The Worship of Danu has changed over time. Originally, the worship of Danu, was a worship of faith, rather than respect/ miracle. The worshipers were magically transported to Arth, a world of many spirit beings. Upon travelling to Arth, they accepted that there were new and mighty spirits to respect, but continued to worship Danu and the principle of Masque. Now, they have found that the master of masques exists. Their worship empowers Danu and in turn, he empowers his priests. Most KnownWorlders do not understand why the MaskLanders would worship a mere master. They do not understand the word Masque.
Masque is the controlling abstract for the physical noun masks. In the MaskLander’s home tongue, mask/ masque has many additional meanings beyond what a ThirdLander might mean by the word mask. The most important of which is the appearance of all things that are different than their core. “Nothing is what it seems on the outside” is the easiest way to view it. Thus Masques are somewhat deceptive and that one should never assume that what something is, is what it is truly is.
They use the name Danu for the Master of Masques. Danu is a deceiver (hiding truths), a revealer (exposing truths), teacher (leading those to truth), and the core of which the natural universe we can sense is merely a mask for what is really there. In short, Danu is associated with Ge-Em, the aloof primal god that formed the universe but does not seem to be very involved in things.
Part of the worship of Danu is the wearing of masks and disguises, which are both concealing and revealing. There is a complex iconary that MaskLanders use to express aspects of their inner self externally. Only one’s family or confidants are allowed to see one without their mask. The various ranks of society wear different levels of masques.
Note: Danu Worshipers have there own magics tied to the religion of Danu.
Each person can learn “heart magic” or spells tied to their inner self. (The higher their rank, the more likely that they know these charms). These spells amplify those inner aspects and give them outer form. If one is a hawk, one can learn heart magic to enhance ones eyesight, increase one’s grip or ability to leap, and even fly. General magics are not normally practiced by Danu worshipers, but are not prohibited.
The Priestly class takes those who are of appropriate leanings. (If one is born to a priest, but does not become a priest, they will revert to the class of their father or forefather). The Priests are masterful psychologists, spiritual interpreters, and are known for creating intricate riddles, puzzles, and alagorical stories. They attempt to teach others the complexity of Danu. It is all about teaching wisdom and greater understanding of the world around people.
The kind of mask you can wear is determiend by your rank in society. MaskLanders have a very regimented feudal society of obligations and duty. So you can tell who someone is by what they are wearing.
Priests wear robes that completely cover their bodies and faces. They have meshes that cover their eyes (only slightly obscuring their vision) and their blank robed faces have a pocket like slits that food and drink can be slipped through. They wear gloves and boots. No one is allowed to see their visage after they are accepted into the priesthood. They also have no name, just Priest.
Peasants wear simple cloth masks and what ever clothes they have (usually a tunic and a pair of silk tights). These masks normally drape from the forehead, with eye cut outs, but other variations exist. Many of these are highly decorated with the assistance of priests, to show elements of themselves.
Merchants wear nicer versions of what peasants wear, soft masks and appropriate clothes. Some Merchants have taken to wearing costumes to enhance themselves. Most are reminicent of a harliquin, but others look more like halloween costumes. In fits of Hubris, some merchants are taking to making elaborate built up masks made of “soft materials”.
Those of the Skilled Class, wear solid masks. These are made from a variety of materials, though intricately wood seems to be the most common. The Skilled classes tend to wear clothing appropriate to their various crafts in addition to their masks. They have a tendancy to coordinate their clothing with their mask, creating the costume/ uniform concept that pervades MaskLand.
Between the Skilled Class and the Noble Class is that of the Warrior rank. There are skilled warrior who work for nobles and lesser nobles who are also knights to greater nobles. Warriors constantly wear their warrior’s regalea, fancy armor with a full face helm (usually with horns or addornment) with their weapons. These warrior’s armors are combinations of plate, mail, strong layers of MaskLand silk (which seems to be blak lyrca) holding things together and quieting the metal clinking. They are quite exotic looking.
Note: That the arts of war and command are the province of the noble class. Most warriors are lesser nobles, and will choose to dress like nobles in many cases. It is only skilled warriors of non noble line that always wear their armor.
Those of the Noble Class are the most visable of the MaskLanders. In fact, when people say “MaskLander” people think of the nobles. Typically they are wearing full body suits of MaskLander Silk (a black lyrca-esk fabric), accesorized with fur, feathers, padded shoulders, and exotic character boots. Their faces are carefully painted. Traditionally, a white field of the face is adorned with appropriate symbolic facepaint. They make quite a sight. These costumes and masks carefully enhance the noble’s masque. (Also note that they will have 1-10 magical charms based on their masque).
For Example: A Noble who is a “cat”, would have a black cat nose, wiskers, and the shape of cat’s eyes pained in black on their whitened faces. Their suit would be black, with fur around the neck and wrists, and cat clawed boots and gloves. (The noble’s charms would include seeing in darkness, dexterity, magic claws, talking with cats, super balance, and the ability to summon/ manipulate cats).
For Example: A female noble who personifies Love, might have their suit dyed a red tone. She will have a star over her right eye (showing her eye for emotion). There may be a heart cut out in the center of her bosom. Her boots might be thigh high and have a “heart” motif. Any other accessories would have a similar heart motif. (Her charms would be toward empathic awareness and manipulation, possibly the ability to fortell someone’s fate (to see if they are to have love)).
Yes, if you know the RockBand Kiss, they will look a lot like a fully decked out member of the Kiss Army who are portraying themselves.