Alaitoc

Alaitoc is an Eldar Craftworld known for having spread their influence further afield than other craftworlds, sending agents across the galaxy to act as their eyes and ears. On the battlefield, they favour stealth and misdirection over brute force, killing silently and with guile wherever they can. The world-rune of Alaitoc depicts the sword of Khaine bisecting the Red Moon; the sign of the House of Eldanesh, borne in grim memory of the act that brought about the War in Heaven. The Red Moon is an ill omen for the Eldar even now, used as a reminder of the fate of mortals who offend the gods. Alaitoc and its forces are associated with the colours blue and yellow. The Craftworld is known to be currently located in the Ultima Segmentum that was once the heart of the ancient Eldar empire.

History
Far out on the frontiers of the galaxy, on the edge of explored space in the Ultima Segmentum, lies the Alaitoc Craftworld. The Alaitoc Eldar are zealous in their guard against the touch of Slaanesh, even more so than is common amongst the other Craftworld Eldar. As such, Alaitoc is strictly governed to prevent any emergence of the sadistic obsessions that the Eldar are prone to as a species. The Eldar of Alaitoc are puritanical adherents to the Path of the Eldar, and they shun contact with outside influences. Their focus is legendary; an Eldar from Alaitoc will become the epitome of his chosen Path for a time, often risking losing himself in the process. Because of this Alaitoc has a great many Exarchs in its number, for the call of war is always strong. A side effect of this zealous and restrictive attitude has led to many of Alaitoc's Eldar sating their repressed desires by becoming Outcasts -- either banished to the stars for some slight misdeed, or tiring of the harsh discipline of their craftworld and leaving voluntarily. These nomadic individuals are still emotionally linked to their kin, however, and often undertake dangerous quests on behalf of Alaitoc. Some become spacefaring Corsairs, bolstering Alaitoc's navy in times of war. Others choose the way of the Ranger, acting as the craftworld's eyes and ears in the galaxy. Some Rangers ultimately become Pathfinders, losing themselves to their lifestyle in the same way an Exarch loses himself to the Path of the Warrior. Supernaturally adept at concealment, Pathfinders make for near-invisible assassins on the field of war. It is through the Rangers and Pathfinders of Alaitoc, or Starstriders as they prefer to call themselves, that the Imperium has gleaned much of its knowledge of the Eldar. This is not a gift Alaitoc has willingly given, but a product of excruciation at the hands of the Imperial Inquisition. These acts have led to the current state of war that exists between the Imperium and Alaitoc -- a war that Imperial commanders have compared to hunting ghosts.

While all Craftworlds make use of the Rangers, who are the most highly accurate snipers amongst the Eldar, none field or produce more than Alaitoc. Though Alaitoc Rangers do not reside upon the Craftworld and prefer to travel the galaxy, these Rangers retain their loyalty to Alaitoc and will return to their Craftworld on occasion to visit family and friends. The highly skilled Pathfinders are snipers without compare can cause havoc amongst even the most powerful and numerous of enemy forces. In times of extreme need, such as during the Imperium of Man's recent invasion of Alaitoc, the Craftworld sometimes recalls its Rangers to contribute to Alaitoc's defence forces.

The Craftworld is described as a continent-sized, flat disk (although there are hundreds of levels) whose surfaces contain numerous domes, each with its own environment and climatic theme. There are miles-high protrusions on its surface, serving as landing docks, weapons platforms, etc. It is a vast, shielded spacecraft that trails its own Webway portal. Gigantic solar sails provide the needed energy for the artificial world to function.

Alaitoc was recently assaulted by a huge Imperial force after an attack by Eldar Pirates on an Imperial shipping convoy was traced back to the Outcasts' home Craftworld, which happened to be Alaitoc. Tired of the constant raids of the Eldar pirates, the Imperium determined to make an example of the Craftworld which allowed its citizens to attack Imperial shipping and take human lives. The surprise assault upon Alaitoc utilised a large Imperial Navy fleet, numerous Imperial Guard Regiments, and the Sons of Orar Space MarinesChapter. At the time, the Craftworld was in fixed orbit around a dying star, using the tremendous energy of the star's dying throes to recharge its solar sails. There was no time to get away before the invading human force was upon it. Therefore the Craftworld's Autarch and Farseer Council mobilized all of its Aspect Shrines as well as the regular Eldar army -- comprised of Alaitoc's Guardians, civilian citizen-soldiers who had been trained in weapons and/or had previously walked the Path of the Warrior. Also awoken was the Craftworld's Avatar of Kaela Mensha Khaine and several powerful Eldar Phantom Titans to help in the defence of the great vessel. Additionally, the Phoenix Lords Baharroth, Maugan Ra and Karandras all offered their aid.

The Eldar's advanced laser technology proved effective against the Imperial Navy fleet, and the Alaitoc Bonesingers outsmarted the invading Imperial infantry by trapping them within the Craftworld's Wraithbone structure. Despite these maneuvers, the Imperial forces held on to their initial beachhead, helped by a vicious Drop Pod torpedo attack led by the Space Marines that successfully penetrated deep into the Craftworld but met increasing resistance from Alaitoc's Aspect Warriors, who were backed by the extraordinary combat abilities of the three Phoenix Lords. Yet the Eldar were forced to retreat from the Imperial forces' onslaught in order to better defend the Craftworld's Infinity Circuit and its core cities. This bitter retreat let the regiments of the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines overrun the settlements of Exodites that existed at the Craftworld's periphery. Despite the Imperial might arrayed against the Craftworld and the territory the Emperor's forces had already seized, the Farseers of Alaitoc foresaw the ultimate defeat of the Imperial offensive and the expulsion of the Mon-Keigh from the sacred confines of their home.

Notable Events

 * The Ghostly Harvest (334.M36) - The Twelve Outcasts of Alaitoc, six living and six dead, raid the ancient ruins of the crone world Belial IV. Installed in towering Wraithknights, they plunder the tumbledown cities of the once-glorious world, gathering empty spirit stones from those locations where reality and the Warp bled into one another. The cavorting Daemons of the crone world appear in force and bring the Twelve Outcasts to battle, but by fighting almost back to back, the Eldar are able to forge a path back to their webway portal and disappear from the nightmare planet with seconds to spare.
 * The Siege of Alaitoc (Unknown Date.M41) - Enraged after a series of raids against Imperial shipping by Dark Eldar Raiders near Craftworld Alaitoc, the Imperium blames the craftworld Eldar instead of their dark kin, after having tracked the raiding parties back to Alaitoc. Deciding to make an example out of the craftworld, the Imperium decides to invade and annihilate the Eldar. Led by a large Imperial Navy fleet, the attack is spearheaded by the Sons of Orar Space Marine Chapter and a large contingent of Imperial Guard forces. Forewarned of the attack by their Farseers, Alaitoc manages to prepare for the oncoming assault and are further aided by the Phoenix Lords Baharroth, Maugan Ra and Karandras. The war quickly devolves into a bloody war of attrition, one in which the Imperium is slowly prevailing, as the Imperial forces use their numerically superior forces in their favour against the sparsely deployed Aspect Warriors. Ultimate disaster is only averted with the timely arrival of the Ranger Aradryan, who had discovered the true culprits behind the attacks on the Imperial shipping lanes. Arriving upon Alaitoc, Aradryan is able to convince the Sons of Orar Chapter Master that the raids against the Imperial ships were nothing more than a ruse by the Dark Eldar to pull both sides into a pointless war of attrition. Seeing the wisdom of the Eldar Ranger, the Chapter Master sought to stave any more losses for his Chapter, and decides to withdraw his forces from the invasion. With their Space Marine spearhead withdrawn, the rest of the Imperial forces quickly follow suit. Though Alaitoc survives the invasion, they have taken heavy losses themselves and sustained heavy damage to much of the Craftworld.
 * Battle for Traitor's Gorge (991.M41) - Alaitoc Farseer Eldorath Starbane leads a small group of Rangers to aid the beleaguered Crimson Fists Chapter Master Pedro Kantor and his small force of warriors against the remnants of WAAAGH! Snagrod at the Battle for Traitor's Gorge on Rynn's World. Auspicious fate had dictated that Alaitoc should fight side-by-side that day, but next time they met, it would be Starbane's gauntlets that were stained with the blood of the Chapter Master.
 * The Carnac Campaign (999.M41) - The Necron Anrakr the Traveller arrives on a planet he supposes to be the Tomb World of Carnac, only to find it infested with Eldar Exodites. Realising he won't be able to awaken the tomb before the Exodites can summon aid, Anrakyr entreats the Lords and Overlords of other Tomb Worlds for aid. Reinforcements swiftly arrive from Mandraggora, Gidrim and Trakonn, though the most unexpected of all is a contingent from Solemnace, led by Trazyn the Infinite himself. By the time the Night Scythe fleet deploy the invading forces, the armies of Alaitoc Craftworld stand side by side with the Exodites. Guided by prophecies of Farseer Eldorath Starbane and the strategies of Illic Nightspear, the Eldar attempt to stall the Necron invasion with hit-and-run tactics. But the prophecies of the Farseer are subverted through the astromantic analyses of Orikan the Diviner. Though the Orikan's divinations are not as focussed as the Farseer, they are sufficient to tangle the skeins of fate and leave many details beyond the Farseer's reach. So it is that when Pathfinders arrive to ambush Anrakyr, they find him long gone, and encounter squads of Deathmarks waiting in ambush. After several inconclusive battles on Carnac's verdant plains, Anrakyr forces the Eldar in a head-to-head confrontation by marching on the World Spirit shrine. Victory finally falls to the Necrons when Carnac's tomb unexpectedly begins to awaken, giving the Eldar little choice but to abandon Carnac and its World Spirit to their foes.

Notable Alaitoc Eldar

 * Farseer Eldorath Starbane - A notable Farseer of Alaitoc who led a small group of Rangers to aid the beleaguered Chapter Master Pedro Kantor of the Crimson Fists Chapter against a large force of Orks -- remnants of WAAAGH! Snagrod -- at the Battle of Traitor's Gorge on Rynn's World. He would later lead the valiant defence of Carnac from a large force of Necrons, led by Trazyn the Infinite, though in the end, the slumbering tomb complex beneath Carnac awoke, forcing the Eldar forces to withdraw from the planet.
 * Farseer Alladrios Kulcassian - A Farseer of Alaitoc, Alladrios had great fear and hatred for the Officio Assassinorum's Culexus Temple. He coordinated a centuries-long effort to locate and destroy this temple. Through unknown means, he discovered the location of this elusive temple and despatched the Legacy of Eldanesh, a Shadow-class Cruiser. However, using his precognitive powers to see the skeins of the future, he discovered to his utter amazement that the temple's destruction would lead the annihilation of Alaitoc. Choosing the lesser of two evils, he called of the attack and recalled the cruiser to return home.
 * Illic Nightspear - Illic Nightspear is an Eldar Ranger of Craftworld Alaitoc, and has wandered the Path of the Outcast for thousands of years, striding the skeins of fate and seeking out the unknown paths that span the galaxy. He is known to different Ranger bands by many different titles; the Sentinel of the Stars, the Wayforger, and the Shield of Alaitoc. To Illic, one name is as good as another. Such is Nightspear's knowledge of the Webway that it is said by the Eldar that he can arrive unheralded upon any planet, stepping through its portals and out across the galaxy with the ease of a man drawing breath. Whilst this is undoubtedly an exaggeration, Illic clearly knows more of the hidden paths than any other living being save the Harlequins themselves. Indeed, some say that he knows too much.
 * Autarch Arhathain - A notable Autarch of Alaitoc, he formerly studied in the Dark Reapers, Dire Avengers and Howling Banshees Aspect Warriors shrines. As an Autarch, he would go on to command Eldar strike forces against the Orks on the Exodite world of Eileniliesh and in the eradication of humans from an unnamed world which the Craftworld's Farseers predicted would one day bring the threat of Chaos to Alaitoc. Arhathain would later lead the forces of Alaitoc in the defence of their craftworld when it was invaded by the military forces of the Imperium.

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