From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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#REDIRECT{{Otheruses|USE=Harlequin Military Company |OTHERUSE=Slaaneshi Daemon|OTHERPAGE=The Masque}}{{HarlequinsPortal}}[[Image:MasqueOrg.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Organization of a Harlequin Masque{{Fn|14d}}]]'''{{PAGENAME}}s''' are the unique organizaitonal structures of [[Eldar]] [[Harlequins]], comprised of any number of [[Troupe]]s, it acts as both an army and a company of specialist performers.{{Fn|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]].{{Fn|3}} ==Overview==Masques have no formal leaders, instead being a collective whose duties are dictated by the traditional roles{{Fn|3}} of the characters within the mythic cycles they perform{{Fn|2}} such that none rule the Masque for long.{{Fn|4a}} When a masque performs the dance of its mythic cycles in combat, they take on an allegorical battlefield form known as a [[Saedath]] and each Masque is known for the Saedaths it performs.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|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''', vilains 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{{Fn|3}} without the need for orders.{{Fn|4a}} Despite their formal chain of command, Masques are capable of acting with far greater synchonicity any discipline than most standing armies.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|3}} ===Roles===*[[Avatar (Harlequin)|Troupe Masters]] (''athair'')*[[Shadowseer]] (''esdainn'')*[[Death Jester]]s (''aargorach'')*[[Trouper]]s (''rilletann'')*[[Skyweavers]]*[[Voidweavers|Voidweaver]]*[[Starweavers|Starweaver]] '''The Soloist'''*[[Solitaire]] (''arebennian'') ==Notable Masques=={{Main|List of Masques}}*[[Masque of the Dance Without End]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Dreaming Shadow]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Frozen Stars]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Midnight Sorrow]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Reaper's Mirth]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Shattered Mirage]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Silent Shroud]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Soaring Spite]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Twisted Path]]{{Fn|4b}}*[[Masque of the Veiled Path]]{{Fn|4b}} ==Images==<center><gallery mode="packed" heights="200">Image:MasqueRT.png|Organization of a Harlequin Masque (disambiguationRogue Trader Era){{Fn|1}}image:Masque7e.png|The "Classical Structure of a Masque" ([[Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition)|7th Edition]]){{Fn|4b}}</gallery></center> ==Sources==*{{Endn|1}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 Compendium]], pg. 185*{{Endn|2}}: [[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]], pgs. 12-14*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex: Harlequins (8th Edition)]], pgs. 16-17*4: [[Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition)]], (E-Book): **{{Endn|4a}}: ''"Harlequin Masques"''**{{Endn|4b}}: ''"Wayfarers of the Labyrinth"''
