The Fall of the Aeldari is the moment the galaxy’s greatest empire destroyed itself and tore a new Chaos God into existence. It happened in M31, and nothing about the Aeldari has been the same since.
What the Fall actually was
The Fall was the collapse of the Aeldari Empire, the civilisation that had dominated most of the galaxy for millions of years. It wasn’t a war or an invasion. The Aeldari brought it on themselves, and it happened in slow, agonising stages rather than in a single instant.
Trillions died. The survivors only made it because they were somewhere else when it hit: Drukhari and Harlequins inside the Webway, Asuryani on their Craftworlds, and Exodites on their maiden worlds.
How it happened
The Old Ones had warned the Aeldari this could happen, but those warnings were forgotten over the millennia. With technology handling every need and want, the empire drifted into complacency, then into hedonism.
Pleasure cults spread across Aeldari space, chasing ever more extreme experiences. Even the gods were set aside in favour of self-deification through excess. The empire rotted from the inside while it still looked invincible.
- A golden age of millennia gave way to boredom, then corruption
- Pleasure cults replaced worship of the pantheon
- The Aeldari saw other races as barbarians, and their own technology as proof
The birth of Slaanesh
All that accumulated excess and depravity coalesced in the Warp and became Slaanesh, the Chaos God of pleasure and pain. The shockwave of its birth is what shattered the empire.
Slaanesh didn’t arrive alone. It consumed most of the Aeldari pantheon, leaving only a handful of gods. The event also opened the warp rift known as the Eye of Terror.
Why it matters
The Fall is the reason the Aeldari are a dying people. Every Craftworld, Commorragh, and maiden world exists because of it, and the Asuryani still structure their entire lives around avoiding a second one.
It’s also the origin story of Slaanesh and the Eye of Terror, which makes it one of the load-bearing events in the whole 40k timeline, more than Aeldari history.
| Survivor group | Where they survived |
|---|---|
| Asuryani | Craftworlds |
| Drukhari | Commorragh, in the Webway |
| Harlequins | The Webway |
| Exodites | Maiden worlds |
Key facts
- The Fall ended the Aeldari Empire’s supremacy over the galaxy in M31.
- It was self-inflicted, driven by hedonism and pleasure cults rather than outside attack.
- Slaanesh was born from it, and most of the Aeldari pantheon was consumed.
- Trillions of Aeldari died; the survivors are the Craftworld, Commorragh, Harlequin, and Exodite factions.
- The Eye of Terror opened as a result, permanently scarring the galaxy.
FAQ
When did the Fall of the Aeldari happen?
It occurred in M31. Sources describe it as unfolding in stages rather than as one sudden event, even though Harlequin tales often tell it as a single catastrophe.
Which Chaos God was born from the Fall?
Slaanesh. The accumulated excess of the Aeldari Empire coalesced in the Warp and became the Chaos God of pleasure and pain.
Did any Aeldari survive the Fall?
Yes. The Drukhari and Harlequins survived inside the Webway, the Asuryani survived aboard their Craftworlds, and the Exodites survived on their maiden worlds.