Karandras

Karandras, the Shadow Hunter, Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, standing triumphant over a dead Tyranid.

Karandras, called the "Shadow Hunter," is the Craftworld Aeldari Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions Aspect Warriors. Legends of Karandras the Shadow Hunter tell of one of the most mysterious of all the Phoenix Lords. No one knows where he originally came from or where his shrine originally lay, but perhaps it was on one of the small craftworlds which survived the Fall of the Aeldari but was destroyed soon after.

History

Asurmen 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 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, 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.

Karandras attacks a Black Templars Space Marine.

The Aeldari mythic cycles tell of the legend of Karandras, "the Shadow Hunter," the mysterious Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions Aspect. No one knows his origins or where he came from, for he was not the oldest or the most skilled of the Exarchs of the Striking Scorpions when he rose to become the Aspect's new master.

It is said that this singular honour belongs to the one that came before him, Arhra, the "Father of Scorpions," the most sinister of all the Phoenix Lords. Arhra was lured to 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." Whether he lives is still unknown, but many Asuryani have their suspicions 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 become Drazhar, the Master of Blades, the greatest champion of the Incubi.

It is also believed that Karandras was a Striking Scorpions Exarch, and the greatest student of Arhra, who 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 Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts," when their bloodlust and murderous desires overtook them.

Karandras was last seen duelling Drazhar 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.

Wargear

Karandras, wearing his deadly panoply of war

• Phoenix Armour - The legendary Phoenix Lords of the Aspect Warriors wear ancient, invaluable variant suits of Aspect Armour so finely wrought it is proof against almost any weapon, while the helmet contains Spirit Stones filled with the souls of every Exarch who has ever worn the armour and served as their Aspect's Phoenix Lord in turn since the time of the First Shrine on Asur.

• Scorpion's Bite - Karandras has the most potent sting of any Striking Scorpion, for the Mandiblasters of his Aspect Warriors are but a pin-prick compared to the fearsome bite of this Phoenix Lord.

• Scorpion Chainsword - First amongst the ritual weapons used by the Striking Scorpions Aspect, these distinctive chainswords bolster the strength of their users considerably.

• Scorpion's Claw - Artfully crafted to visually resemble the mighty pincer of a real scorpion, this weapon is in essence the Aeldari version of a Power Fist. It is sheathed in a power field that enables a wielder to tear through even the thickest battle plate. The Scorpion's Claw incorporates a Shuriken Catapult into the weapon's vambrace for ranged engagements, granting the Phoenix Lord a moderate amount of firepower while allowing him to wield his deadly chainsword in his other hand, and thus not hamper his close quarters prowess.

• Plasma Grenades - The Asuryani and Drukhari use Plasma Grenades in the same manner that the far more crudely designed Frag Grenades are used by the forces of the Imperium. They use a small amount of exploding plasma to blind the enemy and prevent them from properly using their terrain to defend their position against advancing enemy forces.

See Also

• Arhra

Sources

• Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pp. 55, 84
• Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), pp. 10, 42
• Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 33, 56
• Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pp. 58, 77
• Path of the Warrior (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, pp. 130, 402