Idoneth Deepkin

Idoneth Deepkin, a brand new race of aelves for Warhammer Age of Sigmar! Here you will find all you need to know about Idoneth Deepkin, the new aelves for Age of Sigmar, including lore, background, rules and points details as they break.

The new battletome is available for pre-order from 14 April and will be released (along with the Eidolon, Namarti Thralls, cards and dice) on 21 April. The second wave/week of releases are the Akhelian King and the Namarti Reavers. Expect a couple of weeks of model releases and the May White Dwarf to be dedicated to the Deepkin.

Summary – Who are the Idoneth Deepkin?

Since the capture of Slaanesh, Malerion (god of shadow), brothers Tyrion and Teclis (gods of light) and Morathi (embittered non-god) have been extracting aelf souls from the Chaos God, who you will recall consumed them during the End Times. The first aelf souls to emerge were the children of Mathlann (aelven god of the deep) because they were consumed last by Slaanesh (having hidden well).

Teclis claimed these souls for himself and remade them as the Cythai – the Awakened – intending them to be the most noble and pure aelven race. A new race forged in the image of ancient glories and housed in a great city in Hysh, the Realm of Light. However, tension grew. The Cythai were resentful of Teclis’ creation, and Teclis, suspicious of that resentment, found an impenetrable shadow over the Cythai’s souls. A “deep spiritual trauma” from their time captured by Slaanesh. Jeremy Vetock described it as deep and repressed damage – they are “broken elves” – Teclis was working with flawed material, even after his efforts to purify the souls. Under Teclis’ interrogation, the Cythai either went mad or fled into hiding to avoid feared extermination.

So what is the fateful flaw and tragic curse of the Deepkin? It turns out their souls were contaminated in their creation by Teclis. One in every hundred of their children survive past infancy, the rest are born with “swiftly withering souls” and have their lives cut short. The only hope for survival is for those Idoneth born with souls (the Isharann and Akhelian) to capture the soul essence of another creature in order to sustain the cursed Namarti. Faced with the prospect of extinction, the Idoneth have mentally blocked off the horrors of their actions.

The Deepkin named themselves the Idoneth, meaning “extreme seclusion”, and created new civilisations in the depths of the Mortal Realms, protected by arcane spells and a commitment to militarism. The cities are built from their ability to shape coral and crystal together, similar to Eldar bonesinging.

Such is their isolation, they are barely known to the denizens of the Realms and when the do attack they use memory magic to ensure that their presence is not remembered by any survivors or onlookers.

Hidden for centuries beneath the oceans of the Mortal Realms, the Idoneth Deepkin have finally surfaced – a magnificent and terrifying race of soul-stealing reavers with mastery of the strange magics of the seas.

Colossal sea beasts. Living tidal waves. Predatory shoals of fish. Aelves riding sharks and giant turtles with bolt throwers. We’re in!

When they enter battle, the Deepkin are preceded by a cloying mist created by the Tidecasters, refracting light stangely and disorientating those caught in the haze. A magical aethersea that engulfs enemies. Over time, the battlefield itself changes with coral growths and shipwrecks appearing. You can get a great sense for this in the recent Malign Portents stories which touch on the Idoneth Deepkin: Village of Mist , The Ghosts of Ensignfort, Descent, That Which is Lost, The Great Gnaw.

The Deep Places – Where are they from?

The aelf nations of the Idoneth are isolated in the darkest depths of the oceans of the Mortal Realms but have established a number of cities and civilisations. Each of these enclaves is heavily influenced by the realm in which it is located. In order to travel, trade and fight, the Idoneth use whirlways (underwater realmgates) and guard their cities with amoch-túr, floating guard isles.

Each Idoneth enclave has a ruling council made up of Isharann and Akhelians, the mage and warrior casts. The cities also have a hierachy of where the recovered souls come from (i.e. elf souls vs orruk souls). Souls are stored over time in coral storage banks in each city that can be called upon in times of need. These cities have now been built up to thousands and millions of people. So many raids are necessary to support the population.

The cities we know about already are:

Gealrachi: The first Idoneth city was Gealrachi, in the Gealus Ocean in Hysh, the Realm of Light, but the Idoneth have now spread through the isolated enclaves of the realms.
Priom: The Ionrach, the noblest enclave of the Idoneth, travelled to Ghyran (the Realm of Life) and founded the city of Priom, beneath the Maithnar Sea. The Ionrach are the most noble of the deepkin and the best magic users and tidecasters. They are also the enclave most likely to ally with other races.
Mordgaile: The impetuous Fuethan set up Mordgaile as their capital in the boiling seas of Aqshy. Unsurprisingly, the Fuethan are hot-tempered.
Galanaur: The capital of the Nautilar Enclave, is built on the back of a Great Scaphodon – an enormous sea monster – the city has traveled from the Maithnar Sea in Ghyran and currently resides in the Atleus Ocean in Ghur. The city is now under seige from a Skaven force. The Nautilar are an off-shoot and second generation founding from Priom. Galanaur is an elegant city of coral and the Nautilar are masters of defence and illusion given how exposed they are.
Mor’drechi: Capital of the Mor’phann. The Mor’phann are based in Shyish and are the darkest and creepiest enclave. They were the enclave first discovered as a result of developments in Shyish. They are characterised by shock and horror. There is also a place called the sea of suicides in Shyish.
Rúndhar: Capital of the Dhom-hain. The Dhom-hain are the rivals of the Ionarch and known for being feral. The Dhom-hain live in the Black Chasm in Ghur, the deepest part of the ocean, and are excellent beast-masters. They make decisions on impulse, are savage and brutal.

And some great art from the Battletome preview.

Idoneth Deepkin units

There is an amazing set of models coming for Idoneth Deepkin as you can see from the White Dwarf preview pictures and the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook page coverage.

The Idoneth are separated into three castes:

the Isharann – the masters of magic;
the Akhelians – the noble princes; and
the Namarti – the servants.

Thanks to all the coverage so far, we know that the Idoneth Deepkin range includes:

The Eidolon of Mathlann (super wave dude)
- Aspect of the Storm
- Aspect of the Sea
Volturnos, High King of the Deep and lord of the Ionrach (commander riding sea horse)
Akhelian lord on Deepmare
Tidecasters (female foot sorcerer)
- These casters excel at magic and illusion. They allow the Idoneth to travel across the endless oceans of the Mortal Realms. They conjure the ethersea that surrounds the Idoneth when they go to war.
Soulscryers (male foot sorcerer)
- Soulscryers are the priests and navigators of the Idoneth. They can sense soul energy at great distance and can use this knowledge to chart the path through the whirlways.
Soulrenders (foot combat hero with long hook)
- Soulrenders hunt down the souls of the fallen and capture them (even stripping them from the opponent’s body without killing them). These captured souls can even reinvigorate the Namarti mid-battle.
Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers, Soul Warden (Octupus knifey hero)
- Soul Wardens track the number of souls required to sustain the Namarti
The Namarti – the cursed Idoneth that need souls to prolong their lives.
- The most numerous of the Idoneth, they come with ranged and combat options.
- Namarti Thralls – the combat version
- Namarti Reavers – the ranged version
Akhelians on Fangmora Eels (two-builds)
- The Ishlaen Guard – swords
- The Morrsarr Guard – spears
Akhelians on Allopex (sharks)
Leviadons (massive turtles with four builds)
Ship terrain piece

Also check out this gallery of all the great model pictures from the reveal video.

The Eidolon of Mathlann

The Eidolon of Mathlann is a spectral apparition created by the Idoneth in times of need from the souls of the departed. They are not an avatar for Mathlann, but instead are a “summoned vision of Mathlann”, and come in two forms:

a storm aspect – a maelstorm of hatred and destruction (read: combat version); and
a sea aspect – adding strength to Idoneth while lulling the enemy (read: buff and debuff support piece).

Eidolon of Mathlann – Aspect of the Storm

Idolised echoes of a bygone era, the Eidolons of Mathlann are summoned to life in times of dire need. These are no divine avatars, however, but collective manifestations of the ancestral souls of the Idoneth Deepkin, spirits of vengeance wrapped in the image of a lost aelven god. Eidolons are formed from the combined energies of the souls that can be roused from an enclave’s chorrileum – a living coral reef, storing the essence of expired Idoneth. When an Eidolon is summoned in the aspect of the storm, it appears swelling like a tidal wave before crashing into the foe. Here is the power of the sea as destroyer, anger pent up so long its release is unstoppable.

This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble an Eidolon of Mathlann, in his form as an Aspect of the Storm. He comes armed with a fuathar – a spear of repressed fury – and a crulhook; the former is a long, barbed spear held in the Eidolon’s left hand, while the latter is a set of serrated blades attached to his right arm by a strong chain. His armour resembles a set of scales, topped of by a closed-face helm and enormous crest which resembles a spiked net. The most striking feature of both Eidolon models which can be built from this kit is definitely the cloak – representing the unimaginable power of the seas, it is styled as a cascading torrent of ocean water. There are plenty of detailed basing options included, with corals, sea creatures and other detritus from beneath the waves included – you’ll have a lot of spares left over to decorate other Idoneth miniatures. As well as this, an ethereal Stormshoal fights alongside the Eidolonn.

This kit comes as 51 components, and is supplied with a Citadel 100mm Round base. This kit can alternatively be used to assemble an Eidolon of Mathlan – Aspect of the Sea.

Eidolon of Mathlann – Aspect of the Sea

Idolised echoes of a bygone era, the Eidolons of Mathlann are summoned to life in times of dire need. These are no divine avatars, however, but collective manifestations of the ancestral souls of the Idoneth Deepkin, spirits of vengeance wrapped in the image of a lost aelven god. Eidolons are formed from the combined energies of the souls that can be roused from an enclave’s chorrileum – a living coral reef, storing the essence of expired Idoneth. When an Eidolon is summoned in the aspect of the sea, it can summon cloying sea mists, release golden energies to heal the Idoneth’s wounded and lull the most bloodthirsty enemies into a mystic slumber from which they never wake.

This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble an Eidolon of Mathlann, in his form as an Aspect of the Sea. Towering over the other Idoneth, he comes armed with a psi-trident – a massive 3-pronged spear in his left hand, which can summon blasts of abyssal energy; and a deep-sea sceptre wrought with jewels and used to club anything that gets too close. His armour resembles a set of scales, topped of by an open-face helm and enormous fanned crest. The most striking feature of both Eidolon models, either of which can be built from this kit is definitely the cloak – representing the unimaginable power of the seas, it is styled as a cascading torrent of ocean water. There are plenty of detailed basing options included, with corals, sea creatures and other detritus from beneath the waves included – you’ll have a lot of spares left over to decorate other Idoneth miniatures. As well as this, an ethereal Stormshoal fights alongside the Eidolonn.

This kit comes as 51 components, and is supplied with a Citadel 100mm Round base. The kit can alternately be used to assemble the Eidolon of Mathlann – Aspect of the Storm.

The Isharann Lords

The Isharann are powerful casters that feel the “ebb and flow” of magic. Picked at birth by a Soulscryer, the Isharann learn the magic craft before choosing a specialist discipline.

Tidecasters are elementalists, working with wind and waves;
Soulscryers, Soulrenders and Soul Wardens use their knowledge to search for, capture and store souls;
Other Isharann include the rare Tru’heas healers, the Embailor beast-tamers and the Chorralus – the Idoneth architects and engineers beneath the seas

Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers

Gifted with the spirit-sight and keen analytical minds, the Soul Wardens keep a tally of interred souls, tending to them and calculating how many are needed for certain tasks. Ordinarily they do not accompany the phalanxes to war, but there is one exception – Lotann of the Ionrach. Such is Lotann’s obsessive commitment to his duty, his willpower stains the ethersea, a presence that inspires the Idoneth to fight with heightened zeal. His highly intelligent multi-limbed Ochtar familiar aids him in his task of scribing his catalogue of souls, by keeping aggressors at bay with a serrated blade and spiked cudgel.

This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers. Hardly concerned with the violence and melee going on all around him, Lotann is utterly absorbed in the Catalogue of Souls – an enormous parchment scroll clutched in his left hand, on which he tallies the Idoneth’s captured souls. He uses a bone quill to do so – on occasion, he’ll use this to stab an encroaching enemy, but for the most part his defense is left to his Ochtar familiar. This is a large, octopus-like creature which looms over Lotann’s right shoulder, brandishing a cudgel, a serrated blade and even thoughtfully carrying a spare scroll, should the tally of souls grow too large to count.

Lotan, Warden of the Soul Ledgers comes as 8 components, and is supplied with a Citadel 40mm Round base.

For more on the Isharann, check out the Warhammer Community article.

The Akhelian Kings and Queens

While the Isharann lords lead the Idoneth in diplomacy, the Akhelian Kings and Queens are the military commanders leading the Deepkin into war. Feared warriors, they often fight on the back of a Deepmare – one of the rare undersea creatures willing to bond with the Akhelian warrior.

With an Akhelian King as your general, you could have Fangmore Eel cavalry as battleline – welcome to an all cavalry force! Akhelian kings can be equipped with either a bladed polearm or a greatsword.

The most famous of the Akhelian Kings is High King Volturnos, High King of the Deep and lord of the Ionrach – the last of the Cythai and first rescued soul from Slaanesh. An inspirational warrior and master tactician. The High King is armed with the sabre Astra Solus and the magical shield Cealith – both gifts from Teclis – and rides to war on the Deepmare Uasall.

The youngest Akhelians act as crew for the Allopex or Leviadons, where they man the support weapons. More experienced Akhelians command the Allopex and Leviadon crews or ride the marine cavalry.

The origins of the Akhelian way of war lie in the time after the founding of the Idoneth Deepkin. When Teclis told the Cythai of the aelves of old, he told stories of cavalry from antiquity that rode horses and dragons into battle – the sea monster-mounted warriors of the Akhelians emulate this ideal.

For more on the Akhelians, check out the Warhammer Community article.

The Namarti

The Namarti are the most numerous of the Idoneth and are tragically cursed to a short existence. They are dependent on the “soul-binding” of the Isharann to preserve their lives by replacing their withered soul with a healthy captured soul. The Namarti are born blind, with skin covering their eyes and after the “soul-binding” they are engrafted with a rune and metal collar.

The Namarti are the workers of the Idoneth civilisation and the main battleline troops. They are equipped with long-handled lanmari blades or whisperbows. Being blind, the Namarti rely on changes in current and pressure to sense the location of their targets.

The Namarti Thralls are available for pre-order from 14 April.

The Namarti Thralls

Like all aelves, Namarti Thralls possess a physical grace that to other races appears supernatural. The Thralls march to war for the Idoneth as the main body of their infantry, and it is their task to engage and hold the enemy in place. In battle the Namarti fight with an array of weapons known as lanmari – two-handed swords, great scythe-axes or pole-axes of intricate design. The weight and reach of such weapons are useful when driving off the enormous sea creatures that bedevil the Idoneth enclaves, while their broad blades are suited to scything through the teeming swarms of predatory fish that seek to prey upon the aelves.

This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble 10 Namarti Thralls. Clad in less-ornate armour than their commanders and superiors, as befits their withering souls and disposable nature, they still cut impressive figures – each is powerful and muscular. There are 11 heads in the kit, which can be placed on whichever models you wish; each is hairless and blind, with blank, empty sockets where eyes should be. 10 elaborate neck crests are included, which curve upward and behind their heads, giving the impression of spiked horns. There’s plenty of choice in their weapons – each wields a two-handed lanmari, as follows: 4 can take a choice of glaive or sword, 3 have a choice of axe or sword, 2 carry swords and 1 carries an axe. There is an option for an icon bearer – they have a specific head, and a large mathlann slave rune which forms part of their neck crest. As an added bit of detail the kit comes with 6 pieces of scenery and fish for the bases, which can be added to any model you like..

This kit comes as 90 components, and is supplied with 10 Citadel 32mm Round bases.

The Namarti Reavers

The ranged foot option for Namarti. The Reavers are battleline if an Isharann hero is general.

Idoneth Deepkin – Flora and Fauna

The Idoneth Deepkin release has introduced us to new flora and fauna:

Deepmare – awesome unicorn sea-horsi horsi above.
Allopex – a shark-like predator controlled by magic-weilding Embailors and ridden by two Idoneth. The youngest Akhelians man the weapons of these beasts before they get to ride their own mount;
Fangmora Eels – ferocious creatures bound to their masters by magic and ridden by the Ishlaen Guard. The Morrsarr Guard also ride Fangmora Eels and wield archaic-looking spears (which channel the biovoltaic charge of the Eels they ride);
Leviadon – a giant turtle mastered by the Ma’harr and used by the Idoneth as a battering ram. The Leviadon is protected by waves of magical energy which refract incoming missile fire.

While the Stormcast Eternals and Fyreslayers may possess a deep connection with their draconic allies, the Idoneth Deepkin must magically enslave their bond-beasts using the Embailors, a specialised sect of the Isharann. In order for these magics to take hold, the creatures must be blinded, for without this measure they risk slipping their bonds and escaping in a murderous rampage. There are groups and even whole enclaves of Idoneth Deepkin who trawl the oceans for beasts to hunt and capture, with the Ghurish forces of Dhom-hain training particularly vicious specimens.

There are some exceptions – a few Ochtar, such as the familiar that fights alongside Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers, have proven loyal, as have the rare Deepmares ridden by Akhelian Kings.

We also have a little sneak peak of the rules for the Ishlaen Guard.

The Leviadon

Idoneth Deepkin Rules

So far, all we know is that:

The allegiance ability is a a movement mechanic based on the tide – which ebbs and flows with each turn.

A battletrait gives Idoneth Deepkin units great protection from missile weapons

The Akhelian King command ability

The army will also have six different enclave abilities, which we can expect to be similar to the KO skyports.
The main enclave command trait allows allies to use the tides of death table.
Unstoppable fury command trait – during high tide general get +2 attacks to one of the melee weapons, to 6A 3+ 3+ -1 1d3.
Four different sets of artefacts.
Five warscroll battalions and one even combines Sylvaneth and Deepkin. The contents of the battalions are changed by the enclave.
Idoneth Deepkin can ally with: wanderers, Sylvaneth, stormcast, dok, darkling covens, scourge privateers, order serpentis and eldritch council.
- 20 Liberators (400)
- 40 Black Ark Corsairs (260) – 3 higher bravery, save is 5+
- 40 Eternal Guard (240) – with enclave ability giving them times of death they will be 4+ rerolling 1s and 2s first turn with bravery 9-12
Idoneth Deepkin are an ally choice for Daughters of Khaine (along with Darkling Covens, Order Serpentis, Scourge Privateers, Shadowblades, and Stormcast Eternals).
- Could have a Soulscryer and 20 Thralls as an ambush force

Idoneth Deepkin Spells and Rituals

The army has both spells and “rituals”.

Spells

teleport hero 9” away from enemy
Friendly units wholly within 9” of the caster get cover
Pick a point on battlefield within 18” roll a dice for each unit within 3” of the point if dice is equal to or less then models in that unit then it take d3 mortal wounds
Pick enemy model within 12” of the caster roll a dice of beats wounds characteristic it is slain.
Pick enemy unit within 12” of caster -1 to hit and -1 bravery
Arcane corrosion which was used on the live stream can cause 4 mortal wounds if nearest enemy unit is over 36”.

Rituals

Max 1 per hero phase, character cant do it if within 9” of the enemy.
3 different rituals
- 1. No cover save for enemy
- 2 heal one wound allocated to each friendly eidolon, reroll hit roll and casting rolls for eidolons.
- 3. Enemy models can’t fly. That last one is really funny because we don’t have separate profiles from “Fly” move so ballon Kharadrons basically will be able to move 12” on foot like they are on PCP instead of flying

Idoneth Deepkin Points

Akhelion King – 240
- grants eels battleline.
Voltorus – 280
- command ability which grants plus one attack can be given to 3 units rather then one. -5 rend if he rolls a six to hit! has a 3 up not effected by spells.
Aspect of the Storm – 400
Aspect of the Sea – 440
Lotann – 100
Soulscryer – 100
- Combat teleportation device
- Finder of the way : 2 ID units plus the Soulscryer can be set up within 9″ of the table edge, 9 ” away of enemy
- Charge phase : pick 1 enemy in the charge phase ID unit get +3″ to charge it
Soulrender – 100
- Returns d3 Namarti and you can add plus 1 for each model slain by the hook guy
Tidecaster – 100
- If tidecaster is general you can reverse the tides of death table
Namarti Reavers 140 for 10 (bows)
- They become battleline if deepkin allegiance and general is ishraan hero.
- Two version of shooting 15″(1A) or 9″(3A) 4+ 4+ no rend 1d.
Namarti Thralls 140 for 10 (combat)
Morsarr Guard 160 for 3 (combat eels)
- max 12 – Reroll charges with musician
- Morsar guard have a once per game ability to use their voltage spears. Roll a dice for each model in the unit on a 3 the enemy takes a mortal wound on a 6 it’s d3 mortals. Spears have a rend of -2 and damage 2 on the charge
Ishlian Guard 140 for 3 (defensive eels)
- 3+ 3+ 3A NR 1d / 1A d3 3+ 3+/ 1d3 3+ 3+ d1/ battleline / 4+/ fly / 14″/4W/Immune to rend +1sv on charge.
Allopex – 140 each, 1-4 in unit
- If a unit within 12” of a shark has taken wounds then the shark can reroll charges against that unit
Leviadon – 380, Behemoth
- units wholly within 12″ are in cover.

Idoneth Deepkin terrain – The Etheric Vortex: Gloomtide Shipwreck

When the Idoneth Deepkin go to war, they bring their supernatural sea with them. Ethereal creatures, fish and corals flicker into existence, while features of the seabed manifest themselves eerily on the battlefield. Barnacle-encrusted shipwrecks become havens for aquatic creatures, and shoals of etherfish dart out to protect the Idoneth Deepkin or assail any foes who draw near.

This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a Gloomtide Shipwreck. This is an Etheric Vortex scenery piece, which models with the Idoneth Deepkin allegiance have access to. The Shipwreck itself is a sea-dessicated hull, the skeleton of some long-forgotten vessel now home to barnacles, coral and creatures sympathetic to the Idoneth. The model is in 2 pieces, which can be placed separately on the battlefield, or together to form one wrecked hull – each section is encrusted with barnacles, littered with bones and trinkets, and feature ship details such as a broken sextant, a ruined rudder, a lantern and a ship’s bell. Alluding to the wreck’s former life, there are plenty of Sigmarite details, with a figurehead holding a hammer, a twin-tailed comet on the mast and a plaque at the rear. Also included are 6 shoals of sea creatures – these can be added to the wreck as you please, though make excellent additions to the base of any Idoneth Deepkin miniature.