Aenarion

In the fictional world of Warhammer Fantasy, Aenarion was the greatest and most tragic hero of the High Elves. After the break-down of a series of magical portals, which controlled the flow of magic into the world, a tremendous tide of magical energy swept over the land, causing mutations and demon manifestations and paving the way for the largest chaos invasion of all time. During Aenarion's early life, the high elves had not experienced much war as they were the dominant species of the time and thus were not prepared for such a sudden and overwhelming war. Aenarion made his way to the temple of their eldest god Asuryan and beseeched the god for aid day and night at the ever-burning white flame in the middle of the temple. After a significant time without response, his people still being slaughtered, Aenarion became desperate and swore to sacrifice himself if only Asuryan would save his people, and with that he lept into the flames. Instead of being instantly incinerated, Aenarion emerged from the flames a conduit of Asuryan. Imbued with their god's power, Aenarion emerged from the temple and confronted the enormous chaos horde assembled with nothing but a hunting spear. He hurled the spear with such force that it killed the leader of the host as well as several others behind him before coming to a rest in a minotaurs neck. He then strode through the ranks of Chaos, tearing them asunder with his bare hands.

Blessed by the Elven god Asuryan, he rallied the elves in response to the invasion of Chaos, fighting a heroic but ultimately doomed defence of his home land. Although the Elves won victory after victory following him, the forces of Chaos were infinite. After the death of his first wife Astarielle, the Everqueen, his mood became dark and aggressive. In his desperation to defend his people, Aenarion cursed himself and all of his descendants when he drew the Sword of Khaine (Forged from a shard of the war/death/blood god's weapon, the sword is capable of slaying mortals and gods with equal impunity as well as filling the bearer and his associated troops with an unquenchable bloodlust), from its altar on the Blighted Isle. Wherever he went, chaos died in droves, he was untouchable, but in the end the hordes of chaos were limitless and he was only one, and the tides of chaos flowed around him even as he cut down all within reach.

His second wife, Morathi, was corrupted by the powers of Chaos, and bore him a son, Malekith who became the first of the Dark Elves.

Seeing that the ongoing battles against the forces of Chaos could only end in defeat, Caledor Dragontamer called the greatest of the High Elf mages together. They devised a plan to create a vortex that would drain the magic flooding in through the shattered polar gate from the world.

Choosing the Isle of the Dead as the site for the centre of the vortex, the mages assembled there and started their incantations. Sensing the scale of what was being attempted, the forces of Chaos started to converge on the island to halt the proceedings, and despite the fact that Aenarion was convinced that he could slay the chaos without using the risky drain, he was forced to assemble his armies to protect the mages.

Aenarion rode atop his powerful dragon Indraugnir, touched by not one, but two elder gods, and wielding the most deadly weapon ever forged, he faced down the most powerful greater demon from each of the four Chaos gods. His dragon engaged the Bloodthirster while he attacked the others and did well until the Great Unclean One began to drag him into his pestilence ridden body, forcing Indragnir to take his attention from the Bloodthirster to save Aenarion. The Bloodthirster took advantage of the opportunity and mortally wounded Indraugnir. Freed from the demon, Aenarion cleaved the Bloodthirster in two with a blow that "could have split a mountain".

The creation of the vortex had been successful with the help of Aenarion - and although it drained the excess magic from the world, weakening the forces of Chaos greatly, the mages that had enacted the spell were trapped within it for eternity.

Despite being victorious, Aenarion and his beloved mount were both mortally wounded and Aenarion was considerably weaker as the vortex also drained his godly power. With the last of his strength, Aenarion drove the sword of Khaine back into its altar with such force that it could never be drawn again. The bodies of Aenarion and Indraugnir were never found. Aenarion is considerered by many elves to be the greatest warrior that had ever lived.

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