Chaos and corruption gnaw at the Mortal Realms as armies wage vast wars that scorch the land, and the God of Undeath attempts to transform it all into a Necrotopia. As the vengeful children of the Goddess of Life, the Sylvaneth stand in opposition to any who would defile the natural world.
They owe their existence to Alarielle the Everqueen, a rare aelven survivor of the World-that-Was. Alarielle was awakened in Ghyran when the realms coalesced and infused with divine power. Planting soulpods – rescued aelven soulstuff – in fertile groves across this land, she began to bring her followers back into existence.
As mercurial as the seasons, the Sylvaneth appear capricious and amoral to their more flesh and blood allies among the forces of Order – for they believe the sanctity of nature is paramount. Alarielle is happy to let mortal civilisations foster for there is power within all life, but she allows for the construction of great smoke-belching cities of industry only if they do not impinge on the delicate balance of life in the Mortal Realms.
The Sylvaneth are locked in a constant battle for control of Ghyran with the forces of Nurgle, for the Grandfather wishes to turn it into a febrile quagmire of disease. No less a foe is Nagash – anathema to Alarielle – whose Necroquake tipped the scales of power in the Mortal Realms towards the quieting stillness of death.
To defeat these forces, Alarielle has assumed her aspect of war, a wrathful harbinger with contempt for her foe. With her Sylvaneth wargroves, she protects her domains in all corners of the realms. It was her Rite of Life that curtailed Nagash's ambitions, and this has awakened a more warlike Sylvaneth, the balance once more tipped towards life. With memories of death and destruction of the World-that-Was scored deeply in their hearts, the Sylvaneth battle to purge the realms of all those who would threaten them.
Overview
Every Sylvaneth is bound together by the spirit-song. Its mellifluous melodies are audible to all save those so consumed by rage that they are cut adrift. Their society is highly structured, not with rules but through an instinctive hierarchy – and one in which Alarielle sits at the apex.
They do not create empires, and the closest thing they have to nations are the glades – congregations of forest folk unified in purpose, usually the defence of their sacred woods. Their conception of history is different to that of mortals: they view time as a great cycle, the generations building up over time like the rings of a great oak. They pass this experience and spiritual essence down through the lamentiri, a soulseed planted deep within the barkflesh of each Sylvaneth. When a warrior falls in battle, recovering and recycling their lamentiri is of utmost importance.
It does not take much to rouse the Sylvaneth to battle; merely trespassing upon their sacred grounds is enough to rouse Dryads and Tree-Revenants from dark thickets, thorned tendrils and shimmering spirit weapons at the ready.
Sylvaneth armies are led by powerful creatures. The Lady of Vines is one of Alarielle’s great champions, literally born from her mistress’ severed arm. Betlhanos is another, a hunter of peerless skill who carries the dying light of the aelven god of the hunt within him.
Their armies strike with speed and subtlety. Even mighty Treelords can follow the hidden paths in nature, appearing as if out of nowhere to trample unprepared foes. Taciturn Kurnoth Hunters act akin to mighty knights of the forest or scout ahead of the glade’s forces. Gossamid Archers and other flying cavalry meanwhile ride nimble insectoid creatures, known as dragonspites, that have been freed from amber by the Rite of Life. Some Sylvaneth can become so twisted and bitter that they lose touch with the spirit-song. These are the Spite-Revenants, whose eyes burn with the fires of madness and who tear interlopers apart, be they servants of the dark gods or mortal allies.
Battle Traits
In battle, the Sylvaneth use their Awakened Wyldwoods and can Walk the Hidden Paths to outmanoeuvre their foes by slipping from one copse to another, no matter how far apart they are.
They Strike and Fade through these spirit paths, penetrating deep into the heart of enemy formations or picking off their flanks. The Sylvaneth also draw nourishment from the trees, their Endless Growth healing units by D3 Health each when they are wholly within 6”.
Battle Formations
Glades go to war in four formations that call on their different strengths. The Lords of the Clan are powerful Treelords whose powerful Healing Song guarantees Heal (3) from Awakened Wyldwoods.
Smaller forest spirits protect their habitats with bloodthirsty vigour, while malevolent outcasts terrify their opponents. Finally, Alarielle’s elite cavalry swiftly run down their foes without mercy.
Arcana and Incantations
The Lore of the Deepwood gives Sylvaneth Wizards the power to call upon nature at its most terrible, and with these vital energies, they call upon the Treesong to summon a new Awakened Wyldwood or regenerate existing woods if there are already three on the battlefield.
You can also implore vengeful spirits to guide your blades to their targets and summon writhing masses of tendrils to strangle and constrict your enemies.
Unit Focus
In the most dire circumstances, Alarielle the Everqueen will deign to join battle atop her Wardroth Beetle, casting flurries of healing magic on her allies as she cleanses the land of corruption.
Her power manifests as the Lifebloom, which either empowers her potent spellcasting or heals her from injuries. With the roiling energies of the Rite of Life at her beck and call, she can return dead Sylvaneth units to life (including herself) within range of an Awakened Wyldwood.
Her Beetle’s chitinous bulk makes for a Living Battering Ram which can crush infantry as it charges. Anything else will be snuffed out and twisted into a living forest when Alarielle casts Metamorphosis.
Alarialle’s ambassadors and bodygaurds in the Mortal Realms are known as the Sons of Durthu, each a mighty Spirit of Durthu armed with a guardian sword artfully crafted to ensure victory in any Titanic Duel with enemy monsters.
Each is a Wrathful Guardian that battles to protect the Sylvaneth’s sacred domains, mounting an even fiercer defence when fighting near an Awakened Wyldwood.
More terrifying still than the mighty Treelords are Spite-Revenants, shrieking nightmares that cannot join in with the spirit-song, furiously lashing out in frustrated anger with sharp talons of bark that slash through flesh and armour alike.
Their horrifying forms and scything weapons are backed up by their wailing voices, whose disharmonious melodies fill the air with Unbridled Malice, causing their enemies to falter even when their superiors issue commands to them.
Not all forest folk are outcasts, however, and some maintain the appearance of those rare souls who battled to defend the forests of the World-that-Was. Spiterider Lancers ride into battle atop dragonspites that survived the destruction of that world.
These shock cavalry are Thrumming With Life, reknitting wounds that could dispatch far tougher foes almost as soon as they are inflicted. Few can prepare themselves for the lightning-fast Descent of the Spiteriders, which grants these insectoid cavaliers with the ability to strike-first.
The Word From the Studio
Jimbo: “The Sylvaneth march to cleanse the land of corruption, and they do so by seeding Awakened Wyldwoods across the battlefield. These Wyldwoods are a force multiplier with their ability to heal nearby units and activate abilities on warscrolls, but they are also a key factor in their high mobility.
“The Battle Traits Walk the Hidden Paths and Strike and Fade allow you to strike out from angles other armies cannot reach, and combined with the high movement of the Spiterider Lancers and the Revenant Seekers, the Sylvaneth can form several vectors at once, before retreating and healing up in advance of a second assault.“
Spearhead Spotlight
In order to purge the enemies of the natural law, the Sylvaneth channel different facets of Alarielle’s power, like the warlike Summer Aspect which invigorates the warriors of the Bitterbark Copse. Treelords and Tree-Revenants roused to anger by those who befoul the realms are shepherded by a Branchwych, who directs their fury towards their foes.
These tree-kin can make use of the terrain on Spearhead battlefields to Strike and Fade at the end of a turn, repositioning to take enemies by surprise or find a better angle of attack. They can also call on the healing power of the Ley Lines that crisscross the realms to regenerate their arboreal forms.
The imposing Kurnoth Hunters are giants among the forest kin, supremely skilled warriors who are relentless in pursuit of their quarry. Their greatbows allow them to snipe foes from afar, and as Envoys of the Everqueen they channel the protective power of their goddess to provide a Ward (6+) to units contesting an objective alongside them.
Tomorrow is the final Faction Focus, as we plant the final skull atop its ritual mound and summon the Blades of Khorne.
