Profile
Basics
Likes
- Caring for others
- Reading late at night
- Scented candles
- The ocean
Dislikes
- Cowardice
- Hot weather
- Being alone
- All that glitters
Stats
Healing Light
A medium-tier healing spell. Heals 250HP.
Flower Cage
Traps an enemy in vines, flowers and thorns. Enemy takes low damage per turn.
Create
Builds a structure's foundation out of vines and flowers. Non-combat spell.
About
The Rabbi is the gentle, kind leader of Mellifluora's political capitol - I describe it as such because his village isn't what you would think of as a capitol, necessarily... In fact, there are villages that are bigger and more impressive than it! But he's the man they sent to political summits, so he's considered a sort of leader to all of Mellifluora by the rest of the world. In fact, the truth is, Mellifluora is semi-anarchist outside of their committee of Rabbis coming together to make rules and solutions for the wellfare of their communities, and Mellifluora as a whole.
He is Mercy and Vehal's father, and while he can occasionally be embarrassing, his children love him very much. Though he is very young, there is a deep-rooted fear at his core that is causing him to already start considering Mercy as a sort of 'heir' to his position... Wouldn't you be afraid, too, if you felt that life and death itself rested on the shape of your smile?
Backstory
TW: Underage sex work, underage pregnancy
Despite being the Rabbi of Mellifluora's capitol village, Betzelel grew up in Illicichor, where he worked in a factory - far harder, more dangerously than any teenager should have to, trying to help support his sick mother. Also on his mind was the liberation of his childhood best friend, Tarrarose, who was being exploited by corrupt procurers - and as if that wasn't enough to worry about, he'd discovered by age 16 or so that 17 year old Tarra was pregnant, and the child was most likely his...
Ironically, this was something that helped Tarra forge her own escape from her employers - the Rabbi sometimes wonders if she encouraged him not to wear protection with her that night for a reason. But no matter what, it led to a happy ending as far as he was concerned - they ran far away from Illicichor after the Rabbi's mother passed away, to a place as different from their childhood home as they could imagine: Mellifluora.
Here, the two of them made a life together, and Betzelel felt so indebted to his new home that his new life's calling was to live in service of the community. Having grown up with Floralist influences on his own spirituality, he was a perfect fit in the circle of Rabbis serving Mellifluora.
Current Story
Since then, Betzelel and Tarra have watched their child - a son - grow up and had another - a daughter, and life has been nothing short of blissful for the pair of them, as far as life in their own community goes... But something has been missing, and they've both known that for a very lontg time.
Their relationship is so utterly codependent that they have no stable sense of identity without the other - they've never even spoken to a therapist, or anyone of that sort. Therapists, at this point, are somewhat rare, but not unheard of. While the Rabbi's instinct was to simply ignore this fatal flaw in their bond, Tarra knew better - she knew they had to discover who they individually were, in order to keep their marriage alive and healthy.
It was when their daughter, Vehal, was a preteen that Tarra decided to leave home and find herself. It was something both husband and wife had agreed to, and Mercy, their son, was mature enough to understand that he was not being abandoned by his mother... But neither Vehal, nor Betzelel were.
Of course it's for the best. Of course he knows that. But he can't pretend that he isn't breaking inside without the company of his soulmate, and he often worries she may never come back.
To keep himself sane, the Rabbi has fully married his work - and this usually helps him remain stable and happy. By worrying about others, he doesn't have the time or energy to worry about himself... It's a fragile happiness, but he isn't ready to face his feelings head-on yet.
But with a deeper commitment to the wellbeing of Mellifluora comes deeper engagement with the ugly things surrounding his home, that he can't just get rid of with a snap of his fingers. Namely, the tense relationship - if it can even be called one - between Mellifluora and the Golden Principality on the world stage. It's partly unspoken, the fact that the Principality would gladly destroy both the Rabbi and his people, and it often seems like the only people who will believe this silent dance are the Rabbi and the Golden One himself.
It's a sort of marriage, the Rabbi would admit, full of self-loathing. It's one he can't safely separate himself or his people from, and no one in the world really seems to understand how trapped he is... Though one man seems to try. Poorly. Extremely poorly.
The Rabbi almost hates exhaustingly center-liberal Ischel Calgaround, who values all viewpoints, no matter how evil they are, as much as he hates the Golden One. And the saddest part is that Ischel is the one who thinks he's trapped, between far-right terror and far-left horror. The Rabbi is trapped between close-shave survival and utter annihalation.
Links
Tarrarose Bimromav [ separated ]
... The Rabbi and his wife have been through so much that he doesn't know exactly who he is without her, and the same is true vice-versa. That's why Tarra went away. She needed to find out who she was on her own, she said. He supposed he could understand. Codependency is poison to a good relationship. So the Rabbi has been understanding and patient, and he has not panicked without the company of his wife, for the past few years. He is not panicking, and he is not afraid, and he is not lonely.
Mercy Bimromav [ father and son ]
Mercy is the Rabbi's eldest child, and because of that, he's set his hopes on Mercy taking up the mantle as the protector of his community. He can't exactly tell that Mercy isn't keen on taking the job - though he cares for Mellifluora and his hometown very much - it's just that Mercy isn't a natural-born leader.
Vehal Bimromav [ father and daughter ]
The Rabbi doesn't pick favorites with regards to his own children, but it's hard to deny that he and his daughter share a special bond. She, in fact, wants to inherit her father's position as Rabbi, but he doesn't seem interested in letting her have it. It's not what you think, it's just... He doesn't want his little girl to get hurt - she's got much wider eyes than her brother, and he's dedicated to protecting her optimism.
The Golden One [ embers ]
What is there to say about someone who wishes you and your people were dead?
Ischel Calgaround [ deadwood ]
There's not much more to say about Calgaround, who entertains anyone's point of view, no matter how clearly insane it is. Does he think he and the Rabbi are friends? The Rabbi shudders to think of it.
Desiderius Moonbrine [ sailor and siren ]
The Rabbi hasn't spoken to His Majesty much, as they only see each other once every three years at the gathering of nations. But in what rare conversation they've had, the Rabbi can say he's felt... Seen? Understood. Held. Oh god.
HTML by Eggy
