The Hemlock Wraithfighter is an Aeldari fighter that flies on the souls of the dead. A Spiritseer pilots it, Spirit Stones trapped in its Wraithbone core power it, and its weapons don’t blow things up so much as tear the soul out of them. Most Craftworlds hate the thing, and they still build it.
What the Hemlock actually is
It’s a fighter aircraft built from Wraithbone, but that undersells it. The Hemlock’s core works like a tiny Infinity Circuit, holding Eldar spirits inside Spirit Stones. Those spirits can even fly the craft on a basic level if the pilot goes down, which happens more than anyone likes to admit.
A Spiritseer sits at the controls. They spend every flight listening to the dead whisper, and the strain is real. Some pilots go slowly insane. Others lose their own spirit to the craft, leaving an empty body behind.
Why the Craftworlds hate deploying it
Using a Hemlock is close to committing an atrocity by Eldar standards. In their mythology, only the Crone Goddess Morai-Heg can cut the silvered strand tying a soul to its body. A Hemlock does exactly that, which is why the Eldar call a kill with one the ‘Cutting of the Crone’s Cord’.
So they only send Hemlocks out when things are truly desperate. Autarch Intrisiel of Biel-Tan summed up the mood after unleashing a hundred of them at the Battle of a Million Terrors: the Eldar stopped debating moral philosophy a long time ago, because they’re too busy surviving the consequences of their ancestors’ mistakes.
Weapons and how they kill
The Hemlock’s edge is its mindshock pod. It magnifies the Spiritseer’s own psychic power into a wave of terror that can shatter enemy nerves before a shot is fired.
Then the Heavy D-Scythes under each wing fire. There’s no blast, no scorch mark, no trail, just a line of corpses. The weapons rip souls straight out of bodies. They were originally designed to cut a Tyranid Warrior off from the Hive Mind, and they’re strong enough to scramble the engrams of a Necron Warrior too.
- Mindshock pod: projects the pilot’s psychic terror outward
- Heavy D-Scythes: soul-severing weapons mounted under the wings
- Secondary role: the spirits inside can keep the craft flying if the pilot is incapacitated
Corsairs and named craft
Hemlocks don’t always stay with the Craftworlds. Some pilots throw in with Corsair fleets instead. Warlock Dethrian of the Eldritch Raiders followed Prince Yriel out of Iyanden in his own Wraithfighter, and Corsair Hemlocks sometimes carry a Warp Hunter instead of the standard loadout.
A few named Hemlocks show up in the lore, which tells you these craft get remembered. Bae’elgra’s Shade flies for the Ynnari, while Alaitoc has Destiny’s Due and the Screaming Sword. Saim Hann has Heg’s Blade, and Ulthwé has Shadow.
| Craft | Craftworld or faction |
|---|---|
| Bae’elgra’s Shade | Ynnari |
| Destiny’s Due | Alaitoc |
| Screaming Sword | Alaitoc |
| Heg’s Blade | Saim Hann |
| Shadow | Ulthwé |
Key facts
- The Hemlock Wraithfighter is an Aeldari fighter built from Wraithbone with a core that works like a miniature Infinity Circuit.
- A Spiritseer pilots it, and the stored spirits can fly the craft at a basic level if the pilot is incapacitated.
- Its mindshock pod amplifies the pilot’s psychic terror into a wave of panic.
- Heavy D-Scythes under each wing sever souls from bodies, leaving no blast or damage behind.
- The Eldar consider deploying Hemlocks close to atrocity, calling a kill with one the ‘Cutting of the Crone’s Cord’.
- Named Hemlocks include Bae’elgra’s Shade (Ynnari), Destiny’s Due and Screaming Sword (Alaitoc), Heg’s Blade (Saim Hann), and Shadow (Ulthwé).
FAQ
What is a Hemlock Wraithfighter?
It’s an Aeldari fighter aircraft made of Wraithbone and powered by Eldar spirits held in Spirit Stones. A Spiritseer pilots it, and its Heavy D-Scythes tear souls out of their targets rather than blowing them apart.
Why do the Eldar avoid using Hemlock Wraithfighters?
Because using one defies their own traditions. Eldar myth says only the Crone Goddess Morai-Heg can sever the soul from the body, so a Hemlock doing it is treated as close to atrocity. They only deploy them in the worst situations.
What happens to the Spiritseer piloting a Hemlock?
It’s dangerous. The voices of the dead wear the pilot down, and some go insane. In the worst cases the pilot’s own spirit joins the craft’s stored dead, leaving behind an empty body.