Post/Author/DateTime	Post
First_Legion 01-14-08, 01:17 PM	Has anyone heard of any rumors about Mask. Did he survive and if so what is he currently up to?
Kenzuki 01-14-08, 01:21 PM	I'm sure he probably does in some shape or form.
Rauric 01-14-08, 01:41 PM	Kemps novels sell. Kemp's big thing is Mask. The only major gods will be greater gods. So add all of that up and Mask will be a Greater god (after Kemp's novels are done) and I predict he will recover Intrigue from Cyric. I would like to see him snatch Illusion too since it fits him and his name. On the other hand I would not mind seeing him hiding Leira the whole time and giving her Illusion back for her servitude. He did keep Kelvemore alive till he needed him. Why not Leira as well?
GreenKnight 01-14-08, 02:38 PM	The only major gods will be greater gods. Don't know what you mean by major gods, but remember, both Greater and Lesser Gods will have worshippers. Although one wonders where Mask lives if he's a Lesser God, as he can't maintain his own domain in the Astral Sea. If he's not a Greater God then he'll probably have to throw in with someone else. Only question is, who?
Kenzuki 01-14-08, 02:40 PM	Don't know what you mean by major gods, but remember, both Greater and Lesser Gods will have worshippers. Although one wonders where Mask lives if he's a Lesser God, as he can't maintain his own domain in the Astral Sea. If he's not a Greater God then he'll probably have to throw in with someone else. Only question is, who? He's going to be Shar's Consort.
18DELTA 01-14-08, 02:42 PM	He's going to be Shar's Consort. -HERESY!!!:nonono: :rant: :tantrum: :headexplo :banghead: :hoppingma ;) :P LORD DELTA:P
Kenzuki 01-14-08, 02:50 PM	-HERASY(SP)!!!:nonono: :rant: :tantrum: :headexplo :banghead: :hoppingma ;) :P LORD DELTA:P I can imagine the picture now. Lockwood would draw it with Shar reclined on her thrown, Mask crouched down by her side, licking her boots and legs in servitude.
18DELTA 01-14-08, 03:04 PM	I can imagine the picture now. Lockwood would draw it with Shar reclined on her thrown, Mask crouched down by her side, licking her boots and legs in servitude. -Well...since you put it that way, maybe it's not so bad after all?:lightbulb :plotting: :evillaugh :devil: :w00t: :dancin: :ayyyy!: :cloud9: :smirk: :drool: -Yes I am touching my smilies yet again!!!:P LORD DELTA:coolcthul
Kenzuki 01-14-08, 03:05 PM	Imagine....if you will. The child of Shar and Mask! Talk about a, walking coolness! It could be....a DAUGHTER!
The_Shaman 01-14-08, 04:20 PM	I can imagine the picture now. Lockwood would draw it with Shar reclined on her thrown, Mask crouched down by her side, licking her boots and legs in servitude. Didn't we have enough of that in the drow corner? I always thought Shar was way too nihilistic to get a SO, even as a sex slave. It could work for Lloth, though. Anyway, if Mask has a daughter, she'd imo be cooler if she had Sharess or Selune as her mother. The first would be something to put Catwoman to shame, and the second would be so incredible to be almost creepy. Possibly insane, perhaps, but still omg-incredible. YMMV
18DELTA 01-14-08, 05:53 PM	Didn't we have enough of that in the drow corner? I always thought Shar was way too nihilistic to get a SO, even as a sex slave. It could work for Lloth, though. Anyway, if Mask has a daughter, she'd imo be cooler if she had Sharess or Selune as her mother. The first would be something to put Catwoman to shame, and the second would be so incredible to be almost creepy. Possibly insane, perhaps, but still omg-incredible. YMMV -Nah...Lolth is last years WotC party girl.;) Shar is the new party girl.:P LORD DELTA:dragon:
Phelf_Der_Zemit 01-14-08, 07:28 PM	shar can go do something unpleasnt in some god forsaken unpleasnt place. MASK RULES... WOSA!! :cheer: :dancin: :w00t: let's face it. Mask is a pimp, and Shar, well let's face it, the only thing she's got going for her is the Insane thing, and that's not all that origanol. Mask has a sense of humor, Shar has a daddy issue, so controling...
Dzwood 01-15-08, 03:20 AM	Mask is dead!!!! Liera switched places with him at the last second and has been impersonating him all this time.....its part of her long term plan!!! Heheheheehe
Lord Karsus 01-15-08, 04:13 AM	-Just like it is hard to get rid of an infestation of bugs, I am sure that getting rid of Mask will be equally hard. He is really the only major deity of thieves and stealing around, so just from that point, I don't think he'll be removed from the setting.
The_Shaman 01-18-08, 06:26 AM	-Nah...Lolth is last years WotC party girl.;) Shar is the new party girl.:P LORD DELTA:dragon: Pffft. Depends on what your definition of "party" is, but I'd say Shar is probably very far from it. So unless they retcon the hell out of her or the Realms designers have completely no regard for the FR canon... Er, you know what? Never mind. But I'd still say a daughter of Mask and Selune or Sharess would be much more interesting.
Zanan 01-18-08, 02:51 PM	-Nah...Lolth is last years WotC party girl.;) Shar is the new party girl.:P Matter of fact, the drow and Lolth were the party girl of WotC in 2002. After that, the drow got a couple or so novels each year, as did one scimitar wielder or Erevis. And neither of them got a year. I'd hope that Mask will be there in 4E, alive and kicking. He's surely the best "evil" god to have about, always there and not there, no-one's got a clue what he is doing or not. Most of the rest of the bad guys and galls are pretty straight forward in their approaches.
XHereticX 01-19-08, 09:32 AM	I can imagine the picture now. Lockwood would draw it with Shar reclined on her thrown, Mask crouched down by her side, licking her boots and legs in servitude. That isn't really Mask but Kesson Rel in his place after killing Mask.;) If it was Mask I'm pretty sure the situation would be reversed. If Shar dosen't cooperate, then I'm sure she will wake up one morning with all of her possesions gone.
buzzard 01-19-08, 09:54 AM	If it was Mask I'm pretty sure the situation would be reversed. If Shar dosen't cooperate, then I'm sure she will wake up one morning with all of her possesions gone. What possessions? Shar only owns two +5 returning chakrams and two +5 short swords :P
Lord Karsus 01-19-08, 10:17 AM	-How frugal.
Kenzuki 01-19-08, 10:22 AM	Mask is now the God of Kleptomanics. He can't help himself, it's really sad.:weep:
XHereticX 01-19-08, 01:51 PM	What possessions? Shar only owns two +5 returning chakrams and two +5 short swords :P I'm talking whole lair here;)
buzzard 01-19-08, 05:14 PM	I'm talking whole lair here;) I don't think Shar has a lot of personal possessions on her Palace of Loss. her followers maybe but she is not into material things. Also, Mask would have to figure out how to enter the Palace in the first place, it is said that it's very difficult to gain access in and/or out since there are no doors nor windows and, the method of entrance to the place is kept secret. Furthermore, Shar can apply the limited magic trait to her godly realm, impeding the use of up to four different groups of spells (so she could ban teleportation spells, transportation spells, wall-walking spells, etcetera) and since Mask does not benefit from the Alter Reality Salient Divine Ability (the only option to circumvent the limited magic trait), he cannot duplicate the effects of any of the previously mentioned spells. He could however blast the walls with a divine blast, although that would be out of character for him (he's supposed to be sneaky after all) and also that would royally **** off Shar and she'd have his skin for doing that. And finally, it would be very embarrassing if Shar wasn't able to hide her possessions from Mask or any other thief, after all, she's the master of concealment.
The_Shaman 01-19-08, 05:21 PM	Divine abilities aside, Mask is the god of thieves. If he can't get in some place, he doesn't deserve his title.
buzzard 01-19-08, 05:25 PM	Divine abilities aside, Mask is the god of thieves. If he can't get in some place, he doesn't deserve his title. Well, Mask is a lesser deity who has a tendency to be somewhat incompetent as opposed to Shar who's a very competent greater deity, it would be worse for Shar if she weren't able to conceal or keep a secret the method of entrance to her palace. In this case their portfolios come in direct conflict and considering the massive difference of divine power between both, I'd give Shar the upper hand.
Khaelieth 01-19-08, 08:12 PM	Mask is kept in Vhaeraun's basement together with Eilistraeea.
Kenzuki 01-19-08, 08:43 PM	I think Shar would very much like Mask's Shadows portfolio.
Rauric 01-19-08, 09:14 PM	IMO Mask is going after Cyric to boos some of his "deity juice". Shar is out of his league at the moment till he gains Greater God status, but Cyric is still a human pretending to be a gos, like Midnight was. So he should be easiliy tricked by a being that was god of intrigue for thousands of years.
Kenzuki 01-19-08, 09:44 PM	IMO Mask is going after Cyric to boos some of his "deity juice". Shar is out of his league at the moment till he gains Greater God status, but Cyric is still a human pretending to be a gos, like Midnight was. So he should be easiliy tricked by a being that was god of intrigue for thousands of years. Where did Mask come from? Was he ever a mortal?
XHereticX 01-19-08, 10:27 PM	Mask is kept in Vhaeraun's basement together with Eilistraee. Haha, that's funny. Last I recall Vhaeraun's stiking corpse was kept in some Githyanki raider's basement on the Astral.
Meldread 01-20-08, 12:46 AM	Also, Mask would have to figure out how to enter the Palace in the first place, it is said that it's very difficult to gain access in and/or out since there are no doors nor windows and, the method of entrance to the place is kept secret. Mask wouldn't have any problem finding his way inside. Shar will leave the key in plain sight outside just for him. Getting in isn't his problem - it's getting out alive. :P If Mask wants to enter the Palace of Loss, I am sure Shar will be more than accommodating. It would be a poetic end for him. :P
Lord Karsus 01-20-08, 02:58 AM	Where did Mask come from? Was he ever a mortal? -We don't know.
buzzard 01-20-08, 06:10 AM	-We don't know. I thought that Paul Kemp said that he was once a mortal, although in Faiths and Pantheons he has 20 Outsider HD, meaning that he was born/created a deity. Of course he was probably made like that because there wasn't enough information on his past.
Lord Karsus 01-20-08, 06:24 AM	I thought that Paul Kemp said that he was once a mortal... -I don't remember reading this, and none of Mask's "biographies" shed any light on his earlier days, so...
Kenzuki 01-20-08, 07:05 AM	I seem to remember Kemp statting that more of Mask's backstory will be revealed in the next book of the series. Though this thread does give me an idea for another thread.
Lord Karsus 01-20-08, 07:24 AM	I seem to remember Kemp statting that more of Mask's backstory will be revealed in the next book of the series. -Well, that's good.
Strife026 01-20-08, 07:22 PM	buzzard, you are thinking of about what mask said is in the Erevis Cale trilogy, when Mask was speaking with Cale in Selgaunt, Mask said that he was once a god who thought he was a man/mortal.
GreenKnight 01-20-08, 07:33 PM	I'm guessing Mask has always been a deity. I got nothing to back that up, save for his name. That doesn't seem to me the kind of name a once-mortal god would have. To top it off, we have/had another god with a similar name, Helm. Was Helm ever a mortal? I don't think he was. That they're in direct opposition to each other also strikes me as yet another bit of proof to indicate that they both came into being as gods (and that their origins are linked).
Kenzuki 01-20-08, 07:52 PM	I'm guessing Mask has always been a deity. I got nothing to back that up, save for his name. That doesn't seem to me the kind of name a once-mortal god would have. To top it off, we have/had another god with a similar name, Helm. Was Helm ever a mortal? I don't think he was. That they're in direct opposition to each other also strikes me as yet another bit of proof to indicate that they both came into being as gods (and that their origins are linked). Maybe they chose new names? I mean somehow I can't see Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul as being natural human names.... "Hey honey what shall we name our new baby boy?" "Hrmm....BANE!" "Awe that's great!"
GreenKnight 01-20-08, 07:55 PM	True, but I'm thinking along the lines of the similarities between both Mask and Helm. Similar names, Portfolios in direct conflict, etc. Either it's a remarkable coincidence or the two of them sprang up from connected deific roots.
Meldread 01-20-08, 09:49 PM	In regard to Mask's origin I have always had a wacky theory... Back in the days of Netheril Shar pretty much had all of Mask's portfolios. Then events like the Dawn Cataclysm happened, and the Faerunian Pantheon came into being. My theory is that Mask was an aspect of Shar, that eventually broke free and may have merged with another deity or took on a life / intelligence of its own. After the fall of Netheril I envision Sharran Cultists having to hide their faith, and certain cultists - embracing her thieving aspect, may have gone as far as to not reveal the name of their deity to those worshiping it. Keep in mind that no one knows WHO Mask really is - it is all a mystery. There is even debate over his gender. Anyway, I could just see this sub-cult of Shar's eventually breaking off and then over time becoming a full fledged religion. Then in the end she'd end up losing those portfolios to Mask. He likely also defeated a number of other thief-like deities as the Faerunian Pantheon began to merge together as one. So he likely also took on personality traits and attributes from them as well. It would also explain Shar's hatred of him - outside of the portfolio of Shadows.
M4sk 01-21-08, 08:30 AM	I find Meldread's explanation very interesting. One would also like to consider that even Mask doesn't seem to recall much about himself either because he doesn't want to reveal the slightest clue about himself or because he may not be able to correctly remember parts of his inner self. During his challenges with Cyric, and even with himself having read the Cyrinishad he was still able to exist. My guess is he always will, his domains are just about hiding, sneaking and disguise, making him the epitome of mystery. Having him being vanquished forever would require a major intervention and a power that even his most powerful enemies aren't even able to gather. He's Mask, and he always will.