The Eldar Empire was the Aeldari’s galaxy-spanning dominion, and for millions of years after the War in Heaven, nothing else came close to it. Then it ate itself alive, and the birth of Slaanesh turned its heartland into the Eye of Terror.
What the eldar empire actually was
After the War in Heaven ended, the Old Ones were gone and the Necrons were buried in their tomb worlds. The Aeldari walked out of that wreckage as the dominant power in the galaxy, and they stayed that way until the Fall.
Sources also call it the Aeldari Empire, the Dominion, or the Empire of Ten Million Suns. Its capital worlds now sit inside the Eye of Terror, and its people spoke the Eldar language and followed Eldar mythology.
Even the Aeldari of the 41st millennium don’t know much about it. The records are thin, and what survives points to a patchwork of rulers rather than one throne, with some styling themselves royalty and an aristocracy sitting near the top.
- Also known as: Aeldari Empire, the Dominion, Empire of Ten Million Suns
- Dominant galaxy-wide power from the end of the War in Heaven until the Fall
- Capital region now lies within the Eye of Terror
- Ruled by many different rulers rather than a single central authority
A golden age with no brakes
By most accounts, life in the Empire was fuller and freer than anything the Asuryani craftworlds allow today. Aeldari pursued whatever paths caught their interest, chasing every luxury and curiosity available to them.
That freedom is exactly what makes the Fall so hard to separate from the Empire’s best years. The same appetite for experience that built the golden age is what curdled into excess, cruelty, and hedonism.
The rot sets in
Around M15, the beings who’d become the first Haemonculi started gathering power. They dug into their own depravity, at first out of a malignant curiosity, and later just to hold off the boredom that comes with living forever. From there they began shaping wider Aeldari society.
By M25 the malaise had reached the heart of the Empire. Some Aeldari saw where things were heading and left, an exodus that would eventually become the craftworlds. Plenty stayed, and stayed unrepentant.
The Haemonculi of today are described as echoes of those architects of the Fall, which is a grim thing to sit with.
| Period | What happened |
|---|---|
| M15 | The future Haemonculi begin gaining influence |
| M25 | Spiritual malaise spreads; the exodus of Aeldari begins |
| The Fall | The Empire collapses and Slaanesh is born |
What’s left of it
The Ynnari offer the closest living glimpse of what ancient Aeldari were like. Their baroque style reaches back past even Commorragh, and their leaders are said to have lived lives similar to their ancient predecessors.
Yvraine, High Priestess of Ynnead, was described as the closest living thing to an ancient Aeldari in spirit once she was imbued with Ynnead’s power. Her champion, the Visarch, is called an echo of that same ancient strength. The Ynnari even revived an old practice, wrapping red cloth around an arm or thigh to mark grief for a friend or family member.
Key facts
- The Eldar Empire was the Aeldari’s dominant galaxy-spanning power after the War in Heaven, lasting until the Fall
- Also known as the Aeldari Empire, the Dominion, and the Empire of Ten Million Suns
- Its capital worlds now lie within the Eye of Terror
- Ruled by a patchwork of rulers and an aristocracy rather than one central authority
- The first Haemonculi began gaining influence around M15, and by M25 the malaise had spread through Aeldari society
FAQ
What was the Eldar Empire?
It was the Aeldari’s galaxy-spanning dominion, the dominant power in the galaxy from the end of the War in Heaven until the Fall. It’s also called the Aeldari Empire, the Dominion, or the Empire of Ten Million Suns.
Why did the Eldar Empire fall?
It slid into cruelty, excess, and hedonism over a long period, with the future Haemonculi gaining influence from around M15. That decay culminated in the Fall and the birth of Slaanesh.
Where was the Eldar Empire’s capital?
Its capital worlds are now inside the Eye of Terror, the warp rift created when the Empire collapsed.