Julian Devorak

BIOGRAPHY:

Julian was born east of the Strait of Seals to merchant parents. At a young age, Julian was involved in a shipwreck, and only he and his younger sister Portia survived. They were saved by a group of salt seals who had hauled them out on the shore and began protecting them. Mazelinka,having been in the storm herself, discovered the siblings and brought them to the nearby town of Nevivon. Julian and Portia were then largely raised there by a group of grandmothers, including Lilinka, Mazelinka's lover. These grandmothers managed a tourist attraction focused on Nevivon's famous saltwater hot springs. Julian would grow up curious about the tourists who came to Nevivon from faraway places. He eventually learned to read and write from Lilinka, and later left his hometown and his younger sister to study medicine in Prakra. Julian gained the majority of his medical experience from apprenticing on battlefields under the tutelage of Nazali. At some point, Julian encountered an injured Lucio during a battle, and ended up amputating Lucio's arm to save his life.

Julian was living in Vesuvia at the time of the epidemic known as the Red Plague. Julian had a clinic where he treated patients during this time. The Apprentice briefly worked under him, but would later contract the plague themselves and subsequently perish. Julian was so absorbed in finding a cure that he did not notice the apprentice's sickness until it was too late. He would later be consumed with guilt when he realized his negligence.

Julian would later became one of the plague doctors employed by the palace, where he worked to find a cure in the dungeons beneath it. During this time, he developed a fear of Valdemar, his superior. He was later joined in his endeavors by the magician Asra, although he frequently worried over Asra's flippancy regarding finding a cure. The two would together develop a friendship with the Countess Nadia, and the three would frequently complain about Lucio and even joke about life without him. Julian would briefly engage in a physical relationship with Asra, but the affair ended badly.

Shortly before the Masquerade, Julian was force-fed a plague beetle at Lucio's command and confined to his office under the palace as an "extra incentive" to find a cure. Julian worked feverishly in a last ditch effort to find a cure, as he began to develop the plague himself. He began experiencing visions of the Hanged Man, who revealed to him that Lucio was the source of the plague. Julian was then offered a deal, which gave him a magical mark on his throat that allowed him to rapidly heal wounds and illness in himself and others. After their deal, the spread of the plague in Julian was halted. He would retain the blood red sclera of the plague in his right eye, which he would later hide with an eyepatch. Having lost portions of his memory after his deal, Julian erroneously attributed the mark and his "curse" to Asra.

After Julian's meeting with the Hanged Man, he was intent on ending the plague by ending Lucio. Muriel found Julian in his office, let him out, and brought him to Lucio's room. By this time Lucio was already being burned alive in his bed, causing Julian to rush into the room.

When Julian exited the Count's room, Consul Valerius noticed him, resulting in Julian's arrest for Lucio's murder. Despite confessing to the crime and being sentenced to death, Julian managed to escape and fled the city. Mazelinka helped smuggle Julian out of Vesuvia on her ship, also giving him his trademark eyepatch to hide his plague eye.

In the three years interlude, Julian spent his time traveling. This is substantiated by the fact that he carries a pouch filled with foreign currencies, most of which is counterfeit pirate gold. At one point, he traveled on a spice ship across the