My parens, you must understand, was not very intelligent. Oh, in some ways he was brilliant, but he lacked the basic ability to examine his actions and see if they were reasonable. Often, they were not; they were against the laws of God, Man, and the Order, and stemmed from an essentially narcisisitic view of the world.

When I was seven years old, my parens, Principius ex Bonisagus, found me living in a village outside of Athens. I was already quite bright, had gained a basic understanding of Greek letters from our priest, and was well on my way to becoming an acolyte, and one day a priest, even possibly bishop or patriarch, myself. Principius took me away from all of that, instead taking me to the covenant of Olympias, predictably in the shadow of Mount Olympus. The covenant was slipping into Winter, and my role was less that of an apprentice, and more of a lab assistant and... bed-warmer. Principius, you see, was interested in forging a bold new alliance for the Order: The powers of Hell.

While he was aware of the ruling which declared the Infernal Powers to never be the friends of the Order of Hermes, he felt that this was in error; that the Infernal powers could, if properly approached and appeased, be of great aid to the Order. Even at my young age, I believed him mad, but his swift and vicious punishments ensured that I learned my lessons quickly and well. In time, he bound me tightly with his magic, linking our spirits together, and used that bond to quickly teach me what he wished me to know.

After three years of this apprenticeship, I met with a member of House Guernicus when taken to Tribunal. I told him of Principius's activities, and Principius was Marched. He was unaware of my betrayal, and so took me with him when he fled to Olympias. When the Hoplites found him, he ordered me to take up certain magic items which he had created, and turn them against the Hoplites. I pretended to prepare to do so, while the Hoplites quickly destroyed Principius and the demons he had summoned. Seeing me armed with unknown magical items, they prepared to destroy me as well, but I threw the items down and fell before a consortes that they had brought with them, one Father Phillipicus. I begged him for sanctuary, and he granted my request, staying the hands of the Hoplites. I was allowed to leave with Phillipicus because of my youth and presumed ignorance; I could not be a threat to the Order, and giving me to the Church would aid in their relations.

And, thus, I entered the Church at age eleven, moving to Constantinople with Father Phillipicus. I studied hard, taking the Holy Orders when I was sixteen, studying the arts, theology, and law. When I was able, I also explored more knowledge of the Order of Hermes, comparing what I knew of their philosophy with that of the Church. Amazingly, I found few conflicts; certain disconnects, where conclusions diverged, but very few conflicts. Part of this interest was selfish; Principius's ghost had continued to haunt me after I entered the Church, likely still bound by the spells which bound our spirits in life. While he could not harm me while I was on consecrated ground, it was not uncommon for him to assualt me when I was alone and away from a church. I took to enacting the Parma Magica with my morning an evening prayers; it did not stop him, but it did protect me from his attacks.

As I became more interested, my superiors became more aware of my interest, and recently approached me with a proposal: They, too, wish to know more about the Order of Hermes which, despite its pagan name, has a history of working in paralell with the Church to combat threats to the well-being of humanity. If I wished to, I was to attach myself to one of their covenants (they used the term monastery, but I did not feel it appropriate to correct them at that moment) and serve as a priest for the folk who lived there. I was to learn what I was able to, and make periodic reports to a nearby bishop, who would pass along my reports to the Church Fathers. I would have autonomy from all save my conscience and God.

I accepted. Such an opprotunity to advance my knowledge and career in the Church was too good to pass up. Since there is another Tribunal this year, this time meeting in Constantinople, I am to present myself to the magi there, and seek a position at a covenant.

Description: Father Theodolphus is a young man of average appearance, with thick black hair, olive skin, and a silver tongue. He is not the most pious of men, regarding his position in the Church as being a job more than a calling; he is not impious, nor is he unfaithful to his duties as a priest, simply not actively pious. This has lead him to some rather odd circumstances, such as agreeing to exchange services (usually as a scribe, but twice as a lawyer and once as a tutor) to people who are willing to undergo baptism and agree to attend a certain number of Easter Masses. He is given to occasional flights of fancy and expects great things from himself, a trait that often conflicts with mind that naturally assess probabilities. Personally, he is motivated by knowledge; he wishes to know as much as possible on a wide variety of topics, seeing this as a holy mission. To this end, he sees nothing wrong with exploring Hermetic magic (a possibility he is considering). Occasionally, he dreams of entering the Order while remaining a priest, but he is not sure if that would be possible, or precisely how he would accomplish it.

Father Theodolphus
Age: 25

Int (quick-thinker) +2
Per (hard to fool) +1
Str (unathletic) -1
Sta (stubborn) +1
Pre
Com (literate) +2
Qik (unathletic) -1
Dex (deft hands) +1

Virtues and Flaws: The Gift, Priest, Good Teacher, Book Learner, Educated, Arcane Lore, Strong Willed, Clear Thinker, Latent Magic Ability (*2), Diabolic Past, Vow of Celibacy, Overconfident (major), Deleterious Circumstances (State of Grace; myself or target), Weird Magic

Skills
Speak Latin (Hermetic) +3 (30 XP)
Speak Greek (Constantinople) +5 (75 XP)
Bargain (services) +2  (15 XP)
Etiquette (Church) +1  (5 XP)
Parma Magica (Mentem) +3  (30 XP)
Artes Liberales (logic) +5 (75 XP) (Literate in Latin, Greek)
Civil and Canon Law (Byzantine) +2 (15 XP)
Philosophiae (Metaphysics) +3 (30 XP)
Orthodox Theology (magic) +4 (50 XP)
Magic Theory (lab assistant) +3 (30 XP)
Occult Lore (demons) +2 (15 XP)
Concentration (reading) +1 (5 XP)
Teaching  +3 (30 XP)
Orthodox Church Lore (procedures) +2 (15 XP)
Hermetic Lore (History) +1 (5 XP)
Hermetic Law (church relations) +2 (20 XP)

Magical Abilites
While Principius opened Theodolphus to the Arts, he did not give any training, nor give him access to any books or vis from which to study.  Theodolphus currently has a 0 in all Arts.

Personality Traits:
Pious +0
Curious +2
Level-Headed +1
Over-confident +3

Confidence 1 (3)
Size 0
Equipment: Bible (in Greek), knife, daily and liturgical robes, liturgical equipment (enough to set up a small chapel), scribe's kit