Topic: Fluff questions regarding Cegorach, the Solitaire, and the Harlequins.

[FartHammer]

Aside from the 2nd book of Ian Watson's Inquisition War Trilogy, have any stories been written about the Harlequins (e.g. how they operate, stories from their point of view)?

White Dwarf issue says the following:

Solitaires (arebennian) are outside the masque, and roam the universe alone, occasionally joining a masque for a single performance or battle as the fancy takes them. They are the only Harlequins who can play the role of Slaanesh in the great Harlequin masterwork known as The Dance; various stories exist of other Harlequins who have tried, and been driven mad by the experience. They almost always fight as Individuals.

Among the Eldar it is said that Solitaires are Harlequins who have been touched directly by the Great Harlequin, and have his insight into the fall of the race and the nature of the universe. A Solitaire may live unknown among Eldar (or even members of another race) for years or decades, and there are many rumours and folk-tales telling of Eldar who have met a Solitaire, and realised later that this was the Great Harlequin himself. Solitaires represent the very pinnacle of the Harlequin ideal, and are formidable foes.

How do Solitaires know when to join up with other Harlequins for a Dance and/or a Battle?

Does Cegorach directly communicate with other Harlequins? How do Harlequins know the plans of Cegorach and how do they know when and how to carry them out?

Does Cegorach ever leave the Webway to carry out his plans, or does he have the Harlequins do it for him?

If Cegorach can leave the Webway, what can Cegorach do outside of the Webway?

Does Cegorach have access to the Infinity Circuit? Could he communicate with an Avatar of Khaine?

Do Solitaires have a direct line to Cegorach? Can they communicate with him at any time, or vice versa?

[Rasmus]

1. Divine inspiration guides the Solitaire, and to a lesser extent the Great Harlequin as well.

2. Not that we know of. If he does it is through whispers and promptings, not a sit-down with signed orders issued to relevant parties. Divine inspiration to the leadership and the slight whispers in the core of the Harlequins puts them on the right path.

3. Cegorach is hidden in the webway, and has not yet ventured forth. It would be suicide if he did. The harlequins are his fingers in the affairs of others, moving according to some unseen plan. He is, after all, the last being to divinely plot for the Eldar.

4. Die. Slaanesh would descend like a mighty hungry pink hammer on him.

5. I doubt it. It is entirely likely that he can access the Circuit of the Black Library, but it is not his domain. He is not a soulcollector. That's for Morai-heg and Ynnead, essentially. He has nothing to do there, just like Tzeentch does not spread disease or Khorne pleaure. It is not what they do.

6. No, they are driven by whispers as far as we can tell. While it has been touched by the Laughing God the Solitaire does not get a radio-call or signed orders either. It is not how the Jester operates. think of it more like an itching in the back of his soul, prompting dreams, hinted whispers, seeing signs.

[FartHammer]

1. Divine inspiration guides the Solitaire, and to a lesser extent the Great Harlequin as well.

2. Not that we know of. If he does it is through whispers and promptings, not a sit-down with signed orders issued to relevant parties. Divine inspiration to the leadership and the slight whispers in the core of the Harlequins puts them on the right path.

3. Cegorach is hidden in the webway, and has not yet ventured forth. It would be suicide if he did. The harlequins are his fingers in the affairs of others, moving according to some unseen plan. He is, after all, the last being to divinely plot for the Eldar.

4. Die. Slaanesh would descend like a mighty hungry pink hammer on him.

5. I doubt it. It is entirely likely that he can access the Circuit of the Black Library, but it is not his domain. He is not a soulcollector. That's for Morai-heg and Ynnead, essentially. He has nothing to do there, just like Tzeentch does not spread disease or Khorne pleaure. It is not what they do.

6. No, they are driven by whispers as far as we can tell. While it has been touched by the Laughing God the Solitaire does not get a radio-call or signed orders either. It is not how the Jester operates. think of it more like an itching in the back of his soul, prompting dreams, hinted whispers, seeing signs.

Thank you so much for the info. I am tempted to write a series of stories about a band of Harlequins - and a lone Solitaire - carrying out a scheme by Cegorach. Sort of like Gaunt's Ghosts meets Legion. The story would be told from the point of view of a band of Harlequins, and ESPECIALLY the Solitaire.

For part 1, by "Great Harlequin" do you mean Cegorach or the leader of a Harlequin band who plays the role of the Great Harlequin? I'm assuming the former.

[Rasmus]

I think writing about the inner working of a Solitaire might be really tricky, and could turn out truly shallow, as that mind is incredibly alien from our point of view. It would be akin to writing the Nid Hivemind as "Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat" - not truly a good representation.

And yes, the Great Harlequin is the High Avatar, the leader of a Harlequin Troupe.

[nil]

How do Solitaires know when to join up with other Harlequins for a Dance and/or a Battle?

I think an important part of the answer to this particular question is that, frequently, they don't join up with other Harlequins for dance or battle.  The presence of a Solitaire among a troupe is an unusual event.

The Solitaire is the only Harlequin that can perform the role of Slaanesh, but Slaanesh only figures in one of many Harlequin performances.  If a traveling troupe is lucky enough to find a Solitaire (or the Solitaire finds them) then they can perform the dance that represents the Fall.  If they don't, there are other dances.

In my opinion, the best source for information on Harlequins remains the original WD article-- I think it was WD105 or 106.  Subsequent info (that I've seen, at least) has just been an abridged rehash of the original material.

[FartHammer]

I think writing about the inner working of a Solitaire might be really tricky, and could turn out truly shallow, as that mind is incredibly alien from our point of view. It would be akin to writing the Nid Hivemind as "Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat" - not truly a good representation.

And yes, the Great Harlequin is the High Avatar, the leader of a Harlequin Troupe.

I would think to write about the inner working of a Solitaire would be a stream of consciousness mixed with imagery, pontification, absolutely no fear, cold blooded pragmatic assessment of the outside world, and the cackling laughter and whispers of Cegorach when necessary.

The next scene would be to be 3rd person limited, or from another character's perspective, as we then see what the Solitaire does. It sorta makes sense in the Solitaire's mind (considering that a human is reading it), but then it's clearer when you see a Solitaire in action.

Also, I assume that Cegorach could only "communicate" with the Solitaire while the Solitaire is in the Webway?

And the Hive Mind has shown an ability to think on a tactical level, if it was told from the perspective of a Swarmlord on the field.

[Rasmus]

I would think to write about the inner working of a Solitaire would be a stream of consciousness mixed with imagery, pontification, absolutely no fear, cold blooded pragmatic assessment of the outside world, and the cackling laughter and whispers of Cegorach when necessary.

I have never viewed the Solitaire as particularly cold or calculating. Quite the opposite. It is a whimsical maniacal random thing, the Solitaire, touched by a power that is so far beyond the scope of his/her mortal mind.

Also, I assume that Cegorach could only "communicate" with the Solitaire while the Solitaire is in the Webway?

I have never seen anything that would indicate that would be correct. Why would  he?
Besides, the Solitaire likely carries a deep-seated connection to the Laughing God all the time.

[FartHammer]

I would think to write about the inner working of a Solitaire would be a stream of consciousness mixed with imagery, pontification, absolutely no fear, cold blooded pragmatic assessment of the outside world, and the cackling laughter and whispers of Cegorach when necessary.

I have never viewed the Solitaire as particularly cold or calculating. Quite the opposite. It is a whimsical maniacal random thing, the Solitaire, touched by a power that is so far beyond the scope of his/her mortal mind.

Well, how about "stream of consciousness mixed with imagery, whimsical and sometimes random pontification, absolutely no fear, and the cackling laughter and whispers of Cegorach when necessary"?

[FartHammer]

Also, is there any fluff that details how Solitaires choose Eldar for initiation into the Harlequins? How are Harlequins initiated (is that left up to our imagination)? Has any fluff described the behavior of a Harlequin from an outside perspective?

[Rasmus]

Therte is nothing known about the selection-process, but I have a feeling you have to want to - you can't be drafted.
As for outside perspective there is some RT stuff when they were introduced, both in battle and at a Craftworld.

[FartHammer]

Pretty soon I'll post a short story that demonstrates about what I'm trying to do.

Here's a summary.
In the furthest corner of the Imperium there's an imperial world contested between a continent loyal to the imperium, and one that broke away. A bitter war rages as the loyalists attempt to bring the renegade continent back into the Imperial fold and punish the traitors. Conveniently timed warp storms have so far prevented the Imperial Navy from arriving and bringing reinforcements.


Many Eldar Outcasts have long since found refuge in the continent of the renegades (there's a webway portal there), and occasionally intervene to keep the Imperials from winning. A band of outcasts have holed up in a remote part of the renegade continent, and among them is one of the main characters who will eventually become a Harlequin.

He temporarily leaves (out of boredom and the need to satiate curiosity), and when he returns he sees the cut off remnants of an Imperial Army in the final stages of eradicating his compatriots. Enraged (and bored), he wages a one-man shadow war against the remnants (with his longrifle and his blade), laughing all the way, never worried about death. He manages to kill most of them before being injured by a frag explosion.

He figures he might get one more shot before being taken out when a mysterious figure arrives as a blur (this is the Solitaire, but our protagonist doesn't know this yet). The final twenty guardsmen are decimated by this figure. Still wounded and on the ground, the figure approaches. He takes note of how he looks and walks. The figure has no face, but seems to be morbidly fascinated. As our hero is about to ask who this figure is, the figure runs away in a blur. Our protagonist passes out.

He awakens to find his wounds healed, and the spirit stones of his comrades safely secured. In the room are other Eldar Outcasts and renegade humans. He asks about this mysterious figure, and the Outcasts and the humans give different accounts of what they know or have seen.

Apparently, more Eldar - not just outcasts - have taken an in interest in seeing this faction prevail. Why is this? After more digging, he finds out that a band of Harlequins have also infiltrated this world. He is determined to find out more...

Cegorach's plans are beginning to unfold.

[FartHammer]

I'm putting off writing on this particular one because I want to read Gav Thorpe's "Path of the Warrior" first before I start writing from an Eldar perspective.

EDIT: That being said, does the above scenario match well with Harlequin fluff?

Ignore the previous post. Here's my attempt to write a story from a Solitaire's perspective.

http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=212950.0


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