What has two legs, looks like a mountain and hits twice as hard as one? Why, Avalenor, the Stoneheart King, of course!
While the Lumineth are, in many ways, the inheritors of the High Elves of the world-that-was, they have a few key differences – unless there were secretly a bunch of mountains walking around Ulthuan nobody ever noticed!* Today, we’re exploring one of the most powerful and unusual allies of the Hyshian aelves with a closer look at Avalenor, the Stoneheart King.
The Power of the Elements
The last time we looked at Lumineth lore, we explored the Spirefall – the calamity that saw these haughty aelves brought to the brink of annihilation. Give it a read if you haven’t already!
After the Spirefall, the Lumineth learned to bond with the elemental spirits of Hysh, beings of great power native to the realm. Greatest of these spirits is Celennar – that’s the massive sphinx-looking creature that hangs out with Teclis – but there are loads more, each inextricably linked to their realm. These are known as the aelementiri. Lumineth seeking enlightenment will choose these spirits as patrons before undertaking strict vows of asceticism and trials designed to test their body and spirit. Those who are successful gain strange new insights and vast powers – an aelf dedicated to a river, for instance, may gain the ability to breathe underwater.Four main aelemental disciplines define the Realm-lords – the river, the wind, the zenith, and the mountain. This latter temple is known as the Alarith, and theirs is the strength of stone.
The Alarith
The first Alarith were Stonemages, brave seekers of truth who ascended the peaks of Hysh in order to gain new knowledge and make amends with mountain spirits long traumatised by the coming of Chaos. There, they fasted, made sculptures, and sang lamentations to the mountains. While many died, some were spared, forging lasting bonds with the mountain spirits. Many aelves still undertake these pilgrimages, learning from their mountain patrons in temples and undergoing incredible trials. Indeed, Alarith must submit to being buried alive for a full week in order to truly be initiated into the secrets of the mountain.
Spirits of the Mountain
The Alarith go to war alongside the very peaks they worship thanks to the Spirits of the Mountain. The bond between the aelves and the spirits they worship is such that mountains can be drawn into vast bodies, designed with tiny gardens and Tohnasai trees in order to make a simulacrum of the original peak. These avatars of stone are terrifying to face in battle, striking with tremendous force as cannonballs and blades harmlessly glance off their armoured bodies. And one Spirit of the Mountain stands above all others…
Avalenor, the Stoneheart King
Which brings us at last to Avalenor, the Stoneheart King! Nobody actually knows where Avalenor comes from – he came to the temples of the Alarith fully formed, with nobody knowing who summoned him. Perhaps he was not summoned at all but came into being on his own. It’s rumoured that Avalenor is made entirely of aetherquartz, and that he has absorbed the light of Hysh for millennia, making him a wise and thoughtful ally – and a foe of exceptional power.
Learn More
For the full story of the Lumineth, rules for everything Alarith and awesome new models, you won’t have long to wait – expect to see the Lumineth in September! What’s more, if you’ve been holding out on grabbing a
, it’ll only be available for one more week. Some copies are still available online in some territories – don’t miss your chance to grab the exclusive goodies inside!
* Such were the courtly intrigues and manners of Ulthuan that it’s highly unlikely that a walking mountain would have lasted more than five minutes on the island without being spotted and then invited to a party or stabbed a lot with really pointy spears – depending on the mood of the High Elves that day.
