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At some point I heard that the Eldar's version of aging was that their bodies become crystal overtime and I never really thought much about it. But while I was flipping through the Eldar Codex I read that Eldrad's bones or something were slowing turning into crystal due to his advance age. What I'm curios about is that how do Eldar age to death? By turning into crystals?

It's the way the seers go, at least. And Eldrad is amongst the most powerful of their seers.

Many craftworlds have a "dome of the crystal seers" - an area filled with crystalline "trees" that are the remains of their seers who took "root" there. Their waystone basically forms the nucleus of their crystal "tree" form that grows into the infinity circuit.

Exarchs (aspect warriors) become one with their armour (the Armour bears the name of the dominant personality, which tends to be the first wearer).

Those selected as "young kings" (the ritual sacrifice that awakens the avatar) become one with the avatar, as a new "gemstone" upon its body, their psyche subsumed into the avatar.

Whereas the non-seers/non-exarchs have to have their stones "implanted" into the circuit so that their spirit can be freed to roam the craftworld in safety.

Many thanks chromedog. Actually, the Exarch one is new to me. I thought the armour only passed down the knowledge and experience to the wearer until he died and then those experiences get stored in the suit, not fusing together like that.

When you say roam in safety do you mean just freely as invisible spirits or in constructs of sorts?

Only the seers themselves become crystal, which is something to do with their constant interaction with the warp.

Most other Eldar would age, and die, normally. However, I doubt many others would be able to live long enough to live out their millennia-long life span.

Iranna.

 Swastakowey wrote:
When you say roam in safety do you mean just freely as invisible spirits or in constructs of sorts?

Obviously I'm no expert, but I would assume a spirit within the Curcuit.

 chromedog wrote:

Exarchs (aspect warriors) become one with their armour (the Armour bears the name of the dominant personality, which tends to be the first wearer).

Those selected as "young kings" (the ritual sacrifice that awakens the avatar) become one with the avatar, as a new "gemstone" upon its body, their psyche subsumed into the avatar.

Whereas the non-seers/non-exarchs have to have their stones "implanted" into the circuit so that their spirit can be freed to roam the craftworld in safety.

actually the phoenix lords are the ones who retain the dominant personality while exarchs are more of a conglomoration of spirits with no one in particular being in complete control for very long, while this could have obvious downsides, different eldar can learn different techniques' to improve upon their aspect temples teachings. At least that was the impression I got from path of the warrior.

Redseer wrote:

 chromedog wrote:

Exarchs (aspect warriors) become one with their armour (the Armour bears the name of the dominant personality, which tends to be the first wearer).

Those selected as "young kings" (the ritual sacrifice that awakens the avatar) become one with the avatar, as a new "gemstone" upon its body, their psyche subsumed into the avatar.

Whereas the non-seers/non-exarchs have to have their stones "implanted" into the circuit so that their spirit can be freed to roam the craftworld in safety.

actually the phoenix lords are the ones who retain the dominant personality while exarchs are more of a conglomoration of spirits with no one in particular being in complete control for very long, while this could have obvious downsides, different eldar can learn different techniques' to improve upon their aspect temples teachings. At least that was the impression I got from path of the warrior.

No, Exarchs have this as well, but their dominant psyche isn't crushingly dominant and it takes some time before the physical body's psyche is incorporated into the whole, although at times past psyches may surface. In case of the Phoenix Lords, there is only ever one soul and it utterly crushes the psyche that it subsumed. Also, Phoenix Lords have no need for flesh and blood, the armour is enough.

Mahtamori said,

Phoenix Lords have no need for flesh and blood, the armour is enough.

That this can be a thing with the Eldar like to a lesser degree the Exarch's armor, Makes me wonder if something like this is what the current state of the survivors of craftworld Altansar is.
Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra went back for them 10,000 years after they were initially lost and led them out to deny Abaddon's 13th crusade the victory. But the Altansar eldar will not remove their helmets, even under great duress and if they must they only speak in whispers. The whole thing makes me wonder if they are animated suits with spirits inside to run it. Would be intersting to see if anything further comes down the pike from the authors on what is up here.

 Zakiriel wrote:
But the Altansar eldar will not remove their helmets, even under great duress and if they must they only speak in whispers. The whole thing makes me wonder if they are animated suits with spirits inside to run it.

Reminds me of Rubric Marines that are sentient, lol

 Zakiriel wrote:
Mahtamori said,

Phoenix Lords have no need for flesh and blood, the armour is enough.

That this can be a thing with the Eldar like to a lesser degree the Exarch's armor, Makes me wonder if something like this is what the current state of the survivors of craftworld Altansar is.
Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra went back for them 10,000 years after they were initially lost and led them out to deny Abaddon's 13th crusade the victory. But the Altansar eldar will not remove their helmets, even under great duress and if they must they only speak in whispers. The whole thing makes me wonder if they are animated suits with spirits inside to run it. Would be intersting to see if anything further comes down the pike from the authors on what is up here.

Where's the bit about Altansar from?

 PredaKhaine wrote:

Where's the bit about Altansar from?

It's been in all the codexes since 2nd at least. Maugan Ra went back to get the Crafworld back from the warp. They aren't trusted much by other craftworlds due to them being in the warp for so long.

Last codex said something along the lines of.
"Maugan Ra guided what was left of his Craftworld out of the Eye of Terror and led them against the Forces of Chaos to deny them their victory. However, at the war councils of the Eldar that followed Altansar's return, there was no welcome from the other Craftworlds' Autarchs for their long-lost kin. Though the Phoenix Lord's people certainly fight hard, not one of them will remove their helm, even under duress, and they speak only in whispers. The question has been asked many times, though never in Maugan Ra's presence -- how could any living Eldar warrior remain untouched by the predations of the Eye of Terror and Chaos itself for so many millennia?"

I'd just not seen this bit before

'not one of them will remove their helm, even under duress, and they speak only in whispers. The question has been asked many times, though never in Maugan Ra's presence'

How is that even possible? I was not aware an organic life-form can become crystalline. I mean, it's pretty cool and alien sounding, but is there a reason?
If Seers become crystal due to their interaction with the warp, then couldn't that happen to humans as well?

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
How is that even possible? I was not aware an organic life-form can become crystalline. I mean, it's pretty cool and alien sounding, but is there a reason?
If Seers become crystal due to their interaction with the warp, then couldn't that happen to humans as well?

I don't think humans in 40k live long enough. Its more to do with the infinity circuit iirc

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Dome_of_Crystal_Seers

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
How is that even possible? I was not aware an organic life-form can become crystalline. I mean, it's pretty cool and alien sounding, but is there a reason?

Psychic shenanigans, 'nuff said.

If Seers become crystal due to their interaction with the warp, then couldn't that happen to humans as well?

Unlikely; neither the Emperor (who far surpasses any Eldar in psychic might) and Malcador showed indications of crystallization. And the former was over thirty thousand years old by the time of the Horus Heresy.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
How is that even possible? I was not aware an organic life-form can become crystalline. I mean, it's pretty cool and alien sounding, but is there a reason?
If Seers become crystal due to their interaction with the warp, then couldn't that happen to humans as well?

I believe its actually a by-product of Eldar physiology.

According to Xenology, Eldar excrete crystal waste as a by-product of their metabolism(fether's poop diamonds!)


Its possible that their bodies have crystalline properties or structures, and maybe as they age they crystallize more and more. The process may be too slow to make normal Eldar turn into stone, but maybe Seers use of psychic powers speeds the process up.

So...farseers who turn into crystal are just really badly constipated?