Eldar Prophecy

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by C. S. Goto


  С. S. Goto « Eldar Prophecy»

  Scilti - Elder cousin of Naois Ansgar and Ela'Ashbel. In the House Wars, he fought alongside his uncle, Bedwyr, but as a

  young and inexperienced warrior. He was trained in the Temple of the Warp Spiders in the domain of the Ansgar. Sha'iel - The energy of the warp.

  Sha'ielbhr - See Wraithbone.

  Slaanesh - the Great Enemy - The Devourer of Souls. Like the eldar of other craftworlds, the

  Kaelorians retain at least parts of the mythic cycles of the Fall, in which Slaanesh is depicted as having been birthed by the com- bined, unrestrained hedonistic energies of eldar souls. In common with the majority of other craftworld eldar [for an exception see Vol.IX - The Errant Son: Heranghra], most Kaelorians (particularly in the great houses) see Slaanesh as an ever present danger

  and threat. They embrace the Ihnyoh as a defence against its clutches. Sleehr - A technical term used by seers and wraithsmiths to describe an imbalance between the material and immaterial

  energies of an entity. In common parlance it has become a term of derision to indicate a polluted, unbalanced, flawed or offensive personality - eg. Sleehr-child.

  Spirit Pool - See Infinity Circuit.

  Spirit Stone - See Waystone.

  Styhxlin Perimeter - The great tectonic divide that was cracked into a chasm through the structure of Kaelor during the

  so-called Craftwars between Kaelor and Saim-Hann in the period immediately preceding the Radiant Age of Gwrih. The chasm was never materially repaired, but rather it was psychically bonded. Hence, because of a quirk in the properties of Sha'iel-infused space, the long, jagged canyon appears to drop straight through Kaelor and out into the vacuum of space, no matter where you stand to look at it. Since Gwrih the Radiant established the Circular Court, the Styhxlin Perimeter has traditionally been seen as the line of division between the domains of the Knavir eldar and those of the provincial great houses - the so-called Outer Houses. One Ansgar legend suggests that it was the result of an abortive but deliberate attempt by the farseer to rid Kaelor of the (warlords of the) great houses altogether.

  Styhx-tann - A derogatory term used by the Knavir to refer to eldar from the far side of the Styhxlin Perimeter.

  Tureir-iug - lumbering sloth - The slightly disingenuous name given to the Waercats of Poupriah, which were

  domesticated by a group of prospectors from Kaelor several eons ago and then farmed within a number of the eco-domes that are speckled throughout the craftworld. Despite the clumsiness and disdain implied in the name, the Knavir of Kaelor appear to be very partial to the meat of these creatures - and their farming is virtually monopolised by the House of Ossian. This is an odd deviation from the norm on Kaelor, where most eldar appear to avoid eating animal flesh for reasons of ritual purity. Turi Rivalin - The son of Oriana and Morfran, hence the grandson of both Ahearn Rivalin and Iden Teirtu.

  Tyro - The term used to label an apprentice or ttainee warrior in an Aspect Temple. It indicates the status of one who has not yet been inducted into the temple's secret teachings, or one who has not yet attained sufficient mastery of its arts to be called an Aspect'Warrior.

  Uisnech Anyon - Head of House Anyon, one of the great houses of Kaelor, and one of the leading councillors on the

  Ohlipsean.

  Ula Pass - A permanent, narrow corridor through the Styhxlin Perimeter along the famous Innis Straight. It approximates the

  technology of the webway, although on an infinitely smaller scale. It is one of the most heavily fortified access routes in the Sentrium and was the site of the last great battle of the House Wars, where the forces of the Ansgar were virtually wiped out following a suicidal drive through the Pass by Bedwyr Ansgar. Local legend suggests that Ula was a warlock from the domains of Ansgar, trained in the Temple of the Warp Spiders. It is said that she expended her entire life-force in order to prevent Kaelor from cracking apart during the Craftwars by constructing the corridor as a bridge to bind the two sides together with the sheer power of her will. Some of rune-singers suggest that she became so infused with her creation that her soul provides the structural integrity of the pass.

  С. S. Goto « Eldar Prophecy»

  Umbhala - A rare tree found only in two locations on Kaelor, both of which are protected within defensive eco-shields. One is

  within the Sentrium, and the other is under the protection of the Temple of the Warp Spiders in the domain of Ansgar. They flower once every two hundred years, and it is said that the blooms are of such beauty that simply gazing upon them can heal any affliction. The wood from the tree is so hard that Kaelorian folklore declares it to be indestmctible. In practice, it is so rare that it is never used for construction, although the Warp Spiders have been known to fashion it into combat staffs. It is also rumoured that the bark of the umbhala has psycho-toxic qualities that are sometimes employed by seers in the form of incense. Up-phase - Laetnys. See also down-phase.

  Vaugnh - Abomination. The origin of this rune is contested on Kaelor. The most contested (but popular) philological

  studies suggest that it was first inscribed on the hilt of each of the one hundred mythical blades of Vaul, which (according to Kaelorian myth) were fashioned by the smith god as a gift for Khaine in his fight against the Yngir, the Ancient Enemy. A more conventional version of this myth suggests that Vaul forged one thousand of these enchanted blades as a ransom payment to Khaine for the release of Kurnous and Isha, whom the War God had taken captive after Asuryan discovered the existence of the Tears of Isha (see Isha). It is reputed that Vaul attempted to trick Khaine by including a normal blade amongst the others; his trick failed.

  Although it is rumoured that at least one of these blades survived the terrible War in Heaven, allegedly in the care of the Harlequins of Arcadia, no eldar of Kaelor has ever been able to verify the truth of this. Vaul - the Smith God - Acclaimed as a craftsman without peer and famed as the creator of the legendary Blade Wraiths

  wielded by the ancient eldar heroes: Ulthanesh, Eldanesh and Lanthrilaq the Swift. It is said that Vaul was without morality and that his single purpose was beauty rather than truth. The wraithsmiths of Kaelor hold Vaul as their most potent patron, and Gwrih the Radiant built many monuments to honour his name. Warlock - See Esdainn.

  War in Heaven - Isha, the Mother Goddess, and Kumous, the God of the Hunt, were imprisoned for countless years in the

  fires of the wrath of Khaine.

  Bound with bonds of flame and scorching iron, the god and goddess were cast into a burning pit out of the sight of mortals and gods. Of all the gods only Vaul the Smith pleaded for them, and eventually he swore an oath to Khaine that he would make a hundred swords in exchange for their release, for Vaul was the greatest swordsmith of all eternity and a single blade forged by his hand was of incalculable value.

  A date was fixed one year hence for the completion of the bargain. When the time came for Vaul to deliver the weapons, he had still one unfinished blade. To conceal the shortfall, Vaul took an ordinary mortal blade and mixed it amongst his own work. At first Khaine was so pleased with the weapons that he failed to spot the deception. Only when Isha, Kumous and Vaul were far away did he discover the forgery. He roared with anger, calling Vaul a cheat and crying out for vengeance. This was the beginning of the long struggle between Khaine and Vaul, which is called the War in Heaven. [See also Isha, Vaugnh.]

  Wayfarer - This term appears to have no equivalent on any of the other craftworlds that I have visited. It appears to refer to

  eldar who follow the normal progress of Ihnyoh, moving from one Dhanir to the next in a cycle throughout their lives. Waystone - the Tears of Isha - Like all craftworld eldar, the Kaelorians commit their souls to the sanctity of a

  waystone to keep their immortal spirits out of the hands of the Great Enemy, Slaanesh, at the point of their deaths. Indeed, in a period of strife on Kaelor known as the Age of Anguish, which followed the so-called Radiant Age of Gwrih, groups of Knavir eldar beg
an to question the validity of the practice. The Kaelorian Age of Anguish was marked by an unprecedented disrespect for tradition, myth and legend, which perhaps explains why so many of the great mythic cycles have fallen out of memory on Kaelor.

  In a manner typical of many craftworlds, the Kaelorians wear their waystones around their necks, either on ornamental chains or fused into the chest plates of their armour. Webway - Kaelor is unusually reluctant to enter the webway, perhaps because of its tendency towards isolation and solitude,

  even from the rest of the craftworld eldar. The rune-singers of Kaelor depict the webway as being a construction of the Old Ones, who fashioned it when they originally took to the stars in the immeasurably distant past. To some extent, the vast network of passages through the immaterial dimensions that permits such rapid travel throughout the galaxy has become associated with the War in Heaven and with war in general.

  Legend suggests that the last time Kaelor made a major journey through the webway, it encountered the bellicose craftworld of Saim-Hann, resulting in the so-called Craftwars. A number of other stories (such as the Demise of Altansar) appear to have been

  С. S. Goto « Eldar Prophecy»

  modified throughout Kaelorian history. They now suggest that travel in the webway constituted a serious risk of exposure to the ever-lusting eye of Slaanesh.

  Perhaps because of these narrative quirks, the Knavir eldar are ambivalent about the webway, preferring to keep the vast craftworld in the thicker dimensions of real space, hidden in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. There are two obvious deductions that can be drawn from these unusual aspects of Kaelorian social lore. The first is that there may be some connection between this attitude towards the webway and the disdain with which the Knavir eldar have tended to view the Aspect Temple of the Warp Spiders, which maintains a sophisticated portal into the webway. The second is that there is a clear connection between this attitude and the lack of contact between Kaelor and the Harlequins. Wraithbone - Sha'ielbhr - As on a number of other craftworlds, the essence of wraithbone is drawn out of the warp

  and fashioned into material substance by a category of wraithsmiths called the bonesingers. The material is incredibly tough and resilient (and therefore hard to manipulate), and it always retains its connection with the warp, which makes it a perfectly efficient psychic conductor.

  Wraith Spider - See Lhykosidae.

  Yngir - Against whom the Old Ones and the eldar waged wars. According to Kaelor myth, the greatest of the Yngir, Kaelis Ra -

  the bringer of death and darkness - was slain for the first time by Kaela Mensha Khaine and his lightning-spear in the epic battle that left his own body riddled with shards of silvered poison, forever transforming his own visage into that of the reaper, but Kaelis Ra can never truly die, for it is death incarnate. The Kaelor version of the mythic cycle of the Birth of Fear tells how the howling and raging essence of Kaelis Ra, freed from its physical form by the deathblow of Khaine, swept through the materium and infiltrated the very fabric of the eldar race, infecting them with an inalienable fear of the grave. For some, this infection is a kind of Sleehr.

  Yseult - A renowned warrior who is not part of the Teirtu family line, but is pledged to the Great House of Teirtu. She is the

  same age as the house heir, Morfran. She was trained in the Aspect Temple of the Dire Avengers. Zhogahn - The Vanquisher of Vice. A politico-military title awarded by the farseer to military leaders who

  represent the interests of the court in battle. The title fell into disuse following the establishment of the Rivalin Court, since incidents of battle on Kaelor dropped off to almost nothing. Iden Teirtu was appointed to the rank of Zhogahn following his victory over the Ansgar in the House Wars. He appears to have interpreted this tide to mean that he has effectively been given the powers of a regent, ruling in the name of the farseer. Iden was the first Kaelorian to receive this title since the Craftwars.

  С. S. Goto « Eldar Prophecy»

  A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION

  First published in Great Britain in 2007 by BL Publishing, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK. 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Cover illustration by Paul Dainton.

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