Name: Alden Sterling Gender: Male Age: 43 Personality: While a pastor, Sterling has become disillusioned with his faith and has since become more or less a nihilist. He can see the value of human lives as minimal, worth less than the amount others are able to trade them for. However, Sterling no longer sees himself as a part of those other humans. Separated from their conflict, he views himself as a spectator prepared to watch the end of the world from the best seat possible. He has grown to accept the voice that speaks to him from the depths of his mind, following its orders just as he had for the rest of his life. Since his disillusionment, Sterling has grown oddly more accepting of everything that happens around him. He dutifully follows the voice, caring little for the consequences to him or to those around him. Even before his change in views, Sterling has enjoyed speaking to others individually and intimately, which hasn't changed much even now. He's surprisingly forward and welcoming to talks even if the subject matter may border on atrocious.
Degree of magical family heritage: Magic hasn't been practiced by Sterling's family for generations. The family name has nearly been completely erased by now. Competence as a magus: His personal knowledge of magic is minimal, leaving little room for him to prepare spells or rituals without extra time. Overall, he has little competence in terms of his own skills, but he does possess a limited form of precognition. The “voices” in his mind tell him what his best option is, but nothing about the reason.
Backstory leading up to the Holy Grail War: Sterling was born Highgate in a devout family. He was told to believe that if he prayed diligently, then God would speak to him. Even if he's in trouble, as long as he follows His word, God will always provide the proper next steps for him to succeed. He believed this as he had little reason to believe otherwise as a child. He told his parents every now and then after waking up that God has indeed spoken to him. A small, quiet voice continued to speak to him whenever he felt unsafe. And sure enough, he was given the answers he sought. Oddly enough, Sterling picked up an interest in the occult as he grew older.
Studying and mastering in theology, he soon pursued the life of a pastor. Sterling sought to understand his small congregation and spoke with them individually. Many were small investors or local businessmen who consulted him for religious wisdom. With his guidance and advice, businesses started and with their success, owners donated more to the church for his assistance. He became something of a business partner only without the liability of ownership. In time, those same businesses began to fail. Investors lost their money after a period of wide successes. Sterling, however, thanks to the guidance of the quiet voice, was one of the few people who managed to retain some economic stability, although he certainly wasn't anywhere close to wealthy.
Sterling saw others suffer. Few even took their lives, wishing not to bear the pains that may last for decades. The voice saved him, but did not offer the same respite to others. He blamed himself as well as his beliefs. Sterling had no reason to believe now that the answers to life come so easily to anybody. Thinking back on it, a fair amount of the businesses he aided were of the same trade. They were bound to compete with one another for their own gains. And they prayed selfishly for their personal gains. His blames shifted to others' selfishness as well as the resulting unchecked competition that resulted in the suffering of many people.
Sterling believed from then on that God helps nobody. Despite rare moments of good will from humans, in the end, what are they but infinitesimal creatures that struggle for their own sustenance? Not even that. They continue to seek more continuously beyond mere necessities, willing to deprive others of simply those. But in an odd way, his predicament started to become more fascinating. It was as if until now, he was sitting in a spectator seat, watching this struggle unfold around him. His mind distanced himself from the community's woes. But at the same time, that quiet voice that guided him in his life became noticeably louder. Really, this is the first time he had to acknowledge that someone was indeed communicating to him personally. He was about to realize the reason for his birth.
The voice, certainly not one he acknowledges as God anymore, told him of a ritual. The ritual would summon a dark god in response to the miseries of the early century and the coming decades. After all, God has no interest in reacting to the collective folly of mankind. Sterling obeyed as he had since the beginning of his life. He immersed himself further into the occult, giving him at least enough knowledge to carry out the ritual. Sterling would carry out the ritual, planning to summon the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, as commanded by the Black Pharaoh's spawns.
no subject
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Personality: While a pastor, Sterling has become disillusioned with his faith and has since become more or less a nihilist. He can see the value of human lives as minimal, worth less than the amount others are able to trade them for. However, Sterling no longer sees himself as a part of those other humans. Separated from their conflict, he views himself as a spectator prepared to watch the end of the world from the best seat possible. He has grown to accept the voice that speaks to him from the depths of his mind, following its orders just as he had for the rest of his life. Since his disillusionment, Sterling has grown oddly more accepting of everything that happens around him. He dutifully follows the voice, caring little for the consequences to him or to those around him. Even before his change in views, Sterling has enjoyed speaking to others individually and intimately, which hasn't changed much even now. He's surprisingly forward and welcoming to talks even if the subject matter may border on atrocious.
Degree of magical family heritage: Magic hasn't been practiced by Sterling's family for generations. The family name has nearly been completely erased by now.
Competence as a magus: His personal knowledge of magic is minimal, leaving little room for him to prepare spells or rituals without extra time. Overall, he has little competence in terms of his own skills, but he does possess a limited form of precognition. The “voices” in his mind tell him what his best option is, but nothing about the reason.
Backstory leading up to the Holy Grail War: Sterling was born Highgate in a devout family. He was told to believe that if he prayed diligently, then God would speak to him. Even if he's in trouble, as long as he follows His word, God will always provide the proper next steps for him to succeed. He believed this as he had little reason to believe otherwise as a child. He told his parents every now and then after waking up that God has indeed spoken to him. A small, quiet voice continued to speak to him whenever he felt unsafe. And sure enough, he was given the answers he sought. Oddly enough, Sterling picked up an interest in the occult as he grew older.
Studying and mastering in theology, he soon pursued the life of a pastor. Sterling sought to understand his small congregation and spoke with them individually. Many were small investors or local businessmen who consulted him for religious wisdom. With his guidance and advice, businesses started and with their success, owners donated more to the church for his assistance. He became something of a business partner only without the liability of ownership. In time, those same businesses began to fail. Investors lost their money after a period of wide successes. Sterling, however, thanks to the guidance of the quiet voice, was one of the few people who managed to retain some economic stability, although he certainly wasn't anywhere close to wealthy.
Sterling saw others suffer. Few even took their lives, wishing not to bear the pains that may last for decades. The voice saved him, but did not offer the same respite to others. He blamed himself as well as his beliefs. Sterling had no reason to believe now that the answers to life come so easily to anybody. Thinking back on it, a fair amount of the businesses he aided were of the same trade. They were bound to compete with one another for their own gains. And they prayed selfishly for their personal gains. His blames shifted to others' selfishness as well as the resulting unchecked competition that resulted in the suffering of many people.
Sterling believed from then on that God helps nobody. Despite rare moments of good will from humans, in the end, what are they but infinitesimal creatures that struggle for their own sustenance? Not even that. They continue to seek more continuously beyond mere necessities, willing to deprive others of simply those. But in an odd way, his predicament started to become more fascinating. It was as if until now, he was sitting in a spectator seat, watching this struggle unfold around him. His mind distanced himself from the community's woes. But at the same time, that quiet voice that guided him in his life became noticeably louder. Really, this is the first time he had to acknowledge that someone was indeed communicating to him personally. He was about to realize the reason for his birth.
The voice, certainly not one he acknowledges as God anymore, told him of a ritual. The ritual would summon a dark god in response to the miseries of the early century and the coming decades. After all, God has no interest in reacting to the collective folly of mankind. Sterling obeyed as he had since the beginning of his life. He immersed himself further into the occult, giving him at least enough knowledge to carry out the ritual. Sterling would carry out the ritual, planning to summon the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, as commanded by the Black Pharaoh's spawns.