Meril Elhalyn Torkham

• a.k.a.
• Age: born 67 years ago on Darkover, but only 44 years old biologically (a result of accumulated translation errors in the space-time continuum resulting from the effect of anomalies of the Darkovan sun on ship drives and a hectic travel schedule).
• Marital Status: Single.
• Occupation: Cristoforo priest, monk, theologian, historian, scholar, teacher, author, missionary, Federation courier, conspirator.
  
  An expert in church history, Meril has done extensive research on the origins of the cristoforo church, both on Darkover and on Terra. He has published several works, none of which have been widely distributed—especially on the largely illiterate Darkover—including 'Mind, Soul, Guilt, Existence: The Early Cristoforo Church', 'What Cristoforos Believe' (his only popular work, if any of his works can be called popular), 'Hastur Unveiled' (which would have been a highly controversial debunking of the divine origin of the Comyn families if anyone had bothered to read it), 'Genesis Terranonis', and his philosophical masterwork, the seven volume treatise entitled 'The Compositionality Hypothesis in Religious Discourse'. During a period of particularly devastating psychosis, Meril also wrote an inflammatory monograph under the pen name "Donal d'Hali" entitled 'Dark Powers on a Dark World: The Chieri Conspiracy', which he now finds rather embarrassing (though he is not sure even in his relatively sane periods that the Chieri aren’t the real masters of the planet).
  
  Meril does not believe that religion should be hidden behind cold stone walls—or on a cold stone planet—and is active in supporting the nascent Empire-wide cristoforo missionary movement.
  
  Using his legitimate scholarly activities as a cover, Meril occasionally carries messages for Federation intelligence, which greatly facilitates the making of travel arrangements (he is also an Elite member of the Big Ship frequent traveler club). He would probably have better relations with the F-men were he not so deeply involved in the cristoforo missionary movement, which they regard with deep suspicion.
  See Other Information, below, for his conspiratorial work.
• Former Occupations:
• Residence: Cramped cell at St. Valentine's; cramped quarters at Sadat University, Jerusalo-Cairo Metroplex, Terra; travels extensively, often staying with local cristoforos.
• Laran gift and laran training: Moderate Elhalyn gift. Nevarsin trained. Other telepaths and empaths find it hard to pin down Meril’s thoughts, since those thoughts tend to wander, often among the esoterica of Darkovan intellectual life. Many years ago, an Alton forced raport with Meril and wound up stuck for hours in a highly technical exegesis of Meril’s original Compositionality paper (see above). Some attribute his psychic evasivenness to his highly trained mind coupled with a natural secrecy; others think it is a symptom of deep psychosis. They may both be right. Similarly, Meril has trouble concentrating on the minds of others, so he is not much of a telepath.
• Politics: Meril is moderately pro-Terran and anti-Comyn. He supports Darkovan autonomy within the framework of the Empire and has toyed intellectually with the seditious notion that the cristoforo ideal of the kinship of mankind requires a democratic government, but he has a bigger political fish to fry (see Other Information, below).
• Personality: Ascetic, yet not unkind (and, indeed, rather generous in a quiet way toward admirers, friends, admirers, those in need, and admirers). Professorial, yet not pedantic by philosopher standards. Absent minded, but not...oh, I forgot what I was going to say. Socially inept outside intellectual circles due to mental instability and long-term cloistering, but well liked by his friends and respected by his colleagues.
• Strengths: Smart, very well read about many esoteric subjects, hard to read telepathically, Nevarsin trained, speaks fluent Terran, has connections with Federation intelligence, occasionally carries James Bond-type weaponry.
• Weaknesses: Cannot dance, limited telepathic abilities, occasionally guilty of the sin of pride coupled with just a touch of a rejection complex (which makes it possible to softsoap Meril with praise), known for pissing off the already unstable Elhalyn family, sometimes talks above the heads of his listeners, has connections with Federation intelligence, occasionally experiences delusions of grandeur. Above all, Meril is as mad as the proverbial hatter.
• Combat training: Nevarsin self-control techniques make him a decent unarmed martial artist, though this is not his specialty—and he is growing slower with age. With a sword, he would be more likely to disembowel himself than his opponent. On Terra, he has on occasion taken time, courtesy of Federation intelligence (which has funny ideas about the safety of its field operatives and couriers), to practice with a few miniature self-protection gizmos hidden in everyday objects (neural potentiators hidden in portable telescreens, antigravitonic disburser pocket combs, phase induction molecular decoupler beer bottles, wristwatch-mounted Penrose field reversers, and the like), but he would never even think of using one of these gadgets on Darkover unless his mission or someone’s life depended upon it.
• Horseback riding: Fair to poor. Meril is well traveled, and therefore experienced with horses, but he has no natural talent for riding (horses seem to think Meril is some kind of madman who is very inconsistent in controlling their movements). At times, he thinks it would be easier to saddle up a banshee bird.
• Appearance: Picture Albert Einstein on Valium, sans moustache, wearing a purple toga, surrounded by red-tinted snow.
• Romantic relationships: Meril is a priest, for the gods’ sakes. Well, he might have had a mad fling or two with some graduate students at the University when he was younger. And it does get kind of lonely at St. Valentine's in midwinter, if you catch my drift. And there was that one time that he and a group of missionaries were caught outdoors at pollen time. And that nice courtesan across the street with the interesting books with the arousing pictures when he was growing up in Valeron. And the cute assistant librarian at Neskaya tower who finds his work so fascinating. And perhaps a couple of fellow passengers on the Big Ships, just to pass the spacetime. But Meril has not been seen with anyone we know. At least, not lately.
• Friends: Meril counts among his friends many cristoforo missionaries across the galaxy, including a several students, former students, and colleagues at St. Valentine's. He is also well liked by librarians and academicians in various locations on Darkover and Terra. At present, Meril is actively courting the friendship of several tower-dedicated leronis, ostensibly in the course of research on a new book, Laran Praxis: Matrix Science as World View. We’ll see about others...
• Enemies: Who could possibly be an enemy of this humble man?
• Hobbies: Reading, late-night theologic discourse, early-morning hymn singing, mind-over-body exercises, baking simple but delicious pastries.
• Other Information: Meril has a secret plan—well, maybe it’s more of a vision. He believes that cristoforos can use matrix science offworld to foster the spread of the cristoforo religion throughout the galaxy. He sees this as the obvious unifying solution to the cycles of decay and revolution that have characterized recent Empire history. This plan is known only to a few carefully chosen confederates and at the highest levels of the priesthood at St. Valentine's (and to anyone reading this, which does not include your character!). Of those few who do know, most consider this plan to be either brilliant or mad, which pretty much covers the spectrum of everything that Meril does.
• Family Tree: Meril Elhalyn Torkham is rumored to be an Elhalyn nedestro, for obvious reasons, but if anyone knows the facts, they aren’t telling—and he doesn’t know. Meril was born in Valeron. His mother, who styled herself Jodi Elhalyn, was a weaver who died when Meril was born; Meril does not know the identity of his father. He was raised until the age of fourteen by Ardelis and Leonora Torkham, full-time bakers and part-time cristoforo missionaries of no special note outside their abiding faith, their marked cristoforo charity, their unusual literacy, and their excellent reputation for breadmaking. The Torkhams, sensing that they were out of their league as foster parents, sent young Meril to St. Valentine's when his laran began to manifest. He still visits them every Spring, unless he is offworld.
  
  Meril is not accepted by the Elhalyn family as one of their own, and takes a perverse (though mildly sinful) pleasure in their discomfort with the "Elhalyn" in his name on the rare occasions that those unstable folk notice him at all (which is usually after he has sent them correspondence using highly familiar linguistic forms appropriate only among close kin). A few of the more cynical Elhalyns probably harbor the quite mistaken impression that this troublesome priest aspires to the Darkovan throne and might seek Federation help to get it.
• E-mail: acr1964@yahoo.com
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