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Masked by Moonlight
Troupe inside Triple Threat
PLANNED FOR RELEASE LATE 2024
"Tide's a-changin'! Take the stage and steal the show!"
Masked by Moonlight is a group of famed phantom thieves masquerading as an equally famous Troupe of traveling thespians. When acting as thieves, they refer to themselves as the Masquerade. (No, no one has made the connection yet.)
Above all else, "the art of performance" is a phrase highly valued amongst Troupe members, and, considering their covert affairs, takes on more than one meaning. Not all Masks moonlight as second-story workers—in fact, the lion's share do not—but those that do are no less dedicated to theater than their fellows. Masked by Moonlight has stolen more than their fair share of hearts across the cosmos, earning them great renown, respectable riches, and their place in the Trifecta. While plays and the like (musical or otherwise) are their specialty, the Masks have taken to movie production as well.
The gallivant Troupe wayfares space via their ship, the Curtain Call. Though they do not have a leader, their founder, Polaris, is the latter in all but name.
It should be said that the Masquerade is not without integrity; they only ever steal "justly" or "for the fun of it," and will later always return stolen items from whence they came. This, in most cases, means their "rightful" owners—not necessarily who owned it last, such as in the case of misappropriated wealth, goods, etc. The Masquerade is overall disinterested in acclaim for acclaim's sake, and money, outside of necessities or what funds their day-night operations, is of little import. Following this trend, targets will not necessarily be of high monetary value; the Masks are far more enticed by a challenge. Heavy security, labyrinthine locations, competent and dogged law enforcement—these are their true enticements.
Hence, it would be more apt to liken the Masquerade to figures like Robin Hood or other gentleman thieves, with their greatest philosophies revolving around plain-old "entertainment". If not to amuse themselves, then the group aims to amuse their audiences; each heist is as much a production as their plays. They do so love to set a scene, after all—and when the Masquerade leaves a calling card, a crowd never fails to show!
- FULL MOON: These Starlyngs are in full view of the limelight! They're the starring (pun intended) roles and are generally the "face" of all Mask productions. Think of them as big-name celebrities; they're absolutely focal to all trailers, advertisements, and such. The majority of Full Moons do not engage in Masquerade activities and may not even be aware of the Moonlight's "alter ego". Aside from being wholly dedicated to their craft, Full Moons can be too exposed to the public eye to take the risk of joining the Masquerade. Of those that are part of the Masquerade, they're practically required to be masters of disguise. (They put those quick-change skills to use!)
("How does the Masquerade hide their activities when everyone uses the same ship?" Well, very classically, they have a secret, on-ship hideout that somehow remains undiscovered, and any likeness members have to their Masquerade selves is brushed off in a way typical of fictional, guised-yet-obvious heroes.)
- CRESCENT MOON: The directors and the writers! Though these Masks receive less attention than the Full Moons, many of the Crescent Moons receive their fare share of spotlight as Masquerade members. Nearly all Crescent Moons are Masquerade members, and despite technically ranking "below" Full Moons, also comprise the "authority" figures of the Troupe. Some Crescent Moons are very famous, so they may not engage with the Masquerade because of it. However, unlike other members that may be kept in the dark about the Masquerade, all Crescents regardless of participation are aware of its existence and operations.
- LUNAR ECLIPSE: The nucleus of all Moonlight and Masquerade operations! The Lunar Eclipse encompasses all "backstage" members—those that likely never appear on stage, yet make every production possible. This includes the umbrella-term crew, theatrical technicians, so on and so forth. Lunar Eclipse members that engage in Masquerade affairs are the ones gathering information on targets and locations, forming optimal strategies, disabling or distracting security, procuring any necessary tools, etc. Essentially, they are the crux of every heist, and the success of Crescent or Full Moon thief banks on their effectiveness of their work. (Of course, said ranks still need to be skillful enough to follow Eclipse plans through.)
- NEW MOON: The newbies of the Troupe! Many are in study or pupil to a higher ranking Mask, and all New Moons are required to gain experience as a Lunar Eclipse. New Moons are by and large not privy to the Masquerade, although some may have joined on a hunch (and are thus there out of curiosity, admiration, or... undercover detective work, albeit with lacking results). New Moons will handle a lot of the "gruntwork" of a production (and they're very much treated well for their services) and caring for the Curtain Call (see: Pioneer's Permit). Some New Moons show enough potential and earn enough trust to be recognized by the Masquerade and taken on as direct disciples (many of which become dedicated decoys—no less of import for their role, by the way).
