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Submitted By: Date: November 11, 2005, 09:04:31 PM Views: 4291 | ||
Summary: <p class="subheader">I. Introduction</p> <p class="body">Alaitoc is possibly the most militarized and disciplined among all Eldar Craftworlds. This merciless society, highly structured, is lead by cold and insensitive Farseers. They are very strict in their ideas about the Paths- only one at a time. This austere idea has made many Eldar leave the Craftworld and tread the path of the Wanderer. Eventually, some come back to help their Craftworld fight. Called Rangers and Pathfinders, they use disruption and guerilla tactics to sow the seeds of terror in the minds of Eldar foes.</p> | ||
{mosimage} Alaitoc war strategy relies, of course, on the Rangers and Pathfinders hit and run attacks, supported by surgical and precise strikes lead by small war hosts of Vypers and other light vehicles. Alaitoc Kill teams excel in assassination of leaders and charismatic commanders, leaving the soldiers frightened and disoriented. But when the time has come, Alaitoc Craftworld masters the way to crush his opponents without any ounce of pity, leaving them no chance of retreat or surrender. Buildings, vehicles, defense lines, soldiers and civilians are simply wiped out by the massive fire power of Alaitoc. Rangers provide information about the enemy�s weaknesses and the Alaitoc Warhosts know exactly when and where the weapons have to unleash storms of fire. Battle lines of super heavy vehicles, aligning dozens of Cobras or Scorpions grav-tanks are not uncommon once Alaitoc decides to fight. As an example, more than three hundred Machines of Vaul were deployed in the conquest of Krayak�s Moon by Alaitoc Craftworld. Surprisingly, Imperials records are not very prolix about Alaitoc heavy firepower. The only explanation is that Alaitoc Farseers are particularly cautious when war is over to leave no evidence of the Craftworld presence in the sector or on a planet. Mystery and ignorance are, for them, the main weapons of Alaitoc. Alaitoc policy of war is fully supported by the Craftworld�s titan clan: Fir Iarstilltann. II. About Finnadan�.Phantom titan Among Fir Iarstilltann, Alaitoc titan Clan, Warlock titans are very rare, probably because most of the dead Farseers of Alaitoc prefer integrating the infinity Circuit of the Craftworld, to continue their task as advisers following some ancient and strict religious convictions strongly anchored in Alaitoc Society. However, Light Revenant Titans are relatively common in Fir Iarstilltann, playing the role of scouts and harassing opponent�s flanks. The Phantom, or Finnadan, is the most common class of Alaitoc Titan. As its name suggests, the Phantom is fast-moving and very agile, embodying the Eldar military philosophy which prefers speed and mobility to heavy armor. Like all Eldar military vehicles, the Phantom is designed for beauty as much as function, and compared to an Imperial Titan it is very tall (more than 25 meters high), slim and fragile-looking. This appearance is largely deceptive, for the Phantom is strongly built, and can absorb at least as much damage as a Human Reaver Titan. The Phantom has a crew of four - three living Eldar and one Infinity Circuit. The Infinity Circuit is normally mounted in the centre of the crew compartment in the Titan's head, and the living crew - frequently blood-relatives of the Infinity Circuit - occupy couches around it. Unlike their Human counterparts, they do not have specific functions. Each crew member is equipped with a headband in which is set a fragment of a spirit stone. By means of this they merge their minds with the Infinity Circuit, forming a composite mind capable of handling multiple thoughts and actions. This mind is linked to the Phantom's mechanical systems by Mind Impulse Units which are far in advance of those used by the Imperium. The superior design of Eldar Mind Impulse Units, coupled with the composite mind formed by the crew and Infinity Circuit, makes the Phantom Class a very flexible Titan, able to react quickly to an opponent's actions. Fir Iarstilltann Phantom crewman are immediately recognizable by the Spirit Stone (called carrecenad) he or she wears upon their front head. This carrecenad is a small chunk of the spirit stone taken from the titan that the crewman is to serve. Upon becoming a titan crewman, a ceremonial band is wrapped by the Council of Farseers around Eldar�s head. Almost immediately, the band bonds to his skull and send tendrils to his brain. Upon taking his place in the cockpit, each crewman psychically links with the titan using the fragment of stone, becoming a single entity. The carrecenad can only be removed upon the Eldar�s death. Technically speaking, Phantoms are very different from their Imperial counterparts. Unlike Human Titans, however, Phantoms do not make use of void shields. Instead, they have a system of defensive screens called datbedi ('between colours'). The screens project a holographic disruption pattern, whose dispersion is linked to the Titan's movement. Thus, when a Phantom moves, its image seems to explode into a storm of tiny multi-coloured shards. The faster it moves, the more scattered its image becomes. When it stops, the cloud appears to coalesce into a solid shape. III. Banners and Iconography of Fir Iarstilltann Fir Iarstilltann titan often carries banners as tabard between Titan�s leg, unlike other Craftworld Clans which prefer carrying banners on the weapons of the titan. {mosimage} IV. Fir Iarstilltann Phantom weapons. IV.1. Description For tactical flexibility, Fir Iarstilltann use extensively the whole range of Eldar super heavy weapons carried by titans. Phantom Titan carries two main weapons and two wing-mounted weapons. These weapons are almost always a combination of a Prism Cannon and a Phantom Missile Launcher, a powerful version of Eldar Missile Launcher carried by Phoenix Bombers. {mosimage} IV.2. WH40K Phantom titan stats. Designer�s note {mosimage} The cost in points of the titan have been first calculated strictly using VDR starting from the cost of upgraded superheavy weapons (it�s normally not possible to re-upgrade such weapons but in some case, it was compulsory to respect the size difference between a Scorpion and Phantom�s pulsar. More over, Epic Armaggedon trial rules for Eldar distinguish clearly between pulsars and bigger version carried by Phantom or Warlocks titans. |
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