Thom, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer

[rauhric]

"Gather around, for I have a tale to share that spans the cosmos and beyond." The fair skinned man with different colored eyes and strawberry-blonde hair raised his wine cup to his lips. He looked upon the gathered strangers and said; "In my former life, what little I do remember, I was an intrepid space explorer. My people were new to traveling the heavens and I was but one of the lucky brave few to take up that challenge."

He set his cup down on the table and leaned back into his chair and said with cold detachment, "Inside a giant monolith I raced towards the heavens only to have my ship damaged and left adrift in the cold dark void of nothing and everything ..." He looks past his audience as if trying to focus on a memory just out of reach, "I went half mad from starvation from being lost in space for what seemed like eternity. I know not how I was saved but I do know they were scavenger gnomes that found my ship."

He nodded to one of the strangers listening to his tale and continued, "These kind and goodly folk nursed me back to health. I could not remember my name, or my life before being found, but I did remember the name of my home world, Earth. It was much like this place..." he thought about what he said for a moment and then dismissed it as being false for this world is far too strange to be anything like his home world. "Yet different in many familiar ways. I feel like this world is sometimes like a dream. I don't know ... maybe I'm still on my ship slipping deeper into madness."

A somber sadness comes over his face for a moment as he drifts in his thoughts, but then his expressions lightens as if pushing those darker thoughts aside. "I traveled the stars with those little gnomes for a while until they made their way here. I thought about staying with them indefinitely, but I could not. I needed to find my own way in this universe. I am not sure if I will ever make it home, but my people are far travelers and it is in my best interest to explore these realms."

The truth of the matter is that something is compelling this lost wanderer to journey the cosmos. Venturing into the unknown with courage and conviction seems eerily familiar to him. His thirst for the unknown, no matter how frightening or disturbing it might be, is more comforting than being stranded in the darkest reaches of space. Upon entertaining that thought he tells his audience "Have any of you been up there in the black?" He point up and looked at their expressions. Many listening to his tale think he is mad, but some are actually interested in what he has to say. Those interested listeners shake their heads to indicate that they have not been off-world. "It can be the most beautiful and most terrifying experience of your life." His memories of the void haunt and excite him like a madman. Maybe he is still on his ship adrift in space?

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Character Synopsis

My character is named "Thom" and he is from earth. He was an astronaut lost in the void of space and found by an alien species that brought him to an alien world. Stranded far from home he has no choice but to make his way in this universe. He feels utterly alone and is suffering from some trauma from his near-death experience, and while this alien world holds many new wonders for him to explore he feels too alien to enjoy it; but that can change. Something inside of him has changed, though he would not know it since he remembers only fragments of his former life, but maybe in this new universe he can become the man he was always destine to be.

The purpose of this character is to be the "stranger in a strange land" type of character where everything is a new experience of him. He will not be able to take anything for granted because all of it is so alien to him. The physical journey he takes in this game will result in a spiritual journey of self-discovery, and along the way he will reconnect with that part of himself that he has lost touch with.

This game sounds like it promises whimsy and lots of "tomfoolery" that will undoubtedly seem strange and push the boundaries of his sanity; because there is no reason for him to believe that he is not dreaming as he drifts alone in his spaceship in the cosmos until he should expire. The adventures he could take will only further him to rationalize the wonders of the universe or the depths of his imagination he can explore in his dreams. What is real and what does it all mean? He will forever have a hard time trying to answer those questions. To quote the Grateful Dead: "What a long strange trip it has been."

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Character Backstory

Thom is now an Aberrant Sorcerer. With all the holes in his memory he doesn't remember if he has always been or if this is a recent development for him. In truth it is recent and it begins with him being lost in the void of space. Somewhere he drifted into or close to an the Astral Realm where something beyond his comprehension "interacted" with him and touch his mind in such a way that lit a "magic spark" within him to grasp fabrics of The Weave. He doesn't necessarily understand how he does it, but it can be described now as an intuitive knowhow.

Still lost adrift in the void of everything and nothing in his spaceship his mind must have called out to something for aid. Half mad and half dead he was hardly up to the task of bartering for his life. These creatures, and not the light green aliens of his world's conspiracies or folklore, came to him and saved him. Thom believes it was the gnomes of the spacejamming vessel he traveled with for sometime, but in truth it was these gigantic blue skin and thick robed creatures that restored his fading vitality. Unbeknownst to him they are called the Arcane (or Mercanes) and they were intrigued with the little lost human from somewhere else.

Thom was like no other human they had encountered and his spaceship and clothing seemed so alien to the Arcane. As mentioned earlier Thom was not in his right mind to barter with these sophisticated extraplanar creations / merchants and agree to hand over his possessions to the Arcane for some healing, and little does Thom remember that an eye was also part of the deal. To humans of earth, and maybe beyond, "the eyes are the windows to the soul" and these Arcane were very interested in discovering more about Thom, the strangest human they had ever encountered.

The Arcane motives for dealing with Thom cannot be known, but considering they usually have an interest in spelljamming equipment then maybe Thom's spaceship was enough to peek their curiosity in him. Still, they were not cruel in these negotiations and fitted Thom with a perfectly good replacement eye (Ersatz Eye) that magically functions like his real one. Since Thom doesn't remember much before being lost in space he doesn't know that one of his eyes in not his own.

What Thom doesn't remember is that it was the Arcane that enlisted the Gnomish spelljamming crew of the Scaavimpee to take Thom away. It was convenient for the Arcane to make such a request considering they were already involved in trade negotiations with these Gnomes. As always, the Gnomes were more than happy to trade their equipment with the Arcane and so they decided that taking on a passenger to the nearest port would be of little trouble for their best clients. When Thom finally recovered from his near death like state he was greeted warmly by these Gnomes and they introduced themselves to him: Captain Zulsa Starhopper, Commander Kazigim Luckgrinder, Lt. Zinna Quillcraft, and Chief Farkas Glittergear.

The journey to the next port of call on a world called Toril was more than a few months away, within that time the Gnomish crew learned everything Thom could remember; which was very little, but he did delight his gracious hosts with earthly tales that he could remember. He told them bits and pieces of fables from his youth that reminded him of the Gnomes in his company, he mentioned stories on picture boxes and wall screens that invoked epic journey through time and space, he tried his best to sing them songs he could vaguely remember from his home world ... he did his best to try and remember as much as he could but so much was missing from his memory. At the same time so much was happening inside his head without his knowledge.

During that journey Thom learned that he could do "magick". It was alien to him but the Gnomes were more than versed on how to explain it to him. While they were not that knowledgeable of his particular affiliation to the source of his magical gift they still had a strong affinity to the Weave that they could instruct him on the basics of how it worked: Power, Focus, and Effect. Thom had some power gifted to him while stranded out in the void of space, he needed to learn to focus it to produce an effect. After sometime he got the hang of his gift and stop questioning himself on how or why he had it. It was enough that he did so now he would use it.

Fastforward to landing on Toril in the port city of Waterdeep, Thom disembarks the Gnomish vessel and was gifted with some clothes and walking around money. The Gnomes taught him enough of the Common Tongue so that he could speak to most races he would encounter. They taught his enough about currency so he wouldn't get ripped off, and they wished him well. He was a stranger if there ever was one in this world and they could only look after him for so long; after a while he would need to find his own way in this world and universe. They prayed to their gods to look after him.

Captain Starhopper didn't just leave poor Thom on an alien world with no contacts in Waterdeep, he sent Thom to several inns and tinker shops to meet some Gnomes and maybe find some work to earn a living. Life is an adventure and so Thom would learn how to live the life of an adventurer by adventuring. This experience was a perfect opportunity for him whether he liked it or not. Still, Captain Starhopper promised that someday they paths would cross again. Wishing the stranger well the Gnomish Captain set off on his spelljamming vessel and went back out into the void. Thom felt more alone that he had ever been in a city as big as Waterdeep, but he had to admit it was exciting; almost exciting as staring into the abyss of endless black space.

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Character Build

Thom is a variant human who was in contact with something in the Astral Realm that gave him his Aberrant Mind powers. Through some light instructions from the Gnomes he was able to tap into its power to experiment with different effects. Once he gets to Toril and starts his adventuring career in Waterdeep he will continue to grow in power. These early levels equally about learning his abilities as it is learning about this planet. He is an alien on an alien world and the wonders to experience are too vast to mention here. Needless to say that his adventures are eclectic.

[1] Sorcerer 1 "Aberrant Mind" - adventures in Wildspace aboard the Gnomish spelljammer Scaavimpee

[2] Sorcerer 2 - adventures in Waterdeep (maybe something akin to Dragon Heist to get his hands on the stone that reads minds)

[3] Sorcerer 3 - continued adventures in Waterdeep

[4] Sorcerer 4 - moves on to Baldur's Gate

 

By the time he meets up with the other characters he has moved on from Waterdeep to Baldur's Gate to escape whatever trouble he found there. He is needed a fresh start in a new city with new friends.

Edited April 12 by rauhric (see edit history)

[rauhric]

@Cointhief So I have the basics for a character here, and I would not mind a little input from you to see if it fits with your game world or play style before I continue into the mechanics of the character sheet. Thanks in advance.

[ResidualRose]

Love the portrait...David Bowie as a spelljammer is *chef's kiss*

[Cointhief]

Hi there, I like the idea...reminds me of Farscape somewhat. Considering actual Earth's ties to FR lore, it isn't a step too far.

Would he be compelled to save Toril, should it come under threat?

[rauhric]

Farscape, I'm glad you got that. I didn't realize I was going down that road until I already written it. Anyways, as for wanting to save Toril I don't see why not. It's the only planet he knows.

[Cointhief]

Well, I appreciate the solid writeup. Lots of stuff for me to play with there, and of course the endless Bowie references as a running gag. Excited to see the crunch.

[rauhric]

Thom
NG Human Sorcerer "Aberrant Mind" [4] | Warlock "Hexblade" [1]

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"I started keeping a journal of this 'dream' or 'delusion' I'm having. I am in this strange world and I can't explain it. Is it real? It seems real. I can only hope it is real because that would mean that I am not insane." Thom started recording his thoughts and experiences in a journal about his adventures in this strange alien world. Since arriving here he has seen too many things that logically make no sense. Being human and coming from a world less wondrous than this place has made it hard for him to justify this experience as reality.

Like most crises of faith he sought the comfort of religion to quell the turmoil in his soul. The problem with religion in this world is that 'gods' actually exist and their avatars are known to walk the land. He was in a world where 'gods' take an active part in the lives of their worshipers. If Thom needed a 'god' to give him comfort he had a whole multitude of deities to choose from. After much consulting of 'holy-men' and visiting many houses of worship he found rumors of 'dark goddess' that seemed to cater to 'outcasts' such as him.

His journey to find a comforting god to worship took him to the Church of Eilistraee. "If I am insane then this religion of Eilistraee is a cult, and oh what a cult it is." Thom wrote about his experiences searching for something greater than himself in a world where greatness is around every corner. Toril, this world, is a planet that births adventurers that explore the heavens, the hells, and the multiverse of the 'great wheel' of infinite planes of existence. The multitude of gods this planet's people worship is incomprehensible to Earthlings like Thom. For example, the Church of Eilistraee follows the teachings of a Dark Goddess that is part of a racial subclass considered to be an enemy of the surface world. The Dark Goddess' kin are cruel and vindictive monsters that torment the goodly folk of the surface. She, the Dark Goddess, stands apart from her evil kin and protects everyone even if they are undeserving of her protection. Thom found instant comfort in that dogma as he was lost upon this world with no one to help him find his place in it.

"They took me in with little scrutiny and gave me comfort when I needed it the most. They sought to make me feel less alone in this world, and while cults in my world operate in a similar fashion I found the Church of Eilistraee to be exactly what I had been needing the most." His time in the Church allowed for him a chance to forget the madness of his reality, the strangeness of this world, and the loneliness he had endured since leaving home. The Church proved sanctuary from his grief and depression and filled him with the joy and whimsy his life had been lacking. Surrounded by like-minded individuals made Thom feel less alien than he normally did. Upon the worshipers of Eilistraee he found 'love' for something greater than what he could describe or experience in a lifetime. He found 'love' for a true deity he has never known.

The power of the Divine is real on this world. Faith healers actually heal and work wonders like nothing any Earthling could ever imagine. I am in awe of their true power (even as I am no stranger to real power) and it is a testament to their God's will. He has even felt that power myself though he can't fully explain it. "In moments of mindful meditation and celebration of Eilistraee I have felt something that I can only describe as being 'touched' by her divine presence. My mental capabilities allow me to 'touch' minds from afar and converse with them, but this exotic experience is something akin to being 'spiritually touched' by Eilistraee herself. I felt her commune with me, gifted me her power, and claimed me as one of her own."

Thom goes into further detail describing his 'awakening' to Eilistraee's power and knowing that he must use it to protect those that need it the most. He was a hand chosen guardian and even though his skill and background was not that of a warrior he feels as if that doesn't matter; he is a chosen of Eilistraee and her power will guide his actions. "I am the Dark Goddess' instrument now; let her will be done now and forever." Thom is a believer now as much as anyone is when they feel the presence of the divine in them so strongly.

 

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OoC

I gave Thom a level in Warlock "Hexblade" to boost his survivability a bit and made his patron Eilistraee; which is why I wrote that little story above. Being a stranger in a strange land requires gaining attachments to feel less alone. If he can't fill that void externally with friends, then he would have tried to fill that void internally with religion. His search would have taken him to someone who caters to outcasts like him, and I think Eilistraee would have been his best choice. Plus, I think if David Bowie was on Toril he probably would have been attracted to Drow females. It seems like his type.

 

Edited 54 minutes ago by rauhric (see edit history)

[rauhric]

Potential Magic Items

[1] Sentinel Shield - advantage on Initiative and Perception rolls.

[2] Ring of Mind Shielding - immune to magics that allow others to read your thoughts, determine if you are lying, know your alignment or creature type. Can telepathically communicate with others only if you allow it. If you die while wearing the ring your soul can enter the ring or go on to the afterlife. So it could potentially already have an inhabitant in it.

[3] Gloves of Thievery - +5 Sleight of Hand or Pick Locks

[rauhric]

@Cointhief just wanted to say that I'm done with the character mechanics and ready for a review. I still need to buy misc equipment but I think that is all.

[Cointhief]

Coolness, thanks. You can hold off on that until after if you prefer, it isn't going to sway selection.

[rauhric]

Cool, thanks.