THOMAS

BASICS

NAME: Thomas	CLASS: Rogue (Arcane Trickster)/Sorcerer (Storm)	RACE: Human
BACKGROUND: Urchin	HEIGHT: 6'0"	AGE: Middle to late 20s

Escaping to the streets as a young boy to avoid his father's spiteful feelings towards him and his sorcerous nature, Thomas became part of a child gang and lived a rough life as a rogue and thief. His magical 'tricks' and special tweaks to the Mage Hand spell helped keep their little group fed, and so he survived long enough that, aged 15 and just embarking on a dangerous habit of starting fights in taverns, he could be finally found and taken off those streets by his sister.

Years have passed since then but the young man is yet to truly come to terms with both himself and his lot in life, facing the world with both temper and a boatload of hurt. There is a strong will for better in there, however, and a need to make a difference that might just get him where he is meant to be.

DETAILED BACKSTORY

There was once a man named Mathias, who was fortunate enough to find love early in life. Enchanted by the smile of his neighbour's daughter, Dyna, they were quickly married and had in turn a son, Jonathan, and then a daughter, Anne. But while he glowed with happiness for a while, Mathias was not sated. Living in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate as he did, surrounded by stories and fables of great heroes, he had long desired to master the great powers that wizardry might offer. And so did he seek learning, taking the family's earnings to the teachers willing to take him on.

Unfortunately for Mathias, he struggled to use magic. Try as he might his approach to the art did not work out, and after ten years of class after class Mathias was forced to give up, with no more money to spend and only a few simple spells to his name. Filled with resentment and regret, Mathias would wonder aloud whether the chaos-stricken Gods were against him, and not longer after he and Dyna were blessed with their third child, a son they called Thomas, he became certain this was the case.

See, Thomas was born imbued with the storm, a sorcerer touch by elemental air. While seemingly normal at first, shortly before he would crawl for the first time the little one would move his toys around with the tiny breezes he could naturally summon. This was done instinctively and without true awareness, yet Mathias nonethless looked down upon his magical son and declared him an insult from the Gods, a personal 'middle finger from the fucks too pathetic to keep their own apparently divine houses in order.'

From that day onwards Mathias would shout at Thomas should he display the merest hint of magic, taking out his envy on the innocent whose power was bestowed, in truth, by sheer chance alone. His mother was not pleased, but would not confront her husband either, pleading to her children to understand her husband's pain and 'be patient, be kind.' Of those around him, only his sister Anne would truly consider the pain of little Thomas. As he grew she would do her best to help him play with his magic, even as her mother taught him to hide it, but alas the boy's hurt would only grow and grow as Mathias's temper got worse and worse.

When the fourth child, the third son Jeremiah, was born, Mathias would show all the warmth and delight you'd expect to the newborn as Thomas and Anne watched. Anne, filled with anger, swore that she would be Thomas's new parent and threw herself into the role with courage and mental strength way beyond her that of her parents. Taking on challenging work, and bringing Thomas with her often to protect him, she began to save money of her own and hope to one day free the two of them from the unhappy home that so tempered Thomas's spirit.

Alas, a tragedy would occur. After one final angry fight with Mathias, Anne was forced out of the home by her wayward parent. Terrified about the fate of Thomas while she wasn't there, the young woman, barely grown herself, threw herself into every endeavour possible to gain the coin needed to support them both. But by the time she returned to rescue the brother she loved as a son, one year later, Thomas had vanished. Worn and pained by a household that rejected him, the young sorcerer had done as so many before him and sought instead the comfort of the streets. Neither Mathias or Dyna knew where he was, and more, seemed to have done little more than the minimum to bring him back. Striking her mother down to the floor in a fit of pure rage, Anne would flee and begin a years long search.

Often she wondered if she should give up. If the little one was truly lost to her.

Falling in love and wedding the truly optimistic Genevieve, however, would invigorate Anne, and in a moment that would burn in her heart for the rest of the days, sheer chance brought her to a tavern where she and her wife would find themselves faced with a miracle. One bright-haired urchin teenager, hair curly and licked with fire like Anne's, on the cusp of a violent fight, the air around him sparking with hints of a storm. Anne looked upon him and knew who it was, knew who she had found, and wept fiercely even as she pulled him away and brought him back to her home before he even had chance to question her.

Thomas would no longer be alone. He would no longer live in fear with their parents, or at constant risk on the streets. He would have a life full of challenge, but with the support of those who actually loved him, his life might yet be as great as his sister hoped.

PERSONALITY

At the core of it all there is one word that sums Thomas up: passion, all along the spectrum. He is a deeply feeling person with a naturally huge heart, being deeply devoted and loyal to his friends, genuinely caring for those suffering and filled with a morally-driven desire to help others. The other side of this coin is that he has a large temper, being quite reactive and easily provoked by the right words, the right circumstance, and a tendancy to struggle when truly hurt or wounded by others (and, well, he does not forgive easily or forget ever). Unfortunately, a childhood of difficulties and the truly awful treatment he received from his father has left him more guarded and cynical than he might otherwise be, and he masks heavily, which means that his gentler traits and romantic, daydreaming tendancies often come as a surprise to people making the effort to truly get to know him.

Despite the temper and reactivity, when in a true crisis Thomas is (usually) quite level headed and able to push down his anger or hurt to get a problem dealt with, leaving the raging for a much more appropriate time and place. This won't stop him from making frustrated comments and insulting the sources of the problem on occasion after things are sorted, if it's just been One Of Those Days, and he has rarely been known to make some quite spiteful moves and do things he'd never otherwise even consider if he grows to despise someone enough.

It's also important to note that while full of willingness to help, to lead where he needs to and to sacrifice to a degree, there are a few hard lines in terms of sacrifice that he just can't bring himself to step beyond.

Expanding on his emotional nature, if he is forced to push down his anger for too long, Thomas's unresolved issues with his inherent sorcerous nature can burst out uncontrollably, and as a storm sorcerer this can truly causes problem for him. Aside from the whole 'accidental shocks' and 'becoming the eye of a small localised whirl of gale-force wind' part, it's a legitimately uncomfortable topic and something he struggles to discuss. While having learned a handful of useful cantrips and spells, talking about the fact that this is what they are makes him obviously uneasy. He knows there is no need for this, but a childhood of being directly called 'a middle finger from the Gods' and treated horribly every time he tried to simply play with something that was inherent to him isn't so easily overcome.

In terms of his gentler traits, Thomas is a secretly very creative person with a deep love for poetry and the written word. He tries to vent out the really big emotions in his own poems, utilising kennings and short-form in the ragged old notebooks that are all he can afford, but rarely shares them. This exploration does however leak into the way he talks on occasion, with poetic turns of phrase cropping up in unexpected places and giving the observant a rather effective clue into the secret hobby. He's also fond of good music and pretty decent at playing the lute... and when drunk can have Very Strong Music Opinions.

His sister frequently teases her brother about needing to be 'properly romanced, swept off your feet!' And this is rather accurate. While not ever outright admitting it and easily embarrassed about the fact, Thomas falls in love hard when he does and can get almost daft over the object of his affections, completely caught up. Unfortunately he hasn't been so lucky in this respect yet: of the two people he's fallen in love with, one only wanted something casual without commitment and Thomas broke up with him himself, knowing he wouldn't cope, and the second time, well... things went rough, and he still carries that heartache. Hope of finding that deep connection remains however, somewhere in there.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS (ORIGINAL)

To note about his relationships in general, blood relationships do not automatically means ‘family’ to Thomas, as one might expect due to his background. He feels strongly that family is chosen, and that while blood can often be amongst that category, not always.

• ANNE KILLETHYM (SISTER): His beloved sister, usually called Annie by him, 12 years older than her brother and more parent than sibling in many ways. Anne and Thomas look strongly alike. Their shared traits of somewhat pale skin, thick red curly hair and wide lips with prominent cupid-bows make their blood relation very obvious when together. A tough and resilient person with less of a temper than her brother, but absolutely not lacking one either, Anne is very protective of Thomas and prone to excessive unease when unaware of where he is despite his age. Her knowing full well about his lack of control over many aspects of his untrained sorcery is at least part of the reason for this. Works as a seller in the Lower City docks of Baldur's Gate, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, has a deep fondness for the God Ilmater. Calls Thomas by the nickname 'Curls,' except when angry with him.


• GENEVIEVE KILLETHYM (SISTER-IN-LAW): Anne's wife, a half-elven woman with dark, green-tinted skin and eyes that seem to convey almost perpetual amusement. She acts as Thomas's second parent and is calmer than her wife, acting as a soothing presence when Annie is particularly worried or Thomas is struggling with his emotions. Employed as a weaver of wool, and is fond of making clothes for herself and her family. Occasionally accused of being almost too lighthearted on occasion, and has definitely timed jokes extremely badly in the past.


• MATHIAS (FATHER): Mathias wanted to be a wizard, spent ten years trying and failing to manage much beyond some mild little spells, had his third child after a twelve year gap, and then that child turned out to be a sorcerer. So the logical response to that is to declare the tiny child a personal insult from the Gods and treat him like dirt constantly, right? The obvious answer being 'no,' this is nonetheless what the man did, and Thomas hates him with a passion and a complete inability to ever forgive. Which is entirely justified. They haven't seen one another in many, many years but Annie has, and is very firm in her opinion that the 'bitter, arrogant old man' will never change.


• DYNA (MOTHER): Of his two bio-parents, his mother Dyna is the only one who Thomas might consider somewhat forgiving. Whether that is realistic or not is uncertain. For all she loved her son, she loved her husband more, and was not willing to truly confront him over his mistreatment of Thomas, instead asking that the child 'understand what his father is going through' and teaching him to conceal his powers. Anne got into an actual fistfight with her when coming home to take her brother in and finding out he'd disappeared, with no effort having been made to track him down. Thomas doesn't know exactly what was said between mother and sister, but the few times he's asked, a very dark expression is all he's gotten in response.


• JONATHAN (OLDEST BROTHER): Mathias and Dyna's oldest child, 14 years older than Thomas. His feelings towards his parents and siblings and everything that has happened between them seems largely apathetic, and most who know Jon have said he seems almost perpetually bored (or perhaps something more like distant). Married with two kids of his own, he lives right next to his parents, so at least has to have some level of investment in his family (or his wife does).


• JEREMIAH (YOUNGER BROTHER): The final child of their sibling group of four, and the one upon Mathias most dotes. This was not lost on young Thomas, who got to watch the father who treated him horribly absolutely lavish positive attention on the youngest son. As a consequence Thomas has some irrational resentment towards Jeremiah, though he knows it isn't really fair of him... or at least, that part of their relationship isn't. They haven't seen one another in adulthood at all and Thomas is quietly certain his little brother probably thinks him to truly be everything Mathias says Thomas is.


• PERIN (EX-BOYRIEND): A cunning and capable tiefling man that was once part of the same gang Thomas and Myrri were in as kids. He and Thomas were involved in what was supposed to be a casual fling during his early 20s, but when he started to fall in love with Perin proper Thomas broke it off, knowing it was not something Perin would ever want due to his lack of interest in any kind of romance. They remain friends, somewhat, though things have grown more distant over time. The source of the nickname 'Mage Hand' which Thomas is known by in the tavern Perin works in, which is a lot less innocent than it sounds.


• SILVESTER (EX-BOYFRIEND): A very recent break-up, Thomas will call him 'a total bastard' to the face of his friends and family, which is accurate, but that anger disguises a much deeper sense of betrayal and hurt. He doesn't like to talk about it, but those who knows him well know how much he's been wounded.


• MYRRI (FRIEND): Thomas's best friend growing up in their gang, and the one who has remained a very close friend growing up. Heavily tattooed and tough as nails, Myrri is loyal as hell and probably one of the most fun people you can go on a proper night out with. The only one that Thomas currently allows to call him 'Tommy.' She works as a performer in a tavern in the Lower City near the docks, and has just about the most complete knowledge of dirty sailor jokes you could ever hope to hear.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS (CANON)

In general, Thomas tries very keenly and perhaps overly aggressively to help and protect the found family that is formed around him. He'll take threats against them extremely poorly... even if that 'threat' is themselves. It's hard being the 'sensible' one, when for most of your life you've thought yourself the sort to be an issue for those around you.

(Yes, okay, he's absolutely had his moments... usually in a corner of camp where he can let those winds whirl without risk. Usually).

This section can be found here, seperated as it very large and by necessity goes very spoilery.

MAGICAL CAPABILITIES

Firstly, here are the purely mechanical cantrips, spells and related skills; they reflect a level of 12. This cannot be fully reflected in BG3 itself, with some things being swapped out with more appropriate magic for his situation that aren't in the game.

Thomas has a complex relationship with his sorcerous nature. Being a storm sorcerer he has a natural affinity with the wind, with lightning and thunder and tumultuous weather in general, being filled with a touch of elemental air as he is... but his father's aggressive envy of his son's skills caused him to be punished relentlessly for playing with it naturally as a child. As an adult, despite his loving sister's guidance, he is not yet fully past this and as a consequence he will sometimes have magical outbursts when in extremely emotional moods that set off his fight or flight reflexes.

Usually this is fairly harmless, little more than static making his hair puff up or a breeze pushing it around, but on occasion he has shocked a perceived attacker without meaning to or, at its most extreme, subconsciously cast magic embodied by the 'Warding Wind' spell and become the centre of a small but fierce whirl of wind.

In general, the magic he has learned so far has been shaped a lot by his development as a rogue and thief, utilising 'tricks,' as he likes to call them, that might be very useful to such a person. He has in particular become extremely skilled at using a Mage Hand in unusual and specialised ways. This is supplemented by the kinds of magics any storm sorcerer might possess.

There is potential for much greater magical power in Thomas, but for the moment, and until he can learn to get a better grasp on his weave, it'll be a hell of a struggle for him.

APPEARANCE & IMAGES

Have a bunch of excessively large screenshot galleries! Right here is just him, and right here are the group shots.

STORIES/CHARACTER PIECES

• DREAMS: 2837 word character piece for Thomas, during act 3 in BG3. Driven by tumultuous emotion, Thomas breaks into Sorcerous Sundries solo. It could be said that this was, in fact, a terrible idea.


• REMAKE: 873 word character piece for teenaged Anne, with a very young Thomas, warnings for mentioned verbal and emotional abuse of a child (nothing detailed explicitly). Anne would do anything for her baby brother, anything to make his world brighter, even if it required a slow remake of the world.


• STORM: 710 word character piece for early BG3 Thomas. No real warnings! Holding it in for too long was asking for it, really. The right trigger would send the winds to howling.


• A NIGHT AFTER: 3550 words, during act 3 in BG3. Despite Tom's hideaway oft-proving an efficient shield, Gale finds his way in. Time for a conversation, perhaps.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Being a storm sorcerer (thus, in some ways, a little bit of an elemental himself) means he naturally understands Primordial, the language of elementals and denizens of the elemental planes. He, however, has no idea this is the case, at least at the start of things. Maybe going to get one hell of a shock, one day!


• The poems he's written about his most recent ex after the break-up are... dramatic. Very, very dramatic. If anyone got a glimpse of even one, it wouldn't matter that they don't use straightforward terms and are kenning heavy; the state of his heart over the matter would be plainly and painfully obvious. Flip a few pages earlier and just how smitten he was before would be just as obvious. It's the most intense blackmail material on him you could ever get, and a showcase of his vulnerability.


• During his actual BG3 story, Tommy-boy doesn't consume any mind flayer parasites. He remains distrustful and bothered by the idea of his mind being 'tinkered' with and thus misses out on the powers. He's also probably amongst the most closed off of the party in sharing any memories and feelings through the tadpole bond, though on occasion his big, BIG feelings cut through that without meaning to just as they sometimes provoke his magic.


• Technically his surname is 'Mathiasson,' but there is not a chance he'll ever acknowledge it as so willingly. If pushed for a surname he'd give it as his sister's surname, the one she took from her wife Genevieve: Killethym.