 Since the first stellar expeditions, humanity has learned one inviolate truth, that we must fight for our place in this wretched galaxy with every shot, every shell, and every blade. For the base and the heinous aliens that squat amongst the destined realms of man mean us nothing but torment, destruction, and death. Many races were crushed into the dust of history during the magnificent great crusade. Some, like the hated green skin, are akin to a fungal infection, a seemingly inescapable part of the pan-galactic biosphere infesting our imperium. Some are younger than our own species, desperately trying to carve out their own stellar volume, despite the obvious doom such an endeavor will bring onto them. Yet more undoubtedly lurk undiscovered in the depths of the void, waiting only for their moment to bring ruin upon the heads of man. Finally, they linger the remnants, the echoes of a once great interstellar empire laid low by its own titanic arrogance and stupidity, yet one that refuses to pass into memory, where it belongs. Know then that this is a record of the most perfidious of Xenoforms, the Aeldari. Known by their own tongue as the Aeldari, and to the common many who whisper tales of them by the low gothic rendering of Eldar, this Xenobreed is ancient beyond human reckoning, being by imperial estimation one of the oldest surviving sentient species in the galaxy. Upon the tales of their exact origin, one cannot speak much of, as this humble chronicler is in the process of obtaining access to certain sequestered data stacks in the possession of the Adeptus Mechanicus and one's own Logos Histarica Vertia. In order to investigate more in depth, what is described in the Aeldari's own mythic cycles as the War in Heaven, to apply the crudest of gothic translations. Suffice it to say, the species's origin appears to have its roots in some vague mythic progenitor race, records of which I yearn to uncover. It is, biologically speaking, uncertain from which fauna form the Aeldari have evolved. Given their biology, a wide array of ancestor beasts are possible, from broad reptilian amphibian or avian strains, or, given that records speak of evolutionary interference, perhaps a combination of said. Certainly the Aeldari are known to display a notable disdain and disgust for humanity's own origins, degrading us as mammals or apes, hinting at a separate ancestor species. And oft they are known to reference our noble race with the slur Monkai, often framed for much greater insulting impact in their language's accusative grammar tense. The nature of their uncertain origin plays well with the Aeldar character, as in their limitless arrogance they take pride in having to outsiders no obvious means of genus classification, appealing to their own sense of racial superiority. Physically, an individual Aeldar is roughly speaking humanoid, but there the similarities are simply superficial. They are inhumanly tall, thin and lithe, with pale, almost anemic skin. One need only observe one move with their fluid and hideous grace to feel their appulsion common when observing xenoforms. Their ears, like their facial features, are sharpened, and their slanted eyes brim with sinister cunning. One must, however, never underestimate what this body is capable of. Despite their almost absurdly fragile appearance, the average Aeldar is markedly stronger than baseline Homo sapiens sapiens, and almost impossibly faster, with lightning reflexes and reaction times. Their hearts beat at twice the rate of a humans, powering their incredible mental abilities. All members of the race display the ability to utilize psychic powers in some fashion, with the more adept beings included in the echelons of the most fearsome psychers in the galaxy. Such sorcerous abilities are a facet of the Aeldari's neurological makeup as well as their evolution. They, as a species, experience emotions to a far greater degree than a human could possibly comprehend, allowing them to achieve greater heights in our species, but also fall into deeper depths. Their inherently long-lived nature can afford an individual Aeldar a lifetime of the most fulfilling study, the loftiest thrills of battle, the most joyful works of artistry and expression, but also the dangers of becoming swallowed by the dread temptations of sensation. While they have the capacity to feel transcendent pleasure, they also harbor within themselves the capacity for the most unbridled rage, for one to yield to the cloying desires the latter represents is for that being to damn themselves utterly. For such was the doom of the species millennia ago. Dissection of an adult specimen corroborates much of what can be discerned of the species from the many encounter reports that can be gleaned from millennia of contact history humanity has had with these species. Their bodies are replete with disturbingly pleasing aesthetics, both externally and internally. Their facial aspects would be considered beautiful, were it not for the intrinsic disgust all Xenos engender within humanity, while internally, by a logist magi have noted with some concern, the visual symmetry the layout of their internal organs present, with one magios with one magios using the word tidy before being reprimanded by his superiors. Organ functions can be difficult to discern, and Eildari's humanoid form would naturally incline any disector to infer a function based upon location, but in practical terms this line of pursuit has never yielded results. The rib cage for example appears akin to a fused pair of wings, and is remarkably pliant compared to human bone, while losing none of its strength. It contains lung analogs, but the remainder of the organs serve functions that can only be guessed at due to their complexity. The flexibility of the rib cage is mirrored by the rest of the skeletal frame, which displays a remarkable elasticity, indicating a structure intended for and specifically evolved for the rapid maneuverability the species is known for. The Eildari body contains no body fat, nor indeed any analogous substance, and their bone analogs contain no marrow, merely a fibrous structure that biologists magi theorize may serve as disseminated lymphatic glands. They are known to consume food in but small quantities, as their bodies appear incredibly efficient in the processing of nutrients from organic material, despite the lack of any digestive or degenerative fluids within their systems, or indeed any obvious methods of digestion whatsoever. Structurally, their reproductive organs mirror human ones, but the process of gamete induction appears successive, with the introduction of genetic materials seemingly occurring at preordained stages during conception, potentially allowing for an incredible amount of genealogical selectiveness within the species itself. Upon the subject of genetics, the overall arrangement is human analogous, with an Eildari's body being composed of a cellular structure, but examination of the Eildar genome itself reveals a perhaps, at this stage, predictable level of complexity. The helical structure of their DNA is quintopular, compared to humanity's double helix, with twenty chemical bases, as opposed to our own four. Not only does this inherently allow for an unbelievable amount of genetic information storage, biologist magi have noted a distortion upon examination of test cells, as if the cells themselves are responding to the scrutiny of a sentient being. The more radical within the Mechanicus have posited that this quantum resonance effect, ingrained into the very DNA of the xenobreed itself, is the core of their incredible psychic potential and skill. The Eildari remain a force of note within our galaxy, although in severely reduced presence since the Catatlysm that doomed them, the subject of which shall be examined in a later record. Additional losses inflicted upon them during the Emperor's most righteous great crusade, no doubt diminish their numbers further, but in spite of all this, they cling to existence with a stubbornness that would be admired if it were not repellent. The vast majority of the remaining population exists on titanic, space-faring artificial world ships known as craft worlds, but others do cling to life on far-flung, isolated and partially terraformed worlds, known colloquially to their species as the exodites. While in the depths of the Labyrinthine tunnel dimension known as the Webway, there is dark evidence of whole cities where vicious and degenerate offshoots of the Eildari race lurk. These various strains, however, must wait for further exploration in later records. Much of the above is material obtained by this humble chronicler from radical or sequestered archives, noted here for imperial posterity in this darkening age. Despite one's modest position, I dare not notate some of what I have uncovered for fear of inquisitorial scrutiny, but I remain firm in the opinion that, while the study of these xenophorms is by its nature utterly abhorrent, undertaking said, is necessary if we are to cleanse the stars of their grotesque and insulting presence. And to this record stand as a testament to that, and to the continuing resolve of this Most Holy Imperium to scour the galaxy of the pestilence that is alien life. Ave Imperator, Gloria in Excelsis Terra. This video and this channel are made possible through the incredibly kind contributions of my Patreon subscribers. If you would like to help support the channel, head on over to patreon.com forward slash Oculus imperia. And if you're looking to keep in touch with the channel, get regular updates, you can follow me on Twitter, at buttstuffkaiju, or check us out on Discord, a link will be in the description and on the channel page.