The Sodality occupies a sprawling workshop complex in the upper Market Tiers, where the smell of lacquer, leather, and something faintly sweet pervades the narrow streets. Founded shortly after the first Tragedy of Vallombrosa transformed the Autumn Masquerade into a cultural institution, the Sodality has spent nearly a millennium perfecting the art of concealment.
The Hierarchy
| Rank | Duration | Work Permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 5 years before unsupervised work | Basic craft fundamentals only |
| Journeyman | Ongoing | Standard festival masks that fill market stalls each autumn |
| Master | By invitation | Commissioned pieces that can take months — and access to the third floor |
Their masks range from simple painted leather dominos sold for a few coins to elaborate sculptural masterworks that wealthy families commission years in advance.
What Makes Them Different
In a city where reflections sometimes lie and promises carry supernatural weight, the Sodality understands that the boundary between face and mask grows thin. Senior Masquers learn techniques that journeymen are not taught:
- How to craft a mask that helps the wearer project confidence they do not feel
- How to shape features that encourage others to trust, fear, or desire
- How to create faces that seem to shift expression when viewed from different angles — despite being rigid materials
The Sodality maintains that these are merely tricks of craft. They do not discuss the workshop on the third floor that only masters may enter, or the commissions that arrive sealed and are delivered sealed, or the masks that are made for clients who provide measurements but never sit for fittings.
The Masquerade Connection
Three Sodality members sit on the Festival Committee that oversees the annual Masquerade. The Master of Revels has been a senior Masquer for as long as anyone can remember.
During Masquerade season, the workshops run day and night. Neighbors report strange sounds: not just the expected hammering, but music, voices speaking in unison, and what might be dancing. The masks produced during this season are said to be particularly fine — though some customers report dreams after wearing them. Dreams of attending festivals they do not remember, wearing faces they do not recognize, dancing with partners who have no reflections.
Character Hooks
- Former apprentice who left before completing the five years
- Journeyman seeking advancement to the mysterious third floor
- Child of a master Masquer who died under unclear circumstances
- Amaranth actor whose signature mask fits a little too well
- Customer whose commissioned mask showed the wrong reflection
- Rival artisan operating outside the guild's control
- Festival Committee member who has seen too much of the planning
Connections
- Aurelio Volante — Names this location in its connections.
- The Autumn Masquerade — Names this location in its connections.
- The Market Tiers — Lists this location among its notable places.
- The Veil Court — Names this location in its connections.
- Volante & Associates — Names this location in its connections.