Eldar - Encyclopedia/T

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Eldar Encyclopedia Index:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Named Eldar Individuals and Units
Battles of the Eldar
Appendix


TALACLU

A great hall, auditorium or meeting space found on most craftworlds, capable of seating the entire population of the craftworld. Here performances by Harlequin Troupes take place, witnessed by each Eldar on the craftworld (see also Craftworlds; Harlequins).

TALAIHIN RAIDERS / REAVERS

An Eldar Pirate force originating from the Saim-Hann Craftworld. Variously recorded as the Talaihin Raiders or Talaihin Reavers, they have an associated with jetbikes and gifted the first Harlequin jetbike to the Shadow Weavers Harlequins troupe as a diolath (gift given to an artist) (see Harlequins; Jetbikes; Pirates; Saim Hann).

TALIC IMRANI

Warlock-Seer of Ulani, instrumental in negotiating peace with the Imperium in the Kalamata system. Later events led to breakout of war and the Kalamata Conflict (see Kalamata Conflict; Ulani; Warlocks).

TALISMANS OF VAUL

The Talismans of Vaul is the true name for the arcane deep space structures known as the Blackstone Fortresses, created by the Smith-God Vaul to attempt to destroy the Yngir known as the Dragon or Void Dragon. Each Talisman was controlled by the spirits of Eldar Seers killed during the Necron invasion. At the heart of each Talisman lay one of the Eyes of the Witch, gifted to Vaul by Morai-heg the Crone goddess. They enabled the spirits of the Seers to channel vast amounts of energy from the warp into realspace. With such energies focused, Vaul intended to banish the Void Dragon for eternity (Morai-heg; Vaul; Void Dragon).

TAMBOR DRUM

Drum used in the ritual dances of the Howling Banshee aspect warrior shrine (See also Hall of Mists; Howling Banshees).

TAQAMATHI

An ancient Eldar world which was abandoned during the fall. The world was subsequently claimed by human colonists and renamed Assyri. The world is reclaimed by the Eldar, destroying the colony when negotiations fail, and is renamed once again as Zamorshemash: the world of the Bloodied Sword (see Maiden Worlds).

TEARS OF ISHA

One of the oldest and most important Eldar myths is called the Tears if Isha. It recalls how the Eldar race was born as the mortal children of Isha, the goddess of the harvest and Kurnous, the god of the hunt. Lileath dreamed that Khaine would be torn into a hundred pieces by a great mortal army. When Khaine learned of this he resolved to destroy the Eldar. He pursued them through the universe trapping and slaying many before Asuryan heard the weeping of Isha and so learned Lileath's dream and Khaine's plan. To save the few who remained Asuryan placed a great barrier between mortals and gods, dividing them for all eternity and forbidding any further contact between them.

This went very hard with Isha, who now wept all the more because her mortal children had been separated from her. Isha and Kurnous pleaded with Vaul the smith to help them. Vaul knew the Asuryan would never change his mind, but his heart was softened by Isha's pleas and he promised to help all he could. From the tears of Isha Vaul made rune stones, by means of which Isha could see and talk to her children. Isha taught the Eldar much, how to farm the land, whilst Kurnous instructed them how to hunt for food.

One day Khaine overheard Isha as she spoke to her children and he immediately told Asuryan. The Phoenix King was very angry that his commands had been disobeyed. He told Khaine that as Isha and Kurnous had betrayed him he no longer considered them worthy of his protection, and Khaine could do with them what he wished. This suited Khaine very well, as he still feared Lileath's prophecy would be fulfilled. He made the god and goddess his prisoners, and though he could not slay them he ensured that they endured constant torment and confinement (See also Asuryan; Gods; Isha; Kaela Mensha Khaine; Kurnous; Lileath; Vaul).

TECHNOLOGY

As far is possible to tell, the Eldar have always been a psychic race. This manifests itself in a variety of unusual talents. One natural ability which is common to many Eldar is called psychomorphism by the Xenobiologists of the Imperium. In crude terms this gives them the ability to shape matter and create simple artefacts from raw materials. More complex things can be made by several individuals working together or with the aid of forging machines to enhance the creative process.

Eldar can also move small objects by a form of psychokinesis and it is by this means that they build their most sophisticated devices. Some Eldar can influence the structure of growing matter by a form of empathic telepathy. This empathic ability may have been particularly important during the early development of the Eldar race enabling them to promote the fruitfulness of edible crops and reshape the growth of trees to make simple shelters. During their primitive evolutionary stage the Eldar undoubtedly benefited greatly from these skills. The first Eldar towns and villages are supposed to have been living structures grown from trees, often covering many square miles and reaching high into the air. Structures like this can still be found on worlds colonised by the Eldar in later times.

Because of their psychic abilities the Eldar race learned how to make and shape raw materials at a very early stage of cultural development. By means of their mental powers they were able to refine minerals and shape the resulting metals and stones into whatever they wanted. Eldar technology has a very ancient history and the pace of its progress is closely tied to the slow evolutionary development of the race. There was never a sharply defined industrial phase of Eldar history (as for example there was in human history) but rather a steady growth in competence and knowledge over a very long period of time. A particularly Eldar aspect of their technology is that its forms often adhere closely to natural biological shapes and structures. This is quite understandable, as there is no real difference between technology and nature in the Eldar mind - they amalgamate into a single process by which the Eldar imbue living things with function and functional things with life.

TEMPEST GRAV TANK

The Tempest Grav Tank was historically one of the deadliest Eldar vehicles and a predecessor to the Scorpion super-heavy grav-tank. Its twin turret-mounted main armament fires as a multi-shot pulse laser or a focused single high-energy laser blast. It also carries twin shuriken cannons in a separate sub-turret and six hull mounted shuriken catapults (see Grav-tanks; Scorpion).

TITANS (CAURIFELLIAN - GIANT LONG STRIDING WARRIOR)

Eldar Titans are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, superior to their Imperial counterparts in almost every way. The Phantom Titans carry enough firepower to match any Main Battle Titan in existence and the smaller Revenants are fully capable of tackling war machines much larger than their diminutive stature may suggest. Eldar Titans forgo the use of Void Shields, preferring to evade fire with the use of their Holo-Fields that break up their image to visual and electronic targeting systems. At full speed, an Eldar Titan becomes a swirl of light, making accurate targeting nearly impossible. Only when it slows down does its image start to coalesce to a more coherent, shimmering state. Because of this, the Eldar Titans are the perfect heavy support to the Eldar's method of hard hitting warfare, striking at the enemy with great speed, before pulling back before the enemy can organise a proper defence (see Phantom Class Titan; Revenant Scout Titan; Titan Infinity Circuits).

TITAN CLANS (FIR CAURIFEL)

Because of the close links that are required between the Titan's crew members and the Titan itself, it is usual for each crew to consist of Eldar from one family. This affords them a great deal of respect within the craft world's hierarchy, as a family must be truly worthy to serve in a Titan clan. When in battle, each crewman wears a close-fitting suit that contains the life-support systems he needs. His boots are made of a slightly adhesive substance that is ideal for moving around the organic tubes and passageways that cris-cross the Titan. When outside the Titan, each Eldar wears either a jacket or a coat for warmth. Like the suit itself, these topcoats bear the Titan's rune and victory symbols on the left shoulder, and the Eldar's clan symbol on the back (see Fir Farillecassion; Fir Iolarion; Fir Lirithion; Titan Infinity Circuits).

TITAN INFINITY CIRCUITS

Most Eldar craft-worlds have their own Titan forces whose crews work together with an Infinity Circuit. The Infinity Circuit is used in many forms by the Eldar, where other races would use computers and similar devices. Each Infinity Circuit is imprinted with the character and memories of a living Eldar through the process of 'soul-grafting' (Failleanam). The Eldar's body is left as a mindless husk, but his thoughts live on in the Infinity Circuit . Soul-grafting is seen as the ultimate sacrifice that an Eldar can make for his people, and the ancestors and relatives who live on within Infinity Circuits are treated with great respect. The Infinity Circuit of an Eldar titan is normally mounted in the centre of the crew compartment, and takes the form of a large and intricately faceted piece of carrecenad, the 'soul-stone' which forms the basis of Infinity Circuit technology. Unlike their Human counterparts, the crew of an Eldar Titan is not physically connected to the machine; smaller chips of stone set in headbands allow the crew to meld psychically with the Infinity Circuit and the highly-sophisticated Mind Impulse Units it controls.

An Eldar crewman is immediately recognisable by the Spirit Stone he wears upon his forehead. Upon becoming a Titan crewman, a ceremonial band is wrapped around the Eldar's head; almost immediately, the band bonds to his skull and sends tendrils into his brain. The headband bears a small chunk of Spirit Stone taken from the Titan that the Eldar is to serve. Upon taking his place in the cockpit, each crewman psychically links with the Titan using the fragment of the stone. In effect, the Titan and crew become a single entity. The band may only be removed upon the Eldar's death. Like all Eldar, a Titan crewman bears a Spirit Stone on his chest that, upon his death, will preserve his spirit for a short time. The shape of this stone often reflects the symbol of the Eldar's clan: the Fir Lirithion, for instance, have heart-shaped stones (See also Titans; Titan Clans; Yarant Wars).

TRAGLAM (DOCTRINE OF)

Also known as the Theory of Chaos, stating that a small disturbance can have huge consequences when circumstances are vulnerable to change. For example, a night-moth fluttering its wings may cause a subsequent storm half a world away.

TROUPERS (RILLIETANN)

The Troupers from the backbone of a Harlequin force. In performance they dance the chorus roles, and in battle they provide the rank and file troops (see Harlequins).