Dorian LeCroix

Dorian LeCroix was born of the renowned mage Sylvia Dotern and aging hero, Leon LeCroix. His upbringing was peaceful but isolated, the family choosing to put down roots in Sylvia's cold corner of the world. Leon's wounds had slowly come calling during Dorian's young childhood, but the old man still managed to drag his son outdoors, away from the elemental teachings of his mother and bookwork assigned by Taffin, the family's steward. The two would range about in the cold, tracking small game and learning the basics of hunting in the wild. Dorian managed his first successful kill against an unsuspecting snow hare at the age of 3, and though he sniffled through tears, his father never reprimanded the remorse. "It good you feel d'way, Doree. He no breathin now, no mo' fun fo' 'im, hoppin' round da snow.  So make 'is deaf worfit.  Use alla it.  Feed da family, use skin to keep ya small bones warm.  You do dat, and he still live on."

Leon died when Dorian was 6 years old, the last few months the old man was barely able to get out of bed. Sylvia stayed at his bedside, working constantly while Leon generally mumbling something about saving her breath. Dorian knew his mother was abnormally old, but her face had never really shown it until after the passing of his father. It was as if her near-eternal beauty had died with the rugged hunter.

Life continued on, and Dorian's education was continued by his mother and Taffin, the boy showing decent intellectual aptitude. The steward tried to take Dorian outdoors on a few occasions, but it became readily clear he had nothing to teach that the boy didn't already know, and instead just made an effort to give him break from studies to run wild.

The day after Dorian's 12th birthday, Sylvia emerged from her chambers, looking quite troubled. She bustled about, throwing on layers of furs and barking orders to Taffin, insisting the ship be readied immediately. Sylvia managed a small smile for her increasingly worried son, who had only seen his mother leave on 4 or 5 other occasions, and always with a great deal of planning. "I have business in the big world, Dorian, the type of business that is more important to your well-being than learning the difference between Illusion and Alteration magic. Taffin should be back in a day or two, I'll be 2 weeks at most.  I love you." She kissed the top of his head, which she decreasingly had to stoop to do, and hurried outside.

When two weeks became a month, Taffin left for a short time, coming back looking puzzled and confused. When she was gone for 3 months, Dorian began to quietly and diligently pack supplies for the "big world," consulting books and optimizing his various satchels. It took a screaming match with Taffin, one very much against the boys nature, to finally get the ship prepped and ready to depart for the nearest port. Frowning, Taffin insisted he would wait at port until this "foolish errand" came to its inevitable conclusion. Dorian looked over his should and waved, which was begrudgingly returned, and the boy took his first step of many on foreign and strange soil.