Sheagoresh the Laughing Fool, arebennian (Solitaire) of the Masque of the Silent Shroud, who had slaughtered the world of Sanctus Draco II without a sound, stepped out of the webway onto the grassy hillock, overlooking the lush landscape of Hotch, a region of Crion, and looked out upon the world . He had no idea what was so special about this planet but he knew what he had to do. The Book had explained it in great detail, every act he had to perform, every victory and defeat, and the Masques of the Silent Shroud and the Reaper's Mirth were ready to see their God's will through, until the Final Dance had been completed,and the Great Fool's plan was finally revealed in its entirety.

Sheagoresh looked out over Hotch. It was a lush region, filled with jade shrubbery that wrapped around the clowns' feet and towering trees topped with wide pink leaves. However, the landscape drastically changed as it neared the hive city Torcan and minor city New Pavus. Here, field upon field was filled with crops and rusting technology that bent over the plants like old men. And the cities themselves-especially Torcan-were masses of building like sores
across the skin of Crion, metal monstrosities packed with people.

"So this world is the stage,"Nysshea margorach (Death Jester) of the Masque of the Reaper's Mirth said, laughing cruelly as she stalked up to Sheagoresh, "I shall enjoy performing this act." And she erupted into manic laughter, dancing away from the Solitaire as she thought of painting her gory masterpiece upon the face of Crion.

The Masque of the Reaper's Mirth are masters of ironic murder, taking their God's bloody humour to the extreme, using battlefields to paint grisly pictures of death. For them, it is not enough to simply kill their enemies- they must be made examples of in the most extravagant manner. They take sardonic pleasure in inventive cruelty and in enacting performances of genocide and mass destruction. Because of this, the masque attracts more Death Jesters to it.

The Masque of the Silent Shroud acts in absolute silence, its Players speaking not a word. Their movements are but the softest sigh of silk upon the air. Even their weapons are muffled through technology and illusion, the hiss of gunfire and the clash of blades echoing dimly as through piercing the veil from another realm. This unsettles their foe, and often disorients them. Everything this masque does is veiled in secrecy and stealth, and it often appears from nowhere to stage impromptu performances without need for stage or accompaniment.

The Solitaire watched as the Death Jester pranced back in the mass of whirling bodies, then turned towards Hive Torcan. It had seen the Reaper's Mirth dance before, and knew that they would not leave this planet without staining it red. And it had every intention of helping in this endeavour, along with the Silent Shroud, for that was the Laughing God's will. And so, covered by a veil of tears, he lead the Harlequins towards the hive, the first part of a Cegorach's
Great Plan for this world.