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Galaxy Portal

Eldar Portal

Maiden Worlds are the lush paradise worlds originally created by the Eldar before the Fall of their race. The creation involved seeding barren planets with life, gradually leading to their transformation into lush, life-supporting worlds. The seeding of worlds was part of a program of colonization which would take many thousands of years to reach fruition, and the result would only be seen by later generations of Eldar.^{[Needs Citation]}

The development of a lifeless planet into a Maiden world was a slow one. Simple bacteria were introduced to create a stable atmosphere first and gradually more complex organisms were added to stabilise the bio-system of the planet. Eventually, in the distant future the world would be ready to colonise by the Eldar. Once the process began it was fairly self-sustaining but took thousands of years to complete. ^{[Needs Citation]}

These worlds are referred to by the Eldar as Lilaethan (Maiden worlds) after the Eldar goddess Lileath. They are often highly rich in resources and safe from illnesses as they were developed to resist harmful lifeforms. The Eldar consider these worlds their own, created by their forefathers for them to settle. ^{[Needs Citation]}

As Eldar civilization neared its Fall, many groups among the Eldar denounced their decadent societies, abandoning their homeworlds in a series of migrations called the Exodus. These Exodites travelled far away from their collapsing civilization and settled the still barren Maiden worlds.^[1]

The seeded worlds survived the Fall of the Eldar, and continued to develop on their own. In the Age of the Imperium these worlds are now verdant paradise worlds. Inevitably, many have been settled by non-Eldar races. Although these races may have lived on Maiden Worlds for thousands of years, the descendants of the colonists are considered invaders by Eldar. ^{[Needs Citation]}

After the Fall, the Eldar began to settle the verdant worlds they created, sometimes finding their worlds already inhabited by other races. The "invaders" are given the choice of leaving or being exterminated. Even in cases where the colonists are feral savages with no means of leaving the planet, the Eldar have mercilessly followed through with the threat of extermination.^[2]

Known Maiden Worlds

• Hannibal^[2]
• Lilarsus - Destroyed by the Tau Empire
• Twenty-Eight Four - Catalogued by the 28th Expedition Fleet. Left unmolested until after the meeting between Eldrad Ulthran and Fulgrim^[3].
• Tarsus - A Maiden World guarded by craftworld Ulthwe. After a meeting between Eldrad and Fulgrim went sour, Fulgrim ordered the world and others in the Perdus Region bombed with the life-eater virus.^[3]
• Unnamed worlds in the Perdus Region - They met the same fate as Tarsus, virus bombed with the life-eater virus by Fulgrim.^[3]
• Torvendis - A sentient Maiden World at the very heart of the Maelstrom. After being tortured and driven insane by Chaos minions inhabiting it, it eventually destroyed itself as revenge against the Chaos gods who had imprisoned it and treasured it for so long.^[4]
• Eth-aelas - The site of the destruction of the second tendril of Hive Fleet Naga.^[5]
• Lilae'Fionnadh - An ancient Maiden World lost to a warp storm during the Fall and later colonised by Human settlers with the world becoming known as Dread Pearl.^[6]
• Emele - Part of the Cabulis System.^{[Needs Citation]}
• Kiliak - The site of a battle between Imperial xenologists and Craftworlds Biel-Tan and Ulthwe.^[8]
• Davinuus - Eldar from the Craftworld Iyanden fought the forces of the Imperium to reclaim the Maiden World. A truce was reached and both sides joined forces when Tyranids were found on the planet. The truce ended with the Tyranids' defeat.^[9]
• Equinox - Maiden World colonized by the Imperium. Formally known as a thriving civilized planet, now it has degenerated into a sodden crumbling nightmare, because of constant rainfall; caused by the Imperium's abuse of the planet's ecosystem.^[10]

Sources

• 1: White Dwarf 126, pg. 28
• 2: Harlequin (Novel), ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 3: Fulgrim (Novel) by Graham McNeill, ^{[Needs Citation]}, pg.354-366
• 4: Daemon World (Novel), ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 5: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pgs. 16-17
• 6: Rogue Trader: Lure of the Expanse, pg. 97
• 8: Planetstrike, pg. 55
• 9: Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War
• 10: Inquisitor Conspiracies 3 - Heavenfall pg. 4

Uncited

• Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)
• Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)
• Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook, pg. 116