Vern’s Eldar Army Fluff – The Council of Lileath

The story began with a pair of Eldar lovers, young Iyandras Swordwind who came from a family of warriors and the gentle Aleria Silverbreeze, an Eldar maiden of humble birth. Serving under Craftworld Iyanden’s Fire Dragon Aspect Shrine, their passion for one another was only matched by their fiery loyalty to the craftworld and the Eldar species. It was a great tragedy that their love will be cut short by the arrival of Hive fleet Kraken.

In his great wisdom Iyanden’s leader Farseer Kelmon had earlier predicted that the strength of the craftworld is not enough, Iyanden will need to recall the greatest of her sons, Prince Yriel to their rescue. However with the arrival of the hive fleet came the Shadow of the Warp, Craftworld Iyanden found itself cut off from the outside world. There is only one way to reached Yriel, a force of Eldar warriors will have to break through the Tyranid blockade and reach the exiled prince.

Young Iyandras was honored to be chosen as part of the strike force to reach Yriel. And so he went with part of the Eldar expedition force, with Aleria witnessing his departure from the many viewing galleries in one of the craftworld's starports. The Eldar force had barely departed when they were engaged by the Tyranid swarms. A fierce firefight ensued and to Aleria’s horror, she saw with her own eyes how Iyandras’ wraithship, the Glimmer of Hope, was torn apart by the claws of the Great Predator. Aleria’s love was lost; her world crumbled and never would be the same again.

However Fate intervened. Iyandras had managed to escape from the wraithship prior to its destruction via one of its many escape pods. However he was severely wounded after a hand to hand combat with a Tyranid Gargoyle, and he fell into a coma while his comrades led him to safety by breaking out of the Tyranid blockade.

When Iyandras recovered, he found himself at Craftworld Alaitoc. Word came from Alaitoc’s rangers that the war was over. Craftworld Iyanden has prevailed with the arrival of Prince Yriel’s forces but at the cost of four-fifth of the craftworld’s population. Iyandras was filled with grief, he dismayed that for all the martial prowess that the Aspect Warriors possessed, they were unable to save Iyanden from such a disaster. Iyandras knew that he had to embark on a new path, a path that will help the Eldar race find the means to escape from this cycle of war and destruction, the Path of the Seer. So obsessed was Iyandras in his search for a solution for his people that he soon got trapped by the path, he will be known from now on as Farseer Iyandras Swordwind, the first Farseer of his family.

Farseer Iyandras Swordwind foresee a path that he believed would ensure the survival of the Eldar race. The Eldar would have to exile themselves to a corner of the galaxy or perhaps to leave the galaxy itself. Battles will still have to be fought but these are done to either clear the way for the refugee or to obtain resources for the great exile. While this prediction deviates from that of Farseer Eldrad of Craftworld Ulthwe, leaders of the various craftworlds are willing to contribute resources to Iyandras’ Crusade. Perhaps the Farseer would find a way out for their species after all.

So the expedition of the Council of Lileath was born, named after the meeting of the wisest leaders of the various craftworlds. Lead by Farseer Iyandras, the warhost sought to seek a sanctuary for the Eldar race, destroying any opposition that stood in their way. It was in one of their many adventures that Iyandras come across another Eldar warhost, led by a warlike Biel-Tan Autarch with an elite force of Aspect Warriors. More significantly Iyandras found Aleria among them but she was Aleria no more. For so great was her grief that she was consumed by Khaine and had since been known as Howling Banshee Exarch Silent Scream, a vivid description of her at that fateful day. War was all that remained in her mind and the love of her youth was forgotten forever.

The two warhosts joined forces, with Farseer Iyandras guiding them across the skeins of fate. It was also an opportunity for him to be with his lost love. Whether she recognized him or not was unimportant. Unknown to the Farseer, his wisdom and faithfulness soon earned him the admiration of one of his apprentices. Young seer Sylvannas Winterstar found her admiration growing and eventually giving way to love, a love unrevealed and unreciprocated.

A grieving heart, a faithful soul and an unrequited love. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. There is no peace among the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of the thirsting Chaos Gods.