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===The Ritual of Awakening===
[[Image:Eldar Avatar.jpg|thumb|right|220px|An Avatar{{Fn|2a}}]]Once a year, one of the [[Exarch]]s of a Craftworld is chosen by its [[Farseer]]s to hold the title of [[Young King]] and will be ritually sacrificed to awaken the Avatar of Khaine, if needed. If the Avatar need not be awoken that year, then the warrior will returns to the duties of their former role. On [[Biel-Tan]], the Exarch instead joins the [[Court of the Young King]] which aids in governing their craftworld alongside the seer council.{{Fn|22b}}
The Young King is typically an exarch, but sometimes an aspect warrior, and can be male or female. The Young King is brought before the enormous gates of the Avatar's Chamber, which is covered in stories of various Aeldari myths. Before this they are bathed in incense of dozens of different flower petals, saps of various fruit trees, and oils of countless crushed herbs.{{Fn|10}} Wearing nothing save for a wraithbone crown of thorns, the Young King stands naked in front the searing bronze gates of a stirring god.{{Fn|11}} The Exarchs of the respective craftworld usher the Young King into the scorching heat of the Avatar's Chamber, and open the gates to the roaring Avatar's domain.{{Fn|10}}
On the battlefield, the Avatar towers above the Eldar warriors, his presence filling them with memories of their glorious past and with savage bloodlust, thus making them more courageous fighters.{{Fn|1}} He is utterly fearless, and often spearheads the Eldar attack, slaying his foes with [[Wailing Doom|The Wailing Doom]], a legendary weapon that can take the form of a sword, axe or spear. The weapon can even smite his foes at a distance, immolating them with a nimbus of burning psychic energy.{{Fn|3}}
In melee Avatar crush its foes with a mighty '''Hand of Khaine''' - a molten metal gauntlet that constantly bathed in the still-warm blood of a young Aspect Warrior.{{Fn|6}} In their right hand the incarnation of the Bloody-Handed God wields ''[[Suin Daellae]]'', the Wailing Doom, which either takes the form of a spear, sword,{{Fn|11}} or axe.{{Fn|22b}}
An Avatar is a very tough being of super-heated iron, with a molten lava core. Heat-based weapons are rendered ineffective against him, due to the nature of his body.{{Fn|3}} So hot is an Avatar's body that most shots from [[projectile weapon]]s, including [[bolter]]s fired at point-blank range, will be incinerated before impact; the few that do penetrate the body will suffer a similar fate before they can explode.{{Fn|4}}
==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]], pg. 8
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition)]], :**{{Endn|2a}}: Cover **{{Endn|2b}}: pg. 21
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)]], pg. 24
*{{Endn|4}}: [[Priests of Mars (Novel)]], Chapter 20
