Category:The Masquerade

Arguably the most enigmatic branch of the NWO, the Masquerade is equal parts mystic cult and domestic terrorist cell. It is comprised of two basic "levels": The eager, if deluded, cultists and foot soldiers who make up the bulk of the organisation, and the Executives who direct these minions' efforts. Ostensibly, the leader of the Masquerade is the mad oracle King Leo, but even he has a boss in the person of Joker, an inscrutable entity clad in jester's motley who grants the dreams of those who call upon him. The Masquerade's true agenda, outside of the granting of dreams, or "Ideals", is the evolution of Man and the exaltation of the world via the events foretold by the Oracle of Maia. In order to bring about this cataclysmic change, they have set several of these events into motion already...

The Crystal Skulls

"...A non-executive like you could never control the Crystal Skull. This Skull can only be controlled by those bearing the constellation of the Holy Cross." -Lady Scorpio

In accordance with the prophecy, the Masquerade has in its possession a set of ancient Mayan relics called the Crystal Skulls. (Yes, those Crystal Skulls.) Unlike the purported thirteen of the legend, roughly half of which are in various museums, the Masquerade's Skulls are the real deal. There are six of them on the MUSH, as opposed to the canonical four: The Skulls of the Heavens (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water), the Anchor Skull, and the Skull of the Underworld. The Skulls are the means by which the four senior executives can teleport (especially now that the Traumaport has been sundered), but their primary function is the absorption and storing of Ideal Energy.

The Executives

While the four original Executives -- those appointed by Joker himself -- possess the most authority, several more have been recruited by King Leo over the past year. The full list is as follows:

• Aries: The seat of Aries is currently vacant. Or is it...?
• Prince Taurus: One of the more public Executives, the Prince has been tasked with retrieving the Ideal Energy of the young and vibrant -- a task which his career as a producer for teen idols helps him fulfill with ease. He possesses the Crystal Skull of Earth.
• Gemini: The seat of Gemini is currently vacant.
• Baroness Cancer: A naval officer and dreamseer, the Baroness is learned in the ancient lore and rites of the Mayans. Her task is to harvest the Ideal Energy of her colleagues and other military personnel -- a group which overlaps with Tatsuzou Sudou's branch of the NWO. Because Joker's a troll. She possesses the Anchor Skull.
• King Leo: Joker's right hand, viceroy of the Masquerade and author of its fundamental text In Lak'ech. Utterly devoted to the motley-clad entity, Leo acts as the voice of the organisation. Presumably, the King harvests Ideal Energy just as the others do, but he has not disclosed his target demographic to his colleagues. He possesses the Crystal Skull of Fire.
  • Magical Warrior Maiden Ixquic: The King's emotionally-compromised minion. She wears a Mayan-inspired costume, and is accompanied by her long-suffering demon, Belphegor.
• Duke Virgo: Former member of the KDA and potential security threat. The Duke has no target demographic, lacking a Skull to harvest with.
• Count Libra: Another potential security threat, the Count is nominally still an executive despite his conflicted loyalties. He might come to possess the Crystal Skull of the Underworld...assuming he can stay loyal enough to wield it.
• Lady Scorpio: Former Sevens track star and victim of a devastating, crippling accident. Scorpio is an alcoholic, a nihilist, and more devoted to her lover the King than she is to Joker or the Masquerade's idealistic crusade. She has been tasked with the retrieval of the Ideal Energy of high school students and, more recently, the hopeless dregs of humanity that inhabit the bars she frequents. She possesses the Crystal Skull of Water.
• Sagittarius: The seat of Sagittarius is currently vacant.
• Countess Capricorn: Proprietress of a disreputable boarding house and now an employee of Yasogami High. The Countess has a particular love of breaking young people. She has no target demographic, as she lacks a Skull.
• Queen Aquarius: Glamorous celebrity and, unknowingly, mother of Joker. The Queen's task is to harvest the Ideal Energy of her hangers-on and other world-weary adults, especially those attracted to her fatal beauty. She possesses the Crystal Skull of Wind.
• Baron Pisces: Sevens graduate and janitor, it was the Baron's brutal efficacy and promise which led the King to recruit him. He has no target demographic, lacking as he does a Skull.