MORE THAN A NAME
The story of Hushmask.
Hushmask waits beneath Runescar's forgotten gates, an ivory face framed by a deep hood and fluted cloak. Its quiet spectral hands and trailing hems develop into Mournarch, an Epic guardian whose bond centers on care remembered and duties completed.
The Nameless Gate earned its title when weather wore the last readable names from its visitor stones. Hushmask continued keeping watch there, turning toward each arriving footstep and waiting long after the path emptied. Excavators first interpreted the vigil as a warning. A local keeper noticed that the spirit moved aside whenever someone carried water toward the neglected garden, leaving the entrance clear for an unfinished task.
Restoring the gate became a study of old agreements rather than a search for treasure. Fragments showed that travelers once promised to maintain the garden in return for shelter. A Hollowregent accompanied the work without demanding that anyone reconstruct every lost name. When the first returning visitors honored that simple exchange, its posture finally softened. The line's Hollow Vigil is remembered as protection offered while a shared responsibility is being made whole again.
Origins & background
The ivory face is a living masklike structure with a worn lower edge and a remarkably expressive gaze. Its hood and cloak move as parts of the same spirit, though their folds resemble old ceremonial cloth. At Prime, Iron joins Shade and mineral-sheened details appear around the mask and cuffs, linking the mature form visually to its weathered gate.
A PLACE TO BELONG
Life in Runescar.
Silent tomb gardens and forgotten gates.
Behavior
Hushmask turns toward an arrival, waits, and then indicates an open space with one curved hand. Older forms favor doorways wide enough for companions to pass together. They follow patient caretakers through the garden and become distant when visitors treat its stones or sheltered residents carelessly.
Diet
It accepts mineral-rich water, soft root pulp, and the small seed offerings traditionally left in garden cups, taking little and leaving the vessels carefully upright afterward.
Place in the ecosystem
This line maintains quiet boundaries around sheltered ruin gardens. Its repeated presence discourages careless disturbance, while the paths it keeps open allow smaller WildKin to reach water and vegetation growing within the old protective walls.
Neighbors & bonds
Runebastion often rests near the outer quarry walls while Hushmask watches the inner gate. Lanterelle sometimes accompanies evening caretakers, and the two spirits seem comfortable sharing the silence without imitating one another's duties.
ONE BOND, FOUR CHAPTERS
The Hushmask lineage.
Evolution combines experience with a meaningful milestone. A WildKin may keep its current form until its keeper is ready.
Hushmask Current
Hushmask has a large pale face, a deep rounded hood, and a short fluted cloak ending in curling spectral hems. Its small hands make tentative welcoming gestures, and its gaze follows visitors more often than the objects they carry.
Veilwarden ↗
Veilwarden develops longer cloak folds and a more distinct crown above its mask. Its wrists and hands become easier to read at a distance. It begins accompanying familiar caretakers through the garden instead of remaining entirely within the gate's sheltered opening.
Hollowregent ↗
Hollowregent gains mineral-sheened cuffs and firmer mask details as Iron joins Shade. Its cloak spreads into a broader protective outline. It now chooses positions that leave room for companions, turning its vigil into an active practice of shared shelter and careful passage.
Mournarch ↗
Mournarch carries a tall, weathered crown above its ivory mask and a broad cloak edged with mature trim. Its curved hands remain gentle despite the imposing silhouette. It keeps a garden's agreements through attentive companionship, welcoming those prepared to continue the work.
INSTINCT & ELEMENT
How it holds its own.
Mask of Patience
Waiting without attacking prepares one modest damage reduction.
Hollow Vigil
ShadeStand watch over a nearby ally and redirect part of the next direct attack into a temporary shield.
A WildKin equips up to four moves. Its secondary element joins at Prime, alongside its signature move. Read the battle and evolution rules →
FROM THE KEEPER’S NOTEBOOK
Meeting in the wild.
- 01
Enter the vigil garden slowly and leave the central doorway unobstructed.
- 02
Investigate the gate records before treating the site as an abandoned treasure room.
- 03
Complete practical acts of garden care to advance the bond.
“It offered me an empty watering cup. There was no inscription, riddle, or hidden mechanism. The garden needed water, and the guardian had noticed my free hands.”— Hearthwild field notes