Maskthieves

It is actually a complex myth to follow, the myth of the maskthieves, and his origin is unkown too. There are various versions of it; It can be told as a horror tale to children, it can be used to cautiously express the changing personality of a Lucemi and some are suspicious of our deity or council to hide with masks of the people.

"The unaware and undisciplined youth is prone to deceivings. Be careful! Be perceptive! Be mindful of your surroundings! Quickly a beloved mask, maybe even your mother's, father's or siblings' will be stolen and then they will lead you to mischief, laziness and weakness! The Maskthieves love to mislead young Lucemi running around at night or strolling alone into the woods. They preach good will to you, but want your worst!"

— A grandmother to her grandchilde

"Did you meet Acca recently?"
"Has something happend to her?"
"She's different. I think a maskthief took her."

— Dialogue of two Lucemi

"I swear! Metina told me her brother was led into The Wilderness by one!
"Duh, Metina never had a brother."

— One kid to another

Summary

Four main usages of this myth can be discerned:

Monsters

It's seen as bad habit under most Lucemi; Still there are some who tell children the tale of the maskthieves to make them follow their guidancies out of fear. It might work, but tends to be very unsettling for them. It is the most unbased and the one with the most variations.

Criminals

The most based version, and the only one that sadly is reality for certainity, are criminals stealing or counterfeiting masks. They use it to frame their crimes onto someone or to deceive people. Luckily this is happening rarely as it's highly despited by the society.

High ones under us

Used more frequently since Ormir Zeremi's wive appeared, I assume this theory roots in the stories of deities, members of The Council and The Council's Guild masking themselves as other Lucemi for hidden missions. Sometimes it's even told that they obduct them for this. Well I never witnessed a Honrus using this strategy.

Metaphor

When someone strays off their path, shows unusual behavior or changed due to atrocious circumstances the term "One was taken by a maskthief" is used to touch the topic. Usually this is used when it's hard to describe the change or the reason is unkown. It probably has evolved from the other stories.