Julian

## Julian Devorak

Ilya

 Ilyushka (by Portia)

 Doctor Jules (by Lucio)

**Julian Devorak**, also known as **Ilya**, is one of the six available love interests. He was accused of Count Lucio's murder and subsequently fled to escape his death sentence, but has since returned to Vesuvia. His patron Arcana is The Hanged Man.

## Appearance

Julian is a tall, gangly man with curly auburn hair. His grey eyes are usually half-lidded, with dark, purplish shadows around them. His right eye is covered by a black eyepatch. Underneath, the sclera of his right eye is blood red. Julian has pale skin with a flush of color across his cheeks and nose. He has a prominent aquiline nose, a sharp jaw, and defined cheekbones.

Julian typically wears a gray-colored outfit reminiscent of a Howie lab coat, with a large flap across the chest held by silver snap buttons. The long sleeves of his top end in black leather, elbow-length gloves. A dark navy waistband with two tassels separates the top from tight pants that end in knee-high boots. Underneath, he wears a white dress-shirt tucked into his pants. Julian also frequently has a large black trench coat thrown over his shoulders. The inside of the coat is bright red.

## Personality

Julian has a flair for the dramatic. He is charismatic, theatrical, and frequently a magnet for attention, both good and bad. Several characters view him as overly dramatic, seeing his self-sacrificing behavior as going beyond altruism into masochism. Portia sums up this vexing trait of his by saying that Julian is "always shouldering someone else's burdens while lamenting how heavy the load is." Julian struggles with accepting the help of others, instead frequently diving headfirst into dangerous situations under the guise of protecting someone else. Julian has always been protective of those he cares about, most notably with his younger sister Portia. However, his belief that he is unworthy of love and support has transformed his protective nature into recklessness.

Despite being a condemned criminal, he is reportedly loved by the majority of the Vesuvian public, which shows how he can be magnetic and charming. According to Asra, he is able to excite others with ease and make them feel special, although Asra implies this is only because Julian is selfish and manipulative. The Apprentice is frequently warned against putting their guard down around him, even, notably, by Julian himself. However, it appears that Julian does not have any ulterior motives, and just genuinely desires love and affection. During his route, he often reveals this vulnerability to the Apprentice. However, his self-loathing often causes him to shut out those who try to help him.

Although Julian often attempts to maintain a guise of bravado, this air of confidence is shattered with comical ease whenever he is shown genuine affection. He is easily flustered in romantic instances with the Apprentice.

## History

### Early Life

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.

### The Red Plague

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.

### Night of the Masquerade

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.

### Three Year Interlude

During his time away from Vesuvia, 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 Southern Sea, working as the ship's physician in exchange for free passage. Halfway through the journey, the ship was accosted by pirates, and Julian was spared due to his ability to provide medical aid. He remained with the pirates for almost a year and claims it was during this time that he learned to be skilled in persuasion. The pirates eventually dropped him off in Vesuvia, to later reveal his whereabouts to Mazelinka and Portia.

He returned to Vesuvia some time before the start of the game's events, claiming that he had questions that could only be answered in the city.

## Prologue Interactions

In the opening chapter, Julian breaks into the Apprentice's shop shortly after the departure of Nadia. The apprentice can either attempt to negotiate with him, run from him, or attack him. Regardless of the choice, he is able to prevent them from escaping and removes his mask (if it has not been knocked off by the apprentice's attack) revealing his face while explaining that he is searching for Asra. After he realizes that the apprentice knows nothing of Asra's whereabouts, Julian asks them to read his fortune, to their confusion. The apprentice pulls Death. Before they can explain the meaning to Julian, he begins to laugh and tells the apprentice that death has turned away from him, calling himself an “abomination.” He then leaves the shop with a flourish, but not before cryptically warning the apprentice about Asra. The apprentice can encounter him again in the marketplace the next day, and they wonder why he is roaming around freely despite his fugitive status. However, after being warned by the raven Malak, he vanishes as soon as he notices them.

During the "Emperor (Night)" chapters, the apprentice can encounter Julian once again by following the magical signature attached to his belongings. He is found outside of the Rowdy Raven, a tavern in an ill-reputed part of town. After getting over his shock at seeing them, he invites them inside for a drink, offering to tell them his side of the story. After getting the apprentice a drink, they can show him whichever document they picked, which seems to stress him. Julian either reads out a letter or puzzles over a strange drawing and remains cryptic about himself and his past when questioned. He recommends they return it, as the palace will realize it is missing. Suddenly, Malak alerts the tavern to the arrival of the palace guards, and Julian quickly rushes the apprentice out the back. He briefly thanks them and then leaves in the opposite direction.

The next day, Julian somehow manages to once again break into the apprentice's shop, right as they are arriving to check on it. After questioning him, he reveals that he has a key to the backroom of the shop, to the apprentice’s bewilderment. He ends up giving the key to them, claiming he will no longer need it, and tells the apprentice he came to the shop for answers that it didn’t have. A paid option allows the apprentice to search Julian, discovering his flirtatious side, as well as a knife in his pocket. Portia suddenly arrives at the shop seeking the apprentice and becomes visibly upset when she sees Julian. She addresses him as "Ilya" and embraces him, causing the apprentice to think they seem like family. Portia excuses herself, dragging Julian out of the shop and down an alley, presumably to ream him out.

## Relationships

### Portia

Portia is Julian's younger sister. As children, Julian was very protective of her, even before the shipwreck that would make the two orphans. When Julian was older and subsequently left their home, the two were separated for a considerable amount of time. Before the start of the story, Julian stated that he had not seen her since she was very young. During their first interaction in the prologue, they are shocked to see each other. This shock quickly becomes a tear-filled hug. Julian does not appear to have realized how his absence has hurt Portia, although upon their reunion he shows considerable regret at not having been there to see her grow up. After being reunited, Portia quickly leads Julian away, clearly intending to yell at him for the anxiety he has put her through.

The two have a strong sibling relationship. Julian is frequently overprotective of Portia, to his detriment and her annoyance. Portia, likewise, wants to protect Julian and prove his innocence. In his own route, Julian can learn to let Portia take care of herself and correct his self-sacrificial behavior.

### Asra

Julian and Asra have a complicated relationship. The two first met while employed by the palace to find a cure for the plague. They developed a friendship with each other, as well as with the countess Nadia. Their companionship escalated into a physical relationship which later soured. They harbor a mutual resentment for each other even in the present day, with Julian claiming it was Asra who afflicted him with his curse. Julian returns to Vesuvia largely to seek out Asra for answers. Although the two are at first tense around each other upon meeting again, Julian later admits that he made a lot of assumptions about Asra and their relationship, and might have been selfish with him. At the end of several routes, the two appear to have become friendly with each other once more.

### Lucio

Julian and Lucio have known each other for some time, as it was Julian who amputated Lucio's arm and saved his life—much to Lucio's ire. Julian and Lucio held a patient-doctor relationship during Julian's stay at the palace. Lucio appears to have hit on Julian during this time, although Julian was uncomfortable with it and found Lucio irritating. After the last masquerade, Julian was found outside of Lucio's burning rooms by Consul Valerius and accused of being the one to murder him. Although Julian would confess to the crime, he would later escape custody and flee the city. It is later revealed in all the routes that Julian is in fact innocent of killing Lucio. It was, however, also revealed that Lucio force-fed Julian a plague beetle and locked him in his dungeon office to motivate him to find a cure. There, Julian met with his patron arcana, the Hanged Man, and learned that killing Lucio would cure the plague, as his existence was tied to it. Therefor, Julian was indeed planning on killing Lucio and had no qualms about doing so, but was too late to act on his knowledge.

### Nadia

Julian, Asra, and Nadia were friends prior to Lucio's death. However, after the ritual at the end of the last masquerade, Julian and Nadia's memories of their friendship were wiped, and they are now strangers. Nadia believes him to be responsible for her late husband's death and has tasked the Apprentice with finding him so that he may face justice. Nadia reveals her reasoning for capturing Julian is not about getting revenge, rather it is about learning what exactly happened and getting closure. Nadia is open to discussing the possibility of Julian's innocence, and trusts the apprentice's judgement regarding him. Towards the ends of several routes, Nadia shows that she holds no ill will towards him and even assists the apprentice in clearing his name. At the end of Asra's upright route, Julian becomes the palace physician, attending to Nadia directly. The two appear to have become rather close, sharing a flirtatious exchange.

### The Apprentice

The Apprentice is a possible love interest for Julian. During the height of the Red Plague 3 years prior, the apprentice worked under Julian at his clinic. The details of their relationship during this time are unknown. Eventually the apprentice would contract the plague, leading to their quarantine at the Lazaret and subsequent death. Julian was oblivious to his apprentice's sickness until after their death, too absorbed in finding a cure for the plague. At the start of the story, Julian breaks into the apprentice's shop seeking Asra. The two do not recognize each other, as both of their memories have been wiped. When the apprentice later arrives at the palace, they learn that Julian is thought responsible for the Count's murder and it is their job to find him. Although they meet at several points during the prologue, the Apprentice chooses to investigate further before condemning him.

During his route, Julian quickly begins a physical relationship with the Apprentice, but later 'breaks up' with them, explaining that he doesn't want to drag them into his messes. In truth, Julian is afraid of hurting them. The Apprentice later confronts him alongside Portia as he is drowning his sorrows in Salty Bitters. The two drag Julian back to reality, and the apprentice makes it clear that they are not giving up on him and are intent on proving his innocence.

Throughout his route, Julian regains missing memories with the help of the apprentice. When he regains the memory of speaking to the hanged man, he is determined to replicate it by facing his own death. The apprentice is against this idea, fearing for Julian's life, and offers an alternate plan that involves them entering the Hanged Man's realm together. When this plan ultimately fails, the apprentice has no choice but to watch Julian's execution and hope his mark is enough to bring him back to life. Their connection ultimately allows the apprentice to join Julian in the Hanged Man's realm again, although the apprentice can only spectate. There, they learn that Julian is afraid of failing them once again, revealing that they were Julian's apprentice before they died of the plague. In Julian's upright path, he learns to forgive himself for his past mistakes and accept the help of others, including that of the apprentice. In his reversed path, Julian preoccupies himself with protecting the apprentice, rejecting the help of others and refusing to focus on his own needs.

In both paths, Julian loves the apprentice dearly. He is concerned for their safety, quick to ensure they are not hurt after any harrowing experience. He enjoys having fun with them and is eager to please them. Above all, he desires a future with the apprentice, something he did not allow himself to want before he met them.

### Mazelinka

Mazelinka is Julian's "honorary grandma." Mazelinka was the one who discovered Portia and Julian after their shipwreck, and she subsequently brought them to Nevivon to be cared for by a group of elders. As one of the these elders was Mazelinka's girlfriend, Lilinka, Mazelinka would frequently return to Nevivon to visit the siblings. Mazelinka was the one to smuggle Julian out of Vesuvia after he was accused of killing the count. She acts with motherly affection towards him, expressing concern for his health and being unafraid to scold him when she thinks he deserves it.

## Trivia

* Julian's favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio, and his favorite fruits are figs.
* Much of the inspiration for his appearance and character came from Jeff Goldblum.
* Julian used to own a wobbly old hound dog named Brundle.
* His favorite season is Autumn.
* Julian is proficient enough to carry a conversation in about seven languages.
* He has indecipherable handwriting and tragic art skills.
* Unlike his sister, Julian sunburns very easily.
* He knows how to play an instrument. In book XIV, that instrument turns out to be a vielle.
* He is terribly ticklish.
* He has a very limited singing ability, though somehow he's great at duets.
* He gives wonderful, all-consuming hugs to someone he cares about. However, if he doesn't, he gives praying mantis-like hugs.