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WARHAMMER
40,000 COMPENDIUM
BONESINGER'S CHART · CRAFTWORLD IYANDEN · YEAR 32 BRIGHTSPEAR⟡ ASURYANI

ASURYANI

Children of the Dying Sun

The skein twists, and we follow the lesser sorrow. There is no other path that does not end in fire.— Farseer Eldrad Ulthran · Ulthwé Council
Children of a Dying Race⟡

An Aeldari warrior stands vigil against the darkness — the survivors of the Fall carry the weight of a murdered civilization upon their shoulders

The Aeldari, known to the Empire as Eldar, represent one of the galaxy's most tragic paradoxes—a race of unmatched potential and ancient wisdom that brought about its own near-extinction through hedonistic excess. Once, before humanity had even left its cradle world of Terra, the Aeldari empire spanned the galaxy. Their psychic mastery shaped reality itself, their technology made them functionally immortal, and their civilization achieved heights of art, philosophy, and spiritual enlightenment that no other species has approached. Yet this very perfection bred the complacency and decadence that would doom them, as their pursuit of ever-greater sensations and experiences gave form and birth to the Dark Prince Slaanesh in the catastrophic event known as the Fall.
The Fall of the Aeldari remains the greatest calamity in galactic history, a psychic apocalypse that tore reality asunder and created the Eye of Terror, the great wound in the fabric of space. In a single terrible moment, the pleasure-seeking souls of untold billions were devoured by the newborn Chaos God they had inadvertently created. The heart of their empire collapsed into the Warp, while psychic shockwaves exterminated Aeldari across countless worlds. Only those who had already turned from the path of excess survived—the ascetic inhabitants of the Asuryani, the raiders who would become the Drukhari, and a scattered few others whose circumstances shielded them from Slaanesh's hungry birth-scream.

Grace and lethality in equal measure — every Aeldari warrior is trained to perfection across lifetimes of discipline

The survivors now exist as fragmented cultures, each preserving different aspects of their former glory while struggling against inevitable extinction. The Craftworld Aeldari have devoted themselves to rigid discipline and the Path system, suppressing the emotional intensity that once defined their race to avoid drawing Slaanesh's attention. The Drukhari have embraced the old ways of excess but feed their dark hungers upon others rather than themselves, raiding realspace for souls and suffering. The Harlequins serve the Laughing God Cegorach, preserving Aeldari history and mythology through deadly theatrical performances. Most recently, the Ynnari have emerged, followers of the newly awakened God of the Dead Ynnead, seeking to destroy Slaanesh through the united deaths of their entire race.
The relationship between Aeldari factions is complex, bound by shared heritage and threatened by fundamental philosophical differences. Asuryani may ally with Drukhari against common threats, though neither trusts the other. Harlequins move freely between all Aeldari cultures, carrying messages and maintaining the threads of shared identity. The Ynnari draw followers from every faction, promising hope of ultimate salvation while demanding the ultimate sacrifice. Ancient rivalries persist even as the race dwindles, the bitter fruit of wounds too deep to heal and philosophies too divergent to reconcile.
Despite their decline, the Aeldari remain formidable. Their psychic abilities exceed those of humanity, their technology manipulates fundamental forces that Imperial scientists cannot comprehend, and their warriors possess grace and skill honed over lifetimes. Yet for all their power, they are a dying race—their numbers cannot be replenished as quickly as they are lost, and Slaanesh awaits every Aeldari soul that does not find protection. Their seers peer into the Warp seeking paths through the doom that surrounds them, but every vision shows only branching roads that all lead eventually to extinction. The Aeldari fight not for victory but for survival, buying time against the inevitable end.
The Empire regards the Aeldari with deep suspicion and hatred, as Imperial doctrine demands for all xenos. Yet the practical reality is more complex. Aeldari seers have warned humanity of threats that would otherwise have gone unnoticed, and Aeldari warriors have fought alongside Imperial forces against Chaos and Tyranids. Such alliances are always temporary, always born of necessity, but they occur with sufficient frequency that some within the Inquisition advocate for more formalized cooperation. Others demand extermination, seeing in the Aeldari's psychic nature and ancient arrogance a threat that cannot be tolerated. For their part, the Aeldari view humanity as a crude, short-lived species useful as tools and buffers against their enemies, but never as equals worthy of true alliance.
Craftworlds⟡

A Craftworld Warlock armed with rune-staff and shuriken pistol — warriors who walk the Path of the Seer guide their kin through battle

The Asuryani are vast world-ships, planet-sized vessels that carry the most numerous of the surviving Aeldari populations across the stars. These great arks were originally pleasure-barges and trading vessels, transformed into refuges when their inhabitants foresaw the coming Fall and fled the doomed homeworlds. Each Craftworld is a self-contained civilization preserving unique aspects of pre-Fall culture while adapting to the harsh necessities of survival. Their populations follow the rigid Path system, channeling their intense emotions into disciplined roles to avoid the psychic temptations that destroyed their ancestors.

An Aspect Warrior in ceremonial armor — the Craftworld Aeldari channel their passions through the rigid Paths that define their society

The Craftworld Aeldari are the most commonly encountered of their race, maintaining complex relationships with the Empire that range from hostile confrontation to reluctant alliance. Their Farseers guide the Craftworld's destiny through prescient visions, while Aspect Warriors train for lifetimes to master the arts of war. Each Craftworld possesses unique military traditions, cultural practices, and philosophies that distinguish it from its fellows. Names like Ulthwé, Biel-Tan, Saim-Hann, and Iyanden echo through Imperial records, sometimes as allies against greater threats, sometimes as enemies whose alien agenda conflicts with humanity's survival.
The souls of Craftworld Aeldari are protected from Slaanesh by their Spirit Stones, crystalline matrices that capture the soul at death and preserve it from the Dark Prince's hunger. These soul-stones are then incorporated into the Craftworld's Infinity Circuit, a psychic network that houses the consciousnesses of all who have died. In times of great need, the dead can be summoned to fight alongside the living, their souls animating the graceful Wraith-constructs that stride across battlefields with eerie silence. This communion with the dead distinguishes the Craftworld Aeldari from their darker kin, who must sustain themselves through other means.
The melancholic beauty of Craftworld existence reflects the tragedy of the Aeldari race. Every Craftworld is both a museum of former glory and a fortress against extinction, its wraithbone walls singing with the memory of all that was lost. The survivors live lives of rigid discipline, their every passion channeled into the Paths that structure their society. To walk the Path of the Warrior is to become death incarnate; to walk the Path of the Seer is to see the ruin that awaits all futures. This melancholic acceptance of inevitable doom pervades Craftworld culture, lending their art and warfare alike an elegiac quality.
Despite the weight of history pressing upon them, the Craftworld Aeldari refuse to fade into oblivion without struggle. Their seers constantly seek paths through the tangled futures that might lead to survival, manipulating lesser races like the Empire when necessary to preserve their own kind. Every Craftworld holds secrets of the ancient empire, technologies and weapons of terrifying power held in reserve against the final darkness. They are a people defined by loss—loss of their empire, loss of their gods, loss of their future—yet still they fight, still they scheme, still they hope for salvation.
Drukhari⟡

A Drukhari Archon presides from his throne of skulls — in Commorragh, power is measured in the suffering one can inflict

The Drukhari, the Dark Eldar, are the twisted reflection of what the Aeldari once were—a culture that has embraced the old ways of excess but turned their appetites outward, feeding on the suffering of others rather than destroying themselves. They dwell in the nightmarish city of Commorragh, a vast realm hidden in the Webway beyond the reach of Slaanesh's direct hunger, though not beyond the Dark Prince's claim on their souls. Every Drukhari faces the same fate as their ancestors—Slaanesh slowly devours their soul, and only through constant infliction of pain and terror can they replenish what the God of Excess takes.

An Archon of the Dark City adorned with skull trophies — the Drukhari have embraced cruelty as the price of survival

Drukhari raids are infamous across the galaxy, swift and terrible strikes that leave death and desolation in their wake. They descend upon worlds without warning, their ships slipping through the Webway to emerge anywhere connected to that ancient network. The raids serve dual purposes: gathering slaves and captives whose suffering sustains the raiders, and acquiring the resources that Commorragh cannot produce itself. Those taken in raids face fates worse than death, endured for centuries as the Drukhari extract every possible moment of agony from their victims. It is said that a skilled Haemonculus can keep a single captive alive and suffering for millennia.
The society of Commorragh is a constant maelstrom of intrigue, betrayal, and violence. Noble Kabals vie for power through assassination and warfare, while Haemonculus Covens trade in flesh and pain. Wych Cults maintain gladiatorial arenas where lives are spent for entertainment, and the mysterious Incubi sell their martial services to the highest bidder. Despite—or perhaps because of—their cruelty and treachery, the Drukhari have survived where more noble philosophies might have failed. Their willingness to embrace any horror has made them among the most dangerous predators in the galaxy.
The tragedy of the Drukhari lies in their complete awareness of their own damnation. They know that Slaanesh claims their souls, know that only suffering can temporarily forestall their fate, and have chosen to inflict that suffering upon others rather than face extinction. In their own dark way, they are as trapped by the Fall as their Craftworld cousins, merely responding to the same catastrophe through different means. The ruin of their race haunts them even in their twisted paradise, for Commorragh itself is built from the wreckage of the pre-Fall Aeldari empire.
The Drukhari represent what all Aeldari might have become had they not turned from the path of excess. In the Dark City's endless night, they practice arts of pain and pleasure that mirror the decadence that birthed Slaanesh, yet somehow survive where their ancestors perished. They are a living reminder of the heights their race once achieved and the depths to which it can fall, preserved in amber of their own cruelty while the galaxy burns around them.
Harlequins⟡

A Harlequin Solitaire — the most feared of Cegorach's servants, who plays the role of Slaanesh in the ritual dances of the Fall

The Harlequins are the keepers of Aeldari memory, devotees of the Laughing God Cegorach who survived the Fall by hiding in the Webway when Slaanesh was born. They alone among the Aeldari have no need for Spirit Stones or soul-draining cruelty—their souls belong to Cegorach, protected by the only Aeldari god to survive the Fall relatively intact. The Harlequins travel between all Aeldari cultures, welcome in Asuryani and Commorragh alike, carrying messages and performing the ritual dances that preserve their race's history and mythology.

A Harlequin player in motley garb — their diamond-patterned costumes conceal warriors of unmatched speed and deadly precision

The Harlequins are warriors without peer, their performances on the battlefield as deadly as those upon the stage. They move with inhuman grace, wielding weapons that transform in their hands as they dance through enemy formations. Their signature Harlequin's Kiss can liquefy a victim's internal organs in an instant, while their flip-belts allow them to soar over terrain and opponents alike. Each Harlequin wears a mask that conceals their true face, becoming a character from the ancient myths they perform. To witness a Harlequin masque in action is to see death transformed into art.
The Harlequins serve purposes beyond mere performance and warfare. They are emissaries between estranged Aeldari factions, neutral parties trusted by all precisely because they serve only Cegorach. They guard the secrets of the Webway, maintaining the ancient paths and defending against intrusions. Most mysteriously, they work toward agendas that only they and their god comprehend—sometimes aiding, sometimes hindering the plans of both friends and enemies in service to schemes that may take millennia to unfold. The Harlequins laugh in the face of fate, for they know something about the future that others do not.
The performances of the Harlequins tell the tragedy of the Aeldari race in all its terrible beauty. Through dance and blade, through mask and melodrama, they preserve every tale of the Fall—the warnings ignored, the pleasures embraced, the ruin that followed. Their performances are not mere entertainment but religious ritual, ensuring that the lessons of the past are never forgotten even as they terrify those who witness them. To see the Dance Without End is to experience the full weight of Aeldari history compressed into moments of unbearable intensity.
The Laughing God's servants remain enigmatic even to other Aeldari, their true motivations hidden behind masks both literal and metaphorical. Some whisper that Cegorach knows a secret that could save the Aeldari race, a final jest against Slaanesh that requires millennia of preparation. Others believe the Harlequins merely delay the inevitable, dancing at the edge of oblivion for the joy of the performance itself. Whatever the truth, they alone among the Aeldari seem to face their doom with genuine mirth rather than despair.
Ynnari⟡

Yvraine, Herald of Ynnead — through her the God of the Dead speaks, offering the Aeldari hope of salvation through sacrifice

The Ynnari represent the newest hope—and greatest risk—in Aeldari history, a syncretic faction drawing adherents from Asuryani, Drukhari, and Harlequins alike in service to the newly awakened god Ynnead, the God of the Dead. According to ancient prophecy, when the last Aeldari dies, their collective death-energy will birth Ynnead, who will then destroy Slaanesh and free all Aeldari souls from the Dark Prince's hunger. The Ynnari seek to hasten this god's full awakening, believing they can achieve it without the complete extinction of their race.

A Ynnari warrior touched by the power of death — followers drawn from every Aeldari faction, united by desperate faith

The emergence of the Ynnari has shaken Aeldari society to its foundations. The Yncarne, Avatar of Ynnead, walks among them—a being of death-energy given form, proof that the God of the Dead stirs. Those who follow the Ynnari philosophy gain power from death, growing stronger as allies fall around them, but they also sacrifice certain protections that other Aeldari possess. Craftworld Aeldari who join the Ynnari can no longer rely on Spirit Stones alone for protection; Drukhari followers find their need for suffering partially diminished. These changes suggest that Ynnead already exerts some influence, though whether this leads to salvation or doom remains unknown.
The Ynnari have achieved victories that seemed impossible—the resurrection of the legendary Phoenix Lord Yvraine, successful raids into the heart of Commorragh, and even tentative alliances with elements of the Empire against the forces of Chaos. Yet they have also suffered devastating defeats, and many traditional Aeldari view their path as dangerous heresy. The Ynnari gamble that a partial awakening of Ynnead can destroy Slaanesh while leaving enough Aeldari alive to enjoy the victory. If they are wrong, they may have merely hastened their race's complete extinction, sacrificing survival for a false hope of salvation.
The philosophy of the Ynnari embraces death as transformation rather than ending, finding hope in the very doom that other Aeldari fear. For countless millennia, their race has lived under the shadow of Slaanesh's hunger, every soul destined for eternal torment in the Dark Prince's embrace. The Ynnari offer an alternative: death in service to Ynnead strengthens the God of the Dead, potentially freeing not just living Aeldari but all souls claimed since the Fall. This melancholic hope drives them forward, finding meaning in sacrifice and salvation in extinction.
The movement has united Aeldari from all factions who share this desperate faith, creating bridges where none existed before. The tragedy of the Ynnari lies in uncertainty—they cannot know if their path leads to victory or merely accelerates the ruin of their kind. They walk willingly toward death, trusting that enough deaths given freely might finally break the chains that have bound them since the Fall. Whether they are prophets of salvation or architects of ultimate destruction, only time will reveal.
Exodites⟡

Exodite settlers traverse the verdant forests of their Maiden World — a primal life their decadent kin once mocked, yet which spared them the Fall

The Exodites are the most reclusive of the Aeldari kindreds, descendants of those who abandoned the decadent Aeldari empire long before the Fall and settled upon pristine Maiden Worlds at the galaxy's edge. They foresaw the hedonistic ruin that would birth Slaanesh, rejected the path of excess that consumed their civilization, and chose instead a primal existence rooted in the living land itself. Where their kin in the Asuryani preserve the high arts of the pre-Fall empire and the Drukhari feed upon suffering to forestall their own damnation, the Exodites have stripped away the trappings of empire entirely, returning to a simpler covenant with the worlds beneath their feet.

An Exodite ranger walks the bounds of the Maiden World — bonded to the World Spirit, where every soul flows on death rather than feeding Slaanesh

Each Exodite homeworld is bound by the World Spirit, a vast psychic network that grows from the planet's core through every living thing upon its surface. When an Exodite dies, their soul flows into this living web rather than feeding Slaanesh's hunger—the World Spirit serves the same purpose that Spirit Stones provide for Asuryani kin, but with none of the cold crystalline distance. Generations of ancestors persist within the land, advising the living through dreams and visions and lending strength in moments of crisis. The bond is reciprocal: the Exodites tend their Maiden Worlds with reverence, and the worlds tend them in return.
The warriors of the Exodites ride into battle astride great reptilian beasts—the Megadons, Knights and Carnosaurs whose lineages were preserved when the Aeldari fled their dying homeworlds. Dragon Knights charge across alien plains in shimmering scale armor, their lances striking with the combined fury of rider and mount, while smaller scouts move through forests bonded to the world-spirits of their territory. Despite their reputation for primitivism among their cousins, Exodite craftsmanship retains the elegance of true Aeldari work—their weapons sing with the same psychoplastic resonance, only worn close to the earth rather than displayed in spire-cities.
Exodite society is organised into clans led by chieftains who commune directly with the World Spirit, taking counsel from ancestors who have walked the land for millennia. They are a warrior culture—every adult fights when the Maiden World is threatened—but they are also farmers, herders, and bards who preserve the oldest Aeldari myths in forms their distant kin have forgotten. Their festivals follow the cycles of their worlds rather than the rigid Paths of the Asuryani, and their leaders are chosen by acclamation and proven valor rather than millennia of disciplined study.
The other Aeldari kindreds regard the Exodites with a mixture of condescension and quiet respect. The Asuryani dismiss them as backward primitives, yet their seers acknowledge that the Exodites survived the Fall through a wisdom their decadent ancestors lacked. The Drukhari occasionally raid Maiden Worlds for slaves and beasts, yet rarely linger—the World Spirits make their worlds dangerous prey. The Harlequins alone move freely among the Exodites, performing the ancient cycles before audiences who still remember what they describe. When the Aeldari summon their full strength against existential threats, the Dragon Knights of the Maiden Worlds answer the call, riding to war for kin they have not seen in generations.
The skein is calm
No shadow on the path
We walk lightly