Dmitri Ivanov is the ruling Burgomeister over the town of Mordavia at the time of Shadows of Darkness. Although not very interested in nor trusting of foreigners who come to his town, Dmitri is a very lawful man who is dedicated to keeping life just and fair for everyone in the valley.
Background[]
There are two separate given trees given Dmitri in the lore, setting his ancestors back three or four generations. Depending on this family tries; Dmitri is the grandson (and/or son) of Geoff and also son of Ivan (apparently Geoff's son). He is great-grandson (and/or grandson) of the renowned Mordavian Paladin Piotyr and Magda. After barely surviving the disastrous attack on the Dark One's Cave, Piotyr set out to find and destroy the Dark One Rituals so that no future efforts could be made to summon Avoozl. He was never heard from again - at the time, leaving his fiancee pregnant with Dmitri's grandfather (father).
Piotyr's son grew up resenting his father for what he assumed to be cowardice - for abandoning his people in their time of need and not remaining at his side to raise the boy as a strong father - and Hero. This dour and cynical view of heroes lived on through Dmitri, who never had much faith in adventurers and felt that actions spoke louder than words.
Burgomeister[]
It is not known when, but Dmitri Ivanov became the Burgomeister of Town Mordavia following the end of his father's term (whether he abdicated his position or merely passed away is unknown). When the Hero arrived in Mordavia, the Burgomeister wasn't particularly trusting of him, especially due to the fact that Mordavia had been relatively isolated from the world by the impassable swamp to the southwest. In the game, it is seen that as Burgomeister, Dmitri ruled sternly, albeit fairly - never seeking to blame an innocent man nor jump to conclusions.
An example of this could be seen when he was unwilling to burn the Gypsy Davy at the stake - whereas the townspeople loathed the Gypsies and sought to execute them under any accusations possible. Through the Hero's actions, the true circumstances behind Igor's disappearance were revealed and Davy's life was saved. The Burgomeister thanked the Hero, stating that he would not have wanted to see an innocent man's blood spilled on the behalf of superstition and paranoia. Slowly as word of the Hero's various accomplishments spread, the Burgomeister begins to trust and befriend the Hero, believing that, perhaps, there are still places for heroes in his day and age.
By the end of Shadows of Darkness, Dmitri receives word from the King that he and his family will become the new Boyar line of Mordavia, inhabiting the Borgov Castle which had been abandoned for generations and slowly restoring the land to the glory it once knew at the time of their "forefathers".
Personality and traits[]
Ths is a bitter man with a large full beard and mustache. His clothes suggest noble ancestry.
Nicknames[]
- Burgomeister
- The Tiger
- Boyar
See also[]
Behind the scenes[]
Also see Day and Night Cycle.
While the Burgomeister's Office is only supposed to be open at day, if the hero manages to arrive at Day 1's night, the office is surprisingly open with Dmitri even talking and observing through the window. Obviously the Coles never expected the hero to run so quickly to town once leaving Dark One's Cave.
If the hero frees Davy but fails to save Igor, the Burgomeister will get the hero killed. However, if the hero always avoids meeting the Burgomeister from that point, the game can be complteted with the Burgomeister still greeting the hero at the end game ceremony.
Lineage[]
Dmitri's relation to Piotyr is not exactly clear. While he and others generally refer to Piotyr as Dmitri's 'grandfather', Dmitri calls Piotyr his 'great-grandfather' at least once. In the Cole's story Mordavian Nights Dmitri is also said to be 'great-grandson' of Piotyr. Lori Cole has said she has no explanation for this confusing family tree.
This may change the context of other uses of 'father' and 'grandfather' or even 'grandmother' in QFG4 in relation to his family heritage and story. When Dmitri refers to his 'grandmother' he maybe referring to his 'great-grandmother' or Magda.
It's not clear if Piotyr is an ancestor through Dmitri's mother's line or his father's line. Thus, Dimitri's mother's father maybe the son of Piotyr (Geofff). On the other hand Dimitri's father maybe the grandson of Piotyr, the son of Geoff.
Geoff is at least clearly Piotyr's son, and implied to be Dmitri's father in the QFG4 Hintbook. The only way that Dmitri could be both grandson and great-grandson is if Geoff (as his grandfather) adopted Dmitri making him both his son and grandson. Or through some other confusing intermarriage in the community.
The patronymic (or possibly surname) "Ivanov" (in Russian and Bulgarian) which usually means "Ivan's" or "Ivan's son"/"Son of Ivan"[1] is essentially means the family or son belonging to Ivan. This suggest there once was someone in Dmitri's line named Ivan, but strongly suggests his father was named Ivan. As history following his Grandfather's line is pretty clearly defined between Piotyr, Geoff, and Dmitri. It could be that Ivan and Geoff are the same person (but alternate names given in the lore, similar to Last Borgov). Though its possible that Ivan could have been Piotyr's father, or if the family is shifted up by one generation, Dmitri's father. Or it could have been inherited from his maternal line (though this tends to be less likely in western society). In fact 'Ivanov' is a common 'patronymic' meaning usually from one's father (a grandfather is an 'avonymic'), though this isn't always the case, it could be an earlier ancestor. It is not known if other ancestors such Piotyr or Geoff even had surnames, let alone Ivanov.