SOLITAIRES - Harlequin Lore

[Music] [Music] [Music] we are traveling alone yet not incognito and bemused but that is a usual state of affairs for me my master will explain if it is required I have no doubt that when all of this whatever this is concludes I will gain a rundown of actions taken and the motivations if it is not abundantly clear by that time of course we traveled by a standard liner quite a lot more opulent than I am accustomed to if truth be told dinners with the captain tours by the XO baffling we usually move so quietly use our own vessel my master must want us to be known it seems upon reaching our destination we took a small transport down to the plant with a dozen or so other Wayfarers until calm and cool but intensely stare our environment as we stand in line to be processed our travel permits perused and cleared I attempt to gain my bearings smell people always forget that one of our most powerful senses and smell every planet has a distinct smell the makeup of its air the ages of the world how unjust realized it was etc but each smells differently I cannot smell anything but the metal around us for a moment it is disconcerting but I am busy in other ways watching weighing identifying as I had been taught to do by my master he wears a calm air but I can see the tension in his stance he is weary on edge with none behind as we stand separated from the queue and we talk banana cheese until the people in front of us are inert to any consideration of listening in your tense my master we are vulnerable at the moment by design he smiles at me and I see the twinkle in his eye that means I am NOT this for pointing him today I spot the guards at the entry point to the world outside as people muster their the doors are not opened too often it would seem certainly not more Anthony's required there were three guards now there are only two our advent has been noted it seems you will precede me in act as a beater do not slack off or we will be overrun but I know keep my wits about me lay on then talk on us the door slowly groaned open and we are assailed by the first kiss of delight from the powerful yellow Sun over this world and I immediately know why the door is usually closed and there are space of some form of perfume and inside the port as we are sailed by the spectacle of the bazaar bazaars of bilious rabbit Oran try saying that after a bottle of ham a sec the light sound heat and smells are overwhelming but in the most glorious of ways we head out into the crowded market McCain now being used as a club to knock people on shoulders and shins to get them to back away to allow us to pass after the initial surge of beggars and thieves have tasted the speed and strength of my robust they make it cordon around us just out of my range we process through the market my eyes everywhere at the same time above us are our only two-story white buildings glaring in the right perfect for an assassin I am aware we pass grilles over an ancient sewer system perfect from the assault or explosion I am aware surrounded by bodies my cane slams out regularly but I'm always watching every angle around us looking for eyes to certain the stare there will not be broken following us out of a pure motive than just the contents of our credit bags the CID rules we wear the badge of the Inquisitor so usually hidden give some pause I know I am having to work a less hard due to its implicit threat but my master is very tense indeed he exudes an air of haughty superiority but I can see his stance again he is searching for something we past stands and soars with every form of object every kind of taste and smell but still he searches a good part of the morning has gone when I see him take pause we stand before some beggars or sways did those threadbare gray robes Boland hand stretched upwards in supplication my master stops when I slash around us to keep back the crowds he makes his way to the beggars heading to the front of their line he places a very nice credit donation to one after another and speaks them swiftly but smoothly when he gets thought last he is closer to me and I hear what is exchanged all previous donations being asked lean to this one event arms for the righteous are you righteous I am NOT but I wish to know if I can be a service to thee this day then you must repent and yes I have need of your services this day if you do this all debts will be paid all and aid all then find me in your shadow this day my master stands erect again but his stance has shifted he stands more tall less hunched best quarters he stands confidently more so than at any time since we left his retinue for a brief respite the hands on the bigger just as he pulls the bowl to his stomach and enclose his entire form around it to defend it they were too slender to dawn my master stands before me and calmly says let us say how much inference is being exerted here shall we boy he makes his way to an inn of swords but when we approach the sign is turned from inside it stands from vacancies to no rooms we turn and see this happen thrice moreover the next hour the last one to do so has to come outside to inch his sign from open to closed it is in this instant I catch him and with no small amount of intimidating body language but bellow at him my master requires Lord James you will remove a guest so he may recline the wide-eyed terror of the short portly man is almost comedic he jumps then bends into the lowest bow I have ever seen one soloed seems to define gravity itself as he speaks to my boots alas it is not space but illness that causes me to temporarily close my fine establishment but I suggest the Imperials finest it is on the hill and commands a view of breathtaking beauty it is the only place where there were men so importance you master that speaks volumes it is as I suspected finally time for the end of our dance let us head towards Imperium finest and shall we for a moment my mother's eyes glazed as he speaks that last sentence reminiscing but in another instant it is gone and we move we make our way to the center of this bazaar to its largest building the largest luxury Lord rings as we get near a fewer and fewer beggars and pickpockets attempt to assail us by the last few roads we have passed guard stations that have held all of the rest of them back it is much quieter here but the intense smells are still present the lack of crowds after most of the day amongst them is both relieving and also sets me on edge very fewer permitted this high our budget of office and clear affluence mark us out as being amongst those very few the impairments furnace is not easy to miss standing on the very top of this hill as it does we can see the entire valley and city from the stairs at the base of its entrance marble stairs despite being windswept and having heat trails coming off their dazzling brilliance we climbed them on passno thick door made of a transparent material and a doused with perfume as we enter a cool huge pristine Lobby we go through the motions of checking in and all the while being watched by almost everyone there the bellow the receptionist the multiple guards on the insides of the doors all are trying their best not to stare at us but failing miserably we are certainly in the Lions Den now we recline at our leisure at the refreshment area surly slopping drinks for another hour when we are finally approached by the maitre d he eloquently invites us to a luncheon with the owner my master exception stands I follow suit see the huge dwelling we are led each room larger than the last until we finally end before doors that can only be described as palatial regal they're opened by the attendants within and we process inside as we do so the doors are closed behind us I snap a look at my master as I see what is awaiting us Bologna invisible when we entered the blatant trap on either side of the room are two huge Ogrin two more behind us of the threshold of the room a massive Ornette desk sits in front of us the chair behind it intimidatingly large and I water any complex in its carving and I mean I watering so detailed it actually hurts the senses to try to take it all in in one girl all along either end behind the Ogrin stand around a score of ruffians and near do whales all in different fatigues different weaponry but mostly like the ogron's they are melee weapons a huge packs here chain sword there possibly even a power sword from the hilt deserters from many a company and outfit but deserters trained killers the staircase behind the throne has a doorway at its top and it is slowly dramatically opened from this portal comes a huge man well over eight feet tall unarmed but his muscles seem to be flexing and are flexing and straining his clothes at all points cheekbones nerves or excitement by the way he is one of the most imposing figures I have ever witnessed he walks down the stairs slowly and regally taking his time but never once breaking his stare at my master his face now that he is closer is a collage of thousand scars and tattoos his eyes dauntless and calm with a tint of red was it purple in what is supposed to be white deston robes of exquisite finery he still seems like a warrior born a killing machine he finally stops at the side of his throne glaring over the time that my master as he has been you finally languidly and ostentatiously looks at me then back to my master so sad is a final act and this is how it ends no tearing no Falco's not even Barr born I'm insulted will you bring his a boy well I wasn't sure you see and talk - here is the most talented young man I have ever had the honor of knowing he is twice the man you will ever be I had hoped for a climactic end to our saga at my old foil this is a disappointment you come to my home my home unprepared and practically unarmed when I'm more powerful than I have ever been now you come not as an avenging angel but it's a beggar looking for a room have you fallen so far well you're a funny one to use that particular phrase sergeant I see you now house one of the never putting your very body as it fear to share was it everything you have wished for was it worth turning your back on righteousness righteous you dare say that to me I've had enough I'll tell ends now here with your head on my desk no I'm not alone nor am i are armed a figure steps in the dark in one of the corners of the room a simple being hunched in seeming decrepitude it is wearing a threadbare gray rub its face covered but it's long limbs now I'll show you bring one elder to this battle one you've lost your senses daddy Asst I know I thought it was overkill as well but he insisted Oh debts of water etc the being shook his head I'm really extended his hand at the newcomer enrolled two words only kth immediately everything exploded into action the room was instantly filled with an echoing roar as the two ogen at the door powered toward the lone elder now advancing into the center of the room near to us the renegades and further 2o grains at the side of the room moved more casually as they sport forward completing a fencing with both us and the elder at its center the Trojans slowed slightly as they get closer in an attempt not to collide but they are well trained for their kind one swings high one swings low a day older I cannot quite make out what happened as it moves faster than I can even process the robe 12:00 in the air and the Oh grains both stopped stock still their angry faces now in a dumbstruck victus they are there takes to the air in one fluid motion he kicks both of them and the severed heads fly towards the desk and one lands on either side both gawping of the Lord has its center still standing beside his chair the rest of the organs fall into a dozen pieces each blood finally flowing from what are now piles of bits on the floor when they over lands it is finally possible to make him out correctly he stands tall and proud and who has to sleep blades in his hands his body covered from tips of toes to head in a strange motley a checkered patchwork of various bright and brilliant colors everyone stops for a mere second as a sound begins to emanate from behind that master has two large horns jutting out of it unlike any elder I have ever seen before [Laughter] [Laughter] the moment ends as the being becomes a ball of light and pixelated colors as it moves like lightning across the floor bounding and leaping towards one of the clumps of renegades what I see is difficult to describe so bear with me it was like a ball of color the coalesced at rare points but more for show than anything else as it danced his way around the men played some hammers last consignee from power swords when skidding across the floor or flew in the air as each one was disarmed and then torn to pieces blades moving impossibly fast and seemingly cutting through anything as if it were not there the dance went on for less than twenty seconds in the wake of this ball of light and rough was a mounting line of dead nothing stopping it or even slowing it finally when the full circuit of the room had been performed the dust settled and the ball of color and light stopped all were dead barmy my master and the sting at the center now slowly walking backwards up the stairs eyes why what could only be called horror and they sure know no fear unless of course they fall from the Emperor's light my master now turns freely and looks at the Harlequin now slowly patting towards us I only need him alive smaller would be better for transporting the Elder nods once and then somersaults into the air coming down on the owner like a lightning pot he lands and he sought flashes out at his side spilling a thick line of blood onto the marble floor over his shoulder I see the arms of this traitor Marine fall to the ground he whines as he topples backwards and his torso leaves his legs in-situ forever just standing there now limbless and silent except for his glares at the elder are my master he suddenly seems so pathetic his scarred face twisted in a permanent glare for that is all he can do now impotently stay Chrigel lollygagging get a move on get him into that bag the most talented young man I have ever had the honor of knowing my master takes out a large bag he has inside his own one and serves it to me not to at anti think us weak boy mawkishness is the first sign of defeat as I unfold a bag large enough to hold my own fool I cannot help but quote again twice the man you'll ever be shut up boy welcome gentle listener I am bald Ahmad and I wish to introduce you to the forces and factions of the one a foot gate universe and today we are to explore in brief one of the most tragic figures in the whole of the grim darkness of the future for today we are to discuss one of the most lethal types of people in the galaxy the solitaires known as the apex killers of their entire race is blessed with a skill in personal combat that easily eclipses evening or talk or xr4 amongst a race built specifically for war there are none who can compare to the ferocity and power of a solitaire for the basics we shall be non-existing wisdom to quote solitaires solitaires are incredible warriors able to move faster than the naked eye can follow none even amongst the Harlequins know the true limit of their abilities tales exist of solitaires running up sheer fortress walls spilling from the shadows inside locked bunkers even slowly time itself they're impossible acrobatics are such that no blade can strike them nor bolt or blast find its mark upon their flesh embattled they are utterly lethal they're sizing kicks and hammer blow punches coming so fast that most foes are dead before they even realize fight has begun each individual solitaire is equal of a host of lesser warriors the first the foe knows of the solitaires onset is a shining blur of light and color streaking through their ranks then the killing begins soldiers fall eyes widening as heads are severed throats opened and hearts pierced blood falls like monsoon rain in the wake of a killer too fast to be seen only when the solitaire pauses for a second amidst the slaughter do the enemy get a glimpse of the executioner a domino field swirling around a life form a grotesque masked head tilted at a curious angle as the most some regards though is it hunts as a solitaire flows into motion again the deaths of those who remain are but moments away solitaire the strangest of all Harlequins they conceal themselves amongst craft world or corn ride society hiding their true nature as they wander from place to place only occasionally will Dee's dread figures reveal the monster that lurks beneath the facade joining a mask for a performance or battle before drifting on once more at such times they speak and are spoken to only in ritual form and are feared by most elder eye an ill omen this main of horror stems from the fact that alone among the Harlequins the solitaire plays the role of slyness as a result the solitaires world commands ultimate fear and respect it also makes them the most dangerous of all holiness for solitaire treads the path of damnation their essence doomed to be devoured by she who says knowledge of their souls forfeiture means the solitaire will ensure the cost of their foes is dear indeed before they make their end despite the dark fate that awaits them it is said the solitaires are touched by the Laughing God that they have his insight into the four and even the nature of the universe it is believed the solitaires know what will occur during the Ramadan drah who will prevail and what will remain of a galaxy saved or dead many other I believe that to speak to a solitary is to invite a grisly demise and there should an individual accidentally address or touch one of these lonely beings they will be better to take their own lives there and then end quote the tragic tale of every solitaire is different how they were tempted or teased into making a fateful pact with she who thirsts no less yet remain independent and driven enough to continue their battle in the name of the Laughing God's Agora their skills in combat are part of their role their doom so they perform a very specific role in the Ballet's of the Harlequins and there is one scene that cannot be performed unless it is with one of these rare and cursed elder present the most poignant an important dance that the troops enact the legend of the four to quote a hush descended as the performance began the first work was performed by a single troupe it was one of the many stories about the great Harlequin the Harlequins own master the warlock stood to one side mr. Sedley suits cycling through the shifting reds greens and golds of the storyteller as he over commentary with the projectors of light sound psychic impulse and programmed boosts nogen from the clay done unit on his back the Avatar danced the part of the Laughing God with his suit projecting the ever-changing lozenge pattern of the great Harlequin death entered he suits cycling through the decomposition of a body from flesh to bone to dust to nothingness and back again troopers danced around him falling at his touch the laughing god danced around the outside suddenly the performance stopped the high avatar of the dance without end walked to the front of the stage and looked out into the audience then he powered a bow of courtesy to a superior the audience sat in stunned silence then one figure Rose those who recognized him knew him only as an undistinguished infinity matrix technician he had lived on same hand for over a century humbly tending the circuitry that maintained the countless ancestors as a spirits in the body of the great ship now the high avatar of a Harlequin mask had bowed to him he nodded curtly as to a subordinate a walk towards the stage Sam Han is fortunate the higher avatars voice seemed uncomfortably loud after silence we shall perform the dance the message flashed around the craft were at the speed of thought all normal functions were suspended and every elder on same haunt came to the talaq cool halt even ancestors in the infinity circuit watched to the craft world's internal sensors at least once in their lives every elder should witness the dance the greatest of the Harlequins work retelling the story of the fall of the old race and keep the lessons of the fool alive in the spirits of the survivors but the dance is rarely performed since the key part cannot be danced by any member of a mask only the mystic solid tears those touched by the laughing god himself who pass in recognized as whim or design Muslim only those may dance the part of slyness the nine warrior is bounded into the center of the stage they decide he suits projecting a weaving pattern of colors as they danced the part of the old race the four warlocks took up positions around the outside emotions were monitored amplified and returned by their equipment as the elder lived the four of their ancestors felt a Joy's their prides their petty rivalries and they're driving passions three avatars dance the parts of the food and God sleeping cartwheel and somersaulting around amongst the dancers of the old race the dances of the old race became wilder the passion stronger their joys more extreme more menacing they came together like a whirlpool and broke upon something unseen hurled back as the solitary interview somersaulting from his unseen entrance to the center of the dancers an unfallen tarry shock ran through the audience at the sight of the allegorical figure of the chaos gods son ash his suit projecting a constantly rising mass of figures in attitudes of decadent pleasure from behind stylish seven figures appeared one by one to mingle with the old race first came the four mimes passing their central and disturbing movements to the other dancers as the demons they represented had spread the corruption of sign ash one by one the dancers of the old race began to protect the pattern of rising figures on their suits next came three dark figures deaths jesters suits displayed skeletons as they left and slew dragging the inert forms of the fallen gods to the feet a slash as the last fell a psychic scream from the warlocks echoed to the minds of the audience it shifted writhe like the Pattinson a dancer suits gradually coalescing into a chilling gibbering laugh of madness corruption and depravity but in the laugh was another voice a clearer laugh an ironic laugh a laugh which lasts because it chooses not to weep then at one side of the stage the high avatar entered his suit projecting their ever shifting multicolored lozenges of the Laughing God as he stoled casually on stage still laughing at the cosmic folly of the fallen he looked at the triumphal former slash atop the mound of rising dancers and he laughed he looked at the mime demons and the death jesters as they bore down upon him and he laughed for a moment he could not be seen among the press of sinuses minions but with a cry he flew about their heads tumbling in flight to land facing them as they turned he looked again two figures dropped as he touched them and five more clawed the empty air as he somersaulted across take his laugh now was one of Glee as he lept him tumbled evading the hunters and trailing him now and then to strike back he picked up the body of a death gesture and hurled it at the figure of slash who reels slightly at the impact with wild cried the great Harlequin leaped forward pulling a single dancer from the frito flesh and withdrew at his touch the rising figures on the dancers suit dissolved into a lozenge Patton and the dancer also began to laugh as he danced the dance of the horror Quinn the two of them put the remaining demons to flight and as last fell sinus joined the battle the confrontation between slash and the great Harlequin seemed to go on forever other dancers melted from the stage as the two figures lepton caught with and somersaulted around each other slowly in the background the mime demons and the Harlequin troopers took up the dance reflecting the movements of the two principals in perfect unison the dance ended abruptly with the struggle unresolved it was indeed the dance without end Lowell was quiet the dancers left the stage the audience sat stunned end quote the solitaire treads a dreadful path they know full well that they are to go to sign - on their ending so each will make it a thing worthy of song a matter of consequence to me the solitaire was merely an analogy for the elder race entire they know they are doomed but they fight anyway for to do otherwise is beneath them but now things have changed for the elder for they have in the yanari and the increased activity of the Harlequins something that they have not had since Anne Heche gave her first berthing scream that ended their civilization and doomed their race now they have hope I have been bought a lot your faithful servant if you have enjoyed this introduction to the solitaire then please do consider liking and subscribing if you do so then please do also remember to hit the notifications button I would not want you to miss out if you are a regular gentle listener than do please consider supporting us on patreon now no matter what you do today do try to make some time for fun too blue

Channel: Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer

Views: 132,463

Keywords: Warhammer 40K for beginners, Baldermort, Harlequins, Solitaire, Eldar Assassin, Slaanesh Eldar, Warhammer 40K Lore Harlequins, Warhammer 40K Stories Harlequins, Warhammer 40000 Solitaire Lore, Warhammer 40000 Eldar Lore Solitaires, Space Elves, Warhammer Eldar Lore

Id: JvBbp0kHi_w

Length: 31min 18sec (1878 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 30 2020