Giant in the Playground Forums - View Single Post - Thy Fearful Symmetry

Thragka · 03-27-2012, 06:34 AM

Hullo everybody, pleasure to be joining you!

"Flesh rots. Bones break. Dreams end and hopes shatter, because men are weak and easily corrupted. But the Emperor gives us iron in the mind, an iron that does not and must not bend. That is his gift to all who stand with Him, and the bane of all who stand against Him - and with this tool we build His dominion."

- Sermon on the anniversary of the Battle of Odium Bridge

Name: Tauron Drake
Career: Cleric
Rank: Cleric
Divination: "The pain of the bullet is ecstacy compared to damnation." Toughness +1

Background:

Spoiler

Born and raised on the semi-industrial shrine world of Valon Urr to a moderately wealthy family with the good fortune of having ancestral ties to certain important Ministorum figures, it was never much in doubt that Tauron Drake would find his way into the Ecclesiarchy, even when he was a child. As a young man, Tauron was intelligent and sharp-witted, with a perpetual thirst for knowledge that was only excusable because it was almost entirely devoted to the mysteries of the Imperial Creed, and he was not long into his teens before he was sent off, entirely enthusiastically, to the temple of novitiates, eager to grow in the Faith of Him on Terra and spread the Emperor’s word to the galaxy. Although his tutors could neither fault him on his commitment to the Creed nor his hungry aptitude for the knowledge they bestowed, some of his superiors worried that he was not quite suited to spend his entire life as a priest in the Imperium’s service. Sometimes it would seem he was well suited to research and a cloistered life of contemplation and scripture-study, but the boy was easily bored, prone to bouts of carelessness in his work as ennui stole across him; and yet, he did not demonstrate the clear charm it took to become a leader of the masses and a guide to the faithful. Certainly he could be described as arrogant, proud, barbed in speech and manner, and condescending towards those that did not immediately impress him, and he made few friends as a novice. But it could not be denied that Tauron had the fire of piety within him, and when he spoke, people listened – out of respect, indubitably, but respect born of wariness and possibly even discomfort at his manner, rather than loyalty or love. Unable to prove that he was either woefully lazy or deficiently charismatic, the young Drake’s tutors had no choice but to advance him through the ranks of the Ecclesiarchy, in the hopes that he would someday find his place – one more hard-working priest was not to be sneered at, even if he would never amount to much.

In fact, Tauron already knew his place – he had known it from the moment he had first set foot in a monastery, and seen the sad old monks that spent their days poring over texts and debating the finer points of the Imperial philosophy. For Tauron, mere belief was not enough for anyone to call themselves a true servant of the Emperor – one had to act on that belief, else mankind would surely fall short of salvation. He had never been disinterested in the study of scripture as a novice and initiate, but he viewed it chiefly as a means to an end; he thought it would be a waste of the chance the Emperor gives His servants to spend their life shut up in some monastery, rather than spreading one's devotion to His people, the people that needed to hear His word in a cruel galaxy. Growing up in the crime-ridden civilian area of Valon Urr, Tauron knew in his soul that the Emperor was humanity’s one and only hope, and he spent his years advancing through the Ministorum hierarchy until he could act on that knowledge. Only by faith and self-control could man hope to conquer the evils and terrors of an entire universe set against him.

Upon his ordination, Tauron returned to his home city, eager at last to be able to bring the light of Earth to the masses. For several years he worked in the underworld, setting many a waylaid soul back on the path of righteousness, and doing what he could to purge the evils from those that would not pay heed to the Emperor’s will. This was widely regarded as a success, and young Brother Drake was praised for his accomplishments in ministering to the downtrodden - even if most of those downtrodden, in the early years, became singularly melancholic after undergoing Tauron's brand of penance. Even then, however, Tauron was unsatisfied. He was doing the Emperor’s work, of that there was no question – but he knew he was still not doing enough. There were greater evils to conquer, and, ever ambitious, Tauron was set upon facing them.

He was in his mid-twenties when the opportunity came. The frontier world of Ganf Magna had lost a priest to the foul green-skinned xenos that were ever threatening to wipe out its human population, and Tauron jumped at the call to strike out against the foe. He arrived to the colony as a young man, with a harshness of tone and teachings that would not have been accepted in a precocious newcomer were the colonists not such a harsh people themselves. A man to whom the feeling of shyness was entirely alien, Tauron instantly commanded respect with his steely demeanour, and, in due course, was accepted as the spiritual leader of the most prominent farming communities that remained stalwart in the face of bloody Armageddon. On Ganf Magna, Father Drake flourished. He was finally taking the Emperor’s light to where it was desperately needed – leading His humble folk, and fighting His alien enemies. Ganf Magna was a harsh world, but Drake held its communities and settlements together with his teachings, judgements, sermons, and – when necessary – blood and guts, bringing the fight to the alien with sword and bullet. The priest and the planet suited each other, the settlers' lifestyle only affirming Tauron's conviction in the virtues of a puritanical life. Drake remained on Ganf Magna for a decade and a half, until his ceaseless devotion was noted by the Inquisition and he was offered the chance to make an even greater difference to the Calixis sector – and, ever faithful, ever ambitious, Tauron rose to the challenge once more.

Personality:

Spoiler

If there could be one singular quality to a man’s spirit that could define him, for Tauron Drake it would be his wholehearted belief in the Imperial Creed – not just in the Emperor’s divinity, but in His absolute necessity for mankind to be delivered from sin and the terrors of the galaxy. But as words are meaningless without actions, faith is meaningless without deeds: it is not enough, in Tauron’s estimation, for one to pay lip service to Him on Terra. Without self-control, without the willpower to do what is necessary to survive, there can be only anarchy; and the fetters of the Imperium are the only true path to freedom. Regardless of whether this is true for mankind as a whole, it is certainly true on a personal level for Tauron Drake - he strives, on a very deep level, to ensure every word and deed he effects are consistent with his personal standards, and of as much benefit to the Imperium as possible.

As such, it would be fair to say that Drake is an extremely judgemental character, for he recognises this himself – and rightly, in his own opinion. After all, he is no hypocrite, and practices just the rigid lifestyle of asceticism and devotion that he has always preached, both to the lower class of Valon Urr and the farmers of Ganf Magna – who could be in a better position to judge the faith of a society but the most faithful among them? Further, as a converse to his credo of self-control, he mistrusts those who seek opulence and flaunt their worldly pleasures. This has definitely been a considerable factor to his unfriendly demeanour – or at least it was for the young initiate, but with his time on Ganf Magna, Father Drake has mellowed somewhat. He still comes across as icy in manner, and not one who suffers fools gladly, but as a priest he finds it necessary that he can be counted an effective leader of men, and as a leader, he must be (and has been) respected for his insight and devotion to his flock. Nowadays, Tauron is not oblivious to the many temptations that befall weaker souls than he, and does his best to guide them along the right path – but for those that turn their back on the light of Earth wilfully, and act against the great Imperium of Man, there is no chance of redemption, and when faced with those that would tear down the Emperor's work, one must act hard, fast, and mercilessly. As such, he tries to strike a fine balance between caring for his common man and purging the galaxy of the criminal and the heretic. His faith is his tool, and also his rock – with the Emperor’s blessing, Tauron knows that humanity will prosper.

His time on Ganf Magna gave him an acute awareness of how difficult it can be in a harsh and uncaring universe just to eke out survival, and because of this he still carries the essential tools of a colonist – hunting rifle, grapnel, lamp and climbing harness, as well as his old hammer (although significantly improved upon the mere lump of metal it once was) – even a medekit, although he can barely use it himself. (Being unprepared straddles the line between being careless and being lazy, two cardinal sins in Tauron Drake's estimation, as one who will not serve the Emperor with the skills and talents He has granted them shows disdain for His judgement and wastes their pitiful life.) Nonetheless, since entering the Inquisition’s service and returning to the more prosperous worlds of the Calixis sector, he has taken advantage of his standing as a cleric to get his hands on more advanced tools and weaponry. One cannot be prepared for every eventuality, but with a combination of old and new gear, and an assortment of modern weaponry, Tauron aims to meet everything the universe can throw at him, and go down fighting if he goes down at all.

Appearance:

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Profile:

WS	BS	S	T	Ag	Int	Per	WP	Fel
29	29	28	29	32	37	29	40	41

Insanity Points: 0
Corruption Points: 0
Wounds: 0/11
Fate points: 0/2
Fatigue: 0

Skills:

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Talents:

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Trappings:

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XP record: 25/4075 (unspent/accumulated)
Advances taken:

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Thrones: 374
Accounting:

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I think I agree that Drake is not perfectly suited to playing Kastor - all he has going for him is the Fel score and Charm, and even then as a character he's not all that charming. But yes, with Trade (Valet) he knows how to comport himself as an assistant and, as you say, is well-suited to handling all the paperwork.

I guess going as a PA makes it unlikely he'll get to bring the chainsword - what a pity.

EDIT: I've just noticed that I never actually applied the +3 Willpower bonus from Superior Origins - that brings Drake's WP to 45.