Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Kickass fluff! I really like the idea of the hidden craftworld in the webway, with a disguised outpost housing a portal for entry

I also like that they're hiding away from the plight of the rest of the eldar race. Fits very well with the elven archetype, and adds in a little twist of selfishness that is again very fitting. Homebrew craftworld fluff can often seem a little too noblebright for the 40k universe, but that little twist adds in the perfect amount of grimdark

I've always struggled slightly myself to make compelling CWE fluff, but you've done well there

Nice bit of fluff there.

Glad you like it guys!

In line with the fluff, here's the next part of Craftworld Aryllon's proxy army coming to the rescue... thank god for all the SM players selling off their Death Masque spares on eBay haha

Look good. The elEldar vindicare is really cool too. Nice work.

EDC

It has been a while!

Sorry, real life got in the way - today I present the first of my Eldar Assasins. The fluff below explains the in-game mechanic of being 'allies of convenience' with the rest of my army. Hope you like!
It's the first time I've tried to paint chrome and I'm prety pleased with the outcome. The white has a bit more depth than shown but I struggled to control the contrast once I put a dark backdrop behind her.


When Craftworld Eldar feel the call of Khaine, most turn to the warrior path to master their need for violence. The aspect shrines teach combat and discipline in equal measure and while an Eldar feels no glory in the deaths he or she has dealt once their war-mask is removed, there is at least the martial honour of only having done so while facing hostiles on the field of battle - and only when needs must.

However some Eldar tread a darker path.

Sometimes, there is a strategic need to kill a non-combatant. Sometimes there is simply a desire to kill. The threads of fate will all too often reveal otherwise insignificant individuals whose future actions will bring dark consequences for thousands or even millions, pouring yet more fuel onto the soul-fire of the dark gods. Alternatively, the extinguishing of a life could have simpler motives such as unfettered greed for money or power. In such circumstances the hammer must be replaced with a scalpel.

Sometimes soldiers must make way for murderers.

From Shaa-dom to the crone worlds, Aelindrach to Altansar, dark temples exist in the galaxy. These cold halls are invariably found in places of ill-repute; places where over the long aeons the ancient empire has fallen from light or been exposed to misfortune, creating forgotten or long-sealed corners where darkness has quietly taken hold. It is to these temples that killers come, Eldar whose war-mask has slipped or whose pleasure in eliminating rivals has eclipsed the requirement to do so. No guide leads them, but they arrive nontheless.

Commorites, Craftworlders and Corsairs alike can be drawn to kill for killings' sake, Khaine's inescapable grip a greater or lesser part of every Eldar's psyche. However these darker Khainite temples are nothing like the Aspect shrines, no Exarchs are in residence and no formal training given. The Eldar who come here are natural killers and pursue their instincts purely for the pleasure of the kill and to the point of perfection - a dangerous game when the Eldar mind is such a beacon to She Who Thirsts. The dark prince knows this and profits from it; her eye is always on these individuals and their souls are particularly coveted. The perfection of their successes bring her great pleasure and their failures even more so, for when a Khainite assassin fails to eliminate their mark they become prey to the others of their temple, none willing to suffer such ineptitude amongst their own. It is not only their life which is forfeit for their spirit stone is duly crushed in a terrible final act of permenant execution; all too often these individuals have reincarnation pacts with Commorite Haemonculi covens and the threat of such consummate killers returning to execute their hunters is too great. Surrendering their soul to Slaanesh is both the ultimate deterrent against failure and absolute guarantee against reprisal.

All Eldar know of this practice and the attention these assassins draw from beyond the veil, so actively avoid all contact - but such is their skill and so great is often the need that it is never long before a desperate Craftworld, Coterie or Kabal accepts the risks and these murder-disciples are once again called upon to extinguish the flames of life.

Harlequins abhor them and the temples they inhabit yet appreciate the distastefull neccesity of the role they often play, otherwise it is likely the scions of Cegorach would have long ago attempted to eliminate their existence altogether. The waxing and waning of their numbers however, with centuries passing between short periods of activity, suggests a policy of periodic culling.

Or boundaries frequently overstepped...

----- Ends -----

Moving on swiftly - I'm really into the whole Ynnari thing and love the modelling options. A few years ago I made the below Seer Council using bits from I think Micro Art Studio (elf ranger bodies & torsos) along with a bunch of spare parts I had lying around. The original idea was that they were from Altansar and with that Craftworld's reemergence into primary fluff thanks to Gathering Storm they have been dug out from my hobby box and I'm reconsidering using them.

I'm not a huge fan of the resing used by Micro Art Studio, it's crazily brittle (as you can see from the second-left shoulder and second-right foot, both of which snapped when I was removing them from the mould entry points). Plus I like to have the option to enter things into official painting contests, send photos to GW or use them in-store, so I'm probably not going to keep these.

But that doesn't mean I won't use them.

The conversion below is my spiritseer - using an Elf Shadow Warrior body (greenstuff to smooth out the armour scales to create robes instead). I'm thinking I could do the same here, switching the arms and heads across. The only issue is there isn't as great a variety of poses with the plastic shadow warriors as with the existing Micro Art Studio bodies. And I have no time for a new project.

Decisions decisions...

BTW, this one's for you @Berwald..!

Aryllon,

Great Death Masque there Aryllon and very good write-up.

Cheers,

CB

Dude! I adore the fluff for the Khainite assassins. It's absolutely brilliant recently I've really taken to exploring the darker sides of Eldar culture/psyche with soul-vampires and ragged prophets. I'd never really thought of giving the Eldar psychopaths before stunning idea.

Love the model as well. Really nice motion to it, and I love the paint job. I like the contrast of how bright, clean and heroic she looks when underneath lurks an Eldar even the Harlequins abhor.

Awesome stuff, and it's not often I use that word

Yes! I've been waiting for another person to have a crack at converting some Ynnari there's so much potential and I couldn't wait to see someone else's take on them.

Your Shadowseer is excellent. Brilliant idea filling in the scale mail plates on the Shadow Warriors legs with GS to make robes. I've got quite a few of those knocking around, but scale or chainmail just doesn't fit on Eldar models for me.

I also really love the dorsal fin too. What's it made from?

I like the old school Seer Council as well. Where are their legs from? Are they from the same kit as the bodies?

That assassin is gorgeous, I especially love what you did with the hair.

Wow. She's beautiful.

That assassin is off the hook!

EDC

Thanks guys!

I really appreciate the feedback, it keeps the motivation levels pumping! Yeah with the assassin I really wanted my Eldar versions to be as true to the originals as possible while making her obviously 'Eldar' (hence the blank face, female, braided ponytail, wrist-mounted blade, exotic pistol, dynamic movement etc).

What did you think of the chrome dome, did I pull it off??

The Eldar vindicare is made and half painted, while the Callidus and Eversor bits are awaiting construction...

@Ynneadwraith yeah I saw your recent stuff, really cool! There are loads of conversion opportunities now, with the multiple eldar and elf factions across game systems - it's a shame we don't see more.

I can't remember for sure but I think the dorsal fin is from the same plastic Succubus whose body I used for the Callidus. I added some plastic gems and streamers from I think a High Elf kit too though. The seer council legs yes are from the same source as the torsos (pretty sure it's Micro Art Studio 'Elf Rangers').

@Inevitable_Faith thanks, yeah I oringinally did the braids pure white but felt it needed to be broken up, but I didn't want to add more colours to the palette. Adding a single black strand into the hair seemed to work. She's basically only black, white and gold (including metallic or non-metallic versions of those colours), barring the reflections in her helm.