Editing Other kingdoms (section)

===Pharsus, tributary petty kingdom===

This is the Land of Masks, between the rivers Cephissus and Maiandro, near to the Thousand Flowing Waters. After their coming-of-age, each adult here has at least two special masks, which they wear at all times. Each mask has its own identity and personality – it is the mask that is considered to be the real person, not the body that the mask is wearing. Each mask may have a different job, different spouse and family, different friends, and always different dress and mannerisms. If crimes are committed, it is the mask that is punished or destroyed. And sometimes one mask will fall sick or die, while the others continue on unaffected. Should all of an inhabitant’s masks be lost or destroyed, he or she becomes only another faceless foreigner.

Foreigners can become very confused in Pharsus, believing that they have met someone because they recognize the body, and not realizing that they must be introduced to the new mask. Of course, the people of Pharsus will politely ignore the presence of anyone with a naked face, so outsiders must learn to wear masks if they wish to be acknowledged – and to not change masks, lest they be regarded as a completely different person. Interestingly, Pharsus became a satrapy of the Narcissus hegemony voluntarily after being astounded by the first emissary from Narcissus, who donned a mirror as her mask.

Although they have been a satrapy of Narcissus for centuries, the inhabitants of Pharsus practice no magic of any kind – other than their masking. In some way that baffles magicians, the mask is the person, and any magic affects only the mask – and that magic ends when the mask is removed. Most of the masks of Pharsus are styled after birds or beasts, and mask styles tend to be similar by profession. Generally, a newly-made adult will receive one mask from each parent, but children of important people will be given additional masks by other sponsors.

Occupations: Boatman, Fisherman, Farmer, Maskmaker
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Pharsus), Acting, Body Language, Fishing, Mimicry (speech), Masking (IQ/Very Hard)
Social Background: Pharsic (native language), Glossa (accented language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Personality Change, Staid, Incompetence (magic skills)
Sample Contact Groups: Sponsors
Advantages: Pharsic Mask (Magic Resistance – access requires mask, -10%)
Rumor: “The people of Pharsus claim that they and the Enkidi are distantly related, even though their languages are dissimilar and the Enkidi do not acknowledge any kinship. However, it is known that while the Enkidi will indeed take the heads of trespassers from Pharsus, their masks are always sent back even though the heads are kept.” 

-- by Kakita Kojiro