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Wraithlord

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Wraithlord of Iyanden

Wraithlords, known previously as Eldar Dreadnoughts, and are gigantic Wraith Constructs made of Wraithbone and inhabited by the souls of dead Eldar heroes through Soul Stones.[3] Towering far above their still-living brethren, the Wraithlord is a force to be reckoned with. Only the most capable warriors of the Craftworlds are encased inside them, although the exact reason why is unclear. They can be armed with a myriad of weapons, including melee, short-ranged, and long-ranged, with the ability to smash most enemies in combat.[7]

Overview

 
Ul-Khari Wraithlord aiding a yet living asuryani out from under wreckage.[16]

The creation of a Wraithlord involves empowering an Eldar Spirit Stone with the proper soul of an Eldar, plucked from the Infinity Circuit. The soul is then placed into the forehead of a Wraithlord chassis.[2] Should the Wraithlord fall in battle, the Spirit Stone will be recovered and either be placed onto another Wraith construct, or be returned to the Infinity Circuit. Despite the fact that the Wraithlord exists in the real world, the spirit which controls it is never able to be as alert as those still alive, inhabiting a dimension both in the 'real' world and the warp at the same time. This phenomenon is known as 'Wraithsight', and can affect the Wraithlord in battle by making them slower to act and occasionally stopping them from acting at all.[1a] As a result, a Spiritseer must remain in close proximity to Wraith constructs in order to guide their actions.[1b]

 
Wraithlord rune[17]

Standard Wraithlord equipment include two Power fists, with flamers or Shuriken Cannons attached to the side. In addition, some Wraithlords are equipped with heavy armaments such as Scatter Lasers, missile launchers, Bright Lances, and starcannons. Weaponry is often chosen to complement the soul of the spirit controlling the Wraithlord, as their predisposition towards different types of combat follows them beyond death - those who favoured close combat will still attempt to tear their enemies limb from limb or cleave foes with a massive Ghostglaive.[7]

Variants

Famous Wraithlords

Images

Miniatures

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.

 

This article or article section is based on entries to the Golden Demon competition such as those featured on White Dwarf, or similar public events showcases (e.g. exhibits at Warhammer World and local GW stores, Armies on Parade, Warhammer Championships, etc.) published by Games Workshop. These showcases regularly feature miniatures and content submitted by hobbyists, and as such, their content may or may not be in contradiction to established background lore.

 
Dark Eldar Wraithlord[18]

Development History

Rogue Trader

 
Eldar Dreadnoughts painted in the colours of various Eldar Corsair warbands, including a pilot (second figure).[9]
  • First appearing as the Eldar Dreadnought in White Dwarf 100 (UK) in May 1988, alongside Imperial and Ork Dreadnoughts, the Eldar Dreadnought was a tall and elegant machine crafted by its pilot in a giant automated factory within a Craft-Worlds. It was controlled either through manual controls and screens inside its bulbous cockpit or through a "mind-impulse link" which would use the Eldar's own brain to run mental targeting programs and puppet the Dreadnought as if it were their own body, and powered by a Crystal Battery.[9] The Dreadnought was described with three assembly patterns:
 
Eldar Dreadnought with Demolisher (left)[13a]
 
The Spirit-Warrior fights beside two Ghost-Warriors[10b]
  • One month later in June 1988 White Dwarf 101 (UK) would introduce a new concept: the Infinity Circuit, by which the memory and personality patterns of a dead Eldar could be transferred into a machine body via a Soul-Graft, as well as a new unit: the Spirit Warrior similar in every way to the Dreadnought with the notable exception that this Infinity Circuit would replace the living pilot.[10b] This new Spirit-Warrior would retain the psychic mastery of the soul that embodied it running on circuits of Memory, Emotion, Logic, and Perception.[10b] The Spirit Warrior could be built with the same patterns of the Dreadnought, War-Demon, War-Cry, and Banshee with an additional pattern:

2nd Edition and Beyond

See also

Sources


Craftworld Eldar Vehicles
Light Vehicles Jetbike (Raptor Jetbike) • Hornet • Vyper
Walkers War Walker • Wasp Assault Walker • Scout Walker
Wraith Constructs Wraithblade • Wraithguard • Wraithknight • Wraithlord • Wraithseer
Artillery Anti-Aircraft Platform • Support Weapon Batteries (D-Cannon • Vibro Cannon • Shadow Weaver)
Grav-Tanks Falcon • Fire Prism • Firestorm • Night Spinner • Warp Hunter • Wave Serpent
Super-Heavy Grav-Tanks Cobra • Lynx • Scorpion • Storm Serpent • Void Spinner
Super-Heavy Walkers Eldar Knight • Eldar Titan (Revenant • Phantom • Warlock)
Aircraft Hemlock • Nightwing • Nightshade (Crimson Hunter) • Phoenix • Vampire Raider • Vampire Hunter • Dawnsail •
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