The Black Mask

Start-class article · First seen: s04 · Last seen: s19
The Black Mask
Black Mask devil
Portrait of The Black Mask.
Character
StatusAlive
First seens04
Last seens19
FactionInfernal contract law

The Black Mask is a shapeshifting devil who deals in wagers and contracts. She met Hugo, Caelumn and Terry in session 4 as a dwarf in a special helmet at The Still Current Inn in Mirestrand [21], and that night Hugo alone signed with her: ten years’ service after the egg quest, free if he dies in the last three, and her help killing one doctor [69]. Since then she has come to Hugo alone, as a tiefling with green horns, a female gnome fishing on the water, and a dwarf in a frozen-time scene in which she undid the Wraith’s conditioning of him [24][8][11]. Her reason for acting against the Ascendancy is not stated.

Overview

The Black Mask is a devil who works by contract. She presents rules as her one fixed point: “once a wager is set once a deal is made we abide by the deal. we don’t change it midway and we cannot lie” [2]. She says she wants the party to succeed and, in session 17, that she does not want the world to end [13][14]. What she wants from Hugo in return is his service and, if he dies, his soul, and she keeps pressing for a second signature to match his [15][16][12].

Apart from the first audience, which Caelumn and Terry shared, every meeting with her has been Hugo’s alone: in a private room in session 4, on night watches in sessions 12 and 19, and in frozen time on the skiff in session 17 [17][18][8][19][20].

Appearance and demeanour

The DM has called the Black Mask “he” in the dwarf and tiefling forms and “she” in the gnome and later forms; this page uses “she”.

  • Session 4: a dwarf in “a sort of special mask, pretty much a helmet” [21]. In the black void the dwarf took off the helmet and grew horns and wings, a devil [22], and at the signing “it’s not a dwarf”, but a full-size humanoid devil [23].
  • Session 12: a tiefling with green horns, still in the same black mask [24].
  • Session 17: “a female gnome with a black mask on, sitting on a chair on the water, fishing” [8].
  • Session 19: a dwarf with a black mask, then Rafe’s face with the mask, then a third form [25].

Time freezes around her in sessions 12, 17 and 19 [24][8][20]. She is charming, sarcastic and amused: at the first audience Caelumn’s passive Insight was enough to tell she was “being sarcastic” [26], in session 7 Hugo heard “a slight giggle” in the back of his mind when he spoke to the ring [6], and in session 12 she wore “the biggest shit-eating grin” [27].

Abilities as played

  • Transport and time: she moved three of the party to a black void with a snap of the fingers [28], and stopped time around Hugo [24][8][20]. No time passed in the inn while Hugo signed [29].
  • Through the ring: Hugo calls her by tapping or whispering to the ring [6][30], and takes it for granted that she can watch through it [31][32].
  • Forms and teleporting: she changes form freely and teleported in front of Hugo and behind him [33][34].
  • Visions and recordings: she handed Hugo an altered sending stone that played a recording [35] and pulled him out of body to watch his conditioning being applied [36].
  • Her word: she says devils cannot lie and keep their deals [2].

Relationships

  • Hugo: her contract-holder. She calls him Corvin, the name he had before the project [37].
  • Vasquez: she has her eye on him; he “has unlocked something that should probably have been locked away”, and “once he’s dead, the demon has no hold of him” [38][39]. She never names Mharos.
  • Bella: Hugo asked her to bring Bella to the truth; she answered “Hmm. why?” and nothing was agreed [40].
  • Dr Flem Josenge: the doctor whose recording she showed Hugo, and whom she agreed to help Hugo kill [3][41].
  • The Wraith: the Ascendancy handler whose mind control she offers to lift, in return for a second signature [16][42].
  • Mike: the first person Hugo tried to bring in as a second signatory; Mike refused the contract [43].
  • A crow pecked at Caelumn’s window after the first audience [44]; whether it was hers is not established.

Disposition towards the party

Cordial and transactional with Hugo, and amused by the rest of the party. She told Hugo that taking all three of them would be “way too unfair”: “just one of you. I’m not greedy. I like them a lot” [45]. She is dismissive of the Ascendancy [46] and, in session 19, acted against its hold on Hugo [36].

Notable quotes

“see we devils have a rule set. once a wager is set once a deal is made we abide by the deal. we don’t change it midway and we cannot lie.” — The Black Mask, [2]

“but that’s the thing about names. in my realm, they hold power. however, you may call me the Black Mask.” — The Black Mask, [47]

“I do have my eye on the one they call Vasquez. He has unlocked something that should probably have been locked away.” — The Black Mask, [38]

“Rookie mistake. Always have them sign the thing before the bet.” — The Black Mask, [8]

“You should probably get on that second deal. Wouldn’t want history to repeat itself. Ta-ta.” — The Black Mask, [12]

History in the campaign

Session 4: The Still Current, the Black Mask, and Hugo’s Pact

Main article: Session 4

Near midnight a dwarf in a special helmet sat down at the party’s table, offered scrolls and poisons that “fell off a cart”, and with a snap of the fingers moved Hugo, Caelumn and Terry to a black void [48][28]. There the devil showed her horns and wings and offered a wager on Sevryn’s quest, with an onyx ring of inward hooks, one of them to return to her on failure [49]. She promised to tell Hugo where his family was if the quest succeeded, and played him a recording about a project that left seven survivors [50][3]. Later Hugo called her alone and signed: ten years’ service after the quest, free if he dies in the last three, and help killing one doctor. His requests about Bella and destroying his group were not agreed [51].

Session 6: Maze of the Minotaur and the Titan

Main article: Session 6

The Black Mask does not appear, but her pact ring comes up for the first time. A phase spider’s poison dropped Hugo to 0 hit points, and he described the ring’s demonic-blade revive: 1d8 necrotic damage to the spider and 4 hit points back [52]. The DM and Hugo argued over the ring’s wording; the DM had written it so that a strike that did not kill the attacker would kill Hugo, and Hugo then rose on “my other feature” instead [53]. Whether the ring fired is a question for the DM.

Session 7: Maelis Falls, Vasquez Captured

Main article: Session 7

After the Wraith’s night-time meeting with Hugo in a dark alley [54], Hugo stepped aside from the party on its way downstairs and whispered into his ring, “Black Mask, we need to talk later”. He heard a slight giggle in the back of his mind [6]. In session 12 he says he has been putting the talk off [30].

Session 12: Eldwythe and the Candy Cottage

Main article: Session 12

On a long-rest watch, with the others asleep, Hugo tapped his ring; time stopped and she appeared as a tiefling with green horns [18]. He offered to be her eternal champion if she helped him corrupt the Wraith [31]. She said her souls come by contracts that people must truly want to sign [55], and told him that the way to break the Wraith’s mind control was to make the Ascendancy’s lead doctor explain it [56]. Her counter-offer was Hugo’s own deal, if an ally of the party also signed over their soul; she named Vasquez [57].

Session 17: New Hands, the Black Mask’s Renegotiation, and the Rimeclaw

Main article: Session 17

Hugo bet Mike that he could stay under water longer, with a contract at stake, and won; as the party argued over it, time froze for everyone but him [58][59][8]. She appeared as a gnome fishing from a chair on the water: “Rookie mistake. Always have them sign the thing before the bet.” [8]. She revised the substitution clause so that both Hugo and whoever he got to sign would be her “attack dogs”, and she would lift the Ascendancy’s mind control from him and “the one you called Rafe” [60]. Hugo kept the clause that she cannot touch the quest, and she agreed with a pinky promise [61]. She agreed too to “crush your little ascendancy” [46]. Mike refused to sign [43].

Session 18: The Wyrm Falls, the Catfish Escapes, and Mike Dies on the Road

Main article: Session 18

The Black Mask does not appear. While an Aurelian patrol was about to execute Mike, the DM broke off a remark on Caelumn’s turn: “There’s your opportunity. Black Mask might want… I’ll allow you to do an action if you want to. You might need it.” Caelumn answered “What, me?” [62]. Hugo told Caelumn that if he attacked the patrol, Hugo would not back him [63]. Caelumn took the Dodge action, and Mike was beheaded [64]. The unfinished sentence was never explained.

Session 19: A Penitent Priest, an Unmade Leash, and the Pixie in the Dark

Main article: Session 19

On Hugo’s night watch, after the Wraith re-applied his conditioning with “Teddy Bear. Lamp.”, time froze and a dwarf with a black mask poked out in front of her [20]. Hugo said “you listen through the ring don’t you” [32]. She shapeshifted into Rafe’s face with the mask, teased him, and took a third form [65]. She pulled him out of body to watch the words being said, and gave him a command, which the DM sent him privately, to undo the conditioning [66]. “You should probably get on that second deal”, she added [12]. Hugo remains “conditioned to achieve your goal at any means necessary within reason” [67]. Only Hugo saw any of it.

Status

As of session 23. Alive, as far as the term applies to a devil. Her last appearance was to Hugo alone in session 19, when she undid the Wraith’s conditioning and pressed him to get “on that second deal” [36][12]. Hugo’s contract and the ring are unchanged, and the substitution clause is still open after Mike’s refusal in session 17 and his death in session 18 [43][68][12]. She has not appeared in sessions 20 to 23. Why she is willing to act against the Ascendancy is not stated.

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 4, line 1064-1236: First meeting at the Still Current Inn; the void, the wager on Sevryn's quest and the barbed ring.
  2. ^ Session 4, line 1212: 'we devils have a rule set... we cannot lie'.
  3. ^ Session 4, line 1322: The recording from the project doctor.
  4. ^ Session 4, line 1664-1732: Hugo signs alone; the Black Mask calls him Corvin; ten years' service, free if he dies in the last three.
  5. ^ Session 6, line 638-667: The ring's demonic-blade feature fires for the first time, in the phase-spider fight.
  6. ^ Session 7, line 1060: Hugo whispers "Black Mask, we need to talk later" into the ring and hears a slight giggle.
  7. ^ Session 12, line 192-237: Reappears as a tiefling with green horns; refuses the eternal-champion offer; names Vasquez.
  8. ^ Session 17, line 697: A female gnome on a chair on the water, fishing; visible to Hugo only during a frozen-time audience.
  9. ^ Session 17, line 709-717: Revises the substitution clause ("two attack dogs"); agrees to the quest-immunity carry-over with a pinky promise.
  10. ^ Session 18, line 2223-2225: The DM breaks off mid-sentence on Caelumn's turn: "Black Mask might want..."; nothing more comes of it.
  11. ^ Session 19, line 449-455: Appears as a dwarf the instant time freezes, shapeshifts, and gives Hugo a command to undo the conditioning; Hugo only.
  12. ^ Session 19, line 464: "You should probably get on that second deal. Wouldn't want history to repeat itself. Ta-ta.".
  13. ^ Session 4, line 1188: Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 17, line 713: Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 4, line 1702: Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 17, line 711: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 4, line 1654-1660: Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 12, line 192-193: Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 17, line 705: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 19, line 449: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 4, line 1064: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 4, line 1162-1172: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 4, line 1660: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 12, line 193: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 19, line 449-453: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 4, line 1242-1244: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 12, line 227: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 4, line 1154: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 4, line 1736: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 12, line 192: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 12, line 194: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 19, line 450: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 17, line 709: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 19, line 453-455: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 4, line 1288-1322: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 19, line 455: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 4, line 1670-1672: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 12, line 223: Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 12, line 235: Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 4, line 1664-1666: Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 4, line 1674-1676: Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 19, line 451-455: Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 17, line 732-744: Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 4, line 1352: Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 4, line 1202: Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 17, line 717: Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 4, line 1228: Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 4, line 1064-1110: Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 4, line 1162-1228: Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 4, line 1268: Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 4, line 1664-1720: Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 6, line 633-638: Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 6, line 652-667: Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 7, line 1000-1014: Inline citation.
  55. ^ Session 12, line 197-201: Inline citation.
  56. ^ Session 12, line 203-207: Inline citation.
  57. ^ Session 12, line 219-223: Inline citation.
  58. ^ Session 17, line 579-581: Inline citation.
  59. ^ Session 17, line 643-647: Inline citation.
  60. ^ Session 17, line 709-711: Inline citation.
  61. ^ Session 17, line 712-713: Inline citation.
  62. ^ Session 18, line 2222-2225: Inline citation.
  63. ^ Session 18, line 2243: Inline citation.
  64. ^ Session 18, line 2267-2276: Inline citation.
  65. ^ Session 19, line 451-453: Inline citation.
  66. ^ Session 19, line 455-456: Inline citation.
  67. ^ Session 19, line 467: Inline citation.
  68. ^ Session 18, line 2276: Inline citation.
  69. ^ Session 4, line 1676-1720: Inline citation.