Maiden World
Maiden Worlds are the lush paradise worlds originally created by the Eldar before the Fall of their race. The creation involved seeding barren planets with life, gradually leading to their transformation into lush, life-supporting worlds. The seeding of worlds was part of a program of colonisation which would take many thousands of years to reach fruition, and the result would only be seen by later generations of Eldar.[1]
Overview
The development of a lifeless planet into a Maiden world was a slow one. The process was overseen by ancient Eldar Empire vessels known as Dominion Genesis. Simple bacteria were introduced to create a stable atmosphere first and gradually more complex organisms were added to stabilise the bio-system of the planet. Eventually, in the distant future the world would be ready to colonise by the Eldar. Once the process began it was fairly self-sustaining but took thousands of years to complete. These worlds are referred to by the Eldar as Lilaethan (Maiden worlds) after the Eldar goddess Lileath. They are often highly rich in resources and safe from illnesses as they were developed to resist harmful lifeforms. The Eldar consider these worlds their own, created by their forefathers for them to settle. As Eldar civilisation neared its Fall, many groups among the Eldar denounced their decadent societies, abandoning their homeworlds in a series of migrations called the Exodus. These Exodites traveled far away from their collapsing civilisation and settled the still barren Maiden worlds.[1]
The seeded worlds survived the Fall of the Eldar, and continued to develop on their own. In the Age of the Imperium these worlds are now verdant paradise worlds. Inevitably, many have been settled by non-Eldar races. Although these races may have lived on Maiden Worlds for thousands of years, the descendants of the colonists are considered invaders by Eldar. After the Fall, the Eldar began to settle the verdant worlds they created, sometimes finding their worlds already inhabited by other races. The "invaders" are given the choice of leaving or being exterminated. Even in cases where the colonists are feral savages with no means of leaving the planet, the Eldar have mercilessly followed through with the threat of extermination.[2]
Known Maiden Worlds
| Planet name | Segmentum | Affiliation | Population | Notes |
| Agarimethea | Necrons | [18] | ||
| Alayran | Eldar | |||
| Corrus | Eldar/Chaos | [21] | ||
| Davinuus[9] | Eldar/Imperium | Eldar from the Craftworld Iyanden fought the forces of the Imperium to reclaim this Maiden World. A truce was reached and both sides joined forces when Tyranids were found on the planet. The truce ended with the Tyranids' defeat.[9] | ||
| Emele | Pacificus | Imperium | Also — Forbidden World | |
| Eth-aelas | The site of the destruction of the second tendril of Hive Fleet Naga.[5] | |||
| Ethero | Eldar | Was attacked by the tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken but saved by allied forces of Harlequins of the Masque of the Frozen Stars and Biel-Tan[11] | ||
| Equinox (former) | Tempestus | Imperium | Now — Industrial World. Maiden World colonised by the Imperium. Formally known as a thriving civilised planet, now it has degenerated into a sodden crumbling nightmare, because of constant rainfall caused by the Imperium's abuse of the planet's ecosystem.[10] | |
| Hannibal[2] | Eldar | |||
| Iathglas | Ultima | Eldar | Site of a recent major council of the Eldar.[14] | |
| Illirisa | Human (Formerly) | Cleansed by Biel-Tan of human Astra Militarum garrisons on the planet sometime after the Fracture of Biel-Tan.[20] | ||
| Ikaneos-Alpha (former) | none | Last Aeldari Maiden World seeded using the Turellea Dandramensha (Dominion Genesis). Colonised by Imperium in M36 and destroyed the biosphere through industry, creating a poisoned & barren wasteland. Biel-Tan forces would subsequently scour all Imperial forces from the world and destroy any further human expeditions.[17] | ||
| Kal Eyath | Eldar | |||
| Kiliak | Eldar | The site of a battle between Imperial xenologists and Craftworlds Biel-Tan and Ulthwé.[8] | ||
| Lelialthar | Imperium, Black Templars | Black Templar recruiting world. | ||
| Lethidia | Dark Eldar | Captured by the Dark Eldar and transported to Commorragh | ||
| Lilae'Fionnadh | Imperium | An ancient Maiden World lost to a warp storm during the Fall and later colonised by Human settlers with the world becoming known as Dread Pearl.[6] | ||
| Lilarsus (former) | Ultima | N/A | Destroyed by the Tau Empire | |
| Meridian (former) | Imperium | Now — Hive World | ||
| Morshanna (former) | N/A | Now — Dead World | ||
| Rasilena[12] | Eldar | The site of the Battle of Rasilena in 777.M34[12] | ||
| Reama-Hann[22] | Eldar | Protected by the Harlequins of the Midnight Dancers[22] | ||
| Shau-Yor | None (Eldar former) | Biomass was eaten by Tyranids | ||
| Silentia | Held a shard of the Void Dragon.[19] | |||
| Talithia | Eldar | Former Imperium world | ||
| Tarsus (former) | Eldar | A Maiden World guarded by craftworld Ulthwé. After a meeting between Eldrad and Fulgrim went sour, Fulgrim ordered the world and others in the Perdus Region bombed with the life-eater virus.[3] | ||
| Torvendis (former) | Chaos | A sentient Maiden World at the very heart of the Maelstrom. After being tortured and driven insane by Chaos minions inhabiting it, it eventually destroyed itself as revenge against the Chaos gods who had imprisoned it and treasured it for so long.[4] | ||
| Twenty-Eight Four | catalogued by the 28th Expedition Fleet. Left unmolested until after the meeting between Eldrad Ulthran and Fulgrim.[3] | |||
| Unnamed worlds in the Perdus Region | They met the same fate as Tarsus, virus bombed with the life-eater virus by Fulgrim.[3] | |||
| Valedor (Duriel) (former) |
None | None | Also - former Cardinal World, now - destroyed | |
| Veloria (former) |
Ultima | None | None | Contested between Orks and Tyranids[15] |
| Youlemesesh | Once infested by Xenos, liberated by Saim-Hann forces[16] | |||
| Yrthal[13] | former Imperium | None, human |
Sources
 |
- 1: White Dwarf 126 (UK), pg. 28
- 2: Harlequin (Novel),
[Help] - 3: Fulgrim (Novel), [Help], pgs. 354–366
- 4: Daemon World (Novel), [Help]
- 5: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pgs. 16–17
- 6: Rogue Trader: Lure of the Expanse, pg. 97
- 8: Planetstrike, pg. 55
- 9: Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War
- 10: Inquisitor Conspiracies 3 - Heavenfall, pg. 4
- 11: Harlequins Painting Guide – Warriors of the Laughing God, pg. 41
- 12: Iyanden: A Codex: Eldar Supplement (E-Book): Iyanden's Rise and Fall
- 13: Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 53
- 14: Psychic Awakening: Phoenix Rising, pgs. 22-23
- 15: War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pg. 22
- 16: Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider (Novel), Chapter 22
- 17: Dominion Genesis (Novel): The Fane, Chapter Two
- 18: Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider (Novel) - Chapter 9
- 19: Codex: Necrons (7th Edition) (E-Book), A New Epoch Begins
- 20: Codex: Craftworlds (8th Edition), pg. 57
- 21: Renegades, pg. 35
- 22: The Citadel Journal 2, pgs. 11-17
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