Falseface

Falseface is the name of composite cosmetic produced by the monks of the Mount Abbey, made from a mixture of minerals and fungus. When worn it adjusts to the wearer's pigment, perfectly matching their skin tone, and conceals most blemishes. It has this property from the Shifting Mushroom, and maintains its presence on the face through oil-soluble talcum.
It was first produced for Empress Privia in 165, who had notoriously severe acne. The abbot at the time desired to produce a cosmetic to aid her in her relationship to her husband, considering that the Imperial household set a moral example for the nation and there were rumors of the Emperor Iban III seeking a mistress. For two years the monks worked, bringing in alchemists from Pelagasia to assist. The resulting recipe is still kept secret by the monks to this day, and is allegedly not even written down, instead being passed from monk to monk.
Falseface is the most sought after cosmetic, though it is both hard to come by and extravagantly expensive. A single vial of Falseface (which contains about 10 uses) costs approximately 1,000 Tallents (or about 100 days labor for the average worker). Only 10,000 vials are produced by the monastery yearly, and the production is the sole source of income for the monks. The entire Legio II Libica exists solely for the purpose of protecting the monastery, being stationed at the foot of the mountain.
The development of Falseface was significant even on a religious level, sparking debate at the time about the morality of using cosmetics. The Council of Salon (170) declared definitively that it "is permissible for a wife to adorn herself with paints and other cosmetics which alter her appearance; if done not for vanity, but for the sake of her husband's desire, since the two are permitted right over each other."

Type

Composite