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+--- Thread: Dominik Taicheschski (/thread-1988.html)
Dominik Taicheschski - Dominik Taicheschski - 10-11-2026
Dominik Taicheschski is a Russian channeler and the youngest member of the Nine Dominions. Representing counterintelligence and threat assessment, Dominik possesses an aptitude for recognizing deception, uncovering hidden motivations, and identifying vulnerabilities within trusted networks. His intelligence background and natural ability with their power earned him a place among the Ascendancy’s elite channeling team.
Despite his slender stature and youthful appearance, Dominik is a capable and disciplined Dominion whose affable personality conceals a perceptive mind. Curious, playful, and occasionally mischievous, he enjoys testing boundaries and uncovering secrets, though his inability to leave certain mysteries alone has occasionally caused him considerable trouble.
Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Dominik was fascinated with mysteries, espionage, and the complexities of human behavior. An enthusiastic reader of spy novels and murder-mystery fiction, he spent much of his adolescence imagining a future filled with international intrigue, clandestine operations, and elaborate conspiracies. His natural curiosity extended to the people around him, whose motivations and secrets he found endlessly fascinating.
After studying international relations and security, Dominik enlisted in the CCD intelligence services with considerable enthusiasm, only to discover that entry-level counterintelligence involved far more background checks, personnel interviews, and tedious reports than the glamorous adventures he had imagined. Nevertheless, he proved adept at the work. His ability to recognize inconsistencies distinguished him from his peers that drew the attention of his superiors.
Dominik attracted significant attention when he uncovered a security breach that more senior investigators had failed to recognize. While suspicion had fallen upon an officer with apparent financial and professional vulnerabilities, Dominik identified evidence suggesting the investigation itself was being manipulated. His persistence ultimately exposed a respected official who had deliberately directed suspicion toward an innocent colleague while concealing his own involvement.
His professional integrity was subsequently tested when a separate investigation implicated a mentor who had supported his career. Despite their personal relationship, Dominik reported the security violation, demonstrating his willingness to place duty first. These accomplishments established his reputation as an intelligence analyst with great career potential, though his persistent curiosity and occasional disregard for personal boundaries sometimes complicated his relationships with colleagues.
Dominik’s ability to channel first manifested during a routine investigation involving an individual suspected of compromising sensitive information. During questioning, several inconsistencies in the suspect’s account were identified and the suspect was pressed for an explanation. Growing increasingly agitated, the man suddenly lunged toward a nearby security officer, attempting to seize his weapon.
Dominik reacted instinctively. Before the suspect could reach the weapon, an invisible force seized him, holding him motionless in midstride. The man struggled helplessly against the restraint while the astonished officers attempted to comprehend what had happened. Dominik was equally bewildered, though he experienced an inexplicable certainty that he was somehow responsible. When his concentration broke, the restraint vanished, and the suspect stumbled forward.
The incident prompted Custody officials to evaluate whether Dominik had channeled the Ascendancy’s power. Though initially unsettled, his apprehension quickly gave way to fascination. During his later training among the Dominions, he demonstrated a natural aptitude for precision, restraint, and containment weaves. His intelligence background complemented these abilities, allowing him to approach confrontations strategically and recognize opportunities to neutralize threats without unnecessary destruction.
This brought him to the attention of Commander Vellas.
Dominik’s selection for the Nine represented an extraordinary advancement for someone so young. Although he lacked the extensive military experience of some of his brethren, his intelligence background stood out as great potential to Michael. His aptitude for containment and defensive applications of the Ascendancy’s power further eventually him among the Nine.
Dominik takes his responsibilities seriously and maintains an almost absolute devotion to the Ascendancy. Despite his playful disposition outside of duty, he understands the importance of discipline and reliability during operations. His tendency to question decisions or test boundaries rarely compromises his professional obligations, though his inquisitive nature often tests Michael Vellas’s patience.
Although Michael and Dominik do not always enjoy an easy relationship, Michael recognizes the value of his abilities. Eventually, he entrusted Dominik with a highly classified responsibility: discreetly assessing the loyalty, vulnerabilities, and potential compromise of his fellow Dominions.
Dominik reports significant concerns directly to Michael, while his brethren remain unaware of the assignment. The responsibility is both an honor and a burden, requiring him to maintain professional objectivity toward those he considers friends. It also places him in the peculiar position of protecting the secrets of an organization while quietly investigating those entrusted with keeping them.
Personality and Interests
Dominik is friendly, curious, quick-witted, and remarkably observant. He enjoys people and possesses a natural talent for making conversation, often using humor and gentle teasing to put others at ease. His intelligence background has made it difficult to resist commenting upon his observations even in casual conversation.
His greatest weakness is an inability to leave questions unanswered. Dominik dislikes uncertainty and can become preoccupied with mysteries that others consider insignificant. He is the very personification of curiosity killing the cat. While this persistence serves him well professionally, it can make him intrusive in his personal relationships. He sometimes presses for explanations that others are unwilling to provide, struggling to recognize that not every secret is his to uncover.
Despite these tendencies, Dominik is neither habitually confrontational nor particularly arrogant. He enjoys a good joke, especially at his own expense, and takes considerably more pleasure in solving a mystery than demonstrating his superiority over it. His curiosity occasionally leads him into mischief, particularly when an opportunity presents itself to investigate something he has been explicitly told to leave alone.
Outside his duties, Dominik retains many of the interests he enjoyed before becoming a Dominion. An avid reader, he delights in solving fictional conspiracies before their protagonists. He is equally enthusiastic about video games and tabletop roleplaying, particularly games involving elaborate mysteries, morally complicated characters, and opportunities for creative problem-solving. He has also been known to enjoy carnivals, festivals, and the occasional recreational indulgence with friends.
Dominik is happiest among friends who share his enthusiasm for games, stories, and good-natured mischief. His relocation to Moscow following his recruitment disrupted much of that familiar social circle, leaving him to establish new friendships outside his demanding professional responsibilities.
Among the Dominions, he has developed a particularly close friendship with Julian Monserre. The two frequently enjoy one another’s company outside duty, occasionally serving as wingmen during their attempts to navigate Moscow’s hook-up scene. Their friendship provides Dominik with a welcome opportunity to relax among someone who values his company rather than his professional accomplishments.
Dominik also respects Karim al’Shaidis, whose competence and natural leadership have earned the confidence of Michael Vellas. Although he occasionally envies Karim’s privileged position within the Nine, his admiration is genuine.
In the few romantic relationships he has had, Dominik can be affectionate, attentive, and intensely devoted. Yet his discomfort with uncertainty sometimes manifests as possessiveness, particularly when he feels excluded from an important part of his partner’s life. He is remarkably skilled at understanding other people’s emotions but considerably less adept at recognizing when his own curiosity has become intrusive.
Physical Appearance
Standing at 6’2″, Dominik possesses a tall, slender build with narrow shoulders and long limbs that lend him a somewhat delicate appearance. His features are angular and finely defined, with prominent cheekbones, a narrow jaw, and a youthful, almost boyish quality to his face.
His dark brown hair is thick and slightly tousled, framing pale skin and expressive, dark eyes. Though his stature is considerable, he lacks the imposing physique of a traditional soldier, an impression reinforced by his relaxed posture and casual manner. His appearance can be deceptively unassuming, particularly among the more physically intimidating members of the Nine Dominions.