Fire Dragons

The Fire Dragons are Eldar Aspect Warriors who are modeled upon the dragon of Eldar myth, the sinuous fire-breathing reptile that represents wanton destruction. Fire Dragons are aggressive and warlike and seek nothing less than the total annihilation of their chosen foes. They have an unsurpassed mastery of heat weapons, and take savage delight in the devastation they create. It is said their Exarchs generate a corona of lambent flame around themselves when the battle lust is upon them.

History

The Fire Dragons Warrior Aspect can trace their origins to Fuegan, the Burning Lance, the first Phoenix Lord of their aspect. Following the Fall of the Eldar, Asurmen, first of the Phoenix Lords, 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 upon the barren world of Asur. Fuegan was one of his first students to study at the feet of his master at the Shrine of Asur. Fuegan eventually went on and founded the Fire Dragons, and schooled them in the art of war with fire and flame, modeling his Aspect upon the dragon of Eldar myth, the sinuous fire-breathing reptile that represents wanton destruction.

Combat Role

The role of the Fire Dragon is to attack enemy strongholds and war machines. With their deadly fusion-based weapons they excel at destroying the well-armoured troops and vehicles of their enemies. Their powerful fusion guns can reduce an enemy to a cloud of superheated vapor in a second. Though short-ranged, these weapons are capable of turning even the heaviest battle tanks into piles of molten slag. Should the Fire Dragons need to assault their target to ensure its destruction, they use discus-shaped melta-bombs that can be attached to any surface and detonated with a word. Nowhere is safe from the white-hot rage of the Fire Dragon, for even the mightiest fortification affords scant protection.

Fire Dragons 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. As befitting their Shrine's focus, the Fire Dragons Exarchs are masters of destruction, causing utter destruction against enemy strongholds, well-armoured troops or emplaced weapons. Exarchs often have versed their squad in the art of stalking armoured vehicles and being able to spot weak points in the armour with uncanny speed. Exarchs themselves are often crack shots and can pinpoint targets with unerring accuracy, even if the foe is in cover. The use a more elaborate weapon that the standard Fusion Gun known as a Firepike. This is a sophisticated Melta Weapon, with a distinctive long barrel that can project its deadly melta beam a considerable distance. They are also known to utilise a master crafter Flamer weapon known as the Dragon's Breath Flamer, which can unleash a raging inferno upon a nearby foe.

Phoenix Lord

The Phoenix Lord of the Fire Dragons is Fuegan, The Burning Lance. Fuegan learned the arts of war in the Shrine of Asur, under the eyes of the first Phoenix Lord Asurmen in the distant time millennia ago when the Warrior Aspects were first born. Fuegan founded the first Aspect Shrine of the Fire Dragons, and schooled the first Aspect Warriors of the shrine in the art of war with fire and flame. He was thought lost when the Shrine of Asur was destroyed by the Arhra, the Fallen Phoenix. Fuegan disappeared for many centuries, before reappearing during the final battle at Haranshemash ( "The World of Blood and Tears" in the Eldar Lexicon) to fight alongside the Eldar. After that conflict Fuegan vanished into the Webway, and has travelled its secret tunnels ever since, tracking down the enemies of his ancient forebears.

Fire Dragons Wargear

Aspect Armour - Like other Eldar Aspects, Fire Dragons 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. Their Aspect armour is thicker than that of a Dire Avenger, and has many spiny protrusions which help to make it stiffer and more resilient. This is important because the Fire Dragons's weapons have a relatively short range, so they must close with their enemies in order to deliver a murderous blast of their melta-weapons. 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 Dark Reaper Aspect Armour are not extra gems, but small compartments that contain the suit's technical systems. A tabard is a common addition to the Fire Dragon's 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 all wears a distinctive scaled and spined armour which always reflects the colour of fire and flames. Combinations of red, organ and yellow mark the armour of the different shrines of Fire Dragons.
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 Fire Dragons Aspect Warrior's helmet is distinctively tall with a long top crest. By custom, it is this helmet that marks the Aspect Warriors as the protectors and avengers of their Craftworld. It bears the Dire Avengers Aspect's rune of the Fire Dragons, traced upon its forehead.
Fusion Gun - The Fire Dragons possess unsurpassed mastery of heat weapons, and take savage delight in the devastation they create. They utilise a deadly melta weapon known as a Fusion Gun, a weapon that is unique to the Fire Dragons' Aspect Shrines. Though it can only be used at short range it possesses a sophisticated targetting systems, as befits high status troops like Aspect Warriors. Like most Eldar technology, the weapon is psychically activated, its resonant Wraithbone construction being sensitive to the Eldar's innately psychic mind. A Fire Dragons' Fusion Gun is linked to its targeter via its handle.
Firepike - A Firepike is a variant of the Fusion Gun used only by Fire Dragon Exarchs. These weapons are sophisticated Melta weapons with a distinctive long barrel that can project its deadly Melta beam a considerable distance further than the norm.
Dragon's Breath Flamer - The Dragon's Breath Flamer can unleash a ranging inferno upon a nearby foe. They are similar to Heavy Flamers.
Melta Bombs - Fire Dragons are also known to carry additional equipment such as Melta Bombs. These discus-shaped explosive devices are attached to any surface and detonated by verbal command. This weapon is used when assaulting an armoured target to ensure its destruction.

Sources

Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 32, 57, 62
Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), pp. 10, 20
Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pp. 9, 23, 37, 40, 74
Warhammer Rulebook (5th Edition), pg. 157
White Dwarf 173 (US), "Eldar Pheonix Lords", pp. 6-9
White Dwarf 127 (US), "Eldar" by Rick Priestley, Jes Goodwin, William King & Lindsey D. Le Doux Paton, pp. 13-52

Gallery

**Aspect Warriors**
Dark Reapers • Dire Avengers • Fire Dragons • Howling Banshees • Shadow Spectres • Shining Spears • Striking Scorpions • Swooping Hawks • Warp Spiders