Eldritch Raiders
The Eldritch Raiders are a fleet of Eldar Corsairs under the command of Prince Yriel. Though Yriel and his Corsairs have officially left their Craftworld of Iyanden to raid Imperial shipping, the Eldritch Raiders still respond to the defense of their Craftworld in times of need.[1] Their raids have been responsible for claiming over eleven thousand Human, Hrud, Chaos, and Tau ships.[2]
Contents
History
Over fifty years before the assault of Hive Fleet Kraken upon Iyanden, High Admiral Yriel had led Iyanden fleet. Although he was considered one of the greatest Eldar naval tacticians to have ever lived, his character was flawed by the sin of pride. When Iyanden was threatened by a Chaos space fleet raiding out of the Eye of Terror, Yriel led the fleet on a pre-emptive attack on the Chaos Fleet's flagship, leaving Iyanden Craftworld unprotected. He only returned just in time to stop a suicide attack by a small flotilla of Chaos raider ships, who nonetheless managed to damage the Craftworld. Expecting to be feted and honoured for his victory, Yriel was deeply angered when he was called upon to defend his course of action. An enraged Yriel then left his Craftworld in protest. He and a small band of followers left the Craftworld and formed an Eldar raider company that became the single most powerful Eldar pirate force operating in the galaxy.[1]
With a fiercely loyal and highly experienced crew, the Eldritch Raiders are feared across the Galaxy and are formed from a core of skilled warriors. They have stormed tens of thousands of ships, including those operated by the Imperium, Chaos, Kreg, Hrud, and Khrave. They are also known to absorb other Corsair warbands, such as Xian's Black Raiders and the Scarlet Command.
When he heard of the Tyranids' assault on Iyanden, Yriel did his best to ignore the terrible peril that threatened his old Craftworld. But proud though he was, righteously angry though he was, Yriel could not leave Iyanden to its fate in this, its very darkest hour. Battling his way through the Tyranids' psychic blockade, Yriel swept to the aid of his people and became the savior of the Craftworld.[1]
Notable Actions
- The Battle of Iyanden against Hive Fleet Kraken.[1]
- Saving Craftworld Il'saraidh from an invasion of Khorne worshipers[4]
- Saving the Exodite Worlds of the Gyrian-theh'lyd Cluster[4]
- Fighting off Explorator Fleets from their territory[4]
- The Siege of Iyanden during the Thirteenth Black Crusade[4]
- Tricking Huron Blackheart's immense fleet into crippling itself with a wake of a solar flare.[5]
- Raiding the Xiggurat of the Ur-Ghul's in Shaa-Dom[5]
- Taking a Spirit Stone necklace from the sepulchre of the Lich Qotep.[5]
Notable Warbands
- Blacksun Ravagers - Have fought in the employ of the Rogue Trader Edora Thresh to take weapons and armour from fallen Space Marines.[5]
Notable Members
- Prince Yriel - Leader of the Eldritch Raiders[1]
- Veshtari the Huntress[5]
History from the 1st Edition Rules
In the old rulebook - Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved - The Book of the Astronomican - Eldritch Raiders were stated as band that ravaged Kolarn Circle of systems. There are a lot of hidden Warp Gates in this system so Eldritch Raiders able to move around the systems of Kolarne and attack the Imperial colonies there. It is known that Eldritch Raiders have Zoats in their ranks - possibly a creatures that rioted against Hive Mind and could escape its wrath.[3]
Images
Sources
- 1: Yriel's Raiders (saved archive page, dated November 2010, last accessed 26 August 2017)
- 2: Codex: Eldar (6th Edition) (E-Book), The Doom of the Eldar
- 3: Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved - The Book of the Astronomican, pg. 101
- 4: Codex: Aeldari (9th Edition), pg. 56
- 5: Kill Team: Nachmund, pgs. 26-28