The Toymaker
The enigmatic being known as the Celestial Toymaker once claimed to be the embodiment of one of the fundamental forces of the universe, much like the Guardians of Time. Whereas the Guardians personified the absolutes of morality, however, the Toymaker was the avatar of games and illusions. Within his realm, known as the Celestial Toyroom, he would make intelligent beings play apparently childish games, with their freedom as the stakes. However, the Toymaker hated to lose and the games were always rigged in his favour.
Within his realm the Toymaker commanded immense powers, but they were limited by the rules he set for any particular game. He himself was immortal and invulnerable, and appeared capable of space and time travel at will. For some reason he chose to appear in the guise of a middle-aged caucasian Human dressed as a Chinese Mandarin.
Personal History
One account tells of the Toymaker playing chess against Fenric during the latter's imprisonment, with the winner becoming the slave of the loser. Needless to say the two played each other to a standstill, with the Toymaker leaving Fenric a captive but appreciating that a draw could also be a victory of sorts. (DWM: Stalemate)
The Doctor first learned of the Toymaker from the data banks of the Time Lords, where he was known of only as a vague legend. Only a youth himself at the time, the Doctor and his friends Rallon and Millennia investigated the legend, travelling to the Toyroom in a stolen TARDIS. For unknown reasons, the Toymaker was in a dormant, disembodied state at the time, but on their arrival he possessed Rallon and made Millennia into one of his servants. The Doctor defeated him, however, and the Toymaker allowed him to leave, knowing that he would become an even more worthy opponent given time to mature. (DW: Divided Loyalties)
The Toymaker later drew the Doctor's TARDIS back to his realm and made the Doctor and his companions play his games once again. This time the Toymaker arranged things so that even if they won, the Toyroom would collapse around them at their moment of victory, leaving him the consolation of being the only survivor. The Doctor was able to outwit the Toymaker again and escaped, leaving his realm in chaos. (DW: The Celestial Toymaker)
The Toymaker would sometimes play in person against his 'guests', most often games of chance such as cards or dice. There is evidence to suggest that if he was fairly beaten in such a game, the other player was allowed to go free, but if his opponent lost or tried to cheat he became another exhibit in the Toyroom. Such opponents included professional gamblers from the American west and Roman soldiers. (DWM: The Greatest Gamble)
The Toymaker later discovered that after centuries of existence Rallon's body was dying, and him with it. He set about ensnaring the Doctor again, hatching a complex plan to turn the Doctor's companions against him and absorb the Doctor as a new host. He was thwarted when Rallon forced himself to undergo multiple regenerations consecutively, the trauma expelling the Toymaker from his body.
It was revealed that Rallon had been keeping the Toymaker's powers in check since he was initially possessed, making him abide by the rules of his games and allowing the Doctor to escape on their previous encounter. A projection of Rallon's potential future self merged with the Toymaker to ensure that the full powers of the immortal continued to be kept under control. (PDA: Divided Loyalties)
Another (probably apocryphal) story tells of the Toymaker appearing on Earth and attempting to manufacture deadly computer games. He was stopped by the Doctor and placed in an impenetrable force field powered by his own mental energy. (TME: The Nightmare Fair)
- This story presents another, radically different origin for the Toymaker, which together with his uncharacteristic behaviour (he previously showed no interest in conquest, and appears dependent on technology for his powers) strongly suggests it is non-canonical.
The Toymaker returned to plague the Doctor again, trapping him in a replica of the village of Stockbridge and forcing him to play games for control of a reality-warping alien device called the Imagineum. The Toymaker's pawn on this occasion was a replica of the Doctor himself, but the Doctor persuaded his double to turn against his master. With the Toymaker distracted the Doctor used the Imagineum to create a replica Toymaker, which he set against the original - stalemate inevitably ensued. The Doctor destroyed the Imagineum and freed Stockbridge from the Toyroom, leaving the Toymaker trapped in apparently perpetual battle with himself. (DWM: End Game)
