The Masque of the Weeping Dawn wear the Rune of the Pierced Heart, an ancient Aeldari device that encapsulates both the killing blow and the unveiling of truth in all its myriad forms. 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. Essentially a strategic battle plan with an allegorical edge, these inform target priority, overall strategy, and whether the conflict should be led by the Light, Dark, or Twilight. The populations of whole systems -- sometimes entire species -- have been spared the horrors of daemonic incursion without ever knowing the threat they might have faced.

Death Jesters send volleys of fire to cut down key targets, always with an eye for what cruel humour they can find in the kill. Each Troupe Master directs their Players with the skill of an impresario and the strategic genius of a seasoned general. While Harlequin masques tend to follow a time-honoured structure, established by the followers of Cegorach in ages past, each also has a distinct identity that reaches from their performances and onto the battlefield. This box contains everything you need to make a 6-man Harlequin Troupe armed with sword and shuriken pistol, including the option to include a Troupe Master. M41) - The Masque of the Dreaming Shadow begin a decade-long campaign against the tomb worlds of Maedrax, fighting to stem the rising Necron tide after craftworld Ulthwé's failure to do so.A masque possesses a synergy unmatched in almost any other fighting formation, an instinctive bond grown between the Harlequins as they travel and perform together and unleashed on the battlefield in times of war and strife. This final Player is not bound to the masque, and will serve with it only as long as his own agenda and that of the masque are aligned. Echoing the bleak misery and clashing violence of this scene, the Midnight Sorrow will always endeavor to strike at their foes as the witching hour tolls. These Inquisitors share a common bond with the Harlequins, for both are sworn enemies of Chaos and understand only too well the nature of the threat that faces the Aeldari and Humanity.

When set to battle-conditions, whenever the Harlequin moves, their image is shattered into a cloud of crystal shards that dance and swirl around with vigour proportional to the speed the Harlequin is moving. The central figure of Harlequin belief is Cegorach, the Great Harlequin -- also known as the Laughing God. When presenting their stories upon the stages of the Dark City, a Harlequin troupe's performance will always culminate with the tale of the Fall.

The followers of Cegorach were hidden safely away within the Webway and survived the disaster intact. Indeed, despite the lack of a formal military chain of command, masques are capable of acting with far greater synchronicity and discipline than most standing armies. Deep within the Webway, protected by terrifying sentinels and Troupes of Harlequins, lies the Black Library. Ravaged by war and catastrophe, many of its tunnels have been torn open or amputated entirely, and a great number of its entrances have been sealed by the Aeldari themselves as a desperate measure to deny their foes access. Thus they have begun the steps of this final dance, and will see it completed, or else face absolute destruction in the attempt.

The Dance Without End wear the Rune of Myriad Paths, symbolising both Cegorach's knowledge of the Webway and the endless nature of his war. M30) - The civilisation of the ancient Aeldari Empire is annihilated by the catastrophic birth of Slaanesh. Yesterday we unveiled Codex: Aeldari, which accompanies the massive warhost of miniatures revealed at the Las Vegas Open.The manifestation of the Great Rift at the start of the Era Indomitus tore at the Webway, ripping away spars already weakened by the passage of millennia and unravelling others, laying them open to the Warp. When Yriel fought the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken he bested several of the Hive Mind's greatest warriors in personal combat, but many have questioned why a great noble of such status would draw a weapon that will claim his life. These enigmatic warriors are often credited with supernatural powers, and many amongst both Asuryani and Drukhari society believe that the Harlequins know most, if not all, of the secret paths through the endless maze of the Webway.