Mak Cliffsnotes
Born to a cult of Moanderites, Mak was raised within the insulated, secretive cult compound-- an abandoned village on the outskirts of the Sword Coast. The goal of this cult was to create an Abomination, allow Moander to pierce the planes and bring an end to world.
To offer more to Moander, Mak was offered up as a sacrifice when they were eight. Moander did not distinguish between Mak being the sacrifice, not the subject, and in their desperation to live they forged a bond-- a Pact-- with the distant, incomprehensible Great Old One.
They were allowed to continue living in service of the cult, but faced bitter resentment... even if it only rarely escalated into overt mistreatment. They were, after all, marked with Moander's favor and power. They were told they gained that power in some other way that wasn't being sacrificed by their own parents. They were old enough to remember. For the sake of everyone, they pretend to have forgotten.
Many years later, a member of the cult disappears... whisked off to Moonrise Towers. Later communications with cult leadership introduce the Cult of the Absolute, and the rest of the cult follows suit.
Two and a half months later, maybe three, maybe four, Mak is put on the chopping block again to get the attention of the Absolute.
It works!
Mak wakes up on the Nautiloid, disoriented, afraid, and feeling even stranger than usual.
