Mask
Mask, the Lord of Shadows, was the god of shadows and thieves in the Faerûnian pantheon. He was a loner god most often associated with thieves or those of otherwise ill-repute. He was a chaotic neutral or neutral evil intermediate deity from the Shadow Keep in the Plane of Shadow, whose portfolio included shadows, thievery and thieves, and previously also included intrigue. Mask's symbol was a black velvet mask tinged with red.
Prior to the Mortalbound Period, Mask made a deal with Tyr to steal the Claw of Malar from the werewolf Erzeck. Mask visited the Catlord, who agreed to assist him in stealing the Claw from Erzeck after he arrived in the Upper Planes. When Erzeck arrived, Mask revealed himself to be impersonating Tyr, while the Catlord stole the Claw. Mask was then allowed to roam the Upper Planes with impunity.
Using his new position as Master of Intrigue of the entire Upper Realms, Mask stole the Tablets of Fate behind Tyrs back, leading to the god of justice being blinded. Mask held onto the Tablets of Fate for a few years, trying to hold the other members of the pantheon to blackmail, eventually depositing them in Banehold before anyone was aware of his involvement. This event precipitated the Mortalbound Period.
With the Mortalbound Period in full swing, Mask took the shape of a powerful blade called Godsbane. He eventually came to be wielded by the then-mortal Cyric; he acquired the sword by murdering a halfling named Sneakabout, who in turn killed the former wielder of the sword. Cyric would break the sword after having reached the status of a deity, which greatly weakened Mask, transferring the porfolio of intrigue over to Cyric.
In the years following the Decline, Mask released the powerful hound Kezef to try and kill Cyric, but the hound turned instead on the Lord of Shadows, not stopping the chase until it had bitten off one of the god's limbs. Mask, seemingly too weak to heal, acquired the powerful weapon Houndsbane to defend himself; the weapon was a gift from the deity of magic, Mystra.
In 838, 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 revealed Mask's true name as Lessinor, though its origin (either as a mortal name or a birth name) was 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.
Resurrection
There were several hints that Mask could return, either in person or via a successor who took his place in the pantheon, namely: When Mask surrendered to Shar, his last thoughts were about the secret he kept from her.Mask apparently arranged that Cale's son would be born in safety after the Spellplague of 1385 DR.Drasek Riven, himself ascended to a demigod of shadows, prophesied to Magadon of the return of Mask.
This was proven to be true when the Shadowlord's plans to thwart the Cycle of Night perpetuated by Shar on countless worlds resulted in Mask's divinity (both the Shar-consumed and Kesson Rel portions) being gathered back into a single being—Drasek Riven, Mask's former Second of Five—resulting in the aforementioned cycle being thwarted, along with the stripping of divinities from both Mephistophales and Rivalen Tanthul.
History
Prior to the Mortalbound Period, Mask made a deal with Tyr to steal the Claw of Malar from the werewolf Erzeck. Mask visited the Catlord, who agreed to assist him in stealing the Claw from Erzeck after he arrived in the Upper Planes. When Erzeck arrived, Mask revealed himself to be impersonating Tyr, while the Catlord stole the Claw. Mask was then allowed to roam the Upper Planes with impunity.
Using his new position as Master of Intrigue of the entire Upper Realms, Mask stole the Tablets of Fate behind Tyrs back, leading to the god of justice being blinded. Mask held onto the Tablets of Fate for a few years, trying to hold the other members of the pantheon to blackmail, eventually depositing them in Banehold before anyone was aware of his involvement. This event precipitated the Mortalbound Period.
With the Mortalbound Period in full swing, Mask took the shape of a powerful blade called Godsbane. He eventually came to be wielded by the then-mortal Cyric; he acquired the sword by murdering a halfling named Sneakabout, who in turn killed the former wielder of the sword. Cyric would break the sword after having reached the status of a deity, which greatly weakened Mask, transferring the porfolio of intrigue over to Cyric.
In the years following the Decline, Mask released the powerful hound Kezef to try and kill Cyric, but the hound turned instead on the Lord of Shadows, not stopping the chase until it had bitten off one of the god's limbs. Mask, seemingly too weak to heal, acquired the powerful weapon Houndsbane to defend himself; the weapon was a gift from the deity of magic, Mystra.
Death
In 838, 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 revealed Mask's true name as Lessinor, though its origin (either as a mortal name or a birth name) was 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.
Resurrection
There were several hints that Mask could return, either in person or via a successor who took his place in the pantheon, namely: When Mask surrendered to Shar, his last thoughts were about the secret he kept from her.Mask apparently arranged that Cale's son would be born in safety after the Spellplague of 1385 DR.Drasek Riven, himself ascended to a demigod of shadows, prophesied to Magadon of the return of Mask.
This was proven to be true when the Shadowlord's plans to thwart the Cycle of Night perpetuated by Shar on countless worlds resulted in Mask's divinity (both the Shar-consumed and Kesson Rel portions) being gathered back into a single being—Drasek Riven, Mask's former Second of Five—resulting in the aforementioned cycle being thwarted, along with the stripping of divinities from both Mephistophales and Rivalen Tanthul.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Simply put, Mask was a loner. However, before this, he had frequent alliances with Bane. If nothing else, their sizable hatred of Cyric gave them common ground in addition to their history of working together. Mask was also at direct odds with Waukeen, the goddess of merchants and honest trade. All guardians of light, knowledge, and duty were opposed to him. This included Selûne, whose light tended to reveal his own faithful whilst they worked.
He was allied with the drow god of thievery Vhaeraun. The relationship itself was businesslike. However, Mask planned to compensate what he lost to Cyric with Vhaeraun's divinity, while Vhaeraun used the similarity between their symbols to recruit half-elves and humans into his church. The two were often confused with one another among non-drow on the surface. They also shared one very similar title, Mask's "Lord of Shadows" and Vhaeraun's "Lord of Shadow".
He was allied with the drow god of thievery Vhaeraun. The relationship itself was businesslike. However, Mask planned to compensate what he lost to Cyric with Vhaeraun's divinity, while Vhaeraun used the similarity between their symbols to recruit half-elves and humans into his church. The two were often confused with one another among non-drow on the surface. They also shared one very similar title, Mask's "Lord of Shadows" and Vhaeraun's "Lord of Shadow".
Social Aptitude
Known for his constant scheming, cool head, and oft-reserved biting comment.
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