The Aeldari are a dying race. Once rulers of a wondrous galactic empire, they doomed themselves through their own hubris – losing trillions of souls and giving birth to the Chaos God Slaanesh. The final embers of Aeldari civilisation are protected by the Phoenix Lords, legendary warriors who embody one aspect of the fractured Aeldari war god Khaela Mensha Khaine.
But who – or what – are they?
The original Phoenix Lords were the first Exarchs of their Aspect shrines, who took flight when their empire was fracturing under the weight of its own ennui and founded warrior temples aboard the first fleeing craftworlds. Such is the power of their legend, though, that when a Phoenix Lord inevitably dies in battle, their armour will lie there, awaiting a disciple of sufficient promise to assume their mantle – should it ever be found, of course.
We’ve already covered Lhykhis, master of the Warp Spiders in detail, but what of the rest? No one knows how many Aspect shrines there are, nor how many Phoenix Lords, but there are many who are well known in this era.
Asurmen, the Hand of Asur
Asurmen was the first to walk the Path of Warrior, a legendary figure who led the Aeldari craftworlders to safety as the Fall became a reality. Born Iliathin on a planet that would shortly be consumed by the Eye of Terror, his early life was a battle for survival against the twisted remnants of a broken civilisation until he encountered the feral child who would go on to become Jain Zar.
Alongside other followers, they escaped their cursed home, finding a barren planet upon which to rebuild. Now going by Asurmen, named for the chief god of the Aeldari, he established the Dire Avengers – the first and most numerous of the Aspect Shrines – and trained the Asurya who would go on to establish new Shrines and spread the martial discipline known as the Path of the Warrior.
Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence
The First of the Asurya was Jain Zar, a swordmaiden famed for her speed and ferocity. During her training she mastered ‘the scream that steals’, a terrifying psychosonic attack that befuddles and disorientates her foes. With the help of her unique Banshee mask, this scream becomes so potent it can liquefy the brains of her enemies.
Mercurial in temperament, and swift as death, Jain Zar has been more active than most of the other Phoenix Lords in recent years, leading hundreds of Howling Banshees into battle against the Great Enemy. Initially a staunch ally to the Ynnari, the dread matriarch has since distanced herself from Yvraine and her followers, who demand the sacrifice of ever more Aeldari souls in the battle against Slaanesh.
Baharroth, the Cry of the Wind
Most vibrant and youthful of the Phoenix Lords, Baharroth was the first to master aerial combat, soaring and swooping with the grace of the great mythological falcon Faolchú. He is the sun to the sombre moon that is Maugan Ra, a phoenix that has been reborn many times, and the glorious image of his outstretched wings is viewed as a resplendent omen of impending success in battle.
High in the sky Baharroth and his Swooping Hawks harass enemies with raking las bolts. When the time is right, he plunges into battle with the savage fury of a hurricane, making expert use of his sword the Shining Blade, which is said to have been forged in the dying flames of a supernova.
Fuegan, the Burning Lance
The Dragon of Aeldari myth is synonymous with destruction, and it was Fuegan who chose to channel this scorching power into the total annihilation of his enemies. He preaches harmony through selective obliteration – using fire and flame to eradicate the enemies of the Aeldari entirely in a systemic chain of retribution.
A mighty hero to his people, Fuegan’s discipline has fostered the implacable attitude of the Fire Dragons, who focus their anger with pinpoint precision while unmaking monster and war machine alike. Since disappearing into the Webway after scouring scores of daemon lords during the final battle of the planet Haranshemash alongside Eldrad Ulthran, he has spent much of recent history wandering its endless corridors, only emerging to ensure his enemies a sudden and merciless death.
Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls
Of all the Asurya, Maugan Ra stood alone. While his brethren learned arts of war from Asurmen, he fashioned baroque weapons reminiscent of the Aeldari occult and morbid artefacts designed to slay from afar unlike the noble blades of his kin. Relentless in his training, he came to wield ostentatious weapons such as the scythe-bearing shuriken cannon Maugetar with all the precision and flair of a duellists blade – a skill he passed on to the Dark Reapers.
His home craftworld of Altansar was swallowed by the Warp, and only he escaped, taking on the daunting task of rescuing his lost people from the roiling Immaterium – a tale told time after time in the macabre Bás-Finscéali. Despite his eventual success, other Aeldari remain quietly suspicious of Altansar due to its long millennia spent subsumed by the realm of the Great Enemy, though none would dare utter this doubt in front of the Harvester of Souls himself.
Other Phoenix Lords
The above are not the only Phoenix Lords to exist, though the others are enigmatic and solitary beings, all pursuing inscrutable objectives beyond the ken of most mortals. Some like Karandras, the Shadow Hunter patiently stalk foes with supernatural persistence that is measured in centuries rather than hours, continuously attempting to atone for the bloody betrayal of his predecessor Arhra, the original father of the Scorpions.
Irillyth, the Shade of Twilight, and Drastanta, Tempest of Starlight – Phoenix Lords of the Shadow Spectres and Shining Spears respectively – are currently recorded as missing, though that is not necessarily the end of their stories as they will be reborn when their armour is recovered. When all of the Phoenix Lords are amassed, it is said the Rhana Dandra will begin – the epic final battle that will annihilate both realspace and the Immaterium alike. Perhaps Karandras’ current absence can be considered a boon then, all things considered.
You can bring your collection of Phoenix Lords to a not-quite-apocalypse-inducing state of completion on Saturday by pre-ordering Asurmen, Fuegan, Baharroth, and the newly reborn Lhkyhis.
