Monks don't have real names. 'Weft' is a noun, meaning the thread woven in between other ('warp') threads to make cloth. It has cultural connotations. When Weft gives his name, he translates it into the listener's language.
Within the order, Weft has a role described by him as "surveillance/assassination unit", nicknamed 'slasher'. Only a minority of monks is specialised thus. Weft is combat and assassination trained with emphasis on stealth attacks, and is proficient with many hand-to-hand weapons, a few projectile weapons and his bare hands.
Weft is cloth-minded, which means that he thinks very oddly and understands string better than he understands anything else. He is talented and semi-trained in Offwhite City's major forms of textilework (tailoring, embroidery, decorative weaving and knit/crochet, all primarily using silks), but does not often use these skills in missions.
He is shockingly ignorant of everything outside his specialities. He is observant but not very bright and he is a lousy actor.
Weft's build is sleek, lithe and narrow-hipped, very much a martial artist. A human would view him as rather feminine. Among his species this body shape would be seen as fit, masculine, attractive (if he wasn't a monk) and a bit stereotypical of 'dumb muscle'. Age-wise, he resembles an Earth human in its thirties.
Weft's face is broad in terms of bone structure but carries no extra fat. He has an unremarkable, not-particularly-attractive face for a middle-aged male of his species. His eyes are pale green and shaped typically. Weft has naturally grey hair, not caused by age, which is cut reasonably short, always in a practical style that won't obscure his vision. He doesn't wear makeup. Weft's skin is smooth and unwrinkled, of a typical texture for a middle-aged working male. He has no major marks or scarring visible, though he does have a mesh of very fine, practically invisible lines on his palms.
Facial expressions can be hard for offworlders to interpret at first (see species article). Weft doesn't show fear in danger or combat situations, though being cornered by amorous angels or curious people is another matter. When he forgets himself he can be animated and friendly.
Field agents like Weft are trained to move very quickly and cleanly. No movement is wasted. When standing, he is very still: he doesn't do the fidgeting around, shifting weight and so on that most people do unconsciously. It has an unnerving effect, even if the observer isn't sure why or what's 'wrong' about him. Weft moves with unconscious grace and never seems unsure what to do with his body, having had deportment and stance thrashed into him very thoroughly as a trainee. Aesthetics are very important to these monks, who are also taught to become background ornamentation when not required.
Weft's voice, reasonably high in pitch (he can hit soprano range [1]), usually sounds tense and even whiny. It's smoother and a little lower if he's relaxed. To a human, Weft will very often seem tense overall.
He favours bright colours when not on the job: he likes deep pinks and dark reds, doesn't wear much yellow or green, and in obedience to the law he never wears white. While on a stealth mission he wears the usual blacks and dark greys.
Weft is built for bursts of speed and activity, not endurance. He uses stealth and surprise. He fights unfairly. If things came to a prolonged confrontation with someone skilled that he couldn't dispatch instantly, he would be likely to lose. Similarly, his escapes usually rely on a sprint for cover or a lightning-fast climb to higher ground.
Members of his monastic order have access to a knowledge web, from which they can gain information when in a trance-like meditation state.
For a fuller list of training given to field agents, see Offwhite City monastic order.
His order's entry gives more general details about their religion and the religious vows followed by the various monks. See also Weft's pantheon.
Full article: see Weft's history
Weft hates rebels. He has gibbering terror fits if forced to imagine betraying or being expelled by his own order and he treats everyone else accordingly. (Note that he always blames the individual; the system cannot be at fault.)
Weft doesn't fully trust any species but his own. The same goes for animals, workmanship etc from anywhere other than his world. They are necessarily and irrevocably inferior and it's humiliating for anyone from Offwhite to go among offworlders. (This one is a cultural thing, not just Weft being hateful.)
He has some strange attitudes to animals, partly religious and partly societal in origin. Put simply: there are some animals Weft will strenuously avoid, and he regards all non-humanoids (and some humanoid aliens!) as soulless things.
According to training, when he doesn't have anything useful to say or do he'll keep still and quiet. People can forget he's there. He prefers it that way - but hates being ignored otherwise.
During the Great War, Weft is assigned to more-or-less constant surveillance duty in order to keep proper tabs on Iceheart and his associates. This causes Weft no end of frustration at having to put up with Suitov's various annoying traits, such as being friendly, trying to teach Weft magic, spotting the monk when he doesn't want to be spotted, listening to and remembering things Weft says, being cheerful, failing to show appropriate deference to Weft's order and similar acts of despicable evil.
They have been observed cooperating very effectively together on several occasions and apparently enjoying it, but in his more hostile moods Weft will vigorously deny this. Proximity to Suitov does seem to bring out the worst in Weft at times, and the monk maintains that his feelings for Iceheart are simple hatred and disdain.
Weft's vows include killing vampires and related possession cases, yet he does not approve of Jaina's vampire hunting (slipshod and sporadic in his eyes). A major point of contention is Jaina's romantic association with Iceheart, which Weft considers a complete mismatch on several levels.
Something to be noted on Jaina's side is that the huntress believes Weft once stabbed her friend Lance, though in fact Weft did not. Bear in mind that Weft would probably be happy to stab Lance, so he isn't all that deserving of sympathy for the wrong accusation.
As a vampire, Pasht is automatically, completely and irrevocably disgusting in Weft's eyes. Weft sees her as an unthinking monster.
The fact that Lance is an angel is unsettling to Weft, who has specific beliefs about angels. The fact that Lance has made obviously sexual advances fills Weft with fear and loathing. This is invariably funny to onlookers, which has only tended to encourage Lance.
Once he understands Lance's origins, Weft decides Lance is scum that would debase Weft's foot if he kicked him. Although not familiar with the idea of fallen angels, the monk understands what a rebel is (see Attitudes). Weft is especially freaked out to think that if he stabbed Lance, Lance would probably like it.
The thought of a man working as a dancer is in fact quite normal to Weft, but he certainly [doesn't approve of stripping]!
Weft will not completely trust anyone who isn't a member of his species (see Attitudes).
Weft is whiny, insecure and incredibly high-maintenance in general, not really knowing how to deal with friends. His heart's in the right place; he just seems to cock things up as soon as he lets his brain have a say.
Weft met Sebastian Fochs while both were trying to steal the same magic artifact from a wizard named Kell. They subsequently got stranded on a tropical island together, were mistaken for gods, killed a lot of people and managed, through teamwork, threats and dumb luck, to find their way home.
In Weft's view, this makes Sebastian a friend. Weft considers the halfie to have preserved his life and sanity during the events of Kit-Fox, and from then on has tried to keep an eye out for Sebastian's interests in return.
Sebastian has turned out to be good at defusing Weft's prickly moods, which is a very, very useful talent.
OOCly, the Profusion writers ReeToes, Erin, Anke and even Snog seem to like Weft, much to his disgust.
Weft's material-mindedness affects his magic use, if he should ever use any.
Weft has only slight magic talent. His employer does not train its employees in magic. He is usually resistant and occasionally amenable to Suitov's attempts to teach him.
According to the Offwhite City laws concerning magic, he is only supposed to use workings and not spells.
[I'm going to have to retcon the following out altogether, because it doesn't fit with what I've developed since.--Mutt] Weft has been observed using a relaxation working to try to calm Lance down during a freakout. (This worked rather too well and knocked Lance out, leaving Weft too scared ever to use it again.) The working duplicates the effects of a scalp massage - i.e. relaxation of muscles and release of happy-chemicals - although it doesn't do as much to improve blood or lymph circulation. He thinks of the process as "smoothing out the wrinkles".
(Not really. He's with Instar, of course.)
Weft is teh kjootest bishy EVAH!!11!1one!
What can I say?
Above comment left in because it reflects faithfully on its originator, in accuracy, maturity and typography. Weft is not, in fact, a bishy. Or 'kjoot'. --wf
Weft is a kitty and is probably related to Mr Bigglesworth.
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