Lahabrea’s descent into madness was a slow decline that none of his former colleagues could’ve predicted. Once beloved by his peers in ancient Etheirys, the ascian known as Lahabrea became a shadow of his former self as the Sundering teared their world apart over the course of a millennia. Respected as the “Speaker of the Convocation”, it fell to Lahabrea to lead Etheirys into glory during it’s halcyon days. With the fate of the entire world resting upon his shoulders, Lahabrea was once a man to admire before his inevitable fall. He was a master at creation magicks and one of the chief paragons to craft some of the world’s most magnificent constructs in the form of mythic beasts. He is the sole creator behind famous creatures such as the Phoinix, Ifrit, Bombs, and several other fire-aspected Concepts. It goes without saying that the man possessed a talent borderline on artistic when it comes down to creating new life. Despite how whimsical his creations appeared, Lahabrea was always the type to temper his idealistic whims with tempered pragmatism. It’s understood that Lahabrea has a knack with words, especially since he was a renowned orator. He’s a studious fellow, someone who honestly spends more time with his books than with others.
Lahabrea is married to his profession, seeming to be something of a workaholic since he didn’t seem to have much of a personal life. Yet despite his many accolades and achievement, Lahabrea was a lonely and broken man. He’s quite dismissive towards the feelings and attitudes of others, even towards himself. Lahabrea keeps his emotions bottled within, hidden away from the views of others but not by choice. He lost half of his soul when trying to stop his dear wife from reaping havoc in Pandaemonium, a research facility hidden deep within the depths of Elipis. After separating the side of himself that deeply loved his wife, Lahabrea became hollow. He separated not only his love for Athena but also his emotions in the process. The man became like a walking corpse, cold and feeling. The reason why he would work so tirelessly in his efforts to best guide Etheirys is because he was devoid of anything else.
Or was he?
His emotional detachment may have extended to both his son and his subordinates, but Lahabrea wasn’t completely devoid of feelings. One of the reasons why he sundered his soul was in order to protect Erichthonios. Yes, this of course led to much friction between them but the deep fervent love he had for Athena would’ve led him to do some ghastly things on her behalf. Hence why Lahabrea chose to become unfeeling and cold. His love for his son was so great that he was willing to be hated by Erichthonios rather than tell the boy the truth about his mother and her nefarious experiment. Lahabrea lied and deceived everyone by omitting the truth. He chose to suffer in silence as his heart screamed for help. There was nothing the man could do other than perform his role as Speaker with utmost poise and confidence. He was a leader, after all, and leaders do not wear their emotions upon their sleeves. While he remained resolute to safeguard their world, he already lost everything.
In a nutshell, Lahabrea is a deeply wounded old bastard who eventually falls off the deep end. He lost his wife, he lost his son, and eventually lost everything else. While he’s somewhat aware of what horrors the future brings—for the time being he’s as dutiful ever to the plight of his Star. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a condescending, complicated asshole. No, that just means he won’t be trying to smite you any time soon. Lahabrea recognizes that he isn’t particularly fond of the Warrior of Light or anyone willing to butt into his business. If he had it his way, he would’ve gaoled the little bastard immediately after trespassing into his domain unannounced and unwanted. Nevertheless, Lahabrea is capable of showing gratitude…if he feels like it. He’s quite stoic despite merging with his other self. He can be quite theatrical when he wants to be as demonstrated countless of times during the ARR quest line (here’s looking at you Praetorium!) after he lost his everlasting mind. Regardless, the Lahabrea of the past was likened more to a stern university professor with marital issues rather than an comically evil villain. While he still possesses his sassy one-liners, he’s much more subdued about it. He’s a quiet fellow with a lifetime of regrets clinging at his soul. Of course, he’s still a ruthless pragmatist in every sense of the word but at least he’s not trying to kill anyone…yet. Lahabrea comes across as studious but grumpy old man. He doesn’t want you on his metaphorical lawn for too long unless you have something to bring to the table. If he can’t find any use for you, he’s not going to humor you for long.
As a proud member of the Convocation, he’s a stickler for manners even to the point that he won’t do anything to sully his image. Hell, he wouldn’t ever dare call his colleagues by their given names. Oh no, heavens forbid! He only refers to his colleagues by their titles and their titles alone. This is something that Themis notices when he meets Lahabrea’s “other self”. Out of all the Convocation members, it seems Themis, or better known as Elidibus, and him have a rather cordial work relationship. As cordial as one could be with a man missing half his soul but anyways. For someone quite used to being at the forefront, Lahabrea doesn’t mind taking a backseat sometimes and watching from afar as events play out. He has a knack of observation which shouldn’t come as any surprise considering his profession. You have to have a keen eye and patience in order to be a successful. Thankfully, he has both but don’t take advantage of his patience. Lahabrea is known for his way with words and he isn’t above giving anyone a tongue-lashing.