User:SquishyGDI/Sandbox4

The Shadow of the Phoenix are deadly guns for hire with empire building aspirations. They are go to mercenaries for Drukhari targeted missions, having pulled off a raid within Commograch itself. They fit the description of a Corsair empire, with the call of Exodite Maiden Worlds, Minor Craftworlds, and even Subjugate Mon'Keigh. The Shadows are a dedicated military force made up from warriors from a variety of sources, led by Prince Regulate.

Origins
The Shadows were formed on opportunity. Their leader Regulate had long wandered and never settled upon a Path or loyalty,

Drukhari raiders kidnapped a number of Aeldari from a minor Craftworld, including their Seeress and idolised hero. The Craftworld hired and armed the wander Regulate, among other mercenaries to return their prisoners. The Craftworld itself had a weak and injured military, Guardians without warlocks and a small number of retainers. The Shadow's hero was a infamous warrior, a Autarch without a army, a Prince without subjects - he led the warhost of recruits, retainers and hired outcasts in pursuit. With divided allegiance and fearing retaliation they scrubbed their armour of heraldry and symbol and engaged the Drukhari in plain bone cream?/white. They laid waste to the Drukhari with amazing efficiency and rescued the prisoners. The Shadow returned with a vision, a purpose in life at last and began the creation of his empire. Starting from this Craftworld, he provided protection, in return for funding and a tithe of able warriors, that he in turn would help train and equip. In addition he travelled to other worlds, assisted by the Harlequin to find those in need of aid, who would pay, one way or the other, for mercenaries. As the years went on, and success followed success, more territories of Aeldar and even Xenos would pay for the Shadows Protection, some would be coerced instead. The Shadow grew, and still with little mass of its own eclipsed more and more of the Galaxy.

History
Recruiting Spiritseers and Wraith from Iyladen

Recruiting Corsairs from Luggarth

Why they don't like seers

Got involved in a large scale war with an allied craftworld whos seers directed them into a certain battle which they lost/heavy casualties (Maybe the sibling could die here). When the Hero confronted the Seers they told him that this was forseen, and was for the greater good. The Hero refused the council of any seer since, and firmly believes that the Eldar can forge their future and are not constrained to the fates.

A craftworld of their own

The Webway outpost

Crone Worlds
The Shadows escort and arrange operations into the Crone Worlds to retrieve Spirit Stones, Tears of Isha and rare Aeldari artefacts from before the fall. They are known for reliable and secure 'runs', and are rarely short of Spirit Stones.

Custodian
Aeldari excursions; be it Archaeology field trips, diplomatic missions, or seer expeditions which require protection can call upon the Shadows to escort those who are naive of the Warriors path. A good example of such a operation was the Excavation undertaken in the Trojan System.

Mercenary
The most basic and common source of the Shadows Operation. Need a gun? Pay them and don't expect many questions.

Justice
Though rare, the Shadows are always willing to conduct clandestine or directed attacks to take justice for a wronged party, and take their payment in the guilty party.

Craftworld1 (Bone Singers)
The Warhost of the Shadows maintain a large number of forbidden Wraith Constructs. Service in the Shadows is unending, and does not cease with death. Every casualty is brought back in Wraith to continue the fight. As such Bone Singers and Spiritseers are a commodity to the Shadows and highly sought, with dedicated teams formed around them. Craftworld1 was recruited into the Shadows, gifted near free protection and provides the main source of the Wraith Constructs. A Bonesinger of the Shadows created a variant of the Wraithbone that produced colours of the stars, of the galaxy. With no visible downside or advantage, a simple colour effect, the Shadows have embraced this Wraithbone, and it now is visible within the majority of their armour, vehicles and Ghost warriors - adding much needed colour and dynamism to their bleached palette. The Host was now strong enough to not fear reprisal, to display a unique banner to let their enemies know who they faced.

Craftworld2 (Astral Bulwark)
This Craftworld was discovered by the Shadows on the edge of space. It contained a unique shrine, to the Aspect Warriors of the Astral Bulwark, but its warriors had long since departed. Yet the armour of a Phoenix Lord remained. The Shadow could not resist to field their own Phoenix Lord, and dedicated a party of recruits to learn the ancient texts, to raise a Exarch of the Shrine who could wear the armour. It took hundreds of years to achieve, but the Aspect Shrine was restored.

Drukhari1? (Shinigami?)
The Shinigami originate from a contingent of Incubi that had become Corsairs, the cult worshipped death and was on the path of damnation.

The Shadows encountered them after being hired to retrieve the soulstone of a Autarch from the group. With difficulty the Shadows defeated the Incubi with cunning and subjugated/recruited those that survived, retrieving the souls and recruiting the remaining warriors.

The group continued to worship death, and recently this has changed to worshipping Ynnead, their method of soul harvesting was redisgned with relative ease to “Harvest souls for Ynnead”.

AlasseDannan (Shinigami)
Boasting heavy armour, personal void shields and heavy weaponry. The Shinigami make effective shock infantry. They carry heavy power swords that can like their D-Scythes can rip the souls of their victim, called Reaper Glaives. The Exarch of a Squad can carry a D-Cannon instead of a D-Scythe, or a Reaper-Scythe for deadly melee attacks that send their collected victims back to the enemy in powerful waves of Psykic energy.

The Shinigami (Mon-Kiegh Name) are a recent addition to Ynnari, they use specialist D-Scythes (and power armour/genetic modification to carry said weapons) as well as empty spirit stones (That they must fetch from crone worlds personally) to harvest the souls of their enemies, that they then store in the stones. With each kill they lose personality, their own soul becoming lost in the rest. The ultimate goal to give as many souls to Ynnead as possible.

The D-Scythes to harness the souls must be used at close range.

The Name Pending use Rail Rifles and reloadable Grenade tubes to assault their victims with specialist ammunition and smoke screens, remaining hidden behind their holo-suits. Their rifles are deadly against light infantry, and hay-wire grenades can be effective against vehicles.

Their exarchs carry high calibre long rifles.

Armed with Vibro-rifles and Concussion Grenades, the name pending can magnify attacks on single units for devastating effect, as well as ignore cover with their weaponised sound waves. The Name Pending make effective special forces, thanks to their "mute fields" that silence the surrounding area and their relatively silent weapons. Finally the Name Pending can "hop" across the battlefield thanks to their flip-belts, and impulse grenades, sending themselves flying at low gravity.

The Name pending appear suddenly at high speed in complete silence, leaving their enemy unaware of their attack.

Astral Bulwark
The Astral Bulwark specialise in providing a mobile shield, and cover fire to their allies. Tearing apart heavy infantry and light vehicles with their Star Rifles. To maintain their position in the front line, and position their shields to deflect (and rather than absorb) enemy fire they use evasive thrusters for short ranged but rapid movement.

The Astral Exarch can use a star cannon-like shotguns, or advanced star cannon with explosive bolts, or finally a plasma flail.

The Astral Bulwark have a active Phoenix Lord, their unique wargear includes; Star-Visor (Helmet based single use star blast), a superior shield(void) that doubles as a melee weapon, and wrist star-pistol.

Allies
The Shadow are constantly on the look out for forces to bolster their army. They are not above recruiting Drukhari prisoners, despite their preference in victim. They extend this same courtesy to any other race they encounter that can show reason (Necrons, Tyranids, Chaos ....), and as such have accrued a number of Subjugates. From this the Shadow have begun seeking out suitable worlds on the Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy, imperial worlds lost to the Imperium, Kroot Planets and recently a faction of Tau from the 4th Expansion. The Shadow will offer (Preferably directly after intervening and saving the potential client) security, or often the lack of orbital bombardment, in return for able bodies to serve the growing empire. Their subjugates are often armed as they come, but vary between warbands. Some hosts have armed and trained Mon'Keigh units to assist their aspect warriors as more than simple meatshields.

Phoenix Warriors
The Phoenix Warriors, as named by the Shadows, are a deadly force of six soldiers, recovered from Stasis aboard a ruined Craftworld. They are incredibly powerful, and presumed to originate from the War in Heaven. Physically superior, stronger than the rest of the Shadows, the Phoenix Warriors wear unique power armour, advanced holo-shields, and carry advance Prism-Carbines with multiple fire modes. Their greatest strength however comes from their skill and experience in warfare. The Phoenix Warriors are only six strong, and irreplaceable - coming from a place in time before spirit stones, the way of paths and even the fall of the Eldar. Either that or they were made independent of these technologies. It is known that they were made by a unknown indivividual, built for war. They have no particular allegiance to the Shadows, but have fought them, not knowing any other life than war.

Mon'Keigh
Typically the Shadow have a lack of automated constructs for domestic assistance, and very few who follow the path of servitude, as they recruit warriors to their host. This not only resorts the warriors to very basic standard of living, but also leaves a gap in the warhost, as their are so few guardians to perform sentry and meatshield duties. Insert the Mon'Keigh, who make wonderful meatshields and decent domestic servants. Typically that is the role for the Mon'Keigh recruited to Warhosts, unless acting entirely as Auxillaries. Only those that show particular skill may be allowed to study with other Aeldar in their paths to war.

The Shadows, along with many Aeldar, view the Mon'Keigh as a lower species, less highly evolved, short lived, incapable of the same intelligence and understanding. Much as humans view working animals.

Tau
The Shadows saw the plight of a Tau splinter of the 4th Expansion and guided it into the webway to a sheltered system, empty but for indigenous Kroot. However they also assassinated the remaining Ethereals leading the Group into turmoil. Ultimately the Shadow wished to utilise these Tau as Auxiliaries (As their attempts to recruit from the Tau Empire hadnt been successful). The Shadows set up trade with the Tau colony and recently have secured a auxiliary force after the Tau suffered casualties in a futile war, forcing them to accept protection from the Shadows.

Notable Conflicts
Trojan War

The Shadow operated near the Aenean system, striking at the Hexen Covern's 'excursions' into Maiden worlds. They undertook these operations without provocation or payment, yet another example of the Drukhari on Aeldari violence and therefore “Fair Game”.

However a number of these warriors were redirected to protect craftworld excavation teams in the Trojan system. These teams were investigating the remains of a former Aeldari Colony, and hoped to find rare relics and even an Avatar of Khaine. The Shadows provided security and redirected Trojans who would uncover the operations.

The Shadow mobilised with full force to destroy any elements that utilised the webway (Though their numbers only allowed a guerrilla campaign).

While engaging the Trojans they also attacked the Drukhari mercenaries mercilessly. The Shadows provided safe passage through the Webway for a Astartes Librarian shortly before the Long Night

/ are a force of Elite Eldar warriors operating on the Eastern Fringe primarily, though they operate throughout the galaxy thanks to the Webway. They have evolved extensively from their original design, defending exodite worlds from imperial interference; To retrieving Soul stones from Crone Worlds; To Special Operations, Extract, VIP escort and “Wet Work”. Now they work to hire, with the root cause to better the Eldar.

The / were made aware of the imminent Chaos force, but were unsuccessful in warning the marines. Being quite practical minded they went straight to the marine command in person, as the chaos forces began their attack. They allied with the imperials.

Prince Regulate
The Shadow Hero left the Aeldar along with Exodites before the fall to escape the coming disaster, however once a world was found, he returned to the attempt once more to retrieve his family and those who may have repented. He returned to the waves of psykic destruction, undeterred he headed on and entered the forming eye of terror. He fought on the Croneworlds for close to a year tracking down and rescuing what sane Eldar was left. Eventually as he felt his soul weaken and the insatiable hunger of She-Who-Thirsts close around, the Hero fled. He returned to the Maiden World and found it empty, the other colonists were gone, the cause unknown. The Hero tried to settle a colony with the other survivors but their attempts to settle failed, the survivors suffered too much from their time, the Hero took them to a Craftworld and left them in the hands of better capable healers, and would join the Craftworld with loose allegiance. The Hero could not settle, he roamed between Craftworlds, Exodite Maiden Worlds, Corsair fleets, and even Commograch for a few years. He travelled every warrior path his encountered, mastering them before leaving unfulfilled. Before he knew it, he had become a Autarch, but with no soldiers to lead, nothing more than a mercenary with considerable talent and many connections. He roamed as a outcast, though he kept close to those of his family left, he could not remain long. The craftworld in question, a minor world, was known for its Arts, Healers, and theatre, but had no warrior culture, living a sheltered life. Drukhari guests took notice of this, and returned with a raiding party and easily swept aside the meagre defence force, taking hundreds of prisoners, returning to Commograch. The Hero returned within the day, directed by a Harlequin, called by his family. Enraged the Hero went to the now in charge Prince - together they would return their wronged people. The Craftworld quickly hired a assortment of Corsair Warrior (Those without a Path), and Young Exodites who wished to experience war. Elderly Craftworlders, old warriors who had long left the path of war (Warriors before the fall) assembled. It was a small force, who would stand no chance against return action, they bleached their armour and burnt their banners, travelled to intercept the Drukhari party, and scuttled their ship. The Drukhari boarded, and where ambushed, the enemy ship in turn was infiltrated, the crew massacred in a blood boiling rage that drove fear into the Dark Eldar hearts. The Hero projected his rage at the treatment of his kin, by their own species, as a psykic weapon fuelling his own forces as a warlock protects their guardians. None were allowed to escape, with only a handful taken prisoners.

The Hero returned the prisoners, he had found a mission at last, and a army, as the small warhost unanimously chose to remain under his command. The Hero set about expanding his force, and striking at Drukhari which he viewed as no better than the corrupted eldar he had fought on the Crone Worlds. Yet, due to the limited host he wielded the Hero oddly took many Drukhari prisoners, with the intent that they could join his warhost, but only if they accepted the strict paths of the Eldar, to throwaway their current hedonistic ways - they would be protected from Slannesh by the Spirit Stone. Drukhari rarely chose the latter, but those that did accumulated in his warhost, born again with the hope to restore the Aeldar to glory. Over the decades of war the Hero would develop increasing "effective motivations" for Drukhari prisoners.


 * 1) Mechanic of stealing spirit stones to accumulate skills – that has also led to the distancing of their aspect warriors (Exarchs only – but also to a lesser degree those they train) – as they absorb the skills of others from other pathways

Rillietann – Harlequin Fancy Name

Anrathe – Corsair Fancy Name

Assassin Squad (Callidus-Mandrake? Harlequin(Method Actor =P)? Poison-Haemonculus? Eversor-Incubi? Vindicaire-Pathfinder? Culexus-Farseer?)

The Hero is a twin, their sibling was a spiritseer, and after their death still operates as a Wraithseer. The two can man together a Wraithknight. The sibling has recently been infected by the same rage as a Wraith Blade, and as the years go on is becoming closer and closer to the Wraithblade mentality – as the Sibling does, the Hero too is afflicted with the same rage (Not that he was short of it anyway), and is looking for a cure.

Helios Wyrm – Air Transport based off of a Crimson Hunter. Many Shadow Strike forces are based off this design. Has hover capabilities, and can function as a tank.