Iertare

Iertare is a gloomy and mysterious Eldar Craftworld as they come in contact with other races rarely by choice. They are seen as unpredictable by most as their intentions and goals are largely unknown, except for the fact that they seem to be seeking lost Eldar colonies and artifacts as the Craftworld floats through the Argus Sector. They have come in conflict with many factions within the Sector and stubbornly defended their goals and territory.

The Fall
The Eldar who would become part of Iertare were decadent and lascivious much like their fallen brethren. Just before the fall, commanders of the Iertare military starship allied with a group of the reformed noble families and took those in their care onto the ship to escape. Some of the subjects of the noble families were taken against their will by the penitent and zealous nobles.

The birth of Slaanesh pulled Iertare into the Immaterium as the ship didn't manage to escape in time. While within the Immaterium, they were trapped in a dark and gloomy subrealm that seemed to have no end. In between the daemon attacks, Eldar of Iertare had to contend with their depraved brothers that they had taken onto their ship. The 'Dark Eldar' aboard Iertare attempted to take over but their efforts were thwarted by the loyalists. While the military command pushed to execute the traitors, noble families convinced the other loyalists that they still can be saved. They were kept as prisoners in the newly created lower reaches of the Craftworld and continually treated and experimented by the altruistic nobles and seers.

The Scions of Midnight
While stuck in the gloomy midnight realm of Immaterium for over a millennia the Eldar’s physiology changed. They turned more pale and adapted a slight purple skin tone and pink irises. The flora and fauna of the Craftworld began to change as well, turning more gloomy, dark with luminescent purple and pink colors. This seemingly superficial change disturbed many, for fear of corruption, yet none of the Eldar seemed to turn to corruption due to it; in fact this change only made them more diligent and devoted to overcompensate for their fears.

Amidst all this, the Dark Eldar saw some changes too. The seclusion from their urges and experimentation by the loyalists yielded some rehabilitated Eldar who were later kept under close scrutiny. However, most of them remained as they were and only grew more spiteful and fervent, which in turn made the loyalists to push harder in their ‘treatment’. Over many hundreds of years the Dark Eldar who did not submit slowly turned into husks of their former selves; malnourished, animalistic and filled with nothing but hatred for their captors they became known as the Broken among the denizens of Iertare. Despite their failures, the noble families and Seers refused to admit defeat and kept their fallen brethren imprisoned for hope of rehabilitation as slim as it seemed.

Return to Realspace
Iertare managed to eventually escape Immaterium but at a great cost. As they passed through a large enough warp portal for the spacecraft they were swarmed by Daemonic forces and the passage itself damaged the Craftworld greatly. The Eldar however found great reprieve as they managed to escape the hellish realm if only for a moment; as they returned they soon found out how the galaxy had changed in their absence. Predictably, humanity remained in power as the Eldar empire declined and this dealt a heavy blow to the pride of the Eldar. For a long time they made it their mission to seek out Maiden Worlds and recolonize them or purge them of any other faction vying for it. They reconnected with other Eldar Craftworlds once they managed to repair their Webway gate, but very few wished to ally with them due to the changes the Eldar of Iertare underwent in the Immaterium. Eventually, however they realized that open warfare wouldn’t lead them to success and rebuilding of the Eldar Empire could never work; if not for logistic reasons, then for the fate of the previous one.

A hundred years ago another civil war occurred on Iertare. The current Autarch Valara Vendel began to mistrust the council and the tensions rose to the point where she attempted a coup. The council and the Autarch’s followers were locked in war for nearly a year until all of a sudden the Autarch laid down arms. Valara was joined by some of her followers into exile among whom were many of the Aspect Shrines and even a few Exarchs, which dealt a blow to the Craftworlds defenses. Now the Craftworld floats within the Argus Sector in Segmentum Obscurus in search of relics of the lost Eldar Empire. As illusive as they are, their goal seems to be uncovering ancient Eldar artifacts and securing them from other races.

Biology
The Eldar of Iertare have a tendency to have a unqiue tint to their skin, ranging from milky white to cold blue to light pink. Their irises also adopt the similar purplish, pink tint. They don’t look too dissimilar to a typical Eldar but these minor superficial changes have made the other Eldar to mistrust them for suspicion of corruption.

As the Craftworld grew over the millennia within the Immaterium it adapted to its dark gloomy surroundings much like the Eldar themselves did. The flora and fauna changed most noticeably; foliage turned shades of dark blue and purple and the flora grew luminescent plants, lighting the Craftworld in yellow, pink and blue hues.

While at first disturbed by the changes, over generations the Eldar accepted these changes, cherished them and let them flourish.

Culture
During the Fall, the originally military Eldar of Iertare revered Kaela Mensha Khaine while the civilians and especially nobles held Lileath in high regard. To this day these two aspects of Eldar pantheon still remain revered in the Iertare culture. This duality has been both a boon and a curse as the culture of the Craftworld evolved. They are extremely close-knit as a society as they united through great loss and tragedy traveling through the Immaterium. The Eldar of Iertare have lost a lot throughout the millennia; they lost a lot of their wealth and power, making them more exploration focused as they attempt to recover and salvage lost Eldar technology.

Iertare Eldar have great love for art in any form; gardening, music, painting, weaponcrafting, poetry. It is believed that these pursuits help the Eldar stay away from corruption and darker paths. In fact most of the Broken who have been brought to light, did so through the Path of the Artisan or Botanist.

Because of their reverence for Lileath, they also hold the Path of the Dreamer in high regard, believing it to be the way to their salvation. Many Eldar devote themselves to this path and attempt to seek their dreams for premonitions and guidance, eventually many become lost on this path and are known as Reveries. While awake, they are completely detached from reality, only doing mundane actions to keep themselves alive; while in dreamspace however they become truly alive pursuing their destined purpose.

While from within they may seem dreamers and artists, from without they are unrelenting warriors of exceptional skill and tenacity. The militaristic tradition has stayed alive and strong on Iertare as every Eldar is trained in warfare and expected to take up arms in times of need as a Guardian.

The Broken remain a great source of shame and pity for the Eldar of Iertare. They are secluded and imprisoned in the bowels of the Craftworld, known as Darkreach, which is part slum and part prison. During the earlier parts of their imprisonment the Broken would rebel and try to corrupt the loyalists frequently but after millennia of experimentation and largely unsuccessful attempts to change them, they became husks of themselves; more animal than Eldar, wallowing, hunting and torturing each other when they are not being treated by their captors. The altruistic Eldar who follow the Path of Service devote themselves to treating their fallen brethren. In the early days this was done through torture and intimidation, which only fueled the Dark Eldar passions and eventually lead to their degradation. Now the Broken are taught, educated and treated with care, however any dissent is punished with force. As they have become more savage, they are also being treated more like animals rather than intelligent beings, which is often a great source of sorrow for the Eldar.

Government
Iertare is run by a democracy of sorts. A council of representatives was appointed after a civil war between the noble families and the military command. Despite this solution the line between the military and nobility remains to this day and is often a source of conflict in their decision-making.

The Council:
 * Admiral – The councilor charge of the Craftworld itself. Responsible for the command of navigation, upkeep and the fleet and the tending of the Wraithbone skeleton. This position is passed down through the military hierarchy and never voted on.
 * Patrician – The councilor elected as a representative of the noble families, who often vie and scheme for the Patricians favor. The Patrician is always chosen from among the noble houses themselves and can only be elected through a unanimous vote cast by every house.
 * Autarch – The councilor in charge of the Craftworlds Warhost and military decisions. While the Autarch may seem like they have power over the Admiral, it is very rarely so. The Admiral largely deals with the upkeep of the Craftworld, while the Autarch is responsible for the warhost itself as well as the Aspect Shrines. Also called ‘First Sword of Iertare’.
 * Farseer – The councillor is a representative of the Seers and often advises the Eldar council on spiritual matters as well as serving as the moral compass. The Farseer also relays the interpretations of the Dreamers and Reveries. While the Craftworld has more than one Farseer at any time, only one is chosen as a representative, usually the one who has been on the path the longest. There is rarely much conflict about which of the Seers should be on the council.
 * Soulkeeper – The councilor who acts as a representative of the people – the majority of the Eldar civilians. They are responsible for the well-being of the civilians and acts as the voice of the people, although that voice may become lost after so many dilutions of smaller representatives from the many groups of the Craftworld. The Soulkeeper is also responsible for the Broken. The choosing of the Soulkeeper is often the most involved and democratic, passing through many smaller representatives among the civilian paths and groups.

Noble Houses of Iertare:
 * House Leauadas – Members of this family are historically the most influential among the Iertare nobles and have commonly held the position of Patrician. They are also known to be the most artistic and creative of the houses.
 * House Wrail – The rival family of Leauadas, contending for power most fervently but always through diplomacy and politics. Are usually the most interested in negotiating and trading with other races.
 * House Hel’Seren – The most powerful of the Houses prior to the Fall. They were also the ones to organize for the capture of the Dark Eldar during the evacuation. The power they held in the Empire greatly diminished. Presently, they are the greatest proponents for treating the Broken through moral means as they seek to fix their past mistakes.
 * House Winead – The family in control of most of the agriculture on the Craftworld. Many members of the house pursue the Path of the Botanist.
 * House Breudwyd – Members of this family are famous for having their members take on the Path of Dreaming and are the primary progenitors of Lilieth’s teachings into the Iertare culture.
 * House To’Veel – This house earned a stain on its reputation among the nobles when they sided with the military during the Iertare civil war. They have since attempted to repair their reputation and mend the line between the nobles and the military. A large step towards that was Albian To’Veel becoming the most recent Autarch of Iertare.

Warhost
Even though Iertare holds a shrine for every cult of Eldar Aspect Warriors, they are lacking in members, compared to other Craftworlds after their previous Autarchs exile. In wartime, Iertare employ Dark Reapers, Warp Spiders and Dire Avengers as the bulk of the warhost. This set-up makes them favor defensive tactics by holding key locations and slowly taking control of the battlefield while picking away at their opponents and ravaging them from afar. To support this tactic they also field good numbers of Falcons and Wraithguards. Due to the low overall numbers of the warhost, Iertare field an unusually large number of Seers and Warlocks. Although they can dish out damage, their psychic ability is most often reserved and used for illusions and battlefield control to support the troops.

Blood Wights
Eldar of Iertare have allied with Blood Wights on occasion when fighting Orks or Necrons. The two groups rarely cross paths, but when they do the Eldar are recovering tech from Orks or defending against Necrons, while the Space Marine chapter is simply killing the intruders. Their goals rarely conflict as the Eldar prefer to stay isolated and rarely intrude in Imperial space.

Hive Fleet Karkinos
Recently the council of Iertare has made contact with Karkinos on a planet the infamous harridan Ladon was hiding out and regenerating. The Eldar considered killing the tyranid but were surprised as the creature was capable of independent thought akin to that of a Norn queen. Ladon negotiated for survival, having been cut off from the rest of the fleet and offered that any Eldar tech on a harvested planet would be left untouched and free for recovery. The council, knowing that the tyranids would target Imperial worlds that the Eldar would never be able to assault or infiltrate, agreed to the deal. So far Karkinos has kept to their word but Iertare are extra careful and never come in contact with the tyranids, waiting a long while before traveling to a harvested world.

House Thrace
This Rogue Dynasty has been a thorn in Iertare’s side for a long time. Their ambition and expansionism infuriated the Eldar. To this day they are bitter enemies as the Eldar are ever trying to purge Maiden Worlds of the mon-keigh and recovering stolen technology.

Orks
The Eldar view the greenskin plague on Argus in much the same way as House Thrace, in that they take over worlds and steal their technology. Although there isn’t as much malice and enmity between the two groups due to Orks animalistic nature.

Chaos
The forces of chaos have forever been an enemy to the Eldar, especially as they passed through the Immaterium and had no reprieve from the daemons. Argus Sector hasn’t has as much daemonic activity relatively but every now and then Iertare runs into a daemonic cult or their Dark Eldar cousins and take great care in eradicating the threat completely.

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