Timothy “Tim” Aquinas
Description:
An unassuming youth with pale skin, brown hair and emerald eyes, Timothy is lean and rather thin. Thin-framed eyeglasses sit upon the bridge of his nose, windows to eyes that brighten up in a charming, childlike way when he smiles. He stands at a good 6’0” tall, and prefers simple clothing: many of his shirts are black or grey and without print, and the ones that do have only minimalistic designs. His pants and other apparel are equally unassuming. But never is he seen without his only apparent accessory: a small pendant in the shape of an elaborate Celtic crucifix of silver, hanging from his neck by a chain.
Described by Cadwal as having a "cherub's melody," Timothy has a deceptively effeminate voice in manner and less so in inflection.
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Personality: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name give glory.”The foremost thing one might notice about Timothy is his zeal. A devout Catholic, he is well-read in the Bible and zealous. And unlike some others, Timothy has taken the teachings of the Scripture to heart, making him a genuinely friendly and caring person. Love his neighbor, love his enemy? Timothy most certainly does. Honest and loyal, his care for the well-being of others extends to the spiritual: he is convinced that those of heathen faiths – especially the People of the Book But Do Not Believe – and true unbelievers must be enlightened sooner or later. Then there are the Ones Who Come in His Name but Twist His Words, like Westboro, which he finds especially despicable.
Timothy is especially fond of literature, especially medieval history. He knows full well how Duke Enrique of Savoy invaded Monferatto from the Duke of Mantua as he had run out of patience with waiting for Emperor Rudolf of the Holy Roman Empire to answer his petition to have the mentioned territory transferred to the custody of his daughter, Margherita, as she was kicked out of the Mantuan Duke’s court for not having sired a child for her husband, the Duke’s late brother, before he died. Always hungry for more knowledge, his learning of this subject which he most adores is supplemented by the Holy Ghosts whom he summons and who are more than willing to answer his many, many questions. They may also be the reason why his favorite video game is Medieval II: Total War.
Quite softspoken, the mildness of his words is such that people are often left cynically wondering whether or not Timothy is mocking them. The sincerity with which he prays before eating his meals is viewed by some as merely an exaggeration: a mockery of those who practice Christianity. However, Timothy does not practice deceit. What he does is honest.
He believes his unique ability to summon fallen Crusaders is given to him by God.
Talent:Esoteric Knowledge: Timothy is well-read in obscure history books, and can regurgitate most of what he has learned, knowledge extracted from the literary works of people Like E.B Sledge, Sir Arthur Lloyd, and Peter H. Wilson. But, ever humble, Timothy only shares what he knows when the situation calls for it.
Ability:Tongue of Fallen Martyrs: Timothy can communicate with summoned Holy Ghosts telepathically, surmounting any distance and time and in pure thought, eliminating the language barrier. Cadwal is a special case, and is an exception to the rule.
Legiones Ecclesiae: At his command, Timothy can call forth Holy Ghosts of the most proactive members of the Church-Militant, namely, Crusaders. Having had this unique gift since early childhood, he has improved the ability in that he can keep indefinitely one Holy Ghost and dispel them at his whim. With a whispered plea and holding a holy symbol of Christianity (like a cross, or his pendant), Timothy beckons the departed souls of those who killed and died in the name of Christ from the ether and into the worldly earth. Fading into existence, they are then at the summoner's beck and call. However, the summoned are picked at random: Timothy does not yet have the ability to call specific people.
Holy Ghosts are the summoned spirits of Christian martyrs. These can be an unknown Crusader or even someone famous like Joan of Arc. Partly transparent, hued an otherworldly blue, and possessed of bright, glowing eyes, these entities are twice as strong and fast as a man and immune to pain – but not harm. While they are ghosts in a sense, they are still shackled to following the laws of physics. However, they do not need their spectral organs to live as they are already dead. Therefore, a bullet is most effective at tearing a Holy Ghost's tendons than holing their heart.
Maintaining a Holy Ghost is done automatically by the soul but at the expense of the body. Timothy is completely alright with one summoned, but is easily winded when he has summoned two. At three and four, he is forced to sit down, with him being pale at the latter. Having five summoned simultaneously will knock him to deathly unconsciousness and will take heavy tolls on his health. While Timothy can keep one Holy Ghost indefinitely, having two or more will strain Timothy's soul so much that after fifteen minutes, they will be forcibly dispelled.
Holy Ghosts are summoned with what they had on their person the moment of their death. While her visit could potentially be a very enlightening experience, Joan of Arc would not fight at her fullest since she wore a dress during her death at the pyre. Crusaders who died in battle are more valuable in that they are usually in full gear when summoned. However, all are prized and valuable relics of the past, and some of them possess ancient knowledge no longer available in the present.
It would appear that Holy Ghosts have lost much of their personality during their centuries in limbo. What they haven't lost, however, is hatred of the heathen, the unbeliever, and the heretic.
Holy Ghosts, being soul-bound to their summoner, are able to communicate with Tim telepathically in pure thoughts, defeating language barriers.
Holy Ghosts can be seen, heard and touched by other people. However, they don't feel much due to their slightly incorporeal properties. They mimic the natural body temperature of a human being, but have got no odor of their own.
Cadwal of Godwyn is a deceased English knight who perished in the First Crusade, struck down by an arrow to his thigh, knocking him off his horse, and delivering a wound that subsequently became gangrenous and from which he did not recover. Acting as a sort of guardian angel, even he himself is not sure what is exactly at work as he shares his mind and soul with Timothy, acting as the boy's second conscience and trying to steer him towards the right path.
Cadwal "sleeps," becoming completely inactive for four hours each day. This is to relieve some of the stress of Timothy's soul from having to maintain another thought-form. Cadwal does his best to time this with Timothy's regular sleeping hours.
Bio:Born to two middle-class parents as the middle child of a litter of two boys and one girl, there isn't much to say about Timothy, considering his overall and overwhelming averageness which is offset only by his unique and (as he believes) God-given ability. While he was baptized, going to Church was never something routine for his family. Therefore, he sees his powers as a gift from God when they emerged when he was six years old.
Like many children, he thought up an imaginary friend. It was a knight, and his young mind could only describe it as "blue" and "like glass." When he was alone, he would play with the knight, and started a little game with his older brother and younger sister when he introduced the knight to them, and they made their own imaginary friends. Little did Timothy know, however, that his siblings' imagined creations were far different to what he had, for as time went on, the knight's responses became purely his own, and Timothy slowly lost the need to parrot them. Like another person living in his head, the knight would comment on day-to-day life, and when the young Timothy eyed upon a Bible, the knight energetically pleaded the boy to read it.
As little Tim read, his young mind was full of questions even from the starting book of Genesis. He would ask the knight in his head, who formally introduced himself as Cadwal of Godwyn, to explain it all for him, and he spent so many sleepless nights doing this sort of cooperative storytelling that his mother became worried at his lack of sleep and consulted a physician. On his third grade of elementary school, his family had to move elsewhere, and he was saddened by the sudden loss of friends; but Cadwal was always there and would never leave his mind. Upon his insistence, his father took him to Church one day, and was deeply happy at finally worshiping at a proper place.
As he became older and thus more aware of the sheer unnaturality of his unique ability, Tim wondered if he could do more with it. Praying to God, and after consulting Cadwal, he tried to call out an angel to advise him on what to do when his parents were divorcing. However, the only being that faded into existence was not a magnificent scion of Heaven, but a short-lasting, flickering blue ghost of a woman in armor. Timothy could not but gasp "Who are you?" at the figure, who replied with a sagely "Who I am is not important. But your faith in God is," before fading back into nothingness.
Encouraged by Cadwal, Timothy was henceforth convinced of his being blessed. Ever since then, he has been practicing and perfecting this unique ability of his by prayer and meditation.
Speaking with wizened words, Timothy prevented his parents' divorce by driving them to tears as he preached about the sanctity and inviolability of the oaths a couple takes in their marriage ceremony, with the help of his two beloved siblings.
Other:Drowning in early adolescent male hormones, Timothy wanted to masturbate once (just to try it) but was halted by Cadwal (whom he thought was sleeping), who lectured him fiercely of the value of the "seed" and how it must not be wasted.
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