Sect of the Masks

We praise balance, and that’s what we came for.

Sect of the Masks^[1]

The Sect of the Masks is an Occultist group mainly focused in the Element of Knowledge. The group is led by The Magistrate, the wielder of the Despair Mask, one of the Relics of Calamity. The Masks show no interest in anything but discussing with their Magistrate; this group has a great fixation for the "Balance" and has its entire purpose focused on discussing what this concept would be. The Sect and its members remain only watching events, until something or someone becomes too powerful, becoming a threat to the Balance.^[2]

The Masks have appeared around the world for several millennia, becoming a kind of folklore. For their mysterious behavior, some people aim to take advantage of the fame of the cult members, also known sometimes as "shadow people", to spread various stories and rumors about them: how they are connected to diverse politicians and powerful people,^[3] but despite this the masks have no connection, because their only desire is to discuss the balance.

Characteristics[]

The common members of the Sect of the Masks wear long white tunics with black regions that hide much of their body. It is remarkable that there are some members who have different clothes from the others, but being unusual, like Joui Jouki. Another feature they share is the ropes tied around their necks, with a noose, and on their waists, like a belt. Most members have some Occultist Symbols tattooed on their arms.^[4]

The most striking feature of this cult are the masks they wear, each member has a different one from the other and with their colors ranging from white to black, in addition to those that are detailed with red risks. Some use a kind of veil to hide their faces, leaving the masks they have attached in the region of the shoulders. In addition, inside each mask is carved the Despair Mask Symbol.^[5]

Whenever a member of this group is near is noticeable distortions in the shadows, along with whispers in its surroundings.

Despair Mask[]

The Despair Mask is the Relic of Knowledge which is kept in possession of the Sect of the Masks, having as its wielder the one named The Magistrate. The Mask, when wielded, makes the individual understand and receive all the memories of everything that has already happened, thus having his original consciousness completely erased by receiving all the Knowledge of the Other Side.

Behaviour[]

Although the Sect of the Masks is a group of several individuals, they act as a single entity. Sharing their consciousness with The Magistrate, the masks know everything that happened, despite this, they cannot act, unless something interferes in the "Balance", a concept constantly debated among the members of the Sect. If someone presents any threat to it, they manifest to confront him with an agreement: become a member of the Sect or be exterminated by the group.^[6]

Besides this sect being led by the wielder of the Despair Mask, it is also composed of individuals who were initially judged as threats to the Balance and, when confronted, agreed to join the cult, giving up their individuality and becoming just another part of the collective mind of the Masks, who act only to protect the Balance.

This bond with the collective mind can be broken with some considerations, one of them being the extreme feelings caused by "The Devil's Hatred",^[7] or if the agreement is broken somehow,^[8] thus restoring the consciousness of the individual. Upon returning, the individual will not remember anything that it lived as a member of the Masks, because the memories are not yours, only being able to obtain them if the Magistrate delivered them after the return of the mask.^[9]

History[]

This cult has remained active throughout the world for millennia of years as a big amalgamated mind fixed by the rules of Reality "from the beginning",^[10] protecting balance extremely cautiously and never directly interfering with events. However, by its mysterious nature, folklores and myths were created in respect of the Sect of the Masks. Its earliest known acting era precedes A.D. 67, where they had Gaius as one of its members after offering him a deal to preserve the Balance, in exchange for that the terminal illness of the man’s daughter would be cured.^[11] Somehow unknown, Gaius parted ways with the Sect of the Masks and joined Ordo Calamitas, this being the same organization that also momentarily acquired the Despair Mask. It was then that, as a consequence of Amphitruo's games, Celestine, another Ordo Calamitas warrior, made a deal with the entity of Chaos and became The Magistrate to defeat Veritus, who thanks to anachronic revelations resumed his old name, Kian.^[12]

Arising from this event in the Ordo Calamitas Ruins, the Sect of the Masks shows interest in the Deconjuration Order, but in a way antagonistic to Kian and the Escribes, because they judged their plans as a threat to the Balance.^[13]

During the investigations made in 2020 by the Ordo Realitas agent, Joui Jouki, it was discovered some information about the Sect of the Masks and in the process, he arrests Nathaniel,^[3] one of the only known members of the cult in strange circumstances, causing Joui to feel disgust for him.^[14] However, Nathaniel’s arrest was engineered by himself, and part of his agreement with the Sect of the Masks to approach Joui for future benefit.^[15]

Deconjuration[]

At the night of November 1, 2020, the Sect of the Masks invades the Ordo Realitas Base to rescue Nathaniel from the prison, making Ivete Beicur as a hostage.^[4] While the Magistrate and the other Masks kept the D-Force members on the Shadow Dimension,^[16] Nathaniel pressured Joui Jouki to make a deal with him to join the Sect of the Masks, in exchange for his friends being protected from Kian and the Escribes when needed.^[17] After their incursion, all the Masks disappear, transporting the Ordo Realitas agents to their homes and hiding the memories of all who were not present in the Shadow Dimension,^[18] except by Joui.

Later, amid the period of investigations that D-Force made in the Devilish Mansion about their previous residents, there were times when Joui acted more seriously and distant from others.^[19] It is then that on the night of November 5, at the cemetery, Joui Jouki reveals to have made a deal with the Sect of the Masks, joining them to defeat Kian and protect his friends. Joui becomes a Mask by wearing his, disappearing in the shadows along with the other Masks.^[20]

In the early hours of November 7, in the final moments of the called "Final Day of the Deconjuration", the Sect of the Masks shows up at St. Menefreda Orphanage during the confrontation of the Ordo Realitas agents against Kian and Gal.^[21] Kian, now converted as a Marked, uses a ritual of Fear, limiting the Mask, but with the Cineraria Ritual casted by Kaiser, the Sect of the Masks could rescue the other agents.

Calamity[]

Between 2020 and 2021, a brief alliance of the Masks with Ordo Realitas is made in the fight against the Escribes, keeping close to the agents.^[22] That’s when, on the night of September 9, the Sect of the Masks teams up with Team Vultures to fight against the different versions of The Host, occurring the death of the Masks one after another. Later, during the war in The Colosseum between the Order and its allies and the Escribes, the Magistrate is killed by Kian while keeping him contained so the Markeds of Team Vultures could face Team Kian.^[23]