The Veiled Path
| Masque of The Veiled Path | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Performance Specialties | Riddles, Illusions | |
| Tactical Specialties | Subterfuge, Deep-Strike Tactics | |
| Colours | Yellow-Green and Gold | |
The Masque of the Veiled Path is an enigmatic, deeply dangerous Masque with deep ties to Commoragh...and to all sorts of nasty things.
Overview
While all Harlequins are in some way riddle-smiths and illusion experts, nobody is quite as good at confusing, confounding, and concealing like the Veiled Path. Everything they do is seemingly just another riddle wrapped in an enigma, and if they've ever given an answer to a question that wasn't turned back on the asker, it's practically an astrological event. As a result, even other Harlequins don't trust these guys, and considering their long-standing history with causing numerous atrocities and betrayals, particularly against (or for) the Aeldari race, it's kinda hard to blame them.
Indeed, they've largely been deeply involved behind the scenes with many of the really important, if not outright bad things to happen to the race over the past millenium or so: The Shattering of an entire craftworld, the direct connection between Cegorach and Lady Malys, and were the hosts of the wake-turned-resurrection ritual of Asdrubael Vect, and the resurrection of Guilliman. And that's not even getting into their preference for turning daemon armies against themselves in Eldar-controlled space (namely, while Eldar are still there), and occasionally kidnapping Imperial Guard regiments to go fight their battles for them, then spirit them away into the Webway. If something bad is about to happen to the Eldar, or the Dark Eldar seem unusually bold, it's more often than not because the Veiled Path has done something.
Their engagements in battle are less open fights and more like a series of murders and kidnappings set to a light show. They move in and out between the battlers, confounding them with illusions and then killing them while they've been hopelessly turned around, assuming of course they haven't been kidnapped. As for what they're doing with those kidnapping victims? Who can say.
Given their proclivities for wanton cruelty and treachery, it's probably better that we don't know.
On the Tabletop
The Vailed Path is by far the most unusual Masque tabletop-wise. Their whole thing is dice-manipulation: with their Mascque Form - Riddle-Smiths allowing you roll a pair of dice during fight phases, and the lowest number rolled is now an automatic failure on any to-hit rolls. In theory? Potentially game breaking, as it applies across the entire army, but it is very difficult to make it work out in your favor. Everything else in their setup on the other hand, is purely deep-striking and aggression-based, as their warlord trait can allow the Webway assault stratagem to be used twice.