Bishop Raphaniel Charlock is a player character in The Ravening War. He is played by Brennan Lee Mulligan.
Quick Answers
What is the public persona of Bishop Raphaniel Charlock in The Ravening War?
How does Bishop Raphaniel Charlock handle his failures in the Ravening War?
What are some of the characteristics of Bishop Raphaniel Charlock's physical appearance?
What is the true nature of Bishop Raphaniel Charlock behind his public facade?
How does Bishop Raphaniel Charlock contribute to the narrative of The Ravening War?
Description[]
A very wise and elderly radish with a big old red head, wispy roots of a radish as a beard. He has such a small butt, it's basically nonexistent. He portrays himself in public as a kindly and wise old man, but behind this facade is a very cunning, manipulative and ambitious man who lies as easily as he breathes. He handles his continued failures with increasingly frequent episodes of obsessive mania bordering madness and visions of an apocalypse; when we see him again 5 years after the assassination of Queen Pamelia of Candia, he appears to have lost grip on his sanity to the point of nearly-pitiful senility.
Background[]
Bishop Raphaniel Charlock has been in the role of Bishop to the royal family of Cardoon since his youth.
History[]
Raphaniel had been a Bishop and serving alongside former queen Lady Amangeaux who considers him a good friend, and doesn't question him or his motives until the first meeting with the Fellowship of Destiny's Architects.
He continues to deny being invited by the Fellowship of Destiny's Architects to members of the party, instead insisting that he has been "Grandfathered in" by being at the right place at the right time by pure coincidence.
It was Raphaniel who, in secret, dealt the final blow to Queen Pamelia of Candia during the assassination plot before realizing who she was, regretting his actions and nearly losing himself to a confused rage over being used as a pawn by the Fellowship.
Raphaniel and the others witness a strange creature running just before Delissandro unceremoniously kills it. Upon investigation the entity appears to wear clothes and carry items on its person as if one of the common citizens of calorum, but appears to be composed of fungus, which are not known or believed to exist. Following the direction it attempted to flee, they discover a strange cave they dub the Heart of the World. Rootlike veins pulsing with light stretch across the cavern. They briefly spot a strange creature unlike the first. Raphaniel connects with something that could only be described as a hive mind or neural network that damages him slightly as he communes with it, his brain finding it difficult, sharing messages but not having clear mutual understanding. Soldiers arriving and discovering the wreckage of the earlier assassination push the group to flee the area.
Years later, after a discussion with Archbishop Camille Colliflour, he realizes who and what the Fellowship really is, Sanctus Putris, and swears a mission to eradicate them and their ideology from the face of Calorum.
For his transgressions against the Sanctus Putris by attempting to create a rival faction within the church which he failed to hide, he was demoted to Archdeacon and sent to Comida in shame. He decides to leave to try to find the cave to the Heart of the World the group discovered years ago.
Upon tracking back to the location of the cave, it appears completely covered over, appearing to be more from natural means of weathering and erosion rather than a targeted cover up. Raphaniel is inconsolable.
Relationships[]
Lady Amangeaux[]
She may have won a soft spot in Raphaniel's steely heart, as she seems to be really the only individual besides himself that he actually cares for. He may have even had an ulterior motive when they first met and formed a bond, but now that seems to have given way to genuine caring from both sides. That being said, he doesn't seem hurt but more annoyed at her questioning of his motives after the first meeting with the Fellowship.
Karna Solara[]
The pair both share a history in subtle underhanded dealings, espionage and secrecy, and thus seem to form a friendship early on. They maintain contact and assist each other in small ways throughout the years of the Ravening War.
Thane Delissandro Katzon[]
Members of the same party put together by the Fellowship, though they don't share much of a bond.
Colin Provalone[]
Though he is a fellow member of the group, Raphaniel regards Colin with a―really undeserved―amount of suspicion simply on the fact that all other members of the group put together by the Fellowship are of some political or religious significance except for him. This greatly troubles Raphaniel who depends on his knowledge, logic and reason to stay ahead of everyone else.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Raphaniel's name is based on Raphanus, the Latin word for and genus of radishes. Charlock is a name referring to various species of weeds of grain fields, particularly Sinapis arvensis (known as "charlock", "charlock mustard", or "field mustard").
- In the epilogue, Brennan reveals that Raphaniel's notes on the Ramsian doctrine and Bulbian eschatology are found by an ascendant Belizabeth Brassica, leading her to adopt the fanatical beliefs that she displays in A Crown of Candy. This means that Brennan's character in this prequel story essentially created the primary antagonist in the original Calorum adventure.
