Illic Nightspear – Did Mat Ward Write the Eldar Codex?

The Eldar will arrive this weekend (for pre-orders at least) to the 6th Edition of Warhammer 40K. Games Workshop’s been exceptionally tight on this one, though the first images from the White Dwarf have started to appear the last couple of days. If you haven’t seen them, take a look:

• Eldar Spiritseer
• Eldar Hemlock Flyer
• Eldar Wraithblades
• Eldar Wraithknight

Curiously, the details of the Codex are currently more opaque than the miniatures (though word on Dakkadakka has it Eldar get some rule to allow them to run after or before shooting).

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Illic Nightspear

There is one miniature addition to the Eldar range that has me particularly: Illic Nightspear.

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Does Illic Nightspear Point To Mat Ward?

I am a sucker for cool special characters. Warhammer 40K 6th Edition was, sadly, defined by a surprising dearth of new special characters from Chaos Space Marines to Chaos Daemons.

Only the recent Tau Codex broke the trend by adding new faces – Longstrike and Darkstrider – to the Warhammer 40K list of characters.

Codex Eldar – obviously – will follow suit with (at the very least) Illic Nightspear. Only Illic Nightspear isn’t entirely new. He appeared in the closing Codex of 40K 5th Edition: Necrons.

Several of the fugutives are slain by Obyron’s warscythe, leaving only Kor’sarro and an Eldar Ranger by the name of Illic Nightspear to fight on [...]

- Codex Necrons p. 25

Guided by the prophecies of Farseer Eldorath Starbane and the strategies of Illic Nightspear, the Eldar attempt to stall the Necron invasion with a series of hit-and-run attacks.

- Codex Necrons p. 27

Therefore,

1. Mat Ward first invented Illic Nightspear (as far as I am aware)
2. Mat Ward is known for linking characters across his different book (for example Trazyn and Inqusitor Valeria and her Hyperstone Maze)
3. Mat Ward is known for foreshadowing future Codexes in his work (for example the hints of the Necron-changes laid down in the Blood Angels Codex, which famously went over the head of the Neckbeard-crowd at 4Chan)

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Will the King of Codex-Writers Return?

The majority of rumour-mongers seem to agree that the Eldar Codex is getting a Phil Kelly encore.

However, I haven’t seen an official confirmation of this yet (and with White Dwarf leaks all over the place, I wonder why it hasn’t been mentioned).

Still, seeing the Illic Nightspear-ties to Codex Necrons, all hope may not yet be lost.

Could Mat Ward give his Warhammer 40K 6th Edition début?

What do you think?

Z.