MAGISTER FYODOR VATIA.

Art of Fyodor

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01. General Information


Name: Fyodor Tavalen Amell Scipio Vatia.
Nicknames: Fedya, Fyo, Dora (by Fenris). Fyodor often prefers to be addressed as Magister Vatia; how they introduce themself to someone varies.
Alias: Tavalen (their middle name, given to them by their biological father. Fyodor uses it as an alias while aiding the Blue Wraith, as they have never used this name in any other capacity.)
Titles: Magister, Senior Enchanter.
Age: 21 in Act 1, 23 in Act 2, 26 in Act 3, 30 in Inquisition.
Date of Birth: 7 Drakonis 9:11.
Gender: Nonbinary / genderqueer / agender. Fyodor doesn’t label themself, though. Also intersex; Klinefelter syndrome.
Pronouns: They/them. She/her is also acceptable, but like, in the way you talk about a drag queen.
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, with a strong preference for men.

02. Origins


Race / Lineage: Half-elf. They cover their ears with their hair, and those outside the Magisterium assume them to be human. Within the Magisterium, their heritage is somewhat of an open secret; so long as they present themself as human and do not publicly advocate for their fellow elves, it will not be acknowledged… at least not to their face.
Birthplace: Hightown, Kirkwall.
Current Residence: The Tevinter Imperium. Fyodor has two estates, one in Minrathous and one in Solas. They reside in Minrathous when the Senate is in session, and in Solas when it is not.
Affiliations: The Magisterium, House Vatia, The Blue Wraith, and the Inquisition.
Religion: Very, very loosely an adherent of the Imperial Chantry. They’ll attend Chant services as often as is required to keep up the appearance of faith, but no more than that. They believe in a Maker, but you won’t catch them praying.
Languages: Fyodor is profoundly, prelingually Deaf, and has speech apraxia to boot.

03. Appearance General Appearance: Fyodor’s appearance is well-maintained, and they take pride in it to the point of vanity. They have warm, peachy skin, which freckles and tans in the summer months. Their long, strawberry blonde hair has been grown out to cover a second-degree burn scar on the nape of their neck. Their brows and lashes are similarly a light blonde and are darkened with makeup. Fyodor has narrow teal eyes, framed by round glasses which are slightly too large for their face, and they often wear dramatic false eyelashes and red eyeliner. There’s a noticeable gap between their teeth as well as a mole above their lip. A thin scar lies above their high, angled cheekbones, and various scars are scattered about their body from battles as well as their usage of Blood Magic. They appear to be human, save for their reflective eyes, faun-like nose bridge, and slightly pointed ears, typically hidden by their hair. Fyodor has an elaborate and extensive array of runes carved into their body, covering their arms, legs, back, and some of their torso. These runes appear to be open wounds, created through intricate application of blood magic and intended to ward against applications of blood magic from their enemies. In practice, this is about as effective as quality enchanted equipment and far more painful, but Fyodor enjoys the practicality of having wards directly etched into their flesh. To those sensitive to shifts in the veil, this constant application of blood magic manifests as a somewhat unnerving aura and a slight weakening of the veil around them. They hide these runes with their clothing when appearing in public. Aside from that, Fyodor also has some degree of non-magical scarification mimicking vines and flowers, as well as heavily pierced ears and a split tongue. Generally, Fyodor wears the most eye-catching clothing they can afford, and accessorizes with a variety of jewelry, particularly rings and necklaces. They can typically be seen wearing long gowns with the sharp silhouette typical of Tevinter's fashion. Notably, their jewelry and outfits often feature an insectoid motif. Scandalously low necklines and dramatic high collars are common, as are long sleeves to cover their scarring. Height: 6’3”, but they often wear tall heels outside of combat, so in practice, closer to 6’6”-6’8”. They like to wear their really tall platforms with big headpieces and updos at parties for Maximum Tall. Body Type: Thin and gangly. Bit bony, small amounts of lean muscle that’s mostly just for looks. Twink Supreme. 04. Skills Class / Specialization: Blood Magic / Antimagic. Occupation: Magister and Demonologist. In DAI, they serve the Inquisition in its army within an antimagic platoon otherwise filled with Templars, in addition to acting as a field researcher and consultant demonologist. Skills / Hobbies: Fyodor is a demonologist of renown among the Magisterium, conducting some… less than ethical experiments into possession with loaned death’s row prisoners as test subjects. They also enjoy entomology as a hobbyist and are decently skilled with drawing, namely producing anatomical sketches accompanying their research. Fyodor couldn’t paint to save their life, though. They also have some more minor skills with sewing and lockpicking. Weapons: Fyodor has a number of ornate staves they carry with them as a status symbol in Tevinter, and sure, they do work as a focus for spellcasting, but they are functionally mere symbols. If Fyodor is actually expecting combat, they wield a double-bladed polearm. They don’t have the same skill with it that a warrior might, but it’s good for drawing blood and warding off attackers before they come too close. Combat Proficiencies: Fyodor prefers not to fight in melee personally if given the opportunity, puppeteering their enemies to attack on their behalf while they sling spells from the sidelines. Their fighting style is as eerily calm and controlling as their political front, focused upon drawing blood and debilitating their opponents. They are also skilled in antimagic, canceling, and warding, and have some proclivity for lightning magic. They wield an ornate, double-bladed polearm and have some skill in fighting with it in the rare situation in which their magic proves ineffective. Physical Strengths: While Fyodor’s actual vision isn’t the best, they are highly visually perceptive and prone to noticing small details others might miss. Their rune-carved skin provides a distinct resistance against enemy magic, particularly blood magic. Physical Weaknesses: Fyodor is essentially completely Deaf in the high frequencies and unable to hear anything below about 90 db in the low frequencies. Obviously, this can cause them some difficulties. More pressing, however, is the fact that Fyodor’s eyes are also absolute shit. They are severely nearsighted, which means that simply knocking off their glasses in a fight is enough to completely debilitate them as a primarily ranged combatant. In an attempt to prevent this, they make incisions behind their ears and use the blood that pours out as a sort of adhesive to hold their glasses on, but a determined opponent could still find a way to strip them of sight. Their glasses also don’t completely correct their vision; it remains slightly blurry, and while this barely affects them in their daily life, they cannot see far-away details quite as well. Additionally, their ability to communicate orally in emergencies is greatly diminished; just because they theoretically could does not mean the words are going to actually come out or be legible. Constant blood loss takes a toll, actually. It’s not uncommon for Fyodor to be dizzy and weak from the bloodletting involved in their magic. Additionally, while psychological in nature, Fyodor’s fear of fire does present a combat weakness. It is not severe enough that they cannot function in its presence, but it is certainly enough that a flame aimed too close to them for comfort might throw them off their game. Their runes give them a permanently uncanny aura and thin the veil around them just enough to be picked up on by those sensitive to it. 05. Behavior + Charming | + Intelligent | + Passionate | + Glamorous | + Resourceful Ambitious | Eccentric | Mischievous | Independent | Opinionated - Hubristic | - Vain | - Machiavellian | - Judgmental | - Grandiose | - Sadistic Personality Overview: How Fyodor presents themself varies widely. In the South, they are the Good Magister, the eccentric, charitable cousin to the Hawkes. Without real power to back themself up, and treading carefully in a city actively hostile to mages, Fyodor presents themself as endearingly and deceptively benign. Harmless. The blood magic is not a well-hidden secret, but it is buried and glossed over beneath layers of charm and innocent mischief. Why question how they came to power? Why think too deeply as they ply you with offers of friendship and aid? They are cordial, casual, and down-to-earth, a friendly smile so often worn on their lips. In Tevinter, however, Fyodor behaves just as any other Magister might. They maintain their power with an iron fist - if they cannot be loved, they will be feared. The cheerful child they once were has been replaced by an adult hardened by a life spent surrounded by cruelty. Once a small fish in a vast and uncaring ocean, Fyodor has carefully groomed themself into the role of a shark. The Fyodor one might see in the halls of the Magisterium is utterly cold and utilitarian, caring little for who is trampled in their grabs for power. Fyodor is immediately distinguished by their bearing - the regal, better-than-thou air about them and an overbearing presence that just about yells, “Look at me! Pay attention to me! Respect me!” The most important thing to understand about Fyodor Vatia, however, is that they do not exist. Fyodor is an amalgamation of masks, of the perceptions and expectations of those around them, of adaptations reformed into something resembling a personality. They are neither truly a bubbly philanthropist nor a draconian tyrant. They are not secretly good, nor are they secretly evil. They are nothing. They are a featureless mannequin who has worn a new mask each and every day for so many years that they’ve forgotten which they wore first. They must be admired, and who would ever hold admiration for the faceless and empty shell that is Fyodor? Still, for the select few who Fyodor considers friends (not acquaintances, not allies of convenience to be disposed of once their use expires, not tools, but friends), there are some small inklings of a person left in there beneath the mask. The truth, it would seem, is not entirely black-and-white. Fyodor is passionate, values their friends deeply, and can be quite blunt and straightforward with those they truly trust. In fact, honesty is something they ironically value - for someone who lives in a web of lies, even the harshest truths are a welcome oasis. With those they love, as few as they are, Fyodor can be quite affectionate and warm, even if it is often communicated in their own odd way. They cling strictly to the few morals they do possess: Slavery is an abhorrent stain on Tevinter society, and anyone willing to aid in its eradication is an ally to be had. Elves are their people, as disconnected as they are, and they will ensure the elves see a better Tevinter in their lifetime. It isn’t all sunshine and roses beneath the layered exterior, however. Fyodor holds a few truths close to their heart: All are beneath them. Their magical prowess is a gift, and one that makes them superior at that. They deserve power. No matter the atrocities committed by their hands in the name of preserving that power, it is always necessary. They do not do these things because they enjoy it, but because they have no other choice - don’t you see? Fyodor has clawed their way up to the top in a shower of blood, and when faced with the consequences of political relevance, they tell themself there was no other option. The blood on their hands is not something to mourn, and remorse is the one thing Fyodor struggles to truly fake. The concept is foreign to them. Remorse will not change anything tangible, and Fyodor will never make apologies for themself. They have earned this life, and the actions they take to maintain it are above critique. Typology: Just for fun. Fyodor is Lawful Evil, ESTP, 3w2 (378) sp/so, and their Thedosian astrological sign is Draconis. Likes: Insects and arachnids! Especially cockroaches, mantises, scorpions, spiders, and beetles. They also like balls and parties, fine wine, politics, flowers, academia and research, law, nature, anything pretty or ornate, and libraries. Dislikes: Cold temperatures, spicy foods, overly stuffy people, fire, the Orlesian Chantry (and the South as a whole, generally, but especially Orlais), slavery, the Qun, and (fair) combat. 06. History & Associations Family: Revka Amell, who disappeared when they were young, and Elgara, a Dalish crafter who had an affair with their mother. Their stepfather was Martin Amell, and their first adoptive father was named Sergius Scipio, before they were adopted by Gaius Vatia. Technically, Raphael Reeves was their adopted brother for a period of time. Rae is their half-sister, and they are a cousin of the Hawkes. Pets: Fyodor has a multitude of pets, all various invertebrates, though their shorter lifespans mean that this is a rotating cast. Their most notable pets include hissing cockroaches, emerald cockroaches, orchid mantises, emperor scorpions, and tarantulas, as well as crickets and house flies they raise as feeders. Current Connections: Fenris: Fyodor’s beloved and partner in crime. The two of them get on shockingly well, given their compatible goals, and enter into a relationship around 9:38. Lovers who slaughter slavers together stay together :) Fyodor respects Fenris more than just about anyone else and would do anything for him. Mercuria: Best friend since childhood!! Mercuria is the devil on their shoulder; she’s the one they go to when they want to do something horrible without being lectured. Kaius: Fyodor’s other best friend since childhood and their most reliable ally among the Magisterium. So long as he doesn’t stand in their way, Fyodor enjoys their fucked up research together. Anders: Fyodor sees Anders more as a fascinating case study than a person and would love to vivisect him. Needless to say, Anders isn’t fond of them. They’ll financially support his clinic regardless, though, continually pestering him while they’re at it. The Iron Bull: Fyodor engages in uncomfortable staring contests with Bull and will barely speak in his presence. He’s watching them and they know it. Vivienne: Surprisingly, they have a good deal of mutual respect and recognition for each other. They work on Skyhold’s wards together. Dorian: Fyodor’s ex-boyfriend. After a messy, drawn-out, deteriorating relationship that fell apart as Fyodor grew to be everything he hated, the two of them went their separate ways, but Fyodor still holds a small bit of sentimental care for their old friend. Backstory: [TW - abuse/neglect] The product of an affair, Fyodor had always known the sting of being unwanted, undesirable. Their mother, Revka Amell, had been sneaking off to meet with a Dalish crafter, and became pregnant. Their ambiguous parentage was clear in the pointing of their ears, and their mere existence drove another wedge in the already unsatisfactory relationship between their parents. They were not wanted. Perhaps Martin wished to love them, perhaps he tried to love them, but they were never his own. As a child, it became abundantly clear that Fyodor was Deaf, and their parents had them tutored early in Sign Language as a method of communication, first by their Dalish father and then by a Deaf woman from Lowtown. Revka brought them as frequently as she could to see their biological father in the four years before her disappearance, but after that, they moved to Honnleath in Ferelden and remained in Martin’s care. While he attempted to treat them with the same care as their siblings, there was always something off, something reluctant in his affection. Despite all of this, Fyodor was a bright-eyed child with a penchant for getting into all sorts of mischief, often seen with tangled hair and scraped knees, a stark contrast to the image they present in recent years. All of that changed when their eldest sibling was taken to the circle upon the manifestation of their magic, and after that, the rest of their siblings slowly but surely followed. Fyodor grew volatile and withdrawn, lonely and too young to understand why they couldn't see their siblings. They knew to fear the Templars, they knew they had lost all but their father, and they knew more than anything the fear in his eyes as it became clear they would follow in their siblings’ footsteps. Their magic first appeared, perhaps fortunately, during a prolonged meltdown within the privacy of their own home at the age of ten. Their father had reached to embrace them in an attempt at comfort, and he was struck with a mostly-harmless jolt of electricity. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but he allowed himself to believe it had been mere coincidence, static picked up from the carpet. Unfortunately, the little bursts of static continued each time they grew irate, culminating in a strong shock of lightning that burned branching figures into the wood of their table. It was clear, then, that Martin could no longer remain in denial, and in his grief, he did what seemed most sensible at the time, sending Fyodor off to live with a family friend in Minrathous by the name of Sergius Scipio, who through adoption guaranteed their citizenship. In Tevinter, however, attendance at the Minrathous Circle was a privilege a child fresh off the boat from the South could not afford, and Fyodor was instead given private lessons paid for by their father, who wrote infrequently and slowly faded to the background of their life, freed from the burden of a child whose existence advertised his late wife’s infidelity to the world. Sergius viewed Fyodor as a burden, unwilling to provide the extra care and accommodation they needed. He was their father by legal status only, and failed in all other aspects to provide the sort of care a child would require. They were pawned off on tutor upon tutor, with their education prioritized above all else - it got them out of the house, and Sergius could boast about having a prodigy as his son without ever having to truly act as their father. This neglect led Fyodor to act out in whatever way they could, and when their exemplary scholarship combined with Sergius’ deep pockets and influential contacts got them into the Minrathous Circle at age twelve, the ability to spend more time away from the place they unfortunately called home came as a relief. At the Circle, Fyodor quickly excelled in the usage of magic, forcing themself to be acknowledged through their talent and larger-than-life persona. If they could not be loved, Fyodor thought, they could at the very least be seen. They quickly locked away their proclivity for mischief, presenting themself as a model student on their best behavior in order to maintain their good standing within the Circle. As a laetan - and a laetan rumored to be born outside the country, nevermind the Dalish heritage they were desperately forced to hide - Fyodor had to work about twice as hard as their peers, enduring frequent disrespect. If not for their lack of lineage, they faced barriers in communication and accessibility due to their deafness. This merely solidified their drive to make a name for themself, and during this time, Fyodor began delving into the study of blood magic, initially only from an academic angle. Within a few years of hard work and study, they were offered an apprenticeship under a Magister by the name of Gaius Vatia, and they gladly accepted. Magister Vatia was a strict but effective teacher, pushing Fyodor to their limits and beyond. Most importantly, he introduced them to blood magic behind closed doors, first as a willing participant and then as a proper student in their own right. Above all other forms of magic, they were a prodigy in the art of blood, and quickly became Gaius’ star pupil. He began introducing them to Minrathous’ high society, instructing them in its etiquette and social games and arranging for their debut at various social events. Gaius came to view Fyodor as a son, as his only son Camillus was a mage of such meager talents as to be largely ignored by the family. Eventually, in 9:28, he named them as his heir. Of course, Fyodor was repulsed by Gaius from a moral standpoint, the way he treated those he viewed as beneath him. He taught them well, though, his callous cruelty ingraining in them one very, very important lesson: In Tevinter, people were stepping stones, and someone’s life was only worth what use it served. Thus, Fyodor concocted a scheme. Camillus was to get his affairs in order while Fyodor prepared cover for him to flee the country. It was time for a regime change, and by 9:30, Camillus slaughtered his father in cold blood, providing Fyodor the perfect scapegoat: the spurned son. He was investigated for a few months, but the trail ran cold, and eventually Fyodor had some poor soporati already scheduled for the gallows dressed up as him and executed in his place. With Gaius gone, Fyodor took up the mantle of Magister with a cold satisfaction lying beneath their public mourning. Unfortunately, their rise to power would not be entirely seamless. Fyodor was still a laetan from Ferelden, and one rumored to be half-elven at that. Freeing Gaius’ slaves did not particularly earn them any love, either. There was one more pie Fyodor could stick their hands in, one every Magister could agree upon: the war with the Qun. Fyodor quickly became one of the most ardent supporters of the war effort, directing funding towards the military, the development of new weaponry, and efforts of the police-state to root out Ben-Hassrath spies and sympathizers. If Fyodor truly wished to cement their status within the most militaristic factions of the Magisterium, however, there was one thing that could achieve that overnight: capturing the Tome of Koslun. They contacted a merchant by the name of Castillon known for his unsavory ties, and his thief did successfully retrieve it… but when Castillon claimed the Tome was lost and could only offer empty words of assurance that it would be found, Fyodor took the first ship to Kirkwall to take the investigation into their own hands. After the many crises in Kirkwall, Fyodor’s visits slowly dwindled as they began a new venture: developing a plan to violently overthrow the Magisterium. Of course, such a drastic power vacuum would require a strong, charismatic leader to fill it, and Fyodor had a perfect candidate in mind. To this end, they found the perfect partner in crime: during their visits to Kirkwall, Fyodor had befriended Fenris, a former slave whom they’d helped free. As Fenris formed his identity as the Blue Wraith, Fyodor offered him shelter in their manor and covert aid under the alias of Tavalen. On account of their skill as a demonologist, their fervent nationalism and advocacy of war against the enemies of Tevinter, and an unpublished experiment involving Tranquil and forced possession, Fyodor was approached by the Venatori in 9:40 and offered the opportunity to lead the oculara project. They refused, and Fyodor became the worst sort of enemy the Venatori could possibly conceptualize: an elf who dared to deny them. Fyodor defied the Venatori on their home front at first, but as the frontlines moved south, Fyodor headed to Haven where they and Fenris joined the Inquisition. Timeline: 9:11 - Born in Kirkwall 9:15 - Moves to Honnleath 9:21 - Sent to Tevinter 9:23 - Attends the Minrathous Circle 9:26 - Apprenticed to Magister Gaius Vatia 9:28 - Named Gaius’ Heir 9:30 - Yay patricide! Fyodor becomes a Magister 9:32 - Gets involved with the Tome of Koslun’s theft; heads to Kirkwall to investigate. 9:40 - Rejects the Venatori, becomes Public Enemy Number One. 9:41 - Joins the Inquisition alongside Fenris.