Games Workshop Warhammer 40k - Harlequin Troupe

Product Information

Shuriken Pistol - Shuriken Pistols are light, compact sidearms much favoured by Harlequins. The slender, graceful lines of these weapons mislead many foes, who discover their lethal stopping power only as a flurry of razor-edged shuriken rip through their flesh. The reliability and featherweight construction of the Shuriken Pistol means that most Harlequins bear them into battle, the Players' acrobatic combat style perfectly complemented by the firearm they wield. Troupe Master - Troupe Masters, also known as Avatars and called athair in the Aeldari Lexicon, are the officers of the Harlequins, with each troupe being led by a Troupe Master. Troupe Masters are choreographers of war, directing their comrades’ reactions to the changing fates of battle, and ensuring the Harlequins’ performance in the theatre of war is as perfect as it can be. By consent of their peers, the Troupe Masters become focal points for the successes and failures of entire Troupes of Harlequins. In many conflicts, the most talented will even be entrusted with directing the performance of their entire masque. Troupe Masters are closer to the lead Players of a cast than formal commanders; they are elevated by the will of their brothers and sisters, playing their role until it is time for another to take their place. Troupe Masters act as exemplars for all their Troupe's key characteristics, embodying everything it means to be Light, Dark or Twilight writ large. Thus Troupe Masters of the Light will hurl themselves into battle like the headstrong heroes of ancient myth, adopting such aggressive, protagonist roles as the Duke of the Hidden Realm, or the Eldanari Prince. Troupe Masters of the Dark, by comparison, are sinister and vindictive, always seeking some way in which to flamboyantly finish off the foe. Troupe Masters of the Twilight, meanwhile, see cycles of transition in everything, often seeming obsessive or insane in their attention to nuance and detail until the precise moment their true genius reveals itself. In performance, the Avatar dances the part of the Laughing God. Some Avatars are known to wear long coats to indicate their rank. An Avatar is usually armed with two close combat weapons (one of which is often a Shuriken Pistol), and equipped with a visual disruption Holo-field and Conversion Field emitter. In addition, some Avatars may have psychic abilities. In combat, an Avatar may be armed with Vortex Grenades, which he delivers on-target by running forwards alone while the rest of the troupe supplies covering fire. The Avatars of some Harlequin troupes carry a number of lightweight batons, which unfold into a flag bearing the symbol of their masque. This is commonly left as a "calling card" after the destruction of enemy units and installations. The Harlequins are highly accomplished warriors and each Player, as their warriors are called, can be considered almost a one-man army in melee combat. Harlequin weapons fire is invariably lurid and spectacular in its effect, drawing upon the ancient technologies of the Aeldari to achieve impressively lethal results. Searing beams of polychromatic light, howling storms of shuriken blades, and billowing clouds of shimmering, hallucinogenic gas herald the Harlequins' explosive arrival onto the stage of war: The First Solitaire (666.M33) - The Dance Without End give the first ever performance of the Fall. Their audience are horrified, not least by the disturbing figure of the galaxy's first Solitaire as she brazenly bestrides the stage.

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The Fusion Pistol is like a small meltagun with only Square/3 inch range, but with Armour Penetration 2, 5 normal damage and 3 mortal wounds on a critical hit, which makes it an excellent weapon, even though you can only bring one of them in your entire kill team. Giving it to your Lead Player is a good idea, since he has a Ballistics Skill of 2 rather than the regular 3. A masque is an army and a company of dramatic players both. It has no formal leaders, being instead a collective of like-minded devotees of Cegorach. All know their duties through their familiarity with the traditional roles of the characters they have adopted. No Harlequin rules their fellows for long, for all possess an equal voice. The Daemon's Dance (113.M41) - A Solitaire duels the infamous Bloodletter known as Skulltaker before the Gate of Souls, mirroring the hatred between Khorne and Slaanesh. At the duel's height, the Solitaire drops his guard and is slain, the psychic echo of his self-sacrifice resonating through the Warp to banish a horde of Slaaneshi Daemons about to breach the gate. Holo-Field - Harlequins also make use of Aeldari Holo-Fields, a sophisticated substitute for armour: whenever the Harlequin moves, their image is shattered into a holographically-projected cloud of crystal shards that dance and swirl around with vigour proportional to the speed that the Harlequin is moving.The organisation of a Harlequin masque is almost as old as time, a deeply-engrained aspect of Aeldari culture that, while subject to small differences from one masque to the next, has otherwise remained fundamentally unchanged for thousands of Terran years. Crescendo - This masterwork shuriken pistol was first bestowed upon a Troupe Master of the Veiled Path. Supposedly, it was given as a gift by a wanderer of the Webway, who members of that masque claim was none other than the Laughing God himself. While many doubt the word of the Veiled Path in this, there can be no denying that Crescendo is a beautifully crafted and uniquely potent firearm. When the pistol's trigger is pulled, micro-distortion engines engage within its housing. The effect is to step Crescendo's wielder slightly ahead of time, accelerating weapon and wielder alike and allowing an impossible volley of firepower to be unleashed. Thus Crescendo lives up to its name, filling the air with a rising howl as it scythes down waves of the foe. One of the major distinctions of commedia dell'arte is the use of regional languages. [11] Arlecchino's speech evolved with the character. Originally speaking in a Bergamo dialect of Lombard language, the character adopted a mixture of French, Lombard and Italian dialects when the character became more of a fixture in France so as to help the performers connect to the common masses. [5] [11] Dramatic function [ edit ]

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Various troupes and actors would alter his behaviour to suit style, personal preferences, or even the particular scenario being performed. He is typically cast as the servant of an innamorato or vecchio much to the detriment of the plans of his master. Arleqin often had a love interest in the person of Columbina, or in older plays any of the Soubrette roles, and his lust for her was only superseded by his desire for food and fear of his master. Occasionally, Arleqin would pursue the innamorata, though rarely with success, as in the Recueil Fossard of the 16th century where he is shown trying to woo Donna Lucia for himself by masquerading as a foreign nobleman. He also is known to try to win any given lady for himself if he chances upon anyone else trying to woo her, by interrupting or ridiculing the new competitor. His sexual appetite is essentially immediate, and can be applied to any passing woman. [27]The Harlequins see no distinction between art and war, and their outlook can best be explained by reference to the legend of the [[Fall of the Aeldari]; one of their self-appointed duties is to keep this legend alive through their performances. The central figure of Harlequin belief is Cegorach, the Great Harlequin -- also known as the Laughing God. The Death of Dûriel (999.M41) - The maiden world of Dûriel, conquered long ago by the Imperium, faces invasion by splinters of Hive Fleets Leviathan and Kraken. To prevent the swarms combining their strength, a band of Harlequins brokers an alliance between Craftworlds Biel-Tan and Iyanden, along with the Drukhari of Commorragh. The ensuing war is fought on a truly apocalyptic scale.