Dante Renelon

## Dante

Cadence Celeste Celie

The ultimate show of his magical prowess and dangerous ambition was his incursion of the City of the Gods, where Dante destroyed the barriers protecting the city and snuck within, hiding his presence from the Gods and slipping into the Tower of Time, Chronihl's domain. From inside, Dante harnessed the tower's energy and ventured through time itself. What Dante did while stepping through timelines is left unsaid, both by him and by Chronihl himself, he was caught after the act by Chronihl, who at first was enraged to find such an individual tampering with his belongings. For an unknown reason, however, Chronihl's rage was quelled after peering into his devices, and witnessing what Dante had changed. However, such an act could not go unpunished, and so Chronihl cast him out of the city, with both a curse and a gift; Dante could now see through time, bear witness to multiple timelines, but be restricted to acting upon them with mortal capabilities. Beyond this, his actions were viewed as treacherous to the Divines, and the Templar Order vilified him, leading to a witch hunt.

### Banishment

In the year 416 Renaissance, after two years of moving from place to place, Arias Evworthy finally caught Dante in the midst of his travel. Although Dante was extremely dangerous, Arias manipulated the situation to place the lives of many innocents at risk, and caused Dante to hesitate in a full force attack. The hesitation and relent that Dante showed gave Arias the opportunity to incarcerate Dante in a divine ward. Dante, after buying enough time to allow Solas' escape, knew his options. The divine ward would not break via normal means, and rather than face trial by the hands of the Templars that despised him, Dante tore open a scar in the world, carving out the very space in reality his bonds existed upon and escaping to the depths of the Infernum. Arias and his Templars sealed the breach, assuming Dante dead.

### Rise of the Triumvirate

After his banishment, in reality Dante survived in the Infernum, relying on his cunning and arcane knowledge to survive. His previous study on the Infernum guided him as he spoke to many, pulling strings and shifting events while out of sight. His reach was, understandably, limited, but his connections with Threnody and Virgil proved worthwhile, as they became his greatest allies. Threnody used Dante's direction to more directly influence events, while Virgil tirelessly worked to better harness Dante and aid in his struggle to stay alive. Although many mortal functions paused while Dante was trapped in the Infernum, the creatures and environment still threatened his life on a constant basis. Davreign, an ash dragon trapped within the Infernum as well, often attempted to kill Dante in sport, referring to him as a "little dragon" while Dante came to enjoy the somewhat murderous company. At some point, Dante wore a makeshift ring, made from the tooth of a demon that flew loose when Dante punched it.

Dante's influence stretched beyond his closest mortal allies as well. He maintained a close relationship with Azrel, on several occasions aiding the god of death in the rescue of misplaced souls, but unfortunately the removal of Dante himself was a breach in the oath Azrel kept. Instead, Azrel allowed Dante to ask favors of his agents of death, the Nightingales, whom carried out Dante's will without the world knowing. Additionally, Dante spoke to a group of damned souls near the times of their death, delaying it long enough to guide them in the disruption of Asmodeus' rise to immortality, before then offering them the chance to become part of something greater. The souls became the catalyst for Dante's use of risen individuals severed from their time, prevented from their death only to paradoxically exist in a time they were never meant to be a part of. Several of these risen individuals were paramount in the battle of Lla'Trahns, and allowed for Dante's escape during the battle.

### Personality

Dante is a pragmatic, wise individual. His skill and intellect have never been of question, and his ambition, although the cause of his troubles in life, have changed the course of history forever. True to his bloodline, Dante is of extreme magical attunement. His natural aptitude for the arcane arts was extraordinary, and his ambition even at an early age led to a mastery by the time he was a young adult. Although Dante's overall viewpoint is very compassionate, at times he comes across as cold, harsh, or even ruthless. This comes from his overt selfishness, especially after his banishment, not out of self interest, but rather the fact that Dante is one of very few with the power to change the world in such a direct and impactful way. Dante is aware of this and is not able to easily sacrifice his opportunity to create a better reality for the comfort or happiness of others. When able to, he gives those around him choice, freedom to judge him and only attempts to guide them, or convince them to aid in his goal. When not able to give others the choice, he will not ask. The state of history and full societies can rest upon his shoulders, and he will not allow sympathy or compassion to cloud his decision-making. Despite this, he lives with much guilt and regret for his decisions.