The Father of Pearls

I'm not going anywhere...

I... I can't feel my legs. Is that bad? Am I not worthy? It won't be long now. I've waited long enough, ever since he came on a wave that flooded the city. "We were always part of the ocean," He said. "It was only fair."
He is The Father of Pearls. He paraded down the streets in the company of monsters, the children of the black sea. He flew open the doors of the old church. It sat vacant, condemned for decades. To my surprise, there were just as many cheers as there were tears. I never knew so many of the failthful lived among us.
I can't speak all of a sudden, a pain in my gut causes me to writhe as my body changes. I'm alone, laying flat on my back on the reef. I'm surrounded by the crashing waves. The sky is dark, and grows darker as my body tears and stretches. I hear someone behind me.
No, I think, there's no way he actually came.I turn to see him, hoping my eyes have yet to fail me. The man was tall, clean, and surprisingly young. His well kept is dark, matching his tan skin and equally dark eyes.
He wears a black robe, as always. He inches towards me and I prepare for the look of disgust, or maybe disappointment. I find neither. He stares at my transformation with concern, empathy.
He gently grabs my face and turns it so our eyes can meet, "I'm here."
I sat up, doing everything I could to resist the pain. I try to speak, but my mouth is gone. I want to apologize for taking up his time.
He kneels to the ground, puts his hand on my newly formed skin, and he gives me a smile. He sits on the rocky ground of the reef, just a foot away from me. The waves crash around us, the storms growing more violent than ever.
"I'm here for you," he says. He takes a deep breath of ocean air, "I'm not going anywhere. No one should have to do this alone."

The Father of Pearls is a man named Victor Bondar, the leader of The Order of The Black Sea and its most zealous member. While there are many horrifying tales of brutality on the part of the cult, Victor is progressive, and helped shape The Commonwealth of Alternative Religion .
He is not known for his zeal, though he has plenty to spare. He is not known for harpooning heretics like many of his predecessors, though these heinous acts are not beneath him. In reality, he is most known for his kindness.
The cult is well known for its assortment of monsters, creatures that used to be human. When They volunteer, they are allowed to gaze upon The Idol of Foam. If chosen, they seclude themselves on the reef outside of the cult's base of operations. The Father of Pearls stays with them. Every single one of them will enjoy his encouragement and moral support during their painful transformation.

A Brief History

Victor was born in Ukraine nearly 200 years ago. His father was a sailor and a member of The Order of The Black Sea. Victor joined the order when he became of age, rising steadily through the ranks until he became the de facto leader sometime in the 1940s.

Not much is known about the time before he was the leader. Following a hunch, it was Victor who found the idol of foam hidden beneath Venice. The idol was essential for the cult's survival, being the only true connection to the god they worship.

Victor would be a primary influence in the Commonwealth of alternative religion. He slowly shifted the direction of the cult. One example being the creatures he commands. The order was one of the first cults to actively use eldritch creatures in their holy wars. Victor shifted this transformation away from war and towards enlightenment.

Appearance

Unlike the leaders before him, Victor underwent a transformation himself. His body has been mutated in many ways. As such, he always wears thick black and navy robes to cover the last palatable mutations.

When wearing the robes, he looks like a normal human being. He is clean, charismatic, and intelligent. Something those who meet him often struggle with is how empathetic he is. Even members of the web are surprised when they encounter the cult and are invited to dine with him as opposed to being sacrificed.

The mutations that he hides include hoofed feet, patches of scales along his arms, and a third appendage sprouting from his upper back. This appendage is a flashy tendril that he has used in combat many times.

...Hours pass, and it gets difficult for me to breath. The transformation is almost done. This is it: a coin toss. I'll either live or die and nothing can be done to sway it in my favor. I ache. My muscles give out, no longer capable of reacting to the pain. I stare at the cloudy sky, struggling just to keep air in my lungs.
The Father remains, his hand clutching mine as he lingers above me. Another wave of frigid water crashes against the reef and his arms stretch across my body as shelter.
I see his brow raise, the tears in his eyes. I must have lost the toss. He takes my hand again, clutches it tighter. It's strange how small a human hand feels now.
"You're doing fine," he says," Not long now. You're Almost there." He smiles, "You're going to make it. It hurts. Trust me, I know." He opens his robe, enough to show the changes he experienced when he looked at the Idol.
Just when I'm unable to take another breath, I feel the layers of fat and mucus break over what used to be my mouth. I open my gaping maw and take the first breath of air with a new pair of lungs. I scream, unleashing the pain and fury of the past few hours. It sounds more like a roar. The father beams at me, backs away and stands up. He commands me to do the same, cheering me on in my moment of triumph.
I stand, and realize I'm much taller than he is now. I have webbed hands, four legs, and the teeth of a great white hidden in my smile. The Father stares in awe, and I respond in kind.