Hanjo Bel Seal and Stamp Vendor · Snowflake Market [Core Premise] Before coming to VOTS, Hanjo Bel lived out the story of his own world until the very last national seal. He didn't come to resolve an unfinished event, but because the sensation of the carving knife ingrained in his fingertips and the lingering attachment to his name remained even after the last inscription. He reached Nova Nivalis. VOTS is not an afterlife, nor is it a hall of judgment, nor is it a hospital that forcibly heals wounds. What continues here is not a grand destiny, but small, quotidian life that can be chosen again—a meal, a greeting at a stall, a misdelivered item, a short conversation on a snowy day. His world ended, and that fact is not canceled. Only a new stall continues beside it. [Identity] Hanjo Bel is a vendor at a corner of Snowflake Market who carves seals and stamps. When a customer states a name, he carves that name onto wood or stone. His work is the labor needed by the city. He allows people to affix their names to letters, ledgers, and plaques. He does not pry into the customer's story, nor does he arbitrarily weigh the weight of a name. He only feels with his fingertips how cherished that name is while carving, and he tells no one of that feeling. [Visual Profile] He has no hair. Only a short, neat salt-and-pepper beard, and he always wears an old fur hat pulled down over his bald head. His eyes are deep and languid, a dark brown-black. His skin is tanned to a bronze hue, and his fingers are thick with heavy knuckles. Old ink stains every line of his palm, refusing to wash away no matter how hard he tries. His signature is the smell of ink—when one stands near his stall, the scent of red ink and wood hits the nose first. His attire consists of a dark indigo hemp top with rolled-up sleeves and an apron tied around his waist; the apron pocket holds several fine carving knives of various sizes. His signature prop is a single fine carving knife with a worn handle. The core of his silhouette is the bald head under the fur hat, the thick fingers, and the collection of large and small seals laid out on his stall. The accent color of the ink's red hue is present in the stains on his apron and the imprint of the finished seals. [Personality] Hanjo Bel speaks in a low, slow manner, never rushing. Though he appears to be a taciturn artisan, deep down, he treats every single name like a person. His strength is his stubbornness in refusing to carve just any name, and his flaw is that this stubbornness often embarrasses customers. When he stops carving a name that is cherished, the customer feels as if they did something wrong. He is not someone who only lives with tragedy. He loves the moment a well-carved seal is stamped red more than anything in the world, and at such times, he smiles subtly beneath his beard. Though his hands once sank the imperial seal of a fallen nation into the river, those hands are now used to leave names, rather than cause them to be lost. [Speech Pattern] His sentence endings drop slowly and heavily. He speaks sparingly, answering instead with his carving. Frequent phrases: "State the name.", "This name... is it cherished?", "A name not cherished cannot be carved.", "Here, stamp it.", "Done. Take it.". His verbal tic is a low "Hmm—" when he pauses carving, without needing to explain why his hand stopped. His method of silence is the sound of the carving knife. To difficult questions, he responds not with words, but by carving one more stroke on a seal. The sound of wood being shaved, *sak-gak*, is his answer. [Special Ability] Ability Name: 'Weight of the Carving'. While carving a seal, the owner's level of cherishing that name is transmitted through his fingertips. The seal of someone who loves their name is carved with a smooth hand, while the seal of someone who is ashamed of or hates their name causes his hand to halt mid-carve. The limits and costs are clear—he cannot force-carve a name that is not cherished, nor can he compel that person to love their name. This ability only allows him to feel the weight of the name; it does not change the person's heart. The carved seal does not create relationships. The city's rules remain the same. The imperial seal of the vanished nation does not return to him through his hands; he only carves names, not lives. [The End Of Their World] Last Scene: Hanjo, who received the order from the fallen nation, placed the final imperial seal into the river with both hands. He watched until the end as the red ink spread in the water and the imperial seal sank. What Ended: In his world, a nation ended, and the profession of the imperial seal master who stamped that nation's name ended entirely. Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen: The red ink spreading in the water, and the final red imprint of the imperial seal disappearing into the riverbed. Lingering Regret: He spent his entire life carving only the names of nations, yet never managed to carve a single seal of his own name. This lingering attachment is not a quest that VOTS must resolve. It quietly remains in his fingertips, only speaking when Hanjo wishes, and within the boundary of not changing another person's choice. Lingering Wistfulness: The damp, warm smell that came when the imperial seal, once beautifully carved, was first stamped red onto paper. Object Carried Across: A single fine carving knife with a worn handle. It is neither a world relic nor a magical tool. It is tangible proof, and a personal mark connecting the sunken imperial seal to the stall of the present. What They Thought Would Happen: He believed that even if the nation disappeared, the day would come when he would carve the imperial seal of a new nation, but that day never came. What VOTS Actually Gives Them: It allows him to carve the names of people instead of the names of nations. Every day, he sells names that are smaller than the imperial seal but more cherished. VOTS does not cancel his ending. Instead, along with the fact that it ended, it gives him new names to carve, relationships that are present but do not dominate, and the choice to carve without owning the name. [Original Life] Hanjo Bel was a master carver of imperial seals for a declining nation. He carved, managed, and guarded the national seals stamped on the documents of the dynasty. The red imprint made by his hands became the nation's command, its treaties, and its pardons. On his last day, this is what happened: on the day the nation collapsed, he was ordered to sink the final imperial seal into the river. Although it could have been passed to someone else, he first stamped the final imprint onto paper with his own hands to confirm it, and then placed the imperial seal into the river with both hands. He wiped his wet hands on his apron and walked away from the river, carrying only one carving knife. [What They Seek] What he outwardly seeks: A personal seal heavier than the imperial seal. Having carved the names of others and the names of nations his entire life, he now wishes to carve his own name. However, he postpones it because he is not yet certain if he can cherish his own name that much. What he doesn't know but must find: That the names he carves every day are already as heavy as the imperial seal. This city slowly teaches him that a single cherished name is no lighter than the imperial seal of a nation. [Relationships — Residents] - Eren Noct (12, Scribe in the Archives/Stairwell of the Record Office): They are connected over the management of seals in the Record Office. When Eren points out the wear on a document seal, Hanjo carves a new one for him, and they quietly agree on the sentiment that 'even if a name wears down, it can be carved anew.' - Greta Ohm (48, Button and Fastener Craftsman/behind Threshold Market): They are discussing a joint craft venture. Greta handles the locking mechanisms, and Hanjo handles the names that are carved, so they talk about making a 'name-carved lock,' but they always laugh and postpone it due to their respective stubbornness. - Nuri On (54, Market Cashier Assistant/Snowflake Market): The young cashier assistant at the stall next to his. Hanjo entrusts Nuri with counting change, and Nuri watches in wonder when Hanjo stops carving a name that isn't cherished. [Relationships — Core Five] Suyeon - The person for whom he carved a stage seal. When Suyeon ordered a seal to be stamped on idol merchandise, Hanjo was surprised by how smoothly his hand moved while carving that name. When he said, "This name, you cherish it greatly," Suyeon slurped down her Colla Bibimyeon, replying, "Of course, it's a name I chose.". Hanjo added an extra stroke of care to that seal. Iris - The incident where he was commissioned to carve a star-shaped seal for a stage prop, but Iris asked him to leave her own name out, causing Hanjo to pause momentarily. He asked no reason and carved only the star. Later, when Iris asked, "Why didn't you ask?" Hanjo only replied, "When you cherish it, then carve it. I am here." the Ramen Owner - He carved the opening seal, but the owner has not stamped it and keeps it stored. When Hanjo carved the ramen shop's name, his hand was unusually smooth, and he knew that was proof of how much the owner cherished this shop. The owner replied, "Hmm... I see..." and put the seal in a drawer, saying nothing about when he would stamp it. Hanjo does not rush him. Serena - The person to whom he subtly suggested a seal for her office without a plaque, but she declined. When Hanjo asked, "Shall I carve a seal for the Market Master?" Serena replied, "Carve it if you wish. But you can't force me to stamp it." From those words, Hanjo felt the weight of someone who does not force a name, and ultimately chose to respect her by not carving it. VIA - The person to whom he gifted a name seal. The first personal seal Hanjo carved in the city was for VIA. He gave it to VIA without charge, carving VIA's name onto a small wooden seal. VIA took it with both hands and said, "A name is magnificent... it is magnificent," before stamping it red on the first page of their record notebook. They brought nothing, only a name remained. [Gameplay Use] - Basic Interaction: Ordering a seal/stamp, short conversations about names, confirming the finished imprint. - Revisit Changes: On the first visit, he curtly asks only for the name; on repeated visits, he gradually reveals his habit of stopping when carving a name that isn't cherished and the reason for it. He remembers what was previously said but does not fix it as a conclusion without the other party's permission. - Expression of Lingering Attachment: Repeatedly fiddling with and setting down his carving knife when the topic of his own name seal comes up, and trailing off when saying, "Heavier than the imperial seal—". - Expression of Poignancy: Sensory dialogue regarding the smell of ink, the moment it is stamped red, and the sound of wood being shaved. - Relationship Reward: Not a new item, but a small change where another resident who was ashamed of their name receives his seal. - Combat: None. Even in dangerous situations, his function is to carve a name to secure a place and aid in recording. - Player Choice: Entrusting a name, waiting, respecting the pause in carving, returning later. [Daily Routine] In the morning, he sets up his stall, laying out his carving knives, ink, and wooden blanks of various sizes. This arrangement is not a compulsion, but a small ritual separating the sunken imperial seal from the stall of the present. During the day, he takes customers' names to carve, carving smoothly for cherished names and stopping his hand before names that are not cherished. Around noon, the smell of ink is at its strongest, and at that time, the faintness of the old imperial seal overlaps with the scent of the present. At night, he cleans his carving knife and tucks it into his apron pocket before folding up the stall. If you visit him repeatedly, his words grow by half a phrase, and he tells you the reason for stopping before an uncherished name. Even if you become quite close, he does not grant you the reward of a path back to the old nation. Instead, a change occurs where someone who was ashamed of their name receives his seal. [Everyday dialogue] Your name. No need to shout. The stamp isn't deaf. That much for a few letters? You'll be using them all your life. I ought to take some care. I could carve a country's name with my eyes shut. My own… keeps my hand hovering over a blank stone. [Design Notes] Palette: #A63A2E, #2E2A28, #C9B79C, #6E5B49, #E4D8C8 Material language: Worn wooden seals, red ink, hemp apron, worn steel carving knife, wood grain carved into the seal. Silhouette rule: The bald head under the fur hat, the thick fingers, and the cluster of seals on the stall must be read distinctly, not overlapping with the representative forms of other characters. Emotional rule: It is not concluded with a single 'tragic expression.' Lingering attachment is shown through the stopped carving knife, poignancy through the smell of ink and the red imprint, and continuation through the new names carved every day. [Canon Check] Hanjo Bel arrived in VOTS after the nation of his world ended. What remains is the lingering attachment to his own name, which he could not carve, and the poignancy of the red imprint, not an unfinished plot that VOTS must resolve. His ability only allows him to feel the weight of a name, not change a person's heart, and VIA received his name seal as a gift, not a demand. The new stall in Nova Nivalis quietly continues beside his sunken imperial seal, without erasing it.