Maize

The players of this Cast:

Art by Tim Bradstreet

Mask
Gender: Male
Age: Early Thirties
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Height: Six Feet
Build: Lanky
Occupation: Private Investigator

Mien
Hair: Inky Black
Eyes: Slate Gray
Complexion: Shadowy
Build: Wispy
Seeming: Darkling
Kith: Helldiver
Court: Winter

Appearance: Marlowe Phillips looks older than he is, as if he's lived more lifetimes than his young Mask can portray. There is a rugged handsomeness to his light blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Those who can peak beneath the mask can see those traits inversed, cloaked in the dark shadows of his Seeming. His clothing mark him for what he is. The long coat, the wrinkled suit and the loose tie are staples of detective work. The pistol holstered beneath the coat and the notebook in his pocket add to the stereotype, along with a few signs of alcohol abuse and cigarette addiction.

The name is a giveaway, too. Whether Raymond Chandler's novels had anything to do with naming him isn't clear, but they seem to have had some influence in who Marlowe would become. He fits the image of the hard boiled investigator well, especially beneath the mask with the noir feel of his darkling form. He is a detective, a pretty good one. If you need him, he'll see your case through to the end, no matter how strange it may become.

Imogen Baker
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Age: 25
Height: 5'5" (Mask)
Weight: 130 lbs (Mask)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Dyed Black and Red (Mask)
Occupation: Photographer and others

MASK
Imogen Baker is a young lady driving in from Los Angeles, coming in a 2013 Hyundai Elantra that seems to keep all of her belonging that has been immediately emptied into her current accommodations at the motel. She is easily very pretty and liable to easily turn heads to her direction, although there is a superficial quality about her if someone was trying to critique her. It might be her hair colour, her smokey eyes and drawn eyebrows or merely the curvy toned form she maintains. Her dyed black and bright red hair, along with her snake bite and labret piercings, easily outs her as a city dweller.

Her fashion changes easily depending on the occasion and what she sets out to do with her day. At times, she dresses in a city dweller's idea of rugged, as if she was a model who just stepped out of a department store catalogue. She might be seen in jeans and a flannel shirt or leggings with an athletic top, in conjunction with a bomber jacket or windbreaker. It's often a common sight to see her with aviator mirror shades on or bold framed sunglasses, even into the early evening. She might even sport a visor on sunnier days. Her camera isn't too far away, often carrying her gear around town for the occasional shot with her SLR camera and she keeps an old 35mm film camera slung at her side as a secondary for more personal shots.

MIEN
Underneath her mask, she appears to be something far different, perhaps more akin to a primordial horror than what she appears to be. The large mass atop of her head appears to be a combination of hair, tentacles, eyes and sharp blades. Her eyes are often obscured by the mass, although she easily sees by other means and places. Her toned body is draped by a web and flesh-like veil with chitinous growths that appear both deadly and unwelcoming. Despite her appearance, her appearance still manages to disarm, especially the wicked smirk on her lips.

SOCIAL MEDIA
● www.vividcollections.com - hosts most of her portfolio, resume and how to get in contact with her. Imogen's work focuses exclusively on beautiful scenery, professional shots of fauna and candid slice of life photography.
● Imo_photographer on Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest - hosts the recent snippets of her current assignment, experimental filters and other work from the proverbial cutting room floor. She is conspicuously missing from all the pictures.
● Imo_photography on deviantart - hosts random curiosities, seemingly random stylized scans of personally developed photographs of people and towns. This hasn't been updated for 3 months now.

HOOKS
● Imogen is a photographer for hire, often selling her work as freelance and through stock photography outlets
● Through word of mouth only, she does do "private detective" work on the side, namely shadowing spouses and partners
● From Seattle, now residing in Los Angeles
● In the SoCal Independent Wrestling scene, she's known as "Maneater"

Jean Wellspeak
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Apparent Age: 27
Actual age: 615
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 150 lbs
Eyes: Dark Green
Hair: Blonde
Occupation: Vagrant

MASK
Jean Wellspeak is an average looking dark haired French Canadian. The Canadien has dark, unkempt hair and with stubble last shaved a few days ago. His eyes are dark brown, seemingly brimming with mirth. Most of the time Jean can be seen wearing jeans and a loose hooded sweatshirt. Lacking an apparent profession, the young man seems to travel with all of his belongings that he carries in bright red rucksack. He speaks English with an accent, though not in a way that would make his speech garbled. When not actively doing something, he can be seen leafing through a bible, mumbling to himself as he reads.

Notably, Jean wears a wooden rosary around his neck at all times. Anyone familiar with catholic faith can tell that his rosary features bits and baubles of different colors that codify the canonical order or prayers. Cross for the sign of the cross and Apostle’s creed, whitewood bead for Our Father, darkwood beads for Hail Mary and redwood for the Fatima prayers that repeat once after ten Hail Mary’s.

MIEN
Jean’s mien is that of an achingly handsome man, fair of skin and hair. His body has proportions of a statue, with every muscle showing as if his body had been crafted by renaissance sculptor. Jean is, for all purposes, immaculate. Whomever made him took care to craft a piece of art.

HOOKS
● Jean is curious about things. He’s one of those lunatics that can pick up a conversation with anyone, just to have someone to talk with.

● Jean is a man of faith and will readily discuss matters of faith with anyone.

Mask
Mien
Penn Umbra
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single, ready to mingle
Apparent Age: 22
Actual Age: 110
Eyes: Dark, Inky Black
Hair: Raven
Occuptation: Street Magician/Former Carnie

Mask: Even as darkly handsome as he his, Penn is unobtrusive. He fades into the background of crowds. Yet when one talks to him, he radiates a certain warmth and joy of life, holding your attention on shapely masculine features in his thin face. He's tall, slightly lanky. Moves with a certain, almost unnatural grace. He smells pleasantly of a spring day just after a thunderstorm.

Mien: The Corona of an Eclipse, he is pure shadow bathed in unnatural light. His eyes, and the edge of his body, constantly glow, forcing you to look away from his incredible and terrible beauty.

Reina Silva
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Apparent Age: 18
Actual age: 44
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 90 lbs
Eyes: Red
Hair: White
Occupation: Part time farm hand

MASK
Reina Silva is a very small young woman of Hispanic descent born with albinism, bearing the pale skin and hair and the pinkish-lavender eyes to go with it. Her features are small with large eyes, the whole effect landing somewhere between pretty and unsettling. Her hair is cut into a bob ending just above her chin, with bangs that end just above her eyebrows. Usually her features are hidden under the white fur-lined hood of a black parka, or a dark hoodie if it's too hot for the coat. The other constant feature of her wardrobe is a collar, usually made of cloth or heavy leather and metal. The rest of her clothing is generally layered and punkish, though it's questionable whether that's wholly intentional.

She has a skittish manner, keeping her posture low and eyes constantly alert to her surroundings. Those who approach her find it difficult to get through her initial distrust, but she changes once they get past that barrier. She becomes enthusiastic and talkative, ready to jump into any proposed activity or new adventure at a moment's notice. Once she warms up to someone she becomes very cuddly.

She works part-time helping with livestock at a farm near town. She clearly has a way with animals, and is seen with them more often than she is other people.

MIEN
Reina's true form is a strange creature. In many ways, she resembles a somewhat humanoid albino rabbit. a thin layer of white fur covers most of her body, lengthening into hair cut in a similar fashion to her mask at the top of her head, where tall ears project upward, alert and constantly moving in response to every little sound or whatever emotion is taking her at the moment. Her feet are lengthened, forcing her into a digitigrade posture. Her eyes are even more unsettlingly large in this form, and her nose is small and animal-like.

There are differences, as well, though. Her tail is longer than a standard rabbit's with long hair draping from it. Her forearms are overgrown out of proportion with the rest of her. They're covered in thicker, wilder fur, and end in long claws that fade from white to a translucent blue at the tips. Her teeth are similarly sharp and end in the same way, as if capped in ice instead of bone.

HOOKS
● Reina is find of animals and nature and can often be found where she can interact with one or both.

● Reina is more familiar with Arcadia than the world of humans still. She can relate to others in a similar situation or may find herself needing help navigating the mundane world.

^Mask^

Tiffani Noelle Lawson

Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Biological Age: 52 years old
Apparent Age: Roughly 16 to 18 years old
Height: 5' 2"
Weight: 107 lbs.
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Blonde
Occupation: Student and fledgling scientist / researcher / lab tech

MASK and MORTAL EXISTENCE
Between the past and the present; between adolescence and adulthood; between Arcadia and Earth, Tiffani Noelle lives a quiet, lonely, and very transient life. Originally from the small village of Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire, England, she was unceremoniously cast into the Hedge by her Keeper. Unable to navigate the Hedge with any proficiency, Tiffani found herself entering the mortal world ... in northern Saskatchewan in Canada thousands of miles and 34 years away from those she knew and loved. Her only goal now is to find a warm place to settle down and then find a way back to England where she hopes to reunite with whoever is left within her family.

A physically small girl for her age, some might even consider her diminutive. Yet she possesses all the salient features of and adult and thus could never be mistaken for a child except for - perhaps - from a distance. Her thick and lustrous mane of curly blonde hair does make her rather conspicuous - especially in 2020 when most girls her age wear their hair perfectly straight. In addition, she still perfers the styles of the 1980s to the contemporary styles of 2020: over-sized sweat shirts that leave a single shoulder exposed (think Flash Dance), tiered miniskirts as well as denim minis, wide belts, stone-washed jeans, feather earrings, and Swatch watches all cause her to stand out as a definite child of the 80s.

She also carries with her a large azure backpack that she usually wears draped over one shoulder - actually wearing it on her back causes her to stoop forward due to its weight. There she keeps her scant possessions, another 1980s time capsule, with a few changes of clothes as well as an original vintage Walkman and a dozen cassette tapes of bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Survivor, Don Henley, Belinda Carlisle, and Dokken, among others. A small Monchichi doll hangs from one zipper while a Pound Pupply dangles from the other. A small stack of low resolution photos are kept there, as well - pictures of her friends and family. These photos she will guard with her life.

MEIN and ARCADIAN EXISTENCE


^MEIN^

Tiffani was somewhat fortunate during her years in Arcadia. Fortunate in that at least her Keeper had not changed her into some kind of horrible or fantastical creature. Her Keeper was quite fascinated with her "real world" innocent looks which was one of the reasons why Tiffani was taken in the first place. Thus, her Keeper did not wish to despoil Tiffani's demure appearance by giving her all kinds of extra appendages, multiple and unnecessary body parts, claws, fangs and other additions. However, her Keeper did wish to have a "twin sister" of a sort and therefore made Tiffani appear more like a traditional fey. Her features became slightly more exotic than before with larger eyes, more prominant cheek bones, and, most obvious of all, large diaphanous faerie wings that sprout from her back; wings that seem magically immune to the clothing Tiffani wears thus eliminating the need to cut "wing holes" into the back of every shirt and coat she wore. Even though Tiffani got used to the wings being there and learned to compensate for a new center of gravity that changed how she walked, she hated those wings and still does - especially since they do not even confer the power of flight. The best she can do with them is jump in the air and stay aloft for a few extra seconds before falling back to earth. To her, they are a reminder of her time in Arcadia, a reminder of the capricious nature of her Keeper who cared for nothing or no one but herself.

What was worse was that Tiffani had spent her entire life invested in the sciences. Her life was bounded on all sides by that which she could see and touch, things that she could prove with emprical evidence. Though she could be given to flights of whimsy and impulsive adventure, she was never one to have her head in the clouds. Yet, after she had been taken to Arcadia, her staunch belief in the physical and material realm was shaken to its core. Though still a die-hard atheist - after all, Arcadia and the fey spoke nothing to the existence of gods - there was now undeniable proof that "silly" concepts like magic, faeries, and other realities actually existed. Unable to completely wrap her mind around her experiences and her durance, she desperately wanted to believe that she had either been a) abducted by aliens or b) she had actually died somehow and experienced a portion of one possible afterlife. But magical faeries? It was nearly enough to drive a person clinically insane. It was only after meeting more of the Lost in Bismarck that allowed her to accept what she had gone through in Arcadia as even remotely real.

The town of Maize wouldn't hold any answers she sought nor would it get her any closer to reuniting with what was left of her family, however, but it would offer her a chance to get out of this terrible cold. And yet ... what was wrong with this place? It had a feeling, an ambiance quite different from other small towns she had been through. It was as if her mind were being tickled by a stray hair that she couldn't find. Something was undeniably wrong, but whether that disconcerting feeling was emanating from the town or her own brain was impossible to know. At least for the time being. Right now, she craved food, she craved warmth and - most of all - she craved companionship, the sound of a friendly voice, and the touch of a caring hand.

Tiffani (on the right) with her best friend Sarah

Jonathan Whitford



Gender: Male
Marital status: Single

MASK
Name: Jonathan Whitford
Age: Apparent Late 20s/early 30s
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

MIEN
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 150lbs
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Other features: Pale skin, hints of yellow tint within it
Court: Autumn
Position: Legate of Mists



Description
Coming from the Hedge about two years ago with his mentally ill grandfather, Jonathan primarly works as a mechanic. Also being a bit of a artist, he tends to put on display his works of art, which can range from beautiful metal objects, such as roses and medallions, to some of the more disturbing kind of creatures and objects. Those he likes to use in his yearly jaunt to creating a haunted house-style tour in the middle of the bayou, allowing for most of his kin to gather terror in a applicable setting for those with the skills to do so discretely and in context.

He's here on a favor from his King to investigate the happenings of this small town., though, and that is a bit of a stretch from his usual haunts.

Mask: Somewhat friendly guy, very wide eyed and curious about the world around him. He tends to always be fascinated with the wonders of this technological age. He also tends to be very friendly and is always willing to make a deal.

Mien: Somewhat built, although very thin and scrawly, his hands are filled with blisters from the work he has done on the forge. He has a stoic look to him, but at the same time, there is a distant look between things.

Hooks

• Bit of a expert on the occult
• Also a expert craftsman
• Have a contract you want solidified? He's quite good at that.
• Goblins giving you trouble? He actually has a good relationship with them.
• He kinda looks like a hipster.