The Jesuit
Brother Thomas was born outside Austin in 2029, to a large Catholic family. His family was family well off, and managed to maintain its standing after the invasion by Aztlan when Thomas was nine, living just north of the line, in the CAS. Thomas had a hard time growing up, as people suspected his family of being Aztlan supporters, so Thomas spent as much time as possible in the Church. He was fascinated by the mythology of Christianity and the trappings of Catholicism, and after High School it was only natural that he attend Texas A&M as a divinity student.
A serious student, Thomas spent little time in the more "recreational" pursuits of his classmates. He earned a B.A. in Thaumaturgy and Divinity by 2051, and then went on to graduate school. By 2055 he received his Doctorate in Theology, entering seminary immediately afterward. While in seminary he was surreptitiously evaluated, and his combination of good physical condition, magical skills, and strict devotion to the Catholic church earned him an invitation to join the New Jesuits.
He immediately accepted, seeing it as an opportunity provided to him by God. In addition to additional religious training, Thomas learned various techniques used by the New Jesuits, including stealth, hand to hand and armed combat, and basic firearms skills.
On a training mission, however, Thomas suffered a debilitating injury. One of his teammates had been attempting to splice through an alarm system, but slipped, his bare flesh touching exposed wire. Ignoring his own safety, Thomas grabbed the wire, yanking it away from his teammate, but the heavy current running through his body cooked his eyes within their sockets. Thomas lapsed into a coma.
When Thomas, he was given the bad news. Through an unexplainable fluke, the current had not only destroyed his eyes, but had also traveled up his optic nerves, destroying the portion of his brain responsible for sight. After he recovered, Thomas resigned as a priest, and left the church. His faith was badly shaken, and Thomas had lost the desire to be a priest.
The next two years are a blur to him. He settled down, working enough in the way of odd jobs to keep himself alive and to feed his growing alcohol problem. When a gang war outside his apartment building kept him from
getting more booze, he lapsed deep into withdrawal. It was at that point that he believes he saw a vision, one that he has shared only with Father Alvarez. He saw a step pyramid, like the ones used by Aztechnology, and it was somehow both crumbling and remaining whole at the same time. A small figure moved at the base, attempting to repair the crumbling as fast as it happened, but he was dragged away by Aztechnology security guards and shot.
Thomas awoke in a cold sweat, the vision still clearly in his mind. He went to the Church for the first time in two years, and spending hours in the confessional as he recounted all his sins, and told Father Alvarez of his vision. Father Alvarez convinced him to start at AA, but could not shake him of the conviction that he was to use the skills given to him by the Church to take on Aztechnology. Thomas realizes he won't be able to manage this goal all at once, but he is willing to try.
Personality: Thomas is at once a very forceful and very gentle man. Though he concedes the occasional need for killing, he prefers to avoid it if at all possible, preferring to incapacitate his opposition rather than kill them. A gifted speaker and theologian, Thomas can quote chapter and verse why he should do something, often disabling the protestations of Father Alvarez.
Thomas truly does want to stop drinking, but has so far been unable to completely muster his willpower against it. Something always drives him back, often a recalled scene from his Photographic memory. Thomas has never really forgiven himself for his lack of faith after the accident, and his subconscious punishment is manifesting itself in both the Bad Karma and Alcoholic flaws. While he sees himself as chosen by God, he sees it as payment for his sin of doubting, not as a special honor.
While Thomas will be disturbed by some of his teammates non-Christian attitudes, he will make no more than a token effort to convert them, and will be genuinely interested in any beliefs they do hold. Even shamans are largely safe from his attempting to convert them, though he will occasionally make a comment to the effect that "all nature is under God."
Please note that while he's mostly a 3rd edition character, I did borrow Edges and Flaws from the SRC, customized weapons from FoF, and a sword-cane from Harlequin's Back (using a $1=60¥ conversion for larger weapons). I also assume that, while your lifestyle will provide for clothing, it is up to you to provide the first purchase of each type of clothes you wish to have available. I also assumed that anything that needed to be modified for ease of use by the blind (his Pocket secretary) had the same mark-up as troll-sized gear.
If you use Brother Thomas in a game (either PC or NPC), let me know. If you have a PBEM that could use a character like Brother Thomas, let me know QUICKLY.
Priorities
M A
A B
S C
T D
R E
Thomas Castenada, "Brother Thomas", Former Jesuit Hermetic Mage
Attributes B 4, Q 3, S 4, C 5, I 5, W 6, E 6, M 6, R 4
Combat Pool: 7
Spell Pool: 5
Astral Pool: 5
Karma Pool: 1
Total Karma: 0
Good Karma: 0
Edges
College Educated
Perceptive
Photographic Memory
Bonus Attribute Points
Flaws
Blind
Pacifist
Bad Karma
Alcoholic (Addiction level 1)
Active Skill (Specialization)
Aura Reading 5
Conjuring 6
Etiquette (Church) 3 (5)
Pistols (MaxPower) 2 (4)
Sorcery 6
Stealth 3
Edged Weapons (Sword-cane) 2 (4)
Unarmed Combat (Boxing) 2 (4)
Computer 1
Knowledge Skill (Specialization)
Aura Reading Background 2
Conjuring Background 3
Sorcery Background 3
Theology (Catholic) 3 (5)
Church Politics 3
Psychology 3
Literature 4
Working-class Bars 2
AA Meetings 1
Spanish 5
Spanish Literacy 2
Latin 4
Latin Literacy 2
English 4
English Literacy 2
Braille 3
Weapons
Customized Browning MaxPower 9M Damage, Heavy Pistol Ranges
-Silencer, Concealable Holster (Concealability 7)
-30 rounds ADPS (3 clips, pre-loaded)
-+1 die when used (customized grip and balance)
Sword-cane (Str+1)M Damage
-Concealability 6 to recognize it as sword-cane, 2 to hide on person
Securetech Long coat (4 Bal, 2 Imp, +50% to Concealability for anything under it)
-Concealability 8
Ordinary and Fine Clothes
Pocket Secretary (modified for blind use)
3 Months of pre-paid low lifestyle
1000¥ in a certified credstick
200¥ on his own personal stick (which does have a valid SIN)
37¥ in small bills and loose change
Spells (Force)
Stunbolt (5)
Stunball (5)
Analyze Truth (4)
Heal (5)
Antidote (3)
Detox (3)
Contacts
Father Alvarez, level 2 contact (similar contact to a bartender)
Thomas's confessor and the man who convinced him to start at AA. He disapproves of Thomas's drinking and life as a 'runner, and occasionally puts pressure on Thomas to return to the priesthood, but will provide what help he feels his parish can afford if Thomas truly needs it.
Mike, Bartender at O'Reilly's Pub, level 1 contact
Mike is the bartender at Thomas's favorite pub. He knows Thomas is in AA and tries to help him out, but also knows better than to refuse Thomas when he _demands_ a beer.
"Mr. Johnson", a level 1 contact
"Mr. Johnson" was introduced to Thomas by Mike. Thomas knows very little about him, but he believes he works for Ares and is a good source for anti-Aztechnology runs.
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