Iyanden Supplement Bckground

[eldargal]

Finally managed to get my copy of the Iyanden supplement off my mother who was too lazy to buy her own copy so 'borrowed mine'. I'm really, really impressed with it, the background is excellent, well thought out and adds a huge amount of depth to Iyanden and the eldar in general. Some highlights:

-Iyanden pioneered the use of soulstones and using the Infinity Circuit to store souls.
- They had an alliance with Biel-Tan to cleanse the galaxy of Chaos with Biel Tan focusing on the Western rim and Iyanden on the eastern. They ended up losing contact after Biel-Tan started focusing on fighting anyone, not just Chaos.
-The history of Iyanden post fall is written as a metaphor for the Fall of the eldar, it's very effective. Basically Iyanden was so successful in its campaigns in the Eastern rim that they became complacent and arrogant and ultimately ignored Eldrad Ulthrans warning about the 'nids
-Idharae and Malan'tai both allied with Iyanden as part of their vision for a new Eldar Empire. Idharae was shown to be a small but great craftworld that was severely depleted of manpower fighting against Hive Fleet Naga which goes some way to explaining how a single Space Marine chapter was able to destroy it
-The story of Yriels exile is detailed, I thought it was rather good and fit well with the overall themes of Iyanden. Long story short his arrogance let a Chaos attack do some significant damage to the Craftworld itseld (wiping out Iyanna Arienals family too).
-The avatar still gets ownt by carnifices but it isn't quite so stupid now as it comes very late in the final battle and the avatar had been fighting a lot already so he didn't just wake up and get killed like an idiot.
-Yriel sees all sorts of visions while chatting with a Shadowseer as he is about to take up his cursed spear, including the Eldar gods being reborn.
-Iyanna Arienal is hunting down relics of Morag-Hai which she believes will allow the eldar to awaken Ynnead early, perhaps with the sacrifice of Iyandens living population.
-There is a sacred Flame of Asuryan on the Craftworld which is supposed to be the last fragment of Asuryans power that wasn't et by Slaanesh.

Heaps more I'm forgetting, I'll read it again and post more. If you are at all interested in eldar I really recommend getting this book.

[Deadlift]

Bah old news :p had the book for 2 weeks now.

But seriously even for myself who isn't a big eldar fan it was worth buying. It's also worth saying that although it allows you to tweak an all wraith list, the books rules aren't a massive shift away from a ghost army from the main book. Don't buy this if your expecting the rules to turn you wraith guard / lords / warriors into an unholy unbeatable army. It won't. But the rules, warlord traits (better in this book than the main eldar one) do turn the flavour up a notch.
For me the book was a must buy, Eldar don't interest me massively but, Iyanden and its ghosts always have. A combination of plastic guard and this book have given me the opportunity to build an army I have long wanted to.
Mat Wards the author and for those who criticise his fluff writing, either buy this book or borrow it if you can. His writing in this book is showing a maturity maybe lacking in previous works of his. For me as the 1st Ward codex of 6th (yes GW have called this a codex as well as a supplement) it was the cherry on the ghost cake.

8/10 :)

[DrLove42]

Hopefully i'll pick mine up tonight. Looking forward to it

[Frankio9]

Interesting that you are so positive about the fluff, i read this somewhere else: http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1 Slightly different opinion.

[Bitrider]

Interesting that you are so positive about the fluff, i read this somewhere else: http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1 Slightly different opinion.


A comment about Matt Ward from the article linked above.
...'The strategically shaved ape.'

What does that even mean? If you are going to throw insults, at least be clear as to what those insults mean. Eh?

[bfmusashi]

Well, the Eldar are outrageous jerks.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

What does that even mean? If you are going to throw insults, at least be clear as to what those insults mean. Eh?Well, "shaved ape/monkey" are fairly generic insults used to call someone subhuman (oft used racially), so it seems fitting for the Eldar.

...man, the "thegoodthebadtheinsulting" guy's really trying his hardest to hate it. I know a lot of Mat Ward's stuff isn't that great, but this guy's going into it assuming he'll hate it, and trying his hardest to find reasons to.

[Kyban]

...man, the "thegoodthebadtheinsulting" guy's really trying his hardest to hate it. I know a lot of Mat Ward's stuff isn't that great, but this guy's going into it assuming he'll hate it, and trying his hardest to find reasons to.
Yeah, seemed that way to me too. Some of his complaints didn't even make sense.

[Deadlift]

Interesting that you are so positive about the fluff, i read this somewhere else: http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1 Slightly different opinion.

Maybe my standards aren't as high, but I have read the book a few times now and really enjoyed it. It goes into lengths to show the history of Iyanden and its many ups and downs. I wouldn't say it's my favourite fluff, that's the Ork codex just for hilarity alone, but it's up there and reading it has encouraged me to plod along with my project.

[daboarder]

Maybe my standards aren't as high, but I have read the book a few times now and really enjoyed it. It goes into lengths to show the history of Iyanden and its many ups and downs. I wouldn't say it's my favourite fluff, that's the Ork codex just for hilarity alone, but it's up there and reading it has encouraged me to plod along with my project.

I have to agree with the bloke though, Ward writes everything as some "mary sue" event. Take the BA codex for example, despite ork spores being basically impossible to get rid of, orks land on baal, are all killed, and never heard form again. Another example is his desire to "raise the stakes" I mean it wasn't enough that the BA's and their successors are slowly but inevitably succumbing to the Rage/Thirst, no Ward thought it was appropriate to drop both a a hive fleet and a major daemonic incursion on them. Just to make things more EXTREME!!!.

The guy really does write like fan fiction.

[eldargal]

Interesting that you are so positive about the fluff, i read this somewhere else: http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1 Slightly different opinion.

Whoever wrote that is a ******** idiot. Seriously. An complete. Utter. Moron. Really, I can't emphasize that enough. I read that post, twice. He is so desperate to dislike the background he is effectively re-writing it in his mind and on his blog to portray it in the worst possible light. He even gets things wrong himself in his desire to find things to hate for gods sake. In other words, he basically made stuff up. A lot of stuff.

You want to dislike the background? Fine, but when you boil it down to simplistic details and then twist said details to suit a pre-conceived notion about the quality of the writer AND just get things completely wrong you're not being critical, you're being a ******* moron.

[lattd]

So just read that review and I agree with eldargal it was stupid. He complains that the race is described as arrogant erm the main codex they are described as arrogant. He complains about ynnead erm if I had helped create a god who nearly wiped out my race I would be pretty cautious about creating another.

Finally he obviously doesn't understand the meaning of a supplement, as he complains that it only adds a few rules and does not give you the army list on top? The book sounds great IMO, not one ill pick up but it's promising.

[eldargal]

Right! I mean the first page of the bloody book describes Iyandens rise and fall as analogous to the Eldar Empires rise and fall which was due to arrogance and complacency. Then he complains that Iyanden is shown to be arrogant and complacent as it kicks Chaos bottom across the eastern rim of the galaxy for gods sake.

[Frankio9]

While I can't say that I agree with everything said in his review, there are some pretty weird things in this supplement, based on what I read online. Iyanden pioneering the Infinity Circuit seems a bit far fetched. The Infinty Circuit is essential for the excistence of a Craftworld right? You can't have a Craftworld without the Circuit, but according to the supplement Craftworlds didn't used to have them until iyanden designed one? Now, i don't have the supplement myself, this is all based on what I read online about the Iyanden book.

[Arthfael]

Well, I imagine in the first years post Fall the Eldar discovered spirit stones (I'd like to learn how) then after several decades of constant warfare for survival ended up with vaults full of spirit stones. Those on the Path of the Janitor then petitioned for a solution to the mess, et voila, the Infinity Circuit was born.

[Nabterayl]

I believe, technically, "janitor" is an aspect ;)

[bfmusashi]

Spirit Stones seem to be older than the fall, since Isha's still around when they're made. You "just" need a warp/real space overlap to harvest them. Their modern use as soul traps is likely new. What I want to know is how the Path started.

[Kyban]

Spirit Stones seem to be older than the fall, since Isha's still around when they're made. You "just" need a warp/real space overlap to harvest them. Their modern use as soul traps is likely new. What I want to know is how the Path started.

Isn't Isha still around? Stuck with Nurgle?

[Bitrider]

In the last Deamon codex she was.

[bfmusashi]

More specifically, spirit stones predate the War in Heaven. Khaine cries to the Big A that Isha and Special K's babies are totally going to kill him. Big A's all upset because Khaine really pulls the pantheon together and bans further contact between the Eldar and their gods. But Isha's all sad she's lost her babies and cries. Those tears turn into rocks (because magic) and the Eldar can talk to their mom and pops again. Then, Khaine finds this out, because he somehow snuck up on Isha and Special K on their tear phones (or Isha and Special K are very bad at secrets) and tells the Big A. Big A is super pissed about Isha and Special K disobeying him and lets Khaine take them prisoner. Vaul is super upset about this whole thing and makes a deal with Khaine to release Isha and Special K if he makes 100 swords for Khaine in a year. Khaine takes him up on that but Vaul can only make 99 and sneaks a normal sword in the batch. Khaine takes delivery and is so amped about the Highlander LARP he has planned doesn't notice the normal sword until after Vaul runs off with Isha and Special K. Khaine swears revenge, Vaul gives the last sword, Anaris, to a kid and tells him he can totally take the bellowing war god 'cause he has a magic sword. The kid, Eldanesh, loses surprising no one. Big A, for some reason, says Khaine will forever have a hand that oozes blood and ruins furniture but he can keep Vaul chained to an anvil in his basement.
I'm pretty sure the next time they all show up is the birth of Slaanesh where Isha moves in with Nurgle and everyone else has to watch RIN Daughters of Mnemosyne and play FATAL in Slaanesh's basement.

[Kyban]

Those tears turn into rocks (because magic)

Didn't Vaul smith them into the stones? (The "because magic" note still applies) :D

[eldargal]

Spirit stones pre-date the Fall, their use as Soulstones seems to have been pioneered by Iyanden. they also pioneered the use of the Infinity Circuit AS a long term receptable for souls shortly after the Fall. They did not create the Infinity Circuit.

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Right. The Eldar story post-fall is about how these disparate strands of the race cannibalised their own culture in order to survive. The Infinity Circuit is like the Eldar's psychic internet; it's only after a dark god is thirsting for your immortal soul that one realises it can be used to store consciousness, and this is a necessity now. Likewise with spirit stones. They'd had them for a long time, but hadn't needed to use them in that way before.

The Iyanden book sounds fun, thanks for the summaries.

[bfmusashi]

Neat, I'd been curious who figured that out.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Neat, I'd been curious who figured that out."Yo I just put mom's soul in the internet."
"...why?"

[bfmusashi]

It does seem like a counter productive solution for protecting her from living in Urotsukidoji land when you think about it....

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Basically, Iyanden were the first Craftworld to develop the modern Infinity Circuit due to their attempts to make Soul-Porn.
...
...
...
"Wraithguard! ACTIVATE PLEASURE MODE."

[eldargal]

It explains why souls are so hard to get into wraithguard and whatnot.
"NNOOO I DON'T WANT TO GO TO WAAAR, THERE'S LIKE A HUNDRED ZETTABITS OF LESBIAN PORN ALONE HERE!Mummy is that you? Oh gods. TO WAR BY KHAINE!"

Huh can you imagime how much pornography the eldar must have accumulated with 60 million years plus of even more advanced tech than we have now? Then imagine the fetishes we have now and how what was illegal fifty years ago is now normal and think where that would go with the eldar who have even greater depth of obsessions and emotions than us.

[Cpt Codpiece]

It explains why souls are so hard to get into wraithguard and whatnot.
"NNOOO I DON'T WANT TO GO TO WAAAR, THERE'S LIKE A HUNDRED ZETTABITS OF LESBIAN PORN ALONE HERE!Mummy is that you? Oh gods. TO WAR BY KHAINE!"

Huh can you imagime how much pornography the eldar must have accumulated with 60 million years plus of even more advanced tech than we have now? Then imagine the fetishes we have now and how what was illegal fifty years ago is now normal and think where that would go with the eldar who have even greater depth of obsessions and emotions than us.

you of all people should know better than that :)
its talk like that which creates soul eating multi (or mono depending how old you are) mammary, space goat bothering gods of pleasure out of nothing but emotions and thoughts like those!

return to your aspect shrine, and lock yourself away till you understand the implications of such thoughts :)


but seriously, thanks for the summary, ill be grabbing the book in a few weeks just for the fluff and art :)

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Well, the Craftworlds would probably have deleted it by now, and the Dark Eldar aren't ones to have organized data-storage... While the Imperium sends out fleets to dig up lost technologies from ruins, surely bands of Dark Eldar journey into the depths of Commoragh to find the fabled lost smut of ages past?
---
Also, aren't Spirit-stones supposed to be the crystallized souls of Eldar who died in the fall or somesuch, and the Tears of Isha thing's just a metaphor/legend?

[Nabterayl]

Well, the Craftworlds would probably have deleted it by now, and the Dark Eldar aren't ones to have organized data-storage... While the Imperium sends out fleets to dig up lost technologies from ruins, surely bands of Dark Eldar journey into the depths of Commoragh to find the fabled lost smut of ages past?
Oh, it's all there. You just have to be on a certain path to access it. A path with an infinite number of aspects ...

[bfmusashi]

Huh can you imagime how much pornography the eldar must have accumulated with 60 million years plus of even more advanced tech than we have now? Then imagine the fetishes we have now and how what was illegal fifty years ago is now normal and think where that would go with the eldar who have even greater depth of obsessions and emotions than us.
Considering daemonettes and Keepers used to have crab claws I just assumed Eldar to be really into fish.

[chromedog]

Considering daemonettes and Keepers used to have crab claws I just assumed Eldar to be really into fish.

Nah, it just smells like fish.


- someone was going to say it.

[bfmusashi]

Troy McClure was the Terran ambassador to the Eldar Empire of old.