The Death
he who turns the wheel of this clockwork purgatory✗✗xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxJusт A Naмє Oη Tнє Fιlє
☼ Blessings unto ye who serve our lord God» Father Jose Merlow Clemice.
☼ He who has been blessed with» thirty-two years of health and properity.
☼ Come unto us long ago on a gracious » July 31, Day of the Human Portrait.
☼ One granted, as with us all, a body reminiscent of» Adam's Masculinity.
☼ Faith and trust have cloaked this heathen as one of» Russian Descent.
☼ As well do lies hide his sinful» lust for the flesh of his brother in man.
✗✗xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxPsycнologιcal Syηopsιs
☼ For a mind can be honed as easily as can be broken»
Jose a person who tries things - even having a personality. Emotions are not something that come to him easily or naturally. What do I feel in this situation? How should I react? Am I supposed to cry here or laugh? He's awkward in social situations and sometimes just outright confused. A consious and emotions are something that came along later in life for him. He wants to be a good, kind person but finds it hard to do naturally. He tends to act and emulate other people for the most part in this extent. There are some things the man just can not handle by copying how other's would respond though. People with intense emotion will likely make him feel awkward and out of place as he can not empathize with them. Though instead of running he will just plaster on a smile - if a sad one - and follow their cues to completion.
Socially, the brunette can be a bit dry. He's spent so much time in the church that platitudes and good nature are the general ways to act. This is sort of the reason he is such a popular priest among people. Combine that good natured externalization with social awkwardness and you have a man who will kindly say really direct things. It's not always the 'sagious' advice you would expect of a priest either; trust in god and all of that. Jose tends to prefer very, very practical advice and answers to things. He's a holy man but his internalization of the faith is more a logical positivism argument then theological. For an example of how this effects his words let's use the example of 'Put it in God's hands' applied to people's problems. Clemice hates it when people use that phrase as it basically entails, "I'm giving up." as it's root factor. He'll then lecture you -- as he is not above a good stern talking to -- about how it's better for you to handle the issue and grow as a person then wait on a miracle. This sort of ideal has made him quite popular amongst the people but has earned some stern enemies in the church.
Interpersonally, Jose is the 'big brother' type as some would call him. He treats you either with respect or as if you are years younger than im. It's just how he is. The big man will laugh at your jokes but rarely make any of his own. When you're excited he might have a small smile but do not expect him to have rancarous play with you. To put it bluntly, he'll be following the other person's lead. If that fails he'll turn it into a power situation and just start doing whatever the other person wants. It's hard wired into his personality to do what he can or to accept orders. Jose will, to the best of his abilities, do anything asked of him by a person he enjoys the company of. It can be a bit dangerous to make wild comments or jokes around him, as he may act on them even if some people would consider them crazy. Clemice is hardly a really sane individual and can be very outlandish and wild without realizing that he is doing so.
Romantically, Jose is all kinds of awkward. Sure he has had romantic interludes and sexual encounters, but none of them held much merit. In the end he turned to men because his past with women (see history) had nothing good about it. It does nothing for him to be with a woman and in the midst of a flashback choke her to death. There is no chance of this happening with men as his experiences with them are fresh. Jose disregards the idea of a real relationship though. It's the ultimate form of human connection but he's accepted that no one is capable of understanding him, and thus keeps well in check his loneliness. Anyone who does manage to get close to him will find that while the man is physically dominant, he can be - strangely so - submissive to the other's desires in emotional situations. Basically, 'ff this is a dance then you lead the steps while I follow, and I'll take over once we reach a step in the pattern where I know the rest.'
As the Death card of Delilah, Jose is quite different from the kindly priest that many see him as. That all just kind of falls away in the face of the Cardmaster's orders. The word of his leader is an absolute not to be trifled with or made light of. In this sense his highest regard is to loyalty. Death would scarcely betray the dealer before he would take his life. No, once one swears an oath it must be upheld no matter the consequence. This same policy is held to the others in his charge. He'll hear no quarrel with their master while his ears still pick up sound, and deal with no insubordination. Clemice is as fierce a combatant as their ever was and could just as easily throw a knife into a person's eye as take a sip of tea. He's killed children, descrated bodies, and raped the innocent, looking into the face of murder is nothing new to him. Yet the consious feelings that follow after it are new. The thirty-two year old seeks validation and acceptance, a life to live, and regressing into his 'old ways' can be straining on his mind with the paranoia that it'll ruin his new life.
☼ A life can be lived with struggle quite unlike the ease to take»
"Father Clemice? A good man if ever I saw one. Damn well good thing that a holy man like him is allowed to sit in Senate as an adviser. His past? Well I never paid it much mind honestly. My wife and her friend were discussing him. Cheryl said she heard he's a Russian born man come over to escape the civil war as a boy. Good worth for him too - those war dogs are just going to destroy themselves anyway. Oh dear, don't tell anyone I said that, they're supposed to be our allies and all. Anyway, my wife said that his mother brought the boy over and raised him over in Winchester. Heard she wanted 'im to be a soldier but he apprenticed to the church instead. Now don't tell anyone but my wife was saying that maybe, jus' maybe, his mother was not really his mom. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying he's a b*****d son or nothing like that. But the way the man gives money to the local orphanages one just has to wonder if he feels a bond there? His mother? Well I don't right know really. I mean maybe she lives in town but I suppose she might well still be over in Winchester, you heard anything?" - Marcus Dewayne Torrento, Banker
That is the tale that will find your ear when you ask about dear Father Jose Merlow Clemice. He's a Russian born poor boy whose mother fled her motherland and raised him the best she could in a foreign, distant land where she did not speak the language. It's a fairly common tale with the security of England versus the warring nature of the continent. People are always willing to go to war over petty disputes and only the Island Nation of England has strong unity and peace under their God. They say that many drown in the straits trying to paddle row boats across the waters. Jose was just lucky that his mother had enough money in her mother country to book passage by sea to her new homeland of England.
The problem here lies in the fact that none of that is true.
Jose Clemice, real birth name Kahil Sabahattin, is a Heathan of the Southern Sands. He was born to a Muslim father with a harem of women in what would come to be known as Turkey. It scarcely mattered that his concubine mother was a captured Russian. No, all that mattered was that he was the fourth of nine sons to his father's proud lineage. They were nobility of high escort and control in their country. Turan Sabahattin, his father, managed a firm business of stealing children from the south and selling them to those in the north for labor, sexual desires, and other various 'needs'. No one batted an eye at this activity in how common it was. Slaves were a powerful resource to get a grip on, and numerous children worked as insurance in having your business sustained long after your death. Turan had nine successors whom he bred and groomed for empowering the Sabahattin name and six daughters whom he married off in exchange for favor.
It was as loveless an existence as to be expected. Turan had no time to plant adoration on the many fruit of his sexuality. No, instead he merely auctioned them off in training. The first son, Zafer, was obviously bred to be the next family head as the eldest. The second and third children were to be his assistants and aides. The fourth child, little Kahil, was expected to help as well but showed no skill for banking and mathematics. By his father's disgust at this lack of talent the boy was diverted into aiding the family in another way, and was enrolled in the army. In this, there appeared to be a talent. Turkey was a nation bordering the north and south continents, two different sides in a long standing war of conquest. Every day men went and fought the borders to protect their interests. There was no absence of experience in battle. Like any child raised in a place of constant war he fell into his granted role and adapted. Honor for the family, honor for the nation, honor for the blood, and there was no need for more then that.
He was only thirteen when he became a ölüm dağıtmak. A man of the sands would quake in his boots at the name. There was a similiar effect on the northern lands except they knew this group only as, 'Death Dealers'. The ölüm dağıtmak were soldiers, no, they were raiders who knew no mercy. Only the most elite survivors of past battles were allowed to take part in this organized group of massacre artists. Their goal was not the front lines but instead the villages and the innocent. 'Let our enemies come to fear us for what terror we may bring upon them should they challenge us.' Rape, pillage, murder, and burn were the creeds of the group. It was made only worse by the fact that most of this group consisted of young men barely in puberty. Kahil was as effecient as a mass murderer as he was a brainwashed child soldier on a Jihad. A soldier so highly trained in combat and suffering to the point that they could be considered a walking manifestation of man's malice. None would take a ölüm dağıtmak as a prisoner of war for their crimes were too great. To fail was to die. To get captured was to die. To live was to keep on killing without end, and yet to grant your family great honor.
Kahil never had a complaint with this life that he had been granted.
And yet all that time, that murder, that agony of training and learning a mindset, it was all wasted. All gone to pot for the sake of the sixth child, Rafet. He who enticed their eldest brother into his hand and had their father murdered by brigands. The second and seventh sons resisted and were murdered. The Eight had been killed in battle. The Ninth son, the youngest, was still but a toddler cared for by the woman of the harem. Though Safer sat at the head of the family, it was Rafet who controlled their affairs. With so many killed in the process none resisted. The third and fifth childs swore alligance and recognized the passing of power As was with Kahil and the Sixth, both were away at war and had no place in the decision. Their opinion was never sought.
So it was that upon finding out, Kahil killed them. All of them. The ölüm dağıtmak were never to move without position, but they were entitled to great knowledge as befitting their station. Young Kahil, now seventeen, had scarcely known for a passing of the sun before he fled. A deserter from the greatest branch of the army. All so he could return to his home and exact vengance on his own snake tongued brothers for a father who never loved him, for a name he sacrificed his world for. The four remaining children scarcely had a chance. Their guards were few after the death of their father had broken the unity of the family. Kahil killed all four while they were in meeting, desecrated the bodies, and hung them from the the walls of their home as a sign. Yet now what was he to do? His lord father was dead, all of his brothers save one murdered by his hand or anothers, the family name in shambles, a deserter to a unit where to leave was to die, and his sixth brother knew none of what had happened. Kahil fled the nation as swiftly and secretly as he could. It's likely his remaining brother let the family go to pot from there - he never was a smart one.
For four years Kahil wandered the northern nations of old Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the outskirts of Russia. There was nothing in his life. He made due at first with a simple life of begging for goods. It would have been easy to kill for everything he needed but murder felt awkward without someone directing him. It felt as if he were playing at his past and making a mockery of the craft. So he begged, worked odd jobs, and learned what he could of these strange people's ways. After a time, age twenty-two at this point, he discovered what may well have been his calling. These people had the same respect for holy man that one would find amongst the religious in his homeland. Kahil, now going by Jose Clemice which was a name he made up in Austria, was never a religious man. He never felt the tug of god at his heart string. He did, however, see the benefit of being such a man. Yet he was in the lands of the Catholics who would not accept a priest of foreign origin, much less a heathan, as a man of faith in their nations. He could have easily given up on this path but it was a goal to persue. So it was that he crossed the straight to the land of England.
It was hard at first. Jose did not know the language, the ways of the land, and while he could blend in with the dark haired English the man appeared different. Had he just randomly come to England for no true reason it might have turned out terribly. But no, Jose came to England to become a Priest, so as to become respected in the North and have a future of prospects. He enrolled as an apprentice at the first Protestant church he found, did manual labor for them, and treated that he be taught the ways of the English and their faith. He was twenty-three when this started and twenty-seven when it finished. Once he learned the language it became easier. The gospel was a simple task of reading and rereading the text while the ways of the English were picked up by exposure. No, it was speaking the tongue that suffered him so. He was quite thankful to his teacher, an aged Priest so willing to pass on God's word, and so he killed the man in as painless a fashion as possible. It pained him, as Jose had spent many years with the man, but it would all be in vain if the truth of his heritage and training were known. That is the truth of his time in Winchester. There was never a mother there with him, he was older than the rumors say, and the people only knew him as the 'Priests mute apprentice' who rarely if ever left the church. Yet there was no way he could stay there past his time. Instead he fled Winchester for the famed city to the west, Bellum.
Things went quite well for him in the Capital. He was a tall, handsome traveling priest with a firm grasp of the gospel and a thick, Russian'esque accent. (Thus how he came to be known as Russian thanks to people asking if that was the source of his accent and Jose just nodding.) With the city in such a state of sin and death rates so high it was easy for the church to accept him. Another man to read the funeral rites? Another to attend service while the Church's Priest would do private faith sessions for the nobles who dared not attend with commoners. He was integrated successfully, carefully, always easing himself into a better and better situation. With his pay he sustained a healthy - if minimalistic existence - and gave much of it to charity. By this time his old ways were starting to fade into obscurity. One could even make the arguement that Jose had a 'faith revelation' of some sort. Perhaps the gospel he taught really was not all for show?
It's an irrelevant arguement now though. At some point Jose, a high ranking member of the protestant church, came into contact with the Cardmaster. Exactly how this happened is irrelevant but it is what happened after that matters. Jose was blackmailed with his heretical past and heathen identity. How did the card master find out? Could he just tell? Was it a grand scale conspiracy investigation into the past of a priest who was well liked and well known for his kindness? Or did Jose actually tell the Cardmaster out of some sense of respect? A great mystery is this. No one in Delilah is quite sure how Jose came to join their ranks. One day there was no one and the next they had a 'Death' in their deck. Yet this has given the Turkish man his desire. He's a man of the faith, well liked and beloved by the people, and has power to change things. Granted the power is coming from a mysterious man known as the Card Master with powers over Bellum, a man who's political influence got Jose a higher ranking Priesthood position and a role as one of the many 'spiritual advisers' to the Senate. And all he had to do was let his past as a ölüm dağıtmak come back to haunt him. It's the same thing except instead of King, Country, and for the Blood, it's all for the Cardmaster and his secret organization.
Is he happy with this regression? Did he always want to return to the old ways? All mysteries, all questions, all things most unknown. If there is anything to say about the Death card of Delilah, it is that he is most secretive.
☼ Desire is the root of sin»
♥ Bellum | It is where he chose to make his new life.
♥ Being a Priest | The title has a certain type of respect that he's never enjoyed before.
♥ Innocent Children | They brighten the place up a bit just by being naive.
♥ Being Busy | It makes him feel good, useful, and cuts down on self-inspection.
♥ Cardmaster | He feels 'fulfilled' when he risks himself for another's honor.
♥ Honor | This guy is a huge 'respect and honor' freak who is very annoyed with disrespect.
♥ Horses | He is a highly experienced rider and can preform acrobatic feats while doing so.
♥ Pain | There are a lot of hidden things about Father Clemice, his masochism is one of those.
♥ Violence | He may try and deny it but Jose is trained to be highly violent when needed.
♥ Giving Advice | Get by all the things he did and you feel like you have a lot to say on how to live.
☼ As trials are the key to growth»
× Himself | At times Father Clemice is intensely self-loathing while self-reflecting.
× Bland Food | Which is all he has had since coming to England.
× Soldiers | They make him nervous and defensive, on edge.
× Merchants | He finds them disgustingly untrustworthy and too self-concerned.
× Dancing | It just feels very awkward for him due to changing patterns.
× Sudden Change | He's a very 'old ways' guy, not good with handling sudden drastic change.
× Self-Defeatists | People who give up before they try are disgusting.
× Delilah's 'Murder Children' | He finds them disgustingly similiar to how he grew up.
× Female Closeness | It can cause some bizarre flashbacks and potential violence.
× Feminine Men | Finds them a disgrace to their gender and disrespectful to real women.
☼ Yet some things are put in our way to never be overcome»
- Being Exposed | Heretic by birth, mass murderer by past, he'd kill anyone before he'd being exposed.
- Training 'Minor Arcana' | Worries about doing something truly unforgivable, worse then murder, by 'copying himself'.
- His Own Mind | Is he really just a random murderer? Is there nothing else to him? It's terrifying.
✗✗xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxIdєηтιfιablє Tяaιтs
☼ All creatures are at their root a bit vain» Fear not, Want not, Know not, Suffer not.
Jose is six foot, three inchs of solid build with broad shoulders, thick neck, and skin dark enough to constitute a natural tan. His curly black hair is kept very short with side burns thanks to rigorous work by the church sisters who trim it. On the rare occasion that he is too busy to shave the man's goatee will meet those sideburns and form a sparse beard. It's highly likely that Jose would not care if he had a beard or not (it being a sign of distinguish in his country), but has been told it makes him look quite aged. Matching, slightly thick, black eyebrows crown a pair of deep-set golden yellow eyes with a distinctive ovular shape to them. From there the cheeks round out, dimpleless, to an slightly upturned nose and relaxed pair of lips. Usually those are set in a sort of half-smile or disinterested expression, all depending on his company and general mood. The man has excellent posture. Most would intrepret Jose as slow due to his size but that is not entirely the truth. It is correct that his flexibility is in some ways limited by the muscle, but he is capable of easily preforming impressive physical feats as a result of training. Of course that muscle weighs quite a bit so do not expect to be picking him up any time soon. While it's generally considered good to keep yourself healthy some people might consider Chemise's version of 'in shape' as overkill.
☼ The vestiments of a priest before the persona of a killer»
The most common appearance of Jose is in the vestments of his Priesthood. The tab-collared shirts that resemblee a standard dress shirt are the norm. The collar either buttons or pins flat against the shirt, and a white strip (the tab - about two inchs across) is inserted to form a small white square. This is the most common article found in Father Clemice's wardrobe as he detests the long cassock robe outside of special service and can not stand the scarf-like vestments. The clerical clothing he wears is all one outfit and each shirt comes with matching black dress pants. Knowing how the Father does not care much for his own appearances, several of the nuns have taken it upon themself to rectify this. Perhaps even over-compensate as it were. His clothing, when cleaned and sewn by the dear nuns of the faith, tends to be very form fitting. He prefers to wear boots over simple shoes or sandels, which can look weird to some.
Typically Jose will choose to wear his clerical clothing at all times. He did, after all, work quite hard to get that position it requires. That is not always an option though. Some places a priest is just not expected (or allowed) to go. Not to mention that some areas of Bellum, most notably the slums, have no love for men of God. It is only these reasons that has Clemice owning anything else. Outside of his uniform attire he'll normally wear light colored fitted tee work shirts (more of the nunnery at work) and dark colored work pants. Very, very simple clothing is key here. This is the case even in the cold months as he deals quite well with sudden temperature changes due to desert experience. The tall brunette hates to be weighed down by additional baggage and thus refuses to wear jewelery (also cause it's womanly), watches, necklaces, bands, or any other article that is not required.
And then we have 'working Father Clemice'. Jose, when doing something for Delilah, is intensely secretive about his appearance. He wears a mask, normally has hooded clothing like a cloak, and prefers to wear a scarf around the lower face. That is really all that can be done to cover his appearance. It is lucky that few of the people he is given as prey are allowed to see him for long. While all of his 'work' is conducted at night normally, Jose would potentially be easy to pick out of a crowd for a survivor. He's not a small man and this tends to stand out in a crowd. Someone watching Jose stuff his clothing full of weaponry before setting out on a hunt would think that he would jingle with every step. This is not true, as Jose was a raider and thus has experiencing hiding the noise of his weapons. He could carry four swords and a person would be lucky to hear them clack against each other once.
☼ A world of novelty where everyone has something interesting»
One has to get fairly close up to notice the oddities on Jose's skin. From a distance his dark skin hides almost all blemishes and marks. Upon closer inspection though a network pattern of scars is revealed. They are mostly on his arms but numerous ones can also be seen on the sides of his neck, back of the shoulders, and mid-back. They're fairly dark and well faded with years but there are still quite a few remaining behind. This is obvious attestment to being a veteran of multiple battles. Yet a most curious thing this as the marks on his arms seem far fresher and recent than those on the other areas of his body. This is mostly concentrated in the area where the shoulder meets bicep - an area covered by shirts and mostly ignored by people. This could lead some to consider them self-inflicted for whatever reason. He does not have any piercings or tattoos. Piercings are something the fierce brunette considers notably feminine. He does not see the interest in having ink placed in the skin.
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☼ Details best saved for later»
+ Jose is an assassin, hunter, and bloodhound for Delilah.
+ This Death Dealer is very much dedicated to his missions and refuses to give up.
+ Refuses to take orders from anyone but the Cardmaster directly. Simply will not do it.
+ Is unsure if he actually believes in the Christian god or not.
+ Feels disgusted with himself for training the Sword Minor Arcana, finds them disgusting.
+ This could lead to him being abusive towards those under his command.
☼ Express me just perfectly» Extreme Ways - Moby
☼ Experience life in shades of...» Firebrick for speech and Grey for thoughts.
☼ The strings at my shoulders and back are manipulated by» Elevar.
Heroic People | They are an inspiration to us all, she wants to marry one.
Uncouth People | Nothing dignified or good about them at all!
Illness | The Queen and King were both claimed by illness, coughing worries her.
