Lord Viren High Wizard of the King

Viren is a tall, thin man with pale skin, brown hair, and grey eyes. He has a neat goatee flecked with grey. He usually displays an intense expression to everyone except his children. He wears mostly dark grey, black, and red robes and carries a long silver staff with a purple gem embedded in it.

After years of practicing dark magic, Viren's appearance has changed drastically. In his true form, his skin has turned a pale shade of grey, with violet-grey markings forming around his eyes, as well as partially appearing on his face. His hair has turned a lighter colour, now having a white portion on both his head and beard area, his sclerae have turned completely black. His true form is hidden beneath a magic spell, disguising him to resemble his human form.

Viren is an ambitious and intelligent man with a one-track mind and an "ends justify the means" attitude. There is nothing he won't do to achieve his goals, sometimes resorting to trickery or exploiting other creatures to use his magic. While King Harrow trusts him, other council members such as Opeli do not, and he is quick to anger at the slightest doubt, criticism, or disagreement, usually responding to embarrassment with anger and a desire for revenge. He is a self-proclaimed pragmatist who is willing to do whatever it takes to save humanity, even if that includes collateral damage to a few for what he describes as the greater good.

Although Viren claims he is trying to create a better world for humanity, he can also be amoral and callous beneath his charismatic and intellectual surface, as well as displaying a willingness to take advantage of others. He claims that even his most heinous actions are necessary. While Viren claims he wants to risk as few lives as possible, this does not apply to the magical creatures he is willing to kill for his spells, and he pays no heed to the potential consequences of this. Furthermore, hypocritically, he has no problem killing any human who gets in his way. With children other than his own, and especially with young children, he often acts disrespectfully and dismissively. Viren is unwilling to consider alternative perspectives, imposing his ideas on those around him. He tells his children that humans must prevail at any cost. He does not seem to mind sacrificing others in pursuit of his fight. He genuinely seems to believe that his actions are in the best interest of both Katolis and humanity at large. However, he is willing to kill others, even sacrificing innocents, to gain support, as long as he sees them as obstacles. Although undeniably intelligent and resourceful, Viren doesn't always think things through. His ideas may solve problems temporarily, but in the long run they make things worse. He seems oblivious to this fact. Viren seems to be blind to his flaws, and the unexpected consequences of his actions do not lead him to reconsider similar actions in the future. Even if it is at the expense of others, he still openly enjoys his successes. Viren is possessed by his fear of the future, due to the fear of letting the elves and dragons exterminate and enslave humans. In addition to his desire to conquer Xadia, he intends to capture as many magical creatures as possible to use in dark magic, without caring about the possible results.

Viren openly shames those who reject his ideas and is willing to pay any price to gain power.

Skills and abilities Magical Mastery As the former Grand Mage of Katolis, Viren is an expert in magic, especially dark magic. When employing dark magic, Viren casts his spells by speaking backwards. However, the more often he uses these spells, the more his body begins to change in appearance.

Dark magic Fusion Spell - "Ecnesse ruoy esuf." ("Fuse your essence."): This spell infused the will-o'-the-wisps with the rock essence of a magma titan. Illusion Spell: This spell allows Viren to hide his true form. It uses the essence of a "Sunbeam" butterfly. Path-Opening Spell: "Gnittes txen rou ot htap eht laever dna em erofeb kram." ("Mark before me and reveal the path to our next scenario"): Using the horn of the Fire Dragon Pyrrah, Viren used this spell to open a path through a river of lava. Silencing Spell - "Eciov eht laets". ("Steal the Voice"): This spell was cast by Viren with the mummified claw of a Singing Weasel. It allows Viren to silence people and take away their voice. Smoky Assassins - "Snissassa yekoms niaga esir, nellaf fo hsa". ("Ashes of the Fallen, Resurrect Smoky Assassins."): Using the ashes of fallen moon elf assassins in a shadowlife candle, this spell allows Viren to summon smoldering afterimages of once-living moon elf assassins who follow his command. Soul Trapping Spell - "Erasaert ym si luos ruoy". ("Your soul is my treasure"): This spell was cast by Viren, who used it to seal Runaan inside a small gold coin. This spell allows Viren to trap and contain someone within an object. It is chanted in repetition for it to take effect. Suffocating Spell: "Htaerb eht laets" ("Steal the Breath"): Using the mummified claw of a Singing Weasel, Viren casts this spell to steal someone's breath and suffocate them. Tracking Spell: "Natit amgam eht kees". ("Search for the Magma Titan"): This spell was cast by Viren to track a Magma Titan using a piece of its rock body. The spell caused the rock to become charged with energy and then launched in the direction of the object's origin. Ultimate Vengeance Weapon - "Etah fo nopaew a htiw efil niard ot, ssol dna evol fo tonk delgnat a tsiwt". ("Tie a tangled knot of love and loss, to drain life with a weapon of hate"): Viren used this ancient spell to create a weapon capable of killing Avizandum and turning him to stone. The spell required the horn of a unicorn, Sarai's dying breath, and Harrow's blood. Magic of Heaven Viren can also successfully use sky magic with the help of a Sky Primal Rock and, momentarily, with the help of Aaravos:

"Aspiro frigis": This spell was cast by Viren with the help of a Primal Rock to immobilize Avizandum in a wave of ice. He also used it to immobilize Tiadrin and Lain. Expert Combatant Although Viren prefers to use magic or manipulation to defeat his enemies, he is a very capable close-range fighter, which was proven when he temporarily held his own against Tiadrin and Lain, two elite elven warriors of the Dragon Guard. He was also able to fight off many human guards at once, aided by the power of dark magic, though large numbers could overwhelm him.

Handling Following the assassination of King Harrow, Viren convinced the people of Katolis that the elves of Xadia were their true enemies, lied to Amaya that Gren would seek out Callum and Ezran, and subtly told Soren and Claudia that they must do everything in their power to take back the Dragon Prince's egg, including murdering the princes or sacrificing each other. He was a skilled storyteller and often used flattery and persuasion as a means to his ends.

Tactical Skills Because of his instincts, Viren has proven to be a good tactician, as he knew that if the Elves were not found before the full moon, the king would have no chance of survival. He also anticipated what would happen during the final battle at the Storm Tower.

Breeding Viren keeps a hidden terrarium in Katolis Castle filled with Sunbeam butterflies he caught near Xadia's borders and has kept them in good condition ever since so he can use them to hide his true appearance.

Dark magic, also known as the Seventh Source, is an evil and heinous form of magic that does not directly connect to any of the six Primal Sources. Instead, it relies on drawing out the primal energy within magical creatures to fuel spells (killing that creature on the spot).

Information Unlike the six Primal Sources, each with a specific nature, Dark Magic is more versatile and has many uses. At its most extreme, it was even able to resurrect someone from the dead. Dark Magic spells are usually cast through incantations where the image speaks backwards. It is considered a cheap, quick, and easy way to cast magic and always requires an act of destruction and consumption to accomplish. Due to its unique nature, Dark Magic can also be used to assimilate existing forms of Primal Magic.

Dark magic, unlike the six Primary Sources, cannot be inherited, though it can be taught to others. However, this can be very dangerous if not taught properly. Inexperience with dark magic could cause great damage to the body, draining the user of energy and giving them terrifying hallucinations and nightmares. [5] It is unknown if a caster is affected by the corruption by default, or if moral reasoning influences its development. However, Ziard showed no visible signs of corruption while using dark magic for a noble cause.

If a person uses dark magic frequently, it leaves traces within the user and they can eventually cast small spells and useful tricks, such as lighting candles with their fingertips or making a palm lantern. However, dark magic does not affect a person it has been cast upon, unless a hostile spell has been cast. Since remnants of dark magic remain within the individuals who used it, there is a chance that it can be drawn out of them. And yet, according to Janai, depending on how much or how long an image uses the dark arts and goes through the purification process at the Sun Forge, there will be a high chance that the person will not be able to survive the extraction.