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Mask

God of Corruption and Criminality

0 · 2,961 views · located in Late Medieval.

a character in “Gods; A New Age.”, as played by Saxious

Description

ImageGod Name: Mask
Title: God of Criminality and Corruption
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral Evil.

Personality: Mask believes strongly that he represent the Human Nature of Anarchy and Disorder. He is quick to please and just as easy to ditch his followers. His favour comes and goes, and the few people who can hold his attention long enough are given rewards beyond mortal understanding.

Mask has a deep rooted hatred against Ulmo; the two has always fought against each other, Maskā€™s pirates raiding Ulmoā€™s Mortal Realm, and Ulmoā€™s fleets always hunting down his pirates and smugglers, bringing an end to good business.
Worst of all grudges, though, is the one against Murali. The two are sworn enemies, Murali standing for order and laws, and Mask standing for criminality and chaos. Their worshippers have been locked in several epic wars where it became a fight for survival rather than conquest.

Mask doesnā€™t just have enemies though, Nemea is one of the few Goddess that he would trust. The two have a ancient treaty, binding each other economically and militarily. The Dendapim and the Maskmen (as they are called) have stood up for one another and the Heckclown Free Workersā€™ Union have adopted the Dendapim currency as well as signed Non-Raiding Treaties (more on behalf of the Union than Dendapimā€™s).

Opinion of mortals: ā€œThey are like children. Let them have fun, after all, we wonā€™t be running short of them anytime soon!ā€

Godā€™s Domain: Maskā€™s domain is one large metropolis, filled with the spirits of his dead worshippers, who steal, murder, and rape as they did in life.
There is no sun in within the Realm of Criminals, forever night so the men of shadows will never have to worry about being caught in the morn and the weak street lamps only add to the excitement as mercenaries clash in the streets, dying only to be awaken again for another job.

The Realm of Criminals is a dangerous place. Those who arenā€™t welcome swiftly disappear in the darkness and those who arenā€™t known are reported to Mask himself.

In the center of the Realm rises a massive mansion, making even mountains seem small in comparison. Some say that is where Mask lives with few people who held his attention for more than five human years (a rare feat considering that everyone backstabs for his favour).
Yet, despite the vastness of the great mansion, Mask always conducts his business outside it. It isnā€™t known if the mansion is truly his home of if it is place for the higher privileged, and if thatā€™s the case, where does Mask resign to?

Avatar Name: Jack *Imprisoned*
Avatar Appearance: Jack wears nothing else than black leather (from top to toe), allowing him to perform his skills as an assassin to their optimal all the while being (somewhat) protected.

He wears a mask with Maskā€™s symbol, both to show his undying allegiance as well as hiding his true face.
Although his face has never been seen, a lucky few have managed to see his skin color and hair. Despite his clothing, Jackā€™s skin is surprisingly tanned and his hair is coal black, neatly combed back. His voice is smooth and young, yet every word he says gives the listener the sensation that poison is being dropped into their ears.


Personality: Jack can be calm and calculating, the years of a professional assassin showing as he evaluates the situation, deciding his next move, and he can be aggressive and violent, appearing as a power mad warlord as he sends wave after wave against his enemies.

Being the first avatar of Mask, Jack learned to inspire fear and respect amongst the many gang lords. It can be seen that such respect was hard earned by Jack, as his body is covered with scars from wars and assassination attempts, though the most famous scar he bears is the ā€˜Dark Root Poisonā€™ which was slipped into his dinner and caused the veins across his chest to blacken.

Jack is notorious for turning everything into a weapon. Pens, chairs, even shoes has been used to kill men with. Heā€™s cunning and clever, he knows how to improvise and the thousands of years have only made him more experienced.

Magic Abilities: None

Name of Item: Blades of The Mask
Type: Twin Short-swords, one black the other white.
Advancement: 5

Power: Aside from being near-weightless, these twin-swords enhances the wieldersā€™ combat style, making the strikes more precise and more defined in movement. The black sword has its peak power at night, the white at day, and combines it wonā€™t matter.

Weakness: The more it is used the more paranoid the wielder become. He/she becomes almost attached to the swords, refusing to leave his/hers side, even when he sleeps.
If the wielder does not have both swords, the magical enchantment of the weapons will only work during either the ay or the night (depending on which sword it is).

History: The Great Gang War was the unification of the Maskmen, but while the most glorious battles were fought in the streets and on the fields with canons, cocktail bombs, and knives, it was in the shadows that the real war took place.

Assassins from both sides fought in narrow alleys, on top of roof-tops and in the murky sewers. These men were send to deliver the killing blow, killing officers, leaders and so-called Holy-Men. The first blade, Maā€™leus, was forged for the Assassin Guild Master to lead his group of skilled killers through the night and deliver the perfect strike.
However the Assassin Guild Master became too popular, he rose higher than those whom Jack favored and he was starting to overshadow the wrong people (mainly Jack himself). The Guild Masterā€™s wine was poisoned one night, Jack used the murder as an excuse to take his place and become the lead assassin himself and took Mallius as a trophy.

Mallius was an excellent weapon, and proved to be best used at night. While Jack could go 3 days without sleep, he would never win the war if he would fight in the day, and assassinate in the night, so he turned to his generals to fight in the day-time for him.

Mask, of course, began to favour general Anderstein. His dirty tactics and unorthodox ideas pleased him as he won time after time using every trick his twisted mind could conjure. Mask had yet another weapon formed, Skā€™ain, which Anderstein then used to win his battles during the day.

Before the Heckclown Union was established, there was an unseen struggle between Jack and Anderstein. The two had both experienced the power and realized that they couldnā€™t both sit at the Shadow Council; Anderstein was the first to act, attacking during the late day, locking the two in an epic duel as the sun set. Jack managed to deliver the final blow which killed Anderstein and gave him claim over both swords.
On the day of the Unionā€™s declaration, Jack had arranged a look-alike for a coup so everyone would think Anderstein a traitor. Allowing the look-alike to escape and live his life in peace, Jack held claim and leadership over the Union.

Recently, due to Jack's imprisonment, the weapons have been locked away, only to be given to those who are deemed 'ready'...However since there are no priests of Mask, no one knows who are 'Ready' so they're just left alone.




Hero: Jim ā€œBig Bossā€ Mobley

Rank/Reason: Jim Mobley is one of the largest Black Market destributer. He owns several smuggling companies, dozens of professional mercenary warbands are known to own him a huge amount of money and he can pull favors from places not thought possible. Heā€™s highly influencial to the Unionā€™s Republic and his thoughts are considered.

Personality: Jim is a greedy man. He takes whatever share he can in the various profitable areas, though he doesnā€™t let his greed blind him to reality. The Heckclown Free Workersā€™ Union is the only place where he can work freely without worrying about laws or ethical problems, therefore he sets aside large sums of gold for the Union. Managing its treasury and providing it with mercenaries for their armies.

Hero(es): Baron Karl von Sneiker
Rank/Reason: Baron Karl is one of the few nobles who actually understands the Art of War.
Personality: Baron Karl von Sneiker is a man of war, he is the leader of Manchester Fort, and has one of the most disciplined army in the HU (Short for: Heckclown Free Workersā€™ Union).
His family has been the singular breed of some of the most historic generals, who has both defended and expanded the borders of the HU.

Hero: Pirate Lord Baile Snowsong
Reason/Rank: Baile Snowsong is a Drow, also called for ā€˜Dark Elfā€™. One of the few Drows to join the Heckclown Union, he has risen far and is now one of the leading members of the Shadow Council.
Personality: Baile Snowsong is a sadist, he takes pleasure in causing pain in whatever form he can imagine, from physical abuse to mental and emotional torture, this monster is ready to take pain to a whole new level.
He is ambitious and often finds himself in rivalry with Jim Mobley, though neither of them have ever engaged in a full-scale gang war, they have skirmishes and kidnappings.

He hates the worshippers of Ulmo more than the Maskmen as they are a bigger pain to him as he is the one who has to replace the good ships that they sink. He has had several encounters with Ulmoā€™s avatar, and every time both have walked away with scars and a wounded pride to lick.

Terrain Preference: Large cities.

Name of Kingdom/Empire: Heckclown Free Workersā€™ Union.
Alias: Heckclown Union, Union, HU. Itā€™s people called for ā€˜Maskmenā€™
Capital: Heckclown City (Capital + Port + Trade City) (Northern Coast)
Major Cities:
-Manchester Fort (Military Fort) (Southern Border)
-Copenhagen (Port) (North Eastern Coast)
-York City (Cross-road + Trade City) (Center of the Kingdom)
-Fort Peterson (Military outpost) (South Western borders)

Society:
[Politics]
The Union is, first of all, a Republic, however in reality it is led by the Shadow Council which is comprised of a few members (the elite of the nation) whoi makes the actual decisions.
The people of the Union sees men and women as equals, there is little sex and race discrimination. The population of the HU is made up of mainly humans however Drow settlements arenā€™t unheard and additionally, the HU controls several small-island colonies which they use to get much of their materials from.

The laws vary, literally, from city to city yet they all obey the Criminal Code (which was made by Jack upon the founding of the Heckclown Union). This is a small set of rules as for what criminals arenā€™t allowed to do, for example, they arenā€™t allowed to continue blood feuds after the Shadow Council demands both gangs to stop (and if they do, they can face a Death Sentence to their whole gang!).

[People]
Maskmen are openly hostile against the worshippers of Ulmo and Murali, they attack the people of Ulmo whenever they meet, and since Maskmen and the worshippers of Murali havenā€™t seen one another for thousands of years, the Maskmen believe that they have been wiped off the earth (which has now become a national celebration!)

The term ā€œWatch your backā€ originated from the Maskmen, for while their loyalty is never something to be trusted. Enough coins might inspire the Maskmen to protect their master with their lives, however such a thing is a very costly thing.

Due to the nature of Maskmen, every city is large, hosting at least a few ten thousand citizens. Therefore the Heckclown Union is highly populated for its medium size, however between every city there are days worth of riding, and the rural areas are less friendly than the city for bandits and petty warlords control the rural lands, occasionally invoking the wrath of the cities and warbands of mercenaries are send into the wilds. Scouring for notorious bandits.

[Economy + Technology]
The Heckclown Union has adopted the Dendapim currency to make trade easier between the two. Also, they have signed treaties to strengthen their political and economical relationship, going as far as promising aid against any enemy.
For this very reason, the Unionā€™s otherwise backwatered industry has managed to survive. The technology from the Dendapim has been exchanged for gold, silk and man-power (aka slaves), and the Maskmen have readily copied the Dendapim designs.
Maskmen quality of weapons isnā€™t to be trusted. Canons can be unreliable, mortars dangerous and their muskets and pistols are short ranged, yet the sheer quantity of soldiers that wield these weapons is a wonder during the current Dark Age. Pistols and muskets is just as sought after as shields for soldiers, making each soldier a deadly opponent against heavy armoured enemies (however, it is rare that any men with such weapons have received any training at all, so their aim is worse than a blind manā€™s)

The whole economy of the Union is dependent on trade with its few allies and its colonies. The Dendapim are by far the Heckclown's most valued costumer, and many merchants will go far to ensure that good trade relations remains between the two nations. Trade is found even with the Union's enemies, smugglers from Ulmo's cities sell exotic and rare goods and Men of Fortune are found fighting for various factions, even those of Ulmo.




Brief History:
[The Beginning]
Before Apollyon's name was even whispered the people of Mask were scattered and divided. Each Maskman was a part of a criminal gang that fought against each other for the control of businesses and streets; that all changed when Jack, the First Avatar, arrived and ignited the Great Gang War.
Half the world was thrown into anarchy as the Maskmen fought each other over ideology, it even went so far that the former kingdom of Laidyon, of Tailon the God of Air, was devestated and burned to the ground. Tailon was killed because of this; the Heckclown Union was born through the ashes of Laidyon. At first, it was greeted with a mixture, some nations were open to it while others despised it from the very start, it mattered little to Jack and the Shadow Council, for they were more concerned with spreading their ideology than building a solid economy.

The first Ulmo-Mask war started after Jack tried to throw Ulmo's capital into an anarchistic state. Raiding a temple, desecrating its holy books and mutilating its priests, it only ignited an all-out war between the two as well as marked the beginning of a long hatred.

The people of Mask were exposed to anarchy from their rise and forth. Their politics was vague and enforced by the rich and powerful forcing everyone to fight for survival from birth till death and since the Union was one of the few 'free' states it attracted the attention of many renegades and deserters as they made a new life within Heckclown's borders.
They never lacked in man power as rapists and sex-driven madmen caused the population to soar.
Pirate Lords made pacts with the Union, using them as middle men as they sold their goods to the Maskmen merchants, who in turned used smugglers to sell their goods abroad when there were no buyers within.

[The Expansion of the Dark Web]
As the centuries would pass, the Heckclown Union would start, win and loose various wars. They launched invasions against Ulmo's worshipers, raids against the holy shrines of Asiysia, and epic full-scale campaigns were launched against the people of Murali.

Yet, while the Maskmen were always inferior in their military powers, they grew in strength through other means. Pirate fleets were hired to explore beyond the vast oceans, find rich islands that they colonized and used for boosting their economic wealth.
Political pacts would be made with the few nations who had no grudges against them, specifically the people of Dendapim and these ties only grew stronger as more treaties were signed and actions taken to help one another.

The amount of smuggling rose alongside the amount of piracy, tensing the already hot relationship between Mask and Ulmo. The Heckclown Union faced more enemies than they had allies and with a weak internal structure it would only need a single coup to send the nation halfway to hell, a moment their enemies surely wouldn't pass.

[The Rise of Apollyon and the Test of Loyalty]
When Apollyon's plans for return, the Maskmen's loyalty was put to the ultimate test. For close to a thousand years the people had been suppressed by the elite rulers of the Union, yet the servants of Apollyon offered them a chance to escape this and that caused a split in opinions.

This moment was seized by the people of Murali and soon the southern borders were alight with battles as skirmishes and armies clashed. Jack ordered a massive conscription of the Heckclown Union so they could withstand the invasion, but they needed time to prepare such an army, even equip them would take weeks, so a bold move was made and spies send to the capital of the Reich Empire (the Empire of Murali) to blow up the treasury. The plan worked.

In the short run, the Reich soldiers were only enraged by the act, but with time it soon showed that the government couldn't scrape together the much-needed money for gun-powder and hiring more soldiers and mercenaries, and to make matters worse, a small cult of necromancers (allied to Apollyon) created a vast army in the Southern Reich and started a new invasion.
The Maskmen took advantage of the now much weaker Reich and turned the tide. Invading the Reich Empire and setting foot in Murali's holy temples was the greatest military success the Heckclown Union had ever achieved, yet it was also short lived. Mask feared that Apollyon would grow in strength too quickly and ordered Jack to turn the army around and prevent Apollyon's return.

Jack didn't listen. Too consumed with personal vendetta and greed, he only ordered the army forward and deeper and deeper into Reich territory, gaining such momentum that it scarred Mask. Taking actions into his own hands, Mask betrayed his avatar and had him drugged into a sleep and then imprisoned so he couldn't meddle with Mask's plans.
Taking form as Jack, he led the army away from the Reich and towards the growing hosts of Apollyon worshipers, barely making it in time to participate in the epic battle against the God of Destruction.

[Social Revolution]
With Apollyon defeated and the Maskmen rebuilding their new homes on a new island, Mask faked an incident so Jack would believed to be dead and should return in the Maskmen's direst need...While in reality, Jack was still imprisoned and those who tended him had never seen or heard of him.

Mask then went ahead and planned a social revolution for his people, they moved away from their chaotic and nearly unstable way of life to a much more enforced way. The Shadow council was still the true leaders of the Union, yet the people was kept in place with debt and favors to their superiors, ensuring that they remained loyal. Trade became the new focus for the Northern borders while the South was focused upon defending and patrolling the borders.

The people of Reich and Murali was slowly deduced to mere tales of hatred. The people hated yet no one truly knew what a Reichman looked like, so they forgot what they looked like and the word "Reich" become used as a curse usually followed by a person spitting on the ground.
The hostility between Ulmo and Mask also decreased (somewhat) as infantry mercenaries would willingly fight for the Ulmo worshipers but pirates would still mock their trade routes.

So begins...

Mask's Story