Ivan Karadin
Prince Ivan Karadin is a prominent royal, businessman, and political figure within the empire of Pergrand. Though legally holding the status of a Prince, Ivan intentionally maintains his political authority at a Senatorial level, preferring to exert his influence through high-society commerce and strategic underworld logistics rather than the imperial throne. He operates as the sole proprietor of The Dollhouse, an elite, highly regulated luxury establishment and nightclub. Unknown to the general populace, Ivan is an exceptionally powerful Blood Mage, a taboo arcane trait inherited from his maternal lineage that he covertly utilizes to manipulate adversaries and safeguard his inner circle.
Biography
Business Operations & The Dollhouse
Refusing to succumb to the demonic corruption of his father's court, Ivan diverted his ambitions toward the corporate sector. Standing at an imposing 6' 2" and weighing 185 lbs with a powerful, muscular build, his physical presence matches his formidable executive authority. He is characterized by his sharp dark blue eyes and black hair. He established and currently manages The Dollhouse, a premium, strictly regulated high-society brothel and nightclub. Ivan runs the business with absolute precision, utilizing specialized oversight to ensure total hygiene, safety, and a complete absence of disease across the enterprise. The venue functions seamlessly alongside his business partner Arlorian Andalusia's fashion house, *Dollhouse Chic*, serving as a living runway for imperial high society.
Arcane Secrecy & Regicide
Ivan's affinity for forbidden Blood Magic is a heavily guarded secret, known strictly to his family units and closest associates. He utilizes this hidden power with lethal discretion to manipulate, paralyze, or eliminate those who cross his interests. His arcane mastery was ultimately demonstrated during a private confrontation with his tyrannical father, King Gustan Karadin. When Gustan issued an implicit threat against Ivan's youngest brother, Uram, Ivan covertly used his magic to instantly thicken the blood in Gustan's veins, engineering a fatal cardiac event and subsequent stroke while staging the scene to appear as a natural death.
Relationships and Inner Circle
Marital Alignment
- Pragi: A fallen male Midday Star Archangel Mage whom Ivan encountered and ultimately fell deeply in love with. Through their profound instinctual bond, Ivan successfully mated with him, effectively redeeming the fallen angel back to a state of divine grace. The two were subsequently joined in a legal, high-society marriage, with Pragi becoming Ivan's husband.
Relational Bonds & Family
- Uram Karadin: Ivan's younger half-brother. Despite the chaotic fracturing of House Karadin under their father's reign, Ivan recognized an uncorrupted lightness within Uram that he swore to protect. Ivan famously enforces a strict personal doctrine advising all of Pergrand high society that he is the only individual permitted to tease, mock, or bring harm to his family, standing violently by that code against external threats.
- Arlorian Andalusia: A young, rare intersex Venusian Treasure whom Ivan personally rescued from a closed, illicit slave auction in Damascus. Taking him under his protection, Ivan fostered Arlorian's growth and provided the resources necessary for him to establish his luxury apparel enterprise, *Dollhouse Chic*, immediately next door to the nightclub. Ivan and his husband Pragi harbor deep affection for Arlorian, maintaining an ultimate personal hope that the young man will one day serve as a surrogate to carry and deliver a child for their family lineage.
- Atticus Mortimer: Originally introduced strictly as Uram's companion, Atticus became a permanent fixture in Ivan's outer circle by association. Watching over him due to his proximity to Uram, Ivan fondly refers to Atticus as "nerd" and frequently used his senorial presence or darker, covert manipulation to force instructors at the Royal Academy to look the other way regarding Atticus's activities.
Aristocratic Alliances
- Grand Duke Wolfgang Hesha: The current Grand Duke of Icefall. Their calm, mutual friendship initially manifested through Hesha's close ties to Ivan's brothers, Sergei and Uram. Demonstrating profound political trust, Ivan actively assisted Hesha in a highly classified smuggling operation, successfully extracting Damien—a rare Venusian Treasure captured by the late King Gustan—out of the Royal Palace and safely into the frozen jurisdiction of Icefall.
- Grand Duke Estiban Rayven: A close personal confidant whom Ivan explicitly claims as a true friend. Met through mutual family connections, Ivan relied heavily on Estiban's refined artistic eye to directly design the distinctive, structural Gothic architecture and interior aesthetic that defines the layout of The Dollhouse.
- Grand Duke Garion Ellis: The Grand Duke of Ellison. While the two historical figures do not always agree on policy and frequently clash, Ivan harbors deep political respect for Garion, acknowledging his precise calculation in keeping an imminent war at a complete, calculated standstill while carefully avoiding the direct wrath of King Raimarc.
Powers and Abilities
- Blood Magic: An advanced, taboo arcane classification that allows Ivan to telepathically influence the cardiovascular systems of living entities. He can manipulate physical movement, construct localized blood clots, or instantly thicken biological fluids to induce artificial paralysis and cardiac arrest.
- Senatorial Leverage: Wielding substantial political immunity, Ivan combines his royal lineage with an expansive network of high-society and underworld connections to easily influence local legislation, control trade parameters, and bypass standard academy regulations.
The Darkest Night (unpublished)
This section draws on The Darkest Night, an unpublished story. The opening document and numbered DN documents are manuscript sources, not published AO3 chapters. Ages, relationships and events below describe this earlier point in the characters' lives.
Shelter for Sergei
After Sergei withdraws his soldiers from Seven rather than obey Raimarc's demand for a hopeless last stand, Ivan offers him refuge at the Dollhouse and assigns him security work. He coordinates with Uram to tighten protection against Raimarc's expected retaliation. Raimarc is already barred from the venue after killing a worker. (DN 4.)
Uram later routes security-camera footage of Raimarc's confrontation with Alziel and Sergei to Ivan, preserving the record of his removal from power. (DN 14.)
White Sea story
Ivan helps secure the Fairstars' Pergrandian protection and participates in the alliance that enables Zen's rescue. During the Whales operation, his soldiers and Pragi protect the investigation, recover Kaden and support the action against the nobles exploiting mages. (White Sea, Chapters 3–6 and 38–40.)
He proposes Uram as a suitable ruler for Whales. The closing coronation carries that proposal into effect, with Sergei and Alziel crowning their younger brother. (White Sea, Chapter 40.)
