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Description
He had piercing eyes, blue like the glaciers floating on the Sea of Ghosts and just as cold. Killer's eyes.

Dorian Valtieri, assassin-scholar of mysterious origins (you may have seen him before although the first two are part of an alternate continuity I was playing with at the time), was long due a portrait of his own. Not for the first time, someone who was originally meant to play a minor role in one of my stories evolved into a fully-fledged character in his own right, although I never established his full backstory. This is as good a time as any so....

*wall of text incoming *

Name: Dorian Valtieri

Age: mid 40s (here)

Notable ancestors: Vicente Valtieri (who in my headcanon escaped the Dark Brotherhood purge in the 3rd era)

Bio: Dorian was born in a troupe of traveling entertainers who made their living by touring High Rock and performing feats of acrobatics, music and drama. By the time Dorian was a teenager, their fame had grown enough that it became fashionable for the rich and powerful to hire them to entertain them and their guests, leading to a period of unprecedented wealth and popularity for the troupe. One nobleman, a man of fairly advanced age and unsavory reputation was a particularly dedicated fan, although it turned out to be for different reasons. He had taken a strong liking to the fifteen-year-old Dorian and offered his manager a small fortune in return for the boy's permanent addition to his household staff. The deal struck, Dorian found himself sold into the nobleman's service, as his "page" although Dorian knew perfectly well what he really wanted from him. At first, he felt angry and betrayed but soon discovered some unexpected advantages to his new situation. For one thing, his new master was genuinely taken with him and permitted him much as long as he gave him what he wanted. His court mage was an exceptionally learned man, once a Moth Priest although one who retained his eyesight, poor as it was. He taught Dorian to read and write, tutored him in history and geography and even some magic but most of all he awakened in him a hunger for learning the boy hadn't known was there. His keen mind soaked up the knowledge like a sponge while at the same time observed those around him, listening and learning how the game of politics and court intrigue was played. It was a skill that would serve him well in the future.

Seven years later Dorian's master passed away, leaving him in sudden danger. His wife loathed him and would have liked nothing better than to avenge the shame she had endured because of him, something the young man was well aware of. He made good his escape before she had a chance to get her claws on him, leaving High Rock behind altogether and venturing into Cyrodiil. He had an ambition, planted in his mind by his Moth Priest tutor and nurtured ever since: to devote himself to the study of the Elder Scrolls. They fascinated him; he dreamed of unraveling their secrets, of peering into the past and future (into all pasts and futures) through their fabric, although the brash young man that he was, he underestimated the kind of dedication that would require. Dorian was accepted as an acolyte into the order though as the months turned into years and he was no closer to the secrets he craved, he became increasingly restless. One night he snuck into the Archives where the Moth Priests kept their precious scrolls to attempt an unsanctioned reading, but was discovered and stopped. As punishment he was expelled, the mysteries of the Elder Scrolls forever denied to him. A black rage swept over Dorian then, who then returned to the monastery and killed the High Priest who had banished him while he was visiting the privy.

Dorian covered his tracks as best as he could, not that it fooled the Dark Brotherhood. They found him, captured him, and carried him off to one of their hideouts. Dorian was greeted by a man - a vampire, no less - who claimed to be his ancestor and not there to bring him to justice as he had initially assumed, but to offer him a place in his "family". Vicente, for that was his name, told him he had kept an eye on his descendants over the centuries and was pleased to meet one with an "aptitude for elimination". Directionless and embittered, Dorian accepted, thus beginning his career as a professional assassin. His Dark Brothers trained him in the arts of combat and stealth, an area his years as an acrobat served him well. He devoted himself to his new vocation, discovering that he liked it more than he could've expected. He enjoyed moving unseen among his targets, holding the power of life and death in his hands - it made him feel powerful, almost god-like. He liked to kill up-close despite the increased risk - or perhaps because of it. It took a skilled assassin to pull it off, and Dorian was proud of his abilities. The gold he earned fueled an increasingly lavish lifestyle, for Dorian had a taste for the finer things in life and saw no reason not to indulge it. Few would have suspected the genial, cultured Breton killed people for a living.

At the time, Cyrodiil was a province riven by conflict which had begun with the Great War and never entirely died out. Riots and revolts broke out in several cities and the Dark Brotherhood was gradually forced to abandon its sanctuaries one by one, while others were outright destroyed. Conflict also threatened to rip the organization apart from within, its leaders squabbling among themselves, unable to mitigate their losses or come up with a longterm survivability plan. Dorian, who could see the end was near, decided he would not go down with the ship. He intended to survive, as he always had. Before tragedy struck in Bravil, leaving a sole survivor and no Listener to lead the Brotherhood, Dorian was already on a boat out of Cyrodiil.

He traveled Tamriel for years to come, offering his services as a mercenary, advisor or spy, depending on circumstances. Eventually he found his way to Skirym and that is where I stop, because what comes after would contain spoilers for my story

Description
He had piercing eyes, blue like the glaciers floating on the Sea of Ghosts and just as cold. Killer's eyes.

Dorian Valtieri, assassin-scholar of mysterious origins (you may have seen him before although the first two are part of an alternate continuity I was playing with at the time), was long due a portrait of his own. Not for the first time, someone who was originally meant to play a minor role in one of my stories evolved into a fully-fledged character in his own right, although I never established his full backstory. This is as good a time as any so....

*wall of text incoming *

Name: Dorian Valtieri

Age: mid 40s (here)

Notable ancestors: Vicente Valtieri (who in my headcanon escaped the Dark Brotherhood purge in the 3rd era)

Bio: Dorian was born in a troupe of traveling entertainers who made their living by touring High Rock and performing feats of acrobatics, music and drama. By the time Dorian was a teenager, their fame had grown enough that it became fashionable for the rich and powerful to hire them to entertain them and their guests, leading to a period of unprecedented wealth and popularity for the troupe. One nobleman, a man of fairly advanced age and unsavory reputation was a particularly dedicated fan, although it turned out to be for different reasons. He had taken a strong liking to the fifteen-year-old Dorian and offered his manager a small fortune in return for the boy's permanent addition to his household staff. The deal struck, Dorian found himself sold into the nobleman's service, as his "page" although Dorian knew perfectly well what he really wanted from him. At first, he felt angry and betrayed but soon discovered some unexpected advantages to his new situation. For one thing, his new master was genuinely taken with him and permitted him much as long as he gave him what he wanted. His court mage was an exceptionally learned man, once a Moth Priest although one who retained his eyesight, poor as it was. He taught Dorian to read and write, tutored him in history and geography and even some magic but most of all he awakened in him a hunger for learning the boy hadn't known was there. His keen mind soaked up the knowledge like a sponge while at the same time observed those around him, listening and learning how the game of politics and court intrigue was played. It was a skill that would serve him well in the future.

Seven years later Dorian's master passed away, leaving him in sudden danger. His wife loathed him and would have liked nothing better than to avenge the shame she had endured because of him, something the young man was well aware of. He made good his escape before she had a chance to get her claws on him, leaving High Rock behind altogether and venturing into Cyrodiil. He had an ambition, planted in his mind by his Moth Priest tutor and nurtured ever since: to devote himself to the study of the Elder Scrolls. They fascinated him; he dreamed of unraveling their secrets, of peering into the past and future (into all pasts and futures) through their fabric, although the brash young man that he was, he underestimated the kind of dedication that would require. Dorian was accepted as an acolyte into the order though as the months turned into years and he was no closer to the secrets he craved, he became increasingly restless. One night he snuck into the Archives where the Moth Priests kept their precious scrolls to attempt an unsanctioned reading, but was discovered and stopped. As punishment he was expelled, the mysteries of the Elder Scrolls forever denied to him. A black rage swept over Dorian then, who then returned to the monastery and killed the High Priest who had banished him while he was visiting the privy.

Dorian covered his tracks as best as he could, not that it fooled the Dark Brotherhood. They found him, captured him, and carried him off to one of their hideouts. Dorian was greeted by a man - a vampire, no less - who claimed to be his ancestor and not there to bring him to justice as he had initially assumed, but to offer him a place in his "family". Vicente, for that was his name, told him he had kept an eye on his descendants over the centuries and was pleased to meet one with an "aptitude for elimination". Directionless and embittered, Dorian accepted, thus beginning his career as a professional assassin. His Dark Brothers trained him in the arts of combat and stealth, an area his years as an acrobat served him well. He devoted himself to his new vocation, discovering that he liked it more than he could've expected. He enjoyed moving unseen among his targets, holding the power of life and death in his hands - it made him feel powerful, almost god-like. He liked to kill up-close despite the increased risk - or perhaps because of it. It took a skilled assassin to pull it off, and Dorian was proud of his abilities. The gold he earned fueled an increasingly lavish lifestyle, for Dorian had a taste for the finer things in life and saw no reason not to indulge it. Few would have suspected the genial, cultured Breton killed people for a living.

At the time, Cyrodiil was a province riven by conflict which had begun with the Great War and never entirely died out. Riots and revolts broke out in several cities and the Dark Brotherhood was gradually forced to abandon its sanctuaries one by one, while others were outright destroyed. Conflict also threatened to rip the organization apart from within, its leaders squabbling among themselves, unable to mitigate their losses or come up with a longterm survivability plan. Dorian, who could see the end was near, decided he would not go down with the ship. He intended to survive, as he always had. Before tragedy struck in Bravil, leaving a sole survivor and no Listener to lead the Brotherhood, Dorian was already on a boat out of Cyrodiil.

He traveled Tamriel for years to come, offering his services as a mercenary, advisor or spy, depending on circumstances. Eventually he found his way to Skirym and that is where I stop, because what comes after would contain spoilers for my story