"Trust not in their appearance for the Eldar are as utterly alien to good, honest

men as the vile Tyranids and savage Orks. They are capricious and fickle, attacking
without cause or warning. There is no understanding them for there is nothing to
understand -- they are a random force in the universe."

—Imperial Commander Abriel Hum

Asuryani
Rune representing the Asuryani or Craftworld Aeldari in the Aeldari Lexicon.

The Asuryani (Aeldarix dolosus) ("Children of Asuryan" in the Aeldari Lexicon,

pronounced "ah-SUR-ee-AH-nee"), also called Craftworld Aeldari as they were named
before the fall of their lost realm, or the Eldar as they were long known to
outsiders, or even the "Eldar of the Stars," are an ancient, humanoid alien species
whose vast empire once extended the width and breadth of the known galaxy. The
Asuryani are a kindred of the Aeldari species who now live on vast, city-like
starships called craftworlds.

The Aeldari Empire was without equal, and they counted themselves masters of the
stars. But over ten Terran millennia ago, the Aeldari's overweening pride and their
fall into hedonistic practices led to a cataclysm that all but eradicated their
kind and led to the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh.

Despite their boundless power, the heart of their civilisation was torn out by this
catastrophe of their own making, forcing many of the surviving Aeldari, now calling
themselves "Eldar" to outsiders and "Asuryani" among themselves, to flee upon
gigantic, continent-size starships once used for commerce and trade that they named
craftworlds. Now the Asuryani cling to survival by a thread, fighting the horrors
of the galaxy with ritualised mental discipline and consummate martial skill.

The Asuryani rely on mystical technologies like psychocrystalline Spirit Stones and
the psychoactive wraithbone Infinity Circuits that comprise the skeletons of their
craftworlds to store their souls after death and prevent their consumption by
Slaanesh.

It is the use of these technologies and their pursuit of a rigid system of

behavioural modification to keep their darker impulses in check that shape the
Asuryani lifestyle and define their culture as distinct from that of the other
Aeldari sub-cultures.

The Aeldari species has a long and complex spacefaring history, so long in fact
that little is known for certain about the course of their physical evolution and
early planet-bound existence. The original Aeldari homeworld was destroyed during
the catastrophic collapse of the Aeldari civilisation known as the Fall of the
Aeldari.

Eldar Warlock
The Asuryani Warlock Arquellia of the Ulthwé Craftworld, wielding a Witchblade
while being accompanied by her pet Grynix.

The remnants of Aeldari culture that survived the cataclysm among the Asuryani
preserved much of their species' history in the form of traditional stories, songs
and dance. Written records, monuments and visual records were almost completely
destroyed except for a few instances where they were taken aboard voidcraft fleeing
from the doomed worlds.

As a humanoid race, Aeldari are physically very similar to Humans, although not
entirely identical by any means. They possess longer and cleaner limbs, and fine
ascetic features with penetrating and slightly slanted, almond-shaped eyes.
Their ears are also slightly pointed, but otherwise they could pass as Human at
first glance. The most obvious difference between Humans and Aeldari can only be
seen when they move, for the movements of an Aeldari radiate a subtle grace which
is impossible for a Human to emulate.

This can be seen in even their slightest gestures or the dexterity with which they
manipulate small objects.

The Aeldari mind, while similar in general to the Human psyche, is far more
inclined towards emotional extremes. Because of this, Aeldari are more intelligent
but also far more intense than Humans.

Although an Aeldari and a Human can both feel grief or joy, the Aeldari's
experience is likely to be far more extreme.

This natural inclination towards emotional extremes is both a blessing and a curse
to the Aeldari. On the positive side, it gives them an unparalleled appreciation of
life and an unrivalled ability to express themselves through music and other
creative endeavours.

A melody or gesture made with grace and skill can elicit an intensity of pleasure
which is unimaginable to a Human.

AsuryaniWarrior
An Autarch of the Asuryani Craftworld Biel-Tan.

But this potential for joy is paralleled by an equal capacity to feel despair,
ambition and even hatred. Confronted by grief or other personal setbacks, an
Aeldari suffers mental torments which far exceed the boundaries of Human anguish.

The extreme nature of their temperament makes it very important that the Aeldari
maintain a measure of self-control at all times, for it is dangerously easy for
them to become entranced by and ultimately dependent upon the experiences that
their culture offers them.

They must learn to control the darker side of their natures, which is no less an
essential portion of the Aeldari psyche -- and the source of the catastrophe that
nearly caused their extinction.

For this reason, the Asuryani are defined as a culture by their pursuit of the
Asuryani Path. This philosophy teaches them how to balance their potent minds and
pursue constructive goals rather than falling to the amoral pursuit of pleasure and
selfishness that ultimately destroyed the ancient Aeldari and still defines their
dark kin, the Drukhari.

The Aeldari are a naturally psychic species, and all Asuryani possess the potential
to become powerful psykers if they choose to pursue this path. The Asuryani can use
these innate abilities to shape matter, which lies at the foundation of their
extraordinary command of technology.

Though highly advanced and feared across the galaxy, the Craftworld Aeldari are
still a dying people in the late 41st Millennium -- a shadow of their former glory
-- and their species teeters on the brink of final annihilation.