Varvara Rasputin (Art by mossacannibalis)
| “ | She's no ordinary "little girl" so don't let her sweet and innocent nature fool you. Her eyes are as cold and lifeless as ice. And what lay behind her smile? A calculating and terrible evil. The only reason I'm still alive after meeting her was because I did not bore her. | „ |
| ~ Trevor Bruttenholm |
| “ | If a devil is what you call me, then rest assured, better the Devil you know. | „ |
| ~ Varvara Rasputin |
Varvara Rasputin, or simply Varvara, was a young Russian girl and the illegitimate daughter of Grigori Rasputin. She was later possessed by the demon Yomyael and assumed command over GRU Division "P".
Appearance[]
Varvara appears as a young girl likely being around 10 years old with pale skin and curly blonde hair. Her hair is tied with a large white bow, a white dress with white socks and mary jane shoes. Her eyes are a dull blue but when Yomyael assumes control her eyes become a brief black.
History[]
Background[]
Varvara is the illegitimate daughter of Grigori Rasputin and Zova, who was presented as illegitimate to Rasputin as a way to spite him. In January, 1913, she travelled with her mother and stepfather Yuri to see Rasputin in hope of currying his favor and being given access to his wealth. Rasputin killed Yuri and left Zoya and Varvara out in the cold, with Zoya dying by the time the sun rose the next morning.
Varvara was approached by a man possessed by the demon Yomyael a short time afterwards. Before the possession, Yomyael promised her the granting of terrible power to exact her rightful vengeance against Rasputin. Varvara agreed and Yomyael promptly took control of her body. Taking on her identity, Yomyael eventually aligned himself with the Soviet Union and become head of GRU Division "P".
World War II[]
Being possessed Yomyael, Varvara did not physically age though she showed signs of mentally aging but at a much slower process giving her wisdom well beyond what normal children should have and even most adults Varvara initially had little freedom in switching between herself and Yomyael during the possession though as time went on Yomyael allowed her to express her side of the piece before switching over to Yomyael. According to Kate Corrigan, this relationship marks as the first consensual possession between a human and a demon.
In 1946, "Varvara" was stationed in Soviet-occupied Berlin, gathering occult objects and keeping secret prisoners affiliated with the Nazi paranormal experiments for questioning. It was then that "Varvara" first encountered Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who sought for any information related to the "Hellboy Incident". "Varvara" was already aware that the demon (Hellboy) was under the professor's care.
However, "Varvara" declined to share any information until she and her organization had made a truce with Bruttenholm that would be related to their common goal regarding Project Vampir Sturm. Their alliance led to the successful foiling of an attempt by Herman von Klempt to launch a rocket loaded with vampires at the United States. In the aftermath, "Varvara" was impressed by Bruttenholm and has since then she considered him her favorite human.
Imprisonment[]
After "Varvara's" multiple meetings with Professor Bruttenholm regarding the vampire activity in Europe, most of the members of GRU Division "P" began to plot a coup against her. Tired of working in constant fear of her explosive temper and violent way of handling things, GRU-P conspirators carefully planned a ritual that will incapacitate "Varvara". They were especially concerned over the fact that they overheard "Varvara" planning the acquisition of a mysterious substance called the Black via space travel.
In 1956, after months of planning, they brought a medium to a radio station outpost where she recorded a carefully researched incantation done hundreds of miles away from "Varvara" and then broadcast it to her, weakening her and allowing Father Malakim to conduct an orthodox prayer that imprisoned "Varvara" in a glass case. For the next century and a half, "Varvara" remained contain and placed in the office of the new Director of GRU Division "P", Iosif Nichayko.
Hell on Earth[]
By the events of the Apocalypse, "Varvara's" existence was kept hidden amongst the populace by Iosif, with very few being privy of her presumed immortality all while biding her time. Based on her recent conversation with Randall Flagg, she was able to witness the Dark Knight Initiative fight back against Lucifer, Satan, and their apocalyptic forces. It is believed that Varvara partnered with Randall Flagg and was able to grant her the means of overriding Yomyael's control over her body so as to prepare for the arrival of the Old Ones without any hindrance from Yomyael.
Much later, she would be visited by a small cabal of demons who had escaped from Hell, who informed her that the "promised time" would not yet be out of reach. Confused, the demons elaborate albeit somewhat cryptically as they could not trust Varvara with full detail of the information yet, that their Dark Mother will bring Pandemonium to Earth, and Hell will have its reign over the kingdom of man and then the Heavens itself. Intrigued, Varvara agreed to join this coalition of demons under the condition she remains loyal to the Dark Mother's plans which she agreed to.
"Varvara" was able to convince Iosif to free her, albeit reluctantly on his part, when she laid out pieces of revelations detailing the end of days and how he could have prevented had he freed her given that she knows the tools needed to prepare for Armageddon. As a show of gratitude for freeing her, "Varvara" promptly kills her former captor before harvesting his soul, remarking on how "Mama Grim" will not take kindly to that and says to the dead Russian that he will have the honor of being the first to become part of something grandiose; setting the pieces in crafting the fabled Moonblade. Joining and reuniting with his fellow devils consisting of Bifrons and Beleth, "Varvara's" addition would mark the return of the Demon's Three who began to sow threads of discord while puppeteering the cult of the Black Hand all under the Dark Mother's command.
Personality[]
On the surface, Varvara comes across as a polite and upbeat girl but possesses a myriad of attributes that made Professor Broom comment on her not being of this world. In truth, and likely due to her consensual possession by Yomyael, Varvara is a sociopath, who will stop at literally nothing to achieve her goals. She views ordinary people as pawns and those who she deems as inferior cannon fodder in the game she plays. She is also willing to work with other malignant individuals provided that their objectives would help achieve her own, playing a meticulous game of 4D chess.
While polite and even childish at times, she displays remarkable calmness even when faced with certain death indicating a disregard to her own life in general. Her lively characteristics are merely a facade to lure her victims in a false sense of security which Professor Broom was able to immediately discern. Her cold and callous nature unnerved even him despite the fact that Broom witnessed many unspeakable horrors in his lifetime. This is to the point where the professor claimed that there was no differentiating the malice in her eyes whether she was in control or Yomyael.
