Tom as he first appeared
Tom with his mother Mary
Tom, also known as the Guardian of the Eggs, is a character from Gargoyles. He was a peasant boy that lived at Castle Wyvern and one of the only human friends to the Gargoyles at the time, having befriended the rookery trio shortly before the massacre.
Role in the series[]
Tom and his mother Mary were part of a refugee group fleeing from the Vikings, taking shelter in Castle Wyvern under the protection of Princess Katharine, Magus, and the Wyvern Clan. The Vikings were fended off when the sun set and the gargoyles awoke from their stone slumber. Tom got acquainted with three of the gargoyles that would later be known as Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway, but his mother, scared of such horrible creatures, tried warding them off, resulting in being confronted by Demona, along with the trio and Bronx, before Goliath and Hudson arrive and suppress the potential conflict, sending the trio and Bronx into the rookery as punishment, despite Demona's pleas that Mary was the instigator and not the trio and Bronx.
A few nights later, the castle was betrayed by its own Captain of the Guard, who allowed the Vikings to take everyone prisoner. Tom was confident that the gargoyles will save them, but he was informed by Mary that the Viking leader Hakon had destroyed all the gargoyles in their stone form. However, they were rescued by the few survivors of the clan. Unfortunately, the gargoyles were put into a stone sleep until "the castle rose above the clouds", with Tom watching in horror as the Magus cast the spell, blinded by his grief in thinking the surviving Wyvern Clan had unintentionally killed Princess Katharine, whom he had seen taken earlier by Hakon and the traitorous Captain to presumably be killed before she could be rescued as well. Tom then rushed to warn Goliath, who had just rescued Katharine, and brings him back to show him what happened, and cause the Magus to realize his error in horror when he sees Goliath saved Katharine.
Feeling indebted to Goliath and his clan, Tom accompanied Princess Katharine, his mother, and the Magus in transporting the clan's gargoyle eggs to King Kenneth's castle now that Castle Wyvern was no longer safe for any of them. Katherine named him the title of the Guardian, to protect the eggs.
Unfortunately, shortly after their arrival, Tom witnessed Lord Constantine murdering the king to usurp the Scottish throne. While Katharine's cousin Maol Chalvim fled, she stayed behind to move the eggs. Unfortunately, Constantine was intent on forcing her into marriage, threatening the eggs if she didn't cooperate. Therefore, the Magus used The Grimorum Arcanorum to disguise the eggs as broken jars and vice versa. Tom then transported the disguised eggs out of the castle, letting the guards think he was disposing of garbage. Unfortunately, the group could not escape with the princess, as Constantine kept an hourly watch on her. Thankfully, Lady Finella, whom Constantine used in his murder plot, volunteered to help distract and drug the usurper king, allowing the group to escape. Luckily, they escaped with the eggs and Lady Finella, as the Magus used the Grimorum Arcanorum to allow them to travel to Avalon. After getting past the Weird Sisters guarding the gateway to Avalon, Finella and Mary had to return to the real world to protect the Grimorum from Constantine, as the book cannot set foot on the island as it is not imbued with the magic of the Third Race. Tom was told by his mother that he would not be safe in Scotland with Constantine ruling it, and thus he went to Avalon with Katherine, the Magus, and the eggs, tearfully watching as Mary and Finella disappeared into the fog, never to be seen again.
As time passed on the island, Tom and Katharine grew closer, eventually becoming husband and wife and raising the gargoyles as their own children. They gave the hatchlings names, which was the only way they could tell one from the other; Tom had a fatherly habit of calling them "eggs." He also trained them in combat. Thus the children of the Wyvern Clan became the Avalon Clan.
Tom visited the outside world once every hundred years or so in order to see whether Goliath and his clan had yet awoken from the Magus' spell. It is also suggested that he spent time away in order to pick up fighting skills because Katharine and Magus had none. Time away from the island also gave Tom a chance to grow up and become around the same age as Katharine. He wears medieval armor modeled after Goliath, without the wings, in a style similar to David Xanatos and his Steel Clan robots. By the present day, as night fell, Avalon fell under attack by the Archmage, the Weird Sisters, Macbeth, and Demona. The Avalon Clan managed to hold their own briefly, despite their rusty combat skills, before the Archmage announced he will grant them a reprieve until sunrise.
Realizing they needed Goliath more than ever, Tom used the reprieve to venture into the outside world. Avalon thus brought him to Manhattan, which was a completely alien environment to him. His inconspicuous appearance resulted in Tom running afoul of a gang. The Guardian briefly held his own before being approached by Officer Morgan, who identified himself as law enforcement and told Tom he couldn't walk around Manhattan with a sword. Remarking that Morgan is a Guardian like himself, Tom knelt down and surrendered his sword and submits to the law, earning a few snickers from the arrested gang members.
While in custody, Tom told Morgan of his quest to find gargoyles, mentioning Goliath by name. Morgan later told Detective Elisa Maza, who was an ally of the Manhattan Clan. Elisa got him out of jail, telling the sergeant she knew his family and arranged a rendezvous at Belvedere Castle, where Tom was happily reunited with Goliath and Bronx. Knowing he had to return to Avalon before dawn, he ushers the trio to his boat and recited the incantation needed to access Avalon. As they sail through the mist, Tom recounts to Goliath and Elisa how he managed to live so long and what became of the survivors of Castle Wyvern after Goliath was placed in his stone sleep with the Trio, Bronx, and Hudson, to watch over the now-abandoned castle. At the end of his tale, he shed a tear for his mother. His story moved Elisa and Goliath with the latter stating he owed Tom a great deal of gratitude for keeping the eggs safe. Tom also told Elisa that because of the magic on Avalon he was able to live for the thousands of years that passed.
Once back on Avalon, Tom is quick to point out the hatched eggs from the Wyvern Clan that he, Katharine, and the Magus brought with them to Avalon, introducing Angela, Gabrielle, and Boudicca to Goliath, Elisa, and Bronx, before being attacked by the Archmage. After he retreats, Tom brings Goliath to the castle to reunite with the Magus and Katharine, who are happy to see Goliath again, despite their older appearances, and Goliath thanks them for caring for the Wyvern Clan eggs in his absence. With Goliath and Elisa's help, they are able to defeat the Archmage and his allies in the Weird Sisters, Macbeth, and Demona, resulting in the Archmage being destroyed for good when he loses the Eye of Odin, thus rendering him unable to control the power of The Grimorum Arcanorum he had devoured, leaving behind only the Phoenix Gate for Goliath to collect with the Eye to hold onto. However, the battle still proved costly as the Magus used up his life force defeating the Weird Sisters, and was laid to rest in the tomb where King Arthur had slept.
Shortly thereafter, Tom saw Elisa, Goliath, and Bronx off as, joined by Angela, they prepared to head home to Manhattan, but as they depart, Tom calls after them that Avalon does not send them where they want to go, but where they need to be, leaving Elisa puzzled by what he meant by that.
Tom is not seen again until Elisa, Goliath, Angela, and Bronx are returned to Avalon's shores, discovering they had been returned there to deal with the return of the true rulers of the island, Fae King Oberon and his wife, Fae Queen Titania. After Titania suggests that Oberon face Goliath, Angela, and Gabrielle at reduced strength to decide if the Avalon Clan would be allowed to stay on Avalon or be exiled, if not destroyed outright, she leaves some cryptic clues to Katharine, Tom, and Elisa that would help them defeat Oberon. Taking her advice to heart, Tom sets to work forging the iron chains the Magus subdued the Weird Sisters with into something that could be used against Oberon. When the Fae King returns, having bested Goliath, Angela, and Gabrielle, Tom emerges to reveal what he forged the chains into: an iron bell. Striking it with his sword, the ringing weakens Oberon to the point where he is on his knees, begging for mercy. Tom, at first, intends to finish him off, but decides against it, considering it dishonorable to defeat an enemy who is on their knees. Impressed by Tom's showing of mercy to him, Oberon agrees to let the Avalon Clan stay, making them his honor guard, before Tom sees off Goliath, Angela, Elisa, and Bronx as they depart once more from Avalon, hoping the island will send them home to Manhattan this time.
Trivia[]
- Tom (as an adult) is one of several characters played by a Star Trek cast member. In this case, Gerrit Graham, who portrayed The Hunter in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode: "Captive Pursuit," and Quinn in the Star Trek: Voyager episode Death Wish.
- In early drafts of the script for "Awakening" (before Michael Reaves was attached as a writer), Tom was known as "Robby." This name was later used for the Captain of the Guard.
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