Category:Harlequins, Rangers, and Pirates

From Lexicanum

Harlequins: The Harlequins are followers of the strange Eldar god, the Great Harlequin (also known as "The Laughing God"), one of the only two Eldar gods to survive the Fall.

Harlequins are warrior troubadours whose carefully constructed masques and impressive displays of mime and acrobatics tell the many strange stories of Eldar mythology. They wear exotic multi-coloured costumes, brightly patterned to represent figures from the Eldar myth cycles. The groups will wander through the Webway, visiting Craftworlds and other Eldar strongholds in order to re-enact stories from the ancient mythic cycles through song and dance. These strange performances are highly symbolic and are considered an important event for the Eldar. The Harlequins will also appear in times of need and fight alongside other Eldar, aiding them in the interest of some secret goal. They are highly skilled combatants who deal almost entirely in close-quarters combat.

Harlequins are, like the Inquisition, sworn enemies of Chaos. They guard the Black Library of Chaos, the place where all the Eldar's knowledge of Chaos lies, and only allow those of the Inquisition and the Illuminati to enter, and even then they are only allowed entrance under guard. The Harlequins are an enigmatic group even among the other Eldar, and they rarely communicate with anyone outside of their troupes at all.

Outcasts and Pirates: Unlike the other groups, the Outcasts and Pirates are not very clearly defined. Some Eldar Pirates are actually the long-ranging fleets of Craftworlds, and others are groups of Harlequins or Dark Eldar that are mistakenly identified. Some may even be an enduring fleet that fled from the Fall but lost or lacked a Craftworld to rally around, and have since forged a base on an asteroid or uninhabited world. Many Eldar will leave their regular lives to become Outcasts and Pirates for a time, enjoying the freedom and wealth of experience this offers them before they return to more ordered and strict lives.

There are also those that have been forced to Piracy and Exile, however, often for their own actions and choices. Some Eldar refuse to obey the strict rules of the Craftworld or commit crimes among their people, and choose to flee rather than face judgement. One of the most famous pirates was Yriel of Iyanden, a former fleet commander who was exiled for leaving the Craftworld underdefended while pursuing an attack on the Eye of Terror. He and his crew formed a band of pirates that worked between various human worlds, often contracting their services out to the various worlds. He eventually assembled a sizeable fleet, and later returned to save Iyanden from the assault of the Tyranids.

Many pirates are far less noble, however. There are many among them who have taken the same dark road as the Eldar of old, and work as pirates in order to fill their thirst for thrill and combat. In general, all Pirates are quick-tempered and unpredictable, traits in the Eldar that surface rapidly once their are outside the ordered societies they build for themselves.

Neither pirates nor outcasts are welcome aboard Craftworlds except briefly, for their minds are dangerously unbounded and attract predators from the psychic realms of the warp. Daemons or other warp entities can home in to the mind of an Outcast and lodge in the psycho-supportive environment of the Craftworld's wraithbone core. Outcasts are also disruptive in another sense, for their presence can distract the young and inexperienced from the Eldar path by their romantic tales of travel and freedom.