What happens to Eldar Corsairs when they die?

[Kahoolin]

I'm not really well-informed on Eldar fluff, so I have a couple of questions for the mighty BoLS boffins.

First off, am I right in understanding that:
When a Craftworld Eldar dies, their spirit stone is put into the Craftworld's Infinity Circuit?
And when an Exodite dies, their spirit goes into some leyline kind of thing on the Maiden World?
And when a Harlequin dies (except for a Solitaire) Cegorach absorbs their soul?
And pretty much any other circumstance results in a happy meal for Slaanesh?

I have two questions. What happens when a Dark Eldar dies? I have a vague memory that Slaanesh gets them, but they try not to die as long as possible by vampiring their victim's psychic pain.

My main question is, what about Corsairs and Pathfinders who die away from a Craftworld? Why would any Eldar be a Corsair if it meant losing access to an Infinity Circuit or the equivalent?

[Nabterayl]

Corsairs and rangers are still tied to a craftworld. They just don't live in the craftworld. So when a corsair or ranger dies, his soul is captured by his spirit stone, which hopefully is conveyed back to the craftworld by his surviving fellows. Of course it is always possible that an entire group of rangers or corsairs would just be wiped out, in which case their souls will be captured by their spirit stones but the stones themselves might be lost forever, just a handful of shiny rocks in a vast uncaring universe. But that could happen to any eldar strike force.

[Kahoolin]

Interesting. Perhaps one of the main functions of Rangers and Corsairs then is to retrieve lost spirit stones for a Craftworld?

[Nabterayl]

It's one of a ranger's functions, yes. There's nothing particularly inherent about recovering lost spirit stones in the corsair's identity, though. And it isn't the principal function of a ranger - that is reconnaissance.

If you think about it, most of the time when spirit stones are lost it would take more than a few rangers to recover them. If an eldar warhost is not wiped out completely, the survivors will fight like the devil to recover the spirit stones of their fallen, even if they ultimately quit the field - just as space marines would fight like the devil to recover the progenoid glands of their fallen even in defeat. Sometimes it may be impossible to recover the spirit stones of casualties even by the survivors of the warhost, and in that sort of situation, rangers might be asked to do the job.

But it's very rare for an entire warhost to be wiped out, and if one were to be, it would take more than rangers to get those spirit stones back. Anything that can punch out an entire warhost, so that there aren't even any survivors to drag the spirit stones of the fallen to safety, would typically need more firepower to handle than rangers can provide.

[Kahoolin]

I was thinking more along the lines of recovering stones that had lain abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years, rather than ones that were still in enemy territory.

And if Corsairs are attached to a Craftworld, what are they for?

[eldargal]

I've always thought of them like 17th century privateers, working for a particular nation (or Craftworld) but not sailing under their colours. They can do things which need doing without entangling the whole craftworld, and they can do stuff for their own self interest too.

I was thinking more along the lines of recovering stones that had lain abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years, rather than ones that were still in enemy territory.

And if Corsairs are attached to a Craftworld, what are they for?

[Madness]

It's the path of the outcast, basically a path of "I hate you mom, this doesn't make any sense, no, YOU'RE stupid", Eldar who are in a somewhat rebellious/whiny phase decide they will go for a walk where being a civilized citizien isn't a requirement.

[Kahoolin]

I've always thought of them like 17th century privateers, working for a particular nation (or Craftworld) but not sailing under their colours. They can do things which need doing without entangling the whole craftworld, and they can do stuff for their own self interest too.

Ah OK, so Corsairs are sort of to the Craftworlds what Rogue Traders are to the Imperium?

I just thought, a ranger recovering spirit stones all over the galaxy would make a great Eldar-centric video game.

[Madness]

Well, Rogue Traders take that as a full time profession, being a corsair might very well be a passenger phase, which usually resolves in going back to civilization, becoming a dark-eldaresque personality, sometimes tho they stay corsair forever.

[Melissia]

Also, being a Rogue Trader is a rare privilege, often passed down through the family.