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Asur was a barren moon located in a pocket-realm of the Webway briefly settled by some of the Craftworld Aeldari who survived the Fall of the Aeldari and the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh -- "She Who Thirsts" -- in the 30th Millennium. Settled by the first Phoenix Lord Asurmen and his disciples after he helped lead many of the craftworlds away from the remains of the Aeldari Empire during the Fall, it was named Asur in honour of its claimant.

Asur was the site where Asurmen established the first Aspect Warrior Shrine and the first Exarchs who would go on to become the first Phoenix Lords -- the Asurya -- were trained.

History[]

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, upon a barren world of the same name 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, the Asurya, 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.

Sources[]

  • Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, Ch. XIV
  • Codex: Eldar (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 88
  • Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, Ch. VII
  • Path of the Warrior (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, pp. 130, 402
  • Path of the Incubus (Novel) by Andy Chambers, pp. 172-175
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