Mask of the Wild Beard
Relic of an obscure culture
"You see, that strange horned crown is the only part of the mask indicating who they were supposed to be. Their beard is untamed and unruly, with no braids or beads at all about their status. So perhaps they were a wild spirit, buried to establish order to the city built above. A being whose name, in that case, would be unwise to utter again."
The first of many valuable items excavated from the inner tier of the The Ak'Dool Hill-city was this hefty bronze mask depicting a crowned but wild-bearded Dwarf. Who it was made to represent or who would have worn it is unknown for certain.
Unknown Ritual Importance
History
This mask was created around 5500 years ago, during the early Dwarven Bronze age but before the region's written history. The Ak'Dool valley culture fell before writing could describe them in much reliable detail.
In an earthquake 180 years ago, the ancient hill-city partially collapsed and exposed the chamber this item was buried in. It was the first item catalogued by the first archaeologists at the site, and has made its rounds in shows around Thundermaw.
Significance
For the time it was made, its workmanship is exquisite. It is believed to have been imported from an area richer in metals than the Ak'Dool valley, ascribing especially high value to its forgotten purpose.
One theory is that they were part of theatrical performances around the boulder central to the city. The upwards slope of the inner tier around this point is similar to later Dwarven amphitheaters, and had enough seating to accommodate most of the city's residents. This suggests that more than just the nobility would gather here. This mask and the ones of other characters found after it were possibly used for moral or instructional tales, and possibly religion.
Arcane stresses on this piece indicate it must have held or channeled powerful magic at one point. Although it is now mundane, its past abilities surely played an important role in its use. It may have been buried to keep its power away from those who would misuse it, where it lost its effects over the millennia. Or it might have been stripped of magic before burial.
Written for Mini Camp 2022
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Author's Notes
The image I used is technically a mask of Dionysus, but it just really got the words flowing. Until I get around to drawing what the mask would actually look like, we can simply admire that luscious, curly beard.