Masque
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This article is about the Harlequin Military Company; for the Slaaneshi Daemon, see The Masque. |
Masques, or Harlequinades,[5] are the unique organisational structures of Eldar Harlequins, comprised of any number of Troupes, it acts as both an army and a company of specialist performers.[1] Masques are individual companies of performers, but more than one like Masque can exist such that any who perform the same Mythic Cycles act together such that a great army of masques is also known as a Grand Masque.[3]
Overview
Masques have no formal leaders, instead being a collective whose duties are dictated by the traditional roles[3] of the characters within the Mythic Cycles they perform[2] such that none rule the Masque for long.[4a] When a masque performs a mythic cycle in combat, it takes on an allegorical battlefield form known as a Saedath and each Masque is known for the Saedaths it performs.[3] Harlequin masques function with brutal efficiency, able to operate with extreme cohesion and coordination despite lacking a formal military chain of command and having little direction upon the battlefield.[3]
Masques are comprised of multiple troupes, with the players of each performing together in the different casts of characters as The Light, heroic protagonists of swift action, The Dark, villains and violent ends, or The Twilight, characters in the multiple or shifting worlds of scene transitions, the distinctions between which ensure that each player is aware of their fellows' role upon both stage and battlefield[3] without the need for orders.[4a] Despite their formal chain of command, Masques are capable of acting with far greater synchronicity any discipline than most standing armies.[3]
History
The flat hierarchies of Masques originates in the ancient days of the Eldar Empire before the Fall of the Eldar, when companies of theatrical performers devoted to Cegorach would perform together.[3] Each role within the Masque dictated by the characters they would perform, including the Great Harlequin in the role of the Laughing God himself.[2]
Roles have remained largely unchanged since the Fall, with the exceptional addition of the Solitaire who represents Slaanesh in the Saedath for whom a soloist role is reserved.[3]
Roles
The Classical Structure of a Masque[3]
- Great Harlequin[2] (ardathair)[1]
- Troupe Masters[3] (athair)[1]
- Shadowseer[2] (athesdan and esdainn)[1]
- Death Jesters[1] (aargorach)[1]
- Mimic[1] (athistaur)[1]
- Skyweavers[3]
- Starweavers[3]
- Voidweavers[3]
- Solitaire[1] (arebennian)[1] - The Soloist
Grand Masques
- Masque of the Dance Without End[4b]
- Masque of the Dreaming Shadow[4b]
- Masque of the Frozen Stars[4b]
- Masque of the Midnight Sorrow[4b]
- Masque of the Reaper's Mirth[4b]
- Masque of the Shattered Mirage[4b]
- Masque of the Silent Shroud[4b]
- Masque of the Soaring Spite[4b]
- Masque of the Twisted Path[4b]
- Masque of the Veiled Path[4b]
Images
Organisation of a Harlequin Masque (Rogue Trader Era)[1]
The "Classical Structure of a Masque" (7th Edition)[4b]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, pg. 185
- 2: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pgs. 12-14
- 3: Codex: Harlequins (8th Edition), pgs. 16-17
- 4: Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition), (E-Book):
- 5: White Dwarf 287 (UK), pg. 36
| 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 |
