On Greystriders
Over my centuries of research and theorizing few subjects have so captured my attention as the tale of the Greystriders. The story of an embittered faerie craftsman, temptation, a deal with Death herself, and mortals with the willpower to live again. But perhaps I get ahead of myself, for it is a rather obscure tale.
This story begins with a Faerie artisan, their name purged, they are now known only as “the Maskmaker”. Their job, as one could likely have ascertained, is to craft the ceremonial masks of the Archfae. They were an incredibly skilled worker, though quite obsessive. One day they were commanded by one Faerie Queen not to make a mask for the other Fae Queen. For many years the Maskmaker obliged, but after dozens of requests from the beautiful and resplendent Fae Queen, the Maskmaker finally snapped.
Upon completing their work, and gifting the forbidden mask, the first Queen discovered their betrayal and had them executed. That was when this began to get interesting, for even upon going to the bleak underworld called the Lands Beyond Life, the Maskmaker did not give up their craft. Instead they became even more fervent, crafting masks for the spirits of the dead.
However, they quickly discovered that the embittered dead were not interested in their strange crafts. So the Maskmaker began experimenting further, delving deeper into the mysteries of the materials of the Lands Beyond Life.
Eventually, they came across the bones of an Eternal, a being created by the soul of a deceased dragon. These massive things are wormlike abominations, akin to the enormous maggots of the underworld. Using their faerie magics and incredible skill, the Maskmaker made a discovery. A mask properly forged from the bones of an Eternal and affixed to the face of a mortal could allow that being to traverse the boundaries of the universe. It could allow them to walk the living world again.
They went on to discover and create several limitations in order to stabilize such masks and to avoid the wrath of Oetheus, the Goddess of Death. Firstly, in exchange for a mask, a being must hand over all its mortal memories. This it does not defy death fully by raising someone as they were before, but rather it is creating a new being, a blank slate.
Secondly, to make sure that the previous technicality is allowed, the return isn’t perfect. Every twelve or so hours hours that is spent on the mortal worlds, eight must be spent in the underworld to restore the mask’s energy. That way they cannot simply wander about unphased. Each time they travel back and forth, they end up exactly where they left each world previously.
The masks of Greystriders are difficult though not impossible to break. Being struck by a mythic or divine weapon can damage them. Extremely powerful magic can also harm a mask. And being killed by the weapon or type of weapon that killed you prior can also destroy your mask. Losing a mask doesn’t just trap you back in the Lands Beyond Life either. It destroys you completely and totally, a tragic fate for those who attempted to evade death.
With such power as this though, tis no surprise the Maskmaker has some stringent demands for prospective Greystriders. Firstly they must supply the Eternal bone, which is no easy task. Secondly, they must sacrifice their memories as mentioned. Finally they must survive the intense procedure of mask affixion. All those things done, you may become a Greystrider.
The Maskmaker and their pseudo “children” are certainly a fascinating case, and I do often ponder how much of the methods of my own immortality I borrowed from my conversations with the long-dead Fae. Truthfully, I think though they’re certainly a master of their craft, their obsession clouds any sort of greater vision they might have. A shame to put such potential to waste, though considering how it influenced me, perhaps it hasn’t all been in vain.
The Lord of Skulls, God-Emperor of the Undead
