Ulthwé the Damned

All Eldar abhor Chaos and all that it represents and they reserve a particular dread for the creature they created, the deity Slaanesh. Each Eldar carries a spirit stone to trap his soul upon his death so that it may be kept safe from the Great Enemy. An Eldar soul that is left to be absorbed into the warp will be devoured by Slaanesh, for the Prince feeds off those who were its creators.

Of all the Craftworlds, Ulthwe is the most closely associated with Chaos. The Craftworld of the Damned lies in proximity to the Eye of Terror and must constantly guard against incursions from the immaterial realm. In terms of knowledge about the forces and manifestations of Chaos, Ulthwe is second only to the Black Library, a legendary repository of forbidden knowledge guarded by the Eldar Harlequins. In its constant battle against the dark armies of the Chaos Gods, Ulthwe has studied its foe for over ten millennia. However, by its very nature Chaos corrupts all that encounters it. To understand Chaos is to risk contamination by it, and the Farseers of Ulthwe must exercise caution in their studies lest they succumb as their ancestors did.

The Eldar's greatest strength is their mastery of the warp and it is also their greatest peril. Many Webway portals on Ulthwe are sealed by powerful runes and curses, for they lead to the Crone Worlds where the Eldar's dark brethren now worship the Chaos Gods. By their divinations and scrying the Farseers of Ulthwe tap into energies which stem from Chaos and their proximity to the Eye of Terror makes this more hazardous than for other Craftworlds. The other Eldar, and particularly the Exodites, do not wholly trust Ulthwe, constantly looking for the first telltale signs of corruption. However, the Eldar of Ulthwe are perhaps the best prepared to deal with the temptations of Chaos, as they constantly battle against their ancient foe.

The infinity matrix of Ulthwe, its guiding intelligence, is the most powerful of its kind with a vast knowledge and wisdom that spans thousands of generations. With its help, the Farseers of Ulthwe have averted many catastrophes that could have destroyed the Eldar in the future, intervening at critical stages to assure the continued survival of the race. Ulthwe remains the Eldar's greatest weapon against Chaos but if it should fail its loss will be their greatest woe.