====== Mourning Actors (Elation) ====== > //"They do not laugh, only cry. The more they cried, the harder I laughed. I laughed and laughed until tears fell down my face, and you know what Mourning Actors did? They handed me a tissue."// > — A Masked Fool with no name Mourning Actors are firm believers against Elation. They believe life is full of ups and downs, that agony makes people mature but fleeting joy only offers hopeless and unreachable temptation. Cheap entertainment is a narcotic for humans to lose themselves in. All beings should renounce joy and endure grief to temper their spirits. To this end, these people formed a theater troupe of sorrow. The Actors ride a gondola that spans the stars to perform. They collect and wear masks from different worlds, symbolizing the races that have passed and those that have not. At the same time, they record the sorrows of intelligent life. They compose magnificent tragedies for heroes facing their end, and sing graceful elegies for dying stars. Mourning Actors advocate celibacy and penance, hoping this would go against the Path of Elation and dilute the sweet allure that the Elation has been able to provide to the universe. However, joy and sadness are two sides of the same coin. Their very essence is engraved into the souls of all beings. The Aeon of Elation sees the potential strength in the beauty of tragedy. Perhaps out of fondness for their wicked sense of humor, Aha blessed these people with Aeonic powers, playfully helping them spread their renunciation of joy across many star systems.