Stinkeye Character Bio

*The Book of Stinkeye, the Shaman of Oasis*

Chapter I

MY ONE-EYED BRETHREN, heed my words! I, Stinkeye, Shaman of Oasis, knows your plight. I know you feel lost. This place, the world of the humans, does not seem like your home. You wander, drawn to the desert, without knowing why. You don’t touch water, and so the two-eyes tell you that you smell bad. And you feel like you are less, because you have one less eye! I know those awful thoughts. I know those questions! But now I know the answers, and I know to stand tall because I have heard the WORD of our ancestors. Let me, my brothers and sisters, tell you the good news of THE OASIS.

Chapter II

I WAS DRAWN to the desert, like many of us are. We are at home in the heat and need little water. We even dislike the feel of water on our skin. I became a bodyguard for a treasure hunter looking for remnants from before the Great Shift: dwarven artifacts, ancient orc weapons, or even clues to finding the legendary Oasis. One day, as we were walking in the desert, the sky darkened. We realized that a sandstorm was on the horizon. I have seen many sandstorms, but this one was different. It was kilometers wide and crackling with energy. It made the hair on my beard stand up.

We pitched our tent, hoping it would give us some protection. We huddled together, wrapped in the hoods and long garments we used to keep the sun from burning us and sand out of our mouths and eyes. The tent seemed like it would hold, but then it became so dark that neither of us could see. The wind howled, and the tent was ripped up and away.The sand slammed us like a wall, pushing us away from one another. We tried to stay together, but the desert was flying around us.

I lost my boss and started wandering around aimlessly, looking for shelter. Ahead of me, I saw a giant stone door half buried in the sand. I pushed on it and it opened. There was a corridor behind the door leading down under the desert. With the storm at my back and no sign it would stop, I stumbled in and closed the door behind me. I was so tired from fighting the storm, I sat down in the corridor and fell asleep.

Chapter III

IN MY DREAMS, I heard laughter. When I awoke, a totem was standing next to me, a skull perched on top of it. As I reached for it, it laughed and vanished, appearing down the corridor, deeper in the dunes. I followed it. It led me to a huge room. Or at least I thought it was a room. There was a sun overhead, but it was a different color. It should have been day, but the sky was dark. Threads of pink magic swirled through the sky and the ground. Plants grew out of it like lilies in a pond. . A four-winged, long-necked bird landed next to me. It studied me with its one eye! And in the middle of this room was a large, black pyramid. On top of it was an enormous one-eyed crystal skull.

As I went towards it, the skull began to speak. "Welcome, cyclops. How may I address you?" I told it my name. "Stinkeye. Hmm. I guess you'll have to do." The skull opened its mouth again and magic poured out, rushing over me. I never felt so alive. I knew it had given me great power. A staff appeared from inside the pyramid. The skull bid me to take it. 1"I have long traveled," it said, "looking for my creators. I have found you instead. Pity, but I have little power left. You must carry out my mission. You must be the last shaman. The Shaman of Oasis." 1I asked the Oasis what it meant. It made a sound like the sound a mother makes when she must explain something simple to a child. 1"I am Oasis. Your ancestors sent me across dimensions and space to find their descendants, scattered by the Great Shift. 1This is what your world looked like. It is no more. It was greatly blessed by the power of the rifts, but the rifts also tore it apart."

1For hours I asked it many questions. I learned much about our people and our ancient culture. 1Finally, the skull fell silent. The ground began to shake and Oasis told me it had to go.

Chapter IV

AS I STEPPED outside the stone doors, they disappeared behind me. The Oasis may appear again, it said, but it must recharge and refuel. In the meantime, it told me, I must gather all cyclopes together, lead them, and share my power and the wisdom of Oasis. So follow me, my brothers and sisters! Learn the magic of our ancestral totems and the power of Oasis, and heed my proclamations. You are not lesser than the two-eyes. One eye means you see straight. You see truth! Walk tall. Your people were proud and had powerful magic. They are lost today, but we are not! Be kind to one another--even in death! We know our spirits have power. Aid your brethren, even if you fall. Do not listen to the two-eye. You are NOT ugly, and you smell FINE. Baths are not necessary for cyclopes. We have no need for water. We bathe in MAGIC instead! And most importantly: band together! Only as a people can we carve our destiny out of this desert and reclaim our former glory! Your shaman, Stinkeye, commands it!