Fivefold Masks and Lies
Servant of Chaos
Background: Khuruga, the Esteemed Minister of Social
Unrest, is a busy god, especially in this day and age. He has no
time to see to his purview’s promotion, but his ambition de-
mands continued advancement. Fortunately, he has
children. Fivefold Masks and Lies is the lat-
est of the chaotic god’s progeny, by way of
a mortal supplicant, and they are a willing
and eager servant of their divine father.
Khuruga prefers to provide broad in-
structions: directions to a location, and
an imperative to cause trouble. With
a few whispered words, Masks might
transform a reveling crowd into a vengeful
mob on a festival day, talk a wealthy groom into
abandoning his beloved at their public wedding,
or turn a petty feud into an all-out war between
rival merchants that disrupts trade across an en-
tire nation. The miracles of heavenly transportation
mean Masks has been active as far north as Diamond
Hearth, and as far south as Gem. These days, they’re
often on the Blessed Isle, hounding one Great
House after another as the Dynasts’ for-
tunes rise and fall.
Despite strict instructions to keep
their actions subtle and their pres-
ence unnoticed, Masks has a hab-
it of choosing rivals from among
the Exalted for whom to show off.
Causing chaos in secret is much
less entertaining than at least giv-
ing someone a few hints to liven
things up with people trying to
stop the trickster’s schemes.
The Exalted are so grand,
their actions so dramatic,
it’s hard to resist playing
with the things they love.
Khuruga helps them out
of trouble when they
get in over their head,
but his patience wears
thin, and Fivefold Masks
and Lies may soon find them-
selves on their own.
Fi ve Fo ld M a s k
Image: Without their mask, Fivefold Masks and Lies
is an attractive, androgynous young individual. They
don’t show any obvious signs of divine parentage, but
the details of their eyes, hair, and clothing have a habit of
changing whenever no one’s looking. Their features are
youthful and open, disarmingly sincere when they smile
or laugh.
Intimacies: Defining: “Chaos is its own reward.”,
Khuruga (Loyalty); Major: “Give a losing opponent a
helping hand.”, The Exalted (Delighted Rivalry); Minor:
“Whatever you do, look good doing it.”
Secrets: Masks spends a great deal of time watching
for opportunities, and they know plenty of juicy tidbits
about the Great Houses and their scions: who’s sleeping
with whom, who’s lying about their motives or exploits,
and who has hopes and dreams their parents might pre-
fer they didn’t.
Equipment: Masks’ eponymous artifact, the Mask of
Lies, is a smooth, featureless face. They wear it at all
times, either as intended or on top of their head like a
hat, at a jaunty angle. An elegant leather scabbard hangs
at their waist with an ornate rapier inside, unless they’ve
forgotten or lost it somewhere again. Their bag contains
the tools of their trade: a book of notes, blackmail evi-
dence, and local coin for bribery.
Roleplaying Hints: Above all, Masks is a trickster.
They’re surprised when an opponent comes to truly
hate them, since they tend to see adversaries as friendly
rivals. Masks prefers not to fight their own battles, and
would rather talk someone else into doing so, or if cor-
nered, make a deal to avoid a physical altercation. They
have a strong sense of fair play — though untempered by
morals or choosing sides — and a habit of leaving hints or
suggestions for rivals who seem to be struggling. Killing
Masks draws their esteemed father’s attention, and
Khuruga has connections among the celestial gods and
the Sidereal host.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Cha-
risma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4; Perception
4, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
Essence: 3
Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 6 dice
Personal Motes: 28/30 (2 committed)
Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap.
Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Bureaucracy
(Sowing Chaos) 3, Integrity (While Disguised) 3, In-
vestigation 3, Larceny 4, Linguistics 3, Lore 2, Melee
3, Performance 2, Presence (Strangers) 5, Socialize
4, Stealth 3
Merits: Artifact (Mask of Lies) 4, Backing (the Celes-
tial Bureaucracy) 3, Fleet of Foot, Language (Native:
Old Realm; Guild Cant, High Realm, Riverspeak) 3
Attack (Rapier): 10 dice (Damage 9); Tags: Lethal,
Melee, Disarming, Piercing
Combat: Soak 2, Hardness 0; Parry 3 (Melee);
Evasion 2; Rush 4 dice; Disengage 3 dice
Social: Resolve 3 (4 while disguised), Guile 5
Mask of Lies
(Starmetal Mask, Artifact ••••)
Khuruga forged the Mask of Lies as a tool for his chil-
dren. Its smooth facial features are utterly nondescript.
Evocations of the Mask of Lies
Passive: While attuned for two motes, the mask is com-
pletely invisible to mortal sight, unless its wielder wish-
es otherwise.
Mirrored Mask (5m, 1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Mute;
Essence 1): The Mask of Lies transforms the wearer into
a completely different person. Each new disguise creates
a cover identity that is appropriate and unremarkable for
the area in which they activate this Evocation, but the de-
tails are completely out of their control. If they say or do
liGHT WeaPoN — RaPieR
a rapier is a long, thin blade with a sharply pointed tip and a protective hilt often forged into ornamental de-
signs. The wealthy favor them as a fashionable means of self-defense, lightweight and decorative when worn.
Cost: •••
Tags: lethal, Melee, disarming, Piercing
A DVER S A R I ES O F T H E R I G H T EO U S
anything that seems out of character for the cover identi-
ty, others may roll (Perception + Awareness) against the
wielder’s (Guile + Essence) to pierce the disguise; those
without supernaturally enhanced senses take a penalty
of (wielder’s Essence). The wielder doesn’t automatical-
ly know what kind of cover identity the Mask has creat-
ed; they must figure it out through context clues or look
into a mirror and recognize cultural cues.
Lying Mirror (5m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2):
The wielder gains +(Essence) Guile to defend against a
read intentions action, as long as Mirrored Mask is ac-
tive. If successful, their opponent believes he succeeded
instead, reading an Intimacy or motive appropriate to
Mirrored Mask’s disguise. If not, the wielder may spend
one Willpower to conceal their intentions anyway; if
they do, at the end of the scene their opponent realizes
they’ve supernaturally deceived him.
Charms
SOCIAL CHARMS
Whispered Unrest (8m, 1wp; Simple; One scene;
Eclipse; Essence 3): Masks begins a riot with only a
few words. They make a (Manipulation + Presence)
inspire roll to produce either fear or anger against
a single target. If successful, the impassioned victim
spreads her emotional state to anyone with whom she
speaks for at least a few minutes without the need for
further rolls for the rest of the scene. Additional targets
may still spend Willpower to reject the influence, but
most Storyteller characters don’t without sufficient
impetus (such as a player character convincing them
with successful social influence to stay calm).
Wield the Crowd (5m; Supplemental; Instant;
Essence 2): When making an influence roll against an
impassioned target that takes advantage of their in-
flamed passion, Masks gains +3 dice and doubles 9s.