How do I describe growing up on the craftworld? Would you expect me to describe the experience as strange or bizarre? Or maybe claustrophobic; being confined to the spaceship my whole childhood?

If so, I must disappoint you - being the child that I was, lacking any memories for reference, I accepted everything as natural.

Knowing what I know now, about this war-torn galaxy I can only say that Cegorach smiled upon me. Where would I find a better childhood? On an Exodite World? Maybe. In T'au sept? Primitive upstarts they are, even more so during my youth. Commorragh? I'd pass. Something within the Imperium? Gods forbid, no! Hive world, Forge world - just another dreg of humanity, cog in the machine, irrelevant sacrifice. And those were possible good options…

So, Il'sariadh Craftworld. Describing the ship as a massive one is an understatement. Imagine a cone, where the old-terran continent known as Australia takes roughly half of its conic surface.

This part is the main habitable zone of the ship, covered with a vast, wraithbone shell, clever use of holo-technology making it seem solid or transparent, showing either the real or artificial firmament. And housing countless weapon batteries mounted within it.

Under this protective layer there is everything one would expect to find on the craftworld. There are numerous clusters of graceful spires forming cities, complete with public spaces, broad street capillaries, amphitheaters and gardens. Separate, massive, kilometers long crystalline domes cover huge swathes of land, each dedicated to its own purpose; be it a preserve of specimens of flora and fauna all but extinct in the wider galaxy, a place of relaxation and contemplation featuring artificial lakes and mountains or simply maintenance of a self-contained ecosystem of the worldship.

The cone's innards feature not only vast storages and ship systems, but also massive shipyards and spaceports. Outcasts and youths often mention ancient repositories of lore, hidden from all but those who are lost on the Path of Scholar, and vaults filled with artifacts salvaged from pre-Fall society… is there truth to these rumors? I might ask farseers one day.

And just to clarify: Il'sariadh is still only a medium sized craftworld.

When growing up, it never felt like being in the ship; ground was always down - unless you ventured to Geirgilai Dome, but it was only to be expected - and the sheer size of the worldship meant the area never really felt limited. Only when I was older, I started paying attention to small things that contradicted what I was taught about planets - sudden shifts in the weather when moving between domes, areas with perpetual darkness or daylight, and those where time flew more naturally.

It only deepened my understanding of how marvelous Aeldari creations can be, and how much we have already lost and struggle to preserve.

As every Asuryani, from my youngest passes I was guided through the First Path; the Path of the Child. It was founded on three main pillars; teaching restraint and suppression of psychic powers, development of a single minded focus required to tread further Paths, as well as nurturing boundless curiosity that in time will overcome the obsession of the chosen Path in favor of another.

For cycles I studied history and art, only to completely leave them behind in favor of arithmetics and physics. Whenever tutors deemed my knowledge sufficient, or rather sensed my interest in the subject reaching its peak, I was urged to learn the basics of something different. Anatomy, engineering, law, astronomy. Amongst many others there was also the influence of my parents, manifesting itself in subjects such as botany and ecology, along other branches of knowledge required to maintain a delicate ecosystem of the perpetually dark Starlight Dome.

The teachings were intertwined with numerous meditation exercises, focused on shaping correct thoughts patterns so that my mind would be prepared for dangers lurking in the hostile galaxy. And because such dangers weren't solely immaterial as soon as my mind was deemed ready, I was also taught rudimentary ways to defend myself; from operating basic weapons like shuriken catapults, through mobile defense platforms, on the craftworld mounted cannons ending. For every Asuryani knew from his birth that because of the hubris of our ancestors, should we let the craftworld be destroyed, fate worse than death awaited us.

Time passed by, and finally I was ready to choose the Path on my own. To her great joy, I followed my mother's example and became a botanist. Oh, how disappointed was my father in that cycle, when he found out that I have chosen to focus solely on a single grain in the sands of the ecosystem he painstakingly created.

However, no two Aeldari tread a Path the same way. Where my mother focused on interaction between plants, creating environments in which every seed could thrive - also arranging and trimming them in aesthetically pleasing ways, as influenced by the Path of Sculptor she once had taken - I was more akin to the herbalist. The beauty of her garden paled in comparison to the mysteries of every single plant, to the thrill of uncovering their properties and uses.

For passes I studied flora of the craftworld, learned how to predict the qualities of unknown herbs and distill them into useful concoctions - be it perfume, drink, spice or poison.

Until, one cycle, I found out that it bores me. That's when I began the Path of the Dreamer. Earlier, my contact with Dreamers was solely limited to procuring them with various manners of stimulants and tranquilisers, so they could easily change their mood and alter their dreams. What started as an escape from boredom, under the guidance of my Dream Watcher, and later a dream-partner, Searlieth, turned into exploration of unconscious fears, desires and motivations.

And much more.

We trodden together, entranced within our own directed dreamscapes for longcycles, before deciding to move on. Searlieth has chosen what would later bloom into a multifaceted Path of Scholar, while I began directing my gaze outwards, on the Path of Awakening.

It is on that Path that I truly saw the beauty of the Starlight Dome that my parents envisioned. There was never a doubt within me that its every part, from the tiniest leaf to the greatest star on the artificial firmament was beautiful beyond measure, but never before I considered that the whistling of the wind in its forests could create such symphonies!

Later, I spent many cycles searching for an instrument with which I could recreate such beauty, yet they all were in vain. I brutally learned that I was no virtuoso of an instrument, nor a great singer - at least not by Aeldari standards. But Isha blesses all her children - my talents were simply found elsewhere. What I couldn't achieve with my own hands, I was able to express through others, be it by creating orchestral arrangements or writing operatic lyrics. Soon the Path of Composer turned into the Path of Playwright, and with fervent vigor I delved into the history of my people, myths from the time before the Fall and from the War in Heaven, stories widely known and obscure alike, retelling them anew.

For passes my symphonies and plays garnered more and more viewers, with me becoming one of the most prominent dramaturges of the craftworld. Not only fellow Il'sariadhians, but also Aeldari from other craftworlds listened and performed my pieces.

Soon, a new rune was added to my name - the Harmonic Nexus - officially recognising my achievements. Despite my age - not even close to the first arc - many wondered if it would become my final Path.

It wasn't meant to be so.

My Path ended rather abruptly. On the day when my Magnum Opus was to be played for the first time in the Spire of Emerald Awakening, the greatest Concert Hall of Il'sariadh Craftworld, an unscheduled performer decided to appear - the Harlequins.