Dalentys the Seer was not always the mysterious, wizened figure he is now. Once upon a time, back when the people of Moorgate could still remember the lash of Erasmus the Fell, there was a stonemason named Cedale. Cedale was a big, strong man with a thick shock of black hair, and a fierce black beard that often was split by a friendly smile. His clear blue eyes were surrounded by laughter lines and he was well liked by his fellow citizens. After a hard day's work shaping the stones that would later be incorporated into the thick city walls being erected around the city, Cedale would come home to be welcomed by his beautiful young wife, Faith, their twin girls Lise and Terese, and their son Dalen.

Cedale had been very concerned about his children's futures. He himself was one of Erasmus's slaves until the revolt that claimed the taskmaster's life, and hoped to see his children have better lives than he did. He sent all three to the school set up by those monks who have settled within the city boundaries and looked about for apprenticeships suitable for each. The twins Lise and Terese were talented and enthusiastic scholastics, and it was straightforward enough to speak with those who were running the newly built library about hiring the two gifted researchers. Dalen, however, was less easily apprenticed. He showed no special aptitude for any of the trades practiced within the city, and Cedale quietly despaired of him finding employ as anything but a common laborer.

However, one day after Dalen's thirteenth birthday, Dalen strode down Brent Street burdened with packages for his mother. As he passed the recently completed Mages Guild, he was suddenly struck with a vision so powerful it drove him to his knees. Dalen was always a bit strange. He always seemed to know where a misplaced item was, or who was coming up the path to visit his father and himself as they worked. He even knew when his sister Lise broke her arm, despite being some miles from her when it happened. He never could explain it to his parents, he just explained that he knew, or saw the happenings in his mind. But none of the previous experiences ever had the sheer strength of this one. He never explained to anyone what he saw in the vision, but he went home and declared to his family that he was going to become a Mage. His parents had never seen such a determined look in his eyes, and they both remarked later to each other that his face looked as if he had aged years since the morning.

Cedale was somewhat suspicious of magic, but he remembered that the mages had also fought for freedom from Erasmus, so he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. He took Dalen before the Archmagi and had the boy tested. The Archmagi found the boy to have talent for arts of magic, and agreed to take him as an apprentice mage. Cedale walked out of the Guild with a weight lifted from his shoulders, all his children seemed to have their futures secured, and his mind was finally at ease. That night, as his son packed what few belongings he was allowed to take with him, his family said their good-byes and held a farewell dinner for him. Dalen was somewhat distracted, but he reciprocated his family's affections. The next day, just as the sun had rose, Cedale woke to find Dalen gone. His son had left a note, simply stating he wished to get an early start on his training and didn't want to distract the others the next morning.

Cedale rarely saw his son thereafter. Once or twice a month was all his son would set aside from his studies and experiments to reassure his parents that he was alive and that his health was sound.

He continued his rather mystifying ability to know things that he had no business knowing, disconcerting teachers and students alike. This earned him the enmity of those teachers writing the examinations and the nickname "The Seer". When he was old enough and skilled enough for his teachers to allow him to leave the city on his own, Dalen would disappear for weeks. These would turn into months, and a betting pool would often spring up among his peers as to when or whether Dalen would come back at all. Dalen would always return, often looking the worse for wear, though he rarely mentioned where his travels took him, but each time returning with an armload of scrolls. His tutors watched him become a highly competent and increasingly powerful mage, though Dalen was never satisfied with his progress. Several of his teachers remarked that while they knew that Dalen was driven by some force, they weren't sure that the force wasn't driving him to an early journey to Leoni's Kingdom.

Dalentys installed himself in a cell surrounded by mountains of books, barely tearing himself away from his studies to teach a few of his potent skills. To this day the old man sits in his office, urgently searching for knowledge which will release him from the vision he had so long ago.