Dmitri Catholden
"I didn't think—" Ast gripped the side of the table, just to keep himself from keeling straight into his own vomit. He tried to block out the boy's voice, and his own betraying sympathies that incited from it, but it was more or less futile; it was only the two of them left in the room and Dmitri, though small and young and seemingly inconsequential, had siphoned himself a heavy presence in Ast's conscious. And he kept talking: "I thought—I figured you'd—"
"Abandoned you?" Ast wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then laughed, his gaze still cast down on the small, sour puddle across the floor. "I would've, if it were up to me."
"Abandoned you?" Ast wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then laughed, his gaze still cast down on the small, sour puddle across the floor. "I would've, if it were up to me."
Dmitri Catholden is the son of Annais Catholden, and a cravvik-beourjen storm arcanist. He is a key player throughout the series, most notable for his relationship arc with Astervitch.
Book Plot (Still very WIP)
The first time Dmitri is mentioned (sort of) is actually in the first book through Ast's perspective. Ast is thrown into a strange dream sequence by his goddess, Xaltra, on an unknown ship and watching—along with Dom, who is in his own dream sequence and enters from the other side of the room—a couple copulate among a mass of other sleeping individuals who appear to have been taken captive. There's not much context for the dream itself, except for the final moments when it's realized that Dom is actually one of the individuals sleeping, and then Ast is subsequently pulled from the dream.
This is later found to have been Dmitri's conception, though at the time Ast (along with the reader) is unaware of what or why he's seeing it.
From there the boat continues onto Bezet Ouvre prison, where the man in the copulating couple—he is unnamed through the entirety of the series—dies in prison shortly after Annais realizes she's pregnant. Over the course of several months she is at the prison, she befriends Dom, who is planning to escape to Beourjen City to find his wife whom he believes has found her way there prior. He agrees to take Annais with him, and they escape shortly before she goes into labor.
Dmitri is born just outside the prison, and they stop for two days in order for her to recover from the birth before they continue fleeing east. Several events happen within this time period, but they make it to Beourjen City within six months of their escape, and integrate into the slums of South Beourjen, where Annais and Dmitri then live for over a decade.
Dmitri grows up more or less impoverished, with Dom acting as somewhat of a surrogate father, though it's clear throughout the series that Dom doesn't relish in the task as well as feels awkward around Dmitri in general. Before becoming involved in the Leechers, Annais takes up a job as a house guard for Fjornin Balassar. Commander Balassar is fairly generous to both Annais and Dmitri, providing Annais with a stable income and Dmitri with a somewhat proper schooling within his own home.
During this time Dmitri is introduced to Commander Balassar's son, Lord Evander Balassar, though only somewhat briefly before Lord Balassar sets off for his reserved tour on Beourjen's northern coast. Still, throughout the first decade of Dmitri's life, the two form a tentative bond and interact on occasion mostly in passing.
In 1554 a plague sweeps across Beourjen City, predominantly the southern sect, and Annais dies just outside the Leecher's compound, an illicit organization to which she and Dom have joined and is headed by Dom's wife. Dmitri is at House Balassar when her death occurs, and does not find out until later that she has died; meanwhile House Balassar, along with several other aristocratic Houses, is targeted. House Balassar specifically is set on fire, and Lord Balassar flees to Brickard (secretly), bringing Dmitri with him.
At this point, the entire Balassar family is in a bit of an inheritance crisis, in that there are no viable heirs due to several differing circumstances. Lord Balassar sees Dmitri's orphanhood, and general obscured paternity, as an opportunity to lay and secure a claim to the House's inheritance, and comes forth to Dmitri with the opportunity to be taken in as Evander's 'son'.
It's a bit unclear as to how much of Evander's plan to later lay siege to the city and implement himself as ruler is understood by Dmitri; nevertheless, Dmitri agrees to be taken in by Evander. He travels to Brickard with Evander, and is introduced to several of Evander's closest allies—most importantly, Astervitch.
Throughout the following two years, both he and Ast become begrudgingly close as they are somewhat thrown together on multiple occasions. Ast often feels a responsibility toward keeping Dmitri safe, namely because of the nature of both of their relationships with and through Evander, and Dmitri oddly sees Ast as one of the few people he is able to trust, merely because of Ast's unyielding loyalty to Evander.
He also becomes somewhat close with Alma, again through Evander and to some extent Ast. When he later runs into Dom after they haven't seen each other for several years, he is with Alma and though Dom tries to reach out Alma tugs Dmitri away, telling Dom that he has his own people now and shouldn't associate with Dom.
However, this meeting spurs Dom into seeking out, and then realizing, Evander's plan to usurp the Triadic. As Dom is now working with Kestern Leidevelt, he brings up Evander's plan and the two conspire to kidnap Dmitri, and potentially kill him. Dom sends several of the Leechers to find and take hold of Dmitri whilst Dmitri is later traveling with Inigo Alaniss, another guest who was staying at House Balassar prior. Evander finds out a day later, however he has only just recently taken hold of Beourjen North, and his position is extremely unstable for him to be trailing off to go find Dmitri. Ast begrudgingly goes to find Dmitri himself—at this point, he is still in denial about having any sort of deeper attachment to Dmitri—and finds the boy at a remote compound a short ways north of the city near the So'dut border.
Dmitri is rescued just as he's about to be tortured (because the story is told from Ast's perspective, the nature of the torture is not certain, however Ast suspects that it might've included sexual assault), and the two flee the compound, thus camping in the woods after they've crossed the border back into Clasm. They have a tense conversation where Ast berates Dmitri about needing to look after himself and not put himself in danger, and ends up bluntly explaining to Dmitri as well that Evander is mostly using him for political gain and isn't really concerned for his well-being.
They return the rest of the way back to the city both still stewing from the argument, and when they go back to the old House Balassar (Lady Therese Balassar's house; her and Seval have been killed since, and Evander has lay claim to their house), Dmitri goes upstairs and walks in on Evander in the bathtub passed out after having attempted suicide.
Ast has Alma (who's also staying there) calm Dmitri down and put him to bed while he makes sure that Evander is alright and gets him to bed and cleans everything up, and later once everything has been handled, Ast goes in to Dmitri's room finally admitting to his feeling bad for the kid.
Dmitri expresses his own misgivings about being Evander's heir, and the instability of both his relationship with Evander as well as Evander individually, and Ast assures him that he'll look after him no matter what happens.
After this, though there is still some tensity to their relationship, there is undoubtedly a greater sense of ease existing between the two, and several events happen in the subsequent books that I have yet to plot. . .
This is later found to have been Dmitri's conception, though at the time Ast (along with the reader) is unaware of what or why he's seeing it.
From there the boat continues onto Bezet Ouvre prison, where the man in the copulating couple—he is unnamed through the entirety of the series—dies in prison shortly after Annais realizes she's pregnant. Over the course of several months she is at the prison, she befriends Dom, who is planning to escape to Beourjen City to find his wife whom he believes has found her way there prior. He agrees to take Annais with him, and they escape shortly before she goes into labor.
Dmitri is born just outside the prison, and they stop for two days in order for her to recover from the birth before they continue fleeing east. Several events happen within this time period, but they make it to Beourjen City within six months of their escape, and integrate into the slums of South Beourjen, where Annais and Dmitri then live for over a decade.
Dmitri grows up more or less impoverished, with Dom acting as somewhat of a surrogate father, though it's clear throughout the series that Dom doesn't relish in the task as well as feels awkward around Dmitri in general. Before becoming involved in the Leechers, Annais takes up a job as a house guard for Fjornin Balassar. Commander Balassar is fairly generous to both Annais and Dmitri, providing Annais with a stable income and Dmitri with a somewhat proper schooling within his own home.
During this time Dmitri is introduced to Commander Balassar's son, Lord Evander Balassar, though only somewhat briefly before Lord Balassar sets off for his reserved tour on Beourjen's northern coast. Still, throughout the first decade of Dmitri's life, the two form a tentative bond and interact on occasion mostly in passing.
In 1554 a plague sweeps across Beourjen City, predominantly the southern sect, and Annais dies just outside the Leecher's compound, an illicit organization to which she and Dom have joined and is headed by Dom's wife. Dmitri is at House Balassar when her death occurs, and does not find out until later that she has died; meanwhile House Balassar, along with several other aristocratic Houses, is targeted. House Balassar specifically is set on fire, and Lord Balassar flees to Brickard (secretly), bringing Dmitri with him.
At this point, the entire Balassar family is in a bit of an inheritance crisis, in that there are no viable heirs due to several differing circumstances. Lord Balassar sees Dmitri's orphanhood, and general obscured paternity, as an opportunity to lay and secure a claim to the House's inheritance, and comes forth to Dmitri with the opportunity to be taken in as Evander's 'son'.
It's a bit unclear as to how much of Evander's plan to later lay siege to the city and implement himself as ruler is understood by Dmitri; nevertheless, Dmitri agrees to be taken in by Evander. He travels to Brickard with Evander, and is introduced to several of Evander's closest allies—most importantly, Astervitch.
Throughout the following two years, both he and Ast become begrudgingly close as they are somewhat thrown together on multiple occasions. Ast often feels a responsibility toward keeping Dmitri safe, namely because of the nature of both of their relationships with and through Evander, and Dmitri oddly sees Ast as one of the few people he is able to trust, merely because of Ast's unyielding loyalty to Evander.
He also becomes somewhat close with Alma, again through Evander and to some extent Ast. When he later runs into Dom after they haven't seen each other for several years, he is with Alma and though Dom tries to reach out Alma tugs Dmitri away, telling Dom that he has his own people now and shouldn't associate with Dom.
However, this meeting spurs Dom into seeking out, and then realizing, Evander's plan to usurp the Triadic. As Dom is now working with Kestern Leidevelt, he brings up Evander's plan and the two conspire to kidnap Dmitri, and potentially kill him. Dom sends several of the Leechers to find and take hold of Dmitri whilst Dmitri is later traveling with Inigo Alaniss, another guest who was staying at House Balassar prior. Evander finds out a day later, however he has only just recently taken hold of Beourjen North, and his position is extremely unstable for him to be trailing off to go find Dmitri. Ast begrudgingly goes to find Dmitri himself—at this point, he is still in denial about having any sort of deeper attachment to Dmitri—and finds the boy at a remote compound a short ways north of the city near the So'dut border.
Dmitri is rescued just as he's about to be tortured (because the story is told from Ast's perspective, the nature of the torture is not certain, however Ast suspects that it might've included sexual assault), and the two flee the compound, thus camping in the woods after they've crossed the border back into Clasm. They have a tense conversation where Ast berates Dmitri about needing to look after himself and not put himself in danger, and ends up bluntly explaining to Dmitri as well that Evander is mostly using him for political gain and isn't really concerned for his well-being.
They return the rest of the way back to the city both still stewing from the argument, and when they go back to the old House Balassar (Lady Therese Balassar's house; her and Seval have been killed since, and Evander has lay claim to their house), Dmitri goes upstairs and walks in on Evander in the bathtub passed out after having attempted suicide.
Ast has Alma (who's also staying there) calm Dmitri down and put him to bed while he makes sure that Evander is alright and gets him to bed and cleans everything up, and later once everything has been handled, Ast goes in to Dmitri's room finally admitting to his feeling bad for the kid.
Dmitri expresses his own misgivings about being Evander's heir, and the instability of both his relationship with Evander as well as Evander individually, and Ast assures him that he'll look after him no matter what happens.
After this, though there is still some tensity to their relationship, there is undoubtedly a greater sense of ease existing between the two, and several events happen in the subsequent books that I have yet to plot. . .
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