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Name: Dorian Pavus
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 16 Solace, 9:11 Dragon
Occupation: Magister, member of the Lucerni Party, former enchanter, Inquisition veteran/ambassador
Companion(s): N/A
No matter the occasion, Dorian prides himself on his physical appearance. Standing at 6 ft, his thick, dark hair and bronze, tanned skin give him the exotic look that so many try to achieve by superficial, sometimes questionable, often dangerous means. He is strong and athletic, despite being a mage. Physical exercise in the Imperium is considered highly important to keep the mind healthy. As such, he keeps himself in good shape, usually through quarterstaff training. His hair he likes to keep shaved at the sides, a habit from living in the Imperium most of his life - it helps with the heat. While shaved at the sides and the back, he lets the top half grow freely, though controlled. Recently, he has been letting it grow out, keeping his hair secured usually in a long ponytail down his back. Sometimes, however, he let's it hang loose to one side.
Now the head of his family, Dorian inherited his father's wealth, and as such, spares no expense when it comes to clothing. He is always dressed to the nines, but in the most practical ways, for whatever the event or purpose. He uses only the best quality fabrics and leathers, and often oversees personally the tailoring of his clothes.
Class: Mage
Specialization: Necromancer
Weapons & Armor: During his pariah/Inquisition days, he primarily wore leather and cloth armor that was often argued to do little to protect him. In actual fact, the leathers he wore protected his vital organs, which is of course, the purpose of armor, and the parts of his limbs most likely to be attacked. Pure common sense made up for the lack of protection over his bare shoulder and arm that so many seemed to find issue with.
Weapons wise, he always carries his staff, and also a residual habit from his Inquisition days that happens to be very useful in the Tevinter political environment, a small knife tucked away on his person, be it his boot or under his robes.
These days, he spends most of his time in the Magisterium, and so rarely has need of armor and weapons, though if he can't wield his staff, he always has a knife or two on hand.
Languages: Tevene, Common tongue
Non-Combat Skills:
As the product of careful, selective and purposeful breeding, Dorian was exposed to rigorous education and magical training from a very young age. In Tevinter, the moment you start showing signs of magical ability, you are sent to live and study in a Circle. In Dorian's case, he was a very young boy or 7 when he entered his first Circle, and as such, has undergone magical training in arcane lore, alchemy, and research from this age. While he hopped between many different circles in his youth for various reasons, he came into his own when he started apprenticing for Alexius, where his skills were honed to a sharpness he'd never thought he would know before. This is evidenced by his hand in developing the time magic that Alexius used against the people of Redcliffe and the Inquisition. In his own time, and also while in apprentiship to Alexius, Dorian also spent a great deal of time researching forbidden and exotic magics from across Thedas, such as blood magic (which he wanted to understand for personal reasons), necromancy, and time magic. As such, he is well versed in arcane matters from across Thedas.
With his father being a prominent member of the Magisterium, it was then further expected that one day Dorian would take his father's place. As you can imagine, this meant, along with his arcane education as an Altus, Dorian underwent strict education in diplomacy and politics, studying Tevinter political lore and history and honing his public speaking abilities.
Combat Skills:
Dorian is an Altus mage, specializing in Necromancy. When he chose his specialization, it confused many, including his former mentor Alexius, because at the time the young Dorian was showing great promise in the development and use of time magic. He chose necromancy purely because it wasn't forbidden, and it wasn't unpredictable by nature, like time magic. In the Circles he began his arcane training in Entropy and primal - inferno magic, and it was the entropy that he had a particular flair for. As such, necromancy came somewhat naturally as he already had a solid base in manipulating the energy of living and dead spirits.
When it comes to martial skills, Dorian is highly skilled in the use of a staff, and while he rarely has to use it in a martial sense, when he does he can prove to be quite formidable, and very fast. His use of a staff, as well, means he can cast his magic while wielding his staff, as is the case with most mages, so the choice was obvious. Not that he had one. They didn't give young promising boys like Dorian choices in the Circle.
Apart from his staff, when he can't carry it on him, he makes sure to keep a small dagger/knife or two hidden on his person. This is something he picked up from his pariah/Inquisition days, and given the political environment Tevinter is infamously known for, it seemed fitting to continue the practice. He hasn't, yet, had to use them, but he tries to maintain training in their use, because he has no doubt one day the time will come.
Dorian to those who know him: The few that have thought to dig any deeper than the superficial would have found much rhyme and reason to explain Dorian's outward personality that so many have condemned him by. He has been in the public eye his entire life, judged for his every decision (whether they were his decisions or not) and sentenced cruelly for just trying to live a life that was his own. But that was impossible in the Tevinter Imperium. Living one's own life was not a concept thought to be useful or productive. The expectations on his shoulders as the sole heir of the Pavus family line weighed heavily, and he wanted nothing more than to throw it all off, to be free. Again, a concept deemed to be useless - and dangerous- in the Imperium. His humor, a defense mechanism developed at a young age to hide behind, because most of his other kinsman didn't have any. Despite all his failings, Dorian is exceptionally loyal, and chooses his friends wisely. He has been known on occasion to trust to quickly, a byproduct of his upbringing, but has learned hard lessons in this regard. More than that, while most of the world believe him to think only of himself, in fact, Dorian concerns himself greatly with matters of the world, of his country and of the human condition.
Dorian to himself: Loneliness has been a constant, dependable companion of Dorian's for as long as he can remember. Behind all the grand standing, all the jibes and quips, all the fabulous clothing, Dorian is still a child, longing for the love he was never afforded. He wants to please, but is afraid of the alternative, because the alternative is all he knows. This is, in fact, not quite the case - some have shown his praise and encouragement, but he has either been too caught up in fear to notice, or the praise was later proven to be a ruse, false, or not worthy of him. He longs to be good, to do good, to see the good in others, and to have the good in him recognized.
Dorian Pavus was born to Halward Pavus and Aquinea Thalrassian on 16 Solace, 9:11 Dragon in Quarinus. His parents both hail from lineages that stretch back generations, all the way to the time of the Dreamers, those who preceded the first Magisters. House Pavus in its own right is one of the oldest and greatest politcal forces in Eastern Tevinter. The Pavus Estate outside Qarinus has been home to several important historical events, probably the most significant being the start of the Rebellion of Three Dragons in 3:44 Towers.
He is an only child, and sole heir of the Pavus family line. With his birth came great hope and great expectations that anybody would find near impossible to fulfill. It was always expected that Dorian would one day inherit his father's seat in the Magisterium, marry a well respected and carefully chosen young woman with whom he had been betrothed since birth, procreate and continue the illustrious Pavus family line.Dorian comes from a long, ancient line of Altus mages, arguably the highest class of the upper echelon of Tevinter society, and as such was born with incredible magical ability that came to fruition at a very young age, much to the great envy of his peers. At the age of 9 he apprenticed at his first Circle - the Circle at Carastes. Here he began his arcane training, which naturally he excelled at. This is where the problems began. His peers, most of which were a lot older than him, were jealous of his abilities. These issues came to a head when he was expelled from the Circle after he injured another Magister's son in a duel. With a reputation already stuck to his name, and name which already seemed to attract all kinds of attention whether welcomed or not, Dorian jumped from Circle to Circle well into his late teens, undergoing expensive private tutoring to supplement his disjointed education. Each time his apprenticeship was ended due to 'incidents' not dissimilar to the first, which resulted each time in him being cast out of the Circle/tutoring and sent back to his family in Qarinus.
His father, desperate to bring his son to heel, enrolled Dorian in a small school in Minrathous run by the Order of Argent, a school known for its strict adherence to Andrastian discipline, and for its exorbitant tuition fees. It should have been clear by then that trying to shove Dorian into a little pigeon hole of obedience, duty and responsibility wasn't the best tactic, as this venture lasted exactly 3 months, before Dorian disappeared altogether. He was found some days later in a tragic drunken state in a whore house of ill repute in the city's elven slums. The scandal would have been a great blow to his family name if he had been discovered by anyone except the Magister Gereon Alexius. Alexius took Dorian back to the Guilded Quarter, and the resultant candid conversation in the carriage led Alexius to make the decision to take the young Dorian under his wing as his apprentice, to cultivate his clear talent and try to control his rebellious nature.
For several years, Alexius tutored Dorian personally at his estate in Asariel, where the young mage absolutely flourished. Alexius' intelligence, views and abilities not only tantalized Dorian's attention and own ambitions, but also garnered a great deal of respect from the young man. He floursiehd and came into his own so much, that four year later, Alexius sponsored Dorian's tests to become a fully ranked Enchanter with the Minrathous Circle of Magi. Dorian passed these tests with easy, flying colors. It was at this point that his family let themselves believe he was finally on the path they had meticulously laid out for him, and they breathed a little easier - for a time.
In the years leading up to 9:35 Dragon, Dorian split his time between working with Alexius on his research, and enjoying the privileges of his rank in the Capital city, participating actively in Lower Floor debates within the Circle of Magi and attending various high society balls and functions. In part for his own ambitions, and in part to stave off pressure from his parents to marry his betrothed, Dorian set his sights on gaining the esteemed rank Senior Enchanter within the Circle of Magi. His path at this point was to take an unexpected turn.
Returning from a winter trip to Val Royeaux, Magister Alexius' wife and son, Felix, were attacked by darkspawn. Alexius' wife died in the attack, and his only son was inflicted with the darkspawn corruption - a well known incurable disease. Unable to accept his son's and his family's fortune, Gereon turned his undivided attention to researching time magic in hopes of finding a way to reverse his son's, and possibly his wife's, fate. Over the years at Alexius' estate as an apprentice, Dorian had grown close with Felix, and upon hearing the news and Alexius' plan, Dorian abandoned his duties to the circle and to society in Minrathous and returned to Alexius' estate in Asariel, and devoted himself to helping his mentor in any way he could. The pressure of such an unachievable endeavor began to wear on them both. They had managed to prolong Felix's life by years, well beyond the expected months he had initially. But this was not enough for Alexius, and they soon reached a hard dead end in their research. Dorian's father emplored his son to abandon the Magister's delirious endeavor and return to his duties in Minrathous, but, as frustrated as Dorian was with the situation, he refused to abandon Alexius and Felix.
Despite this, tempers began to build along with their frustrations. After a very heated argument, Dorian left the Alexius Estate in 9:37, and proceeded to get himself into a state of perpetual drunkenness in the slums of Minrathous. He spent months in such a way, avoiding all contact with his family, and evading all attempts of his family to recover him and save further embarrassment. Eventually, Dorian returned to the Alexius estate with every intention to reconcile, but he instead discovered that both Alexius and his son had gone. Despaired, Dorian returned to the city and resumed his debauchery to the point of such excess that his family felt they had no other option than to have him abducted to save further scandal, lest their family name collapse in the ruins of Dorian's social life and career. He was taken by force from the home of Lord Ulio Abrexis - where he was holed up with the Lord's son - and returned back to Qarinus by ship.
In a rather misguided effort to contain the scandal, Halward essentially kept Dorian prisoner within the Pavus Estate in Qarinus for months. Upon finally escaping his prison, Dorian fled to the countryside, with no money, and no direction. For two years wandered throughout the Imperium, living off funds from various relatives or companions he had come across, vowing never to return. At some point during this time, Alexius made contact with him, inviting him to Ferelden. Dorian did not accept the invitation, but instead followed his mentor to Ferelden in secret to find out what the Magister was up to. It is here he discovers, with Felix's help, that Alexius had pledged himself to the Venatori in service of The Elder One.
Timeline: Post-Trespasser
With the Inquisition's help, Dorian and the Inquisitor stopped Alexius and the Venatori's attempt to alter the very fabric of time, glimpsing a very dark future of what was to come if they didn't stop The Elder One. The Inquisitor Sati Adaar welcomed the mage's help as equal allies, which Dorian found somewhat troubling, but respected the decision nonetheless.
Some time later, Inquisitor Adaar revealed a letter from his father to Mother Giselle, pleading a meeting with his son. Torn and angry, Dorian and the Inquisitor met with his father. The Inquisitor bears witness to a heated argument between Dorian and Halward, where it is revealed, if not already clear, that Dorian is gay, and that during those few months imprisonment, his father had tried to use blood magic to change this fact, and make Dorian more amenable to the life he had planned for him. This, ultimately, was the final betrayal and the reason why Dorian escaped, vowing never to return. With the Inquisitor's support, Dorian speaks with his father in private in an attempt to reconcile.
After the events at the Temple of Mythal, it is discovered from Abelas, that the Imperium were not responsible for the destruction of Arlathan. This troubles Dorian greatly, as this truth would reduce his countrymen and their history to nothing but scavengers, challenging everything they have always claimed. While he think this truth would be damaging to the Imperium, he also believes it important that Tevinter hear and accept this truth. This information encourages him to return to his homeland after they have dealt with Corypheus to make this change. Though he knows the resistance will be heavy, and likely last beyond his lifetime, he looks to Sati Adaar as an example of what can be achieved.
After Corypheus' defeat, Dorian does return to his homeland, and becomes the official Tevinter Ambassador for the Inquisition. Two year later, at the Winter Palace, Dorian reveals that his father has died, a suspected assassination, and that he intends to return to Tevinter permanently to take up his father's seat in the Magisterium. He also reveals the reforms Maevaris Tilani was trying to push and he expresses his desire to be a part of them. He gives the Inquisitor a sending crystal so that they can communicate without the need for letters, if ever necessary.
When he returns, he and Maevaris form a group called the Lucerni, their intention to restore and redeem Tevinter. Due do his extended time in the south, Dorian's views on slavery changed significantly upon returning to his homeland. After his father's death, he began employing servants in his household, not slaves.
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