Name: Sh'khin (Pronounced "She-kin" Also known as Apollo, Jarri, Mikal, Reshef, Ekibiogami, Kukuth, Resef, Gozu-Tenno)
Shkhin was the sixth of the Egyptian plagues.The Shkhin was a kind of skin disease, usually translated as "boils". God commanded Moses and Aaron to each take two handfuls of soot from a furnace, which Moses scattered skyward in Pharaoh's presence. The soot induced festering Shkhin eruptions on Egyptian men and livestock. The Egyptian sorcerers were afflicted along with everyone else, and were unable to heal themselves, much less the rest of Egypt.
Title: The Cantagion
Age: Morph (ancient, but recently reborn!)
Hair: Black with streaks of green, long
Eyes: The iris is violet, like Iris' eyes, but the whites (sclera) are always bloodshot.
Height: same as Iris
Weight: same as Iris
Build: Looks much like a female, though has manly parts below the belt. Still has Iris' chest unfortunately.
Distinguishing features:
• Green skin mottled with browns and greens that look much like leisons on the skin.
• Small, reddish locust wings that protrude from his back. Cannot be used for flight.
• Silver stud nose piercing on his left nostril.
Powers:
• Minor Fever: Sh'khin can induce a feverish viral infection in his targets. A fever is defined as a temporary 1–2 °C (1.8-3.6 °F) increase in thermoregulatory set-point. Victims have a general sense of cold, increased in heart rate, muscle tone and shivering. The fever lasts for two weeks. It is a moderate grade fever. Modern mortal medical procedures do not relieve the symptoms, ever. It is not, in and of itself, a lethal malady, but complications may contribute.
• Minor Call Symbolic Animal: Rats, mice, fleas and other plague-bearing creatures can be summoned in a small swarm (whatever the 'mean group size') and given a one-word command by the god. They will obey.
Personality: Surprisingly, Sh'khin isn't particularly cruel or out to kill. He finds plague to be a necessary evil to balance the world and to keep the ecosystem from overgrowing itself. He's understanding of his host's misgivings, though he wishes she could see things from his point of view. Very methodical and patient, Sh'khin isn't necessarily a bad guy...Just misunderstood.
Normally, he is calm, methodical and friendly. He likes a schedule -- to eat meals at regular times (especially breakfast), sleep a good 8 hours and actually accomplish something each day, instead of lazing about. He can get stir-crazy at times, antsy. A walk usually solves this, and he heads into the suburbs and city outside of the Pantheon on most days, searching for followers, or for a conversation with a mortal.
He likes mortals quite a bit, finding them varied and unusual. He likes hearing their stories, and feels somehow closely connected to them. He believes this connection comes from his domain and it's ability to affect them so deeply. His relationship with his host has also had a lasting effect on his view of mortals, and he has chosen to keep Iris in the back of his mind forever, as a voice of reason and of humanity. She doesn't seem to mind this, and most of the time, she slumbers quietly. Sometimes though, she can't help but pipe in with her thoughts on certain subjects.
But beneath Sh'khin's cool exterior lies something else... Sh'khin himself is not yet sure what is bubbling beneath, but he feels as if it's his past creeping up on him. He remembers few things about his life in previous ages, but there are a couple of gods who are familar to him -- those he will never forget. The first, and his unrequited love, is the lady of Suffering, whom he recalls being fiercely devoted to in a past incarnation. They were never lovers, but he admired her from afar, taking a role as a close friend and watching as she made decisions he didn't approve of. She is now going to be reborn, into an beautiful elven girl named Adrianne, thanks to Sh'khin's initiative.
The second he remembers, who in this age is named Morpheus, is the god of Dreams. He is Sh'khin's rival, and always has been -- always will be. He was a lover of Suffering, one who Sh'khin did not approve of. In fact, he despised the god and his arrogance. He hurt Her, and Sh'khin could only watch as he broke Her, a shoulder to cry on.
In their first meeting since being reborn, Sh'khin and Morpheus had a tense meeting in a graveyard, where Morpheus almost brought Sh'khin's life to an end again, strangling Iris. Plague's anger rolled out of him during this incident, and ever since, he has not been the entirely pleasant god he once was. The further rebirth of Destruction's children are also fanning flames of cruelty that Sh'khin can't help but ignore. Evil resides somewhere inside him, but he does not yet have control over it.
Background: TBA
Images:
All images can be found in Sh'khin's Gallery