Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan (Warhammer 40,000: Phoenix Lords)

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Before making a roll of any of the types shown above for a unit with the Strands of Fate ability, if any of your retained dice have a result corresponding with that type of roll (as shown above) and have not been used to manipulate a roll this battle round, you can manipulate that roll. If you do so: The Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers is Asurmen, the "Hand of Asuryan." He was the first of the Phoenix Lords; it was Asurmen who founded the first of the Aspect Shrines, the Shrine of Asur, and trained the other Exarchs who would become the first of the other Aspects' Phoenix Lords. In the Aeldari mythic cycles Asuryan, the Phoenix King, is the chief and greatest of all the Aeldari Gods and the king of the Aeldari pantheon. It is recorded in the Asuryata that Baharroth final death will come during the Rhana Dandra, fighting alongside his fellow Aspect Warriors, the final battle between Chaos and the Aeldari of the material universe that will end with the destruction of both.

Many Craftworlds Eldar characters are legends not only to the Eldar, but their names strike fear into their enemies’ hearts (if they have them).The first Exarchs, the Asurya, the children of Asurmen, were the greatest of his students and went on to become the Phoenix Lords of the other Aspect Shrines, the first masters of the other specialised Aeldari combat disciplines. It was then that the different Warrior Aspects were formalised within the culture of the Aeldari Craftworlds, taking as their model the skills and teachings of their founders. Contemplating suicide, Iliathin lived alone in the temple for several Terran years. His life was ultimately given new purpose by the feral Aeldari female child Faraethil. Though initially shunning the girl, when Faraethil was later assaulted by the hedonistic Aeldari survivors now calling themselves Drukhari, Iliathin renamed himself "Asurmen" after the god Asuryan and saved her. Asurmen agreed to take the girl as his disciple and they left the ruins of the Crone World of Eidafaeron behind, eventually gathering to them more like-minded survivors of the Fall. In the Aeldari mythic cycles Asuryan, the Phoenix King, is the chief and greatest of all the Aeldari gods and the king of the Aeldari Pantheon. Asurmen, also known as the "Hand of Asuryan," was the penultimate warrior of all the Aeldari, for his extraordinary powers placed him at the Pinnacle of Might. As a species on the brink of extinction, beset on all sides by hostile forces, many Aeldari eventually walk the Path of the Warrior and take on the mantle of an Aspect Warrior. Whereas most Aeldari who take up arms do so in times of great crisis as the militia known as Guardians, those who walk the Path of the Warrior embrace the art of war fully, devoting their every breath to the pursuit of military perfection. Asurmen joined the Asurya in founding Aspect Shrines and raised more shrines on more craftworlds than any other Phoenix Lord. His shrines were all dedicated to his own varied combat skills, considered the most well-balanced amongst all the Aspects and his Aspect Warriors became the Dire Avengers. Soon he vanished again, but tales of his deeds persisted throughout the passing millennia. He was reported fighting against the forces of the Aeldari's Great Enemy in the depths of the Eye of Terror. He was also seen on the galaxy's rim in the Eastern Fringe slaying the agents of Chaos, and tales of his valour spread from craftworld to craftworld. His actions have even become legends among the "lesser races" such as Mankind.

Every Aspect Warriors will see their training pay off when Codex: Aeldari hits the streets. You might be wondering about Howling Banshees – suffice to say they’re so much better now that they’ll be getting an article all to themselves tomorrow. Sign up to our newsletter if you don’t want to miss it. Similarly, Baharroth and the Swooping Hawks can swoop down (the clue’s in their name) and claim objectives deep into enemy territory, while Karandras and the Striking Scorpions can ambush unsuspecting opponents before claiming an objective. They are amongst the most skilled students of the Swooping Hawks Aspect. This specialised battle formation is known as a Tempest, for Baharroth chooses only the fastest and most agile Swooping Hawks to serve beside him. Gav Thorpe’s 70-minute audio drama Asurmen: The Darker Road comes nearly two years after its predecessor in the fledgling Phoenix Lords series, the short novel Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan. This time we see the first of the Phoenix Lords arriving at Craftworld Ulthwé in time to join Eldrad Ulthran on an expedition to the Crone Worlds, to claim an artefact that could guarantee the safety of Ulthwé and its people. Accompanied by the head of Ulthwé’s Seer Council, Asurmen guides his fellows through their perilous journey, but his presence doesn’t necessarily denote success for the mission.

Some of the Phoenix Lords are as old as the Fall. They were heroes during the cataclysm, and were the first to bear the spirit stones of the Warrior Aspects. [1a] It is said that Asurmen was the first of the Phoenix Lords and that he trained the first of the Aspect Warriors, the Asurya, in the Path of the Warrior. The first Exarchs, known as the Asurya - the children of Asur, founded the shrines of the Warrior Aspects that remain to this day. [1b] An excellent tale about the greatest of Eldar warriors, with insights about his life before and during the Fall.” 5 stars Asurmen was the first Phoenix Lord. Prior to the Fall of the Eldar, Asurmen was the Eldar who led the Craftworlds away from the ancient Eldar homeworlds of their now lost interstellar empire and it was he who founded the first of the Aspect Warrior Shrines, the Shrine of Asur, upon a barren world of the same name his people initially settled. Asurmen found that he could not give up the Path of the Warrior to follow a different Eldar Path, for he desired to use his skills to protect what remained of his species after the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts." From the Shrine of Asur sprang the first Aspect Warriors, and the Path of the Warrior was opened for the very first time to all Eldar. Those Eldar who wanted to follow this new path learned at the feet of their master, and in turn they assumed the mantle of Exarchs before spreading throughout the galaxy. The first Exarchs, the Asurya, the children of Asurmen, were the greatest of his students and went on to become the Phoenix Lords of the other Aspect Shrines, the first masters of the other specialised Eldar combat disciplines. He has traveled to more craftworlds than any other Phoenix Lord, teaching those Eldar who wanted to learn, and has founded more shrines than any other Phoenix Lord. The greatest of his students went on to found their own Aspect shrines and became Phoenix Lords themselves. [1a] Soon after the inception of the Aspect Shrines, the Hand of Asuryan vanished, but tales of his deeds continue to be reported. Experiencing various deaths but being reborn again thanks to his armor, notably at the hands of the Keeper of Secrets N'Kari [3], he has been rumored slaying the agents of Chaos in the Eye of Terror to the Eastern Fringe. His actions have even become legends to the lesser races. [2]

Building your own Craftworlds Eldar army, regardless of how you play them on the battlefield, is a pure joy. Eldar models are delicate, beautifully balanced, and can veer into the territory of artwork when painted right. Any Eldar army you build will bring you deep pleasure to simply look at, and that’s something that can’t be understated when approaching an army. Contemplating suicide, Iliathin lived alone in the temple for several years but was saved by an Eldar feral child Faraethil. Though initially shunning the girl, later when Faraethil was assaulted by Dark Eldar, Iliathin renamed himself Asurmen after the god Asuryan and saved her. Asurmen agreed to take the girl as his disciple and they left the planet, eventually gathering more like-minded followers. [5]The Falling Moon Shrine - Aspect Warriors of the Falling Moon wear a distinctive red colour crest on their helms. This short range can leave Warp Spiders open to a retaliatory charge – so they’ve taken extra time to practice acrobatic Battle Focus moves with their jump generators, rolling twice as many dice as normal** to ensure they’re far out of the enemy’s reach. Asurmen found that he could not give up the Path of the Warrior to follow a different Aeldari Path, for he desired to use his skills to protect what remained of his species after the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts." There are a ton of Warlord Traits to select in 9th edition, with the absolute best being reserved for Custom Craftworlds. They get access to Expert Crafters, simply one of the best Warlord Traits available to Eldar players. With it, you’ll get to re-roll one hit and one wound roll each time a unit shoots or fights. That means your damage just got an incredible buff, giving you the ability to chip away at your foe with impunity.