Mask 02: Ship’s Scapegoat

I was tagged into this project by Stella. It’s a very cool idea and I am delighted to see it play out.

Ship’s Scapegoat

An old tome many times translated describes the practice: a powerful kingdom, not named but understood by the writer to have once been an ubiquitous force in the world, tasked their shipwrights with carving pieces of the hulls of sailing vessels into masks, sanded and waxed into a featureless oval marred only by barnacles left artfully scattered upon its surface. The wearer of the mask would experience well-being and bodily health in accordance with the vessel, and in turn share in the vessel’s hurt.
The sails correspond to hair.
The masts to arms and legs.
The hull to the ribcage.
The safety of crew to the health of the stomach and bowels.
The rigging to sense of balance.

The practice was thus: diplomatic hostages were given these masks, to guarantee the safe passage of ships in waters controlled by the powers from whom they were taken. In an extreme example, several treacherous members of the nobility were executed via this mask, made to wear the masks corresponding to their personal ships which were then publicly burned.

The masks fell out of favor when conspirators against all kings began seeing them as an opportunity to strike both a ship and a royal at the same time, and the art of making them was long lost. Many took the tale as a parable rather than a literal truth. However, an ambitious guild of shipwrights have pulled strings and spared no expense to find more complete versions of the records, rediscovered the method, and made one new ship and mask. The mask sits ostentatiously displayed in their guild office, and the ship bobs in the harbor, empty and pristine for now.

I tag Newt.