Shadow Raptors Background

Going to a tournament on Saturday and part of the entry is that I need to write a piece of fluff for my army.

I always enjoy giving my army a background and doing the "factual bits" (A friend has just politely pointed out they're not real - spoilsport!), similar to what I did with my Craftworld Eldar a few weeks ago, and have done for my Wych Cult in the past. However I hate the process of weaving that into a story! I just can't seem to get it right and it just always seems to read like I'm a little kid again writing "let's pretend" stories.

I am also terrible at generating names for my characters so just nicked a few Dark Eldar sounding names from the "Path of the Renegade" book.

Anyway, it had to be done so I've spent a few days off and on thinking about it and eventually finished it up over breakfast this morning.

The initial task I set was to set the scene for why my kabal was playing these games, and to excuse the fact that I'm bringing a unit of Wyches along (the tournament doesn't "have" to be fully painted but I'd much prefer to play fully painted and there is a slight advantage in VP's if you bring a painted army so I figured what the heck, they've been on the shelf long enough)

This is what I came up with anyway, it's too late for change now but I'd appreciate any feedback you may have so that as and when I come to do it again I can improve upon this offering. (Army list is below for anyone interested)

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Duke Yllithian strode down the ranks of his arrayed kabalites,  daring one of them to blink out of turn. Not known for his patience at the best of times he was currently fuming inside, and looking for an excuse to release that rage on something or someone.

The arrangements for the raid had started well, he was soon to be launching a sustained campaign aimed at raising the stature of the Shadow Raptors kabal, and had begun pitting his warriors against each other to ensure only the very best were given the honour of joining the coming slave harvest.

All had been going well until the insolent Succubus Xelion had dropped from the sky unannounced in her Raider while final preparations were being made.

The wych cult of the Dancing Death was known to Yllithian, a once powerful gladiatorial cult that prided itself on the acrobatic skill of it's Wyches but that had fallen from grace recently as the powerful kabals it used to sell it's services to, found that they would rather fill their ranks with more of their own kabalites. (An arrangement also significantly less likely to end with a knife in the back)

Yllithian couldn't help but take the opportunity to point out the power he now held in comparison to the shreds of a reputation that the wych cult now clung on to and asked what Xelion thought of his assembled warriors.

The lithe Succubus had hesitated, stroking the blade of one of her knives down a thigh just enough to draw blood, before responding with a shrug and launching into wildly exaggerated tales of the feats her Wyches were capable of. Yllithian had cut her off at the point she began to compare his kabalites with the grace of a Squiggoth, a nod to his Sslyth bodyguard Morr the signal to throw Xelion overboard.

Xelion somersaulted out of reach and landed with one foot on the very tip of the Raider's aethersail. "A wager then!" The shout had come down, "one group of my Wyches, to outperform your entire raiding force!"

Yllithian had been left with no choice but to accept or lose face at that point and was raging at the fact that her been manipulated into taking along a group from the wych cult. A webway portal could only be held open for so long and the presence of the Wyches meant he would likely have to leave one of his favoured razorwing jet fighters in Commorragh.

With a mock bow the manipulative Succubus leapt back off the Aethersail and onto a swooping venom, leaving Yllithian to continue with his preparations...

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Shadow Raptors + Guests (1500 pts)

Duke Yllithian - Archon with Agoniser / Armour of Misery / Shadowfield / Webway Portal

Bodyguard - Court of the Archon, 3 Sslyth and 2 Medusa in a Raider with Nightshield

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in Raider

8 Wyches with Hydra Gauntlet and Hekatrix with Agoniser and Haywire Grenades in a Raider with Nightshield

Razorwing Jetfighter with 2 Disintegrator Cannons and 4 Monoscythe Missiles

Razorwing Jetfighter with 2 Dark Lances and 4 Monoscythe Missiles

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It's not the most optimal of builds, but it's fully painted and the tournament was pitched as "fluffy" so I don't feel so bad including the Wyches and Razorwings over Ravagers and more Kabalites.

I'll let you know how I get on and hopefully add some pictures next week

Idrathanil Background

Hi all, I know it's been a while - believe it or not I've gotten a fair bit done despite the latest addition to the household.

Been playing a good amount, primarily bolt action (British Paras) and imperial assault but recently been convinced to join a 40k campaign starting in May and likely to use this blog to document my progress.

I'll pop some pictures of my bolt action up at some point soon as I'm quite chuffed I've gotten a full 1000pt army built for a tournament I'm attending in Cambridge next month.

For now though I wanted to share some of the background I've built up for my latest project, the Eldar of Idrathanil. Some of this was edited from existing background, some written myself, and I used a couple of random Craftworld background generators to direct me in places.

Mostly here for my own reference but posting up in case anyone else finds it interesting :)

Might need to play with formatting later as currently posting this from my tablet.


Craft world name - Idrathanil

Craftworld Environment - Split between Temperate Rainforests and Mountainous areas.

First Encountered by the Imperium -  Limited contact from afar before The Fall

Before the Fall - Explorers. The Craftworld was used to explore and keep tabs on the galaxy surrounding the Eldar Empire.

During the Fall - Escaped. As a result of its explorations, this Craftworld was far away from the core of the Eldar Empire and managed to survive safely.

Demeanour - Diplomatic. Because of its role on the edge of the Eldar empire this Craftworld learned always to establish peaceful contact as a preference, although there was always an unseen eye on negotiations should help be needed.

Goal - The Craftworld's ultimate goal is to rebuild the Empire. This Craftworld seeks to re-establish the Eldar Empire and the direct power of the Eldar race.

Craftworld Strength - Prosperous. This Craftworld has thrived from its strong bond with the Harlequins of the soaring spite and consequently the Dark Eldar.

Combat Tactics - Stealth. Rangers and war walkers scout ahead whilst striking scorpions lie in wait. When the time is right, from nowhere swooping hawks drop from the skies and crimson hunters tear in on attack runs to obliterate the unsuspecting enemy. When the situation calls for a greater infantry presence, the craftworld has been reported to use speedy Dark Eldar attack craft to jet into position from nowhere.

Military Composition - Aspects and Rangers, striking scorpions and swooping hawks match the tactics of the Craftworld whilst as normal for Eldar there is also a strong presence of dire avengers.

Fabled Hero - The enigmatic Harlequin Troupe Master who came to the rescue of the Craftworld and provided assurances that there was a future for the Eldar Empire to plan for. The Harlequins were instrumental in helping to destroy a Necron tomb complex that would have meant destruction for the Craftworld, although some of the younger Eldar of Idrathanil whisper that it was also them who awoke the threat...

Autarch - Iselyth - A respected commander having mastered all of the paths of war with particular affinity for the swooping hawk and striking scorpion aspects. Showing respect for both those aspects Iselyth is normally seen armed with a scorpion chainsword and mandiblasters, with a las blaster and swooping hawk wings, and has a knack for arriving at the perfect moment at the head of a trio of swooping hawk shrines.

Farseer - Oreshae - Little is known about the spiritual leader of the Craftworld and he rarely takes to the field unless the Eldar of Idrathanil are forced to fight a pitched battle rather than their favoured hit and run tactics. When he has been seen he has shown himself to be a powerful psyker and the Inquisition are said to be very interested in knowing more about this individual.

Head of Rangers -  Arlon StarStrider (counts as Illic Nightspear) With a burning hated of the Necrons, Arlon has devoted himself to bringing about their destruction whenever a new tomb world is discovered. Little is known about the origins of Arlon but it is known he was one of the first to discover the Necron Tomb World that so nearly destroyed Idrathanil and he has a stronger bond than most with the Harlequins of the Soaring Spite that intervened.

Common Aspects - swooping hawks // striking scorpions
Rare Aspects - fire dragons // dark reapers // shining spears
Common Path - Outcast
Common Allies - Harlequins and Dark Eldar
Bitter Enemies - Necrons

Themes:

Peaceful but dedicated to their path.
Stealthy, striking from an unseen angle
High amount of Exarchs/Rangers, Eldar often get stuck upon a certain path or become outcasts

Background:

While all Craftworlds make use of highly efficient sniper Rangers, none utilise them more than, or as well as, Idrathanil. By their nature Idrathanil Rangers, known as The Wanderers, do not reside upon the Craftworld, but travel the galaxy. These Rangers retain their loyalty to Idrathanil, returning to their craftworld regularly to report on any threats to the Craftworld or the Exodite Worlds it protects. The Wanderers are all highly trained snipers and can cause havoc to the enemy from afar with their long rifles.

In times of need the Craftworld sometimes recalls their Rangers to contribute to Idrathanil's military force. Idrathanil can also call upon an unusually high number of Exarchs, as its Eldar are more disposed to become utterly consumed by their chosen Path. This has caused some ripples amongst other Eldar, with rumours that the aspect shrines of Idrathanil are becoming more and more secretive, and sightings suggesting that warriors of the hawk aspect are slowly becoming twisted by their over zealous dedication.

The history of the craftworld details a time in M36 when a Necron Tomb World awoke on one of the Exodite worlds that Idrathanil was sworn to protect, with the craftworld fighting with unsustainable losses before an intervention by a Dark Eldar force guided to the battlefield through the webway by a Troupe of Harlequins. Since that time there has been a strong respect from the Idrathanil Eldar for the Dark Eldar cult and Harlequin Masque involved, and they can often be seen fighting alongside each other.

It is said that by capturing large numbers of Outcasts, the Imperial Inquisition has gleaned much knowledge of the Eldar through torture. This has increased tensions between the Imperium and Idrathanil, and the two currently share very tense relations, with the Imperium eager to find out everything they can about the Eldar whilst knowing that any ally in the battle against Chaos is priceless and at times they will need to work together.

For the Eldar of Idrathanil there is a similar struggle, as whilst they detest the methods of the Inquisition and feel the need to protect their own, they also realise that there are important allies within some factions.

The Wych Cult of The Dancing Death

The Wych Cult of the Dancing Death

The Dancing Death pride themselves on mastery of the aerial artform, In their home arena it's considered bad taste to touch the floor before the killing blow is delivered, with fights carried out on spear tips protruding 12 feet above the sand.

The cult is looked down upon somewhat by the Commorite elite who are used to drawn out bouts with the eventual victor torturing their victim with countless cuts in a long process to maximise their enjoyment. Bouts that would last minutes and hours in any other setting last but seconds in the Spear Stadia, appealing to a select minority who enjoy the demonstration of sheer superiority provided by a lightning quick finish.

As a result of their respect for speed and the traditions of the cult, there are a greater number than usual of Reaver gangs affiliated with the cult, and the leaders have a strong relationship with an elite section of Razorwing pilots. This is evidenced in that the cult rarely conducts a realspace raid without at least one of these supersonic fighters.  They also have extensive dealings with scourge messengers, and in fact many of the scourge have been elevated to scourge from Gladiatrixes due to their appreciation of aerial duels.

The colours selected by the cult convey these themes, with dark purple bodysuits implying both a regal superiority and a homage to the shadows the cult invariably strikes from, whilst the lightning blue spot colours reflect the speed with which the killing blow is delivered.

In terms of leadership, unlike most Wych cults which are led by a triumvirate of Succubi, in the Dancing Death there are but two Succubi, with overall power within the cult being finely balanced between the lightning fast Lanudhae, once a famous Gladiatrix who now turns her hand to enhancing the external perception of the cult through regular realspace raids, and the shadowy Yaqorae, of which little is known and less spoken.

In keeping with the traditions of the cult, ambitious Hekatrix are unlikely to bide their time for long, and regular challenges to the two Succubi's leadership are common. As such when leading realspace raids it is much more likely to see a Succubus in the company of trusted bodyguards from one of the Icubi orders rather than in the midst of potential upstarts.

Recent Sightings.

There is a marked difference between the cults open strength, and their hidden strength, but the known participants in recent raids, and thus those that currently hold the most favour within it's ranks, are as follows:

Lanudhae - Most of the cults' raids recently are led by the spinning death herself, armed with her deadly archite glaive and protected by a mysterious Cuirass known as the Armour of Misery - Magnifying the fear that her enemies feel in her presence tenfold

Khamor - The silent leader of the Incubii responsible for protecting Lanudhae, the calm with which he and his fellow Incubus butcher any attempts on his mistresses' life are disturbing to any not familiar with the dark kin.

Gladiatrix: Three Hekatrix  lead the gladiatrixes of the Dancing Death on their realspace raids, each at the head of up to 10 wyches normally transported into battle by a Raider boasting the best in dark eldar technology to allow them to blend into the shadows when necessary before speeding in for the killing blow. Each Hekatrix will normally carry an Agoniser into battle, a vicious whip covered in toxins with which are designed to attach themselves to their victim's nervous system to cause immense pain whilst quickly incapacitating them. They are commonly accompanied by the cult's weapon specialists, deadly Hydrae wielding gauntlets that spout crystalline growths on demand that rip apart their victims, covering those nearby in arterial spray that serves to further excite the battle rage within them.

Reavers: The current leader of the Reavers associated with the cult is Therys, although he has little of a leadership role once battle has begun, with various cliques of Reavers splitting up and advancing at high speeds to harrass enemy tanks before joining in the slaughter once their job is done.

Razorwing: "The Razorflight" is the combined name for the trio of Razorwing pilots associated with the cult, although there are many who aspire to fly the sleek fighters in combat the current cadre of elite pilots seems to be living a charmed existence. Their planes dodging and weaving through anti air fire, dropping their deadly monoscythe missiles on their primary targets before dispersing to wreak havoc amongst enemy armour and heavy infantry alike.