Neandra

"Sometimes, the stars gaze back."

- The Stargazer's Mantra Nightmarish entities crawl throughout the uncharted corners of our Galaxy. They are things so horrid and terrible that lesser men would perish merely at the sight of them, but the universe is also home to many individuals clad with bravery and armed with determination. The Eldar had witnessed numerous atrocities since the fall of their civilization, yet many of them continue to fight on, even as their entire species teeters on the brink of oblivion. One such group of Eldar are denizens of Craftworld Neandra. These Xenos move with purpose as they lunge themselves into the Veiled Region, an enigmatic and largely unexplored part of the Galaxy. The reason for their actions is simple, to combat an ancient threat which predates even Chaos itself. The Eldar of Craftworld Neandra risk their lives, as well as their eternal souls, for the sake of defeating an enemy that threatens to extinguish the last light of hope.

The Beginning
Like all Craftworlds, Neandra was built when the Seers predicted the Fall of the Eldar civilization and the birth of Slaanesh. Neandra narrowly escaped the galactic shock-wave caused when the Prince of Pleasures unleashed his psychic scream that tore Eldar souls straight from their bodies and hurled them into the Warp. They knew it would happen, the Seers foresaw the same outcome no matter how many times they scried the Runes, and yet the sorrow the felt in their hearts was unbearable. The Eldar of Neandra wept for their kinsmen, for they would suffer a fate worse than mere death at the hands of "She Who Thirsts", all because their hubris clouded their judgement and prevented them from seeing what was obvious. Eventually the tears dried out from their eyes and the path before them was made evident, they had to persevere, they had to endure, and they had to continue moving forward.

Though they still mourned their fallen brethren in their hearts, their resolve was steeled and the Craftworld sailed to the far edges of the Galaxy, where they might seek refuge from the madness and strife that was sure to rise in the near future. Their predictions were correct, the Emperor unified Humanity on Terra and then began his Great Crusade to conquer the very stars. The Eldar of Neandra knew that the best course of action was to evade the Astrates Legions and thus avoid needless battle with creatures that were too eager to lay their claim upon the Galaxy. As the events of the Horus Heresy unfolded within the Imperium, Craftworld Neandra remained obscured, waiting for the storm of bloodshed to pass. However, what the Seers did not foresee was the Imperium winning their civil war, resulting in the Emperor's confinement to the Golden Throne and the prolongation of the Imperium's reign. Thousands of years had passed and the turbulent maelstrom did not wane, it remained as strong as it ever was. Craftworld Neandra continued to skulk in deep space, steering clear of Human activity unless absolutely necessary, for they knew that their people were like a fragile leaf caught in a strong wind. "Hope. Wonder. Insignificance. Imagine what the Mon-Keigh would feel if they could see the stars with our eyes."

- Farseer Hylbres of Craftworld Neandra

Those Who Sleep Without Dreams
As the millennia passed, the Imperium continued on with its innumerable conflicts, each seemingly more petty than the last. Sometimes even the Eldar met Humanity in battle, most notably the overzealous warriors of Craftworld Biel-Tan and the elusive mystics of Ulthwe. As time passed on it became increasingly more apparent that there are occasions when the Eldar will have no other choice than to fight for their own survival, even as the ever-present threat of extinction looms overhead. Neandra participated in very few battles, mainly because they perceive warfare as the absolute last alternative, a method of survival that was only viable when deception and withdrawal were not an option. At times they would assassinate an Ork Warboss who was about to lead a WAAAGH! into an Exodite World, at other times they would cull cults and sects of Chaos worshipers before they managed to summon any Daemons into the material plane. The Eldar of Neandra are not hesitant to resort to violence when they have to, it is just that they believe it's better to conserve their strength and nurture their numbers which increased much slower than in any other species. Despite thousands of years passing, the Eldar are nowhere near recovering from the Fall and they know it.

But at some point in M39, Farseer Hylbres of Craftworld Neandra had a vision. He saw the night sky, stars beings extinguished one at a time, veiling the world with pitch-black darkness, and then the vision abruptly ended when a luminescent scythe tore through the heavens. Farseer Hylbres began to scry and consult the Runes for guidance, for he had an idea of what the vision might have meant, but he refused to believe it. Yet no matter how many times he scried the Runes they always gave him the same answer: "the sleepless awake". Autarch Khael-Magan understand what Hylbres' vision meant and realized that at the time Neandra was at the outskirts of the so-called Veiled Region. Kahel-Magan suspected that Hylbres had his vision as a warning when the Craftworld entered the space that the Imperium avoids, so she ordered for a flotilla of Aurora and Solaris class Light Cruisers to enter the depths of the Veiled Region and see what lies within. Several days later a scant few ships returned, severely damaged from what appeared to have been a fierce battle. The remnants of the flotilla notified Autarch Khael-Magan that they found Necron Tomb Worlds awakening from their long slumber and that there were far more than they could handle. With their darkest fears confirmed to be true, Craftworld Neandra fled from the Veiled Region, fearing that the Necrons would retaliate if the Eldar lingered for too long.

The Craftworld managed to escape unscathed, but the realization that their most ancient nemesis had risen again had taken a toll on the Eldar's morale. From what the flotilla said, there were multiple Tomb Worlds awakening at the same time, meaning that they were likely part of the same Dynasty and under the rule of one monarch. The Eldar knew that if they fought against the Necrons as they were they would lose too many and there was a strong chance that the Craftworld would be destroyed in the process. Nobody on Neandra was willing to take that risk, but they also knew that the Necrons should not be allowed to regain their full strength, else catastrophe would be wrought upon the entire Galaxy. That is when Autarch Khael-Magan had an idea, she realized that the Eldar don't necessarily have to battle the Necrons on their lonesome. Many were suspicions at first but upon hearing all of the details of Khael-Magan's plans they accepted them and thus went to work. From that point on, Craftworld Neandra was bustling with action, as if the spirits of its people were rekindled all at once. The storm of war rose above Craftworld Neandra, but now they welcomed it, for they had no other choice but to fight, else extinction would find more than just the Eldar. "I see a universe drained of light and warmth, where not even tales of us shall remain."

- Farseer Hylbres after receiving his vision