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Exodite

Revision as of 16:11, 26 July 2025 by KazilDarkeye (talk | contribs)
Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Eldar faction; for the animated series, see The Exodite (Animation).
Exodite Dragon Knight atop their Raptor battles a Salamanders Space Marine during the Great Crusade.[1]

The Exodites are the Eldar who abandoned their homeworlds before the Fall, establishing new cities on Maiden Worlds of the Eldar Empire in order to escape the growing decadence of their civilization.[10] Protected from Slaanesh's predation by their World Spirit, they purposefully live a physically rigorous life[2a], expressing the intensity of their Aeldari nature through a powerful loyalty to their clans and a strong determination to acheive the clan's objectives.[20] They are known for the martial superiority of their Dragon Knights.

History

The Fall

 
The Exodites, #2, shown among the Aeldari disaspora.

Beginning in M30[7] as the Eldar Empire neared its Fall, the degeneration of Eldar society leading to the Fall did not go wholly without resistance. Far-sighted individuals began to criticize the decadence of their citizens and warn against the newly formed cults[2b] and the abandonment of the Eldar Gods[17]. Mostly ignored or else treated as narrow-minded fools and fanatics by their fellow citizens, as society collapsed they became resolute that this would be a decline without end.[2b] They were the ones still untainted by the touch of Chaos, and by now they were few.[10] They would form a new group of doomsayers and survivalists, deciding to leave the Eldar worlds and settle planets far from Eldar civilization among the Lilaethan, the Maiden Worlds[2b] seeded at the height of the empire by Turella Dandramensha Dominion Genesis ships,[19] abandoning their homeworlds in a series of migrations called the Exodus[2b] and for their exodus they were named Exodites.[19]

The first Exodites would launch from Hiron-athela[18] and assortment of spacecraft would follow, including Craftworlds built from the habitat towers, domes, and Webway pylons that would become the foundation of new cities.[19] The Exodites would also bring with them the tremendous war-machines of the Eldar Knights.[20] The Exodites travelled far away from their collapsing civilization, mostly eastward, settling many, often harsh, worlds – a place of safety (for most) beyond the psychic implosion that would wipe out most of the Eldar race and its empire[2b] in M31.[7]

Recent History

The Exodites survive on Maiden Worlds, untamed and dangerous planets, where they have learned to herd Dragons, cultivate crops and harvest other natural resources.[2b] Within a generation, aristocratic noble houses formed among the Exodites, and it is the decendents of these planetary kings who rule today[20]. Today Exodite Worlds exist in a seemingly primitive state,[10] and their Asuryani brethren view them as rustic and simple, but it is by choice that they live as they do. Exodites have many advanced technologies and are familiar with the same sophisticated materials used on the Craftworlds, they purposefully live a hard life.[2b]

The Exodites are not isolated from the rest of the Aeldari Diaspora, their worlds linked through Webway gates.[2b] Many Outcasts will find a refuge among these Eldar,[10] and Rangers will regularly patrol Exodite worlds.[2b] Exodites are generally accepting of Eldar Corsairs patronizing their mercenary contracts and hosting their pirate fleets.[2c] It is not uncommon for an outcast craftworlder or corsair to settle into permanent life among the tribes of the Exodites, they bring skills which the Exodites value highly[2a] and likewise not all Exodites remain with their tribes and sometimes join other Eldar groups.[10] The Ynnari even count some Exodites among their number. Several Craftworlds have a special interest in the wellbeing of Exodites including Saim-Hann, whose young travel to Exodite worlds for rites of passage,[3] and Biel-tan, who view the Exodite worlds as the foundation of a reborn Aeldari Empire and will mobilise its forces in defence of any of the scattered worlds.[10]

Society

 
Exodite forces gather for war.[2a]

Though Exodite societies vary across the galaxy virtually all organize into an aristocratic hierarchy of clannish tribes, much like the Asuryani of Saim-Hann,[3] with each lead by a warrior elite known as a chief[12] or Dragonlord.[8] Each Exodite tribe on a planet swears loyalty to a local ruling tribe that in turn owes adherence to the planet's king[2a] and his Noble House,[20] who in turn keeps a retinue of Warlocks[8] to settle disputes between the tribes. Full conflicts between tribes are rare but clashes between rival Dragon Knights are common. It is the Noble Houses of the Eldar that maintain the Eldar Knights and it is through combat award that Eldar Knights become Lords and new Noble Houses.[20] The King is also responsible for guarding the Royal Circle, the most potent link in the World Spirit's network.[2a]

Exodite tribes are nomadic timing their planting and harvests with the seasons and moving between settlements and seasonal camps, arriving in in the late summer to collect crops planted in the spring and remaining until it is time to plant crops the following year,[2a] with some tribes even migrating through the Webway to reach new grazing lands as seasons change.[22] It is notable that no matter how hard-fought their disputes might be, no Eldar would despoil or steal the crops of a rival tribe even though these lie unprotected for months at a time.[2a] Exodite cities are meagre, small, and thinly scattered[2a], built of Wraithbone towers[6] and quarried stone domes[8][1] they co-exist with wild beasts of all kinds.[2a] The lives Exodites live is thought to be similar to the ancient Eldar empire before the Fall and birth of Slaanesh.[2a]

Most of Exodite life revolve around the Dragons they ride and herd, and it is said that Exodite warriors are practically born into a dragon's saddle.[2a] Exodites herd and work bestial dragons, including Megasaurs[2a] and Megadons,[20] from the backs of horse-sized dragon Raptors[1] with Laser Lances,[2a] but they may also do so from the helms of Eldar Knights[20] or with Scout Walkers[24]. Exodites eat and trade valuable dragon meat, they fashion their clothes from dragon hide,[2a] and they sing dragon bones into their structures and tools[6]. In times of war, exodite clans will ride as Dragon Knights, primarily atop the horse-sized Raptors[1] but also in aerial squadrons of atop fire-breathing[13] flying dragons including Giant Pterosaur,[5a] with the clan chief alone rightfully riding the fearsome and giant Carnosaur.[10] Working Dragons are also brought into combat, with heavy weapons mounted in troop-carrying howdahs.[6] While not willingly hostile, the Exodites are a stout, self-confident people and still possess the mythical pride, even arrogance, of the ancient Eldar race.[2b]

Exodites do not follow the Asuryan Paths of their Asuryani cousins but do see the value of maintaining discipline, they purposefully live a rigorous life[2a] eschewing the ancient Eldar technology they maintain mastery of[2a] to purge their souls in a ceaseless battle against the environment,[5a] expressing the intensity of their Aeldari nature through a powerful loyalty to their clans and a strong determination to acheive the clan's objectives.[20] Exodites continue to revere the pantheon of Eldar Gods, they take no joy in warfare, fearful of the battlelust of Khaine,[14] and thier Worldsingers who guide their dead into the afterlife of the World Spirit are associated with Isha.[5b]

Technology

The Exodite approach to technology is drastically different from their Aeldari cousins, viewing the rigor of physical labor as better for their souls than the convenience of technology (e.g. choosing to climb stairs rather than use Gravatic Impellers[19]), but their mastery of ancient Eldar technologies has not atrophied. When threatened with war, all prohibitions are set aside[25] and the Exodites empty their armories of ancient weaponry to become a deadly fighting force. Exodites generally prefer to make their tools and clothing from materials native to their Maiden World, as psychoplastics like Wraithbone are scarce, but Exodites will substitute Dragon bone in their Bonesinging[6] and will otherwise trade with the Craftworlds for any materials they cannot create themselves[2a]. Their intentional neglect of technology, and demand for Craftworld materials, has lead to the mistaken beleif among the Asuryani that the Exodite Worlds are backward and rustic.[2a] Like their Asuryani cousins, Exodites wear spirit stones, although their stones are shattered on altars[2a] and the Worldsinger[15] joins their spirits with the World Spirit when they die.

In times of war, Exodites will don Mesh Armour[2a] and armour of bone[2a] under robes and capes of rough loose woven fabric[27] to protect themselves, all manner of scrimshaw jewelry and decorations crafted from local wildlife,{{Fn|6} and} wield a variety of weapons including Long Rifles[2a], Lasguns[2a], Shuriken weapons[2a], and Power Blades.[2a] Exodite champions will sometimes travel the galaxy, often among the Outcasts and Corsairs and in that time collect wargear and relics of immense power. Dragon Knights will mount horse-sized and giant flying Dragons, exodite royalty ride Eldar Knights[20], and other Exodites will attend howdahs mounted on the backs of herd Dragons with Heavy Weapons. Exodites remain wild and powerful seers[2a], and fight with retinues of Warlocks and Farseers[22]. Exodites are among the galaxy's greated animal trainers, with nearly every Kurnite Hunter learning their menagerie on Exodite Worlds[28], and will routinely employ creatures like the Faolchú[28], Wyvach, or Raptorhounds to patrol and hunt.[26]

World Spirit

The Exodites maintain a naturally-grown crystaline equivalent of an Infinity Circuit known as a World Spirits which exists in the form of stone menhirs, obelisks, and stone circles all crafted from psychoactive crystal which link with eachother through an isolated portion of the Webway and forms an effective refuge from Slaanesh[2a]. The most impressive structure of the World Spirit is the concentric circles and avenues that comprise the Royal Circle, for which the planet's king is responsible for guarding. The World Spirit is connected to vast barrows, in which the dead are lain to rest[2a] and of which the most prominent is the World Shrine.[4] The Exodites will fight fiercely to protect their worlds, to abandon a world is to abandon the souls of their ancestors to the warp[2a]. Should the psychic paths of the World Spirit be left unguarded, it could provide egress for Daemonic intelligence, an Exodite world's worst nightmare[2a]. Even in death the gestalt of the World Spirit is capable of screaming to Infinity Circuits for help [13] and manifesting as phantasms.[29]

Eldar Knights

Main article: Eldar Knight
 
Eldar Knight Clans, showing their ranks: Squires decorated in gold, combat-proven knights in bronze, and legendary lords in silver.

Eldar Knights are synonymous with the Exodite nobles who pilot them. Great war-machines brought along on the Exodus maintained by the Noble Houses of the newfound planet's king. Eldar Knights are massive, thirty to fourty feet tall, their spirits borrow memories from any of their previous pilots leaving those who operate them speaking in archaic dialects.[20]

Conflict

Mon-keigh Knight Houses formed during the Age of Strife after learning Eldar farming techniques during the Dark Age of Technology, and colonized Maiden Worlds often neighboring those of the Exodites to the point that the Eldar lay claim on severaal Knight Worlds. The two cultures often clash over resources and the Eldar Knights gain prestige through their battles with the Imperial Knights.[20]

Forces

Though often looking to their Craftworld brethren for protection, Exodites are nonetheless capable of defending themselves in a war. Their forces include:[2a]

Notable Exodites

Related Videos

Trivia

 

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

  • Sketch labeled "Exodite Dragon-Riders"[23]

  • Sketch labeled "Exodite Scoutlancer"[23]

See also

Sources

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