Salazar “Zayde” Hollister (Cobbler)

Membership: Wolf Pack

Race: Human

Height: 5’4

Weight: 145

Apparent Age: 70+

Archetype: Swordsman Adept: Circle Unknown (Good God)

Preferred Weapon: English Long Blade

Runner Song:

Bio: His name is Zayde the Grandfather of the Wolf Pack….the man behind the shoes is the shoe maker himself welcome back to the Pack Cobbler. This man is a old school craftsman originally from Poland but immigrated to Seattle many a generation ago and set up his small shoe store within the Lynnwood District and from the start was the place to go for all the suburban families to get their children church shoes and back to school shoes. The Cobbler is as well a trained and honed tailor so this man was kept very busy in those early days and his business was booming.

Salazar would come in to the shop before the sun would crest the eastern sky and leave long after the darkness would blanket the town. He was a pillar of Lynnwood and everyone knew Salazar’s name and if they needed his aid…well the Cobbler would always keep his doors open. Zayde was also a dedicated family man and had a very large family, his wife of more than forty years, six children and many grand and great grand children; many would say that Salazar would be blessed and for this hard working and dedicated Jewish craftsman it would seem that he truly was.

Now one may ask how does Zayde go from being a successful businessman to becoming a scourge of the streets and a member of the infamous and dreaded Wolf Pack. Well my readers these are the events that would cause Zayde to become the killer known as the Cobbler and close friends with some of the most elite killers Seattle will ever know.

It was the summer of 2018 and Zayde was opening his shop long before the sun had burned off the morning mist, as many in Lynnwood would be still dreaming of a day at the Emerald Beach Salazar would be hard at work repairing the shoes of those that pound the pavement and deep in refection on how lucky he was and how the American dream had come true for this immigrant. Well we all know that in August of 2018 nefarious plans where in the work and the Natives were about to unleash their greatest assault onto to the European Americans., with the return of magic only a few years prior and the country still trying to govern it’s potential and regulate it’s use all hell would be unleashed within a few hours as the Native Americans would bring to close their greatest ritual and ultimate revenge.

Now I know you have heard many say that the Great Tragedy of 2018 would be the spark that ignited the fires of revolution and would bring to bear the rage of the Sons of Liberty down upon all. Well that’s true and yes it also would cause many and I mean many to become enraged and vengeful of the countless deaths and destruction that would follow in it’s wake. The Great Tragedy of 2018 would be the starting point for many within the world of the shadows and it would all become clear that survival and freedom would have to be earned and paid for in blood.

Zayde would be hard at work ignorant to the dangers that were lurking deep within the heartland and unknowing that this was going to be the last day he would ever kiss his beloved good bye and he would never see his family again. The Grandfather of Lynnwood would become a widower and be forced to mourn his offspring in a single day, as the sun began to crest over the horizon and Zayde would pause from his work to turn down the lights and open the shades to allow the morning sun to embrace his work space; the energy of the astral plane would begin to ripple and the spirits would begin to sing a haunting song. Salazar being a magical being and studied in the arts of the adept would feel the change in the environment; his sixth sense would be ultimately what saved his life as he would venture down to the basement of his shop and attempt to reach out to his wife and children…though to no avail the cellular single was being jammed and the call never went through, Zayde would have a feeling of dread come over him as he ignited the oil lantern and turned down the lights and hunkered down for what he thought was some sort of magical storm.

Little did he know that this was more that a magical storm and the early warnings of something far worse and as he began to read his religious texts and simply pray for a speedy recovery from yet another astral storm the natives would unleash the ritual and the magical energy would ravage across the plains, over the Rockies and go from coast to coast devastating everything and everyone in its wake. According to Zayde when the ritual was unleashed he could feel as if his skin was on fire and his very soul was being torn asunder, his vision was fogged, he could hear the cries of native warriors of old through the astral plane and wounds would begin to manifest upon his body….he claims that only his faith and his magical shielding would protect him but even that he is unsure of and as he states, he never felt anything like that before and he never wants to feel that again.

After what would feel like a lifetime Zayde would find himself bleeding and slashed all over his body his blood pooling on the basement floor and than the ground would begin to shake and explosions could be heard in the distance as the earth itself was rebelling against what the Natives had unleashed. Salazar feared that this earthquake would be the start of something far worse and he was right, though as injured as he was and his very core being ravaged moving was not possible for his own muscles where in revolt. From the small street level windows he could see the dark clouds within the horizon followed by the smoke and ash to follow, as Zayde had feared the volcano of Mount Saint Helens had just erupted and death was being spewed forth all over the Emerald City and throughout Washington State.

The ground shook violently, the weather shifted as storm clouds began to dump poisoned rain upon the city and ash covered everything, Seattle was about to go through a major change and for Salazar he said a prayer and figured this was it, the world was ending and he was going to die. Blood stinging his eyes and his wounds burning deep to the core Salazar knew that he needed to attempt to move or perish and he refused to die in his basement like a trapped rat….now according to Zayde he had survived the Holocaust and was  prisoner of a concentration camp and refused to die like so many before him did; though this I tend to disbelieve since the Immortality Project was in place in America at the time and he is a Polish national.

According to Zayde the memories of the camps would guide him through this newest tragedy, he would be forced to delve deep into his hidden memories in order to survive and all the while he knew in his gut that his family was not as lucky as he. This would be the force to drive Salazar for decades to come and as well to learn what had actually happened to Lynnwood and as he would learn the rest of the free world as well; the magical assault was successful and so would begin the Nights of Blood within the wake of the Great Tragedy of 2018.

Zayde would eventually be able to escape the confines of his basement and emerge on the surface to find his shop devastated, the widows shattered, the smell of sulphur burning his nose and extreme heat from the engulfing ash cloud that loomed over the small town. The earth continued to shake violently causing the old ma to stumble around as he gathered precious items and keepsakes of his past; his pocket would begin to vibrate as he reached for his phone he noticed a missed call and voicemail from his beloved Hanna and another from his eldest son Geoffrey, than the signal and battery would fail. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the powering down phone and his blood would mix with tears upon the darkened screen; Salazar figured his family was still alive and yet he missed his chance and now they were surly gone.

He put together a small satchel of keepsakes and supplies from his shop, bandaged up the wounds he could as well grabbed the old single barrel shotgun he kept for security in the backroom and carefully exited Hollister’s Shoes and entered the ash covered streets of Lynnwood. He covered his mouth and nose with his tie to help contain the poisonous gases at bay while making his way towards his beloved Town Car. Hoping just hoping that it still was able to start and bring him to his home, he prayed that Hanna and the kids where alright, even though deep in his heart he knew otherwise.

As luck would have it his car would turn over, the radio was just static and dead air as he closed the windows, putting it in gear Zayde would begin the short venture home. To his horror he would see the devastation first hand as homes where engulfed in flames, power lines down, buildings collapsed and the screams of pain followed by the rattles of death could be heard echoing through the streets. Salazar was not unfamiliar with those sounds and as well the acrid smell of burning flesh, his car was like a fortress protecting him from the horror emerging all around and as he puts it “It was like Judgement Day, the sky was red and  the clouds blackened….fire was all around if hell truly existed than this was hell on earth.” Zayde was unable to even get close to his home as his neighbourhood was engulfed in flames, sinkholes swallowing entire houses and power lines sparking and doing the dance of death to anyone that dared go near.

He could see his home fully engulfed in Hell’s Inferno and hear the cries of his family and neighbours as they would fall victim to the scorching heat and the kiss of the flame. Salazar just stopped his car and began to cry uncontrollably as he now learned that maybe if he hadn’t delayed even a minute he could have saved Hanna and the kids that where visiting for his 50th wedding anniversary on August 14th. Though he was quickly snapped back to reality when he smelled burning rubber and he had to vacate the area as his tires where starting to smoulder under the extreme heat.

Zayde would just drive and drive for what seemed like an eternity but in reality it was only just across the town of Lynnwood when his engine would die, sparks could be seen rooster tailing from under the car as he was no longer driving on rubber but the metal rims of his car. This was the end of the road for the Town Car and it would mean shoe leather express from this point; still dazed and unaware that even more danger awaits in the assaults from the native forces coming in from east and Seattle was about to become the scene of the greatest of all tragedies of 2018 and one that will forever live on in the memory of every survivor.

Zayde would make his way towards the Lynnwood Community Centre as he could see the Red Cross trucks and he assumed that they had set up a makeshift refuge centre. One that would have the medical staff he needed desperately and a place he could escape the flowing ash cloud and falling molten rock that was still pelting Lynnwood many hours after the eruption. When Salazar would enter the centre he would be greeted with the sight of horrified and terrorised children and their parents; this would bring him back to World War 2 as he would see the refugees like he saw himself as he was being forced into a train being stripped from his brother and sister.

Zayde ignoring his own injuries would begin to fight back the horror and tears that filled his chest a he would attempt to console and lend a helping hand to those in need, the townsfolk all new Zayde and just his presence would bring a smile to the scared children. Though his wounds being vast and deep would force him to seek medical attention and to his dismay this would be the last time he would see any of his fellow townsfolk alive again. The Native forces would have another plan and for Zayde his magical nature would be the only thing once again to spare his life from most certain death.

As he was being ushered off for medical treatment, the true evil of the night would become all to real for everyone within the emergency shelter. Salazar would be in the midst of treatment as the soldiers of the Natives would assault and so would begin the Nights of Blood. Salazar was being stitched up as the soldiers assaulted and he would be greeted to the sounds of gunfire and the symphony of war. This was something that he thought he left behind in Europe during the war and something he never dreamed he would be exposed to within the peaceful streets of Seattle.

Now this part is going to be a bit extreme and contain some graphic material if you wish to please scroll down to the following part of the story. The events described within are from a witness report and direct from the words of the Zayde who would survive the ordeal, the one thing about Zayde is that he is direct, blunt and doesn’t hold back; he is not afraid to offend and he wants people to understand that this actually happened and the exact circumstances behind this tragic butchering.

<<During the first might of the Great Tragedy of 2018 the survivors of Lynnwood and the surrounding towns gathered in the Community Centre seeking aid from the American Red Cross and they felt like they were actually getting the necessary aid they so needed. The Natives would launch their assault and on this evening the cloak of mystery was unveiled and the American government would expose themselves as co conspirators in this tragic event; the plan was to butcher everyone that survived and leave only charred remains for the country to mourn and demand justice for. Well like all good plans their is always a hitch and that being the shoe maker from Poland would witness the events, be subject to the brutality and survive the ordeal here is his story.

As I laid on the medical table being stitched up and my wounds being cleaned I could hear the sounds of warfare outside, the building shock as tanks rolled into the streets, I know that sound as I have heard them before and trust me thats a sound you never forget ever. Men where barking orders in some dialect of the natives tribal language, I could only make out some of what was being said do to not fully understanding the regional dialect. My Son In Law well was a Jewish Native…..yes I now Oy Vey, and as I said was….basically the jest of the orders where round up the round eyes, scalp the men, rape the women and well torch the children. Now my tribal has gotten better but than well it needed work…..but when someone orders your scalping and death you tend to not forget those words. Being that I was under the work of a Red Cross doctor I was well unable to move thanks to the numbing drugs, well at the time that seemed fine….best laid plans I guess. The door flew open and there was three tall native soldiers and off course my Son In Law commanding the entire shit show. We locked eyes and I just looked at him and scolding him calling him a disgrace to the tribe he just spit in my direction calling me European Opfal..er I mean Trash <Sorry my Yiddish slips here and there>. Well this isn’t going to go well and I seem to be in a pickle, the troops grabbed me and yanked me to my feet….now still under the drugs I could barely stand on my own and when I stumbled and fell, they all laughed and dragged my by my hair out of the room and tossed me into a heap with the other men of Lynnwood.

I was truly in a tsore and figured this was how it was all going to end, tossed in a pile like opfal and according to my bad translation I was going to be scalped and left to bleed to death. Why they wanted my grey and balding Jewish scalp I couldn’t understand but that was not how I wanted to die….I survived worse and this was how it was going to end my scalp on my Son In Laws belt….Oy Vey!

Now I told you my translation was bad and I was correct about that on one major point…..the women were schlepped into the room and put before us all restrained and beaten to a pulp. Well I figured this was it, well Zayde your a goner and there is not a bloody thing you can do about it. Well I was partially correct. My Tokhes of a Son In Law would enter the room with the remainder of the troops and the smell of burning flesh could not be ignored as well the screams of the little children burning to death….well my translation was correct on that point sadly. Next the troops would bark in broken English saying “We men where worthless women, we were worthless Euro Trash and we couldn’t protect those that were weak and we were to die violated and broken after our women and children.”…..Now at this point I was not to thrilled, well the whole situation had my blood boiling but what could an old cobbler do….As if anything couldn’t get worse the Red Cross officials would begin the unload the incoming trucks with countless other survivors they had in chains and schlep them into the community room. The children would be tossed like opfal into the room that obviously was on fire and the screams will haunt me till my dying breath….the women would have their throats sliced open and left to drown on their own blood. My heart would break as I saw that my Hanna would have survived only to have her throat sliced open by my Tokhes of a Son In Law……that drige of man was treated as family and allowed to marry my daughter and here is butchering her parents….well they say allot of nasty things about In Laws but this takes the cake. My Hanna had survived the horror yet was now dying on the floor covered in blood. This would be the scene for many a hot minute as dozens of the surviving women would have their throats sliced open and left to drown in their own blood. Whats worse is the Red Cross was helping those nincompoops where murdering the very people they swore an oath to help, Oh if I could have moved I would have torn them apart….died trying but it would have been worth it.

As the flames licked the door from the once children’s playroom us men where next on the block and at this point I welcomed death. I welcomed sweet death to reunite me with Hanna and as well free me of this living nightmare, though this schulb was about to not only survive but remember everything as clear as day. Well for the men would receive a truly humiliating demise and it would begin with the victim being stripped of their attire forced on their knees and hands and well to be blunt raped up the ass…..after they would be scalped and left to bleed to death…..thats the part this schulb got wrong in the translation we were to be raped prior to death.

I watched in horror as gentleman after gentleman was forced to be violated and than have the tops of their heads sliced off….the pain was intense and the scene was gruesome if you have ever seen a scalping it’s not pleasant and seeing the exposed skull will make you sick to your stomach even today I am bothered by the sight. The victims eyes roll back as the knife slides in and its not a quick process like in the movies no it is a drawn out process that involves multiple cuts and sometimes part of the skull comes along for the ride and than well you get a good look at the brain leaking out. The whole time the victim is screaming in horror as the face eventually slides down exposing further bare bone and well the eyes all pulled back and rolled back only the white can be seen and the blood gallons of it flowing like a river. This is why the scalp them after death, and for that I am thankful, a brutal disgraceful process and one that I don’t wish on my worst enemy.

Now thats out of the way…..where was I oh ya, the butchering of the men of Lynnwood at the hands of my Schmuck of a Son in Law and his red skin bastards. One by one the men would be forced to undergo a raping followed by a scalping and their scalps worn like a hunters trophy on their belt.