Avatar of the Laughing God

This article is about the Incarnation of Cegorach. For other uses of Avatar, see Avatar (disambiguation).

This article or article section is based on information from Inquisitor Magazine, a fan forum magazine not published by Games Workshop to which Games Workshop submitted rules and clarifications, which appeared alongside material submitted by hobbyists, and as such, their content may or may not be in contradiction to established rules, information, or background lore.

Harlequins Portal

Avatars of the Laughing God are Avatars of the Harlequin Laughing God, Cegorach^[1]

Overview

Occasionally, the Laughing God himself will send out a portion of himself in disguise. This avatar of Cegorach may remain in disguise for years, fooling all those who see him into thinking he is just another trouper, a Mime, a Great Harlequin, or other such disguise. Only when the time is right will Cegorach reveal himself, for such twisted tactics are the hallmark of the Laughing God.^[1]

Avatars at War

When hiding among a Troupe, be it as a lowly trouper or pretending to be a famed individual, an avatar in disguise will continue to allow the Troupe Master or any other Harlequin commander to carry on leading, even should he reveal himself during battle. On occasion, he will reveal his true identity before a battle to the troupe, and the Harlequins will follow his command instead. Sometimes it happens that the avatar is wounded while he is disguised, in which case his true nature is revealed.^[1]

When battle is joined the Avatar drops the weapons of his disguise and reveals his true armaments: the Blades of Vaul. The blades were created by Vaul himself for the Eldar god of war, Kaela Mensha Khaine, but were stolen by Cegorach before they could be delivered. Just as the Laughing God sends a sliver of himself out into the material world, he also sends a portion of the power of these divine weapons. Like other such weapons wreathed in psychic power, they are particularly lethal to psykers, daemons, and other such entities, for they penetrate the psychic shielding that normally protects them from conventional attacks. In addition to being potent melee weapons, if thrown these blades will automatically return to the Avatar's hands. It should be noted that as the fragment of a god, the avatar himself is vulnerable to such weapons, as he bears much of their same psychic shielding.^[1]

The avatar wears no armour but is surrounded at all times by a Glimmer Aura, similar to the Daethedi suits that harlequins wear to protect themselves. This aura is even more effective than a holo-suit's, bending and blending the light around him, and in addition displays multiple images of the avatar while he is moving rather than just one. This makes it extremely difficult for foes to strike him at range, or even to even surround the avatar should they outnumber him. Those not strong of will or steady mind may find it difficult to effectively fight the avatar in melee, and the presence of the Avatar can instil fear upon his foes.^[1]

As part of his aspect as The Trickster, the Laughing God's avatar is the embodiment of craftiness and guile. He moves through a battle, picking and choosing his enemies at will, where most other foes would be compelled to attack the threat most closest to them. Like many Harlequins, he runs and even flips his over foes in battle and then disengages at will, giving his foes little time to make a retaliatory strike as he escapes their reach. His form ever-shifting and changing, the Avatar's divine power allows him to always attempt to parry the blows his foes regardless of circumstance. Even were he to face an opponent armed with a blade in each hand, in a duel the Avatar will manifest a third arm wielding a blade.^[1]

Sources

• 1: Inquisitor Magazine Issue 18, pg. 22 - SPECIAL CHARACTER - Avatar of the Laughing God^{Inquisitor Magazine}