Eldar Prophecy

by C. S. Goto

  As the glimmering golden armour of the Wraith Spider vanished through the defensive lines and flashed into the palace, Uisnech and his Anyon Guardians fell into combat with the disoriented remnants of the Ansgar Guardians. THE DOORS TO the banqueting chamber were closed and locked, barred from the inside. Without a moment's hesitation, Naois lowered his shoulder and charged at the doors, shattering them and throwing them off their hinges. Shards and fragments sprayed into the chamber beyond, and the remnants of the doors skidded into the room along the floor, leaving Naois framed in the doorway.

  A volley of shuriken fire clattered against his golden armour, but the tiny projectiles ricocheted harmlessly, as though bouncing off an impenetrable field. Looking over to one side of the room, Naois saw the overturned table and the squad of Guardians that were cowering behind it. The barrels of their shuriken catapults rested on the edge of the table. He turned his silver and black eyes on them for a moment, as though considering whether they were worth his time, but then a movement on the other side of the room caught his attention.

  Turning, he saw a knot of Knavir courtiers standing in a line in front of Scilti, blocking his way. A female in flowing red robes held out her hands as though to plead for mercy. A golden-eyed male in sumptuous, rich garments dropped instantly to his knees in supplication and fear. In trembling hands, two others levelled pretty shuriken pistols at Naois and squeezed the triggers. Naois paused to let the shurikens bounce off his armour, watching them with uncomprehending curiosity. Why would these eldar attempt to harm him with such paltry weapons?

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  He crossed the space between them in a couple of strides, cutting the two gunmen in half with his blades and kicking the pathetic figures of Cinnia and Celyddon aside. They tumbled to the ground and crashed against the bound and gagged figure of Ahearn, who lay curled in a protective ball under the high table. Scilti stood alone in front of Naois.

  The two cousins stared at each other for a moment, as though sharing a moment of recognition, but they could not possibly recognise each other. Neither of them was the same as they had been the last time that they had confronted each other in combat, when they had both been tyros in the Spider Temple. One had been transformed by the gleaming riches and sensuous pleasures of the Sentrium and the corrupting truths of the maelstrom. The other had undergone a metastasis, fuelled by the spirit of Kaelor. Outside in the Plaza of Vaul, they could hear the battle raging. Screams and wails of pain were punctuated by the exchange of gunfire and the exclamations of explosions. At the same time, warp-lightning cracked through the wraithbone elements of the palace structure, making the banqueting chamber tremble. Suddenly, Scilti vanished. His warp-pack had been repaired and was functional again. Reappearing abruptly behind Naois, he thrust towards his cousin's golden back with his own powerblades, but Naois was not taken by surprise. He turned instantly, as though he had been able to watch Scilti's path through the warp. Parrying the thrust, Naois cut down with Khukulyn's blade and hacked off Scilti's arm at the elbow.

  Wailing with pain, Scilti instinctively punched with his other hand. Without moving, Naois blocked the strike and trapped Scilti's arm. Then, with slow deliberation, he drew one of his own blades across the Warp Spider's ruby armour and took his other arm. Once again, the two cousins stared into each other's eyes for a moment, as though sharing a final instant of understanding or searching for a last vestige of familial compassion. Armless and bleeding, Scilti saw no glimmer of mercy in the horrible silvering eyes of the Wraith Spider. His own eyes widened slightly in terror at what he saw, and then Naois cut him twice more, once bisecting him through the abdomen, and once parting his head from his shoulders an instant before the first cut could kill him. Turning from the dismembered remains of his cousin's corpse, Naois swept his gaze around the room one final time. He saw Cinnia, Celyddon and the farseer cowering harmlessly and pathetically under the table. He considered them for a moment, and then another rattle of shuriken fire strafed into his armour from the bank of Guardians on the other side of the room. Slowly and without any apparent urgency, Naois turned and strode towards them. One tried to run, another stood ready to fight, and a couple simply dropped their weapons in terror and stood rooted to the spot. The Wraith Spider carved them into pieces one after the other, and then simply turned and strode out of the chamber, breezing past the bound farseer as though he wasn't even there.

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  EPILOGUE: PROPHECY

  AS THE LHYKOSIDAE vanished out the ruined doors, Cinnia turned to Celyddon and smiled. It was a complicated smile, containing a mixture of emotions. She was relieved that the abominable Wraith Spider had left her alive, but she was also happy. There was a real swell of elation in her smile.

  With a casual gesture, she reached over and unfastened the bonds that held the farseer. He uncurled and rubbed his wrists, looking gratefully at Cinnia as she untied his gag. The three of them sat under the high table for a long moment, in silence, sharing a pristine moment of relief, as though they had just been reborn. Then, spontaneously, they burst into laughter. Could we have asked for anything to have gone differently? asked Ahearn as he swept his gaze around the room and took in the

  bloody mess that Naois had left behind.

  No, it has all gone perfectly, my lord, replied Cinnia, smiling broadly and then clambering out from under the table. She wandered

  over to the segmented remains of Scilti and fished around in his corpse for a moment before producing his spirit stone. We will be able to harvest so many of these after all the slaughter, more than enough to persuade our sensuous patron to grant us greater

  pleasures, perhaps even enough to push Kaelor into the maelstrom.

  I can't believe that Ione's plan worked so well, interjected Celyddon. She managed to perpetuate the House Wars long past the

  victory of the Teirtu with her silly prophecy.

  Yes, we owe the old witch a debt of gratitude, agreed Cinnia. She even managed to arrange for me to sculpt the little ehveline. Her

  plan was flawless.

  You should not forget the vision of Gwirh in all this, added Ahearn, as though defending his family's honour. It was his model of

  Kaelor that set the scene for all this. Without him, none of this would have been possible, and we would still be deprived of the

  kinds of pleasures that our dhamashirs crave. We would still be living the half-lives of the wayfarers.

  The three companions walked joyfully through the corridors of the palace, collecting the spirit stones of the warriors and other eldar that Naois had slain on his way to the banqueting chamber. By the time they reached the main gates of the palace, the raging battle in the Plaza of Vaul had diminished to a simmer. The exarchs were still there, mopping up the remnants of the fanatics, but they had broken the back of the disorganised and inchoate foes, and the ground lay thick with blood and corpses as testament to their furious achievements.

  Look at this harvest, whispered Cinnia to Ahearn, trying to suppress her excitement. Can you imagine what kind of experiences

  we will be rewarded with in exchange for all these souls?

  The farseer nodded briefly, letting the satisfied smile fall from his face as the others in the plaza began to notice his presence. He stooped over into a hunch and leant more heavily on his old, gnarled staff. Then he shuffled out into the plaza, limping and struggling as though buried under the weight of a terrible ordeal. Ahearn saw the diminutive figure of Ela'Ashbel, wandering through the flames and the corpses like a little angel of death. Her face was dirty with blood, but it ran with pristine tears as she stopped and looked over towards the farseer with her startling sapphire eyes.

  It is not over, is it? she asked him, without accusation or anger. She just wanted to know the answer. For an instant, her eyes

  flickered over to Cinnia, and a spark of appalled recognition died almost immediately into indifference. Her old mentor was nothing.

  It is over
for now, my little mornah, replied Ahearn, shuffling over to her and kneeling down before her. He placed one hand on

  her shoulder and looked into her eyes, as though searching for something hidden deep within. He thrilled with excitement at the power of the soul within. Even he could not have expected to be presented with such a gift. Where is your brother? Has he abandoned you?

  He has returned to Ansgar, she responded while her fixed eyes still gazed around at the devastation. His role here was finished.

  He brought death to those who needed it, but he has no desire to stay in this Sentrium. He has seen what it has done to others. He

  will rebuild the Spider Temple and remain in the outer realms.

  Very good, said Ahearn, smiling faintly. Leaning his weight on Ela's slender shoulder, he climbed back to his feet. Come, my little

  mornah. We have much to attend to if we are to return Kaelor to its former honour and glory. We must start to rebuild the

  Ohlipsean, but first we must conduct the appropriate rites with the poor, lost souls of the fallen. Things will be different from now

  on, you have my word.

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  Appendix

  An introduction to Craftworld Kaelor, and glossary of

  associated terms.

  AFTER THE FALL, Kaelor lost all contact with the other fleeing craftworlds, as it flashed out into the darkness of intergalactic space, falling into the very fringes of the galaxy. For long ages, it was thought lost and it fell into misremembrance by the other eldar. It was utterly isolated, and it seems that it cherished this isolation as its security; in this its motivation is somewhat different from that of the peripatetic Alaitoc.

  It took many eons of searching to re-establish contact with Kaelor, since it had drifted past the furthest reaches of the webway. As a result of this isolation, its organisation is atypical compared with the other craft-worlds. The first file here outlines those features.

  It also seems that the extended period of introspection and lack of contact even with the various Harlequin troupes that prowl the webway has caused corruption (or evolution?) in the collective memory of the mythic cycles of the eldar. The second of these files provides an account of local terms, phrases and names, together with brief explanations of the local variances in terms that should seem familiar to all eldar.

  Organisation of Kaelor

  Farseer - On other craftworlds this is often a position gained by merit, after a long and arduous struggle along the Path of the

  Seer. On Kaelor, the title has become almost completely institutionalised. It is the ritual and ceremonial title given to the ruler of the craftworld. In practice, this title has been handed down through the line of a single family (the Rivalin dynasty) for thousands of years, passing from father to son. The family is gifted with farsight, and all members of it have evidently been seers for as long as records and memory exist.

  However, there are many other seers on Kaelor, and many other families, some of which would covet this exclusive title and power for themselves. This ''imperial arrangement'' has permitted the Rivalin to construct a lavish court, the so-called Ohlipsean (and it is rumoured, not unreasonably, that the lavishness of the court is also why the Rivalin family will not give up their claims to the title), but it has also bred increasing discontent, particularly as the lavishness of the court increased and started to send the peripheries of Kaelor slumping into poverty and atrophy. Rivalin Farseer's Court - Comprised of the so-called Knavir Eldar of Kaelor, that is, eldar from families closely

  connected to House Rivalin. They have no independent domains of their own, and they live entirely at leisure, enjoying courtly privileges and political authority.

  Great Houses - A number of families broke away from (or were broken away from) the Rivalin in the distant past. They

  took new names and established semi-independent domains in the outreaches of Kaelor, where the hands of the court could barely reach. Their life styles are simpler, more austere and more violent than those of the Knavir eldar. Violence and battle is not unknown, and it is not viewed with such disgust. It is a natural part of existence in the less decadent zones. These houses pay tithe to the court in return for the farseer's blessing, occasional advice, and ongoing endorsement of their ruling privileges. Aspect Temples - The Aspect Temples are independent of the court and (technically) of the great houses, although they

  have precincts and shrines built within the areas of control of a number of the great houses, and some have close connections because of this. Because of their emphasis on the violent aspects of the eldar soul, they are viewed with fear and disgust (mostly disgust) by the court and by any of the great houses who aspire to be considered Knavir eldar. However, a number of the great houses have come to see the Aspect Temples as a useful source of training and see them also as potential power resources. The apolitical status of the Aspect Temples is in stark contrast with their powerful, institutionalised position on craftworlds such as Biel-Tan.

  Seer Houses - Like the Aspect Temples, the Seer Houses are technically independent places of pilgrimage and study. In

  them, eldar can learn the ways of the seer or can consult oracles with greater power than their own. The Seer Houses are an unusual feature of Kaelor society, and they came into existence partly as a result of the institutionalisation of the position of farseer.

  Powerful seers (often more powerful than the farseer) needed independence from the court. They endangered the position of the farseer and, consequently, were in danger. By depoliticising and institutionalising their function, the seers were saved. The court suffers their existence and calls on their services from time to time, particularly to train their offspring.

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  Like the Aspect Temples, Seer Houses have a regular turnover of members, as eldar pass through their seer-cycle, but they also have a sizeable permanent membership (the ''family'' of the Seer House) comprised of those seers who are fully committed to the seer way - so-called dhanir-seers, or sometimes path-stalking seers. Seer Houses typically may have any number of such dedicated seers (those who would usually be considered ''farseers'' on other craftworlds), making them a powerful force on Kaelor. From time to time, the Seer Houses will send their own family members out to join the great houses as consorts, partners or oracles. Hence, the Seer Houses of Kaelor have long reaches, and their fingers pull many strings. Religious Cults - There are a number of independent religious cults active on Kaelor, outside and beyond the Aspect

  Temples and Seer Houses. In fact, records suggest that there was an alarming rise in pleasure cults during the later years of the Rivalin Dynasty, when the craftworld drew nearer and nearer to the maelstrom. A number of these cults (and certainly the most spectacular of them) is alleged to exist within the court. Such cults are virtually unknown on other craftworlds (or perhaps they are simply better hidden?).

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  Glossary: Names, Places, and Terms of Kaelor

  Adsulata (Arachnir) - Senior Aspect Warrior in the Temple of the Warp Spiders, harking from the domain of the

  Ansgar.

  Aereb-beetle - A tiny, red insectoid creature that is reputed to have been one of the first life forms to evolve uniquely

  within the biosystem of Kaelor after the craftworld fled into deep space following the Fall. Colonies of the creatures cluster around the moisture-vents of the forest zones, where they survive in a peculiar yet persistent ecosystem, flittering and darting on their incredibly rapid wings. Because of its qualities and history, the little creature is considered with some affection amongst the more sentimental Kaelorians, and its name has entered common usage to indicate a range of meanings: unexpected resilience, purposeful industry and determined speed. Ahearn Rivalin (Farseer) - Oldest surviving seer of the grand Rivalin lineage, the line that has overseen Kaelor since

  the Fall. His family has witnessed (and designed) the glorious grandiosity of the co
urt and of Kaelor's Radiant Age. Ahearn claims direct descent from Gwrih the Radiant, but the tastes of the Sons of Rivalin are rumoured to be unusually extravagant. Discontented eldar in the provinces whisper that Ahearn's farsight is failing him and that he can no longer see beyond his own death.

  Aingeal (Exarch) - The ageless Exarch of the Warp Spider Aspect Temple. The temple has an ancestral connection with

  the House of Ansgar, since a number of the Aspect's temples are found in the home sectors of the Ansgar and are thus supported by Ansgar tithes. A number of Ansgar have trained in those temples. Aingeal is the mentor of Naois Ansgar and of Scilti. Alastrinah Yuthran - The founder of the Seer House of Yuthran. She was a compassionate, beautiful and powerful

  psyker with a gift for farsight. As the consort of the first Rivalin Farseer - Gwrih the Radiant - she established a glorious lineage and a tradition of service in the Farseer's Court. The symbol of House Yuthran -an eye filled with an ocean of water - is said to reflect Alastrinah's soul.

  When she died, the ring from the third finger of her left hand was placed on an altar in the sanctum of the great house, and the sanctum was refashioned to mirror its perfect form; this is the so-called Ring of Alastrinah in which young wyches are initiated into the house. Yuthran wyches of high standing or exceptional power will be granted a duplicate of the ring, fashioned out of psycho-reactive wraithbone, which they wear on their third finger as a sign of their sisterhood. Arachnir - A term used amongst the Warp Spiders of Kaelor to indicate a command-rank, junior to the exarch but senior to the

  other Aspect Warriors.

  Aspect Warrior - Asureah - Warriors trained in the Aspect Temples. Although the eldar of Kaelor readily concede