The Witch of a Thousand Faces by NecroTechno on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Not much is now remembered about the sorceress that came to be known as the "Witch of a Thousand Faces". Whether she was a hero or a villain depends on who you ask, but all agree that she was one of the most powerful magicians of her age. Where she came from, what her name was or even what she looked like has been lost to the sands of time, but what is remembered by all is her curse.

The circumstances are unclear, but what is commonly said is that a wicked demi-goddess was brought low by the group of adventurers the Witch belonged to when she was still just a human wizard. But in her death-throes the goddess cast a curse upon the witch that encased her face in an smooth mask. The mask would not come off nor break, no matter what tools or magics were used upon it, for it had been made by the last act of a goddess, and none of the mortal mages of the realm who tried succeeded in removing it. The white mask bore strange patterns and marking upon it, and with each new day the old mask would fall off, revealing a new mask with a new pattern underneath, never the same from one day to the next. While they were not indestructible once they had fallen off, it is said that the Witch kept them as mementos in a large chamber within her sanctum, each day a mask staring back at her, helping her remember the twists and turns of her life.

There were other side effects, such as no longer feeling the need to eat, drink or breathe, since the mask would permit none of them, as well as an apparently prolonged life, but it is doubtful that this was meant as a boon, for she lost the senses of taste and smell in the process.

The stories are contradictory as to when exactly she passed from this world, if in fact she actually did. But she is mentioned in many books as far back as the signing of the Treaty of Nexium, all the way to the slaying of the black dragon Zheztrinkurakk in the Mines of Isceldrun, a timespan of close to 600 years. The last mention I have found of her is from a journal of Heluram the Weaver, who mentions her going into the Nexus Wastes to find something called the "Wraith Crown". No one has heard of her since, a good 60 years ago now. But when you're dealing with someone who's been around that long, you shouldn't be surprised if she pops up again in a story some day.

--------------------------------------------

A little story (still being polished) of one of my OCs, the Witch of a Thousand Faces. Expect to see more of her in the future.

Artwork by the talented

The Witch of a Thousand Faces is (C) me.