Aspect Warrior

Eldar Portal

Path of the Warrior symbol^[10b]

The Asurya^[11] or Aspect Warriors form the main military strength of the Eldar armies. These Eldar have chosen to walk the Path of the Warrior. Once an Eldar has chosen to tread this path they join an Aspect Shrine, a group of warriors dedicated to one Aspect. There, Exarchs train them in a specific aspect of warfare.

Overview

Each Warrior Aspect represents a facet of the Eldar war god, Kaela Mensha Khaine, and thus embodies a specific aspect of Eldar warfare. Each shrine was founded millennia ago by a single Phoenix Lord. It is impossible to say how many different Aspects there are. The most common Aspects have shrines on most Craftworlds, while some Aspects are unique to a particular Craftworld - such as the weirdly terrifying Slicing Orbs of Zandros, which are confined to a single shrine on a single craftworld.^[2] The Phoenix Lords are legendary aspect warriors who are seen as the leaders of each Aspect Warrior shrine.^[4b]

Notable Aspect Warriors

Major Aspect Shrines

Major Aspect Shrines
Symbol	Name	Phoenix Lord	Aspect of Khaine	Specialty	Source
	Dire Avengers	Asurmen, the Hand of Asuryan	Noble punishment, valour, discipline	Tactical flexibility	[12]
	Howling Banshees	Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence	Fury, cunning of Morai-Heg	Close combat and speed	[12]
	Dark Reapers	Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls	The Destroyer, the harvester of souls	Heavy firepower	[12]
	Fire Dragons	Fuegan, the Burning Lance	Elemental destruction, the Dragon	Heat weapons, anti-tank	[12]
	Striking Scorpions	Karandras, the Shadow Hunter	The hunter and the killer, Murekh	Stealth, assassination	[12]
	Swooping Hawks	Baharroth, the Cry of the Wind	Retribution and judgement, the Hawk	Aerial combat	[12]
	Shining Spears	Drastanta, the Tempest of Starlight	Khaine's spear, which struck like lightning	Jetbikes	[13]
	Warp Spiders	Lhykhis, the Whispering Web	The trapper and ensnarer, the Lhykosidae	Teleport, the ambush	[12]

Minor Aspect Shrines

There are dozens^[10a] of aspects of Khaine, the Lord of Murder many of which go unnamed.

• Blinding Claws^[10a]
• Coiled Serpents^[10a]

Aspect Warriors battle to defend their Craftworld^[4a]

• Crimson Hunters are rare aspect warriors that pilot Eldar aircraft and excel in dogfighting and air combat.
• Crystal Dragons^[3][10a]
• Ebon Talons^[7][10a]
• Eagle Pilots^[1]
• Golden Raptors^[10a]
• Shadow Spectres are the Eldar warriors who take Khaine's embodiment of the Eternal Warrior. Burning tank chassis are the constant reminder of the power of their Prism Rifles. Fallen Shadow Spectres are often put into wraithbone bodies.
• Slicing Orbs^[4c][10a]
• Star Eagles^[11]

Exarchs

Exarchs are former aspect warriors who have lost themselves upon the Path of the Warrior and are unable to ever leave it again. They become Exarchs: simultaneously priests of Khaine, caretakers of individual shrines, and trainers, teachers, and instructors of the respective aspect. They are equipped with very ancient weaponry and armour. Each aspect has its own particular kind of Exarch. On the battlefield, an Exarch commands an individual squad of aspect warriors. Exarchs are formidable warriors, and most of them can use their abilities to help the whole squad of aspect warriors under their command.^[8]

See also

• Aspect Shell
• Inquisitor Magazine Issue 12

Sources

• 1: Shadow Point (Novel), ^{[Needs Citation]}, pg. 42
• 2: Codex Imperialis (Background Book), pg. 65
• 3: Path of the Warrior (Novel), ^{[Needs Citation]}, pg. 279
• 4: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)
  • 4a: Cover
  • 4b: pg. 11
  • 4c: pg. 23
• 5: Shadow Spectres Aspect Warrior Squad [1] by Forge World (accessed 2010.11.08)
• 6: Codex: Eldar (6th Edition) ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 7: Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan (Novel), ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 8: Codex Imperialis (Background Book), pg. 70
• 9: Warhammer Community: World Championships Preview – Aeldari Phoenix Lords step from the webway (Saved archive page, dated 22 Nov 2024, last accessed 22 November 2024, original link: https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/gw3wcpc7/world-championships-preview-aeldari-phoenix-lords-step-from-the-webway/)
• 10: Codex: Aeldari (9th Edition)
  • 10a: pg. 33
  • 10b: pg. 129
• 11: White Dwarf 302 (UK) pg. 63
• 12: Wrath & Glory - Aeldari - Inheritance of Embers - pgs. 22-30
• 13: White Dwarf 511 (UK), pgs. 78-81