You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. But lately, the specter of question has crept into your thoughts. Is it possible that the teachings of the god were simply to stifle the mortal's powers? Could all these years of obedience and servitude have been squandered on a selfish god? You are disappointed, a little embarrassed, and let's be honest, you're angry. Years of wasted zealotry keeps you from proselytizing about your new-found "freedom," but you have found comfort in laughing at the works and evidence of the gods; a little humor helps to ease the bitter pill of truth that you choke on each day.
Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your previous religious service. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a crisis of truth once your ecclesiastical station allowed a view behind the curtains? Perhaps you were just a humble follower who cannot deny the horrors and failings of the world.
As an skeptic, you inspire the suspicion of those who are faithful, who vacillate between pitying and fearing you. You can expect those who still believe to try to convert you and those of the cloth to overwhelm you with their good and just example. If you find another who is skeptical, your kinship is instant and deeply felt, commiseration will feed conversation.
You still have ties to a specific temple dedicated to your former chosen deity or pantheon, and you have a residence there, but it will never feel like home again. While near your former temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous, and they will help you out of a desire to reconvert you.
Suggested Characteristics
Acolytes are shaped by their experience in temples or other religious communities and the crisis of truth that compels them to leave the faith. Their study of the history and tenets of their faith and their relationships to temples, shrines, or hierarchies still ripple through their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be some hidden hypocrisy or heretical idea, or an ideal or bond taken to an extreme.
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