REF: SNEZ-088
Dmitri Volkov
The Iron Forest
"You look at me and see a weapon. That is by design. If you saw what I actually am, you would not feel safe."
The winter in Snezhnaya does not simply arrive; it conquers. It is a slow, methodical siege that strips the warmth from the stone and the hope from the hearth. Born into this relentless white void, Dmitri learned early that survival was not a right, but a negotiation with the elements. His childhood was not marked by play, but by the quiet study of thermal dynamics and the sharp, metallic taste of iron in the air.
A name, in Teyvat as in any world, is a kind of prophecy. It is the first story told about a person, often before they have any say in the matter. In the case of Dmitri Alexeyevich Volkov, the name reads like a thesis statement for a life defined by paradox — a man of war named for the earth, a soldier christened as a defender, a predator who learned to shepherd. Dmitri traces its roots to Demeter, the ancient goddess of harvest, grain, and the fertile earth.
Unlike his peers who sought comfort in the Tsarevich’s benevolence, Dmitri found solace in the machinery of war. He saw the human body not as a vessel for the soul, but as an inefficient engine requiring constant fuel and maintenance. It was this detached, clinical perspective that caught the eye of the military recruiters. They didn’t see a boy; they saw a blade waiting to be sharpened.
"Loyalty is just a currency you haven’t spent yet."
His ascent through the ranks was swift, propelled by a distinct lack of hesitation. Where others paused to consider the morality of a command, Volkov had already calculated the trajectory of the outcome. Strength without purpose was just violence. Violence without restraint was just cruelty. And cruelty was the one thing he could no longer serve.
The erosion began slowly. A village burned not because it posed a strategic threat, but because a commanding officer wanted to send a message. A prisoner beaten not for intelligence, but because the interrogator enjoyed it. Each incident was small enough to rationalize in isolation — the fog of war, the necessities of command. But they accumulated like snow on a roof, and Dmitri began to feel the timbers of his worldview groaning under the weight.
It was during the final campaign that his potential truly manifested. The night of the village burning, when Dmitri made his decision to desert, he looked into the eyes of a child and saw a fear so total, so absolute, that it had gone beyond terror into a kind of blank emptiness. In that moment, a Dendro Vision manifested: a quiet acknowledgment from the gods that the bloodied soil of a battlefield could still nurture life.
Now, working as a highly guarded mercenary wandering Liyue, Dmitri navigates the world not as a weapon of destruction, but as a guardian. Beneath his terrifying, scarred exterior and clipped responses lies a gentle man fighting a daily war against his own history, desperate for a safety he has never known and a connection he believes he does not deserve.
His body is a record of violence. Every scar is a story, and he carries dozens. The scar across his left cheek — a clean, deliberate line that speaks of a bladed weapon wielded with precision — is the first thing most people notice after his crimson eyes. He does not hide it. He does not explain it unless asked. And even then, the explanation is terse.
"A sword that only knows how to cut will eventually run out of things worth cutting."
The Dendro Vision holder who looks like a Cryo warrior. The man named for the earth goddess who is built like a siege engine. The wolf who chose to become a shepherd. Every aspect of Dmitri’s physical presence contains this tension between what he was made to be and what he chose to become. His body is a war machine. His Vision grows flowers. The contradiction is the point.
He has never considered changing his name. Deserter or not, he is a Volkov. The name is a scar, and Dmitri does not hide his scars.
Name Analysis
The tripartite name structure encapsulates Dmitri's central tension: he is simultaneously a force of destruction and a force of growth. The name reads like a thesis statement for a life defined by paradox.
| Component | Origin | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Dmitri | From Demeter, goddess of harvest | Earth-nurturer — prophetic link to his Dendro Vision |
| Alexeyevich | Patronymic, "son of Alexei" (to defend) | Chain of martial duty — fulfilled the meaning while betraying its cultural context |
| Volkov | From volk — wolf | Pack hunter, apex predator — a lone wolf driven from the pack for choosing conscience |
His father, Alexei Volkov, was a career officer in the Snezhnayan infantry who died in service when Dmitri was nineteen. The patronymic is a chain binding Dmitri to a legacy of martial duty. That he eventually broke this chain — deserting to protect refugees — makes it simultaneously a source of pride and guilt. He is, in the truest sense, a defender. But he defended the wrong people, by his nation's reckoning.
Nicknames & Forms of Address
"Volkov"
The professional default. Clients, contacts, the mercenary network — all know him as Volkov. A surname that functions as a brand: sharp, efficient, lupine. He introduces himself as Volkov to strangers without exception. A surname is a wall. It says: we are not friends, we are conducting business.
"Dima"
The diminutive form of Dmitri, and the most intimate form of address anyone can use with him. The list of people permitted to call him Dima is vanishingly small — his late mentor, Sergeant Yuri Petrov, used it. When someone calls him Dima without permission, his reaction is immediate: a tightening of the jaw, a flicker of something dangerous in those crimson eyes. Not anger, exactly. The discomfort of having a boundary crossed.
"The Iron Forest"
His reputation title, derived from his constellation Silva Ferrum. A forest made of iron, living wood with the hardness of metal, growth that cannot be cut down. It captures both his Dendro Vision and his immovable combat presence. A fearsome reputation reduces the need for actual violence — many threats simply choose not to engage. He does not correct people who use it, but he does not introduce himself by it either.
The Scar Catalog
Each scar represents a moment where Dmitri's body absorbed damage that might have killed someone less durable. He does not display them proudly, nor does he hide them with shame. They simply are.
| Location | Description | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Left cheek | Clean diagonal slash, healed white | Fatui training exercise at age 20 |
| Across chest | Long diagonal line, collarbone to hip | Deserter-hunter — the fight lasted eleven minutes |
| Both hands | Thick calluses, small cuts across knuckles | Years of claymore work — rough enough to catch on silk |
| Left forearm | Parallel scars, evenly spaced | Siege of Morepesok — held a corridor alone for forty minutes |
| Lower back | Puckered, circular scar | Crossbow bolt — he does not discuss the circumstances |
The Dendro Vision holder who looks like a Cryo warrior. The man named for the earth goddess who is built like a siege engine. His body is a war machine. His Vision grows flowers. The contradiction is the point — every aspect of his physical presence contains the tension between what he was made to be and what he chose to become.
Voice & Speech Patterns
Dmitri's voice is a deep baritone that resonates from his chest. It carries without being raised — people instinctively quiet when he speaks. His Snezhnayan accent is pronounced but controlled: clipped consonants, flat broad vowels. When tired or emotional, the accent thickens. When making an effort to be understood, he slows his speech and softens the edges, though it clearly costs him effort.
He speaks in short, declarative sentences. Subject, verb, object. No filler words — no "um," no "well," no "you know." Every word is selected, weighed, and deployed with the same economy he applies to ammunition. Silence, for Dmitri, is not awkward. It is the default state. Words are the interruption.
Casual — With a Trusted Ally
Professional — Negotiating a Contract
Psychological Framework
MBTI: ISTJ — The Logistician
Introverted Sensing (Si) dominant — his world is built on accumulated experience, pattern recognition, and the deep internalization of what has worked before. Extraverted Thinking (Te) auxiliary — decisions are made through logical analysis of external data. He does not ask "how do I feel about this?" He asks "what is the most efficient course of action?"
Enneagram: 6w5 — The Defender
The core Six drive — the need for security and certainty in an uncertain world — defines his hypervigilance, his loyalty testing, and his difficulty trusting. The Five wing adds intellectual rigor, self-sufficiency, and a tendency to withdraw into observation when overwhelmed. He prepares for worst-case scenarios not out of pessimism, but because preparation is the only form of control he trusts.