vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Harald Deathwolf - The Soul Guardians: Astride his Thunderwolf, Icetooth, Harald Deathwolf is an intimidating sight -- even more so when he is surrounded by his loyal bodyguard, the Soul Guardians. The Soul Guardians each bear the marking chosen for them upon their initiation to the pack, marked in the colours of the Wolf Guard. Their pack markings and Great Company colours stand out against the traditional light grey armour of the Space Wolves, and the otherwise individualistic designs are painted in a uniform black and yellow, giving the pack a cohesive look despite the distinct sagas of its members. The members of Harald Deathwolf's Wolf Guard wield potent close combat weapons which they use to great effect, carving their prey apart at the hunt's climax. Their monstrous mounts also lend their savage jaws to the onslaught, leaving little of their enemies but bloody carcasses and torn shreds of unidentifiable viscera.
Harald Deathwolf - Morkai's Hunters: Morkai's Hunters are one of two Grey Hunter packs within the Deathwolves Great Company. They are the foremost Grey Hunter pack -- a high accolade in a Great Company that includes high numbers of such warriors. This squad is given the honour of carrying the wolf standard, and it has never fallen whilst under their watch. Morkai's Hunters have a pack marking based on the fanged jaws of a great Fenrisian Wolf. Carrying the wolf standard and armed for close to mid-range fighting, this squad is perfectly suited to holding key objectives in the centre of the battle, while inspiring the Deathwolves around them to greater deeds.
Harald Deathwolf - The Nightwolves: The Nightwolves are one of two Grey Hunter packs within the Deathwolves. They are a much more aggressive unit, their bold, direct pack marking indicating a more violent role in the force. The Nightwolves have an unusual pack marking in Harald Deathwolf's Great Company. Their device has no overt connotations to the Deathwolf, and instead features a single wedge of black on a red field. The design may well signify their favoured tactic of applying singular, overwhelming force to deliver the killing stroke. Their relentless bolter fire frequently destroys a cornered enemy who have been hounded to exhaustion by the rest of the army. Armed with both Plasma Gun and Meltagun, they can take on even heavily armoured foes. In close combat this unit will bring its Power Fist to bear, bringing their chosen prey down face to face.
Harald Deathwolf - The Deathhowls: The exuberant nature of the Deathowls, and their unblooded status, belies their potency on the battlefield. Hand-picked by Harald Deathwolf himself, this squad of Blood Claws has had great expectations put upon it. The Deathwolf assigned each individual to the pack himself, and the squad's potential is clear for even their peers to see. Their pack marking indicates their chosen status, the stylised single wolf's claw marking them out as chosen by their Wolf Lord. So far they have exceeded all expectations. The Deathowls are the most numerous squad in the Deathwolves Great Company; they bring down almost any enemy in close combat, whether through the ferociousness of their onslaught or sheer weight of numbers.
Harald Deathwolf - Runeclaw: Runeclaw delivers the Deathhowls to the heart of the fighting. The brutal-looking Stormclaw assault carrier is the Bloodclaws' preferred method of transport. Its breakneck velocity and resilient hull ensure that its passengers are delivered, swiftly and safely to where they can cause the most carnage. Runeclaw bears the pack marking of the Deathhowls on its side panels, signifying it as a part of the squad. Its wolf's head silhouette has particular spiritual significance to the Deathhowls, urging them onwards as if their Wolf Lord's gaze were upon them.
Harald Deathwolf - Lokyar's Stalkers: Lokyar's Stalkers are one of the many Wolf Scout packs in service to Harald Deathwolf. Harald fields a greater number of Wolf Scouts than the other Great Companies, as the solitary and free existence of the Wolf Scout speaks to the wild nature of the Wolf Lord. Wolf Scouts play a key role in many of the Deathwolf's strategies, and their ability to track the enemy unseen often proves invaluable. Conversely, the sight of a lightly armoured target is the perfect bait to lure an unsuspecting foe into an ambush. A pack of Wolf Scouts is less a closely bonded unit and more a loose collection of individuals. The solitary personalities of these reclusive individuals makes them ideal scouts, but poor pack-brothers. Lokyar's Scouts have drifted apart to such an extent that the squad has split in two, the two factions separated by their battlefield methodologies. The first pack prefer to infiltrate the enemy camp, sowing destruction right at the heart. Each member of the squad is equipped with close range weaponry. With stealth and surprise their greatest ally, they accomplish their goal with grenades and pistols. Once their mission is complete, they melt away before any reprisal can be visited upon them. The other half of Lokyar's Stalkers prefer a different tactic. Harrying an opponent's force as it approaches, they lay down a precise hail of bolter and plasma fire. Although squads have fractured they both display the same pack marking, as their bond with their former pack-mates is not entirely broken. On occasion, Harald will order both packs to form into one to secure a particular objective, the two halves becoming whole again, if only for a brief time.
Harald Deathwolf - The Icefangs: The Icefangs give the Deathwolves an array of devastating, long-range firepower. Each member is equipped with the finest heavy weapons the Space Wolves armoury can provide. With their veteran battlefield knowledge, the Long Fangs efficiently select and destroy their targets, pinning enemy infantry down on one side of the battlefield, before destroying an armoured tank on the other. The flexibility gifted the squad by its various weaponry allows these seasoned individuals to take on all manner of roles in the force.
Harald Deathwolf - Fenrisian Wolf Pack: Harald Deathwolf's forces are always accompanied by packs of vicious Fenrisian Wolves. This one is no different, with two packs bounding alongside their Space Wolf kin. These wolves have a key part to play in the attack strategies of Harald Deathwolf, as their massed numbers provide an effective screen against enemy fire for his Space Wolf Astartes. They can also be used to bait an opponent's unit into a trap or to hound fleeing enemies into the darkness.
Harald Deathwolf - Wargear: Power ArmourTerminator Armour (Optional)Glacius - This mighty Frost Axe is the favored weapon of Wolf Lord Harald Deathwolf. Carved from a single ice-blue crystal, the blade is fearsomely sharp and deathly cold.Bolt PistolFrag Grenades Krak GrenadesStorm ShieldIcetooth - Harald Deathwolf rides a monstrous Fenrisian Grey Wolf into battle. During a confrontation with the rogue Wolf Lord Svane Vulfbad in 913.M41, a shard of the Traitor's Frost Axe was imbedded within the cybernetic jaw of Harald's Thunderwolf. Thus, the beast gained the name Icetooth which he has carried ever since.Mantle of the Ice Troll King - A troll-skin cloak whose thick hide shields Harald from both small arms fire and flame.
Harald Deathwolf - Heraldry: Harald Deathwolf's chosen emblem is that of the Ravening Jaw. It symbolises the Wolftime; the time when the Fenrisians believe Morkai will devour the sun, plunging the world into eternal darkness. It is a melancholy myth, and one which suits the solitary nature of the Wolf Lord well. Even the symbol's colours are sombre: a black wolf's head on a deep crimson field, with the white sun as the only light in the darkness. The heraldry of the Deathwolves reflects Harald's lonesome spirit and kinship with the wolves of Fenris. Packs will often display the icon of the wolf or the claw. Morkai, the Deathwolf, is also featured in the Great Company's iconography. Harald's choice of title was no accident, as the symbol of the silent guardian of the dead is a creature which the inductees of this company can relate to.
Harald Deathwolf - Wolf Standard: Harald Deathwolf's standard displays a stylised version of the Great Company's symbol: the mythical beast Morkai rearing up to eat the sun. The same bleak colours of his own emblem are represented on the banner, a parchment scroll bearing the Wolf Lord's name standing out in stark contrast. At the bottom of the banner are displayed the Great Company's honour and campaign badges. These vary over time, depending on the current campaign recent victories won by the Deathwolves. Those displayed on this banner represent the wars against the Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marines on the orbital citadel, Pride of Sol. The wolf theme is constant throughout the chosen designs, stylised images of the beast's claws and skull both featuring upon these badges.
Harald Deathwolf - Sources: Codex: Space Wolves (7th Edition), pg. 41, 50-53, 65, 69, 87, 108-110Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pp. 15-16, 54Companies of Fenris - Space Wolves Painting Guide (6th Edition), pp. 20-33White Dwarf 387 (US), "Saga of Harald Deathwolf", pp. 56-59Curse of the Wulfen (Novella) by David Annandale
Haran Serpens - Haran Serpens: Haran Serpens was a well-known Magos Biologis, a Tech-adept of microbiology and cellular replication within the Adeptus Mechanicus.After his untimely death, his identity was usurped and used as an alias by Fabius Bile for a variety of purposes, such as trading with unsuspecting counterparties, and, in a notable instance, to confound and corrupt Apothecary Majoris Caecus of the Blood Angels Chapter.Bile thus managed to set foot on the Blood Angels' homeworld of Baal and steal a vial containing the blood of the Blood Angels' Primarch Sanguinius. Bile planned to use the genetic information stored in this sacred relic of the Blood Angels Chapter to pursue his continuing quest to create more perfect Astartes than the Emperor.
Harath Shen - Harath Shen: Harath Shen, known by his fellow Battle-Brothers as the "Defender of the Final Vault," served as the Master Apothecary of the Salamanders Chapter until the Era Indomitus.He is one of the foremost of their Chapter's Apothecaries, a Veteran whose abilities saw him rapidly progress through the ranks of the Apothecarion and whose bravery in recovering the gene-seed of the fallen gained him great respect among the Chapter.At the beginning of the Badab War, Shen was engaged in overseeing a new intake of recruits on Nocturne and answered Pellas Mir'san's call to join the Chapter's expeditionary force during the lamentable conflict known as the Badab War.He fought at the forefront of the conflict, participating in Operation Sedna and the Invasion of Shaprias, but it was during the subsequent boarding of the Salamanders' Battle Barge Pyre of Glory by Secessionist forces that the Master Apothecary's greatest hour would come, defending the gene-seed vault against the predations of the treacherous enemy.
Harath Shen - History: The Badab War, fought between 901.M41 and 913.M41, was one of the most insidious and dangerous internecine conflicts to wrack the Imperium of Man in recent history, made all the more lamentable because the unthinkable had occurred. As a result of a conflicting nexus of honour, treachery, politics and greed, several Space Marine Chapters turned Renegade against the Imperium and bloodshed and outright civil war ensued -- a war which turned entire armies of the Imperium's most powerful warriors against each other and in doing so swept millions to their deaths in its turbulence.Initially, the Salamanders were reluctant to get involved in the internecine conflict, having fought alongside both the Astral Claws and the Fire Hawks as recently as the Lycanthos Drift Campaign of the 810s.M41, and the Chapter was greatly troubled to intervene on either side, despite direct calls to do so.When proof was provided to them by the Legate Inquisitor in charge of prosecuting the war that the Astral Claws had broken faith fully with the ancient covenants of the Imperium and embraced the service of Chaos, the Salamanders were forced by duty to act. The Chapter could only send a small force consisting of one Battle Company (the 2nd Company) under the command of Captain Pellas Mir'san, as the rest of the Chapter was already committed elsewhere.In one notable campaign of the conflict, Captain Mirsan offered to lead his own forces in a lightning strike against the Secessionist world of Lamptan. The Salamanders would rely on the element of surprise and the power of their potent Battle Barge Pyre of Glory, dealing a crippling blow to the enemy.Chaplain Ivanus Enkomi, representing the aloof and secretive Minotaurs Chapter in the Space Marine war council, offered to take his personal guard and such forces as he could muster to aid the Salamanders in this mission.So approved, the strike force, named the "Gift of Fire," was further augmented by a pair of Imperial Navy light cruisers and a frigate squadron. This force was dispatched immediately on the long voyage to the Lamptan System, there to meet the foe in battle.
Harath Shen - Wargear: Artificer ArmourPower WeaponPlasma PistolDigital WeaponsFrag GrenadesKrak GrenadesNarthecium
Harbinger - Harbinger: The Harbinger is a super-heavy bomber deployed by the forces of Chaos.The Harbinger is the largest aircraft ever unleashed by Chaos forces and was first deployed during the 13th Black Crusade of 999.M41 against the Imperial positions on Cadia.The Harbinger has slowly become a more common sight over battlefields where Chaos forces are engaged.Flown from heavily defended rear echelon air bases, or dropped by Chaos starships from orbit, these gigantic aircraft are capable of carrying monstrously large payloads of incendiary bombs and other ordinance like biological or chemical weapons, that are easily capable of leveling entire cities in their own right.The Harbinger is a large, lumbering target whose primary weakness is its lack of manoeuvrability. As a result, Harbingers are almost always escorted over their targets by swarms of Chaos Hell Blade and Hell Talon fighers.The appearance of even a single Harbinger in a war zone is enough for it to be designated as the priority target for all Imperial Navy aircrews across the entire theatre.Like all Chaos aircraft, the Harbinger is usually piloted either by 4 servitors who have been hardwired into the aircraft's systems or it has been possessed by a Lesser Daemon who transforms the bomber into an extension of its fiendish will as a particularly powerful Daemon Engine.Harbingers that are piloted by "normal" humans or Chaos Space Marines can have pilots of varying degrees of skill, including ace pilots and double ace pilots.The Hell Blade can also be outfitted with Warp Rift technology, which transform the aircraft into an affront to nature, causing clouds to blacken and storms to gather in its wake. These dark clouds can cause enemy aircraft to experience lightning strikes and extreme turbulence.
Harbinger - Armament: A Harbinger super-heavy bomber is armed with two nose-mounted twin-linked Autocannons, two side-mounted twin-linked Autocannons with anti-aircraft mounts and the capability to carry a total payload of 48 bombs, 24 in each of its twin bomb bays.These bombs are normally incendiary explosives, but the Harbinger is also equipped to carry the more powerful Hellstorm Bombs as well as nuclear weapon payloads.The craft can also carry Blight Bombs which unleash a highly toxic biological compound when they detonate, causing sickness and decay to any caught within the blast area. These weapons are often employed by Harbingers tied to forces that are particularly favoured by the Chaos God Nurgle.
Harbinger - Ordo Malleus Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications: The technical specifications of the Harbinger have not yet been determined by the Ordos of the Inquisition.
Harbinger - Sources: Tactica Aeronautica Rulebook (Specialty Game), pp. 21-22Aeronautica Imperialis Rulebook (Specialty Game)Harbinger - Forge World Website
Harbingers - Harbingers: HarbingersLoyalistCodex AstartesSpace MarineChapterFounding
Harbingers - Chapter History: The Harbingers hail from the Feral World of Birmingham, also called the "Black Planet" because it is shrouded in darkness. The Chapter is known to specialise in voidship boarding actions and planetary drop assaults.During the 13th Black Crusade, led by their resolute Chapter Master Nimrod Grudge, the Harbingers presented a highly mobile force capable of mounting a lightning counterattack against any gains taken by the forces of Chaos.
Harbingers - Notable Campaigns: Gothic War (139.M41-160.M41) - During the Gothic War, in the Gothic Sector, the Harbingers' battle barge Unrelenting Fury intercepted the Ork-controlled space hulk Scylla and delivered a series of punishing salvos against it. The Unrelenting Fury suffered severe engine damage from repeated Greenskin attack craft strikes but was otherwise unharmed.Battle of Piscina IV (997.M41) - The Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka assaulted Piscina IV as a prelude to his return to Armageddon. According to uncorroborated reports, the Harbingers fought alongside the Dark Angels Chapter against the Greenskins. While ultimately defeated, Thraka was able to field-test a number of "tellyporta" devices with which he later intended to bypass Armageddon's formidable defences.13th Black Crusade (985.999.M41) - After the start of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade, the Harbingers withdrew from battle with the Orks of the Piscian Belt and contributed eight full companies to aid in the defence of the Cadian Gate from the Despoiler's advance.
Harbingers - Chapter Fleet: Unrelenting Fury (Battle Barge) - The Unrelenting Fury is a Harbingers battle barge that was damaged in battle during the Gothic War against the Ork-held space hulk Scylla.
Harbingers - Notable Harbingers: Chapter Master Nimrod Grudge - Nimrod Grudge is the currently-serving Chapter Master of the Harbingers.
Harbingers - Chapter Colours: The Harbingers primarily wear blue power armour, which includes the helm, power pack, torso, groin and shoulder plate trim. The shoulder plates, arms and legs are yellow.The black squad tactical specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is located on the right shoulder plate. A yellow High Gothic numeral is centred on the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number.The colour of the Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate indicates company number in accordance to the Codex Astartes -- i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), etc.
Harbingers - Chapter Badge: The Harbingers' Chapter badge is a large ebon sword, pointing diagonally to the left and downwards, with a beaming halo surrounding it, centred on a field of yellow.
Harbingers - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 50Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pg. 16Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), pg. 44White Dwarf 281 (UK), pg. 46Angels of Darkness (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, pg. 80Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, "To Cleanse the Stars"Imperial Armour Volume Two - Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes, pg. 23
Hardcase - Hardcase: A Hardcase is a type of completely robotic Cyber-mastiff used by the Palanite Enforcers of the Hive World of Necromunda, the primary Enforcers of that planetary government who serve as local law enforcement.
Harek Ironhelm - Harek Ironhelm: Harek Eireik Eireksson, also known as Harek Ironhelm, was a Great Wolf of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter during the 32nd Millennium. Throughout his years as Great Wolf, Harek became obsessed with hunting down Magnus the Red, the Daemon Primarch of the traitorous Thousand Sons Legion, for Magnus was able to escape him time and time again. Ultimately, Eireksson fell in battle against Magnus during the final day of the First Battle of The Fang.
Harek Ironhelm - Aftermath: The Thousand Sons withdrew before the blood-maddened Space Wolves. It was not known by what means the Traitor Marines escaped vengeance. Many did not and were killed in the tunnels. But others, including most of the Traitor Legion's Chaos Sorcerers, disappeared from Fenris at the same time their fleet achieved the in-system jump-points. The Wolf Priests speculated that Magnus himself departed in the same manner, though there were no witnesses to his leaving.When Harek Eirek Eireksson's body was discovered, there were some who believed the Great Wolf had indeed killed the Daemon Primarch. Though the rumours persisted for many years, the wisest among the Space Wolves knew that it was not in Ironhelm’s wyrd to do such a thing, and prepared for the day when evidence of the Crimson King's survival would emerge once again. None of the mortal soldiers brought to Fenris by the Thousand Sons were saved by their fleet. When the returning Space Wolves made planetfall, the Chaotic troops were slaughtered in their thousands. The fires of their destruction darkened the air of the planet for a month. Wolf Lord Arvek Hren Kjarlskar was elevated to Great Wolf in place of Ironhelm. Harek Eirek Ereiksson's body was taken to the place where he fell fighting the great enemy. Upon Great Wolf Kjarlskar's orders, a shrine was built there; a place of pilgrimage to test the endurance of the faithful and to serve as a memorial to Ironhelm's unwavering devotion to the Emperor. It was also constructed to serve as a memorial to his blindness. Never again would the Space Wolves allow themselves to be drawn into a war not of their own making. This sombre crypt serves as a shrine to the memory of that noble Wolf Lord who battled the Chapter's gravest foe. Whenever an Aspirant Rune Priest undergoes his ordeal of initiation, he must first make a pilgrimage to this mighty edifice and call upon the spirit of Harek Ironhelm. It is said that the spirit of the fallen Great Wolf appears to warn the aspirant against trusting visions granted by Chaos. This was the lesson the Space Wolves learned from the First Battle of The Fang, and they would use it to further enhance their skill in defence of the Emperor's realm.
Harek Ironhelm - Heraldry: Before his elevation to the status of Great Wolf, Harek Ironhelm and his Great Company bore the badge of the Iron Wolf. As the Iron Wolf bore the mountains of Asaheim upon its back, Harek claimed that the honour of the Space Wolves rested upon the shoulders of his Great Company.
Harek Ironhelm - Wargear: Wearing his customary Terminator Armour, Harek Ironhelm cut a vast, ominous figure. His black hair and beard were long and full, the forks braided and sealed with bone totems. He was one of the oldest living warriors of the Space Wolves, aside from the Revered Ancients (Dreadnoughts), having led the Chapter for three standard centuries and served for at least another hundred years before that. The blood of victims had stained his battle-garb for so long that the grey had long since shrunk to darkness. Only the curved sheet of metal implanted across the right hemisphere of his skull glinted from the firelight of the torches of The Fang, the legacy of the bloody duel that had earned him his cybernetic implants and given him his nickname.
Harl Greyweaver - Harl Greyweaver: Harl Greyweaver is an Iron Priest of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter who has been seconded to the elite xenos-hunting Deathwatch -- the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. He has been the Forge Master of Watch Station Erioch since his predecessor answered a summons to serve the Achilus Crusade a decade ago. While the influence of Greyweaver’s time in the unorthodox halls of the Deathwatch shows in his Servo-Harness and other small deviations from the traditions of the Iron Priests of Fenris' Isles of Iron, he is not nearly as compliant with the teachings of Mars as many of the Techmarines who serve under him wish. The Iron Priest has adorned most of the fortress’ major workshops with icons of the Iron Wolf, and rivers of molten metal flow through his domain deep in the heart of Erioch. He is notoriously intolerant of other Chapter’s brands of tech-craft, but his efficacy in conjuring the tools of war is so great that no one has yet been able to oust him. His fervent hatred of alien technology puts him at frequent odds with the Crucible Resolviate and Inquisitor Quist. Every piece of xenotech adopted into the Deathwatch arsenal since his arrival has been done so only grudgingly.
Harl Greyweaver - Wargear: Artificer Power Armour- Painstakingly cared for and customised for each esteemed bearer, Artificer Armour is the rarest form of Power Armour. The technology and superdense materials used to construct these suits is unparalleled inside the Imperium. Each one is a masterwork of Artificer ingenuity and (outside of Techmarines labouring towards creating their own) is awarded only to true Chapter heroes.Servo-Harness - Like a Servo-arm, a full Servo-Harness integrates with the Techmarine’s Power Armour and is controlled through the same cybernetic spinal interface that makes him one with his armour. Radiating from a boosted fusion backpack capable of powering them all, this cluster of auxiliary limbs aid in battlefield repairs as well as combat. The composition of each Servo-Harness is unique, customised with the tools most preferred by its previous owners for tending to Machine Spirits and laying waste to the God-Emperor’s enemies. Some bear only a few appendages, while others are great spiders of diagnostors, interface tines, drills, weapons, Plasma Cutters, and even more arcane elements that future inheritors may struggle to fully understand.Bolter - The Bolter, also called a Boltgun, and its variants are some of the most powerful hand-held ballistic anti-personnel weaponry in use by the military forces of the Imperium of Man. It is a powerful assault weapon that fires explosive kinetic rounds colloquially referred to as bolts. The weapon is fearsome, with explosive rounds capable of ripping through or blowing apart a foe. The Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions were issued their Legions' Bolters before the Horus Heresy, and therefore, use generally older variants than the patterns available to present-day Loyalist Space Marines. The Bolter is a mid-range anti-personnel ballistic weapon that lies between the lighter Bolt Pistol and the more effective Heavy Bolter. The standard pattern Bolter can easily be wielded by a Space Marine, but smaller pattern Bolters must be used by the Battle-Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas.Thunder Hammer - Iron Priests often go into battle with formidable melee weapons known as Thunder Hammers. These weapons release a terrific burst of gravitic energy when they strike an opponent, and their concussive impact is as loud as a thunderclap, from which the weapon's name originates. Enemies that survive the pulverising blow are likely to be incapacitated by the shockwave that follows. Many Battle-Brothers balance the clumsy nature of attempting to parry with a Thunder Hammer by pairing it with a Storm Shield.
Harlequin's Caress - Harlequin's Caress: A Harlequin's Caress is a wrist-mounted close combat weapon utilised exclusively by the enigmatic Aeldari Harlequins.This weapon encases the user's hand in a phase field that allows him to reach through his foe's armour and pluck out their heart as easily as though he were running his fingers through thin air.This weapon is commonly employed by the sinister and deadly Solitaires within a Harlequin Masque.
Harlequin's Embrace - Harlequin's Embrace: A Harlequin's Embrace is a wrist-mounted close combat weapon utilised exclusively by the mysterious Aeldari Harlequins. This weapon boasts similar technology to that found in the Death Spinners carried by Warp Spider Aspect Warriors.A Harlequin's Embrace is triggered a second before the wearer charges into close combat, and projects a cloud of monofilament wire that quickly contracts around the foe, slicing them to bloody chunks in mere seconds.
Harlequin's Kiss - Harlequin's Kiss: A Harlequin's Kiss (called the brathu-angau in the Aeldari Lexicon, literally "kiss of doom"), also sometimes called a Sting, is one of the more horrifying close combat weapons employed by the Aeldari, and is used only by Harlequins.Arguably the most iconic weapon that the Harlequin masques carry to war, the Harlequin's Kiss is horrifically lethal. This weapon consists of a sharpened tube containing high-tensile monofilament wire, like those used in the Death Spinners, and is worn on the forearm. The Kiss is only effective in close combat. It contains a tightly-coiled retractable monofilament wire which is around 100 metres in length.When activated, usually by a forward punching motion, the wire is violently released. Capable of piercing armour, if the wire penetrates its victim it instantly uncoils and lashes around violently, liquefying bones and internal organs, and causing immediate death in a spectacular and bloody fashion. The wire then retracts back into the Kiss for another use.
Harlequin's Kiss - Sources: Codex: Harlequins (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 57, 210Rogue Trader: Corebook (RPG), pg. 131Warhammer 40,000: Compendium (1st Edition), pg. 191Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (2nd Edition), pg. 8
Harlequin - Harlequin: A Harlequin, known in the Aeldari Lexicon as a Rillietann, is a member of a very distinct sub-group of the Aeldari species who belongs to none of the existing Aeldari factions, including the Asuryani of the craftworlds, the Exodites or the Drukhari of Commorragh. They are the keepers of the Black Library and serve the enigmatic Aeldari deity called the Laughing God.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.None truly know how this strange being survived the birth of Slaanesh where the other gods of the Aeldari Pantheon did not. However, every Harlequin is firm in the belief that Cegorach escaped into the bounds of the Webway, existing there still behind myriad disguises and mocking She Who Thirsts from behind the veil.The Laughing God is the only authority that the Harlequins recognise, and their every deed is thought to be in furtherance of his own inscrutable agenda. Harlequins are undeniably part of the Aeldari species, yet they owe no allegiance to any given Asuryani craftworld or Drukhari kabal, a kindred apart from their fellows.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.They are welcomed by all of the other Aeldari kindreds, including the Drukhari of Commorragh and the other Webway satellite realms, and are known for their brightly coloured clothing, incredible agility (even for an Aeldari), and use of unusually powerful weapons. Harlequins always organise themselves into groups they call "troupes," which are led by a leader known as a "troupe master."
Harlequin - Fall of the Aeldari: Millennia have passed since the ancient Aeldari fell into shadow, yet still the memory of their glory burns bright. Like the stars in the sky they shone, illuminating the endless void. Theirs was the power to create, and also to destroy, for they held the secrets of the universe in their hands. Yet with power unchecked came monstrous pride. The cessation of toil raised the spectre of ennui, alongside the endless freedom to explore the slightest whim. Curiosity became obsession, then excess and decadence, until eventually a rot took root in the soul of the Aeldari species.In their arrogance, the ancient Aeldari abandoned their gods, turning their backs upon the morals and codes that guided their civilisation. Divested of their ancient pantheon, many Aeldari declared themselves divine. Pleasure cults spread through the Aeldari Empire, each more twisted and perverse than the last.Against the lurid glare of now, the glories of old were spat upon as pale, unworthy things. In the face of this wanton madness, the old gods could do nothing. Bloody-handed Khaine raged. Vaul the Smith turned his back, while Mother Isha wept oceans of tears. Even Asuryan the Creator looked on powerless. Only Cegorach seemed uncaring, for he merely laughed at the Aeldari's foolishness.This plunge into depravity would prove the downfall of the ancient Aeldari. So twisted had their race become, so lost to hedonism and corruption, that a new god was birthed into the Warp in their image. This was Slaanesh, the Dark Prince, known to the Aeldari as "She Who Thirsts," and she would be the doom of the species who had made her.Three fragments of the Aeldari species escaped before this cataclysm occurred. First to flee were the Exodites. Deaf to the mockery of their perverted kin, they eschewed the trappings of power that they might save their very souls. Next went those who would become the Drukhari. Unrepentant yet wary, they had committed their darkest excesses in the labyrinth dimension of the Webway, and were thus protected by its innate psychic defences when Slaanesh was born.Last to escape were the Craftworld Asuryani. Fashioning great interstellar arks to bear them to safety, they fled into the void, and a denial of all they had become. At the instant of her birth, Slaanesh opened wide her yawning maw, rending reality itself as she gave vent to a scream of unimaginable power. All but a fraction of the ancient Aeldari were killed in that moment, their souls blasted from their bodies and greedily devoured.As the Aeldari fell, so too did their ancestral gods, consumed by She Who Thirsts. All Aeldari know the tale of the Fall. Yet not all know that, when the Aeldari fled their doom, they took with them the seeds of Cegorach's vengeance. These individuals, the worshippers of the Laughing God, would find bloody purpose in the years to come.
Harlequin - Ghosts of the Webway: The Harlequins are lightning-fast warrior acrobats. These enigmatic beings do not differentiate between war and art, applying their lithe, inhuman grace to both without distinction. Sinister, mysterious and mercurial, they wage a never-ending guerrilla war against the servants of the Ruinous Powers in the name of their Laughing God. Harlequins are the strangest and most inscrutable of all the Aeldari race. Their mastery of the physical arts, twinned with their incredible speed, makes the Harlequins truly deadly fighters. Every moment is a performance, and they perform their legendary masques with puissant skill, flair and passion –- their hallmarks upon the field of battle.The Harlequins are nomads, their warrior bands treading the secret paths of the labyrinthine realm known as the Webway. Since the Fall, they have waged their clandestine war against She Who Thirsts. Who can know what horrors might have been wrought upon the galaxy without the constant vigilance of the Harlequins? These mysterious figures strike suddenly, killing with such speed and skill that they often vanish back into the Webway without any but their foes ever knowing they were there. 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.Alongside death-dealing, the Harlequins possess another, ritual duty: they travel between the realms of their divided kin -- the craftworlds, the Exodite worlds and the dark city of Commorragh -- performing the dances and plays of the Aeldari mythic cycle. Viewed with superstitious awe, these ritual performances remind the Aeldari of the gods they once knew and of the Fall of their ancient race, ensuring that their people retain some semblance of racial unity. Indeed, when war calls and the day is sufficiently dark, the Harlequins often broker temporary alliances between their Commorrite and craftworld kin.
Harlequin - Theatre of War: Swift beyond belief and impossibly agile, Harlequins flow through battle like silk streamers in a hurricane. As they close with the foe, the Players are in constant motion, a riot of prismatic colour that dazzles the senses. The oncoming Harlequins sprint, leap and weave, the blades and blasts of their terrified enemy whistling around them to little effect.Harlequins in battle prefer to rely upon speed and skill over brute strength and resilience. Their holo-suits shatter the wearer's outline into a fractal, polychromatic blur, causing each Harlequin to appear as an insubstantial storm of psychedelic colour into which the panicked foe pour their fire to no avail. At the moment of lethal impact, however, the Harlequins prove all too real. The thunder of gunfire is their backbeat, the screams of the dying their accompaniment as they whirl through the enemy ranks.Every step of the battle is like a dance, each victim as much an unwilling partner as a mortal foe. Blade thrusts come lightning fast, sparks and blood raining down as their victims try desperately to block their attackers' offensive. All the while, the enemy wrestles with their worst fears reflected back at them in the Harlequins' ever-shifting masks.Where a single Harlequin in battle is a player upon a stage, an entire army of them is a performing company with a bloody tale to tell. Known as masques, these warbands fight with breathtaking synchronicity. Troupes of Harlequins sprint across the battlefield, surging from hidden Webway portals to strike without warning. Skyweaver jetbike crews engage the foe in an aerobatic ballet, streaking above the heads of the enemy to hurl spinning star bolas.Explosions blossom one after another, their roar a deafening crescendo accompanied by the howl of Starweaver transports and Voidweaver gunships opening fire. Amidst the mayhem, the masque's elite choreograph the carnage. Each Troupe Master directs their Players with the skill of an impresario and the strategic genius of a seasoned general. 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. Enigmatic Shadowseers use their phantasmic powers to terrify and misdirect, drowning the enemy in nightmare visions, and should one of the dreaded Solitaires deign to join a battle, they can slaughter entire enemy regiments in impossible displays of martial prowess.To the untrained eye, the onset of a Harlequin masque is a riotous confusion of sound, colour and violence. Yet to refined Aeldari senses, clear patterns are revealed. Every moment is orchestrated; every Player knows implicitly how and when his comrades will strike. This is war made art and art made war, battle fought with perfect rhythm and meaning, and it is as lethal as it is spectacular.
Harlequin - The Final Act: In recent years, the Harlequins' war against Chaos has been characterised by a newfound urgency. Full masques have become an ever more common sight among the stars. Appearing from the Webway, they can be found performing within the realms of their kin or battling the galaxy's disparate races in vicious campaigns of apparently random violence. As the 41st Millennium comes to a close, more and more Aeldari vanish into the Webway, forsaking their former lives to take up the Harlequin's mask. The Harlequins' numbers are growing, and many among the Aeldari wonder why.The truth is inspirational and terrifying in equal measure. At the very heart of the Black Library there lies a silver-lit vault. Therein stands a plinth made of finely graven obstinite, upon which rests a crystalline book said to contain the words of Cegorach himself. Since the Fall, the tome's covers have remained closed, sealed shut with flickering chains of light.Yet now, long-awaited portents have come to pass. A fallen sorcerer seeks the lore of the library. A king stirs in his court of death and silence, preparing to rise once more. Within madness' eye, the champion of the Ruinous Powers prepares to seize a realm long denied. As the signs have come to pass, so the bands of light about the tome have flickered and died.Now, at last, the tome has fallen open. Within its pages the Shadowseers have found a script, a secret final act that changes utterly the tale of the Fall. Penned in inks of light and shadow, these words present a slender hope, detailing an intricate, galaxy-spanning performance with the potential to change the fate of the Aeldari race. Always, the strands of fate have pointed toward the victory of Chaos during the last, mythic battle known to the Aeldari as the Rhana Dandra.Yet within the pages of the crystal tome is recorded Cegorach's ultimate jest, a way to trick Slaanesh into expending all her power not to destroy the Aeldari, but to save them. How such an impossibility could come to pass is unclear, for on this matter the final act is infuriatingly vague. Yet the Harlequins take their god's words on faith alone, for their devotion to Cegorach is total and his methods beyond question or reproach. Thus they have begun the steps of this final dance, and will see it completed, or else face absolute destruction in the attempt.
Harlequin - Structure of a Masque: 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.The heart of each masque is the cadre of three Troupes, each of which is led by a Troupe Master. Appended to the three Troupes are the Skyweavers and Voidweavers. A full Masque will feature two squadrons of Skyweaver Jetbikes and one of Voidweavers.Masques also usually include at least one Shadowseer and Death Jester, and it is common for one of each to fight alongside each of the three Troupes and, on rare occasions, a masque may also be joined by a Solitaire. 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.
Harlequin - Harlequin Troupes: Harlequin Players perform with breathtaking skill, whether their stage is a wraithbone and glass amphitheatre bathed in crystalline light, or the firelit hell of the battlefield. They tumble, sprint and leap, every squeeze of the trigger and slash of a blade bringing death to the enemy.No Aeldari is born a Harlequin, and all manner of strange tales persist concerning how this metamorphosis occurs. Some are supposedly drawn from amid bustling crowds, beckoned into the shadows by a masked figure only they can see. Others simply vanish from their personal chambers on a Craftworld, their precious Spirit Stone discarded in their wake.To become a Harlequin means erasing all that has come before, be it friends, family, path or purpose. However it happens, once an Aeldari becomes a Harlequin every aspect of their old identity is erased. Each joins a Light, Twilight or Dark Troupe, and assumes a new role at the behest of their Troupe Master. These roles -- each known by a ritual character name such as the Webway Witch, the Sun Prince, or Shaimesh the Poisoner -- inform every aspect of the Harlequin's personality from that moment on.The difference between these three Troupes to a non-Aeldari observer would be hard to distinguish by visual clues alone. Save for a rune badge that is either a prism, heart or four-sided star, there is little else to distinguish them from each other. The true difference between them is how the Players act.Harlequins from Light Troupes embody the heroic aspects of the Aeldari (and typically play such heroes in their grand displays). They launch brave charges, fight with boldness and hurl themselves into the fray like heroes of myth.Dark Troupes, on the other hand, appear sinister and vindictive in their actions and the ways in which they finish off their enemies seem cruel, flamboyant and often very violent.The Twilight Troupes are the strangest, their actions dictated apparently by some unknown motive. They appear capricious or obsessive, and their actions are hard to read, until the moment their true genius is unveiled.A peculiarity that sets the Harlequins apart from their Craftworld and Exodite kin is that they do not bear Spirit Stones. Normally, when an Aeldari dies, their unprotected soul is devoured by Slaanesh in the Warp unless it is preserved inside one of these mysterious gems and joined with an Exodite World Spirit or Craftworld Infinity Circuit. Yet the Harlequins alone possess a secret that allows them to escape Slaanesh's jaws, and it is not one they seem willing to share.
Harlequin - Harlequin Troupe Markings: To other intelligent species, the Harlequins' appearance seems to defy any form of squad identification or uniformity. This is exactly how the warriors of the Laughing God would have it; confusion is, after all, a tool of war.To them, however, each Player is identifiable as belonging to one of three Troupe divisions within a masque: Light, Dark and Twilight, and each player in the Troupe will wear the markings of that Troupe. These icons are largely standard across the masques, with Light Troupes wearing a prism, Dark a four-sided star and Twilight a heart.Each Troupe is led by a Troupe Master, who wears the master rune, an ornate version of the same basic device worn by his Troupe, often hollowed out and bordered by curved arcs. All Players commonly display their Troupe rune upon a knee, thigh or shoulder plate. Each warrior wears their masque's colours, and honoured Players may also display their masque's rune.
Harlequin - Aeldari Lexicon Terms: Rillietann - A member of the Harlequin Troupe.Athair - The Troupe Master.Margorach - The Death Jester.Arbennian - The Solitaire.Esdain - The Shadowseer.Dathedi - The holo-suit worn by Aeldari Harlequins. Translated as meaning "between colours."Geirgilath - The flip-belt worn by every Harlequin that enables them to perform incredible moves and stunts.Creidann - The grenade launcher used by the masque's Shadowseers. Loaded with hallucinogenic cartridges, they add to the physical and psychic effects of the Harlequins' performance, though they're also a deadly weapon in battle.Agaith - A Harlequin's mask or "false face."Marathag - The rictus mask worn by Troupe Masters, also known as a "face of death."Brathu-Angau - The deadly Harlequin's Kiss, the "kiss of doom."Marsgrech - The bio-explosive shrieker ammunition favoured by Death Jesters.
Harlequin - Sources: Black Crusade: The Tome of Excess (RPG), pg. 111Codex: Dark Eldar (7th Edition), pp. 85-89, 107, 111, 115Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pp. 28-29, 41Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pp. 48-49Codex: Eldar (6th Edition), pp. 46-47, 65Codex: Dark Eldar (5th Edition), pg. 42Codex: Eldar - Harlequins (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 6-85Codex: Harlequins (8th Edition), pp. 12-13Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (2nd Edition), pg. 215Rogue Trader: Fallen Stars (RPG), pg. 64Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook (8th Edition), pg. 161White Dwarf Weekly 53 (31 Jan 2015), "Harlequin Troupe," "The Danse of Death," "Paint Splatter," pp. 4-16, 23-29, 37-45White Dwarf Weekly 54 (07 Feb 2015), "Skyweaver," "Parade Ground," "Rules of Engagement," "Paint Splatter," pp. 4-10, 25-30, 36-37, 45-51White Dwarf Weekly 55 (14 Feb 2015), "Starweaver," "Voidweaver," "Focus On...Shades of Eldar," "Codex: Harlequins," "Datacards: Harlequins," "Warriors of the Laughing God," "Harlequin Masques," "Paint Splatter," "This Week In White Dwarf," "Harlequin Masques Extra: The Veiled Path," pp. 4-19, 26-52White Dwarf Weekly 56 (21 Feb 2015), "Shadowseer," "Death Jester," "Focus On...The Great Players," "Uniting the Kindred," "Paint Splatter," "This Week In White Dwarf - Masters of the Masque," "Designer Notes: Shadowseers," "Codex: Apocrypha Extra," pp. 5-8, 10-15, 21-26, 50-55, 57-62, 64-68White Dwarf Weekly 57 (28 Feb 2015), "Codex Apocrypha"White Dwarf 107 (UK), "Eldar Harlequin," pg. 15White Dwarf 106 (UK), "Eldar Harlequins - Army List," pp. 11-18White Dwarf 392 (UK), pp. 46-57, "Battle Report: Eye of the Storm"Harlequin (Novel) by Ian WatsonGames Workshop Online Store - Harlequin TroupeGames Workshop Online Store - SolitaireGames Workshop Online Store - ShadowseerGames Workshop Online Store - Classic ShadowseerGames Workshop Online Store - Death JesterGames Workshop Online Store - Classic Death JesterGames Workshop Online Store - SkyweaverGames Workshop Online Store - StarweaverGames Workshop Online Store - VoidweaverWarhammer Community - Grim Dark Corners: The Fall of the Aeldari and the Birth of Slaanesh