Warhammer 40K: Five Aeldari Craftworlds We’d Love To See
The Eldar sure do love their Craftworlds. And to be fair, so do we. Here’s five of lur faves.
The Craftworlds of the Eldar are massive cultural icons that not only house the space elves living upon them, but also help shape the culture (and the army). Here are a handful of “Other” Eldar Craftworlds we’d love to see one day.
Craftworld Altansar
Altansar is an EldarCraftworld that was caught in the Eye of Terror, the only escapee being Phoenix LordMaugan Ra. Its symbol was a Broken Chain, referencing the escape of Kurnous and Isha from the dungeons of Khaine but also the shattering of the links that bound Vaul to his anvil. It has since returned but is now held in great suspicion by other Eldar, for how could any Eldar remain untouched by the predations of Chaos for so many millennia?
Altansar was one of the many Craftworlds surviving the Fall of the Eldar race. It rode out the psychic shock waves that destroyed the Eldar empire but was subsequently caught in the gravity well of the Eye of Terror. Although the Eldar of Altansar struggled valiantly against the encroachment of Chaos, their doom was inevitable, and within five hundred years of the Fall, their Craftworld was swallowed into the warp. Among the entirety of Altansar’s population, only the Phoenix LordMaugan Ra escaped the Craftworld’s consumption by Chaos.
Ten thousand years later (in M41), Abaddon the Despoiler emerged from the insane reality of the Eye of Terror, at the head of the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The Chaos Legions’ intrusion into reality left a rift that bridged the material universe and the universe of the warp. Through this opening, Maugan Ra counter-invaded the Eye to undertake a quest in search of the remains of his people. Leaving a silvered trail of soulfire behind him, Maugan Ra eventually found the remains of his Craftworld. He found that the Eldar of Altansar had survived ten thousand years within the Eye. Maugan Ra guided the remnants of his Craftworld out of the Eye and against Abaddon’s forces to deny him ultimate victory. However, there was no welcome nor celebration from the other Craftworlds; Altansar is regarded with open suspicion and hostility. Its inhabitants are known to speak in whispers and to never remove their helmets, this which gives credence to the suspicions of other Eldar.
Craftworld Il-Kaithe
Il-Kaithe is one of the lesser known EldarCraftworlds. Being located close to the Eye of Terror, Il-Kaithe is constantly warring against the forces of Chaos and willing to ally with the Dark Eldar, and even humans, to further their crusade against the Dark Gods. They are known for their talented Bonesingers, who are said to be able to practice their art even in the heat of battle. The traditional colours of Il-Kaithe are green, detailed with purple, and even its name is translated as Knowledge of Blood.
Il-Kaithe’s symbol is the magical helm of Eldanesh, the mythical folk-hero of the Eldar who received an all-seeing knowledge from the gift of Asuryan. Il-Kaithe uses the rune to remind themselves that knowledge can have terrible cost, for in the end Eldanesh foresaw his own murder by Khaine.
Craftworld Yme-Loc
Yme-Loc is one of the lesser known Eldar Craftworlds, known to be located close to the Eye of Terror between 989.M39 and 341.M40. Yme-Loc Eldar are talented artisans, and their armies are supported by powerful Engines of Vaul and Titans. Though it is not openly spoken of, the Craftworld also possesses an arcane engine of destruction that can destroy a continent in a single night.
The symbol of Yme-Loc, the Crucible of Souls, reference the crucible within which the smith-god Vaul forged weapons of purest Wraithsteel alloy with the spirits of the victorious in order to wage the War in Heaven. It was in this crucible that the original Swords of Vaul were created. Yme-Loc finds this rune appropriate for they claim that the Eldar’s fate is theirs to forge.
Craftworld Mymeara
Mymeara is an Eldar Craftworld. Its symbol is the Cursing Eye, referencing the omniscient abilities of Asuryan who could kill enemies in a single instant.
Mymeara was originally a normal world that had escaped the Fall of the Eldar as its location was on the extreme limits of the Eldar empire and the corrupting influence of pleasure cults had barely reached them. However, in the end, the Mymearans descended into the depravity and madness of their race. The wisest of the Craftworld’s elders had foreseen this fate and spent the last decades constructing a mighty Craftworld. The world-ship was completed as the world began to descend into wholesale bloodshed and slaughter, and only half of Mymeara’s original population was on board when the Craftworld set sail. Lost in their grief for the death of their race and believing themselves alone in the galaxy, the Craftworld drifted through the stars for many years.
However, their assumptions were soon proven wrong and the Craftworld had to fight for its very survival against Orks. Hundreds of thousands of Mymearans died in these wars, and the only hope for Mymeara during this time came from Irillyth, the Phoenix Lord of the Shadow Spectres. Through his wisdom, the warriors of Mymeara learned how to combine the aspects of stealth, speed, and firepower to decimate their foes and soon set about clearing a safe path through the galaxy for their world-vessel.
Irillyth’s presence upon the Craftworld was short, and the Phoenix Lord left to fight the fledgling Imperium when he was certain Mymeara had been spared destruction. Mymeara then found a region of space that had not yet been infested by other races, and using their technology hid themselves away. There, they have remained for centuries.
Sometime in M41, Mymeara managed to locate Irillyth once more, this time upon the Human Ice World of Betalis III. Irillyth’s armour, which held his spirit, was intact. Mymeara would enter into an alliance with Craftworld Alaitoc as well as Eldar Corsairs to recover their beloved Phoenix Lord’s armour before it was discovered by human miners. In the ensuing Betalis Campaign, the Eldar alliance proved successful in recovering Irillyth.
Craftworld Iybraesil
Iybraesil is an Eldar Craftworld located in the Western Quadrant of Segmentum Obscurus. They are primarily a matriarchal society, fostering many Howling Banshees and female Autarchs. The gifted Farseers of the Craftworld labor long in their hunt for the hidden secrets of the Crone Worlds, hoping to secure both Spirit Stones and doomsday weapons that would tip the balance in their race’s war of survival.
As followers of Morai-Heg, the blind crone goddess of the underworld, they constantly aspire to recover the long lost secrets of the Crone Worlds, the former Eldar homeworlds now residing within the Eye of Terror. Iybraesil’s traditional colours are blue and white.
If you’d like to learn more check out the rest of the Eldar Craftworlds at The Lexicanum
What Craftworld is your favorite?
