Marek Volarin is one of Alchester's most prominent collectors of antiquities, a man whose museum draws visitors from across the Four Fiefdoms to marvel at artifacts from the age of the Old Gods. To the public, he presents himself as a scholar and preservationist, a custodian of history who has dedicated his life and fortune to saving precious relics from obscurity. To those who know better—and there are many in Alchester's underworld who do—Volarin is something else entirely: a dealer in stolen goods whose collection has been built as much through illegal acquisition as legitimate purchase. His pompous demeanor and self-important lectures mask a man who has made enemies in dangerous circles, enemies who have finally decided he has interfered one too many times.

Physical Description

Marek Volarin is a middle-aged man whose appearance speaks to a life of comfort and privilege. He is thin and reedy, his frame suggesting someone who has never performed physical labor and likely never will. His movements carry a certain delicacy, as if he fears exertion might somehow diminish him. There is nothing imposing about his physical presence—his authority comes entirely from wealth and social position rather than any personal force.

His brown hair is thinning, combed carefully to disguise the retreat of his hairline, a small vanity that hints at deeper insecurities beneath the arrogant exterior. He wears a thin, meticulously groomed beard that frames a narrow face dominated by sharp, assessing eyes—the eyes of a man constantly evaluating what things are worth and how they might be acquired.

Volarin dresses to impress, favoring expensive fabrics, tailored coats, and ostentatious accessories that announce his wealth to anyone who might otherwise fail to notice it. Rings adorn his fingers, a gold watch chain catches the light, and his cravats are always silk. The effect is that of someone who desperately wants to be seen as important and will spare no expense to achieve that impression. To the discerning eye, there is something slightly overdone about his presentation—the insecurity of a man who inherited his position rather than earning it.

The Volarin Fortune

The Volarin family made their money generations ago through trade and mineral investments, accumulating wealth during Alchester's rise to prominence as the capital of Kallendor. Marek inherited the bulk of this fortune along with the family's modest art collection, which his father had assembled more for social prestige than genuine appreciation. Where his ancestors saw art as a marker of status, Marek developed something closer to obsession.

He aggressively expanded the family collection, eventually opening Volarin's Museum of Antiquities to display his acquisitions and cement his reputation as Alchester's foremost authority on relics from the Old Gods era. The museum occupies a grand building in one of the city's better districts, its halls filled with artifacts that draw scholars, collectors, and curious visitors alike. Gas lamps cast long shadows across display cases containing items that predate the Fall of the Old Gods—religious implements, ceremonial weapons, jewelry of forgotten significance, and stranger things whose purposes have been lost to time.

What the public does not know—or chooses not to acknowledge—is how many of these artifacts came into Volarin's possession. While some were acquired through legitimate channels, others were stolen to order, purchased from thieves, or obtained through transactions that would not survive scrutiny. Volarin maintains plausible deniability through a network of intermediaries who handle the unsavory details, allowing him to keep his hands clean while his collection grows ever larger.

A Dangerous Rival

Marek Volarin is not the only collector in Alchester with an appetite for rare artifacts and a flexible ethical stance. His aggressive acquisition practices have brought him into conflict with others operating in the same shadowy markets—most notably a wizard named Mordecai Solvain.

The rivalry between Volarin and Mordecai has simmered for years, a quiet war fought through competing bids, intercepted shipments, and the occasional theft of items one had acquired before the other could reach them. Volarin considers Mordecai an eccentric nuisance, an ancient wizard playing at collector without the resources or connections to compete seriously. He has no idea how badly he has underestimated his opponent.

For Mordecai, patience is a virtue cultivated over decades. He has watched Volarin interfere with his acquisitions one too many times, snatching artifacts the wizard wanted for his own collection, outbidding him through intermediaries, and generally making himself a persistent obstacle to Mordecai's goals. When the Eye of the Void came to Volarin's attention, Mordecai decided that the museum curator had finally outlived his usefulness to the world.

The contract on Volarin's life was placed quietly, through channels that would never lead back to a wandering curiosity shop that appears in different locations each night. Mordecai hired the best—an assassin without a name—and arranged for the Eye to be stolen simultaneously, ensuring that even if the assassination somehow failed, Volarin would lose the artifact he had been so eager to sell.

Pompous and Paranoid

Those who deal with Marek Volarin quickly learn two things about him: he never misses an opportunity to demonstrate his expertise, and he trusts almost no one.

His pomposity manifests in lectures no one requested, detailed explanations of artifacts that visitors were content to admire, and a general assumption that everyone around him is less knowledgeable and less important than he is. He speaks to buyers as if educating children, to his staff as if addressing servants, and to fellow collectors as if granting audiences. This arrogance has made him few friends, but Volarin has never valued friendship—only acquisitions.

His paranoia, ironically, has not served him as well as it should. He employs guards throughout his museum, maintains a chief of security, and takes precautions against theft that would deter most criminals. Yet for all his suspicion, he failed to anticipate that someone might steal from his vault before he even knew what he possessed, or that the artifact he planned to sell might be switched for a fake without his knowledge. His paranoia focuses on obvious threats while missing the subtle ones—a blind spot that more sophisticated operators have learned to exploit.

When things go wrong, Volarin's carefully maintained composure shatters completely. The revelation that his prized Eye of the Void was a forgery sent him into a fury witnessed by everyone present—guards, buyers, and at least one assassin disguised among his staff. His rage is loud, theatrical, and ultimately impotent, the tantrum of a man accustomed to controlling situations who suddenly finds himself powerless.

FIRST APPEARANCE

Marek Volarin first appears in The Assassin's Ruse.