[Epic] Re: Eldar background

From: Aaron P Teske <Mithramuse+_at_...>
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 23:24:12 -0400 (EDT)

Excerpts from Epic: 25-Jul-97 Re: Eldar background (LONG).. by
Justin_at_...
> I wasn't aware of any difference at all between the two. GW seems to
> use the two terms interchangeably.

Kinda, yeah, but Ad.Titanicus and WD#127 both make the distinction that
Waystones are temporary repositories, while spirit stones will hold
Eldar souls for ever, if need be. I'm not sure what differences there
are in materials, whatever; it could be that preparing a spirit stone to
grab the spirit of a fallen Eldar renders it incapable of holding that
spirit permanently, for example.

> > You forget, grasshopper, the purpose of the Eldar Path. ^_- When an
> > Eldar takes on an Aspect, all else is forgotten -- at least, until the
> > mask is removed.
>
> Actually, I was talking about the Guardians and such before the
> battle begins.

<smack> Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention Guardians. Duhh... anyway, yeah,
I imagine they'll be nervous, but if it's a question of losing a few
lives now, or everyone later...?

>Once they've donned their Aspects and such, they'll be
> totally focused on combat. But, wouldn't they hesitate before putting on
> these Aspects, if they're aware of how potentially fragile the
> protection of their stones are?

I'm not really sure. There are continuous comments on Eldar arrogance,
at least how the other races see them as such. There could be a strong
sense of "it won't happen to *me*" running through them... I should also
note that some of the other story excerpts deal with Irillith's doubts
about combat and life in general, both before and, especially, after.
(They lost. Badly.)

> Also, from the fluff in the Codex Eldar, they have some introspective
> Guardians in the fluff, which means they're not as totally focused as
> the Aspects. But we even have an Exarch who has a moment of
> introspection. Putting on the Aspects is not forgetting everything else,
> it's focusing totally on the task at hand and repressing personality
> traits until the thing is over.

True 'nuff; there's the story of how the Warlock doesn't want to remove
his mask, becasue when he does he'll have to contemplate all the friends
he's lost... I'm not saying the Eldar go off & on like light bulbs, but
they certainly come closer than any other race.

> If the Chaos gods were born by the worship (unintentional maybe) of
> living beings, maybe enough spirits and dedication will resurrect an
> Eldar god. Complete speculation here.

...Perhaps. After all, the thoughts & urges of the primal race made
that race's gods in the first place; witness the creation of Mork & Gork
in TL. The trouble is, the Eldar *know* their gods are dead, or at
least most of them are (the Great Harlequan spends all his time in the
webway, and then there's Kaela Mensha Khaine) and I think that might
have a... negative impact on their potential for rebirth. Still, it
could happen. (The Emperor, BTW, is a different story... he was
essentially *made*, a vessel storing all the power of thousands of
shamans, created back before the Warp began to roil with the taint of
Chaos. But that's not for this post.... ^_^ )

>But if any god should come back,
> I'd think it would be Asuryan. I've always wondered about that. Why
> would Asuryan (oldest, wisest, chief god who had power to restrict even
> Khaine's actions) be killed and Khaine survive?

Because Khaine, by dint of his warlike nature, was also partially under
Khorne's influence. Slaanesh simply absorbed all of the other gods, but
Khorne held on the what part of Khaine he could, and shards of Khaine's
power fell through the struggle, down to all the Craftworlds....

> If this threatents to become a run on thread, let's shift this over
> e-mail.
>
> Justin
> P.S. Aaron, if you have any other good tidbits of Eldar background
> info that you haven't already mentioned, e-mail me please. :)

Chreest, man, what do you think we've been *doing* for the past week?!?!?

(Though if anyone does object, off we go....)

Later,
                    Aaron Teske
                    Mithramuse+_at_...
                    40K Universe Historian ^_-
Received on Fri Jul 25 1997 - 03:24:12 UTC