Craftworld

Craftworlds are vast, planetoid-sized spacecraft populated by the Eldar. They travel through the void of space at sublight speeds, carrying the greater remnant of the Eldar race after their Fall. Each Craftworld is a self-sufficient, independent realm with its own distinctive culture. The most important Eldar Craftworlds of the Milky Way galaxy are listed and described here.

Before the Fall of the Eldar
Prior to the Fall, the Craftworlds were vast Eldar commercial starships sung from wraithbone, effectively self-contained starfaring communities housing hundreds of Eldar families. Trading missions could take the Craftworlds thousands of light years beyond the borders of Eldar civilization, separating the community from the Eldar homeworlds for centuries. These colossal spacecraft would travel across the galaxy using the Eldar Webway, trading with the many intelligent alien races they encountered before returning centuries later to the Eldar homeworlds. This meant the Craftworld communities had already developed a strong sense of independence and self-reliance from the heart of their civilization - an independence that prevented them from being infected by the increasing decadence and sadistic hedonism that ultimately consumed their species. Because a Craftworld might return to the rest of Eldar civilization only three or four times in a thousand Terran years, it was easy for them to perceive the degeneration of Eldar society, while to the Eldar as a whole the slow decline was too gradual to realize. As the final weeks leading to the cataclysm that would be called the Fall of the Eldar approached, the various Craftworlds' populations returned to the heart of the Eldar empire, finding their worlds already in ruin, torn apart by the orgy of sadism that heralded the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh. The Craftworlds' inhabitants were horrified by the changes in Eldar society. The Eldar Seers who had remained behind and uncorrupted enlisted their aid to undertake a titanic effort to save their people. Onto each Eldar Craftworld, the last uncorrupted people from each Eldar world were loaded. Taking with them any Eldar who still remained sane, the Craftworlds fled the heart of the Eldar civilization, along with works of art, plant life and animals, and whatever else of Eldar culture that could be saved. The psychic shockwave of Slaanesh's awakening caught some of the Craftworlds and destroyed them alongside the Eldar homeworlds, while others were pulled into orbit around the newly-formed Eye of Terror Warp rift at the moment of the Prince of Pleasure's birth. Others survived for thousands of years before their people finally faded and died. The rest drift throughout the galaxy today, their exact number uncertain, as contact with and between them can be difficult and intermittent.

After the Fall
For thousands of years after the Fall to the current day, the Craftworlds have carried the greater part of the surviving members of the Eldar race. Craftworlds contain Webway gates - the Webway linking the Craftworlds to each other as well as to thousands of planets scattered across the territory of the lost Eldar empire, allowing the dispersed Eldar civilization some measure of cohesion. Because the Webway is labyrinthine and impossible to map, many Craftworlds are effectively lost, unknown and cut off from the greater part of the remaining Eldar civilization. Craftworlds have grown greatly in size since the Fall, when they became the sanctuary worlds of the Eldar race. They are now approximately 10 to 100 times bigger in both volume and population size than they were before the Fall. Craftworlds are well-named, for they are effectively artificial worlds in space, each a self-contained biosystem, with forested and natural areas as well as urbanised ones. These natural areas provide a breathable atmosphere to the Craftworld and renewable resources. There are sections that are uninhabited and awaiting reconstruction. Vast space docks located outside the Craftworld house fleets of spacecraft. These fleets are capable of traveling through the Warp tunnels of the Webway, allowing Eldar of the relatively slow-moving Craftworld to bring their forces to areas of the galaxy thousands of light years distant. Every Eldar of a Craftworld is a highly trained warrior - in battle these citizen-soldiers are known as Guardians, forming the craftworld's defensive militia. Craftworlds are independent political realms, sometimes acting mutually with the other Eldar Craftworlds, combining their military forces and acting in concert to achieve a common objective, and trading or exchanging knowledge. Eldar Exodites often trade with the Craftworlds, but believe that the Craftworld Eldar are too close to the old ways of decadence for their own good. The militarily stronger Craftworld Eldar grant some protection to Exodite Eldar.

As mentioned, the Craftworlds of the 41st Millennium probably compose the majority of the surviving Eldar race in the galaxy of the forty-first millennium, although it is impossible to say just how many this is. They are certainly the seat of the remaining Eldar industry, technology, and culture, as they contain the only vestiges of their original homeworlds. Most of the Craftworlds contain special biodomes that house plants and wildlife from their original world, and these are carefully tended. Although each Craftworld is essentially independent in its actions and governance, they will generally offer and accept aid and advice from one another. Although not common, sometimes Craftworld disagreements will cause them to clash with each other on the field of battle, though this is always a last resort.

Alaitoc
Far out on the frontiers of the galaxy, on the edge of explored space, lies the Alaitoc Craftworld. The Alaitoc Eldar are zealous in their guard against the touch of Slaanesh, even more so than other Craftworld Eldar. For these two reasons many of its citizens will at one time or another decide to leave the strict confines of the ship and strike out on their own or in small groups of Eldar Rangers. They will return in times of need however, and so all Alaitoc armies will have a substantial force of Rangers. The colour of their armour varies from blue and yellow, to blue and bone.

Alaitoc is also a highly-ordered Craftworld; in response, many individuals from this Craftworld choose instead the Eldar Path of the Outcast, becoming Rangers. While all Craftworlds make use of the highly efficient sniper Rangers, none field or produce more than Alaitoc. By their nature Alaitoc Rangers do not reside upon the Craftworld, but travel the galaxy. These rangers retain their loyalty to Alaitoc, returning to their craftworld on occasion. Aside from the regular Rangers, Alaitoc is also the only craftworld to field the highly skilled Rangers known as Pathfinders. These highly trained snipers can cause havoc to the enemy. In times of need, the Craftworld sometimes recalls their Rangers to contribute to Alaitoc's defense forces.

Alaitoc uses a sword symbol which represents the Sword of Vaul, the weapon forged in Eldar myth for the Smith God's desperate battle against the War God Khaine. It represents the defiance and determination of its people. Alaitoc is associated with the colour blue or with the combination of blue and yellow.

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.

In the most recent material published about the Eldar for the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and for unclear reasons, the Alaitoc Craftworld was attacked by a huge Imperial force, utilizing a large Imperial Navy fleet, numerous Imperial Guard Regiments, and at least one Space Marines Chapter. 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 Autarch and the Farseer Council mobilized all Aspect Shrines as well as the regular Eldar army - the Guardians, civilians who have been trained in weapons or/and had previously walked the Path of the Warrior. Also awoken was the Craftworld's Avatar of Kaela Mensha Khaine, to help in the defense of the ship. However, despite tremendous casualties, it seems the Imperial forces managed to get a beachhead on the world, helped by a vicious drop-pod torpedo attack by Space Marines. (The Chapter is currently unidentified, other than the fact that they have red-and-white livery). Currently, the fate of the battle (and of the Alaitoc Craftworld) is unknown and undecided.

Altansar
A small Eldar Craftworld that had been on the edge of the shockwave from the Fall and the shock wave that created the Eye of Terror, Altansar was long thought to have been lost in the Eye of Terror along with the homeworlds of the Eldar. However, there were reports of its sighting and even active involvement in the recently conducted campaign between the Imperium and the Chaos Marines in the Eye of Terror during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, and doubt now exists as to its ultimate fate. Yet Altansar did, in fact, escape from the Warp with the help of the Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra, and that Eldar of other Craftworlds regard its inhabitants with deep suspicion due to their multi-millennial imprisonment in the Eye of Terror.

Altansar was one of the many Craftworlds surviving the Fall of the Eldar. 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 Lord Maugan Ra escaped the Craftworld's consumption by Chaos.

Over ten thousand Terran years later, Abaddon the Despoiler emerged from the insane reality of the Eye of Terror, at the head the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The Chaos Legions' intrusion into reality left a rift which bridged the material universe and the universe of the warp. Through this opening Maugan Ra counterinvaded the Eye to find 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 celebration or welcome from the other Craftworlds. Altansar is regarded with open suspicion and hostility, for how could any Eldar remain untouched by the predations of Chaos for ten thousand years?

Altansar's traditional colours are a deep red with black details.

Biel-tan
The most martial of the Craftworlds, Biel-tan has made the decision to try and reforge the Eldar Empire. Each craftworld carries the seeds of Eldar culture. Not all are identical by any means, as each reflects the cultural heritage of its long dead world of origin. Biel-Tan is renowned for the strong warrior ideals of its people. For the Eldar of Biel-Tan the Way of the Warrior, the life-stage that encompasses the Aspect Warriors, is considered the first step upon the Path of the Eldar. Upon reaching physical maturity a Biel-Tan Eldar becomes an Aspect Warrior, and only once he has fulfilled this role can he continue along the Path of the Eldar. The Eldar of Biel-Tan have a strong honour code and believe that the best way to die is in battle fighting the enemies of Biel-Tan. In the centre of the craftworld there is a special Chamber of Heroes where the spirit stones of dead Aspect Warriors are placed. When the Runeseers have to make a particularly difficult decision about the future of their craftworld they retire to the Chamber of Heroes to consult with the warrior dead. The dead of particular battles are arranged together and are often referred to by the name of the battle in which they fell - for example the Dead of Corrus fell fighting Chaos on an ancient Eldar colony.

The events in Dawn of War and its associated novels Tempest and Ascension show the destiny of the Eldar of Biel-tan becoming rapidly intertwined with that of the 3rd Company of the Blood Ravens Chapter of Space Marines, as seen in the case of Farseer Macha and Captain Gabriel Angelos.

The symbol of Biel-tan is the Eldar rune of rebirth and its name actually means the "Rebirth of Ancient Days." Biel-tan Guardians wear white or grey uniforms with details in green. Vehicles are often coloured entirely green, with large areas broken up using a pattern of twisting vines in a contrasting shade. For every kill a pilot makes, a thorn is added to the vine. The name of the Craftworld is a variation of the Gaelic Beltane (aka Bealtaine or May Day). The colour scheme of the Biel-tan Craftworld and its forces is generally green and white.

IL-Kaithe
The Eldar of IL-Kaithe constantly crusade against the forces of Chaos. Their talented Bonesingers are said to be able to practice their art even in the heat of battle. The uniform of Il-Kaithe is green armor accompanied by purple helmets and shoulder armor.

Iyanden
The Iyanden Craftworld was once one of the largest and most prosperous of all the remaining Eldar craftworlds. They barely survived an attack by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Kraken, which nearly destroyed the Craftworld and killed four-fifths of its population. On the verge of total annihilation, Iyanden was saved from complete destruction by the exiled Prince Yriel, who had formerly been the High Admiral of the Iyanden fleet. Yriel and his exile pirate raiders, even though previously vowing never to return to Iyanden, could not bear to have their craftworld destroyed and launched an attack on the Tyranid fleet. Taking the final battle to the craftworld itself, Yriel used an ancient artefact spear called "The Spear of Twilight" to slay the Hive Tyrant that led the assault. In doing so, Yriel doomed himself to a slow and painful death due to the psychic artifact being bound to its user and burning their soul. For now however, the forceshield worn by Yriel staves off the consant energies of the spear. Regardless of his actions, the chances of Iyanden recovering from its losses are slim and their future looks bleak.

Distinguishing Features
Eldar of Iyanden rely much more heavily upon the spirits of the dead to defend them because of their low numbers. Iyanden makes heavy use of undead warriors known as Wraithguard and Wraithlords animated by the souls of their fallen kin. They have specialised psykers called Spiritseers who are trained in aiding the reanimated souls in battle. However, most Eldar see Spiritseers as necromancers, and even the Spiritseers themselves hate disturbing the spirits of the dead. Indeed, on the eve of the attack by Hive Fleet Kraken, Iyanden's leader Farseer Kelmon made the fateful decision to take the spirit stones from their resting places and place them into Wraithbone constructs to take to battle, knowing that they would make the difference in the craftworld's survival. Since the release of the 2006 eldar Codex, all craftworld eldar armies can field Spiritseers to help guide their wraith-construct warriors, not just Iyanden.

The symbol of Iyanden is the Shrine of Asuryan. Asuryan is one of the most famous of the Eldar Gods. The Phoenix Lords all are some of the "children" of Asuryan, and Asurmen is the very "Hand of Asuryan".

It has been noted that the symbol of the Shrine of Asuryan closely resembles the torii of the Shinto religion practiced in Japan.

Iybraesil
Iybraesil is a largely matriarchal society. As followers of Morai-Heg, the Iybraesil Eldar constantly aspire to recover the hidden secrets of the crone worlds, the original homeworlds of the Eldar race which now reside in the Eye of Terror. The colours of Iybraesil is blue accompanied by white.

Kaelor
An extremely isolated Craftworld of the Eldar. Under unclear circumstances, at some point in the distant past Kaelor made a webway jump to the edge of the galaxy and has not ventured back towards the galactic centre for several millennia. It has virtually no contact with the outside galaxy, and even the Harlequins barely remember its existence.

Lugganath
The renegades of Lugganath foster close ties with the Harlequins of the laughing god, for the Lugganath Eldar hope to abandon this galaxy and start civilization afresh and claim the webway as their realm. The main colours of Lugganath are bright orange accompanied by black.

Saim-Hann
The Eldar craftworld of Saim-Hann was one of the first Craftworlds to abandon the crone worlds as the Fall of the Eldar approached, heeding their Farseer's warnings. As such they have spent far more time isolated from the rest of the Eldar than the other main Craftworlds, although they do contact and have a similar culture to the Exodite worlds. They are fierce warriors, who place upon honour a higher value than their sophisticated kin. This, coupled with their pride, has sadly led them to conflict with each other and different Craftworlds. While this generally takes the form of an organised duel between representatives of each clan, in which first blood is usually sufficient, the high number of deaths from these conflicts has lent to the barbaric reputation of the craftworld.

Distinguishing Features
On the tabletop the Wild Host of Saim-Hann is comprised almost entirely of jetbikes. Any unit which cannot be mounted on jetbikes or do not have a fast form of movement (such as warp jump generators or Swooping Hawk wings) is normally given a Wave Serpent transport. An exception to this are the Wraithlords and Dark Reapers, whose role is normally to give covering fire to the vehicles. The force is fast moving and tactically flexible, meaning that even against a far stronger or more numerous enemy the Eldar of Saim-Hann can always remain just beyond their reach.

The Saim-Hann warhosts are generally coloured red or a light scarlet colour. They are generally highlighted with contrasting clours, mainly black, white or yellow in striped patterns. The different warrior clans have different personal symbols, however, so there is almost certain to be a significant amount of variation between clans, squads or even individuals. The Craftworld symbol is a stylised serpent. The serpent is significant in Eldar mythology because it is supposed to be the only creature to exist in the spiritual and physical worlds at the same time. Indeed, it is revered so much by the Saim-Hann Eldar that one of their coming-of-age rites is to catch a daggersnake (found on the worlds of the Exodites) in mid-strike. The serpent also epitomises the attack style of Saim-Hann - a fast, deadly strike before withdrawing, leaving the enemy panicked and confused.

The name of the Craftworld is a variation of the Gaelic Samhain (aka the Celtic New Year or in modern times, Halloween).

Ulthwé
Ulthwé was caught in the pull of the Eye of Terror, where the Immaterium crosses with real space and a breeding ground for Chaos and a gateway to the Warp. Due to this proximity to the Eye, Ulthwé must be on constant high alert in case of attacks by the forces of Chaos. Constant risk and war has hardened the Craftworld's citizens and due to the lack of Aspect Warriors in the Craftworld, Ulthwé maintains a standing militia known as the Black Guardians, better skilled and better trained than soldiers of other Craftworlds.

Such proximity to the potent raw energy that is the Eye has also produced a large number of vigilant psykers in the form of Farseers and Warlocks among Ulthwé Eldar. Ulthwé regard the Path of the Seer over the Path of the Warrior. The most powerful of these psykers was the late Eldrad Ulthran, who was the leader of the Craftworld prior to his apparent demise aboard a Blackstone Fortress. The Seers of Ulthwé are said to be much more capable than those of other Craftworlds and can see far into the future to shape the destiny of their Craftworld based on their insights. The Seers may predict catastrophe and steer Ulthwé away from it or determine the best course of action regardless of the cost to other races. Such foresight can lead the people of Ulthwé to perform actions which seem selfish and erratic in the eyes of Men and other races, but to the seers of Ulthwé it is clear that such actions must be performed for the good of the Craftworld. Though results may not directly arise from such action, it will indirectly influence Ulthwé's fate perhaps far into the future.

Distinguishing Features
In times of war, Ulthwé employs its militia of Black Guardians (professional battle hardened soldiers) and Guardians as its army's backbone. Supporting these troops will be assortments of vehicles and elite units, flowing with advanced Eldar technology. Ulthwé also employs it's large number of psykers on the battlefield, sometimes in the form of a Seer Council consisting of multiple Farseers and Warlock Bodyguards. The Seer Council or Seers will use their potent powers to destroy the minds of their enemies, shape the battle's course to their favour and perform other tasks to ensure their victory. However, every time a Seer or Warlock delves into the Warp to harness its power to their favour, they risk their own minds and many have been lost to the terrors of the Warp which prey on the mind.

Ulthwé may strike fast and hard in the form of an Ulthwé Strike Force, a highly mobile entity of Ulthwé's power in which units are highly mobilised by utilising jetbikes and other fast vehicles which enables Ulthwé to strike quickly and decisively through warp gates and vanish as quickly as they appeared.

The sight of an Ulthwé force is a brooding, dark image, filled with the air of mourning and suffering. Ulthwé's forces main colour is an ominous black and most Ulthwé vehicles and warrior armour is this colour. This is often contrasted with bone white, golden yellow and dark red. Ulthwé's full name is actually Ulthanash Shelwé, which means 'Song of Ulthanash'. The symbol of Ulthwé is the Eye of Isha, a stylised eye with a lone tear symbolising the tears shed by the Goddess Isha for her Eldar children.

Contact with Outsiders
Of all the Eldar, Ulthwé seems to interfere with the affairs of other races the most because of its greater ability to foresee the future. Some notable conflicts resulting from Ulthwé intervention are:


 * The Battle for Armageddon
 * The Sanapan Scouring
 * The Mortis Annihilation
 * The Third Coming of Orian
 * Imperial attempt to retrieve a Titan
 * The Thirteenth Black Crusade of Abbadon
 * Worldwide purge of resurrected Necrons (Kronus Dark Crusade)
 * The Kaurava Conflict

Yme-Loc
The Eldar of the Yme-Loc craftworld are talented artisans, and their armies are supported by powerful grav-tanks and Titans. Yme-Loc's Guardians wear grey armor with orange helmets and shoulder armor. Their mighty Titans and other vehicles are often colored grey with orange details. The Yme-Loc are a minor craftworld and are not very well known throughout the galaxy.

Other Craftworlds

 * Arach-Qin
 * Aringhe
 * Atlantis
 * Cairas Mythar
 * Ctho, "the legendary lost craftworld"
 * Dolthe,
 * Dorhai, does not deal with other craftworlds, believing themselves to be the only untainted survivors of the Fall
 * Malan'Tai, destroyed by a tyranid splinter fleet and the first known sighting of the "Doom of Malan'Tai"
 * Meros, "the doomed craftworld"
 * Nacretinei
 * Stel-Uit
 * Tir-Val
 * Yr-Arthi
 * Zahr-Tann