Viren was the former High Mage of Katolis and was King Harrow's closest advisor, before becoming a traitor to his kingdom. He was the ex-husband of Lissa,[3] the father of Soren and Claudia, as well as a powerful dark mage who followed the advice of the Archmage Aaravos. While assumed dead by his enemies, he was very well alive, after Claudia resurrected him[4] two years after his initial death.[5]
He ultimately sacrificed himself by casting a protection spell during Sol Regem's attack on Katolis.[6]
Appearance[]
Viren was a tall, thin man with pale skin, brown hair, and gray eyes. He sported a neat goatee that was dotted with gray, though he was clean shaven in his youth.[7] He usually wore an intense expression to all but his children. His clothing consisted of mostly dark gray, black, and red robes, and he used to carry around a long silver staff with a purple gem embedded into it. The purple gem sits atop the wings of the staff that always change shape with every transformation of the staff. Following his incursion of Lux Aurea, he started to wear the simple white robe that the Sunfire Elves gave to him for his purification ritual.[8]
After years of practicing dark magic, Viren's appearance drastically changed. In his true form, his skin turned a pale gray, with purple-gray markings formed around his eyes, as well as partially appearing across his face. While his hair faded into a lighter color, now featuring a white portion in both head area and beard, his scleras have become entirely black. His true form is hidden away underneath a dark magic spell that disguises him to resemble a normal human. However, after stealing the light of the Sunfire Elves, he steps forwards to war in a form that is much closer to his true form. In this form, he has dark brown skin and his hair is also much darker. By the time he returned to Katolis and being placed in the dungeon, Viren slowly gained a full but messy beard, showing how much time has passed during his imprisonment.[6]
Personality[]
Viren is an ambitious, intelligent man with a one-track mind and a means-to-an-end attitude. There is nothing he will not do to achieve his goals, at times relying on deception or exploiting other creatures for their magic. While King Harrow trusted him, other council members like Opeli do not. He is quick to anger in the face of even the slightest doubt, criticism, or disagreement, and usually responds 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 it includes collateral damage of a few for what he perceives to be the greater good.
Although Viren claims that he is seeking the betterment of humanity, he can also be amoral and callous underneath his charismatic and intellectual surface, as well as exhibiting a willingness to take advantage of others. He claims that even his most egregious actions are necessary. In reality, he cares more about humans as numbers than as individuals as he sees acceptable if a few innocents die so the majority survive, even in situations where no sacrifices are needed.
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 is heedless of the potential consequences of this. He also hypocritically attempts to kill any human, elf, or dragon that stands in the way of his agenda, as shown when he was willing to kill Callum and Ezran to put himself as king as he considered them too "weak" to rule the kingdom, and when he initiated an attack of the leaders of the other Human Kingdoms to force support for his war against Xadia.[9]
Despite his ruthlessness, Viren was once a caring father, husband, and people-person, and had a good relationship with his family. However, after the divorce with his wife Lissa, Viren was left heartbroken and failed to see why she was frightened of his use of dark magic.[10] For all his faults, Viren does love his children, as he once saved Soren from a fatal disease[10] and taught Claudia how to use dark magic, visibly proud of her talents. However, Viren's relationship with his children eventually suffered as he continuously pressured Claudia to follow his ideals while abandoning Soren for not following suit and questioning his father's actions. To children other than his own, and especially young children, he often acts disrespectful and contemptuous.
Viren is not without redeeming traits, though. When Aaravos asked what Viren intends to gain from all his crimes and treachery, he responded that he has no personal interest in power, spoils, or conquest, for he only wants "humanity to flourish, without a knife at its throat."[11] He genuinely appears to believe that his actions are the best for both Katolis and humanity as a whole. He was also truly devoted to King Harrow. This shows that, despite his actions, Viren's motivation is at least partly selfless. He is, however, willing to kill others, even sacrificing innocents, to gain support[12] as long as he sees them as enemies of humanity.[4] Upon having his deceitful strategies denied, his desperation caused him to seek help from Aaravos, an Archmage from the ancient past who was secretly imprisoned by Avizandum for orchestrating great crises.[13] Although Viren has suspicions of him, he found himself willing to blindly follow Aaravos's orders to complete his goals.[8]
Although undeniably intelligent and resourceful, Viren does not always think things through. He originally seemed to be blind to his shortcomings, and the unexpected consequences of his actions did not drive him to reconsider similar actions in the future. Even if they came at the expense of others, he still relished in his successes, a dark tendency that was particularly evident when he became king, when he attempted to harvest Zym,[4] as well as when he convinced Harrow to kill Avizandum, despite Harrow's initial disagreement.[11]
After being resurrected,[4] however, a shift in his morality occurred, causing him to considering abandoning his stubborn quest for humanity's rise.[14] Additionally, he developed a hesitation for exposing himself to dark magic once more, refusing to carry his staff again[13] until forced to retrieve it.[15] The trauma of his fall also resulted in him developing a post-traumatic stress disorder, causing him to experience anxiety and panic attacks when exposed to great heights.[14] When Aaravos revealed that Viren needed to sacrifice one of his children to stay alive, Viren realized the errors of his ways in using his desperation of protecting humanity as an excuse to commit war crimes and kill innocents for his hubris and greed for dark magic, and ultimately chooses to give up on dark magic before accepting his forthcoming demise.[16]
While he was always ambitious and desired a better future for humanity, the death of Harrow resulted in Viren losing the vast majority of his moral compass. This resulted in him being more reckless in his pursuit of power, showing just how devastating the king's death was to him and how profoundly it impacted his behavior and choices. This was challenged by the profound experience of being resurrected and subsequent crisis of faith in his own decisions.[17]
Another unique aspect of Viren is his indecisiveness regarding his motivations, often wavering between wanting what was best for humanity and wanting what was best for himself, and struggling to reconcile the delineation between his two primary motives.[17]
Upon seeing the carnage wrought by his daughter in sacrificing the Being to finish the resurrection spell that brought him back, Viren was horrified by the path he had led his daughter down, showing great remorse that drove him into a state of regret bordering on madness and weeping.[18] His time spent in the Katolis dungeons were done lamenting on the way he had treated his family, how his life had come to such a state, prompting him to renounce dark magic as he desperately attempted to reconnect with Soren.[19] During Sol Regem's attack on the castle, he demonstrated true remorse for his actions and refused to use Soren's heart to fuel the Hearts of Cinder spell to protect the people of Katolis. Viren used his own heart instead, sacrificing his life in the process, declaring himself a servant in his final act. During his last moments, his thoughts were of his family and how much he loved them.[6]
| “ |
Viren is the High Mage of Katolis, and King Harrow's closest advisor. A master of dark magic, Viren knows that every problem can be solved with a "creative solution," and Viren's clever spells have saved the Human Kingdoms from disaster. Cunning, ambitious, and bold, Viren has a vision of a great future for humanity, and will go to any length to achieve it. |
” |
| —Official Description[20] | ||
Skills and Abilities[]
Magic Mastery[]
As the former High Mage of Katolis, Viren is an expert in the field of magic, especially dark magic. When employing dark magic, Viren casts his spells by speaking backward. However, the more often he uses these spells, his body begins to change in appearance:
- Fusing Spell - "Ecnesse ruoy esuf." ("Fuse your essence."): This spell infused the wisps with the essence of a Magma Titan's rock.
- Hearts of Cinder - "Nrub tonnac rednic fo straeh." ("Hearts of cinder cannot burn."): This spell turned Kasef and his army into lava monsters.
- Illusion Spell This spell allows Viren to conceal his true form. It uses the essence of Sunray Monarchs.
- Immobilization Spell: A spell cast through the relic staff, which is used to hold a target in place for a temporary duration. Viren used this spell to temporarily immobilize Avizandum so that Harrow could slay the Archdragon.
- Path Opening Spell - "Ynitsed ruo ot htap eht laever dna em erofeb kram." ("Mark before me and reveal the path to our destiny."): Using the horn of the Fire Dragon Pyrrah, Viren used this spell to open a path through a lava river.
- Power Sucking Spell - "Rewop ruoy swollaws eh, thgim ruoy swollaws eh, traeh ruoy swollaws eh." ("He swallows your heart, he swallows your might, he swallows your power."): Viren used this spell in an attempt to gain Zym's power. The incantation is said by Aaravos through his familiar.
- Silencing Spell - "Eciov eht laets." ("Steal the voice."): This spell was cast by Viren with the mummified paw of a Singing-Weasel. It allows Viren to silence people and take away their voices.
- Smoky Assassins - "Snissassa yekoms niaga esir, nellaf fo hsa." ("Ash of fallen, rise again smoky assassins."): This spell, using the ashes of fallen Moonshadow Elf Assassins on a Shadowlife Candle, allows Viren to summon smoky afterimages of the once-alive elven assassins that follow his commands.
- Soul Trapping Spell - "Erasaert ym si luos ruoy." ("Your soul is my treasure."): This spell was cast by Viren, who used it to seal Kpp'Ar, Runaan, Tiadrin, and Lain within small gold coins. This spell allows Viren to trap someone within an object and contain them within it. It is chanted in repetition to take effect.
- Suffocating spell - "Htaerb eht laets." ("Steal the breath."): With the mummified paw of a Singing-Weasel, Viren cast this spell to steal someone's breath and suffocate them.
- Tracking Spell - "Natit amgam eht kees." ("Seek 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 wisps to be charged with energy then launched in the direction of the ingredient's origin.
- Ultimate Weapon of Vengeance - "Etah fo nopaew a htiw efil niard ot, ssol dna evol fo tonk delgnat a tsiwt." ("Twist a tangled knot of love and loss, to drain life with a weapon of hate."): Viren used this ancient spell to create the weapon to kill Avizandum and turns him into stone. The spell used the horn of a unicorn, the dying breath of Sarai, and the blood of Harrow.
Sky Magic[]
Viren can successfully perform Sky magic with the aid of a Sky Primal Stone and later with the assistance of Aaravos:
- "Aspiro Frigis": This spell was cast by Viren with the assistance of a Primal Stone to immobilize Avizandum in a wave of ice.[11] It was also used to immobilize Tiadrin and Lain.[21]
Corrupted Primal Magic[]
Initially, when Aaravos channeled his magic into him, Viren could perform the spells that Aaravos cast by projecting them through his staff. Eventually, through Aaravos's tutelage, and with the corruption of the Sun staff, he learned how to cast corrupted primal magic onto others by himself without channeling.
Combatant[]
Although Viren prefers to use magic or manipulation to defeat his enemies, he is a capable close-range fighter, able to hold his ground against Tiadrin and Lain, two elite elven warriors of the Dragonguard.[21] He was also able to fight against many human guards at once, aided by the power of dark magic, though large numbers could overwhelm him.
Manipulation[]
After the assassination of King Harrow, Viren convinced the people of Katolis that the elves of Xadia are their true enemies, lied to Amaya that Gren would look for Callum and Ezran, and subtly told Soren and Claudia that they must do everything they can to take back the egg of the Dragon Prince, including killing the princes, or sacrificing each other. He was a good storyteller and often used flattery and persuasion as a means of accomplishing his ends.
Sunray Monarch Breeding[]
Viren keeps a hidden terrarium inside the castle of Katolis, filled with Sunray Monarch butterflies that he caught near Xadia's borders and has been keeping them in good condition ever since, so he can use them to conceal his true appearance.[22]
Equipment[]
- Relic Staff: Viren is not the first human to possess his mysterious relic staff. Originally gifted to Ziard by one of the "Great Ones",[23] it has been passed down through the Human Kingdoms since the land was divided into two, so long ago that its original owner has been lost to history. Strangely, the staff seems to be elven crafted. Viren uses the strange relic to amplify and strengthen his dark magic spells, but perhaps it holds greater secrets.[24] He can also use the staff to channel spells that Aaravos casts for him from the other side of the magic mirror.
- Sky Primal Stone (formerly): At one point, Viren owned a Sky Primal Stone, which he used to cast Sky magic, until he gave it to Claudia.
- Sun Staff: During the fall of Lux Aurea, Viren obtained a Sun staff that belonged to Pharos and Queen Aditi, embedded with a Primal Stone corrupted by Aaravos. Viren used the staff to transform Kasef and his army into magma monsters, before giving it to Claudia.[8][21]
Trivia[]
- Viren's name means "leader of heroes" in Sanskrit.[25] This fits his ambiguous nature of viewing himself as a leader of those he views to be doing the right thing.
- Viren used to go mud sledding with his children, even though he dislikes getting his robes dirty.[26]
- The corrupted look Viren gets whenever he uses dark magic is his true form. Using dark magic so many times has corrupted him inside and out, forcing him to constantly use dark magic to create the cosmetic illusion of looking normal.[27] One manner in which he accomplishes this is by draining the life force of butterflies called Sunray Monarchs.[28]
- Viren's model used to have purple eyes before they were recolored, due to fearing it would be too close to Rayla's eyes. There is still one scene in the series where the different eye color can be spotted, but it was not revealed which scene that is.[29]
- Viren likes pancakes, King Harrow, his children, being appreciated, dark magic, problem-solving, puzzles, hot brown morning potions, and strong cheese. He dislikes showing weakness, Opeli, seagulls, weak cheese, and anyone who disagrees or can't keep up with him.[30]
- Viren often forgets his own birthday due to his business. However, Soren, Claudia, and Harrow tend to prepare surprise parties for Viren and his closest acquaintances, which made him feel warm and cared for. He prefers the fanciest of desserts on his birthday: small, tart-sized dark magic crème brûlée, blow-torched to perfection by Claudia, using a spell only she knows.[2]
- The membrane Aaravos used to cover Viren's eye with acts more like a magical contact lens, despite being painful to the eye during the webbing process.[31]
- A few alternate costumes were designed for Viren during the finale battle, but proved a little too grand for the "purification" ritual.[31]
- The core theme of Viren's appearance was sacrifice, as the effects of dark magic on his body represent his twisted nature and self-destructive dedication of serving the elevation of humanity.[31]
- While designing Viren's "true face", the concept artists aimed to avoid obvious pitfalls such as it turning out to being too scary for kids or resembling the makeup of a scary clown.[31]
Appearances[]
Book One - Moon
- 101. "Echoes of Thunder"
- 102. "What is Done"
- 103. "Moonrise"
- 104. "Bloodthirsty"
- 105. "An Empty Throne"
- 106. "Through the Ice"
- 108. "Cursed Caldera"
- 109. "Wonderstorm" (no lines)
Book Two - Sky
- 201. "A Secret and a Spark"
- 202. "Half Moon Lies"
- 203. "Smoke and Mirrors"
- 204. "Voyage of the Ruthless"
- 205. "Breaking the Seal"
- 206. "Heart of a Titan"
- 207. "Fire and Fury"
- 208. "The Book of Destiny"
- 209. "Breathe"
Book Three - Sun
- 301. "Sol Regem" (no lines)
- 303. "Ghost"
- 304. "The Midnight Desert"
- 305. "Heroes and Masterminds"
- 306. "Thunderfall"
- 307. "Hearts of Cinder"
- 308. "Dragonguard"
- 309. "The Final Battle"
Book Four - Earth
- 401. "Rebirthday"
- 402. "Fallen Stars"
- 404. "Through the Looking Glass"
- 405. "The Great Gates"
- 407. "Beneath the Surface"
- 409. "Escape from Umber Tor"
Book Five - Ocean
- 501. "Domina Profundis" (no lines)
- 502. "Old Wounds"
- 503. "Nightmares & Revelations"
- 505. "Archmage Akiyu" (no lines)
- 506. "Bait & Switch" (no lines)
- 509. "Infantis Sanguine"
Book Six - Stars
- 601. "Startouched"
- 603. "The Frozen Ship"
- 605. "Moonless Night"
- 606. "Moment of Truth"
- 608. "We All Fall Down"
- 609. "Stardust" (flashback, no lines)
Side Stories
- "Lost Child"
- "Strangers"
Books
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Dragon Prince Official Twitter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Dragon Prince Official Website - Birthdays
- ↑ Book One: Moon (Novel) (Chapter 17)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Book Three, Chapter 9: "The Final Battle"
- ↑ CartoonUV Twitter - San Diego Comic Con 2022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Book Six, Chapter 8: "We All Fall Down"
- ↑ Book Five, Chapter 3: "Nightmares & Revelations"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Book Three, Chapter 7: "Hearts of Cinder"
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 9: "Breathe"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Book One: Moon (Novel) (Chapter 17)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Book Three, Chapter 6:"Thunderfall"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 2: "The Crown"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Book Four, Chapter 4: "Through the Looking Glass"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Book Four, Chapter 2: "Fallen Stars"
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 9: "Escape from Umber Tor"
- ↑ Book Five, Chapter 9: "Infantis Sanguine"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Book Five, Chapter 2: "Old Wounds"
- ↑ Book Six, Chapter 1: "Startouched"
- ↑ Book Six, Chapter 6: "Moment of Truth"
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Website - Characters
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Book Three, Chapter 8: "Dragonguard"
- ↑ Book One: Moon (Novel)
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 1: "Sol Regem"
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Website - Item Reveal: Viren's Relic Staff
- ↑ The Name Meaning
- ↑ The Dragon Prince AMA on Reddit
- ↑ "The Dragon Prince Wondercon 2019 Interview with the Creators!"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 3: "Ghost"
- ↑ How Brown Morning Potion Podcast
- ↑ Callum's Spellbook
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 The Art of The Dragon Prince