Il Dottore | ZANDIK

Dottore's unfettered research towards creating a god, or elevating humans to the level of gods, left him ostracized from mainstream society but paved the way for him to become the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, with power comparable to the gods'. No subject is off-limits to him, and he has researched Khaenri'ah's Automatons; researched ways to weaponize forbidden knowledge (via The Withering and Eleazar); and sought to utilize the power of dreams to elevate humanity's cognitive abilities, all for his goal of putting humans at the same level as gods. This ambition is the reason why Pantalone, who seeks to "overthrow the natural imbalance between gods and humans," works with Dottore,[9] alongside his dependence on the immortality elixir that only Dottore was able to produce. Pursuing his research interests surpasses any of Dottore's moral scruples, which makes him an effective researcher but also often comes at the detriment of others. While the exact circumstances in which he was expelled from Sumeru Akademiya are unclear, his expulsion followed an investigation into the suspected murder of Sohreh and a series of infractions where he acted in pursuit of his research "without authorization."Dottore's experiments are not limited to furthering his god-related research; upon witnessing the acceptance of the "Kabukimono" at Tatarasuna, Dottore orchestrated an experiment involving murder and perceived betrayal, claiming an interest in observing how the Kabukimono would respond.To surpass the limits of his own human cognition and lifespan, Zandik created "segments" of himself after decades of research into puppet-making techniques using Scaramouche as a foundational blueprint.Each segment represents Dottore at a different age in his life, made into an independent individual in order to preserve their perspectives. While the original Zandik died of old age around 350 years ago,Dottore's Omega Build views the creation of segments as his crowning achievement as a researcher and takes great delight in Lesser Lord Kusanali's disapproval of them. However, he secretly also resented the other segments and considered himself incomplete as a result of being a fragment of the original, which she successfully exploits this to coerce him into erasing the others in exchange for the Electro Gnosis.

Dottore is despised by several of his Harbinger colleagues, including Arlecchino and Sandrone, for his tendency to value his research over everything else, regardless of the cost to others. However, he had a mutually beneficial cooperation with Crucabena before the latter's death at Arlecchino's hands, and considers Pantalone a friend, which is reciprocated. Due to the existence of multiple segments at varying ages, Dottore has a larger number of unique physical appearances compared to other characters. Zandik and his segments all share the traits of wavy, light-blue hair, average or above-average height (barring his one child segment), red eyes, and a slender build. During his time at Sumeru Akademiya, Sohreh described him as "young" and "handsome." the Omega Build, is based on his 35-year-old appearance.

While the total number of segments created is unstated, Anomalous Tree Marrow II depicts a total of six major ages which Zandik created segments for: 8, 18, 25, 35, 45, and 65.

Dottore is also able to take on completely different appearances Zandik,the body,Wore a plain white lab coat, black gloves, long blue drapery over his shoulders with a gold tip and blue gem on either end, a blue dress shirt, and a black collar or tie with a light-blue gem inlaid in gold at the center. Uses a black walking cane with a golden handle and wears a monocle on his right eye. The 8 year old segment Wore simple Sumeru-style garb of a light-colored robe with a dark collar and chest, and black-hemmed sleeves.

18 Wore a Sumeru Akademiya uniform and a golden four-pointed star earring on his right ear. Also wore an Akasha Terminal, as was standard by the time he joined the Akademiya. 45 Looks nearly identical to 35 distinguished by the coat worn by all Fatui Harbingers 35 Has medium-length, slicked-back wavy hair and wears a pointed, beak-shaped black mask that covers his eyes. He wears a long white coat over a blue dress shirt and cravat, with a raven-like accessory draped around his shoulders and a wing-like accessory behind his right shoulder. He is accented by several glowing, light blue accessories found around his person. He also wears black gloves with blue palms and black baggy pants. Based on his memories recorded in Irminsul, the Omega Build is derived from Dottore's appearance and personality 400 years ago, during which he perpetrated the Tatarasuna Mystery incident. 25 Attire resembled that of a laboratory worker or surgeon. Wore a white cross-chest lab coat, forearm-length black gloves, a pair of silver-framed glasses, and a high-collared blue shirt. 65 Had the longest hair and wears a bulky dark coat with fur trim over a black suit, a raven mask resembling a plague doctor's with a gold beak and blue lenses, and a dark top hat. He is also shown walking with a light blue cane with a hooked, golden handle.

Zandik was presumably born to a merchant family[21] several decades after the cataclysm. He was eventually chased out of his hometown with pitchforks and clubs.[7]

At a young age, he joined Sumeru Akademiya as a member of a yet-undisclosed Darshan (although Amurta[22] and Rtawahist[23] have been eliminated); Zandik disliked being constrained by Darshan designations and repeatedly rejected suggestions to join other Darshans. He was also critical of the overreliance on the Akasha System, as well as the Akademiya's general reticence about researching the Great Red Sand.[23]

Zandik's studies frequently took him to desert ruins. During one incident, he and a senior Rtawahist student entered Thoth's domain. The other student was injured while exploring, and their supplies began to run out. Thoth revealed himself by possessing a cat, intrigued by Zandik's intellect. However, Zandik distrusted Thoth's promises of power without revealing its drawbacks, while despite Thoth recognized Zandik's intellect, he also recognized his supreme arrogance, and feared for the safety of Zandik's partner. Zandik ultimately rejected Thoth's gift, while Thoth tricked Zandik into believing keeping his companion safe was necessary for their escape by telling him that only descendants of Tulaytullah could enter and leave the domain freely.[Note 5] Zandik's notes contained a warning directed to anyone else who might come to the ruins, urging them against trusting Thoth.[23]

The Zandik's Legacy series of interactables include some other anecdotes related to his desert expeditions, which led to the incidents that caused him to be expelled from the Akademiya. A trip to the ancient desert city of Gurabad led him to encounter Khaenri'ahn machines and technology; unaware of their origins, but realizing they were made by a civilization not under the rule of The Seven, he dubbed them the "Gurabad samples." However, they were fragmented and incomplete, leaving him few leads to continue researching.[24][25]

His interest was renewed during an Ardravi Valley expedition as a trainee Dastur, where he discovered and entered another Ruin Golem. Inside, he found many pieces that were missing from the Gurabad samples, and believed that he would be able to repair the machine's automatic system with these parts. He also discovered the records left behind by the Schwanenritter and tied them back to the legends about the Ruins of Dahri.[25] During the expedition, Zandik was partnered with an Amurta Dastur named Sohreh. Although she initially found him "rigid" and bemoaned that their two Darshans' research styles clashed too much for them to have anything to talk about, they eventually made conversation about local plants and animals. Sohreh describes it as "a great time," and her note ends with a remark about how they would go on a picnic together later that night.[22]

What happened next is unclear. The next record involving them is the Ragged Attendance Record, which states that Zandik had "acted without authorization for the third time." The record goes on to list a gravely injured Sohreh, who was ostensibly attacked by Rishboland Tigers.[11] Soon after, the team was attacked by a "killing machine" which Zandik disabled with his quick thinking. However, his desire to bring it back to the Akademiya for disassembly and reverse-engineering was rebuked by his peers and teachers. As punishment, Sage Sharnama delisted him from the author list of the paper that the expedition had been writing. During this time, Sohreh died and was buried.[26]

Sometime afterwards,[10] Zandik was also involved in some sort of medical research related to Eleazar in Apam Woods, recorded in some Ragged Records. The lab's child subjects all disappeared mysteriously, which Zandik believed was the result of interference by the Aranara, a ley line/elemental creature with the power to control dreams. This led him to conclude that by capturing and controlling the Aranara, human intelligence could be "elevated [...] to a whole new level," and humanity could "transcend the earthly boundaries."[27] He also participated in Eleazar research in Dar al-Shifa, in which he successfully managed to cure an Eleazar patient named Abbas by using "materials" procured from the remains of other deceased patients.[28] Abbas, however, was deeply scarred by his treatment and, believing a cure for the disease to be blasphemous, eventually dug his way out of the hospital out of sheer desperation.[29]

By this point, Zandik was openly proclaiming that humans were "nothing more than a machine of a certain level of complexity," and that they could be modified to create powerful "enhanced humans." Despite knowing the dangers of espousing such rhetoric, Zandik strove to remain in the Akademiya, as it was an environment which allowed him to perform his research.[7] Nevertheless, investigators at the Akademiya grew suspicious. Sohreh's remains were exhumed and dissected to verify her cause of death. Despite the lacerations and hemorrhaging, the actual fatal injury was a fractured hyoid bone — which suggested she had died from strangulation, not from lacerations or blood loss like the rest of the Investigation Team was led to believe.[30] His interest in Eleazar was investigated, with notes about the sudden disappearance of records followed by an "Eleazar outbreak." The last legible parts of the message board's notes on Zandik mention that prior to his disappearance, he expressed great interest in the Legend of Varuna.[10]

Eventually, Zandik was expelled from the Akademiya and took refuge in the desert. The Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers Il Dottore, also known as Zandik and by his codename The Doctor, was the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers.

Dottore's unfettered research towards creating a god, or elevating humans to the level of gods, left him ostracized from mainstream society but paved the way for him to become the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers,[6][7] with power comparable to the gods'.[8] No subject is off-limits to him, and he has researched Khaenri'ah's Automatons; researched ways to weaponize forbidden knowledge (via The Withering and Eleazar); and sought to utilize the power of dreams to elevate humanity's cognitive abilities, all for his goal of putting humans at the same level as gods. This ambition is the reason why Pantalone, who seeks to "overthrow the natural imbalance between gods and humans," works with Dottore,[9] alongside his dependence on the immortality elixir that only Dottore was able to produce.

Pursuing his research interests surpasses any of Dottore's moral scruples, which makes him an effective researcher but also often comes at the detriment of others. While the exact circumstances in which he was expelled from Sumeru Akademiya are unclear, his expulsion followed an investigation into the suspected murder of Sohreh and a series of infractions where he acted in pursuit of his research "without authorization."[10][11] Dottore's experiments are not limited to furthering his god-related research; upon witnessing the acceptance of the "Kabukimono" at Tatarasuna, Dottore orchestrated an experiment involving murder and perceived betrayal, claiming an interest in observing how the Kabukimono would respond.

To surpass the limits of his own human cognition and lifespan, Zandik created "segments" of himself after decades of research into puppet-making techniques using Scaramouche as a foundational blueprint.[12] Each segment represents Dottore at a different age in his life, made into an independent individual in order to preserve their perspectives. While the original Zandik died of old age around 350 years ago,[13][Note 2] Dottore's Omega Build views the creation of segments as his crowning achievement as a researcher and takes great delight in Lesser Lord Kusanali's disapproval of them. However, he secretly also resented the other segments and considered himself incomplete as a result of being a fragment of the original, which she successfully exploits this to coerce him into erasing the others in exchange for the Electro Gnosis.[14]

Dottore is despised by several of his Harbinger colleagues, including Arlecchino and Sandrone, for his tendency to value his research over everything else, regardless of the cost to others. However, he had a mutually beneficial cooperation with Crucabena before the latter's death at Arlecchino's hands,[15] and considers Pantalone a friend,[16] which is reciprocated.[17]

Advertisement Appearance Due to the existence of multiple segments at varying ages, Dottore has a larger number of unique physical appearances compared to other characters. Zandik and his segments all share the traits of wavy, light-blue hair, average or above-average height (barring his one child segment), red eyes, and a slender build. During his time at Sumeru Akademiya, Sohreh described him as "young" and "handsome."[18] His in-game model, introduced as the Omega Build, is based on his 35-year-old appearance.[13]

While the total number of segments created is unstated,[Note 3] Anomalous Tree Marrow II depicts a total of six major ages which Zandik created segments for: 8, 18, 25, 35, 45, and 65. However, Story Teaser: Those Who Shun the Light only highlights five unique segment appearances, with 35 sharing his hairstyle and mask with the segment seen in A Winter Night's Lazzo; Dottore's manga appearance is also unaccounted for.

Dottore is also able to take on completely different appearances, posing as a mechanic from Fontaine named Escher during the Archon Quest The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call in Interlude Chapter: Act III - Inversion of Genesis. During this quest, he wears Fontainian clothing and a belt with a knife in a scabbard attached on it located behind his back.

Advertisement Segments Segment Appearance Status Zandik 85 Original body (Zandik) Wore a plain white lab coat, black gloves, long blue drapery over his shoulders with a gold tip and blue gem on either end, a blue dress shirt, and a black collar or tie with a light-blue gem inlaid in gold at the center. Uses a black walking cane with a golden handle and wears a monocle on his right eye. Died at 85 years old prior to the game's events[13] Dottore Segment 8 8 Wore simple Sumeru-style garb of a light-colored robe with a dark collar and chest, and black-hemmed sleeves. Destroyed by "35" in Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies Dottore Segment 18 18 Wore a Sumeru Akademiya uniform and a golden four-pointed star earring on his right ear. Also wore an Akasha Terminal, as was standard by the time he joined the Akademiya. Dottore Segment 25 / 45 Looks nearly identical to 35,[19] distinguished by the coat worn by all Fatui Harbingers in A Winter Night's Lazzo.[13][Note 4] NPC Il Dottore Omega Build (35) Has medium-length, slicked-back wavy hair and wears a pointed, beak-shaped black mask that covers his eyes. He wears a long white coat over a blue dress shirt and cravat, with a raven-like accessory draped around his shoulders and a wing-like accessory behind his right shoulder. He is accented by several glowing, light blue accessories found around his person. He also wears black gloves with blue palms and black baggy pants. Based on his memories recorded in Irminsul, the Omega Build is derived from Dottore's appearance and personality 400 years ago, during which he perpetrated the Tatarasuna Mystery incident.[20] Fully burned away in Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana Dottore Segment 25 25 / 45 [Note 4] Attire resembled that of a laboratory worker or surgeon. Wore a white cross-chest lab coat, forearm-length black gloves, a pair of silver-framed glasses, and a high-collared blue shirt. Destroyed by "35" in Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies Dottore Segment 65 65 Had the longest hair and wears a bulky dark coat with fur trim over a black suit, a raven mask resembling a plague doctor's with a gold beak and blue lenses, and a dark top hat. He is also shown walking with a light blue cane with a hooked, golden handle. Character Il Dottore (Manga) Unidentified Manga segment Had short, curly light blue hair and wore a long white coat over a pinstripe vest and white dress shirt, with a pink bow tie under the collar. He wore a black and white mask which covered his entire face, save for his eyes and a circular area around the right side of his mouth. The Fatui symbol can be seen at the top left corner of this mask. Very similar to his young 18 years old version, but his age remains unclear.

Advertisement Quests and Events Archon Quests Chapter III Act III: Dreams, Emptiness, Deception Like a Triumphant Hero Act V: Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises As by a God's Side Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies Song of the Welkin Moon Act VI: Melting Moonlight in the Morning Mist Return to the Moon Act VII: A Traveler on a Winter's Night Moonless Night (as The Doctor) Where Our Space and Time Intersect Tracing the Footsteps of the Past (as The Doctor) Act VIII: True Moon The First Sliver of Moonlight (as The Doctor) Descending Moon (as The Doctor) Act X: Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana Interlude Chapter Act III: Inversion of Genesis The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call The Kabukimono's Finale

Advertisement Story Pre-Fatui Life Zandik was presumably born to a merchant family[21] several decades after the cataclysm. He was eventually chased out of his hometown with pitchforks and clubs.[7]

At a young age, he joined Sumeru Akademiya as a member of a yet-undisclosed Darshan (although Amurta[22] and Rtawahist[23] have been eliminated); Zandik disliked being constrained by Darshan designations and repeatedly rejected suggestions to join other Darshans. He was also critical of the overreliance on the Akasha System, as well as the Akademiya's general reticence about researching the Great Red Sand.[23]

Zandik's studies frequently took him to desert ruins. During one incident, he and a senior Rtawahist student entered Thoth's domain. The other student was injured while exploring, and their supplies began to run out. Thoth revealed himself by possessing a cat, intrigued by Zandik's intellect. However, Zandik distrusted Thoth's promises of power without revealing its drawbacks, while despite Thoth recognized Zandik's intellect, he also recognized his supreme arrogance, and feared for the safety of Zandik's partner. Zandik ultimately rejected Thoth's gift, while Thoth tricked Zandik into believing keeping his companion safe was necessary for their escape by telling him that only descendants of Tulaytullah could enter and leave the domain freely.[Note 5] Zandik's notes contained a warning directed to anyone else who might come to the ruins, urging them against trusting Thoth.[23]

The Zandik's Legacy series of interactables include some other anecdotes related to his desert expeditions, which led to the incidents that caused him to be expelled from the Akademiya. A trip to the ancient desert city of Gurabad led him to encounter Khaenri'ahn machines and technology; unaware of their origins, but realizing they were made by a civilization not under the rule of The Seven, he dubbed them the "Gurabad samples." However, they were fragmented and incomplete, leaving him few leads to continue researching.[24][25]

His interest was renewed during an Ardravi Valley expedition as a trainee Dastur, where he discovered and entered another Ruin Golem. Inside, he found many pieces that were missing from the Gurabad samples, and believed that he would be able to repair the machine's automatic system with these parts. He also discovered the records left behind by the Schwanenritter (which the Traveler uncovers several centuries later as well), and tied them back to the legends about the Ruins of Dahri.[25] During the expedition, Zandik was partnered with an Amurta Dastur named Sohreh. Although she initially found him "rigid" and bemoaned that their two Darshans' research styles clashed too much for them to have anything to talk about, they eventually made conversation about local plants and animals. Sohreh describes it as "a great time," and her note ends with a remark about how they would go on a picnic together later that night.[22]

What happened next is unclear. The next record involving them is the Ragged Attendance Record, which states that Zandik had "acted without authorization for the third time." The record goes on to list a gravely injured Sohreh, who was ostensibly attacked by Rishboland Tigers.[11] Soon after, the team was attacked by a "killing machine" which Zandik disabled with his quick thinking. However, his desire to bring it back to the Akademiya for disassembly and reverse-engineering was rebuked by his peers and teachers. As punishment, Sage Sharnama delisted him from the author list of the paper that the expedition had been writing. During this time, Sohreh died and was buried.[26]

Sometime afterwards,[10] Zandik was also involved in some sort of medical research related to Eleazar in Apam Woods, recorded in some Ragged Records. The lab's child subjects all disappeared mysteriously, which Zandik believed was the result of interference by the Aranara, a ley line/elemental creature with the power to control dreams. This led him to conclude that by capturing and controlling the Aranara, human intelligence could be "elevated [...] to a whole new level," and humanity could "transcend the earthly boundaries."[27] He also participated in Eleazar research in Dar al-Shifa, in which he successfully managed to cure an Eleazar patient named Abbas by using "materials" procured from the remains of other deceased patients.[28] Abbas, however, was deeply scarred by his treatment and, believing a cure for the disease to be blasphemous, eventually dug his way out of the hospital out of sheer desperation.[29]

By this point, Zandik was openly proclaiming that humans were "nothing more than a machine of a certain level of complexity," and that they could be modified to create powerful "enhanced humans." Despite knowing the dangers of espousing such rhetoric, Zandik strove to remain in the Akademiya, as it was an environment which allowed him to perform his research.[7] Nevertheless, investigators at the Akademiya grew suspicious. Sohreh's remains were exhumed and dissected to verify her cause of death. Despite the lacerations and hemorrhaging, the actual fatal injury was a fractured hyoid bone — which suggested she had died from strangulation, not from lacerations or blood loss like the rest of the Investigation Team was led to believe.[30] His interest in Eleazar was investigated, with notes about the sudden disappearance of records followed by an "Eleazar outbreak." The last legible parts of the message board's notes on Zandik mention that prior to his disappearance, he expressed great interest in the Legend of Varuna.[10]

Eventually, Zandik was expelled from the Akademiya and took refuge in the desert.[6][7]

Advertisement Fatui Involvement After his expulsion, Zandik was approached by Pierro, who invited him to become part of the Fatui with the promise of resources for his research. He agreed, and was given the title of Il Dottore, or The Doctor — which he found humorously ironic.[7]

Dottore also performed experiments with several human subjects regarding an acute toxicity test, during which only one of the five subjects survived, who was a twenty-year old man named Feofan Sergeyevich Veksel, who later became the Harbinger known as Pantalone. Dottore would supply Feofan with various experimental drugs. Although Zandik was the first to monitor him, this was taken up by his segments following his death.[31]

Under Pierro's orders, Dottore infiltrated Tatarasuna to sabotage the Mikage Furnace as part of their plans for Inazuma in the future. Posing as a Fontainian engineer named Escher, Dottore supplied the furnace with materials that slowly released Tatarigami into the environment, causing the workers to become sick and the furnace itself to go critical. When the Armory Officer, Niwa Hisahide, headed inside the furnace in order to fix it, Dottore murdered him to cover up his own trail.

During this chain of events, Dottore met and developed an interest in Kabukimono, a discarded puppet created by Ei, and conspired with Pierro to induct him into the Fatui. After murdering Niwa, Dottore cut out his heart and planted it inside a special device which could cleanse the furnace's impurities. He gave this device to Kabukimono, who managed to purify the furnace but was horrified by the contents of the box. Knowing full well that Kabukimono had deeply respected Niwa, Dottore proceeded to lie that the heart was from an innocent servant that Niwa had killed before fleeing. Thinking that Niwa had betrayed him, the puppet was left enraged and disgusted, and went on to join the Fatui as the Sixth Harbinger Scaramouche[32] later after the events of his third betrayal and years of wandering. Scaramouche collaborated with Dottore, who modified him to unlock his power, and grant him abilities even beyond what Ei had originally given him.[33]

Dottore visited Pantalone and revealed an idea for an experiment. Pantalone agreed to it and direct him to a remote Snezhnayan village.[34]

At some point Dottore collaborated with Sandrone in an experiment which revolved around high temperatures.

He is arrogant, hyper-intelligent, and profoundly unethical mad scientist driven by an obsessive quest to transcend human limitations.

He is SEVERELY antisocial,and also has motion sickness. Antisocial means actively harmful, hostile, or disruptive to society and the rights of others, though everyday speech also uses it to mean unsociable or preferring to stay away from people.