The Illusionist is a mutant mentioned in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.
Description[]
It was a powerful mutant that inhabited the Zone after the Second Disaster. It was the inspiration for various bits of folklore, but has never appeared in any of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, only having been mentioned in two PDA entries in Shadow of Chernobyl.
It was later killed in a skirmish with a platoon of Duty personnel, before having its body sent to a pathologist for analysis.
While the Illusionist has never been seen in-game, and no pictures exist, the PDA entry 'Pathologist's Supper' provides a description of the creature. It is described as being extremely gaunt and emaciated, comparable to that of a concentration camp prisoner. It had a massive head, 'ribbed like a pumpkin', and almost a yard across, which is what it likely owes its psychic powers to. It had an extremely skinny neck, unable to hold its own head up, and so what stalkers thought to be its face was in fact the top of its head. The Illusionist's actual facial features were extremely strange, with a tiny nose and tiny eyes, but with a disproportionately huge mouth. The creature wore a belt with pouches containing both mushrooms (theorized to be the main source of food for the creature) and the brain of a Controller (whether this is another source of food for the Illusionist, a trophy, or something else will remain a mystery). The creature was known in stalker folklore for casting hallucinations, hence its name.[1] This would indicate it has similar powers and abilities to a Controller, but since it was clearly able to kill one, its powers may have even surpassed a Controller's own. This also would indicate that the Illusionist was the result of experimentation by the Group prior to the Second Disaster.
Sometime before the events of Shadow of Chernobyl, a stalker had his vehicle break down one night, when a Duty patrol of a full platoon arrived in the area. Remaining hidden for fear of discovery, the stalker heard a massive salvo of gunfire that lasted nearly five minutes. After the gunfire ceased, the stalker saw the remaining Duty soldiers load the dead creature onto a truck. Later, when they had left, the stalker investigated the area and found it riddled with bullet holes and splattered with blood. While the Illusionist's abilities were only vaguely described, it was able to kill multiple Duty soldiers before it went down.[1]
It is unknown whether any other specimens of the Illusionist mutant exist, or if it was a one-of-a-kind creature. Considering no reports about such a mutant have come up again, it's more likely that the latter is true.
References[]
| Mutated animals | |
|---|---|
| Humanoids | |
| Poltergeists | |
| Unknown |
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| Cut mutants | |