Divine Strife:Colton Atkins

Colton Atkins, Divinity of Karmic Bargains

Divine Origins

Occupation: Unemployed - Retired
Archetype: The Visionary
Dominion: Conceptual - Karmic Bargains
Theology: Cult of the Saints

Derived Traits

Initiative [Intuition+Speed]: 4
Strength [Athletics+Might]: 0
Movement [Athletics+Speed]: 1
Free Time: 6 (4 restored by work)
Wealth: 3 (2 restored by work)
Health [Fortitude+5]: 6
Psyche [Discipline+5]: 9

Skills

Athletics 0, Crafts 0, Deception (Misdirection) 4, Discipline 4, Empathy 2, Fighting 2, Fortitude 1, Influence 0, Intuition 3, Knowledge 3, Marksman 0, Medicine 1, Might 0, Perception 4, Perform 1, Speed 1, Stealth 0, Survival 1, Tech 2, Travel 2

Manifestations

Aegis 0, Beckon 1, Journey 0, Minion 0, Puppetry 0, Oracle 3, Ruin (Geas) 2, Shaping 2, Soul 2

Truths

“The god of Karmic Bargains can bargain in any tongue”: Speak any language (Tongues)
“The god of Karmic Bargains cannot be fooled by illusions”: The god possesses a unique quality among the divine, the ability to see through illusions and masks of any kind. They can spend 1 Fragment to sense the presence of the Source in the area, see ghosts without needing to use the Soul Manifestation, and see the true faces of any Outsiders who take other guises. If resisting the Illusions effect, they receive a +2 bonus to see through the charade. (Otherworldly Sight)

Blessings

My Old Life: Gain a +1 bonus to a Skill of Choice to reflect the profession they once held. (+1 Deception)
Scope Out: The Visionary has a deep sense of themselves and where they are within the world. Gain a +1 bonus to any roll to assess a situation or get the read of a room. This could include an Empathy bonus to see how everyone’s feeling or a Perception bonus to quickly check for hidden traps
Tongues: Conceptual Dominions exist across all cultures and ignore language barriers. To reflect this, the god receives the Tongues Truth
Divine Words: Saints believe they are graced with their divine Spark by a higher power, whether they are a literal saint chosen by the Hebrew God, the avatar of Agni, the Hindu god of fire, or as servants of some other deity. In times of need, the Saint may enter a trance to call upon this higher power and ask for guidance from a seemingly omnipotent being. The player spends 1 Fragment, and then asks the GM one question, but may ask additional questions by spending 1 Pantheon Die each (up to their Intuition). The GM must answer these questions truthfully, but the answer’s clarity is based on whether the higher power desires the Saint’s involvement. It offers a koan or proverb for the god to solve or simply answers yes or no, leaving all sense of context out. If the Saint is destined to intercede, however, the answer is as clear as a bell.In times of need, Divine Words can also be used in a Battle, as the god asks for divine intervention to guide their hand against an enemy. For 1 Fragment, the Saint can use their Quick Action to receive a +5 bonus to their next attack. This can only be done a number of times per Battle equal to the god’s Spark.

Curses

Feeling My Age: Age does have its drawbacks. Gain 1 Pantheon Die when the character’s absent-mindedness or physical weakness causes trouble for the group.
Not a Mind Reader: They always think they know the best strategy, but human beings are seldom easy puzzles to solve. Gain 1 Pantheon Die after devoting a scene to a Bond that didn’t go so well. If they do this, the Bond does not heal Strain like it normally would
Led by my Power: Gain 1 Pantheon Die when the god cannot help but succumb to their dominion in the moment. This could mean a god of beauty who sees a gorgeous person and can do nothing but stare, or a god of secrets who cannot divulge the truth even if their life depends on it.
Follow the Voices: Saints are expected to follow commands from their higher power when ordered by their voices, but few plans are truly understandable by mere mortals. The GM, acting as the higher power, may ask for the Saint to perform one act in its name per Session. Some acts are benign, while others are absolutely horren�dous (or even detrimental to their well-be�ing, their mental state, and healthy relation�ships). If the Cultist complies, they perform the act and the Curse is complete. Choosing to resist this command, however, requires a Moderate (2) Discipline + Intuition check. If the character has used Divine Words in the same Session, their starting Difficulty is raised to Challenging (4). A success means the god retains their self-control but may receive muddied answers to their next prayers. On a failure, the Saint’s body acts on its own to fulfill the task regardless of their desires.

Bonds

Old Co-workers (G) 2 (Hostile - when he left his job he ruined a very lucrative deal, leaving some of his former co-workers very unhappy with him)
Former Petitioners (G) 1 (Nurturing - some of the people that he has "helped" still come around to chat, and to tell him how it all went.)
The Diner (L) 2 (Social/"Work" - this is where he feels most comfortable, but also where he meets his petitioners)

Worshippers

Level 2 - The Faithful - they ask him for guidance (see the Journal - below) and in return, he can tap their faith to recover a number of fragments equal to half the worshipper level rounded up, at a cost of 1 strain. These fragments fade away at the end of the session if not used

Relic

Level 5 - The Journal - This mysterious tome does some things...

Appearance and Background

Gender: Male
Age: 48 years
Appearance and Demeanor: Coltan carries himself as one who is used to having what he needs provided for him. He is starting to get used to not having all of the luxuries in life, but he does sometimes miss it. He still usually dresses in suits (a habit as much as anything else) but these suits may be slightly ill-fitting, as he obtains them from a charity shop. He is meticulous about his appearance.
Background: Coltan used to be a very rich man. He was a banker - one of that special breed that can take assets (companies, land, whatever) and figure out the optimal way to break them apart and sell the pieces to make a profit. He told himself that he was making organisations more efficient, ensuring that people had good jobs instead of bad ones, optimising productivity - but he knew in reality that he was stripping apart things that others had put together, and taking a nice healthy profit for himself. His work was his life - he had no time for a family, or for much in the way of friends, beyond the people that he worked with. He spent every second in the pursuit of material wealth. Over time, he became dissatisfied with this - there was something missing from his life, and he wasn't sure what it was. He ignored this little voice in the back of his head, but it got louder, and eventually he realised he had to do something.
He looked for an answer - something to bring meaning to his life - without any success, until one day he overheard a story about a man who could grant wishes. He went to see the Man in the Booth, and was told that he would have to relinquish his old life, and do it in such a way that he could never go back. He was at that time involved in a big project that would have resulted in lots of people losing their jobs and lots of businesses failing. He went to the press and told them all about it, and what his employers plans were - destroying the deal, and forever destroying his career. He donated much of his money to charity, leaving enough for a modest retirement income. He felt good for having left, but it still felt as if there was something missing - so he returned to the Man in the Booth, and was told that he too wished to retire. Handing over his journal, he told Coltan to wait a day, and then read it. When Coltan woke the next morning he had gained his spark, and started to read, realising that here was a power that could be used to affect mortal lives - improving them, or at least giving them what they thought they wanted, for a cost.

Divine Strife