Phoenix Lord
This article is about the the Eldar title. For other uses of Phoenix, see Phoenix (disambiguation). |
The Phoenix Lords are amongst the most ancient and renowned heroes of the Eldar race.[1a] Should they be vanquished, their essence will lie dormant inside their armor until it is donned by another Eldar warrior whose soul resonates. Should they prove worthy enough to combine souls, the Phoenix Lord will be reborn in a new body.[6]
History
The Phoenix lords are Exarchs so ancient that they have no shrines and no Craftworlds to call home. They wander from world to world, instinctively driven by war, attracted by intuitive power to places of great danger and need. During moments of desperation they appear, sometimes alone but often several together, depending upon the perils faced. Using the Eldar Webway they move from Craftworld to Craftworld and from planet to planet, following in the path of the Bloody-handed God.[1a]
The Phoenix Lords are immortal, after a fashion. When a Phoenix Lord is slain in battle, his place is taken by another Eldar who assumes his costume and identity. In this way the Phoenix Lord is reborn into a fresh cycle of existence. His suit includes a spirit stone which contains the spirits of all the Eldar who have become that Phoenix Lord. Yet, no matter how many different individuals a Phoenix Lord may have been, his mind is forever the same, driven by the dominant personality of the first and greatest warrior to wear the suit.[1b]
The names of the Phoenix Lords are well known throughout the Craftworlds, and their deeds form part of the legends of the Eldar. No one knows exactly how many Phoenix Lords there are, for some are seen but rarely, while others disappear for millennia only to reappear suddenly and unexpectedly. Some have undoubtedly perished far away, their suits lying upon some hostile world awaiting discovery by some predestined Aspect Warrior doomed to don the armour and become the ancient hero for another cycle of his existence.[1a]
Some of the Phoenix Lords are as old as the Fall. They were heroes during the cataclysm, and were the first to bear the spirit stones of the Warrior Aspects.[1a] It is said that Asurmen was the first of the Phoenix Lords and that he trained the first of the Aspect Warriors, the Asurya, in the Path of the Warrior. The first Exarchs, known as the Asurya - the children of Asur, founded the shrines of the Warrior Aspects that remain to this day.[1b]
It is said that the Phoenix Lords will fight at the Rhana Dandra — the final battle between Chaos and the material universe.[1c]
List of Known Phoenix Lords
- Arhra — "The fallen Phoenix who burns with the dark light of Chaos", founder of the Striking Scorpions Shrine [1d]
- Asurmen — First of the Phoenix Lords, founder of the shrine of the Dire Avengers [1b]
- Baharroth — Founder of the Swooping Hawks [1c]
- Fuegan — Founder of the Fire Dragons [1d]
- Irillyth — Phoenix Lord of the Shadow Spectres who has since vanished.[2]
- Jain Zar — First of the Asurya, founder of the Howling Banshees [1e]
- Karandras — Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, but not the originator of that shrine [1d]
- Maugan Ra — Founder of the Dark Reapers [1b]
- Drastanta — Phoenix Lord of the Shining Spears, currently missing.[5]
- Amon Harakht — Phoenix Lord of the Eagle Pilots.[7]
The Warp Spiders Aspect do not have a known Phoenix Lord. However, some claim that the "Wraith Spider" (Lhykosidae), a similar person on the Kaelor Craftworld, is in fact the Phoenix Lord of the Warp Spiders. Others disagree with this due to the tendency of the Phoenix Lords to appear far earlier in history to help found their aspect.[4]
Miniatures
Current Miniatures
Original Miniatures c. 1994
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)
- 2: Irillyth by Forge World (site accessed 6 February 2019)
- 3: Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 58
- 4: Eldar Prophecy (Novel), [Needs Citation]
- 5: Iyanden: A Codex: Eldar Supplement (E-Book): pg. 83
- 6: Codex: Eldar (6th Edition) pg. 56
- 7: Shadow Point (Novel) by Gordon Rennie, Part One, Ch. Three, pg. 42