For most of his childhood, Daniel was encouraged to be creative, to be imaginitive, and to express himself. This manifested itself in various ways, as he'd write poetry and prose, paint pictures, and sometimes even act out scenes from the recesses of his vivid imagination.
He underwent the greatest change of his life when he was 14 years old. He had noticed that he was changing, and that the world around him was changing, but it was unlike anything that his teachers said puberty would be like. He began to hate the dull, sterile atmosphere of school, and began getting ill in extremely dull classes.
He soon was rescued by a strange group of people, and underwent most of his Chrysalis inside the nearby freehold. After the customary year and a day of instruction, he emerged back into the world and realized he had been gone for a mere 3 months. His parents both left for another city, having nothing else to tie themselves there, and the young Sidhe Daniel was left on his own at the age of 15.
He joined a motley, and spent most of his time with them, although he got somewhat lonely when it was time for his friends to go home. He spent his nights in the freehold, learning about fae politics. His days were spent doing many things, but his favourite pastime was playing marbles with some of the childlings. He almost seemed to live for the smiles on the childrens' faces. His bag of mables was a gift given to him by a young Sluagh who was left alone when she was 10, and all the other fae either reviled her for being a sluagh or didn't have time to waste hanging around a kid. In gratitude for being her friend, the little Sluagh, Anastasia, gave him a bag of marbles that would never run out, no matter how many he lost.
Then, one evening, as he was studying some ancient tomes on Kithain history, he heard a knock on the freehold door. He opened it to find a young girl, not too much younger than him, but she was mortally frightened. She had been harassed by the notorious Redcap Ironclaw, so named for an iron hook he had grafted onto his forearm like a velociraptor's claw.
Daniel vowed that instant to protect Danae from Ironclaw. In gratitude, she gave him a coin made of the purest gold, with his face on one side and a castle on the other. He gathered his motley, and in his uniquely noble way, he set out on a campaign to destroy Ironclaw.
Daniel vowed that instant to protect Danae from Ironclaw. In gratitude, she gave him a coin made of the purest gold, with his face on one side and a castle on the other. He gathered his motley, and in his uniquely noble way, he set out on a campaign to destroy Ironclaw. After 3 years, he had finally tracked down Ironclaw's lair, deep in the heart of the Dreaming. He set out alone, however, unbeknownst to him, his motley followed, out of a sense of loyalty.
When he burst into his hideout, Ironclaw was gone, with an insulting note left behind. Daniel saw his motley crowding around the entrance, and knew what had happened. Still, he ran far and fast through the Dreaming, avoiding its traps and destroying all those who would get in his way.
He arrived in the freehold to find Danae brutally savaged by Ironclaw. Overcome with grief, he went inside his chamber for several days. When he came out, he was ruled by his Unseelie side. The brand of an oathbreaker was upon his flesh and soul, but he was determined to avenge it at any cost.
He ran out in search of Ironclaw, and finally tracked him down in an abandoned warehouse. His motley was searching for him, but he knew he had only one chance.
The battle was ferocious, as Ironclaw's meanness was countered only by Daniel's rage and skill. After a long duel, Daniel was gutted by the large iron hook on Ironclaw's arm, and left to die on the mildewy ground.
After an unknown period of time passed, Daniel awoke in a realm unlike that he had ever seen before. It was tainted with the scourge of decay, and Banality's cold weight was upon him, although as far as he could tell, it had no noticeable effect.
He heard a voice, grim and cold in this dead land. "Hello...Daniel, I believe it is."
This began a somewhat lengthy relationship with his mentor, Philip D'Auvergne. Daniel was drafted into the Grim Legion, much to his chagrin. He couldn't stand the Banal chanting in unison, and quickly applied for a post somewhere else. Somewhere...on his own.
His mentor helped push the transfer through, and Daniel spent much of his time learning about himself, his fetters and other facets of wraithly existence. When the spectres attacked New York, Daniel grabbed Nocturne, and began ambushing lone spectres. It wasn't much, but it sure beat doing nothing or entering Oblivion.
He was recruited to send a message to the ship Ulysses. When he got there, he joined the crew, knowing that he would soon be able to fight spectres again. And then, Ironclaw.
