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I can't decide whether this is a good character flaw or something out of character.

So, per the Order army book, it provides the reason why Wood Elves aren't part of the Sylvaneth faction. Its basically because Alarielle has come to believe that Elves are too far removed from nature to truly understand it the same way as the forest spirits do. This is stated as the core reason for the split.

Now, theres two ways of reading that. One, is you read it sympathetically as part of Alarielle very much becoming withdrawn from the wider world, disillusioned, retreating to tend to her forests in her winter aspect. Much of the Sylvaneth plot has focused on the Lady of Vines and the Stormcasts encouraging her to...go super saiyan essentially and return to the world. In one book shes described as having gone almost into a coma until the Stormcast show up. So in that sense her essentially shunning her own kind and turning her back on them until they left Ghyran makes sense and could be seen as part of a character flaw for her to work out.

The second way of reading it is that shes a cold hearted . I mean these are her kin, she is an elf, its incredibly hypocritical of her to argue that they can't have a place beside her. She watched the world die and failed to save them one time already. Would that not incentivise her to make keeping elves alive a priority (as it is for Teclis, Tyrion and Melerion)?. Her character is all about being compassionate, surely she wouldn't let a philosophical view get in the way of that fact. Especially since shes stated as pining for the world that once was, it makes little sense that she wouldn't simply reconstitute some variant of Athel Loran. I mean how could she do that? She treats her own kind with disdain and then just accepts the Stormcast Eternals with open arms? I mean I quite like the Hallowed Knights, but surely Alarielle wouldn't have such a negative view of Wood Elves if she was that tolerant and compassionate to accept the Stormcast.

Again, I get that the lore is made specifically to split the factions but I just find this a little hard to swallow from a character that's supposed to be a good person.


Also, do you think this is a permanent thing, or something that might get altered later on in the lore? I am a little dubious of some of the holdover factions like the Freeguild and if they're important to the lore or simply inserted to allow you to field old armies.

She's not an Elf anymore. She has not been an Elf since the End Times.

She is Sylvaneth now. Just like Ariel, whose power she had brought into her during the End Times, she is all about the forest.

The Elves can rot for all she cares.

 Kanluwen wrote:
She's not an Elf anymore. She has not been an Elf since the End Times.

She is Sylvaneth now. Just like Ariel, whose power she had brought into her during the End Times, she is all about the forest.

The Elves can rot for all she cares.

Considering she is her war aspect and where it was planted(it was a place about valor, courage and hope etc) even though they are not as connected to nature as she is I don't think she will turn down extra forces that support her cause if she wants to release her realm from nurgle clutches. I can see a wanderer and sylvaneth force working together well they don't even hate the wanderers for leaving it's just the connection aspect. Plus I think Alarielle would appreciate what the wanderer's are trying to do if the magic of life is spread amogst the realms I imagine that strengthen's her as well. One thing all the gods in AOS have in common they want to spread their dominion.

Going by the sylvaneth novel that involved stormcast they are slow to trust but if they see you putting everything you can to help them and their cause they will not mind the help the lord castellant got his hand chopped off and the sylvaneth restored it with Alarielle's pod you could even say she did it personally. Plus you can't really categorize her she is a god now. If sylvaneth can work with and trust stormcast I think wanderer's would have little problem if they actually help plus they worship and use the same magic for their forces.

What you said does not match her characterization from the novel.

 Kanluwen wrote:
She's not an Elf anymore. She has not been an Elf since the End Times.

She is Sylvaneth now. Just like Ariel, whose power she had brought into her during the End Times, she is all about the forest.

The Elves can rot for all she cares.

Then why does she still choose to appear as an elf?

That's like saying Sigmar isn't human. Most of the deities do strongly favour their particular species, even if they are worshipped as a pantheon by all mortals. Its why Teclis, Tyrion and Melerion were so preoccupied with rescueing the elves from Slannesh (note that Alarielle is not mentioned as having a hand in rescuing them). But yeah, Sigmar is associated with humans. The dwarf god is associated with Dwarves (forget his name). Gorkamorka is closely associated with orcs. Nagash with the Undead. Then the afore mentioned elven dieties who are very keenly interested in the welfare of their brethren.

Which if that was her attitude would be a pretty unsympathetic attitude and go against the character's stated compassion for all life. I mean as a reader its difficult to stay invested in all these Stormcast Eternals "dying" to preserve a bit of woodland. Dryads and treemen are very hard to sympathise with; which is why they've had to focus a lot on keeping Alarielle safe as a sympathetic focus. I mean in my eyes that would make her as evil as Nagash if all she wants to do is remove all sentient life from the forests and people them with forest spirits. That's, kind of evil. I mean I don't think that's how it is with the character, but its how you're describing her there.

Didn't she go off to the Realm of Life in a deep depression and nurturing the Sylvaneth into being was sort of her therapy so to speak? I think it is less that the elves are not tree huggy enough for her and more that she wishes to be left alone with nature. That's the impression I got from the first Age of Sigmar hardback and the realm of life books anyway. Haven't got the Order book but is it possible they were summarising and doing so poorly? Wouldn't exactly be out of the question for GW.

The Stormcast did there bit in helping to bring her out of that melancholic state, they made her mad until she realised that she indeed needed to do something other than hide away (not that they left her with much of a choice, leading Nurgles lot right to her sanctuary)!

Knowing how little I do about this particular topic I'm pleased and excited for this new course of lore development. Thanks. OP. for the info.

Dai wrote:
Didn't she go off to the Realm of Life in a deep depression and nurturing the Sylvaneth into being was sort of her therapy so to speak? I think it is less that the elves are not tree huggy enough for her and more that she wishes to be left alone with nature. That's the impression I got from the first Age of Sigmar hardback and the realm of life books anyway. Haven't got the Order book but is it possible they were summarising and doing so poorly? Wouldn't exactly be out of the question for GW.

The Stormcast did there bit in helping to bring her out of that melancholic state, they made her mad until she realised that she indeed needed to do something other than hide away (not that they left her with much of a choice, leading Nurgles lot right to her sanctuary)!

In the book after that she got over it as you said hiding was not solving the situation she knew nurgle would get to her eventually. She welcomed their help in the next book it's the sylvaneth that needed a bit of convincing but they got over it as well and accepted them as allies.

 Totalwar1402 wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
She's not an Elf anymore. She has not been an Elf since the End Times.

She is Sylvaneth now. Just like Ariel, whose power she had brought into her during the End Times, she is all about the forest.

The Elves can rot for all she cares.

Then why does she still choose to appear as an elf?

Grymm muses that Alarielle appears as a beautiful maiden to the Stormcast, perhaps she appears as something different to the Sylvaneth and possibly something worse to the followers of Chaos.

Im pretty sure it's only said that the Sylvaneth view the Wanderers as having abandoned the realm of life, not Alarielle specifically. Also, it isn't hypocritical at all, if in real life a bunch of a nations soldiers left when an enemy invaded and only came back when the tide had turned they wouldn't be popular either.

Will Allarielle only be represented on the tabletop as her large model? Or will there be the option to use her on foot.

 NH Gunsmith wrote:
Will Allarielle only be represented on the tabletop as her large model? Or will there be the option to use her on foot.

Alarielle on beetle has now appeared twice in artworks. As has already been commented, all the new artwork appears to be based on actual product.

It's possible she could come in two flavours, but it's not happened with any other characters so we'll have to wait and see.

Dang, I will have to find another use for my metal one than haha.

Also. Allarielle and the Wanderers sounds like a cool band name.

Cataphract wrote:
Also. Allarielle and the Wanderers sounds like a cool band name.

Yeah it kinda does when I finish up my death I am thinking about putting together a small order force I am going to go grab the grand alliance order book. It's out of an Sylvaneth/wandrer army or a sigmarite army.

RoperPG wrote:

 NH Gunsmith wrote:
Will Allarielle only be represented on the tabletop as her large model? Or will there be the option to use her on foot.

Alarielle on beetle has now appeared twice in artworks. As has already been commented, all the new artwork appears to be based on actual product.

It's possible she could come in two flavours, but it's not happened with any other characters so we'll have to wait and see.

Sure it has:

Dark Elves:

Bloodwrack Medusae and Bloodwrack Shrine.

Probably can say the same thing about the two different Archaeon's as well.

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:

RoperPG wrote:

 NH Gunsmith wrote:
Will Allarielle only be represented on the tabletop as her large model? Or will there be the option to use her on foot.

Alarielle on beetle has now appeared twice in artworks. As has already been commented, all the new artwork appears to be based on actual product.

It's possible she could come in two flavours, but it's not happened with any other characters so we'll have to wait and see.

Sure it has:

Dark Elves:

Bloodwrack Medusae and Bloodwrack Shrine.

Probably can say the same thing about the two different Archaeon's as well.

Except the shrine was a dual build kit so if you made the CoB you had a spare Medusae.
I'd be surprised if the beetle was a separate large monster, but can hope.

Also, the recent Duardin salamanders have "on foot" options for each rider.
It would be easy to ad a profile for her on foot, and who knows, it might be a dual kit or some other hero might ride it, or even a "cannon" of sorts be mounted upon it.

Actually, it would be cool to see a horde of giant beetles without riders reclaiming the land for mother nature.
I really love "Nausicaa of the valley of the wind" (manga even better than the anime) and thats what I think of when I hear about a woman beetle surfing in the frontline of the forces of nature. In my eyes the theme is already proven to be all kinds of awesome.
(true, Nausicaa dont share the rage and the need for revenge as we probably will see with Alarielle, still...)

Get hold of those bolas bits from the harlie bike kit you even have naussicas insect charm. (Of course this depends on if ariel is even on a giant bug or even being released).