Mask (Forgotten Realms)
Encyclopedia
Mask is a fictional deity from the Dungeons & Dragons
Forgotten Realms
campaign setting. His portfolio (areas of concern) includes Shadows and thievery
. Mask is a Neutral Evil Intermediate Power whose symbol is a black velvet mask tinged with red. His divine realm is Shadow Keep in the Plane of Shadow, and his Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons
domains are Darkness, Evil, Luck, and Trickery.
created Mask for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, a rewritten version of the Greek deity Hermes
found in the original Deities & Demigods
book, stripped of justice and caduceus
.
#54 (October 1981). Mask is introduced as the Lord of Shadows, god of thieves and intrigue, a neutral evil lesser god from the plane of Hades
. Mask is commonly worshipped by thieves
of any evil alignment, as well as neutral evil magic-users
, assassins
, and clerics
.
Mask later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
(1996).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
(2002).
.
, Mask—as the sword Godsbane
—was caught up in the plots of Cyric
and was used to help kill Bhaal
. He was stripped of his portfolio element of intrigue by the upstart Mad God when he was tricked into reading the Cyrinishad, a powerful artifact created by Cyric. For the loss of intrigue to his portfolio, Mask harbors a burning hatred for Cyric. The First of the Five Chosen of Mask, Erevis Cale
, indirectly aided his god in one of the greatest thefts of all time. One of the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse was stolen by Mask and placed on the Wayrock, far in the Inner Sea. The Second of Five, Drasek Riven, cares for the Temple on the Wayrock and awaits the call of the Shadowlord.
In 1374 DR Mask relinquished his divinity and his life over to Shar to repay a millennia-old debt to the goddess, who was revealed to be his "mother" as well as the person he served as a herald. Just before his death, Shar reveals Mask's true name as Lessinor, though its origin (either as a mortal name or birth name) is not explained. A portion of Mask's divinity—the portion stolen by Kesson Rel—was absorbed in equal portions by Erevis Cale
, Drasek Riven, and Prince Rivalen of the Shade enclave. Erevis then sacrificed himself to Mephistopheles
, the archdevil Lord of Cania, in payment for releasing the half of the soul of Magadon that he ate; Mephistopheles in turn absorbed the portion of Mask's divinity held by Cale.
, it is rumored that the Cult of Mask maintains a large network of informants throughout the cities of the realm. It is also rumored that this network provides employment for all sorts of thieves, beggars and thugs. Priests of Mask are known as the Circle of the Gray Ribbon.
and Helm, and he has earned the enmity of Shar, Deneir, Oghma, Torm
, Tyr, Selûne
, and—worst of all—the entity known as Kezef the Chaos Hound, who pursued the Lord of Shadows a decade after the Time of Troubles, but whom Mask managed to get off his trail by acquiring a magic sword called Houndsbane, a gift from the Goddess Mystra after the end of the time of troubles. Near the end of the book "Shadowrealm" Mask is revealed to be a herald of Shar, and in actuality, her own son. At birth, he had stolen some of Shar's divinity, which is how he became a god in the first place. At the end of the book, Mask willingly lets Shar, his own mother, kill him to regain her stolen piece of divinity.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting. His portfolio (areas of concern) includes Shadows and thievery
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
. Mask is a Neutral Evil Intermediate Power whose symbol is a black velvet mask tinged with red. His divine realm is Shadow Keep in the Plane of Shadow, and his Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
domains are Darkness, Evil, Luck, and Trickery.
Publication history
Ed GreenwoodEd Greenwood
Ed Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
created Mask for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, a rewritten version of the Greek deity Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
found in the original Deities & Demigods
Deities & Demigods
Deities & Demigods , alternatively known as Legends & Lore , is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction...
book, stripped of justice and caduceus
Caduceus
The caduceus is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
Mask first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#54 (October 1981). Mask is introduced as the Lord of Shadows, god of thieves and intrigue, a neutral evil lesser god from the plane of Hades
Gray Waste
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Gray Waste is a strongly evil aligned plane of existence...
. Mask is commonly worshipped by thieves
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
of any evil alignment, as well as neutral evil magic-users
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, assassins
Assassin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The assassin is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It first appeared in 1975 in the Blackmoor supplement, as a thief sub-class. It next appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons again as a thief sub-class...
, and clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
.
Mask later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
Mask was described in the hardback Forgotten Realms AdventuresForgotten Realms Adventures
Forgotten Realms Adventures is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign expansion book. The book was designed by Julia Martin with Eric L. Boyd, and additional design by Ed Greenwood, L. Richard Baker III, and David Wise...
(1996).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
Mask appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001), and is further detailed in Faiths and PantheonsFaiths and Pantheons
Faiths and Pantheons is a campaign accessory for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons, for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.-Contents:...
(2002).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
Mask appears in The Twilight War trilogy by Paul S. KempPaul S. Kemp
Paul S. Kemp is a fantasy author most known for his Forgotten Realms novels. Some examples of his work include Resurrection, the final installation of War of the Spider Queen series...
.
History
During the Time of TroublesTime of Troubles (Forgotten Realms)
The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game...
, Mask—as the sword Godsbane
Godsbane
In The Avatar Series, a quintet of novels based in the Forgotten Realms setting, Godsbane was a magical sword which was actually a manifestation of the deity Mask and was wielded by the then-mortal Cyric during the Time of Troubles...
—was caught up in the plots of Cyric
Cyric
Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...
and was used to help kill Bhaal
Bhaal
Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....
. He was stripped of his portfolio element of intrigue by the upstart Mad God when he was tricked into reading the Cyrinishad, a powerful artifact created by Cyric. For the loss of intrigue to his portfolio, Mask harbors a burning hatred for Cyric. The First of the Five Chosen of Mask, Erevis Cale
Erevis Cale
Erevis Cale is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms series of books, which are published by Wizards of the Coast and based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
, indirectly aided his god in one of the greatest thefts of all time. One of the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse was stolen by Mask and placed on the Wayrock, far in the Inner Sea. The Second of Five, Drasek Riven, cares for the Temple on the Wayrock and awaits the call of the Shadowlord.
In 1374 DR Mask relinquished his divinity and his life over to Shar to repay a millennia-old debt to the goddess, who was revealed to be his "mother" as well as the person he served as a herald. Just before his death, Shar reveals Mask's true name as Lessinor, though its origin (either as a mortal name or birth name) is not explained. A portion of Mask's divinity—the portion stolen by Kesson Rel—was absorbed in equal portions by Erevis Cale
Erevis Cale
Erevis Cale is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms series of books, which are published by Wizards of the Coast and based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
, Drasek Riven, and Prince Rivalen of the Shade enclave. Erevis then sacrificed himself to Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Mephistopheles is an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Lord of No Mercy" and the "Cold Lord"....
, the archdevil Lord of Cania, in payment for releasing the half of the soul of Magadon that he ate; Mephistopheles in turn absorbed the portion of Mask's divinity held by Cale.
Followers
Within the mythos of Forgotten RealmsForgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, it is rumored that the Cult of Mask maintains a large network of informants throughout the cities of the realm. It is also rumored that this network provides employment for all sorts of thieves, beggars and thugs. Priests of Mask are known as the Circle of the Gray Ribbon.
Relationships
Mask himself doesn't tend to make enemies (excepting Cyric); however, it is his nature to oppose WaukeenWaukeen
Waukeen , is the fictional goddess of coins and wealth in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
and Helm, and he has earned the enmity of Shar, Deneir, Oghma, Torm
Torm
Torm may refer to:* Dampskibsselskabet Torm, a shipping company* Torm , a fictional deity...
, Tyr, Selûne
Sélune
The Sélune is a 91 km long river in the Manche department, Normandy, France, beginning near Saint-Cyr-du-Bailleul. It empties into the bay of Mont Saint-Michel near Avranches, close to the mouth of the Sée river. Other towns along the Sélune are Barenton, Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët and...
, and—worst of all—the entity known as Kezef the Chaos Hound, who pursued the Lord of Shadows a decade after the Time of Troubles, but whom Mask managed to get off his trail by acquiring a magic sword called Houndsbane, a gift from the Goddess Mystra after the end of the time of troubles. Near the end of the book "Shadowrealm" Mask is revealed to be a herald of Shar, and in actuality, her own son. At birth, he had stolen some of Shar's divinity, which is how he became a god in the first place. At the end of the book, Mask willingly lets Shar, his own mother, kill him to regain her stolen piece of divinity.