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I have an idea for a Craftworld Eldar Kill Team that I've been thinking a bit about as it seems like a fun project, but I'm not sure what precedent there is for it.

The idea is this: someone stole some Soulstones and put them into humanoid (and human/Eldar sized) constructs, slaving them to their owner's will but otherwise being essentially as capable as they were before they died. This someone would then use them as a hit squad/bodyguard.

However, before I go down this path, I want to know a few things fluff-wise:

1) Besides the Craftworld Eldar's Wraithguard and Wraithblades, is there any other precedent for using Soulstones with constructs, specifically anything not exclusively used by the Craftworld Eldar?

2) Who would reasonably have the technology to do this?

3) Who would be the most likely to do this?

1- Definitely yes. In Path of the Eldar, the 'corsair' character gets dragged off to a crone world to scavenge soulstones. The party deals with the 'mediator' of an outpost in the webway named Estrathain, who has made 'copies' of himself (which Gav decides to call kami, after the Japanese spirts/gods, because reasons). They're all fully functional, autonomous wraith constructs with the mind of the original, all operating off different soulstones. Somehow.
The original was of Ulthwe, but left the Path.


2 & 3) Eldar of any stripe (definitely including Exodites, but some dark eldar make various (more unpleasant uses of soulstones). Also probably, at this point, Fabius Bile. I don't know that he would as its kinda tangential to his own research, but he has used wraithbone for... (spoiler) things. Some of which would touch on soulstones in various ways.

So far as I know, only Craftworld Eldar use soulstones. Each of the different sorts of Eldar protect their souls in different ways: Dark Eldar are "soul vampires" who can be reincarnated; Harlequins rely on the Laughing God to protect them; Craftworlders capture their souls in soulstones and then give them a permanent resting place in their cratworld's infinity circuit; Exodites' souls are protected their planet (sort of a planetary infinity circuit). I don't think Corsairs do anything to protect their souls because they're insane risk-takers. That being said, I imagine that any sort of Eldar could use a soulstone, if he was so inclined.

Craftworld Eldar routinely put soulstones into vehicles to act as a sort of autopilot. These stones don't "become" the vehicle in the same way a stone "becomes" a wraith construct; instead, they act as a supplement to a living pilot, functioning like an onboard computer. As Eldar are very reluctant to wake a soul from the infinity circuit I imagine that most soulstone pilots are limited to vital roles like military vehicles, but I could imagine one operating an important civilian machine.

Edit: As for who would innovate with new forms of constructs, probably the more radical or desperate craftworlds. Iaynden would do it to make up numbers, while Yme-Loc would do it because they're always inventing new weapons to combat Chaos. A more conservative craftworld like Alaitoc. however, would probably shy away from the innovation necessary for such a leap.

It's more of a stretch, but perhaps some inquisitor from the order xenos? I could see someone lashing some soulstones into some dark age machinery and then binding it all together with some forbidden runic spells. Only an inquisitor could be crazy enough to jury rig some soulstone murder machinery. The inquisitor will probably have to deal with unending promises of death and eternal torment being whispered inside their skull. And if they ever break their bonds, then it won't be the enemy they'll go after. But hey, skilled labored is so hard to find these dark days.

 Mr Nobody wrote:
It's more of a stretch, but perhaps some inquisitor from the order xenos? I could see someone lashing some soulstones into some dark age machinery and then binding it all together with some forbidden runic spells. Only an inquisitor could be crazy enough to jury rig some soulstone murder machinery. The inquisitor will probably have to deal with unending promises of death and eternal torment being whispered inside their skull. And if they ever break their bonds, then it won't be the enemy they'll go after. But hey, skilled labored is so hard to find these dark days.

You just gave me an idea for a 40k character : An inquisitor who was heretical enough to wok with an eldar farseer because both races were facing a threat, and somehow the farseer dies but the inquisitor still needs him/her. It ends with the soulstone implanted in or on the inquisitor's body and the two basically having a mind link that lets them function together. If both were psykers (Eisenhorn, ravenor, Lilith Abfequarn, draco....I'm beginning to wonder how many inquisitors aren't psykers.) they might use their powers in sync. Possibly hating but respecting each other they fight for both races, and often need to convince their own sides not to betray the other.

 Matt Swain wrote:

 Mr Nobody wrote:
It's more of a stretch, but perhaps some inquisitor from the order xenos? I could see someone lashing some soulstones into some dark age machinery and then binding it all together with some forbidden runic spells. Only an inquisitor could be crazy enough to jury rig some soulstone murder machinery. The inquisitor will probably have to deal with unending promises of death and eternal torment being whispered inside their skull. And if they ever break their bonds, then it won't be the enemy they'll go after. But hey, skilled labored is so hard to find these dark days.

You just gave me an idea for a 40k character : An inquisitor who was heretical enough to wok with an eldar farseer because both races were facing a threat, and somehow the farseer dies but the inquisitor still needs him/her. It ends with the soulstone implanted in or on the inquisitor's body and the two basically having a mind link that lets them function together. If both were psykers (Eisenhorn, ravenor, Lilith Abfequarn, draco....I'm beginning to wonder how many inquisitors aren't psykers.) they might use their powers in sync. Possibly hating but respecting each other they fight for both races, and often need to convince their own sides not to betray the other.

It wasn't an inquisitor, but I'm fairly certain that actually happened already.
Well, not the respecting part, obviously, because grimdark. But the farseer using a soulstone to possess a human.

 Matt Swain wrote:

 Mr Nobody wrote:
It's more of a stretch, but perhaps some inquisitor from the order xenos? I could see someone lashing some soulstones into some dark age machinery and then binding it all together with some forbidden runic spells. Only an inquisitor could be crazy enough to jury rig some soulstone murder machinery. The inquisitor will probably have to deal with unending promises of death and eternal torment being whispered inside their skull. And if they ever break their bonds, then it won't be the enemy they'll go after. But hey, skilled labored is so hard to find these dark days.

You just gave me an idea for a 40k character : An inquisitor who was heretical enough to wok with an eldar farseer because both races were facing a threat, and somehow the farseer dies but the inquisitor still needs him/her. It ends with the soulstone implanted in or on the inquisitor's body and the two basically having a mind link that lets them function together. If both were psykers (Eisenhorn, ravenor, Lilith Abfequarn, draco....I'm beginning to wonder how many inquisitors aren't psykers.) they might use their powers in sync. Possibly hating but respecting each other they fight for both races, and often need to convince their own sides not to betray the other.

Skip the implant and just make it a pretty piece of jewelry. A necklace handed down from inquisitor to inquisitor for generations, lecturing each of them on how they specifically and uniquely suck.

Eldar Ghostships?

https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Ghostship

1. As far is precedent goes I can’t think of any in particular but don’t be afraid to be the first one yourself. This actually sounds like a cool idea.

2. Fundamentally to achieve this you would need a bonesinger to create the humanoid constructs and a Spiritseer to draw the sounds into a soul stone and to then guide it into a construct.

3. I think it’s feasible that a disillusionsed or radical Spiritseer could persuade a bonesinger to create some constructs for his needs and for them to sneak off with some souls stones to put into them.

This is assuming that it is elder constructs you are after (albeit human sized ones).