Troupe Master

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Targetdrone.gif This article is about the outdated term for the Harlequin Troupe Master. For other uses of Avatar, see Avatar (disambiguation).
Troupe Master[3b]

Troupe Masters or athairs, also known as the Master of Players[7], the Troupe Leader[9], or the Craftsmaster[15], and known in prior editions as Avatars, are the leaders of Harlequin Troupes that dance the role of The Laughing God in the Harlequin performance.[1a]

Overview

Harlequin Troupe Master[3b]

Troupe Masters are closer to the lead players of a cast than formal commanders; they are elevated by will of their comrades, playing their role until it is time for another to take their place.[1a]

This status will be marked out by their wardrobe and equipment choice, as well as the possession of a number of small batons which unfold into a flag representing the Harlequin masque the troupe belongs to (if any). This flag is generally left behind after an action, as a 'calling-card'. On the stage, Avatars play the part of Eldar Gods.[1a]

They are the leader of a Masque and will take on the role of the Laughing God when the Masque performs as one company, with Avatars playing the roles of the other Eldar Gods.[1a]

Their costume choice is notable, with face-masks that either display daemonic or angelic visages, or that of the Laughing God himself.[1b]

They act as exemplars for all their Troupe's key characteristics, embodying everything it means to be Light, Dark, or Twilight writ large.

  • Troupe Masters of Light will hurl themselves into battle like the headstrong heroes of myth, adopting protagonist roles such as the Duke of the Hidden Realm or Eldanari Prince.
  • Troupe Masters of the Dark by comparison are sinister and vindictive, always seeking some way to flamboyantly finish off their foes.
  • Troupe Masters of the Twilight, see cycles of transition in everything, often seeming obsessive or insane in their attention to nuance and detail until the precise moment of genius reveals itself.[3a]

Pivotal roles for Troupe Masters include the Knight of Evenfall,[12] the Speaker of Spaces,[7] the Prince of Light, the Queen of Shards, the Veiled King.[8]

Great Harlequin

Great Harlequins or ardathair, known in previous editions as the High Avatar, are Troupe Masters who serve as the overall leader of a Harlequin Masque[1b], and the most powerfull of all Harlequins[4]. There is only ever one Great Harlequin in a Masque, and if another Troupe Master becomes sufficiently skillful, he or she will leave to found a new Masque – thus the number of Harlequin Masques travelling the Webway is always increasing.[9] Great Harlequins, uniquely among the Harlequins, are entrusted with the twisting Webway routes leading to the fabled Black Library.[4]

Great Harlequins behave and dress the same as other Troupe Masters, but wear distinctly grotesque masks of snarling Daemons, beautiful and impassive Eldar, and especially the smile of The Great Harlequin.[1b] When a Masque performs Great Harlequins always perform the role of Cegorach[1b] – or some aspect of his personality[3b] – with the leaders of their Troupes in turn playing roles of other Eldar gods or mythological figures.[1b]

  • High Avatar[1a]

  • Great Harlequin[4]

Equipment

Troupe Masters wear long coats, which indicate their rank.[1a] Some carry lightweight batons which unfold into flags bearing the symbol of their Harlequin Masque, which they leave as a "calling card" after combat victories.[1a]

Like all Harlequins, Troupe Masters wear a Flip Belt and a Holo Suit. They are typically armed with a Shuriken pistol and a Harlequin's blade. They may also wield a Neuro-disruptor or a Fusion pistol, and a Harlequin's Embrace, Harlequin's Kiss or Harlequin's Caress.[3b]

Notable Troupe Masters and Great Harlequins

Images

Development History

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

In their first appearance in White Dwarf 105 (UK) in 1988 the unit that lead a Troupe performing the role of Cegorach, and would eventually become known as the Troupe Master, was referred to as an Avatar, and the leader of the Harlequin Masque was known as the High Avatar.

White Dwarf 127 (UK) in 1990, would introduce the iconic Avatar of Khaine. Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition) in 1994 would combine the two roles, reintroducing the Masque leader as the Great Harlequin, renamed to the nickname of Cegorach to avoid confusion.[4]

The two roles would, once again, be separated in the experimental 3rd Edition Harlequin codex expansion included The Citadel Journal 39 in 2000 which included both the Great Harlequin and a separate Troupe Leader who lead the Troupe.[9]

Codex: Eldar (4th Edition) in 2006 would remove the Great Harlequin entirely, and rename the Troupe leader to the Troupe Master.[11]

Sources


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
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