Daireg

Daireg is a master swordsman, extensively trained in the Way of the Sword. A rival of the Crimson Archer, he is known to be an expert strategist and manipulator. He has been a wanted criminal in the entire province of Hammerfell for almost ten years before the events of Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6. He is noted as a dangerous and unpredictable person and resorts to any means to achieve his goals.

Youth
Daireg was born in Taneth and subsequently abandoned by his mother at birth, but luckily (or perhaps unluckily, given how one looks at it) was found by local authorities before he succumbed to exposure. He grew up in an orphanage where he was neglected and forgotten among so many children. Daireg was notably cruel to the other children and his hobbies were tearing the limbs off of insects or inflicting injuries on small animals. Although frequently punished for doing so, his behavior disturbing the nuns who ran the orphanage, he never attempted to stop or hide his activities. The punishments eventually stopped, because they didn't work on Daireg, and because he almost seemed to enjoy them. Daireg would later tell sob stories about his frequent beatings and youth full of isolation. However, he himself feels no remorse over it. He believes without having endured all that he wouldn't have the his present strength. A childhood of being allowed to hurt whoever he wanted without any real consequences, and being hurt as a punishment, taught Daireg that violence was the only way to solve problems in life.

He lived on the streets for a few months after aging out of the orphanage at twelve until Master Ishien, the head instructor at the local Hall of the Virtues of War, the primary school for learning swordsmanship, discovered Daireg going through his garbage, looking for food scraps. He took pity on the boy and took Daireg in, teaching him sword fighting: Ishien later claimed it was his greatest regret. Daireg took quickly to the Way. He was highly intelligent and picked up the skills easily, and the idea behind all art and history stemming from the sword, a weapon, matched his own personal philosophy. After years of training and becoming an expert swordfighter, he would come to butt heads with the Crimson Archer (although he wasn't named so at the time). The Archer was another student of Master Ishien's and Daireg took issue with Crimson's easygoing, friendly, and always optimistic attitude, along with the young man's privileged upbringing. When Crimson caught Daireg trying to steal from the hall, and consequently got Daireg expelled, he swore revenge on Crimson, the two becoming hated enemies.

Later Life
Daireg would leave Taneth and travel the continent, improving his skill. It was unknown what atrocities he committed during this time, but they likely only got worse with each one. On his journey abroad, Daireg did two things-- in Hammerfell, he quickly took control of the Alik'r Coterie, a result of his disposition to cruelty and his incredibly skill with the sword. In Morrowind, he learned how to weaponize the disease known as corprus, one of the few outside of the Sixth House to do so.

Daireg later returned to Taneth, making good on his promise to seek revenge against the would-be Crimson Archer. Sparking a rebellion in Taneth (the event that would actually create the Crimson Archer as a figure), he spread chaos across the city. When the two childhood rivals faced each other, although evenly matched with the blade, Daireg soundly beat Crimson by infecting him with corprus, weakening the Archer, and then viciously beating him. He left Crimson alive so that the man could live with his failure in what life he left (as corprus causes a drawn out, painful death, and is incurable).

Between then and the events of Chapter 6, Daireg went on to improve his skill with the sword far beyond what it had been before, achieving a way to preform the Shehai: the Spirit Sword, forming a weapon by pure thought, out of nothing but wind and light. He somehow learned of the existence of the ultimate sword move, Pankratosword, and searched for a way to obtain it. Upon learning the secrets of the move might have been known by his old master the entire time, he returned once again to Taneth.

Personality
Daireg is a psychopath in the most basic definition of the word. He believes laws don't apply to him, despite knowing what he does is wrong, and lacks any empathy whatsoever. He will use whatever means to achieve whatever it is he wants to achieve at any moment. Daireg is ambitious, driven, and incredibly determined. He refuses to be defeated and never gives up once he's set his mind to something. He also is very prideful and holds a lengthy grudge. If he is defeated, he takes it as a personal insult, and will seek revenge against those who managed to outsmart him. He is also an introvert, seeing no need in the company or companionship of other people.

As a psychopath, Daireg was not turned into the monster he is because of his childhood trauma, rather, he already had the capability to be a terrible person, his trauma just gave him a clear focus on what direction to take his life. Thus, he is someone it is difficult to feel sympathy for, given his lack of empathy for anyone, including himself.

Appearances

 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell


 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell Part II


 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell Part III