Aeldari

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Aeldari
Alias(es)	Eldar; Ark Eldar; Craftworld Eldar
Species/Race	Psychic xenos race created by the Old Ones
Affiliation	Ulthwé, Alaitoc, Iyanden, Biel-Tan, Saim-Hann, Harlequin Troupes, Savage Eldar tribes
Status	Surviving and beginning a civilizational reunification and reconstruction effort
First Appearance	Chapter 124

Background / History

The Aeldari were created by the Old Ones alongside the green-skinned orks as weapons in the War in Heaven against the Necrons' predecessors. Ancient Aeldari combined overwhelming psychic capability with mastery of the Webway, while their gods and psychic formations could manipulate stars and devastate Necron fleets. Later Aeldari are described as vastly weaker than their ancient predecessors. 124 744 827 829

After the Necrons entered the Great Slumber, the Aeldari became the galaxy's dominant civilization. Their exceptionally long lives, acute emotions, and powerful psychic nature eventually contributed to an era of escalating indulgence and decadence. The resulting Great Cataclysm destroyed their empire and left their surviving population scattered, technologically diminished, and vulnerable to the Prince of Pleasure. 124 233 954

The survivors fragmented into several societies. Craftworld and Ark Eldar relied on the Webway, Soul Stones, Paths, and Infinity Circuits to preserve their people; Savage Eldar such as Pandora's Dragon Knights retained more isolated, tribal ways of life; Harlequins served the Laughing God Ghighi within the Webway; and Dark Eldar continued the decadent traditions of Commorragh. 233 255 608 954

Society and Culture

The Paths

Aeldari experience emotions with dangerous intensity. Craftworld Aeldari follow specialized Paths—including the Seer, Warrior, and Wanderer paths—to discipline their thoughts and suppress the desires that could draw the attention of the Prince of Pleasure. Once an Aeldari masters a Path, they generally move on to another. 255

• Path of the Seer — practiced by prophets and Great Seers, who use precognition to avert disasters and guide their Craftworlds. 256
• Path of the Warrior — practiced by Aspect Warriors, elite combatants considered individually comparable to Adeptus Astartes. 257 264
• Path of the Wanderer — practiced by Rangers such as Illic Nightspear, specializing in reconnaissance, Webway travel, and long-range assassination. 255
• Path of Healing — represented among the Pandora reinforcements by Aeldari capable of treating wounded warriors. 264

Soul Stones and Infinity Circuits

Aeldari souls are intensely desired by Warp entities. Soul Stones preserve the souls of the dead, preventing immediate loss to Chaos; the stones may then be placed in a Craftworld's Infinity Circuit, a Spirit Bone framework that houses the dead as a collective consciousness and can guide or empower later generations. 446 892 954

Appearance

Aeldari are generally portrayed as slender, graceful humanoids with pointed ears and refined features. Even under hardship, they retain a strikingly elegant bearing associated with their ancient civilization. 264 827 968

• Long-lived individuals may remain outwardly youthful across centuries. 761
• Craftworld warriors commonly wear armor sculpted from Spirit Bone. 612
• Their vessels, weapons, and architecture favor flowing, elegant forms rather than Humanity's heavy industrial designs. 237 255

Abilities & Skills

Psychic Aptitude

Every Aeldari is described as psychically gifted, with exceptional individuals able to wield devastating power. Their psychic sensitivity is also a major vulnerability, as uncontrolled emotion or desire can expose them to Chaos. 124 255

• Seers can project consciousness through the Warp, communicate psychically, foresee possible futures, and perform large-scale rituals. 256 281 282
• Eldrad Uthlan is stated to surpass human Alpha-class psykers; with preparation, he can potentially crush a planet or destroy large formations of Space Marines. 282 286
• Ancient Aeldari used planetary psychic matrices and stellar phenomena to amplify Warp energy into fleet-destroying psychic storms. 829
• Prophecy grants significant strategic advantage, but later Aeldari foresight is considered unreliable enough to create destructive misunderstandings with Humanity. 608 828

Webway Navigation

The Webway is an ancient Old One creation that permits efficient faster-than-light travel independent of conventional Warp travel. It is fundamental to Aeldari survival, allowing them to evade stronger enemies, conduct sudden attacks, and relocate between distant systems. 257 776

• Craftworld fleets can enter and leave battlefields through Webway Gates. 257
• Aeldari warships employ unexpected movement, holo-fields, and rapid hit-and-run attacks. 237
• Rangers such as Illic Nightspear can navigate narrow or unstable Webway routes with exceptional skill. 255 257
• Damaged Webway regions are dangerous, especially where servants of the Prince of Pleasure wait for Aeldari travelers. 776

Spirit Bone and Bone Singing

Spirit Bone is solidified psychic power shaped by Aeldari Bone Singers. It is used in everything from personal arms and armor to warships, World Souls, and Craftworld infrastructure. 255 863

• Bone Singers use psychic control, runic patterns, and sustained vocalization to guide Spirit Bone into desired forms. 863
• Spirit Bone can be fused with materials including blackstone, living metal, and adamantium to create Webway construction materials. 863
• The art is treated as a closely guarded Aeldari secret, though the Aeldari eventually provide Bone Singers to aid Humanity's Webway project. 863
• Spirit Bone weapons include ritual daggers, psychic amulets, power-weapons, and Illic Nightspear's reality-rending rifle. 255 281

Wraith Constructs

Aeldari deploy Spirit Bone war machines containing the souls of the dead. Wraithknights are agile constructs roughly comparable in size to human Knight Mechs, armed with Wraith Swords, Wraith Cannons, and Sun Cannons. 264

• A Wraithknight can be piloted by living and deceased twins whose psychic bond synchronizes thought, emotion, and movement. 264
• Their speed and precision allow them to evade heavier human machines and destroy adamantium-reinforced limbs with Wraith Swords. 264
• Aeldari forces later field Wraithknights and Phantom Titans against the Death Guard and Nurgle daemons. 956

Military Assets

• Aspect Warriors — specialist warriors whose individual combat ability is considered comparable to Adeptus Astartes. 264
• Rangers — mobile scouts and snipers; Illic Nightspear is credited with killing Ork Warbosses, Necron Overlords, and Imperial commanders. 255
• Eagle and Darkstar Fighters — fighter craft deployed through Pandora's Webway Gate. 257
• Wraithknights and Phantom Titans — Spirit Bone war constructs used in major engagements. 264 956
• Blackstone Fortresses / ancient Webway Amulets — six were committed to the Cadia defense line, reducing detected Warp energy by 37% within half an hour. 954 955
• Kaela Mensha Khaine avatar — an ancient war asset awakened through the voluntary sacrifice of Aeldari warriors and their souls. 954 958

Major Factions

• Craftworld / Ark Eldar — wandering survivors centered on Craftworlds, the Paths, Soul Stones, and the Infinity Circuits. 255 954
• Savage Eldar — isolated descendants such as Pandora's Dragon Knights, many of whom lived as farmers, herders, and dragon-tamers while defending their World Soul. 242 257
• Harlequins — mysterious followers of Ghighi who belong to no single Craftworld and possess exceptional Webway mastery. 606
• Dark Eldar — inhabitants of Commorragh who preserve the decadence of the old empire and sustain their souls through the suffering of others. 233 611

Story Role / Major Arcs

Pandora Conflict

An Aeldari warship destroys an Imperial exploration vessel with what Imperial investigators identify as a likely psychic attack. The subsequent Pandora campaign pits Loci's expedition against Savage Eldar and Alaitoc reinforcements seeking to defend the World Soul Eva. 237 254 257

The conflict ends through negotiation rather than annihilation. Uthlan separates Eva from Pandora, compresses it into a portable form, and enables the Savage Eldar to withdraw; Chieftain Karen dies by suicide after naming Keen his successor. 281 282

Alliance with Humanity

Uthlan offers a ceasefire, transfers Pandora's blackstone to the Imperium, and argues that Chaos is a common enemy of all realspace life. He later brings representatives of Ulthwé, Alaitoc, Iyanden, and the Harlequins to Terra, where the Emperor formally recognizes an alliance with the Aeldari. 266 295 606 607

The alliance expands into joint operations against Chaos, including the agreement to rescue Aisha from Nurgle's garden and Aeldari Bone Singer assistance in manufacturing materials for Humanity's Webway project. 611 612 863

Cadia and the Aeldari Revival

At the Eye of Terror, Aeldari Craftworlds assemble an unprecedented reinforcement force under Uthlan, Ghighi, and Aisha. Their six Blackstone Fortresses and planned Khaine avatar support Humanity's defenses against the Warp. 954 955 958

After the Battle of Cadia, Uthlan uses the gathering of Craftworld, Harlequin, and Savage Eldar representatives to advocate reunification. The Aeldari agree to return to their ancestral core territories after the Eye of Terror is purified and begin recalling their scattered people to rebuild their civilization. 968

Relationships

• Humanity / Imperium — former enemies whose relationship shifts from mutual hostility to a formal alliance against Chaos, mediated chiefly by Loci and Uthlan. 295 607
• Eldrad Uthlan — Aeldari prophet who repeatedly seeks unity among Aeldari factions and cooperation with Humanity. 435 606 968
• The Emperor — formerly friendly with Uthlan before the Emperor's ascension; later formalizes the Human–Aeldari alliance despite longstanding hostility toward xenos. 436 607
• Necrons — ancient hereditary enemies from the War in Heaven; Trazyn remains openly contemptuous of the Aeldari's decline. 124 435
• Green-skinned Orks — distant relatives also created by the Old Ones; their relationship with the Aeldari remains strained despite occasional attempts at cooperation. 124 776
• Chaos / the Prince of Pleasure — the Aeldari's primary existential enemy, drawn to their souls and emotional intensity. 255 446 971
• Aisha — the Goddess of Life whose return restores hope for Aeldari reproduction, recovery, and the manufacture of Spirit Bone. 877 892
• Ghighi, the Laughing God — patron of the Harlequins and a central force in gathering Craftworlds for the alliance and Aeldari revival. 606 954

Trivia

• The Aeldari call themselves the “eldest children” of the Old Ones, though Trazyn alleges that their ancient ancestors betrayed the Old Ones during the War in Heaven. 124 761 762
• Aeldari population decline is severe enough that some Craftworlds can no longer maintain full technological inheritance or construct new Craftworlds. 301 608 954
• The prophecy of Ynnead presents a grim possibility: the god's awakening could destroy Slaanesh, but only by reclaiming and merging all Aeldari souls. 971