Mask Fear Condition in The Kantas Expanse | World Anvil
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Mask Fear

Vorsthold dwarves grow up in a state of regular conflict - the walls are attacked almost weekly by some horde or another, but they have held strong for centuries. The Vorstborn are confident in their military might and the impenetrable strength of their defenses. Undead, Duergar, Drow and even Beholders can beat against the wall forever and not break through. The greatest danger to Vorsthold therefore, is an enemy who can make you open the gate for them, and this is why the people of the citadel fear Mindflayers above all others.   This has given rise to a particular issue in dwarven minds - a paranoid fear that everyone around them is secretly being puppeted by a Mindflayer. Driven by the constant state of alert that Vorstholdian military routine encourages, and with the (genuine) fear of Mindflayer infiltration already drilled in to them, sometimes the high-stress overwhelms a soldier, and that fear becomes all consuming. They see everyone as a puppet - an Intellect Devourer inside them or under a spell to dominate them.   This is when a soldier moves from the General Ada Mantine's domain to Mayor Carrie Grimblefoot's care. Carrie and her predecessors, have established a quieter part of town, on the opposite side of the citadel from the wall and the core of the military operation, as a treatment facility for these and other soldiers and citizens who have been similarly overwhelmed in one way or another by the constant pressure of the Vorsthold war machine.   They are a people who do not believe in wasting resources, and from a practical point of view, few things are as valuable an investment as a dwarf, who may be hundreds of years old. So, re-enabling a Vorstborn to return to society, perhaps not even in the same capacity, is time they are more than willing to spend, and the dwarven belief in doing things properly the first time means that the treatment they receive is, though they have no point of comparison to know this, world-class. The hardest part with Mask Fear, as it is known however, is reconciling managing this overwhelming paranoia with the undeniable fact that it is a real threat that does happen. Only last year they were nearly undone by a single Intellect Devourer. Balancing that is one of the most difficult tasks the staff at this facility have to deal with.

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