<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Thomas Smith</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/mFiHWuV.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;">Thomas Smith</span></strong><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Goetic Psychologist</span><br/>Mastigos of the Guardians of the Veil (http://sheetgen.dalines.net/sheet/26330)</span><br/><br/><br/><strong>Background:</strong><br/>An accomplished psychologist, he fell in love with his own brilliance.  He could diagnose anyone, disassemble their psyche in a matter of hours, piece together what he felt their problems were, and explain to them what they needed to do in order to fix their fractured souls.  Of course, what he perceived and what was reality wasn't always one and the same.  In truth he stopped caring whether people became better, and found ways to keep them coming back for more of his wisdom and advice--after all he knew best for them.<br/><br/>Originally from Boston, he set up his practice in New York City after his early success.  It wasn't long before he had many different hospitals referring patients to his care.  As his ego grew, his pride swelled, and the danger his advice put others in become more and more noticeable.  It was a disaster waiting for the right person to trigger it.<br/><br/>When he'd milked one patient for all they were worth, he sent the man into a dangerous spiral.  Convinced that he was unable to come up with the solutions to his problems himself, he created a need for the advice Thomas had been giving him--an addiction of a sort.  When the source was cut off he became desperate to fulfill that need.  Eventually need became wonton destruction as the patient showed up late one day in Thomas's office with a gun.<br/><br/>As the weapon was drawn on Thomas he saw not the desperate man before him, but a manifestation of...something he could not describe.  Like a demon of shadow and water enveloping the man holding the weapon, and more than that the pools of silver water reflected a hellish landscape, each with a scene depicting one of the various sins.  More disturbing still was the pool that reflected his own face with a hellish grin and glowing eyes.  Time seemed to stop and only reconvened as he noticed the blood coming from stomach moments before the pain erupted within his mind.  Another shot and he went down behind the desk.  Assuming himself finished the patient then shot himself, a vain effort to end the cycle of pain.<br/><br/>Though Thomas may have wished for it he was not dead.<br/><br/>The coma lasted only for a handful of days as the machines worked to keep him alive, but the nightmare that he lived seemed to last years.  Tormented by his own inner demons he eventually tore himself free and made his way through the realm of pandemonium and nightmare.  A labyrinth made of flesh, winds of scourging glass, a realm of hell not befit for anyone.  Within it he found a place of tranquility, a moment of beautiful respite against the storm.  Here he awakened to his true soul and to the Supernal Realm.<br/><br/>When he awoke the nightmare had ended, but the pain had only begun.<br/><br/>Troubled by what he had seen and what he had experienced, as well as his newfound magickal senses, he left his practice, saved what little resources he still had and went away.  He searched for a meaning in the darkness, a purpose behind what he'd felt, and a connection to something so he would not feel so alone.  He tried several religions to no real avail, though it wasn't long that he ran into another Mastigos in a buddhist temple...<br/><br/>Now he has established himself within Hampton Roads Virginia as a psychologist once again, having long since severed any ties to his old life.  Here he performs his duties as a Guardian of the Veil while pursuing the path of the Clavicularius, knowing that his shadows are always at the ready to grip him once more.<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong> <br/>Always calm and collected, he keeps a cool head and judges things as they come.  Stubbornness borne of mental resilience goes along with the decisions he makes.  Headstrong, his pride is his real weakness, keeping him from following advice, even when well-intentioned.  Despite this fact he is an excellent listener and is good at offering his own advice to others, skilled at motivating them to do things while also pulling information out of them.<br/><br/>An incarnation of The Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tower_(Tarot_card)).<br/><br/>Kin to the demon Duke Dantalion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dantalion).<br/><br/><strong>Appearance:</strong> <br/>Younger looking than he really is, his eyes hold all of the age in their crystal blue depths.  Blonde hair only faintly graying, white skin showing little signs of being worn down by the years.  Usually with faint stubble on his face, he has something of a rough, if roguishly charming, appearance.  Most times he dresses in a professional manner, either a suit, or at least a tie with a nice shirt.  This can sometimes devolve into a messy <br/><br/><strong>Quote:</strong><br/><em>"Sure, I can help.  Tell me all about it..."</em><br/></div></div>