Act I
15th of April 1503
Orkney Isles, ScotlandThis is the fifth time I have travelled this year. So far, my kin have not shown up but I will not hold my breath that they will stay away. I know they'll arrive soon.
In two days I have already managed to spread the news that I am a Death Shaman, explaining my canine-skull mask that I wear to cover my animalistic appearance. My disgusting feet are easily covered by hulking black boots and my body is disguised with a long, dark purple leather coat. I can hide my eyes with a pair of goggles I got from my one and only 'friend', I guess you could call him a friend but he's more of an apprentice, who has travelled with me all these years. He polishes my mask and finds suitible clothing when I am in my animalistic state. In return I showed him the altered medical training and together we created my persona; "Igor the Death Shaman". Yes, we have decided that wherever I go I shall be Igor as it is a heroic name from my home-country.
Anyway, today is the day that I must put my practice to the test and see if I can trick this new village into believing my guise.
My apprentice, Oskar, never left my side. I knew why. Oskar was an extremely threatening looking boy and with him beside me no one would dare question my actions.
A woman pointed and screamed at me today as I walked through the busy streets. I almost turned to my Kin State but it took all my effort not to. It always hurt me to the bone when someone would scream or cry at the sight of me. I wish that I could be human. There are so many people who do not deserve the privillage of being normal. If it was possible, I would help humanity in two ways; take the lives of the unworthy and replace them with nomadic animals and other creatures that would do better than these horrible people.
When Oskar showed me where we would be staying and working I was extremely pleased. It was a place very similar to my birth-home.
My new work-den was a small stone cave that rose from the grass just outside of the main village. It was perfect. Away from all of the rude people and in a place that seemed natural to me.
"Igor," Oskar said(I had asked him to address me as my public name and not my birth name.). "D'you ever think you could go back to your home-country?"
"No," I answered quickly and curtly. I did not like being rude to the boy but I was his mentor and had to show some dominance. "Don't ask questions, fetch the ingredients for that ressurection poltuice."
He nodded then disappeared from my line of sight. The boy appeared moments later with three materials. I counted them and examined them before speaking again.
"One more," I said, taking off my leather gloves to reveal my disgustingly horrifying hands.
My 'hands' had dark fur that seemed plastered to the skin beneath it. From the fur grew three discoloured claws. Yes, I only have four 'fingers' or segments of the hand or whatever you can call them.
Oskar re-appeared again with an extra ingredient. I quickly snatched them from his outstretched hands and dropped them into the dark liquid that lay before me in a stone pot over a blazing fire. The fire momentarily turned purple before going back to the blazing orange that ordinary fires were.
"Igor-."
"You call me sir, remember boy?" I snapped at him through my mask.
Over the years I had grown attatch to the mask. Not physically but again emotionally. I felt alone without it covering my disfigured face. The face of my Kind. The face of a monster.
"Sir, does anybody in this village even
know about ressurection?" he asked.
"Of course not!" I said. "But I'm introducing it to them. They'll thank me for it later."
"But-!"
"Don't question me!"
Oskar sat down on the opposite side of the flames and watched as I mixed the plants and materials together with the gooey liquid.
"It's almost sunset," Oskar commented.
My eyes darted to the side where the sun was lowering. I could barely see through my green-glass goggles so and moved them further up on my mask with one 'hand', showing my huge, amber eyes.
"Oskar, back of the cave, now," I commanded.
He nodded, leaped to his feet and sprinted to the designated area of the cave. In other words, it was the 'safe-point' of the cave.
I remembered the ordeal that was about to take place. I had to shed my diguise so that no one would recognize me when I took to the streets with my kin. So I said a silent prayed for the villagers to be safe, tucked away in their beds and not out in the darkness. If they were, God help them. God help them all.
