[Stubber]

Biology
Superficially, the Eldar appear very similar to humans, though they are generally taller, lithe of limb, and fit, with sharp features and pointed ears. Eldar reflexes and movement are generally far faster than humans, their senses are sharper and they are more perceptive. While visually similar at a distance, it has been suggested that the most striking topical difference between Humans and Eldar can be seen when the Eldar move, exhibiting an extremely graceful and intentional manner that is not exhibited in humans.
The Eldar are long-lived by human standards, and most will live hundreds or even thousands of years unless they are otherwise killed. As a race they have a high level of psychic ability, which serves as the foundation of their technology. The Eldar that actively cultivate their psychic potential seem to exhibit a much-extended lifespan as well, one proportional to their prowess. In this way the leaders and Seers of the Eldar may live for several thousand years. However, the death of an Eldar seer is not simply shedding the physical body; a dying Eldar seer transforms into pure crystal, as does any living Seer who spends too long scrying.

History
The existing Eldar are essentially a refugee population, the scattered remains of their former strength and power. Even in such straits, however, they are still a powerful force in the galaxy. Once, the Eldar were among the most powerful and dominant races of the galaxy, dominating a significant portion of the galaxy and secure in their prosperity. Although there were other races of advanced technology and military power, none were in a position to seriously threaten the state of the Eldar nation. The disaster, when it came, was internal. Consumed by arrogance and with no need for substantial work or labour, the Eldar began to pursue any curiosity or desire. Cults devoted to exotic knowledge, physical pleasure, and ever-more outrageous entertainment rapidly sprang up. It did not take long for many of the Eldar to take a darker path, descending into dark study, instant fulfillment and unbridled violence.
Many of the Eldar grew uneasy with the actions of their comrades, and the wisest of the Seers warned that the path could lead only to evil. Disgusted, some of the Eldar left the central worlds of the Empire to settle on the outlying regions, while others stayed to try and alter the path their race had taken.
While this would have been destructive within any society, it was even more damaging to the Eldar. Within the parallel realm of the Warp, the psychic emanations of these activities began to gather, strengthened by the souls of departed followers and cultists. As the Eldar vices grew, this collection did as well, until it eventually came into a life of its own. It finally came to consciousness as the fourth Chaos god Slaanesh, Devourer of Souls and doom to the Eldar, for the psychic scream of its birth tore the souls from all the Eldar within a thousand light years of it. Its awakening was so forceful that it tore a hole between physical space and the Warp, plunging the Eldar homeworlds into a limbo of partial existence. This region is now known as the Eye of Terror, and is the home of the forces of Chaos.
Since this time, which is known only as The Fall, the Eldar have been a broken and scattered people, lacking cohesion and purpose. Many of the outlying worlds have slipped to a more primitive level, while the survivors of the home worlds drift through the stars in colossal nomad fleets, each independent of the others. All Eldar have been, and are, greatly changed by the Fall and the rise of Slaanesh, who remains in the warp, eager to consume Eldarin souls.

Mythology
The Eldar are known to be a very spiritual people, and much of their culture is based around their mythological cycles. The most famous of these cycles was the War in Heaven, an epic conflict between the Eldar deities, in two factions lead by Vaul, the god of the forge, and Khaine, the god of war. A summary of the epic follows -
In the beginning, the Eldar pantheon, lead by Asuryan, Phoenix King of the gods, created the Eldar race. In the early days, there was no barrier between gods and mortals - the deities walked among the Eldar, teaching them and leading them in an age of peace and prosperity.
Yet one day, Lileath the maiden goddess dreamed that the Eldar would cause the destruction of Khaine, god of war. As Lileath was well-known for her prophetic dreams, Khaine took it very seriously and resolved to wipe out the Eldar race rather than let them destroy him. The ensuing slaughter was of such proportions that Isha, goddess of the earth, petitioned Asuryan to stop it. Asuryan did so, and created a barrier between the Eldar and their gods, forever separating the two, and decreed that no god was to intervene or communicate with the Eldar ever again. So, Khaine's war on the Eldar was stopped, for a time.
This was too much for Isha, though, and her consort Kurnous, god of the hunt. Isha and Kurnous loved their children the Eldar and could not bear to separated from them. They approached Vaul, the smith god, with their woes, and the kindly Vaul agreed to help them. With Vaul's aid, they forged spirit stones through which mortal Eldar could communicate with the gods. With these stones, Isha and Kurnous continued to teach and mentor their mortal children in secrecy.
Peace was not to last, though, as one day Khaine stumbled upon the two as they communicated with the Eldar, and took the information straight to Asuryan. Though Asuryan was sympathetic with Isha and Kurnous, they had broken his own laws and he reluctantly decreed that the two gods be given to Khaine, to do with as he wished.
Khaine tortured Isha and Kurnous, utilising every cruel art he knew. Many of the gods secretly thought Khaine was going too far and secretly supported Isha and Kurnous, but only one was willing to stand up for them in public. Vaul petitioned for their release, and eventually he and Khaine came to an agreement. In one year's time, Khaine would release Isha and Kurnous in exchange for one hundred swords. Vaul was such a master smith that a single blade of his was of incalculable value - indeed, a single mortal with a Sword of Vaul could stand against a thousand with mundane weapons.
Vaul immediately set to work, rejoicing. Unfortunately though, when the year was up, he had only completed ninety-nine swords, rendering the bargain void. He took an ordinary mortal blade and mixed it in with the others, hoping that Khaine would not notice. Upon delivery, Khaine was so pleased with the weapons that he released Isha and Kurnous forthwith, delighting in the craftsmanship that had gone into the swords. It was only when Isha and Kurnous were long gone that Khaine discovered the one mortal sword.
Khaine roared in anger, calling Vaul a cheat, a liar, and a thief. He immediately set off to track Vaul down and make him pay. The wars that followed polarised the gods, Khaine's faction and Vaul's faction engaging in bloody warfare for an eternity. Gods changed sides, great deeds of heroism and of craven evil were performed on both sides, and the war was mirrored in a struggle between the Eldar in the mortal realms. Asuryan himself never took a side, watching the carnage impassively, slowly coming to regret his impetuosity in sentencing Isha and Kurnous.
Vaul reforged the final sword, the one that he had failed to finish for Khaine, the greatest of all, and called it Anaris. Armed with this weapon, Vaul strode forth to do battle with Khaine. It was a long, hard-fought struggle, but even with Anaris Vaul was no match for the war god. Khaine cast down Vaul, maiming the smith, and bound Vaul to his own anvil.
However, the falcon, Faolchú, who had fought for Vaul, took the sword Anaris and delivered it straight to Eldanesh, greatest of the mortal Eldar. With Anaris in hand, Eldanesh of the Red Moon took up the fight and faced Khaine in single combat. Eldanesh fought well, but in the end he too was defeated by Khaine, his body crushed by the god of war. It is from this deed that Khaine earned his title Kaela Mensha, meaning 'Bloody Handed', and was henceforth known as Khaine the Bloody Handed. Asuryan had seen enough of the slaughter and proclaimed the war over. Khaine had had his vengeance and left the field satisfied.
Thousands upon thousands of years later, when the Eldar race travelled to the stars and forged a great empire, they grew decadent and indulgent. Their thoughts and emotions coalesced in the Warp into a new and deadly god - Slaanesh. The birth of Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar heralded the end of the Eldar pantheon. Slaanesh slew the Eldar gods viciously - Lileath, Isha, Asuryan, even old blind Morai-Heg were murdered by Slaanesh. Khaine, the mightiest warrior of the gods did battle with Slaanesh and was cast down and shattered into a million pieces which became his Avatars. Thus did Lileath's prophecy come true, and the Eldar were the cause of Khaine's destruction - even as he battled to save them. Only Cegorach, the Laughing God, managed to escape Slaanesh alive, and they continue to do battle to this day, dancing the Dance Without End.
Though this is certainly the most well known of the myths, Eldar mythology contains many stories, and each Eldar is expected to know at least all of the major ones. The effect of these myths upon the Eldar language, which is said to be amazingly complex and almost incomprehensible to human ears, mainly due to the intricate references to these myths. For example, the world 'Faolchú', which commonly refers to the Eldar war machine known as the Falcon, but also refers to the legendary bird and its actions, lending the word connotations beyond the immediate.