Arcane Phoenix

An Arcane Phoenix

An Arcane Phoenix is a majestic and fearsome magical avian in the form of a giant raptor with a wingspan as great as any of the mighty war-eagles of the High Elves. They are cloaked in blazing feathers that can turn the sharpest arrow, their true power bound to their nature as a creature of spirit and fire, for they are a living embodiment of the destructive and purging will of Aqshy, the Red Wind of Magic.^[1a]

Flames dance across their pinions to sear their prey when they attack, a long pair of feathered tails leaving a spray of blazing sparks and embers in their wake as they swoop across the battlefield. It is this nimbus of flame that constantly surrounds the Arcane Phoenix and betrays its otherworldly heritage.^[1a]

Arcane Phoenixes are creatures of myth and legend, known to the ancient legends of Men and Elves alike, but it is to the High Elves of Ulthuan they hold the greatest significance. In their lore Arcane Phoenixes are the companions of the Asuryan the Creator, king of the Elven Pantheon, harbingers of woe and bearers of hope in equal measure, drawn from Asuryan's side when the Winds of Magic howl through the mortal world in mighty storms, and in distant mist-shrouded Ulthuan the High Elves are forewarned of the coming of these magical tempests by the sudden manifestation of Arcane Phoenixes in the skies above their island home.^[1a][1b]

An Arcane Phoenix as depicted in concept art for Total War: Warhammer II.

To them they are a disturbing omen; a symbol of destruction soon to come as well as the hope of rebirth. Their arrival can only mean that strife will once again be visited upon the Asur, but also that those that survive will be stronger than before. Wizards go to great lengths to bind Arcane Phoenixes when they appear; both to command their power as well as to keep their destructive wrath from the control of their enemies.^[1a][1b]

Notable Arcane Phoenixes

• Omen of Asuryan - A legendary Arcane Phoenix, the Omen of Asuryan is the living symbol of Asuryan, the Emperor of the Heavens, and is said to have emerged from the very Flame of Asuryan. The mere sight of it lifts the spirit of the High Elves when darkness looms.^[2]

See Also

• Phoenixes

Sources

• 1: Monstrous Arcanum (8th Edition)
  • 1a: pg. 78
  • 1b: pg. 79
• 2: Total War: Warhammer II (PC Game)

Gallery

An Arcane Phoenix as depicted in Total War: Warhammer II.^[2]