Fendal

> *"I'll certainly be thinking about you."*
>
>

## Storyline

Fendal is first introduced by August Blackreach as the nephew of the Governor of Rapture and from a prestigious Marked family. Rumor has it that Fendal broke into a potion store and consumed as many potions as he could, though no one knows why, and his uncle interceded on his behalf to have a peasant boy imprisoned in his place while he attends the Academy.

The Listener encounters him personally, two weeks after the start of school. He singles them out to say that he's impressed by their performance in necromancy class despite coming from the Empire where mages are considered inferior. He introduces himself as the future High Overseer of Rapture, the position he expects to attain after graduating at the top of his class.

He warns them against associating with "that Aberrant boy" for people will gossip about their relationship. He derides the Listener when they reply that they don't care, calling them a little, naive mage for not caring about a reputation that will affect them for years. He advises them to "treat the right people the right way" instead as that will get them farther in Rapture. His life, full of luxury, could be shared with the Listener if they keep their ambition in check. The other students already know their place (beneath him) and he has the power to rend the world to his will thus inherently better than anyone else, especially an Aberrant.

The Listener defends Aberrants, surprising him. Fendal concedes that he might have a limited perspective when it comes to the world outside Rapture but is willing to turn a liability into an asset. He makes an offer to them: fall in with him and he may seek out their counsel. Their combined influence as two powerful mages will open doors to ruling the world together as they wish. The Listener appears to decline but he pushes them, claiming their spark of ambition is best used with someone powerful like him. He dismisses them to get to their next class, assuring them he'll be "thinking about them too."

They meet again in Divination class where Fendal is their assigned partner for a project. Though he sneers upon seeing them, he is pleased to get another opportunity to talk to them, saying that fate has called them to each other's sides. They still have not taken him up on his offer to be his counsel so he advises that the Listener spends this time with him enhancing their perspective.

He scolds them for not taking notes on what their project is about, saying he won't let them derail his chances at the Academy. He deigns to explain the details: one partner chooses the method of divination and the other partner will use it to read their future. In three weeks' time they will see how accurate the reading was. Fendal takes the role of the diviner, saying that he already knows what his future holds for him: graduating as top of his class and becoming the most respected individual in Rapture as High Overseer - obviously. The Listener chooses tarot cards as the method of divination and Fendal decides to make this more fun by doing a love reading for them. He shuffles and the Listener draws three cards to begin the reading.

The first card, depicting their romantic past and how the Listener perceives themselves, is the six of cups. Fendal reads this as a previous relationship that they hold dear but they must remind themselves to not cling to the past; they are searching for a happy medium between nostalgia and looking to the future. He sounds interested by this, possibly because he wasn't expecting them to have a former love interest before the Academy.

The second card, their romantic present and the dynamic they seek, is the three of wands. He sees in the cards that the Listener is looking for a supportive partner who will help them achieve their goals. He seems amused by this and calls it an offer he can't refuse.

When the final card is drawn he is taken aback and has to gather his thoughts before giving the Listener a reading. The three of swords reversed describes their romantic future and the Listener's perception of their partner. He pulls himself together and interprets it as a partner who has suffered in their life but are currently in a place to cultivate their future. Together they have a great capacity to forgive those who have wronged them and move on with their lives.

Fendal is quick to end the reading there, reminding the Listener to keep notes, and says he has to go and think on some things, his confidence shaken.

When the Listener meets up with August, Fendal interrupts to warn them that they're being accused of theft for Principal Agoston is saying they stole a relic from his office. August restrains him by ordering his shadow familiar to kill him if Fendal moves. He, along with the Listener, is forced to listen as August monologues about why he wants the book and what he plans to do with it. Though he threatens August with the consequences once the faculty and Overseers discover what he's done his threats aren't taken seriously by the other boy.

When August reveals his plans to shred the boundaries between the realms of the dead and living with Rapture as the sacrifice, Fendal begs the Listener not to believe that it will fix anything. He tells them that it will plunge the world into an eternal state of limbo, an existence worse than damnation. He begs them further not to leave with August and work with him instead to fix Rapture from the inside, recalling his original offer.

The Listener is left in a weakened state after the portal collapses and awakens in the care of Ramses  who mentions that the blonde has been "in a state" since the incident. He has been poring through tomes to research something since the Listener has been unconscious.

## Personality

Entitled and arrogant, Fendal lives for the glorious future that is fated for him. He expects to graduate at the top of his class and get a high-status position in Rapture's Marked society, personally claiming that he'll being High Overseer of Rapture in time. Due to his family connections and his own brand of self-confidence he expects the school to cooperate with his vision of the future. This self-confidence is not without merit, having shown a strong aptitude for several of the arcane arts and even being placed in the advanced Pyromancy class.

He derides Aberrants and other low-status Rapturians, calling them the dregs of society and beggars who deserve their low position in the world. His family, on the other hand, is Marked and thus blessed by the Crimson Mother, who he swears by. He finds his classmates dull and uninteresting, thus of little use to him personally.

The Listener, on the other hand, he finds powerful, refined, and pleasing to the eye, so he works to align their power with his by offering riches and status in Rapture and the world beyond. With the Listener he reveals a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, even teasing them a little. Their relationship seems to improve and we see that he cares about them more than he lets on, though he still calls them "Outsider" and "mage". In the confrontation with August he opens up even more. Hdoesn't want them to be punished for stealing, something we can imagine is a terrible fate in Rapture, and admits that his flaws are the result of his upbringing. He shows willingness to change, both personally and the culture, and is even more desperate to have the Listener at his side so they can fix Rapture and stop August from ending the world. In their convalescence he has been "in a state" probably out of guilt or worry or both.

## Trivia

### Fendal

* August describes him as tall and blonde with an I'm-better-than-you air about him and a rather difficult haircut. His favorite color is yellow and he has a thing for nightshade, keeping a disturbing amount in his dorm room.
* The oneiromancy teacher mentions a blonde boy who has taken a liking to the Listener, "grins like a cat" whenever they're around, and stammers when people ask him about them.
* Divination is not his specialty and considers tarot cards to be the lesser of three evils (tarot cards, unknown method, and tea leaf reading).
	+ The reading in the audio was 100% improvised by Hollow with an actual deck.
* He's a fair hand at cards and has played with other Marked children at his father's estate. He likes to win (shocking).
* The way he speaks about "that Aberrant boy" could be taken for disdain or jealousy - or both!
* Fendal doesn't like to talk about his mother, she passed shortly after giving birth to him and his father took a new wife while Fendal was still an infant. The new wife didn't care for Fendal and thus grew up with no real mother figure and a father who was never truly invested in him outside of politics.

### Fan Theories

* This is not a typical tarot reading as a proper love/relationship reading requires six cards.
* He stalked the Listener and August before and that's how he knew where to find them in "Arrogant and Flirtatious Mages Fight For You!" .
* If Fendal's love reading is accurate then the Listener will choose him. In the latest audio he shows willingness to change (and possibly forgive) and is definitely in a place to cultivate his future.
* Fendal's frantic research while the Listener was recovering with Ramses is about stopping August's ritual.

## Main Audios (in order of upload date)

All audios can be found in the ***Arcane Academy*** playlist here.

1. ↑ Flirtatious Mage Welcomes You To The Arcane Academy
2. ↑ Arrogant Mage Offers To Make You His
3. ↑  Arrogant Mage Gives You A Love Reading
4. ↑ Arrogant and Flirtatious Mages Fight For You!
5. ↑  Cruel Naga Takes Care of YOU