Masks

[Lau]

The faces of the gods have been forgotten for a millenia, so a mystic smithy had forged six master peices binding them to the Etherealms warping their original forms into something more. The masks themselves took on lives of their own and powers beyond imagining. Though many have fought to control them it is the masks that do the controlling, once dawned they destroy those foolish enough to put them on leaving a simple shell for the spirit of the Mask to inhabit.

IN the history of our world the Masks have done whatever they choose whenever they wished, until the seventh and Eighth mask were discovered the Devil and the Saint, together they cast away the six to be lost before turning on one another, in a now seemingly eternal war neither able to conquer the other.

It became time for the six masks to be found, be it for vengence or for balance they will strike down that which cast them into the void.
(OOC:each masks powers change depending on the wearers strengths, but the masks warp a persons personality when worn and eventually take over the person completely until that person is removed of the mask, here are the masks and which side of the war they are on)
The Deceiver: is on the Devil's side
The Monster:is on the Devil's side
The Judge: is loyal to the Saint
The Warrior:is loyal to the Saint
The Queen:is loyal to the Saint
The Undying:is on the Devils' side

******************************
Pick a mask any mask only one of each, no blowing up cities or god characters, the flesh in human the masks amplify it, with powers based on the names provided above they can look like whatever you want them to as well.

Their are two sides in this war the Imperium of the Saint a holy order much like that of the ancient Templar knights, the authority of the church is absolute, and without question as well as the oaths taken by the knights, all things received are earned through service such as the right to be married. Many personal freedoms have been revoked seen as sins or reserved as prizes to the faithful including a home outside of the barracks wall, as well as well as pay and the right to a family. But regardless of all these restrictions the Imperium is a kingdom of wealth it's pristine white cities, and elite armies allow it to steam roll those who dare to oppose it. The mask of the Saint is worn by the Holy Father a man that is immune to time leading his kingdom along the path of the light however corrupt it's become.

On the other side of this conflict is the Dark Nation as it's come to known by the black banner it marches under, a nation of few laws, ruled by he who earns his place in battle, one with greater strength or skill can challenge for the right to lead this challenge is not to the death and is a respected rite it is an honor to be beaten by one better than yourself, it is in the best interests of the nation. Everything is shared and the nomadic lifestyle is often a good recruitment tool, those who abuse the freedoms they enjoy(stealing, murder, rape ect) are quickly dealt with by the rest of the nation, often ending with the offender strung up a bloody and gruesome example to all others. They are lead by a Demon king the greatest warrior of the Nation as tested in the grand colliseum of their capitol city, but it is more than strength that is tested one must prove themselve sin strength skill and cunning before earning the mask.

The masks appear to those they find worthy.

Name:Nolan
age:18
allegiance: Dark Nation
sex:Male
Mask:Undying

Appearence:wears a ragged and torn cloak formely a Dark Nation banner, beneath wearing strapped leather armor and a heavy gauntlet on his left arm, beneath that he appears much younger than he is, thin pale and appearing as if a step from death. His hair is red and short contrasting with his blue eyes. The mask is a scratched and scarred scrap of iron marked with a sick smile.

Weapon: a hook knife in his left hand and armored knuckles on his right

Mask Abilities:as long as he wears the mask he feels no pain, and most injuries heal rapidly, even reattaching lost limbs except for his head losing that will kill him.

Personality: With the mask he is a melancholy character, rarily seeing any good in anything focusing on the misfortunes of his life often obsessed with death his own and that of others, without the mask he was a very charming young man, calm and kind but the mask leaves him a little depressed at times.

Bio:an orphan he was raised by the community of the Dark Nation, and was taught to fight by Aldemy an old gladiator from the Granstur the capitol, using his gauntlet as sheild and a weapon, while hiding the lethat edge of a knife within the ragged cloak. The cloak he wears was his only possession his family offered him and he wears it as a reminder of why he fights the Imperium. He found the mask of the Undying in an old encapment south of the Nation border
*******************************

"Nolan! Their calling the retreat c'mon!!" Nolan stood his ground at the village gate, as it swarmed with Imperium troops, he rolled and twisted among those hungry edges as he cut at the gapps in their heavy platemail.

"No I'll hold them here get the villagers out first." Nolan spoke barely any life in his voice. He wasn't leaving until these villagers were safe. The whistle and thud of an arrow staggard him as it peirced his chest. He rolled out of the fight for and moment kneeling down infront of his advancing foes to break the arrow, barely managing to defend himself as he reached for the arrow head now poking out his back.

"NOLAN!!" His ally screamed into battle blocking the oncoming enemies as Nolan pulle dthe rest of the arrow throughand tossed it aside, as he watched his friend get cut down.

[kathryn]

Name: Lance Fargrey
Age: 24
Allegiance: Imperium
Gender: Male
Mask: The Queen

Appearance: Looks unabashedly normal. Brown hair, brown eyes, caucasian skin, average build, average height, he gives off the appearance of someone who isn't bad looking, but who can readily fade into a crowd. He commonly wears extremely average looking clothing that is made from extremely expensive materials (a gold chain, silk clothes, mink fur lined boots, fine soft leather, etc). But most often, people only remember seeing him wear the rag tag plate armor and a grey wool cloak.

Weapons: A long bow and arrows, a few daggers for close combat, and a short sword.

Mask Abilities: So long as he wears the Queen's mask, he can warp weak willed people around his will, and while he may not be able to force them to do anything, he can influence other's actions (much as a charismatic ruler influences the actions of his followers to some extent). His most powerful attribute is his telekinesis.

Personality: With the mask on, he is more commanding, confident, and doesn't care about the people around him. Without the mask, he is quiet, certainly not meek, but unnoticed, a quiet personality and a quiet demeanor. Cares for the people around him.

History: He is the fifth son of a low ranked yet wealthy aristocrat (who got his wealth from being part of the military). Because of his families wealth, they do get attention, but because of their low rank they only pay attention to the head of the family and his first two sons. Because of this, he is used to fading into the background, but because of his ordinary face, sometimes even his family has trouble remembering who he is. He doesn't want anything to do with the fighting, but finds himself drawn into it because of his family. Common past time is music, which is his only skill besides arrow shooting. Because of his social ranking and his skills with a bow, he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lance notched up another arrow. He hadn't missed yet and he tried to block out the voice calling out "Nolan! Nolan!" on the field below. He drew his bow and fired, the soft feathers of the arrows protruding from a skull of a devilish opponent.

"Lance!" his name was called. He turned and a friend patted him on the back. "Good job. Continue mowing down these scums with the force of your bow." The man smiled.

Lance saw that smile still as a soft thud was heard, and an arrow protruded from the man's head. "Jacob...?" Lance asked softly, watching his friend die in front of him. He didn't have time to worry about it as others behind the lines took Jacob's body away. Hardening his heart, he turned back to the battle and fired his arrows one after the other, knowing the pain he was causing, but trying to block out his own with bloodshed.

[Lau]

Nolan stared blankly a the next soldier to raise his hand against him, his armored knuckles landing a crushing blow upon the exposed chin, like water he swept around the falling victim, his knife finding home with his next thrust he flowed forward without missing a step another arrow struck him he simply broke the arrow.

That last shot drew his attention, he pointed out the archer just as he heard the Horn calling the all clear 'the villagers were gone' Nolan turned tail into the burning village his allies still holding for those left behind. He plucked the latest arrow from his flesh as he ran a fellow soldier commenting on what he saw "Doesn't that hurt?"
"Not yet." Nolan replied quietly.

"The Imperium shouldn't chase us they'll fortify here Let's move!" The Nation commander was the last to leave barking the orders as they went, this was the most that Nolan could expect for a strategy meeting but working on the move was what they did best "We set up camp at rivers edge we'll stall them hit and run so the villagers make it to the capital you're on look out Nolan." The was still some fighting to be hand on the way but nothing compared to what took place today.

[kathryn]

"They're retreating! The Devil scum is finally pulling back!" a man called down the ranks and a cheer was heard. "Long live the Holy Father, he has graced us with this victory!" another cry came up from the crowd, followed by a fevered cheer of "Amen".

Lance turned his back away from the retreating soldiers, even as others continued shooting down a rain of arrows on their heads. Instead the quiet man looked for where they took his friend, the commanding officer Jacob.

"Sir, did you see where they took the bodies of the dead? I wish to pay respects to my friend..." he asked quietly to a man. The man ignored him. "Sir?" the man looked at the ordinary Lance.

"Yes? What do you want, Archer? Shouldn't you be fighting?" he said, not realizing that he was speaking to an aristocrat.

"Sir, where did they take the dead? My friend has fallen and I-" he was cut off as a commander, a man chosen by the Holy Father to lead, came forward and began to talk to the other man.

Lance turned away, slightly disgruntled by how easy it is to overlook him. His friend was now a rotting corpse, and he couldn't even say good bye to him. Lance strode away, no longer caring if he did see his friend. He only wished to get the smell of blood off of his hands.

[Alleycat]

Name: Vice (Vee-chay, just imagne a little accent over the e)
Age: 23
Allegiance: Dark Nation
Gender: Female
Mask: The Deceiver

Appearance: Completely androgynous. Shorter, ruddy blonde hair with black highlights, usually spiked out in a messy way around her head with a healthy glow to her skin and a totally lean body. Usually wears lose white pants that cinch at the knee and a bright white, sleeveless, wrap around style shirt. There is a black stripe ending in a circle on the outside of each pant leg (the circle basically marks her knee). Similar black lines mark the shirt in a cross, one from the collar to the hem and another horizontal one crossing that one over her flat chest. Soft, mid calf black boots with good traction and no heel, black fingerless gloves. Under her clothes is a layer of hard leather padding over her vital organs. Even her face is androgynous, having no gender specific characteristics. Pale brown eyes. Her mask is made of strong-as-steel porcelain, and is completely smooth. It’s only distinguishing features are the black eye holes (covered with black netting inside) and a bright red slash that stretches from the mask’s upper left corner and tapers down diagonally across the left eye, nose area, and ends where the right cheek might be.

Weapons: A chain scythe, two daggers with removable compartments in the hilt for poison.

Mask Abilities: Wearing the mask allows her to be so fast it is almost impossible to keep up with her and she often appears on the battlefield as simply a deadly white blur. Her agility and stealth are also increased to keep up with this increased speed. She can also project her voice in order to confuse others. Because of these, she is often given special ops by the higher ups, stealing information or performing assasinations in the Imperium Kingdom.

Personality: With the mask on, she is cold and calculating. She hates to be distracted and quickly selects the most logical path of action. She follows orders to the letter (unless they conflict with her logic) and is a swift and efficient fighter. With the mask off however, she loses a great deal of her coordination and is a very happy-go-lucky, fun loving person. She is friendly, loyal, mischievous, and just a little bit naive.

History: The only girl in a family of four other boys, and not much of a girl at that, she was often getting into mischief. Eventually she joined the army in order to prove herself to the rest of her testosterone-ruled family. At first it was hard for her to kill people, but one battle changed this. She’d only just received a letter that her father had fallen extremely ill and there was not enough money for treatment. With this on her mind as she went to fight, she managed to kill a few without qualms. Requesting herself form the action, she saw a civilian messenger, a sad war casualty, lying dead under a laden horse. Steeling herself, she darted to the corpse and pawed through its belongings. She found not only enough money to help her father, but a strange mask wrapped in shimmering purple fabric too, which she kept for herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Sprinting across the bloody battle field, nothing but a white ghost, Vice darted in between the corpses. Her hand shot out occasionaly, snatching a shining object or thing of value from a body. She had only fought in part of the battle, having just returned from a side mission with stolen battle plans.

Skirting the Dark Nation encampement, she wrestled the porcelain mask free from her face, tucking it into a fold of her shirt. She snuck into the camp, unnoticed and purposefully ignored when seen. She krept up behind the current watcher, leaping onto his back and clapping her hands over his eyes.
"Guess who!" She whispered, grinning.

[Bran Conal]

(this is my very first accual post on the forum, if i did something wrong please tell me)

Name: Bran Caedamon Conal (first, middle, last names)
Age: 30
Allegiance: Dark Nation
Gender: male
Mask: The monster

Appearance: standing 5'10" he appears to be the average solider. body sculpted to god like perfection from years of training and battle. random scars cover his arms and hands. but the one thing people remember most about him is his eyes, ice blue. they seem to watch and pirce like those of a beast watching prey. he wears faded blue pants tucked into snugg knee high boots with a very thin sole. on his upper body he wears simple leather armor over a black tank top. in the center of this armor is a golden crest of his clan. a trinity inside of a five pointed star. upon his waist normaly hangs the mask of the monster. made from black onyx. some say it looks like the face of a demon, others of some primevil beast.
Weapons: a curved sword that has only one cutting edge, which is serated closer down to the hilt, which is shaped like a snarling wolf with the blade comeing from its mouth. he also wears a curved short sword that has a dragon wrapped around the blade its tail being the handle and palmel.

Mask Abilities: once the mask has been placed upon his face, who is disappears into a creature filled with rage, and blood lust. when he wears it into battle, he cares not who he cuts down in his rage. wounds do not stop him, they go completely unnoticed. his strength doubles. but once he removes the mask his body is extremly fatiged depending on how long he wore the mask for. any wounds he sustained will heal slightly faster, but will hurt twice as much until they do finaly heal.

Personality: when he puts the mask on he lets out a long deep howl. growls, barks, and howls are all the sounds he makes while fighting. it has been said that once he puts the mask on its like a creature has been summoned forth from the deepest darkest reachs of the underworld, and let loose upon man. without the mask though he is a deep contemplative man. his mind always pondering something ether about the universe or about something within his own heart. he is a learned man, capable of discussing philosophy with the wisest of men, but still able to know how to tell a good joke over a pint of mead.

History: born into a village deep in the mountains, he was raised to be a warrior like all others of the village. being in the mountains one had to be tough to survive day to day life, without war the village could not survive. each year when the snow melted and the passes opened the villege would send out warriors as mercenaries to other kingdoms. these soliders sometimes worked alone, and have been known to work in groups of 50. one day while traveling back home from a land dispute between two nobles Bran happened upon a cave. from within he heard deep evil growls. from the shadows jumped a man clothed in nothing but his skin and the black mask. just manageing to raise his sword the creature impaled itself on it, pauseing long enough for Bran to remove its head with his short sword. he kept the mask as a trophie, until it later revealed its true power to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Bran stood in the trees between there camp and the Imperium forces. he and 300 other warriors had been stationed as night guards for the camp and villagers. his arms folded acrossed his chest he softly ran a finger over the black mask on his hip. he gave a soft sigh as the wind gentaly blew. they knew the enamy would not strike at night not because of honor, but because of fear. fear of what else other then men lurked within the shadows.

[kathryn]

(Welcome to the forum, Bran. On a separate note, why am I the only one on the Imperium side?? xD It looks like it's three on one now! Oh, BTW, Lau, do we start off with the masks or do they just naturally come to us or what?)

"Hey. You're not supposed to be here. Get out before I call the guards."

A voice spoke out behind Lance as he went into the soldier's quarters- his own in fact. He turned and looked at a lower ranked archer named Heinrich. The man started as he realized who he was talking to. "Oh! L-Lieutenant Fargrey! I... I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's fine, Heinrich. I get that a lot." Lance dipped his hand into a drawer and pulled out his bow making supplies. Sitting himself at a table, he began to attach the arrow heads to the bow, fletching it with feathers he collected. "If you have some purpose being in my living quarters..." he said.

"Um. Yes, well... I just saw someone come in and thought..." Heinrich mumbled before turning, giving a salute and exiting the room. Lance continued to work.

[Lau]

(OOC:the mask find their way into the hands of the right people, kinda like the Evil gold ring from the movie series I need not mention, though finding them 'seems' like luck it's the masks find you,
PS I'll give you someone to play with Kathryn:beerchug:)

Name:Algus Raum
sex:Male
age:48
allegiance:Imperium
mask:Judge

Appearance:click here (http://www.suikosource.com/chars/list/imageviewnojs.php?img=h/hancunningham01.gif&char_id=546)a bit more grey, the mask is a pristine golden plate seamless and smooth it's wide eyes seemingly measuring all that they gaze upon.

ablities:The ability to predict an opponents next move, and his aim is superb rarely missing a target close or far.

Weapons:a longsword and javelin

personality:while wearing the mask he is stubbourn, righteous, and eerily able to tell what kind of person you are from a glance always carrying a seriousness with him, unfortunately enough without it he isn't much different but is a devout believer in the faith, but has taken quite a taste for the 'drink' improving his mood greatly, but not to the point of falling down drunk, such a thing would be dishonorable.

bio:a general among the Imperium forces, he leads most of the raids into the Nations lands. He has a large family but has made arrangements so that none of them are assigned outside Imperium territory. Not the best of fathers but he is known as an excellent commander, being more of a father to the soldiers under him than to any of his real children. He was awarded the mask as a sign of faith from his superiors.
*********************************

Algus was walking toward his own tent when he caught the misunderstanding "What's going on here?!" He spoke with authority.

The soldier before him spoke nervously "Just a case of mistaken identity sir."

"Lance?Is that true, was he being insubordinant?"

"N-n-no sir absolutely not." The soldier blurted out.

"I did NOT address you soldier Lance what say you?" Algus called through the fabric of the tent.

[kathryn]

(Woot! Thanks, Lance was getting lonely. And I could just continue making up npcs for him to talk to.)

Lance stood up for the General. "It was nothing sir. The good private was only being cautious. I would rather he mistake me for an intruder than let an intruder into my room." He saluted the older man out of respect.

[Lau]

Nolan removed his mask as he sat against a tree the others ha dleft him with small parcel of food, a flask, an apple and some bread he was going to be out here for a while he looked up to the tree next to him "You should be getting back to camp Bran." Nolan chimed upward to the warrior among the branches.

***************

"You're too forgiving my boy, now get moving private." Algus barked with a chuckle following in short order. "How's the family Fargrey?" Algus was a good friend of their family having trained with Lance's father and served together for many years.

[kathryn]

"They're fine, Raum. Father is still serving the Holy Father in the capital, and my older brothers are stationed in strategic points. Damien, my eldest brother, is currently leading his men through a mountain pass with orders to capture an enemy camp on the other side. All in all, they are alive and well, and serving the Imperium faithfully."

Lance sat down, more comfortable now that the Private scurried away, even with the unsettling stoic man. He motioned for the General to take a seat.

"Jacob Elder died in combat," he said, almost in afterthought, as though he were speaking about the weather.

[Bran Conal]

"your right a i should be. but that doesnt mean i will, ya zombie." he called down jokingly. he climbed down several branchs before dropping from the tree with a soft thud and grunt. standing to his full hight he stretched a little takeing a quick moment to scan there surroundings before lowering himself next to Nolan.

"so how did your side of the battle go?" he asked after fishing an apple and knife from his bag. the night was cool, but thanks to it being summer a fire wasnt needed. the stars twinkleing softly over head.

[fenrir]

Name: Gideon Ackart
Age: 28
Allegiance: Imperium
Sex: Male
Mask: Warrior

Appearance: Wears a more personalised version of the standard Imperium Military uniform, the main differences being the more ornate, silver cuirass and the heavy gauntlet and pauldron he wears on his left arm (the side he leads with in combat). The mask is silver plate with muted features; not quite featureless but not in the shape of a face either.

Weapon: A 7 foot long spear with two additional blades which extend to the side of the main blade to help parry sword attacks.

Mask Abilities: Self Duplication. The Mask of the Warrior gives him the ability to make multiple copies of himself. There is no real limit to how many copies he can make, although any more than four or five and the copies become unstable, easily dispersed and physically weaker than himself.

Personality: While wearing the mask he has a calm, subdued personality, rarely speaking unless necessary and entirely, focused on the task or battle at hand; he his completely loyal to the Imperium. Without the mask he is much more talkative and sociable, not as focused and not as loyal; at least in the sense that he is less likely to risk his life if ordered to.

Bio: The only son of a family with a history of military service, the decision to join the army was made for him; not that there was any choice, in the Imperium it was only the soldiers or noblemen that enjoyed any personal freedoms. He obtained the Mask of the Warrior after his regiment captured a Dark Nation encampment, finding it amoung a cache of stolen Imperium treasures.
****

Gideon walked through the village, stepping over the bodies of the fallen from both sides, making sure to check each Dark Nation soldier was actually dead before moving on; the main battle was over but the village still needed to be searched for survivors and pockets of resistance. He stopped before a large two story house, pulling his spear from his back before kicking open the door and walking inside.

He created a few copies of himself in order to speed up his search, recalling them and relaxing once he’d determined that it was empty; just like every other building he’d searched. Gideon removed his mask and immediately began questioning the sensibility of sending all three masks just to capture one small village in the middle of nowhere.

Although, that being said, he thought he might of spotted one for Dark Nations masks during the confusion of the battle, the Undying if he wasn’t mistaken, unless there was some other reason that a soldier could take an arrow like that and keep on going. If that were the case it would certainly make things more interesting, though he still considered this mission a horrible waste of resources. With a sigh he placed the mask back on his face before dutifully going to search the next building.

[Lau]

Nolan took a a breath before answering Bran "I think we lost too many people." His grim word reminded him of all the people that fell around them "If we hadn't been here that village would've been wiped out, but It's good we managed to hold them off." Something wasn't right with all of this, why was the Imperium pushing this far into Nation territory they even run the risk of being outflanked, regardless it wasn't his place to question orders, he was here to make the Imperium regret crossing that border.

*******************************

Aglus took a seat across from Lance "People die my boy, just remember what we fight for," Algus spared him his usual sermon "We can finish this war in a matter of weeks if our mission holds true. Tommorrow we march on the Seru ruins these were forged there." He spoke tapping his fingers against the mask at his belt.

[Bran Conal]

"it doesnt make sense to me ether." he said sadly eating a slice of apple as he watched fires spring up in the darkness of camp. "i lost atleast 1/3 of my men on the right flank. i half hope we can replace the dead from this villege, but half of me wonders if its really worth it just to watch the replacements die." he sighed softly again popping another slice into his mouth.

he hadnt used his mask in the days battle but still his body ached from the fight. he pulled the mask from his belt and looked at the black snarling face. "if it werent for these masks i dont know if we would of been able to hold off our enamy for as long as we have." he said softly glanceing over his shoulder at Nolan

[kathryn]

Lance glanced at the old man's mask. He always wondered about them, but it was a mild curiosity. The mask of the gods were always special, and he sometimes fantasized about being chosen, but he knew that he wasn't special enough for that.

"Yes... I know what we fight for is honorable and that the Holy Father will lead the Imperium to victory. I'll continue to fight for a land under his holy rule, where peace will triumph over war." He went back to fletching the arrows, using an odd looking string to put them on.

[Bran Conal]

(since Lau is going to be gone for 3-4 days i'll just move my charater)

slowly standing he moved toward camp putting his mask back on his belt. as he moved threw the trees silently he saw a group of 20 people moveing as quitly as possable in the darkness. crouching low drawing his sword he moved silently fearing an attack.

as he moved he pulled his mask off his belt ready to put it on, and just before the cold stone mask touched his face he saw who the group was. it was a group of 20 villagers scared. all trying to get to enamy camp. he stood looking at them in disbelief the villagers looking at him in shame. "we bleed for you, we die to save you...and you want to run to the people who torched your homes?" he shook his head in disbelief then turned and stormed off to camp leaveing the group on its own to make it threw the dark forest

[fenrir]

Gideon had completed searching his part of the village and was returning to camp when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned to see a small group of what appeared to be civilians walking down the main street towards him, most likely villagers from this village, which meant they most likely came from the Dark Nation encampment. He walked over to them, giving orders for the other soldiers present to move around behind them, stopping them from running; just in case.

“Where have you come from?”

“The Dark Nation encampment; please, help us, give us refuge. We don’t want anything to do with the war; we just want to go back to our homes”

He told them to stay where they were and gave orders to the soldiers to keep them where they were while also trying to keep them comfortable, at least until they could determine whether they were enemies or not. He turned and resumed his walk back to the camp, he needed to find General Raum and tell him about this; if these people did indeed come from the Dark Nation encampment then that meant they could lead them right to their enemies.

[Bran Conal]

after getting some hot food from camp he returned to the forest to keep watch with the other troops hiden amongst the trees. every now and then a lone animal call would cut threw the cool evening.

his mind drifted back over the villagers he let walk threw the woods. he wondered if they had made it threw the forest without being attacked. he sighed again feeling the fustration bubble up in his chest at the thought of them just tossing aside the sacrifice his friends made to save them.