IMPS: shaman wip (Patreon)

his face isnt important lol, just think generically. most of these imps arent really characters besides their addition for the society and culture. just that he has big eye brows and a stoic face. i kinda want to change his hair, which i did a lil on the semi full body. 

shamans are ones decided early on, as their horns are larger than the average imp, the biggest sign for them. they are also intrinsically connected to the spiritual realm, able to interpret the flow of energy and the will of transcendent beings. they are very strong beings magically and can pose a threat easily to anyone. its partially why these imps are shamans to begin with, to live dutiful and peaceful lives helping their community. for a village to have a shaman is both an undertaking and an incredible gift. it can immediately ensure the general safety of many vulnerable imps, can predict and warn, while also handing charms, performing rituals and ceremonies. 

when one doesn't have a shaman, the village compromises of course, with whatever they can. but if they did, a shaman themselves are under lots of pressure daily, sometimes from birth. its neither good nor bad, but it is hard for an imp to be thrusted such responsibilities just because of a lucky talent and the size of their horns. they are often separated from others and educated early and rigorously, which can foster loneliness, sadness. and frustration. sometimes training isnt easy and the progress isn't going as fast. it can hurt the imp's self esteem and pride. with nearly no friends, it's isolating. this was the shaman from the sketches. it was worse because he was albino, and was so sensitive to the sun, that his first tattoos were for protection of his skin. the lack of red pigments make him pale and bluish, the color of his blood seeping out much more strongly than the other imps. he also had bad eyesight, which needed to be maintained by medicine. he will likely go blind at some point, but currently he is still able to see. even with protection tatttos, the sun is forever too much, and he can only go outside for short periods of time before cooling down, unless he artificially extends the protection with his own magic.  he is usually in his abode, a small temple that was made for a shaman. he partially resents his forced upbringing, being unable to enjoy the childhood everyone else had, develop relationships and even have the privilege if love. still he knows the importance of his gift, and knows that he has the power to save and help the vulnerable.  all shamans have the general education, but they usually go into a specialization that fits them. for this guy, he always wanted to give what he never got to the children under his care, as well as caring for the parents or parent to be. 

he does not have any aides and usually does most of the upkeep alone, since he hated all the ones that were offered to the temple. they almost felt snobbish and not able to fully empathize with the ones seeking either refuge or help. he couldn't trust these 'aides' to do a good job caring and attending to the needs of the vulnerable. well he did get some eventually, but it was from the ones under his care. some of them, who had nowhere to go, wished to stay in the temple, and devote their life to serving here, as both a means of gratitude, but also a desire to help others like themselves. the education that goes into becoming an aide is not easy, since the knowledge of many forms of practice are needed, as well as maintenance, farming, foraging, and even hunting if needed. they aren't exactly close to the villages. he could do it because of his application of magic, but using this much is impossible for the smaller horned imps. however it didn't deter those wishing to serve. many of them broke up the study material and divided each one best able to learn that section or practice. after all, if you have many aides, you can seperate the work even more, and so not everyone needs to know everything right away. 

soon enough his temple had many aides, and even sooner children running around. since his specialization involved caring for the young and pregnant, this was the natural conclusion. this shaman's temple is essentially an orphanage. he still performs his routines, cleaning, cleansing, checkups, divinations, and rituals. and on the occasion he will do a much more serious ceremony, like prophecies or when his dreams harbor ominous signs. unlike other places, temples with a shaman living in it are well protected even from war, both by legal treaty, but also by the fact that they are naturally strong beings with an intimate connection to a different plane of existence. their affinity makes them hard to fight with, if one chooses to make such a silly decision. 

this shaman does not play around when it comes to protecting his people. he does not carelessly offer his services to the greedy or even allow visitors to enter his temple without checking them first. he also is quick to judge any who hold ill intent or snakes, since he can easily tell liars apart. most shamans have the basic ability to see the truth, and in the easiest sense, know if someone is being genuine with their words. it isn't exactly perfect, but it strong enough that one shouldn't carelessly try to swindle a shaman. weasel words are also even more aggravating, as imps in general don't like them, but shamans would loathe it.  

anyways, he does a lot and has always been busy, but when his temple became more homely, he finally was able to rest comfortably, and even enjoy the relationships he so deeply wished he had. he himself is single, and will likely stay that way forever, as its common for shamans to be so busy and dedicated to their work that they can't even afford to find or have relationships with other imps, let alone build a family. 

however shamans can have the benefit of, when possible, spending a night with an imp in their chambers. its an open secret amongst the people, even an envious position to get, for an imp chosen whether by a shaman themself, or ordained by standards or random lottery to stay in the temple for the night. it doesn't actually have to be dirty or anything, just company is enough. some shamans have high standards and are picky, others want everyone willing, and for the most part, many either are semi-abstinent- or fully abstinent.  

this shaman was more on the abstinent side, though before his temple had a lot members and he could essentially relax a little. 

and tattoos.yes shamans are always fully tattooed at the completion of their education and training. they get progressively tattooed as they grow till every bit of them is covered. they even shave the head to tattoo the scalp, as well as all other places. ears, under the arms, between fingers and toes, palms and webbing, on lips, eye lids, base to tip of the tail, and all over the pelvic region too. no area is left. theres alot of healing and repeating. for this shaman, he frankly found it very annoying, especially when it came down to the last bits of him, which hurt enough that he threatened them to knock him out or else he'll start throwing things. he was sore after he woke up but happy that they complied and it definitely wasn't as bad as when he was awake. pain to heal, but the process is now complete. 

its normal for shamans to have their tattoos magic activated, making them normally invisible to the naked eye. he was no exception.  thats roughly all i got for now. 

jus that being a shaman is no joke, and its the equivalent of getting 3 majors at once.