The Marquis of the Myriad Cast in Mockery

From Changeling Venue

Contents 1 Faces Worn By Another: Overview 2 Missing Works: Escaped Servants 3 Strange Reflections: Other Ties 4 Bits and Pieces: Rumors 5 Contact Info & Miscellany

Faces Worn By Another: Overview

The Marquis of the Myriad Cast in Mockery, known by many names such as the Thief With No Face and Lord Oblique, is one of the Gentry who revels in stealing mortals from our world. It is said that the Marquis is a collector of stolen lives; taking the faces, memories and sometimes even the souls of his servants for his own and replacing them with twisted parodies and skewed imitations. Some would claim that once the Marquis had no identity of his own. Supposedly it was not until he ventured into our world and took the life of one he found there that he realized what he was. Bit by bit, he took pieces and parts of mortal lives; cobbling himself together from all the worst aspects of humanity. What need would he have with other parts, given that our vices are always more enduring than virtues.

When traveling in our realm Lord Oblique is as varied as the lives he has taken. Sometimes he appears as a masked man in fine clothing, offering Faustian bargains in exchange for things a human should not miss until they no longer have them. When the mood strike him he may be that one perfect person you've looked for your entire life, luring you into his realm like a moth to a flame. Other times he's another face in the crowd watching you and taking taking little bits of your life until you have forgotten what is truly yours; losing your sense of self and any reason to resist him.

Human lives are not The Marquis's only interest. In particular is his fondness of mirrors, sculptures, paintings and other works of art from our world; many of which he has forged strange ties with through binding pledges. A painting may be a one way door for but a moment each day, a statue's presence while you sleep may make your skin hardens to stone, and a mirror shattered may bring you seven years of servitude rather than the usual bad luck. So potent are his connection to these objects that when one of his names is spoken in front of them he will often arrive and claim whomever he finds awaiting him on the other side.

His estate in Arcadia is an impossibly large manor filled with twisting corridors and lavish parlors all finely decorated with the most disturbing decor imaginable: paintings upon canvas of flesh, living statures that are an amalgam of unwanted parts, or even a chandelier made out of wailing infants. Here those who he has claimed toil in his service and indulge his foul desires and bouts of depraved creativity. The changelings he enslaves often embody what remained when the Thief With No Face was finished with them or are shaped into mockeries of their former lives as an homage to what drew him to them in the first place.

Often those who escape the Marquis do so because he has grown bored with them or wishes to see them return to the mortal world only to become more beautifully flawed than they were when he took them. When his most precious and favored works of 'art' are freed - he tends to make sure they are eventually returned and many are sought by privateers looking to earn Lord Oblique's favor. But worst of all is when something or someone stolen from our world is reclaimed by cunning, deceit, larceny or the like. Woe to those who steal from the Thief With No Face, for what is his was rightfully taken and he will have it back at any cost.

Those how have encountered the Lord Oblique and escaped his grasp never recall much about him as he never looks quite the same way twice. In fact, it is not uncommon for his escaped servants to meet and discuss their Keepers never knowing they were both taken by the Marquis. One thing that is known, however, is that purity, selflessness, and other virtuous qualities are his banes, he sickens in their presence. As such many of his escaped Lost try to lead good lives knowing that if they don't the Thief With No Face may find them again and take what little they have left.

Missing Works: Escaped Servants

• Domino, from whom he stole gender and emotions.
• Fragile, from whom he stole memories of her past.
• Garin Engel, from whom he stole promised love, and bitter sorrow.
• Hannah, from whom he stole her true face.
• Mallory Schadenfreude, from whom he stole flesh and a sense of perspective.
• Mr. Me, from whom he stole hope and dreams, and left only fear and loneliness.
• Nathan Glass, from whom he stole warmth.
• Schide, from whom he stole her voice, and left a shell of plastic.

Strange Reflections: Other Ties

• Lilium, who he stole from another and later traded away.

Bits and Pieces: Rumors

• In recent years the Marquis lost several of his favored servants during the Red Nettle Revolt. Whether he has taken any effort to see them returned to him is as of yet unknown but it is certain that, in due time, he will see to it that his precious works are brought back to be displayed in his manor once more.
• Fragile may well have been amongst the first victims the Marquis claimed, and it may have been her stolen memories he used to learn more of our world and how to move freely within it.
• Before her escape in 2006, Schide was known to be the Lord Oblique's favored creation in quite some time. Some say she was set free because he had grown bored with her. Others believe he left her unattended just to see if she had enough will left of her own to escape, and some say that she was stolen from the Marquis by another unknown changeling.
• The Marquis may still watch Hannah through her reflection and spy on his errant servants through her mirrored eyes. In fact, he may well have let her go for that every purpose - to keep an eye (or two) on the movement of Changelings outside Faerie.
• Nathan somehow helped create a number of the manikin's in the Marquis' collection.
• It is said that the Marquis holds a special hatred for Domino. Rumor has it that Domino is the only one of the Marquis creations to ever escape using what the Marquis had done to Domino. Essentially, Domino just walked out the front door.
• Some wonder why Garin Engel didn't escape much earlier as he was never really watched, since he sole purpose was to entertain the senses of the Marquis and his guests. When asked, Garin will only reply that he only moved when the time was right for him.

Contact Info & Miscellany

I wrote this Keeper to be shared with others so feel free to have been taken by him/escaped from him. If you do so, let me know or add your name to the list of escaped servants above. I'd love to have background ties with his other escaped servants of the Marquis, however occasionally running into other characters in the chronicle with the same Keeper is cool too. *grin*

Free free to add to this Keeper's description or to add rumors about the Marquis or his ties to your character.