Hand of Fate: An Eldar Quest

[Alastor Mobius Toth]

[Reserved]

 

[Alastor Mobius Toth]

~~~Units~~~
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Infantry:

Black Guardians: Though Eldar Aspect Warriors are unrivaled in their mastery of a specific aspect of warfare, their long training and low numbers mean that Eldar cannot wholly rely on them to form the main bulk of their armies. As such, most Craftworlds rely on Guardians – militias levied from all Craftworld citizens that have had completed their Warrior training, but moved on to more civilian paths. Though less-well equipped, the Guardians are an effective, trained fighting force, and the Eldar consider it a point of pride that even their "civilians" can match trained soldiers of other, lesser species. However, with so many of its population following the lengthy and dangerous Path of the Seer, and with threat of constant Chaos raids, Autarchs of Ulthwe had to find different means of filling the bulk of their armies.

The solution are the Black Guardians: a full-standing army, rather than a part-time militia, composed of Eldar that had moved on from their Warrior Paths, but are still committed to the defense of their Craftworld. While they are usually equipped with same equipment as other Guardians, their constant drills and experience at warfare makes them by far more dangerous than regular Eldar Guardians. A typical Black Guardian unit is composed of two individual squads of equal number, divided into Guardian Defenders (basic Guardians armed mostly with ranged weaponry) and Storm Guardians (melee specialists armed with blades and side-arms) which operate as a single organic element. Each unit can be supplemented with weapon platforms, and can be lead by a Warlock.



Vehicles:

Wave Serpent: One of the most venerable of Eldar anti-grav skimmers, and the primary method of transportation for mechanized Eldar infantry. While capable of transporting an entire unit of Guardians quickly and safely across virtually any battlefield, the Serpent is an equally capable combatant, largely owning to its shared heritage with the Falcon Grav-Tank.

Typical Wave Serpent is armed with a pair of twin Shruiken Catapults, although they can be replaced with a single Shuriken Cannon. Additional remotely operated turret supplements these mounts with an arsenal of varied weaponry, which can include further Shruiken Cannons, or heavy weapons such as twin Bright Lances, Missile Batteries, Starcannons or Scatter Lasers.

The Wave Serpent's greatest asset however, is not its weaponry, or its carrying capacity. Each Serpent is fitted with an energy generator, capable of projecting a field directly in front of its bow. This field is strong enough to repel artillery shrapnel, or even infantry firearms, including even Imperial Bolters. True to its name, this field can be charged and released in wave-like manner. While insufficiently powerful to kill an armored Man, the wave is powerful enough to paralyze and disorient opponents, making it highly effective at scattering lightly-armored but numerous foes like Orks, Tyranids, cultists or Guardsmen.

 

[Alastor Mobius Toth]

~~~Wargear~~~
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Ranged Weapons:

Shuriken Catapult: The standard type of Eldar "shuriken" weapon, regarded by many as Eldar's quintessential weapon: Elegant, simple and effective. Each catapult uses a psychically activated gravitronic engine to launch monomolecular discs of varied sizes and shapes, easily penetrating most standard plasteel armors and shredding the flesh beneath. Considered to be both highly accurate yet fast-firing, the "rifles" as Eldar refer to them are the standard equipment of their Guardian militia.

Shuriken Pistol: A smaller form of Shuriken Catapult, intended as a side-arm. Designed to be fired entirely by one hand, each Pistol uses the same kind of shurikens as larger Catapults; but the shorter barrel and weaker gravitronic engine result in overall smaller range and weaker stopping power compared to its larger cousin. However, it is still the preferred side-arm of Eldar Warlocks, as well as melee-oriented Aspect Warriors.

Long Rifle: A powerful, laser-based weaponry, employed by Rangers and Pathfinders of all Craftworlds. Thanks to its custom-grown, psychic crystals, the rifle can focus the beam over greater distances, while sophisticated targeting systems allow the Eldar to accurately target weak spots in enemy armor in almost any environment.

Melee Weapons

Blades: Forged out of materials that are highly durable, yet sharp and malleable, physical blades are the standard issue tools and weapons used by regular Defender Guardians, and many Eldar non-combatants. Though potentially lethal in hands of a trained expert, the Blades are really more of a last-resort weapon.


Sword: While the Eldar posses plethora of Force and Power Weapons, "mundane" physical Swords still see much use in Eldar armies, whether as a training weapon for some Aspect Warriors, or standard weapon for Storm Guardians. Superbly balanced, tough and sharp, the swords posses enough of range and cutting power to be of use in open combat, but not as much as a more advanced form of melee weaponry.

Witchblade: These finely crafted, sharp swords contain sophisticated crystalline matrixes and runes embedded into its metallurgy, allowing the blade to channel psychic energies. A fairly potent force weapon, it's a popular weapon choice for Warlocks, and other Seers expecting to go into battle.

Singing Spear: Traditional force-weapon of many Eldar Seers, the Singing Spear channels its users psychic energies into devastating blows. Though requiring two hands to use, the spear can be thrown at range, and will automatically return to the user.

Heavy Weapons:


Shuriken Cannon: The largest of all shuriken weapons, the Cannon works on essentially same principles as other shuriken weaponry, but features additions such as more powerful gravitronic engine, elongated ammunition coil and stabilizing gyros. It is a typical armament of Eldar infantry weapon platforms, as well as various vehicles; usually serving as a dedicated anti-infantry weapon.

Bright Lance: The standard Eldar direct-energy weapon, roughly analogous to Imperial Lascannons. However, use of psychically sensitive materials, such as specially grown focusing crystals, results in a weapon that is far more accurate and power-efficient than its Mon-Keigh equivalent.

Eldar Missile Launcher: Contrary to silly Mon-Keigh "conventional wisdom", the Eldar has long-since mastered the use and design of missile weaponry. Unlike the crude Mon-Keigh tube-based designs, Eldar missile launcher uses a complex system of chambering pods, allowing it seamlessly carry and switch-between several types of munitions, including krak and plasma warheads. While general considered to be a light and portable weapon, it is usually found on Eldar vehicles and weapon platforms.

Starcannon: Named so because their projectiles contain "heat of the Stars", the Starcannons are essentially Eldar plasma weapons, using highly sophisticated electromagnetic generators to guide its plasma bolts to the target. However, unlike the crude Mon-Keigh designs, Starcannon containment field generators do not only prevent overheating of firing mechanism itself, but also keep weapon cool – and thus safe – to touch at all times, significantly expanding its service life.


Scatter Laser: A typical Eldar laser weapon, originally forged for use by Wraithlords and War Walkers. The Scatter Laser features several six separate laser chambers, which can either fire lasers separately in weak-but-fast-charging simultaneous bursts, or charged and released in a single burst. Sophisticated, psychically-assisted targeting equipment allows for the barrels to be targeted towards individual targets, as well as focused on a single one for maximum damage output.