Dorian Pavus

AKA:
Wielder of the Mustache of Fabulousness
Not a Magister
The Best Vint
Sparkler (Varric nickname)

Dorian Pavus is, generally speaking, the antithesis of every stereotype that can be applied to a mage from Tevinter. Naturally, this means that we got along fabulously. As the son of a magister from a powerful family that demonstrated magical potential very early, his path to success was laid out in front of him from the moment he was born. Unfortunately for his parents, Dorian rejected that path as early and often as possible. His life in Tevinter was tumultuous, to say the least, and he constantly rebelled against the constraints put on him by his country, his status, and his family. He quickly developed a fierce independent streak that often made him unwelcome in his own home. Eventually, he was taken on as an apprentice by a magister named Gereon Alexius, an arrangement that went well. For a time, anyways, as it also ended badly. By this point, Dorian had earned a reputation as a pariah in the Imperium and, after wandering on his own for a time, was contacted by his old master, who attempted to recruit him to the Venatori. Dorian wanted nothing to do with the Corypheus-worshipping cult and instead traveled to Ferelden to warn the Inquisition about Gerry’s plans for the rebel mages. Working through Felix, Gerry’s son, Dorian passed me a message, and I found him in Redcliffe’s Chantry fighting off demons. After some time-traveling nonsense, he returned to Haven with us, officially joined the Inquisition and began to inquisit alongside me.

Dorian is clever, charismatic, handsome, a powerful mage, and perfectly happy to tell you all of that and more, in great and lengthy detail, should you ask. He earned his infamy in the Imperium as a rebellious, cocky rascal with a penchant for excess. He is also an incredibly brave man who defied his country and family because not hiding who he is was more important to him than being what everyone expected he should be. And despite all his painful history, he is still capable of loving and forgiving those who tried to force him into a mold he couldn’t fit into. He was able, in part at least, to reconcile with his father and still plans on trying to enact positive change in Tevinter. He was willing to fight his countrymen in the Venatori because he recognized that they were absolutely evil, and could only do more harm, not just to the world itself, but to the already dismal reputation of his home. By standing against Corypheus, he showed the rest of Thedas that not all Tevinters are inherently wicked, and that he believes that the Imperium and its citizens can be better than they are now. If it means they become more like Dorian, he is absolutely correct. Obviously, that will be a painfully long and difficult task, but he is just the dashing, stubborn, rogue to pull it off.