Kaleesh mask

"Nobody ever forgets his painted Kaleesh mask, so we've been trying out Blood Buccaneer."

―Quiggold, on Sidon Ithano^[5]

Kaleesh masks, also known as Kaleesh war masks or Kaleesh battle helmets, were fearsome traditional war masks typically worn by legendary warriors of the Kaleesh native to the planet Kalee in Wild Space. Frequently sculpted from the skulls, bones, and teeth of their homeworld's deadliest predatory beasts, mumuu, erkush, and karabbac, their masks were smeared with patterns of karabbac-blood war paint above their eyes before going into battle.

General Grievous modeled his faceplate after the one he wore in his earlier life. The Delphidian pirate captain Sidon Ithano donned a distinctive red Kaleesh helmet to conceal his origin.

Description

Kaleesh masks,^[6] also known as Kaleesh war masks^[2] or Kaleesh battle helmets,^[7] were terrifying customary war masks^[1] often^[2] carved of the skulls, bones,^[1] and teeth^[4] of their planet's fiercest predatory beasts. Creatures used in creating a Kaleesh mask included the mumuu,^[1] erkush,^[8] and karabbac.^[9] The mask typically^[10] obscured^[1] Kaleesh's features,^[10] covering almost all of their head.^[11]

As with all^[2] large,^[12] white^[3] Kaleesh helmets^[2] had eye sockets, a lack of a nose, and a row of six pointed teeth^[8] in place of a mouth.^[13] However, some eye sockets featured long, lateral slits that dominated the mask,^[2] with ear flares surrounding the helmet.^[12] From a distance,^[2] their slitted golden eyes^[10] and tusks^[11] were visible.^[2] Before engaging into battle, they smeared their masks^[13] with patterns of karabbac-blood war paint above their eyes.^[1] Apparently, if it were discovered that someone wore a mask like this just for effect, the Kaleesh would not tolerate it.^[14]

History

General Grievous fashioned his cybernetic mask after his Kaleesh mask.

Decades before the Clone Wars,^[1] the feared warrior^[15] and warlord^[16] Qymaen jai Sheelal,^[17] later known as Grievous,^[18] crafted a fearsome mask from the skull, bone,^[1] and teeth^[4] of a mumuu. Donning it with karabbac-blood war paint, Grievous wore it in battle^[1] and fought in his homeworld's^[19] almost never-ending^[20] conflict against the Yam'rii from Huk.^[1] Grievous also owned a mask carved from erkush bone.^[8] After a shuttle crash,^[21] Grievous was rebuilt as a cyborg^[11] and enlisted by Count Dooku^[22] and Darth Sidious^[23] to command the Separatist Droid Army^[22] as its Supreme Commander.^[16] Grievous kept up his tradition and based his cybernetic mask after the one he formerly wore^[1] even though so little of his original form remained. On Vassek's third moon, Grievous maintained a well-stocked warehouse of new limbs. Inside were many racks of spare components for his armor, such as the masks, and rooms that paid tribute to his past as a Kaleesh warrior.^[11]

At some point during the Imperial Era, General Kardan acquired a Kaleesh mask and added it to the rest of his treasures.^[24] During the First Order-Resistance War,^[25] the Delphidian pirate captain Sidon Ithano used a red,^[26] traditional^[27] and ancient^[28] plasteel Kaleesh mask^[26] of the trickster god Ithano^[29] He had stolen his helmet from the Kaleesh,^[30] to hide his Delphidian heritage.^[2]