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Name: Velvet Scotoma (Toma for short!)

Pronouns: he/they/them

Class: Wizard / Rogue

Race: Satyr

Background: Spy

Starting Feat: Undecided!!

Starting Magic Item: Cloak of Protection

"Reverend 'Toma' is a tall priest of indeterminate gender. Toma is a bit of a slob. Their sleeves are stained with earth and ink, from long hours in the garden and at their desk. They are seldom seen without their pipe - which, in proper gandalf fashion, puts them in a perpetual good mood. They talk in a distracted manner, and always appear to be staring past whoever is currently talking to them.

They are also, to all appearances and in all official capacity, a cleric.

• Given that it's homebrew, jumping on the chance to play a non AL-legal subclass. We're playing a Beguiler Wizard! It's based off a 3.5e class, apparently. The link is here. Fits the character, which is the most important thing.
• A priest that uses laziness to avoid enforcing the system they represent. 'Forgets' to punish people, or enforce certain mandates.
• Member of 'The Eyes of Eternity': a sect of The Mindseers church that specifically venerates the Titan's eyes.
• Taken in by the church as an orphan, raised by the clergy. Fully indoctrinated. They chose the first name 'Velvet', and were given the saintname 'Scotoma'.
• Currently the priest of a small town in the Waistlands. A punishment detail, but one they volunteered for, in a sense.

These are some dot points to illustrate the 'mask' that Toma presents. The kind of person they want people to think they are, the kind of person a stranger would assume them to be. (Their 'cover' essentially). Can you guess which ones are true, and which are false? See below for the answers!

1. A cleric at odds with the church they believe in. Too kind-hearted for their own good, actually follows the true ideals of the church... and yet for some reason they haven't risen very far in the heirachy! It's super confusing, given that they're not corrupt at all.
2. Inneffective, and deeply confused by it all. Somewhat naiive. A bit of an idiot!
3. Later possibility of rebellion against the church, if the disillusionment grows too great?
4. Mentors and peers believe "Toma" was blessed with powers by the Mindseer, but powers are actually due to innate curiosity. Fully believes themself to be a cleric, and hasn't yet realised they're actually a wizard. Like I said, kind of an idiot.
5. Regularly gets high, gandalf-style. They've got that good 'pipe tobacco' halfling shit lmao.
6. The stupidest wizard in the world.

And here we have the person wearing the mask! And this is also a mask, in a sense, but it's the person Scotoma believes themselves to be, so true enough.

Some important details:

• Massive curiosity, a mind that's always wired. Constantly smoking to dull the world, as it's too painful to be so hyperaware of what's going on. Ever heard the expression 'so sharp you'll cut yourself'?
• Geniunely bought into the church, because being smart as shit doesn't matter if your emotional bonds are tied into the institution. Being smart just means they're better at justifying it. Doesn't have parents or siblings, no comfort, only place you can turn is to prayer. And then nothing fucking answers. That sort of thing could send you nuts!
• As a wizard, needs a spellbook. But naturally, if people see us casting spells from a book, they're going to catch on that we're not actually a cleric. But here's the thing - whoever said it had to be written on paper? DM is cool for me to have my tattoos be the spellbook itself, and imprinting the arcane calculus and stars onto my actual skin. Allows us to keep it under our vestments, and appear to all the world to be a pure cleric. In addition to spells, I also have two eyes tattooed on the backs of my hands: one open, one closed. As a low-level wizard, there's still quite a lot of blank space.
• Maintains the cleric facade via 'silent image' and similar illusions. The reason they stayed a priest despite the lack of connection - whilst simultaneously continuing to worship the beliefs of their sect - comes down to hope and spite. Hope that one day, if they remain faithful, the Titan will see it and they'll get that connection after all. And then spite: to show all their superiors and peers how wrong they were.
• Espionage! Uncovers secrets, and either sells or uses them to own ends. As per the Spy Background. See 'Class Features' for full details on Criminal Contact.
• Fundamentally this: in love with the church (for backstory reasons - see below!). Would do anything for love.
• That said, doesn't care about the people within it: their peers and fellow acolytes. Cares about the institution, god, and certain individuals: rest of the rank can go rot.

The first thing to understand about Velvet Scotoma is this: they are fucking with pretty much everybody, pretty much all the time.

The vibe they give off is that of a distracted - yet well-meaning - disciple of The Eyes of Eternity. Constantly smoking, constantly distracted, and clumsily kind to those around them. They're a bit sad, in the way that most clerics are always a little bit sad, but overall they present the face of a lovable idiot!

This is a constructed farce. Scotoma is a highly intelligent and calculating wizard, whose main motivation from day-to-day is to improve their material comfort, preserve their current position, or to gain information on their surroundings. They feel lacking in purpose, and seek to fill that void with personal schemes. They have plans within plans. Some of these plans are simply petty revenge against people who've treated them unkindly (mostly harmless pranks and minor malice, for amusement). Sometimes the plans have a more productive angle, such as requisitioning basic blankets from the Diagphram for the parish community (and in the process, milking the courier for gossip, or the general state of affairs in that area of the Titan). Their longterm goals are constantly shifting, their motives are inscrutable, and they keep their thoughts foggy on purpose to obfuscate mind-readers.

They also like gardening, and have a whole shelf full of succulents they care for deeply.

Toma grew up in a church orphanage. As a baby, they were left on the steps wrapped in a black velvet cloth. This 'cloth' was a Cloak of Protection, and it was the only memento of their parents they possessed. Thus they chose the name 'Velvet'. Before everything, they were loyal to their parents first - or the idea of them, at least. Had to believe 'my parents loved me, and wanted this path for me'. Their loyalty to the church came from the belief that their parents had abandoned them only because it was the best option. As such, Toma was first and foremost 'a man of the cloth' - both as a priest, and in a very literal sense.

Toma never truly accepted the possibility of their parent's deaths. Even as an adult, they would still harbor the hope of one day running across their real family on the street, who would assure them that being given to the church was the best childhood Toma could ever have possibly had.

Growing up, they developed a deep faith in the Titan. Despite their fervent belief, however, and despite the fact they prayed every night before bed, Toma would never once recieve a divine response. This did not deter their belief in the slightest. Absent parents, and an absent god: for Toma, the two were the same. They would pour love into that void for the rest of their life.

Church orphans were also usually given saint names. As Toma was raised in an orphanage run by 'The Eyes of Eternity', the predominant Saints of this sect were usually historical clerics with extroadinary vision - for example, St. Cornea, St. Lens, and the famous St. Retina. Toma in particular was named after St. Scotoma - the patron of the Titan's blindspot. St. Scotoma was not well-regarded among The Eyes of Eternity, historically, as The Eyes prided themselves on being all-seeing. As such, this given name was meant in a slightly cruel way; but the insult was not entirely undeserved - among the other church acolytes, Toma had a reputation for being an unmotivated and unachieving pupil.

There was no one event that informed Toma's decision to hide their true nature. It was simply that, understanding they were different to everyone around them, they manufactured a way to blend in.

Toma preferred to be mocked for being lazy, unperceptive, and unintelligent: because of the simple fact that they were none of these things. They didn't mind being mistaken for an idiot - it wasn't true, so who gave a shit? But if their peers thought this meant they could do whatever they liked, they would find themselves mistaken. Every acolyte that ever bullied Toma found themselves excommunicated or injured, one by one, sometimes years down the line. Toma kept track of particularly personal insults, and meted out an elaborate and untraceable kind of justice.

All Toma wanted out of life was a simple existence. Good food, good company, moderate freedom, recognition - all things that were more achievable in a position without much responsibility. These hedonistic proclivities only further cemented Toma's reputation for being easy-going and 'spaced out'. Their nickname at clerical college was, humorously, 'the lazy eye'.

It was probably during this time that Scotoma developed their contemptous attitude towards 'laws' and 'rules'. Spent a great deal of time skipping Scripture to go chill out in gardens, or in their mentor's office. Probably also had secret 'off-campus' excursions after curfew, which is likely how they encountered their Criminal Contact.

This trend of deliberate laziness would continue into adolescence. If it were not for Toma's zealous belief in the church, and their aptitude for minor miracles (smoke and mirrors), they would have remained a mere acolyte for the rest of their life. As it was they ascended the ranks at a sedate pace.

Toma's advancement was hampered by a heirachy of seniority - essentially, promotions came down to 'who had been around the longest'. Unlike The Mindseers, whose hierachy was based on aptitude and intelligence, the most common manner of promotion within The Eyes was if one of your superiors died. As such, funerals were attended professionally, respectfully, and with the understanding that everyone in attendance had 'moved up one'. This manner of promotion grated heavily on an adolescent Scotoma, who yearned to prove themselves to The Eyes of Eternity, and the church as a whole.

After a series of political events, Toma ended up as the priest of the small town of 'Gallbladder', in the Waist.

Ironically, this peaceful existence was everything Toma could have wished for. They had good food, good company, moderate freedom, few real responsibilities. They had a garden, and a small community of interwoven lives to keep tabs on, and meddle with. If it were not for the political situation that had led to their posting here, Toma would have settled down into this simple life, and would eventually have found true happiness.

As it was, however, Toma set about planning to resolve the political state of the church in their own way. And it is here that the real story begins...

If we want Scotoma to shift completely, in a big emotional way, target these dot points. They're the 'building blocks' of their personality, so if any of them are destroyed or altered, Scotoma will change very drastically as a person.

Fair warning: I can't predict how Scotoma will change. It'll be fun finding out, but just be aware that we might end up in a worse place than where we started, depending on the situation.

1. PARENTS: The main reason Scotoma is so on board with the church is because they believe it's what their parents wanted for them. If they had proof of anything else, it would cause a personality shift.
2. RELIGION: If Scotoma were to one day recieve a response to their thousands of prayers, and form an actual divine connection to the Titan itself, their priorities would drastically shift from 'the church' to 'god'. It would also mean massive internal upheaval, given the years of silence. They would go a little bit insane for a while.
3. BETRAYAL: Scotoma has trust issues. If they were to be betrayed by someone they geniunely trusted, their goals would shift towards getting revenge. This is a minor thing, however, and while predictable, would not mean much in the longterm.
4. LOVE: Scotoma is how they are because deep down, they love the church. If they were to love something else even more, I'm not sure what would happen. The thing is, I don't think this would change them much, personality-wise! It would just be a massive, invisible internal shift. And frankly, if it did happen, I don't know that Scotoma would even notice until it was too late.

Cheeky stuff that isn't really relevant, but that I think is cool.

• Eyes have constantly shifting pupils/colors, in a deific/celestial manner. Constant use of Thaumaturgy. Default slit 'goat eyes'.
• Church mentor believes the Waist to be 'people of filth' - an opinion that "Toma" disagrees with. It doesn't change their opinion of the church in any way.
• Doesn't care about results enough to cheat on exams. Smart enough to do the bare minimum, and get through, and not an inch of effort more. Shikamaru behaviour.
• Notebook is written in several codes, the main one being: sdrawkcab, forwards, gibberish, sdrawkcab, forwards. The backwords words are written in Primordial, and the forwards words are written in Sylvan. Here it is illustrated with Spanish and French: erèirra adelante hsirebbig erèirra adelante. The second code is just rot13, which is super easy to translate but given that it goes letter by letter, it takes a lot of time per word. They use this for the names of people, spells, places, etc. The last code is just for fun: they write shitty poetry and false diary entries (written in Primordial) to maintain their cover, so they can pretend that's why they keep the notebook so close to their chest. The poetry and journal entries do the classic 'every word after an elipses can be strung together to form a message'. These messages are usually just mockery, and stuff like "Mentor needs a blowjob lol".
• Plant dad.

These are some general goals that Toma has, both short-term and long-term. Will add more as I think of them.

1. GOAL: Resolve the political situation happening in Cerebrum.

   MOTIVE: Loyalty to the church, need for recognition. Also self-preservation lol!!!