[Adam Baker]

Okay. This question seems a bit difficult to me. :P So, if any of you can enlight me with the answer, I will be happy. ^^

How many Exarchs are in a single Aspect Temple? One or more?

Thanks.

[ShadowCrawler]

From the fluff I would say many. Because each Craftworld will have a temple for each aspect that belongs to that craftworld. Not just one exarch will be in each temple, I'd guess one per three squads, maybe less, maybe more.

Maybe I'm wrong though, but I'm pretty sure thats kinda how it works.

Cheers,
-RS

[DarthIbis]

Based solely on the section about Exarchs in the codex, I'll have to agree with the "it depends" answer. Since they are basically the priests of the warrior temples, I would equate it to priests in a particular church. Some smaller churches may house a single priest while larger ones may have several.

[Adam Baker]

Oh, thanks. As it seems too, there isn't an Exarch per every Aspect squad, right?

[DarthIbis]

Originally Posted by Alexander

Oh, thanks. As it seems too, there isn't an Exarch per every Aspect squad, right?

In game terms, you may take an Exarch for each aspect squad you field. So, if you have three units of Fire Dragons, you can have three Dragon Exarchs, one leading each squad.

You can also include the Phoenix Lord Fuegan as a HQ, but he is unique so you are only allowed one of him.

[Esque]

But besides that, no there is not necessarily one exarch pr squad. Squads are flexible, 10 men could both be 2 squads of 5 or 1 of 10.

The right way to set that up would likely be by a certain percentage of the individual aspects:

Eldar life is fragmented into paths: An eldar poet uses an amount of years to achieve perfection in poetry, at which time he'll choose another path. Maybe he will be bone singer, maybe he will be pilot, maybe he will be a craftsman, singer, actor, architect, or whatever positions there may be within eldar society. If such a (wo)man is required in the militia, (s)he is drafted as a "guardian".

At some point in his career though, he may choose to be a warrior, by choosing the warrior path. When one warrior path is completed and perfected by whatever standard they set, he will choose another, just like with any other career choices they make.

If the eldar warrior lives through many aspects, achieving his goals within each one of them, you'll get an Autarch.

If they get obsessed with one aspect, they become an exarch, unable to leave their aspect, and they linger in their shrine until they are needed on the battlefield. Such a member is first and foremost wholly a warrior. They do not care for much else than battle, and they do not function within eldar society anymore.

Technically there should be nothing wrong with the idea that exarches exists within all aspects of eldar society, as a concept. Maybe architects who can see nothing but the wraithbone shape of a craftworld is an exarch too?

That they are priests too is secondary. They are not chosen to be "the new exarch, because all the other exarches just died, and they got a position open". Its a calling. If you are a fire dragon, and find yourself obsessed with that, unable to do anything else in your society, then you are an exarch. Being a priest is automatic, as you'll have nothing to do besides blowing up tanks, terminators and polishing your armor and readying your training facilities. Which is what I suspect an exarch does. Rituals/training/armory/tactics management.

If there is a very small temple, and you have 18 mad fire dragons who are all about to get stuck in their path as exarches, they dont slug it out or fire (pun) the other 17, they'll just get along: If it's a general tendency for that craftworld, I'd suppose they'd build a bigger temple.

[viorlashasui]

Originally Posted by Esque

Technically there should be nothing wrong with the idea that exarches exists within all aspects of eldar society, as a concept. Maybe architects who can see nothing but the wraithbone shape of a craftworld is an exarch too?

In principle, yes. A Farseer is like an exarch, as he is lost in the Path of the Seer. Likewise the Autarch, on the Path of Command. So yes, it is possible to have "Exarchs" on other paths, though probably with different titles.

[Adam Baker]

Thanks for the insightful response, Esque. ;D And thanks to Viorla, too. ^^

The topic can be closed, I suppose.

Cheers. ;D

[Esque]

Originally Posted by viorlashasui

In principle, yes. A Farseer is like an exarch, as he is lost in the Path of the Seer. Likewise the Autarch, on the Path of Command. So yes, it is possible to have "Exarchs" on other paths, though probably with different titles.

The autach is not an exarch, as he excels by his supreme ability to NOT be an exarch, and thus learn the experiences of many aspects of war, giving him the ability to command. Or to rephrase, the autach is a learned and flexible general, and he is not necessarily lost to his path. He is just following the path of command.

Btw a farseer is an "exarch" of the path of the warlock, right? - the path that is the most consuming, and thus, leaving little time for other stuff. This is the reason Ulthwe has few aspect warriors. They are all civilians, or on the path of the warlock. Craftworld Eldar Codex states something along these lines anyways. It may be called the path of the seer, dunno.


edit:

you're welcome.

[viorlashasui]

Originally Posted by Esque

The autach is not an exarch, as he excels by his supreme ability to NOT be an exarch, and thus learn the experiences of many aspects of war, giving him the ability to command. Or to rephrase, the autach is a learned and flexible general, and he is not necessarily lost to his path. He is just following the path of command.

You may be right on that one. Autarchs definitely aren't warrior path Exarchs, though some could be command path Exarchs.