Boryael the Swift

Boryael Illuriel, better known as Boryael the Swift, Queen of the Void Winds, is an Eldar outcast, corsair and the leader of the mercenary group ''The Wild Kin. ''Born on the Craftworld Saim-Hann, she is notorious for latent violence and her desire for excitement and battle, letting many suspect that she will one day fall to the side of the Dark Eldar.

A promising beginning
Born as a daughter of the chief of house Illuriel of Saim-Hann, her siblings all showed great promising psychic powers, treading the Path of the Seer. In contrast, Boryael's abilities were minor, excluding her from following in their footsteps. The young Eldar treaded different Paths in your early youth, the Path of the Artisan being the one she was devoted to most. That was, however, only until she reached an age when she was able to tread the Path of the Warrior.

While following the Path of the Dire Avenger, her trainers and teachers attested her a promising talent and dedication for the arts of war, but mourned her lack of motivation an enthusiasm. It would turn out that she merely chose to start with the wrong discipline.

After completing this first step, Boryael continued her search and eventually joined the Saim-Hann shrine of the Howling Banshees. Both their direct approach to combat as well as their ferocity impressed her greatly. Now, she showed both dedication together with the enthusiasm she had lacked before. Throwing herself into training, she soon exceeded pupils older than her in skill and talent. During missions, the Exarch mentioned positively that she was eager to enter battle, displaying a distinct lack of fear and restraint, befitting the Aspect's mentality. Both her mentors and her family considered her future to be decided now, but they would be proven wrong.

A divided child
After she had learned what there was to learn without setting herself on the path of an Exarch, Boryael left the shrine. Though not uncommon among Eldar, her lack of decisiveness was received differently among those around her. Some saw this as an early sign for her potential as an Autarch, others regarded her fickle nature as a sign of a weak mind.

Undeterred by such accusations, her interest fell on the shrine of the Striking Scorpions. Their focus on melee and close combat tactics suited her own preferences and their approach to them over stealth rather than direct assault interested her. Like before, close combat lied within her range of talents and like before, she soon outdid pupils with more experience in terms of sheer combat prowess. However, their use of stealth tactics and their long waiting in ambushes and hideouts seemed to displease Boryael, perhaps a reason she left the shrine as soon as her training was completed.

Afterwards, she visited several of the other Aspect Shrines of Saim-Hann, but none seemed to catch her interest for a longer amount of time. Voices demanding her to decide on a path grew louder, but seemed to fall on deaf ears with the young Eldar.

At last, she learned of the Aspect of the Crimson Hunters, exceptional pilots that dedicate themselves to controlling their vessels with unparalleled mastery. The only hurdle, it being located near Alaitoc, proved to be little resistance for the stubborn young Eldar. Combining her desire for experience with the wish to experience the wold beyond her home, she left as soon as possible, leaving behind a concerned family.

Homecoming
After several hundred years, Boryael returned. Meanwhile, her home had learned that she had not stayed on Alaitoc alone. The Crimson Hunters spoke with nothing but praise of her, but ultimately, had not been able to hold her as well. After leaving them, she had joined a group of Shining Spears visiting Alaitoc and consequently left along with them.

The Eldar that returned was different from the one who left. Matured, experienced, it seemed she had left her erratic past behind her and was on the best way to become an Autarch. She would be able to prove herself when a Chaos Warband, the "Sons of Slaughter", attacked one of Saim-Hann's expeditions to an Exodite world. Leading the deployed war group, Boryael lead a number of attacks on the renegades in order to take out key members and fortifications before leading an assault on their headquarters. With a single attack, she effectively tore out the enemy's heart and brain in one move.

When she returned, her family, friends and mentors praised her greatly, celebrating the return of an Eldar back to the Craftworld. Boryael, however, was greatly dissatisfied. Instead of pursuing and crushing the Chaos Marines, she had been forced to let them flee. A hundred years of leading Saim-Hann's military forces only deepened her dissatisfaction with the Eldar society. Their focus on self-preservation and -restriction unnerved her to no end and several of those serving with her reported that she often endangered her troops in the pursuit of battle. This was only tolerated because her talent in the art of war was enough to make the success worth the risk.

A leave, final this time
In the end, Boryael had never found a place to stay in, not even her home. The tensions between her and the leaders of the Craftworld only intensified, until one incident decided her fate. During the middle of M38, she was assigned to secure an Eldar artifact from the death world Carnaas. Upon arrival, the Eldar learned that an expedition force of the Ordo Xenos was already on the planet, conducting an excavation. Being ordered to retreat due to the difference in numbers, Boryael ignored her orders and let her troops into combat. Though being ultimately able to secure the artifact and escape back into the webway, the losses were considered intolerable.

A dispute broke out between Boryael, her family and the other leaders of the Craftworld, lasting nearly a year. At the end, Boryael would leave the Craftworld, officially on her own accord, but actually being pressured into doing so. Doing so with a light heart, she was accompanied by warriors loyal to her along with a small number of other young Eldar, having picked the rebellious Boryael as their leader. Boarding her personal ship, the *Void Dancer*, she left to never return.