Hello guys. I hope you are having a good Saturday. Tonight I have the third piece of a recent triology of images by Lastmanouthere. Let me introduce you Ier. He's the mate of Joni, the leader of the tribe Iggy ends up with. He's not as strong or hunky as other hunters, but nevertheless he is considered the best bone hunter of the tribe. His fighting style is more agile and acrobatic. What really makes him a better hunter is his training as shaman, which he combines with his physical skills. Before little Keri was taken as apprentice to Shie, Ier was the one marked to be the tribes shaman, but the little one had more potential. The tribe assumes Ier was disappointed by his demotion, as his attitude to everyone signified this. The truth is, it was all an act. He secretly was relieved not to be a shaman and instead be a hunter along side his beloved Joni.
However, the arrival of Iggy puts Ier's place as best hunter in doubt, which he doesn't take lightly. Will there be trouble in the 21st tribe? Will Joni side with the surprising newcomer, or with his own mate? Ier is a conflicted character. Happy in the life he created, by avoiding what was assumed was his calling. His position at the top threatened by the newcomer, he takes a moment to reflect his decisions and ponder his future. Is he too hard on Iggy? Can the glory not be shared equally amongst two men? Will Iggy's fame steal the heart of his lover as well as the respect of his fellow tribesmen?
A little more back story from Lastmans pen!
The geeky paleontologist Ignatio D'Marrow was transported to a strange, wild world after his visit to the Devils Creek excavation. There, he was greeted by a mysterious old man who welcomed him. Iggy was surprised to see that his once weakling self was transformed into one of magnificence. The old man, after praising Iggy's body, led him to the 21th tribe, of which he was the shaman. On their way, the pair was attacked by a colossal skeletal dinosaur. Iggy found a surprising ability to fight the thing, but ultimately it was the arrival of two tribesmen, brothers Anuar and Thallid, who saved him.
The tribe, as well as the other 30 or so similar ones, has been for centuries fighting off what they referred to as "The Bones." They had been doing so ever since the so-called Lord of Bones had led thousands of skeletons against the people of the steppe. The great hero Maltus and his mate Edmon developed the bone-hunting and shamanic arts necessary to defeat The Bones and their lord. The two were had vanished without a trace after the end of a great battle. The 36 tribes continue with the arts and legacies of the original pair, with bone-hunters, like the brothers, and shamans like the old man, Shie.
Lately, more and more Dancers, for this is the name given to the feral skeletons like the one Iggy faced, appeared more and more than in the last few decades. (Why do I instantly think of Dinosaurs in Tap shoes? -Sorry DP.) There are even rumors of skeletons called Actors being spotted. These aremore vicious, powerful skeletons with sentient minds. Shei tells Iggy that, given his prowess in fighting the Dancer and the mysterious circumstances that found him in Devils Creek, he might be connected to the surge in bones. (He is certainly causing some bones to surge in our world. -Again sorry DP.)
Iggy meets the other members of the tribe, leader Joi and his mate, the cynical Ier. Joi's younger brother, the teenage Keri, is introduced as old Shie' successor as shaman of the tribe. As well he meets many of the other tribesmen, handsome, virile and mostly naked men. Some are hunters and some carry out more humble tasks in the little community. While in the settlement, many concepts alien to him are explained, most importantly the Lifewater. The liquid, mostly clear but with a milky tint, is the base of all the tribes' existence. Lifewater springs can keep the bones kilometers away, so they are the center around which every tribe settles. Lifewater can also be drunk to nurture the body for a certain time, and it is key in many shamanic rituals. "Sealing" the bones to prevent their reawakening is the one of the two highest and most important use of Lifewater. Sealed bones are the best armor against the skeletons, but only if the seal is maintained with Lifewater and gold and silver elements.
Iggy soon learns of the liquids' other critical use: reproduction. The tribes are formed by males only, no women, though rumot has it other civilizations, living "far beyond mountain and sea", have such females. To conceive, two lovers must exchange their seeds regularly for a few days, then head to a Lifewater pool or spring and allow both their seed to mix with the water, which eventually produces a newborn, emerging to the world from the liquid. The newborn thus is a child of both males, though the exact reasons why some attempts succeed at procreating and other do not, is unknown.
There are many perils and mysteries Iggy and his new friends must face and solve: Iggy's own presence in the strange land; the true fate of the heroes of the ancient war, the raids of the rogue clans of Bone-Crushers, and eventually, the possible return of the Lord of Bones... Death, love, betrayal, and of course sex await Iggy, the twins, Keri and the rest in their adventure.
