to the race. Additionally, the Homeworlds as a whole possess the greatest amount of surviving [[STC]] equipment in the Imperium. The Squats are said to allow the Adeptus Mechanicus free access to Squat technology. However it is also said the Squats keep their technology from other races, regarding the Adeptus Mechanicus as little more than sorcerers mired in superstition.

The relationship between the Homeworlds and the Imperium is therefore generally peaceful, although through history has been punctuated by bouts of war and bitterness. The Squats and the Imperium trade to their mutual benefit. Both races also share many enemies, especially [[Orks]], making it in their best interests to cooperate. The Squats do not follow the Imperial Cult, rather they revere their ancestors. Squats fighting alongside the Imperial Guard often adopt the Emperor into their beliefs, as a guardian of their ancestors.

Squat technology is based upon the heavy mining equipment they brought with them to the Homeworlds. During their isolation from the rest of humanity they adapted it for other uses, notably exo-armour which was engineered from heavy mining suits. Squats continued to innovate and invent while humanity sank into a Dark Age. As a result, the Squats have developed technologies such as [[Wat|neo-plasma]] and warp cores far in advance of anything the Imperium owns. Some Squat technologies were absorbed into the Imperium, especially tunneling vehicles and weaponry such as the [[Tunneling Transport Vehicles#Termite|Termite.]]

===Strongholds===
Strongholds are Squat settlement centres. They were generally founded during the original colonisation and those produced later are known as ''Newholds''. Strongholds also often join together under Leagues to form defensive pacts.

Generally a Stronghold develops around a mine and its associated living quarter although some later developments were not associated with mining. A hereditary Lord ruled each stronghold and was protected and supported by the [[Hearthguard]]. The [[Hearthguard]] were the elite of a Squat army and the servants to the Lord while also protecting the Lord when he went to war. Each Stronghold had a group of [[Squat Trooper|Brotherhood or War-Brethren]] which formed the core of the Squat armed forces for the Stronghold. Every Squat had an obligated 30-70 year service period although they may not be called upon to fight until they had sired two sons and raised them to maturity. This helped protect the continuity of the race from the Stronghold's military activities. A Squat could then retire from active duty with his honor and probably some wealth and take up a position of responsibility in his family's business.

The Brotherhood was often also seen as a mercenary force. In times of peace warriors were traded for resources to either fight for the Imperium or for other strongholds. Another member of the aristocracy was the [[Squat Warlord|Warlord,]] a close relative of the Lord who was there to be placed in control of the Brotherhood in order to prevent Lords from wielding too much power and sending their troops into battles they should not be fighting. Other Lords would send their Brotherhoods on expeditions which range from locating other ancient and lost strongholds to a campaign against an alien race or piracy. Some Brotherhoods had totally turned to piracy and become known as Squat Reavers. When they returned to their stronghold they distributed the booty between the pirates and the Lord of the Stronghold.

Squats had a requirement to provide forces for the Imperial Guard and this often took the form of a detachment of the Brotherhood.

===Leagues===

So what are Leagues? Well, in a nutshell, they are groups of strongholds working together for a common purpose - usually mutual defense - trade or dealings with the Imperium. Leagues varied greatly in size, the smallest consisting of four Strongholds and the largest consisting of over three thousand. The League of Thor was the most powerful and influential, including over 300 strongholds. The League of Norgyr was the league closest to Holy Terra. Now, under the new lore there exists the [[Leagues of Votann]], each formed around a [[Votann]] ancestor core. Votann-equipped leagues seem to be the only survivors as full scale polities in the Imperium, but at least some clans are known to have survived, usually working as engineers, miners and mercenaries.

A League usually encompassed the Strongholds on more than one planet with the latest extant being 700 known Leagues total. Each League was led and dominated by a single Stronghold. As some Leagues were virtually nations with distinct cultures, Squats often identified themselves with the League their Stronghold belonged to.

The Squats had a strong sense of mutual preservation, as it had been known for rival leagues to go to war with each another. Such occasions could lead to lasting enmity, as Squats were inclined to remember deeds of infamy for many generations much like the Book of Grudges from [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. The League of Thor and League of Grindel fought an unusually bitter war around 2,000 years ago when settlers from both sides clashed over the exploration of the Lost Stronghold of Dargon. The war that followed resulted in the destruction of several Strongholds and many key victories for the League of Thor including the capture of two other Leagues. Peace only came with the huge Ork invasion of Grunhag the Flayer which obliged all the Leagues to unify against their mutual foe. Although the war ended with the rout of the Orks, the two Leagues remained distrustful rivals and both sides considered the other side owing them debts of blood and honor.
</div></div>

==Reboot Fluff==
This section details the new and updated fluff from 2022 onwards. This deals with the Leagues and their similar but new background for the modern 40k narrative.
===History===
[[File:Votann meeting.jpg|500px|thumb|right|[[Star Wars|200,000 clone units are ready with a million more well on the way.]]]]
Even though the oldest living Kin don’t remember what their earliest days were like, some undeniable “First Truths” remain constant in the Votanns’ data tracks. One such truth is that the First Ancestors departed from ancient Terra prior to the Unification Wars to harvest the untold riches of the galaxy with the first holds being settled near the galactic core. What became of these Ancestors is unknown, but curiously when the Ancestors begun to fade away…the Votann are first mentioned.

A second First Truth is that the Kin have always been a cloned people. The Ancestors used genetic systems called “cloneskeins” to [[Transhumanist|manipulate and modify their race’s molecular structure]], and continue to define their overall division of labor. Over time the Kin became squatter, denser, and stronger, growing no more than five feet tall max. They’ve even been able to artificially neuter their [[psyker|psychic]] footprint to avoid the attention of [[Chaos]], in a not too dissimilar fashion to how the [[Tau]] souls work. Other examples of this engineering can be seen in the Hearthkyn Warriors, who often are also engineered with particular cloneskeins that allow them to specialise in combat – heightened senses, improved stamina, and the ability to see better in the dark, to name but a few (although, maxing out their bodies' capabilities should be standard for all Kin anyway because duh). In contrast, others augment their bodies for battle with mechanical limbs and synthetic organs, with members of the powerful Cthonian Mining Guilds being noted as extensive users of these body modifications. This is not that unexpected as that particular guild (which is noted as being a particularly extreme embodiment of the usual belligerent acquisitiveness of the Kin) is willing to fearlessly locate, secure, and harvest resources for their race from environments so dangerous that even other Kin would balk at their hazards leading to a need for extensive augmentation on their part. Because of all the above, some fans are now speculating that GW is tying the [[Men of Stone]] thread to the modern Squat civilization (either to the Squats themselves or to the Votann) given the [[Men of Gold]] and [[Men of Iron]] have already been speculated to be [[Perpetual]]s and [[Machine Spirit|abominable intelligence]]. It is also revealed the Leagues also have the “Iron Kin,” their fully-mechanical and true AI robot social class, who were designed with a prerogative to help their meaty cousins. This along the mention in some Kin myths of a “group of gleaming golden figures” relative to the first Votann (sometimes referred to as the the Gilded One), means this theory of the Kin being the Men of Stone could bear all the more weight.

At some point during the reconstruction after the Horus Heresy, the ancestors of the Ironhead Squats arrived from the Leagues to help with rebuilding efforts on Necromunda. However they somehow lost their Votann ancestor core in the process and so they ended up having to stay on the world long after the rebuilding was done so they could try and track it down, a search which still continues to this day and has resulted in them regressing technologically in the mean time. Maybe someone should tell them to go search Van Saar's basement. Wait...[[Derp|don't those cores radiate in the Warp like a miniature Astronomican?]]
On many other Imperial worlds, the Kin have even been states to show up in pre Imperial records, truly showing that the Leagues are a deeply ancient set of orders with even deeper roots that spread all across the galaxy.

With the formation of the Great Rift, the Leagues had lost a few holds and trade routes, pressuring them into expanding and gaining new trade routes, endorsing new colonization efforts, and slowly withdrawing from their semi isolated state.

During the events of the Arks of Omen, Ark Infernal Threnody was ruthlessly picked apart and dismantled by the Kronus Hegemony league after a failed voyage into the galactic core. Around the same time, one of Abaddon's battlefleets under Lady Maeve of House Grendyl, arrived in the Polyhadra system with the expectations of easily conquering a world and acquiring a key fragment from the hands of a ramshackle Ork empire. The Greater Thurian League had instead long beaten them to the punch, to the point of having a thriving enclave in the system. Anything resembling ork occupation was reduced to wreckage bolts floating in the void, and the world they sought for was long sliced apart by the Kin. The key fragment itself had already vanished into the churning machineries of the Kin's colossal mining ships, with the fragments psychic spoor leading into the galactic core. Before she would pursue the fragment however, Maeve's twisted honor code demanded she punish the Kin for their interference. And soon, savage battle raged across every surviving world in the Polyhadra system.
There were also Kin mercenaries contracted by Indomitus Fleet Quartus that immediately fled after the murder curse was unleashed.

===Culture===

[[File:1657022781779.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"GET IN MAH BELLY!"]]

{{topquote|So, we're talking about space dwarfs who need more RAM for their gods?|Anon}}

In the modern day of the 41st Millennium, the culture of the Kin seems very egalitarian, with no distinction between male, female, machine or otherwise amongst its members. [[Greater Good|United in the guidance of the Votann, the Leagues of the Kin operate with seeming unity, with the Kin working in unison for the betterment of their Kindreds, or so it would appear to outsiders.]] The truth however is a little more complicated than that though.

The Leagues are semi unified conglomerates of "family states" (a cross between nation states and extended family) called Kindreds, guilds, Freelancers, and kinhost armies. While the Leagues are very communal and chummy with their fellow kin, this does not stop the dark influences of a past long gone from seeping into their civilizations.

Entire planets and even systems with ecosystems and civilizations stripped to the bone, regardless of the ethics. Global magna extraction and tectonic delving allows the Kin to harvest whole worlds, populated or not. Evacuation may be offered, but not always. Ferocious competition between Guilds and freelancers, who have taken on the mantle from dark age corporations, merc groups, independent contractors, and cartels and follow the philosophy of "When someone has what you want, why not take it." While the Kin do live to serve their fellow kin, their societies, and their ancestors, they are also filled to the brim with society-wide greed and hunger. As individuals, they may or may not have such hungers, but as communities they will devour entire worlds. Not even the universe itself will be enough for their wants. Negotiation is an alternative when dropping anchor and starting the harvesting would incur more cost in resources from defeating local resistance than a contract would entail, and the Kin have relocated species, traded technology, or taken more careful approaches to resource collection (read: not just shattering the planet and picking through the space dust for the minerals) in the past.

This is all extremely weird, though, as the Mechanicus despite having thirteen thousand or more worlds that are basically just giant factories and numerous mining worlds plus the Imperium's worlds in general being heavily focused on industry and mining haven't really, to our knowledge, stripped many planets clean of resources. The Kin don't have anywhere near the industrial resource needs of the Imperium yet apparently go to far more extreme lengths for far more resources than even the Imperium needs. This is very wasteful, as many resources must be kept in careful and advanced containment to prevent it from decaying after it has been harvested. It wastes the resources and industry for the storage, power generation to maintain that storage, along with manpower and the construction of robots to attend to maintenance tasks related to the storage, all for resources that aren't going to be used. This behavior is, if anything, [[Heresy|the antithesis of the core values of Kin civilization.]] Not to mention that even the Mechanicus makes extensive use of molecular furances to change things at a molecular level, which means there is no reason for the Kin to not have a far more advanced analogue which would, logically, be the ability to outright change what's put into the furnace into a different material entirely which would of course include the rare resources of the galactic core. They would also have very strong motivation to invent such a thing if they didn't already have it.

This does not mean they are the type to cut corners. Far from it. [[Grungni|Like their many Dwarven counter parts in other media, one of the things they appreciate is fine ass Craftmanship]]. No planned obsolescence, shoddy piss water, and easy to break communicators here. Only the best in quality is acceptable (or at least, the best they can make). And this is not even such a difficult feat for them. High quality mass produced goods is the norm for League society, with their high technology and industrial society. Many of their holds are even live-in factories, constantly churning out master crafted items at a constant pace. The Leagues overall conduct resource extraction, industry, and technology developments on a vastly larger scale, making the Imperium look puny in their developments by comparison. And unlike the imperium, they don't dig for the ore required, wasting time and lives (unless of course they actually have to occupy a world, then they'll mine, extract, manufacture, and bunker down to their hearts content on whatever occupied planetary body they are on). The Kin instead sees that whatever asteroid or world they are working on can just be torn apart, and the remnants plucked out the wreckage.

But despite all their comforts, riches, and conveniences, they are still a hardy people who revere their ancestors and promote the importance of sacrifice throughout their society, willing to do whatever is needed for their Kin and ancestors.

===Morals and Virtues===
{{topquote|The stars are ours, bequeathed by the ancestors to us millennia ago. It is our duty, to all those who came before us, to reach out into them and stake our claim. No other race can fashion their resources into the technological marvels we can. It is a waste of their potential for any others to possess them.|Brôkhyr Iron-master Tôryk Farstrydd}}
The Kin are a highly conservative race who are extremely focused on preserving their territories and secrets, as well as the survival of their entire species. This is the primary driving motivation for the majority of all Kin. They can be implacable enemies and valuable allies, but securing their aid, let alone getting them to change their minds on a subject, is fairly difficult. If they deem the motivation of another group to go against their interests, they will be more likely to treat them as foes rather than make friends.

The ancestry of the kin as void-bourne miners has led them to develop an unforgiving moral code. They have no tolerance for laziness, wastefulness, or incompetence. In the cold darkness of space, a filter changed too late, a weak seam missed, or a leaking water tank could kill an entire crew. Despite all their technology, the Kin have retained this perfectionist worldview, and such behaviors are treated as deadly sins. Furthermore, the Kin have adopted an extreme survivalist mindset. Leaving resources unharvested is seen as another form of waste, and they would would rather pause to strip a stellar body bare than leave it behind for someone else to find. This has gained them a reputation as selfish hoarders among some other species, but for the kin its simply prudent.

The Kin prize efficiency, and this can be seen in the way they coldly and quickly dispatch targets on the battlefield. [[Book of Grudges |Yet, paradoxically, they will go to extreme lengths in an effort to settle a grudge, as happened during the Five Hundred Years' War against Waaagh! Morbok. The Kin don't see this as a waste, as leaving a particularly hated or dangerous foe alive is not only a danger to the entire race but an affront to the ancestors.]] While far less touchy than [[The Grudge Of Drong|their Fantasy kin can be]] the key to surviving with the Kin is to [[Thorgrim Grudgebearer|offer enough resistance to be worth talking to]] but [[Ungrim Ironfist|not successful enough to warrant permanent deletion from the universe.]]

The Kin are natural explorers, and their culture compels them to return new information to the Votann. The Hernkyn fulfill this duty by plunging into the dark and undiscovered portions of the galaxy. These acts allow the Kin to find new resources to exploit as well as threats to neutralize before they become a danger. Others travel beyond the Galactic Core in search of opportunities for trade or profit.

The Kin's hatred of wastefulness means they see preserving ammo as a priority. As such, weapons such as the HyLas Rotary Cannon, which consumes a vast amount of power to use, is only given to the most trusted Hearthkyn. Which makes no sense as it doesn't seem to use ammunition.

===Technology===
{{topquote|I saw their ships grind up an entire asteroid cluster in a few hours. I've seen them reduce stars to nothing but the echoes of once-existent radiation. Before my eyes have their armies boiled up Ork tribes, cultist hordes and Tyranid swarms. Yet there is one thing I cannot understand - what in the Emperor's name is it about their systems that lets them tolerate Brü without chucking it all up again? One sip made me feel as if a super-heavy tank was driving over my stomach.|Some Rogue Trader}}
Let's not beat around the bush here; League technology is almost always a clear upgrade over the Imperium. While they didn't retain everything after the collapse of the golden age, they kept far more than their Imperial counterparts, to the point where they can at least echo DAoT society and its tech. While much of the Leagues' tech is reminiscent of the Imperium's in form and function, it is generally far more advanced, reliable and ubiquitous.

Kin gene-technology allows them to make stable mutations, psykers and even alter their souls. [[Cyberpunk|Cybernetic implants and genetic modification is the norm; advanced helper AI citizens walk the streets as equals.]] Albeit, said AI are programmed to be helpful to biological Kin and so "equals" is more like they're not outright slaves so much as a non-biological species designed to instinctively assist the Kin. They have [[T'au|advanced ion weaponry]], something that terrified the shit out of the Imperium to the point where they just straight up [[Derp|banned it.]] Their guns hit harder and faster, so that even their basic infantry can prove to trouble for your average space marine (Their big muscles, stocky bodies, and genetic and cybernetic augmentations probably puts them physically on par with Astartes at least in strength, too). And unlike the Imperium's physically and politically unstable hive worlds with their overcrowded, polluted and crime-ridden hive cities, the League's Holds should be considered closer to actual fortified arcologies. Agri-worlds? Why grow your food using primitive farming methods when you could just grow your [[Meatbread|foodstuffs]] in factories, labs and indoor facilities?

[[Doom|Even Chaos avoids their territory.]]

Much of the kin arsenal makes use of exotic material not found outside the galactic core. This includes extremely hazardous materials like dark-star ore; the universal dampening field the material emits can halt all mechanical and organic functions making [[Grimdark|even the mildest of wounds lethal]]. Because of its inherent dangers, the material is mined and shaped with exceptional care and only wielded by those who can be trusted with such [[Plasma|tactically valuable yet dangerous weapons]]. Even their teleportation technology is almost flawless, standing in stark contrast to its incredibly risky Imperial counterpart and allowing Kin to be deployed [[Reasonable Marines|safely and tactically]].

Many kin weapons are augmented with HunTR modules, which connect to their neural implants to help [[Ork Snipers|bring about the best possible firing solutions.]] Their Brôkhyr have mastered the manufacturing of focusing lenses and other components necessary to produce a sustained stream of energy, leading to focused beam technology that can be used on and off the battlefield, such as their mining and excavation industries. Their exclusive Volkanite weapons are similar to imperial [[Volkite Weaponry|Volkite]] (and may even be closer to the ''original'' technology), with the key difference that they appear to be [[AWESOME|not only more powerful but also more common.]]

Ancestor Cores are so [[Bear Lore|big-brained]], in fact, that they actually shine in the warp, fulfilling a similar role to the astronomicon (albeit on a far smaller scale). The Leagues' warp drives and gellar field are also superior to those of the Imperium, but since they don't dive quite so headlong into the Warp their ships are generally slower than their Imperial counterparts. However, the kin's methods of warp travel are far safer and more predictable, which they feel outweighs the slower travel speed. And their ships are FUCK HUGE, to the point where they [[Dwarf|dwarf]] even the largest of the Imperium's interstellar vessels. And it isn't like they can't reliably dive deeper into the Warp if they need a speed boost or probably do something more impressive and related to how teleportation technology works.

Shielding developments are also prevalent in the physical realm. Unlike conventional [[void shields]], weave-field generators employ techniques to overlap differing energy fields, interlocking over a range of frequencies and exotic energies. Weave field generators are compact, efficient and scalable, and can be used either as personal shields or projected onto entire areas, the latter of which which is useful for mining.

Other amazing devices include pan-specular scanners, which allow the Kin to find an enemy’s location not just physical objects, but through the warp. Even the most terrifying of galactic phenomena are reaped through atom-delving and transotheric resubstantiation; [[Tyranids|stellar siphons drain the stars themselves, as the cthonic mining guilds take whatever resources they need.]] They can even [[Necron|move entire planets.]]

Unfortunately, despite holding on to far more dark-age technology than most of humanity's other splinters (just about all of it, if their cores are what we think they are), what the Leagues did lose was typically their knowledge of [[Golden Throne|how to make and maintain the really good stuff]] - things like the Votann themselves. Due to this, while they're closer to the technological pinnacle of dark-age humanity than the Imperium, the ongoing decay of the Votann cores threatens to sink them back to levels similar to their emperor loving cousins, while already slowing down much of their R&D to a crawl. Which doesn't really make sense as they build factories and the cores should be able to teach them how to build the things the cores do because, well, the cores do it. As a result, they are stuck behind the Eldar and the Necrons technologically, though it doesn't seem like a big enough difference to functionally matter. But hey, at least they aren't on the Imperium’s level of decay, and are straight the Tau's supplier of Ion weaponry and other technologies all of which are drastically inferior to that of the Kin.

Ironically, in comparison to both the adeptus mechanicus and their [[Thorek Ironbrow|Fantasy Counterparts, the Kin don't have a cultural problem with innovation and research,]] but rather a technical one thanks the Votann decaying and overloading. The traditions of the kin can be traced back to the dark age of technology, a time that was stated to have science as its god. As a result, their traditions call for more innovation and development, not less. Stubborn in favour of progress, not stagnation.

They also have variety of beverages called Brü, which range from mainstay nutro-rations for soldiers and miners, to [[Josef Bugman|devastatingly alcoholic recreational beverages]]. None are recommended without a Kin constitution.

===Aspects of League society===
*'''Leagues:''' Conglomerates of family states united for better economic and defensive potential. Competitive, but not to the point of self destruction and to the point where it gets in the way of productivity. Looks down on the Imperium, but trades and sometimes even works with them. Distrusts the Eldar because they are entitled bastards who are bad for business. Some are business partners with the Tau and gives them ion guns and other goodies. Loves their Votann to point of self sacrifice. Their numbers greatly outnumber the populations of the upstart tau and the dwindling Aeldari, yet their population is still far fewer than the Imperium's obviously (they are still described as having formidable and vast interstellar empires however). Loves their Galactic core due to its crazy amounts of wealth and minerals, and it being quite inhospitable to the other races but quite comfy for the Kin, as they were made from the beginning to live in it. There is no exact number of known Leagues, as the Kin see no use in keeping track of all of them (this is extremely inefficient and would mean easily missing useful trade, though, so they’re probably lying). Can often be in nomadic fleets or living in spacefaring holds. Currently trying to fix up their broken trade routes after the Great Rift appeared. The Leagues are named in honour of the Votann themselves, who are also known variously as the Primal Ancestors, the Gilded Ones, or the Stoneminds. In some Kin myths, Votann was not one being but many, and is sometimes depicted as a group of gleaming golden figures, or a wheel of graven stone faces. In other myths, the Votann fashioned the first crucibles, then raised the Kin up and sent them sailing into the dark void - before oceans of fire and flesh rose to swallow the. Some myths speak of Votann as eldest and wisest of the First Ancestors, themselves shadowy presences ill-defined and shown in many different forms - both humanoid and otherwise - where they are depicted at all. With typical pragmatism, the kin accept that their myths are too contradictory, allegorical, and suspect to be cited as possessing a definite basis of fact.
*'''First Ancestors:''' The DAOT colonists (engineers, miners, etc) who journeyed to the galactic mineral-rich core in generation ships as part of a large colonization effort from old Terra. The first ancestors are cited to be agents of change, and held responsible for the majority of the stable mutations - collectively known as cloneskeins - that run through the kin gene pool. Why did they not return to the heartlands of their race is unclear. From the fact that so many Kin fleets plunged into the galactic core within a period of only a few centuries, it might be inferred that a deliberate choice was made. It is during this period that the last references to the first ancestors can be found. Not much else is know about them besides the fact they disappeared when the Votann first appeared...
*'''[[Votann]]:''' Super-cogitators, which contain Gestalt repositories of unimaginable inherited wisdom and knowledge, along with [[Spirit stone|Ancestor Cores]] with their self-organizing datastacks and quantum infocores. They communicate with the Kin via a tangle of arcane technology called a "Fane" and through the special class of Kin psyker priests called the Grimnyr. All members of the Leagues after they pass on are returned and recycled by the ancestor cores in somber ceremonies, both mind, and body. Even the ironkin are not immune to this fate, as while they are long-lived, they will eventually slow down to a crawl and breakdown. The minds and uploaded data are kept in the Votann, while the bodies are recycled to make new kin. They are currently breaking down and developing [[Machine Spirit|"personalities"]], with calculations that normally took hours taking decades, if not centuries to complete. However they can still be modified by the Kin (often at the Votann’s request). Curiously, they also serve another purpose of acting as mini [[Astronomican|Astronomicans]] for the Leagues, due to their vast intellect literally shining in the warp. Has been stated that the "Votann belong to the Kin as Kin belong to the Votann". Often act more like advisors and repositories (none of them have been leaders). Due to their degradation and age, some of the Votann have even lost the ability to produce more Kin (Brokhyrs and Ironkin Guilds can produce more ironkin, but they are of lower quality than what the ancestors could create). The ancestor cores have also been stated to have been on the first generation ships.
**'''Fane:''' The grimnyr interface in Arcane technological structures called Fanes. A space of timeless devices and quiet contemplation, at the heart of which lies a complex tangle of machinery that is part altar, part interface. It is said that these machines were simply nodes through which the wisdom of the Votann flashed with the speed of thought from one voidcraft to another. They still fulfill this practical purpose. Culturally though, Fanes have taken on a greater spiritual significance to the Kin, so that now they are viewed as places where one stands in full regard of the Ancestors, and where the presence of the Votann lies heavy and Sombre. Indeed, through arcane technological processes that even the Kin do not fully understand, there have been instances recorded of fanes miraculously developing artificial intellect in their own right, and joining the ranks of the Votann themselves. These occurrences of miraculous self awareness are cause for great honour and celebration amongst the Kin in whose Hold they occur. By comparison though, more than one Votann has degenerated in recent centuries until they have become little more than Fanes themselves. To witness such a decline is a terrible tragedy for the Kin.
*'''Grimnyr:''' Kin psykers that wield massive amounts of power. Capable of accessing "empyrically archived" Votann wisdom. They are probably deeply tied to the Votann and represent them in their wing of the Leagues governments. <s>Probably</s> <s>Definitely</s> confirmed to have very long beards.

*'''Votannic Council:''' A League’s ultimate ruling body. Stubborn, and are slow to change their minds or come to decisions. Elections in the Leagues generally are extremely heated. Needed for full on wars (local conflicts excluded). The Votann are generally treated as part of the council, and they and their Grimnyr often serve as advisors. Every Kindred governs itself in a huge spherical chamber known as the Spakerönde. The ruling councils are called Hearthspake. The Hearthspake sees little of the politicking or self interested maneuvering that typifies man species political arenas. The Kin might be hard headed, but they are almost always earnest and honest in their desire to guide their kindred well.
**'''Guild Masters:''' Guild Leaders who have worked their way up through the Leagues meritocracy. Note that there can be multiple guild masters on the council.
**'''Brôkhyr Forge-Master:''' The absolute cream of the crop from the forges of the Leagues, they not only have proved their ability to create technological marvels,but over see their development as well. They also bring the fury of the Forge to the battlefield, delivering council to the warriors on the field as well.
**'''Lord Grimnyr:''' The ultimate representative of the Grimnyr, who embodies wisdom, guidance, and insight. The Lord Grimnyr acts as the voice of the Votann itself, acting as a walking conduit for both their lore and gestalt might. This role is not purely a ceremonial or advisory role, for it is incumbent upon the Lord Grimnyr to walk the battlefield as the eyes, ears, and voice of the Votann, dispensing wisdom to friends and allies, and unleashing the wrath of the Ancestors. It is not known how they are selected for the position.
**'''High Kâhl:''' The ultimate military commanders of the kinhost militaries. To be named High Kâhl is both a tremendous honour and a awesome responsibility. To be elected a High Kâhl, the incumbent must go beyond just a tremendously capable warriors ,and a indomitable battlefield leader. They must master the cruel calculus of war itself.
*'''Kindreds:''' A combination between nation state and extended family, essentially the societies that make up the Leagues. Generally lives in holds (although it's population is encouraged to go travel throughout the galaxy and make their ancestors proud). They are very communal in nature, and their populations range from a couple dozen to the millions. Each one is governed by a Votannic council. Every kindred generally follows one of a handful of naming conventions. Generally, they are either named after the kindred's Votann or famed member, a geographical aspect of their home world, the kindred's primary purpose or business, or are simply numerical in their designation. Kindred of Naruun, the Iron Canyon Kindred, Orkbane Kindred, and Kindred Six are examples of each of these. In addition, every kindred shares foundational aspects which are called the Four Pillars:
*# Hearth: “the heart of the hold,” literally the heat and light their forges, recycle air, and let the kin thrive
*# Forge: Here everything the Kindred needs is built, from weapons to life-support systems
*# Fane: Where the Grimnyr interface with the Ancestor Cores
*# Crucible: Where new flesh and blood Kin are made, if not from a more natural method.
*'''Hearthspake:''' In a given hold, the Hearthspake is the governing body, no matter how big or small. They are a council comprised of Guild representatives of particular commercial groups, the hold's attendant Grimnyr, as well as the leaders of the hold's Kinhost, such as the Kahl.
*'''Kinhosts:''' The militaries/militias of the Leagues, made after the kindreds united and combined their militaries. Soldiers are typically drawn from the civilian populous, but are not restricted to kinhosts only, as depending on their decision (after they completed their oath of service to their Kâhl), the soldier may return to civilian life after they have done their service. Objectives range from protecting colonization efforts, protecting resources extraction operations and other guild/kindred interests, and overall defense to annihilating entire worlds because they know too much. Has a slightly overall civilian look to them (but are still more deadly than Imperial forces). The forces within the kinhosts militaries (called oathbands), are extremely flexible on what they consist of. Some of these oathbands can even consist entirely of mercenaries.
**'''Kinhost commanders/senior Officers:''' The military leaders of the Kinhost militaries that rank below the High Kâhl.
*'''Guilds:''' The overall backbone of the Leagues. Independent commercial groups. Builds holds and everything else. Regulates and manages almost everything, and oversees fair competition (but are not necessarily overbearing). Does not like cutting corners. Very competitive and ruthless in general. Is unofficially apart of the government. Typically doesn't leave their own holds. Does not like Freelancers and outcasts (and the occasional rival guild). Every aspect of life and production is affected by the guilds. Clonskin guilds exist and work to improve upon and stabilize cloneskins. Ironkin Guilds exist as well.

*'''Freelancers:''' Independent contractors, mercenaries, traders, explorers, plumbers, etc. Does the same thing as the guilds except with less political influence and resources. Not too fond of guilds

*'''Holds:''' The homes of the Leagues and its organizations and populous. Typically enclosed and fortified, holds vary in type and size. Can range from underground tunnels and narrows, to fortified bunkers and live in factories, to hive cities and ecumenopolises. Also comes in the form of space stations, asteroid colonies, and ships. Industrial and high tech in nature, yet typically very cozy with a lot of empasis on community, closeness, and interaction. Essentially hive cities except not shit and on steroids. Contains "Hearths", which act as the hearts of the holds, providing heat, light, and recycled air, and overall let the kin thrive. Hearths also act as reactors for the Kins holds, powering up all their electrical needs.

*'''Kin in general:''' The general population of the Leagues. Mainly consists of ironkin, fleshkin, and clonekin (although, there could be more). Tough as nails, and artificial in nature. Comes from "crucibles" (which they prefer due to regular reproduction diluting the genetic quality of offspring. Generally enhanced by both biological and cybernetic means. Very intelligent and industrious. Loves their ancestors to death. Loves their Kin and kindreds. Loves making their master crafts. Loves living in their fortified holds (but will go out into the galaxy to serve the ancestors, their guilds, and their communities). They get to pick their own names (excluding their family names, which they get from the names the crucibles has attached to it, and its considered rude to change), and gain more throughout their life from fellow kin like "Orkslayer". Loves their individuality and mutations (although some cloneskin templates and mutations can actually lower the lifespan of a clonkin, along with [[Star Wars|clonekins who had their production accelerated]]). Far from uncommon for them to get plenty of physical alterations. They were also made to resist and endure the warp and its corruptions, dampening their souls (note: they are masking their souls brightness, not actually dimming down their souls) for better protection. They also have high amounts of white blood cells, which allows them to greatly resist disease, imbibe higher amounts of alcohol, and heal swiftly. Some can see in infrared.

*'''[[Ironkin]]:''' The League have [[Men of Iron]] now, or at least true AIs. Appears to be comparable to a Servitor, although distinctly described as being treated as equal to the fleshy Kin. The Ironkin can mimic their living counterparts’ every behavior and demeanor, but display no sense of ambition and are hard-wired with a desire to be helpful. Their bodies are all built for a unique purpose and cannot be easily replaced should they be damaged. One such purpose are the Wayfinders, which are the supercomputer, squatty equivalent of Imperial [[navigator|navigators]], allowing the Kin to traverse the Warp without the need of psykers, and thus reduce the threat of daemonic incursions. All ironkin have a CU, or Cerebral Unit, and a mechanical body, both of which are unique to each individual ironkin. The CU's themselves are nigh indestructible (with microfield generators woven into the structure of the unit), and can send out distress beacons. Since Kin are Kin, these are high priority for recovery.

*'''[[COG|COGs]]:''' Are essentially the lower forms of AI, automata, and algorithms the Leagues possess. Akin to tau drones (yet still more advanced). Does much of the menial jobs and such in the Leagues, along with being utilized in combat as well, and overall helps automate the Leagues of Votann. Probably still treated better than servitors (especially considering they look like ironkin).

*'''Outcasts:''' Hippies, lone wolves, academic heretics, illegal experimenters, and other scourges of bureaucracy. They're either those who have had their entire faction [[Blackshield|wiped out]] or have been cast out of League society. Seeing how the philosophy and religion of the Leagues involve all Kin experience live before returning in mind and body to the Ancestor Cores, it's considered a death sentence the same way the Path of the Outcast and the Path of Damnation are to the Craftworld Aeldari.

===Known Leagues===
[[File:VotannMap.jpg|450px|right|thumb|Leagues of Votann Astrography of the Galactic Core.]]
*'''The Major Leagues:''' These are the ones represented the most in the codex, earning unique rules and wider sections of lore. i.e., they're the pre-built subfactions one can choose when mustering an army.
**'''Greater Thurian League:''' One of the original founding Leagues and the poster boy League. Has a teal color scheme. Largest of the Leagues, spreading over a wide expanse of the galactic core and very influential on the other Leagues. Includes over 200 allied kindred holds, and it contains the biggest guild. Very wealthy and expansionist, they have a lot of military might and resources at their disposal and they want to expand their reach. Their members think they epitomize what it means to be Kin. Are uncompromising with their mercenary attitude. Apparently, their grim, methodical pragmatism is an inspiration to other Leagues. The Kin’s special character Ûthar the Destined hails from this League, as does the Legends character Yoht Grendok.
***'''Known Kindreds:''' [[Deep Rock Galactic|Deep Rock Kindred]], a kindred belonging to the GTL, and participating in War Zone: Orgvayr; the Kindred of Vortun, Uthar the Destined's very own home, and therefore also part of the GTL
***'''Known Holds:''' Obsyd Gate, belonging to the Kindred Vortun, and the birthplace of Uthar the Destined; Grand Hall; Hold Silver Six; Demmak's Haven; Crimson Gulf, known for its size and indomitable walls.
**'''Urani-Surtr Regulates:''' A determined League constantly being invaded by groups of Orks, Tyranids, and Necrons, despite this the League is determined to fight to the last person standing. Their colors are greens and brown. Their kin live on the minimum and are currently at war with the Necron Dynasty of Samnokh. Are stoic, pragmatic, and abhor waste like most other Leagues, though they are noted for being less concerned with the cost of lives and material for battle to prevent giving up ground. Likes to keep their population counts high for their oathbands. [[Slayers of Karak Kadrin|No kin admitted to the Urani-Surtr Regulates has ever left.]]
**'''Trans-Hyperian Alliance:''' The most puritanical in their worship of the Ancestors. Sacrifice has more importance to them than the other leagues. Their colors are mostly orange and white. They enjoy collecting data and new info for their Votanns. They are a nomadic league, spread out not only across the galactic core but beyond, into far space with their 3 Votanns being stored in heavily armed ships. Their prospectors are known for venturing the width and breath of the galaxy in search of resources, and the League’s Hernkyn Pioneer riders are extremely skilled and considered genuinely exceptional by the other Leagues. This lifestyle is driven by the requirement to enrich their Votanns, which for the Trans-Hyperian Alliance is a reward in and of itself.
***'''Known Kindreds:''' Nothka's Kindred, which is based outside of three planets that got slammed into each other, which is metal as fuck; Kindred of Liminus Crag, famous shipwrights who produce swift voidcraft and atmospheric gunships; Ukulak's Kindred, where every member has served at least a decade as an honored Hernkyn.
***'''Known Holds:''' Sunder Stair, home of Nothka's Kindred.
**'''Kronus Hegemony:''' Also known as Kôrynn’s Kindred they are the most militaristic and aggressive league (to the point of being aggressive even to other leagues). Their color scheme is yellow and black. They are a relatively new league formed less than millennium ago. [[Awesome|Ork WAAAGH!s, Tyranid swarms, and many other threats have been broken by the mighty kinhost of the Kronus hegemony]]. They are known for having a harsh reputation, due to their strictness and quotas. The formation of their league was due to their League’s Fane (computer systems) achieving self-awareness and transforming into a full blown Votann which has subsequently been demanding the Hegemony should always be gathering resources; Kindreds that join have to pay a hefty price to join and then have to pay hefty tributes through conquest. They also already pissed off the other Leagues in territorial disputes. Despite their reputation, they are still seen as a boon for the other Leagues due to their defensive capabilities.
**'''Ymyr Conglomerate:''' A massive and ancient power bloc. Has a red color scheme. Few value quality craftsmanship more than the Ymyr conglomerate. They have long ventured beyond the core trading and operating all over the galaxy. They are the richest League, having the best living standards to boot. Even for the other Leagues, they appear decadent. They also have a higher amount of high-quality weaponry and equipment for their kinhosts.
***'''Known Kindreds:''' Orkbane Kindred, known to have harnessed super intense spectra from their host star to power their forges, resulting in uber powerful weapons.
***'''Known Holds:''' Brokhfyre, on the world of Tamakh, and owned by the Orkbane Kindred.

*'''The Lesser Leagues:''' These are the ones that exist in the background lore, likely never receiving anything more than the occasional few lines of text and implications to the wider lore.
**'''Seran-Tok Mercantile League:''' Has risen to prominence and profited greatly from trade with the T’au Empire. <s>Probably</s> confirmed to be the Demiurg.
**'''Grand Orion Compact:''' Their Votann was destroyed by Orks from WAAAGH! Morbok resulting in a grudge against the greenskins and starting a 500 year long war of extermination against the members of that WAAAGH! Known to contain the Hold of Oriakh's Irongate Kindred, which was also destroyed by the WAAAGH!
**'''Emberg Agnir Bloc:''' Destroyed by Tyranids. Their Votann absorbed their biomass to deny the Tyranids their prize as revenge, which drove the Votann mad, turning it into "The Mad Core", which causes fluctuations in the Warp impeding travel near their former hold, which brings up a lot of fluff questions of its own. How exactly does a mechanical supercomputer ''assimilate'' an entire hold/league? Was it something like [[Forge World|Lucius]], where the Mechanicus holed themselves up underneath the surface, [[Tomb World|using teleportation to send their forces up and retrieving the shatted out mechanical bits back later]]? Or is this some weird techno-vore thing [[Grimdark|where all the dorfs jumped into an acid vat so their biomass could be used by their god?]] Either way, their Votann may have been one of the few Cores left able to react quickly, not that it'll be of much use now. Probably a callback to the original demise of the Squats.
**'''Ghulo Industrial Complex:''' This League is forever adding new systems and planets to their impressive holdings, and are skilled in transforming even the most barren of worlds into productive and valuable assets. Pours almost all of their time and energy into maintaining trade routes, and keeping their convoys of heavy haulers and escort ships moving along them. This League contains several extremely large and powerful Cthonian guilds, whose influence in the Hearthspakes is such that they're virtually the defacto rulers of the Ghulo Industrial Complex as a whole. Also owns the hold of Delvegard.
**'''Typhon-Styx Protectorate:''' A League that is renowned for their indomitable fortifications. Their oathbands lean towards steady and relentless strategies, advancing from one position to the next, and allowing waves of enemy counter attacks to smash themselves apart against swiftly-raised ramparts and tanks, dug in as temporary bunkers. Their holds are exceptionally [[Imperial Fists|fortified]].
**'''Grendl Dominance:''' An overly warlike League.
**'''Jotun-Erydani Combine:''' A League that is renowned for their Craftmanship and forging. Is a strongly meritocratic and Brôkhyr centric society.
**'''Kapellan League:''' Had their ancestors degenerate into Fanes. Spent years mourning.
**'''Balor-Attal Conglomerate:''' Had their ancestors degenerate into Fanes. Spent years mourning. Is in the process of disintegrating.
**'''Tehys Expanse:''' A extremely wide spread League. It's Kindreds [[ComStar|maintain contact by means of a singularity potent interstellar communications network, whose proprietary technologies they will only lease to other Leagues for a substantial fee.]]
**'''Sigma-Drakoni Union:''' [[Saim-Hann|A martially inclined League that prizes honorable combat greatly. It's Kinhosts are held to a strict code of conduct at all times, and take an unusual degree of pride in their heraldy and decorative insignia.]]
**'''Pan-Telluric Commonwealth:''' A exceptionally egalitarian society.

===Kin Space===
As previously stated, the section of the galaxy most dominated by the Leagues of Votann is predominantly in and around the galactic core, where black holes, dense gravity worlds, and freshly-born stars are frequent. There are many aspects of Kin space that need to be listed, but due to page bloat, they'll get condensed so as to be be precise with the knowledge.
*'''Unaffiliated Kindreds:''' Khald's Star Breaker Kindred; Kindred Crimson; Skalfi's Kindred; The Kindred of Narunn; Vykat's Kin; Kindred of Echodark; The Thousand Stars Kindred; Iron Canyon Kindred; Star-Delver Kindred; Kindred of Ork Slayers; Yoht's Black Pillars Kindred; The Kindred Stoic of Nightgulf; Kindred Six; Kindred Eleven-D; the Void Striker Kindred (Destroyed by Maelstrom Orgvayr); Lakhryr's Kindred (destroyed by Maelstrom Orgvayr); Karkyr Stellar Nursery; Yenna's Kindred; Kindred of Aarnok; Sylakh's Kindred, who are rivals with Kindred Six.
*'''Holds:''' Broken Triplets (three hold worlds); Sunder Stair Void station hold; Tamâkh; Brôkhfyre; Crimson Gulf; Cynder Span;Delvegard; Demmâk's Haven; Grandhall; Hold Silver Six; Hyvôk's Kindred; Jâluk; Obsyd Gate; Ûrvymm's Bulwark; Vônyk's Hall of Hammers; Ymus-Solaryn.
*'''Known Mining Worlds:''' Törg, Darkstar Mines
*'''Known Guilds:''' Cthonian Mining Guilds, Yngvary Combined Logistics, Star-Rider Mercantile Confederation, Cthonian Guild of Kadokh.
*'''Enclaves:''' Human enclave of New Catachan

===Regions/Warp storms===
To most species, the galactic core is uninhabitable. Only the hardiest of species and civilizations could ever dream to live here. But should they survive, the great riches of the core will open to them.

In contrast to the Imperium, the Kin do not recognize the name "The Great Rift", believing it would lend further superstitious menace to a already menacing threat. The appearance of these warp storms has caused much havoc in the galactic core, from swallowing up entire kindreds, to aggravating local core xenos. Some refugees from these swallowed up kindreds were able to make it out thanks to pan-spectral arrays, which gave some small warning to said kindred refugees. Those who escaped told of holds falling into complete madness, and right on their heels were hordes of ravenous Chaos war fleets. These storms have made the already extraordinarily dangerous core even more deadly. Each warp storm within the galactic core is named after a translation of an archaic Terran monster. Örgvayr, meaning "ogre" in low gothic, is the largest and most notable of them, and is located on the north-eastern fringe of the Greater Thurian League's territory, consuming both the Void Striker and Lakhryr's kindreds. Other warp storms are Cölosyk, Gëirokh, Töroll, Öggh, and Cyklöp.

===Xenos in/near League territory===
*'''Orks:''' The Orks have long-been an enemy of the Kin, their own species-wide durability and sheer refusal to go away making them perhaps the only other species able to comfortably withstand the crushing weight of the galactic core. Being the main neighbors of the Kin, coupled with Orks being Orks and wanting a good punch up, has resulted in their species perhaps being the only thing the Kin consider to be an arch-enemy. With the Five Hundred Years war with WAAAGH! Morbok resulting in the destruction of a Votann, the stellar fleets of Bogg da [[Freebooterz|Freeboota]] King invading in the lieu of some warpstorms, and the neighboring Ork Empire of Morzag, all these things have solidified the Orks as constant pebble in the Kin's boot.
*'''Tyranids:''' "The Bane", as the Kin know the Tyranids as, has become somewhat of an intense threat/material opportunity for the Leagues in recent millennium. Hive Fleet Leviathan wiped out the entirety of the Emberg-Aegnir Bloc, resulting in the Mad Votann, and so earning the ire of the species. But at the same time, the Leagues hunt down hive fleet tendrils to harvest them for organic materials (likely their bio-metals and acids). Ultimately, they're treated more as a hazard than a direct enemy to fight with.
*'''Minor Species:''' The typical one-off species that exist to pad out the Galactic Core to make it less empty. Nothing is known about them other than their names and that they are taking the Great Rift as an opportunity to get antsy. They include the Septeryx, the Chrobdyr Ferrophagites (rust monsters lol) and the ominous Cult of Ohn.
*'''Other Big Players:''' With the Great Rift opening and swallowing a shit ton of Holds, many Kindreds and some Leagues have opted to scarper out of the Galactic Core and find new steading elsewhere. This vacuum has allowed an opening for the Imperium, the T'au Empire, and the Craftworld Eldar to move in on the territory, kicking up dust as they do and transgressing on the Kin's holdings.

===Noteworthy Kin===
*'''Ûthar the Destined:''' A great Kâhl from the Greater Thurian League that has a mysterious objective and destiny, prophesied to complete a great task. He’s a ruthless warrior armed with masterfully wrought weapons, including the legendary Blade of the Ancestors (which he got literally the day he was born on), and has a gift for assessing enemy foes.
*'''Yôht Grendok:''' An eager young up-and-coming Kâhl also from the Greater Thurian league. Yôht is armed with a unique, belt-fed Autoch-pattern combi-bolter and a forgewrought plasma sword. His gear is also noted as being decorated with fine gems, and topped by an ornate rampart crest decorated with leonine imagery. His miniature was among the exclusive merchandise released to commemorate the anniversaries of Games Workshop's Warhammer Stores in 2023 and Warhammer Legends rules allowed you to use his particular loadout in open, narrative, or matched play – or you could field him as a standard Kâhl.
*'''Kôrv Grudgekeeper:''' A kâhl of the Leagues of Votann's Greater Thurian League. He is known to be highly contemptuous of all the other intelligent species of the galaxy. This is largely because Grudgekeeper, as his name implies, keeps a [[Book_of_Grudges|list of grudges]].

===Relationship/interactions with other factions===

{{topquote|Alright listen to me, you mechadendrite molesting piece of shit. If you go any further with that rust stained trashcan lid you call a face, I'm gonna recycle your arse so hard, you won't be able to get hard in front of a toaster! I'm gonna shove my foot so far into your exhaust pipe, my foot is gonna have a free shoe polishing. Then I'm gonna shove that red hood in your face, and call you a hobo-copper. I will disassemble you with my fucking beard. And then I will reassemble you without your human parts! Because your flesh is weak, you twat!" "... Sniff. That was uncalled for.| A typical Kin's greeting to a Mechanicus Skitarii}}

'''Galactic relations in general:''' The Kin will leave most of the denizens in the galaxy alone, so long as they aren't getting in-between what the Kin want. The Leagues of Votann trade outside the core through a range of names, though these are rarely of their choosing this has caused confusion and misunderstanding over who these mercenary adventurers really are. To those who are in their way however (unwillingly or not), the Kin are a tough nut to crack. Even far from the more secure area that is the galactic core, the Kin are a armoured, fortified, bunkered down, advanced, and tactical juggernaut. More often than not, the Kin succeed in their conflicts, and even the more major players of the galaxy find them difficult. On occasion, a resistant population may be deemed too strong for any conflict to be worthwhile, but most of the time any resistance will be swept aside or ignored. The Kin have no compunctions about tearing open the crust of a world whilst the population still dwells upon it, however sometimes a evacuation can be negotiated. To those on the kins good side, they are invaluable business partners. To those on their bad side, they are a force of ruthlessness and greed. As for the more esoteric side of things, the Kin look at the Emperor, Khaine, and the Chaos Gods in the same lens: “not my horse, not my race”.

'''Ironhead Squat Prospectors:''' See each other as distant cousins who can share a pint in the pub and complain about the Aeldari.

'''Tyranids:''' In the Imperium of Man, the Tyranids hunt ''you'', in the Leagues of Votann, the Leagues hunt ''Tyranids''. Known to the Leagues as “The Bane” the Kin are wary of the Nids and have gain a grudging respect for their effectiveness and adaptability. Whilst the Nids still view the Kin as biomass ripe for devourment. The nids' themselves also stay clear away from them as the Leagues are known to scout out and hunt down ''entire Tyranid hive fleets'' to harvest their resource bounties. Moreover, the high technological levels and large presence of automatons makes fighting the League a sunk-cost fallacy for the Tyranids such as in one example with the Northstar cluster, where the bioforms exhibited an odd nesting behavior not seen elsewhere. They have proven difficult to eradicate and have brought devastation to the Urani-Surtr Regulates. The Kin see the danger of the Tyranids they pose to their territories, following the destruction of the Emberg Agnir Bloc. It was made up of a few dozen kindred and found themselves in the path of hive fleet Leviathan. The League was wiped out. The Votann was left untouched. It absorbed the bodies of its fallen Kin to deny the Tyranids the biomass, and was driven mad, becoming the mad core, and causing fluctuations in the warp that disrupt travel. Nevertheless, such endeavors still prove too risky for the Tyranids and, given the League's habit and skillful specialty of hunting their fleets down like giant whalers; the Hive Mind has put the League on the same level as the Necrons in terms of GTFO or DIE!.

'''Tau:''' The Spess Dorfs are the China to the Tau's Japan. The Tau view the Leagues as grand benefactors and business partners of the Greater Good and the Tau Empire - although they could certainly improve their viewpoints and dedication to the cause. They are also really happy with their new technology they received from the Leagues, with their ion technology being extremely popular among the Tau's forces. The Leagues see the Tau as a very naïve, young and gullible people, although they appreciate some aspects of the greater good as it shares similarities with their own philosophy, values, ethics and principles but in contrast to the intense collectivism of the Tau the Leagues insist on putting the Kin first. The Tau are more than happy to pay the Leagues, though the Kin rarely share their more advanced tech and resources. As an example, the Kin's ion tech is superior and far more compact than the Tau's. Thanks to the extreme naivety of the Tau, the Tau actually think the few ships they see from the Leagues are all that is left of the Kin, following a invasion from the Tyranids. And are often led into disadvantageous trade deals that benefit the kin more than the Tau. These rumors have been rebuffed by the Kin, much to the confusion of the Tau. The Kin see no value in enlightening them in this regard so long as they can continue to profit from trade with the naïve civilization. The Kin have also established [[Demiurg|prospecting companies]] within the tau empire itself. With the advances of the empire in the Chalnath expanse, there have been some minor clashes with the various factions of the Kin, which may have somewhat soured some local relations. Kind of. Nothing that money can't fix, though. Gold settles Grudges as easy as blood, even in space.

'''The Imperium of Man:''' View the Leagues as useful and good enough for trade, yet they think they are sketchy devianted abhumans who stray too far from the holy human form and are probably heretics, though they don't seem as quick or eager to put these ones down nor whip out any Exterminatus moves on them. On the world of Necromunda at least, they are looked down upon as Squats despite all they've done for the world. Likewise, the Leagues view the Imperium as a bunch of disappointing dumbfuck competitors - although they're still good enough for trade. Will surprisingly be honest about their usage of AI if pressed on it enough to come out and admit it (which of course it naturally pisses the Imperium off especially among the priesthood of the Mechanicus). Despite their independence, the kin actually have quite a bit of influence within the Imperium itself, and on some Imperial worlds like Necromunda, the Kin have been there since their Imperial records started. They have set up various [[Prospect|prospecting companies]] across the Imperium, one of these being the Ironheads who were notably invited to Necromunda around M31 in a deal where the squats would receive priviliged mining rights in exchange for their service in repairing the wartorn world. Rogue traders are also more than happy to deal with the Leagues, though their extravagant lifestyles are considered wasteful by the kin, and deals are made with governors of Imperial worlds and systems, for a suitable fee. The more zealous of the Imperium deem the Kin as entirely sovereign independent state of abhumans, if not Xenos. Despite this, kin and human coexistance is not all too rare, and kin even have atleast one human enclave in their borders. Overall, the Kin treat them as misguided cousins barely above other species but still family.

'''Aeldari:''' [[Elf|Guess]]. They like to keep their meetings brief few and far between as the knife-ears aura of xenophobia, arrogance, pretentiousness and entitlement pisses the Kin off to no end, a humorous opinion given how the Kin can be just as greedily entitled towards “their resources” as any Eldar (See the ultimatum at page top).

'''Drukhari:''' [[Dwarf Fortress|Guess again]]. Unlike the Tau who were dumb enough to trust the S&M gimp suit wearing weirdass sick fuckheads at one point, the Kin are smart enough to not have wanted anything to do with the perverted pasty sweat goblins.

'''Harlequin:''' Weird creepy murderous chaotic clowns that are to be avoided if they can.

'''Aeldari Exodites:''' [[Avatar|Guess thrice]]. Although, the Kin actually do respect them for their more practical nature. Still more than happy to invade for resources though.

'''Necrons:''' The Necrons consider the Kin to be another upstart race, though with a level of trepidation. Not only are they considered remarkably dangerous foes to fight, but the Kin also delve deep into their worlds, breaking into tomb complexes, and plundering the rich harvest within. To the Kin, the metallic aliens are easy pickings while they sleep, and vicious foes when roused. Typically shoot on sight levels of diplomacy. They're already war with the Urani-Surtr Regulates for control over one of its main worlds. The involved Necrons is the Samnokh dynasty.

'''Orks:''' The Orks are the Leagues most hated Foe, as not only are they pervasive, but they are also endlessly wasteful, fighting, destructive, mindlessly violent and ravaging what the Kin have built, and The Leagues have been as successful as every other civilization in eradicating the Orks. The Orks are not stopped by the dangers of the core regions, and Ork pirate raids are a particular concern, with Orks like Bogg Da Freeboota king and his numerous fleets pestering the Leagues. The Orks tendency to use whatever scrap they can get has led to the creation of the saying "a prize for a Ork", used to describe things or ideas that are worthless to the Kin. The 500 years' war was fought against WAAAGH Morbok after they overran the Grand Orion Compact's Hold of oriax iron gate kindred. The Votann in the hold was torn to pieces, the most widespread grudge in the history of the Kin was called, and the Compact spent the next five centuries hunting down every single Ork from WAAAGH Morbok.

'''Beastmen:''' Despite their Abhuman heritage, the Kin despise the Beastmen. The Kin see them in a similar vein as the orks, destroyers and defilers of their technologies.

'''Chaos:''' They find the Leagues to be a major pain in the ass as they actually have at least some ideas on how to deal with chaos unlike their Imperial counterparts. They dimmed their souls, use soulless A.I. to pilot through the warp, have top notch security, and live high quality and comfortable lives in their holds. They see little to even no chaos corruption in the Leagues and will probably see more losses than wins with them. The Kin of course are absolutely disgusted by them, and have little time for their gruesome and foolish activities. At one point, the Demiurg had an automated mining facility that was infiltrated by the alpha legion causing massive losses in revenue. Outside that isolated event chaos warbands will usually try to exterminate the kin in order to steal their resources and technology.

'''The Adeptus Mechanicus:''' A series of mental breakdowns and cybernetic overloads occurs when Mechanicus members encounter the Leagues. Whether it's due to them seeing Heresy in the Leagues, or due to the many shinies the Leagues have, it doesn't matter. They will see the Leagues as major competition regardless of the reason and move to claim the shinies for themselves. To the Leagues, the Adeptus Mechanicus are rats scurrying around a scrap heap. Superstitious tech cultists living on the successes of their ancient betters whose ignorance makes them dangerous. The Kin avoid them whenever possible and are swift to eradicate them when needed, but only if deemed absolutely necessary. Considering incidents such as that with the ai of the spirit of eternity, this is a viewpoint that has quite a bit of validity to it (with very few known exceptions).

===Speculation/Theories===
The LoV being as new as they are, there's a lot going on about them that we don't know about. Particularly, how can certain aspects of the setting be connected to them to better help them conform to the whacky-tobaccy universe that is 40k. Until we get lore confirmations, various speculations and conspiracies will be listed here.
*'''Votann out in the Wild:''' As the biggest part of the Leagues and their lore, the Votann naturally draw a lot of attention to themselves, especially since some parts of the lore can now be comfortably assumed to be a Votann.
**'''The Van Saar STC:''' A bit of speculation around the Votann is if anything else in the setting will be retconned into/explained as being one. The most obvious candidate is the [[House Van Saar]] STC, described as being "large building" sized and "damaged" in that it's spewing out radiation, similar to the disrepair some Votann are said to be in albeit more extreme, and if it was a Votann it would explain why Squats are on Necromunda.
**'''The Votann are fueled by alcohol:''' Naturally, being dorfs, the dorfs need to fill the dorf computers with dorf juice in order for them to give dorf advice. How else are they supposed to run? Fission batteries and solar energy? That's [[elf|leaf-lover]] hippy dippy shit.
**'''Basis of the Cult Mechanicus:''' Considering how old the religion of the Adeptus Mechanicus is, as well as the age of the Votann themselves, its not too far of a stretch to assume that the concept of the Machine God could have sprouted from a Votann built and buried on Mars.
**'''Volkanite weapons are reverse engineered:''' Volkite weapons were created in the age of strife presumably to fight the Men of Iron during the Iron War and were basically that age’s analogue of an AK-47. The Kin’s lore says their original human ancestors set out to the core on sub-light generation ships, which implies they come from the Age of Terra. Which means it should be impossible for them to have volkite weapons. Perhaps they traded with their primitive human kin for them as many [[Feral_World|civilizations post age of strife wouldn't know the value of said weapons]] or maybe their [[Friends|relationship with the Imperium]] became positive enough for them to be granted manufacturing rights for this advanced machinery to churn them out faster than the snails pace of the [[Mechanicus|cogboys]]. All we know is that they have volkite and those guns are [[awesome]].
***It could just simply be that they had Volkanite Stc's from the dark age. And I don't see any info on Volkite weapons only being made to combat the men iron.

===Influences/Mythology/Aesthetic/Complaints===
*'''The greater rage:''' The 2001 release of the [[Tau]] was spurred with anger, confusion, and revulsion. Even to this day in the year 2022, you'll still see swathes of the community that seethe at the mere mention of the Tau, deeming them as "weaboo space communists who aren't grimdark enough", or simply "another vile xeno who is irrelevant". And like its predecessor, the LoV is reaching similar levels of division and anger. But much like the decade that it was revealed in, the Leagues bring in a new scale of chaotic and unprecedented changes. This section is to help boil this down, and address complaints and confusion.
*'''Twentieth century futurism:''' There have been quite a few who have claimed that the LoV is "generic sci-fi" and "inconsistent in its design". To be quite frank, this is a bunch of nonsense hullabaloo. Anyone who has enjoyed enough fictional settings like that of [[Fallout|Fallout]] is going to tell you that the Leagues is full of [[Isaac Asimov|mid-centrury futurism]] and [[Arthur C. Clarke|classical sci-fi]], with the atv looking like a 1960s moon buggy, and the Hernkyn chopper looking like a mid-century 60s bike ([https://youtu.be/ySxEFuUrdio|for god's sake, look at its trailer]). While you will find some of dieselpunk in the LoV and its not entirely just mid-century aesthetics, [[atompunk|atompunk]] has asserted its dominance here, Giving them a more civilian look. This also includes the look of the Ironkin (and to a certain extent [[UR-025]] and the [[Kastelan Class Battle-Automata]] which look like mid-century robots). Fact is, the LoV is a love letter to classic sci fi. But that's not all.
*'''Western/wacky sci-fi:''' If you haven't noticed from the bolter revolvers, the abundance of words like "Pioneer", "frontier", "rugged", and "hardy", along with the fact that the first revealed ironkin looks a lot like a western blacksmith, the amount of "simple" practical tools the Kin often carry, the Leagues have a lot of western influences. They also seem to still retain an air of comedic relief from their previous Squat forms. Expect future [[Firefly|Firefly]] references, and a Votann answering with [[Approved Literature|"42"]].
*'''Mass produced goodness:''' Unlike their many Dwarven counterparts, the Leagues are by no means the top technological powerhouse of the galaxy (the Necron and the Aeldari have them beat, along with most of the other species from around the time of the old ones). To be quite honest, they are more about industry as a theme rather than being the most industrious. However, one could say they are still the top non-prehistoric industrial in the galaxy. They could also be said to be the top powerhouse in the galaxy that is both operating at its full capability (Necron sleepiness), and still actively lives and colonizes the galaxy (Eldar and their hidey holes). And in comparison, to their "competitors", they are probably the most easily accessible due to them generally not wanting to instantly butcher you the second they even glance at you, or just tell you to get lost. As for the lower powers? The Imperium, while it's very industrial, is also incredibly inefficient and often...dumb with its capabilities in general (Agri-worlds, under use of auto loaders, crappy servitors). And the Tau, while smarter than the Imperium with their industrial capabilities, has far less potential with what they have.
**Moving on from their position in the galaxy, why the industrial aesthetic? Well, first off, they're dwarves. Second off, as mentioned above, the other industrial factions are either too insufficient to carry out certain ideas and concepts or are too hidey. The Leagues are in the perfect position to introduce potential new concepts to the universe, like not crap hive cities, dyson spheres that don't belong to the Necron, megastructures, and potentially much more. it's a nice change of pace to see an actually efficient industrial that isn't controlled by ancient aliens.
**Thirdly, you need a little grime and practicality to that atompunk, and efficient industry is the perfect way to do it. Doesn't mean you can't have your cleanliness (and I'm pretty sure they'd prefer to not have pollution in their holds), just adds a tad bit of realistic imagery to it.
*'''Cleanliness, kin, and old world blues:''' Besides the reasons above, there is a reason the Leagues look so clean, organized, and sleek. This comes from the more grimdark and evil side of the Leagues (which is a little weird and unique). As previously stated before, the Leagues are a meritocracy overseen by guilds, wise long-bearded psykers, military commanders, and the mighty moai heads themselves. Said guilds are very competitive and will not hesitate to strip to the bone entire planets with civilizations and ecosystems just to stay ahead.
**So are they capitalist? Maybe. But while they've shown how they can easily have conflicts with themselves, one of their mottos is "Kin are kin". They also seem to be very egalitarian within their societies. On top of this, we've had previous examples of society reaching post scarcity levels of comfort, including even some Imperial worlds, and the friggin lower tech tau. They also seem to put high importance on community and fellow kin. Even the guilds wouldn't be caught dead cutting corners and making shoddy products (they regulate much of League society).
**So socialists? Maybe. But really, the answer may be in-between (somewhat). Would certainly suggest looking up the guilds of post classical, classical, and pre-classical history to get a better perspective.
**Perhaps mercantilism? A pre capitalist economic system would be closer to their ideal they defend their economic interest via specialized guild like organizations and strive to keep their exports above imports while using military force to guard their trade secrets and business partners.
**But we do know that they generally have a comfortable life and are very egalitarian. The guilds are competitive, meritocratic, regulate much of League society, and still come to blow with each other. What we can tell is that Leagues inner society is generally at least decent for its citizens. As for those who are outside of League society...
**Expect to see a lot of neocolonialism, colonialism, client states, banana Republics, puppet states, potentially narco states, banana wars, and the 1893 overthrowing of the kingdom of Hawaii except 10x worse (and with more planetary genocide). As with their holds: dirty on the outside, clean on the inside.
*'''The mythological and the fantastical:''' This one is a total mashup. You got Celtic, Greek, Nordic, and other mythologies mashed in. The Leagues are named after Greek titans, and Nordic gods. The Votann are based off [[Odin]]. The Kin are Geri and Freki, odins greedy wolves. The leadership is based off odins ideal leadership (with the grimnyr being based off one of his disguise names).
*'''Too Human similarities:''' Way back in 2008 the now defunct game company Silicon Knights released a game called “Too Human” for the Xbox 360 after over a decade of it being stuck in development hell. The game was based on reimagining Norse mythology through a cyberpunk lens. While the game flopped miserably (so miserably in fact that Silicon Knights tried to sue the engine devs for sabotage, only for that lawsuit to backfire so hard that Too Human had to be deleted from existence) due to its clunky control system, some of its design elements seem suspiciously similar to the Leagues of Votann aesthetic including: exoskeleton-equipped berserkers, combat transports that resemble the Hekaton Land fortress, the whole mega corporation of the Aesir, and the fact that Odin was reimagined in the game as an AI called the “Organic Distributed Information Network” which bears a striking similarity to the idea of the Votann. Maybe someone in GW played the game and used it as inspiration for the Leagues? It wouldn’t be too surprising.
*'''[[Deep Rock Galactic]]:''' Similar to the above, the game "Deep Rock Galactic" may have spurred on GW's decision to reinvent the squats in some areas. Notably, the game is based on a company of the same name, which uses actual dwarves as their mercenary-miners to plunder a planet of all its wealth while fighting bugs. Themselves a corporatist, mercantile faction that prefers wealth over civility. Now, this game was released in alpha in early 2018, so it could be a little bit of a stretch to say if it's fully influenced much on the LoV, considering the lengthy design process GW has. It hasn't stopped WarCom from throwing in some tongue-in-cheek, potential references to the game, though. Plus, with all the "Rock and Stone"s and "For Kahl!"s that players will throw out, it probably won't matter anyway. Though the codex does mention an offshoot of the Greater Thurman League known as the Deep Rock Kindred.
*'''Lost Planet:''' Replace the games space bugs with nids and you have the squats origin that being human prospectors facing alien monsters and inhospitable planets for a mining company.
*'''Starcraft:''' Seriously their Hearthkyn armor looks like a mini ripoff version of Terran Marine armor. The Einhyr Exo-Suits make that comparison even more blatant.
*'''Transformers:''' their faction symbol looks like the Autobot logo and they worship giant godlike AIs that would probably get along quite well with Primus…less so with Unicron, despite doing his shtick themselves frequently.
*'''[[Dwarf]] technology & craftmanship:''' the Leagues represent a 40k take on the standard fantasy dwarf archetype which more often than not includes them having technology or at least craftmanship superior to all other factions save for “elder/precursor races“ if they are present, so it is no surprise that only the [[Eldar]] and [[Necrons]] beat them with the [[Tau]] being close contenders. Speaking more specifically of [[Warhammer Fantasy|the sister game]] the Dwarfs were the source of the better magic of the [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Elves]] and the technology of [[The Empire|The Empire]], have a culture revolving around settling all slights [[Slayers|with blood or gold]], have such reliable magic that they can make doors/walls that even the strongest Daemons can't pass and Tzeentch himself cannot see through and can [[Arianka|can imprison a Chaos God in a box]], literally use the word human ("Umgi") as a description for inferior quality, and [[Chaos Dwarfs|even Chaos has to go to them for the good gear]]. In regards to weapons, just ask Warhammer Fantasy players with big expensive models how they feel about Dwarf <strike>sniper missiles</strike> Cannons.

===Forces of the Kin===

*'''[[Kâhl]]:''' Taking the place of [[Squat Warlord]]s as leaders in their species’ military roster, they’re experienced battle hardened Generals who proudly wield the Leagues advanced weaponry, and are the final authority over an individual Oathband in the Kinhost militaries, they’re subordinate only to their Kindred’s ruling Votannic Council. Their most important role is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over their foes — marking out priority targets and ensuring the most dangerous enemies are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin. Equipment wise they carry nifty ornate armor and weapons like the Kin equivalent to storm bolter, plasma axes, and Volkite equipped power fists. FOR KARL!!

*'''[[Squat Thunderers|Brôkhyr]]:''' The [[Guildmaster|engineers]] and lead craftsman of the Leagues, named after the dwarf of Norse mythology, Brokkr, who built Mjolnir. They just blow tech priests out of the water on every level, as not only do their (creatively named) A.N-vyl Terminals (just picture a 3D printer but for guns) have MANY full STCs inside that make all their guns all that and a bag of chips in comparison to those of the Imperium, but they're also not limited by dogma and orthodoxy when it comes to technological advancements, meaning they actively upgrade their shit. That being said while their specialty lies in engineering these folks are also more than willing to throw down with the best of them. When the Oathbands head to battle, the Brôkhyr will strap on powerful exo-frames to become the mighty Thunderkyn. Although not quite as scratch-resistant as the Einhyr Hearthguard’s exo-armour, since the powerful suits they wear were initially adapted from rugged engineering rigs, they can still take a hell of a pummeling and allow the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn to heft the heaviest man-portable weapons the Leagues can muster with ease. Hordes of their enemies fall before salvos unleashed from bolt cannons, while heavy infantry find themselves pierced by the unstoppable lances of SP conversion beamers, prospects that have made more than one enemy think twice before attacking them.

*'''Brôkhyr Iron-master:''' The Brôkhyr are the Leagues’ highly skilled techno-artificers, and the Iron-masters are the cream of their crop. They head into battle with a dutiful Ironkin assistant and a knack for repairing even the most beaten-up vehicles. Helping them are a gaggle of E-COGs – hardy combat and repair drones, lacking the intellect of a true Ironkin.

*'''[[Living Ancestor|Grimnyr]]:''' The predominant psykers of the Leagues, dressed like [[weeb|fucking wizards]] in an army full of voidsuits and armor. Wearing robes over their Power Armor to the point that [[Dark Angels]] themselves looks like normies. The Kin now name their dwarf wizards after the false identity Odin took while on a bet from Frigg, from Norse Mythology (or ripping off the WHFB dwarf god [[Grimnir]]). Are essentially the Votanns eyes, ears, limbs, mouth, etc. They are able to access directly the data stores of the Votann using psychic powers, and communicates its will and guidance to their Kindreds and Leagues. They are the closet you will see to a priest in the largely secular Leagues. They also use barrier tech to help them harness the raw power of the immaterium in battle – such as summoning two mechanical CORVs that often hover alongside them as familiars (very similar to the ability of the gene stealer cults to summon familiars). Essentially mystical wise old sages.

*'''Embyr:''' Mentioned in the codex as a sworn order of warriors who protect the gene-wombs of a hold's Crucible. In essence, they guard the Cloneskeins, and therefore, the next generation of kin. They're also marked as being another example of kin who are integrated with barrier tech, like the grimnyr, and are therefore psykers. We don't know to what extent, however.

*'''[[Squat Berserkers|Cthonian Berserks]]:'''Hailing from the Cthonian mining guilds which are noted for venturing to environments even other Kin fear to tread, these furious and heavily augmented murder machines are a sci-fi reimagining of [[Slayer]]s from WHFB. These frontline fighters originally began as Kin who enhanced the physical capabilities of their cloneskeins with cybernetic upgrades and cyberstimms, all the better to extract precious minerals from rad-plagued nebulae, explosive asteroids, and fathomless ocean depths. Now tasked with dealing with their people’s enemies they charge into battle with modified advanced mining gear like heavy plasma axes, concussion mauls, and power fists all while wearing little or no armor besides that which their cyborg augmentations provides. They also have mole mortars/ grenade launchers (for mining purposes of course). The most augmented and hardiest of the Cthonians are known as "luggers", who compete with each other to see who the most cybernetically jacked are. Think Wilhem from Borderlands, and you have an idea.

*'''Hearthkyn Warriors:''' Because replacing i's with y's is so sci-fi and trademark friendly. The [[Squat Trooper|Hearthkyn]] are essentially identical in terms of origin as the [[Guardian|Guardian Defenders]] of the eldar, in that they are the core infantry force of the Leagues' military that were conscripted from their civilian populations. However, rather than being a militia roused during times of conflict, the Hearthkyn are instead closer to real-world militaries, in that the soldiery serve for an extended period of time before going home to their civilian professions. Serving in the Hearthkyn, anyone can enlist: male, female, flesh or metal, as Kin are Kin, after all. The units themselves are equipped with all manner of hullabaloo Squat guns depending on their specialization, on the lighter end there are the Autoch-pattern bolters used for assault and laying down covering/saturation fire, there are also bolt shotguns, and bolt revolvers. On the heavier side there are volkanite disintegrators, ion blasters (whose technology the Kin apparently gave to the Tau much to the Imperium’s ire) and HYLas auto-rifles all of which are used to sunder the defences of heavily-armoured opponents. Finally there’s also specialized heavy weapons such as L7 missile launchers, EtaCarn plasma beamers, Graviton blast cannons, and magna-rail rifles. All these ranged weapons are supported by smart tech integrated into Kin battlegear. The haptic utility nerve transmission recalibrator modules – HunTR for short – interface with their neural augmetics to establish a feedback loop between firearms and their users. This system projects minute gravitational pulses to maintain a stable firing platform even while running at full pelt – or zooming along on a flying trike. For close combat they got plasma blades, plasma axes, and concussion weapons like gauntlets, hammers, and mauls that amplifies the kinetic energy behind a Kin’s strike enough to launch an Ork boy into the air. As for protection they wear their own brand of power armor called Void armour comprised of hardened jointed segments which are hooked into a void suit beneath. The suit is fashioned from magnaferrite weave, and often reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with microfield generators for a level of protection that any Imperial Guardsman would give their left gonad to have!
**'''Theyn:''' Sci-fi spelling for the old Anglo-Saxon Thegns/Thanes (Fantasy Dwarfs had Thanes as heroes, so another connection there). They are experienced warriors that serve as [[Squat Thunderers|squad leaders]] in Hearthkyn and Einhyr Warrior squads of 10 to 20 warriors and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets, plasma blades, and vicious plasma axes in addition to high quality ranged weapons. Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units, and can be differentiated from the other kin by the fancy animal headed crest mounted on the back of their armor which can grant them special abilities like acting as a teleporter.

*'''Hearthkyn Salvager:''' Masters at the art of recovering prized artifacts and locating precious resources in the depths of hulks and wrecks. They are scouts and explorers foremost, trained to identify items of value, extract as much as possible, and survive – all before clocking out. Each salvager is a hardened warrior, well-acquainted with the dangers of space hulk exploration, and the team also carries a wide assortment of survey equipment to help identify cost-efficient targets. Salvagers often wear heavy armour with in-built "gellar ramparts" and are tethered to their ship by warp-shielded cables, which allows them to scavenge space hulks in the warp. A regular operation in which the Kin loot space hulks is called a Hulk-skim, which involves lasers cutting away large parts of a hulk.

*'''Einhyr [[Hearthguard]]:''' Named after the Einherjar of Valhalla, they are the newly-christened [[Hearthguard]] Terminators of old, being the honored warriors selected from a Kinhold's most accomplished fighters, clad in [[Exo-Armour]]. They're armed with a shoulder mounted grenade launcher, a hand-held Volkanite Disintegrator, and either a power first with a retractable plasma blade or a Thunder Hammer. Like regular Hearthkyn Void armor the Exo-armor also has the HunTR system of micro gravity field generators built in to help keep their aim steady allowing them to fire on the move.

*'''Einhyr Champion:''' Those who climb the ranks of the Einhyr that eventually became Champions. These warriors are clad in modified exo-armour fitted with mass-drivers for jump purposes and armed with vicious close combat weapons. They function as living battering rams, pulverising anything that gets in their way.

*'''[[Hekaton Land Fortress]]:''' A 300 point HECKA CHUNKY Heavy support tank that can also serve as a defensive emplacement and troop transport. This vehicle packs overwhelming firepower onto a rugged frame. Transport numbers vary depending on the nature of the troops inside. For instance it can lug around a hefty 12 models of Hearthkyn or Cthonian Berserks on the higher end, but only 6 of the more heavily armored Einhyr, and just 4 troops with the Exo-frame keyword like the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn. Still it can go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and best battle tanks in the 41st Millennium thanks to its durable void armour. Weapons wise it can be equipped with a variety of hefty weapons for its main gun– from a cyclic ion cannon, to the very nasty heavy magna-rail cannon, or the devastating SP heavy conversion beamer. If needed a missile launcher with 3 different possible classes of devastating warheads (one kind for vehicles, one for bunker busting, and the last for dealing for infantry) can be added in exchange for removing the craft’s default pan-spectral scanner, though it will lose the ability to ignore light cover when firing. And if all that wasn’t enough it also has a rear mounted MATR autocannon, plus 4 bolt cannon ball turrets around the hull for dealing with swarms of smaller foes that can be swapped out for ion beamers if the user desires. As a side note the Hekatons are also mentioned to sometimes draw carriages in the codex.

*'''[[Magna-Coil Bike|Hernkyn Pioneer]]:''' THE [[Squat Trike|TRIKES]] RETURN! [[Skub|AS HOVERTRIKES!]] And with a [[-4 Str|female]] driver. It looks like a spider-tank tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell fucked a [[Squat Bike|Harley]] and their baby came out a hoverbike. Hernkyn Pioneers are 35 point vehicles ridden by independently minded Kin who serve as scouts and outriders for the Kinhosts. They exchange the heavier armor of the Hyrthkin for lighter void suits backed up by armored trench coats, an old style pilot’s cap, and when necessary a gas or oxygen mask. Before you make the mistake of thinking they’re outlaw bikers though it should be noted that they are not seen like that at all amongst their own people. Rather in eyes of the Kin the Pioneers willingness to go off alone is considered courageous and selfless as they are putting their own lives at risk for the sake of their families, in effect making them the equivalent of the WFB Dwarf rangers. Anyway, to ensure they can keep riding for as long as possible the Pioneers make sure to carry any all equipment they might conceivably need with them at all times, from bedrolls to digging tools strapped to their rides. To aid them in scouting their trikes come equipped with multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners which are all quite useful for picking up strategically important data. Weapons-wise the riders can be armed with a bolt pistol, or a bolt shotgun, plus concussion grenades and a plasma blade for backup, while the Trike itself was equipped with a magna-coil autocannon mounted on the front. In addition if the rider is willing to take along a passenger then it’s possible to mount a heavy weapon on the back of the vehicle in the form of a rotary Hy-Las (high yield laser) cannon or an ion beamer. These weapons are linked to the driver and passenger’s implants via the HunTR system so they can fire on the move.

*'''[[Sagitaur ATV]]:''' A 130 point six wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, that takes its name from the centaur shaped constellation Sagittarius, the Sagitaur is used for surveying inhospitable alien terrain. The Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts. Sagitaurs usually operate in pairs and are remarkably heavily-armed for their size, with a nose-mounted twin bolt cannon complemented by a swivelling turret weapon, such as a HYLas beam cannon, L7 missile launcher, or MATR autocannon. Once they’re right up in the enemy’s lines they will disgorge their troops in the form of 5 troops from a 10 man squad of infantry with the other half being carried by a second vehicles. These can then go on to seize vital objectives. It should be noted though that the troops the Sagitaur Carrie’s cannot have the Exo-frame keyword so using them for things like Thunderkyn is a no-go unlike with the Hekaton.

*'''Colossus-class war engines:''' were briefly mentioned in a Warcom article where it’s stated the Ymyr Conglomerate Holds can wield more of them then any other league due to the Holds large number of skilled Craftsman and Engineers. Sadly we don’t have a stat line, nor do we have an image to confirm if these are indeed the same thing as the old Squat [[Colossus War Machine]].

*'''[[Ironhead Squat Prospectors]]:''' An offshoot of the Kin that set up shop on [[Necromunda]] right after the Horus Heresy, and are busy doing dwarrowesque things, while also dealing with the locals that sometimes try to loot their stuff. While they're only distantly related to the Leagues with no direct affiliation, they're said to get along. There is a small but not high chance they'll be options on the table top as well since Kill team has a precedent for a small unit from one box being an option like the sister novitiate, at the very least make a good proxy/conversion.

*'''[[Cargo-8 Ridgehauler]]:''' the Squat land trains return! Well they have on Necromunda at least. These huge transport trucks with multiple trailers and strapped on weaponry are used by Squat prospectors and regular human folk to cross the ash wasteland and protect valuable shipments. They aren’t quite up to the standard of the old land trains but at least it’s something.

*'''Chronos Pattern Ironcrawler: '''a gigantic tracked APC/pickup truck hybrid that’s favored by both the Ironhead Squats and the local Necromundans. The vehicle is even more heavily armored than the Ridgehauler and the cab is sealed to protect against radiation and ash storms. It comes standard with a cargo winch, two pintle mounted turrets, and numerous firing ports in the transport cage behind the cab so any extra troops it’s ferrying can fire on any nearby enemies.

*'''[[Demiurg]]:''' Outright stated in the League of Votann Codex to be Kin [[Prospect|Prospect fleets]] that have been misidentified by Imperial and Tau observers alike to be a separate race. It’s also a common mistake for Imperial xenologists as said Prospect Fleets have also been misidentified as Grome, Gnostari, or Kreg species. Heck, even the Eldar have known them as the Heliosi Ancients instead of their proper name. WarCom confirmed that the Tau received their ion weapon technology from the Kin, whereas in Battlefleet Gothic they claim that it was from the Demiurg, ''another'' race of dwarf space-miners. Logically, the term "Demiurg" is just be what the Tau call the Kin, with the Demiurg may be another offshoot culture of the wider kin race like prospectors above. After all, their clones-kin’s capability in stressing divergent phenotypes means visibly different strains could possible (like different breeds of dogs or cats) the demiurg simply bring this physical divergence to [[Heresy|extreme]] levels. One example is the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues that decided to throw in their lot with the upstart T'au Empire rather than being in the bottom of the Imperium's to-do list.

*'''Space Craft:''' While a full list of space assets hasn’t dropped yet, the retcon regarding the nature of the Demiurg means we have some idea of what kind of vessels the Kin have. In addition to smaller autonomous mining craft that can be reconfigured as [[Automated Fighting Drone|fighters]], [[Automated Bombing Drone|bombers]], and [[Automated Barge Drone|assault boats]] the Leagues also wield two classes of rather impressive warp-capable ships that many fans have noted look like giant flying hammers. The first class is the [[Bastion-class Commerce Vessel]]s which seems to be an enormous asteroid mining vessel that can also act as a cruiser, though its firepower is enough to let it hold its ground against an Imperial battleship. They are typically manned by a single large clan/brotherhood and their robot navigators. Less common are the larger [[Stronghold-class Commerce Vessel]]s which are typically manned by two or even three clans/brotherhoods and the previously mentioned robot navigators. These massive crafts both serve as stately battleships and factory/processor ships for the Kin mercantile clans. The mining lasers on both craft while short-ranged are noted to be incredibly powerful, something which is to be expected given they were originally used to cut through asteroids. They derive their power through the use of electromagnetic fields around the prow of the ship that serves as a Bussard Scoop that will absorb interstellar hydrogen. This hydrogen then undergoes fusion and whatever energy or particles isn’t used for powering the laser is then accelerated to the rear of the vessel to speeds near that of the speed of light to provide motive force similar to a ram-jet. As a side benefit the complex radiation shielding this process requires evidently produces numerous other defensive benefits for the starship and adds to its protection. The Mechanicus is noted to be very interested in getting their tendrils on this tech, but despite their best efforts they have yet to get a chance to examine it.

==See Also==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Leagues of Votann(9E)]]
*[[Kharadron Overlords]], their closest Age of Sigmar counterpart
*[[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)]]
*[[Chaos Dwarfs]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:VotannTrike.jpg|They see me dworfin, they hatin', Patrollin', and tryna catch me ridin' dirty.
File:CNiuMZPWWNpatQNt (1).jpg|dorfy thicc dorfy brick
File: FW1NodbWYAA-Gzh.jpg|‘[[StarCraft|Ye want a piece a' me, lad??]]’
File:Sagitaur ATV.jpg| Sagitaur ATV, the perfect vehicle for dropping off some Hearthkyn at the pub for some brewskies on a moons surface.
File:LeagueHold.jpg|One of the many holds in the Leagues, in all it's industrial might
File:Ironkin.jpg|A humble Ironkin, ready to serve for their civilization
File:Getbackintheironkinchen.png|"[[Weeb|UWU.exe]]: I wonder if [[Adeptus Mechanicus|our new friends]] will enjoy these muffins I baked for them? I should head over and see what they're up to!"
File:Votann Fanart by 流星R.jpg| Even space Dwarves can be cute.
File:CthonianBerserks.png|[[Cyberpunk 2020|Just another day of cyberstimms and Cyberpsychosis...]]
File:Wrathoftheancestors.jpg| [[Primaris Captain|Where have I seen that before?]] [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Captain1.jpg Oh.]
File:Kâhl.jpg|Pictured: The '''real''' Space Vikings.
File:Hekaton_Land_Fortress.png|Bunker on wheels + half-a-dozen guns + half-a-dozen pissed space dorfs = a VERY bad day for you.
File:Gangoftrikes.jpg|If Mad Max had discovered hovercraft technology
File:VotannPioneer.jpg.webp|A Kin Pioneer negotiating with a Imperial
File:Leaguemining.jpg|It ain't no trick to get rich quick If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
File:Leagueanvil.jpg|Remember Brokyr, the Ancestors are Always Watching
File:Thunderkyn.jpg|"Hey look buddy, I'm an engineer and that means I solve problems..."
File:LOV Army Shot.png|A Kin Oathhost about to tell the Black Legion to gtfo their lawn
File:Votann Grimnyr.jpg|Finally, the [[Space Wolves|fucking furries]] don't have the monopoly on sweet beards
File:LoV_shortstack.jpg|Shortstack lovers rejoice!
File:Power_armor_Kin.png|Gender equality sure look good, eh laddies?
File:Leagues-of-Votann-Codex-art.jpg|Channeling that good 'ol IoM energy, but now with 100% more dorfness.
File:Clone Mutant Ninja Dwarfs.png|[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Yaldi-bunga, dudes!]]
File:Legotann.png|Color schemes GW wish they'd have thought of.
</gallery>

[[Category:Dwarves]]
{{Template:Squats}}
{{WH40k-Factions}}
{{40k-Governments}}

Ultramar

2023-06-01T12:35:19Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:skyline.png|800px|center]]
{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Ultramar
|image=[[Image:Ultramar_Flag.jpg|300px|center]]
|bgcolor=blue
|fgcolor=orange
|Capital=[[Macragge]]
|Official Languages=Low Gothic, High Gothic
|Power=Regional Power
|Size=500 Planets (approximately)
|Head of State=[[Primarch]] [[Roboute Guilliman]]
|Head of Government= Roboute Guilliman, day-to-day operations overseen by Chapter Master of the Ultramarines ( current incumbent [[Marneus Calgar]]) and the Tetrarchs of Ultramar
|Governmental Structure= Unitary Authoritarian Meritocratic Tetrarchy (''Great Crusade'') Unitary Authoritarian Meritocracy (''41st Millennium'') Federal Authoritarian Meritocratic Tetrarchy (''42nd Millennium'')
|State Religion/Ideology=[[Imperial Cult]]
|Demographic=[[Humans]], [[Space Marines]]
|Military Force=[[Ultramarines]], [[Scythes of the Emperor]], Praetors of Ultramar, Knights Cerulean, 6 other Chapters Ultramar Auxiliaries, Ultramar Defense Fleet, 3 Star Forts
}}
{{topquote|I found Rome built of bricks; I leave her clothed in marble.|[[Roboute Guilliman|Augustus]], first Emperor of the [[Roman Empire]]}}
''TL;DR: Futuristic Rome in Space''

'''Ultramar''' is the name given to the stellar empire of the [[Ultramarines]] and an autonomous region of the [[Imperium of Man]]. It is an Old Spanish term meaning “(place) beyond the sea”. The French version of the term, outre-mer, is given to the Crusader States established in the Holy Land/Levant during the High Middle Ages, so it fits the Space Marine bulwark on the Eastern Fringe perfectly.

It was also the nickname of the Portuguese Empire, the first global empire, which moved its capital to Brazil after getting Napoleoned...and weirdly ties into the whole "Unremembered Empire" business, in which Roboute Guilliman decided to use Ultramar as the nucleus of an "[[Imperium Secundus]]" in case Terra fell to the traitors.

==History==
[[File:Ultramar 30k.png|400px|left]]
So, when the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor of Mankind]] finally found [[Roboute Guilliman]], he had been ruling as Lord of Macragge for some five years, and had established an alliance of mutual aid with eight other star systems. After the Emperor made Guilliman Commander of the Ultramarines, the worlds allied with Macragge reoriented themselves to providing food, munitions, and recruits to the Ultramarines Legion. While they only supported a Chapter now, the alliance remained, and the worlds formed the realm of Ultramar.

Originally, there were said to be even more than 500 worlds in the 30k era. However, the Shadow Crusade led to the destruction of many of these planets. Exact numbers are not specified. However, in "Laurel of Defiance" it states that about a hundred planets were destroyed by the combined might of the [[World Eaters]] and [[Word Bearers]] Legions. In the 41st Millenium, the Ultramarines now only controlled about 50-60 planets (given the latest maps from Gathering Storm). The rest were given away to successor chapters/independent administration. This is because, after the Heresy, Guilliman didn't want the Ultramarines to be tied up defending their own realm while battles raged elsewhere in the Imperium.

All of this changed after Guilliman returned in the closing years of M41. Having learned of the recent struggles that Ultramar had been facing as well as its immediate need for protection, he declared the treaties which gave many of the 500 worlds their independence "null and void" and ordered a return to the five hundred worlds system with an intent to expand Ultramar further.

==Shadow Crusade==
During the Horus Heresy, the full might of the Word Bearer and World Eater Legions were unleashed upon the 500 worlds as Horus wished to keep the Ultramarines from interfering with his advance to Terra. Many of the planets in Guilliman's star empire were subjected to ferocious and unexpected invasions.

With almost half of the Ultramarines Legion killed or put out of action after the Battle of Calth, and interstellar communication/travel cut off from one another due to the Ruinstorm Lorgar summoned, each planet was left to fend for itself. Some planets were able to repel the invaders completely. On Astagar, a force led by Lucien Corvo (later the founder of the [[Novamarines]]) managed to win the battle for the planet by destroying a possessed Warlord-Class Titan belonging to the Word Bearers. On others, the Ultramarines destroyed their worlds rather than let the enemy have them. This happened on Percepton, where an outnumbered chapter of the Ultramarines subjected the planet to phosphex bombardment, burning away both defenders and invaders who were unlucky enough not to evacuate in time.

Kor Phaeron would put his own plan in motion to strike at the heart of Ultramar and destroy its core worlds while Lorgar and Angron tore through its outer rim. He planned for an Abyss-class super battleship, the Furious Abyss, to destroy Maccrage, the home planet of the Ultramarines, while the bulk of the 13th Legion was stationed at Calth. This mighty vessel would then join a smaller fleet of Word Bearer vessels in laying waste to the core planets. Fortunately, a small strike force of Ultramarines and Space Wolves would board this ship and destroy it from the inside at the cost of their lives. Without the Furious Abyss, the Word Bearer attack on Maccrage and the core worlds of Ultramar failed.

Lorgar and Angron's main force did manage to conquer 26 planets including the world of Armatura, which had been an Ultramarine recruiting world during the Great Crusade. Accompanying this force were two Abyss-class super battleships as well as the Word Bearer and World Eater Gloriana-class flagships. Things would come to a head on Angron's homeworld of Nuceria, which saw the final battle of the Shadow Crusade. Guilliman and his motley fleet of 40 escort and cruiser-class ships (destroyers, corvettes, strike cruisers etc.), patched together from whatever he could muster after the Battle of Calth, threw itself at the combined spearhead of Word Bearers and World Eaters. Fortunately for the Ultramarines, [[FAIL|three unsupported mega-battleships would prove to be Lorgar's idea of a balanced fleet.]]

At great cost to the 13th legion (12 of the smaller vessels), they managed to bring down Lorgar's flagship, the Fidelitas Lex, by swarming it with about 30 ships. On the surface, the outnumbered Ultramarines would be pushed back and forced to retreat under the unrelenting pressure of two traitor legions commanded by their Primarchs - and by the end of the battle Angron had become a Daemon Prince. Although the boys in blue would end up withdrawing from the battle, this marked the end of the Shadow Crusade as Lorgar considered the [[Ruinstorm]] sufficiently fed and redirected his forces, along with those of the ascended Angron, towards Terra.

More traitor legions would also invade Ultramar space during the Heresy, although they were not part of the Shadow Crusade. For example, a 25,000-strong force of Night Lords that were one of the six splinter fleets escaping the Dark Angels would attack Sotha. Due to the superb strategic defense put in place by the defector Warsmith Dantioch, the Imperial Fist Captain Polux, and the thousand-strong Ultramarines Aegida company, this ended up being one of the most lopsided battles in the Horus Heresy. The invaders suffered near-total losses and were forced to retreat as they learned that Guilliman himself was leading a retribution fleet to Sotha. However, victory was only made possible due to the tragic sacrifice of Dantioch and nearly all of the Aegida Company (the survivors would later go on to become the [[Scythes of the Emperor]]). This would also inadvertently act as the [[Imperium Secundus#Tyranids|impetus]] for the [[Tyranids]] to invade the galaxy several millennia later, though nobody suspected it at the time. In the outer reaches of Ultramar, the [[Death Guard]] would also launch probing attacks on the relatively undefended border worlds. Late into the conflict, the Salamanders strike cruiser, Charybdis, would find the corpse of another Abyss-class vessel in the extreme outer edges of Ultramar space. It seemed as if it were attacked by a large Ultramarine fleet and destroyed when it was boarded and had its warp drive detonated by the intruders.

It is difficult to gauge how many planets were destroyed in total however; a snippet from the Horus Heresy books states that a little over a hundred worlds "died" due to the invasion. It should be noted that some of these worlds did manage to recover from the attack. Most notably Calth which would (ironically) become the perfect home to Ultramar's shipyards in M41 due to the fact that the Word Bearer invasion turned its surface into a smooth and airless planet. Planets such as Armatura were left alone and Parmenio would be the new main recruiting world. As for lives lost, 120,000 Ultramarines died during the Battle of Calth and a further 30,000 presumably died from the ensuing invasion. This left the Ultramarines with 100,000 marines near the end of the Heresy, down from their 250,000 at the start. The losses for the Auxilia were horrendous as well, with 500,000 dead at the Battle of Calth alone.

==Invasion by Hive Fleet Behemoth==
In 745, M41, [[Hive Fleet Behemoth]] would invade Imperial space, the bulk of it making a beeline towards the Ultramarines home planet. Although the Hive Fleet was splintered after the Battle of Circe, the invasion would leave many scars on Ultramar such as the destruction of the civilized world Prandium. Still, because the Tyranids had focused their attacks on a relatively few number of important planets, the star empire had recovered fully in the span of less than sixty years.

==The Plague Wars==
In M42, Ultramar's formerly idyllic existence was shattered by a Death Guard invasion led by Mortarion himself. Three systems to the galactic north of Ultramar were corrupted by influence of Nurgle and its planets are turned into staging grounds for the invasion of Guilliman's mini-Empire. This had apparently begun a few decades prior to the conclusion of the [[Indomitus Crusade]]. Surprisingly, Guilliman did not end the crusade upon hearing about the invasion of Ultramar. He wished to remain in command of the Imperium at large and knows he can do more good that way. He therefore left it to his sons to hold the line until his return. [[Imperium Secundus|Shows he's learnt something from the Heresy.]]

Mortarion's already large invasion force, bolstered by mutants and cultists from the [[Scourge Stars]], was accompanied by [[Typhus]] and his [[Plague Fleet]] alongside the Great Unclean One [[Ku'Gath]] Plaguefather and his Plague Guard. Their strategy concentrated on taking and holding a few major planets such as Iax, Espandor and Konor. They only launched raiding attacks on the less defended ones, withdrawing before Astartes were deployed.

The Espandor system was devastated. All planets in the system besides the main planet were taken; the Ultramarines bitterly contested Espandor Prime and would do so until they were later relieved. One of the Plague Guard would lead this attack, a [[Daemon#Greater_Daemons|Greater Daemon]] named Qaramas. The partial conquest of the Espandor system opened up the gateway for the rest of the invasion fleet to surge into Ultramar.

Iax was overrun by daemons of Nurgle as the bulk of the invasion force came to bear upon it. It had been converted into a hospital world earlier in the war and was therefore susceptible to infiltration by the heralds of Nurgle despite its stringent quarantine measures. This would be the base of operations for the entire invasion and conquest of Ultramar as Mortarion, the Death Guard and the rest of the Plague Guard would gather here.

Macragge suffered bouts of Chaos-induced unrest as Mortarion led probing attacks on the Ultramarines' homeworld. While this did not lead to any widespread destruction or damage to critical facilities, these incidents caused a drop in civilian morale and wasted Marneus Calgar's precious time on peacekeeping missions and displays of force to shore up confidence amongst Macragge's civilians.

Typhus and the Plague fleet had overrun and taken one of Ultramar's star forts. He was later directed by Mortarion to attack the Ultramarines training world of Parmenio. Konor would come under attack as well by the forces of the Death Guard, their aim being to take the crucial system and use it as a launching pad for an attack on Macragge itself. Though that failed miserably when Mortarion re-enacted Star Wars Episode IV with predictable consequences.

Guilliman eventually returned to Ultramar from his Indomitus Crusade, bringing with him thousands of Primaris reinforcements. First, he cleanses the Hive World of Ardium in the Maccrage system from the Death Guard. There he discovers that Mortarion was using the Hand of Darkness to craft Plague Engines that were re-animating the dead and turning them into Plague Zombies. He destroys the engine on Ardium and frees the world from the influence of Nurgle. He then landed on Maccrage, bringing with him thousands of Primaris Marine reinforcements and other allies. After taking stock of the situation, he organized the Ultramarines and their auxilia to launch a large-scale counterattack against the invaders. Several loyalist Ultramarine successors also joined the fight, their fleets engaging the Death Guard and doing their best to keep Ultramar's shipping lanes safe.

He first set his eyes on Espandor System, which served as the main supply line for the Death Guard invasion. He retook each of the lost worlds and destroyed the engines that were creating plague zombies on each of the planets, freeing them from the influence of chaos and destroying the source of the plague zombies. After a ferocious battle in which the Ultramarines Chapter found themselves fighting side by side with their Primaris brethren for the first time, the forces of Nurgle were routed from the planet, Guilliman decisively ending the battle by killing the greater daemon Qaramas with the [[Emperor's Sword]] and destroying the last Plague Engine in the system. The Espandor system was now essentially cleansed and the forces of Nurgle were cut off from the Scourge Stars.

With their supply lines to the Scourge Stars being cut, the Hand of Darkness lost (having been recaptured by the Ynnari after Guilliman informed them of it) their Plague Engines slowly being destroyed (stripping the traitors of their supply of Plague Zombies) and Imperial reinforcements pouring into Ultramar with each passing day, Mortarion found himself on the wrong side of the war of attrition. Guilliman had cut the Death Guard off and was now cutting them to pieces. With this in mind, Mortarion decided to throw all his remaining forces at one target.

Macragge was still too heavily defended for the forces of Nurgle to assault so it was decided that they would target the Ultramarines training world: Parmenio. This battle saw the biggest armored clash between the traitor and loyalist forces during the war. The largest star fort in Ultramar, Galatan, attempted to provide support but was engaged by the Plague Fleet and was boarded by traitor marines, leading to the death of the Novamarines Chapter Master. On the surface, however, the Ultramarines were slowly winning the fight. Guilliman killed Ku'gath's lieutenant Septicus and shattered his Plague Guard, giving the loyalists the upper hand and causing them to make major gains against the archenemy.

Guilliman then finally led the relief force to Iax. Not finding Mortarion in either Parmenio or Espandor, he was determined to hunt down his traitorous brother once and for all. The final battle of the war took place here, with Guilliman and Mortarion fighting each other to a standstill amongst the ruins of Iax. Eventually, Mortarion and the Death Guard were summoned back to the Scourge Stars, which had come under threat from the forces of Khorne in what would become the War in the Rift. They withdrew from Iax under the cover of a virus bomb and the forces of Nurgle retreated from Ultramar, but the threat of a renewed attack in the future remains.

After the forces of Chaos withdrew, Guilliman oversaw a period of reconstruction and restoration across the realm of Ultramar. He also gave the Ultramarines the means of creating new Primaris Space Marines and helped complete the reformation of the 500 Worlds. Although his duties would eventually call him away, he ensured that Ultramar would be fortified against future threats hereafter.

==Current State==
After his return from the Indomitus Crusade, Gullliman engaged in a series of reforms. He declared that the return to the 500 worlds would now be formalized now that he had returned to fully enforce the reformation. He also announced a great buildup in military forces to protect the expanded Ultramar. 8 new purely Primaris Marine Chapters, all Ultramarine successors would be founded in Ultramar. He therefore pledged 10 full chapters (including the Ultramarines and the Scythes of the Emperor) to defend his star empire at all times in the future. 10,000 Space Marines, of which more than 8000 were Primaris Marines, would now be Ultramar's permanent defense force, as well as the main force for future expansion of Ultramar's borders. Which looks suspiciously like a small legion in all but name, especially as they all ultimately fall under the authority of Calgar who has authority over the 4 Tetrarchs and Ultramar as a whole. Which is all kinds of hypocritical but also leaves BL and codex writers the chance to have particularly fuck huge battles against the Tyranids, Tau, Necrons and the like near Ultramar in any fluff they write. Which is likely the reason it's happened.

Ultramar is currently divided into five sectors (North, South, East, West and Center). Four of these sectors is ruled by a Tetrarch appointed by Guilliman himself. Every sector has a capital world where the Tetrarch resides, although each world considers itself under the rule of Maccrage.

*The Northern Sector is based around the Forge World of Konor. Its Tetrarch is [[Severus Agemman]], First Captain of the Ultramarines.
*The Southern Sector is based around the world of Andermung. Its Tetrarch is Second Captain Portan of the [[Genesis Chapter]].
*The Western Sector is based around the world of Protos. Its Tetrarch is Captain Balthus of the [[Doom Eagles]].
*The Eastern Sector is based around the world of Vespator. It had been previously ruled by a political entity known as the Sotharan league, but since Sotha was destroyed by [[Hive Fleet Kraken]] Guilliman re-constituted what was left of the league around Vespator. Its Tetrarch is Decimus Felix, a Primaris Ultramarine recently promoted to Eleventh Captain of the Ultramarines and Equerry to Roboute Guilliman.
*The Central Sector falls under the direct rule of Macragge and its regent, Marneus Calgar. It encompasses all systems in the heart of Ultramar with the exception of Konor, Veridia and Espandor, which fall under the remit of the Northern Tetrarch.

The combined damage the Death Guard had caused forced over a billion of Ultramar's inhabitants to become refugees. Guilliman has since asked more than a hundred [[Rogue Trader]]s for their help in charting the new Warp routes exposed by the Great Rift in the hope that there may be uncorrupted worlds that can be settled there.

==Notable Features of Ultramar==
What makes Ultramar notable is that by M41, it is a model of self-reliance, justice, and stability in the otherwise rotting [[Imperium of Man]]. Most people (such as [[Matthew Ward|he who shall not be named]]) say that it is a testament to Guilliman's ideals, a closer examination reveals more believable reasons:

'''Martial society''': Lacking the [[Hive]] and [[Death World]] so common among [[Space Marines|Space Marine]] homeworlds, the worlds of Ultramar have developed a highly industrious warrior society who looks down on those who cannot pull their weight. This would disqualify most nobles who absorb resources without providing anything for the masses. The people of Ultramar are indoctrinated into taking pride in their work for the betterment of the Imperium.

'''Social mobility''': The worlds of Ultramar lack the Hives so common in many planets, and there is little population discontent. Space Marines place value on competence, and the Ultramarines are no different. People do not gain a position of power unless they can show genuine leadership.

'''Minimal Imperial presence''': The Imperium of Man is quite frankly a horrible place to live, with the [[Administratum]], the [[Adeptus Arbites]], the [[Inquisition]], and the [[Ecclesiarchy]] basically running things into the ground. In other words, the Administratum won't screw up Ultramar with any filing errors, the Arbites and the Inquisition won't be Ultrabarging into people's homes and taking them away for "interrogation" and the Ecclesiarchy won't be the corrupt church that makes use of the extreme ignorance of the people while being highly hypocritical and counterproductive. However, because Macragge provides for the Ultramarines, the Imperium classifies the world as free of major Imperial tithes (only tithing gene seed whenever another Founding is ready), and most of the other worlds of Ultramar get off pretty easy too. And despite setting up the [[High Lords of Terra]], Guilliman was firm on maintaining that the Space Marines answered to the Emperor, and the Emperor alone. As such, like other Space Marine homeworlds, the presence of the Adeptus Terra is quite limited in Ultramar and squarely subordinate to the Ultramarines.

==Worlds of Ultramar==
There are currently around 500 worlds in the reformed empire of Ultramar. The core systems that are most shown in most maps constitute the heart of Ultramar but it should be noted that they account for only around 10% of total planets in the mini-empire. Ultramar is divided into 5 segments (North, South, East, West and Center). The Eastern segment is said to have 86 worlds by itself. However, it should be noted that this was the segment that suffered the most under the Tyranid invasion and other segments may have many more worlds. Therefore, assuming a minimum of 86 worlds in each segment, Ultramar should consist of 430-500 worlds. How did they get more than 400 worlds if only 400 were left after the Horus Heresy? Well, it has been 10k years. Several more planets must have been colonized as well.

===Primus Worlds===
*Macragge, Capitol of Ultramar and seat of rule over the Central Sector
*Konor, Capitol of the Nothern Sector
*Andermung, Capitol of the Southern Sector
*Protos, Capitol of the Western Sector
*Vespator, Capitol of the Eastern Sector

===Core Systems===
'''Macragge System'''
*Macragge, Chapter Planet and capital of Ultramar
*Thulium, Death world
*Nova Thulium, agri-world
*Ardium, Hive world
*Laphis, Shrine world

'''Veridian System'''
*Calth, a cavern-world where the population lives underground in massive underground arcologies. The size of these cavern cities are so large that rain clouds are able to form under the roofs. Used to be a civilised world in M31 which was about to become a Primus world, however the Battle of Calth resulted in its surface being destroyed and irradiated by the Veridian Star. 10,000 years on it is ironically the current center for spacecraft manufacture/repair/refit in Ultramar as its smooth, airless surface is perfect for such activity. Has the largest shipyards in Ultramar.
* Ravishol, Industrial world
*Lamane, Mining world
*Ishcara, Civilised world
*Veridia Forge, Adeptus Mechanicus Asteroid Mining Outpost

'''Masali System'''
* Tarentus, a desert-world with cities encased in domes to provide produce.
* Masali, an agri-world.
* Quintarn, an agri-world.

'''Talasa System'''
*Falan's Reach, Fortress world
*Talasa Tertius, Industrial world
*Talasa Prime, Deathwatch training world
*Talasa Secundus, Hive world
*Uldregor, agri-world

'''Konor System'''
*Konor, Research/Industrial world, was a major center for manufacturing/shipyards even before the coming of the Imperium. It even rivaled several high-ranking forge worlds in terms of production. [[Stupid|So much so that the Mechanicus demanded that it be downgraded]]. Guilliman would offer a compromise. The production centers would be downgraded but much of this manufacturing capability would be moved to its moon of Gantz (though as of M41 it is a proper Forgeworld again).
* Gantz (Moon of Konor), A Forgeworld that produced most of the Legion's equipment and was the home of their allied Titan Legion, the True Messengers.
*Vanitor, Frontier world
*Drenthal, Ocean world
*Loebos, Eldar Maiden World turned Death world following the elimination of its Exodite population, destroyed at conclusion of the [[Fate of Konor]] campaign.
*Nethamus, Agri-world
*Astramis, Hive world

===Other Systems/Planets===
* Talassar, an ocean-world.
* Espandor, a cardinal world given to the [[Ecclesiarchy]].
* Parmenio, a training-world.
* Occluda, former Primus world. Still a functioning planet but was still replaced during the reformation
* Tarvan
* Anuaris, a Forgeworld founded as an outpost of Accatran long before the Heresy and known for their long and bitter feud with Konor

===Former Planets===
* Prandium, Nommed by the Nids, used to be a pretty nice planet dubbed "the Jewel of Ultramar" (hint: Prandium is Latin for Lunch).
* Armatura, a war-world which supplied the Ultramarines Legion with recruits and repaired damaged warships. Purged by the Shadow Crusade, now a dead world.
* Saramanth, a former Primus world. Was devastated at one point and therefore replaced by Guilliman during the reformation.
* [[Nuceria]], a "civilized" world (it was about as civilized as Terra during the reign of the techno-barbarians) with the dubious honor of being the homeworld of [[Angron]] (and in extension, the [[World Eaters]], although they never recruited from here). Was originally just an insignificant backwater world before and after Angron, until the primarch arrived during the Horus Heresy, when he and the World Eaters murderfucked the entire planet for spreading lies about him running away from his last stand.
* Sotha, an agri-world in the age of the [[Great Crusade]] and later homeworld of the [[Scythes of the Emperor]]. Eventually overtaken by the Tyranids.
* Iax, former Primus world. An agri-world once known as the "Garden of Ultramar". Had diminished in importance relative to its surrounding planets and was replaced. Invaded by daemons of Nurgle and the Death Guard in M42 and was virus bombed by Mortarion to make his retreat. Now likely a dead world since it received [[exterminatus]].
* Percepton, a world of Ultramar invaded by the Word Bearers during the Shadow Crusade. The Ultramarines would end up bombing Percepton with a massive Phosphex bombardment to deny the traitors the planet, scouring the whole planet clean of life (friend and foe).

There is a metric fuck ton of others (Ultramar is known as the 500 Worlds after all). Most of them are watched over by the 10 Ultramarine Successor Chapters assigned there. Guilliman has since announced his intention to re-expand Ultramar, so it may get even bigger.

{{Template:40k-Governments}}
{{40k-Planets}}

[[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]]

Medusan Reach

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2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Medusan Reach
|image=[[Image:IronHands Flag.jpg|300px|center]]
|Capital=[[Medusa (Planet)|Medusa]]
|Official Languages= Cant Mechanicus, High Gothic and Low Gothic
|Power=Minor Power
|Size=Small, scattered across the Medusan Sub-sector
|Head of State=[[Kardan Stronos]]
|Head of Government=[[Kardan Stronos]], Iron Council
|Governmental Structure=Confederated Supranational Parliamentary Democracy
|State Religion/Ideology=[[Imperial Cult]], Cult Mechanicus
|Demographic=[[Humans]], [[Space Marines]], Cyborgs
|Military Force=[[Iron Hands]] Force, [[Iron Hands]] Fleet, [[Land-Behemoth]] Fleet, Local Militia
}}

The [[Iron Hands]] is a bit of a unique [[Space Marine]] Chapter, as their structure is less of a direct military stratocracy and more of a system resembling a parliamentary democracy, with their [[Chapter Master]]-equivalents being elected in and out with term limits. So it is not too much of a surprise to find out that the Iron Hands themselves have its own private fiefdom akin to that of [[Ultramar]], but to a lesser extent.

==Overview==
The '''Medusan Reach''' is a loose dominion of Imperial worlds and valued protectorates, scattered across Segmentum Obscurus' Medusan Sub-sector, who offer the Iron Hands a tithe of their resources, in return for the Chapter's guaranteed protection. This strange confederacy of loosely-aligned worlds means that those worlds under the rule of the Iron Hands are exempt from usual [[Administratum]] tithes as, technically speaking, they are ''already'' paying those tithes to a separate political entity. The relationship isn't equal however. Despite being a confederacy, [[Medusa (Planet)|Medusa]] holds the majority of the political, military and economic power in the region. As such, the relationship between Medusa and its protectorates is less of a unitary government and more like a business relationship.

On a whole, the Chapter's Iron Council takes no interest in these worlds' governance or affairs, provided that the Iron Hands' needs are met in full. The Reach's defence is currently the responsibility of Clan Sorrgol.

In the aftermath of the [[Great Rift]]'s creation, a great many worlds petitioned to join it. But, like any type of supranational organisation, the Iron Hands only permit worlds that can contribute ore and other raw materials to feed the Chapter's forges, and thus the Iron Hands' endless war. Once a world can no longer pay their tithe, the Chapter removes them from the Medusan Reach and ends their guaranteed protection.

The Reach's greatest ally is the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], which is not surprising given the already close relationship between the Iron Hands and the AdMech.

{{40k-Governments}}
[[Category:Space Marines]]
[[Category:Iron Hands]]
[[Category:Imperial]]

Tyranid Bio-Weapons

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In the [[Grimdark|relentless cheerfulness]] of the [[40k|far future]], the weapons used by the [[Tyranids]] are, just like their armies, home-grown. Instead of using metal, the Tyranids use the growth of symbiotic organs, inseparable from their hosts and are counted together as a single bio-organism. Some of them fire a "dumb" projectile like a spike, whereas other use seeds or even acids and living creatures, because just plain ''bullets'' are for pussies. The downside to this is that these '''Tyranid bio-weapons''' are incapable of the explosive firepower that [[Template:40k-Imperial-Weapons|Imperial]], [[Eldar]] and [[Tau]] guns have. They all trade this disadvantage in for being Assault weapons, meaning they can be fired on the move. Also, the explosive firepower is instead exchanged for more... interesting and strategic effects. Another note is that due to their appearance, Tyranid weapons are some of the most badass and phallic looking in the entirety of 40k.

Many of these weapons can be used by creatures of different sizes, but for the sake of simplicity the weapons have been ordered by the smallest creature that can use them. Small creatures are the equivalent of [[Termagaunt|Gaunts]], Medium are those comparable to [[Tyranid Warrior]]s and [[Biovore]]s, and Large are those akin to [[Hive Tyrant|Tyrants]] and [[Carnifex|Carnifexes]]. Then there are two other categories: the Inbuilt weapons, often part of the upper bodies of the largest organisms, and the Melee weapons for the more [[Choppa|choppy]] inclined creatures.

==Small==
Small weapons are used by Termagants, the working class of any Tyranid army, and [[Gargoyle]]s.

===Devourer===
[[File:Dev6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Devourer]]
The '''Devourer''' is simply a lump of flesh that launches a shower of tiny, short-lived and very hungry lifeforms (sometimes described as worms, others as small beetles) onto a target that immediately start to [[Grimdark|burrow into the target with their maw/mandibles and devour it alive from the inside out]]. Like all Tyranid weapons, the Devourer uses a bio-electric jolt (GeeDubs way of simply saying it fires via the nervous system) to promptly tell the lazy fuckers sleeping inside to get to work.

A much larger version called the Brainleech Devourer is mounted only on larger Tyranid organisms and uses specialize Brainleech worms that are far more aggressive and voracious, and go for the target's brain matter to make sure of the 'kill'.

This weapon has a nice range and acceptable firepower for a weapon of its size, albeit it doubles your Termagaunts in cost (while tripling their number of ranged attacks per round, a very economical way to increase dakka as long as you protect your Gaunts somehow. As of 6th edition, you can have mixed weapon options now so throw up a wall of spinegaunts or something). If you take this weapon in large broods, you will be aiming at your enemy's biggest units to just drown the suckers in dozens of shots.

===Fleshborer===
[[File:FB6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Fleshborer]]
The '''Fleshborer''' is one of the most iconic Tyranid weapons, a simple design that fires a borer beetle that eats its way through anything it comes across during its flight. Like the Devourer and most Nid firearms, the Fleshborer can only be fired by its respective host, [[Heresy|unless some mad scientist from the Imperium decides its a good idea to attach some electrodes to the weapon like Frankenstein.]] Because the borer beetle is a ''particularly'' lazy fucker, more electro-shocks are required to jolt their asses into action.

[[Derp|For some....reason.]] Some Mago Xenobiologi speculate that the Fleshborer itself (The gun that is) [[Wat|is related to the borer beetle or is an evolutionary niche for the borer beetle.]] They state that the gun IS the mother that lays the eggs which means that [[What|each mature beetle somehow metamorphose into a gun.]] [[Herp|We usually know the GW is pretty bad at simple biology, but this is beyond ridiculous and ludicrous.]] Why the Hive Mind thought it was a good idea to make a creature mature into an immobile and helpless adult unless picked up specifically by a Tyranid is a [[Fail]] of epic proportions. It could be that mature female beetles simply merge themselves with regular tyranid organisms, similar to male anglerfish, just the opposite sex.

Being the basic weapon for Termagaunts, it has the same stats as an ordinary Bolt Pistol. It will still prove to be more than enough to kill anything with toughness of 7 or less and AV10, as long as you have a lot of them. Tyranids being what they are, you will almost always have a lot of them. Range 12, strength 4, AP-, and it is an assault 1 weapon.

===Spike Rifle===
[[File:Spikerifle.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Spike Rifle]]
The '''Spike Rifle''' is a weapon exclusive to Termagaunts. It is, simply put, a harpoon launcher. That's about it.

More specifically its mechanics are like....exactly the same as a regular harpoon launcher just that the string and trigger are alive and swell. It is essentially a bony tube lined with cord muscles that is compressed like a coil. Once the Nid relaxes the muscles, the stored energy pushes the row of harpoon-like spikes into the adjacent target. The barbs are fucking sharp though; able to tear at a victim's arteries and cause them to bleed to death. To make it even more killy the barbs and the gun itself is laced with acidic veins and toxin sacs to make any scratch almost always fatal. Whilst it can puncture Jimmy's [[Flak Armor]], don't think it would do quite swell with [[Power Armor]].

Statwise it's less imposing than it's description: range 18", S3, AP-, Assault 1. Only use these if you do not want to pump a huge amount of points into Devourers but you do not want half your brood to not be able to fire when the Devilgaunts do. Otherwise avoid them...because they suck.
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Spike-Rifles-5-1024x768.jpg
</gallery>

===Spinefists===
[[File:Spinefist6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Spinefist]]
A lighter weapon, the '''Spinefists''' are used in pairs. They are the more [[Dakka]] version of the Bio-Weapons and are used more akin to a Uzi with worse penetration and more poison.

They shower the target with a hail of poisoned spikes, the sheer amount of darts fired ensure that the target is hit. A tube runs from the air sac powering the weapon, through the user's arm to its lungs. This means that larger creatures get more mileage out of what is essentially the same weapon, proving that even something as simple as a blowgun can be [[Warp|horribly perverted]] by the grim darkness of the far future.

[[Spinegaunt]]s, as their name implies, are the most prolific users of these things.

As of 8E, they act like pistols, which means Raveners (and Rippers, which get the similar Spinemaw) can shoot, get stuck in, and still fire off a few shots without having to disengage first.

===Strangleweb===
[[File:Strangle.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Strangleweb]]
With this weapon, your Tyranids too can learn [[Meme|how to shot web]]. Essentially a Tyranid [[Webber]].

The effects of the '''Strangleweb''' can be described best as a non-cutting variation of the [[Death Spinner]] used by the Warp Spiders: instead of slicing through their opponents, it constricts them, and maybe crushes them to death.

The inner workings are also what you expect. It is comprised of a living spider-like creature that fires a sticky mesh of mucous-like strands which ensnare a target. For some ''reason'', these are often the most popular Nid weapons for the Hive Mind to capture live specimens for dissection and gene-splicing. Why the Nids couldn't just do the old fashion way of eating the biomass and then translating its genetic info inside a [[Reclamation Pool]], we have no idea.

That's a pretty big maybe: wounding even basic Guardsmen at 5+ and rolling against Strength instead of Toughness to wound means that this weapon would be best if used against the likes of the [[Death Guard]]... if shooting them wasn't a stupid idea for a Tyranid player in the first place ''AND'' if you could take more than 1 of them per 10 Gaunts.
<gallery>
Strangleweb.PNG
</gallery>

===Blinding Venom===
[[File:Blinding_Venom.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Blinding Venom]]

Imagine baby Drool Cannons, that's basically the Blinding Venom.

Unique to Gargoyles, they can spit acid in the eyes of their enemies to blind them and allow for an easy devouring of the target. The poison is quite weak (6+ what the hell?) <s>and it's best to just go with the regular poison attacks granted by Toxin Sacks.</s> but it has the blind special rule so it means for every attack the unit being attacked has to pass an initiative test now a unit of gargoyles has a minimum size of 10 models so...

As of 8th edition, if the Gargoyles put an unsaved wound onto an enemy unit, the blinding venom makes them suffer -1 to hit for the rest of the turn.

As of 9th edition, GW pretends the gun, still very visible in the Gargoyles' mouths, doesn't exist as the weapon is no longer in the codex.

==Medium==
Medium weapons are used by Warriors and organisms based on the -[[Biovore|Vore]] and -[[Tyrant_Guard|Guard]] body archetypes.

===Barbed Strangler===
[[File:BarbedStrangler6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Barbed Strangler]]
Remember that 70's cult classic Zardoz? [[James_Bond|Sean Connery]] dressed in [[Slaanesh|red gimp getup]] and killing dudes like he's [[Khârn]], at the behest of a giant floating head that claims that "The gun is good, the penis is evil." because the penis shoots seeds that create life? Well, the '''Barbed Strangler''' chooses to be both. The gun is very basic, [[Brundlepenis|a muscled tube that stores its seeds in a sack at the base, and shoots them with a powerful spasm along with a fair helping of a corrosive oil.]]

The seed upon impact has its nigh-unbreakable shell melted by the oil and sends tendrils to [[rip and tear]] through anything that gets in its way. Using the large blast template, you can cause a lot of damage to a [[Tarpit|blob]] in a single shot. It also pins but that comes into play very little given that most armies are either largely fearless, ignore pinning anyway, or have LD values good enough to reliably ignore it anyway. With 8e, it traded off the blast template and Pinning for Assault D6 and a bonus to hit when targeting large units, which is a fair trade given the lackluster BS of the average Tyranid.

===Deathspitter===
[[File:DSside.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Deathspitter]]
The traditional weapon of the Warrior, the '''Deathspitter''' works by stripping a large maggot off of it's shell and hurling it at the enemy. Its [[Rip and tear|huge guts]] are highly corrosive and can splatter several enemies at once, searing any flesh and melting any armour it comes into contact with.

The adaptive evolution of the [[Hive Fleet Hydra]]'s slimer maggots make their Deathspitters even more lethal; the maggots could burrow through the target's flesh and then [[FATAL| repeatedly fragment and regenerate themselves]]. [[Slaugth|The victims literally burst out with the ever increasing mass of wriggling grubs.]]

Serving as a decent weapon against [[MEQ]]s, the weapon relies on its rate of fire to deal damage.
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===Flamespurt Cannon===
''See main article here: [[Tyranid Flamespurt Cannon]]''

===Impaler Cannon===
[[File:ImpalerCannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Impaler Cannon]]
The '''Impaler Cannon''' is your answer to anything up to AV 12.

This beautiful gun fires a bony spine, steered by a shard-beast at the base of the spine, [[Rip and tear|whose innards are ripped from its body when the spike is fired]]. The spines are launched with enough force to rip through man and machine alike.

Though its range is limited you do not have to actually see your target to be able to shoot it, without a significant downside. Oh, and it has a higher rate of fire than the Imperium-equivalent, the Missile Launcher. What's not to like? This is your go-to weapon for dealing with [[METAL BAWKSES]].

===Light Bio-Cannon===
[[File:Barb_Bio-Cannon.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Light Bio-Cannon]]
Despite sharing the same name as the much ''larger'' Bio-Cannon, the Light Bio-Cannon is functionally a completely different beast.

Rather than showering their prey in a deluge of pyro-acids. These things act more like airburst munitions. The creature that forms the makeup of the weapon are controlled alongside the [[Barbgaunt]] that is bonded with, by a ganglio-parasite that acts as the organism's brains.

Looking a lot like an [[Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher|RPG]] or a [[Missile Launcher]], the Light Bio-Cannon is actually an artillery weapon that shower targets with projectiles that explode into shards of serrated chitin. There is a reason why it is compared to an air-burst munition. Pretty nasty stuff against GEQs, but less effective against anything heavily armoured.

On the tabletop, the Light Bio-Cannon is a 24" ranged Blast and Heavy weapon with a D6 Attack, BS4+, S5, AP0, D1 light mortar. Whilst not that powerful when compared to other forms of light artillery, the weapon or...shall we say the Gaunt itself, is comparatively cheaper. So you field more of them.

Another unique factor is that, to balance its relatively mediocre stats, these living mortars have a unique ability called '''Disruption Bombardment'''. What this thing does is that in your shooting phase, any targeted enemy infantry that was hit by one or more of these attacks counts as disrupted for the next turn. When a unit is disrupted, they subtract 2 from its Move characteristic and 2 from its Advance and Charge rolls made for it. [[Grimdark|This is implied to be because any survivors still have bits of chitin-shrapnel in them, making movement painful]].
{{Clear}}

===Shock Cannon===
[[File:Niddex2014e.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Shock Cannon]]
Sometimes shortened to Shockcannon.

Used by Hive Guard, the '''Shock Cannon''' shoots out a claw over a considerable distance which latches on to its target and delivers a powerful bio-electric shock, disabling or even destroying a vehicle. Ostensibly, a big fucking meat taser.

On tabletop the Shock Cannon is the Hive Guard's primary anti-vehicle weapon. It's decent enough at S7 AP-1 d3 Damage, but if it rolls 4+ on Wound against a vehicle, it issues a Mortal Wound that coincidentally makes its low AP completely irrelevant. Roll a 6+, and that becomes d3 Mortal Wounds. Thanks to the change from small templates to D3 shots, this is now actually plenty scary against vehicles of any size.

===Spore Mine Launcher===
[[File:Spore_Mine_Launcher.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Spore Mine Launcher]]
The more explosive (and useful) Dakka to the Flamespurt's fiery Dakka.

Created as a result of fights against the Imperial Guard, the Biovore displays this by being the Tyranids' closest thing to an artillery piece and having a massive scrotum befitting a Guardsman's huge brazen balls. Armed with the '''Spore Mine Launcher''', it can lob Spore Mines a considerable range; living bombs that blanket victims in acid, poisonous gas, and shrapnel-sized chitin spines.

Though not as deadly as [[Basilisk|most other artillery weapons]], the Spore Mines are unique in the way that if they don't land too close to the enemy, you can deploy them onto the battlefield as living mines, serving as an obstacle for your enemy that must be either moved around or shot. Generally more useful in larger point games or [[Apocalypse]].

===Venom Cannon===
[[File:VC6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Venom Cannon]]
Seen as the primary anti-tank weapon, the '''Venom Cannon''' launches a hail of corrosive crystals by way of a biological railgun. Though not as effective as you'd wish, the Venom Cannon can cause quite some hurt on [[Eldar|Aspect Warriors]] and the like.

It is ineffective against heavy tanks but okay against transports and open-topped vehicles, though its primary targets should always be medium infantry. Because you know, a single shot S6 AP4 small blast weapon with only 36 inches of range that you can only have one of per (heinously expensive and surprisingly fragile) warrior brood is clearly the bestest anti-vehicle gun ever. See Dawn of War II for how they should work and cry bitterly. You're best off giving this gun a pass.

Slightly buffed in 8th along with the blast weapon changes. It is now Assault d3 with S8, AP-2 and D3 damage. Bit better at least.

==Large==
These are extremely large bio-weapons that could level a playing field with enough [[Dakka]].

===Acid Spray===
[[File:Acid_Spray.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Acid Spray]]
Yo dawg, I heard you like [[Hellhound Tank|Hellhound]]s so I put a [[Flamer|discharge of digestive fluids]] that works just like a Hellhound's weapon on your Tyranid MC and upped its cost by 100+ points. That's pretty much the gist of the '''Acid Spray'''. The problem is that you have a lot of weapons with stats like that, so using an expensive MC (though well armored) that attracts fire like there's no tomorrow is a bad idea.

In terms of fluff, the Acid Spray is a Tyranid Biomorph found on larger creatures such as the [[Tyrannofex]]. This bioweapon stores huge amounts of highly acidic digestive fluids, then sprays it over a wide area. The acid melts through body armor with shocking ease and reduces its victims to shapeless goo.

===Bio-plasmic Cannon===
''See main article here: [[Plasma#Bio-Plasmic Cannon|Bio-Plasmic Cannon]]''

===Brainleech Devourer===
[[File:Brainleech_Devourer.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Brainleech Devourer]]
Get a regular Devourer and then force feed it growth horomones. You get the Brainleech variety.

The biggest of Tyranids have devourers loaded with '''Brainleech Worms''' instead, a species larger and even more aggressive and hungry than the regular devourer worms. These are used for when the [[Hive Mind]] ''really'' got sick of all these blobs and want to shower them in hungry insects.

Range: 18", S6, AP-, Assault 6. If you're not using two sets of Twin-Linked Brainleech Devourers on your Flying Hive Tyrant and any Carnifexes you're fielding, you're [[fail|doing it wrong]].

In 8th edition. It is a bigger devourer with +2 Strength and double the shots for the MONSTERS in the Tyranid force. Comes as a pair so it puts out 12 shots. Two sets of these gives 24 shots, pretty good overall, made even better with the Pathogenic Slime strategem.

===Drool Cannon===
[[File:DroolCannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Drool Cannon]]
The weapon with [[Derp|the funny name.]]

The Drool Cannon is a type of Tyranid Biomorph found on the [[Hive Crone]]. Protruding from the Crone's mouth, the Drool Cannon vomits a wave of digestive juices upon its foes. The acidic bile originates from sacs carried on the Crone's underbelly. Because of the way the Drool Cannon interferes with the Hive Crone's mouth, it is unknown why the Hive Mind thought it is still viable to waste resource on its sharp teeth (maybe it's retractable?).

So yeah, the Nids have literal super spit, like the [[Space Marines]], but they actually use it repeatedly rather than for [[Plot Armor|plot reasons.]] Although knowing how fast some factions fly their planes, it must be one heck of a spit for it to hit anything at all.

For crunch, it is the [[Hive Crone]]'s answer to the [[Heldrake]] Baleflamer, except lacking Torrent and a good AP value and pretty much anything good, including its icky name. Template S6 AP4.

===Fleshborer Hive===
[[File:Fleshborer_Hive.jpg|130px|right|thumb|Fleshborer Hive]]
Think the [[Leman_Russ_Battle_Tank|Leman Russ Punisher]], but replace the Punisher gun with a '''Fleshborer Hive'''. That's about it. Because sometimes you have just run out of Troops choices (how one runs out of termagants is another question), and you just need 20 Termagants worth of Fleshborer fire on a tough platform.

Consisting of a large colony of the same breed of borer beetles found in the simple fleshborer, the fanged creatures stored in the bloated sacs of the hive lay thousands of eggs that hatch and mature at a fast rate within the chambers of the brood nest.

Needless to say, this is shit. Also,the fluff states that it must periodically discharge beetles or it makes the [[Wat|Tyrannofex explode.]] [[FAIL|The Hive Mind proves its genius yet again.]] In 8th, the stats are still sucky, but it can fire twice if the Tyrannofex doesn't move. 40 shots a turn for a respectable amount of biological dakka.

In 8th edition it has recieved a much needed buff. [[Dakka|It's a Heavy 20 Fleshborer at S5.]] Because of the short range it's not as impressive as the Rupture Cannon, but the ability to bring a portable Fire Warrior squad's worth of firepower with you is nothing to scoff at, especially if it gets to shoot twice while standing still. The Scorch Bugs Stratagem makes it absolutely terrifying.

Also if you have trypophobia (fear of holes), this ''may'' not be the best weapon to use on tabletop. Chances of projectile vomiting. Too high.

[[Tl;dr]], its a weapon (that shoots bugs) that you can fire from you fucking forearm. Bioshock indeed.

===Heavy Venom Cannon===
[[File:Heavy_VC.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Heavy Venom Cannon]]
The '''Heavy Venom Cannon''' is just that: a bigger version of the Venom Cannon able to deal with bigger vehicles, and it would be a lot more reliable if it wasn't using a Blast template. Can be used against tanks up to [[Land Raider]]s, but lack the firepower to deal reliably with them and lacks the armor penetration to deal with [[MEQ]]s on a consistent basis.

It is slightly better on Carnifexes than it's littler brother is on Warriors primarily because you can actually field the things in bulk...sort of. It's still not particularly good; but it's passable on a bio-blast brood if you don't want more dakkafexes for some insane reason. In 8th, it is largely the same as the regular Venom Cannon with one more strength (S9) and 3 damage per shot making it excellent elite infantry killers and decent anti tank.

===Rupture Cannon===
[[File:Rupture_Cannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Rupture Cannon]]
Think of it as a Tyranid Vanquisher Cannon.

If you want to stop a tank dead in its tracks, the '''Rupture Cannon''' (a fluff-wise bigger barbed strangler) is your friend. Firing two projectiles in a short succession, a tick that covers the enemy in a gooey substance, and a seed that upon impact with the goo dissolves at such speed which triggers a chemical implosion powerful enough to turn a [[Baneblade]] inside out.

That's what the fluff says, anyway - while it boasts a commanding s10, it strikes at AP 4, so MEQs don't even notice it.

In 8th however, it got horrifyingly good. It's now a 3 SHOT LASCANNON with an extra point of S, and the Tyrannofex can fire ''twice'' when it stays still. MEQs will definitely notice it now, but it's much better against vehicles; up to 6 S10 AP-3 D6 damage shots per shooting phase will ensure that even Knights and Land Raiders will feel the hurt.

===Stranglethorn Cannon===
[[File:Stranglethorn_Cannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Stranglethorn Cannon]]
An upscaled version of the Barbed Strangler (thus it fires much larger, stronger, and more aggressive seed-pods), the '''Stranglethorn Cannon''' has enough power to deal with even the toughest of foes, and serves as a borderline artillery weapon. The growing pod's mass of barbed tentacles can grasp onto the armor plating of vehicles and rip them to pieces.

It has the same AP as it's smaller brother, and the same blast size and pinning rule, but now it has S6 which means it can now pile on hurt better and harass light vehicles.

In 8th edition it is a bigger Barbed Strangler with +2 Strength for the MONSTERs in the Tyranid force. Keeps the above +1 to hit rule and also inflicts 1 more damage. Kills light Infantry more efficiently than the HVC. Combine with Enhanced Senses and laugh at the look on your opponent's face as a Carnifex hits on a 2+ (Only if units of 10 or more). Unfortunately still only hits on a 3+ on a carnifex with enhanced senses.

===Tentaclids===
[[File:Tentaclid2.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Tentaclid]]
Flying under the wings of Hive Crones, the '''Tentaclids''' are living seeker missiles who can chase after flying targets such as enemy aircraft and disable them with a powerful bio-electric pulse.

In terms of crunch they are the Crone's big surprise. These Babies only have S5 to their name and a re-roll to hit flying units, but if they wound a vehicle on a 4+ it deals a Mortal Wound with a 6+ dealing d3 Mortal Wounds.

Unlike before, these can actually be used again and again which kind of contradicts the fluff since Hive Crones only carry four of these things...unless of course a Tentaclid is spawned from the Hive Fleet itself and homes and attaches to the nearest Hive Crone. Or after disabling an enemy flier it just returns to its carrier crone.

==Titanic==
Here the most powerful and biggest weapons the Tyranids have are described, used by the biggest and baddest of nasties.

===Bio-Cannon===
[[File:Biocannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Bio-Cannon]]
The biggest motherfucking gun alive on land (Both figuratively and literally). The Bio-Cannon is a Tyranid Biomorph. Equipped on titan-sized creatures such as the [[Hierophant]] and [[Harridan]], the Bio-Cannon works like a giant Deathspitter; that is that it spews forth a hail of highly venomous and corrosive maggot organisms.

But these maggots are ECKS BAWKS HUEG to make it a threat to superheavies. These organisms like their smaller cousins, explode on impact, splattering a rain of bio-acid and poison that can melt through nearly any material in a matter of seconds. Of course how this affects esoteric shit like [[Void shield|Void Shields]] is unknown (Maybe it eats through Void Shields?).

On crunch, the Bio-Cannons comes in two since the Hierophant naturally twin-links these; they are S10 (which can double for the price of taking D3 mortal wounds, like tau units overcharging), AP-2, 2D6 damage (doubled against buildings and other TITANIC units). Its a shame it is the only Titan-grade Tyranid weapon though.

===Bio-Torpedo===
[[File:Nid_Torpedo.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Bio-Torpedo]]
Otherwise known as the Tyranid Torpedo. These things are living, breathing Torpedoes used by Bio-Ships to break open the hulls and shatter the shields of enemy vessels. Unlike most races torpedoes which has limited tracking and maneuvrability, Bio-Torpedoes could do twist and turns that no ordinary torpedoes could replicate. They are packed full of bio-plasma to fuck shit up.

It should be noted that Bio-Torpedoes look very similar to the [[Ether-Swimming Brood]].

On [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II]], these living weapons are just regular torpedoes, [[Derp|despite the fluff.]] Launch several of them at close range for a truly lethal torpedo-giant claw combo and [[Rape|watch the ensuing spectacle.]]
<gallery>
Bio-Torpedo_launched.JPG
</gallery>

===Seed Spore===
[[File:Nid_Seed_Spore.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Seed Spore]]
If the Bio-Torpedoes are the Nids answer to regular torpedoes than the Seed Spore is the Nids answer to Melta Torpedoes.

Seed Spores function the same as Bio-Torpedoes, however, the catch is that rather being filled to the brim with fuel that creates bio-plasma, the Seed Spore is packed with pyro-acid spores that blankets a large area in a toxic cloud.

On [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II]], these living weapons are your area-denial weapon. The clouds being spawned from a Seed Spore covers a good range and any ship within the cloud takes hull damage rather than shield damage.

===Bio-Plasma Battery===
''See main article here: [[Bio-Plasma Battery]]''

===Pyro-Acid Battery===
[[File:Pyro-Acid_Battery_2.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Pyro-Acid Battery]]
The [[Dick|giant phallic weapons]] found only on Bio-Ships.

Essentially the Tyranids version of a [[Exterminatus|Macro-Weapon mixed in with a Flamer/Chem-thrower.]] Pyro-acid Batteries are a kind of Weapons Battery used on Tyranid Bio-ships. Launching toxins and pyro-acids, these gigantic Biomorphs can cause considerable damage on impact to enemy ships. Moreover, after impact, they unleash hordes of smaller Tyranid creatures into the ship, and these often prove more deadly than the weapon itself.

On [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II]], these things can be found on either the mouth or portside of a Bio-Ship. Most often than not, these things are the most [[Dakka]] weapons of a Hive Fleet, able to dish out an enormous amount of acidic fire and criticals while also ignoring shields, in contrast to slower firing weapons like the Drool Cannon for example. [[Orks]] [[Shitstorm|shit themselves a new one]] when face against these things, [[Necrons]] however...not so much.

The weapon comes in two forms like the [[Bio-Plasma Battery]]. There is the much larger Discharge Artillery which is mounted on the front hull of the ship. That gives it longer range at the expanse of fire rate. Then these are the batteries which are mounted on the starboard and port of the vessel. They have greater firepower at the expanse of range.
<gallery>
Image:Pyro-Acid_Battery.JPG
</gallery>

==Inbuilt==
Certain weapons used by the Tyranids are part of the creatures themselves, instead of being addition to the arms/back.

===Bio-Electric Pulse===
[[File:Bio-Electric_Pulse.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Bio-Electric Pulse]]
Built into the Trygon, a electrical charge is build up by the creature as it moves, allowing a powerful and [[Dakka|large]] discharge. The Trygon Prime increases the range of this blast, and doubles its rate of fire.

It is also great for tunneling which is a plus for the Trygon. They use their bio-static charge to assist with tunneling, as their tunnels have been found coated with a fused, glass-like silicate layer on the inside. This effect stabilizes the tunnel walls and prevents them from collapsing behind a burrowing Trygon. Which is stupid when given the weight and size of the Trygon. Unless it is smooth like a [[Adeptus Custodes|lubed bannana]], then there is no way such glass would withstand such violent digging. Furthermore, large vehicles and some animals could burrow efficiently without needing to turn their surroundings to glass. So this ability is quite redundant unless the Nids want to transport smaller grubs along its merry adventure.

If you don't know, the Bio-Electric Pulse IS the Trygon's carapace armor.

===Bio-Plasma===

''See main article here: [[Plasma#Bio-Plasma|Bio-Plasma]]''

===Cluster Spines===
[[File:Cluster_Spines.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Cluster Spines]]
Just imagine a porcupine that shoot out its spines or a [[Lizardmen]]'s Razordon.

The largest Tyranids have banks of spines build into their carapaces that they can fire when under stress. Consisting of rows of quills embedded into the carapaces of the equipped creature like a giant Porcupine. These spines are dense and hollow like a Frag Grenade and explode upon impact like one, dealing significant damage to anything in the area of impact over considerable distances. Of course, it is unknown whether these are single shot or multi-use.

Fired into densely packed groups of enemies, these spines can saturate large areas with needle-sized slivers, making them a potent anti-infantry weapon. Although given on where the Tyranid would like to grow its spines, [[Fail|it can also end up hitting nothing but air.]]

Whilst this makes them superfluously similar to the Spine Banks, the biggest difference is size. Cluster Spines are only found on [[Tervigon]]s and [[Tyrannofex]]es, whilst the Spine Banks are used only by [[Carnifex]]es.

Its more anti-armor version is the Stinger Salvo.

===Flesh Hooks===
[[File:FleshHooks.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Flesh Hooks]]
Flesh Hooks are sharp barbs attached to long, sinewy tentacles, which are kept coiled close to the Lictor's rib cage, until they are fired by a powerful muscle spasm. They are the Tyranid's answer to Scorpion's sting from Mortal Kombat. So don't be too surprise if Nid players shout "Get Over Here!" every once in a while.

Until 5th Edition edition came out, nearly any species of Gaunt, Warrior and more could use these. They are long bony spines with barbed hooks on the end that serve as both harpoons and possible grapnel for climbing. The Lictor can use these hooks either to scale sheer obstacles, or to snag luckless prey and drag it into the Lictor's waiting claws. Now they're Lictor and Warrior/Shrike only (Carnifexes have access to Spine Banks, which are similar), count as Frag Grenades, and can be fired for a surprisingly deadly shot.

===Grasping Tongue===
[[File:Grasping_Tongue.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Grasping Tongue]]
The ultimate OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

The Grasping Tongue is less of a tongue and more of a mound of tentacle claws attached to a giant mouth. This is a weapon you can see in every [[/d/|tentacle hentai]] ever and not be surprised at all.

Though technically part of an [[Haruspex]]'s body, it can use its long tongue to snag an enemy, pluck it out of its unit and devour it whole.

For 8th edition crunch, everyone's favorite [[Rape|tentacle rape]] got a pretty good buff; it's rather fierce at S6 AP-3 and d3 damage, it gains further use since it can be used within close range and regains a wound if it kills something, so it can add to survivability.

===Ripper Tentacles===
[[File:Ripper_Tentacle.jpg|110px|right|thumb|Ripper Tentacles]]
No. They are in no way related to the small, petite living stomachs called the [[Ripper|Rippers]].

However, they do bare resemblance to other tentacle-themed enemies in science fiction (cue hentai tentacle rape jokes). Possibly why this and the Mycetic Spore was canned cause they ain't copyrightable enough for GW.

Used by Mycetic Spores, the tentacles themselves consist of thick ropes of muscles and tendon. Drawn to movement, any moving foe within reach of the Tentacles will be thoroughly smashed like dough on a kitchen board.

On tabletop, these are long-ranged tentacles able to do significant damage to medium-sized blobs thanks to their high rate of fire (strange choice of words when the weapon in question is akin to beating someone over the head with a tentacle).

Of course with the fact that the [[Mycetic Spore]] has all but been <s>squatted</s> replaced by the far more modern and up-to-date [[Sporocyst]] the canon was ''almost'' all but up in the air with these Tentacles. Thankfully, the [[Venomthrope]] and [[Toxicrene]] kind of bought them back into reality.

===Spine Banks===
[[File:Spine_Banks.PNG|150px|right|thumb|Spine Banks]]
Like the Singer Salvo and Cluster Spines, Spine Banks are another type of back-based ranged weapon bio-morph found typically on [[Carnifex]]es, especially the [[Thornback]] species.

Spine Banks follow the same pattern as the aforementioned two back-based weapons. They are composed of rows of spines embedded in cavities in the carapace of a Tyranid creature which are fired by muscle contraction at close ranges. This showers an area with spines covered with poison which easily incapacitate and distract nearby enemies. Spine Banks often form the Frag Spines studded along some Carnifexes.

Whilst this makes them superfluously similar to the Cluster Spines, the biggest difference is size. Cluster Spines are only found on [[Tervigon]]s and [[Tyrannofex]]es, whilst the Spine Banks are used only by Carnifexes.

On 9th Edition, Spine Banks are 6" Assault 5 S5 AP0 D1, one of the back options for the Carnifex, never take this, the spore cysts are better but if you don't have 15 points for them, then use the 5 points this weapon costs for something else.

===Spore Mine Cysts===
[[File:Spore_Mine_Cysts.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Spore Mine Cysts]]
Build into the underside of a [[Tyranid Harpy]], you can have it drop a Spore Mine onto something it flew over once per game as if it was making a bombing run. The same rules for the Spore Mines as stated above count here as well. Some players have gone their way to make the Harpies ''carry'' the Spore Mines. Of course, most modern equivalent of the Spore Cyst are the two stubby looking anuses behind a Harpy. So yes, the Tyranids can actually shit explosive submunitions on their enemies.

Unfortunately it is a pretty outdated weapon, dating back to 4th edition.

In 4th Edition, Spore Cysts are found on larger Tyranids and are excretion pits for the creation of Spore Mines. The symbiotic relationship between creature and spore cyst is such that they cannot be separated once formed.

===Stinger Salvo===
[[File:Stinger_Salvo.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Stinger Salvo]]
Think of it as a giant Spinefist.

Works comparable to the Cluster Spines, except this is more of a barrage of large solid spikes akin to the spinefists rather than a densely hollow spines. Powerful muscular contractions spray the spikes out to skewer enemy infantry and pierce the toughest of armor.

Think of this as the anti-armor variant of the Cluster Spine's anti-infantry. Although they can both harm either infantry or armored divisions when peppered sufficiently with spines/spikes. Just like the Cluster Spine, the Stinger Salvo is a weapon who practicality is only viable given on where the Tyranid would like to put it, turning into a living, breathing spike bomb into a fairly useless weapon that rains spikes cause the dumb idiot placed its Stinger Salvo a tad bit too high.

===Thorax Swarm===
[[File:Thorax_Swarm.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Thorax Swarm]]
Certain Tyranids can issue forth swarms of bugs living in their thoraxes to devour anything in short range. These creatures erupt from openings in their host's chest to drown the enemy in a deadly cloud that chews out eyes and crawls down throats. These swarms come in three flavors:

*'''Electroshock Grubs:''' These grubs are insects who electrocute anything they grab onto for a damaging attack, anything caught in between this energy is reduced to a charred ruin.
*'''Desiccator Larvae:''' These are grubs who drain the target's body of all of its moisture within seconds, leaving only a dry husk. This means that once fully bloated, they would be one huge grub seeing how the Human body is like what, 75% water.

*'''Shreddershard Beetles:''' Instinctively crawl into any nook and crevice on their victims such as those between armor joints. They are bugs who Rend their way through their targets, exploding in shards of needles.
<gallery>
Thorax_Swarm_D.JPG|Thorax Swarm from a [[Dimachaeron]].
</gallery>

==Melee==
Every Tyranid organism has at least rows of sharp teeth and deadly claws, but some go an extra mile.

===Claws and Teeth===
[[File:Claws and Teeth.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Claws and Teeth]]
Your most vanilla of close combat Tyranid weapons.

The Claws and Teeth are basic Tyranid Biomorphs equipped to even the most simplest of organisms, such as Rippers. These razor-sharp claws and maws of fangs allow them to rip apart enemies. There's nothing spectacular about them, and thus there is nothing interesting about them.

On tabletop, Claws and Teeth are the stock CCW for your Rippers and Termies. (And Zoanthropes as well, but really those guys don’t belong in combat in most cases). They do moderate damage against GEQs and fair pretty bad when it comes to MEQs and above, requiring sheer weight of numbers to be even remotely effective.

All in all, Claws and Teeth is only used when someone really wants to use up all their attacks or that they are '''''THAT''''' desperate.

===Acid Maw===
[[File:Acid_Maw.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Acid Maw]]
To aid them in the digestion of a world's biomass, Pyrovores drool a highly corrosive acid that can dissolve pretty much anything. The downside is that they need to focus all their energy on making a successful bite attack, diminishing their potential damage output.

Some creatures also have a powerful tongue dripping with corrosive acids that can be used to snare prey and bring them in for consumption and digestion while leaving other limbs free for other tasks.

In 8th edition, the Acid Maw is now the primary CCW of the former biggest joke of 40k, the Pyrovore, now with S5 and AP-3 on all (i.e. both) its attacks. Can also be taken by Genestealers. '''DO THIS''', [[Awesome|they're basically free power swords for every 4 models in a unit.]]

There's even an upgrade called the '''Monstrous Acid Maw'''. Which is an option for the Carnifex, with S6 AP-5 and d3 damage. Because you really want to make sure somebody won't get its armor save. Doesn't replace any other melee weapons either, so you can always use the talons if you want more reliable damage. Mutually exclusive with Enhanced Senses, Bio-Plasma, and Tusks.

===Lash Whip===
[[File:LashWhipBit.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lash Whip]]
Tyranids have also learned to Whip it Good!

A classic and the source of many a [[rule 34]], they allow its user to strike much faster than they normally could, getting a blow in before the enemy can. More seriously though, a Lash Whip is a Tyranid Bio-weapon in the form of a living whip with three tentacles of muscle and sinew that writhe of their own accord and strike at their prey, independently of their wielder's actions.

A Lash Whip has a small body contained within a bony tube which forms the handle of the whip, and has three tentacles which form the rest of its body. The creature survives by slicing flesh from its victims and consuming them.

The weapon suffers from not being effective against armored enemies, though. Provided you're not a venomthrope this is paired with a bone-sword with AP 3 which makes this combo death-incarnate for MEQ.

===Feeder Tendrils===
[[File:Feeder_Tendrils.JPG|150px|right|thumb|Feeder Tendrils]]

Basically the Brain Bug from Starship Troopers and the first part of the Cthulhu fan club's uniform.

Feeder Tendrils are a special organs of some Tyranid's organisms (Lictors, for example) that able them to drain the dead victim's brain matter, absorbing all of its memories and knowledge. This provide the Tyranids with the information about enemy's strong and weak spots and other reconnaissance data.

On 8th Edition tabletop, Feeder Tendrils are no longer considered weapons but as a form of Strategem for some reason. Feeder Tendrils lets you gamble on a 2/3 chance to make a CP profit. Or more specifically, when a Genestealer, Lictor, Venomthrope, or Toxicrene kills a Character in the Fight Phase, it gain D3 CP.

At the very least, this is effectively free since gaining 1 CP will still be enough to negate the cost of using the Stratagem in the first place. More often, it'll let you turn opposing characters into an opportunity for bonus CP.

===Rending Claws===
[[File:Rendingclaw.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Rending Claws]]

The iconic claws of Genestealers and the origin of the Rending rule, these claws are both incredibly sharp and hard; tipped in extremely dense diamond-hard chitin. Powered by the overdeveloped musculature and steel-like tendons of a Tyranid, rending claws become capable of ripping open Ceramite and thick armor with ease as well as fatally shredding flesh and bone; allowing you to pick apart even a [[Terminator]] with ease.

Crunchwise, Rending Claws are a cheap AP-1 weapon, with Rending being replaced with a 6+ on a wound roll giving the attack AP-4. There is also an upgrade called '''Monstrous Rending Claws''', which deal AP-3 D3 Damage, on a 6+ on a wound roll makes the attack AP-6 and a flat 3 damage. Also confers re-rolls to wound, which allow for more 'rending' 6s and is important as the Tyrant generally needs higher numbers to hurt things now than in previous editions. Considering that they are also FREE, the claws should be your go-to melee weapon of choice for the Hive Tyrant.

===Scything Talons===
[[File:ScythingTalon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Scything Talons]]

The long, bladed weapons you see on Tyranids of all sizes. These weapons are long, razor-edged claws resembling fused talons made of Chitin and serrated bone-like substances. Each talon is powered by whipcord muscles to stab, slash, and eviscerate victims with lightning-fast swipes. They can pierce very light armor as found on [[Ork]]s and the like, but tougher armor will likely stop the blows. Overall, the basic Tyranid melee weapon.

In 5th Edition they were a lot better because they gave rerolls to failed To Hit rolls (only the ones with one pair, but all of them if you have two pairs), at the slight loss of not being able to penetrate even the lightest of armors.

In 8th Edition, Scything Talons now allow a model to re-roll to hit rolls of 1 when attacking with this weapon (something they used to do back in 5th). In addition, if the model has more than one pair, they can make 1 additional attack with this weapon. It is confirmed via FAQ that multiple sets of talons grant only +1 attack total, not +1 per set; this applies for all sizes of Scything Talons.

There is also the '''Monstrous Scything Talons''' (For the big bois), which are found on Tyrants and the Carnifex. Same rules as above but AP-3, 3 Damage. If that's not enough for you, than we have the even bigger '''Massive Scything Talons''' which is only found on Tervigons, Maleceptor, Trygon and Trygon Primes and are AP-3, D6 Damage.

===Bonesword===
[[File:BoneswordBit.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Bonesword]]

Psychic swords that feed off the life force of their target, they can inflict Instant Death and tear through Space Marines with ease.

A Bonesword is living organism, which has a small brain situated deep within its hilt and has a rudimentary sentience that allows it to gradually [[Dick|grow in length]] and repair any battle damage to itself and maintain a deadly monomolecular edge. However, it is completely slaved to the will of its wielder and is incapable of any independent thought.

The weapon is made of chitin and constantly crackles with powerful psychic energy that flows along embedded nerve tendrils to create a psychic field around the blade, effectively creating a biological version of a [[Force weapon|force weapon.]] This energy amplifies in potency when in close proximity to another Bonesword, such as when used in pairs. It is serrated on both edges and was originally a creature's massively elongated horn.

[[/d/|The Bonesword can generate a powerful surge of psychic energy when stimulated by its user.]]

===Bone Sabre===
[[File:Bonesabre.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Bonesabre]]

Badass Boneswords used by the [[Swarmlord]], it can use these weapons in a barrage of blades to ward off incoming melee attacks.

They differ from commonly seen Tyranid Boneswords in that each Sabre has a crystalline growth, not indigenous to the galaxy, at its core that partially protrudes through the blade's serrated surface. The Swarmlord can parry with these sabres at such speed that its foes find it all but impossible to inflict a hit on the creature.

Crunchwise, they are 4++ in CC only. Also INSTANT DEATH ON ANY SUCCESSFUL CUT. Not just on sixes. Swarmy may have a place still.

===Sickle Claws===
[[File:Sickle_Claws.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Sickle Claws]]
Imagine the Rending Claws from a [[Genestealer]], now extrapolate its size to fit on something the size of a [[Carnifex]]. What do you get? [[Rape|A whole load of pain that's what.]]

Sickle Claws are found exclusively only on the [[Dimachaeron]], an elusive Tyranid creature that is competing with the [[Ripper]], [[Mawloc]] and [[Haruspex]] on who is the biggest OMNOMNOM of them all. These giant rape machines could tear open vehicles as easily as Rending Claws could make [[Terminator]]s [[Anal circumference|bend over.]]

Crunchwise, on 8th Edition, these are the Dimachaeron's pride and joy, sporting [[Rape|S10 AP-2 and D3 Damage, but to hit roll of 6 pump it up to AP-4 and D6.]] Honestly, you would think that ''these'' things would be better suited for the [[Genestealer Patriarch]] and the [[Broodlord]] right?
{{Clear}}
===Tusks===
[[File:Tyranidstusks.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Tusks]]
Tusks are a Tyranid Biomorph and like those of an elephant, it is a form of specialised and enlarged tooth that emerges from the organism's lower mandible. Tusks are weapons exclusively found only on the [[Stone Crusher]] [[Carnifex]] for some reason.

They are large tusks of adamantium-laced chitin extend from the head of the Tyranid and allows them to initiate a devastating charge, often breaking through ranks of troops by smashing them aside.

However, its enlarged tusks puts them in the way of the Carnifex from biting. So there is a trade off.

On 9th Edition, Tusks gives the {{W40Kkeyword|Horned Chitin}} keyword, useful on a Stone Crusher Carnifex that aims for the big guys on the board.
{{Clear}}

===Grasping Talons===
[[File:Grasping_Talons_Lictor.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Grasping Talons]]
The Scything Talons' bigger brother.

Grasping Talons are overly enlarged talons found on either the [[Lictor]] or the [[Dimachaeron]] that looks more like a preying mantis claw than anything else. The enlarged talon and muscle mass allows them to puncture through thick flesh (Or multiples) much easier than regular Scything Talons. In the case of the Dimachaeron, it has two of these bad boys per hand, cause fuck you that's why.

In 8th Edition, the Grasping Talons are the Lictor's other weapon, these deal 2 Damage and AP-1. Don't go through armour as well, but against multi-wound low-armour models like [[Grotesque]] and [[Nob|Nobz]], they're fantastic. On the Dimachaeron however, since these guys basically have two of them per hand, are S+1 AP2 Talons that, when it rolls one or more 6 to-hit, gives an attack on an unwieldy S+4 AP1 ID claw that can [[Awesome|kill anything smaller than Extremely Bulky]].

<gallery>
Grasping_Talons.JPG|Dimachaeron's.
</gallery>

===Screamer-Killer Talons===
[[File:SK_Talons.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Screamer-Killer Talons]]
An extremely nasty Talons that makes the Grasping Talons look reasonable.

The Screamer-Killer Talons as its name implies, is exclusive to only the [[Screamer-Killer]] [[Carnifex]]. Its shape pays homage to the old-school Carnifexes when they look more like crabs than anything else.

These giant meat blenders has enough strength to rip apart even [[Terminator Armour]] if the 10th Edition trailer is anything to go by.

On the tabletop, the crunch matches the fluff. Absolutely monstrous can openers. WS3+, S10, AP-2, and D3 is already fucking nasty. But include that with the Screamer-Killer being able to inflict ''[[rape|10 fucking attacks]]'' on a turn and this thing would quickly pile on the kills from Terminators to fucking ''Heavy Tanks''.
{{Clear}}

===Tail Mace===
[[File:TailMace.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Tail Mace]]
The smaller cousin of the larger Scything Tail.

The Tail Mace or Bone Mace is a huge lump of flesh on the end of a tail and is used like a wrecking-ball, to demolish heavy vehicles and sweep aside many enemies at once. It is mounted exclusively to the [[Stone Crusher]] [[Carnifex]].

In a affect, it functions similar to the clubbed tails of an [[dinosaur|Ankylosaurus]], and it is designed to break apart heavier armour or fortifications on its back, which, given the role and nature of the Stone Crusher, completely fits its capabilities.

In 9th Edition, the Tail Mace is a S+1 AP-2 D2 tail weapon option for the Stone Crusher Carnifex, you only get one attack with this each time so it may not be worth it if not against an almost-dead vehicle or monster.
{{Clear}}
===Scything Tail===
[[File:Scything_Tail.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Scything Tail]]

A Scything Talon found on a tail.

Sometimes known as the '''Tail Scythe''' or '''Thresher Scythe'''. Scything Tails occurs on larger Tyranids, it is effectively the tail of the creature given a scythe edge, often used to sweep through large numbers of lightly armored enemies. They can also tear through armor like it's nothing, be able to morph into maces capable of punching holes in tanks or be equipped with stingers containing highly lethal toxins.

In 8th Edition, the Tail Scythe is now known as the Thresher Scythe and it is a S4, AP-1 D1 weapon. Its special ability is that it can make D3 hit rolls for each attack made with this weapon instead of a 1. This makes it complementary to the Wrecker Claws and Bio-Flail combo.

===Crushing Claws===
[[File:Crushing_Claws.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Crushing Claws]]

Crushing Claws AKA [[Meme|''CRAB PEOPLE! CRAB PEOPLE!'']] are a Tyranid Bio-weapon of huge crab-like claws found on the largest Tyranid organisms, the only creatures capable of hefting the enormous bulk of the claws, such as Carnifexes. The claws are obscenely strong and powerful enough to destroy multiple opponents in one swoop or easy cut through the toughest vehicle armor.

Used only by [[Carnifex]]es, [[Tervigon]]s and [[Tyrant Guard]], this massive pair of crab-like claws grants S+1, AP2, Armourbane and Unwieldy. Not very interesting for the Tervigon because its role is really nothing more than sitting on an objective, shitting out as many Gaunts as it can. Carnifexes on the other hand have pretty much lost their utility as linebreakers, you're better off running them as a dakkafex and letting Trygons do the heavy lifting. They are not very interesting on Tyrant Guard either, given their prohibitive cost and they make them swing very slow: it is best to use the Rending Claws and have them do the job.

===Wrecker Claws===
[[File:Wrecker_Claw.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Wrecker Claws]]
Crushing Claws on steroids.

Wrecker Claws are immense claws covered in diamond-hard chitin and ultra-dense bone to enable it crush the armor of vehicles with relative ease. These things are nothing more than living power shears and its nature of violently ripping apart even the most heavily armored of foes would strike fear in the hearts of feeble men.

In 7th Edition, Stone Crusher Carnifex comes automatic with two Wrecker Claws. They are allowed to re-roll all failed Armour Penetration rolls, as well as add one to the result if against immobile structures and fortifications (on top of the +2 granted by the Wrecker Claws AP1 value) when using their Wrecker Claws. Although the Stone Wrecker Carnifex has less attacks than the Carnifex (two compared to three) any attack that goes through is more than likely going to cause an Explodes!

You can swap out one of the Wrecker Claws with a Bio-Flail for maximum FUCK YOU!

===Bio-Flail===
[[File:WreckingBall.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Bio-Flail]]

Otherwise known as the '''Wrecking Ball''' or '''Stone Crusher'''. The Stone-Crusher is a Tyranid close combat Biomorph most commonly encountered on the Stone-Crusher Carnifex and is nothing more than a large mass of bone, chitin and flesh. Designed for urban battles, the Stone-Crusher is rammed through a wall using the Carnifex's immense strength then pulled backwards to wrench the entire structure down.

In 7th Edition, Stone Crushers turn a Carnifex into a living battering ram. Wrecker Claw and Bio-Flail replaces their ability to re-roll amour penetration on their regular attacks with the ability to cause Instant Death and gain a new rule, Sweep Attack. Sweep Attack allows a model to replace all their attacks with a number of attacks equal to the number of enemy models in base contact with them. This allows a Stone Crusher Carnifex with a Wrecker Claw and Bio-Flail to generate more attacks and stops it being tarpitted as easily, while the trade off is that they may find it harder to destroy vehicles.
{{clear}}

===Carapace Chitin-Rams===
[[File:Carapace_Ram.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Carapace Chitin-Rams]]
Possibly the heaviest close-combat terrestrial Tyranid bio-weapon to date.

Found exclusively only on a [[Stone Crusher]] [[Carnifex]]. The Carapace Chitin-rams allows the charging Stone Crusher to tear trough the armour and defense of its targets, and even more so against buildings, fortifications, armoured vehicles, and other Monstrous Creatures.

If you don't know what it looks like, it is that giant, heavy-ass prong-shaped lance that the Stone Crusher carries on its back and shoulders. The two prongs are literally composed of solid bone and chitin, making it a good weapon to punch a whole through anything it charges through.

=== Feeder Tentacles ===

[[File:Feeder_Tentacles.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Feeder Tentacles]]
Basically a giant version of the Feeder Tendril.

Feeder Tentacles are enormous tentacles used by some Tyranid Bio-Ships to feed on planetary atmospheres. They can also be used as weapons against enemy vessels. The tentacles are strong enough to punch through a ship's hull and inject smaller Tyranid organisms into it to run amok, causing enormous damage to the ship's critical systems.

In [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II]]. These are your boarding crafts. However, unlike the other faction's boarding craft, the Feeder Tentacles is arguably the most powerful as once attached, it is very hard to let go. This allows a continuous stream of Nids to swarm an enemy ship, which would absolutely devastate opposing crew members; often leaving an empty hulk once it is done. This is offset by its shit range, however.

[[Tl;dr]], the ultimate OM NOM NOM machine.

=== Great Claws ===
[[File:Tyranid_Great_Claws.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Great Claws]]
Sometimes known as Massive Claws.

Great Claws is the Claws and Teeth of a regular Tyranid organism grown to voidship-sized proportions. The ''other'' ultimate OM NOM NOM machine. All bio-ships with a Great Claw upgrade is a designated battering ram and function similarly to the armoured prow of an [[Imperial Navy]] and [[Ork]] warship. Despite the similarities, the Tyranid Great Claws are definitely the best CQC space weapon in the entire game.

This is helped by the fact that it is an actual appendage, meaning that once it latches on to something, it would continue to mulch and crush anything within its massive maw. In [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II]], this translates to a [[Awesome|continuous damage dealer]] in contrast to the one-off damage done by an armoured prow. Whilst it has less even ''less'' range, does not permanently latch on to its target and dump an unholy amount of bodies like the Feeder Tentacles, Great Claws do not have a cooldown and it is always 'on'. Moreover, Great Claws deals a metric shit ton of damage to a target's health, completely ignoring any shields present and just chews on it until it goes boom, whereas a ship-turned-drifting hulk done-in by a Feeder Tentacle could always be reoccupied by the enemy if not careful.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tyranid]]

{{40k-Tyranid-Weapons}}

{{40k-GenestealerCults-Weapons}}

{{Tyranids-Creatures}}

Harbinger

2023-06-01T12:21:54Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Chaos Harbinger Super-Heavy Bomber.jpg|400px|thumbnail|right|Bend over and bite the pillow, for [[rape|I'm going in dry]].]]
The '''Harbinger''' super-heavy bomber is the mightiest air vehicle of the forces of [[Chaos]], brought to you by the same crazy Chaos [[Forge World]]s that brought you the [[Hell Blade]] and the [[Hell Talon]]. Not to be confused with the [[Harbingers]] and [[Imperial Harbingers]] loyalist chapters.

*'''Length:''' 33-34m
*'''Wingspan:''' 18-22.5m; approx
*'''Mass:''' 240-300 tonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 2-4 crew
==Overview==
This monstrosity of a bomber is something that everyone should avoid if they don't have some serious anti-air weaponry. The Harbinger first saw action while besieging [[Cadia]] during the [[13th Black Crusade]]. Usually dropped off high echelon-bases, aircraft carriers or other craft capable of fighter transportation directly at enemy forces. Of course, being a super-heavy means that maneuverability is a problem here, thus Harbingers are always escorted by Hell Blades and Talons.

The scary part about the Harbinger is that despite its limited maneuverability, the damn thing makes it up with some serious amounts of [[dakka]] in the form of four [[Twin-Linked]] [[Autocannon]]s (two nose-mounted and one on each side of the craft) and if that's not enough, then the thing can take forty-eight bombs ([[Meme|that's like four twelves, and that's terrible]]). Most of the time it's [[Grenades & Explosives#Incendiary Bomb|incendiary bombs]], but the bomber can also swap them for the even more [[rape|rapetastic]] Hellstorm Bombs, [[Anal circumference|nuclear payloads]], or [[Nurgle]] flavored [[Grenades & Explosives#Blight Grenade|Blight Bombs.]]

Most of the time, Harbingers are piloted by four hardwired [[Servitor]]s, but it can also be piloted by [[Daemon#Warhammer|Daemons]] (via possession), or by a single pilot or two (normal [[cultist]]s or [[Chaos Space Marines|Chaos Marines]]). These last ones vary in skill from complete amateurs to ace pilots (or even double ace pilots).

To finish this, the Harbinger can be also outfitted with [[Warp]] Rift technology that results in the sky blackening and causing severe storms that give enemy aircraft turbulence and the probability to get shot down by Warp Lightning.
It’s big. A big boy plane!

It also looks so. Damn. COOL.

== History ==

The Harbinger was produced by [[Forge World#Company|Forge World]] for their [[Epic]]-scale [[Aeronautica Imperialis]] game, and in 2013, production of the model (along with all other [[Specialist Games]] models) ceased.

[[Category: Flyers]]

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
{{Iron Warriors}}
{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}
[[Category:Vehicles]]

Plaguereaper

2023-06-01T12:21:35Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Heresy}}
[[File:Plaguereaper.jpg|450px|right|thumb|Probably the best thing to ever come out of Santa Nurgle's merry gifts and sharing.]]
Plaguereapers are what happens when you mix a [[Baneblade]] with [[Nurgle|Papa Nurgle's blessing]] and the result is fucking disgusting incarnate. Thus it is [[Awesome|Awesome.]] The most distinctive pattern of the Plaguereaper is that its main cannon looks like a [[/d/|mutated dick suffering from a severe case of crotch rot and herpes.]]

Huge vats of slime are mounted on the back of the vehicle, which feeds the main weapon of the vehicle. This pus-cannon fires a biological agent that causes the unfortunate victim to erupt in boils and have their flesh eaten away from within. The weapon is connected to the corpse vats via large bulging pipes which fill the weapon will a horrendous concoction of disgusting toxic and corrosive slime. Furthermore in the advent case that the pus-cannon runs out of juice, the denizens of the Plague Lord can always [[Grimdark|use the corpse of war as new ammunition to shoot its slimy shit all over the place.]] Its interior is infested by [[Nurgling|Nurglings]] and will drown any would-be invader trying to put a Melta bomb inside of it.

*'''Length:''' 13.5m
*'''Mass:''' 316-319 tonnes
*'''Crew:''' 10 crew including dozens of Nurglings
*'''Max Speed:''' 25kph
==Weaponry==
The Plaguereaper is armed with a large turret-mounted and distinctive weapon of corruption known as a [[Chem_Weapons#Pus Cannon|Pus Cannon]] in place of the Mega Battle Cannon and coaxial Autocannon used on the standard Baneblade. The Pus Cannon is connected to the vehicle's large vats of rotting and diseased corpses from which it draws its toxic ammunition. Think of the pus-cannon as the Bile Spewer on steroids.

The Plaguereaper, being a corrupted Baneblade, still has use of its other standard weapon systems, which include a hull-mounted [[Demolisher Cannon]] and a set of twin-linked [[Heavy Bolter]]s, two ''more'' sets of sponson-mounted twin-linked [[Heavy Bolter]]s, and two top sponson-mounted [[Lascannon]]s. The vehicle can also be armed with a Pintle-mounted twin-linked Bolter ([[Combi-Bolter]]) or a [[Combi-Flamer]], a [[Havoc Missile Launcher]], a searchlight, and smoke launchers.

If a Plaguereaper is destroyed by enemy forces, the vehicle's vats of infected slime will rupture and spray their contents onto anyone nearby. If the Plaguereaper itself takes enough damage in combat, its corrupted form may explode in a catastrophic explosion, spreading its toxic and infectious gifts of Nurgle even further into the enemy forces.

All Nurgle-aligned forces and daemons caught by the attack of the Pus Cannon as it fires upon the enemy or within the radius of the tank's explosive demise will be immune to the effects and will actually enjoy bathing in the new toxins and diseases sacred to their lord.

When a Plaguereaper is deployed, it is often seen as fucking [[Cheese]] by anyone other than [[Grey Knights]] or [[Necrons]] as not only is this the perfect [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] but is also a great tarpit and blob cleanser as well as fucking up vehicles just as much. [[Troll|Additionally if it explodes, not only would the resulting explosion fuck up any non-Nurgle armies, but it will also heal any of your allied troops for free.]] This has resulted in a lot of [[Rage]] and [[Butthurt]] by some players.

{{Death Guard}}
{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Woe Machine

2023-06-01T12:20:58Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:WoeMachine.jpg|210px|thumb|right|Yeah, even by Chaos standards, they are hard to figure out what the hell they're meant to look like.]]
{{Topquote|The scale of the enemy woe machines is almost unimaginable, the sheer cruelty... extraordinary: great flywheels fixed with blades, scissoring jaws, vast wheels designed purely for crushing, insectoid crawlers breathing flame from draconian snouts. They are the mechanisms of an insane torturer made real and magnified to giant proportions. The Imperial Guard is many things, but in the end, it is only flesh and bone and blood, and these... are fashioned simply to strip and rend and break those mortal substances quite utterly.|Marshal Blackwood, 757.M41, in his private journal}}

Not to be confused with "The Engine of Woes", one of the [[Vulkan|Primarch Vulkan's]] artifact. Or...[[Grimdark|is it?]]

Woe Machines are what happens when you give the forces of Chaos the concept of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleBots battlebots] and supersize it to rival [[Titans]] and super-heavies. They were created by Heritor Asphodel during the lovely clusterfuck known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.

*'''Height:''' 14-17m; approx
*'''Mass:''' 500-650 tonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 0-1 crew; approx
==Overview==
They were first encountered on Ashek II and to give you how terrifying they were, the local Imperial Guard stationed there and their leader in charge, Marshal Blackwood transmitted urgent pleas to Warmaster Slaydo for Titan reinforcements. And instead of a scene of pure [[Awesome|awesomesauce]] of two giant machines battling out, [[Wat|the Guardsmen being totally out of character for them, was instead traumatized by the machine... what!?]] We are not making this shit up. To clarify the previous statement, this particular battle was a three month long engagement between a nearly full strength Titan squadron (led by Emperor Titan ''Imperious Corporalis'') and Asphodel's Woe Machines. Once the battle was over, more troopers needed support for dealing with PTSD than actually needed treatment for physical wounds, which makes a certain amount of sense. The guns on a Titan tend to not leave very many wounded behind...

Still later, Asphodel produced several new woe machines from the manufactories of Hive Ferrozoica on Verghast, where the Heritor mobilized the city's entire population to exterminate its neighbor, Vervunhive.

The Woe Machine has not been seen since, despite the potential awesome it would bring. Another machine wasted and mothballed by [[Chaos]] again eh? That said, Asphodel made so many of them that the Imperium didn't have the manpower to disarm them all when he was defeated. And a few of them are waking up...

Of course, from the aforementioned blurb, it's possible that "Woe Machine" may in fact be nothing more than a generic term used for Titan-scale [[Daemon Engine]]s by Imperials who had no idea what they were looking at.

As it turns out, Heritor Asphodel was not the only person able to create Woe Machines. Anarch Sek was able to create them too, although his methods were a hell of a lot more subtle, making them undetectable sleeper agents that could then turn into a daemonic shadowy buzzsaw when given the order. Given how long two of them were hidden in plain sight in Imperial forces, there could be many more out there...

More recent works in the Gaunt's Ghosts and Seige of Terra series have revealed that a Woe Machine is a catch-all term for chaos infused sentient war-machine. Daemon robots, basically.

{{Chaos Space Marines}}
[[Category:Vehicles]]
{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Carapace

2023-06-01T12:19:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Carapace.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Like Flak Armour, but marginally more useful.]]
''Not to be confused with [[Carapace Armour]]''

A Carapace is the dorsal section of any exoskeleton or shell of an animal. In the [[Grimdark|pony-infested wonderland of the 41st Millennium]], the Carapace is an upgrade for the [[Tyranids]] from the more baseline and common [[Chitin]]. Despite sharing the same name as [[Carapace Armour]], Tyranid Carapace has defensive stats more akin to [[Flak Armour]]. This is not to be underestimated mind you, as Carapace is part of a Nid's biology, they could heal overtime and regenerate any damage taken.

== Overview ==

Carapace currently comes in two forms. The first is called '''Extended Carapace'''. An Extended Carapace is a Tyranid Biomorph. It forms when a Tyranid's carapace has grown and extended overtime to cover the few vulnerable areas they have. [[Genestealers]] are the most common 'wearers' of these armour types.

The second one is called '''Hardened Carapace'''. Hardened Carapace is another type of Tyranid Biomorph. The creature's outer carapace has been thickened and hardened through the molecular bonding of carbon and silicon into it. Elite and more valuable Nid warriors could opt for an upgrade if they feel like it.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tyranid]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Chitin

2023-06-01T12:19:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Chitin.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Time to open up the shell-crackers boys!]]
Chitin is a long-chain polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose. This polysaccharide is a primary component of cell walls in fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as crustaceans and insects, the radulae of molluscs, cephalopod beaks, and the scales of fish and lissamphibians. Why are we describing the first sentence of Chitin in a wikipedia article? Because in the [[Grimdark|grimdarkness]] of the 41st Millennium, this simple chain of modified glucose is the most common form of armour of the [[Tyranids]]. Not [[Flak Armour]], not [[Studded Armour]], but the humble Chitin is the most numerous of the lot. To be fair, the Nids aren't the only ones with Chitinous armour, just about any invertebrate Xenos have Chitin like the [[Q'Orl]] and [[Vespid|Vespids]], but the Nids are the most infamous users.

== Overview ==

As it is a natural form of armour, Chitin is part of any Tyranid organism and each species and superorganism are born with this basic, dense, hardened shell. These are tough, beetle-like carapaces which cover the creatures' vital spots. Chitin is tough enough to turn aside blades and even glancing small-arms fire, although direct hits from even [[Stubber|Stubbers]] could penetrate it.

Larger and more powerful Tyranids are often bred with '''Reinforced Chitin''', a series of carapace plates that exude a sticky resin-like substance which quickly hardens and create additional self-healing layers of ablative armour that offer the Tyranid greater protection against incoming attacks. Akin to natural chainmail or plated armour.

Despite being one of the weakest forms of armour, they are incredibly cheap, easy to grow, does not require that much biomass and come in large numbers, which is what the Nids need anyway.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tyranid]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Sempiternal Weave

2023-06-01T12:18:55Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Semp_Weave.JPG|200px|right|thumb|[[Vargard Obyron]] looking extra thicc in that Weave.]]
Sempiternal Weaves are pieces of equipment used to augment the structural integrity of the [[Necrodermis]] bodies of Necron royalty and are, therefore, utilised by the [[Necrons]], particularly [[Necron Lord|Necron Lords]], [[Necron Overlord|Necron Overlords]], [[Phaeron|Phaerons]] and other high-ranking Necrons.

== Overview ==

In a nutshell, the Weave is threaded with filaments of phase-hardened amaranthite and adamantium, vastly increasing the hardiness of the wearer to a level that rivals that of Astartes [[Power Armour#Terminator Armour|Terminator Armour.]] If you thought that regular Living Metal was a pain in the ass to deal with, the Sempiternal Weave would love to have a fine chat with you.

Necrons with the Weave look [[Shortstack|thiccer]], heavier and more rugged than the skinny skelebros of lesser Warriors. If you wonder why big chonkas like [[Lychguard|Lychguards]] look so bulky, now you know. Overall, considered an upgrade to normal [[Necrodermis]].

In 8th Edition tabletop, the Sempiternal Weave is considered another wargear option from 5th edition that's found its way back, but with a very different effect. Instead of +1 Sv, now it's +1 Toughness and +1 Wounds. Unfortunately for the Weave, the 'Crons now have better relics to utilize.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Necrons]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Necrodermis

2023-06-01T12:18:41Z

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[[File:Necrodermis.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The T-X lives on in 40k.]]
'''Necrodermis''' is the mysterious "living metal" (even though it comes from Greek roots meaning "dead skin") from which [[Necron]]s and their constructs are made. It is more resistant to damage than most materials known to the [[Imperium]] and is capable of repairing itself to a certain extent -- [[melta]] weapons and other "overkill" weapons will put them down for good, but many [[Imperial Guard]]smen have filled [[Necron Warrior]]s with [[lasgun]] holes and knocked them down, only to see them rise up whole.

As a whole, Necrodermis borders between [[Flak Armour]] and [[Carapace Armour]]. Something analogous to the [[Eldar|Eldar's]] [[Mesh Armour]]. Whilst it can take more direct hits from small arms than Flak Armour, heavier weapons like [[Bolters]] would most definitely punch through this material (Although it depends on how thick the Necrodermis is). The main catch of course, is that it could self-repair over time as previously mentioned.

The shape of a Necrodermis can also be modified at will by its C'tan inhabitant, leading to vast differences between the bodies of each Star God. This also allows the spontaneous formation of cutting and slashing weapons as required.

==Living Metal==
The material that makes up Necrodermis is the aforementioned living metal (Nanomachines perhaps?). The Necrontyr originally invented living metal for use in constructing their ships. It is most often associated with the skin of the C'tan as well as the bodies of the Necrons and their amazing regenerative abilities.

The hull of all Necron vehicles, including the Necron Monolith and the Necron Pylon, is also made of this living metal, where its adaptive and regenerative capabilities render powerful weapons such as Meltaguns, Lascannons and Power Fists almost obsolete. It also has the curious effect of interfering with any attempts at warpcraft. While certainly not to the same degree as blackstone, on the few occasions that daemons or warp-inclined Chaos Space Marines have come into contact with the Necrons, it's oft mentioned that the necrodermis seems to play havoc on any warpfuckery.

Ferrus Manus's iron hands might (or might not) be made out of Necrodermis which he got from murdering a huge worm-like creature made out of "some kind of metal" ([[Tomb Stalker|sounds familiar]]) with his BARE Hands. Actually he single handedly drowned the creature in a pool of lava and the molten metal that dripped from the creature got fused with his hands.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
T1000 bullet holes.gif|It's kind of like this.
</gallery>
{{40k-Armor}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Armour]]
[[Category:Xenos]]
[[Category:Necrons]]
[[Category:Necrodermis]]

Iridium Armour

2023-06-01T12:18:11Z

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[[File:XV-8-02.png|200px|right|thumb|XV8-02 full of that expensive shit.]]
Iridium Armour is highly advanced and very special form of [[Tau]] [[Battlesuit|battlesuit armour,]] coming in the form of extra iridium armour plates spread across the surface of the battlesuit. The extra armour makes the suit a formidable enemy and very hard to kill, though the extra weight makes it potentially move more slowly and extremely expensive.
==Overview==
Battlesuits who wear these are called [[XV8-02 Iridium Suit|'''XV8-02 Crisis 'Iridium' Battlesuit''']]. They sort of resemble additional armoured plates situated around the neck and thigh regions of the Battlesuit, although the XV8-02 Iridium Suit is covered entirely of this shit. In effect, they function almost identical to Slat armour rather than an APS (Active Protection System), in which it is a static barrier meant to 'tripwire' a shaped-charge warhead before it actually impacts the actual armour.

In real life, Iridium is a very hard and dense metal with the unique properties of being extraordinarily resistant to both heat and corrosion. It ''is'' a brittle metal, however, and works best in conjunction as an alloy with other metals. As such, we can presume that the Iridium Armour is a form of Iridium alloy.

Regular XV8s are known to wear these, albeit limited in the aforementioned neck and thigh areas. On the tabletop, this is granted as an armour upgrade, without using a Signature System slot to do so, giving them a shiny 2+ armour save. Nice.
<gallery>
Battlesuit_p1_bg.jpg|Regular XV8 with Iridium Armour plates on neck and thighs.
</gallery>
{{40k-Armor}}

Battlesuit

2023-06-01T12:17:57Z

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{{Heresy}}
[[File:Stitch16.jpg|right|thumb|500px|From Cool to absolute godless [[cheese]]. And also [[Longstrike]].]]
{{topquote|IT'S A GUNDAM!|Anyone with a brain seeing one of these things}}
'''Battlesuits''' are powered combat exoskeletons used by the forces of the [[Tau|Tau Empire]]. The Tau have developed several different battlesuit models with greated varied roles in battle.

Each model's designation is usually preceded by the letters "XV", which derives from the Tau term "Her'Ex'Vre", meaning "Mantle of the Hero". Note that some sources place a hyphen between the "XV" and the numbers, and others don't. The first (or only) number in designation indicates a weight class of the suit, while the last indicates its purpose:
# Still in development model
# Undergoing field testing
# Custom-built model
# Command and control-compatible model
# Outfitted with stealth technology
# Suit, designed for a void operations
# Suit, designed for infiltration
# Suit, designed for long range fire support
# Suit, designed for shock assault and close range firefights
Sometimes there's a secondary numerical designation separated from the first with a hyphen. Those are just number assigned to a specific loadout for heavily customizable models. Sometimes they fit with a primary purpose designation (like XV-8-06 being designed for void operations or XV-46-4 being command and control model), and sometimes they don't (XV-8-05 is not even compatible with stealth technology, XV-9-01 is a finished mass-produced model). Perhaps the 0 before the digit means “opposite to” or something. Like 05 perhaps means “cannot be stealthed” and 01 means “no longer in development/in production”. Yet, as stated, there are those who have the 0 yet do fulfill the next digit’s purpose. Stupid writers not reading lore or lore written to retcon things without remembering to also retcon the suits themselves, perhaps. The largest variants use either KV or KX; what they stand for is currently unknown.
==Role on the Battlefield==

Tau battlesuits are a pretty broad descriptor as [[Longstrike|some battlesuits]] are barely larger or heavier than [[Carapace Armour|carapace armour]] while other suits serve as [[Titan|Titan-size weapon platforms]]. Generally speaking, what makes a Battlesuit seems to be that it is piloted by a single person through a direct neurolink. T'au commanders and officers in the field generally command their troops from a Battlesuit, usually an XV8 variant.

The Fire Caste generally consider piloting a battle suit to be a massive honour which they are hesistant to afford anyone but their own respected Elites. Fire Caste battlesuit pilots are veterans with at least four years of combat experience and who have passed a ritual "trial by fire". There are some exceptions to this though; some [[Fire Warrior|Fire Warriors]] prefer serve with the infantry and are given the special title of [[Cadre Fireblade|known as Shas'nel]] while others refuse to take the test at all in order to pilot tanks and speeders. There is also at least once case of a human commissar piloting a Crisis Suit in the T'au Empire and an Earth Caste pilot in the Farsight Enclaves.

==Models==

=== {{anchor|XV02|XV-02}} XV02 Pilot Battlesuit===
[[File:XV02.png|thumb|right|250px|Trying to roleplay for Top Gun is often a recommendation.]]
An experimental model made for vehicle pilots (obviously) currently undergoing field testing; although it provides less protection than even [[Combat Armour|Fire Warrior armor,]] it compensates by allowing pilots to interface more effectively with their vehicles, negating the need for multiple crew members. This works in tandem with the vehicle's A.I. by processing the cadre tactical network and incoming data quickly so that the pilot can react extremely rapidly (by Tau reflexes standards) to enemies attacking his vehicle or nearby units.

The only one known to exist is in the possession of [[Longstrike|Shas'la T'au Sha'ng (a.k.a. Longstrike)]], who was selected for his reputation as a peerless [[Hammerhead Gunship|Hammerhead]] pilot. The battlesuit also features a multitude of specialised systems, plug sockets, vents, a wrist-mounted control panel and other technobabble shenanigans that allow Longstrike to pilot his personal tank without the need of those pesky annoyances called crewmates.

Tau scientists have been working on producing more after the success of the original, but all other candidate pilots thus far have either been incompatible with its neural interface or became brain-dead due to information overload frying their brains.

The battlesuit also incorporates a Blacksun Filter, but nobody cares about that.

The suit hasn't really actually done anything since 7th Edition except make Longstrike look different from any random Fire Warrior in a Hammerhead.

=== {{anchor|XV15|XV-15}} XV15 Stealthsuit ===
[[File:XV15 black.jpg|thumb|right|200px|XV25's rented cousin.]]
Little more than [[Awesome|modified Fire Warrior armor]], the XV15 was outfitted with stealth systems allowing it to infiltrate, jetpacks for mobility, and burst cannons for firepower. It also carried [[markerlight]]s. These older units are being phased out in favor of the XV25 series after the Imperium got their hands on an intact helmet from one, and the Tau fear it will be reverse-engineered and countered by the humans.

In a surprisingly unlikely move that somehow did not cause the AdMech to lobotomize everyone involved in the project with a siege drill for associating with xeno-tech, the Imperium did actually manage to reverse engineer the suits and learn about the technology, although the Tau were two steps ahead of them by rolling out the more advanced XV25 stealth suits as their new recon platform.

The meta reason both these and the XV25's exist is because these were metal kits, and were replaced by the later plastic kits and less like a Fire Warrior with some extra equipment. Presumably the upscaling was done to make it harder to kitbash Stealth Suits from plastic Fire Warriors, but that's not really stopped anyone from trying.

Crunchwise, they're the same unless you consider the crunch changes between editions to be the difference. Use the models you like and have access to. (Pull a Dawn of War and use XV25s for the squad leader and XV15s for the chumps.)

If the Tau replaced the stealth with a shield, they’d have an extremely effective infantry assault suit.

<gallery>
XV15.png|XV15s mid-camo.
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV22|XV-22}} XV22 Command Suit ===
[[File:XV22 CommanderShadowSun.jpg|250px|thumb|right|0% blueberry edition.]]

Officially part of the stealthsuit line, this heavier unit is quite expensive to produce; as such, it is limited in use to commanders (like [[Shadowsun|Commander Shadowsun]], [[Commander Or'es'Ka|Shas'o Or'es'Ka]], and [[Shas'o Kais]], who as you can see above have different versions of the suit; Shadowsun's has a unique helmet that resemble the later XV95, while Kais' resembles a Crisis Suit). With the right equipment and abilities you can make it go three times faster than a normal stealthsuit. ([[Anime|Red paint optional]]).

This was originally built as a prototype design for a next-generation stealthsuit pattern but finding ways to mass-produce these suits proved more difficult than anticipated. After the Imperium managed to reverse-engineer some of the XV15 suits ([[Advancing the Storyline|which, for some reason, doesn't cause the Inquisition to foam at the mouth]]) recovered from the battlefield, the Tau had to compromise by moving forward with the less advanced but easier to manufacture XV25.

In the beginning 8th edition, it was the Suit Shadowsun wore and carries two fusion blasters, plus a -1 to hit modifier. It got updated in "The Greater Good" To get a new model having some new drone rules, along with a few extra weapons, including a Missile pod, Options for two different types of fusion blasters, and pistols. No really. It also kept the -1 to hit and infiltration rule.
<gallery>
ShadowsunNov.jpg
File:XV22.jpg|The addition of partner drones is always a guarantee.
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV25|XV-22}} XV25 Stealthsuit ===
[[File:XV25 White.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The Windows 10 to the XV15's Windows Vista.]]

''Main article: [[Stealthsuit Team]]''

An improvement over the XV15 which is larger, heavier and better armored while still retaining the maneuverability and subtlety of the XV15 series. Development and deployment of the XV25 was largely due to the fact that the Imperium managed to acquire a functioning sample of the old XV15 stealth suit during the [[Damocles Crusade]], compromising its use as a recon platform... A larger and more powerful reactor allows XV25 to be outfitted with a fusion blaster instead of it's basic burst cannon, and the suit also has one hard point on its back for an additional support system, although those are usually issued only to squad leaders.

The main wearers of these suits are of course the Stealthsuit Team, whose battleline roles include assassinations, sniping, sabotage and ambushes.

They operate like lite Primaris [[Intercessor]]s with Jetpacks, worse BS, and shorter range dakka. Each suit can take a single support system, and you can take up to two drones per squad.
<gallery>
StealthSuit.jpg|Citadel exclusive "Tau Stealth" paint. Order it now
File:XV25.png|Now in camo edition!
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV46|XV-46}} XV46 Vanguard Void Suit ===
[[File:Tumblr Tauman Void Suit Vangard.jpg|190px|right|thumb|Fan art of what the Void Suit would look like, courtesy from Tau Man and ''[[Tumblr]]'' [[Derp|of all things.]]]]

Basically a Tau version of [[Terminator|Terminator armor]], bigger than the XV2 series, smaller than the XV8 and as heavily armoured as XV88 while still light enough to have jetpacks. It is designed solely for operating in spaceborn situations at close quarters, which means boarding action and [[Space Hulk]]-type investigation missions.

The XV46 is highly effective against [[Genestealers|certain xenos species]] that are famous for slaughtering Terminators like they are nothing. With a fuckton of burst cannons, flamers and fusion guns on each of the suits, the little buggers would have a hard enough time getting close, but then there are electroshocks, grav-repulsors, and photon grenades to zap any fuckers lucky enough to break through the walls of fire, all triggered automatically.

To make the Tau version of Space Hulk even less [[grimdark]], these suits are even equipped with smart ejection systems which are programmed to deliver the pilot back on board his ship if his suit gets wrecked. How this works without [[warp]] based tech is a crapshoot. Being both niche equipment and difficult to manufacture critical parts for, XV46s are rarely seen outside of Space Hulk missions. Even rarer is the XV-46-4 Commander variant.

The XV46 doesn't appear in the tabletop wargame; [[Fantasy Flight Games]] made it up for the [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Deathwatch RPG]]. As a result, there's no images of it. It however is used in [[Battlefleet Gothic Armada]], in which the Tau load them up in the cargo bay of their Mantas before letting them get dropped along with the payload onto enemy ships through their shields.

Which suggests that the Tau in some extent would have capabilities to play a serious game of blue gremlin on the wing with other species, this combination is also particularly enraging for Eldar who have little to no defense against such an unusually bold action from the Tau. Since GW took forever to get the [[Deathwatch]] 7E Codex out. It would be a miracle for other FFG IP to get official rules and a model at all.

There is also the '''XV46-04 Vanguard Commander Battlesuit''' which is a variant of the XV46 intended for Tau Commanders. These suits are equipped with an EMP Blaster and an [[Airbursting Fragmentation Projector]]. Normally meant for wiping out squads with indirect shrapnel. Now imagine in a narrow corridor on a ship.

=== {{anchor|XV8|XV-8}} XV8 Crisis Battlesuit ===
[[File:XV8_GW.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The most ubiquitous of mini-Gundams.]]
'' Main Article: [[XV-8 Crisis Battlesuit]]''

XV8 Crisis Battlesuits are the Tau Empire's general-purpose combat battlesuits. Check the main article for more information, since there's too much to cover here.

However if you're the lazy type and want the [[Tl;dr]], well, these things are the 'standard'-issue Battlesuit and pretty damned iconic too, as iconic as the [[Mark VII: Aquila/Imperator Armour|Mark 7 Aquilla Power Armour]] of the [[Space Marines]].

Because they are so ubiquitous, they are also extremely modular, which means that they come in so many god damned flavours. You thought the [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]] and [[Land Raider]] have way too many variations? Seriously, this Battlesuit gives them a run for their money. It is absolutely fucking ridiculous with the amount of sub-variants they have, each suited for a different role.

Anyways, the suit itself is armoured in a nanocrystaline alloy which covers the entire suit save for joints, giving the suit superior protection while keeping weight at a minimum. Although the armour provides superior protection against most small arms, it is less effective against heavier weapons such as [[Assault Cannon]]s and anti-vehicle weapons like [[Lascannon]]s which penetrate it with little difficulty. As a result Crisis battlesuits may decide to install a shield generator to provide some protection against such weapons.

<gallery>
Tau Crisis Suit Close Up.jpg|"Keep trying, Gue'La. You have a 1 in 18 chance of actually wounding me."
Image:XV8.jpg|XV8 Team
Image:XV81.jpg|XV-81
Image:XV84.png|XV-84
Image:XV89.png|XV-89</gallery> <gallery>
Image:XV8-05.jpg|XV-8-05 Enforcer
Image:XV-8-02.png|XV-8-02 Iridium
Image:Coldstar.png|XV-8-06 Coldstar
Image:Shas'o R'Myr.png|R'Myr's special XV8.
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV86|XV-86}} XV86 Supernova Battlesuit===
[[File:Farsight (2023).jpg|250px|thumb|right|Note the [[Weeaboo|blossoming Japanese cherry]].]]
''Main article: [[Farsight]], [[XV86 Supernova Battlesuit]]''

The hot rodded sports edition of the XV8 series of suits. Designed specifically for Commander Farsight and his preference for slicing things up with a giant sword. A one of a kind (so far) battlesuit created by one of Farsight's friends in The Eight and equipped with a cool on board AI called "Supernova", which handles a bunch of additional command systems.

No breakdown on what any of that means just yet, but Farsight now has an abominable intelligence in his suit. He also looks more like a sci-fi samurai now.
{{Clear}}

=== {{anchor|XV88|XV-88}} XV88 Broadside Battlesuit===
[[File:Broadside1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The newschool heavy support Battlesuit.]]
''Main article: [[XV88 Broadside Battlesuit]]''

XV88 Broadside Battlesuits are fire support platforms outfitted with either a large Heavy Rail Rifle or a [[Dakka|massive array of missiles]] to lay waste to the enemies of the Greater Good from afar.

Originally it was just an experiment - to combine the most successful Tau vehicle weapon – the [[railgun]] – with the XV8 Crisis Battlesuit. Early Broadside prototypes were cumbersome, their shoulder-mounted weapons unwieldy. However, Earth caste made adaptations, one iteration at a time, until at last the XV88 emerged. Like the XV8, the XV-88 has a large number of variants, although not to the same extant as the former.

The repulsor jets of the XV8, which output insufficient to lift such a heavyweight, were substituted by additional layers of armour plating, allowing battlesuit to weather rather than evade incoming fire. The additional recoil dampers and ballistic anchors provide increased accuracy and an extended arsenal of heavy weaponry, which means Broadsides can be equipped to engage massed infantry or armoured targets with equal success.

They are basically the Tau's quintessential Heavy unit choice. [[Heavy Rail Rifle]] suit works well with Sa'cea Sept to snipe larger enemies, while Bork'an Missile Suits can devastate enemies from a distance. In 8th Edition up until present, they were primarily remembered as being centerpieces in T'au sept gunlines, since 5+ Overwatch combined with Missile Spam made the T'au Gunline a nightmare to charge.

<gallery>
XV88.jpg|Battlesuit evolution
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV9|XV-9}} XV9 Hazard Battlesuit ===
[[File:XV9FW.jpg|250px|thumb|right|I'll tell you what's a hazard: being hostile and near this motherfucker.]]
'' Main Article: [[XV9 Hazard Battlesuit]]''

Another Forgeworld blessing. Unlike most Tau battlesuits, the XV9 Hazard model is a dedicated spear-tip suit for fast and hard close-range engagements which is quite a deviation from traditional Tau combat doctrine. Its frame being more agile than other suits and it has photon grenades and retro-thrusters to halt enemy charges and then jump out of meat grinder respectively.

XV-9 have have the equivalent of seven Crisis Suit hardpoints, thanks to its twin-linked weapons and hard built support systems. Hard points:
::'''Twin-linked burst cannons''' are for mulching down infantry with enough dakka to make Orks jealous.
::'''Fusion cascades''', which are melta miniguns, less powerful than basic fusion blasters and more short-ranged but with a higher rate of fire, so they're more effective against light/medium vehicles, monsters and terminators rather than heavy tanks.
::'''Phased ion guns''' which were supposed to be "assault cannons-lite", and are more "well rounded" choice, being decent against both light and heavy infantry or light vehicles, though heavily outclassed by the previous two gun options.
::'''Pulse Submunition Rifles''', commonly referred by a player base as "shotguns", these are the most long ranged and expensive guns available to Hazard. They cover a huge area with a cover-ignoring blasts to root out heavy cover campers.

It should be noted that the number 9 is a significant number to the Tau given that they count in an octal numeral system (there is no 8 or 9; 10 comes immediately after 7), as opposed to [[humanity]]'s decimal system. [[Awesome|This means that to the Tau, the XV9 is literally cranked up to 11.]]

Shas'o R'alai has his own XV9 equipped with a shield and experimental next-gen PSR that fires in bursts and is loaded with a wide range extra-powerful (but unstable) experimental ammo.
<gallery>
XV9 smug face.jpg
File:XV9.jpg|XV9 AKA Mobile Suit T'au'dam.
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV95|XV-95}} XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit ===
[[File:XV95 3.jpg|250px|thumb|right|<center>Striking hard and fast.</center>]]
'' Main Article: [[XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit]]''

The Ghostkeel is a really big and powerful stealth suit <s>[[Creed|which you could swear was designed by a certain tactical genius]]</s>. It's the same weight class and size as Hazard, but has extensive armour plating for nearly double the survivability. Unlike the XV15 and XV25, the XV95 doesn't have full stealth system on itself, but rather its parts are spread between the battlesuit and its stealth drones, meaning only with a combination of both can the team becomes nigh-invisible, while separately they appear to be only slightly camouflaged, which, combined with an exceptional tankiness of the Ghostkeel, and mediocre survivability of his drones makes the XV-95 one of the few battlesuits that would take hits for its drones instead of drones shielding him with their cold, expendable, mechanical bodies. But being nigh-invisible is not enough for XV-95 - it carries an electronic warfare equipment in its left hand like a gun, and use it to fuck up enemy targeting systems even more, unless they are at point-blank range, and can overcharge it to shock-and-awe any opponent trying to gun them down, ensuring it can't hit shit, although it's a one-use trick, as the suit needs to recharge for a while to deliver this sensory shock again.

On the offense, the Ghostkeel has a set of twin-linked standard battlesuit guns on its back (sadly, only limited to flamers, burst cannons and fusion blasters), and a single BFG in its right hand, which could be a fusion collider, which is an extra bigger fusion blaster with extra barrel that shoots small blasts, or an ion raker, which looks and fires like bigger badder cyclic ion blaster with double the normal mode firing rate (for SIX autocannon-grade shots per burst), double overcharge blast size and slightly higher range. On top of that, Ghostkeel also have two extra hard points for supporting systems (meaning up to five hard points total) for extra customization options.

<gallery>
XV95.jpeg
XV95 2.png|Blitzkrieg, Mecha style.
</gallery>
=== {{anchor|XV104|XV-104}} XV104 Riptide Battlesuit ===

[[File:Riptide1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The most spammable and rage inducing walker that the T'au have to offer.]]
[[File:Nova Reactor Energy.jpg|200px|thumb|left|"So this is the power of the Nova Reactor... Not bad, not bad at all..."]]
''Main article:[[XV104 Riptide Battlesuit]]''

A new, extra-large battlesuit (at twice the size of the XV8) that made its first appearance in the 6th edition codex, the Riptide is presumably what would happen if Octacon tried to build a Gundam (specifically the ZZ Gundam, what with its XBAWKS HUEG build, optional missile system and destructive but stupidly risky energy weapon). The Riptide's primary weapon can be either a heavy burst cannon or an ion accelerator (with twin smart missile systems, fusion blasters or plasma rifles as backup weapons), while its defensive prowess is supplemented by a portable shield generator. All of these can be made significantly more powerful if the prototype Nova reactor built into the suit is used to charge the weapon or shield; however, doing so runs the risk of overloading the generator, releasing deadly radiation that can injure or kill the pilot.

While incredibly powerful, the Riptide's primary drawback ([[fluff]]-wise) is that the materials used to manufacture it are rare. Thus, their numbers remain fairly small within the Tau Empire's forces. Not that you'd know since every goddamn Tau list has them flying out of their asses. Then again, there's only supposed to be about 1,000,000 Space Marines in the Imperium.

An extremely [[cheese|cheesetastic tactic]] on the tabletop with this fella is to model it to be as low as possible (like crouching forward) and then put it behind a piece of very big cover, like a bastion. It moves out during the movement phase, revs the Nova reactor, blasts nearby enemies into oblivion, then jet boosts back behind the bastion during the assault phase to block enemy LoS.

=== {{anchor|XV107|XV-107}} XV107 R'varna Battlesuit ===

[[File:R'varna.jpg|right|thumb|250px|When you gotta take care of those 'Nids. Accept no substitudes. It even looks kind of Tyranid-like. Especially the legs.]]
'' Main Article: [[XV107 R'varna Battlesuit]]''

Essentially a Riptide (made by [[Forge World]] of all folks) that threw mobility away for more armour and two exceedingly huge pulse submunition cannons (think plasma cluster bomb) for the purpose of fucking up your opponent's entire day. Its Nova Reactor also grants some unusual properties like a turn with Fleet, an electromagnetic shockwave that hits everyone around it, or double-firing weapons, but is no less risky to use. The fluff behind this involves an Earth Caste engineer from Sept Ke'lshan, called Sho'Aun, who managed to go behind the Ethereals' backs by building something so huge, expensive (even in in-universe terms), and lethal while he was supposed to make more stealthsuits. One [[Tyranids|Tyranid]] swarm later, however, he revealed this behemoth and with it helped dumpster all of the 'Nids and save the Sept.

One interesting note of mention is that in the early days of the R'varna's conception, before it was officially announced, there was indeed a rumor floating around that Forgeworld was actually designing a new stealthsuit. Given the fluff behind the R'varna, it's almost as though Forgeworld chuckled at the rumors and used those as a basis for their fluff, going so far as to craft the rumors of a stealthsuit into the XV107's fundamental history. '''The more you know!''' The X7 designation this suit has means it's supposed to be an infiltration unit (even though every other stealthsuit has been an X5 of some sort), which is the exact opposite of what R'Varna actually does - this is likely the result of it being developed as a part of Stealth Suit program.

<gallery>
XV107.png|Front and back view.
File:Xv-107-rvarna-battlesuit.jpg|That's a nice gargantuan creature you have there…it'd be a shame if something were to happen to it...
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|XV109|XV-109}} XV109 Y'Vahra Battlesuit===

[[File:XV109Yvahra.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Bringing the Greater Good close and personal]]
'' Main Article: [[XV109 Y'Vahra Battlesuit]]''

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3lrhPeK6gU ''Hi, it's Sho'Aun with the Y'vahra, you'll be saying "wow" everytime you use this T'au'']. A regular Riptide doesn't do well too close to an enemy, this one does well at close or medium range. This is for the blobs, the Deathwing, the Armoured Ceramite'd AV14. Made in Ke'lshan Sept by Sho'Aun, you know that guy always makes good stuff.

This is a Riptide that embraces its mobility and gets a super-flamer, a mega-haywire gun and has super-jetpacks able to turn it into a flying monstrous creature once each two turns. This one was made with the opposite goal of a Riptide: to jump in close and take the fight to the enemy, fling a burst of flechettes as it lands and then jump back out before it can be overwhelmed.

As a trade off, however, it is more fragile than Riptide and its Nova Reactor options are also weaker. It is more focused on extra mobility and surviving/escaping close combat rather than blasting shit to death or keeping up that [[cheese|delicious]] 3++ against everything. Combined with extremely uncomfortable range of all of it's weapons Y'Vahra tends to go down much quicker than the Riptide.

In a nutshell, it is the only unit from the Tau that goes all fire and glory, and naturally Farsight and company love these things.
<gallery>
XV109.jpg|XV109 Y'Vahra with its drone buddies.
</gallery>

=== {{anchor|KV128|KV-128}} KV128 Stormsurge Ballistic Suit===

[[File:Stompin on marines.jpeg|200px|thumbnail|left|Teaching [[Abaddon|certain spiky gue-la]] how to be cool despite the lack of arms]]
[[File:KV128.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Teaching the Imperial Guard that they too can utilise missile spam.]]
'' Main Article: [[KV128 Stormsurge Ballistic Suit]]''

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUnjxftU6r0&feature=youtu.be&t=96 <strike>A WEAPON TO SURPASS METAL GEAR</strike>] <strike>Literally just a walking giant laser cannon.</strike>The new and improved chicken walkers!

One day one Earth Caste T'au got bitten by a radioactive [[Ork]] and realized that the Riptide wasn't big enough to fit all the [[dakka]] it needed. That day, the dream of the Stormsurge was born.

The Stormsurge is armed with one of two giant pulse cannon. The first is the Pulse Blastcannon, which can use three separate profiles; either leaning into anti-infantry with 6 shots of S10, 0AP and 2D or wreck any vehicles that come up close with 2 shots at 10'' that are S14, -4AP and 6D. Meanwhile, the pulse driver cannon gives you a more variable number of shots with about a mid-range profile from as far as 72''. It also comes with a pair of hilariously large missile pods, an SMS on its back and a pair of airbursting frag projectors, which will have you tossing enough dice to make an Ork player blush. Entire armies of GEQs can melt the moment this thing opens fire, and even terminators or monstrous creatures would be hard pressed to survive once they start failing their saves under that hail of wounds. It also houses four Destroyer missiles, which just deal out D3 mortal wounds for each hit.

Be careful, however, as the Stormsurge is squishy for its size and firepower. It's pretty much a heavy artillery piece that needs to stay way back and be protected in order to take its points back and is the one more geared for anti-infantry, so if you're looking for something to deal with Knights and Titans, look below for a proper front line Tau titan. Its squishiness probably has something to do with it being the only Battlesuit so far that has its crew sitting without any cover over their heads.

Fun fact: In 7e, if tank shock is used against an anchored Stormsurge, the Stormsurge is [[Awesome|destroyed]].

=== KX139 Ta'Unar Supremacy Armour ===

[[File:KX139.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right|<center>[https://youtu.be/2vKz7WnU83E?t=46 To fight monsters, we created monsters of our own]</center>]]
'' Main Article: [[KX139 Ta'Unar Supremacy Armour]]''

A new super-heavy Overcompensator Class battlesuit, massive enough to claim the title of Tau [[Titan]]. After multiple run-ins with Imperial Knights and Tyranid bio-titans, the Ethereals were forced to admit the necessity of Titan-sized static defenses to deal with counter-expansion attempts into their own territory and asked the same Earth Caste nutter who made the R'varna and the Y'varha, Sho'Aun, to make something capable of fending off super-heavy assault forces too strong for their bombers to deal with. A bunker on legs in other words?

[[Awesome|He did not disappoint.]]

Yes, it lacks jet packs (much like its brother the R'varna), but you won't need one, you gave it to your enemy so they can RUN. FAR. AWAY. Which, would not work because with its long legs Ta'Unar is actually about as fast as jet and jump infantry. The Ta'Unar is armed to the teeth and damn hard to kill with T:9 and 10 wounds. Although it's a Gargantuan Creature like the [[Wraithknight]], it can fire Overwatch at BS2 with its two smart missile systems and two twin-linked burst cannons. Its main guns are no less effective- for arm weapons, it can equip either a Heavy 5 multimelta or an ion cannon that can fire either 6 shots at S7 AP3 or 3 shots at S9 AP2. The back-mounted Pulse Ordnance Multi-Driver can fire either a Strength D Massive Blast with 72" range or a S8 AP3 Apocalyptic Barrage (3) with Pinning and Ignores Cover with a range of 12-120". Defensively, it has a 2+/5++ save that improves to 4++ against shooting attacks, and it can sacrifice the invulnerable save for a turn to cut the number of wounds suffered from a "Deathblow" result on the Destroyer table in half. Its only real flaws are that it's expensive as all hell to field (both points-wise and in real-world costs, being a Forge World exclusive and all).

In the place of the Pulse Ordnance Multi-Driver, it can instead take a Nexus Meteor Missile System or a Heavy Rail Cannon Array for free. The Nexus Meteor Missile System is a Blinding Apocalyptic Mega-Blast with 24-120" range with S 10/7/5 and AP 1/4/5, for when you want to just nuke the otherside of the table. The latter on the other hand is technically two weapons, which can be fired simultaneously. It incorporates a Cluster Shell Launcher (a 36" range Apocalyptic Barrage (4) weapon with S6 AP4 and pinning meant to lock down anyone in relatively close range) and the Heavy Rail Cannon itself, a 120" ranged monster with the almighty D, AP1, a 3" blast, and the nasty rule "Mass Induction Targeting"- when using it to attack any superheavy or GMC, you roll twice on the Destroyer table and pick the higher result, therefore doubling your chances of getting that 6. Perfect for ruining any Titan's day!

In 8th Edition, this had the Battlesuit keyword, so there are and were '[[That Guy|some]]' who would take this, an army of shield drones, and an ethereal, and nothing else. Which is almost worse than Triptide Shield Drone spam.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tau]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Walkers]]

{{Tau}}
{{40k-Armor}}

Combat Armour

2023-06-01T12:16:01Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Combat_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|A Fire Warrior about to enter an [[Weeaboo|Animu Convention.]]]]
Standard-issue armour worn by the [[Tau|fish-faces]], the generically named Combat Armour worn by all [[Fire Warrior|Fire Warriors]] in battle, and is similar in design and construction to Imperial [[Carapace Armour]]. They vaguely resemble a [[Weeaboo]] [[Samurai|Samurai Armour]], make that of what you will.

== Overview ==

Combat Armour is constructed in two layers. The outer face is a hard, ultra-dense nano-crystalline metal veneer bonded to an inner layer of high performance, thermo-set, molecular polyethene. The outer layer material is known as Fio'tak in the T'au Lexicon, and is commonly used as a form of armour across nearly all types of Tau units due to its lightweight nature and impact-resistant structure.

The inner layer of Combat Armour acts as an energy-absorbent padding for energy dispersal and helps prevent blunt trauma effects from high-velocity impacts.

Usually worn underneath the hard carapace armour plates of Combat Armour is a set of one-piece overalls constructed of a composite nanocular thread; a microscopic, super-dense mess of fibres that helps prevent projectile punctures and slashing penetrations, whilst remaining flexible. The material the fatigues are constructed from is also chemically threaded to retard flames and the effects of most irritant gases or chemicals. The fatigues are hard-wearing and suitable for most combat environments and are issued in a variety of colours.

The distinctive domed T'au helmet of a Combat Armour set includes many systems, ranging from communication equipment, night vision sensors, targeting and ranger-finder information, visual relay systems, and access to the main command network. The helmet is configured to allow for simple upgrades to be fitted such as Blacksun Filters and Target Locks, and the vision slots are pre-configured to see Marker Light beams.

Standard Fire Warrior Combat Armour usually also features an elongated and thickened left shoulder plate, which acts as an additional protective shield when the Fire Warrior is kneeling to fire a weapon more accurately and exposing his left shoulder to retaliatory fire, which is both a unique and interesting feature.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tau]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Recon Armour

2023-06-01T12:15:47Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Recon_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Quickly Shas'La Vol. Protect Shas'O Vaun from incoming [[Bolter]] fire with your body!]]
Recon Armour is worn by the [[Tau|Tau's]] personal [[Pathfinder Team|bullet catchers and cannon fodders.]] Unlike the more commonly worn [[Combat Armour]], Recon Armour is more equivelent to [[Flak Armour]] in protective purposes.

== Overview ==

Recon Armour lacks several of the reinforced layers and large armoured pauldron of [[Combat Armour]], trading a degree of protection for greater freedom of movement. Recon Armour is most commonly utilised by Tau Pathfinders as it is more suited to their role as forward scouts.

A comprehensive sensor suite mounted in the helmet allows for similar upgrades to Combat Armour.

Like the more heavily armoured Combat Armour, Recon Armour is constructed by two layers. The outer face is a hard, ultra-dense nano-crystalline metal veneer bonded to an inner layer of high performance, thermo-set, molecular polyethene. Whereas the inner layer of Recon Armour acts as an energy-absorbent padding for energy dispersal, and helps prevent blunt trauma effects from high-velocity impacts.

Additionally, the nanocular-thread fatigues worn beneath Recon Armour by a Fire Warrior are interwoven with sound-absorbing fibres to aid in avoiding detection. The techniques used in the fabrication of Recon Armour are unknown to the Imperium as the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] is forbidden from investigating this technology for [[Derp|''some reason'',]] despite the fact that they have already tinkered with the [[XV15 Stealthsuit|XV15 Stealthsuit]]. You could say thanks to the [[Ordo Xenos|Inquisition's Ordo Xenos]] for that bundle of [[Derp]].

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Tau]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Mega Armour

2023-06-01T12:15:17Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:MeganobZoomed.png|200px|right|thumb|Like Terminator Armour, but somehow more boxier. [[Firaeveus Carron]] [[RAGE|is gonna get a brain aneurysm when he sees this.]]]]
Mega Armour or mega-armour is essentially exclusively worn by the elite of [[Ork]] society such as [[Nob|Nobz,]] [[Warboss|Warbosses,]] and [[Warlords]], further ensuring the deadliness of Ork mega-armour users. While slow and clunky (as is represented by slow and purposeful) and lacking the energy field protection/indestructible surfaces of Tactical Dreadnought armour (hence the lack of an invulnerable save) your average Ork nob is considerably hardier than your average space marine (<strike>hence having two wounds</strike> not anymore now that Marines have two wounds as well) and an Ork warboss is even tougher than that. However, it seems that the Orks have not created quite as many weapons to go along with mega-armor as humanity has created systems to go along with tactical dreadnought armour.

== Overview ==

[[File:Dh-ca-102-mega-armour.png|250px|left|thumb|Mega Armour without the occupant.]]

Unlike Terminators, Mega-Nobz cannot teleport, and while a Space Marine [[Storm Bolter|storm bolter]]/[[Combi-Bolter|combi-bolter]] is roughly equivalent to an Ork [[Twin-Linked Shoota]], mega-nobz are not really known to fit any other kinds of ranged weapons onto their suits besides swapping out the second barrel of a [[Twin-Linked Shoota]] for a [[Rokkit Launcha]], [[Stikkbomb Launcha]] or a [[Skorcha]]. The only known exceptions to this are Ork Big Meks, and certain Warbosses/Warlords who might fit a unique gun or a [[Big Shoota]] (if they're Gazghkull) or a [[Killkannon]] or a [[Kustom Mega-Blasta]] if they're Gorgutz. For melee weapons, nearly every ork mega-armour user uses a [[Power weapon#Power Klaw|power klaw]], which is a direct equivalent to the human [[powerfist]], though some rich orks may choose to trick out their power Klaws, most notably Gorgutz who tricked his power klaw out at both Kaurava and Kronus, even having the damn thing be constantly on fire and at Archeron has decided to fit a launcher and chain system to his power klaw to act as a give grappling hook. Another weapon used is the [[Miscellaneous Weapons#Killsaw|Killsaw]], which corresponds most closely to the [[chainfist]], although it seems most Mega-armour wearers choose to fit killsaws to both hands rather than just one to make them extra choppy.

Orks don't often wear full-face helmets, generally preferring at most an iron gob to protect their jaws paired with a relatively simple cap helmet (usually horned), but some will go the full distance to protect their faces with helmets best described as full-faced welding masks or helmets taking after their Warhammer fantasy counterparts' black orc helmets. This tendency for Orks to not cover their heads adequately has been exploited by Ciaphas Cain at the very least who, when rushed by an Ork Warboss managed to get a victory against an opponent capable of crunching a squad of space marines like toys and stomping many a [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter Master]] or [[Chaos Lord]] into powder by emptying his Laspistol's magazine into the Ork's head since the rest of the warboss was way too well protected for his chainsword and pistol to make much impact.

One advantage Ork mega-armor wearers have over their Space Marine counterparts (loyalist or otherwise) is that Ork Mega-armor wearers can ride on just about any Ork transport and get stuck into the fight almost immediately while terminators will need to wait for a [[Stormraven]], [[Land Raider]], or [[Spartan Assault Tank]] to do the same. Meanwhile, a few [[Nob|Nobz]] can get into a [[Trukk]] and drive furiously at the enemy to shove some power klaws and killsaws up someplace unpleasant. For many Ork players, this more than makes up for the lack of deep striking options for Meganobz as it provides for a cheap and quick delivery system for their otherwise plodding Meganobz to get into the thick of combat to smash some faces in.

Another thing to note that with Orks it can often be very hard to tell an Ork [[Meganobz|meganob]] apart from an Ork who just so happens to have a lot of bionic gubbinz attached to him.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Orks]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Studded Armour

2023-06-01T12:14:23Z

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[[File:Studded_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Meet the one piece of armour worse than a [[Flak Armour|t-shirt.]]]]
Studded Armour is the simplest and most barebones of all types of [[Ork]] armour. Because of this, Studded Armour bears the rare (dis)honour of being the only armoured set piece that is pound for pound, [[FAIL|'''''WORSE''''']] than [[Flak Armour]]. Oh yes, if Flak Armour is called a t-shirt, that makes studded armor the crop top in the armor world. At the same time though it still gives a 1/6 chance to shrug off a lasgun shot so it's still an upgrade for the Boyz in most cases.

== Overview ==

Studded Armour is made usually of toughened tanned [[Squig]] skin with occasional metal plates.

It is commonly worn by all [[Ork Boy|Ork Boys]], because it looks hard and offers some protection, especially against primitive weapons, such as choppas, spears, or arrows. As such, they are more like hide armour than an actual anti-ballistic vest. Due to this, your average [[Lasgun|flashlight]] could actually do a number on these armoured pieces with ease, if it weren't for the fact that your average Ork is a relatively tough son-of-a-[[Fungus|shroom]] who can take a shot or two.

These heavy leathers are the most common type of Ork armour, and Orks often use the [[Colorz|colour]] of their squigshade to show allegiance to a particular Clan or [[Warboss]]. Studded armour pieces are very primitive and barely provide any protection from weapons as weak as [[Stubber|Stubbers]], but Studded Armour is at the very least, lighter, simple to manufacture, cheap to maintain and incredibly flexible even when compared to Flak Armour.

{{40k-Armor}}

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Orks]]

Holo-Suit

2023-06-01T12:13:57Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Holo-Suit_2.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Smile and take one for the team.]]
A Holo-Suit is your basic 'armour' worn by everyone's favourite [[Harlequins|psycho-cirque du soleil acrobats]]. True to their name, Holo-Suits incorporate similiar technology to Holo-Fields and it is designed to [[Troll|fuck with your enemy's sensors ''and'' senses.]]

== Overview ==

A Holo-Suit or ''dathedi'' (meaning "between colours" in the Aeldari Lexicon) is the trademark psychically activated bodysuit worn in place of the thick armour plates used by less advanced races.

As aforementioned, these things use Holo-Field technology which essentially breaks down the wearer's profile into a fractal lightstorm as they move; the faster they travel, the more pronounced the effect. So it is that a charging Harlequin appears as nothing more than an indistinct, prismatic storm that is a proverbial pain-in-the-ass to hit, allowing them to simply avoid blows that would otherwise lay them low.

When a Harlequin Player decides to stop behaving like a [[Dick]] and stop moving, his/hers image coalesces back together into a solid image. It is for this reason that Holo-Suits are also known as a "jigsaw" or "domino fields". When the Harlequin stops moving the suit mimics the nearby terrain so that he/she seems to phase out of view.

Of course if actually hit, they provide as much protection as a [[Wychsuit]], [[Fail|which is none at all.]] Probably shouldn't rely on holofields against an opponent that fights by [[Imperial Guard|blanketing]] the battlefield with artillery or [[Orks|spraying]] a cloud of lead down range without much in the way of aiming.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Holo-Suit.JPG
Holo-Suit_Shadowseer.JPG|<center>[[Shadowseer]]</center>
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Harlequins]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Ghostplate Armour

2023-06-01T12:13:36Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Ghostplate_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Forcefields. Why Dark Eldar are always better than Craftworlders.]]

Armour worn only by the biggest, baddest, spikiest and [[Asdrubael Vect|Dickest]] of [[Archon (Warhammer 40,000)|BDSM Space]] [[Murderhobos]]. As such, these suits of armour are incredibly gaudy and are of high craftsmanship. Only the most esteemed and/or feared of Dark Eldar could wear one. That or be a [[Kabalite Trueborn|Trueborn]] where you will automatically get access to the finest bits of the Dark Eldar armory, just because you weren't made in a vat. It doesn't have to include just the Archons you know.

They are the equivelent to the [[Eldar|Eldar's]] [[Phoenix Armour]].

== Overview ==

Ghostplate Armour is worn by [[Dark Eldar]] and favoured amongst Archons who wish to combine substantial protection with great mobility. They are sort of like the lesser [[Kabalite Armour]] worn by [[Kabalite Warriors]], but with more extra kinks up its sleeves.

The armour itself is fashioned from hardened resins containing pockets of [[Wat|lighter-than-air gas.]] Why this was done/designed so, we have no fucking idea. What, do the Archons [[Drug|huff fumes]] from these pockets to get high?

A propable answer would that these pockets of gas acts as shock absorbers. As a kinetic object hits the armour, force would be redistributed on said armour. Normal solid armour pieces like [[Flak Armour]] or [[Combat Armour]] would crack due to its rigidity as nothing would redistribute the kinetic force. However, the pockets of gas allows a 'cushion' to stretch and bend the armour piece, thereby redistributing a dangerous impact into something manageable, though that the gases are mentioned as being 'lighter than air' imply that they also help the thing weigh less (which is stupid since the amount of lift you get from that little gas, while not 0 is pretty damn close to 0). In a funny coincidence, the real life development of NERA (Non-Explosive Reactive Armor) actually shows the potential possibility of a plastic balloon blocking a shaped charge, though abuses of liquid or gas physics to fuck with kinetic energy in a combat capable platform outside of the laboratory is beyond us for now.

It also incorporates mini-forcefield projectors for additional protection because fuck it, [[Archon Tahril|top-knot]] over here wants to make sure he won't get extra backstabbed. Que more Skaven-levels of shenanigans.

Still, despite this, Ghostplate Armour still pales in comparison to the absolute chad energy that is the [[Incubus Warsuit]].

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Dark Eldar]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Incubus Warsuit

2023-06-01T12:13:22Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Awesome}}

[[File:Incubi_Warsuit.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Armour so awesome, it makes [[Exarch Armour]] look impotent.]]

The Incubus Warsuit is an upgrade to the more commonly worn [[Kabalite Armour]]. These guys are the equivelent of the [[Eldar|Elfdar's]] [[Aspect Armour]], only, not as [[Gay]] and filled with absolute [[Awesome|Win.]] They are also hella exclusive, [[Incubi|only the edgeboys of the Dark Shrines]] are allowed to wear one. [[Aspect Warrior|No flying, magical kung-fu dipshits allowed,]] they are icky.

== Overview ==

These are the [[Awesome|chads]] of Eldar armour. '''Period'''. That includes Craftworlds, Dark Eldar and Harlequins. This is because these suits are full fledged [[Power Armour]]. Not your prissy little prancy [[Mesh Armour]] that folds over under heavy fire. No, these motherfuckers can tell [[Bolters]] to fuck itself and laugh off hits that could even make the ceramite-laden Astartes Power Armour smile in respect.

As such, because of its overall unique nature of being an actual power armour, only the best of the best of Dark Eldar warriors who passed the test in the Dark Shrines are allowed the privledge to wear one.

This warsuit is used only by Incubi and its use is so exclusive that not even ''[[Archon (Warhammer 40,000)|Archons]]'' have access to this kind of armoury (Unless that Archon wants to get a [[Ferrus Manus|Incubi-special Viking crew cut]]). The warsuit is the toughest Eldar armour set and so perfectly designed it barely inhibits dexterity at all. Which makes it both [[Awesome|light, flexible ''and'' powerful.]] If you wanna know why Incubi kicks so much ass, now you know.

It is unknown what these warsuits are made off, but it wouldn't surprise us if it is constructed out of the tears of Craftworlders and something less prancy like [[Wraithbone]].

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Incubus.jpg
800px-KlaivexMini2.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Dark Eldar]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Wychsuit

2023-06-01T12:13:10Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Promotions}}

[[File:Wychsuit.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Bend over and call me mummy.]]

The Wychsuit (AKA [[/d/|battle bikinis, war-thongs, BDSM-latex leotards, stripperific gimpsuits, /tg/'s number 1 fap material, jiggle physics]]) are the (in)famous [[Slaanesh|'combat attire']] of the [[Wyches|Hekatarii Wych Cults.]] As such, they possibly have the worst 'armour' in the entire setting.

== Overview ==

In [[Dark Eldar]] society, Wyches wear little ([[NSFW|If any]]) clothing to best show off their skin and...''[[PROMOTIONS|assets]]'' to the bloodthirsty and horny-as-fuck crowds in the gladiatorix.

However, in an actual raid or battle, they obviously don't apply to anything other than making the [[Dick|loins of weak-willed men quiver in confused arousal]]. While this literal [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] of a 'warsuit' may work wonders against the dregs of the Imperium, it becomes increasingly worthless to the more...[[Eldar|celibate]] [[Khorne|and/or]] [[Space Marine|sexually impotent]] [[Tyranids|forces]] in the galaxy.

Rather, to somehow get around this, these flexible bodygloves has been designed to particularly protect one side of the wearers body (usually the side they most often expose to their opponents) whilst the other side has sections cut away, baring naked flesh. While the light weight makes Wyches scary fast and agile, the whole design kind of falls flat on its face when they have to eat a face full of artillery barrages.

At the very least, they make some great snuff-grade porno for all your /d/eviant needs.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
1350258_5exualyeti_dark-eldar-wych.png|Don't you wanna have you heads popped between her thighs...
H5g8Z1ni_2405201143001gpadd.jpg|Fighting in panties have never felt this good...
43916_8d2aa7939980ee98a77f648660758421.jpg|Lelith Hesperax about to give the Nids a new form of [[Dick|ejaculating bio-weapon]]...
Lelith-Hesperax-Dark-Eldar-Aeldari-Warhammer-40000-5901262.jpeg|Fig 1. The face of a man who just saw Lelith's cameltoe.
Warhammer-40000-фэндомы-Dark-Eldar-Witch-1102184.jpeg|Some fa/tg/uys dream is to be smothered in her leo.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Dark Eldar]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Aspect Armour

2023-06-01T12:12:36Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Aspect_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Protective ''and'' stylish.]]
The [[Carapace Armour]] to the [[Mesh Armour|Mesh Armour's]] [[Flak Armour]].

Aspect Armour is manufactured by the Eldar for use by their specialist [[Aspect Warriors]]. They use psychic engineering to construct a psycho-sensitive material which reacts instantly to movement by the wearer and moulds and reshapes itself to provide a tight fit, making it ideal for combat.

It stiffens on impact much like Mesh Armour although it also includes further rigid plating to reinforce it further. [[Dark Reapers]], [[Shining Spears]], [[Striking Scorpions]], [[Warp Spiders]] and [[Fire Dragons]] all have heavier plate armour for improved protection when compared to [[Dire Avengers]], [[Howling Banshees]] and [[Swooping Hawks]], each one needing the extra manoeuvrability lost when using heavier armour.

One thing that is special and exclusive for the Warp Spiders is that they gain access to '''Phase Armour''', granted, it is only available for their Exarchs. But Phase Armour is a sub-category of Aspect Armour which allows them to shift themselves, and all units around them, out of phase with the physical realm. They are not able to attack, but as long as they stay phased they are invulnerable from harm.

'''Heavy Aspect Armour''' is another sub-category that incorporates thick armoured plates but retains great flexibility and is known to be among the best in the galaxy.

<gallery>
DireAvengers01.jpg|Dire Avengers
99810104006 DarkReaperNEW 01.jpg|Dark Reapers
99810104011 FireDragonsNEW 01.webp|Fire Dragons
99810104009 HowlingBansheesNEW 01.jpg|Howling Banshees
Shadow Spectres Aspect Warrior Squad2.jpg|Shadow Spectres
99810104007 StrikingScorpionsNEW 01.webp|Striking Scorpions
99810104010 SwoopingHawksNEW 01.webp|Swooping Hawks
99810104008 WarpSpidersNEW 01.webp|Warp Spiders
</gallery>

== Exarch Armour ==

[[File:Exarch_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|It's Marvel's Destroyer Armour Lite.]]

An upgrade to Aspect Armour. Exarch Armour is specialized armour worn only by Eldar Exarchs.

These fighting suits are of a superior version worn by ordinary members of the Warrior Aspect and their great age means they preserve much ancient workmanship, long-abandoned decorative styles as well as various emblems and ornamentation that mean nothing to typical Eldar.

From their shrine, they take the spirit stone that houses the departed souls of past Exarchs whereupon they assumed a Sacred Name that is associated with the stone. This comes at a time when their spirit mingles with that of the spirit stone which has been part of the armour since its inception. The mind of its user becomes lost within the greater heroic beings that bear the Exarch's name with their memories as well as experiences of the past beginning to merge with their own. Thus, their life becomes just another stage in the long existence of the spirit stone as the heroic warrior is born once again in a new form.

As such, when a new Exarch wears their armour, their experiences and accumulated memories merge with that of the one present in the spirit stone. These combined experiences allow the user to understand the ancient weaponry and armour that they are using as well as give them general knowledge of ancient times when the original wearer lived. In this manner, the Eldar that wears the armour of an Exarch is initiated into the most closely guarded secrets of his/her kind, namely the origin of the Exarchs during the time of the Fall itself.

<gallery>
DAexarch.jpg|Dire Avenger
DR_Exarch.JPG|Dark Reaper
FireDragonExarch.jpg|Fire Dragon
HBExarch1.jpg|Howling Banshee
SHexarch.jpg|Swooping Hawk
SpectreExarchMini.png|Shadow Spectre
SSExarch.jpg|Striking Scorpion
SSExarch1.jpg|Shining Spear
WSexarch.jpg|Warp Spider
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Mesh Armour

2023-06-01T12:12:11Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[image:GuardianMeshArmor.png|200px|right|thumb|The Eldar's [[Flak Armor]]. Looking more like a toy than a suit of war.]]
''For the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium]] version, see here: [[Imperial Mesh Armour]]''

Mesh Armour is the most common type of armour worn over by the majority of the [[Eldar]]. They are constructed primarily out of tens of thousands of individual pieces of thermoplas interwoven to produce a dense material resembling reptile scales or chainmail. It is unknown whether they could be crafted or is crafted out of [[Wraithbone]].

== Overview ==

Unlike Imperial powered armour, which is designed to shrug and deflect shots (hence its bulkiness); mesh armour instead becomes momentarily rigid when hit, so as to scatter the force of a hit throughout the armour, weakening the overall impact of a hit the wearer takes. The thermoplas is also supposedly heat-resistant, making it effective against energy-based weapons like plasma or lasers (not that you'd notice crunch-wise).

The material is psychically sensitive, automatically reacting to the wearer's movements and thoughts to maintain a glove-tight fit as they move and fight. Guardian mesh armour also contains additional features, including an independent air supply and heat-sensing lenses.

While this doesn't seem like much protection, keep in mind that the Eldar are capable of such rapid movement and reaction that its only matched by [[Space Marine|superhumans]], [[Slaanesh|followers of the cocaine god(dess)]], [[Dark Eldar|and their edgier brethren]], along with the standard Eldar doctrine of emphasizing on mobility and precision. Hence, Mesh armor isn't really designed to withstand withering amounts of damage like how marine armor works; its designed to keep the wearer agile, yet still sufficiently protected. It's also possible to simply glance hits, with angled impacts deflecting and splattering away.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Wraithskin Suit

2023-06-01T12:11:42Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Awesome}}
{{Heresy}}
[[File:InfernusAbomination.jpg|250px|right|thumb|[[Original character, do not steal|Marvel called. They want their Symbiote back.]]]]
A pretty new and [[awesome]] piece of [[Daemon|Daemonic-wear]] that appears to be the only piece of armour a [[Daemon]] from [[Chaos]] wears. Wraithskin Suits are by function, the [[Warp|Immataerium]]'s answer to a [[Bodyglove]].

==Overview==
Wraithskin Suits are worn only by the [[Infernus Abomination]] for some reason. No other Daemon has been seen wearing something like that. Like the aforementioned Bodyglove, the Wraithskin Suit is less armor and more secondary skin.

Nevertheless, the Suit does give the Infernus Abomination additional benefits other than making him look like he just stepped out of red paint. For one, Wraithskin Suits override their neural impulses and warps their body, pushing them beyond human limits to become the perfect killer. Whether this means regular old Joes could wear it too is unknown, but we do know that it enhances the physical strength, speed and reflexes akin to the [[/v/|Crysis Suit]].

For another, the Wraithskin Suit, like their wearer, is forever amorphous, meaning that finding the right size isn't an issue. Although it is sort of creepy given that the Suit behaves like it is a semi-sentient piece of slime, akin to that of a [[/co/|Venom Symbiote]].

Overall, fucking [[awesome|baller]].

{{40k-Armor}}

Flak Armour

2023-06-01T12:09:34Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{awesome}}
[[File:IG_Flak.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Everyone's favourite T-shirt armour.]]

{{Topquote|Emperor protect my soul, ﬂak protect the rest. |Common Imperial Guard saying}}

'''Flak Armour''' (aka T-Shirts) is the most common form of [[Armor]] employed by the [[Imperium of Man]] and especially the [[Imperial Guard]]. Cheap and easy to make and manufacture by the average Imperial world, it is composed of multiple layers of ablative material, shock resistant material and ballistic textiles. Some layers commonly used include Carbon-fibre, Plasfibre and Thermoplas strips, although a number of specialised materials can be integrated in non-standard suits.

A flak vest consists of a skeleton of lightweight, flexible metal. This skeleton is then wrapped in multiple layers of a high-tensile fabric that is the main protective component of the armour. After multiple layers of fabric are affixed to the skeleton,the vest is given its toughened outer shell. The same principle is used in the production of Guardsman helmets and bracers. Guards for knees and legs are also produced. Thermal-absorbent materials, applied to reduce the thermal signature of the infantry, help with staying invisible during night recon missions. Rarer still, Cameleoline is incorporated into the outermost layer of some Imperial Guard Regiments' fatigues providing yet more concealment.

Fairly similar to modern body armor in regards of rough construction, though the materials are more advanced. It is resistant to shrapnel and stab attacks done by human combatants armed with regular knife while offering pretty good protection against bullets from [[Stubber|combustion guns]] and glancing (or direct, lore varies) hits from directed energy weapons comparable in power to a [[Lasgun]]. Might sound unimpressive but keep in mind that it can stop anything short of an anti-vehicle weapon like anything with the word "heavy" or "missile" in its name. Bolters, too, which are basically dramatically larger versions of modern anti-tank rifles with rocket propelled explosive bullets.

== How Good Is It? ==
[[image:IG Flak Armor.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Arguably the most common type of flak armor in the 40k universe, based off the Cadian Shock Troopers standard gear. Noticeably lacking in the wiener department, and oddly doesn't protect the belly quite as well as the thorax.]]
For example, modern Earth ballistic vests, constructed from Aramids like Kevlar, are either light weight vests that provide reasonable protection only against shrapnel and weaker rounds, such as .45 and 9mm, up to .357 and .44 Magnum or poor penetrating (will stop a shotgun slug but will result cracked and broken ribs at most, bruising like Mike Tyson punched you at the least), or heavy ballistic vests that equip heavier hard armour inserts that provide more coverage and withstand more powerful rounds, all the way up to armour piercing sniper rounds (at 7.62 mm / .30-06 caliber), assuming the wearer has some sort of metal or ceramic insert and can endure 3-12 shots from modern assault rifles before shattering depending on generation). Even then, modern body armor, composed of ceramic, titanium, and ballistic fiber at its finest, is useless against heavy machine gun to autocannon caliber ammunition (12.7 mm / .50 BMG and above) with, at best, a glancing hit to the best armored points "only" shattering bones rather than blowing limbs off.

According to lore, Flak armour gives a chance to not only survive a couple of impacts from a light machine gun or several from autoguns, but the wearer remains able to continue fighting (assuming it hits the chest piece), all while not weighing down the soldier significantly. When dealing with a local rebellion or facing pirates, bandits, [[Necromunda|hive-gangsters]] or the rag tag forces of the [[lost and the damned]], a suit of flak armour is an [[Emperor]]-send and often means the difference between survival and a gruesome death. After all, it's said that any stubber at and below rifle caliber will ([[skub|supposedly]]) not pierce any part of the Flak Armour. So, in theory, Flak Armor makes you much harder to cut down, and fluffwise, it has also been said a laspistol will not defeat the chest armor. There are two thing to note: First Stubbers are ''THE'' most common type of weapon in the entire galaxy. Their ease of construction and maintenance means that they are the most likely weapons the Guard would most likely face. Flak Armour is known to deflect Autogun rounds (8.25mm bullets ("8mm Mauser" used 8.22mm bullets)) from a certain angle via the sloping effect, so it would most likely tank a direct hit of the much smaller bullets chambered to fire in primitive stubbers. The second is that of course lasguns are not ballistic weapon but energy weapons, so the requirement's to "deflect" a lasgun shot are different from that of a conventional weapon. That it can do both feats at once is no small accomplishment. (<s>Though it is noted to only stop ''glancing'' hits from a Lasgun - a laspistol is significantly lower power than your average Lasgun</s> lore has both glancing and direct hits, likely depending on pattern of both lasgun and armor, pistols in the lore have the same power as the full gun but shorter range, which is why they are mostly reserved for officers as that's very advanced tech.) However, it may be that the angle that it is hit at simply gives enough protection to block a shot.

Note that autoguns are to stubbers what 21st century guns are to WW2 small arms (and can be anything from caseless ammo to rail or gauss automatic weapons to rifles using gravity manipulating technology) and stubbers other than handcannons and heavy stubbers are outright incapable of penetrating flak armor at any range and from any angle and this also extends to the flak shirt and flak pants worn by tunnel rat regiments and potentially what is worn under the armor of all Guardsmen. Flak armor and lasguns are almost uniquely used by the Imperial Guard whereas nearly all rebels and cultists they fight use either mesh armor, armor weave, scrap plate that might eat a stub pistol, or nothing and usually wield stubbers and maybe a few autoguns. Since about eighty percent of the Guard only ever fights rebels and cultists, this makes the average Guardsman practically a Space Marine to his normal enemies which is part of the reason why flak armor and lasgun are standard issue instead of carapace or powered armor. There simply is no point in spending the money to issue better weapons and armor when you're practically invulnerable and invincible to your normal enemies already. When there is something like a WAAAGH!!! or Black Crusade or whatever else, just throw more men at it and lots and lots of tanks and artillery. Since the average Guardsman is nearly invincible against the average rebel or cultist, there are many armored and artillery regiments available to throw at space horrors. It all works out pretty well unless you're one of the ground pounders who has to keep pressure on an anti-tank position while being shredded by anti-infantry you also have to keep busy while your own heavy support gets into position without being killed so they can save your ass so the tanks can come and kill everything. But hey, that's what conscripts and especially [[Penal legion]]s are for. Literally.

Also, keep in mind that most aliens the Imperium fights are less advanced than the Imperium. Usually, flak armor and lasgun is sufficient even without overwhelming numbers. Basically, ninety percent of the time the Imperial Guard is to the alien threat of the day what the Tau are to the Imperial Guard (but with more tank and less weeaboo) combined with overwhelming numbers. They really only face a challenge when fighting a true Chaos invasion, occasional non-Chaos human renegades and/or pirates, lost human colonies who never met the Imperium before and thought they could take it on, Tyranids, Necrons, Orks, and whatever flavor of Eldar (or a minor xenos faction advanced enough like the Fra'al or Tau, which is very rare). Ultimately, the average Guardsman is no joke. There are literal trillions of them, and this is a low estimate. If only the cheap power armor STC were found. Oh wait, it was but the Ecclesiarchy kept it from the Mechanicus. '''Thanks guys!'''

A standard-issue Imperial Flak Vest is rated to stop a lasgun blast outside of close-range. And, assuming we are using relatively high-end calcs of lasguns firing at 19 "megathule" laser pulse, meaning a Flak Vest can stop a 19 megajoule laser dead in its tracks. Assuming "megathule" is a 40kism of "megajoule".

To put that in perspective, one of the most powerful AT guns in WWII was the German 12.8cm Pak 44, which was basically a naval artillery gun on wheels (or tracks). This gun was powerful enough to kill buildings, let alone tanks, and it had so much penetration that it was basically impossible to carry enough armor to stop it. The 12.8cm Pak 44 had a muzzle energy of just under 13 megajoules.

'''HOWEVER''', we need to take [[Skub|careful note]] that Lasguns have a literal dial-a-yield setting. It is more likely that the average lasgun have its damage output in line with the average autogun (essentially modern 21st century rifles and the literal ballistic counterpart to the Lasgun with higher penetration but lower stopping power), with certain [[Heresy|unorthodox]] Guardsmen increasing their Lasgun firepower to that of Heavy Stubber capability (AKA .50cal) at the expanse of increasing wear and tear deterioration on the Lasgun's optics and pissing off the local [[Enginseer]]. After all, there is a reason why [[Lasgun#Long-Las|Long-Las snipers]] have to carry multiple spare barrels, <s>since their Long-Las is fixed permanently in the maximum power settings</s> because long-las fire the entire charge of a hotshot power pack in one blast.

Moreover, lasers have the unfortunate side effect of optical dispersion. At longer range, the photons inside a lasgun would disperse either due interacting with particles in the air, hitting microbial matter or simply lacking zero-mass to retain its focus. In a nutshell, at a certain distance, the light from a lasgun would have dispersed to such a degree that it would feel like a warm summer heat a kilometre away from the original firing point. Think of it this way for better context, a laser pointer from Earth would have a diameter of around 500 meters when aimed at the surface of the Moon. In order to keep the laser focused, it would require a bigger and more powerful generator to keep the photons together from dispersing apart. Ergo, even if the Guard are fighting enemies with lasgun equivalents, if they do not know about light dispersion, normal Flak Armour would be sufficient in protecting the wearer at longer ranges.

With all that said and done, assuming every Lasgun has its fire settings switched to maximum, it is no wonder that the commonality of Lasguns makes it more odd to NOT see the usage of Flak armor in the hands of Imperial soldiers. And that equipment is considered sub-par in 40k. (This was partly paraphrased and partly quoted from user Rofl Tank in a YouTube comment about the Imperial Guard). Keep in mind that if a guardsmen was hit with a '13 megajoule' shot they would likely have every internal organ scrambled and sent flying back as the flak armor kept it from penetrating, but that energy had to still go somewhere. As is often the case when it comes to armor, the man is the point of failure. Assuming, of course, that the energy capture of the armor is terrible, which would be very 40k. But if it performs like modern plates, it should take it with little complaint.

Flak armor comes in incredible variety. Some even have carapace armor sewn into them. There are also types of carapace armor that are technically a variant of flak due to being flak armor with sheathes plates of carapace in varying thickness and number can be inserted or removed. Art Almost always portrays flak armor with cracks and craters in it, making for very [[Catachan_Jungle_Fighters|weird implications]] as to what common flak armor actually is. While tabletop has its crunch, lore flak armor is largely unpredictable.

== Why It Kinda Sucks ==

That said, when it comes to protecting its user from guns which shoot [[Bolter|19.05mm APHE rocket bullets]], [[Shuriken Catapult|hyper-sonic monomolecular ninja stars]], [[Plasma|bolts of compressed plasma]] as hot as a star's core designed to penetrate tank armor, [[Gauss|molecular disassembling beams]] which can break down virtually any material into their constituent atoms, and similar weapons which are the standard equipment of many factions of [[Warhammer 40000]]'s tabletop game, flak is of little more use than a common [[Meme|T-shirt]]. Of course, if they miss, and shrapnel is thrown, the armor will probably save you, which is its purpose anyway.

Flak armour is also fairly cost efficient; it offers some protection in combat while costing less to produce, ship, and maintain than the soldier wearing it. This becomes less true as the armour becomes more complex. The quality of flak armor also varies wildly between manufacturers. Flak armor made on Mars, for example, would likely be space magic.

Also, most enemies are going to be suppressed by the large quantity and concentration of heavy weapons used by the Imperial Guard even without considering the platoon support weapons such as heavy stubbers and the squad special weapons. This enables Guardsmen (were they real) to get close to enemy positions and wipe their foes away with close-range lasgun fire. Since lasgun penetration radically increases the closer they get, this would logically be highly effective. So, most Guardsmen need to to be far more concerned with indirect fire than being hit by enemy infantry directly and flak armor protects very well from indirect weapons such as explosives and shrapnel. Remember, there are literally countless Guardsmen but only "millions die every day" in the Imperial Military as a whole. There is a reason for that.

In short, think of Guardsmen as suppressors for tanks against anti-tank threats and spotters for artillery (from man-portable mortars to the biggest of kablooie). Which means more than flak armor would usually be pointless (if you don't care about the lives of individuals that is, and the Imperium [[Grimdark|neither cares nor can afford to]]). Soldiers specialized in directly attacking enemy positions wear radically superior armor and weapons; some of the best in the galaxy in fact, even in the Imperium. The average Guardsman, though, is purely supplemental to the vehicles and mostly needed for manning defensive positions in taken territory and telling big guns and missiles where to shoot while gunning down whoever is stupid/insane/scary dogmatic alien mindset enough to rush at them. Much like how modern infantry functions.

The next grade up is [[Carapace Armor]]. Which is actually a very large leap in quality. From a reasonable infantry armor sufficient against small arms to an infantry armor capable of tanking self-propelled small cannon shells. There is also an intermediate armor infrequently used called Combat Armor. This is light carapace plates covered in cameleoline and the light carapace is mounted atop flak armor. Said cameleoline makes it incredibly good at camouflage, so a particularly lucky veteran sniper may find themselves in one.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:IG_Flak_Armor_Sergeant.jpg
File:IG_Flak_and_Carapace_Armors_ft_Medic.png|Flak and Carapce armours.
File:Guardsman_by_mrmao.jpg| An interpretation of a Guardsman's BDU and equipment.
File:Streumon-studio-shdw-s-chap02d-games-workshop.jpg|Mannequins wearing abandoned Flak Armor from [[Space Hulk: Deathwing]]
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Armour]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Imperial Guard]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Lost and the Damned]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Orks]]

{{40k-Armor}}

Bodyglove

2023-06-01T12:08:26Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Vindicare_Model.PNG|200px|right|thumb|[[/d/|Rigorously sculpting the contours of an Assassin's ass since the 31st Millennium!]]]]
A Bodyglove is basically a giant skintight onesie that [[count as]] as a form of Imperial armour that is woven from impact-resistant micro fibres, which provide basic protection and can be worn under heavier armour. The most common users of these are members of the [[Officio Assassinorum]], more of which can be read below.

===Panoply of the Assassin===

The aforementioned Assassin Bodyglove. The Panoply of the Assassin is a type of synthetic Bodyglove, that the Imperial Assassins have worn since the [[Great Crusade]].

It is part of the standardized equipment each Clade gives to their Assassins, the Panoply offers environmental protection and temperature regulation. The Bodyglove also provides chroma-syncronisation with its surroundings to aid in concealing the Assassins and incorporates a neuro-linked system of responsive fibre bundles. This allows the Panoply to stretch and contract to enhance the Assassins' musculature and dynamically rearranging their molecular structure to temporarily form a hyper-hardened carapace.

The Bodygloves can dissipate and reabsorb the energy of kinetic shocks as well, allowing Assassins to free-fall from great heights and deflect shell impacts and shrapnel without harm. Combined with the rigorous battle training and combat conditioning that each Assassin undergoes, the result is an Officio Assassinorum operative that can far exceed the capabilities of a mortal Human on the battlefield. Still, it is no way comparable to [[Power Armour]] or [[Carapace Armour]], so an Assassin must avoid all combat if necessary (Unless you're an [[Eversor]], in which case, ''please'' [[RIP AND TEAR|engage in all known combat when necessary]]).
<gallery>
Adamus1.jpg
Callidus_Model.PNG
Culexus_Model.PNG
Eversor_Model.PNG
Vanus_Model.PNG
Venenum_Model.PNG
</gallery>
{{40k-Armor}}

Malal

2023-06-01T11:46:54Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Malal-symbol.gif|center]]
{{heresy}}
[[File:Lord_malal_by_morporg-d78ectd.jpg|400px|right|thumb|topquote| The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. -Verbal Kint, The Usual Suspects]]
<div style="font-size:1.10em;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-family:serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em">404 ERROR! PAGE NOT FOUND! THE PAGE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR WAS EITHER DELETED OR MISSING! - The Script of Malal on Himself'''</div>
{{topquote|... and he that went before now came last, and that which was white and black and all direction was thrown against itself. Grown mightily indignant at the words of the Gods, Malal did turn his heart against them and flee into the chambers of space... And no man looked to Malal then, save those that serve that which they hate, who smile upon their misfortune, and who bear no love save for the damned. At such times as a warrior's heart turns to Malal, all Gods of Chaos grow fearful, and the laughter of the Outcast God fills the tomb of space...|from The Great Book of Despair.}}
{{topquote|There is no greater evil than anarchy.|Sophocles}}

=="Chaos Divided"==
===Malal===
[[File:Malal.jpg|300px|right|thumb|What Malal ''might'' look like...if he actually wants us to believe that he exists in the first place.]]
The character Malal was created in [[The Citadel Journal]] for second edition [[Warhammer Fantasy]] by John Wagner and Alan Grant as the patron of the [[Warriors of Chaos]] character [[Kaleb Daark]], who allied with the forces of good to fight Chaos while pursuing his own goals by confronting Khornates and Skaven using his soul-drinking magic axe called the [[Daemon_Weapon#Dreadaxe|Dreadaxe]]. He was sent by Malal to assassinate one of the [[Chaos God of Law]] Arianka to prove himself worthy, a story which continued in three chapters. In 1986 Kaleb and his mount were given stats in Journal and his miniature was advertised, and it along with the fourth chapter were never released for unknown reasons ("creative differences" is all that was ever revealed). Malal was referenced in several other Games Workshop works, with the [[Ogre Kingdoms]] character Skrag the Slaughterer originally being a worshipper of him (later retconned to [[Great Maw]] instead) who was cast out from his tribe for stealing an axe made of "starmetal" (later retconned to cooking his chief's favorite [[Gnoblar]]), escaping to a [[Chaos Dwarf]] hold to force them to forge him armor before slaughtering all of them, followed up by a skirmish scenario called "The Crude, the Mad and the Rusty" where the surviving Chaos Dwarf plus two Goblin Fanatics and a golem fight against him. The first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] states he is a rogue Chaos God who wants to destroy the Four, a Champion of Malal is killed by the protagonist in a short story found in the [[Ignorant Armies]] short story novels, and the [[Chaos Marauders]] cardgame had a card which depicted [[Beastmen]] preparing to fight other Chaos beings.

All in all, Malal was designed as an anti<s>hero</s> villain side to Chaos who is beneficial to the side of Order but is too Chaotic Evil for any being to trust, and actively drains both friend and enemy of energy to feed himself. Serving him is advancing oblivion, fighting him is to be annihilated. Any infighting on the part of Chaos resulted in Malal growing in power, essentially introducing the concept of total war to the Warp entities. Only by cooperating and shifting their attention to the mortal realm could the other Chaos Gods escape his influence, where they found his minions waiting for them. He may've been the strongest god in the setting, or at least the most dangerous, as all the other gods feared and hated him.

During the year 1987 Wagner and Grant experienced a falling out over several comics they were producing at the time including Judge Dredd and work for DC Comics as well as several works for smaller publishers. This was followed by a sudden scramble for rights earned by them during their time creating for different companies and resulted in them suing Games Workshop for total ownership of Kaleb and Malal. Games Workshop had hired them for freelance work rather than as actual employees meaning Wagner & Grant technically owned the characters they created. If Games Workshop ever used Malal again, they would either have to pay a royalty fee or enter into a lawsuit over the ownership of the character, which they surprisingly never did. Malal was only used once more, in the [[The Dying of the Light]] campaign where a Chaos sorcerer of [[Tzeentch]] named Heinrich Bors switches to Malal in order to have control over his own fate again.
[[File:Malal and Kaleb.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Malal's (only) "canon" appearance and I have to say, for something that ''technically'' doesn't exist he looks pretty good.]]
Although technically owning Malal and Kaleb, neither author has done anything with the characters, as Wagner continues to mostly write Judge Dredd while Grant now works on zombie-related stories. Despite the lengths to which /tg/ will go to bring attention to [[Pretend|evidence]] of Malal's existence in the canon, he is <strike>strictly</strike> arguably fanon for now. It's worth pointing out that Malal was "reconnected" out of Warhammer ''Fantasy,'' and that was before 40K was even a thing. He was never canon to 40K until the Sons of Malice came around (see below). That said, he still has fan popularity along with the equally oldass [[Chaos Gods of Law]], and he appeared in Hogshead Publishing material at least as late as the 1990s.

Zuvassin the Undoer and Necoho the Doubter were created by Games Workshop to replace Malal in the "The Enemy Within" adventure for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay during the "Something Rotten In Kislev" campaign.

Zuvassin and Necoho together represent the same thing that Malal did, the concept of Chaos destroying itself and Khorne, Tzeentch, Slaanesh, and Nurgle plus the Chaos Gods of Order each falling prey to the primordial nothingness they emerged from in the same way the mortals do into them.
[[File:Kaleb_Daark_CJ86.jpg|thumb|right|300px| [[Kaleb Daark]] in all his "glory." Yes, he's a brooding, basically albinistic bad-guy-who-fights-evil in the name of Chaos using a demonic sword and therefore just Elric.]]
Zuvassin and Necoho were only given a second mention, listed as Chaos Gods in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay supplement "Tome Of Salvation".

===Zuvassin===
'''Zuvassin''' is a rogue Chaos God who undoes the plans of any being, Chaos or not, including [[Tzeentch]]. He accepts all followers for all reasons and doesn't issue instructions since his followers should technically be working to subvert them, so that anything Zuvassin gets involved in becomes a complete mess where nothing can be predicted and everything goes wrong for everyone to varying degrees. This makes him the only Chaos God who truly embodies the concept of "Chaos" - or at least "Chaos-as-anarchy".

Any time you could make a list of possible outcomes for any given thing, and then draw in Zuvassin, the [[Not as Planned|"INCONCEIVABLE"]] result will occur; a coin will fall through a portal into another dimension and land on all surfaces at once, a six-sided dice will crack in half and reveal a 7 and 8 inside, and both factions in a battle will somehow end the day with more soldiers than they began with. Interestingly in the “Something Rotten in Kislev” scenario he first appeared in Zuvassin was noted to have a special magical artifact dedicated to him in the form of a furnace that if used correctly could burn away chaos mutations and turn mutants and [[Beastmen]] into normal humans…or it would simply incinerate them if they rolled badly.

What is heavily implied to be a worshipper of Zuvassin appears in the [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]] novel "Shadespire: The Mirrored City". A Chaos Warrior named '''Zuvass''', who describes himself as a worshipper of a "minor god" when a [[Khorne]] worshipping protagonist notes he cannot "smell" the mark of any of the Four Great Gods on him despite his obvious allegiance to Chaos, is a major character in the story. Fittingly all of his schemes ultimately seem to amount to screwing over everybody else. Including quite possibly himself, as its implied he's the future version of the protagonist after a time loop.

Zuvassin also appears in [[Total War: WARHAMMER|Total War: WARHAMMER III]], specifically in [[God-Slayer|God-Slayer's]] campaign. In one event one of Daniel's cultists can help you communicate with that Rogue Chaos God and receive his blessing, as he considers you quite useful in the disrupting the balance of Chaos.

===Necoho===
Necoho is the god of contradictions and paradoxes, and represents the "Chicken or the Egg" question where the supernatural exists and doesn't. He fights against the concept of belief and faith and as a result is the enemy of all spiritual creatures and faithful worshipers. He only ever actually appears as a simple mortal being and counts everyone and nobody to be his followers.

Necoho will one day bring about the end of the Chaos Gods when nothing left will worship them and they will cease to be. In the “Something rotten in Kislev” scenario he first appeared in the locals of a small Kislevite town started revering him in order to counterbalance Zuvassin’s more negative power. The player characters actually have to opportunity to destroy his altar…which he actually congratulates the player on. He then tells them however that since he’s still technically a Chaos god he still has to punish them by ordering them to build an altar for his inspection and it doesn’t even have to be a good one. The scenario outright says there’s a 70% chance he won’t even bother coming to check it out, a 20% chance he comes but just says “good enough” and a 10% chance he shows up but gets pissed at the shoddy quality of the altar and tries to turn the player inside out with his powers.

Surprisingly he’s still canon, the Age of Sigmar short story Auction of Blood mentions an antitheist tract called "The Revelations of Necoho, or the Light of Doubt".

===Legacy of Malal===
Both players and Eavy Metal painters alike continued to use Malal even if he had gone without a mention, and was still considered to be canon. The early days of the Warhammer forums had the discovery of Malal as something of a rite of passage for Chaos players as well. Malal paintjobs continued to show up in many [[Golden Demon]] competitions and Eavy Metal showcases alike.

===[[Be'lakor]]===
With the introduction of [[Mordheim]], a Cult of Chaos faction emerged that revolved around a character called the "Shadowlord", a being who was reputed to be a Chaos God of some kind and who had caused the ruin of the city. Many players believed him to be the return of Malal, and many early paintjobs for the Cult were in Malal's white and black skull motif. The story was later revealed to actually be a plot by Be'lakor, a mere [[Daemon Prince]] of [[Chaos Undivided]] who had wanted to escape the control of the Four and had made the ruined city his domain before realizing he had only traded one cage for a much smaller one, and slunk back to the laughter of the Four with his tail between his legs and a revisionist version of the story already in his head. In many ways Be'lakor was intended to replace Malal as the non-Four alternative to Chaos, although Games Workshop writers by this point had [[Skub|made Chaos the Mary Sue faction for so long that the concept of anything being a danger to them was laughable]]. Thus the idea of the "Chaos outsider" became just a whiny petulant part of Chaos that had managed to wreak great destruction in the mortal world while attempting, and failing, to give a black eye to his masters.

===Malice===
Malice was created for 3rd edition [[Warhammer 40000]] in the [[Chaos Space Marine]] Codex. A Chaos Space Marine Chapter in Malal's colors was shown under the name "[[Sons of Malice]]", with an axe identical to Kaleb Daark's, described as being 'created to kill other beings of Chaos.' They later got a short story in [[White Dwarf]] where a Sister of Battle discovers they were a loyalist Chapter who had apparently fallen to Chaos while still fighting for the Imperium, exalting in cannibalism & blood rituals and praising 'Malice' as the god of anarchy and fear. They then proceed to cannibalize the Sister and her group, and were exiled from the Imperium for their heresy, even as they continued fighting against the other forces of Chaos. But once again, Malice was never mentioned again, although his color scheme was repeated in subsequent works.

Though his followers show up in BFG Armada II. Following the fall of Cadia the Sons later attacked a fleet of fleeing Cadians at the battle of Faith’s Anchorage as revenge for Cadia’s part in the purging of the Sons home world. They were later chased off when a second Cadian fleet showed up backed by a [[Space Wolf]] strike cruiser.

===Canon/Archaon===
Malal/Zuvassin/Necoho/Malice have existed in a sort of limbo in canon for quite a long time. Technically they were never retconned, and "non-canon by exclusion" is a weak accusation as that would mean every character and every event must be mentioned every edition for them to remain canon. Many statements have been given saying the Chaos Gods only exist in the Four, although this was said both before and after each "Chaos God of Piss Off" was written meaning the statement has always been a false one anyway (this isn't even going into the huge clusterfuck that [[Age of Sigmar]] has made in trying to figure out who actually matters in Chaos, not counting [[Khorne|the one who gets all the new models]]).
Some people have taken on the perspective that the "Chaos God of Go Fuck Yourself" is a continually shifting being, more in flux than Tzeentch and that each incarnation is comparable to [[Doctor Who]] incarnations. In this interpretation, Malal is Zuvassin is Necoho is Malice, and there's more to come still (of course Peter Capaldi is the best one. No, Paul McGann is the best. <strike>''They're all the best. PREPARE FOR [[Skub|SKUB]]!''</strike>)

[[End Times]] and [[Age of Sigmar]] for [[Warhammer Fantasy]] both suggest that the concept of a fifth Chaos God is over with as in the leadup to the event Be'lakor snarked that the Chaos Gods of Law never existed and that only the Four exist, with everything belonging to them in the end. But his truthfulness is in doubt partially because even though he is the character who "never lies", this is only stated once in the 40k universe and that the reason he never lies is "because its boring", so as a result he's never been proven to really be a reliable narrator. It is also dubious because of the proven disconnect between [[Black Library]] and the actual army books, evidenced by massive contradictions during the event and the casual attitude of the writers, means that anything in said books must be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Regardless, during the event when every character (that Games Workshop remembered existed) played a part, no fifth Chaos God other than [[Horned Rat]] did anything which means he and his other selves may truly be non-canon.

[[Vermintide 2]]'s Chaos Wastes game mode has dialogue of Kruber mentioning he once heard that there are actually five Chaos Gods, which he heard from someone Saltzpyre "wouldn't know about". Saltzpyre shuts this down as being agreed upon by scholars at large as being nothing more than whimsy or falsehood.

In Age of Sigmar, [[Archaon]] is promoted to a Chaos God (remember that Fantasy and 40k share the same Warp which exists outside of time, so Archaon is now a Chaos God by technicality in 40k as well) representing the combined strength of the other Chaos Gods as the embodiment of [[Chaos Undivided]] (with the exception of Slaanesh's replacement in the Great Game, Horned Rat, whom he rejects) and his Black Library novel life goal is to destroy all gods and kings to let men control their own destiny and exalt in their own achievements in a spectacularly Ayn Rand way. Due to his rejection of the pretender [[Keeper of Secrets]] trying to take Slaanesh's position, Archaon himself wound up being the target of worship by former Slaaneshi who in turn are empowered by him as if Slaanesh was still around (which is not gameplay/story segregation as they still have their powers in the narrative as well) meaning that he's 1/4 of the way to his goal.
Although the actual army books state he is loyal to Chaos, the Black Library sources have his goals falling very much in line with the ideals of Malal, and in an accidental bit of extra-meta story extrapolation his contradiction in goal even fits into Necoho's sphere. Beyond that, Be'lakor (who styles himself as Archaon's creator and father) manipulated Archaon's entire early life, from a Warrior of Chaos raping his Empire mother and him becoming a devout priest of [[Sigmar]], to him losing his faith and becoming a being of pure evil who rejects both Sigmar's light and Be'lakor's blackness. This blend of light and dark fits quite well into Malal's scheme.

So it may be possible that Archaon is the latest incarnation of the Malal concept, albeit as a German rapeviking this time rather than a giant boar...thing or a fat old <strike>fedora</strike>trilby-tipper.

Archaon's endgame in Age is to somehow remove the new pantheon of Order (which includes Death and Destruction by technicality) from their Realms, which is very difficult because the "near infinite" planets that are the Realms are literally made of the old Winds of Magic (making them very chaotic and only really willing to obey the will of beings of a similar nature) with the very souls of those new gods at the cores. As a result Archaon is facing an uphill battle of trying to eliminate their armies (and all civilians, because this is Lord Edgemaster after all) then trap them and figure out a way to remove them without destroying the Realm itself all while battling against the rest of Chaos which periodically tries to backstab him despite them being his only supporters. If he achieves his goal, he will rule over all of reality (including whatever the fuck the Warp can fairly be called) as the sole being of any concept of power. It's likely that the Chaos Gods caught on to this and are using him in such a way that he will never make any gains in the grand strategic scale and thus sustain the Chaos Gods for eternity in an eternal stalemate as they amuse themselves at a greater scale than the Old World could.

===Malign===
[[Tony Ackland]] was one of the artists employed by early Games Workshop to create the illustrations for their supplements and books, and they tasked him to design the Daemons that would be the models for Malal's eventual inclusion into Warhammer Fantasy as an army. The Wagner/Grant debacle left Malal in limbo with Games Workshop having never produced a model, and as a result Ackland was technically the owner of the designs he created since, just like Wagner and Grant, he was only a freelancer who owned what he made.

Not knowing about the boar appearance decided on in the comics nor the white/black color scheme, Ackland's idea for Malal combined insects with a general Chaos mutant themes (as he was the artist to quite a bit of the original Chaos Mutant and [[Chaos Spawn]] images) to produce extremely surrealist combinations of man and beast in a lean and segmented nature, featuring skeletal motifs coincidentally.

He eventually released his designs to the public (seen below in the Gallery section), then created new versions which he assigned to an unknown being called "Malign" in order to have them produced by third-party companies for sale.

According to Ackland, his version of Malal was going to be very similar to Khorne in that the two were extremely violent and focused mainly on sending warriors into combat rather than any politicking. But his version of Malal was much more elite and fanatical than Khorne, describing Khorne as the Wehrmacht (German army) and Malal as the Nazi SS. Yes you read that right, Malal's troops would basically be [[Commissar|BLAMMMING]] [[Bloodletters]] for cowardice or harboring Elves.

===Malice (Pantheon Of Chaos)===
Ackland has proceeded to partner with various people including sculptor Diego Serrate Pinilla to create a new model range and eventual wargame, [[Pantheon Of Chaos]], which brings not only all of the Malal Daemons into production, but also all of Ackland's Warhammer Fantasy artwork he has ownership of.
Malal is known as Malice (because that's a public domain name), and is exactly as originally imagined.

So players who for years have wanted their very own Malal army now can have exactly that.

===Malal and the [[Tyranids|Tyranids]]===

When [[Rogue Trader]] was being devised and the creatures that would later form the [[Tyranid]] Hive Fleets with it, Malal was originally going to have (as had been conceived for WHFB) armies of insectoid and beast-like chimeras that would consume everything in their path, including themselves. This bought Malal's very special form of true-chaos to each game system as well as possibly the most horrific and alien of all 40K fauna.

After the planned narrative for the other four Chaos Gods to conspire to remove Malal from the warp in M36, all of them fearful that Malal was too powerful in the Great Game, Malal was to in fact be "killed" by being booted from the warp and into the material realm.

When Malal appeared in the material realm he moved into the void between galaxies, hidden from view to everyone, from the populations of the infinite galaxies of the universe that now surrounded him to the other Chaos gods themselves who were busy enjoying their assumed victory and continuing the great game. From this dark and empty space Malal devised a plan; he would create a new form of life, one that was capable of consuming all life in the material realm whilst feeding his own power. This life would then consume itself returning it's life-energy to the renegade god. In turn the Hive Fleets were born and Malal braved a sly smile.

Malal sent the fleets across the universe, entering galaxies and consuming all life and matter within; each galaxy consumed giving even more strength to the lost god hidden in the void.

Just before the 41st Millenium (Though the exact date varies throughout RT lore), Malal sent the Hive fleets into the Milky Way; slamming into the Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy. Since this initial conflict two other major hive fleets have also attacked and as the clock races rapidly towards the 42nd Millenium the galaxy finds itself assaulted from all sides by Malal's creatures.

If the Hive fleets succeed Malal will be boosted in his objective of re-ascending to the Immaterium as the most powerful god of the warp. Whether the renegade god will succeed is left open, but as the Hive Fleets continue to spread amongst the galaxies and worlds that make up the 40K universe, things do not look good for anyone, including the other Chaos Gods.

Sadly as Malal has gone from lore due to legal issues, so have the plans for his Tyranid organisms. They remain without a clear origin story. The last hint GW gave for Malal still being behind the tyranids was in 5th Ed when the tyranids were described as being "guided by a hidden intelligence far more powerful than even the norn-queens". Since then nothing, if anything, has really been said on the matter.

==/tg/ Fluff==
[[File:Painted Malice Guardian of Contradictions.jpg|400px|left|thumb|We have a painted model of a <s>Malal</s> <s>Malign</s> Malice Greater Daemon! Praise the true atheist god!]]
Followers of Malal are kind of like [[Chaos]] Agnostics. They doubt that anything exists, including the [[Emperor]], Chaos itself, and you. ''Especially '''you'''''. The Chaos Space Marines chapter known as the "Sons of Malice", with their alternating black/white colour scheme are as likely to kill Chaos Forces as anyone else on the field, except for each other.

Malal, when he was actually canon (the very fact that He's non-canon [[Not as Planned|makes him canon]]), was the Chaos God of Fear, Darkness, Anarchy, and batshit loony self-destructive urges; Chaos battling Chaos. This also made him the God of paradoxes, Radical Inquisitors and the like trying to turn Chaos against itself, and the outcast god since he was trying to buttfuck every other Chaos God and their followers. The thing about Malal was that even though he was one of the biggest personifications of Chaos there could be, he constantly tried to destroy Chaos and if he were ever successful in ending Chaos he could be destroyed as well. Not that this pants-on head crazy a-hole cared, as suicidal tendencies and teamkilling just became part of his portfolio instead. When Malal gets involved, the [[Great Game]] turns from [[Risk]] to [[Call of Cthulhu]] with [[Old Man Henderson]] as the head cultist.

Since Malal was supposed to be the antitheses of Chaos he had only a few champions, all of whom were supposed to be [[Cheese|STUPIDLY powerful]] and would go around bitch-slapping other Chaos champions with their anti-daemon daemon-axes of doom while wearing warp-resistant warp armor. The servants of Malal fight in utter silence, but that makes them way more badass than the rest of chaos. So yeah. They work with the forces of Order, but are fairly likely to engage in teamkilling to the degree that [[Orks]] are shocked by their sudden but inevitable betrayals.
Because of this followers of Malal have to already be balls to the wall nuts and have superhuman will. Malal's trademarks were black and white bisecting armor and a horned skull equally bisected black and white. His sacred number was 11. His signature weapon was the Dreadaxe which was a daemon weapon made out of a [[derp|Daemon that hates Daemons]], and it looked like a pterodactyl head on a stick. You can still find examples of this weapon in the CSM 3.5 dex and in Your [[Matt Ward|Spiritual Liege]]'s wonderful fluff assassin of a Codex: [[Grey Knights]].

Malal has a fortress in the Chaos Wastes in Warhammer Fantasy where he captures and [[trolls]] Greater Daemons by trapping them for all eternity unable to do whatever it is that they embody. This one [[Keeper of Secrets]] he has, for example, is caught in a field that nullifies all sensation so it can't indulge in cocaine fueled sex parties with [[Doomrider]], thus eternally pissing off said daemon forever in the only way that works. He also put a [[Great Unclean One]] in a vat of disinfectant; blinded and binded a [[Lord of Change]] and put him in a stasis-field; and locked a [[Bloodthirster]] in an indestructible zen garden.

Unlike his brother gods he is capable of entering the materium/Warhammer World through demonic possession if his followers had enough sacrifices, but since his followers rarely manage to not kill each other long enough to make headway towards any particular goal it mostly falls to his Champions to get shit done.

In Age of Sigmar, Malal actually controls the space between the Realms and decides when the Realmgates will function and when they will not, plucking those he desires from the space between spaces and doing with them as he wills. Since Chaos no longer fights itself he has weakened to a degree, and must now rely on his plan to turn Archaon to his will and take the massive powers the Four invested in him which will mark the beginning of the end of Chaos.

(''In 40k, Malal is actually THE ELEVENTH PRIMARCH!! Think about it: Malal's sacred number is 11, the Renegade warband [[Sons of Malice]] worship the god Malal, and the Sons of Malice also center their rituals and trophies around the number XI. And what is the number of one of the missing legions? ELEVEN. And their warband contain a large amount of unknown (Read: ANCIENT) suits of Power Armour that predate even the [[Great Crusade]]. Also, apparently, they called themselves the Sons of Malice BEFORE being declared renegades. Additionally, Horus (during the end of the Great Crusade) fucking straight says the name of one of his lost brothers is Malal!!! This could mean that The [[Sons of Malice]] are actually serious possibilities as candidates of the XI Legion! '''*Mind Blown*''''')

Not actually confirmed, as Horus only says “Mal” before being cut off and considering he was being mind-strangled by Malcador at the time, it is wholly possible he was saying Malcador’s name in an attempt to get him to stop. There are coincidences, but it is not a certainty, and while the possession of Great Crusade-era weaponry and armor can be seen as damning evidence, due to the nature of the Warp and all the bullshit it pulls with time on a regular basis, we can’t rule out a more mundane explanation like a portion of a Legion (maybe even the XI) being lost and corrupted. Additionally, the way the [[Lost legions|missing primarchs]] are refereed to suggests their elimination, which rules out the entirety of a Legion up and leaving, though it does not preclude a few survivors booking it for the Eye of Terror after a purge. Additionally, the missing brothers are shown to be still honored by their survivors, and considering the universal hatred the Primarchs we know ‘did’ fall to worship were given afterwards, that puts even the fact that a Primarchs and their legion did fall to Chaos in doubt.

At one point in the 36th Millennium (though of course time is a nebulous concept in the warp), the other four gods got really sick of Malal's constant interference in their plans. While Malal was at the time the strongest individual god, the other four knew that he couldn't deal with them all at once. [[Elder Scrolls|So Tzeentch gathered the other gods and]] [[Just As Planned|formulated a plan]] [[Elder Scrolls|to deal with Malal once and for all.]] So one day Nurgle knocked on Malal's door and asked Malal to step outside, at this point Tzeentch signaled the others to attack and the other Chaos Gods jumped out from behind their cover and beat Malal to death. It required about a century of constant beating, but eventually Malal died. Upon his death the other Four Chaos gods celebrated for one thousand years now that the cheese lord was out of the way.
Sadly Malal's bastard offspring Malice and Zuvassin managed to slip away.
'''However, it might be possible that Malal/Malice may just be an Alias for the Emperor, working incognito, looking into ways he can ultimately end the four-fold scourge of the Warp. It might be possible he would use "Malal/Malice", using the powers of the Dark Gods against them. That includes using the Sons of Malice(Grey Knights?). Just as soon as Kaldor stops sniffin' Warp Dust.'''
A final theory is that he's become a sneaky git and painted himself [[Ork Kommando|purple]] to wait out until the time is right to hit the big four just hard enough to finish them (considering the current state of Daemons on the tabletop, that might not be too far off), and in the meantime manipulates Orks into fighting each other by pretending to be Gork, then Mork (or Mork then Gork?) to draw them into arguments while causing the Imperium to weaken itself by BLAMMING everyone capable of uplifting the condition of man. He probably got the idea sometime after he left a giant sword for Farsight to eventually find, but before he altered Macha's biochemistry to amp up her hormone output.
In fact, the truth is much more terrifying. Malal in fact managed to travel back through time to the present, where he is now trying to manifest. This is the source of the Zalgo legends across the internet.

In Warhammer Fantasy he still exists, and is secretly sponsoring [[Nagash|Nagash's]] recent [[The End Times|rise to power]]. He hasn't been seen or mentioned because he's been crashing on the [[Horned Rat|Horned Rat's]] couch after burning his own house down.

===Getting Malal on the Table===
[[File:Warhammer-40000-фэндомы-art-красивые-картинки-681896.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Sons of Malice gives thumbs up on [[/tg/ Gets Shit Done|/tg/ getting shit done!]]]]
As Games Workshop have proven themselves to be a bunch of IP abusing assholes, it once again falls to /tg/ [[/tg/ gets shit done|to get anything done.]]
====Humans====
To field rapevikings of Malal in Warhammer Fantasy, run Warriors of Chaos models on Skaven bases. Nothing like blowing yourself AND the enemy up to say "It doesn't matter".
Ironically (or appropriately depending on how you look at it) one of the best ways to represent 40k Malal dedicated Chaos Marines would be to use the Grey Knights codex. Think about it; elite marine units with sick powers and a plethora of daemon killing hardware, small army sizes, and more. Take an Unbound Dreadknight spam list and use Chaos bitz for a nasty Chaos smashing elite warband of Malal followers and lolstomp your opponents into the ground. Alternatively you can use C:CSM if you aren't a cheesed-out 12 year old or Daemonhunters vet.

====Daemons of Malal====
Have you ever lamented how you always wanted to put together a Malal themed army, but you didn't, because it wouldn't be worth it without the proper daemons? Well, now you no longer have a fucking excuse. Grown mightily indignant at Malal's lack of presence on the tabletop, several anons conspired together to bring you this. [http://www.cpmodelsminiatures.co.uk/CP%20Models%2028mm%20Night%20Terrors%20Demons.htm We even found models for it]; they're at the bottom, listed as Hook Horrors. Play-testing would be very much appreciated.

Alternatively, modification to existing Daemon models using their original stats is fine too (a popular idea for example is a gleeful white and black Daemon Prince tearing itself in half along the color separation).

====Malal Homebrew====
Due to the fact that there is little concrete information about Malal content, especially in 40k where he is essentially non-existent, there are a number of ways to interpret the lore into a whole. Here is the link to the fan-created rule set: [[Malal Daemonkin]]

====Forces of Malal====
Here is some fanfluff of Malal/Malice due to how little proper fluff there is. Information is subject to change of course: [[Forces of Malal]]

====Daemons of the Ruinstorm====
Book Eight – Malevolence of the Horus heresy books added a new set of rules for daemon armies with a much, much wider set of options to build from, these include 6 army wide themes called Aetheric dominions to represent the four main gods and chaos undivided, along with one called "mirror of hate" which which grants you hatred for daemons and psykers, 1 VP for each unit of the aforementioned you kill and costs you a victory point for each unit you lose, you also win automatically if you end with 0VP. Unfortunately this option doesn't give you any of the nifty extras that the others get like unique emanations and the option is literally an instant lose against a non-psyker army due to you losing VP for every unit you lose, however this fits nicely in with the fluff.

===Dirges of Malal===
Take the rot, to make it flesh. 
Take the skull, the soul to rest. 
Take their mind and give them peace. 
Take their will. Sensations cease. 
--------------------
"We shall deny Nurgle their flesh to fester and rot" 
"We shall deny Khorne their blood and skulls" 
"We shall deny Tzeentch their destinies and fates" 
"We shall deny Slaanesh their pleasure and pain" 
"Death to the Dark Gods" 
"For the Renegade God" 
"Let the galaxy burn!" 
--------------------
To the Skin, Ice 
To the Rot, Fire 
To the Skull, Steel 
To the Mind, Night 
--------------------
"We are the flames that scorch the garden of rot." 
"We are the waves that erode the mountain of skulls." 
"We are the quakes that shatter the labyrinth of lies." 
"We are the storms that rend the palace of perfection." 
"We are Malice." 

===Followers of Malal===
*The [[Sons of Malice]]

*Kaleb Daark

*<s>The Alpha Legion and their two primarchs</s> <s>{{BLAM|No such legion nor primarchs exist!}}</s> Of course Alpha Legion exists, but it has only one primarch: [[Alpharius|Omegon]]

*Suicidal people who don't want to die

*Scottish Koreans

*Jumbo shrimp

*Military intelligence

*The two missing primarchs

*[[Farsight|Tau assault units]]

*The living dead

*<s>You</s>

*<s>Me</s>

*<s>Us and them</s>

*Anarchist dictators

*Hypocrites

*Dead [[Sly Marbo]]

*Atheist preachers

*John Constantine

*Your girlfriend and the guy you shouldn't worry about

*You if you actually had a girlfriend

*Full semi-automatic gun owners

*[[Lofn|Domesticated Tyranids]]

*Tall midgets

*Black albinos

*Grey Knights

*Billy Mays

*<s>Honest politicians</s> It's so nonexisting term, that even Malal derps on it

*Gabe Newell

*C.S.Gotohell

*<s>Chris-chan's</s> He-who-shall-not-be-named's long-lost perfect, popular brother

*Josef Fritzl

*Eldar units that aren't utterly overpowered

*Screaming Mimes

*Uncle Ruckus

*Ork snipers

*Assurances that don't leave Lord Bale cold

*Vladimir Putin's estranged twin brother.

*Atheist Word Bearers

*Ronald McDonald

*[[Captain Titus|Ultramarines that deserve to live]]

*Vegemonster

*[[Sorcerers of Khorne|Khornate Sorcerers]]/[[Azariah Kyras|Librarians]]

*Tzeentch Berserkers

*[[Plague Surgeon |Nurglite Doctors]]/[[Festus the Leechlord |medics]]

*Slaanesh Automatons

*Bill Gates

*Blinker fluid salesmen

*[[Genestealer Cult|Tyranid allies]] (7th edition anyone?)

*Ork mathematicians (a.k.a. Mathboyz)

*Matt ward Fans (Newfags)

*Chaos centurions and knights (Forge world made them)

*Pacifist Marines

*Black Templar Librarians

*[[Nerdmonette|Celibate and Sober Slaanesh Daemon]] (The 5th deamonette creation)

*[[Planescape: Torment|Fall-from-Grace]]

*Cheap GW models

*Loyalist Dark Angels

*Egalitarian Eldar

*Sorcerers that can light water on fire

*Asexual and Altruistic Dark Eldar

*Industrial Exodites

*Led Zeppelin

*Germophobic Plaguebearers

*Ahzek Ahriman {{BLAM|DOUBLE HERESY!}}{{BLAM}}

*Two-Face

*Cool people wearing crocs

*Mikhail Bakunin

*People who finish gobstoppers/jawbreakers

*Justin Bieber's popular twin brother

*The Deceiver

*Necrons in flesh bodies

*Pacifist army ants

*Abstinent Daemonettes

*[[Ciaphas Cain|Commissars that don't {{BLAM}} their own troops.]]

*Virgin Bards

*Cuddly Night Lords

*Loving, compassionate Iron Warriors

*[[DOOM: Repercussions of Evil|People who don't worship Malal]]

*[[Everyone Is John|John]]

*[[Derp|People that aren't John]]

*DC Comics editorial and writer staff

*Kid friendly [[Lovecraft|Lovecraftian]] authors

*Safe for work pornography photographers

*Carnivorous gorillas

*Your mom

*Gay Pirates

*Manly douches

*Half-necron organisms

*Eskimo cactus farmers

*Vegan sharks

*Jewish Nazis (ashkenatzis)

*Malal

*Space Jesus

*Matt Ward (himself)

*Remleiz (40k theories)

*Capitalist Tau

*Old people (after all, dying of old age is just dying of not dying)

*Black KKK members

*Chinese factory workers

*Old-fags

*New-fags

*Handicapped Dreadnoughts

*George Soros...is this [[Tzeentch]]'s thing?

*[[Commander Puretide]] of the Tau, [[Grimdark|as his brain was being chewed out by computer chips to preserve his]] [[tactical genius]]

*/m/ after 2013

*Libertarians
*Acraphobic birds

*Transgender Seahorses

*UNDERCROFT MALICE

*Straight guys who have sex with men

*People who like mustard-flavoured ice cream

*Crimes Man

*The population cold shoulder

*Afro-American Republicans

==Malal's Favorite Pastimes==

*No-scoping Khorne in [[/v/|FPSes]].

*Reverting Tzeench's edits.

*putting band-aids on Nurgle's sores in his sleep and replacing his morning coffee creamer with ointment.

*<s>hacking onto Slaanesh's computer and censoring all their porn.</s>
**"Uh, Sir? Slaanesh developed a censor bar fetish."
***Hacking onto Slaanesh's computer and deleting all their porn.
****"Oh, Sir... Slaanesh has somehow developed a fetish for that, too..."
***** "AH, A CONTRADICTION! [[JUST AS PLANNED]]! WAIT, NO! SHIT!! GET OUT OF HERE, TZEENTCH!!"

*Re-blogging old adages like "less is more," "opposites attract," and "the more things change, the more they <s>don't</s> stay the same".

*Counting eggs before they've <s>hatched</s> been layed.

*Directing Mormons to the addresses of Jehovah's Witnesses, and vice versa.

*bringing spoons to gunfights.
**Winning said gunfights

*Suing his Lawyer.
**Suing his Lawyer's Lawyer

*Punching himself in the face.

*Committing identity theft and proceeding to raise the victim's credit score and pay off their mortgage.

*Driving to Schrodinger's house to play with his cat.

*Claiming to be Rule 34's exception.

*Dividing by zero.

*You know how every single awesome video on Youtube always has a few dislikes? At least five of those are always him.
**Yes, even if there are fewer than five dislikes.
**Now that dislikes are hidden, you'll never know which ones are his. [[Just as planned]]...

*You know how every single godawful video on Youtube always has a few likes? At least five of those are always him.
**Yes, even if there are fewer than five likes.

*Just enjoying his state of semi-canonical limbo.

==Dungeons The Dragoning==

For those of you who want to roleplay with Malal, [[Dungeons: the Dragoning 40,000 7th Edition]] has Malal as a Chaos God, because of course it does. In DtD, he's the Chaos God of Teamkilling Fucktards; nobody gets along with him or his followers.

==Gallery==
{{Promotions}}
<gallery>
Image:Malal Feasts.jpg|Malal himself about to devour an unfortunate [[Keeper of Secrets]]
Image:Lesser_Daemon_of_Malal.jpg|One of Malal's canon Daemon designs from Tony Ackland.This would either be a Lesser or Greater Daemon.
Image:Malal Daemon Sale.jpg|This model was actually produced by a third party company called [[C-P Models]] and is available for sale [https://cpmodels.co.uk/product/ntd13-hook-horror-demon/ here.]
Image:Greater_Daemon_of_Malal.jpg|Another Ackland Malal Daemon. This would have either been a Lesser or Greater Daemon.
Image:Beast_of_Malal.jpg|Another Ackland Malal Daemon. Ackland said this would have been one of Malal's monsters.
Image:Steed_of_Malal.jpg|Another Ackland Malal Daemon. Identified as what would have been a mount.
Image:Son of malice.png|A Son of Malice.
Image:Malal Hipster Cultistchan.jpg|Cultist offending Malal by not wearing his colours nor the number 11. Frequently posted Meme every-time someone mentions the true god of Chaos.
Image:Malal Warriors.jpg|Prototypes for mortal worshipers of Malal, created in cooperation with Ackland which will be eventually available [http://easternfront-studios.net/ here.]
Image:Malal Lesser New.jpg|Ackland's newer rendition, which he called a "Lesser Daemon of Malign".
Image:Malal Greater New.jpg|Ackland's "Greater Daemon of Malign".
Image:Malal Chaos Steed 1.jpg|Ackland's "Steed of Malign".
Image:Malal Chaos Steed 2.jpg|Ackland's second version of a "Steed of Malign".
Image:Kaleb Daark Battle.gif|Kaleb Daark single-handedly slaughters an entire Khornate warband on the hour before its otherwise assured victory over Praag.
Image:Malalette.png|Because /tg/.
Image:Malal_Daemonette.png|Also because /tg/.
Image:Malal_Daemonette_NSFW.png|Because Rule 34. Also /tg/.
Image:MalalPossessed.jpg|Malal Possessed
Image:MalalHerald.jpg|Herald of Malal
Image:Doomrider.png|[[Doomrider|Not that Doomrider]].Demonic cavalry
</gallery>

==See also==

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZI0ZX1DrRw| His greatest champion. When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all...]

{{Template:ChaosGods}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]][[Category:Malal]]

Everqueen

2023-06-01T11:42:20Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[Image:1377291976783.jpg|350px|thumb|right|The day the Warp shuddered.]]
{{topquote|Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.|Soren Kierkegaard}}
{{Topquote|Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.|Katherine Henson}}

If ever there is a point where [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and [[Warhammer 40,000]] split into [[noblebright|nobledark]] and [[grimdark]], that point would be the [[High Elf]] character '''Alarielle the Everqueen''' AKA '''The Handmaiden of [[Isha]].'''
There are two [[God-Emperor of Mankind|God Emperor]]-style "good-aligned god on earth" entities in Warhammer Fantasy. The first, [[Sigmar|Sigmar Heldenhammer]], was a human in gold armor (well, armored boots, a skull belt, and a fur cape) who unified (some of/most of) humanity, kicked a lot of ass, became a god, and is now the patron god of the [[Empire]], who are/used to be the primary protagonists of the game (sound familiar?). The other one is an [[Elf]]. Despite this large strike against her record, she is made up of an amalgamation of badass <strike>psykers</strike> wizard souls, makes the [[Chaos Gods]] quake in their Chaos Boots, and has a habit of resurrection (okay, so the Emperor didn't do that last one... yet).

This Elf also happens to be queen of the [[High Elves]] and the living avatar of Isha, but we don't hold any of that against her.

Probably the girliest thing in the entire franchise, and the fans would not have it any other way.

==The Legend==
(Although different sources describe the origin and identity of the Elf Gods different ways, the version presented here combines the Elvish and Lizardmen versions into a version most matching up to High Elf lore.)
===Isha===
Technically speaking, the Everqueen begins with Isha. Isha and the rest of the Elf pantheon were (in previous editions, beings of Chaos which was retconned to creations of the [[Old Ones]], and now they are) the survivors of another world which was consumed by Chaos who fled to this world in its lifeless primordial state and created a race of Elf Neanderthals who would later be uplifted by the Old Ones ("All according to plan" whispered [[Lileath]]) into being Elves proper.

Isha was a being of immense power, connected to the world, and was the spiritual embodiment the Life magic (Ferngully style) which flows through all natural living things (and refuses to work from the Chaos rules that all other forms of magic obey). After giving birth to [[Elfquest|an inferior race of short-lived Elves]], Isha felt the misery that comes with the fact that her second(+)born children were mortal, cursed with aging and dying (albeit at a very slow pace) while she remained as a Goddess over them. Isha wept at the fate of her youngest, and the tears became [[Soulstones]] which fell to [[Ulthuan]].
While the souls of the mortal Elves went to [[Morr|Morr's]] afterlife (or [[Ereth Khial|Ereth Khial's]],) the daughters of Isha descended from her firstborn daughter each return to her upon death. In their mortal lives, the souls of the aforementioned daughters are connected to Isha and the entirety of the souls of each daughter that has lived and died (plus the currently living host) accompany Isha herself to enter the body of the current eldest daughter, resulting in an almost super saiyan state of being that can equal a [[Chaos God]] and wield power on-par with [[Lord Kroak]].

==="Elf Eve"===
Nothing much is known about the first Elves. We don't know how many there were, or if they came in multiple litters from Isha.

What we do know is that the oldest of Isha's mortal daughters is the one who became tied to her mother. She was revered as a demigoddess by the rest of the mortal Elves, and became their supreme leader in all aspects of society, from spiritual to military (not that they had much to fight early on). Upon the ascension of her own daughter to the queenly role upon the Elf Eve's death and the realization that Eve II's connection wasn't only to Isha, but to Elf Eve as well the position became known thereafter as the "Everqueen".

===Astarielle===
Everything regarding the Everqueens prior to Astarielle, including their names and how many there were, save that Isha's oldest mortal daughter was the first and that she was succeeded by her own daughter, is lost to the current day High Elves.

Astarielle was the reigning Everqueen during the collapse of the [[Warp Gates]], and although the bulk of the [[Daemon]] forces went for the [[Lizardmen]], Ulthuan was their secondary target. The countryside was ravaged, the small and inexperienced armies of the Elves doing little other than slow the Daemons down. During the invasion, a badass world explorer Elf named [[Aenarion]] became [[Asuryan|Asuryan's]] mortal avatar, and with his strength (both his own and that granted by Asuryan) he more or less made the [[Daemons of Chaos]] look like unarmed children as he tore through them and pushed them back into the [[Warp]] wherever he went. The nobles of the Elves (at least, the ones who were still alive) swore allegiance to Aenarion, and Astarielle summoned him to her court to hit dat... which is actually kinda creepy, because Asuryan was Isha's father, so technically Asuryan was proxy-fucking his granddaughter on a pile of smoking Daemon corpses (but if you're at all familiar with the Greek pantheon, gods have a tendency to do whoever (or whatever) the fuck they've got a boner for right now, damn the consequences).

''Then'' shit kinda started going downhill.

Daemons of [[Khorne]] and [[Slaanesh]] (because [[Nurgle]] was mostly picking on the southwestern elves and the cavemen humans in the [[Old World]], and [[Tzeentch]] never really does jack shit in Fantasy) blitzed into the ancestral forest home of the elves, and burned/raped a fair amount of it down. Astarielle made a pact with the spirit of [[Warhammer Magic|Life Magic]], (Life Magic eats Chaos, and it was having a good ol' time unbeknownst to the Chaos Gods) to at some point in the future [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|send a group of Elves to serve nature forever as servants]]. In return, the Elves race in it's entirety was bound to the world (sadly making it difficult for them to reach Morr's afterlife, as Elf ghosts now are stuck adhering to gravity) and the ancient Treekin [[Durthu]] took Astarielle's children Yvraine and Morelion to safety from the burning forest. She then summoned Dryads (not the happy kind that hide in trees and get fucked by [[Beastmen|Satyrs]], these ones are spirits that possess plant bodies and turn them into [[Angry Marines]]). She then stood in the middle of the forest with her army and waited for the Daemons to come. Whatever happened isn't in the fluff, and is described as unable to be conveyed through mortal words (even that of Elves) and that none of the Daemons survived it.

Aenarion heard the news that Avelorn had fallen and, thinking that there were no survivors, went into a rage of epic proportions and drew a cursed sword of [[Khaine]] to become a living Elven WAAAGH!, making him (canonically) the strongest Elf to have ever lived. He also made shit decisions like marrying a [[Morathi|chick who liked hanging out with Daemonettes]], telling [[Malekith|his son by her he'd be badass forever and be king like his old man]], building a new kingdom out of the ruins of the most tainted land in Ulthuan, and similar full retard moves. Eventually his old buddy [[Caledor the Dragontamer]], who had come up with an awesome plan to actually BEAT Chaos decades ago, got sick of waiting for Aenarion to get off his ass and decided to start shit himself. High Elves went all over the world and set up magical rocks called [[Waystones]] covered in runes and gems, which vary in size from a large mountain to the size of a paperweight. Those rocks drain magic (which Daemons use to make themselves real) into the center of Ulthuan. Aenarion finally showed up, [[Awesome|personally fought and killed 4 avatars of the Chaos Gods themselves, suffered a mortal wound and managed to cross a HUGE continent to put that cursed sword back before dying]] (to be fair; he was carried by his also-mortally wounded-dragon, who actually made the journey. But still awesome!)

So after the smoke had cleared, the Elves decided there'd be two rulers of the race from now on: the Everqueen, who is the firstborn daughter of the last queen, and upon the death of the last queen and the passing of the Everqueen entity (now one soul stronger) into the princess she is crowned the new Everqueen. The second, the Phoenix King, is a male elf democratically elected from amongst the princes (AKA governors, not literally part of a royal family) of Ulthuan. After election, he's required to walk through a pyre in the Shrine of Asuryan. If he survives, he's buffed to badass levels and becomes king. So far nobody has died, although [[Malekith|one asshole has managed to burn himself to a crisp when he tried to declare himself king.]]

The king's first job is to produce a new queen with the Everqueen (up until this point the Everqueen was produced by the previous Everqueen's own husband, who was simply the man she favored most), who will be her future heir. He's got a year to knock her up (which seems to always be how long it takes), after which the two return to their spouses or lovers as they will.

===Alarielle the Radiant===
Once again, there's a gap in fluff. This time it's not because it's a forgotten mystery, but because GW hasn't filled in the fluff.
The modern day Everqueen is Alarielle, dubbed "the Radiant" for her inspiring presence upon battlefields. See, before her the Everqueens were expected to sit at home and send condolence letters to the families of those slain in battle and to pose for commemorative plates like a proper queen. Her role in society is to be the head elf hippy and just be a pinup who conducts fertility rituals and the like (which is really important since it keeps elf birth rates up), however due to her insistence at being present in battles where the fate of the world hangs in the balance the courts of Ulthuan are beginning to gossip that she might be masculine lesbian (despite this, everyone around her gets a hard on for good and figures GOD IS WITH US in her presence, so an already fearless race becomes literally fearless if they're around her).

Alarielle's earliest mention is during the massive (recent) [[Dark Elves (Warhammer)|Druchii]] invasion of Ulthuan. Malekith sent his forces into Ulthuan, burning down a fairly large chunk of Avelorn and pursuing the fleeing Alarielle with both assassins and Daemons. As she was still young and unconfident, the loss of her home gave her a sad that sapped her powers. She was simply an Elven maiden fleeing both Seekers of Slaanesh and Cold One riding hitmen while on foot.
After the hitmen caught up to her and were preparing to turn her into a Dark Elf Battle Standard Dolcette-style, Tyrion appeared and killed the assassins although suffering poisoned wounds in the process. She was forced to carry him away as the Daemons closed in. Right as a Slaaneshi warhost was about to do even worse things to them, [[Teclis]] appeared and incinerated them.

They escaped to the gathered forces of the High Elves. Inspired by (her throbbing ladyboner for) Tyrion's bravery, she regained some of her power and restored his health. She granted the firstborn descendant of the worlds first horse, Malhandir, to him as well as giving him a magic pendant marking him as her Champion. She then gave Teclis a powerful magic staff, made by Lileath herself and granted to Elfkind.
The heroes then saddled off to the Battle of Finuval Plains, leaving Alarielle to reenact the Gone With The Wind field hospital scene.
At some point, before or after the battle, Alarielle and Tyrion shagged. She then began her one year with Finubar, and she became pregnant with her daughter.

Alarielle would also participate in another battle against Morathi and a [[Warriors of Chaos|Slaaneshi warhost]] after a failed assassination attempt (Manchurian Candidate style) left her first comatose, then awakened the Everqueen entity in her for the first time. After gathering the noncombatants of Avelorn and suiting them up as Spearmen, she summoned the Dryads of the forest and faced the oncoming army alongside a force from Ellyrion. Although initially the battle was a stalemate, the Slaaneshi Champion saw her on the field and sought her out for the purpose of "desecration". Before he could attack her however, she took his hand and cleansed all of the Chaos taint from him in an instant. She fought a tug of war for his soul with [[Slaanesh]] himself before freeing the man'sso (using the guilt from sacrificing his own wife for attractiveness) and letting go of the "rope", causing Slaanesh to pour power into the soulless body of the Champion and make it into a (rather large) [[Chaos Spawn]] which was then cut down by her forces. This plunged the forces of the Chaos warband into disarray as Slaanesh's enraged tantrum fucked up their magic.
The High Elves spent the rest of the day mopping up the remaining enemy forces until Teclis appeared and nuked the last holdouts.

Alarielle also yearly makes a dangerous pilgrimage to the summit of one of the Annulli to protect the dreamscape of the mortal races from Slaanesh.

Since her year with Finubar is up and she had a daughter during that time she's now toting around [[Tyrion]] like a puppy on a leash. (The end times revealed she and Finubar never did the deed <strike>as she was his daughter with the last Everqueen</strike>. This part is someone's fanfiction and should be removed, because End Times: Khaine book II, page 36, describes Alarielle as daughter of Bel-Hathor and Estrielle the Silver.)

If she ever gets a voice actor, it should be Idina Menzel.

===Aliathra===
Although it was believed that she was the daughter of Finubar, Teclis found out (and revealed during the events of the [[End Times]]) that she was the daughter of Tyrion, conceived in love before Finubar's year. Although this didn't remove her legitimacy (at least in technicality, politically it may have caused some stirring) it meant she had inherited Aenarion's Curse; having a permanent lust for the [[Widowmaker]] and being destined for glory and (sometimes) misfortune.

Aliathra was very popular with the [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Dorfs]], and the High Elves used this to their advantage by making her the diplomatic representative for their race. Her continued presence in the Holds of the Dwarfs increased relations rapidly, bringing the two elder races closer than they have been since the [[War of the Beard]]. Unfortunately, [[Mannfred von Carstein]] saw her as both a way to resurrect his master and divide the two races. He first goaded a massive WAAAGH! of [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]] into attacking the Hold where she resided, then sent in his pawn [[Heinrich Kemmler]]. While the valiant Dwarf and Elf defenders fought side by side and handily defeated the greenskins, the animated bodies of both the enemy and their own fallen pulled them down. Mannfred dueled Aliathra's own paramour, a Prince on a Gryphon, before taking Aliathra captive.

Although many Dwarfs and Elves blamed each other for the attack and results, Finubar and High King [[Thorgrim Grudgebearer]] managed to reign in the dissidents. Alarielle sensed through the Everqueen entity that Aliathra was still alive, and Tyrion was dispatched to retrieve her while Thorgrim assembled a massive force of Dwarfs. Thanks to M4, Tyrion reached Mannfred first. His Silver Helms battled through a massive Undead army to find Aliathra unconscious. He attempted to ride out with her only to face the largest Undead force ever assembled before him. His forced plunged in from one side while the newly-arrived Dwarf army (the largest assembled since the War of Vengeance) attacked from the rear.

Both sides met in the middle, after Mannfred swooped in with his magic and once again took Aliathra. The Elves and Dwarfs screamed insults at each other, while Tyrion arrogantly stated that the Elves had no need of Dwarfs. Maintaining his composure, Thorgrim said that Aliathra's fate was in Tyrion's hands and took his massive force to retake long-lost Dwarf Holds.

Teclis shamed Tyrion into once-again leading the High Elf forces, so he got his friends Eltharion and Eldyra to lead a High Elf army to rescue Aliathra. They arrived just before the ritual to revive Nagash started. The barely managed to fight their way through, with Eltharion reaching Aliathra just as Arkhan was about to sacrifice her. [[Grimdark|Arkhan turned Eltharion to dust with magic and killed Aliathra after she performed some mysterious spell on him]]. Tyrion was a broken spirit after her death, then it is revealed that Teclis allowed Aliathra to be sacrificed. With the revelations later that [[Asuryan]] was a dick who preferred Dark Elves and pitched a hissy fit when Malekith didn't become the eternal king of the Elves by fucking over the entire Elf race until he got his way, Tyrion went full-Aenarion and drew the [[Widowmaker]], causing him to become the mortal vessel of [[Khaine]] (after it was revealed that the Curse of Aenarion simply means you have a fragment of Khaine stuck in you). Morathi, thinking that was totally hot, forgot the feel of her son's cock and became his lover before completely losing what was left of her mind and believing she was truly with Aenarion again.
After a short three-way mixed forces civil war, Ulthuan sunk with all Elf gods other than Isha and Lileath dead. Isha, who had become senile and unable to remember anything that had happened within this world, had come to reside fully within [[Ariel]]. Lileath poisoned Ariel, then lead Alarielle to her whereupon she absorbed Isha's spirit and kept Isha's mind and personality completely buried, then merged with the entire Life Wind of Magic to become a super-goddess. She then married Malekith. [[Derp]].

===[[Nagash]](?)===
During the ritual to return Nagash to life, powerful beings (including the daughter of the [[Lady of the Lake]]) were sacrificed to bind his spirit to the body of [[Volkmar the Grim]]. Aliathra was among them, and through her he sought to inherit the powers of the Elven Gods and of Life magic.

Although he sought to gain her strengths, Aliathra was not the Everchild, as Alarielle was still alive so the Everqueen entity still resided with her. Alaithra's title of Everchild was purely ceremonial, as she would have been the recipient of that bloodline, but it didn't pan out due to Alarielle still being alive. So all Nagash got from Aliathra was Aenarion's Curse ([[Just as Planned|All according to plan]] for Nagash's enemies, [[Not As Planned]] for Naggy himself). Arkhan and Mannfred really should have checked elven lore and the genealogies better; Neferata somehow knew all this and put the pieces together when Nagash returned, having a laugh at Mannfred's and Arkhan's expense before making her own plans.

There was the theory that since Aliathra's soul merged with Nagash's, it was possible that he is now part of the Everqueen entity. It was thought that this helped explain how he has usurped control of the afterlife from Morr, which he had made part of Sylvania, although another explanation is that Morr and Usirian were the same god by different names and worshiped in different ways (the lore says that when Nagash consumed Usirian, Morr died at the same times).

However, with the fusing of Isha, Ariel and Alarielle, along with Alarielle receiving the Wind of Life and the world being destroyed, the gestalt nature of the Everqueens was ended. This means that any connection Nagash had to the Everqueen lineage, if he ever had one, is gone.

===Isha/Ariel Alarielle Fusion Dance!===
As End Times progressed, [[Lileath]] poisoned [[Ariel]] (revealed to be Isha, though Lileath's actions took a toll on Ariel's mind) and brought Alarielle to merge with her and become ...still Alarielle, but more powerful.

They became involved in the end of the Elf civil war, transporting all Wood Elves to Ulthuan to fight alongside Phoenix King Malekith (don't think about it too hard)'s armies against the fused Khaine/Tyrion (again, just accept this and move on). Orion died, Tyrion had a death and revival, Alarielle lead all Elves except those who were confused and hated this convoluted lore rape to Athel Loren through the roots of the World Tree as Ulthuan sank due to the unbinding of the Vortex. All Elves spent a few months hating each other as Teclis bound each Wind of Magic to a living being, Alarielle becoming the entire Wind of Life.

These Incarnates attempted to save the world and failed due to Mannfred von Carstein backstabbing them all, literally in Balthazar's case, for no good reason other than Archaon needing to win (this wasn't [[Storm of Chaos]] after all).

==Age of Sigmar==
After End Times, Alarielle was left standing with Tyrion, holding hands (possibly standing on top of rubble that had pinned Malekith) while watching the world end, and was confirmed dead as only one being was left floating in the void after Chaos had consumed all but the remnants of the World Tree and a single spark of light, and that being was Sigmar. Following the retcon, it turns out each Wind of Magic became an entire Realm and a single being from the old Warhammer was now a god within it with their soul being tied to it (so the god cannot be killed outright, and if that somehow happens the Realm apparently crumbles).

Alarielle appeared in the Realm of Life, the most changed out of any of the other gods. Rather than a self-sacrificing motherly queen of the High Elves, she became distant and cold. Sigmar found Alarielle, who was in a long period of hibernation, and woke her up. Alarielle was grateful, and together the two hurled back a tide of darkness. The Everqueen thing is basically gone. No hint is made of the cascade of souls that once made her up, Alarielle is now just thousand-yard stare Alarielle now.

She initially joined Sigmar's pantheon of gods in the Realm of Light, but vanished not long after back to her own Realm where she took "Soul Pods", plant seeds containing souls from the old Warhammer setting (how and when she obtained these is as undescribed as her survival) and created a people to lead. A people who are mostly the same as the old Warhammer Dryads and Treekin (which means she saved MUCH more women than men). She cut off her hand and planted it in the ground to create a new daughter (hopefully she knew what she was doing, or that would have been REALLY fucking crazy) named the Lady of Vines who had the exuberant and youthful personality that had been lost to the traumatized former queen.

[[Nurgle]] invaded the Realm not long after, seeking to turn the Realm of Life into an extension of his Garden and secure Alarielle as his Fantasy kidnapping victim. During this time the Wood Elves of Age of Sigmar pussied out and abandoned the fight against Chaos, so Alarielle banished them for their cowardice. [[Sigmarines]] intervened, although the Lady of Vines was killed and most of the Realm of Life was corrupted in the process. In the final battle, part of the Realm was cleansed and Alarielle died, turning into a seed. The Sigmarines planted said seed at a location where many of them had died defending her, hoping she would grow back into a warqueen. They were right. Her new appearance is as seen in her miniature, she has an arm made of wood to replace the hand she cut off to make the Lady of Vines, leafy wings, and [[Meme|EXTRA THICC]] legs. Also, she's riding a giant horned beetle whose charge can shake a castle wall.

Alarielle’s rebirth gave her a new perspective on the situation, especially after she remade the Lady of Vines. The goddess now saw that the war against Chaos could not be won simply by reclaiming [[Ghyran]]. The corruption of the Dark Gods had to be purged utterly from all the Mortal Realms, lest they all be brought to ruin (ironically, this is a good counterpart to Nurgle's new perspective after he failed to conquer Ghyran - that he should share his "gifts" with all realms, not just one). It was this revelation that led Alarielle through the Ghyran Realmgate known as the Copper Falls – which connected to the Hellhaze Realmgate in Aqshy – and into battle atop Godskull Mesa. During this battle Alarielle and her beetle steed battled two Bloodthirsters and defeated them.

TL;DR Alarielle abandoned the Gods of Order to do her own hippie thing, got abandoned by her Wood Elves which caused the near annihilation of her realm, her realm was saved by the same ally she had abandoned, she realized that she had done to the rest of the gods what the Wood Elves had done to her and the same consequences, accepts that it was incredibly stupid and launched a crusade to cleanse all the mortal realms of Chaos... or she’s not learned her lesson and just figures that if everywhere is untainted then her realm can’t be invaded by Chaos from conquered realms and she’ll abandon everyone again and keep being saved because she maybe now thinks she’s entitled to it.

She briefly shows up in Broken Realms: [[Morathi]], opening the Realmgate to the Eightpoints and using the purified waterfalls to flood the Dreadholds on the other side to help the joint Stormcast/Daughters of Khaine assault. Interestingly, she initially refused to open up the Realmgate when Sigmar asked, and only agreed when Morathi asked, as the Daughters of Khaine have apparently been one of the best allies to the Sylvaneth during their crusade against Nurgle despite Alarielle's and Morathi's history in the World-That-Was. In Broken Realms: Teclis the namesake god tries to seek her out for aid against Nagash but she says that his actions are unnecessary as her power will soon wax and Nagash's will fade something Teclis refuses to wait for and so she lends him some help. She also drives off Mannfred’s forces when Nagash sends him to corrupt a Ghyran Realmgate into a black hole generator that will suck the realm into the Shysian nadir (though Mannfred’s internal monologue reveals he knew the plan was going to fail so he wasn't really trying to win). She later inadvertently sets into motion the events of Broken Realms: Kragnos when her attempt to revive the remnants of the Oak of Ages via the Rite of Life not only successfully revives the tree but also unleashes a wave of life magic that breaks open the prison of the long-sealed god of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] who proceeds to go on a rampage across Ghur.

==Everqueenship==
It's not clear who has more political power between the Phoenix King and the Everqueen, although generally the Everqueens are fairly hands-off of leading armies and the High Elf provinces (called 'kingdoms') are fairly autonomous. Instead the Everqueens tend to administer to certain rites and responsibilities from domestic tasks like visiting the shrines of Isha to conduct fertility rituals needed to keep High Elves outbreeding their lost population, to once a year leading huge forces of elves to dangerous peaks in Ulthuan's highly dangerous Annulii Mountains to fight a battle against the forces of the Warp to keep Daemons from being able to enter the dreams of mortals and wreak havoc in their minds at will.

Her armies are mostly volunteers from all kingdoms plus sometimes requested aid that is given eagerly, since serving the Everqueen is the highest honor in Ulthuan. High Elves believe in a duality to all things (even their language for example is full of things like the words for honor and victory also meaning slaughter and loss of innocence) so power struggles are probably more philosophical argument and trying to have your cake and eat it too than any intrigue and greed (the only time any meaningful interaction between the two powers has been described in the fluff is actually recent, with Alarielle (more on her below) stepping in with support to prevent the Princes of Ulthuan from rebelling against the current Phoenix King Finubar the Seafarer).

The Everqueen's court in the kingdom of Avelorn is much different from the rest of Ulthuan, being a much more [[Wood Elves (Warhammer)|Wood Elf]] themed vibe combined with a drop of Tolkien elf mixed in (Games Workshop can't into subtlety, Everqueen's court is an 'R' rated Lothlórien that changes location in the forest periodically). At first it's hard to see the difference between this and the Cult of Pleasure of the [[Dark Elves (Warhammer)|Dark Elves]] which worship Slaanesh, but the main difference is that the casualty rate from lovemaking is 0% in Avelorn, people bathe in exotic oils and magical water instead of virgin blood and Daemonette semen, teasing is defined by making catty remarks at group poetry readings instead of cutting away the skin over a lover/cousin's ribs at a public execution (one on every corner!), and everybody involved in the activities is pretty okay with it and respects everybody else involved as an individual.

For a summary on the average Everqueen's personality, picture Snow White who has a bonus Avatar State like from that one cartoon about a monk kid saving the world that /co/ faps over and rages over between fap sessions (what was it called again? Oh yeah, Batman: The Animated Series). She is so pure and Noblebright (honest to god noblebrightness in a Warhammer setting? It's more likely than you think!) she kills Greater Daemon's by just asking them to go away please (and thank you!).

==On The Tabletop==
===Warhammer Fantasy===
She had a model in previous editions that allowed you to take her Maiden Guard, but her stats were horrible and she was unusable despite the awesomeness of the Guard. She was later removed, but now in 8th she's back and overpowered although not to the point that players of other armies can hold it against High Elf players.
The Maiden Guard, now called Sisters of Avelorn (with the original Guard now represented by Hero models called Handmaidens of the Everqueen) can be fielded separately, and find themselves in the role of "best ranged infantry in the entire game".

Like [[Malekith]] (her new hubby!), she got two updated versions in [[The End Times]]; the Avatar of Isha for 375 points, and the Incarnate of Life for 540 points. Both of them are good healers, but not entirely bad at killing things either. Still, you definitely want to focus on her casting abilities, since she's much more useful with them.

As the Avatar of Isha, Alarielle is sporting M5, WS6, BS5, S3, T3, W3, I6, A1 and LD10. She's a level 4 Caster who uses spells from the Lores of Life, Light and High Magic, and sports the special rules Always Strikes First, Lileath's Blessing, Martial Prowess, Valour of Ages, Anathema of Chaos (Daemons within 12" take D6 S4 hits at the start of each Magic phase), Blessings of Isha (Alarielle and all friendly Elves within 12" have a 5+ Ward Save and Immunity to Fear & Terror) and Touch of Purity (Alarielle's attacks are magic and, against Forces of Disorder, Wound on a 2+ and inflict Multiple Wounds (D6)). She has two unique magical items; the Star of Avelorn (Enchanted Item, heals 1 friendly character within 12" of 1 lost wound, can only heal Alarielle if there's no other viable targets in range) and the Stave of Avelorn (Arcane Item, One Use, can cast a previously cast spell, whether or not the first try was successful, by making the normal power dice & casting roll for that spell).

As the Incarnate of Life, Alarielle gets +1 to her Strength, Toughness and Wounds and +2 to her Attacks. She upgrades to being a level 5 caster who uses spells from the Lore of Life only and trades Blessings of Isha for the Locus of Renewal (reroll miscast results) and Incarnate of Life (Alarielle and all friendly units within 12" have a 6+ Ward Save and Regeneration, plus she and any friendly model within 12" regain 1 lost wound automatically at the start of each friendly Magic phase). Other than that, she has all of her old form's goodies.

===Age of Sigmar===

==[[Total War: WARHAMMER]]==
Alarielle was added to the second game in the series as of a DLC lord pack pitting her against Crone Hellebron of Har Ganeth called ''The Queen and the Crone''. She became the leader of the Avelorn faction and brought the Sisters of Avelorn and Handmaiden of the Everqueen with her. Unsurprisingly. She gets a unique building chain at her starting province's capital that allows her to field Dryads, Tree Kin and Treeman units from the Wood Elf roster, effectively making Avelorn the second hybrid army of the series after Arkhan the Black's combo-Tomb Kings/Vampire Counts roster. Bit more suprising, that. Her other unique mechanics are that she leaves blessings in every owned/allied region she visits, receives bonuses and penalties depending on how much or little of Ulthuan is under Asur control and as Chaos grows stronger, she grows weaker but her Forest Spirit units grow stronger to counter it. Finally, she draws her six spells from the Lores of Life, Light and High Magic and has two unique skill chains: one traditionalist one that represents her as a peacemaker and buffs her Handmaidens and Sisters of Avelorn units, and one radical one that represents Alarielle's greater willingness to go to war and buffs her Forest Spirit units.

In an amusing 180 from her tabletop personality, Alarielle has a tendency to beeline for the Sword of Khaine and draw it at the first possible opportunity.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Alarielle Old Artwork.jpg|Old GW artwork depicting Alarielle.
Image:Alarielle Old Model.jpg|Not bad, but GW definitely had issues with female faces. If you have one, it makes a decent Aliathra.
Image:Alarielle New Artwork.jpg|GW artwork depicting Alarielle.
Image:Alarielle New Model.jpg|It's official, GW can now make decent females (they could before. For example, look at Dark Elf and Dark Eldar models). Now if only they can paint them.
Image:Morathi And Alarielle Diplomacy.jpg|According to WHFB's logic, Dark Elves and High Elves make perfect partners!
Image:Alarielle trading card.jpg|Alarielle from the dead Warhammer Trading Card Game...wait Warhammer has a trading card Game?
Image:Alarielle At Crystal Lake.jpg|Alarielle in Age of Sigmar, or Zordon. We're not sure which.
File:Everqueen.png|Fear my Sailor Moon power! I'm the Everqueen and I kill my enemies with rainbow!!!
</gallery>

{{Template:High Elves}}

{{AoS-Gods}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:High Elves]]
[[Category:Host of the Eternity King]]
[[Category:Sylvaneth]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

Paths of the Eldar

2023-06-01T11:40:10Z

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After the [[Fall of the Eldar]] and the birth of [[Slaanesh]], the surviving [[Craftworld]] [[Eldar]] realized that their emotions were too potent to be allowed to run free. To control their emotional extremes, the craftworlds formulated the '''Paths of the Eldar''', a series of goals and occupations that would leave the Eldar emotionally regimented to avoid falling prey to She Who Thirsts. Individually, these paths are reminiscent of an autistic obsession. Collectively, the Paths are like a form of multiple personality disorder, where an Eldar will learn everything they can about one role or task, shut it off from their mind when not needed, and reopen it when needed. It is, however, possible to reach a point where an Eldar becomes "lost on the Path", meaning that they cannot shut off that particular aspect of their personality to the exclusion of all others. There are a number of known Paths that can be walked. Theoretically, perhaps an Eldar could keep in mind their discipline and training from every Path they have walked to become a more complete person without fear of falling prey to Slaanesh.

== Path of Awakening ==

On this path, an Eldar will learn to better analyze their surroundings. This allows them to see things that others would ignore or dismiss as irrelevant.

== Path of the Artisan ==

This is among the most common Paths, where an Eldar learns to make breathtaking works of art. There exist a number of sub-paths, such as the Path of the Poet, the Path of the Sculptor, etc.

These sub-paths do not necessarily mix well with others. The Path of the Poet, for instance, is about writing introverted fanfics that no-one is supposed to read, and so the author can become very apprehensive at allowing others to read them. Some Eldar also use it as impromptu psychiatric therapy, as demonstrated by Farseer Thirianna.

By contrast, the Path of the Sculptor is highly extroverted and wants everyone to see their work, but can act like a diva even when fairly criticised.

It's implied in [[Gav Thorpe]]'s ''Path of the Eldar'' series that [[Bonesinger|Bonesingers]] are lost on the path of the Artisan, and that the level of mastery required to manipulate wraithbone into functioning devices is akin to that of an Exarch or Farseer.

== Path of Command ==

Also known as the Path of the Leader, this is the path that focuses on leadership of other Eldar. Those on the Path of Command become [[Autarch]]s, the Eldar equivalent of admirals or generals.

Interestingly, this path can be planned, rather than occurring naturally as an Eldar accumulates experience from various paths. One can arrive at an Aspect Shrine and make it known that they intend to become Autarchs, and they will have a slightly different, more insightful mindset compared to their compatriots within the squad rather than the one imposed on them by the temperament of their chosen Aspect.

== Path of the Dreamer ==

{{Topquote|They come here every day to sleep?" "No. They come to be woken up. The dream has become their reality. Who are you to say otherwise, sir?|Inception}}

A meditative Path where the Eldar learn to try and [[wikipedia:Lucid dreaming|control their dreams]]. Since dreams can often come from the [[Warp]] there are probably practical purposes to this, such as using this to predict the tides of the Warp or aid Seers in future sight. Often another Eldar will stand vigil as a "Dream Watcher". The Path of the Dreamer also helps to focus the precision of an Eldar's memory, and they can take mind altering substances to aid them while doing so. Though to others it seems like they are wasted stoners who do nothing but lay about all day.

Ironically, those lost on the Path of the Dreamer, called the Everdreaming, will have difficulty telling the difference between the past and the present.

== Path of Grief ==

{{Topquote|Why do ''you'' cry?" "He is Conan, Cimmerian. He will not cry, so I cry for him.|''Conan the Barbarian (1982)''}}

A Path taken when the Eldar remember their fallen (of whom there are A LOT) and allow themselves to feel grief without risking the attention of She Who Thirsts. The Eldar on this path will sometimes grieve for someone who cannot be allowed to grieve at this time.

== Path of the Healer ==

Opposite to the Path of the Warrior, Healers are your basic doctors and/or nurses but are also [[psykers]], though of a very specific focus in that they heal Eldar souls and are heavily tied to [[Isha]]. Their mythology involves Asuryan tying locks of Isha's hair into Eldanesh's hair so his descendants could be healed with the [[My Little Pony|Power of Love]].

== Path of the Mariner ==

These are Eldar who have taken to serving on vessels of the Eldar fleets (craftworlds are too large and unmaneuverable to qualify as capital ships). Unlike the ships of the [[Imperial Navy]], which are crewed by <s>press-ganged slave labour</s> {{BLAM}}{{BLAM| WHICH ARE CREWED BY BONDSMEN WHO ARE HONOURED TO SERVE THE VESSELS OF THE IMPERIUM}}, the Mariners are eager volunteers who can leave at their discretion.

== Path of the Merchant ==

Mentioned by [[Gav Thorpe]] on a Q&A on his blog. This path exists to cultivate and control the Eldar urges to acquire material wealth [[Trazyn the Infinite|and collect exotic possessions]]. However, since those on the Path of the Artisan just give their stuff away since they create merely out of the desire for creation, the Eldar economy presumably works radically differently (''space commies) ''from that of your typical human society.

== Path of the Outcast ==

{{Topquote|You can only imagine what we've seen with our eyes...|Eldar Rangers squad, [[Dawn of War]]}}

Not exactly a Path, these are Eldar who have rejected the regimented ways of the Paths and left their craftworld. Often it's caused by wanderlust, rejection of authority, etc. Those on the Path of the Outcast often become [[Eldar Ranger|Rangers]], serving as scouts for Eldar warhosts. In some cases, Eldar who remain on the Path of the Outcast too long end up cutting all ties with the Paths, essentially becoming a full-fledged [[Dark Eldar]].

== Path of the Seer ==

The Path of the Seer is the most treacherous of the Paths, where an Eldar develops their [[Psyker|psychic]] abilities. The Eldar as a species are psykers by nature, but few develop their powers to the level of the Seers. Seers are vitally important to the survival of a craftworld, as they can study the flow of fate to predict what dangers the craftworld will face. Seers gather together to form [[Seer Council]]s, groups which form the leadership of a craftworld. Special types of Seers exist, such as [[Bonesinger]]s, who manipulate [[Wraithbone]], the core component of Eldar constructs. [[Warlock_(Eldar)|Warlock]]s are those who have previously served as warriors in an aspect of [[Khaine]], and can become some of the most potent battlefield psykers in the galaxy.

Those who become lost on the Path of the Seer become [[Farseer]]s, individuals who can see incredibly far into the future. Eventually, the psychic power within the Farseer will overwhelm his or her body and turn it to crystal, and they become another node in their craftworld's [[Infinity Circuit]]. Unlike the other paths, those who become Farseers usually choose to become trapped on the Path of the Seer for the sake of their craftworld.

== Path of Service ==

Butlers, housemaids janitors, valets, general dogsbodies; everybody needs them. Since participation in the Path system is largely voluntary ''(if you don't like it, leave)'' Eldar on this path must have a burning desire to get those stubborn stains out.

Either that or they just want see what it feels like to NOT be an arrogantly superior prick for a change and start scrubbing [[toilets]] and washing dishes. That said, the path of service is often the best way to get other Eldar to get off their too arrogantly superior prick ass and become an aspect warrior to prove them wrong.

== Path of the Warrior ==

Founded by the [[Phoenix Lord]] [[Asurmen]] after the Fall of the Eldar, the Path of the Warrior is where an Eldar will study at one of the shrines of the [[Aspect Warriors]], learning all they can about their Shrine's skills and methods of waging war. [[Guardian]]s are not treading the Path of the Warrior, but are civilians taking up arms in reaction to an emergency situation. Eldar following the Path of the Warrior comprise the bulk of their military, and the majority of the pieces in an Eldar army in games of [[Warhammer 40,000]] represent this Path.

Those who become lost on the Path of the Warrior become [[Exarch]]s, the priests of the Shrine. Being lost on the Path of the Warrior will end in one of three ways: death in battle, sacrifice as the Young King to awaken the Avatar of [[Khaine]], or becoming the new host for a [[Phoenix Lord]]. Should an Exarch die in battle, their personality will live on in their armor. Once donned by another Eldar destined to become an Exarch, the new personality merges with the personalities already within the armor and a new gestalt consciousness assumes the name of the original occupant.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Eldar Corsairs]]

Shuriken Catapult

2023-06-01T11:37:01Z

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[[File:Shuriken_Weapons.jpg|400px|right|thumb|When you want to cosplay as a ninja in the 41st millennium without looking like a tryhard idiot... assuming you can get past the fact you gun's barrel looks like a dildo. ''- Have you even seen Tyranid Pyrovores, mon'keigh?'']]

The primary category of [[Eldar]] small arms are the '''Shuriken''' weapons, guns that fire bursts of psy-plasti-crystal ninja stars. Light, sleek, and reasonably powerful, the hallmark of everything Eldar, and like most of their technology, are grown from the same psychoactive Wraithbone that forms the physical shell of the Craftworlds by a specialised subset of [[Bonesinger]]s, taken from those who have previously walked the Path of the Warrior.

The actual effectiveness is greatly inconsistent throughout the fluff, depending on the variant and/or source material. They work by shaving off a very thin slice off a solid munitions core and accelerate it to lethal speeds (if you have read [[Video_games|Mass Effect's]] Codex, it's a lot like that, just with monomolecular disks instead of bullets), with a very high rate of fire. Coupled with the fact that they do not suffer from recoil since they use a gravity accelerator (yes, not magnetic acceleration tech, its projectiles are not magnetic; think of it like how a railgun works, the disk is propelled forward with a gravitational push, before it then accelerates along a gravity rail that runs all along the barrel) to propel the munitions at very high speeds. Between that and the Eldar's [[Heresy|superior senses and accuracy]], it's fairly easy even for the militia Guardians to be a significant threat as they can lay down a curtain of precise and deadly ninja stars with very little effort. Crunch-wise, this is represented by all Shuriken weapons enjoying improved armour penetration values on to-hit rolls of 6.

Due to the fact that they shoot a lot of [[dakka]], while being [[choppy]] at the same time, [[Ork]]s feel some sort of confused respect towards them.

Much like Imperial [[Lasgun|Las weapons]], there exist many variants of Shuriken guns.

==Shuriken Pistol==
[[File:ShurikenPistol.png|200px|right|thumb|Shuriken Pistol]]
The Shuriken Pistol, known in the Eldar Lexicon as ''Murekh'', is - who would have thought - the small, one-handed pistol version of the Shuriken Catapult. As commonly used as the [[Laspistol]] by the Imperial Guard, the Shuriken Pistol is the main sidearm for the Eldar Warhosts. The shurikens it fires are identical to those used in the larger weapon; a spinning disc which can slice straight through flesh and bone.

They are part of the equipment of the [[Howling Banshees]], [[Striking Scorpions]] and [[Storm Guardians]], and are used by [[Farseer]]s and [[Warlock (Eldar)|Warlocks]] as well. They used to be special amongst pistols by having the same range as the "full size" variant of the weapon, but since 9th edition the Catapult got mercifully buffed in that aspect.

Amongst humans these weapons are sometimes referred to as "slingers" or "sling pistols", and sometimes can be found on the black markets of some hives like [[Necromunda]].

==Shuriken Catapult==
[[File:Shuriken_Catapult.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Shuriken Catapult]]
The Shuriken Catapult, or ''Tuelean'' in the Eldar Lexicon, is the rifle-sized (but really more like a carbine) version of the Shuriken weapon series. This weapon is only carried as a primary weapon by members of [[Guardian]] squads since other, more elite forces of the Eldar tend to use more specialized and generally better pieces of ranged equipment, It is also incorporated to certain other systems such as Eldar [[Jetbike|Jetbikes]].

In the earliest versions of the game, the Shuriken Catapult was available to nearly every army (just like most basic weapons) including [[Imperium of Man|Imperials]]. They were decent enough for a mook's weapon, but 2nd edition suffered heavily from the Herohammer complex and their wielders saw little use. Come 3rd edition, Shuriken Catapults continued to barely see any use, as while Guardians got fielded all the time, it was for the heavy weapon platform they shielded with their bodies and not the actual guns they themselves carried. The reason for this was fairly simple: the Shuriken Catapult used to have a criminally short range, [[Fail|on par with pistols]], that put its wielder right in the range sweet point for getting assaulted. [[Phil Kelly|Someone]] eventually noticed that having T3 5+ Guardians toting around a weapon they had to risk getting assaulted to fire was a bit derptastic, so they received their characteristic AP improving special rules which carries on to this day, and in [[Warhammer_40,000_9th_Edition|9th Edition]] they finally got a glorious range increase of 50%, putting them at a respectable 18". The short range of the weapon was actually somewhat against common logic too, as they fire high speed aerodynamic projectiles, and there's nothing in the fluff that would stop them from having the same or better range compared to most standard weapon.

On the tabletop, the Shuriken Catapult is around as effective as a [[Bolter]], slightly shorter in range, but capable of greater volume of fire.

===Avenger Catapult===
[[File:Shuriken6.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Avenger Catapult]]
An improved version of the Shuriken Catapult carried by the [[Dire Avengers]], it features an extended barrel, additional power feeds, in-built rangefinders, a greater firing range and more sophisticated targeting systems. Come 9th Edition however, and the regular Shuriken Catapult received the same range, so to further differentiate it from the Avenger, the latter was given a better AP value (-2 instead of -1) and firing rate (Assault 3 instead of 2), bringing to the tabletop the accuracy and rate of fire that previously hadn't been represented.

As stated above, they are the weapon of choice of the Dire Avengers [[Aspect Warriors]], who use them in semi-automatic mode most of the time. However, in the heat of an assault or a close-range firefight, the weapon's full automatic mode can empty its magazine in just four seconds - at 1,500 rounds per minute, it means that it has enough ammo for 100 shots, which is about the same number of rounds you can squeeze out of the average [[Lasgun]]'s power pack.

[[Asurmen]], the Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers, carries a pair of twin-linked Avenger Catapults on his wrists, showing the other races how to do [[Dakka]].

===Gatekeepers Bastion===
[[File:Gatekeeper.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Gatekeepers Bastion]]
The Gatekeepers Bastion is a modified Avenger Shuriken Catapult made with with fortification and protection against environmental conditions in mind. The model includes reinforced casing around the barrel and magazine, and an augmented scope/range finder built with penetrating hostile planetary conditions as its primary function (snow storms, sand storms, acid rain, hail storms, etc.), its seals making it far less prone to malfunctioning in battle.

The weapon's increased heft makes for a much more solid impact if the Dire Avenger is forced to strike a target in melee, turning the gun into a makeshift club. Crude by Eldar standards, but effective nonetheless.
{{Clear}}
==Shuriken Rifle==
[[File:Shuriken_Rifle.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Shuriken Rifle]]
The Shuriken Catapult's big sister (or perhaps mum, as it looks like the Catapult's and [[Splinter Rifle]]'s common ancestor) and the actual combat rifle representative of the Shuriken class. It is the [[Eldar Corsairs]]' new mainstay weapon after Forgeworld squatted their range and GW brought them back, forgetting that [[Lasblaster]]s exist.

Ironically, as it sports an improved range over the Catapult at the cost of a reduced fire rate at medium-to-long distances, [[Fail|it would probably be better for Guardians to be the ones to carry these, while Corsairs would appreciate the better close-range capabilities of the Catapult in their boarding actions and raids]].

==Shuriken Cannon==
[[File:Shuriken_Cannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Shuriken Cannon]]
The heaviest of the Shuriken weapons, the Shuriken Cannon works just the same way as its smaller counterparts, but has an ammunition coil to load the weapon more quickly and uses a triple accelerator field for improved rate of fire and power.

Unsurprisingly, while the Shuriken weapons above are all hand-held weapons, the Shuriken cannon is very large and needs stabilizing gyroscopes to allow any accuracy. As such, it can be found mounted under jetbikes, onto vehicles and on gun platforms, although some variants that can be carried by a single footslogging elf do exist. Although technically a heavy weapon, due to its light design (comparatively to other faction's heavy weapons) it used to be these girls could be fired even when on the move, and although this currently isn't the case anymore, their fairly high Strength value is still appreciated in many a Warhost.

===Shrieker Cannon===
[[File:Shrieker_Cannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Shrieker Cannon]]
Shrieker Cannons, known as ''Buanna'' in the Eldar Lexicon, are an upgraded version of the Shuriken Cannon which owe their Imperial moniker to the characteristic noise their particular missiles cause the air to move around them.

Used by [[Harlequin]] [[Death Jester]]s, they fire special hollow ([[Derp|how a monomolecular disc can have a cavity is a geometrycal mystery]]) shurikens filled with a genetically-tailored, enzyme-based serum called ''Margrech''. As the shot hits its target, the centrifugal forces created by the spinning disc force this potent toxin through microscopic holes in the shuriken's spines and into the target. The serum works in a very complex and unpleasant manner, combining with the victim's own genetic material, twisting and distorting tissues, and causing organs to painfully malfunction. [[Grimdark|The victim is rapidly driven into a violent delirium as the dangerous cocktail reaches their brain and they lose control of their body, the constant, rapid replicating of the toxin making the blood boil, organs rupture and flesh sear from within, causing the poor bastard to explode in spectacular fashion mere moments after impact]]. Because for Aeldari clowns, hyper-sharp-ninja-star cannons just aren't quite enough, they gotta add Inflation Fetish to the mix.

===''Maugetar''===
[[File:Maugetar.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Maugetar]]
The ultimate Shuriken weapon is [[Maugan Ra]]'s famous ''Maugetar'', an ancient Shrieker Cannon with built-in Executioner, thus making it a choppy shooty choppa, and is able to cut Hierophant biotitans in half. Which doesn't really make sense simply because Hierophants are so large that the scythe wouldn't be able to to reach all the way across its body, not even close. Just don't say it out loud, he probably would take offense to that. Besides, it's very well possible [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuLJ_SumXDg Maugan Ra is the Eldar's version of cyborg ninjas].

Anyways, Ol'Maugy created ''Maugetar'' (literally, "Harvester") as a means to kill a large number of mooks in one go. In order to do so, he sort-of kidnapped Kaeleth-Tul, a master Bonesinger, and together they worked to produce the most ded killy Shuriken gun Aeldarkind had ever seen. Once the piece was completed, Maugan Ra then [[That Guy|proceeded to cripple, blind, and mutilate Kaeleth-Tul, so that he may never assist anyone else in making a weapon equal or better than that]]. What a [[Dick]].

===Shuriken Appreciation===
The humble shuriken weapon doesn't always get the respect it deserves, only the Orks seem to truly appreciate these deadly weapons, mostly for their ability to combine both Dakka and Choppa at the same time.
* Shuriken weapons can fire a single disc or a hail of death depending on how skilled the individual using it is. The basic Eldar warrior is essentially armed with a gravity using Railgun/Minigun that can be fired single-handedly whilst performing a perfect somersault.
*When a group of Dire Avengers releases a Blade Storm attack it's like being hit by a sandstorm, where every grain of sand is replaced by an impossibly sharp disk that will cut you into a fine red mist.
* Shuriken weapons can be seen as the Eldar version of the AK47, easy to manufacture and maintain, and although not the most high tech of firearms it can be created in large numbers and can be picked up and used with relative ease by even those with basic training.
* Due to the ammo being formed from plasti-crystal similar to Wraithbone, which can repair itself and grow back into the shape it was formed into, the Shuriken weapon has a theoretically unlimited ammo limit (if used properly). You use up the solid plasti-crystal core, replace with a new one allowing the first to replenish itself, then you can reuse it when it is ready to be used again.
* In the distant past the description of Shuriken weapons used to have different ammo types, being able to use disks that could use explosives, acids, poisons and possibly even more exotic ammo, this would make them a very versatile weapon, allowing them to be customized to deal with specific enemies. This has made a partial return with "shrieker" discs on the table top but is limited to a single weapon. If it was to see a proper return then Dire Avengers would have access to something similar to the Special Issue Bolter ammunition used by Space Marines.
* The Shuriken weapon requires only the energy given by their user to function, meaning that it can be picked up and used immediately without needing any additional power input, meaning the weapon has a limitless power supply as long as the user is alive.
*Shuriken disc's cut through flesh and bone like a hot knife through butter and are more then capable of cutting through all but the strongest of armor. Even though Shuriken weapons are not really designed for dealing with heavy armored opponents (although they will eventually chew through the armour, like sandblasting through a thick slab of meat) you really shouldn't get too comfortable in that fancy armor of yours, as any joint or seal will provide a weak point where a disc can quite easily penetrate. Once a disc has got past the armor, unless it passed right through, the disk is going to either bounce around inside the armor cutting its a way through your insides, or lodge itself inside your body where your own armor will prevent you from removing it. You now have an impossibly sharp razor disk that will cut you up from the inside with every move you make. This can cripple or even incapacitate even the toughest of opponents especially when the shuriken lodge themselves around your arm or leg joints; even the area around the upper hips, groin region is an area that can be susceptible to Shurikan attacks (ouch, that going to hurt).
*Keep in mind that any disks that either bounce off or shatter against heavy armour are going to then turn into a hail of deadly shrapnel, potentially wounding or killing someone else indirectly.
*These weapons will make short work of anything if not properly armoured; even the Primarch Vulkan was killed (he got better) by a pair of Shuriken pistols, when they were fired into his un-armoured face (don't be an idiot and keep your helmets on).

== See Also ==

*[[Splinter Weapons]] - The Dark Eldar's dark and edgy take on Shuriken weapons.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Weapons]]

[[Category: Warhammer Weapons]]

{{40k-Eldar-Weapons}}

Ronahn

2023-06-01T11:35:37Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[Image:Ronahn.jpg|thumb|right|He still looks <s>like a fag</s> [[awesome]].]]
'''Ronahn''' (AKA ''''Ronny'''' as [[Gorgutz]] [[Dawn of War III|likes to call him]]) is an [[Eldar]] Ranger in [[Dawn of War II]]. He was originally from [[Craftworld]] [[Ulthwé]], but eventually came to the service of [[Alaitoc]]; of course, he feels no real allegiance to them and will probably leave once he feels like it.

Spoiler alert: he's Taldeer's twin brother. He was severely depressed about his sister's death, which was only deepened by the death of his [[Exodite]] mentor Nemerian and [[Idranel]]'s failure. He believed that, in Idranel's case in particular, the cause was cocksure arrogance that psychic visions are 100% accurate. As such, he lost faith in his Craftworld and grew prejudiced and cynical towards psykers. Also, [[Eldrad|his father]] was a huge dick and didn't care about his daughter's death, while his sister [[Macha]] the [[Everqueen|Ever-Virgin]] just threw a party over it... We may have slipped into [[/tg/]] fanon there for a minute.

Anyway, during the Eldar campaign, he is continuously skeptical of Veldoran and Elenwe's prophecies. He also thinks Kayleth is a bitch, mostly because <s>she is</s> she calls him an ignorant, loud-mouthed complainer, though they do agree on issues sometimes. However, when it's revealed that Kyras had orchestrated his sister's slow demise, he drops the emo shit and turns on vengeful-brother mode. Working with Kayleth's forces, he succeeds in destroying Kyras and retrieving his sister's soul stone (which, luckily, survived in Kyras' possession). He immediately leaves to return Taldeer's soul stone to Ulthwé's [[Infinity Circuit]]...only to be ambushed by Autarch Kyre, who stole it in order to milk Taldeer for her knowledge about the Acheron prophecy. He's forced to work for Kyre for a time as his spymaster, but he and Macha later team up in order to end his mad ambitions.\

==Gameplay==
Not just content with being the most sensible character in the Eldar campaign, Ronahn also takes the title of best hero unit in the Eldar campaign period. He's everything you ever needed wrapped into one gloriously depressed space elf. Taking his damage path to the end gives him the ability to spam Kinetic Pulse like no tomorrow, as well as giving Kinetic Pulse the ability to deal massive damage to infantry units (as in, will insta-kill at least one unit in a squad, which is a big deal against squads with few members, like most heavy weapons squads) in addition to it's base ability to knockback and suppress not only the targeted unit but all units in a short radius around it as well, giving him ridiculous crowd control ability. With a few upgrades further, he can do this while infiltrated and without revealing himself, as well as making infiltration cost no energy to sustain. By the time he reaches level 10, he can shroud all units around him in invisibility as well. Combine this all with the fact that his long rifle kills garrisoned infantry without the need for grenades, and you've got a unit that can essentially do it all. Garrison-clearing, single-target damage, crowd control, and group-wide invisibility.

Wargear only increases the sheer level of destruction this man can cause. One piece in particular gives him and all units around him increased energy and health regeneration, essentially giving him even more capability to spam Kinetic Pulse. Take this, in additon to Haywire Grenades, and nothing is safe. Garrison? Just right click. Vehicles? Cloak and haywire. Heavy Weapons Squads? Kinetic Pulse. Melee units charging you? Kinetic Pulse. Any infantry unit ever? Kinetic Pulse. To sum up, Ronahn basically makes any and all infantry units a non-threat, and with a few, easy to get items can be equipped to deal with other threats as well.

==Taldeer is dead....Meh, like we care==
Ronahn hurried towards the main chamber of the spire. He needed to confront his father over the dreadful turn of events. ''How could this have happened?'', Ronahn thought as he raced towards the chambers massive doors. Ronahn wanted to believe that this was not be happening; he wanted to believe that this was nothing but a dream. In truth, this was a painful reality: Taldeer was dead. As he approached the door, it mystically opened just inches away from his fingertips as if the room itself was waiting for his arrival. Inside sat his esteemed father, Eldrad Ulthran, resting comfortably on his throne and reading his own memoirs of his past cleverness. Ronahn restrained his emotions, and approached his father with as much haste as courtly manners allowed. Eldrad ignored him, until the moment Ronahn was about to speak then Eldrad raised a single finger to motion Ronahn to be silent. For a moment that felt like an entire day, Ronahn stood still. Eldrad, who still hadn't raised his eyes from his memoirs, gestured his hand for Ronahn to speak.

"Father", Ronahn started, "as your power of farsight is greater than any known farseer, you are obviously aware of... a certain tragedy." Eldrad made no motion to acknowledge that he heard what was said, and Ronahn waited even longer, weeks passing by in his maelstrom of emotion. Finally, Eldrad spoke.

"No." Just that one word, without emotion.

This confused Ronahn, enough that he forgot his manners and challenged: "No, father?"

Eldrad, finally lifting his eyes and looking at his son, tossed the writ to the floor at his feet. "Of course not", Eldrad spat. "You know very well this is the time when I meditate, go to warp and play chess with the guys. It always ends in a tie, " Eldrad sneered, "and I can't let Tzeentch, the Deceiver, the Emperor or Cegorach get the better of me by allowing myself to be interrupted, now can I? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question." Eldrad folded his hands before him, in a mockery of an student's posture before a teacher. "If, however, you have news for me instead of wasting my time with vague questions, I'm all ears".

Ronahn hesitated, then announced "Father; Taldeer, my sister... she is dead."

A few moments of chilly silence followed. When Ronahn said nothing else, Eldrad quipped "Oh, well can't be helped, what's done is done." Ronahn was visibly shocked by his father's apathetic response. It should have been unsurprising, for someone familiar with Eldrad's history of self-involvement and callous machinations. "Father!", Ronahn exclaimed , "how could you be so cold when this is the death of your own flesh and blood?"

Eldrad snorted and replied, "My flesh and blood does not guarantee the results will not be a complete idiot. If she was so cocksure in the accuracy of her farsight that she did not anticipate things not going just according to keikaku, then she deserves the reward for the absence of her planning."

Ronahn's shock with his father's callousness overwhelmed his restraint. Boiling with anger, he shouted, "You ''complete'' and ''utter '''dick!!!'''''" Eldrad received this retribution with the first show of emotion since Ronahn entered the chamber: "why, thank you for the compliment; I do try my best," he said with smug satisfaction. Ronahn, speechless with anger and contempt, stormed out of the chamber. In his temper, he failed to notice Macha and Caerys waiting outside until he nearly bumped into them.

"Ronahn!", Macha exclaimed, bubbling with excitement. "Have you heard the news of Kronus campaign?" Ronahn's disgust rose in his throat. He knew Macha would be delighted to hear of Taldeer's demise. He knew Caerys was the same, and the satisfaction on her face confirmed his low expectations. "Yes, dear sister", Ronahn grunted, regaining his restraint by flexing his hands at his sides. "You are not the least distressed regarding our sibling's death, are you?" Macha, in a transparent feigning of compassion, cooed, "Oh my dear brother, of course I'm upset..." After a dramatic pause, she continued: "I'm upset I didn't get to see that bitch die!" Macha and Caerys laughed at this great wit, and gave each other a high five. They skipped merrily around Ronahn and into Eldrad's chamber.

Ronahn stood still in the hallway, stunned that his own family and best friend cared so little about his sister's death. His disgust climbed high enough to leave a burning taste in his mouth. He would never see his sister again. Who was at fault? His uncaring family? The apathy of Caerys? Did he not do enough himself? After mulling these thoughts over, he came to the conclusion that blame laid at the feet of the person he entrusted with Taldeer's safety. Surely, the Vindicare assassin was to blame for failing to protect Taldeer. Ronahn's heart burned with the fires of hate -- fires that could only be extinguished with the bitter-sweet blood of vengeance. With that certainty, he swore an oath:

"I swear, by the bloody hand of [[Khaine|Khaela Mensha Khaine]], I will see that bastard pay ''WITH HIS LIFE!''"

==Kyras lays down the motherfucking LAW==

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1498VcQjXlc&feature=channel_video_title

Slaanesh wishes that ANY of his/her/it's champions could talk down to the Eldar so well.

Eliphas is good too, despite being an Undivided Lord who leans towards Khorne. '''GIVE MY REGARDS TO SLAANESH, ELDAR!'''

== Trivia ==

* He's one sexy beast, though not as sexy as [[Cyrus|Spike Spiegel]]. They both share the same school of stealth-and-snipery-and-complaining.
* He actually had the balls to say "Slaanesh" (for the Eldar, this is like saying "[[Harry Potter|Voldemort]]" out loud!).
* Previously disliked the relationship between his sister and the vindicare assassin. But now that Taldeer's dead he doesn't dislike the latter anymore...'''HE FUCKING DESPISES THAT SON OF A BITCH FOR FAILING TO PROTECT HIS TWIN SISTER !!! OH SHIT, RONAHNS A RAGING HURRICANE OF VENGEANCE !!!!'''
* We don't know what he thinks of his Half-Eldar Niece [[Lofn]], but presumably he has a soft spot for her buried somewhere in him.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Dawn of War]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Taldeer

2023-06-01T11:33:07Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Heresy}}
{{Topquote|The Imperials test my patience with their incompetence!|Taldeer in ''[[Dawn of War]]: [[Dawn of War#Winter Assault|Winter Assault]]''.}}

[[Image:Taldeer UncertainFuture.jpg|thumb|right|Kindly ignore the breast located halfway down her torso. <strike>No one can now that its been pointed out</strike> Turn your contrast up, she's poking out the top. Yes it's hard to see, so look '''closer.''']]
'''Taldeer''' is an [[Eldar]] [[Farseer]] originally featuring in [[Dawn of War]]: [[Dawn of War#Winter Assault|Winter Assault]] expansion and the second expansion [[Dawn of War#Dark Crusade|Dark Crusade]], strangely, both times as the leader of the Eldar faction. She is most well known on /tg/ for being one of the protagonists of the awesome piece of writefaggotry known as [[Love Can Bloom]], alongside the [[Vindicare]] assassin [[LIIVI]].

In most [[drawfag]]gotry not actually directly related to the content of Love Can Bloom, Taldeer and LIIVI are assumed to have escaped from their predicament in Love Can Bloom and are living happily together on Ulthwé with a child known as [[Lofn]]. Taldeer is sometimes depicted as a daughter of Farseer [[Eldrad]], with [[Macha]] being her sister. Fellow Farseer [[Caerys]] has a bit of a thing for her.

Recently, it was believed that [[Macha]] shot and murdered Taldeer in her sleep for being an insufferable bitch. It is unknown whether the story is false, or whether Taldeer was raised as an animate corpse at the bidding of her father. Considering the story took place when Macha was fifteen and doesn't mention [[LIIVI]], more than likely it took place only within Macha's own mind.

It was revealed in [[Dawn of War 2]]: Retribution that Taldeer was killed by the Blood Ravens (As told by Azariah as he taunts [[Ronahn]] before the Exterminatus). As [[Ronahn]] was her twin brother, the Eldar campaign is all about saving Taldeer's soulstone. Which is <strike>[[gay]]</strike> touching.

On the other hand when was the last time Chaos told the truth about anything? For all we know Kyras just killed a body double and didn't care enough to tell the difference. Or he made up the story about killing Taldeer completely to fuck with Ronahn, he's kind of a dick like that.

But if you're a stickler for canon, Taldeer returns in [[Dawn of War III]] as a [[Wraithknight]]. While the loss of her mortal coil sucks, on the bright side she does get a nifty sword. Like every Wraithknight, they have a pilot that must have similar soul connection to each other, meaning Ronahn has to pilot it. [[Approved anime|Clearly, Eldrad was the one that tells Ronahn to get in the damn wraithknight]].

Though since Dawn of War III was [[skub|okay at best]], some fa/tg/uys have taken to either ignoring it entirely or reimagining it to once again fit Love Can Bloom, namely making there be a turn for [[grimdark]] so that it no longer conflicts with the official canon. No serious writefaggotry has come of this yet, however.

On one final note; despite her having red hair (assuming it is hair and not something attached to her helmet like a Greek Hoplite crest and her twin having white hair) for her in-game sprite, 95% of her fan-art has black hair.

==Codex Taldeer==
Now you too can field this potent Farseer in your army.

Warning. May include [[cheese]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! PTS !! WS !! BS !! S !! T !! W !! I !! A !! Ld !! Sv
|-
| '''Farseer Taldeer''' || 280 || 5 || 5 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 5 || 1 || 10 || 3+
|}

'''Unit Type:'''
*'''Infantry (Character)'''

'''Unit Composition:'''
*'''1 (Unique)'''

'''Wargear:'''
*'''Twin-Linked Shuriken Pistol of Taldeer'''
*'''Singing Spear'''
*'''Runic Armour of Taldeer'''

'''Special Rules:'''
*'''Ancient Doom'''
*'''Battle Focus'''
*'''Fleet'''
*'''Independent Character'''
*'''Psyker (Mastery Level 3)'''
*'''Runes of The Farseer'''
*'''Runic Aura''': Due to her talent in utilizing runes, Taldeer can generate an aura that revitalizes those around her and knit their wounds back and reconstruct the Wraithbone of lesser Wraith Constructs on a molecular level. All non-mechanical Infantry Units in 12" radius of Taldeer gain the It Will Not Die USR. Units that have a single wound additionally gain an extra one.
*'''Warlord Traits:''' '''An Eye on Distant Events'''

'''Psyker:''' Farseer Taldeer can generate her powers from the '''Daemonology (Sanctic)''', '''Divination''', '''Runes of Fate''' and '''Telepathy''' Psychic Disciplines.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'''Remnants of Glory:'''

*'''Twin-Linked Shuriken Pistol of Taldeer:'''
:The custom pistol of Farseer Taldeer. Crafted with some uncommon modifications, this double-barreled Shuriken Pistol can unleash as many shots as a Shuriken Catapult, and additionally grants greater precision.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! S !! AP !! Type
|-
| Twin-Linked Shuriken Pistol of Taldeer || 12 || 4 || 5 || Pistol, Master Crafted, Precision Shot, Twin-Linked, Bladestorm, Cutting Wind
|}
**'''Cutting Wind:''' Taldeer is capable of shooting twice in every Shooting Phase with her pistol.

*'''Runic Armour of Taldeer:''':
:A unique set armour that Taldeer wears on the field of battle. Being comprised of a Ghosthelm, as well as a combination of runes and armoured Wraithbone plating, this piece of wargear makes the wearer incredibly difficult to kill and grants supreme, if not uncommon protection. The runes themselves allow the Farseer to utilize her powers more efficiently.

:'''The Runic Armour of Taldeer''' grants both a 3+ Sv and a 4+ Inv Save. In addition, it allows for the same capabilities as a Ghosthelm. If Taldeer manages to roll a 6 while passing a Deny The Witch test, she gains a free Warp Charge.

==External Links==
*[http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Farseer_Taldeer WH40k wiki on Taldeer]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000:_Dawn_of_War:_Winter_Assault#.22Forces_of_Order.22_Campaign Wikipedia WALL OF TEXT]

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Image:Taldeer justasplanned.jpg|[[Just as planned]].
Image:Smile_for_the_camera_baby_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg|10/10 WOULD BANG
Image:Taldeer_ಠ_ಠ.jpg
Image:Tumblr nr4yu6JViq1rj5kr0o1 1280.jpg
File:DOWTaldeer1.png|Taldeer in ''[[Dawn of War]]: [[Dawn of War#Dark Crusade|Dark Crusade]]''.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Dawn of War]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Macha

2023-06-01T11:31:25Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Promotions}}
{{Heresy}}
[[Image:Machadow3.jpg|thumb|600px|Go bring up her virginity to her face, I dare you.]]
Not to be confused with [[Mecha]].

<s>Mocha</s> <s>Mucha</s> '''Macha''' is an [[Eldar]] Farseer from [[Dawn of War]] infamous for being a 4000+ year-old virgin. Like [[Taldeer]], she's another daughter of [[Eldrad]] (as far as [[/tg/]] canon is concerned). Usually depicted to be mostly reasonable, outside of relationship matters where she falls into a self pitying, whiny wreck concerning her virginity. Fa/tg/uys masturbate furiously to pictures of her naked (many of which can be seen below). She can be distinguished from other Eldar by her cheek lines and red hair.

Later developments brought about the theory that Macha is destined to be with the [[Emprah]], but due to Eldrad dickery these two will continue being a virgin and comatose corpse-god, respectively. There are also conflicting opinions on whether Macha is actually saving herself for the Emperor and choosing to be a virgin, or if she is simply extremely unlucky and is constantly frustrated as to why she fails to get laid when her body is the hottest piece of ass this grimdark universe has ever seen. For a while, she died, no thanks to [[C.S. Goto]], but she got better (she was only a little dead).

Macha has had anal sex, frequently in fact, but it has always been with a Callidus Assassin masquerading as someone or another. While initially traumatizing for her, Macha has accepted this fact and views the unnamed Callidus as her sort-of girlfriend. Whether this makes Macha bisexual or not (considering that the Callidus always takes male form when they interact) is up for debate. Rumors of her getting laid for real with a mon'keigh fuckbuddy of hers have yet to be confirmed or denied, as the people who try to bring it up keep getting a Singing Spear jammed into their eye sockets. Often drawn by [[Drawfag|Chink]] before he left /tg/ for [[/v/|Skullgirls]].

She has returned in [[Dawn of War III]]. Hilariously enough, her unmasked appearance is exactly the same as what /tg/ has always depicted her looking like, right down to the cheek lines and red hair. This has lead to some theories as to this design choice:

#The Designers are total fa/tg/uys and read this wiki and the boards.
#The Designers want to appease 40k fans by throwing a little fanservice their way.
#The character designer for Macha was a new guy who went looking for character references and didn't realize that all the drawings were just fanon interpretations.

The meme about her being a perpetual virgin is rather ironic given that she shares a name with a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macha Celtic goddess] of, among other things, fertility (but it's not like virginity was not a custom in Celtic culture).

Oh fuck, [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|What]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWDTuxeZrIc| did you do...]

==Dawn of War ==
During the events of the original game, Macha leads a warhost of Biel-Tan Eldar on the planet [[Tartarus]]. Their mission was to safeguard an ancient artifact known as the "Maledictum", which contained a powerful greater daemon of Khorne that the Eldar had imprisoned millenia ago. When the Forces of Chaos arrived on Tartarus with the intention of obtaining the artifact, Macha lead her forces to ensure that they would not succeed. Though because of the Eldar's legendary arrogance and seeing themselves as the only ones capable of handling the situation, rather than explaining themselves to the imperials and maybe trying to ally with them, Macha led the warhost against the imperial forces and engaged in a bloody conflict with Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens that ultimately led to the Eldar's defeat and greatly weakening their forces. Since engaging nearly a whole chapter of warriors capable of devastating Craftworlds was somehow a bad idea. Who would've thought? Her mistake is compounded by the common knowledge that the Imperium basically is an anti-Chaos, daemon-slaying warmachine and so is very much far more capable of sealing away the Maledictum or outright destroying the daemon within than even the Eldar have ever been.

Macha was then confronted by Angelos and his Librarian friend Isador near the dig site which held the key to the Maledictum, and pleaded with them to bury the key. However the Chaos Sorcerer Sindri appeared and quickly took the key before teleporting away. Macha then told Angelos that if he wanted more answers, then he should ask Inquistor Toth as she states that he knows more than he lets on. Before she left, she informed Angelos of where the Forces of Chaos were entrenched while also blaming him for weakening the Biel-Tan warhost (conveniently forgetting the conflict between the Eldar and the Blood Ravens was partly her fault if not more).

She and the Eldar forces appear again during the final mission where they allied with the Blood Ravens against the Alpha Legion and Sindri, who had ascended into a Daemon Prince. After Sindri got his ugly face smashed thanks to Angelos and his newly acquired daemon-hammer, both the Space Marines and Eldar got a hold of the Maledictum. Macha implored Gabriel to not destroy the stone, but rather than straight out saying that destroying it would release the daemon, she just vaguely said that he knows little of what he is doing before ordering her forces to open fire on the imperials (thereby encouraging Gabriel not to heed her). Gabriel proceeded to destroy the Maledictum, causing the Eldar to flee and Macha cursing him that his action has doomed them all. Stupidly forgetting that she was speaking to a super-daemon killer fully capable of killing whatever was unleashed.

After that, she hasn't been seen since. Until.....

==Dawn of War III==
Macha returns after more than a decade since the first game. She serves under the command of Lord Kyre who seeks to obtain the Spear of Khaine, located on Acheron, the wandering world. She is still tsundere for Gabriel as when she receives orders to kill him for mucking up with Kyre's plans, she refuses. In the end she teams up with Angelos [[wat|and Gorgutz]] to stop the chaotic threat. Her whole reason for being there originally, though, was to try to destroy the Blood Ravens and personally kill Gabriel as she blames the Chapter for weakening her warhost and she holds Gabriel personally responsible for the release of the daemon. Even though literally all of those things were direct and extremely obvious results of ''her'' actions. And if a fraction of the Chapter did that, attacking the Chapter as a whole is…uh…really damn stupid. Maybe challenging a Chapter full of extremely powerful psykers and precogs is a bad idea?

==Stories Featuring Macha==
* [[Imber]]
* [[The Ever Virgin]]
* [[Macha's Vacation]]
* [[Chris Orksen]], Macha gets vanned for trying to pedo-sex human male children.
* [[Macha writes a fapfic]] - Macha accidentally frees the Star Child from the Warp. It seems some writefag did a whole overhaul of the fapfic, now it's even more heretical and NSFW. YAY!
* [[The Final Saga of Macha the Ever-Virgin: Extra Large Heresy]] - Sometimes miracles really do happen. (Even more NSFW.)

==See Also==
* [[Caerys]], another farseer
* [[Gabriel Angelos]], an old crush of Macha's, although he was chem-gelded (which made bedding him out of the question). However, there are rumours that the reason he did not bed her was because he is gay[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRuXt2lIp3U]. Other rumors say that they ''did'' bed one another, but they had to call it off for fear of inquisitorial purging.
* [[Callidus]], Macha's stalker that keeps tricking her into thinking she's getting it on with a guy... EVERYDAY. And she falls for it... EVERY TIME.

==Links==

"W" Artel is now making a Mini: https://www.google.com/search?biw=1680&bih=931&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Warseer+by+Artel&oq=Warseer+by+Artel&gs_l=psy-ab.3...21943.21943.0.22478.1.1.0.0.0.0.127.127.0j1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0.sHqf0TJ3gPM#imgrc=_&spf=1505318399054

== Gallery ==

{{Promotions}}
<gallery>
Image:Macha NSFW.jpg
Image:Macha_9.png
Image:Macha_5.jpg
Image:Elite_Beat_Eldar_Divas_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg|They're cheering for the Imperial Guard. All Guardsmen who survive the battle get to see the nude version.
Image:Macha_1.png
Image:One just for the fatguys by Mr Culexus.jpg
Image:Macha_2.png
Image:Interruption by Chink.jpg
Image:Macha_6.jpg
Image:Macha_7.png
Image:Macha_8.png
Image:Macha_10.png
Image:MACHA_IS_MY_FAV_by_eccma417.jpg
Image:MACHA_MACHA_by_eccma417.jpg
Image:Meet_the_Focker_Eldrad_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg
Image:A_curious_love.gif
Image:Pancawks1.png
Image:MachaBummedOut.png
Image:MachaDiary.jpg
Image:Machataldeerfight.jpg
Image:Macha aid.png
Image:Macha ass.jpg
Image:Macha_Scum.png
Image:1224319230025.png
Image:Macha_Hmm.jpg
Image:Macha_Baw_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg
Image:1363033022950.jpg
Image:Macha_GRIMDARK.jpg
Image:Macha 1.jpg
Image:ItsMachaTime!.jpg|You better BELIEVE IT.
Image:Heretical Daydreams.jpg| Heresy is in the air!
Image:Macha_11.jpg|She's our favorite Sexy Loser
Image:1228597397940.jpg|Macha encounters the faptau
Image:Ishadamnitmacha.jpg|Macha while writing her fap-fic
Image:Sugar.png| Macha and Callidus Wife sharing a tender moment
Image:Machacalunf.jpg| This would be cute if Macha wasn't +4 STR
Image:MachaVisitsCWCVille.jpg| Macha meets <s>Chris-Chan</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|A certain Extra Heretic that shall not be named}}.
Image:Macha and Gabe.jpg| The man who opened her wraithbone.
Image:Machaplus4.png| Plus Four Str Macha arriving home after a long days work
Image:1386533014791.jpg|Macha has learned to mix sex with violence in her more recent shlickfics. The results are undeniable.
Image:Mon Keigh Fucker.jpg|The irony fairy must be laughing its ass off right now, given some of Macha's more recent antics.
Image:MACHA_X_BIG_E.jpg|This pic has Macha, boobs, whiskey, porno, heresy, a natural twenty, xenos love, the Emperor, a fallen paladin of sorts, chainmail on the armor on the floor, and -4 STR. The Emperor himself knows not what to make of this.
Image:Macha lewd.jpg
Image:Macha cute.png
Image:Glorious HD Macha.jpg|Fucking zap
Image:Macha_doll.jpeg|Spending time with the Emperor
Image:Happymacha by sexual yeti-da1lfvd.jpg|Bewbs
Image:Warhammer_girls_by_hotgum-db17k0n.jpg|Hanging out with Miriael, Lelith and Celestine
Image:Wych on Elfdar.jpg|[[Lelith Hesperax|Lelith]] and Macha
Image:Gabriel and macha.PNG|They've hooked back up.
Image:Gabriel x Macha.jpg| Finally, after 13 years.
Image:Gabe and macha 3.jpg| She won't be disappointed.
</gallery>

== Links ==

"W" Artel is now making a Mini: https://www.google.com/search?biw=1680&bih=931&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Warseer+by+Artel&oq=Warseer+by+Artel&gs_l=psy-ab.3...21943.21943.0.22478.1.1.0.0.0.0.127.127.0j1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0.sHqf0TJ3gPM#imgrc=_&spf=1505318399054

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Dawn of War]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Caerys

2023-06-01T11:29:45Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Promotions}}
{{Topquote|They shall come, expecting the obvious, the simple, the artless. They shall stab at the shadows with confused minds and troubled hearts. Meanwhile, we shall appear unseen from '''ten''' directions, and from every one strike a fatal blow.|Caerys in ''[[Dawn of War]]: [[Dawn of War#Soulstorm|Soulstorm]]'' Showing her ignorance of the enemy. They’d just blow everything up instead.}}

[[Image:Caerys.jpg|Farseer Caerys|thumb|right|250px]]
[[Image:Caerys puts on a few by IronShrineMaiden.jpg|She isn't enough of a bitch to get away with this|thumb|250px|right]]

Farseer Caerys AKA Farseer Careless, is an [[Eldar]] [[Farseer]] from ''[[Dawn of War]]: Soulstorm'' who belongs to [[Craftworld Ulthwé]]. She is usually depicted with black hair tied into a ponytail, and she's sometimes thought of as a lesbian, and also a vague female version of [[Eldrad]] (she inherited his pistol). She seems to have the largest breasts of the female Eldar characters in the games thus far. Some say she has a bizarre attraction to [[Taldeer]], and was consequently infuriated when she supposedly lost her to a certain [[LIIVI|Mon'keigh]], and took her frustration out on the [[Sisters of Battle]]'s [[Canoness]] Selena Agna during the Kaurava campaign. She eventually released Selena, but only after the both of them did both lewd and heretical acts which is detailed [[The_wet_dream_of_selena_agna|here]]-(NSFW).

She's supposedly with [[Macha]] now, as she's the only one left that desperate to be with her.

With her not returning in Dawn of War 3, Macha's reappearance, and [[Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter]] evident victory, we can either assume that she ran away like a bitch, or her head now rests on Gorgutz boss pole, along with the likes of [[Indrick Boreale]],[[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]] and [[Commander Or'es'Ka]]. Though her, Or'Es'Ka, Tahril, and Stubbs are never seen actually being killed and make mention of getting away to try and fight another day.
==Soulstorm==
After somehow foreseeing the [[Necron]] awakening on Kaurava III, Caerys decides to go and fuck them up. Thanks to some conveniently placed [[Webway|Webway]] Gates, Caerys, along with some Ulthwé Eldar, decide to create a super-sneaky stealth base (completely invisible) at an equally super-sneaky location. Being the slow mindless bastards that they are, the Necrons have no fucking idea that the Eldar are even there (probably because most of them are [[Indrick Boreale|incapable]] [[SJW|of forming ideas]]).

If Caerys succeeds in conquering the [[Kaurava System]] (non-[[Canon|canon]]), then the Ulthwé Eldar under her command will "scour" the planets for any remaining survivors. Eventually, they discover that some [[Imperial Guard|human]] [[The wet dream of selena agna|fodder]] had actually survived the crazy fuck-fest that was Soulstorm. Being the complete pussies that they are, the Eldar simply run away, and leave the Imperials to recolonize the system. Later, when the Imperials attempt to recolonize Kaurava III, they are subsequently sabotaged by the Eldar who were hiding there (sneaky bastards!). After several failed colonization attempts, the new governor general (who happens to look exactly like [[Colonel Carus Brom]], but is actually someone else) decides to abandon the worthless piece of shit.

If the Ulthwé Eldar fail to conquer the Kaurava System (which she did, given that it's now Orky), then Caerys will pussy out, and retreats back to [[Craftworld Ulthwé]] through an active Webway Gate, therefore leaving the remaining Eldar to deal with her mess, lazy bitch.

==Statistics==

TBA

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
File:Caerys1.png|Caerys during the Eldar victory ending for Soulstorm.
File:Caerys2.png|That's Caerys on the left..no the right..wait no...left!
File:Caerys3.png|Caerys watching the rest of the Ulthwé Eldar getting rekt on Kaurava III.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Dawn of War]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Yvraine

2023-06-01T11:28:39Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Yvraine.jpg|350px|right|thumb|Destroyer. Saviour. Herald. Foot fetish incarnate. You are all things Yvraine, yet you are nothing, and you will forever stand alone.]]

{{Topquote|Yet, there is a new melody in the galaxy's great song. A harmony unheard by my people for over ten thousand years: Hope. I am the first to hear the voice of the Whispering God. I will not be the last.|Yvraine addressing the Reborn}}

'''Yvraine, Herald of Ynnead''', (often referred to as '''Big Tiddy Eldar GF''' or Grandma Smurf) is an [[Eldar]] who serves as the emissary for the newly awakened Eldar God [[Ynnead]]. While she might not have [[Eldrad]]'s absurd psychic stength or [[Asdrubael Vect|Vect]]'s cunning, Ynnead grants her power over death itself, making her one of the strongest eldar around. Yvraine is also absurdly hard to kill since she's a one-woman army and can [[Vulkan|regenerate]] from most injuries. Her faction, the [[Ynnari]], accept eldar from all walks of life in both the worship of Ynnead, and in the battle against Chaos to try and save their race. Considering this is the race of the biggest self-entitled dicks in the universe who never like being told what to do, leading them all ''at once'' is quite the accomplishment.

She's also happy to work with other races to fight [[Chaos]] when it suits them. Yvraine was [[Cawl|partly]] responsible for the return of [[Roboute Guilliman]], whom she's worked with against the Ruinous Powers several times. Consequently, she's is [[HERESY|shipped]] vigorously with Grandpapa Smurf among certain fans. Her eldar contemporaries experience copious amounts of [[RAGE]] at working with lowly mon'keigh, but she's surprisingly able to reign them in... for now. Regardless, she remains a massive thorn in [[Slaanesh]]'s disgusting backside, as Ynnead protects eldar souls from being eaten by She Who Thirsts.

She also shares her name with Yvraine from Warhammer Fantasy Battle (the daughter of the Everqueen and Aenarion), though crossover names like that [[Magnus|are nothing new]]. The Fantasy version of Yvraine has a brother, Morelion (who is the ancestor of [[Tyrion]] and [[Teclis]]), and is the ancestor to Alarielle, the current Everqueen.

== Early History ==

Yvraine was originally born on [[Biel-Tan|Craftworld Biel-Tan]], which could explain where she got her fighting skills from. However, her first path was the Path of the Dancer. At some point, she found she had psychic ability, and thus she took the Path of the [[Warlock (Eldar)|Seer]], becoming a Warlock. However, she had a mercurial mood, and developed a bloodlust that led her to follow the path of the Warrior among the [[Aspect Warrior#Dire Avengers|Dire Avengers]].

After awhile, even this wasn't enough for her and she left Craftworld Biel-Tan as an Outcast and eventually became a famed [[Eldar#Eldar Corsairs|Corsair]] leader. This continued for a time until a mutiny forced her, and those among her crew still loyal, to flee into the Webway. From here there was only one place to go; Commorragh. Here she made her way living and fighting in the slums before joining a [[Wyches|Wych]] cult and then rising to become a [[Succubi|Succubus]] under the patronage of Lady Malys. Unknown to her, [[Visarch|the Exarch]] she had served under had become so devoted to her that he had shed his war mask and followed her to Commoragh by disguising himself as an [[Incubi|Incubus]] (which is something they are not normally able to do, since Exarchs come into being when they become lost in their respective paths).

So yeah, she gets around. Even has a pretty boy or two chasing after her.

== Yvraine's Rebirth ==

Yvraine's rebirth came about during a major gladiator match in Commorragh. It was here that Yvraine (aided by the patronage of [[Lady Malys]]) was to face off against [[Lelith Hesperax]] herself. To raise the stakes, they would be fighting among Wyches, [[Tyranids]] and other captives or monsters in a massive free for all. It was such a momentous event that [[Asdrubael Vect|Vect]] himself had arrived to watch (from the comfort of his private portable pyramid/command base/mansion).

The fight between Yvraine and Lelith was breathtaking, even the Harlequins in the audience were stunned. It was clear though that Lelith was toying with Yvraine and was clearly the better fighter... until Yvraine managed to get a cut on Lelith's forearm. However, this was a ruse that Lelith had allowed as part of her plan to draw out the fight and make it more entertaining for her patron, Asdrubael Vect. But the punch to the stomach that Yvraine dealt Lelith was not part of the plan. Yvraine got super pissed and entered berserk mode that caused Lelith to start giving ground and, after getting in a vicious stomp on Lelith she led her to a pile of Tyranid corpses. In a nifty display of [[Just As Planned]], Yvraine lost her footing after one of the corpses she was fighting on had a death spasm and Lelith used the opening to stab Yvraine through the sternum before darting off to a new opponent and leaving her for dead.

Despite her wound Yvraine fought, trying to not show weakness in the arena. But even her red attire couldn't hide the blood trailing down her chest. At one point she crossed paths with [[Wat|a priestess of]] [[Morai-Heg]] with needle-like blades. She proved surprisingly quick, even severing one of Yvraine's hands. In spite of her wounds, she still managed to take the priestess with her and ripped the priestess' throat out with her teeth.

That's right, Yvraine's so tough she kept fighting, even though she'd been STABBED IN THE CHEST AND LOST A HAND. Proving herself nearly as hardcore as the average Imperial Guardsman.

It was at this moment, while Yvraine was at the brink of death, that the newly born but weak Ynnead recognized Yvraine as one who had walked on both the Paths of the Eldar and the Paths of Damnation, and so revived her as his Emissary. Unfortunately, the psychic energy released in the process also broke [[Khaine]]'s Gate open, flooding Commoragh with [[Daemons#Warhammer_40.2C000|daemons]] and thoroughly humiliating Vect. Needless to say, Vect now wanted Yvraine dead (again) ''immediately''. Trueborn from the [[Kabal of the Black Heart]] (looking to save face after Vect's retreat) headed towards Yvraine, seeking her death while her Wych Cult and the Visarch (who had been hiding in the crowd) rushed to aid her. Even Wyches from the Cult of Strife turned up, ordered by Lelith to help Yvraine for reasons of her own.

As they left the arena, Yvraine had another surprise. A ship, her flagship from her Corsair days, had returned to Commorragh. The crew took Yvraine, the Visarch and the survivors on before fleeing for the [[Webway]]. But Vect wasn't so easily thwarted. He sealed the Webway passages, and the ship got wedged in one. As Kabalites from the Kabal of the Black Heart tried to cut their way in, Yvraine loaded the Visarch along with as many crew and warriors as they could onto [[Raider]]s and [[Venom]]s and had them launched from the bridge, while the rest of the crew stayed behind, willingly [[Noblebright|sacrificing themselves]] to delay Vect's revenge [[Grimdark|(which involved rape and torture monsters and their tentacle beasts)]] and preserve their people's hope for salvation (Nobledark in 40K, more common than you think).

== Forming the [[Ynnari]] ==

Yvraine fled Commorragh with her old Exarch (who had since renamed himself the [[Visarch]]), the Incubus warriors he had become the leader of since he arrived in Commoragh, the survivors of her crew and several members of her Wych Cult. They wandered the Webway for a time, fleeing the [[Haemonculus|Haemonculi cults]] and Kabalites Vect had sent after them. They met up with a group of Harlequins, who led them through the Webway and kept them one step ahead of Vect's agents.

=== Return to Biel-Tan ===

Accompanied by the newly-formed Ynnari, Yvraine returned to Biel-Tan, the Craftworld of her birth. However, not all eldar were happy to see the return of this prodigal daughter. This 'family reunion' ended with the fracturing of Biel-Tan.

=== Battle in the Webway ===

In the Webway, they were waylaid by the Prodigal Sons, Ahriman's Chaos Warband. In an astonishing display of power, [[Ahriman]] managed to teleport Yvraine, the Visarch and the [[Yncarne]] out of the Webway into Tzeentch's crystal labyrinth with where they froze due to the implication that [[Tzeentch|the big blue bird himself]] was there and merely gazing upon him would destroy their sanity. The Tzeentchian assault on Ynnari forces including the trio, [[Harlequins]], [[Dark Eldar]] and [[Eldrad]] was saved only by the timely intervention of [[Phoenix Lords]] led by [[Jain Zar]].

While trapped in Tzeentch-town, a desperate Yvraine called out to Ahriman, saying she had "what he was seeking". To prove her point, Yvraine used her powers to [[Awesome|restore a dozen Rubric Marines to their former selves]]. Overcome with emotion, Ahriman agreed to return Yvraine, the Visarch and the Yncarne to the battle. However, to take him from the battle, Yvraine then had a [[Wraithknight]] smash a hole in the Webway, [[Troll|sucking those recovered Rubric Marines into the Warp]]. Horrified, Ahriman fled after them on a Disc of Tzeentch.

In the battle both the Yncarne and the Phoenix Lords went MIA. Yvraine would later show the ability to summon the Yncarne again, so long as there was enough death happening in the immediate area.

=== A Desperate Alliance ===

At this point the Ynnari joined together to enact another desperate plan: Eldrad had forseen that the Eldar's and the Imperium's fates were joined. For the Eldar to survive they would have to ally with the [[Imperium]], this time for real.

To facilitate this, they picked up the survivors from the fall of [[Cadia]] (minus [[Creed]], who had already been taken by [[Trazyn the Infinite|Trazyn]]). Then, after a good word from [[Belisarius Cawl|Cawl]], [[Saint Celestine|Celestine]] and [[Inquisitor Greyfax|Greyfax]] to explain their intentions, they headed to Macragge. There, Yvraine and Cawl worked together to heal [[Roboute Guilliman]] of his poison and bring him back to life.

After promising an alliance, the Eldar and the forces of the Imperium parted ways, with Guilliman thanking Yvraine for helping him and Yvraine giving Guilliman a sincere caution and no stereotypical Eldar dickery (something quite a few shippers have seized on, though this would be more ironic than Taldeer and LIIVI, given that Yvraine is the herald of a god and Roboute is implied to despise religion, though this is a combo of the [[Imperial Truth]] creed and Roboute's [[Rage|reaction]] to the [[Ecclesiarchy]] worshiping [[Emperor of Mankind|Big E]]).

=== Hand of Darkness ===

Whilst the [[Plague Wars]] were raging in [[Ultramar]] it came to the attention of Guilliman that [[Mortarion]] was using an artifact known as the Hand of Darkness to spread diseases ([[Blood_Ravens|yes, the same one the Imperium "lost" in the 12th Black Crusade]]). Knowing that the artifact was well-known to the Eldar and that they had a common interest in seeing it out of Chaos' hands, Guilliman requested the aid of Eldrad and Yvraine to retrieve it, having [[Varro Tigurius]] supply the Eldar with its location as the Imperium had been able to locate it whilst the Eldar had not. Armed with the knowledge that the Hand lay within the domain of [[Nurgle]] himself, Yvraine went to the [[Black_Library#In_Warhammer_40.2C000|Black Library]] in order to find a method to safely enter it. After battling against the [[Thousand Sons]], facing off against Ahriman again, and overcoming a test along with the Visarch, Yvraine gained access to something known as the Rose of [[Isha]] and, using it, created a safe passage into the [[Eye of Terror]]. Following this path she and her party located the Hand of Darkness, slew its guardian, and fled with it.

After escaping with the Hand of Darkness the White Seers of the Black Library offered to take it and destroy it, claiming that no good could come from using Chaos Artefacts. Clearly they had never met [[Logan Grimnar]], [[Marneus Calgar]] or [[Kaldor Draigo]] who have all, several times, used Chaos Artefacts for good. However, Yvraine refused them, insisting that she had to return the Hand of Darkness to Guilliman.

=== Craftworld Zaisuthra ===

Shortly after giving the Hand of Darkness to Eldrad so he can send it to Guilliman, Yvraine was contacted by Iyanna Arienal, who had heard that a long-lost Craftworld known as Zaisuthra appeared to have returned after it had left the galaxy. Along with an [[Iyanden]] Wraithhost, the Ynnari went to investigate the craftworld, mainly because legend had it that it contained a webway portal to the Tomb of Eldanesh, which Yvraine suspected could be the location of the final Cronesword.

Although the inhabitants of the Craftworld were friendly at first, it was eventually revealed that it was infected by [[Genestealer|Genestealers]]: the Craftworld had left the galaxy before the [[Infinity Circuit]] technology could be spread and the ancestors of the Craftworld's inhabitants chose to submit to the Broodmind in order to preserve their souls from [[Slaanesh]]. As the hybrids that now constituted the Craftworld's population were running out of resources, their plan was to use Iyanna Arienal to spread their infection to Iyanden, manipulating her into joining the Broodmind by preying on her desire for a family (her original family being killed and their soulstones shattered when a torpedo struck Iyanden - and distant relatives of said family residing in Zaisuthra). Their plan turned against them when Yvraine and Iyanna were able to summon the Yncarne into the Broodmind, who then proceeded to devour the souls of most of the Craftworld and slay the Genestealer Patriarch (which had somehow absorbed the power of the Craftworld's Avatar) leading the hybrids.

Yvraine then took the gate to the Tomb of Eldanesh. Finding themselves in what appeared to be the Eldar homeworld, thought lost during the [[War in Heaven]], they discovered that the tomb did not house the Cronesword but instead the Warshard, the most powerful [[Avatar of Khaine]] of them all, who wielded Anaris itself and whose presence was enough to drive most of the Ynnari forces into a team-killing frenzy. It was defeated, but at the cost of a third of the Ynnari's forces. Meliniel, a Biel-Tan [[Autarch]] who essentially acts as Yvraine's second-in-command, was able to bind the Warshard into himself using a gem made of Eldanesh's blood and transform into Khaine's Avatar at will, so now the Ynnari have their very own Avatar of Khaine. Shame you can't have one in an Ynnari army though. (¿Por qué, GeeDubs?) Plus, it cost them a third of their forces.

=== Tomb-World Agarimethea ===

Following the events on Zaisuthra and the Tomb of Eldanesh, Yvraine sent Druthkhala (a former Drukhari Wych) to act as an ambassador on [[Craftworld Saim-Hann]]. This was mainly to conscript the aid of the Wild Rider Clans in order to investigate Agarimethea; a maiden world formerly host to a population of eldar Exodites who mysteriously vanished and host to an ancient aeldari vault rumored to contain relics from before the Fall. Nuadhu Fireheart, heir to the declining Clan Fireheart and Wild Rider Lord, offered the services of his Wild Riders with the not-so-discreet intention of wooing Druthkhala (who, when no clans officially offered their support, had to settle with that). During their investigation, Nuadhu accidentally triggered a dormant Necron Tomb complex which promptly began awakening its inhabitants to kill the Ynnari/Saim-Hann coalition.

Upon realizing what they'd (specifically Nuadhu) done, Druthkhala and Nuadhu are forced to petition the rest of Saim-Hann's clans for aid in destroying the Tomb-Complex. Most of the clans dismiss the issue, namely due to their distrust in the Ynnari and seers in general (Eldrad's stunt to summon Ynnead and the fracture of Biel-Tan don't help their case) and remain highly divided on how/if they want to even deal with the Necrons. Despite the Firehearts pressing the issue that Agarimethea is within spitting distance of Saim-Hann and the threat a fully awakened tomb world presents to the greater whole of their people. After a recess in the proceedings, Nuadhu calls those opposed to taking action on Agarimethea cowards (which, of course, Saim-Hann eldar happen to value honor literally more than life itself) which results in an honor duel to determine who's in the right. Druthkhala champions the Firehearts after throwing some more shade on their champion (who was originally opposed to an outsider participating until she called him weak), only for Nuadhu to forfeit the duel upon realizing Druthkhala intended to kill the opposing champion (as duels typically end after first blood). This forfeit fully eradicated any chance of Saim-Hann fully supporting the Ynnari's efforts on Agarimethea, so a pissed Druthkhala left to inform Yvraine of the turn in events.

After a meeting with Clan Fireheart and Nuadhu, Yvraine and Eldrad pressure the seers of Saim-Hann into aiding their efforts (despite how little weight the Saim-Hann seers have among the clans). A multi-pronged assault on Agarimethea between the Ynnari, Wild Riders, Fireheart Clan and their closest allies is set in motion to "smash and grab" whatever relics may be in the vault and use them to end the Tomb-World. Despite a necron null field suppressing Ynnead's influence on the Ynnari, the assault seemingly goes well until Yvraine and the Wild Riders reach the vault.

Turns out it wasn't a vault. Instead, it was a sealed portal into the warp ''filled'' with Slaaneshi daemons (including Daemon Princes heavily implied to be of Aeldari origin, food for thought there), which began to attack both the eldar and necrons present. Despite a number of the Saim-Hann forces wanting to say "fuck it" and let them kill each other eternally, Eldrad drops the bomb that Agarimethea is one of several such complexes in the immediate area: within two years the necron/daemon war will envelop no less than the entire solar system (as numerous nearby worlds also host necrons and prison-vaults of their own) and will wipe out Saim-Hann in the process if not stopped immediately. A desperate final assault is attempted on the portal only for the necrons to intercept and redirect the war host to their Phaerakh, who offers a truce in exchange for their aid in sealing the vault-prison. An accord is struck and the Ynnari-Necron alliance makes solid progress against the ever increasing tide of daemons, in no small part due to an unleashed C'Tan shard and Meliniel transforming into the Warshard (arguably the only real instance of an Avatar of Khaine being used ''successfully''). Yvraine, in an effort to fully turn the tide in their favor, takes the soul of Caelledhin Icewhisper's mother (the Fireheart Chieftain's lover whose soul he personally was housing) and uses it to reconnect to Ynnead and summon the Yncarne to battle.

Despite all this, it's still not quite enough to fully press into the vault-prison. The additional knowledge that an eldar with the blood of one who'd opened the portal must be sacrificed in order to close it stirs Caelledhin Icewhisper (Nuadhu's half-sister) to hop on a jetbike and suicide rush the portal, closing it and ending the daemon incursion at the cost of her life. Yvraine and Eldrad apprehensively approach the Phaerakh to ask what what comes next. The Phaerakh, known as The Watcher in the Dark, reveals she doesn't have any plans to leave and conquer other worlds as her sole charge is to make sure the vault-prisons she guards stays shut. To that extent, she lifts the null field and allows the eldar to leave on the condition they stay away, a condition the Ynnari and Saim-Hann eldar are content to accept.

This whole ordeal cost Yvraine a good number of Ynnari lives with nothing to show for it and garnered no good will amongst the majority of Saim-Hann's clans, so the events that took place on Agarimethea arguably were a grand waste of time and resources on her part.

=== Blood of the Phoenix ===

With the opening of the Great Rift (or the Dathedian, as the eldar call it), Yvraine's troubles only seem to have been exacerbated. During a return trip to Saim-Hann in order to directly appeal to several of the chieftains present, Drazhar and a band of his Incubi mercenaries slipped into the craftworld through a webway portal directly into the glade the Ynnari and Chieftains were convening in that the denizens of Saim-Hann somehow completely forgot existed (you'd think the leaders of Saim-Hann would know their home well enough to keep track of a webway portal leading ''directly'' into the heart of the craftworld). Contracted by Vect to kill Yvraine, Drazhar made quick work of several of the local autarchs before Jain-Zar and her Howling Banshees arrived to reenforce the Ynnari and Saim-Hann defenders. Drazhar and what remained of his strike force fell back and retreated into an abandoned ruin of a city called Shaa-dom. It was here where he waited and ambushed the still-pursuing Jain-Zar, whom he killed after stunning her with a deluge of tormented psionic screams from the Howling Banshee spirit stones he'd collected. Yvraine, who'd fled to a remote craftworld known as Zandros, saw her death through a vision and beseeched Ynnead to do something to help the only Phoenix Lord who'd thus far bothered to directly champion her. Back in Shaa-dom, An exarch named Qintui'yenh was revived, who then donned the Phoenix Lord's armor to revive Jain-Zar and escaped through a derelict portal that (rather conveniently) led her directly to Zandros and Yvraine. Suspecting some of her Drukhari followers of treachery, Yvraine told all her followers of her plan to scour Zandros for a portal to Belial IV, where she was confident the final cronesword lay. Her suspicions were soon proven when Drazhar, angry that his trophy kill got up and walked away, soon appeared to kill Jain-Zar (again) and actually finish his original contract to kill Yvraine. This time, Jain-Zar managed to best Drazhar and beheaded the father of the Incubi. Despite Yvraine's enthusiastic accolades and hopes to lead the Ynnari to a bright future, Jain-Zar (literally) bowed out and left without another word.

=== Phoenix Rising ===

Drazhar wasn't the only big name trying to hunt down Yvraine during this time either. Slaanesh, tired of getting blue-balled by Ynnead, sent a daemon by the name of Shalaxi Helbane to hunt down and slay Ynnead's champion. Shalaxi's first attempt nearly succeeded, attacking Yvraine as she and her congregation were puddle-jumping through the webway and slaughtering most of the warhost before Yvraine managed to slip away. A sore loser, and to prove that the Ynnari can never ''truly'' win, Shalaxi gave the fleeing Yvraine a vision of the final cronesword, which had indeed been on Belial IV. Only now it was in Slaanesh's palace, with Slaanesh likely using it to masturbate furiously over how hard he cucked Yvraine and Ynnead by getting to it first. Yvraine steeled herself and led what remained of her convoy to a maiden world known as Iathglas, where through Yvraine's behest, fate or absolute, unyielding boredom, a massive gathering of craftworlders, corsairs, harlequins, drukhari and even exodites was forming. It was here where all the eldar factions began bickering for ''literal'' weeks with Yvraine trying to guide them towards the first steps of a complete alliance between all the eldar to inspire her naysayers to Ynnead's cause. In classic daemonic fashion, on the sixth hour of the sixth day of the sixth week, Shalaxi and a massive Slaaneshi daemon invasion assaulted the world. While the majority of the eldar armies fought off the daemon horde, Shalaxi proceeded to fight Lelith Hesparax, Jain-Zar, a Solitaire, the Visarch and Yvraine simultaneously. With ludicrous ease, Shalaxi cut the Solitaire in half and [[Rape|impaled the Visarch]] before slitting open Yvraine's throat. Before Shalaxi could finish her off, Yvraine drew energy from the world spirit to summon the Yncarne, with whom they were finally able to banish Shalaxi and his daemonic host. After healing the Visarch, but before the eldar could celebrate their combined victory, [[Wat|Shalaxi briefly reappeared to inform them that it wasn't actually fighting at full power and was just testing them]]. The daemon then left to hunt Yvraine another day, with the various eldar factions, despite having moments ago been ready to celebrate their teamwork, fell back to arguing who's fault it was they didn't actually get a win, [[derp|thus choosing to fully believe the words of an agent of their Arch Enemy who they just soundly defeated, and said Arch Enemy who's known for lying and manipulating people without questioning it in the slightest]].

== Relationship with the [[Visarch]] ==

Though Yvraine does not know it, the Visarch is actually her former Exarch and Mentor who, possibly, has romantic feelings for her. Despite this, and despite being her self-appointed bodyguard, in their actual interactions and discussion the two get along very poorly and are prone to snapping at each other. They have three times already drawn their swords on each other and threatened to kill each other, and only two of those times were they under the influence of Daemons. The Visarch strongly dislikes what he calls Yvraine acting as Guilliman's lapdog and pet, accusing her in the Gardens of Nurgle of being nothing more than a minion of the Imperium. Yvraine ...doesn't have much to say against this as she fears he is right*, but is angered by it nonetheless. It says a lot about the Eldar that helping save an ally who asked for help causes them to think this way. Clearly they don’t actually understand what an alliance is. The whole “we help each other” thing seems rather lost on them. To Yvraine's and the Visarch's credit, perhaps the fear they hold isn't directly the fear that they are somehow humiliating themselves by cooperating with Guilliman, but leaving the Xenophobic Imperium of Man, whom the Eldar have had several conflicts with and whom Guilliman isn't in complete control of (as evidenced by the continued existence of the Ecclesiarchy, the High Lords of Terra, and the Imperial Creed) in a position to betray the Eldar and wipe them out or otherwise seal their doom. It would be fitting with the overall character of the Eldar to discuss a horrifying and discomforting truth in a way that allows them the pretense of superiority and control. Except that the Imperium has spent ten thousand years habitually NOT backstabbing aliens specifically so they can point out how treacherous xenos are. If you have a point then it is that the Eldar are in a position where they are starting to realize they could very easily reap what they have sown from ten millennia of douchbaggery. Perhaps Guilliman’s charisma and sheer presence is enough for now. Besides, they should know by now that doing what a Primarch says is a wonderful way to pretty much always win at everything. Especially the one specially created for planning and leadership.

In any case, believing that stopping the spread and creation of interstellar undead plagues is being a "lapdog" is...oh, God-Emperor that is so stupid. Then again it's not like the 'alliance' has stopped the Imperium and Eldar from killing each other across the galaxy (between Imperium and Eldar, not Imperium and Ynnari generally except by accident since neither side is big on talking and co-ordinating with each other), and the whole "awakening of Ynnead" bit was almost halted by the uninvited Deathwatch (because it would've killed billions of people via orbital bombardment of meteors by destroying the crystal moon the ritual was being performed on). In short, though technically allies, the Eldar haven’t stopped being meddling douchbags. It’s just that now they do it openly and are surprised when the Imperium shoots them for whatever dickery they just did.

Time will tell if the two can forge a closer working relationship but, for the moment at least, both of Ynnead's foremost servants are far from friendly with each other. The "Belligerent Sexual Tension" trope anyone?

== Relationship with Guilliman ==

You must have noticed that the fanbase tend to represent Matt Ward's poster boy and Yvrainne as being [[Rule 34|very good friends with benefits]]. Let us put this way; '''They are not.'''

At best, both are the closest they can get to an alliance between the Eldar and the Imperium, at worst, one is the using the other as a pawn. The closest Yvrainne ever got to "being friendly" with Roboute was healing him to put some plans in motion. Nothing more. Well, resurrection is nice and all, but that's not a declaration of love. And even if we consider that Yvrainne is, in fact, Roboute's waifu, then what of the other three women who regularly interact with him? Huh? What do you have to say for yourself, internet?

Naturally, this hasn't stopped GW for portraying the two as being very close to one another, to the point of Yvrainne actually being allowed to assist to Guilliman's coronation. But then again, that can be interpreted as a political move rather than a genuine invitation. In less-canon material (as seen below), they're way much closer than what you would expect. Which means that maybe GW caught onto that, but don't expect anything official until a very long time. Both have their own plans and agendas, and so far a deep loving relationship between the two would the death of their reputation in their respective factions.
== Gallery ==

<gallery>
File:Yvraine by 냉동고등어.jpg|S-Shut up [[Roboute Guilliman|Girlyman]]! Me reviving you doesn't mean I l-like you or anything![https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=62270909 source]
File:Yvraine-Emissary-of-Ynnead.jpg
File:Warhammer by overyall-db5owp4.jpg
Image:YvraineXGuilliman.png|The real reason for the Imperium-Eldar alliance.
Image:YvraineMeshi.jpg|Even [[Dungeon Meshi]] gets in on the fun.
Image:Roboute_and_Yvraine_by_Magnifigal_2.PNG|Roboute and Yvraine's relationship goes back a long, ''long'' time.
Image:WarCom-Thanksgiving.jpg|Even Warhammer Community is getting in on the Heresy!
Image:Lelith Hesperax and Yvraine 1.jpg|What [[Lelith Hesperax|Lelith]] doesn't know is the only reason she's doing this is to keep herself in shape for Girlyman.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Eldar Corsairs]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Visarch

2023-06-01T11:26:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Visarch-Sword-of-Ynnead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|As seen in the WebStore]]

The '''Visarch''' is a prominent member of the nascent [[Ynnari]], a faction seeking to bring forth [[Ynnead]], the Eldar god of the dead. Besides being an expert swordsman himself, he leads the Soulbound Vanguard faction of the Ynnari.

== History ==

The Visarch was formerly a [[Dire Avenger]] Exarch named Laarian Starspeaker. He ran the Silvered Blade shrine in [[Biel-Tan]], where he was [[Yvraine]]'s mentor while she took the Path of the Warrior. When she moved to Commoragh, Laarian followed as well, becoming the leader of a group of [[Incubi]] known as the Coiled Blade. Both of these factions would later join the Ynnari.

Beyond this, his past is generally a mystery. The White Seers of the Black Library hold a grudge against him for being a "destroyer of knowledge", an act which he insists was justified. What is quite clear was that he was loyal to Ynnead before Yvraine made it cool. He is clearly aware about the Croneswords and Ynnead being the source of Yvraine's powers upon first meeting her, and mentions being on Coheria implying that he was involved in [[Eldrad]]'s plot to awaken Ynnead. It is also clear that he wishes to dissociate himself from his past as an Exarch; he is the only known case of an Exarch abandoning his Aspect, which he seems to attribute to Ynnead helping him escape the clutches of [[Khaine]]. He regards Laarian Starspeaker as just being one of many souls that dwells inside him (due to his ability as a Ynnari to absorb the souls of the dead), and one that he particularly doesn't like.

== Wargear ==

Besides his armor, made in the Bel-Anshoc style dating to before the Fall of the Eldar, the Visarch wields the Cronesword Asu-Var (the Sword of Silence), which absorbs its foes' life essence.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Lelith Hesperax

2023-06-01T11:25:55Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:DE wych.png|thumb|left|300px|You can be the king, but watch the queen conquer.]]
[[File:1078901 - Axcido Dark Eldar Lelith Hesperax Warhammer 40K.jpg|thumb|right|300px|She'll conquer you so good.]]
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxWEw_dj_8 She's getting a new(plastic) model]''' 
Her Excellence '''Lelith Hesperax''' is a [[Dark Eldar]] special character, the leader of the [[Wyches|Wych]] [[Cult of Strife]] and the most renowned [[succubi|Succubus]] (a Wych champion) in Commorragh. She is easily one of the biggest badasses in a universe of badasses, simply because she has survived the arenas for millennia - she was already a powerful Succubus when [[Asdrubael Vect]] began his rise to power, and in fact, aided him in his coup. While there are thousands of warriors who carved bloody swaths across the galaxy, she's the only one who does it without modifications, the blessing of gods, super-special weapons, or a wearable tank - she's armed only with two daggers and blades woven through her hair while wearing a a sports bra and a thong. Not even shoes? Not even shoes.

And we're not kidding about her hair - she is so skilled at twisting around the hooks woven into it that she can just ignore any armor save. Yes, she's so good at whipping her hair back and forth and using tiny ass daggers to find weak points that her attacks cut through terminator armor when a goddamn actual power sword won't. She is also listed as having plasma grenades, but since she isn't modeled with them, we must assume this is simply a way of granting "distracting" rules to DAT ASS.

== History ==
Of particular note among her exploits is a story where she decided to give a special "reward" to whoever can give her the greatest opponent to fight, having grown bored of cutting the same shit over and over. Predictably, every [[Archon (Warhammer 40,000)|Archon]] from here to Hell jumped on the bandwagon and began optimistically hunting down the best of enemies to fight, and many of them failed; Lelith slaughtered her way through captured [[Hive Tyrant]]s, [[Autarch | Eldar Autarchs]] and [[Ork]] [[Warboss]]es. However, one lucky Archon did finally bring out one particular [[Space Marine]] Champion. The battle lasted for several hours, and before the marine died, he managed to give Lelith a nasty scar across her midriff. Of course, such a besmirching mark pissed her off to no end and when the Archon who brought the marine asked for a reward, she merely tossed him the Space Marine's sword and mentioned that the reward was to die by her blades (the Archon only lasted six minutes against her). Just goes to show you to not fuck with a woman's image.

Lelith also once got royally fucked over by the [[Legion of the Damned]], during the battle of Thersuis, which was all just a way of drawing the [[Black Templar]] High Marshal [[Helbrecht]] into a trap in order to capture him and throw him into the arenas. Lelith started beating his ass as she always does but just before she could bag him, The legion showed up and started murdering anything not in power armor. Somehow, their bodies were immaterial, and Lelith could find no purchase on them, yet their bullets certainly weren't. She was forced to retreat in the face of this ghostly onslaught. No word on how she's coping, most likely just chalked it up to a loss and killed a few gladiators in the Crucibael as stress relief. Ironically, the Legion probably saved the Dark Eldar. If Helbrecht were captured by them, there is no limit to what the Black Templars would do to get revenge, fuck the consequences. And with their numbers possibly being in the millions (manning each Chapter Keep on countless worlds for ten millennia and the numbers of keeps continuously increasing…) yeah.

There is also a story about how once, an [[Alpha Legion]] [[Chaos Lord]] by the name of Jaghathra Vrax managed to really piss off Vect himself (he attacked a DE raiding party in the middle of their fun, depriving [[Commorragh]] and Asdrubael himself of a few million hard-earned orgasms). In return, Vect launched an attack on Vrax's stronghold. Lelith was ordered to participate personally, and fought Vrax himself, promising him and the rest of the CSM life and freedom if he beat her. She disarmed him with the first flurry. A literal disarming, that is; the sword was still in Vrax's hands, it's just that they [[Abbadon|weren't connected to the rest of him.]] Then she cut off the rest of his limbs and presented him to Asdrubael Vect. He's still howling in pain above the gates of his palace.

Oddly enough, she seems to lack the ambition and sadism of most Dark Eldar, similar to [[Drazhar]]. She knows she's the best in the arenas, and has proven it for about as long as Europe has been a thing, but she doesn't seek political power beyond leading the Wych Cult of Strife. She simply shows up before a raid with some of her <s>back-up dancers</s> Bloodbrides at the domain of the Archon she's choosing to work with (a rare occasion- she's often in such high demand that bids for her services have triggered [[kabal]] wars), does her thing with her Bloodbrides, and takes home interesting trophies from fallen opponents that she houses in a private museum. She's not only a gladiatrix, a noble woman, and a porn star - she's a [[Trazyn|<s>kleptomaniac</s> curator]]. She probably catalogues that shit in a little tweed jacket late at night when nobody's looking. She's still a mass-murderer and bloody-minded warrior, but that's par for the course in [[40K]], so it's hard not to view her as less of a monster than most Dark Eldar, and just a natural born killer. This interpretation may be related to her jumping ship to join the [[Ynnari]].

Lelith is known as a woman of very few words (not as few as Drazhar, still) whose prefered method of communication is through violence. She is said to have an unexpectedly cute voice though, which she may not be proud of.

She also manages the Crucibael (sigh, is Vect just wandering around Commorragh naming things after himself? Actually nevermind, that sounds like classic him), the greatest arena in the universe, with Reaver arenas the size of cities and a coliseum carved of living jade. Vect has commented that this grandeur is appropriate, for "Lelith Hesperax is the greatest treasure of the Dark City, and one does not display one's finest emerald amid squalor." [[Dawww|D'aaaaaw]]. That's ''Adorabael'' Vect.

She and a good number of other Dark Eldar decided to ditch Commorragh and left to join [[Yvraine|Yvraine's]] new [[Ynnari]] [[Eldar]] faction. [[Yvraine]] thinks Lelith's reason for helping her out is simply that she likes the idea of breaking [[Slaanesh]]'s hold on the Eldar so she can bask in the adoration of her fans in the arena for millennia to come without the need to keep her soul topped up. Then again, Lelith did kill her earlier that day so she could just be grumbling about that. Vect chalked it up to a whim of Lelith and was confident that she'd return. The new Codex reveals that, while it's unknown whether or not she turned over a new leaf, Lelith desires to capture [[Lucius the Eternal]] and duel him to the death. Lelith knows about his knack of possessing his killer, but she thinks the ability is tied to his armor, which she plans to remove before dueling him. And good fucking luck with that considering [[Power_Armour#Warp-Forged_Armour|Daemon]][[Power_Armour#Fleshmetal_Armour|flesh]] armor is a thing, but then again the Haemounculi have crazy abilities. On the other hand, the lore implies that Lucius' possessing his killer trick won't work in the [[Webway]], which happens to be HQ for Dark Eldar.

There is a possibility that she [[The Jewel And The Sage|has dated]] a particular [[Eldrad|Farseer]], but this is just an unsubstantiated rumor that Lelith will flay people alive for spreading. And don't even think about mentioning the allegations of [[Hesperax's Pet|the mon'keigh fuckbuddy she's taken a shine to]] unless you want to see what your guts look like on the outside of your body. Canonically, there's rumors she and Vect have an on-again, off-again sexual relationship (she's rumored to be an "occasional consort" of Asdrubael Vect).

Perhaps most importantly, [[Lofn]] thinks Auntie Lelith "is really cool!". Woe (and numerous stab wounds) be to anyone who reminds her of how much she adores her niece. If [[/tg/]] is to be believed, she also has a [[The_Princess_of_Commorragh|daughter]].
[[File:1381591104255.jpg|thumb|left|300px|She makes [[Heresy]] worth it.]]

== On tabletop ==
Unfortunately, despite the very solid fluff behind it, her model doesn't see as much use as it could. Lelith only has a mediocre strength of 3 and lacks access to combat [[drug]]s (Lelly is straight-edge - NOT EVEN ONCE, YOU GUYS)- the only way to up her strength is with the furious charge granted by Power from Pain. She's a whirlwhind of attacks, but she lacks the punch to turn those into wounds. 7th ed. threw her a bone and gave her "reroll failed to-wound rolls" which is nice, but still not enough to reliably take on enemy characters and they made her do drugs. However, she is great against [[tarpit]]s of Strength 3 troops, and is fucking hilarious against [[Tau]]. She used to gain X attacks, where X is the difference between her insane weapon skill of 9 and the highest WS value amongst her opponents, but now she just has Rampage. She also has a hilariously high Ballistic skill - also 9 - despite having no ranged weapons until the 6th edition grenade update. You can just imagine an Archon begging her to at least carry a [[Eldar Laser Weapons#Blaster|Blaster]], but BITCH STUCK UP. WE'RE GETTIN REAL TIRED OF YO SHIT, HESPERAX. Her WS spikes to 10 if she's your Warlord.

8th edition is out now and [[Games Workshop]] decided to revisit everything that made her special. Her brief experimentation with drugs in 7th ed is over; Lelith is straight-edge again! She got a nice buff to her movement range, her invuln save is up to a 3+, and she buffs up all nearby <WYCH CULT OF STRIFE> models, which can include any [[Reaver Jetbike]]s, [[Hellions]], [[Beastmaster]]s, and [[Wyches]].

[[File:Lelith.png|thumb|right|300px|<s>More like "Succubus of the Cult of [[Waifu]]," amiright?</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|[[HERESY]]!}}]]

==The C.S. Goto version==
* A [[Wat|"second" Lelith Hesperax]] exists in the book "Warrior Aspect" by [[C.S. Goto]], a Slaanesh-worshiping psyker overlord and underling-murdering idiot who dwells in the [[Eye of Terror]]. This is so totally irreconcilable with all Dark Eldar lore in general and with the Lelith Hesperax described above (even going by her slimmer 3rd Edition fluff) in particular, that we have to mark this up to an imposter, a coincidental name similarity ("Lelith Hesperax" is probably the Dark Eldar equivalent of "David Smith"), or the madness of the Black-Irish Leper.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Motherdaughterbonding.jpg|Now we wait for [[Rule 34]].
Santa Lelith Hesperax 1.jpg|Maybe she'll give you a kiss under the mistletoe, maybe something more, or maybe she'll kill you. Personally, I think it's worth the risk.
Wych on Elfdar.jpg|Lelith and [[Macha]].
Plastic_Lelith.jpg|Her new plastic model.
Lelith Hesperax Commissar.jpg|Human-Xenos relations improved significantly after this.
Lelith Hesperax and Yvraine 1.jpg|The real reason Lelith left Commorragh.
Updated Lelith.jpg|Updated costume.
Lelith Hesperax 1.jpeg|Nice.
</gallery>

{{Template:Dark Eldar-Characters}}

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Sylandri Veilwalker

2023-06-01T11:24:38Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Sylandri Veilwalker.png|right|300px|thumb|Sylandri as she appears in [[TTS]] (There's no canon art of her)]]

'''Sylandri Veilwalker''' is an [[Eldar]] [[Harlequin]] [[Shadowseer]] who is part of the '''Masque of the Veiled Path'''. To say that she's been involved in a [[Just As Planned|LOT of things over the millennia]] is a bit of an understatement.

== Mask within Masques ==

"Sylandri Veilwalker" is '''not''' the name of a singular individual. Rather, it is a role that many different [[Shadowseer]]s have taken up throughout the millennia, usually to pursue an agenda only known to the Troupe Masters of the Veiled Path. What IS known is that, whatever that agenda is, [[That Guy|it doesn't make the Masque a lot of friends]].

Sylandri and her Masque have since then been shown to be aligned with the [[Ynnari]], which means that, at the bare minimum, they think that the Seventh Path has merit.

== Known "Interventions" ==

* '''The Soulspear''': Convinces Corsair [[Prince Yriel]] to take up the Soul Spear in a last-ditch effort to defeat the [[Swarmlord]] leading the ground attack on [[Craftworld]] [[Iyanden]]. Yriel defeats the uber-[[Hive Tyrant]], saving his Craftworld, but his soul is now tied to the cursed weapon.

* '''Ancient Secrets Uncovered''': Makes Archmagos [[Belisarius Cawl]] continue digging at Eriad VI despite the latter wanting to abandon it due to Ork raiders. This leads to the discovery of the destroyed Pylon fields there, which then forces the Archmagos to hurry to [[Cadia]] and help in the defense there.

* '''The Spectral Guide''': Guides the Terran Crusade through most of the dangers of the [[Maelstrom]]. [[Not As Planned|It doesn't quite work in the Imperium's favor]] however, as they get ganked by the [[Red Corsairs]] and [[Looted|get most of their ships stolen]]. This leads to...

* '''A Fallen Intervention''': Aids the mysterious [[Cypher]] and his [[Fallen]] cronies in first freeing [[Roboute Guilliman]] and the rest of the Terran Crusade from their imprisonment, and helps them excape to the surface of Luna via Webway gate.

* '''Against the Red Cyclops''': Assists the Avenging Son defeat his traitor brother Magnus by forcing the daemon prince back through the Luna [[Webway]] portal, then detonating it.

== Other possible appearances ==

* '''Red Portents''': Might be the Spiritseer that reveals to [[Mephiston]] the threat of Ka'Bandha during the [[Devastation of Baal]]. As the [[Blood Angels]] and its successors can ill afford diverting their attention (and forces) from the Tyranids, Mephiston and the combined Librariums of the Successors there pre-emptively confront the [[Bloodthirster]] before its forces manifest on the embattled world. At least '''''some people''''' are taking this genuine alliance thing seriously! And look how awesome the results are.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Harlequins]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Iyanna Arienal

2023-06-01T11:23:56Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{stub}}

{{NeedsImages}}

[[File:Iyanna.jpg|frame|right|Iyanna looking extremely [[derp]].]]
Special [[Eldar]] Character, known for her annoying save. Now for her actual history, she hailed from House Arienal in [[Iyanden]] and was apparently destined for greatness since birth, she started upon the Path of the With and everything seemed fine and dandy. However this is 40k so much like heroes in DC comics none of these people are allowed to be happy, It's also Iyanden so in true 40k fashion during an attack by the Ruinous Powers a cyclonic torpedo struck the [[Craftworld]], obliterating not only her entire family but their soul stones as well. Afterwords she, perhaps understandably considering her families souls were being slowly digested by [[Slaanesh]], went full emo and became a Spiritseer.

Then one day that [[Eldrad|dick]] showed up and decided to warn them about [[Hive Fleet Kraken]] which was omnomming it's way there.
He also told the Iyanden Seer Council that the Eldar race's only ultimate hope against Slaanesh lay with [[Ynnead]], the god of the dead. While most of Iyanden dismissed Ulthran, Arienal embraced this prophecy and in a brief moment received a glorious apotheosis where the spirits of living Eldar would become one with the dead. The resulting psychic backlash would stir Ynnead from his slumber, and at last defeat.

Due to a joke she made on a certain world and a reaction recieved some like to joke that she and [[Lelith Hesperax]] are best "friends".

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Infinity Circuit

2023-06-01T11:23:27Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{NeedsImages}}

[[File:Infinity rune 3.png|center]]

An '''Infinity Circuit''' is a psychic network contained in the [[wraithbone]] skeleton of an [[Eldar]] [[craftworld]]. They transmit psychic energy throughout the ship to power on-board devices, and since the fall of the Eldar, they also serve as artificial afterlives for Eldar souls, since otherwise they would be devoured by [[Slaanesh]]. All Infinity Circuits are in turn linked through the Webway, forming what is known as the Eternity Matrix.

When Eldar die, their souls are trapped by the [[spirit stone]]s that they wear. These spirit stones are then placed in contact with the core of their craftworld's wraithbone skeleton, which draws the soul out and into the network. The soul's energy is added to the wraithbone's own, while its "personality" finally is laid to rest, safe from Slaanesh forever (as long as the integrity of the circuit itself is maintained—that's what the craftworld's [[Guardian]]s and other armed forces are for). The hope is that one day, there will be enough psychic energy contained in all of the craftworlds' Infinity Circuits that a [[Ynnead|new Eldar god]] will form in the [[Warp|Immaterium]], one powerful enough to destroy Slaanesh and save the Eldar race.

Infinity Circuits can also be sources of soldiers. If the need is truly dire, [[Spiritseer]]s can guide souls out of the Infinity Circuit and back into their spirit stones, which can then be placed into wraithbone constructs like [[Wraithguard]], [[Wraithlord]]s, [[Wraithseer]]s, [[Wraithknight]]s and even tanks to fight for the craftworld once again. Eldar don't like doing this, because they prefer to leave their ancestors in peace, but sometimes it just has to be done. [[Craftworld Iyanden]] probably uses the most such "ghost warriors" after sustaining terrible losses against [[Hive Fleet Kraken]]; they put themselves through so much angst over it that the ''[[Dark Eldar]]'' found it funny.
[[Zoanthrope|Certain tyranids]] find them delicious.

Most souls do not have any sort of awareness in the Infinity Circuits, their personalities essentially fading into its background energy (although like most things, it seems to vary from Craftworld to Craftworld, or rather writer to writer). An exception is made for those souls who deaths brought them exceptional grief or rage, who carry on their emotions through. The souls of Eldar with exceptionally strong personalities, typically a great hero of some kind, still maintain their awareness, and can even be consulted by Spiritseers for advice. The most aware are those [[Farseer|Farseers]] who reach the end of their lifespans and become Crystal Seers, who while linked to the Infinity Circuit essentially are otherwise fully mentally alert. These levels of awareness roughly correspond to the power of their corresponding wraith-constructs; your standard soul becoming a Wraithguard, raging restless souls become Wraithblades, while great heroes become Wraithlords.

All Infinity circuits and World spirits are connected together through the [[Eternal Matrix]], that binds them all together through, in part, the Webway, but seems to exist beyond its labyrinthine structure.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Wraithbone]]

Idranel

2023-06-01T11:22:45Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{Promotions}}
[[Image:Farseer.jpg|thumb|right|Idranel.]]
'''Idranel''' is an [[Eldar]] Farseer from Dawn of War 2. Before the release of Dawn of War 2, she would frequent the threads and cuss out mon-keighs. Occasionally would call us "double mon-keighs" in threads, which would subsequently lead to us becoming extremely offended.

Her badass style of doing things led some to believe that she is actually a man, due to also the fact that her robes don't have any boob armor like the previous farseers. Nevertheless, she's earned our respect for being an honest fluffy average Eldar.

(Although some believe her to be just as [[Hot Chicks|curvaceous]] as her sister farseers, She just got stuck wearing way-too-small under-armor that smushes her curves to an almost [[DFC|bean-pole state.]])

There is recent development that after Idranel's supposed death in the events of Dawn of War 2, she was taken underneath the care of Derosa and healed back to full strength.

We're a little sketchy on these things, but while it seems that Idranel's personality of being a racist bitch towards anyone not Eldar was ruined with Derosa's lesbian attempts, we can rest easy knowing that Idranel is still in the process of acting like an average [[Eldar]], and will break her heart with her deceptive nature, merely using Derosa to get healed and get the fuck off that double mon-keigh planet. Of course, the fact that said planet's cannon fodder managed to fight off a freaking Tyranid invasion of their entire sub-sector might give her some pause.

Farseer Idranel is also known to be largely incompetent, mainly due the the fact that she asked the [[Ork|Orkz]] to save her Craftworld from the [[Tyranids]] while having to beat down the Imperials at the same time. Instead of making VANILLA-ICE's life easier by just giving the Spess Mahreens all the answers and DFC. Or if talking to the Spess Muhreens is too demeaning for such a high-class Eldar, just up and leaving.

Canon-wise however, Tarkus went all badass vengeance on her filthy Spess Elf ass and crushed her skull with several strikes from his Terminator Power Fists. Tarkus really does hate elves a lot, according to a bit of loading screen information he once trusted a Spess Elf and his entire squad ended up dead. His fault mostly for trustin' 'em. It doesn't help that every time the Eldar just go "screw it" and give what intel they have to the Imperium, the Imperium roflstomps the threat and everyone (Craftworlds and Imperium) leave happy (read: alive). She should have realized that such an action is, therefore, the best option when something comes to eat your Craftworld. The Imperium has actually saved xenos species before from extinction (and did not turn on them afterward, amazingly) simply because of pragmatism. In fact, this is why the Tau still exist several times over. They wanted to feed them to the Tyranids. Well, it’s also not unknown (though given no details) for the Imperium to spare or save species just to prove superiority or even tolerate species that submit to Imperial dominance voluntarily. Heck, even the freaking Black Templars did this.

==Dear 'Farseer' Part One==
I am an avid reader of this column, but even so, I never thought something would happen to me, to inspire me to write a letter of my own.
But, here I am, writing. So, let me tell you of my encounter with the mon-keigh I now call my own.

It started, as these things often do, with a vision. You have likely already heard of the Tyranid fleet that was scheduled to intercept my Craftworld,
so I shall spare you the details of it - but I found myself engaged in a battle against these humans on one of their worlds, and things were going
splendidly, and just as planned, until those unforgivable brutes the mon-keigh call their space marines involved themselves rather than gracefully
accepting their fate. Again, sparing the details, I found myself defeated in battle at every turn - not just once, but twice did they get in my way,
and after the second encounter, I found myself facing what I believed to be certain death! However, the strands of fate are fickle, and a mere coincidence
left me with nothing more than a chainsword wound to the gut, and a few dozen broken bones - and those space marines left, without noticing my continued survival!
At the time, I believed it a brief respite before my wounds would do me in, and it was not long before I lost consciousness.

But that was not to be. Apparently, I was found by a clean-up crew, and brought in secret to the newly established planetary governor, a female human going by the name of Derosa.
Rather than interrogate me in ways most terrible, or turn me over to their foolish zealots, she - and this, she told me later - proceeded to have me brought in secret to her own quarters,
and as again I opened my eyes, straining against the unexpected light, it was to her face. She had, with her own hands, set my broken bones and patched my wounds, cleaned me
and watched by my side - I was, as I am certain any other readers would be, obviously shocked. Why would a mon-keigh do something like this? These are the apes, brutes, primitives
that foil our plans whenever they can, that worship the corpse of their past leader - why would one of them take it upon themselves to cure and hide *me*?

I still remember her answer to my first question with perfect clarity, as were it yesterday, and I believe I always will. As I lay, my body still broken, and never one to inspire anyone to anything,
she smiled - that smile, how could a mere mon-keigh have such a brilliant smile? - and spoke.

"Because you were beautiful."

Signed, Farseer Idranel.

(Editor's Note: Due to the unusual length of this letter, we will publish the remainder in our next issue. Stay tuned!)

==Dear 'Farseer' Part Two==
(Editor's Note: This is the second part of the letter. The first part was published in the previous issue of Farseer.)

"Because you were beautiful."

I was absolutely stunned. This woman had taken an enemy into her own quarters, and nursed her back to health, because she thought "I" was beautiful?
To begin with, I'm not! I'm completely flat-chested, my face looks like a man, and I was completely torn up! Remember, this was just days after almost being killed.
My first reaction was to pull away - but that failed completely. Did I mention I'm clumsy, as well? I fell right off the bed, away from her, and I think I cracked another few ribs
there. Finally, to add insult to injury, I had been naked beneath the covers, and I couldn't even move enough to cover myself! Putting aside the pain, I've never felt so humiliated
as when she had to help me back into the bed. (Her own, it turned out.) I'm going to go ahead and admit it - I cried as she did so. But, when she had returned me to the bed,
and replaced the covers, I also looked at her, for the first time. She was clearly a woman of authority - her clothes signified high office, though her hair was undone, and I found
her rather.. soothing, to look at. I was exhausted, of course, but as I fell asleep, I think I felt her stroking my hair. She never did admit to it later, though.

Over the next few days, and weeks, I was confined to that bed, seeing none except her, except Derosa. She fed me until I could move well enough to eat on my own, and checked
on my broken bones daily, changed my bandages and, cleaned my body - She is rather resourceful, and has unexpected skills when it comes to caring for the wounded. We spoke,
of course, as she cared for me, but it was not until over a week had passed before I dared ask - about the tyranid, and from that of the fate of my home, my craftworld. Learning of the
end of the hive fleet, I again confess to weeping - this time in relief. After that, my recovery was more rapid, and I could soon begin to move about her quarters, and change my own
bandages, as well as handle other things on my own. She had no visitors, in all this time, and I believe I sensed a certain loneliness, to begin with. Even so, she always seemed
bright, if not outright happy, when in my presence. As time passed, we would eat together, before she left for her official duties each morning, and then again in the evening, when
she returned. And we would talk, of our homes. She had lost her family long ago, and had no close friends, or friends at all, except for those she worked with. I spoke of the craftworld,
but strangely, felt no urging to return.

To my great wonder, I found myself as happy as I'd ever been, in that little world we shared.

Signed, Farseer Idranel.

(Editor's Note: This letter sure was a long one! You can read the next part in the next issue!)

==Dear 'Farseer' Part Three==
(Editor's Note: This is the third part of the letter.)

We spent two weeks, living just like that - I stayed within her quarters, I wore some of her old clothes, and even even slept in her bed. She insisted the couch of her sitting room was as comfortable,
and refused to ever consider taking turns, saying I should have the bed, being injured. I'm not sure how she kept my presence hidden, with the additional food and supplies she brought home just for me.
My wounds healed, little by little, and while the flesh wounds started fading, the broken ribs took time to heal. Each night, Derosa would help me change my bandages, and check how my body was
recovering, gently probing to see that the broken bones set properly. She had seen, and touched, my body often enough, in the first time after my arrival, but even so, this time always had me nervous,
fidgeting as she went through the routine. So it was, too, the day when she finally declared the last of my injuries healed. The procedure was the same - she'd sit behind me, on her bed I had occupied as my own, first pulling my - her - shirt over my head, then unwrapping the bandages, before running smooth fingertips across my ribs, checking carefully for remaining fractures. This day, however, her fingers stopped
at the bottom rib, and she leaned forward, speaking close to my ear, in a near-whisper. "That's it. They've set properly, and are completely healed, now. You're as recovered as you will ever be." I was happy,
of course, but also felt some trepidation. Would this make our time here, this time I'd begun to treasure, come to an end? As if she'd read my mind, she continued. "But that doesn't mean you have to leave...
right?"

The last word sounded almost terrified, but I had no time to respond. The fingers that moments ago had checked my ribs moved, quickly, and I felt something on my neck. It took a few moments to
identify the sensation as her lips, softly pressed against me. They were followed by her body, moving quickly, pressing close, as her arms crossed and her hands settled, square over my breasts. She held me tightly, as thoughts raced through my mind.

Was my being here so important to her? Why does this feel so utterly, so terribly and undeniably...right...? Is it... is it really okay? To begin with, she's a mon-keigh, and I'm... and we're both women!
Her fingers, now taking hold of my nipples, already stiff, and squeezing lightly, ended these thoughts. Right or not, I wanted this. More than anything, at that moment, I wanted her. I wanted this woman named Derosa, and I never wanted to let her go. I half-turned, and whispered back to her. "I'm not leaving." It was just what she'd wanted to hear, and it felt as if something was released, at that moment.

My friend - no, lover - pulled herself forward, planting kiss after kiss on my back, on my neck, and on my ears, and her fingers begun rubbing my nipples - rousing the flames within higher, as a sense of spreading warmth within, which mixed with that undeniable rightness, producing... something. My first moans, escaping unbidden, seemed to spur her onwards, her kisses growing ever more fervent until she half-raised herself and sucked the point of my right ear - I never knew that could feel so good! Derosa, satisfied with the reaction it evoked, proceeded to slide one of her ever-moving hands down, into the panties she herself had loaned me, and two fingers found their way even further, sliding inside with no resistance between lips already as invitingly wet as they had ever been. The sensation as she explored within, added to the fire already awakened, and the tip of my ear in her mouth, lovingly caressed by her tongue, soon brought me to a place I'd never before seen - I lost myself to the waves of pleasure so completely that, while Derosa claims I screamed as well as any banshee, I have no memory of doing so.

(Editor's Note: And that's it for this time! Could it get any hotter? Buy the next issue to find out!)

==Dear 'Farseer' Part Four==
I knew, I am certain, love. This mon-keigh, this human woman, she was different from the Eldar in more ways than is apparent, and similar in so many others.
Certainly, she had some of the crude and childish traits normally associated with their kind, but more than that, she had a kind of vitality, a kind of energy,
I have not encountered before, or since. Our routine continued, for a time, and the memory of it alone holds an intensity no other experience can match. She
would return, after a meeting, or seeing to some problems with the reconstruction, and I would find myself all but waiting at the door - More than a stranger who had taken me
in when I needed it, more than the friend and lover I would never have considered one of her kind for, even, I needed her with a near-physical fervor. At times, I scared myself with my
desire for excess, barely able to contain it, and when she came home to me, I could not manage even that. I loved; we loved, as I have never loved before. At times with such soft gentleness that I could not believe she was human, and at times with such vigor that there could be no mistake, all but tearing the clothes from each other, desperate for a closeness that could be acheived only in the pressing-together of our naked bodies, in the moans and screams that resulted, as we would grind against each other, both wanting the next inevitable climax and dreading it, in that it would herald the eventual end of our stamina, leaving us panting, side by side, capable of no more than whispering sweet words.

It had to end, of course. I knew that even without Seeing it. Sooner or later, someone would find out. Someone would suspect, and suspicion would build until someone dared investigate - and then it would be all over. Governor or not, there are few things the filthy mon-keigh masses hate more than us, and their deluded religious "Inquisition" would stop at nothing to end what we had, to end the life Derosa - Elena. My lover. -had given me, and take hers along with it - and dying in this place, this position, the strands of excess already encroaching upon my mind, would be an end too terrible to imagine. I believe Elena knew it, as well,
but she even more than I needed this relationship, needed _me_, so much that delaying our separation was her topmost priority. We made plans together, discussing how to best slip me from this world safely, but slowly, and without the enthusiasm we found when else we were together. The plan, eventually, was to slip me onto a trade vessel, disguised as a mon-keigh, and for me to make my way to a planet known to harbor rogue traders, and through them to pirates of our kind, and eventually home. It did not go so smoothly as that, but I eventually took that journey, and survived it with no further damage, or humiliation beyond that of my disguise. But even so, how these mon-keigh live! The smells, sounds and speed at which they live and act, was as a torrent of filth washing over me, only the memory of Elena keeping me from hating them one and all. Regardless, returning to the final time of our private world of happiness, our farewell was as you might expect.

We made love, again and again, through the night before my departure. We wept, together and separately, and then comforted each other once more, but in the end dawn came, and we executed our plan of my escape. Our last words together, before our hands parted and I rushed off towards the space-port, was a promise: To meet each other once more, before she fades away with age, while still barely a child, as her kind do. Certainly, they have ways of extending this life-span, which might be available to her as a governor, but not by more than an instant, from our perspective. Despite this reality, it is a promise I fully intend to keep, come what may. I have since Seen war, and conflict with the mon-keigh "Imperium", but that promise is one I will not go back on.

So think on this, when you next look down upon the filth and chaos of mon-keigh worlds - even among them, there are good things. Even among them, there are individuals deserving of more than our scorn. And scourging them from the galaxy as the filth they resemble, were we even capable of it, would lead to a loss. Humans, too, can know love. And I am a better person for learning this.

Signed,
Farseer Idranel

==Idranel the Badass Bitch==
The runes were cast, the paths of fate were spread before her and Farseer Idranel of Ulthwe saw bloodshed and suffering besetting worlds in a prelude to an alien feast. Her predictions had held true with typically unerring accuracy, and now her force was set to war.

"Who have they sent?" The Farseer asked as her seer stones floated gently down into her palm again, one at a time. The Warlock who had barely even entered the room paused a moment, wondering if he had walked in on something. His helmet hid his smile at his own response when realizing Idranel had simply seen him coming.

"The monkeigh response is small. A handful of Space Marines... The Blood Ravens" The Warlock reported, his battle-honed mind sensing immediately the change in the air.

"Then there should not be a problem. Their numbers are too small, they will not effect any change in our plans" Idranel stated with a veneer of calm, letting each stone fall from her hand into a pouch at her side.

"Even so, we should be wary" The Warlock counseled, "They have after all defeated Macha of Biel-Tan, as well as both Taldeer and C-"

"I am well aware of the Blood Raven's record with defeating those of our race incapable of keeping their ceremonial robes on," Idranel sharply interrupted. "Which is why I am promoting a radical new battle plan to defeat them amongst our own."

In spite of the sense that he would regret the question, the Warlock pressed to inquire what his Farseer meant.

"If you see a Mon-keigh, an Ork or even a Tyranid... kill it. DON'T TRY TO FUCK IT" and with those final words the satchel of seer stones was hurled against a nearby wall, sending the durable stones skittering out the top and all over the room, and in a moment the rictus of rage on Idranel's face softened back to one of stern command again, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Like the Dome of Seers," The Warlock answered, popping his collar up. "Crystal".

As the forces of Ulthwe emerged from the webway, Farseer Idranel leaned her light frame back against a tree, and conversed with the rangers who had come to the planet weeks in advance.

"My predictions foretold of a large garrison that needs to be destroyed," Idranel explained, "You tell me you have found it?"

"Yes my Farseer," the gentle, soft voice of the lead ranger answered. "A base of monkeigh citizen-soldiers. They seem alert as well. Listening in, it may be due to our presence on nearby worlds. I'll direct our listening equipment through so you can hear for yourself."

There was a gentle click, and then clear as though they were using it themselves the voices of conversing PDF guards began to be heard.

"So seriously, Eldar?"

"That's what they're sayin'."

"Oh man, seriously? I've seen holo-vids about them. They're lead by these psychics, and apparently the bigger their breasts the more powerful they are."

"Grox shit."

"It's totally true. Thing is, one look at human warrior and these bitches practically SHED their armour."

Minutes later, the Warlock emerged with several Guardian guided Bright Lance grav-platforms moving behind him. Idranel directed the battery to set up, and aim at a single point high up in the sky.

At a signal all fired at once, brilliant beams of light stabbing out into the sky, converging on something unseen.

Soon after the sight of a small speck billowing smoke became visible, streaking through the sky and disappearing down amongst the mountains. Where the PDF base was, the Warlock noted to himself.

"The mon-keigh base has just been hit by one of their shuttles crashing," the lead ranger suddenly announced. "The base is in a panic."

"Kill any of the primitives you see moving," Idranel stated coolly, "We shall move on to the next objective."

There was a sense of something strange in the air, and then the Warp Spider Exarch's form filled it as he leapt back to Farseer Idranel's side. For her part, the Eldar seer had finished divining their next best course of action, and their combined intelligence would see to their next path.

"The Orks only have rudimentary guard posted," The Exarch stated flatly. "If we move now we can take them all by surprise."

"Very well." Idranel nodded, "Set our forces up as per the command feed I'll give you shortly, we will put the barbarians out of our misery."

"So you won't be asking us to take one alive for you?" The Exarch quipped, and against all better sense continued when he saw Idranel's face twist into annoyed confusion, "Well, you are a Farseer of Ulthwe. They figure if you don't care for the monkeys you might have green fever."

"Just go and be ready," Idranel sighed, subtly pressing a few buttons before feeding the command positions to the Exatch, "We have no time for such ridiculous indulgences."

The battle progressed precisely as planned, though the Exarch never saw them progress that far, the Warlock finding him lying face down on the ground with a large trukk tire running over the back of his armour. The by-product of teleporting to the precise location at the precise time directed by his Farseer.

"... you knew... she'd do that... didn't you?" the Exarch gasped as the Warlock helped him to his feet.

"I didn't need seer powers to know that, no. Next time you take up one of our bets, jump in a little to the left," The Warlock answered simply, his collar popping of its own accord.

==Another Idranel Badass Cunt story==
The battle to take the bunker had been quick, brutal and ultimately effortless. The Guardsmen stationed there were some of the best the Imperium had to offer, and had been anticipating the usual Eldar style of warfare, with every possible approach to the Imperial fortification heavily booby trapped to funnel Idranels army directly towards them. Expecting the Eldar force to be weakened and shell-shocked by the time it finally arrived from the various side-routes, the Imperials were unpleasantly surprised when Idranel simply pushed the entirety of her army straight towards the Bunker. There had been casualties, of course. And many other Eldar doubted the Farseer's overly aggressive tactics. But the bunker had been captured before it could send word of the assault, and that was all that mattered.

Idranel's eyes scanned across the line human warriors, each one kneeling submissively before an Eldar Guardian. Just as it should be, Idranel thought, as she strode into the room to address her captives. And, if need be, her own soldiers. The Eldar snapped to attention as she entered, fixing those guarding the human prisoners with a piercing glare. She had heard one or two of the Guardians questioning her orders, thinking them too brutal or unsympathetic, and Idranel planned on taking no chances.

“Disgusting things.” The Farseer muttered, gazing disdainfully at the human nearest her. Mid-way through his short, pointless life, his ugly features were further marred by patchy stubble and a number of scars around his dull, bovine eyes. Turning, Idranel addressed her Guardians.

“Some of you doubt my methods.” She said crisply. “Some of you think we should take…pity on these lower creatures. To minimise harm to them.” Idranel paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. One or two of the humans were staring up at her out the corners of their eyes, as if trying to make sense of the Eldar tongue. “Let me tell you this. The Mon-keigh are little better than Orks. They are both foul, barbaric monsters who run rampant across what was once our galaxy, who slay us out of ignorance, and bring war and death to all they touch. We would not show an Ork mercy. We shall not show a Mon-keigh mercy either. Each one of them we leave alive will breed, creating a new generation to impede our works.”

The Farseer fell silent again. Many of the Eldar she commanded had been under the control of Farseer Macha, transferred to her control after the other Farseer vanished off on one of her sulks. “Perhaps your views have been tainted by other, weaker Farseers.” Idranel said, her voice suddenly hardening. “Farseers who bring shame upon our race, who lower themselves to fraternising, or worse, copulating with these…base species.” Idranel gestured with the hilt of her staff towards the nearest captive.

“Things shall be different here. The Mon-keigh are to be wiped out wherever they are found. Spare none, be they armed or unarmed. Capture any officers you can for interrogation. There shall be no mercy, no pity, and love shall most certainly not bloom.”

Smoothly, Idranel switched to speaking in a highly accented low gothic. “You are but animals.” She said to the captives. “And you shall be slaughtered as animals.”

“Leave this one.” The Farseer said, returning to her own language and gesturing towards a human, his blood soaked uniform studded with a selection of medals. “I shall pull any useful information from his mind later. Execute the rest.”

There was an awkward, unpleasant silence as the Guardians looked nervously at each other. Before, as one, they primed their Shruiken catapults and fired.

Idranel turned away and smiled. She never grew tired of the sound of human lives ending. One day, she hoped, the last of the unworthy race would die, and the Eldar would return to their former glory.

The wraithbone runes hovered gently in front of Idranel’s face, illuminating her pale features with a soft, blue light. She drew a slender finger through them, watching as they shifted and changed in accordance with her divinations. Everything was playing out as she had foreseen. Her Rangers had informed her of the human traps set along the alternate routes to the bunker, and Idranel had chosen to act as if she had already known. Truthfully, she simply did not have the patience to orchestrate such an attack when a simple thrust to the enemy gut would suffice.

A noise from the corner interrupted her thought. The human officer had been restrained, ironically enough with the crude manacles the Imperials themselves used for detaining captives. Idranel had made quite sure the metal bands were tight enough to cut into his wrists. Sighing under her breath, Idranel waved a hand through the runes, their light dimming as the wraithbone scrying symbols gently floated down to rest.

“You’re going to kill me.” The officer said.

“Yes. Eventually.”

“After you’ve plumbed me for information, huh? What’cha got hidden up those delicately embroidered sleeves? Planning a nice torture session, get me to betray my sacred oaths to the Emperor?”

“I don’t need to.” Idranel’s lip curled in disgust as she turned to the shackled human. He had been stripped to the waist, exposing the injuries he had sustained in the attack. Some of them had been cleaned, and had sported simple bandages until the Farseer had removed them. She suspected one of the two Guardians she had set to preparing the man had attempted to care for him. Idranel resolved to find out which one and discipline them accordingly. The Farseer walked over, reaching out to wrap a hand around the neck of her captive. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

“S-strong grip for…for a pansy-ar-armed xenos w-w-witch…” The incessant noise of the human broke threatened to break Idranel’s concentration.

“Be silent.” The Farseer replied, suppressing her anger. “Nothing you say has worth. A dignified silence would mark your passing far better than whatever petty insults you lay upon me.”

“Say, m…maybe the r-reason you’re so strong is…is ‘cause you’ve got a nice pair down below.” The human choked out. Idranel could almost imagine his porking face, leering down at her. “I-I mean, you’re flat enough up…up top…”

Reaching with her other hand, Idranel grabbed a handful of his hair, drawing her captives head forwards and slamming it into the concrete wall as hard as she could. The human went limp instantly, a small line of blood dribbling from the back of his skull. With him finally silenced, Idranel pushed aside the unconscious human’s weakened mental barriers, and began to plunder his mind. She saw his name, his friends, his family and his homeworld. The tears of his wife as he departed off to war, the laughter of his children as he played with them one last time. All irrelevant, all meaningless flashes of life from a meaningless creature. She tore the memories away and obliterated them as thoughtlessly as she would swat a parasite, pushing deeper. There. Troop movements, deployment schedules, listings of armour divisions and locations of the localised Imperial command network.

Idranel cut the mind-meld, withdrawing from the human. Gliding across the room, she produced a silken cloth, wetting it and gently cleaning her hands of the human filth and sweat that had accumulated from touching him. Even her mouth felt dirty from conversing, however briefly, in his language.

“Huh? Wh…where…who…” The human was awakening. Idranel turned to him, watching his slack-jawed face twist this way and that, trying to make sense of his situation with the fragmented, scattered memories Idranel had left in the wake of her mental assault. The Farseer had tolerated him long enough.

Smoothly, she drew her Shruiken Pistol and shot him in the throat. Her runes leapt back into the air with a simple pulse of thought. The information she had torn from the mind of the now cooling body slumped against the wall would confirm what her scrying had told her.

There was much work to be done. Idranel looked forward to it.

==Also==
Idranel was annoyed. The Warlock may not have had any precognitive powers to rely upon, but he could sense the ebb and flow of the power that radiated in the Farseer, and she was most certainly radiating discomfort.

"Farseer Idranel, have you fors-" a wraithbone armoured hand popped up in front of the Warlock's face, silencing him more out of surprise than anything. For her part, the Farseer had not turned to face him, eyes locked down on a small wraithbone pad that resonated with a psychically projected image upon it.

"Did I, or did I not ask you to be thorough when you chose Rangers and Pathfinders to perform the necessary duties in this system?" Idranel's voice was level, somehow. The Warlock felt himself getting more than a little concerned.

"... none of them had taken part in Kaurava or Kronus, if that's what you're asking" the Warlock answered hesitantly.

"I asked for an intelligence report on Meridian. What I got was" the pad was forced into the Warlock's hands, "This"

Quickly, the Warlock scrolled through the 'report'... a lovingly detailed description of a human administrator and how much the Pathfinder desired to see Idranel and the monkeigh tongue-bath one another.

"... I'm assuming he sent the wrong report" The Warlock sighed, "He came in high regard... but I guess he's been on the path of the outcast too long"

There was an uneasy silence for a moment, before Idranel's anger seemed to fade away.

"Well, he's been sent to Typhon to manage the Orks there" the Farseer explained.

"Didn't you divine that the Blood Ravens would be arriving... there...?" the Warlock's words trailed off, as Idranel started to smile, her face with the predatory look of a Tyranid Warrior on it.

==And==

Idranel was becoming annoyed with the Blood Raven mon-keighs. The crudity of their technology was only matched by the crudity of their tactics but they kept on recurring like genital pox on the Eldar of Commoragh. They were an irrelevance, a distraction, grit in the smoothly working wheels of fate.

Manipulating the Orks had been simple. Make them think they had been challenged about if they were “Orky enuff” to “fight da space marine boyz” and they would cross a galaxy to meet that challenge. Wave the prospect of “shiny bits” in front of them and the only thing that could distract them would be the chance of a good fight.

The Tyranids and the tens of millions of mon-keigh soldiers among the tens of billions of mon-keighs on Meridian had required more time. Patiently the Eldar had balanced the two. Genestealer cults had been hidden or exterminated as required to ensure the hive fleet would arrive at the appointed time and that when it did a bloody stalemate would arise. Millions of mon-keighs were finding the first worth in their worthless lives by dying fighting Tyrannids and their, even more, corrupted former comrades and so drawing more and more of the hive fleet’s resources to the surface of their world.

Soon would come the time for Meridian to be cleansed of all the filth that encrusted its surface. It would take only scant millennia for the planet to cool as in most places the ground would barely have been rendered molten and what was millennia in the billions of years a planet could exist?

But this stalemate was an effort to maintain. The mon-keigh were so stupid it was difficult for Idranel to think down to their contemptible level and anticipate what idiocy they would perform next. If they were not unnecessarily weakening themselves by purging units that had not been compromised they were getting other units wiped out by sending infantry against Carnifexes without heavy weapons and without tanks.

And then there were these Blood Ravens. If they were not so disgusting they would almost be amusing in their pride at thinking themselves better than the rest of their kind. Compared with the glory of the Eldar they were still less than the worms beneath their feet as at least the worms did not fight the inevitability of their destiny or seek to kill their betters.

Fleetingly the thought passed through Idranel’s mind that perhaps her attitude was too far the opposite of other Farseers. That just had they had failed due to their tolerance of and pity for the mon-keigh that perhaps she would fail due to her contempt for them. That some rare flash of insight or simple luck on the part of those lesser creatures could divert events from the course she had plotted.

But that thought was only fleeting and soon subsumed in the desire to restore the proper fear of the Eldar in what passed for the minds and souls of the mon-keigh. Immolating their hive-world along with the Space Marines attempting to save it would be a fine start, but first the Blood Ravens should be granted a victory to bring hope before the despair and death. With a smile Idranel decided to aim the Orks at the generators around Angel Forge, let the mon-keigh fight and bleed to get their gates and defences working before the Eldar swept all aside again.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:1232455221928.jpg|IT'S RIGHT THERE, JUST FAP TO IT YOU DOUBLE-MON'KEIGH
Image:1235848975148.jpg|Compared to her sister Farseers, she's rather...lacking.
Image:1235667887322.jpg|"You're damn right I'm hot."
Image:Flatseer_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg
Image:Idranel.JPG|wut
Image:Idranelmodelsuggestion.PNG|so ronery
Image:1232316384477.jpg
</gallery>

== See Also ==

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4om7AuID6BY| My direction is no longer clear.]

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Dawn of War]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Illic Nightspear

2023-06-01T11:20:00Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File: Illic Nightspear.jpg|350px|right|thumb|Nightspear has been known to inspire intense rifle envy in both friends and foes.]]
''' Illic Nightspear''' is a fuckold [[Eldar]] who has followed the [[Paths of the Eldar#Path of the Outcast|Path of the Outcast]] for thousands of years. Over time he has grown fond of bright colors and bad jokes, and thus has developed a clown fetish of massive proportions. He's named Nightspear for his fondness of ''spearing'' [[Harlequin]] ladies in the ''night''.*BLAM* (bad joke. The harlequins would be disappointed.) He also wears that long-ass ponytail quite well, [[Abaddon| unlike a certain someone who looks absolutely ridiculous with it]].

He is supposedly looking for lost paths in the [[Webway]], which means that he has fostered powerful relations with the Harlequins (mostly the women), leaving thousands of bastards that are almost as badass in the ways of sniping and stealth as he is (The fact that Eldar have to copulate multiple times to conceive one child is only a testament to how good he is). They are known as Pathfinders by their less-skilled brethren, the [[Eldar Ranger|Rangers]]. He has a list of broken hearts, pissed off exes, and baby mommas so long that it rivals [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]]' harem. This would be impressive, except it's taken him a fuck billion times longer to do, thus further cementing <s> [[Humanity Fuck Yeah|humanity's glory]]</s> humanity's status as basically an ever-multiplying swarm of galactic locusts. On the other hand, Eldar women are probably slower to get into bed or serious relationships, and they do have slower gestation periods when they get pregnant, and conception requires several bouts of intercourse.

Between his skill with guns, his age, grey hair and serial womanizing, he's the Eldar equivalent of Clint Eastwood.

[[File: Carnac Bait.jpg|190px|thumbnail|left|Illic and his involvement in the Carnac Campaign in a nutshell.]]

Illic sometimes decides to give some of his knowledge of the web way to Craftworld Alaitoc, whose close ties to the Harlequins lure him in for the chance of getting some of that multicolored ass.

The Pathfinders whisper that Nightspear is supposedly off preventing the cataclysm known in Eldar legend as the Rhana Dandra when all of the [[Phoenix Lord]]s will gather and face their final deaths, but there are so many legends about him (mostly about how he pursues dat space clown ass) that it is difficult to be sure of his intentions. Regardless, his presence on the battlefield is a great asset to Alaitoc, and he has ended conflicts with his ability to 360 no scope [[Imperium|Imperial]] generals, [[Necron Lord]]s, and various other enemies of the Eldar with his rifle that can banish people into the [[Warp]].

In reality, however, like most of his Craftworld Illic is largely only known for failing any time he appears in a story, his only well-known adventures consisting of the failure of the Carnac Campaign and that time he was caught by Nemesor Zahndrek and saved by Ko'sarro Khan since, apparently, Illic is a damsel in distress.

==On the Tabletop==
{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Illic Nightspear:''' || 140 || 5 || 9 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 3(4) || 10 || 5+
|}

[[FAIL|Inexplicably]], despite his fluff, he has neither the highest possible BS in theory or in practice—his rockin' sockin' BS9 is awesome, but compare that to [[Cypher]]'s at BS10. Heck, even BS8 is [[Vindicare|achievable]] [[Callidus|in]] [[Eversor|mere]] [[Culexus|decades]] by humans, provided they [[Grimdark|train like they mean it]]. Still, BS9 is pretty sick; with the 3+ re-roll, it means on average he only misses 1 of every 18 shots, so he's a hell of a marksman if there ever was one. His Warp-powered sniper rifle, Voidbringer, is an AP2 Sniper weapon with a range of 48" and the Distort special rule, meaning that on a roll of 6, it causes Instant Death to multi-wound enemies and automatically penetrates vehicles. Try one-shotting a [[Carnifex]] for some great lulz. He also has a shuriken pistol and an Eldar power sword if the situation becomes desperate, but with S3 the only thing he'll be killing in close combat is basic troops.

As far as special rules, he has the standard Eldar ones (Fleet, Ancient Doom and Battle Focus), Independent Character (so he can still join squads), Hatred (Necrons), Preferred Enemy (Necrons), Shrouded (+2 to Cover Saves to offset his paper-thin mesh armor), and his Warlord Trait is Mark of the Incomparable Hunter. He also has a few unique rules. Sharpshot makes all of his shooting attacks Precision shots, meaning he can assassinate enemy commanders or pick off individual models with scary weapons; and with Master of Pathfinders, he can grant Sharpshot to any squad of Rangers he joins. Lastly, Walker of the Hidden Path allows him to Infiltrate anywhere on the battlefield, ignoring distance requirements.

== 8th Edition ==

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || M || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Illic Nightspear:''' || 65 || 7 || +2 || +2 || 3 || 3 || 5 || 4 || 9 || 5+
|}

In an edition where snipers are in higher demand than ever before, Illic Nightspear delivers. Compared to a Vindicare Assassin (because what else would you compare him to?) Illic has some subtle but interesting differences. First off, he wounds ''everything'' (that isn't a VEHICLE) on 2+ - whereas the Vindicare can only effectively snipe INFANTRY models. Illic also deals a flat 3 damage (and 1 mortal wound on a 6+), whereas the Vindicare only deals D3 (D6 if you win the lottery). Of course, the Vindicare ignores invulnerable saves, cover saves, and has almost 2x the range - against INFANTRY characters with at least a 4++ save he pulls ahead, but against weaker supporting characters Illic wins easily. Illic also excels at murdering otherwise tough models that lack invulnerable saves (like Aggressors, Meganobz, etc). He also fills an HQ tax.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

Eldrad

2023-06-01T11:19:27Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

{{cleanup}}
{{heresy}}
[[Image:450px-EldradThroneworld.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Helmetless Eldrad, looking suspiciously like Mon'Keigh actor Hugo Weaving. What are the odds? 5 to 1 that GW gets sued again in the near future.]]
'''Eldrad Ulthran''' is renowned as one of the oldest and most powerful far-sighted [[psyker]] of the [[Eldar]] race, and '''was''' the Chief [[Farseer]] of [[Craftworld]] [[Craftworld Ulthwé|Ulthwé]]. He is awfully fond of engaging in overly elaborate plots to tweak the balance of fate to preserve the Eldar as a species and screw over races as an added bonus ([[Armageddon|2nd War of Armageddon?]] Entirely this guy's fault) engaging in only the highest forms of [[dick]]ishness, as the accounts from one of his retinue warlocks attest. Possibly father to Farseers [[Taldeer]] and [[Macha]]. [[Love Can Bloom]] is ambiguous on the matter, but current [[/tg/]] canon operates on the assumption that he is. Basically Spock's dad Sarek from Star Trek.

Some time ago, [[Abaddon the Despoiler]] led an assault on Craftworld Ulthwé, to attack the Eldar Farseer Council there. After slowly slogging through the nearly deserted Craftworld while his [[Black Legion]] suffered massive casualties as the Eldar forces still present, picked them off in hit and run attacks, Abaddon finally got to the council's Dome but found Eldrad waiting for him. Eldrad quickly made a mockery of Abaddon's combat skill; he dodged Abaddon's strikes with the daemon sword [[Drach'nyen]] and the [[Talon of Horus]] with ease. In just two strikes, Eldrad cleaved through Abaddon's Terminator armor with virtually no effort and separated him from his arms (hah, I see what you did there). The Eldar then stuffed the remainder of the attack force into a [[Dreadclaw]] with "Failbaddon the Armless Failboat" as well as other demeaning terms and images painted all over it and launched it back into the [[Eye of Terror]] while laughing hysterically. And that is why Abaddon has no arms.

As of the 13th Black Crusade, Eldrad is getting more active. After stealing the crystallized bodies of Farseers from every Craftworld, he attempted to prematurely summon [[Ynnead]], the yet-to-be-born Eldar god of Death who would save them from [[Slaanesh]] before every single Eldar dies, which was when it was supposed to be born. [[Battle of Coheria|Just before the events that would lead into the events of 8th edition]] the [[Deathwatch]] intervened in the Battle of Port Demesnus, that had been orchestrated by Eldrad to distract everyone whilst he performed a great ritual upon a moon made of psychic crystal. [[Not As Planned|When the Deathwatch discovered what was going on]] they immediately made all haste to Eldrads location. Eldrad attempted to reason with the Marines, explaining that what he was doing would strike a devastating blow against the true enemy. The Marines, of course, refused to listen and promptly fucked the whole thing up (marking one of many times ''he himself was out-[[dick]]ed'' by Space Marines) whilst claiming that they would rather see the universe burn than trust Xeno scum. Said summoning ritual required the bodies of ''every'' Crystal Seer, and when the Ulthwe's Seer Council learned of it along with how he crystallized a couple more seers bringing the [[Ynnari]] to Ulthwe, only the intervention of the [[Harlequin]]s saved him from being executed on the spot. Instead, he was then was exiled from the Craftworld on pain of death if he returned. [[troll|Which he did to help them against Tzeentch's minions anyway!]]

Currently, a member of the Ynnari, although he travels separately from the main group, joining their quest to bring forth Ynnead in its full power with the Croneswords. He is one of the Eldar that guided the [[Black Crusade|survivors]] of [[Cadia]] on [[Kalisus]] to [[Macragge]] to resurrect [[Roboute Guilliman]]. In this way, the fates of two most prominent dicks in the galaxy intwined.

He used to be presumed dead, eaten by Slaanesh during the [[13th Black Crusade]]. [[Meme|He got better]] in 6th edition.

==History==

:''As every loyal member of the Imperium should already know, Eldrad’s life is basically one failure after another with very few and potentially accidental successes in-between. The Emperor is of course infallible and infinitely benevolent in all things; if only this foul abomination had just trusted the guy with tens of millennia more experience, knowledge and god-like wisdom. The Emperor would have of course welcomed him with open arms, so as to guide him and avoid his many, many mistakes. If only Eldrad had realized his natural state of subservience to humanity the grimdark wouldn’t have happened and the grateful Imperium would have of course been good to the Eldar due to Eldrad’s presence, securing a wonderful future for both species.'' - Imperial[[Blam| <s>Propaganda</s>]] Truth.

===Early Life===
{{topquote|No threat! The Emperor and the Farseer are known to each other. Though they long diverged from friendship, they are not yet opposed.|Lhaerial Rey- Shadowseer of the Ceaseless Song}}

The only thing known of Eldrad's life, before becoming trapped on the path of the Seer, was that he used to be a musician, and he apparently still has quite an ear for that kind of stuff. Although he is most well-known as the High Farseer of Ulthwe, he did not begin that way, and his time on the Seer Council of Ulthwe was a surprisingly volatile one. Eldrad was the one responsible for much of what the Path of the Seer would become (Runes and all). Eldrad would be introduced to the idea of the Path system by [[Asurmen]] and would apply these ideas to reform the Witch path into what we know it is today (the original seers were more like ancient soothsayers and mystics).
*There was also a subtle hint in "The Throne World" that claimed that at some time in the past both Eldrad and the Emperor had been ''friends''. What form or how this friendship came about is unknown, but it is clear that by the time of the Heresy something *cough* '''Molech''' *cough* had brought their friendship to an end, even if their shared goals to fuck over Chaos still aligned, hence why Eldrad took steps to ensure that Vulkan could return to Terra as well as fucking up the Cabal's plans to get Horus to win.

While he served on the [[Seer Council]], but before actually becoming its High Farseer, there was a bizarre tendency for all of Eldrad's superiors to be conveniently (by fate or design, you decide) killed on missions, often just as a [[Phoenix Lord]] arrived. This occurred twice in the days before the Great Crusade, first when Eldrad and an older female Farseer journeyed with [[Asurmen]] to try to find a legendary Exodite Oracle. Said Oracle, believed to have been the first Eldar to ever foresee the Fall, turned out to be a Keeper of Secrets in disguise and, in the ensuing fight, killed Eldrad's superior. This pattern was repeated when Jain Zar visited the Craftworld, advising it against attacking a nascent Ork Waaagh, which the Crafworld's most senior Farseer agreed with. Eldrad, however, wanted to attack and destroy said Waaagh (Mainly because Jain Zar's plan was to make sure this Ork Waaagh ended up destroying Ulthwe, so as to prevent an even bigger disaster later on; Eldrad disagreed), convincing the Craftworld to follow him and rousing the [[Avatar of Khaine]]. Despite all this the attack was a total failure, with the High Farseer dying, the Avatar of Khaine being destroyed (in one of its earliest defeats) and Eldrad himself almost being killed. Discovering that the presence of the Phoenix Lord was what was reshaping the strands of fate to bring about Ulthwe's destruction, Eldrad moved to sacrifice himself to prevent it. He gave Jain Zar an ultimatum, she could continue on her chosen path and see him dead, or she could choose to trust in the path he would forge for the Eldar. In the end, it was only because Jain Zar changed her mind and decided to believe in Eldrad that she moved to intervene. In the aftermath, though, despite his colossal cock-up (the first of a career of failures; to be fair the plan was working until the mere presence of Jain Zar started twisting fate to suit her goals; Phoenix Lords are fucking freaky like that), Eldrad's arrogance continued to rub Jain Zar the wrong way, and he refused to allow the former High Farseer's Spirit Stone into the [[Infinity Circuit]], deciding he could make better use of it personally (which probably means it just got chucked into his big collection of tokens).

*In a strange case of "Just as planned" this apparent failure, actually turns out to be a complete success. Despite the lives lost, Eldrad's actions ultimately destroyed two Ork Waaaghs while also preventing the inter-Craftworld wars that would have brought about a far greater loss of life. What at first glance looked like an utter failure not only saved countless Eldar and non-Eldar lives but also reserved him a seat at the big table for the Rhana Dandra. Which only goes to prove that in order to be the hero sometimes you have to be a dick. Or have Jain Zar bail you out.

Were these simple coincidences or Eldrad's way of conniving his way to the top by ensuring his superiors all met with tragic fates? The answer to that probably depends on how much of a dick, and how competent, you think Eldrad is, although it is true that one skill he certainly has is getting other Eldar killed-- in many ways Eldrad is the most successful murderer of Eldar since Slaanesh. But then again, he is a dick.

*In his defence, to make an omelette you can't fret over every eggs (as the Mon'Keigh Senator saying goes) and while Eldrad's bodycount is frighteningly high, most of his actions have prevented even greater loss of Eldar lives further down the path even as they guaranteed the deaths of many. Farseeing and reading the future isn't an exact science nor does it guarantee there is a bloodless path/one can be found out of every situation, assuming the one attempting the reading interprets the vision correctly. Even Big.E cannot discern the future with perfect clarity despite being vastly more powerful and experienced than Eldrad (or any other psyker). He still is a dick though, double so considering his actions tend to come at even higher cost to the 'lesser' races as they do to his own.

===Horus Heresy and later===

After ascending to the position of High Farseer Eldrad would try to interfere in the course of the Horus Heresy a few times, rarely to much success. First he attempted to warn [[Fulgrim]] of [[Horus]]' corruption but failed, costing the life of one of Ulthwe's greatest Wraithlords and his friend, and also seeing the Avatar of Khaine slain, yet again, on his watch when Fulgrim [[Wat|throttled]] it (one assumes that Ulthwe's Seer Council has become a bit suspect about letting Eldrad use the Avatar since he seems to always come back with it broken). After this, he became pretty unpopular with both Ulthwe and the Cabal alligned part of the Eldar race, and decided to go solo to get things done. He aided John Grammaticus and Vulkan, making clear also that he opposed the plan of the [[Cabal]]. Said opposition went so far he even killed the entire Cabal eventually. Apparently, according to him, at some point he and Vulkan did something together (with Eldrad disguising himself as an old man representing Mount Deathfire to guide Vulkan towards Terra) which resulted in Vulkan giving him a Salamander's tooth, probably to join the huge collection of knick-knacks Eldrad has along with the former High Farseer's Spiritstone.

Following the Heresy Eldrad next interfered in the affairs of the Galaxy when he and the Seers of Ulthwe allowed a group of Harlequins to infiltrate the Imperial Palace during the height of the [[War of the Beast]]. It is not exactly clear what he hoped to gain from this, as the [[Harlequin]]s butchered the palace's mortal guards as a greeting and even managed to kill a good number of Custodians before they themselves were methodically cut down until only the Shadowseer remained, prostrate and wounded before the Eternity gate with a load of understandably pissed off Custodians. Her only message was to say that Chaos was the real threat and not to get distracted, whilst Orks were literally moments away from destroying Terra itself, so its not clear how any of this really helped anyone. Maybe he really wanted those Harlequins dead and this was... somehow... the best way to do it. Or the more plausible theory; Eldrad is just really bad at getting things done.
*This said, even as the Harlequins danced through the Imperial palace Eldrad and the Ulthwe Seer Council did help out the defenders of Terra by calming a path through the Warp allowing the combined Imperial Fists successor fleet to reach Terra and help defeat the Ork forces.
*These events would also directly influence the two organisations who would go on to create the [[Ordo Malleus]], whose responsibility it is to investigate and destroy the physical manifestations of Chaos throughout the Imperium, and the [[Ordo Xenos]], that investigates and eliminates alien influence and plots against the Imperium (you can probably guess which one was more prepared to listen). Members of the [[Ordo Malleus]] and the [[Ordo Xenos]] have been known to "fraternize" with the Eldar, and along with members of the [[Illuminati]] (who are frequently involved on some level with the Eldar, in particular, the Harlequins. And just so happen to have members placed throughout all levels of the Imperium) have been allowed access to the Black Library. Eldrad's actions not only created two of the main Ordos of the [[Inquisition]] but may have allowed Eldar affiliated humans to infiltrate to the very heart of the Imperium itself (take that [[Tzeentch]], let's see you top that "[[just as planned]]" plot twist).
Since then Eldrad has been involved in a few events; he saved Saim-Hann from a Hrud infestation, tried to forewarn Iyanden of the invasion of the [[Hive Fleet Kraken|Tyranids]], defeated the Ork Warboss [[Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub]] and also took part in the battle of Blood and Tears after he predicted the warp rifts that would open on Haran for Chaos's attempt at a takeover of the Webway. He seemed particularly invested in the small Craftworld of [[Idharae]], engineering the entire 2nd War of Armageddon to save said Craftworld, although it amounted to nothing in the end as the Invaders Space Marine Chapter simply destroyed Idharae instead. So much for that.

Indeed Eldrad has a poor reputation when facing off against Space Marines (but that's true of everyone), beginning with his battle against Fulgrim. On Maedrax the Ulthwe forces under his direction were mauled by a single Blood Angels Battle Barge and failed in their mission to stop an awakening Necron Dynasty. In fact, if you were to believe the mountain of Space Marine bolter porn that gets released by GW, you might come to believe that Eldrad (and everyone else for that matter) has, in over ten thousand years, never won a single battle against any Space Marines. This of course is not true as his humiliation of Abaddon in single combat will attest (but then again he is also a memetastic failure himself, so maybe it cancels it out). He has had more luck when working with Space Marines, such as when he interfered to save Blood Angels Chief Librarian Mephiston.

===Gathering Storm===

In many ways it was Eldrad, along with Abaddon, who started the whole set of events which have lead to the changes beginning in the Gathering Storm. Showcasing his extreme level of dickishness Eldrad stole Crystal Seers (remains of past Seers, which ''obviously'' contain a lot of psychic fuel to awaken a god) from every single Craftworld and endangered the entire Eldar species in an abortive attempt to awaken [[Ynnead]] which failed when [[Deathwatch]] Captain Artemis intervened and defeated him and his Harlequin associates. Whilst Eldrad's full attention was focused on maintaining the energy required to birth a god, he took a dreadnought's plasma cannon to the face. Subconsciously diverting a tiny amount of energy to protect himself proved to be enough to cause the ritual to collapse, and the moon to explode. Ynnead awakened, but only at [[Yncarne|a fraction of its full power]], choosing [[Yvraine]] as its first servant, and beginning the entire Fracture of Biel-tan storyline.

Since his act of incredible treason caused the Craftworld to declare that Eldrad had interfered with fate one time too many, Eldrad has been involved in aiding the Ynnari. He has also been removed from the Seer Council of Ulthwe as a part of his exile, instead now moving with a small roving group of followers, interfering where he sees fit and playing his role in the alliance (that he himself proposed) by aiding the besieged Imperial forces all across the galaxy, and by taking up missions from the Primarch [[Roboute Guilliman]] when requested. His dedication to helping out his new allies in the Imperium goes so far that he even directly defies his peers in the Black Library to rather do as Roboute wishes. He did return to aid his home when it was invaded by [[Kairos Fateweaver]] though, assisting them in banishing an attempt by Daemons of Tzeentch to attack the Craftworld.

==Explanation==
Where did Eldrad’s reputation for being such a dick come from?

He gives candy to young races.

And that candy will contain a slow-spreading gingivitis bacteria that will fester in the new race and slowly spread amongst their entire species. The gum pain will be considered a normal part of everyday life, and they will regularly take painkillers.

When the [[Tyranid|’Nids]] invade them in 3000 years, they too will be infected by the gingivitis disease—but they are mindless beasts, who know nothing of painkillers. Living in constant pain, only worsened by eating, this massive hive of ’Nids will starve and become extinct, a result of their own adaptation abilities.

And of course, Craftworld Ulthwé would have been the next target for that particular hive to eat. [[Just as planned|Just. As. Planned.]]

And that is why Eldrad is a dick. [[Asdrubael Vect|There is only one mortal being in 40k who is a bigger dick than Eldrad]].

Because unlike the failures the Eldar represent, Human Epitomes of dickery are either [[Emperor| rotting deities]] [[Perturabo|or]] [[Fulgrim|various]] [[Mortarion|assortment]] [[Sindri|of]] [[Kyras|daemons]].

Many [[Tales of Eldrad Ulthuan, the Dick]].

==Current Activities ==
As of 8th edition, and his exile, Eldrad is pulling old strings while fighting alongside the Ynnari and their new allies. His devotion to this new great alliance of Elves and Men--I mean Eldar and Imperium has seen him going so far as to oppose the White Seers, the leaders of the Black Library itself, in favour of doing what was requested by Roboute, doing so without any of the usual Eldar trickery (by the gods, the sheer amount of dickishness that he must be holding back is mind-boggling- one can only assume that his exile taught him a painful lesson in humility) and openly admitting to the Primarch that the Imperium and the Eldar need each other to survive. Existing much like a Corsair fleet, Eldrad and his renegades now travel the galaxy, regularly offering sage wisdom or aid to those who fight against the overwhelming forces of Chaos, or occasionally getting into the fray himself like during the War in the Labyrinth. Despite his exile when Daemonic forces invade the defenseless Ulthwé due to Ulthwe sending its entire force to every corner of the galaxy in order to fight Chaos, Eldrad returned and kicked some major Chaos arse.

He also turns out to be a bit of a hoarder, with whole towers stuffed with all manner of strange knick-knacks and other totally pointless items gifted to him over his long life, that he was apparently too polite to refuse but too lazy to dispose of (what a dick). Or in a kinder way maybe he feels it would be disrespectful.

Yvraine has taken to making fun of him because of his old age. I tell you, these youngsters today, have absolutely no respect for their “Eldars”.

Most concerningly, he seems to believe that something worse than Chaos, something older, [[Necrons|is on its way...]]

==Phoenix lord of the Witch Path==
Could Eldrad possibly become the Phoenix Lord of the Witch Path? He certainly has lived far longer than is natural for even the most long-lived Eldar, and it was his introduction with Asurmen and the ideas of the Path system that caused him to reform the Witch Path into the highly controlled and focused Path that it is. Even Jain Zar, who had less than friendly interactions with Eldrad, claimed that she knew when she was in the presence of another "Immortal". Of course, seeing as Eldrad is still on his first life there is no telling if this is true or not, but given that his previously retconned death had him splitting his soul into multiple soul stones (in a similar way to a horcrux) and that several were still active, even after his supposed "death" may indicate that GW may have planned on resurrecting him eventually if they had chosen to continue that storyline.

==What is his ultimate plan (or how to make the biggest dick in 40k even more of a dick)==
The Eldar as a whole have many ambitious plans in the works for dealing with Chaos, each as desperate and dangerous as the last, but what is Eldrad's grand plan, and why is he so interested in keeping humanity alive?

It could be that he ultimately wants Eldar and humanity to join hands and sing kumbaya, as we skip merrily into the sunset, but what's the fun in that.

First of all a warning, there will be spoilers below.

During the Horus Heresy Eldrad disagreed with the Cabal (of which he was a former member) regarding what should be done, and actively sought to keep humanity from being annihilated; believing that there was actually a third option. But why?

Now this is were it gets interesting; the Emperor upon the destruction of his great work, possessed Vulkan's, at the time, dead body to forge his ultimate "fuck you" button. It was a talisman that could create flames that can permanently kill daemons. Eldrad made great efforts to make sure Vulkan made it back to terra with this weapon, were it was then permanently fused with the Golden Throne. If the Throne fails or the Emperor slain, then the device will feed upon the power stored within the Golden Throne, and Terra will burn. Any daemons even remotely nearby will be permakilled, and seeing as they are all extensions of the Gods themselves, this is going to seriously hurt. On top of that if the Gate is open, these flames will potentially flow into the Warp, where they could even reach the Gods themselves.

It is unlikely that this explosion will be able to kill the Gods, but it will likely weaken them seriously. Then again though, even as far back as the Horus Heresy, we've seen that Big-E is uniquely powerful and deadly to the chaos gods (they call him the Anathema for a reason), so a god-sized ''True Death'' befalling the Ruinous Powers can't nessessarily be ruled out. It goes without saying that the more powerful the explosion, the more damage it will do. So how do you make the explosion more powerful? Easy you add more fuel to feed it.

For 10,000 years humanity has been feeding the Throne and the Emperor. Was Eldrad's plan all along, to keep humanity around so they could ultimately fuel this terrifying warp doomsday device in order to strike a devastating blow against the Gods themselves, a blow that they would never recover from.

*This would also go a long way to explain why he sent Harlequins to breach the Imperial Palace during "The Throne World". As long as Terra was properly defended, then Chaos, or some other enemy would stand no chance of actually reaching the Golden Throne; you don't want your secret doomsday device being deactivated, or worse, set off prematurely, before it is powerful enough to do what it needed to do. The Imperium had grown lazy and lethargic during a brief time of peace, and had let the defences around the Throne slip. The Imperium was never going to listen to the warnings of xeno scum, so the only way to get their attention was to show them.

*It should be pointed out that this does not mean humanity itself is destroyed as the majority of humanity would be nowhere near the explosion. In fact with the weakening of the Chaos Gods it might actually serve to save humanity as a whole, alongside the Eldar.

When you add in:
*The Phoenix Lords running around, getting everything setup and ready for the Rhana Dandra, whilst at the same time holding it back for as long as possible.
*Cegorach and his great jest, to trick Slaanesh into saving the Eldar.
*The birth of Ynead and a new way to protect Eldar souls from the creatures of the Warp.
*The possibility of a small reformed pantheon, to counter balance the Dark Powers.

You get the distinct impression that the Eldar have no intention of pulling their punches, and are fully intending to fuck Chaos up big time. Even if their time is up, if they're going down, they're taking Chaos with them. Out of all the factions (despite their many splinter groups not always seeing eye too eye) in 40k they seem to be the only ones who actually know what the bloody hell they're doing, and actually have a plan for the Endgame unlike the Imperium which is just running around and putting out the fires that have been raging since Horus fucked it all up and the Tau who are sitting in a circle holding hands and singing John Lennon's Imagine.

==This Dick On the Tabletop==

Eldrad is probably THE mainstay special character for Eldar armies. As we all know, the dude is rivaled as a ([[Librarian Dreadnought|non]]-[[Magnus the Red|cheese]]) psychic powerhouse only by [[Ahzek Ahriman]]: he's got Mastery Level 4, meaning that if you go for Psychic Focus and roll on a single table, you've got access to every power on there except for one (something his Tzeentchian peer can only do with the Tzeentch discipline since he has to generate at least one power from it). He knows [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Psychic 101#Daemonology|Sanctic Daemonology]], [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Psychic 101#Telepathy|Telepathy]], [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Psychic 101#Divination|Divination]], and, of course, [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Eldar(7E)#Runes of Fate|Runes of Fate]]. Whereas Ahriman is all about the volume when it comes to mind bullets, Eldrad is all about stability and reliability. He has the usual Farseer toys: Runes of the Farseer, which allows him to re-roll once per turn any number of dice on a psychic test or a Deny the Witch test, and a Ghosthelm, which allows him to spend a warp charge to nullify a wound caused by Perils of the Warp. So like any Farseer, he's already much less likely than other psykers to get turned inside out by daemons or to have his powers fizzle out, even when casting big WC3 stuff. Furthermore, his staff gives him a 33% chance to generate an extra warp charge every time he successfully casts a power; so not only does he have those 4-5 powers, but he's usually got the charges to use all of them.

Besides his psychic prowess, Eldrad also has some nifty wargear. Armour of the Last Runes gives him a 3++ Invulnerable save, which, coupled with his T4, allows him to take more punishment than the average Farseer, though his resilience still isn't anything to write home to Craftworld Ulthwé about. He's got a shuriken pistol (always good to have a Bladestorm weapon handy, and it's an extra close combat attack), a witchblade (Fleshbane! Always wounds on 2+), and let's not forget his all-important psyker disco stick, the Staff of Ulthamar, which is S-User (which doesn't really matter), AP3 AND has Fleshbane and Force. Anything he hits with it gets wounded on 2+, probably doesn't get an armor save, and dies instantly if you activate Force. Enough said. Oh, and his special rules are Fleet, Ancient Doom, Independent Character, Battle Focus, and Psyker. Naturally, his Warlord Trait is An Eye on Distant Events—because, you see, Eldrad is a dick.

8th Edition kept a lot of the details more or less the same; his melee weapons still wound on a +2, he's still T4 with a 3++ Invuln save and he's still a dick. He can learn three Runes of Fate as opposed to the generic Farseers' two and may cast three of those powers(or Smite) in the same turn. He also gets slightly better at casting after his first successful power for the turn, so there's that. If he's taken as your Warlord he gets Ulthwé's unique Fate Reader trait, which gives you a Command Point at the beginning of your turn if you roll a 6. Could be better, but he's still a ''very'' good character even if you choose have someone else lead your army.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
Image:What'sthisinmyhand.jpg|He's a dick
Image:Eldrad shows abbadon who the boss of this gym is.jpg|He beat the shit out of [[Abaddon]] in close combat despite knowing full well what kind of reputation he had. What a dick.
Image:EldradCandy.jpg|Shas'la should always call for their nearest Shas'o if approached by a strange dick.
Image:Eldrad by astarsis86.jpg|He's a cheeky dick waffle.
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Stories/Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

{{Ynnari-Characters}}

Prince Yriel

2023-06-01T11:17:09Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:410D:DFE3:40C3:5619:

[[File:Yriel.JPG|thumb|300px|Even other Eldar think this guy is arrogant. Let that sink in for a moment.]]

The swashbuckling pirate prince of the stars, '''Prince Yriel Ulthanash''' is what you would get if you changed Jack Sparrow to an [[elf]] and threw in an extra bucketload of cocksure arrogance and a sense of hygiene. He is known as the greatest [[Eldar]] naval genius to have lived, and this only makes his arrogance grow greater (and if other Eldar are calling you arrogant, then that has to mean something).

== The life and times of arrogance incarnate ==

The prince was once an [[Autarch]] and the fleet master of [[Craftworld Iyanden]], and was renowned for his [[tactical genius]] and daring leadership. It was a testament of his skill and ability at void warfare that he received the post of Autarch without having walked the [[Paths of the Eldar#Path of Command|Path of Command]], but had instead [[Black Seas|walked the Path of the Mariner]]. He trashed a [[Tyranid]] [[Hive Fleet]] and a [[Chaos]] Lord’s armada, and his deeds made him well feared and respected. It was the Chaos fleet that would be the turning point in Yriel’s career, however. In his recklessness, he stripped Iyanden of all its starship defenses and brought the battle to the enemy, focusing on defeating them once and for all above all else. It went pretty well, the Eldar managing to take apart the Chaos fleet while sustaining few losses, [[not as planned|except for one little thing...]] Faced with inevitable defeat, the Chaos Lord ordered to fire his last remaining [[exterminatus|cyclonic torpedo]] straight at the Craftworld (he'd probably saved that one up for a nifty mass sacrifice or something). With the entirety of Iyanden's ships busy fucking up Chaos' shit, the torpedo did reach its destination and inflicted huge damage, instantly killing many tens of thousands of Eldar along with destroying their soulstones (and [[Slaanesh|you know what the latter means]]). The Eldar's crushing victory was completely soured by that last low blow.

It should come as no surprise that Yriel was stripped of his rank for his overly bold strategy, since he'd been the one to throw everything Iyanden had to the last pleasure ship at the Chaos fleet, and the entire thing would have been avoided if the Prince had kept but a single squadron of fighters back in reserve to take out the torpedo. It was, however, a surprise to Yriel, who believed his actions were justified since Chaos would have come at them again and again if they hadn't been crushed and crushed good and it would have meant an even heavier cost for the Craftworld in the long run. Hurt in his pride at his kinsmen censure, Yriel became so enraged he went into self-imposed exile with many of his fellows followed him. With them, he started an Eldar corsair clan known as the Eldritch Raiders, which became one of the most feared Eldar pirate bands in the galaxy behind [[Duke Sliscus]] and his Sky Serpents. Many believe that Sliscus is Yriel's dad, if we put into account Yriel's mother meeting with someone from a darker path and his status as bastard of house Ulthanash, and the whole pirate thing runs in the family.

For years Yriel plied the stars, stealing from the rich, ignoring the poor, making raspberries at the [[Imperium]] who couldn't catch him even if he handed himself over to them. They tried to turn him against other clans of Eldar corsairs, but this backfired splendidly when he just absorbed them and made himself an even bigger menace.

When [[Hive Fleet Kraken]] arrived in the galaxy, one of its tentacles was heading directly towards Iyanden, which could not outrun the speed of the Tyrannic threat. When Yriel heard of the danger his Craftworld was in, he at first ignored it... but in the end, blood is thicker than arrogance, and he could not truly abandon his people. He and his raiders struck like the spear of [[Khaine]] against the Tyranids, tipping the scales in the favour of the Eldar. To save his people Yriel took up the cursed Spear of Twilight, which would doom its wielder by slowly burning their soul away to nothing while they wielded it (and do so instantly if they tried to discard the weapon) and turned it against the bugs, slaying the [[Hive Tyrant]] that lead the beasts (retcon'd by Guy Haley into the [[Swarmlord]] himself). Hailed as the saviour of the shattered craftworld, Yriel was reinstated as Autarch and master of the fleet. He then stabbed the Hive Mind. Well not really, but as a whole it yelled out in pain, so same thing.

Since then, Yriel has fought many battles and feels his time is soon to be over. However, a vision by the [[Harlequins|Harlequin]] Shadowseer Sylandri Veilwalker (who had earlier suggested to send the message of help to Yriel, was there when he took up the spear, and may or may not have had a thing with Yriel at some point) has shown him he still has much to do, and that the end times may be upon the Eldar. With a renewed spirit, Yriel steps forth to kick demon ass once more in the name of Iyanden.

Yriel is the very definition of an arrogant bastard. When the Ordo Xenos speculated that he and his raiders have [[Blood Ravens|procured]] no less than one thousand class IX or greater vessels over the past 50 years, Yriel felt insulted and immediately sent a spam message across the Imperium with all his Raiders’ conquests, totaling over eleven thousand ships because he was insulted at how much they underestimated him. He even included all the information on exactly who they had been taken from. Which is strange because he only turned up to help his Craftworld with a hundred ships... unless that tally was how many ships he plundered rather than stole and annexed into his fleet (it's possible he wouldn't use human ships in his fleet and deem humanity's technology inferior to the Eldar's, espeically since he's arrogant by Eldar standards). Eh, he’d probably already sold them or something or didn’t have any way to man them anyway.

Oh, and he's gay. Go figure (oh come on, we've always known he was an <s>whoopsie</s> Eldar; not that such a term would hold any meaning to the Eldar, who would probably laugh out loud at such a foolishly narrow minded and limiting notion; the idea of a person being either "straight" or "gay" really doesn't exist within Eldar society, much like the Orks, who really do find the human idea of "different genders" really odd). Except that homosexuality isn’t conductive to a society struggling to exist. Then again, considering the long fertilization periods the Eldar go through to have children, they probably have enough time in between to swing on the other side occasionally. After the whole stabbing the Hive Mind thing, he was so delirious that he accidentally stabbed, murdered, and absorbed the soul of his lover [[Lulz|who had just finished declaring his love for him]]. The absorbed soul of his lover actually saved his life and give him enough energy to survive a few more years.

== Gathering Storm ==

{{Template:Spoilers}}

Prince Yriel's Spear of Twilight is revealed to be one of the five Swords of Morai-Heg needed by the Ynnari (no that's not a misnomer, the swords can shapeshift into any weapon). Prince Yriel nears the end of his life where the Spear of Twilight will burn his soul. A Chaos Fleet attacks and Yriel leads a boarding party to the heart of the possessed, living flagship; literally, the thing has a flesh and blood heart and is full of giant tentacles (not the naughty kind) and guarded by a Daemon Prince of Nurgle. Yriel fought the Daemon Prince but the Spear didn't kill it, so instead he used the Spear to strike the heart and destroy it. However the Spear took a lot out of him. One of the tentacles grabbed a girder and struck the fatigued Yriel with it, killing him immediately.

Then the Daemon Prince decided to have some Nurgle-style fun with the Eldar. The daemon loaded up Yriel's corpse with tons of diseases that would infect the people of Iyanden when they tried to inter his body, encased the corpse in a giant booger (yes really) and fired it off into space towards the Craftworlder's fleet. Fortunately for the eldar who retrieved the grisly find, Yvraine sensed the spoor of psychic energy - apart form seeing the obvious sickly cocoon - and had Yriel's corpse quarantined in an isolation chamber. She had Wraithguards, who were immune to the diseases, crack open the daemonic cocoon before vaporizing it along the released diseases. With the daemon's plan thwarted, Yvraine went into the chamber to tend to Yriel. Ironically, the Spear's sapping of his life-force was his salvation, as Yvraine was able to resurrect him by returning some of the life force it had stolen to his corpse via stabbing it in the chest. Despite this, and despite being revealed to be a Cronesword, the latest Codex confirms that the Spear/Sword is once again sapping his life energy and he is still cursed by it.

Further, despite being brought back from the dead by them, Yriel is no fan of the Ynnari, believing himself to have been brought back into a cursed state against his wishes (even though he's the same as he was before his death - maybe he's mad about absorbing the soul of his would-be boyfriend), and avoiding the Ynnari and aiding them when possible. There's gratitude for you.

== On the Tabletop ==

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Prince Yriel:''' || 140 || 7 || 7 || 3 || 3 || 4 || 7 || 4 || 10 || 3+/4++
|}

Unfortunately, despite his cool fluff, Yriel is nothing more in the game than a slightly better Autarch who for some reason costs twice as much as his nameless buddies and can't use any of the awesome wargear available them. He has decent saves, but if he misses them against anything S6 or higher, he's dead. Furthermore, the Cursed special rule on his melee weapon, the Spear of Twilight, forces him to re-roll saving throws of 6. Other than that, it's S-user and AP3 with Fleshbane and Armourbane, which can do some good damage, but he's not the close combat power house you should be getting for 140 points. And he has no ranged weapons, so BS7 means fuck-all. His little novelty ability, The Eye of Wrath, lets him send out once per game a S6, AP3 large blast while in close combat, but it affects friend and foe alike, so it's just a suicide attack if your squad is already losing. Other than that, he has all the usual Eldar and Autarch rules. Oh, well. Let's hope he becomes worth a damn in the next update.

8th Edition gave him a ''much'' needed price drop, actually making him run slightly less than a basic Autarch nowadays. The removal of instant death is a godsend to him (much like any T3 unit), though he still must re-roll any saving rolls of a 6 when wounds are taken in melee. Speaking of melee, he's particularly adept at it these days; he hits on a 2+ (re-rolling 1's like every Autarch) and wounds ''everything'' on a 2+ with the Spear of Twilight, which has AP-3 to help it punch through armor saves. Unfortunately, that's literally all he's good for as without any ranged weaponry (bar his once-per-game 3" eye blast) or mobility options available to his generic counterparts, he can't contribute crap outside of that niche. He does have the same "Re-roll hit rolls of 1" aura every other Autarch has, but... you could just take a more mobile Autarch for that if that's all you really needed him for. Due to being listed strictly as {{W40kKeyword|Iyanden}}, any Battle-Forged detachment including him ''must'' use the Iyanden craftworld rules; unfortunate, as Iyanden doesn't really offer anything for combat oriented units that aren't Wraiths. If you insist on taking him and insist on making him your Warlord, he's locked into Iyanden's exclusive '''Enduring Resolve''' trait, which lets him attempt to deny one power once per phase. While this is certainly usable, it's a lackluster pick when you have ready access to spammable Warlocks, Spiritseers and Farseers who can all deny the witch regardless ''while'' offering access to their very flexible psychic support to the rest of your army. At the end of the day, you'll probably only want to take him if you're looking for a cheap centerpiece to a flock of Howling Banshees or if you're trying to play a fluffy army.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Eldar Corsairs]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Ynnari]]

{{Eldar-Characters}}

{{Ynnari-Characters}}