Masque Macabre

One of the krewes in New Orleans' annual Mardi Gras festival (the Krewe of Bacchus) went all out to decorate their floats this year, finding antiques from all over the city to celebrate. Unfortunately, one of the members found an old relic called The Masque Macabre. The Masque Macabre actually takes over whoever wears it and wreaks havoc, summoning creatures of nightmare and mentally enslaving humans to do its bidding.
The Masque Macabre is a plague doctor’s mask carved from an enormous bone, and leading back to a cap and bells hat with three points, made of three different types of leather sewn together. The leather is made of tanned human skin.
In this case the wearer of the Masque Macabre was put on by Noah Hebert, and he never did make it to Mardi Gras, but he is planning a parade of his own – a dark parade through the streets of NOLA the likes of which the world has never seen.
The Masque Macabre sustains a semblance of life in whomever wears it, but with no comfort for the poor soul. Hebert hasn’t eaten or had a sip of water in a month, nor has he slept. He is now gaunt, with his clothes hanging from his body.
Hook: The Hunters are taken captive by the minions of the Masque Macabre while waiting to see Agent Tobi Eccles , who unbeknownst to the Hunters or to the DHS-PIG has been taken by the Masque Macabre’s agents as well. The Masque Macabre’s agents take the Hunters to a police station that has been abandoned for years, and has been flooded in recent rains.
Weakness: To do permanent harm to the body, it requires attacks that do sustained damage. For example, being placed is a powerful fire, vat of acid, radioactivity or similar which can overwhelm the healing power of the Masque Macabre. Alternately, something that does enough damage to take the body out in its entirety, like a large enough fall.
Even then, these things will not harm the Masque Macabre, but it will lose access to all of its powers except, “What Harm Could Come?”
To destroy the Masque Macabre permanently, it must be crushed under the hooves of a team of horses pulling a Mardi Gras float. The jury is out on if the tires of a vehicle pulling a more modern float would count.
There is no known way for a victim to survive having the Masque Macabre removed, especially after they have become dependent on it for support.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

The gaunt form wears clothes that look like it might have fit before a dramatic weight loss. It moves in a jerky manner that seems somehow wrong, often resting with limbs or its neck at awkward angles - not impossible, but awkward.

Body Features

Due to the privation the mask has put it through, the body of Dr. Noah Hebert is now emaciated.

Facial Features

The mask it wears looks like an ivory or bone plague doctor's mask.

Identifying Characteristics

The plague doctor's mask leading to the cap and bells made of three different segments of tanned human flesh is pretty distinctive.

Physical quirks

The mask feels no real pain, and was not originally human, so it might rest in a position that a person would find uncomfortable. In addition, after it takes damage, it might knit the body back in a non-standard configuration (a forearm might now have an angle partway through it after a bad enough break, for example).

Special abilities

Powers: It’s Just Too Much – the Masque Macabre can make even the strongest will doubt itself. When first faced with the sheer evil of the Masque, a Hunter must take an Act Under Pressure to act directly against the mask itself, while plagued with visions of the worst possible outcome of their actions.
You Cannot Kill That Which Never Lived – Other than its weaknesses, attacks on the Masque Macabre or the body it is possessing only do 1-harm. The effects may seem more serious than that, but they also recover almost immediately (i.e. getting hit by a car will send the creature flying, bones breaking, but it will immediately get back to its feet, bones knitting, though perhaps not back in the positions they are meant to be in.
Sustained by Sheer Malevolence – The body possessed by the Masque Macabre no longer eats, drinks, sleeps or even breathes.
What Harm Could Come? – Every night someone sleeps under the same roof as the Masque Macabre, they must roll with +Cool. On a result of 7+, they have nightmares that cause them to take -1 ongoing for the day, but do not put the mask on. On a 10+, they are not affected by the mask. On a 6-, the Masque Macabre is able to exert some influence on the victim, and after the third time this happens, they put on the Masque, which immediately takes them over. If additional people are affected by this power, they become minions of the Masque Macabre.
Of And Into The Darkness – the Masque Macabre can teleport to shadows either in line of site, or to a destination it knows well. It can do this as long as it can see a shadow - even its own.
Inhuman Strength – it is as strong as 5 healthy men.
Bloody Knuckles - due to the strength imbued in the body, attacks do 2-harm [hand]
Hateful Gaze - the sheer evil of the creature’s gaze does 2-harm [long], armor defeating. Anyone affected by this attack must make a +Cool roll (7+) or take -1 forward on their next action against the Masque Macabre. It can only use this attack against something that has wronged it in some way, for example as part of the “exchange harm” function, or that is acting against it.
Durability - The creature has no particular defenses against attacks, but see the “You Cannot Kill What Never Lived” power. In addition, the Masque Macabre keeps the body going long after damage should have killed it. It can sustain 12 harm before the body becomes inert.

Apparel & Accessories

Below the mask, the body of Noah Hebert is wearing a light grey chambray suit.

Gender

male (Noah Hebert)/none (the Masque Macabre)