Death Jester
| This article is about the Harlequins; for the Destroyer Tank Hunter, see Death Jester (Tank). |
Death Jesters, or Death-heads (margorach), are Harlequin heavy weapon specialists. In performance, they dance the role of Death itself.[1]
Overview
Death Jesters stand apart from the rest of the force, providing much of a masque's heavy weapon support. In performance, their role is to play Death — they perform death-defying stunts and escapology.[1]
Death Jesters They are known for their morbid and ironic sense of humour,[1][4] delivering punchlines with rounds of weapon fire[1], and their mocking laughter is known to signal impending death.[2] They can sometimes be heard humming softly in the midst of battle, and will occasionally pause to bow or offer mocking applause to a foe, slaying an officer at a crescendo of a rallying speech, or sending sappers fleeing into a minefield they just got finished laying, interspersing murder with ironic humor.[6]
The Brotherhood of Death Jesters have allied themselves with the Ynnari. They believe that to bring a god of death into existence, destroying Slaanesh through the demise of the race that birthed the ancient nemesis, would be the greatest jest of all.[7]
Pivotal roles for Death Jesters include the Harvester of Torment, the Lord of Crystal Bones, and Rift Ghoul, [8] and Inriam's Spectre[10]
Equipment
The macabre uniform of the Death Jester, featuring skulls, bones, and other death motifs,[1] is constructed from the bones of the troupe's previous Death Jester — and when one dies his bones are used to fashion his successor's costume.[6] They wear Carapace Armour enhanced with visual disruption and conversion field technology, as well as the Flip Belts characteristic of the Harlequins which offset the weight of their weapons.[1]
As the heavy specialists of the army, they carry an array of deadly weaponry from the conventional Shuriken Cannon of the Craftworld Eldar to the specialised Firepike, Vortex Grenade, Harlequin's Kiss, or Power Glove, but their most well known weapon: the morbid buanna or Shrieker Cannon, a variant of the Shuriken Cannon with Bio-Explosive Shurikens known as marsgrech, their trademark weapon of the Death Jesters which only they can create and maintain. To other races, the weapon is known as Screamers, Screaming Bug, Gut Blower, and the Bomb Serum.[1]
Images
Miniatures
Death Jester model (7th Edition)
Death Jester model (4th Edition)[5]
Death Jester model (1st Edition)
Sources
- 1: Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, pgs. 184-198
- 2: Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pg. 47
- 3: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pg. 12
- 4: Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition), (E-book) "Death Jesters"
- 5: Games-Workshop Classic Death Jester (last accessed 21 March 2015)
- 6: Codex: Harlequins (8th Edition) — Death Jesters
- 7: Psychic Awakening: Phoenix Rising, pg. 20
- 9: Codex: Aeldari (9th Edition), pg. 110
- 10: Warhammer 40,000: Death Masque, pg. 32
| Harlequin Forces | |
|---|---|
| Command | Great Harlequin • High Warlock • Mimic |
| Specialists | Shadowseer • Death Jester • Solitaire |
| Troops | Trouper • Troupe Master • Mime |
| Vehicles | Harlequin Dreadnought • Harlequin Jetbike • Skyweaver • Starweaver |
| Heavy Support | Voidweaver |
| Fortifications | Webway Gate |