Gosfet

Through veil we see the world eternal.

— Xusfia of the Hidden Covenant

Gosfet (Xivi: dqw), also known as Witch Veil, or Lamia Mask, is a broad term predominantly referring to a type of magical mask, bestowed by Lomot, crafted by the lamia, and introduced to Album during the Great Exile of the Witches of 333.
Gosfets hold great significance for the lamias as divine protection, sacred tombstones, and powerful Tenuma amplifiers. They had been worn by many lamias entering the mortal realm, yet that number has dwindled notably throughout the years. The few masks that remain today are coveted by many art collectors and jealously guarded by witches of Marevet.

Origin

Our Dormant Mother ʝąƖơɱơɬ gave us her faces, so we too could dream forever.

— Lyxia the Grin Witch

The origin of the gosfet dates back to the Endless Immortal War - an era unbound by time and devoid of any written records. As such, there are only the surviving testimonies of old lamias to shed light on the matter of the masks.

Legend of the Faces of Lomot

When Lilu met Lomot in the greatest depths of Gallana Amon, the goddess presented her with the Pact of Faces. Lilu's face was torn away and devoured by Lomot, and in exchange, her people became the lamia - 'children of the waking dream'. The endless war came to an end - like many other endless things - yet Lliu's people did not. Protected from Mavet's snow and Leva's severed moon, lamias would live immortal until they reached the Amonim.
The first one to achieve the perfect dream was none other than Lilu herself. She carried the truth with her into the sacred grove of Gallana Amon and opened the path to Lomot's embrace. Her eight daughters observed her transcendence, stricken with grief and joy as they watched their mother's body crystalize and her soul illuminate.
Lilu's crystal form became her tombstone, and all her daughters stepped back in reverence - all but one. The youngest of them approached her mother's sleeping corpse and carved out its face with a knife she crafted from shroud. The young lamia held up her mother's face and wore it as her own in front of all of her sisters. Cries and screams echoed through the deep forest, only to be lulled a moment later. The young one exited the grove alone with the gosfet over her face, Lilu's spirit dwelling within.

Introduction to Album

If the forest was our womb, the gosfet is the umbilical cord.

— Giva the Glaze Witch

It is unknown to what end gosfets were used back in Gallana Amon, but their role after the Great Exile of the Witches was always evident. Crossing the border into the mortal realm of Album stripped the lamia of most of their powers. Their Tenuma grew significantly weaker, as did their connection with Lomot. Worst of all, their immortality drained away from them, aging the oldest lamias so rapidly death claimed them in an instant. The only ones who were immune to the curse of mortality were those fortunate enough to have their gosfets on as they entered the Albian Kingdom.
The few masked elders thus became the Damurim - 'witch-leaders' of their people. They gradually split into separate small communities, each headed by at least one Damuri. Most Albian settlements demanded the removal of the gosfets before the lamia could be admitted as refugees. This led to several communities scattering to the wilderness, while others hid their Damurim or negotiated a compromise.

Art

'She dared not look at me. I dared not avert my gaze. Her face was filled with a lust for the flesh, holding unknown depths; a true gosfet of a woman.'

— Albian literature

For the first hundred years after the exile, lamias managed to hide the gosfets' supernatural essence from humans. The Albians feared or admired the Damurim solely based on the mysterious nature of their masks. Their shapes were all unique and intriguing, featuring designs that weren't conceived of yet in Album. This sparked newly-found inspiration with up-and-coming artists hoping to make a name for themselves.
One such man was Behen Ailemasela, whose most successful paintings managed to engrave the gosfets' beauty and untold value in the kingdom's collective perception. This - along with other celebrated works - eventually led to a nationwide craze with the masks. Many sculptors attempted to imitate the gosfets' enchanting appearances, and citizens from all parts of the land began to wear them as a fashion statement. Some young lamias decided to wear the imitations as well, creating a cultural bridge between the two races for the first time.

War

To show your face is to show your humanity. Witches have none.

— Zalem the Drunk Blight

During Album's second civil war, lamias were targeted by the Imansipata Militia and treated as hostile enemies. This was the last straw for several communities that decided to break their peaceful ways and fend off their aggressors. In one of the most famous battles of the war, the Battle of Bloody Tears, a Damuri witch revealed her hidden magic in a violent display of dark Tenuma. Her gosfet shone brightly as Sleep-Demons were unleashed upon all who threatened her people.

Although the witch's strength was overwhelming, an Imansipata soldier, Zalem, was able to best the masked witch, kill her and claim her gosfets. Following this revelation, there were rumors of a secret expedition into Gallana Amon in search of more masks. Queri, a collector from Mavar, claimed the gosfet she possessed was bequeathed to her by her grandfather, who was a part of said expedition.

Properties

While each gosfet has its unique appearance, there are definitely similarities between them. They are all large, heavy pieces of an unknown crystal-like substance. One theory suggests that the number of eye holes reflects how many lamias had given their faces to any specific mask.

Tenuma Abilities

Whether there is credibility to the legend, it is certain that 'true gosfets' hold incredible magical powers that are only accessible to those the masks deem worthy. Aside from multiplying the potency of a lamia's Tenuma, they are known to give their user access to the 'dream realm', drawing a unique power tied to their gosfet. Some rare humans are said to be worthy of giving their face to Lomot and gain her influence.

Collectors

Leave now, human. I will not sell it to you. It could lead to your death... or mine

— A Damuri's warning

With the discovery of their hidden potential, the lamia masks' popularity increased significantly across the human kingdom. Various - and often opposing - factions went to great lengths to acquire as many 'true' gosfets as possible.

Asfa Collectors

A guild mainly consisting of aristocrats and nobles. These collectors have always pursued remarkable objects, from lost heirlooms to gosfets and even the gods' artifacts. When word spreads about any item of interest, one can expect the guild to send their men after it, or at the very least, fund others to do the same. The acquired pieces are then either stored away in a vault or sold to the Immortal Museum.

Immortal Museum

Founded during the first century of the mortal age, the Immortal Museum commemorates any and all pieces from the bygone endless era. Since the connection was made between the gosfets and their granted immortality, the museum has happily received and displayed them alongside other artifacts. In 512, agents of Marevet broke into the museum and stole all the gosfets. For the first time in the museum's history, it was forced to close down for a day.

Marevet

The secret lamia organization is known to pull no stops when it comes to the interest of witches. Gosfets hold greater significance to them than most other things, as they are willing to cross dangerous lines and burn political bridges in order to retrieve the masks. When attempting to obtain a gosfet, there is the risk of running into an agent of the organization.

Heofonists

The Movement for the Restoration of Heofones Gates, founded by Zalem, is a heinous cult that has sought the expulsion of lamias from the land of Album since the great exile. When the importance of the masks came to light, Heofonists aimed to destabilize the lamia communities by executing their Damurim and taking their masks as trophies.

Church of the Black Zombie

Followers of the Great Black Pillar, Xusfia of the Hidden Covenant, have shown interest in the masks more than once. Their reasons remain a mystery.

Temple of the Golden One

Worshipers of Za'haph seek to acquire and destroy all artifacts belonging to any of the other nine gods, for it is seen as heresy. Gosfets are no exception.

Fake Vs. Real

"Is this gosfet real or fake?"
"It is something in between"

— Underground artifact transaction

Album has seen a saturation of gosfet-like masks circulating in all corners of the kingdom. Some replicas show incredible detail and are sometimes hard to tell apart from the true ones. Though - even with fakes - the value of the mask is higher the older it is. Zaier, a wealthy art dealer, made his name by selling pieces perfectly resembling gosfets such as Majesty Dark and Frost Dame. The masks even retained some magical potency. It was only later revealed he fabricated the masks using human skulls coated with shroud from Gallana Amon.
It is said that every collector - as experienced as they may be - has fallen for a replica at least once. Some resort to buying their own manufactured masks at a high cost for a good price reference.

Famed Gosfets

"Green Grin"

Spirit: Melatoneramishas
Owner: Lyxia the Grin Witch
Belonged to one of history's most famous witches. Lyxia's Green Grin is believed to have been the face of Melaton, the lamia who created the sleeping trees of Gallana Amon. When worn by Lyxia, it had the ability to induce sleep accompanied by pleasant dreams. The victims of the spell would often smile - hence the name. After Lyxia's affair with a human man led to her execution, the mask was claimed by the crown and passed to the hand of a nobleman. Unaware of the risks, the man tried on the mask and was rendered blind by it. It was then sold off to the Immortal Museum, before being stolen by Marevet.

"Frost Dame"

Spirit: Keralotifitsk
Owner: Giva the Glaze Witch
Belonged to Giva, the witch who is blamed for the Sea Terror Incident that turned the southern coastal line of the kingdom into the Ghastly Coast. Frost Dame's power was shown to be a terrifying explosion of anti-life icy substance that kills all organic matter it comes into contact with. The mask was thought to have been lost for centuries, until an expedition to Haso Phsheli managed to unearth the gosfet. All members of the expeditions disappeared in the days following the discovery, along with the mask.

"Lost Jester"

Spirit: Shimavia
Owner: Bonix the Artifice Witch
There are no records as to the life of the witch Bonix, yet her gosfet achieved great renown in Album as the most popular design among artists and fabricators. It is unknown what draws so many to Lost Jester. Still, its replicas are virtually identical to the original and possess the ability to replicate inanimate objects that their wearers directly view. Several people claim theirs is the original and even Marevet is unsure if the one they claimed is the one.

"Heart Shred"

Spirit: Xivjoazaki
Owner: Mola the Lust Witch
Mola has been known to have numerous sexual partners and hundreds of admirers, men and women alike. Much of this is attributed to Heart Shred, which can give its owner the ability to 'satisfy' all who they view through it. Mola was executed - along with seven other Damurim - by Heofonists during the Nights of the Drunken Blight. Her mask was taken by the cult and used by one of its highest-ranking commanders.

"Majesty Dark"

Spirit: ??????
Owner: ????????
IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~
IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~
IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~
IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~
IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~ IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~IT BRINGS THE NIGHT ~

"Arch Light"

Spirit: Paliknetra
Owner: Xetra the Star Witch
Arch Light, 'the mask that could bring down the stars', was able to summon constellations from the plain of Lomot. Through it, Xetra navigated the paths of the mortal realm. It was unclear how it worked, as she only described it as 'choosing the perfect path to walk'. In battle, Xetra would make exact and smooth movements, defeating her opponents in a marvelous dance. The one and last time she suffered a defeat was when she faced Retza Frekter. Making a wrong move for the first time, Xetra left herself exposed to Frekter's attack that shattered her Arch Light and the top of her head with it.