Authors note: This is but one chapter of a larger book in progress, a work akin to a journal bearing my thoughts and musings on many topics, and my struggle to have my mortal mind encompass them all.

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What am I? Yes, I ask what, not who, for in this investigation I have undertaken, the who matters not. I know who I am; I know who I have become. I know my strengths and weaknesses, my flaws and talents, my morals and quirks and all those little things that determine who I am. I am many things, and yet the precise nature of what I am is an enigma to me.

A viscanti, I have been named. But what exactly is a viscanti? Some will say an abomination or a twisted, foul creature. Others will speak of transformation, evolution and strength. A scion of the taint either befouled or enriched by it, depending on the perspective offered. A living being, certainly – with breath and flowing blood and a mind filled with thoughts and imagination.

The histories tell a little of the birth of the viscanti. Not shards of an elder god, nor like the curious humans, not even like the illithoid. The viscanti did not exist before Project Cosmic Hope, when the taint flowed from the stone of truth, transforming and altering all in its path. Witnesses speak of Emperor Ladantine and others that were touched by it, how they mutated and changed. They became angrier, filled with hostility and hunger, so the reports would indicate. Some became horribly disfigured, some grew horns or tails or talons.

Were these then, viscanti? I don’t believe so, not as we know them today. The precursor, certainly, but they were closer to being altered versions of their previous race than being a completely new race of people. Many modern viscanti bear only the faintest resemblance to their heritage, their predominant features instead being signs of the touch of the taint – horns, wings, tails, claws, coloured skin. Some show severe signs of emaciation and disfigurement, while others seem to only bear subtle alterations.

I am one of the latter. When I look into the mirror I am happy with what I see – patrician features, a flawless complexion, an enviable figure. I am blessed with symmetry and grace. There is no need to hide this gloriousness behind a mask. I possess somewhat pointed ears that are decidedly elfen in appearance, and yet unlike any elfen I have ever seen I have pointed incisors and sharp claws tipping my fingers. I have no horns, no tail, and no wings. So what am I?

I have pondered this question for many years. I had some suspicions and thoughts, but found I very much wanted to know the views of those with a very different perspective to my own – namely the Divinities. I have long believed that we mortals have a very narrow view of life and our place within the world, and thus I sought wisdom.

The opinions of the late Lord Eventru did not come to me by way of His own mouth, and as such it may be skewed, but I believe it to be a fair accounting of His opinion on the viscanti. I was given the impression by His followers and other citizens of Celest that the taint is abhorrent, and by extension, those that have been twisted and altered by it – the viscanti – are abominations that should be hunted down and destroyed. It is my belief that He viewed viscanti as similar to the illithoid; some sort of extension of the soulless gods, creatures with no soul or divine spark, mindless, thoughtless beings intent only on destruction.

Naturally this view does not sit comfortably upon me. I and my kind were born with he will to survive, but more than that, to live. The opinion of the Exalted Lord would see me blotted from the page of life like an accidental spill of ink. Every fibre of my being rebels against this idea. I wish to live, to grow. To achieve and create, know joys and pains. I have thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Is it right then, to order my death, simply for the accident of my birth? I can tell you quite definitely from where I am standing that no, it is not.

It was Lord Zvoltz that first gave me confirmation that not everyone saw things as those in Celest do. While we never delved deeply into the topic, but He helped to remind me that we all face the threat of extinction at the hands of the Soulless Gods, and in that light, it seemed petty to fight amongst ourselves when we should be turning our energies to preservation of life itself. He showed me a respect I had not experienced outside of Magnagora’s influence, and that told me He did not believe I and my kind should be cleared from the basin simply because of what we are.

My next encounter proved the most enlightening. When I first heard the voice of Yomoigu, He seemed puzzled by my existence. He recognised the shards of the elders, but me, He did not know what to make of – I believe I was something of a great peculiarity to Him. It certainly drove my thoughts and left me yearning for answers. Upon further meeting, He conducted some sort of experiment; I felt a strange heat throughout my body as He considered my form. The result – I most certainly possess the spark of a divine, but He was unable to determine who. It would seem the body or soul perhaps was altered enough to be unrecognisable, but yet, the presence of a soul cannot be denied.

I still have questions and uncertainties. I still wish to know the thoughts of more of the divine, but so far my probing has proven enlightening, and some of my beliefs are as follows. I am viscanti – a living, breathing souled mortal. I am an example of evolution – for yes, the taint changes that which it touches, and I am most certainly a scion of the taint, how could I argue otherwise? But the teachings of my Lord Morgfyre would have me embrace and glory in change, for in stasis lies weakness and mediocrity. I am strength. I am progress. That which is inferior has been stripped away, leaving only that of worth behind. I am just like every other mortal; and yet I am somewhat more, somewhat different. I have the same dreams and hopes and feelings, and yet I have the additional drive and hunger that the taint has blessed my kind with, just as the Twelve were invigorated and enhanced by the Forbidden elixir.

Those who seek to destroy the viscanti act out of fear and ignorance. They choose to kill that which they do not understand, and to Nil with the consequences. That is their weakness and their folly. For I was blessed with a soul, I was blessed with a mind, and I was blessed with a most pleasing form to carry them. I am glorious.

I am viscanti.