Eldar

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Eldar (灵族)
Species/Race	Ancient psychic xenos species created by the Old Ones as weapons of war 451 533
Status	Extant; represented in a formal alliance with the Imperium of Man and Necrons against the Tyranids and Chaos Gods 539
First Appearance	2

Background / History

The Old Ones created the Eldar for the War in Heaven. Their earliest racial purpose was warfare, and Kaine, the God of War, was the first Eldar god to emerge from their collective martial will 451 452.

After the Old Ones withdrew and the Necrons sealed themselves away, the Eldar entered a golden age. They built beautiful cities and Craftworlds from spirit crystal and psychic materials; at that time, every Eldar was described as a contributor to their civilization rather than an indulged elite 533.

The Ancient Eldar later became one of the Milky Way's dominant powers. Their fleets crossed the Warp silently, their warriors used psychic armor and weapons, and their seers used prophecy to anticipate enemy actions. At their height, an Eldar warrior could contend with a squad of Necrons 392.

Immortality, comfort, and unchecked emotion eventually led the race into decadence. The resulting psychic excess gave rise to Slaanesh, whose birth destroyed their civilization and consumed the souls of half the Eldar. The survivors adopted strict systems of restraint to avoid again becoming prey to the Warp 599 677.

Society and Culture

Eldar Branches

Branch / Group	Description
Craftworld Eldar	Disciplined Eldar who preserve their civilization aboard immense Wraithbone Craftworlds and follow the Path System to restrain their emotions 440 677
Dark Eldar	Eldar centered in Commorragh, historically separated from the Craftworlds and hostile toward them despite sharing the same existential crises 440
Reaper Host	Eldar force led by Yvraine; its cooperation with Guilliman became the initial basis for Imperium–Eldar diplomacy 2 216
Ancient Eldar	Historical Eldar civilization of the golden age, noted for supreme psychic talent, elegant technology, and galactic military power 392

The Path System

Following the Fall, the Craftworld Eldar developed the Path System: a set of mental disciplines intended to suppress their extreme emotions, refine their souls, and reduce Slaanesh's influence. Paths have no inherent hierarchy; Eldar generally dedicate themselves deeply to only one or two over their long lives 677.

The system's seven stated core branches are cultivation, war, foresight, craftsmanship, healing, service, and voyaging 677.

Path	Role	Risks / Requirements
Path of the Seer	Seers link their souls to the Warp to glimpse possible futures, disasters, and shifts in Destiny 677	Repeated prophecy inflicts lasting spiritual damage and Destiny's backlash.
Path of the Warrior	Warriors defend the Craftworlds through specialized disciplines such as Howling Banshees, Fire Dragons, Warp Spiders, and Swooping Hawks 677	Prolonged combat can turn discipline into bloodthirsty obsession.
Path of the Artisan	Artisans forge Spirit Stones, maintain warships, weave runes, and create sacred artifacts 677	Preserves the material and spiritual infrastructure of Eldar civilization.
Path of the Healer	Healers mend physical wounds, psychic trauma, soul damage, and mental corruption 677	Requires taking on the pain and obsessions of others.
Path of the Mariner	Mariners command starships, navigate the Webway, connect Craftworlds, and explore distant regions 677	Supports the Eldar's survival across scattered star systems.
Path of Command	Commanders coordinate armies and govern warfare through strategy rather than slaughter 677	Requires prior mastery of multiple Warrior disciplines.
Path of Service	Servants perform the ordinary labor that maintains daily Craftworld life 677	Lacks prestige or spectacular psychic power, but sustains the entire society.

Physiology

Eldar are naturally psychic beings whose souls project strongly into the Warp. Their long lives, heightened senses, and intense emotions are both their greatest strengths and the source of their vulnerability to Slaanesh 584 677.

• Eldar culture is marked by unusually strict standards of cleanliness and aesthetics; even purified human water may be perceived as revoltingly impure by Eldar senses 53.
• Sexual dimorphism is limited compared with humanity, and Eldar social roles surrounding reproduction differ sharply from human norms 53.
• Natural conception requires a female Eldar to receive genetic material from male Eldar continuously for one to two years; several males commonly participate, and a child may carry the genetic imprints of multiple fathers 53.
• In rigid Craftworld and Commorragh hierarchies, natural reproduction is reserved for high-status women, while participating males may be treated as reproductive tools 53.

Abilities & Skills

Innate Psionic Energy

Eldar possess natural psychic talent and can produce Warp manifestations through their own souls, unlike most human psykers, whose abilities emerge less consistently and with less purity 584.

• Generate and shape psychic energy for combat, defense, communication, and divination.
• Use psychic armor, weapons, runes, and structures integrated with their own power 392 560.
• Remain vulnerable to Warp corruption and Slaanesh when emotion or desire becomes uncontrolled 677.

Foresight

Eldar seers can examine possible futures and identify approaching threats, though they cannot perceive an absolute, immutable fate 677.

• Detect galactic-scale psychic disturbances, such as the awakening and suppression of a C'tan 440.
• Conduct large-scale prophecy rituals by pooling the power of multiple seers 440.
• Influence events based on their visions, including directing the Tyranid swarm toward Ultramar 442 445.
• Sustained use scars the seer's soul and gradually erodes them through Destiny's backlash 677.

Martial Disciplines

The Eldar maintain specialized combat Paths and combine exceptional speed with psychic weaponry and armor 392 677.

• Howling Banshees specialize in rapid assaults that break enemy formations.
• Fire Dragons destroy armor, fortified positions, and dense enemy defenses.
• Warp Spiders use reality-warping movement for infiltration, assassination, and rear-line raids.
• Swooping Hawks conduct aerial reconnaissance, hunting, and battlefield observation 677.
• Craftworld defenders also field psychic spear-and-shield formations, jetbikes, Wraith Constructs, and Titans 446 560.

Technology & War Assets

• Webway — The Eldar's supreme transportation network, creating independent passages through the Warp that are unaffected by Warp storms or Chaos corruption and require neither Navigators nor Astropaths 475.
• Wraithbone — Psychic construction material used for Craftworld structures, weapons, armor, and warships; it is durable enough for Eldar warships to withstand macro-cannon bombardment 440 546.
• Spirit Stones and Infinity Circuits — Artisan-made spiritual technology used to preserve Eldar souls and sustain Craftworld life 677.
• Wraith Constructs — Wraithbone war machines containing the souls of fallen Eldar heroes, allowing them to continue defending their people after death 560.
• Eldar Titans — Massive Wraithbone-and-psychic-crystal war engines requiring several Eldar souls to operate at peak power 560.
• Craftworld Fleets — Slender, elegant warships bearing ornate patterns and curved prows; many ancient vessels remained dormant in the Webway for countless years before re-emerging 532.

Religion and Souls

The Eldar pantheon historically embodied major aspects of Eldar existence. Kaine represents war and slaughter, while Asuryan represents royal authority, order, hope, and the nobler qualities of the Eldar race 452.

Slaanesh's birth shattered the pantheon and left Eldar souls endangered after death. Asuryan's return offers the Eldar a divine refuge: those connected to him can avoid being claimed by Slaanesh 528 549 551.

• Asuryan — Phoenix King and King of the Eldar Gods; returned after preserving fragments of the shattered pantheon for sixty-five million years 536 541.
• Kaine — Bloody-Handed God of War; the Eldar's first god and the incarnation of their accumulated martial will 451 452.
• Isha — Goddess of Life; returned to the Eldar pantheon and serves as a source of guidance and reassurance to Yvraine 528 541.
• Ynnead — God of Death; its power was required to cleanse Fulgrim's poison and restore Guilliman, while Yvraine serves as its chosen emissary 2 678.

Relationships

• Old Ones — Creators who forged the Eldar as weapons for the War in Heaven 451 533.
• Necrons — Ancient rivals from the War in Heaven; later participants in joint diplomacy, Webway restoration, and technological exchange 392 539 645.
• Imperium of Man — Formerly regarded by many Eldar as primitive “barbarians,” then became allies through the Reaper Host and later formal diplomatic agreements 21 216 539.
• Roboute Guilliman — Initial ally of Yvraine and the Reaper Host; accepted the Webway Key from Asuryan and negotiated coexistence between humanity, Eldar, and Necrons 22 539.
• Slaanesh — The Eldar's greatest spiritual threat, born from their collective decadence and responsible for the destruction of their old civilization 599 677.
• Tyranids — A shared galactic threat; Eldar seers initially diverted a swarm toward Ultramar, but the later alliance identifies the Tyranids as a common enemy to be eliminated 442 539.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Guilliman's resurrection — Yvraine, representing the Reaper Host, arrives at Macragge carrying the Cronesword. She explains that Ynnead's power is necessary to cleanse Fulgrim's poison and resurrect Guilliman 2.
• Reaper Host alliance — Yvraine remains on Macragge after Guilliman's awakening, recognizing that cooperation between the Eldar and Guilliman is possible despite Imperial prejudice 20 21 216.
• Prophecy of extinction — Craftworld and Dark Eldar seers foresee an Imperium-led destruction of both Craftworlds and Commorragh, leading both branches to consider striking humanity first 440.
• Tyranid diversion and Imperial retaliation — Eldar seers guide the Tyranid swarm toward Ultramar; Guilliman responds by ordering the Ultramarines to attack Craftworld Ulthwé 442 445.
• Desperation and Kaine's descent — With the Craftworlds devastated and surrounded, the Eldar sacrifice nearly their entire population in a forbidden ritual to awaken Kaine at one-tenth of his true power 448.
• Return of Asuryan — Asuryan's survival is revealed, shocking Kaine and restoring a living King of Gods to the Eldar 470 471.
• Galactic diplomatic conference — Asuryan and Yvraine represent the Eldar at an Imperial conference with Guilliman and the Silent King. Asuryan grants Guilliman the Webway Key and offers half of the Webway for humanity's use 536 539.
• Eldar migration to Terra — Eldar nobles surrender, seek residence on Terra, and endure repeated humiliation and failed attempts to enter the Imperial Palace merely to see Asuryan 546 548 549 550.
• Soul refuge under Asuryan — Asuryan spends an entire day personally connecting thousands of Eldar souls to his own protection, shielding them from Slaanesh 551.
• Defense of Craftworld Yserin — Yserin mobilizes warriors, Wraith Constructs, and Titans against an approaching Tyranid swarm while Seer Council Chairman Elaradron leads its defense 560.
• Webway restoration — Eldar artisans join the Imperial Fists, Iron Warriors, and Necrons in restoring the Webway, reopening routes for exchange and cooperation among the three civilizations 645.