Editing Nobledark Imperium Imperial Forces (section)

== Eldar-Only Forces ==

=== Handmaidens of Isha ===

Just as it is the job of the Adeptus Custodes to protect the Emperor of Mankind and his wife, it is the job of the Handmaidens of Isha to protect the Grand Empress Isha and her husband. The Handmaidens of Isha are the Eldar side of the Imperium's praetorian guard, drawn from the ranks of her most devout followers in the cults that sprung up in her wake following her rescue from Nurgle's mansion. Compared to many other followers of Isha, the blessings of the Handmaidens are rather subtle; little more than an immunity to virtually all diseases and a seeming inability to sustain permanent damage from scarring or age. This allows the Handmaidens to perfect their physical training in a way that only one who does not have to worry about wear and tear on their body can. The Handmaidens are no pushovers; they are armed with swords known as "the Thorns of Isha" that can inflict wounds that do not heal. The Handmaidens are also noted to have a connection to Isha that borders on the preternatural, able to sense if their charge is in direct danger even if they are unable to see her directly.

However, the Handmaidens of Isha have an another job in addition to protecting their Empress. As the Imperial Couple travels from world to world, the Empress often sends her handmaidens to inspect the world beforehand to ensure that the world is as upstanding as it often claims to be. Although many worlds have their own dirty little secrets that they have managed to keep secret from the Administratum, few can hide from the gaze of the All-Mother. The Adeptus Custodes are likewise often posted in Imperial society to keep watch for potential threats against the Emperor and Imperium, though most of them are incapable of doing so without drawing attention to themselves. The Handmaidens of Isha, on the other hand, are capable of passing themselves off as just another Eldar, or even avoiding notice altogether. Because the two groups have essentially the same job, they often end up directly cooperating with one another.

=== The Avatar of Khaine ===

See [[Nobledark_Imperium_Notable_People#Khaine|Khaine]]

==== The Avatar of Biel-Tan ====

Biel-Tan hasn't deployed an Avatar of Khaine for nearly one hundred years. This wouldn't be surprising for a lesser or more peaceable craftworld, but this is Biel-Tan; the most well-known, influential, and martially famous craftworld. That Khaela Mensha Khaine hasn't made an appearance in a year, much less a near century, would provoke suspicion. 

However, among the Eldar, it's considered a bit of a faux pas to ask about this. The Inquisition is another matter entirely though, and they already know the answer. 

Biel-Tan's avatar has been awake this entire time. Biel-Tan summoned the avatar for the Ghoul Campaign to help a desperate sword wind against a siege of orks with daemon support. The avatar of war led the survivors — many of whom were wounded — to victory against the orks, culminating in the avatar decapitating the bloodthirster Yel'Grazruk and shattering the spirit of the enemy. The sword wind rejoiced.

Then they noticed the avatar wasn't gone. It had followed the fleeing enemy, killing as many as it could reach. The next day, the avatar was still killing. And the next. On the fifteenth day, it ran out of enemies to kill and came back, planted its sword at the center of the Biel-Tan fortifications, and waited.

After the twentieth day, the Biel-Tan forces found themselves very worried indeed. The burning avatar still smoldered, glaring out at the horizon. In the face of their persistent god, the Eldar finally attempted to psychically contact the avatar; a hazardous venture for even the most skilled warlock. 

After the warlock stopped chanting in a dead language, she managed to sputter out "Khaine waits for his chariot". No one knew what that referred to. But when the autarch ordered the sword wind back to Biel-Tan, the avatar followed, marched through the craftworld, and returned to his temple, still burning. 

The avatar has sat there since, waiting for his chariot.

===Craftworld Armor===
The Craftworld Eldar military forces are descended from, essentially, civic militia. Thus, their war machines were optimized for ease of construction, ease of maintenance, and ease of piloting; war machines a part-time non-professional volunteer force could use and maintain. The aftermath of the Fall, when the survivors were thrown back onto highly limited resources and the whole population had to be mobilized to survive, only reinforced this paradigm. 10,000 years of Imperium have loosened it; the number of super-heavy vehicles in the Craftworld arsenal has increased both in absolute number and proportionally as more resources become available. Likewise, more specialist designs for specific battlefield roles have become commonplace as the need for every tank to potentially fill every role lessens. Still, the typical Craftworld grav-tank remains a stripped-down (in terms of mechanical complexity, not necessarily weight) generalist.