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Alaitoc is a major Asuryani craftworld known for having spread its influence further afield than other craftworlds, sending agents across the galaxy to act as its eyes and ears.

On the battlefield its forces 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 in Aeldari Mythology. The Red Moon is an ill omen for the Aeldari 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 Aeldari Empire.

History[]

Alaitoc Guardian2

An Aeldari Guardian of Craftworld Alaitoc.

Far out on the frontiers of the galaxy, on the edge of explored space in the Ultima Segmentum, lies the Alaitoc Craftworld. Having lost so many of their brethren to the terrible events of the Fall, the Alaitoc Aeldari are zealous in their guard against the touch of Slaanesh, even more so than is common amongst the other Asuryani.

As such, Alaitoc is strictly governed to prevent any emergence of the sadistic obsessions that the Aeldari are prone to as a species. The Aeldari of Alaitoc are puritanical adherents to the Path of the Eldar, and they shun contact with others of their kind lest their influence drags them down to the same depths of depravity the Aeldari Empire fell to, devoting themselves instead to a life of harsh discipline.

This does not sit well with all and there are some, particularly amongst the younger generations, who cannot embrace what this entails, even though it may mean they are banished from their home and kin.

Their focus is legendary; an Aeldari 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 in their people is always strong. A side effect of this zealous and restrictive attitude has led to many of Alaitoc's Aeldari 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 of Man has gleaned much of its knowledge of the Aeldari.

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. Others remain true to their people, and patrol the Aeldari Webway to ensure Alaitoc's continued survival, seeking out new threats to the craftworld, but now free to explore the worlds beyond it.

While all craftworlds make use of the Rangers, who are the most highly accurate snipers amongst the Aeldari, 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 and can cause havoc amongst even the most powerful and numerous of enemy forces. In times of extreme need, such as during the Imperium'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, observation towers, habitats, and other functions. It is a vast, heavily-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 Aeldari 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 Aeldari 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 Astra Militarum regiments, and the Sons of Orar 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 craftworld's Autarch and Farseer Council mobilised all of its Aspect Shrines, as well as the regular Aeldari 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 Aeldari 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 Aeldari'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.

The Imperial forces 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 Aeldari 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 Astra Militarum 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 correctly foresaw the ultimate defeat of the Imperial offensive and the expulsion of the Mon-Keigh from the sacred confines of their home.

The Behemoth Comes[]

Alaitoc's native homeworlds were located on the frontier of its species' ancient empire, and like the wiser Aeldari upon Mymeara, some of its people had also realised the depths their kin would soon fall to. Casting out into the stars almost too late, they barely survived the atrocity, and since then Alaitoc had also had to fight to survive.

Amongst these dark days was an encounter with a splinter force of bio-ships from Hive Fleet Behemoth, the Tyranid Hive Fleet which would later go on to devastate the Ultramarines Chapter homeworld of Macragge in 745.M41. The swarm of Tyranid bio-ships had been discovered lying in the path of the Alaitoc craftworld by the fleet of Cruisers and Escort ships that scouted ahead of it. The spread of Tyranid ships was vast as it closed upon the forward Aeldari armada, but it had not counted upon the skills of its opponents.

Perhaps never having encountered such a race as the Aeldari in its own galaxy, the Tyranid fleet was unprepared for the swiftness of the Aeldari vessels and the accuracy of their laser batteries and torpedoes. As the bio-ships vomited forth their lethal payloads of drones, squadrons of Alaitoc's Hellebores and Nightshades swept in to destroy them. In return their pilots found their vessels attacked by huge feeder tendrils which punched through their hulls, unleashing Tyranid Warriors into their midst.

The furious battle raged on the ships and amongst the stars for many solar days, each moment seeing the Alaitoc craftworld move ever closer to being inside the range of the bio-weapons of the largest Tyranid ships. Knowing that an invasion of their craftworld would likely spell the end of their people, the Alaitoc fleet set itself to destroy as many of the largest Tyranid vessels as they could.

With the massive form of the craftworld literally only solar hours away on their long-range screens, the Aeldari fleet succeeded by attacking the largest bio-ships, killing or seriously injuring largest of the Tyranid creatures within, including many synapse-creatures. With its command structure failing, the Tyranid attack on the Eldar craftworld lost its coherence, providing easier targets for Alaitoc's fleet to destroy.

Yet the path before the craftworld had become saturated with the remnants of the Tyranid bio-swarm. Although most of its creatures had expired, there was still the very real risk that some might still be capable of drifting the short distance across space to infest the craftworld as it passed through the infested space.

To prevent this, the Aeldari armada launched thousands of torpedoes into the area where the Tyranid bio-ships now drifted. These succeeded in destroying or blasting away any remaining Tyranid Mycetic Spores and bioforms. These efforts were so effective that the region is still marked upon Imperial Navy maps as a dead zone many Terran centuries after the Aeldari armament was unleashed.

Defence of Betalis III[]

In 894.M41, a Ranger squad from Craftworld Alaitoc located the lost Mymearan craftworld. Finding an entrance to a portal in the Webway inscribed with symbols none of the Aeldari Rangers recognised, they sent one of their number to seek advice from Alaitoc's Council of Seers. The response came in the form of Alaitoc's greatest Farseer at that time. Realising that the Rangers had found a portal to one of the lost craftworlds, the Farseer called upon ancient knowledge he had learned many centuries before when he had first taken the Path of the Seer to break the seal which protected the portal.

Just beyond it stood the Farseer of Craftworld Mymeara and his bodyguard of Shadow Spectres Aspect Warriors. At first the Mymeara Farseer wanted his people to have no dealings with Alaitoc for fear they were no different from those that they had fled from, and it seemed as if once more there would be a battle between Aeldari kin. However, Alaitoc was in many respects culturally similar to Mymeara and its Farseer was able to persuade his refound kin that this could be the basis on which they could strike up an alliance to each craftworld's benefit.

Recently, whilst searching for resources to rip from the ancient Mymearan world of Betalis III, human colonists broke through into a massive cave system, the site, thousands of Terran years before, of the final battle against those destined to destroy the Mymearan craftworld. During the conflict Mymeara's enemies had been defeated but as the Phoenix Lord Irillyth saw in an earlier vision, it was at the cost of his and his war host's lives.

When the colonists broke into the cave they triggered an ancient defence system within the Phoenix Lord's armour intended to protect it whilst its spirit was in a dormant state. This caused a cave-in which killed all the miners and also alerted those who still tended the Phoenix Lord's shrine on the Mymearan craftworld to his location.

Without Alaitoc's aid, and that of its Corsair allies, the resurrection of Mymeara's Phoenix Lord would not have been possible. Not only did the craftworld bring the full force of its squadrons of Grav-tanks, Vypers, Nightwings and other vessels to bear against the Leman Russ tanks and Chimera of Company Vengeance, but its Pathfinders and Aspect Warriors also stalked the icy depths of the Tormus Delta against Company Retribution.

Alaitoc's efforts kept the Imperium's forces away from the ultimate objective of the Mymearan Farseer, the retrieval of his craftworld's Phoenix Lord from the cave system below the Aresta IV mining complex. That he succeeded is in no small part due to the valour of Craftworld Alaitoc.

Era Indomitus[]

Even after the void was stained with the crimson lifeblood of the cosmos with the opening of the Dathedian or the Great Rift as it was known to Humanity, the puritan Asuryani leaders of the Alaitoc world-ship espoused their long-held belief that it was still the Necrontyr who posed the greatest threat to the galaxy at large.

They had scried the unravelling threads of the future in their own way, and found a geometric void that threatened to swallow all. Alaitoc's foremost visionary, Ylocu Shaie, had written the Prophecy of Risen Doom whilst half-conscious in afever dream, the intensity of the vision all but crippling her. Though it had taken her a lifetime to isolate the strand of potentiality that led to her worst nightmare, she had found it just the same, and it was of shocking potency.

Shaie had brought her latest findings to the Seer Council of Alaitoc, singing of the Sea of Dead Stars at the climax of the hearing. Sobered by the vista of galactic destruction she painted, they accelerated their plans to allay the threat of the Necrons before their ancient enemies fully awoke from their Great Sleep -- even though they drastically weakened their craftworld's defences as a result.

In doing so they destroyed the Hyrekh Dynasty on the very day of its awakening, killing the Necrons with systematic, overlapping strikes whilst they still clawed their way from the slumber of stasis. With the Pathfinder Illic Nightspear as their ambassador, they dealt extensively with the Harlequins of the Masque of the Frozen Stars, whose agenda aligned with their own. In doing so, they found they had but scratched the surface of a far larger threat.

Even as they fought the Necrontyr on a dozen new fronts, the strike forces of Alaitoc were ambushed by the terror legions of the Slaaneshi Greater Daemon Sli'tha. The daemon monarch intended to strike at Alaitoc whilst it was vulnerable, yet found that the information network provided by the craftworld's Ranger cliques made it all but impossible to execute.

Every time Sli'tha sent steed-riding Daemonettes on a mission of reconnaissance, they were picked off by pinpoint sniper fire that banished them back to the Empyrean before they could report back to their masters.

With the Pathfinders of Alaitoc leading their Rangers in dozens of wars across the Imperium Sanctus -- that region of the Imperium that remained upon the Terran side of the Great Rift and was still illuminated by the light of the Astronomican -- the main body of Craftworld Alaitoc was left free to take the fight to the Necrons of the Eastern Fringe.

Notable Events[]

  • The Voyage Begins (ca. M30) - Located on the frontier of its race's empire, some of Alaitoc's people realised the depths of their kin would soon fall to. Casting out into the stars almost too late, they would barely survive the atrocity of the Fall of the failing and corrupt Aeldari Empire.
  • The Fall of the Eldar (ca. M30) - The Aeldari Empire is torn asunder as Slaanesh is born from their depravities.
  • 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 Aeldari are able to forge a path back to their Webway portal and disappear from the nightmare planet with seconds to spare.
  • Defence against the Behemoth (700s.M41) - Alaitoc encounters a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Behemoth. The craftworld's armada of cruisers, escort ships and Corsair allies launched a preemptive assault on the Tyranid fleet, which was unprepared for the swiftness and accuracy of the Aeldari vessels. The furious battle raged for many days, until finally, the Alaitoc fleet set itself to destroy as many of the largest Tyranid bio-shops as they could. With their craftworld rapidly approaching, the Alaitoc armada destroyed or seriously injured the largest of the Tyranid vessels, effectively destroying the Hive Mind's command structure, and causing the Tyranid assault to lose coherency. To ensure that the remnants of the Tyranid bio-swarm didn't drift towards Alaitoc as it would make its way through the ravaged sector, the Aeldari armada launched thousands of torpedoes. These succeeded in destroying or blasting away any remaining Tyranid spores and creatures. Centuries later, Imperial Navy maps still mark this area as a dead zone.
  • The Siege of Alaitoc (Unknown Date.M41) - Enraged after a series of raids against Imperial shipping by Drukhari raiders near Craftworld Alaitoc, the Imperium blames the Asuryani 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 Aeldari. 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 Drukhari to pull both sides into a pointless war of attrition. Seeing the wisdom of the Aeldari 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, its people have taken heavy losses and sustained heavy damage to much of the craftworld.
  • An Anticipated Atrocity (631.M41) - The Farseers of Alaitoc foresee a vicious assault from an Ork WAAAGH! on the Maiden World of Alayran. With many of their Rangers too far from the craftworld to be recalled in time, the Farseers reluctantly call upon their Spiritseers to activate a force of ghost warriors. The wraith-constructs are duly brought to war and hurried into concealed positions across the planet. When the attack arrives, the spirit warriors of Alaitoc make pinpoint attacks on the Greenskin leaders, quickly tearing the heart from the WAAAGH! and driving the Orks from the maiden world.
  • Defence of Betalis III (894.M41) - The frigid Ice World of Betalis III was the site of the Betalis III Campaign fought in 894.M41 between the forces of the Imperium defending the system and the Aeldari who sought to recover the armour of the ancient Phoenix Lord Irillyth, the founder of the Shadow Spectres Aspect Warriors, whose vessel had crash-landed on the world millennia before. An alliance of Aeldari forces from the craftworlds of Mymeara and Alaitoc, as well as Aeldari Corsairs from the Void Dragons, Sky Raiders, and Sunblitz Brotherhood, descended on the frigid world to recover their beloved Phoenix Lord's armour before it was discovered and defiled by the human miners present on Betalis III. In this way, the Mymearans hoped that Irillyth might be restored to fight once more for his people, since his spirit would have remained intact within his armour's Spirit Stone. Betalis III was reinforced by Imperial Guard regiments drawn from the Cadian Shock Troops and the Elysian Drop Troops as well as Titans from the Legio Gryphonicus and the Space Wolves Astartes of Wolf Lord Bran Redmaw's Great Company. After the Aeldari forces fought the Imperium's forces to a bloody standstill, they vanished as quickly as they had arrived, presumably after they had recovered Irillyth.
  • 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 would be stained with the blood of the Chapter Master.
  • The Carnac Campaign (999.M41) - The Necron Anrakyr the Traveller arrives on a planet he supposes to be the Tomb World of Carnac, only to find it infested with Aeldari 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 Craftworld Alaitoc stand side by side with the Exodites. Guided by prophecies of Farseer Eldorath Starbane and the strategies of Illic Nightspear, the Aeldari 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 Aeldari 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 Aeldari little choice but to abandon Carnac and its World Spirit to their foes.

Notable Alaitoc Aeldari[]

  • 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 to the annihilation of Alaitoc. Choosing the lesser of two evils, he called off the attack and recalled the cruiser to return home.
  • 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 Aeldari 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.
  • 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 Aeldari forces to withdraw from the planet.
  • Illic Nightspear - Illic Nightspear is an Aeldari 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 Aeldari 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.
  • Kayleth - Kayleth is an Aeldari Autarch of Craftworld Alaitoc. A superb, yet pragmatic warrior, Kayleth is a master tactician, having spent many centuries mastering all aspects of warfare. Her main focus in battle is on victory and how best to achieve it for her people. She led a strike force of Aeldari to Typhon Primaris in order to prevent the realisation of an ancient prophecy which implied the imminent destruction of this world.
  • Fialla-Thandiriel - Fialla-Thandiriel is an ancient but potent Wraithseer -- a Warlock in life -- whose mortal spirit now resides within the Wraithbone matrix of a Wraithlord. Rare and precious beyond compare, the Wraithseers are to the Aeldari's spirit host what a Warlock is to its Aspect Warriors and Guardians -- a war-leader. As such they are precious indeed, and each loss is keenly felt and rarely can they be risked upon the battlefield. It was while searching the Webway, and the worlds that lie beyond it, for the missing Wraithseer Fialla-Thandiriel that Alaitoc's Rangers discovered the portal that led them to the lost craftworld of Mymeara.

Sources[]

  • Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pp. 16, 21, 42, 48, 52, 55
  • Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 19, 38
  • Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), pg. 27
  • Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pg. 34
  • Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), pp. 22-23, 27
  • Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition), pg. 8
  • Dataslate - Eldar Ghost Warriors (Digital Edition), pg. 12
  • Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pp. 134-137
  • Psychic Awakening - Phoenix Rising (8th Edition), pg. 12
  • White Dwarf 138 (US), "Painting the Alaitoc Craftworld Army," by Mike McVey, pp. 22-29
  • Path of the Warrior (Novel) by Gav Thorpe
  • Path of the Seer (Novel) by Gav Thorpe
  • Traitor's Gorge (Novella) by Mike Lee

Gallery[]

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