Man Behind the Mask

*This article is about the mysterious entity. You may be looking for ****the book of the same name****.*

## General Details

### Location

* Swamplands
* Woodlands
* Hammerlea

## Ranks and Titles

* Defiler
* Sinister
* Persecutor
* Immoral Immortal

## Affiliation

Cupid

The **Man Behind the Mask** was an enigmatic and powerful being who became known to Dragonhollow in the Second Era.

Though he called himself a man, he was thought to predate humanity and referred to “mortals” as if he wasn't one.

The Man Behind the Mask was the title subject of *Man Behind the Mask* and played a strong supporting role in *Cupid's Story*. Both books suggested he was an irredeemably cruel and evil individual and a masterful manipulator.

# Description

The Man Behind the Mask appeared as a pale-skinned sinister man with a deceptive smirk. He wore a snow-white suit with black cufflinks over a black undershirt and matching snow-white slacks with brown loafers. A snow-white fedora balanced on top of his tousled purple hair. Though he hid his face with a white mask adorned with strange red veins, it did little to hide his crimson eyes and missing nose.

# Abilities

The Man Behind the Mask was a talented sorceror, capable of paralyzing any mortal with a snap of his fingers. In the Second Era, he acquired the powers of love from Cupid.

He was an accomplished brewer of poisons.

He was also extraordinarily resilient, surviving a blow from Eris that would have killed any mortal. Moreover, though she personally killed his ally Cupid, she only sentenced him to walk the world forever, perhaps implying that she could not kill him.

# History

The Man Behind the Mask had his origins in the Ancient Era, where he supposedly killed thousands and became well known as a masterful manipulator.

He was the subject of a Second Era report filed by Rolo, assistant to the Loremaster Alarrick, that warned all residents of his true nature and asked them to be vigilant.

The Man entered into a partnership with Cupid, trading his knowledge of deadly poisons for Cupid's powers of love and affection, part of a complicated scheme to enslave the people of Dragonhollow. On 2E:118, they kidnapped Pi and intended to sacrifice him upon the altar of Mudwyrm. His friend Matto led others in a successful rescue attempt, defeating Cupid and the Man's golem-like bodyguards.

The Man then called out Eris, who appeared but didn't recognize him, suggesting that he may have been a Skinchanger. She forced him to walk the Swamplands and beyond long after his feet bled. While he obeyed, he warned her that he would destroy her world piece by piece as he did so.

There were no further eyewitness accounts of the Man Behind the Mask, but his promise to Eris led to idle speculation that he was responsible for various oddities and crises that befell the planet.

When whispered rumors began spreading of strange pagan structures that killed anyone who entered and were impervious to the supposedly limitless power of Eris, some saw the Man Behind the Mask as the culprit.

In the Fourth Era, the nefarious curse eminating from beneath the Black Claim reminded Rolo and other Second Era veterans of The Man, especially when its effects spread so far and wide that The Fall of Summer forced Eris to evacuate her subjects to the Badlands.

The Man Behind the Mask was even suspected to be involved in bringing about apocalyptic Nyx, the long foretold Eternal Night that caused Dragonhollow to vanish from the known universe.

The Order of Benly believed him to be Benly, supposedly a resurrected avatar of their god Ymir destined to overcome Eris and reclaim Dragonhollow.

# Behind the Scenes

*The following is out-of-universe information about the real world Dragonhollow.*

The Man Behind the Mask was created by the Loremaster Alarrick and his assistant Rolo.

His skin was designed by Jack Firebane.