Masked
Character Creation Guide
1. Choose a Mask from The Mask Shoppe
The Mask Shoppe is owned and run by Rook, a foreboding yet surprisingly jovial Unseelie Masked whose face is always hidden under his raven-like Mask. He travels far throughout both Alfheim and Mundis, collecting masks and materials for masks from cultures, ancient sites, and hidden places all over the world, Rook provides the masks he gathers or makes for his fae clients, who use them to perform Masked Seals and create Masked. Among the fae of Alfheim, he is known to provide some of the finest Masks found in either the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Rook's most regular clients may be the Seelie and Unseelie Kings and Queens themselves, for each time he brings his wheeled Mask Shoppe through their realms, the rulers purchase a great deal of his finest stock in order to constantly have masks on hand for their Masked Sealing magics.
All you need to do in order to claim a mask from The Mask Shoppe is to create a Player Profile. Feel free to use the Player Profile Template or create your own from scratch! The profile can exist anywhere online as long as it is freely accessible to those who have the link. Your Player Profile will be your identity in the game, collecting the NYX magic you gather from any Green actions you take to benefit the planet. The NYX you gain can be used by your Masked characters to unlock magical rewards and powers for them. Your Player Profile will also have links to all your Masked characters so that other players of the game can find them and read about their adventures.
Once you've made your Player Profile, link it in the comment section for The Mask Shoppe and claim an untaken mask from the list!
Example Comment:
Greetings Rook! My name is PLAYERNAME
and I would like Mask __ please!
Player Profile Link:
https://sokolva.wixsite.com/thegreengame/player-profile-template
If your Player Profile link works, Rook will reply and hand you the mask you chose. He will then remove that mask from the list so that you, and only you, will have it. There are rumors among the fae that if, in your comment to Rook, your Player Profile already has recorded NYX you have earned from Green services rendered to the earth, you have a chance for some kind of very rare magics to come attached with your Mask.
2. Create your Character
Once you receive your mask from Rook, you can begin the process of making your own Masked character! The final design can be represented in a visual or written form, or both. Each time that Rook travels through an area with a new batch of Masks, they will come with some unique story hooks behind them. Think about what backstory you want your character to have, and how they connect with the story and history of the mask you chose. Think about how your character was sealed with this Masked. In most cases, the fae performing the Masked Sea will be whichever King or Queen is present in the Seelie and Unseelie courts. but in some special cases, it might be specified to be another powerful fae from either court, with unique lore and story provided. Feel free to read up on the linked NPC pages to get inspired on where your Masked's story might connect with theirs.
A. Choose your Masked’s original form:
What was your character's original form in Mundis before they were Sealed and became a Masked? What kind of animal, plant, fungi, insect, or person were they? In what era did they live—did they inhabit the ancient, deep seas long before animals crawled upon the earth, or were they a modern human used to living in skyscrapers? How did they live their life? Where they healthy and happy when they were sealed into their Mask? Were they at death’s door? Were they desperately lost and unhappy, trying to find an escape or a way out of some situation in their life, or were they invited to join the world of the fae and welcomed the invitation happily? Did they have some inkling of what they were getting into, or were they tricked? Did they take a leap of faith, or was the choice made for them, without their consent? Knowing their original form is also important, because they will transform into their original form whenever they remove their Mask, and resume their new Masked fae form whenever they put their Mask on. Their original form will always remain a part of them going forward, though they will be much more than they appear to the inhabitants of Mundis. Also, many Masked retain aspects or hints of their original form in their new Masked fae forms. A Masked that was originally a pidgeon may retain a pidgeon-like beak, or wings, yet become immense and covered in beautiful blue feathers. A fox may transform into a kitsune-like form with many tails. A human make become a werewolf-like creature when Masked that can run on two legs or four, depending on its whims. Knowing the original form of your Masked is therefore not only useful for a glimpse of their background and story, but also in inspiring what kind of design you may want to create.
B. Choose Your Masked's Court (This affects their Mask's Coloration)
Choose which court of fae your Masked belongs to: Seelie or Unseelie. The court that your fae belongs to is determined by their personality and character, but they themselves are not determined by what court they belong to. Read the lore on each of the courts for more information, and choose well; the moment a Masked is made, its being and magic is either a part of one court or the other, and this court never changes, just as the Mask that seals them never changes. There are a few key differences between the courts, aside from the lore, that also might help determine which court you think your character best falls under. First, the colors of a Masked’s Mask reveal to all what court it belongs to; bright, pale, and vivid colors for the Seelie Court, and dark, dusky, and muted colors for the Unseelie Court. The actual body colors of the Masked themselves can vary widely and only the Mask itself holds to this color rule. For example, though rare, it would be possible for an Unseelie Masked to be sunny-side-up yellow, but have a pitch-black Mask, or a Seelie Fae to be dark blue and have a pastel-pink Mask. Second, Seelie fae are capable of learning Blessings, while Unseelie can learn Curses (These are powerful magics that Masked can unlock, and are created, named, and defined by the player, unique to each character). NOTE: Both courts of fae can learn any kind of elemental magic, as nature is a part of all fae and shared by both courts.
C. Choose the fae that Sealed them
You don't need to decide what fae character sealed your Masked right away if you are still figuring out their backstory. It can be any Masked owned by a Player that is at the level where they can perform Masked Seals, or any NPC in the game. You may want to work on the story collaboratively with another; take your time to decide!
When performing Masked Seals, Seelie fae may be more prone to barter, prank, or use it to aid those who ask for protecting or saving. It usually benefits both parties after all: the fae gaining more, to bolster their dwindling numbers, and the Masked gaining magic and everlasting life. Unseelie fae, on the other hand, are known trap, intimidate, and trick those they perform Masked Seals on, sometimes even sealing unwilling or terrified participants. Unseelie may also seek out the desperate, the deeply unhappy, or the powerful. Some Unseelie like to forcibly seal those that seem like they would make good servants or powerful allies to serve them and their court. However, these aspects are not all-encompassing for either court, and each Seelie and Unseelie fae has their own motives and desires behind creating Masked fae from the creatures of Mundis. The Kings and Queens of the Seelie and Unseelie courts themselves wish to grow and expand their court's empire, and gain allies in order to ensure that their world can continue to exist and perhaps begin to make headway against the ever-growing danger of environmental destruction, pollution, and encroachment that erodes and constantly threatens their realm. Mundis and Alfheim are deeply connected, like the body is to the soul, and one cannot thrive while the other suffers; their fates are linked forever. Both courts therefore seek to turn the tides of the damage occuring in Mundis, and though they seem to have different methods, their strategies are one in the same. The fae of both courts are not actually so very different; both have the ability to love, scheme, hate, or empathize with the Masked they seal.
Think about the circumstances behind how your character was sealed, and how they reacted to it. This will help to shape your Masked into a fleshed out character and make it easier to know how they will react to the experience of being a Masked going forward.
D. Designing your Masked’s "Masked" or Fae Form:
A Masked’s "Masked" or fae form can look any number of ways. You are only limited by your imagination when designing this form. Though most Masked retain hints towards their original forms, they may look so eldrich and strange, or appear to be such a strange and magical mixture of things, that the original form is difficult to guess. Fae’s bodies are expressions of their innermost selves; their soul, their being, their magics. When designing your Masked, you may wish for their body to completely match their personality, displaying their character for all to see. Alternately, you may instead design their fae form to seemingly contradict their obvious character traits, and instead reveal an inner aspect of who they are that is not obvious from the outside.
Things to keep in mind when creating your Masked’s fae form:
Fae, and therefore also the Masked, are living creatures, and need sustenance to survive. They are living creatures, even though they are magical and much more resistant to death than the creatures of Mundis. However, the things they eat and the ways in which they take in moisture and sustenance vary as greatly as their anatomy and body plans. Some photosynthesize, creating their own sugars and energy from sunlight and the nutrients and water they draw in from their surroundings. Others eat minerals, decomposing matter, and earth like earthworms and fungi. Still others eat meat, or plants, or only bones like an ossifrage. Some breathe air through nostrils, or through their skin, like insects and frogs. How does your Masked get sustenance, and how does its body reflect that? What kinds of environments is it most adapted for, or comfortable in? How does it fight or flee from danger?
It is also useful to remember that as time goes on and your Masked experiences adventures and participates in the world, it can grow and gain more control of its magical power and strength, and along with this, its form can shift and change greatly. Some Masked change so much that they are almost unrecognizable aside from their Masks, which never change and stay the same from the moment they were sealed, except for damage that can occur to them if they aren’t healed or repaired. A few Masked stay pretty much the same in form, despite gaining great power as they gain EXP and Levels. You don’t have to know how your Masked will change in the future, but remember that any design you choose for them now, aside from their Mask itself, isn’t permanent and can be changed and developed down the line.
E. Designing the Mask:
This is an important part of your character’s design, because it will always be present in both their Masked/fae and Unmasked/original forms. When your character puts on their Mask, they will enter their Masked, or fae form. When they take it off and enter their Unmasked or original form, it will magically magnetize to another part of their body and stay there until they put their Mask on again. The Mask cannot be thrown away, dropped, or separated from a Masked. It will immediately reattach itself and come back with a kind of powerful magical magnetism, and only destroying the Mask will break this bond. If the seal of the Mask is completely severed or broken, the Masked is killed. The Mask is also always visible on a Masked’s body at all times, no matter what form they are in. Not all Masked wear their Masks on their faces in their Masked fae form. Some Masked don't even anatomically have faces. Some Masked, like Rook, wear their Masks on their chests when in their Masked form, and attaches it to his face when in his Unmasked original form. Some Masked place their Mask on their tails, shoulders, stomachs, bark, or any other number of places to enter their Masked form. The place that their Mask must be placed order to transform them into their Masked fae form often has something to do with an insecurity, weakness, or fear that the Masked wishes to hide or protect whether its symbolic or literal.
Creating your Masked from A Mask Shoppe Claim:
If you received your first Mask from Rook in The Mask Shoppe, your Mask selection may have come with reference pictures, descriptions, or historical info to show what kind of a mask it is or give inspiration on what it looks like. If it does, you are free to build upon and customize this design by changing its colors, details, shape, and even more significant parts of its design. During the Masked Sealing ritual, the Mask itself is imbued with the newly created Masked’s own magic, changing color to match its court, as well as shifting aspects of the Mask's design or appearance to match the Masked’s personality. However, the main aspects such as the materials, history, and design style of the mask itself remains.
Sometimes, The Mask Shoppe will not have reference pictures for the Mask selection at all, but will instead have themes or some other story to fulfill. For example, each Mask may simply be required to be built from bones taken from a specific animal, or designed based on a legendary creature from mythology. Some may merely specify what materials they are made from, and leave all other design elements to the player. Rook travels widely, and each Mask Shoppe is different, so if you don’t see any in the current list that interests you, check back later, because they will change periodically and each will be very different and relate to the story in new and interesting ways! If you have a great idea for a Mask Shoppe, you can leave a request or a suggestion for Rook in the Suggestion Box.
NOTE: As it gains power, your Masked will gain the ability to perform Masked seals of their own and will be able to create new Masked characters. You can perform these Masked seals to create new characters for yourself, or for another player who can collaborate and build the story of how your Masked sealed theirs. In addition, your character can make or use any mask they like for the Masked seals they perform. Therefore, the Masks for these characters can take any form and look however you like, as long as they follow the color rules for the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Create a Masked Profile for your Masked:
You can use the Masked Profile Template or make your own from scratch. This profile can be any online site where you will collect all the info about your character. There are only a few details that NEED to be included for reference in the game, and you can add as many additional details and info as you wish to build and flesh out your character, or show their achievements and journeys so far.
Necessary Info for your Masked Profile
1. Masked/Fae Form Visual Reference AND / OR Written Physical Description
For this you can include art references, describe in detail the way your character’s Masked form looks, use (free to use) reference pictures to help visualize them, or all three of these techniques. The goal is to allow anyone who sees or reads this to have a strong image of what your character looks like in their Masked form.
2. Original Form Visual Reference AND / OR Written Physical Description
3. Mask Visual Reference AND / OR Physical Description:
What does their Mask itself look like? This doesn't have to be a separate category, and can be included as a part of your character description or art. The Mask itself is unchanging, and though it can be badly damaged or even shattered if a Masked comes very close to death, when it is healed or repaired by powerful healing magic it will return to its original shape. All Seelie have pale, bright, or vividly colored Masks, reminiscent of the spring, summer, and daylight in its many forms. All of the Unseelie have dark, dusky, or muted colors to their Masks, reminiscent of the autumn, winter, and shadows and night. The magic of the Masked themselves manifest in this visual way and reveal clearly, for all to see, what court of fae they belong to.
Include a link to your Masked's EXP and Level Log. Each Masked character has their own Log to keep track of their EXP and Court Levels in TheGreenGame. EXP Trackers are created in Google Sheets. Use the Template below, but feel free to customize and decorate as long as it is still organized the same way and is clearly legible.
5. Magics:
Companions, Glamour, Blessings/Curses, and Elemental Magic fall under this category. List all the magic and Companions that your character has. Give details, references, and/or info about each of these.
6. Fairy Ring:
When your character has reaches the level where they have unlock and create a Fairy Ring, give a brief description of it to be provided in the Masterlist, as well as TheGreenGame Google Maps location where it exists in Mundis.
Submit Your Masked Design & Masked Profile as a Link In a comment to RooK for your Masked to be Added to the Masked Masterlist:
The Masked Masterlist collects the pictures/descriptions, profiles, and info of all Official Masked that can be used within the online game. Simply reply to the Masked Shop comment in which he gave you the Mask with the new Masked's Profile, and if all the necessary details are there, it will be added to the Masked Masterlist. You now have an official Masked! Have fun in the world of TheGreenGame!