Varen Parlése

The priest then strides to continue the service, a thin man that walks with a silent determination. His orange robes and white vest stand out against the brown and blue of the walls of the temple as he takes his place at the podium. He isn't young, with a couple of wrinkles and a scar on his neck disfiguring his face a little as he begins to speak.
His voice rings out as he says the words of the sermon, hitting them with a trained emphasis and a clear tone. From his words, you can tell that this is a man that knows exactly what he is saying and has spent decades perfecting his words and mannerisms. You can also tell that he isn't just saying these prayers because he has to, but because he believes in the power and wisdom that they impart.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Varen is a thin man, almost frailly so, with thin cheeks and wrinkles. A long scar goes down his body from his neck to his waist.

Body Features

He is remarkably skinny for his size, almost to the point of frailty.

Facial Features

His face is a little stern and a little wrinkled in some places, although he is often found smiling.

Identifying Characteristics

The scars from the demon attack that nearly killed him in his youth go along his neck and down the centre of his chest.

Special abilities

He can manifest some divine effects that could be considered a type of magic, although they are not magic in the usual sense.

Apparel & Accessories

He can often be found in the orange robes and white vest of a priest, although he wears more common clothing when he is just going to the market or at his home.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Varen was born into a very religious family, with his grandfather being the founder of the Temple of Alté where he would later work. Before he went into the compulsory military service that all Gratic youth undertake at eighteen, he had a prophetic dream that he would die if he went onto the battlefield. Because of this, he begged his aging grandfather to bring him under his wing and teach him to be a priest, but the elder Parlése refused. Sure enough, Varen very nearly died when his camp was attacked by demons several days into his training, the powerful blessing of his grandfather being the only thing that saved him. Sent back as an invalid, his grandfather finally relented and taught him the rituals and rites of the Four. When his grandfather died, Varen began to lead services, where he found himself to be a remarkable sermon writer. He has been doing the five weekly services and talking to hundreds of travelling pilgrims from that day to this.

Education

He learned to read and write from his grandfather, along with the various rites and services of the Imperial Temple.

Employment

Varen was only a soldier for a few days before he was sent back, so he has only ever been a priest.

Mental Trauma

He still has a fear of violence and bloodshed, born from his experience in the army.

Intellectual Characteristics

He has a naturally curious mind, and he is constantly searching for new ways of thinking and new vicarious experiences to live. This curiosity is not out of greed for knowledge, but a genuine search for meaning in the world. He also has a very reflective personality, being very careful to think of the consequences of his actions before acting.

Morality & Philosophy

As a priest, Varen recognizes that he plays a vital role in the morality of the town, so he tries to be the paragon of religious zeal and kindness that one would expect of someone of that role and influence. He can often be found talking with pilgrims and guiding them on the right paths to wherever they need to go.

Taboos

He has a fear of the number five, as many priests and Gratic people do.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Varen merely hopes that his services and support to his flock will create more good than bad, and he works tirelessly to this goal. He tries to be the best version of himself and help out where he can. At the same time, he tries to find out the meaning of life, having faith that his observation of pilgrims and townsfolk alike will eventually give him the answers he seeks.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

He has a knack for public speaking, although this is an acquired trait more than a natural one. When the situation demands it, he can be very talkative.

He doesn't know much about magic, as mages are very rarely among pilgrims or travellers.

Likes & Dislikes

He likes religious texts, unsurprisingly, but doesn't quite see the point of fictional texts such as novels or performed plays. He has a great love for stories, however, provided that they are true.

He prefers plain food over richer fare.

Virtues & Personality perks

He is very kind and helpful to the various people that live in his parish, as well as to pilgrims and travellers passing through.

He is a good public speaker, commonly holding powerful sermons and flawless services.

Vices & Personality flaws

He brings his hand down hard on differences of religion in his parish, being very judgemental of foreigners as a result.

Personality Quirks

His scars can get itchy from time to time, and he feels a calming feeling whenever he scratches them.

Hygiene

He keeps himself clean enough to be respectable, although he doesn't see the point of it himself.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Due to the convenience of his location and respectability among his peers, he has a very good relationship with the High Priest in Gratic City.

He is also very well-known among the various people in the town, with whom he has a reputation for kind help.

Family Ties

His family have long passed on, and he has decided to remain celibate, so he doesn't have a family and likely never will.

Social Aptitude

He has a powerful voice, although this is mostly due to confidence and practiced conversation over the years of his life. He isn't particularly charismatic. He remains a very humble man, trying not to draw too much attention to himself outside of services. He has good manners, although his rural upbringing has fairly hindered his acquisition of them.

Hobbies & Pets

In his spare time, he goes out and does acts of kindness.

He can be often found chatting with pilgrims and travellers, both in the temple and in the streets.

Speech

As mentioned previously, he has a powerful voice, honed over years of sermonizing and talking with strangers.

Wealth & Financial state

Although Varen gets a small dividend from the Imperial Temple in the capital, it usually isn't enough to keep up the aging temple and to prepare it for the large number of pilgrims that pass through it on a daily basis in the warmer months. That, combined with a lack of large donations, means that he is rather poor. His house is a small thing, barely furnished.

Current Location

Freebrook

Species

Endamian Human

Ethnicity

Gratic

Year of Birth

1965 CE

Birthplace

Freebrook

Current Residence

Freebrook

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown and twinkling.

Hair

Long, sleek, and black.

Height

5' 9" (6 handspans)

Weight

119 lbs (360 IS's)

Aligned Organization

Imperial Temple

Known Languages

He speaks Common Gratic, but he knows a smattering of common words of other dialects due to the disparate origins of his flock.

Ruled Locations

• Freebrook Temple of Alté

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)