Mask of Dolos

The Mask of Dolos is a wooden transformation artifact named for the spirit of trickery.

History

From Ivan to Ren

The mask originally belongs to Ivan, whose repeated use earns him the name “the man with a thousand faces” while keeping the artifact itself secret from investigators. Ren targets it during the King's Crown auction crisis and emerges with it after the stolen goods are recovered. He initially cannot sustain an A-ranked artifact for long, but the mask immediately becomes essential to his escape from Monolith captivity, where he copies dead guards and passes through secured areas under their faces. (Chapters 227, 230, 262)

Karl Kallum and later disguises

Ren later uses the mask to impersonate the real duergar Karl Kallum during Inferno's infiltration; Karl remains a distinct person whose identity the artifact copies. The transformation helps Ren survive scrutiny while he disables defensive systems, but its drain forces him to carry mana-recovery potions and work quickly. After the operation, Jomnuk Dramegrip examines the mask. Ren continues using it for public disguises at Issanor and to hide visible side effects from cultivation, even as the Union connects it to Ivan's captured property. (Chapters 330–363, 445–474)

Properties and functions

After the mask touches a person, it can reproduce that person's facial features down to skeletal structure. A blue glow accompanies copying and activation; when Ren wears it, his face physically distorts, changes bone structure, and develops details such as the copied subject's wrinkles. This makes the result more convincing than an ordinary skin mask. The source demonstrates face copying and compatible clothing changes performed separately by the user, but it does not establish voice copying, memory acquisition, power imitation, or automatic alteration of the whole body. (Chapters 227, 262, 330–334)

Its principal limit is mana consumption. Because it is A-ranked, early Ren can maintain it only briefly, suffers rapid depletion during repeated copying, and uses recovery potions to extend an infiltration. Increasing his own rank improves practical endurance, but the corpus never declares the drain eliminated. Physical possession also creates forensic risk: once Ren displays the mask publicly, Union officials can connect it to the artifact formerly carried by Ivan. (Chapters 230, 262, 332–334, 474)

Owners and users

• Ivan: Original known owner and habitual user, publicly known only for apparently skill-based face changes. (Chapter 227)
• Ren Dover: Acquires the mask after the auction incident and remains its only demonstrated wearer, using it for Monolith, Inferno, and public disguises. (Chapters 230–474)
• Jomnuk Dramegrip: Temporarily examines the artifact after Inferno; inspection does not establish ownership. (Chapter 363)