Auraine got her start as a mercenary when the blood elves reclaimed Silvermoon from the Scourge. As the Sin’dorei struggled with their addiction to the arcane, Auraine took up the mantle of “Deuce” and went to a close family friend, Ketheril Summerset. He designed an entire disguise for the identity of Deuce, including a mask to be used both in everyday wandering and in combat.
The mask covered Deuce’s entire face, save for two openings for his golden eyes, for his nose, and a slit for his mouth. Upon the surface, was a phoenix. This creature was cast in shining crimson, edged in gold, and it emerged from flames around the edges of the mask. Deuce placed his mask flat on Lord Felscythe’s desk, with the design facing up. The phoenix’s eyes were a bright blue, and six colored stripes ran down the sides of the phoenix, as its tail feathers. “The phoenix is the Sin'dorei. The Quel'dorei are not so different…perhaps in name and political ideas only. Not everyone will agree with that statement. The Sin’dorei have changed physically, after all, and anyone sane on this planet can be said to want safety, to want peace, to want food and shelter and the comfort of family and friends. Even those who keep others at arm’s length, perhaps they, too, crave affection, somewhere.” Deuce cleared his throat. The comment was a not-so-subtle poke at Lord Felscythe’s inclinations.
“The Quel’dorei…they are also a part of this phoenix. The feathers, the eyes. The Ren'dorei, too. Say what you will about their choices. I certainly am not fond of them. But…they are still children of Quel'thalas. They are our brothers and sisters.” Deuce traced a finger from the eye of the phoenix, down through the multicolored tail feathers of the phoenix. “And the Kaldorei…”The mercenary’s fingers remained on the feathers. “They are that from which we all sprung. And the Shal'dorei are our cousins. This phoenix…it represents elven unity. But it also represents my being. I don’t think that many people will look at the mask initially and think through it that deeply. But perhaps, one day, someone will figure it out.” The mercenary paused in his musings, and looked to Nixalegos. He tilted his head at the warlock. “Perhaps you think all this crimson is inappropriate for a mask that symbolizes unity. After all, red is a Sin’dorei and Quel’dorei color of mourning. Of death. My tailor asked me if I really wanted a mask that was a death mask, and I told him that outwardly, the answer is yes. It’s probably best if the mask is a bit unnerving to certain elves. You of all people would know that, Felscythe. You are party to my identity, whether it’s a good thing or not.”
I had the pleasure to design and paint this mask for the wonderful https://astralfox0893.tumblr.com/ , who kindly supplied the description for this piece. Working on a mask of this kind was a new experience, one that I really enjoyed and hope to repeat in the future.
