Name: Dorian Pavus Canon: Dragon Age Age: 24 Gender: Male Canon Point: after Last Resort of Good Men Background Link:Background Inventory:
staff (stripped of magic) 2 rings (stripped of magic) amulet (stripped of magic) belt (stripped of magic) Apprentice Mage Armor
Personality: Dorian is very charming, very intelligent, and very well educated. And he is very, very aware of those facts. He can be arrogant, manipulative, and passive-aggressive. He can also be brave, selfless, and compassionate.
Dorian was raised as the only child of two people who hated one another and married purely for reasons of politics and breeding. He was raised with the goal of positioning House Pavus as high as it was possible to go. He was supposed to become Archon, the leader of all Tevinter. Toward that aim, Dorian was given access to some of the best schooling possible and trained to deal with Tevinter social politics from an early age.
He excelled in his studies, being advanced three years beyond his agemates. This also isolated him. The other kids weren’t cruel but Dorian was nine and they were twelve, they had nothing in common. Feeling rejected, Dorian started picking fights. He claimed they were jealous of his skills, envied House Pavus, etc. Notably, Dorian didn’t overestimate his abilities, he won the duels he instigated.
Halward Pavus and Aquinea Thalrassian taught Dorian that appearances were the most important thing. The appearance of perfection was more important than the reality. Imperfections would allow for scandal and while scandals were safe enough when they were in favor, being out of favor and in the midst of a scandal was a good way to end up dead or Tranquil. Dorian’s parents’ ambition made him a target for scandalmongering from the other Houses who aspired to the top.
Had Dorian been willing to marry the woman his father selected and keep his sexual relationships with men limited to a personal slave, Dorian would have been seen as a relatively normal example of an altus mage. After seeing how unhappy his parents’ marriage was, Dorian wasn’t willing to repeat history. He also believed that lying about where his romantic attraction lay would slowly destroy him. Since he is uninterested in having a casual relationship and will in all probability be spending most of the game focused on staying alive, this is relevant as an example of Dorian’s willingness to stand up for what he believes is right.
Dorian’s father reacted poorly to Dorian’s attempts to live life on his own terms. Halward began a plan to work a blood magic ritual to change Dorian into someone who would marry Livia Herathinos, pursue becoming Archon, and all of the other compromises that would make Dorian “acceptable.” That ended with Dorian leaving his father’s house and Halward telling him never to come back.
From this set of experiences, Dorian fears temptation more than he fears being changed or becoming like his father. As a child, Dorian idolized his father and even after what Halward tried to do, Dorian still loves him and in some ways still admires what he thinks his father used to be. There was a long period where wanting to be like his father was what Dorian wanted most. Now, he fears that someday he will find a situation where he’ll want something badly enough that turning to blood magic will seem right and even necessary. There’s always a reason to start and once a mage starts, they can always find reasons to keep going. It’s not a path Dorian wants.
The other male role model in Dorian’s life was Magister Gereon Alexius, his mentor. Dorian learned a great deal from Alexius and was close friends with his son Felix. Living with Alexius on his estate was the happiest period of Dorian’s life. He enjoyed the quest for knowledge. That ended when Felix and his mother were attacked by darkspawn near Hossberg. Alexius’s wife was killed outright while Felix caught Blight sickness. Alexius devoted every effort from that time forward to saving Felix. Dorian felt Alexius was so focused on trying to save Felix that he was missing the end of Felix’s life and told Alexius so. He blames himself for the resulting falling out and Alexius’s increasingly poor decisions afterward. He blames Alexius too but feels like he should have been able to do more, get through somehow.
Dorian joined the Inquisition after attempting to help Felix one last time. The bond forged between Dorian and Ellana Lavellan in the dark future Corypheus created was a deep one. They became friends after she helped him find closure with his father.
Flavor Abilities:
Dorian has a connection to the Fade that means his dreams are a bit more than dreams and he can hear demons. This is not the same as being able to cast spells.
Suitability:
In some ways Dorian is very unsuited to Norfinbury. He does not deal well with the cold and he strongly dislikes the outdoors.
In other ways, Dorian would be a good fit for a survival game. While he doesn’t enjoy the outdoors, he has successfully camped in an area with ongoing fighting. He’s resourceful and has been following Ellana around as she looted and scavenged in a variety of locations. In Thedas, he could always count on his magic when dealing with monsters. In Norfinbury, he wouldn’t have his magic but that could work in his favor. He’ll be aware of his relative lack of fighting skills and be more cautious as a result.
[He stumbled along in the cold, muttering under his breath in Tevene at whoever had dragged him to this frozen hell. As he made his way from one cold building to another, he tried to remember summer in Tevinter.
The air would be warm and humid that far north. This late in the day the shadows would be getting long and it would be about time to have a glass or two of wine.
That reminded Dorian how much he missed wine and fruit and bread that didn’t taste like dust. And beer and red meat. Somehow, it was the small things like food that were worse than barely knowing anyone.
Almost as bad as the monsters some days. They weren’t quite like the demons in the Fade but they had some similar qualities: a feeling of menace, an amorphous appearance. The familiarity didn’t help.
He pulled out his tablet when he found shelter. Dorian had never dealt well with silence. He preferred to have people to talk to even if he barely got along with them.]
Hello. Anyone there? I was reminded today of hiking in the mountains. Something about pushing my way through snowdrifts reminds me of pushing my way through other snowdrifts.
[Somehow, it had been warmer in the middle of a blizzard than it was at night in Norfinbury.]
Dorian Pavus | Dragon Age | Reserved
Dragon Age
Dorian Pavus
Haeceity (
Player Information
Name: Haeceity
Age: 29
Contact Info: Plurk: haecceityofanelf
Other Characters: None
Character Information
Name: Dorian Pavus
Canon: Dragon Age
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Canon Point: after Last Resort of Good Men
Background Link: Background
Inventory:
staff (stripped of magic)
2 rings (stripped of magic)
amulet (stripped of magic)
belt (stripped of magic)
Apprentice Mage Armor
Personality: Dorian is very charming, very intelligent, and very well educated. And he is very, very aware of those facts. He can be arrogant, manipulative, and passive-aggressive. He can also be brave, selfless, and compassionate.
Dorian was raised as the only child of two people who hated one another and married purely for reasons of politics and breeding. He was raised with the goal of positioning House Pavus as high as it was possible to go. He was supposed to become Archon, the leader of all Tevinter. Toward that aim, Dorian was given access to some of the best schooling possible and trained to deal with Tevinter social politics from an early age.
He excelled in his studies, being advanced three years beyond his agemates. This also isolated him. The other kids weren’t cruel but Dorian was nine and they were twelve, they had nothing in common. Feeling rejected, Dorian started picking fights. He claimed they were jealous of his skills, envied House Pavus, etc. Notably, Dorian didn’t overestimate his abilities, he won the duels he instigated.
Halward Pavus and Aquinea Thalrassian taught Dorian that appearances were the most important thing. The appearance of perfection was more important than the reality. Imperfections would allow for scandal and while scandals were safe enough when they were in favor, being out of favor and in the midst of a scandal was a good way to end up dead or Tranquil. Dorian’s parents’ ambition made him a target for scandalmongering from the other Houses who aspired to the top.
Had Dorian been willing to marry the woman his father selected and keep his sexual relationships with men limited to a personal slave, Dorian would have been seen as a relatively normal example of an altus mage. After seeing how unhappy his parents’ marriage was, Dorian wasn’t willing to repeat history. He also believed that lying about where his romantic attraction lay would slowly destroy him. Since he is uninterested in having a casual relationship and will in all probability be spending most of the game focused on staying alive, this is relevant as an example of Dorian’s willingness to stand up for what he believes is right.
Dorian’s father reacted poorly to Dorian’s attempts to live life on his own terms. Halward began a plan to work a blood magic ritual to change Dorian into someone who would marry Livia Herathinos, pursue becoming Archon, and all of the other compromises that would make Dorian “acceptable.” That ended with Dorian leaving his father’s house and Halward telling him never to come back.
From this set of experiences, Dorian fears temptation more than he fears being changed or becoming like his father. As a child, Dorian idolized his father and even after what Halward tried to do, Dorian still loves him and in some ways still admires what he thinks his father used to be. There was a long period where wanting to be like his father was what Dorian wanted most. Now, he fears that someday he will find a situation where he’ll want something badly enough that turning to blood magic will seem right and even necessary. There’s always a reason to start and once a mage starts, they can always find reasons to keep going. It’s not a path Dorian wants.
The other male role model in Dorian’s life was Magister Gereon Alexius, his mentor. Dorian learned a great deal from Alexius and was close friends with his son Felix. Living with Alexius on his estate was the happiest period of Dorian’s life. He enjoyed the quest for knowledge. That ended when Felix and his mother were attacked by darkspawn near Hossberg. Alexius’s wife was killed outright while Felix caught Blight sickness. Alexius devoted every effort from that time forward to saving Felix. Dorian felt Alexius was so focused on trying to save Felix that he was missing the end of Felix’s life and told Alexius so. He blames himself for the resulting falling out and Alexius’s increasingly poor decisions afterward. He blames Alexius too but feels like he should have been able to do more, get through somehow.
Dorian joined the Inquisition after attempting to help Felix one last time. The bond forged between Dorian and Ellana Lavellan in the dark future Corypheus created was a deep one. They became friends after she helped him find closure with his father.
Flavor Abilities:
Dorian has a connection to the Fade that means his dreams are a bit more than dreams and he can hear demons. This is not the same as being able to cast spells.
Suitability:
In some ways Dorian is very unsuited to Norfinbury. He does not deal well with the cold and he strongly dislikes the outdoors.
In other ways, Dorian would be a good fit for a survival game. While he doesn’t enjoy the outdoors, he has successfully camped in an area with ongoing fighting. He’s resourceful and has been following Ellana around as she looted and scavenged in a variety of locations. In Thedas, he could always count on his magic when dealing with monsters. In Norfinbury, he wouldn’t have his magic but that could work in his favor. He’ll be aware of his relative lack of fighting skills and be more cautious as a result.
RP Samples:
Sample
[He stumbled along in the cold, muttering under his breath in Tevene at whoever had dragged him to this frozen hell. As he made his way from one cold building to another, he tried to remember summer in Tevinter.
The air would be warm and humid that far north. This late in the day the shadows would be getting long and it would be about time to have a glass or two of wine.
That reminded Dorian how much he missed wine and fruit and bread that didn’t taste like dust. And beer and red meat. Somehow, it was the small things like food that were worse than barely knowing anyone.
Almost as bad as the monsters some days. They weren’t quite like the demons in the Fade but they had some similar qualities: a feeling of menace, an amorphous appearance. The familiarity didn’t help.
He pulled out his tablet when he found shelter. Dorian had never dealt well with silence. He preferred to have people to talk to even if he barely got along with them.]
Hello. Anyone there? I was reminded today of hiking in the mountains. Something about pushing my way through snowdrifts reminds me of pushing my way through other snowdrifts.
[Somehow, it had been warmer in the middle of a blizzard than it was at night in Norfinbury.]