Bethany Coleman

"This new age is a great voyage, and this church is the vessel I will steer through the coming storm."

High Priestess Bethany Amanda Coleman

The founder and self-proclaimed prophet of the Church of the Seasons , Bethany Coleman - known later in life as Bèlhami Kolma - was one of the most controversial people to ever inhabit Aydah. The church she founded has been accused by many as an exploitative cult yet commands a substantial following across much of the region.

Divine Domains

The Seasons, Nature, Rebirth

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A tree encircled by a ring and four five-pointed stars

Physical Description

Body Features

Bethany Coleman was noted for being far less "fae-like" in appearance than most Elder Fae, looking almost identical to an Elf.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Bethany Coleman was born in Spokane, Washington in 1972 to railyard foreman Johnathan Coleman and his stay-at-home wife August. Despite her fairly normal lower-middle-class upbringing, Bethany was always known as eccentric and strange to those around her, especially from high school onwards.
By 2020, the year of The Return, the now middle-aged Bethany was a DMV clerk in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, though she lived alone in the nearby town of Rathdrum. Neighbors and co-workers who survived the Return told the story of an eccentric woman who was devoutly religious but did not attend any local church, preferring to worship at home. Bethany subscribed heavily to alternative medicine and New Age practices, and was known to get into arguments with people over subjects such as homeopathy.
When the Return hit, Bethany was wrapping up work at the Coeur d'Alene DMV. She arose from her Rebirth as a supernaturally beautiful version of her younger self, with pointed ears, glowing eyes, and a close magical relationship with the seasons and weather.
Almost immediately she began her cam pain of proselytization among the shaken and scattered new Reborn. Proclaiming the apocalypse as the beginning of the final age of the world as we know it, her vision of a female supreme being with many aspects echoing the old Christian God took hold especially among especially among whose old faith was shaken by the incomparably sudden shock that was the Return.
She used her magical abilities in her services, creating entrancing displays that complemented her incredibly fiery style of preaching and energetic sermons. Some have leveled accusations that she used some form of mind-influencing magic at her sermons to take the audience under her spell, but no evidence was ever presented to substantiate these allegations. Within two years the Church of the Seasons was born, alongside Bethany's 301-year-long High Priestesshood.
Eight years before her death, Bethany had a brief tryst with a traveling Elder Fae man from beyond Aydah. Five years later, her first and only child, Amelia Coleman (Èmilye Kolma) , was born. Èmilye would eventually inherit the title of High Priestess.
Her belief in her own power eventually caught up to her when she challenged the Grey Dragon Yargun to single combat. Though witnesses say she put up a fight, she was eventually lifted away the air by the dragon's talons and her burnt and battered body was not discovered until five months later by an expedition of trappers out of Priest's Rest. In the interval, Yargun was defeated by an alliance of the principle cultures and organizations in the area - including the Church's own paramilitary force, the Guardians of Spring.

Employment

Pre-Return, Bethany was employed at a somewhat dead-end job working at the Coeur d'Alene DMV.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Bethany, in life, was truly convinced that she was a prophet. The many anecdotes and tales retold by those outside the church who had interacted with her paint a picture of a woman who was extremely eccentric, off-balance, and possibly had severe psychological issues.

Social

Family Ties

While Bethany's daughter, Èmilye , has inherited the title of High Priestess, the wanderer whom Bethany fell in love with has not been seen in Aydah since her death - just over a century.

Wealth & Financial state

By the end of her life Bethany and her church had amassed a massive fortune in Old World artifacts, precious materials, and property; much of which originated in the form of tithes from her congregation.

Divine Classification

Prophet (Self Proclaimed)

Species

Elder Fae

Church/Cult

Church of the Seasons

Honorary & Occupational Titles

High Priestess of the Church of the Seasons; Chosen Prophet of Yaha; New Queen of the Coming World

Previously Held Ranks & Titles

• Councilor of Sanpoi

Life

48 BR 303 AR 351 years old

Circumstances of Death

Killed by the Grey Dragon, Yargon

Birthplace

Spokane, Washington

Current Residence

Entoumbed in the Temple of the Seasons, just outside Sanpoi

Gender

F

Eyes

sky blue

Hair

long, flowing, light brown

Height

6'4

Weight

143

Aligned Organization

Church of the Seasons

Known Languages

English, Aydah Common