Craftworld Thuyelsa

Craftworld Thuyelsa remained intact through the turmoil of the Fall, having been one of the earliest of its kind to take flight from the Old Eldar Empire. The Eldar of Thuyelsa are reserved and meticulous, for they hold themselves to be the sole true preservers of their culture. The Craftworld's largest city, Shintia, is a metropolis of glass with untold numbers of museums, libraries, and halls holding the cultural treasures of the Eldar. Many of these are wondrous technologies and powerful weapons, but rarely are they used, for Thuyelsan Eldar jealously protect their treasures.

Location

Craftworld Thuyelsa is constantly on the hunt for new discoveries, but tends to operate within Segmentum Obscurus in order to best plunder the worlds of the Old Eldar Empire. Due to this, they have many enemies among the Chaos factions which operate in this area. They make comparatively frequent trips into the eye of terror compared to their fellows, and often host many troupes of Harlequin Eldar on these long and dangerous excursions.

Culture

The Craftworld takes its role as guardian of lost treasures quite seriously, traveling vast distances and braving incredible horrors simply to attain a piece of their past. All on Thuyelsa are taught to revere scholarship and wisdom and nearly every Eldar on the Craftworld spends at least several decades on some of the many paths of the scholar. Though research into the past is common and the Thuyelsans have carefully studied all of this material, new innovations are often met with fear. Likewise, the many dangerous ancient Eldar weapons gathered in their facilities and museums rarely see use. There has been growing conflict in recent years between the young and the old on this and a few daring, or perhaps fool-hearty, young autarchs challenging the high council's authority through the use of ancient technology in times of crisis.

Warfare

Since many on Thuyelsa are encouraged to follow the path of the scholar or seer, the number of standing warriors is smaller than the average Craftworld, but most have had some time on the path of the warrior. Much of their forces comprise guardian squadrons, either massed alongside artillery or piloting jetbikes or vehicles. Many more are drawn to command, and there is never a shortage of skilled autarchs among their ranks. Some of the more daring and roguish of their ilk even utilize ancient and powerful Eldar weapons on the field of battle, much to their kin's chagrin. Though other Aspect Warriors are present in much smaller quantities, the Crystal Serpents Aspect is the pride of Thuyelsa and its members are always present in times of war.

The warlocks and farseers of Thuyelsa are among the most fearsome of their kind. The Craftworld's preservation of many ancient and arcane tomes of power long lost to their kin has provided its many psykers a rich palate from which to draw. Thuyelsa's mightiest sorcerers are renowned among their kin, with the power to stave off even a Lord of Change briefly. Their many hidden tricks are never shared with those outside the shadowy secret society of seers at Shintia.

Though they detest their dark kin and see many of their fellow Craftworlders as foolish, Thuyelsan Eldar have a deep and long-standing relationship with their Harlequin cousins. They are frequent allies in the Craftworld's fool-hearty assaults on the Crone Worlds nestled deep in the eye of terror. Both see the importance of preservation of old knowledge, and some of Thuyelsa's most accomplished and wise leaders have been permitted to access certain tomes within the hidden Black Library of the Harlequins.

Crystal Serpents Aspect Warriors

The Crystal Serpents represent the deceitful aspect of Kaela Mensha Khaine and the warrior who stuns and disorients his opponents with clever tricks. The Serpents are stealthy warriors who believe in utilizing surprise tactics and versatility to operate against a variety of opponents. Their preference for an this type of approach is reflected in their equipment, the Prism Rifle and the Spectrum Armor. The Prism Rifle is capable of being fired in two different modes. The first is a penetrating beam of light that can punch through the most powerful armor with ease, while the second activates the rifle's namesake to split the beam into a disorienting spectrum of seven weaker ones. The Spectrum Armor alters the way light is reflected off of the warriors, allowing them to dampen their presence when in cover or flash out dramatically at the opponent in a blinding spectrum of colors when assaulting their foes. Crystal Serpents often deploy in coordinated squads of seven to elucidate the effect of these multicolor flashes.

Exarchs on the Path of the Crystal Serpent are powerful warriors who's Monochromatic Armor serves as a sharp contrast to the warriors under them, though it serves the same effects as their armor in an even more striking way. The armor is more blinding when it flashes, and veils its owner in thicker darkness when concealed. Crystal Serpant Exarchs are also known to carry Darklight Prism Rifles, which are even more powerful versions of the standard fare.

Phoenix Lord Qet'Zelt, the Rainbow Serpent

Qet'Zelt originates from Craftworld Thuyelsa, founding the Crystal Serpents Aspect Shrine here in the decades after the Fall of the Eldar. He is a witty and wild individual, and often serves to lighten the moods of the sober-minded Thuyelsan Eldar. Like all of his kind, Qet'Zelt was one of the Asurya, those Eldar originally trained by the first Phoenix Lord, Asuryan, in the ways of war and is a devotee of Kaela Mensha Khaine. Many of his fellow Phoenix Lords say that Qet'Zelt, with his tricky and jovial nature, is the closest to the Laughing God among their number.

The Rainbow Serpent's armor functions similarly to that of his aspect, but the blinding rainbow of colors constantly surrounds him and is brighter than a full squad of Crystal Sepents. The armor's flashes are coordinated perfectly with his movements and provide a unique and dazzling sight each time Qet'Zelt strides into battle. The rifle he wields is capable of firing on seven different settings, each with a distinct effect on the target. Truly, the Serpent exemplifies the shifting and versatile nature of his aspect more than any other.

History

By the time of the Fall of the Eldar, Craftworld Thuyelsa had been traveling away from the homeworlds of the Eldar Empire for nearly a decade. Those aboard the enormous craft had foreseen the horrors that their future held and had gathered all they could of the vast collections of literature and objects of cultural significance on their planet, then struck out into the vast emptiness before them. As the immense psychic shock-wave of Slaanesh's birth screams rattled throughout the galaxy, the Thuyelsan Eldar wept for their lost kin and empire.

Fear led Thuyelsa to hide itself away from the universe, and the Craftworld isolated to the best of their ability in the centuries following the fall of the Eldar. They preserved what they had to the best of their ability, and attempted to make the best of their situation, teaching the young about the past that it may never be forgotten. As time passed, the sting of their loss faded and their fear diminished. Thuyelsa's elders decided it was time to seek out what was lost, and preserve whatever could be salvaged carefully. Only through collecting and understanding their history, the Eldar reasoned, could they achieve the wisdom needed for a harmonious existence.

The Craftworld has had many confrontations in the millennia since the fall. Thuyelsa has challenged Orks, humans, and even other Eldar in their search for the antiques and lost wonders of the past, but their frequent forays into the Eye of Terror where their home once lay makes Chaos their most frequently met foe. The scholars who hold such sway over Thuyelsa have guided her well in these matters, and wisdom gleaned from the study of historical events has often proved the Craftworld's greatest asset against their hellish foes. Conservatism prevents the Eldar from being too bold, and its many pieces of ancient and obscenely powerful archaeotech simply gather dust in research facilities or museums rather than be unleashed at the enemy.