Tiaan Senyavin

We were both raised in the shadow of dragons, but I am the blood of a dragon slayer. Some Kredasene look at me and see the blood of the last dragon staining my hands - a beast dead some two hundred years! Why do you think I left?

— Tiaan Senyavin to Chazley Dunheuvelin

Tiaan Senyavin (pro. Te-AHN Sen-YAH-vin) was born in 229 SGC, and is the only-surviving son of Vlastimir Senyavin and Lynsey Senyavin (née Dunheuvelin.) He is a descendant of both the rebel leader, Gerard Dunheuvelin, and the Raskvaerii general instrumental in subduing the rebellion, General Mariusz Senyavin.

Early Life

Tiaan Senyavin was born in Draakhohen Castle: the ancestral home of the Dunheuvelin family. Prompted by the discovery of illict relations between his uncle, Ludwig, and Faustine Anaïs Schwannraelen, the entire family had retreated to the Vuurfelde. They took sanctuary inside the walls of Draakhohen to avoid the wrath of Faïs's brother, König Thaddeus II. Although Tiaan was born five months before his cousin, Chazley, he is often mistaken for the younger of the pair.

The Lormontai teach that the moon must hate the sun. It envies its fire, its majesty, its brilliance. Everyone can see the value of the sun - its warmth and light - and yet they shun the moon. I reject that philosophy. I do not think that the moon hates the sun. I do not think it lives in its shadow. Rather, I believe the sun and moon are kindred souls, and that the moon thrives in its glow."

— Tiaan Senyavin

Due to the security concern that the König might try to obtain possession of his sister's son, Tiaan spent the majority of his childhood in Draakhohen Castle, raised in his uncle's household alongside his cousin, Chazley. His parents perferred the luxuries of city life, therefore limiting Tiaan's contact with the pair to letters and occassional visits. When Tiaan was nine-years-old, plague broke out in the capital city of Rykfontein. His father, Vlastimir, who served as a senior clerk to his father, the Fourth Judge, died during the initial weeks of the sickness. Due to the restrictions placed on travel at the time, Tiaan was not allowed to attend the funeral in the Fourth Judge's territory of Hohenhoek.

Appearance

In both Kredashmi and Raskvaeric, Tiaan's appearance is mainly discussed in relation to how scant the resembelance is between him and his Dunheuvelin kin. He does not possess the flame red hair of his uncle and cousin; neither does he have their broad or solid build. At 5 ft 11, Tiaan is tall for a Kredasene. Despite this, he is 3 inches shorter than Chazley. The awkward lankiness he was burdened with as a youth has given way to an unassuming grace, and his slender frame belies his physical strength. Though an unremarkable shade of brown, Tiaan's eyes are generally described as gentle or contemplative. His dark brown hair has a coarse texture that he inherited from his mother.

Employment

My initial hypothesis was that the boy was feigning incompetence, to rile a reaction from me. I then assumed he merely lacked the focus and discipline to commit to his learning but this, too, appears inadequate to explain your nephew's struggle. He inverts numbers and letters, and reads aloud as roughly as you might imagine a carriage without suspension driving over broken cobbles. It is a pity for the offspring of two such erudite families.

— Vasya Korolev, tutor, to Gedeon Senyavin

Throughout his childhood, Tiaan struggled academically. The true extent of his difficulties became apparent when, at the age of fourteen, both Tiaan and Chazley began their formal legal apprenticeships. Chazley was sent to study under the tutelage of the First Judge; Tiaan was sent to the office of his paternal uncle, the Fourth Judge, Gedeon Senyavin. Even with the assistance of private tutors, it quickly became apparent that Tiaan did not want to follow his family into Kredashmi's hallowed legal halls. Instead, the boy convinced his uncle that his heart was set on a different path; the academic tutors were dismissed, and those of a more combative nature were sought.
At the age of seventeen, Tiaan was admitted into the Kredasene wing of the Oprikarr. He completed his training at the Oprikarr training academy in the Raskvaerii city of Khinask. During this time, he registered his intention to serve the order either in Raskvaeric or its overseas territories. This latter plan was scuppered by the sudden appearance of Chazley in Khinask, who had been smuggled out of Kredashmi after falling foul of the König's anger and paranoia. Once the news arrived that his cousin had been exiled in his abscence, Tiaan realised that he would not be able to leave Raskvaeric's shores.
Not long after, Tiaan was invited to try-outs for a position in the personal guard of Cedomir Ilyuhkin, the Raskvaerii Throwback. When Tiaan was extended an invitation to join the guard as a Sergeant, he responded that nothing aside the status of his birth afforded him that rank. He instead requested that he start at the lowest rank. To the surprise of his instructors, the Throwback agreed. Four years on, Tiaan is still an active member of Ilyuhkin's personal guard, and rumours swirl within the glittering halls of the Imperial court that the Throwback has taken the young Kredasene as his lover.

Lineage

Tiaan's paternal grandparents were Sigismund Senyavin and Bianca Ottelein. His paternal uncle, Gedeon Senyavin, is the Fourth Judge of Kredashmi.
On his mother's side, Tiaan's grandparents were Lazarev Dunheuvelin and Carolina Tarasovicha. His maternal uncle, Ludwig Dunheuvelin, is the eminent First Judge of Kredashmi.

Parents

Gender

Male

Silent Faith

As a child of two prominent noble families, Tiaan was raised in both the traditional Kredasene faith in Everyman and the implanted Raskvaerii religion. At some point after arriving at the Oprikarr training academy, Tiaan fully embraced the teachings of the Raskvaerii temple and welcomed a Conscience into his shadow.
Initially, Tiaan chose Saint Illarion as his Patron Saint, but this decision brought him into conflict with Chazley. As the Patron Saint of the Senyavin family, Illarion would have been the Saint that General Mariusz Senyavin - Tiaan's ancestor - prayed to before drawing his sword against their Dunheuvelin forebears and the dragons.

It was the closest the cousin had ever come to despising one another. Chazley was not proud of the things he had said, but Everyman knew that Tiaan was a better man than he. Though he had never disclosed which Saint he chose instead, Tiaan had renounced his family’s Patron – and he had done it for Chazley. That was something Chazley would always have to live with, for he knew his cousin well enough to see that something of Tiaan’s faith had died in him after that.

— Extract from Sorrow of Souls, Book One: Harbinger