Harlequin - The Dance: The Harlequins travel in groups called "masques," large ensembles that perform and fight together, echoing the gatherings of Cegorach's devotees in ancient days. Each masque is formed around a number of Troupes and joined by the likes of Shadowseers and Death Jesters. Each member of the masque is a player in the grand performance. Each performs a part, taking up the role of some character from the mythic cycle.Thus, one might be the Dawnsinger, another the Blinded Princess. Some roles are reserved for specific members of the masque -- for only a Death Jester may play the role of Death. The most ominous role of all is that of the Solitaire, the most sinister and abhorrent, yet also most fascinating and alluring, troubadour within the host -- for the Solitaire alone may take on the role of She Who Thirsts, Slaanesh, the great and hated enemy of all the Aeldari.The Harlequin lifestyle is very like the life of a roaming mime or troubadour of Old Earth's medieval times. They wander the Webway and occasionally appear at Aeldari settlements: on a Craftworld, on Commorragh, an Exodite Maiden World, or even, rarely, a human world in the Imperium of Man.They perform frenetic, acrobatic dances for the spectators there which are also called Masques. Their artistic works portray the Fall, the legendary decline that destroyed the Aeldari Empire, the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh, and many other tales from the long history and ancient mythology of the Aeldari people. Troupes of Harlequins usually only treat with other Aeldari the night before a particularly auspicious battle.They emerge unbidden from hidden portals, staging dazzling performances that tell of the legends of the Aeldari race. The Harlequins' masque is spellbinding; such extremes of emotion are reached in these stunning displays that a troupe can hold an audience of Drukhari completely in thrall as surely as any gladiatorial bloodbath.In these pageants, each Harlequin plays the role of one of the figures from Aeldari legend, acting out stylised versions of Aeldari mythic cycles. 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. This is a story of particular significance to the oldest Archons and Haemonculi, many of whom find Act One gratifyingly familiar.Of all the parts of the mythic cycle performed by the Harlequin masques, the most renowned is the Dance without End. It is, however, far from the only tale performed by these enigmatic troubadours -- there is the Cripple and the Dragon, the Blades of Vaul, Isha's Tears, and many others. Each Harlequin in a masque assumes the persona of one of the characters from one of these epic tales at all times, and thus can be recognised by those Aeldari who know the tales. In the tale of the Blades of Vaul, for instance, Vaul is moved by sympathy for Isha and Kurnous, who are imprisoned by Khaine, agreeing to forge 100 swords for his brother to set them free. Vaul failed to make all the blades, however, and in his wrath Khaine attacked his uncle. The culmination of this pageant is the dazzling duel between the gods, played out by Harlequins of unparalleled skill.