Ishmaelion / Erpheronian / Philosopher and Doompreacher

Wow, my english was terrible seven years ago... I adjusted my CD slightly, added the most recent years of his life (doing research on Trolls), curious about what you think about it!

Name: Ishmaelion Shi’gén
Gender: male
Age: 54
Race: human
Tribe: Erpheronian
Occupation: Philosopher, Doompreacher
Title: Philosopher

Physical appearance
Being 1 Peds, 2 Fores and 1 Palmspan high makes Ishmaelion one of the smaller people in his tribe, where men usually become taller. He has always been mocked by others for his lack of muscles and some might even describe him as skinny. He walks slightly hunched as if the weight of all mankind rests on his shoulders (although if that were true he would be smitten to the ground, never to arise again, so lets keep to poetic freedom, shall we). Ishmaelion is often described as extremely clumsy. His hair is the same dark red color which is so characteristic for his tribe. However, when traveling through other parts of Sarvonia this is regarded as otherworldly or just downright ugly. This has often led to rumors and prejudices by those people which I will address later in the history section. Despite being a philosopher, Ishmaelion doesn’t have a beard because he thinks that if you have a beard all your ideas do not escape via your mouth (words) but escape out of your chin (hair). He has gray eyes, nothing unusual about them. One odd thing about him though are his feet. They are huge, and when I say huge I don’t mean like in Giants huge, but somewhere around 1 fore. Because he can’t find any proper sandals anywhere he almost always walks barefoot.

Clothes
Ishmaelion wears a brown worn-out robe which is far too large for him. He often drapes the hood far over his face so you can only see his mouth. One can clearly note that this robe is very cheap and therefor Ishmaelion is often thought of to be one of the lower class. He is never seen taking his robe of, so what might lie beneath it remains one of his greatest mysteries (although you can ask yourself whether you truly want to know).

Personality
You could say that Ishmaelion has an interesting personality. Proclaiming himself philosopher after having lived in the local library for two years (literally) he has taken upon him the task of showing the other people in Santharia that he IS an true philosopher and will miss no opportunity to break into a lecture about the elements or other truly worthless subjects. He never speaks in normal sentences but weaves a web of words and proclamations in which he eventually says what he wanted to say (if you’re lucky). Some call him arrogant, some call him mad, some even call him Pete, but that are all superficial taunts directed at this great and brilliant man in envy! One of his favorite subjects of preaching is the end of the world. If the conversation is starting to lead in that direction you should decide if you want to hear the lecture soon or you’ll be caught in the conversation. He will follow those who either say that they believe him or those who contest his facts and theories.
He has a great disdain for orcs, gnomes, goblins, trolls, brownies, elves and humans. Oh, I forgot the dwarfs, he doesn’t like them either. But he believes that everyone/thing can be saved if he\she\it embraces the truth of Ishmaelions words. He believes it is his sacred duty to bring those creatures to the truth.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
- Ishmaelion Shi’gén can preach and debate like few can, it is therefor often that his enemies find themselves debating instead of fighting while Ishmaelion questions their goal in live, aspirations and ambitions. His low powerful voice enforces respect of others and he can make himself look very intelligent and mighty indeed.
- Much combined with his other strengths is his ability to have his cane in his hand when a few seconds ago there was only air. He has a walking cane which he keeps in a secret pocket in his robe whenever he isn’t using the cane for matters as walking and such. He is swift with this cane, and it happens often that he smacks his enemies on the head while debating with them. “curing them of their warmongering thoughts” he calls it.
- Ishmaelion’s big feet protect him from almost all spells and winds which try to blow him of his feet. He has a good sense of balance.

Weaknesses
- Ishmaelion Shi’gén can preach and debate like few can, it is therefor that he will grab any opportunity to start a discussion. In the past, this has not always served him in a positive way, insulting some high placed officials and starting many a brawl.
- While good with his cane, if his favorite walking stick is taken from him, he is completely harmless. He couldn’t even swat a fly without his cane. Not that he loses any of his potency with his tongue though.
- His big feet are a curse when sneaking though bushes or trying to be very silent, as his clumsiness makes sure that he trips and falls occasionally. It is impossible for him to remain in the shadows and not be seen by others. (except if the other is a blind deaf mute dog named Pogo)

History
Born in a small village near Voldar the history of Ishmaelion is very hazy until his adulthood as Ishmaelion was smacked on his head several times in a brawl and can’t remember much about his childhood. From records of his village it is shown that Ishmaelion was always mocked by the other children in his village for his lack of muscles and fighting spirit. After a brawl he was accused of having killed the bard who was singing there (the charge did not ring true as the accuser was the bard himself) but the elders of the village decided that Ishmaelion was a menace to society even so and wanted to toss him in prison for two years.

Not wanting that to happen Ishmaelion bribed his guards and hid himself in the library. After three days in the library he was discovered by a strange being, namely, the dog Pogo. This dog brought Ishmaelion a share of his food and what he was able to catch in the library. Pogo was the guard-dog of the library.Water was provided by the dog as well, well, Ishmaelion drank from Pogo's waterbowl. This enabled Ishmaelion to remain there for almost two years in which he did some reading (he lived in a library after all) and one can say that this changed him a bit.

When Ishmaelion was found he couldn’t stop murmuring about elements and gods and such. He was brought before the elders again and this time he was accused for escaping and bribing the guards, which was the same as insulting the elders which in turn was the same as blasphemy. For this great crime he was banned from the village and after having had a farewell speech that lasted a full morning he was of into the outer world. In the years that followed Ishmaelion lived as a hermit in the woods of Vardynn, not seeing a living soul in ten years. When he came out of the forest he had a cane with him and still wore the robe that was given to him when he left the village. He later claimed that while he was in the forest he was visited by the benevolent god Seyella and sent out to spread her truth, which was only taught to him.

He started preaching in villages and cities and not before long city gates would be shut when he arrived and villages wouldn’t allow him anymore. He became known as Shi’gén after he was rescued by an elven hunting party while he was captured by a rather hungry pack of wolves who were about to have Ishmaelion for lunch. So the elves called him Shi’gén (flavorful) and this name he has carried with him in his countless journeys. After having escaped his own hanging again for insulting the leading elder of one village he did not show his profile that often and covered his head with his robe whenever he entered a town lest he be recognized.

Having to fend of a lot of disbelievers he soon became proficient in the use of his cane as a mortal weapon and made a hidden pocket in his robe where he keeps his cane hidden from sight if he hasn’t no use of it. Having seen much of the world during his travels, not much holds a surprise to Ishmaelion any more, as he thinks that earthly things are no match for the power of the mind. He has a dislike for magic because he isn’t any good at it, to Ishmaelion, magic is like cheating. So he dismisses it as unfair, unworthy and unpractical.

Ishmaelion has spent the last seven years as a researcher of the Trollish language near the Troll Mountains. This has not dampened his love to preach or debate (The Trolls did not appreciate that) and he has returned to the 'civilized' world with a vengeance, armed now not only with his cane but also with his knowledge of the Trollish language, TRULTRUL. (And in no small part armed with the hefty tome written by Troll Expert Marnick Mizzle, on Trollish Phonology (it hurts when you are smacked on the head by it)

Beliefs
When reading this paragraph, one should keep in mind that Ishmaelion was knocked on the head several times in his past, and some think there is a connection between his ideas and that incident, although he himself claims to have been visited by Seyella herself. The goddess had told him, so he claims, stories about the end of the world and also of the world in general and its truths. Ishmaelion preaches the word of Armageddon, which is summarized below.

Armageddon
“And thence forth will cometh the true beings, the reflection undone by the mirrored truth! In their benevolent wisdom, thee will all be vanquished and will no long remain unseen by the unseer! No, the unseeing eye will be opened to the reflection of dreams which are cast by the contramirrored beasts of DOOM!”

This is the beginning of the ‘litany of Armageddon’, written down by Ishmaelion himself. The story is full of riddles and metaphors but one can easily understand the outline of it: the fall of all that we know. Some returning factors are the unseer and the notion of reflection. Some say that the unseer is the sleeping Avá and that the reflection is the real world, outside the Dream. This explanation leaves some holes in it and raises questions like who are the true beings? And how can they come to our world? And who are the Beasts of Doom? Maybe a dream within a dream? And how does one mirror the truth? Would that be lies? If you delve deeper in the text all will not be much clearer as the next extract from the second chapter, near the end, shows:

“Oh, thee, who in returning to thee, will be crushed by the unguarding light, in which the twelve are born and torn. The unseer will wreak vengeance upon the twelve, dissident from their truth, seen by first house, deafened by the thunder of the second house, slaughtered in the wake of the third house, loved by the fourth house, played upon by the fifth house, drowned by the waves of the sixth house, blessed to unbeing by the passive seventh house, withheld from the mirrored heavens by the eighth house, cultivated by the ninth house, murdered by the dark tenth house, bandaged by the serving eleventh house, and from the twelfth house will come the inferno!”

The twelve is probably a vague reference to the twelve minor gods, although not much is known about their supposed role when the One (Avá) awakens. The litany of Armageddon ends with these words: “When will this happen? Well, it happened countless times already in the mind of the unseeing one, being bereft of speech and sight, passive until the history repeats itself, and this day will come soon!”

The world

“The world is not what I thought of it”
- Ishmaelion -

The elemental theory:
According to Ishmaelion, the most important part of the world is the elemental section. He distinguishes four kinds: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. He believes these elements are everywhere, even within persons. 'How does this work?' you ask yourselves. Well, let me explain:

It is off course clear that water consists of a lot of water elements, and earth full of earth elements, etc. But in persons this is more subtle. The amount of elements is determined by birth, and does not change in live. Everyone has a mix of all elements. The amounts of them varies, altering one’s character. If you have a lot of earth elements in comparison to the other elements, you grow up to be a sturdy man, who is not easily angered or otherwise emotionally shaken, but once aggravated is the most persistent of al persons in the finishing of that particular matter. If one has a lot of fire elements in him, he will grow up to be a short-tempered person, often flaring out in sudden bursts of rage or other emotional outings. In the case of an abundance of water elements, one is tranquil, preferring peace and calmth over struggle and conflict. Often seeking to compromise and relegating matters. If bestowed with a lot of air elements, one is fluent in the matters of speech and mind. Often appearing smarter and wiser than they truly are.

More about the elemental theory of Ishmaelion can be found out by asking him about it, although this is an arduous task and should not be undertaken lightly (or without a lot of spare time...)

Weapons
His cane, named Pogo, after the dog, is his only weapon (not counting his mind). There is not much special about the cane, it’s just a wooden cane. Recently, Ishmaelion has acquired the book on Trollish Phonology by Marnick Mizzle. Knowledge is a weapon and a large and heavy book can also pack quite a punch.

Belongings
His sharp humor.