News: No news is good news...

Login  |  Register

Author Topic: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff  (Read 2515 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline TheMightyPikachu

  • Pi-Ka-Chu!
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11243
  • The Mightiest
A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« on: January 8, 2005, 03:36:05 PM »
http://www.specialist-games.com/epic/assets/pdf/swordwind/swordwindpt1.pdf
Originally linked from a thread about models, I started reading it and found out bunches of new stuff.
Like... Did you know...
-Former Young Kings on Ulthwe often become Warlocks?
-The Void Spinner weapon destroys everything, flesh/bone/iron/ceramite, completely, by breaking their molecular bonds?
-Avatars use the webway?
-Eldar families have inherent psychic bonds?

alot of it contradicts previous fluff, or just plain contradicts itself, like the Exarch/Warlock/Young King/Armor stuff. So it's really not a 'successor' of anything, just more stuff.
« Last Edit: January 8, 2005, 03:40:59 PM by TheMightyPikachu »
www.andylc.deviantart.com
did you know I can draw?

Offline Devern, The Unsung Hero

  • I will slumber until called upon
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5290
  • Look out Boys, I'm coming
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #1 on: January 8, 2005, 03:44:29 PM »
I could see the inherent psychic bonds of Eldar, as well as the Avatar using the webway, he has to get there somewhere.

But as for the young king bit, I thought Exarchs were stuck on that path.
Quote from: Sheep
FMG is a Swiss army knife. Always a tool, but with so many functions. And he fits right in your pocket.
I cut a hole in your head, using it as a hump-hole.[/color]
We have some messed up people here..

Offline The GrimSqueaker

  • The Badger on the Road | Staff Infection Officer | Debased Vassal Slayer | Title Barfly | XOXOXO Gossip Girl | Bent Over
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 19053
  • Country: nz
  • From the Fourth Necromantic House
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #2 on: January 8, 2005, 03:51:47 PM »
The Avatar used the Webway in "Shadow Point." Not a great novel but not the worst either.
Quote from: @TracyAuGoGO
Tact is for people who are too slow witted to be sarcastic.
Drink
Knights Tippler
Quote from: Surviving the World
If you can't make fun of something, it's probably not worth taking seriously.

You have to love the smell of science in the morning. It smells of learning.... or perhaps a gas leak.

Offline Kage2020

  • Knower of Things
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6998
  • Country: us
  • Mar a tha, mar a bha, mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #3 on: January 8, 2005, 03:55:08 PM »
-Former Young Kings on Ulthwe often become Warlocks?
Why is this found to be surprising, out of interest?  We know that the Young King is sacrificed to awaken the Avatar, but in their period of service (I woudn't be surprised if it was seven 'years') if the Avatar is not awakened they can continue on the Path... Erm, actually they cannot can they?  They're Exarchs. ;)

-Avatars use the webway?
Rennie and Shadow Point.  Further, remember that the Avatar is not destroyed on the wargame tabletop, but is rather drawn back to the Iron Throne.  (Sound familiar anyway.)

Eldar families have inherent psychic bonds?
All eldar are psychic.  We know this from the 'fluff'.  Some 'families' tend to have a greater connection, i.e. the original Eldar Titans 'fluff'.  So nothing surprising there.

Personally I still argue that the eldar do not revolve around families, but still...

like the Exarch/Warlock/Young King/Armor stuff. So it's really not a 'successor' of anything, just more stuff.
Well, the whole Exarch armour being bonded contradicts the earlier 'fluff' which at least made the effort to be descriptive rather than a backdrop to the wargame, so...

Kage

Offline TheMightyPikachu

  • Pi-Ka-Chu!
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11243
  • The Mightiest
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #4 on: January 8, 2005, 06:43:09 PM »
More stuff- You know about Titan clans, yeah? Well, more detail. Titan clans seem to have an unusual amount of twins/triplets, as many pilot the titans. With the larger ones twins/triplets will work them together. With the one-man Revenants, twins will work in pairs, leading to Revenants often hunting in 'packs'

The young king-> warlock deal was there because I thought "waitaminute, they're exarchs..."

Also Biel Tann is the only craftworld with a positive outlook on life. It involves the most bloodshed and killing, but they sure are upbeat about it.

After a battle, the Avatar returns to the webway, with his court, to seek out more battle. I guess that finally answers the question of "what's the King of destruction doing in a 1000pt battle?" Because he's everywhere.

Lots of it was 2nd ed codex fluff regurgitated, but alot of newer players haven't seen that, so it's a good read.

www.andylc.deviantart.com
did you know I can draw?

Offline Kage2020

  • Knower of Things
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6998
  • Country: us
  • Mar a tha, mar a bha, mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #5 on: January 9, 2005, 10:12:45 AM »
The one thing that has to remembered is that GW is not overtly concerned - or at least based upon their performance to date - with the overall consistency of their universe, just what is cool.  This is formalised somewhat tongue-in-cheek to what has become the "Rule of Cool" or, if you're familiar with the cyberpunk RPG genre and, more particularly, Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. by R. Talisorian Games, by the phrase "Style over Substance".

More stuff- You know about Titan clans, yeah? Well, more detail. Titan clans seem to have an unusual amount of twins/triplets, as many pilot the titans. With the larger ones twins/triplets will work them together. With the one-man Revenants, twins will work in pairs, leading to Revenants often hunting in 'packs'
And can anyone think of a reasonable logic to this?  The obvious - and incorrect one - would be about the birth of souls.  These are just souls that are karmically linked and will be born together for eternity.  Or, rather, they would have been born together for eternity until Slaanesh came onto the scene.  And, of course, the standard transformation of the eldar Thematic Army concept would be that the Titans are becoming rarer and rarer since these karmically linked soul 'combos' - readily ordered from your fast food soul joint of choice - are 'dying out'.  After all, the eldar are supposedly 'dying out' so why should the Titans miss out on the deal. 

This would also amusingly key into the typical 'entropy' approach to the 40k universe where everyone harps on about how things were better in the past, more people knew more, and so on.

The young king-> warlock deal was there because I thought "waitaminute, they're exarchs..."
<grin> I realised this while I was typing... ;)

Also Biel Tann is the only craftworld with a positive outlook on life. It involves the most bloodshed and killing, but they sure are upbeat about it.
Why?  The interpretation of the eldar in the 40k universe seems torn between making them unchangeable and, as a race, completely morose and moribund, and making them quixotic and mercurial enough so that they seem 'eldar'.  Then the inconsistencies, both historical and in terms of how their society is described, are swept under that handy rag which is known as "Too Mysterious, Nothing To See Here".

After a battle, the Avatar returns to the webway, with his court, to seek out more battle. I guess that finally answers the question of "what's the King of destruction doing in a 1000pt battle?" Because he's everywhere.
Ah yes, the joys of the writers not knowing the 'fluff'.  Perhaps there is an alternative to this?  Does this mean that the Avatar 'lives' in the Webway or, perhaps in this singular example, there was a requirement for the Avatar to be about doing other things?

Kage

Offline Sinful

  • The Critic
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 845
  • Badass absinthe drinking anti-socialist pagan
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #6 on: January 9, 2005, 12:29:46 PM »
A question comes to mind. If it is so that after a battle the avatar roams the webway seeking out more battles, what would happen if his original craftworld would suddenly need his assistance once more, but since they can only have one and that one is god knows where drinking with his buddies in the webway it would seem that they would just sit by the vault like good little lakies and wait till his gloryship will finally fall? And another one, if it is so that the avatar is out there somewhere doing his little wars how do the seers know that he isn’t peacefully sitting in his vault? Is it because of some sort of psychic link?  Or just because they saw him being pulled around the entire craft to his resting place? 
I am arrogance in its purest form


Numerus Stultorum Infinitus Est


A sin well hidden is half forgiven.

Offline Kage2020

  • Knower of Things
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6998
  • Country: us
  • Mar a tha, mar a bha, mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #7 on: January 9, 2005, 01:34:32 PM »
And it is for that reason, at least, that it is probably best to ignore that little ditty without a context.  That and one has to question whether eldar truly do fight war after war after war after war after war after war after war after war... etc. ;)

Kage

Offline Flash_hound

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2311
  • Country: us
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #8 on: January 9, 2005, 01:41:12 PM »
My best guess is this...

Eldar more specificlly seers bonesinger, warlocks, and exarchs are psychoniclly (sp?) attached to there craftworlds wraithbone, and through the wraithbone infinity circuit, the wraithbone is attached to the avatar, and is given thought because of the infinity circuit.  With me so far?

Since the Seers and exarchs are so attuned with the the craftworld itself, who has a soul do to the infinity circuit, they can tell that the avatar is in the webway.  Since the craftworld is attached to the avatar, by the way that they gave up part of there 'soul' or wraithbone to create the avatar body, and the soul of the avatar from kaela mensha khaine is inserted into the wraithbone to 'recreate' the armor.  Also when an avatar 'dies' it gives of a psychic reverberation through the craftworld, because they can feel the new soul within its walls.  This is all sorta guessy (is that even a word?) but i'm pretty sure its accurate enough.

GW realizes only the really astute people care about the fluff at all, so they just have some fun making it as complicated and shadowy as possible.

Did this make sense?
« Last Edit: January 9, 2005, 01:42:40 PM by Flash_hound »

Offline Kage2020

  • Knower of Things
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6998
  • Country: us
  • Mar a tha, mar a bha, mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #9 on: January 9, 2005, 02:22:26 PM »
Eldar more specificlly seers bonesinger, warlocks, and exarchs are psychoniclly (sp?) attached to there craftworlds wraithbone, and through the wraithbone infinity circuit, the wraithbone is attached to the avatar, and is given thought because of the infinity circuit.  With me so far?
<grin> It's not that hard.  Arguably all eldar are at least in some way 'attuned' to the wraithbone and therefore Infinity Circuit that permeates through the craftworld and, indeed, other such structures. 

Since the Seers and exarchs are so attuned with the the craftworld itself, who has a soul do to the infinity circuit, they can tell that the avatar is in the webway.
Or they could merely look in the Iron Throneroom and note that it isn't in there! ;)

Also when an avatar 'dies' it gives of a psychic reverberation through the craftworld, because they can feel the new soul within its walls.
Or, alternatively, it works in a 'psychic' fashion in the same way that it does with Necrons... ;)

GW realizes only the really astute people care about the fluff at all, so they just have some fun making it as complicated and shadowy as possible.
<grin> I'm for complexity overlying simplicity in a contiguous and unified fashion... :D

Kage

Offline Flash_hound

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2311
  • Country: us
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #10 on: January 9, 2005, 02:34:55 PM »
You do know that there is fluff stating that they can't go into the iron throne room without an appropriate sacrifice.

Offline Col. Or'es'o (retired)

  • Colonel
  • Lazerous Penguin
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1338
  • not quite dead last...
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #11 on: January 9, 2005, 03:48:06 PM »
dont they clean it then? ah well, a sacrifice like a turkey then?
Go little tau man! BANG BANG BANG!
Quote from: TheJester
How come everyone quotes Lomendil, and nobody ever quotes me?

Offline Kage2020

  • Knower of Things
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6998
  • Country: us
  • Mar a tha, mar a bha, mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #12 on: January 9, 2005, 09:57:40 PM »
You do know that there is fluff stating that they can't go into the iron throne room without an appropriate sacrifice.
Actually, no.  More so since it would seem an ad hoc addition to the 'fluff'.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to the assertion, when it comes down to it.  Of course, there is no real requirement that they take such extreme measures to ascertain the position of the Avatar since the entire scenario is quite spurious at the best of times.

The main problem with not purchasing any GW products, feeling that they simply aren't worth the money, is that you miss out on the odd sentence that might be of use.  Maybe one day they'll publish something worthwhile and I'll buy it again... ;)

Kage

Offline TheMightyPikachu

  • Pi-Ka-Chu!
  • Ancient
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11243
  • The Mightiest
Re: A big ol' load of new new new Eldar fluff
« Reply #13 on: January 9, 2005, 10:02:53 PM »
on Biel Tann... the general Eldar outlook is "Damn, we used to have a nice, big Empire, look at us now. And those orks/humans are everywhere now"

Biel Tann- "Hey guys, don't worry, we just need to kill them all!"
www.andylc.deviantart.com
did you know I can draw?

 


Powered by EzPortal