Tier: Market Tiers | "Crafting the faces Venturia wears"
The Sodality occupies a sprawling workshop complex in the upper Market Tiers, where the smell of lacquer, leather, and something faintly sweet pervades the narrow streets. Founded shortly after the first Tragedy of Vallombrosa transformed the Autumn Masquerade into a cultural institution, the Sodality has spent nearly a millennium perfecting the art of concealment.
| Rank | Duration | Work Permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 5 years before unsupervised work | Basic craft fundamentals only |
| Journeyman | Ongoing | Standard festival masks that fill market stalls each autumn |
| Master | By invitation | Commissioned pieces that can take months — and access to the third floor |
Their masks range from simple painted leather dominos sold for a few coins to elaborate sculptural masterworks that wealthy families commission years in advance.
In a city where reflections sometimes lie and promises carry supernatural weight, the Sodality understands that the boundary between face and mask grows thin. Senior Masquers learn techniques that journeymen are not taught:
The Sodality maintains that these are merely tricks of craft. They do not discuss the workshop on the third floor that only masters may enter, or the commissions that arrive sealed and are delivered sealed, or the masks that are made for clients who provide measurements but never sit for fittings.
Three Sodality members sit on the Festival Committee that oversees the annual Masquerade. The Master of Revels has been a senior Masquer for as long as anyone can remember.
During Masquerade season, the workshops run day and night. Neighbors report strange sounds: not just the expected hammering, but music, voices speaking in unison, and what might be dancing. The masks produced during this season are said to be particularly fine — though some customers report dreams after wearing them. Dreams of attending festivals they do not remember, wearing faces they do not recognize, dancing with partners who have no reflections.