Faceless One

Not long after The Prophecy has been translated, the researchers' interest was piqued by the mention of The Curtain, the beasts behind it, and the way to create masked warriors, who could face them and who wouldn't fear The Word.
It described how to find the right kind of people, who would survive the ritual, how to prepare special kind of armor that will hold their spirit, how to separate their soul from their old body and mark it with spirits from beyond The Curtain, and how to bind it to the armor.

Finding the right person

According to the ancient texts, the best way to reduce the risk of ritual failing is to find the person who meets most of the following conditions:

• They were close to death at some point - The soul of anyone, who was very close to dying or dead for some time, is a little less attached to their body. As such, separating their body and their soul will cause less stress that could lead to their soul leaving permanently.
• They don't have many attachments to this world - Just like above, the soul of someone who is not attached to this world, either by their family, friends, unfinished business or ambitions, will go through much lesser pain when disconnecting from the body.
• They had an encounter with the beings from beyond The Curtain - If they ever came across the spirits, their smell would stick to the soul, so when their soul is "submerged" in The Curtain, the spirits will see it as another one of them instead of the easy prey.

Preparing the "new body"

The body of the Faceless One is made out of three things that are counterparts of the body of a living being (four, if counting the soul attached later).

• Bones - In this case literal ones. To create the Faceless One, a real skeleton is needed. When one is found, it needs to be covered in the sacred texts described by The Prophecy. The bones let the soul attach itself again to the material world, as they act as an anchor.
• Blood - Special, transparent liquid needs to be prepared and then poured into the tubes that are coiled around the bones and the body, simulating the veins. During the ritual, the liquid will take on the color best suiting the soul. This color is used in the name of the Faceless One, as it reflects who they are and who can they be. This liquid lets them manifest their powers and changes color if their Nightmare runs amok.
• Skin - The armor that will protect the bones and blood from spilling. It can warp to let the Faceless Ones eat (a horrific sight).

While the Bones and their preparation couldn't be changed, the tubes that create the veins and the armor have been modernized. They are now created of synthetic materials that are both light, elastic, durable, and hard.

The ritual

When the participant and new body are prepared, the ritual can be finally executed.
It should be performed in the place where The Curtain is already thin. The best time to do it is during the new moon or full moon, as that is when the border between the world gets blurry. Both the old and new body are placed in a circle with their heads next to each other.
That is when the leader of the ceremony reads out the words from The Prophecy that will separate the soul from the old body. Another person starts to play the drums as their beat can influence the movement of the soul. At this point, the soon-to-be Faceless One stops breathing and all of their life functions cease.
At the same time, the soul goes beyond The Curtain where it could be consumed by the spirits at any point. If the luck smiles on them, the spirits will only "bump" into the soul and part of them will entangle with it.
After the right amount of the drumbeats, the leader of the ceremony reads out another sentence. That one brings the marked soul back to the material world and connects it to the new body. If all went right, the Blood will change the color, the Body will change to suit the soul better, and the new Faceless One will be born.

Important terms

The Sight

Having the soul marked by the spirits lets the Faceless Ones perceive them, The Curtain and fissures in it.

The Nightmare

When the part of the spirit mixes with the soul of a human it doesn't give up entirely. It will feed on the insecurities and the fears of the Faceless One (even the ones they do not remember) and then it will try to take control over the body they share. It can try to do so when the Faceless One is heavily wounded or feels any kind of very strong emotion.
As such, most of the Faceless Ones try to act calm and reserved. If they ever lose control, they will change into the Warped Ones, after which they will never be able to revert.

Powers

The Nightmare isn't an entirely negative thing. It lets the Faceless One to use the power of the spirit their soul was mixed with. Such power is usually shaped around weakening or destroying the spirits.

Basic Information

Anatomy

All of them are humanoid, but their look and number of arms they possess varies from one individual to another.

Genetics and Reproduction

They cannot reproduce

Growth Rate & Stages

They do not grow, as they are dead.

Ecology and Habitats

Most of them were created specifically for the environment they would be deployed in. As such, the composition of their Bodies can vary depending on the prevailing conditions in a specific climate.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Before The Curtain has fallen, they had to eat things containing spiritual energy, or even the spirits themselves, regularly.
After it has happened there is so much spiritual energy in the air, they don't need to do so anymore.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

The name of the Faceless Ones comes from the fact that (what would be pretty easy to guess), they don't have human faces and instead they have various masks or helmets.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Faceless Ones were created in 5 different places of the world, but they were then spread out all over the world to control the "leaks" from beyond The Curtain.

Average Intelligence

When the new Faceless One is born they lose most, if not all, of the memories from their previous life, however, they keep the same level of intelligence they had before.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Even if their masks do not possess any orifices or apparatuses, they can see, smell and feel like a normal human could.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Their names (or rather titles) are made out of two parts.
First one is the color of their Blood.
The second one is chosen by creators of the Faceless One and they usually come from the professions or titles used all around the world.
As such there were Faceless Ones named White Fencer, Grey Prince, Golden Efreet and Azure Magus.

Major Organizations

The Faceless

Relationship Ideals

Faceless Ones rarely form any sort of relationship between themselves or the humans, however, there were cases where that happened.

Common Taboos

As there is a spirit mixed in with a human soul inside their body, Faceless Ones sometimes acquire the Taboo of the spirit inside of them.
They also have to watch out with their emotions as to not make their Nightmare take over them and change them into the Warped One.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Genetic Descendants

• Warped One

Average Height

1.3 - 2.5 meters

Average Weight

20 - 90 kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Fresh Body is created with neutral grey color, but after their Blood takes on the color, they are painted so that their body matches its hue.

Related Myths

• The Prophecy