These Eldar are known as the Exodites. Of all the Eldar race they were uniquely far-sighted. Amongst a race naturally indulgent and hedonistic they were reviled as dour self-righteous fanatics obsessed with misery and self-denial. There were some whose dire premonitions were perhaps yet another form of insanity, simply one more conceit taken to inhuman extremes. Others were genuine survivalists who chose exile over degradation and destruction. In an assortment of spacecraft the Exodites abandoned their homes. Many died in open space. Some reached new worlds only to be slain by marauding Orks or natural predators. Many more survived. For the most part they headed eastwards as far away from the main concentration of Eldar worlds as they could reach.

Upon the fringes of the galaxy the Exodites made new homes. The worlds they settled were savage and life was often hard for a people unused to physical work and self-denial. When the final cataclysm erupted, most of the Exodite worlds were far from the psychic epicenter and survived. The resultant psychic implosion wiped out the rest of the Eldar race and left a gaping hole in the fabric of space, but out on the fringes of the galaxy the Exodites were safe. Many Craftworlds rode out the psychic shock wave and survived that way, but the Exodites had already reached places of safety - or else they perished with the rest of their race and have been forgotten.

Since they were first settled the Exodite worlds have not changed a great deal. The Eldar that live there have learned how to cultivate crops and harvest other natural resources. The psycho-plastics necessary for Eldar technology are rare and precious on these remote planets so the Exodites utilize other substances and rely upon simpler ways and physical labor. The Exodites have developed the craftsmen and artisans needed to work with natural materials to create the items that are needed in their daily lives. The Craftworld Eldar regard the Exodites as rustic and rather simple folk, vigorous and wild in a way that is quite unlike their own introverted societies. Craftworlders and Exodites travel within each other's realms, but their different mental outlook and way of' life means that they have their own concerns.

The Eldar path determines the way of life for all Craftworlders but not for the Exodites. Because of this they seem wild and individualistic compared to other Eldar, more independently minded and adventurous by far than their cousins. They can survive in this fashion because they are distant from the Eye of Terror, the hole in the fabric of space which still acts as a psychic focus for the destructive influence of Slaanesh. This alone is not enough to protect them, but it is a significant factor. More importantly, the Exodite societies are more rigorous and physical than those of the Craftworlds. Where the Craftworlds cling to the past and preserve all they can of their fallen civilization, the Exodites have turned their backs upon ancient traditions in favor of a simpler and harder way of life. Their minds are tougher and more straightforward but not so subtle and ultimately less powerful than the Craftworld Eldar. However, they have survived, and of all the Eldar they seem most likely to continue to do so.

The Exodite worlds are untamed and often dangerous planets. Mighty rivers roar unchecked over their natural flood plains. Massive forests stretch over thousands of miles of virgin woodland. The few meager settlements co-exist with wild beasts of all kinds. The Exodites are too few to disturb the balance of nature. Their settlements are small and thinly scattered. Many are occupied only for a few months of the year, because on many worlds the Exodites are nomadic, moving with the seasons and the herds. They time their migrations so that they arrive at their camps in the late summer to collect crops planted in the spring, remaining until it is time to plant the following year's crop and move on.

The wild creatures that inhabit the Exodite worlds are many and varied. Most of the Exodite worlds are now home to large herds of megadons and other gigantic beasts which the Exodites know by the name of dragons. It is likely that these creatures are native to the region, but that the early settlers spread them throughout all their worlds so that they are now common. The Exodites follow the dragon herds as they graze the endless grasslands of the great plains. By carefully managing the herds the Eldar live upon them, eating their flesh and even drinking their blood, and utilizing their skins to make clothing and leather. Even bones and horn have their uses, and these materials partly substitute for the psychoplastic substances used by the Craftworld Eldar. Although this lifestyle is in many respects a primitive one, the Exodites have many advanced technologies and are familiar with all the sophisticated materials used on the Craftworlds. It is by choice that they live as they do, and their way of life has proven every bit as successful as that of the other Eldar.

There are many different kinds of dragons, some unique to specific worlds, and they are used in different ways according to their size and nature. The megadons are massive herbivores, slow-witted and easy to manage, although deadly if panicked or mistreated. These creatures provide most of the material resources of the Exodites, and small ones are used to transport cargoes and people across the great plains. A large megadon can carry a massive structure on its back, and they bear the most enormous weights without concern. Smaller carnivorous dragons ridden by Exodite warriors are used to herd and control the megadons. Warriors are virtually born into the tail dragon saddles, and wield their long lances with consummate ease. A stab with a lance will turn or stop a megadon without causing it any harm, but the same blow would knock the most hardy Eldar to the ground dead. Warriors are an important part of Exodite societies. Their role is to protect each community as well as to safeguard its beasts from predators.

The Exodites are a tribal people. Each tribe owes allegiance to a local ruling tribal leader, who may rule over several lesser tribes, which in turn owes fealty to the planet's king and his royal tribe. As there are relatively few Eldar there are few territorial disputes. The tribes live within substantial areas which easily meet their grazing and cultivation requirements. Open wars between tribes are rare but skirmishes between rival young Dragon Knights are common. Although not openly warlike, the Exodites are a robust, self-confident people and they have the legendary pride of the Eldar race. Knights frequently try to steal away a rival's beasts or may attempt to move their herds over the grazing areas of other tribes. Such matters are seen as part of a Knight's training, and the dangers of death or serious injury are an accepted part of a young warrior's life. These raids and occasional deaths do not embitter the tribes, and it is notable that no matter how hard fought their disputes might be no Eldar would despoil or steal the crops of a rival tribe even though these lie unprotected for months at a time.

Each world spirit is a complex psychic energy grid which extends over the entire planet, stretching between the tribal barrows, stone circles and standing stones. These important places are where the spirit world and the material world can interact, where the spirits of the dead can flow together, and where the living can talk to the dead if they have the power.

The stone circles and standing stones are made from psychically interactive crystal. These towering stones are gigantic spirit stones which anchor psychic power into the earth. The links between them form part of the Eldar Webway, but the paths from the Webway into the world spirits are well hidden and protected. Eldar are able to move between the Craftworlds and Exodite Worlds by means of the Webway, and there are paths over the Exodite worlds themselves. The most potent link in the entire world spirit network is the royal circle of the planet's king. This impressive structure consists of a system of concentric circles connected by avenues of megalithic spirit stones. The royal circle is supported by outlying menhirs which carry power throughout the entire planet and focus the energy of the world upon that one spot.

Outcasts are common enough on the Exodite worlds, often seeking the patronage of one of the Eldar tribes. In return they fight alongside the tribe's warriors and, for a while at least, enjoy the freedom of mind which is impossible on the Craftworlds. Sometimes Outcasts settle permanently amongst the Exodites, or upon some uninhabited world, and become the first settlers of a new Eldar colony. To the Exodites the Outcasts are strange romantic figures, the masters of a hidden lore and way of life which is arcane and archaic. They bring skills which the Exodites value highly, and so are always made welcome at the courts of the tribal Eldar.