Liar's Night was a holiday celebrated along the Sword Coast on the 30th day of Marpenoth, paying tribute to the deities Leira and Mask. It was celebrated to appease the gods and guard against their unwanted attention. Revelers donned costumes or glamers to disguise themselves and pretended to be that which they were not. Common masks included the symbol of Mask himself and the mirror masks of the priests of Leira. Though there was no limit on the disguise someone could wear, the more elaborate the costume, the more celebrated the wearer.[1]
As of the late 15th century DR, Liar's Night was held in Waterdeep[1] and in Neverwinter, where it came to be called the Masquerade of Liars.[2][3]
Celebrations[]
The celebrations began in the evening when people placed candles into gutted pumpkins or gourds that had faces carved into them. Each pumpkin represented a person who had donned a mask, while the candle light represented who they truly were. For as long as the candle was lit, lies told and embarrassing acts wouldn't harm a person's reputation. As such, celebrations often devolved into chaotic anarchy. Bad luck came to those who returned after celebrating to find their pumpkin's candle had gone out. Intentionally blowing out someone else's candle or smashing their pumpkin risked drawing the ire of both Mask and Leira.[1]
Tricks, pranks, and even pickpocketing were common on this night; thus tradition had people filling their pockets with candy in lieu of money. Pickpockets took the candy and replaced it with a small token such as a folded scrap of paper, or a trinket. More commonly, people just traded candy at face value, and readily handed it out to children who asked. Illusionists and stage magicians were often hired to perform or wandered the streets in hopes of garnering clients.[1]
Reservations[]
It was known that no deals were to be made, nor contracts signed on Liar's Night, as nobody trusted that the other parties would honor their commitments.[1]
History[]
Beginning in the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, Dagult Neverember declared that Liar's Night in Neverwinter was to be extended into a grand festival known as the Masquerade of Liars.[2]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Baldur's Gate III
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
External Links[]
- Masquerade of Liars article at the Neverwinter Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons and Dragons: Neverwinter MMORPG.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
- ↑ Bart Carroll (2017-06-28). Fiction: Prelude (Prelude to the Tomb of Annihilation, as cursed secrets are discovered throughout Faerûn) (Web). In Matt Chapman, Bart Carroll eds. Dragon+ #14. Wizards of the Coast. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved on 2023-06-30.