“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, for inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
--Matthew 7:15

“Sinners!” The voice of the man boomed across the marketplace like a clap of thunder. Immediately, an interested crowd gathered around, not so much interested in salvation as a good show.

The speaker, a short, round man with a missing eye, cast his remaining orb over the gathered crowd. “All of you are collectors of evil, worshippers of temptation, vessels of devilry! Your souls are doomed to hellfire and damnation! You will sit at the hands of Lucifer, and he shall torment you with brands and fires and whips for all eternity!”

The crowd was completely silent, some frightened, most entertained.

“Your only hope,” he said, and his voice quieted slightly, “lies with me. I am Brother Absalom, an instrument of God, a spirit among men.” He paused and surveyed the mass of sheep before him. “With the proper tithe, and punishment befitting of the sin, I will save your soul and deliver it into the hands of God.”

There was a loud snort from a man in front. “You charlatan! Thief! Only what we keep in our hearts can save us!” As long as God..."

The man stopped as suddenly as he started. He put his hands to head and began to stagger slightly. “What’s happening to me?” he said, confused, and looking genuinely lost. His sudden spell startled many in the crowd. They backed away, as if he were diseased.

“You see?” Brother Absalom roared. “God has touched you! He has made you see that you are wrong! And you will be condemned, unless you seek aid through his instrument!”

A few more people in the crow experienced the same wave of confusion as the first. The crowd began to stir, panic rising. Brother Absalom chuckled.

“Come, my brothers and sisters. Do not wait. I do not want you to suffer. Do what is asked of you.”

A couple in the front pushed the first man in front of Absalom. Absalom gently reached into the man’s belt pouch and extracted every scrap of silver and gold within. After placing the money in his own pouch, he then gently guided the man over to his wagon.

“Kneel,” he ordered, and the confused fellow did so.

Brother Absalom rummaged in the back of his cart. “Your sin is to speak against the very word of God. In order to be saved, you must know what it is like to feel true pain.” With this, Absalom pulled out a long, leather cat-o-nine-tails. Stretching the whip between his hands, Absalom gave a grim smile. “May God save you and preserve you, faithless one!”

The first few blows brought cheers from the crowd. But, as Brother Absalom continued the beating, the crowd’s cry died down, and they watched in astonishment, horror, and fascination as Brother Absalom proceeded to beat the man into a bloody pulp.

As the man lay in the blood-stained dirt, faint groans the only sign of life, Brother Absalom turned back to the crowd. Wrapping the whip around his fist, and stretching it again between his hands, he flashed a grim and satisfied smile at the crowd. “Who will be the next to pay or suffer for their sins?” he said quietly.

He had never made so much money in his life that day. Or his unlife, for that matter. Perhaps this ghost thing wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.

Passions:
Keep my spoils hidden (Greed) 4
“Save” as many people as possible (Sadistic Pleasure) 3
Screw with the workings of the Church (Power-Hungry) 2
Accumulate more riches (Desire) 1

Life: Pierre was given to the local monstary at age eight. His family was too poor to feed him, and rather than abandon him on the streets, they choose to give him to the service of God. Pierre was quite distraught at the separation from his family, and planned to run away to rejoin them. When the opportunity presented itself, he did so, only to find they had been killed by the plauge just days before.

Vowing never to fall into the cycle of poverty that they did, and disgruntled with the strictness of the order and abstractness of religion, Pierre, now dubbed Brother Absolom by the order, stayed with them long enough to be educated, and then ran away yet again. His “education” included seeing the inner workings of the Church, including the scandal and corruption within. Rather than being appalled, he became fascinated. With his Church-given education, he quickly came up with a new, befitting career choice. He became a pardoner, promising to save people from sin for a small fee.

Death: The Church was never fond of pardoners infringing on their flock and riches, and Brother Absolom quickly became among the most notorius. Cardinals decried him, priests tried to keep their patrons away from him, but all to no avail. With his charasmatic speaking and showmanship, he declared all were in need of “true salvation,” which usually involving taking all of their money and then systematically beating “the sin” out of them. He became disturbingly popular, his show as much entertainment as it was religion. His enourmous earnings were stashed in a well-hidden cave in the French countryside, to make him appear as a seemingly poor and humble man of the church.

Finally, the Cardinal of France declared him an outlaw, and he was quickly arrested on his way to Paris. He was brought to trial in the main square, but his charisma seemed to be working on the judges. The Cardinal let several accusations fly, and Absolom greatly responded with, “If I have offended Thee, then let God strike me down Himself!”

Wouldn’t you know, He did?

Rebirth: When Brother Absolom was reaped, he should have had the fear of God put into him. Instead, he was greatly annoyed. How dare God presume to decide fate for him? He vowed to work against God as much as he could, only making his punishments worse and his desire for treasure greater. Absolom posed as a Fisher long enough to gain the resources and education he needed to live in Wraith society. Once he was properly “trained,” he betrayed his chapter to Charon so he could escape. Now, he is up to his old tricks in a new country; being dead hasn’t stopped him one bit.