Craftworld Arkendar

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

The Craftworld Arkendar was once a world-ship devoted to creative pursuits and the lost ancient Eldar culture. Despite this, and their largely friendly attitude towards humanity it was destroyed utterly by the Sons of Fire Space Marine Legion. Now their descendants are the vengeful nomadic Webway Sentinels, sworn to the destruction of all mankind in any form.

History

The Craftworld Arkendar was built with the sole intention to preserve Eldar culture in a pure, scholarly form. It was to be set apart from the depraved, debased masses roaming the streets towards the end of the failing Eldar Empire. Because of the desire to acquire every last piece of information, it set out later compared to other more pragmatic Craftworlds. Jeron the most prominent Farseer of Arkendar's Seer Council, helped guide Arkendar from certain doom. The ship was however wounded from the cataclysmic event that brought the destruction of the old Eldar people. Because of the selfless actions of a human colony, they were able survive being overtaken by Xenos Raiders who had no love of the now doomed Eldar people. Jeron found their unlikely saviors fascinating, but was forced to abandon them when the system became overrun with Greenskins.

Jeron would not allow this sacrifice to go in vain.

From then on, in the politics of Arkendar he positioned at first to not interfere with humanity whatsoever. After securing vaulable allies, such as the Hu'lana twins who gave him significant military backing, Jeron brought to light his own personal revelation. Humanity has shown from what Outcasts tell them, to contain rising numbers of born Psykers among their people. If this trend continues, they could perhaps be entirely in tune to the warp same as they. Though his intentions were noble, as to uplift humanity he knew to whom he was speaking. Proud Eldar, engrossed in their history and past glory. He used the uplifted status of humanity as a tool to bring them into the fold, by explaining how armies of Human psykers could be used to reclaim the lost Eldar Empire from all the threats that now surrounded them in the world.

Countless worlds, unknowingly, were saved by the foresight of Farseer Jeron. The limited warriors of the Craftworld fought with a fervor under the leadership of the Hu'lana siblings. Xenos invasion and mutant uprisings were culled in their infancy before they could serve a threat to fledgling worlds. Even an Ork WAAAAAGH that would have spilled into the Sol system during the infancy of the Imperium was destroyed by a Ranger's shuriken killing the to-be-Warboss. Not only were human colonies saved from total destruction in the Long Night, but pathways were made for the Expedition Fleets of the Imperium by the Craftworld. Jeron ignored initial warning signs about the Imperium, saying that it would one day emulate the Eldar Empire. He had no proof, only assumptions backing his fervent belief in this perceived inevitability.

By 840.M30 however it became abundantly clear that the Imperium was unrelentingly, without exception, hostile to sentient Xenos. Though Arkendar only made the ascension of the Imperium less arduous, they had still accelerated its growth. The Eldar of Arkendar found themselves appalled at the actions of cleansing carried out in the wake of the Emperor's armies. Jeron was forced to be removed from leadership, and was replaced by the capable Baereu and Marri Hu'lana. The military command of Arkendar saw a rapid build of ships, housed by those of the dead who had fallen in aid of humankind. During the following decades Arkendar selectively chose which worlds to help, only daring to act if absolutely necessary to the path that humanity had to follow.

The Genocide of Arkendar

Jeron leaves on the eave of an unprecedented attack by the Imperium. Tensions between humanity and the Eldar had been only escalating up to this point. The world of Travaal declares independence, begging Arkendar who historically have been close to them to assist. The world had been brought into compliance by Uriel Starikov, who asks Inferox to cull the Xenos while he quells the rebellion. The Burned King marshals nearly eighty percent of all forces underneath the command of his Legion to assault the Craftworld. Half of the Imperial forces committed are lost, while the Arkendari are scattered to the void brought down to only some odd three thousand survivors.

Legacy of Arkendar

Webway Sentinels

In the last stand made by the Craftworld against the onslaught of rabid Space Marines, in the quake of their fiery wrath fought for their race. Those with anger in their hearts, or simply those warriors able to get to the Webway Gate before their ultimate destruction took up an oath. They would have no home save for the Webway itself, striking out to find new paths from which to strike out and ravage humanity. There would be no peace, their entire existence devoted to the destruction of those they once worked tirelessly to safeguard. By slashing their palms with their teeth, and drinking the blood the Arkendari consecrated this terrible promise.

From then on, the descendants of these warriors and refugees became known as the Webway Sentinels. Lost to all, cut off from their race in the twisting jagged roadways of the Webway they persist almost on pure hatred alone. Their knowledge of the Old One's paths is used has a bargaining tool with their cousins from all walks of life, for weapons or more commonly, food. The time spent in the Labyrinthine Dimension degrades the social bonds of the Webway Sentinels, indeed, they have little concept of community or family anymore. The battles with the entities lurking in the depths of the Webway too, thin their numbers by every decade. All those that are left immensely powerful warriors, few though they may be.

Even if they achieve the annihilation of all humankind, it is not known if that will even sate them. They are revenants of a lost people, chanting old poems once recited in their peaceful Craftworld as they march silently from Gate to Gate, looking for human worlds to slaughter.

Lore-Masters

Marri, the female Autarch of the Arkendari Warrior Shrines spent the last of her home's strength in defending not only the escape of her people, but their prized knowledge. If it were not for the Arkendar holds storing lore of their Gods and history, many Craftworlds would be without their basic culture in the 41st Millennium. These archives were compiled in simple sticks of knowledge, that could hold enough information to fill a planet's worth of Imperial cogitators. The holders of these items are named Lore-Masters. Lore Masters include surviving Arkendari, the descendants of the survivors or, more often, Eldar from other Craftworlds trained to be Lore-Masters by one from a long lineage stretching from the last Arkendari.

Culture

Creativity dominated the landscape of Arkendar society. Upon reaching maturity, the Eldar took paths that would cultivate creative desire before committing to any other path. The exceptions of this were the first leaders of the Craftworld, such as Jeron and the Hu'lanas. After completing a path, it was common place for Eldar to return to such academic and artistic paths to use their experiences to fruition in expanding upon the great libraries and galleries aboard their home vessel. Out of all the Craftworlds, Arkendar hardly had any of its citizens following the Path of the Outcast. Tragically, this only amplified the horrendous nature of the loss of the Craftworld. As many did not have the means to live outside their home, and those that did were too few to guide the others properly.

The Arkendari prized their ancient lore, but accepted the works of new artists with rabid anticipation. This did not mean they gave a blanket acceptance of all things created however. One had to work hard for their poetry or songwriting to be recorded in the vaults. If senior Eldar scorned it, it was proposed later scholars would as well. This conception was shattered thankfully by the greatest Eldar storyteller of all time, the wordsmith Teleri Ashan. His tales of heroism were sensational to the people, but disregarded by the old guard. Only a handful of his stories survived as a result after the Craftworld was immolated.

Human culture was readily absorbed as it grew, but always in a clinical fashion. Observing and ruminating upon the seemingly primitive musings of philosophy and storytelling being explored by the emerging civilizations clawing out of the Age of Strife. Promoted by Teleri Ashan on behalf of Farseer Jeron, Terran culture arriving from the Imperium was wildly regarded as the most advanced of all the human peoples. This added to the belief the Imperium would come to inherit the mantle of the Eldar Empire, coming to bring order against the Necrotyr and the forces of the Primordial.

Notable Figures

Jeron the Hopeful

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"No one saw the fall of our home. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. If only Jeron was even that."

Baereu Hu'lana, the Slayer

Jeron was an orphan, preyed upon the streets of a far flung colony of the decaying and debauched Eldar Empire. He was adopted by a powerful adept Psyker named Perspekon, who trained the fledgling but promising abilities of the young man. When the world began to build its own world ship, Jeron aided by providing his abilities as a bonesinger. Jeron's strength had been vastly improved by years of study, following what could be best described as the early stages of the Path of the Seer. Perspekon fled to gather more rational minded people in the core worlds, never to be seen again as the maelstrom of violence that erupted there engulfed all in an orgy of death.

The role of Farseer was adopted upon the eve of Arkendar's flight from its terrestrial home. A dread feeling of doom pervaded over Jeron's dreams, his first signs of his wondrous precognitive capabilities. Saving the Craftworld from certain destruction, Jeron guided them through the arcs of galaxy rending warp fire. The Empire was consumed, its sins being paid in full. Was it not for the act of charity made by humanity on their behalf, there would be little hope for the Craftworld. Many brushed it off as the foolishness of the lesser species, but he knew it was something honorable, glorious, and selfless. The qualities exalted in myth but rarely exemplified by the Eldar themselves.

For most of his natural life, Jeron fought to legitimize mankind in the eyes of his peers. His position and reputation lent him immense clout allowing a minority of followers to grow in the Craftworld. Though even fewer saw his true vision of partnership with humanity, he was able to pursue military expeditions to protect and safeguard countless enclaves of humans during the Long Night. The addition of Marri Hu'lana to his cause, who would eventually become his wife, brought half of the military forces of Arkendar to his side politically. By the time of the Genocide, half the population believed in his vision for the galaxy.

He stood taller than other Eldar, a towering eight feet and seven inches(2.7m). His features were angular, regal, and his gaze was said to be empowering with an unusual youthful vibrancy. His reclusive lifestyle due to his inability to leave the Path of the Seer led many in the Craftworld to speculate on his behavior out of the empowered speeches for humanity. Marri Hu'lana had the right mixture of bravery and audacity to finally court a marriage with Jeron.

Jeron lived the rest of his life in perpetual agony, a deep self-loathing that leaves him in a vegetative state for decades at at time. The Jeroe, the name given to his few dozen followers left, took care of him on the Exodite world of Valyr. During moments of lucidity he told them about some apocalyptic vision that is given with perfect clarity. He has made three such predictions, all coming to be true. The Third Black Crusade, the Arrival of the Tyranids, and First War for Amaggeddon. He died shortly after the arrival of the first Hive Fleet in a seizure. The Jeroe descended into the Webway, to seek the Webway Sentinels and take up the blood oath.

Marri Hu'lana

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"She was both radiantly beautiful, and terrible in her wrath. I pity those who had to fight her."

Jeron, Farseer of Arkendar

Marri Hu'lana's origins, along with that of her brother, are not known. She was born before the construction of Arkendar, and mastered the Warrior Shrines in a time that is still legendary by the standards of the Eldar to this day. She took up the title of Autarch, along with her brother Baereu around the same time. Accounts differ as to why, but she became enraptured with humanity much in the same way Jeron was. With some convincing, her brother saw the pragmatic argument for defending the upstart race. Her tactical acumen made up for the lack of ample warriors. Using the skill of a hardened core of warriors to plug the gaps in manpower. Combined with the logistical mastery of her sibling, this turned the Arkendari into a fighting force to be reckoned with.

Autarch Marri was an inspiring leader with a mind for grand strategy. Utilizing the devastating Psykic capabilities of Arkendar's Seers, in conjunction with short but continuous raids with mobile forces her main tactic was to overwhelm a foe with a hundred different bleeding strikes. Furthermore, her favorite tactic was pulling an enemy into a disadvantageous position by goading them into a battle they could not sustain after all of her previous strikes. Orks were her favorite foes to fight. Never one to underestimate them however, she understood the Orkish mentality perfectly being one of the few Eldar commanders believing them credible attackers.

Marri and Jeron fought alongside one another multiple times. Though reclusive, Marri found a kinship with Jeron that grew into a burgeoning love. Due to the peculiar culture of Arkendar, anyone at any point of their Paths could marry freely. Jeron was embraced then by Marri, who aggressively seized opportunities at courting him. Finally, Jeron accepted to have wedding bands forged and a ceremony begin. At the same time, Baereu was preparing to admit his own feelings but found himself waiting a moment too long. This would bring a silent rift between the siblings, until Jeron was removed from Arkendar leadership.

Painful was it to be taking the brunt of the Astartes of the Imperium for Marri. She found them escalated warriors, and favored them out of all the defenders of humanity. This did not stop her from fighting them with all she had. Her eventual fate was battling the vanguard of Inferox, and later, the Primarch himself.

Baereu Hu'lana

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"Where one is the storm, the other is the ocean. While one will rip apart a fortress to the foundations, the other will erode the base with time into nothingness."

The Grand Storyteller, Teleri Ashan

Teleri Ashan

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"Never humble. Always audacious. Capable of giving words immortality with his voice."

The Screaming Night, Marri Hu'lana

Clia Zush

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"What beauty, lost forever. Another lament to add onto all the others."

Baereu Hu'lana, the last Autarch of Arkendar