Striking Scorpions

The Eldar Aspect Warriors known as the Striking Scorpions epitomise the deadly attributes of their namesake, and they are the most skilled of all the close-assault Warrior Aspects on the Eldar Path of the Warrior. They are merciless killers without exception, reveling in the hunt and the kill using stealth and shadow to cloak themselves from sight until the moment of attack.

History
The Striking Scorpions Aspect are one of the deadliest Aspects. Following the Fall of the Eldar, Asurmen, the first Phoenix Lord was the Eldar who led the Craftworlds away from the ancient Eldar homeworlds at the time of the Fall and it was he who founded the first of the Aspect Shrines. Those who attend the shrine of the Striking Scorpions are the manifestation of viciousness and merciless death. Perhaps the most sinister aspect of the Striking Scorpions is the legacy of their Chaos-corrupted former master and Phoenix Lord Arhra, the Father of Scorpions -- the ability to stalk the shadows and creep ever closer to their prey before falling upon the foe like the wrath of the Eldar War God Khaine himself, a legacy that often leads them close to the burning anger and bloodlust that could see their souls consumed by Slaanesh.

Striking Scorpions are best deployed to deal with tactical situations in which they are facing off against large numbers of enemy troops who are weaker than they, though their unusual physical prowess for Eldar allows the Striking Scorpions to successfully battle foes head-to-head that most Eldar, even other Aspect Warriors, would avoid, like the Imperial Space Marines or the larger and more powerful varieties of Ork.

Combat Doctrine
The Striking Scorpions are one of the Eldar Warrior Aspects dedicated to close combat, particularly close combat during infiltration missions in which they must first close with the enemy undetected before unleashing their wrath. Many Striking Scorpions are physically more powerful than standard Eldar, and can match their Dark Eldar counterparts in sheer physical power. The signature attack of the Striking Scorpion is made by the weapon pods housed on either side of the warrior's helmet, known as Mandiblasters. These are small, short-ranged laser weapons used to deliver a deadly energy sting in close combat that can be psychically triggered. A Mandiblaster volley and the blistering storm of attacks from the Scorpions that follow it is enough to tear the heart out of an enemy force. The Striking Scorpions are also known for their use of a Shuriken Pistol in one hand and a Scorpion Chainsword in the other. Striking Scorpions also make use of Scorpion Armour, a suit of Aspect Armour that offers somewhat superior protection compared to the Aspect Armour suits used by most of the other Eldar Warrior Aspects.

Striking Scorpion Exarchs
Every Aspect Shrine of the Eldar is led by an Exarch, an Eldar who has been called permanently to the Path of the Warrior. An Exarch has travelled so far down that Path that he or she can no longer leave it and so dedicates him or herself fully as a high priest of Khaine in service to the Aspect of the War God that he or she represents. Exarchs wear more elaborate and ornate versions of Aspect Armour which incorporates the spirits of their past wearers, granting an Exarch not only wisdom and knowledge stretching across the millennia but a raw pool of potent psychic energy that can be used in combat.

This permanent acceptance of the Eldar's "war mask" provides Exarchs with enhanced skill and dedication to their craft and entitles them to access their Shrine's oldest and most advanced wargear. Striking Scorpion Exarchs often incorporate the use several different specialist weapons, including a monomolecular toothed version of the Scorpion Chainsword called the Biting Blade, a claw-shaped gauntlet called the Scorpion's Claw, or the large unique weapon known as the Chainsabre. Striking Scorpion Exarchs often lead their squads from the shadows, using them to shield their approach from their enemies. Exarchs also train their squads to flow silently and without trace through dense terrain on the battlefield.

Phoenix Lord
The Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions is Karandras, the Shadow Hunter. However, it should be noted that Karandras is not the original Phoenix Lord of this Aspect Shrine. The original Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions was named Arhra, the Father of Scorpions, and he is the only Phoenix Lord to have been completely lost to the Eldar and his Shrine when his murderous nature ultimately overwhelmed him and led to the consumption of his soul by Chaos, transforming him into a life-destroying monster like the Dark Eldar. It is believed that after he began walking the Path of Damnation Arhra fled to the Dark City of Commorragh where he became the first Dark Eldar Incubi Hierarch and founded the first Incubus shrine. Arhra is believed to have survived into the present and become Drazhar, the Master of Blades, the greatest of the Dark Eldar Incubi. Karandras, a Striking Scorpions Exarch and the greatest student of Arhra, then took over control of the Aspect Shrine and taught the Striking Scorpions the patience and discipline they needed so that they would not follow in their founder's wake and lose their immortal souls to She Who Thirsts when their bloodlust and murderous desires overtook them. The last suspected sighting of the fallen Phoenix Lord occurred in 928.M41, when the Drazhar and Karandras were seen dueling for seventeen days amongst the shattered ruins of the ancient Eldar world of Zandros.

Striking Scorpions Wargear

 * Aspect Armour - Like other Eldar Aspects, Striking Scorpions wear lightweight synthetic bodysuits, reinforced with plates of psycho-sensitive bioplastics that will instantly harden to resist impacts. As well as absorbing impacts, those plates can morph their shape in accordance with the wearer's movements, meaning the armour does not encumber the wearer in the slightest, affording good protection with excellent mobility. The heavier armour plates forming this Aspect's armour is especially thick and resilient, meaning that they are not as swift as their Banshee sisters. The reinforced breastplate of the Aspect Warrior's armour bears his Spirit Stone, a precious item for all Eldar. This psycho-receptive gem is attuned to the individual so that at the moment of death, when the Eldar's psychic spirit is released, it is captured instead within the stone. Otherwise it is believed by the Eldar that the spirit would be released into the Warp, where the Chaos God Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts," awaits to consume it. Contrary to popular belief, the small domes and blisters on the Striking Scorpions Aspect Armour are not extra gems, but small compartments that contain the suit's technical systems. A tabard or pennants are a common addition to the Striking Scorpions' Aspect Armour. Its runic inscriptions name the shrine for which the Aspect Warrior is fighting and identifies the shrine's allegiance to its particular Craftworld. Regardless of a shrine's location the Aspect's colour scheme is always green.
 * Aspect Helmet - Each warrior Aspect has its own distinctive helmet, and within each shrine the helmet may vary in form slightly, with correspondingly more elaborate versions for the shrine's Exarchs. A standard Striking Scorpions warrior helmet is distinctively tall and swept back and incorporates a pair of weapon pods positioned and shaped much like the mandibles of a scorpion. Each pod houses a mandible blaster, or Mandiblaster, a unique and deadly device also known as the Sting of the Scorpion. The Mandiblaster is an extremely short range weapon, useful only at a distance of a foot or so, but highly effective as a first-strike weapon which can be used to disorient or kill an opponent before combat is joined. The weapon is activated by a psychic pick-up in the helmet, and fires a stream of tiny metallic needles straight forward into the target. These needles do not inflict much damage themselves, although in the case of unarmoured targets they can tear and lacerate flesh, but they act as a conductive medium through which the Striking Scorpion delivers an intense laser energy sting. In battle, the Striking Scorpion is assisted by an advanced, computerised targetting system. This targetter finds and tracks multiple targets, feeding target information directly to the Aspect Armour's helmet display. It is likely that it can also differentiate between enemy and ally. By custom, it is this helmet that marks the Aspect Warriors as the protectors and avengers of their Craftworld. It bears the Striking Scorpions Aspect's rune traced upon its forehead.
 * Scorpion Chainsword - The customary weapon of this Aspect is the Scorpion Chainsword, a vicious blade with diamond-toothed edges that mangle and tear flesh. They allow for Striking Scorpions to make the best use out of their great strength.
 * Shuriken Pistols - Shuriken Pistols are graceful dealers of death that use sophisticated gravity accelerators to hurl volleys of miniature razor disks to literally slice their victims apart in seconds. Shuriken weapons use solid core ammunition which Imperial technology cannot replicate. When fired, a shuriken pistol unleashes a hail of razor-sharp monomolecular discs known as shuriken.
 * Scorpion's Claw - The Scorpion's Claw takes the form of a powered-claw shaped gauntlet incorporated with a Shuriken Catapult. They operate in a similar way to Power Fists, but have the added bonus on an integrated ranged weapon. They are only used by Striking Scorpion Exarchs.
 * Chainsabres - Some Striking Scorpion Exarchs train in the use of blades known as Chainsabres, paired with ancient gauntlets that house twin-linked Shuriken Pistols, allowing them to level a storm of attacks at their foe in combat.
 * Biting Blade - The teeth of a Biting Blade can tear through flesh like parchment, shredding muscle and bone. Biting Blades are two-handed close combat weapons that can greatly increase the strength of the Striking Scorpion Exarch user with each blow landed.

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