Tobias Wren

Known as the Zealot — megacorp co-founder, true believer in the human spirit, beloved by a religion whose attention he does not seek, and a man who wrote his own moral code onto his skin to cover the scars.

Overview

Tobias Wren co-founded Meridian Holdings alongside Idris Kahlo, and where his partner became the public face, he became the conviction. He speaks about human potential with an intensity that reads as sincere because it is. The Harbingers of the Guide adore him for it and quote him freely.

He does not care about them at all. He has never corrected the misunderstanding, and it has never cost him anything.

What he does follow — zealously, without exception — is a personal code he expresses entirely in symbols rather than words.

Appearance

An industrial accident at a manufacturing plant left both arms badly scarred. Rather than conceal the damage, he had it reworked into tattoos that incorporate the scarring:

• Left arm — rolling dice: take a chance
• Right arm — a gust of wind: follow the winds of change

Together they are his entire philosophy, worn where he can see it. He has worn a breather mask covering the lower half of his face since the accident and is never seen without it.

Personality

• Genuinely believes in humanity and says so constantly
• Follows his symbol-code with total consistency
• Indifferent to the religion that venerates him
• Reads as warm; is not especially sentimental

The Former Name

He has gone by another name. This is not quite a secret — enough people know that it circulates — but no one has confirmed who he used to be, and he has never addressed it.

Relationships

• Idris Kahlo — co-founder, opposite temperament, long partnership
• The Harbingers of the Guide — they love him; the feeling is not mutual

Status

Co-running a megacorp, misunderstood by his most powerful admirers, and entirely at peace with it.