Vyacheslav Lysenkov
 | |
| Vyacheslav Lysenkov | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Born | 20 November 1920, 97 |
| City of Birth | Yekaterinburg, Russia |
| Current City | London, England |
| Blood status | Half-blood |
| Also known as | Chaz Lysander |
| Physical Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5'11" |
| Hair Colour | White |
| Eye Colour | Unknown |
| Skin Colour | Pale, blemished with age |
| Magical Characteristics | |
| Patronus | Musk ox |
| Education | |
| School | Durmstrang Institute |
| Class of | 1939 |
| Occupation | |
| |
| Neon | |
Publicly Vyacheslav is known as Chaz Lysander, but an investigation of his genuinely legal documentation reveals both of his names. He answers to Vyacheslav Lysenkov far more readily than Chaz Lysander.
Little is known about Vyacheslav. After graduating from Durmstrang he promptly disappeared off the grid for several decades. In that time, rumours of a highly intelligent specialist and strategist going by that name arose during World War 2, skilled in espionage and sabotage. He was highly sought after by shady individuals, but who he really worked for during that time remains unknown. His name disappeared after the surrender of Russia in 1945, only to resurface during the Cold War. Once that was over he vanished once more, this time as if he had never existed, except that based on the way he speaks he may just have been active in a more undercover manner.
Contrary to whatever his appearance and behaviour may suggest, Lysenkov is a legal immigrant and no longer a convict as he has served his sentence. He continues to keep in contact with his information network, but he no longer engages in any criminal activity.
Known History
While Britain was going through the Second Wizarding War, he resurfaced in Siberia during one of Morgana Hollingbury's solo heists and aided her without asking for payment before vanishing, with the intention of helping her only because of the trouble it would cause within certain criminal mobs. Curious, Morgana tracked him down and had a conversation with him, during which she learned he was looking to escape to England but was having trouble with war-related issues as well as migration. With her help in exchange for valuable information, he achieved this in 1998.
Ever since then he's worked with Morgana as her primary informant. He keeps eyes and ears out in the criminal world, but prefers to watch from the sidelines as entertainment. Vyacheslav seems a simple man who takes pleasure in simple things, but there are no absolutes with him. His stories of his past change with every retelling, he's got anecdotes for everything, and he laughs and/or snarks at everyone. He makes you feel that he's making things up, and he wants you to think that. The only truly confirmed fact about him is that he no longer has any interest in being part of whatever world he was in when young. He just prides himself on giving accurate information with evidence, about the only thing anyone can trust him with.
Distinct Characteristics
He comes off as incredibly straggly thanks to his long white hair and skinny frame. A big grin is always on his face and he always chortles - except when he doesn't, something that Morgana takes seriously as it usually for grave matters that even he does not consider a joke. His sleeves are rolled up to the elbows, showing off writhing Russian prison tattoos; a significant focus is the seven ring tattoos around his fingers that denote he has been convicted seven times.
Vyacheslav speaks with a deep, gravelly voice, his words in a Russian accent and wears red-tinted black-framed glasses. He's always seen with a toothpick or some other stick in his mouth. Morgana addresses him as Chaz most of the time, but in private company will call him Lysenkov. He has implied that 'Vyacheslav Lysenkov' may not even be his real name, though it's possible that's part of his smoke-and-mirrors impression.
Personality
Despite his job and looks, he has good taste with wine in cooking, food and opera, though he obfuscates this by engaging in crass humour most of the time. His morality is ambiguous at best, but he is only seen working alongside Morgana for altruistic reasons and shows disdain for crimes done for personal gain or financial profit.
As for why he works with Morgana, it remains a mystery since he does not demand compensation from her. Sometimes he says he's doing it out of loyalty. Other times he's doing it because Morgana uses his info to stir up criminals and he enjoys it. Morgana only makes it clear that Vyacheslav works with her, not for her, and makes sure that he's living okay in England. He also only works with Morgana and no one else; if anyone tries to get to him they will find his documentation legal and in order, and that he truly is just a wizarding plumber.
He is distinctly anti-authoritarian; some might use the word anarchist.
His closeness with Morgana has been mistaken for more than just friends in the past. He denies this, saying that he "respects Morgana too much" to consider her a romantic partner.
Despite his clearly Russian background and the decor in his basement home, he has been a teetotaler since he arrived in Britain. He likes recycling and the ambience of light in glass.
Possible Background
Morgana has her suspicions, but what she knows based on Lysenkov's smattering of information is very little and uncertain. He mentions having worked for the Russian Ministry of Magic and how they denied him passage to leave the country because of what he knows. He mentions having dirt on important people (no individuals specified) and 'knowing too much' that the British Ministry of Magic may want him for their own ends.
He has mentioned being a patriot and getting disillusioned with the motherland, saying that the state of the government is not something he wants to support as it is beyond his ideals of what he did for his country. He has not specified those ideals.
He also likes to fiddle with magical spying devices.
Morgana's hunch is that he may have been a spy or secret agent for the Russian Ministry of Magic living in deep cover or infiltrating the criminal underworld, but that remains unfounded and a guess at best.
He is missing his patronymic name. When questioned he simply states that he doesn't believe in carrying the names of the dead with him.
At Absit Omen
Lysenkov and Morgana's deal features prominently in The Wolves are Full.
Lysenkov is also Morgana's main informant of the Plot:Dragonsblood Curse in Rising Tide.
