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Arhra - Father of Scorpions

Arhra, Father of Scorpions, as the Father of Incubi

Arhra, once the "Father of Scorpions," now usually referred to as the "Fallen Phoenix," is the original Phoenix Lord of the Craftworld Aeldari's Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors.

He is the only Phoenix Lord to have been completely lost to the Asuryani and his Aspect 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 Drukhari.

History[]

Origins[]

Asurmen, the "Hand of Asur," was the first Phoenix Lord of the Asuryani. Prior to the Fall of the Aeldari, Asurmen was the Aeldari who led the craftworlds away from the ancient homeworlds of their now lost interstellar Aeldari Empire and it was he who founded the first of the Aspect Shrines, the Shrine of Asur, on the barren moon of the same name located in a region of the Webway that his people initially settled.

Asurmen found that he could not give up the Path of the Warrior to follow a different Asuryani Path, for he desired to use his skills to protect what remained of his species after the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts." From the Shrine of Asur sprang the first Aspect Warriors, and the Path of the Warrior was opened for the very first time to all Asuryani.

Those Asuryani who wanted to follow this new path learned at the feet of their master, and in turn they assumed the mantle of Exarchs before spreading throughout the craftworlds of the galaxy. The first Exarchs, theAsurya, the children of Asurmen, were the greatest of his students and went on to become the Phoenix Lords of the other Aspect Shrines, the first masters of the other specialised Craftworld Aeldari combat disciplines.

Arhra, the "Father of Scorpions," founded the Striking Scorpions Aspect Shrine, which came to epitomise its founder's dark nature; its warriors were cunning, merciless and deadly. Arhra taught the warriors of his Aspect the ability to stalk the shadows, creeping ever closer to their prey before falling upon them like the wrath of the war god Khaine himself.

Eventually Arhra's murderous nature consumed him, and he became lost to his Aspect, becoming known as the "Fallen Phoenix." Arhra was lured by darkness and betrayed Asurmen and the other Asurya, the first Phoenix Lords, by bringing Daemons into the First Shrine to wage war upon his fellows. Those loyal to Asurmen were defeated and scattered across the stars, but Arhra himself would eventually flee into the Webway, becoming "the Fallen Phoenix who burns with the dark light of Chaos."

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 Drukhari Incubus Hierarch and founded the first Incubus shrine. Many Asuryani believe that Arhra survived into the present and became Drazhar, the Master of Blades, the greatest champion of the Drukhari Incubi.

Karandras, a Striking Scorpions Exarch and the greatest student of Arhra, took over control of the Aspect Shrine after the corruption of its original Phoenix Lord. Karandras 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.

Arhra is suspected to have been last seen when Drazhar and Karandras duelled for 17 solar days in 928.M41 amongst the shattered ruins of the ancient Aeldari world of Zandros. Outnumbered and unable to defeat his former master in combat, Karandras artfully goaded his predecessor into a blind killing frenzy over the course of a gruelling seventeen-day battle.

At a critical moment, the Shadow Hunter melted into a patch of darkness and disappeared entirely, leaving his nemesis to slaughter every one of his own Incubi disciples in a murderous rage.

Tale of the Incubi[]

The Drukhari Incubi of Commorragh tell a different tale than that told among the craftworlds about Arhra's fall. They claim that Arhra was known as the "Father of Scorpions," and his disagreements with the other Phoenix Lords were said to be deep and vitriolic from the first. The Phoenix Lords preached discipline and caution, a slow rebuilding of the Aeldari civilisation around the preserved kernel of the Asuryani of the craftworlds.

They foresaw that the heightened passions of war could destroy what was left of the Aeldari in the centuries that followed. To forestall this, their Aspect Warriors learned to adopt a persona, a "war aspect" or "war mask" that could insulate their souls from the carnage and prevent them developing a taste for it.

As with so many other things, the Craftworld Aeldari saw the allure of bloodletting and senseless violence as a gateway for Chaos to enter their hearts and complete their ruination. What Arhra believed was a secret known only to his true followers, the Incubi.

Arhra believed that the other Phoenix Lords wished the Asuryani to learn to lay down and take up the role of the warrior at need, as if donning a mantle or mask. He knew they wished to abandon the Drukhari of Commorragh and fight only for the Craftworld Aeldari they viewed as uncorrupted by the hedonism that had destroyed the Aeldari Empire.

Arhra saw that the Aeldari's long fight against Chaos would require true devotion from all the kindreds of the Aeldari, including the inhabitants of Commorragh, not weak compromise for the benefit of a few. He refused to accept the Asuryani's ideals and he went his own way, leaving the craftworlds behind.

Followers flocked to Arhra's shrines and he tested them for their worth. The weak and corrupt he slew. He taught discipline and martial skill only to those who were possessed of sufficient fury to stand against him. Where Chaos threatened, Arhra always stood against it. It is told by the Incubi that in his final battle, Arhra stood alone against the Daemons of Chaos without respite through solar days and nights when the other Phoenix Lords failed to come to his aid.

At last Arhra was pierced through the heart by the dark light of Chaos. What returned to the first Incubi Shrine showed Arhra's face, yet burned with unholy fire that drove Arhra's students into terror and madness.

When all seemed lost, the students heard their master's voice from amid the flames. It bid them to marshal their fury and stand against his mortal form, that now was the ultimate test of their discipline. Such was their devotion that they obeyed despite their terror.

They slew Arhra's Chaos-corrupted mortal form and partook of his untouched spirit, taking it into themselves so that the way of Arhra should endure forever more as the way of the Incubi.

See Also[]

Sources[]

  • Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, Ch. XIV
  • Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pg. 52
  • Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pg. 84
  • Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 33
  • Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pg. 58
  • Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game - Siege of Malogrim Hive
  • Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (5th Edition), pg. 128
  • Path of the Warrior (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, pp. 130, 402
  • Path of the Incubus (Novel) by Andy Chambers, pp. 172-175
Phoenix Lords
Arhra Asurmen Baharroth Fuegan Irillyth Jain Zar Karandras Maugan Ra Drastanta Amon Harakht
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