Welcome, Unknowable! I really like your character and I'm looking forward to meeting him. One of my characters has a connection to Unvaris which we could exploit in the future. Especially if he can literally hear the god.
Merlin asked me to review your CS so I'll also ask some questions if you don't mind.
- So my most important question is what exactly does HE think Xerin is about? you don't have to spoil us if you have a plot in mind but he just strikes me as the nice guy and that, along with the fact that Merlin said all of Unvaris' followers are unwilling, leads me to believe that Cleric 17 isn't actually aware of what Unvaris is. In that sense, if he thinks he's spreading the word of an unknown god, what does she tell him to say to the people?
- Secondly, about the fire potion, you said it "Explodes when it comes into contact with air.". Is that all it does or can it be used as a coating of some sort to keep fire burning longer etc?
- Under magic, you say he can basically spread plague but does that apply to any disease or just this one?
- If the nanites can be used to enhance attributes in other people's bodies, can't they do the same for his own? Also (correct me if I'm wrong) if the nanites are what maintain his system (keep him alive?), does it weaken him if he loses too many?
1) He sees Xerin as a benevolent goddess, someone who wants to help humanity achieve better lives for everyone. He thinks that she brought him back so that he can redeem himself by making restitution for his past sins. She offers people a chance to live forever, free from the fate of death, and to redeem themselves for their past evil. Not by repaying their victims, mind you, but by devotion to the religion and the temple.
He doesn't know that she's Unvaris or that she only wants people to live forever because they can never be free from suffering that way. Maybe she doesn't really want them to live forever, just to not die without suffering? I haven't figured out that yet. I do know that he's a sleeper agent who's supposed to draw people in and create devoted followers. He'll preach that suffering is just a natural part of life, not something to be avoided. Avoiding suffering brings weakness, etc. The devoted followers will eventually be convinced that inflicting suffering is good, as it makes those that suffer stronger. Also, they won't complain and will be willing to continue serving however She wants.
2) It could be used to start fires, but he'd have to create a different potion to make it burn for longer, as it's designed to burn as quickly as possible so that it gets as hot as possible. I think I'll have a cabinet or shelf in my quarters for less common potions like that.
3)He suppresses the symptoms of viruses, bacterial and fungal infections, parasites, prions, etc. He also makes them more contagious. It works with any of those things, but things which aren't contagious, like cancer, can't be spread.
Also, he thinks he's actually curing them.
4) They could enhance him, but he doesn't know how except in the ways already listed. That means he can heal faster and maybe have more energy than others, as well as being immune to most diseases, partially because he isn't human.
They can create more of themselves, so he would have to lose a lot of blood to not have enough to maintain his systems. He's only adding a drop or two of his blood to the potions, so he doesn't lose anywhere near enough to suffer for it.
His suffering is the conditions his religious devotion puts him in. Also, he's practically a slave to the Xerin's voice in his head. He could ignore it, but it would hurt him for disobeying.