Doran

"May my memories comfort me in the loneliness to come..."

- Doran in Secrets of Deltora

Doran, often referred to as Doran the Dragonlover by Deltorans and Dragonfriend by dragons, was a famous explorer of Deltora. Considered a madman during his time travelling, it was widely believed that he had perished. However, to his horror, as King Lief discovered, he had been enslaved by the Shadow Lord, forced to be the guardian of the creature he had been attempting to destroy. Doran is the author of Secrets of Deltora, a travelling guide book which he was commissioned to write by King Lucan for his son, Prince Gareth. The book was written before Doran set out on his second to last expedition, to warn Deltora's last seven dragons and save them, after which he went on a final expedition, an attempt to locate and destroy the Four Sisters he had heard whispers about, the journey on which he was captured and forced to become the guardian of the Sister of the West. Doran finally got his final rest when the Amethyst dragon Veritas took his breath on the Isle of the Dead, before destroying the Sister. Doran was buried at The Finger.

Early life
Doran was born around the late reign of King Brandon and the early reign of Brandon's son, Lucan. He roamed the land far and wide, gaining the respect of many people, both Deltorans and foreigners alike, despite his reputation as being unkempt, ill-mannered and blunt. He was said to be a man "of the land" so much that he earned the respect and, eventually, friendship of all seven tribes of dragons (something unheard of as dragons kept very much to themselves and their own respective tribes conversing only rarely with any human). Dragons were looked upon with fear, and too often hatred, due to a general lack of knowledge and understanding. However Doran was welcome among each tribe as family earning the name "Dragonfriend".

Expeditions in the Pirran sea
Taking clues from a number of Tenna Birdsong Tales, such as The Tale of the Pirran Pipe, The Seven Goblins and The Girl with the Golden Hair, Doran planned an expedition to the Os-Mine Hills in the north of Topaz territory originally looking for a dragon's den and upon finding it, he discovered in its depths a tunnel leading to the lands of the banished and fabled Pirrans. He was quickly expelled from the caves by the Plume tribe, who hoped that the memory-erasing powers of their secret sea would keep Doran from returning. However, he remembered the caverns like a dream and returned to them. This time he was able to befriend the Plumes and eventually he was able to reach the other two tribes, the Aurons and the Kerons. Doran kept his knowledge of the Pirran underworld secret and in return the Aurons gave him a soul-stone, a magical stone that let him remember everything despite the power of the underworld seas to forget. He visited the Pirrans several times, told them of Deltora and the Shadow Lord and brought the Aurons fire so that they could light their caverns after having been banished from their island. For this gift, the Pirrans used their powers to transport people through solid earth to the surface world to help Doran returned from their lands. They would row out in their boats to a place west of Keras and send Doran to the land above, usually near the River Tor in Emerald territory. He would reappear in the brush below Dread Mountain and walk to the river bank where he waited for a boat that would take him to Del. At one point, Doran mapped out the Pirran Caverns and their islands.

Secrets of Deltora
Having returned from a sea voyage in which he had mapped Deltora's nearest islands, Doran was asked to write a travel guide to Deltora. King Lucan wrote to him, explaining that the book would be respected by people due to Doran's reputation as an explorer, and that it would benefit the Deltoran people and visitors from overseas. Doran wanted to refuse at first, but when Lucan told him that his son, Prince Gareth, would benefit from reading about the land he would one day govern, he agreed. Doran was given the freedom to write as he travelled the land and was given enough funds to make a complete tour of Deltora to make sure the information was fresh. He wrote an introduction to his book in a room in The Seafarer Tavern. He began the book by writing about the Belt of Deltora, and the relationship between the gem territories and Deltora’s dragons.

Doran began his journey in Topaz territory, where he wrote about the palace and the city of Del before travelling north to the Os-Mine Hills. Here he met a Topaz dragon and learned that many others of the dragon's tribe had been killed by Ak-Baba. The dragon had not seen a single member of his tribe since the last full moon. It was sunset when Doran wrote about the Hills and his meeting with the dragon.The next day at dawn he left the Hills and travelled north to the Forests of Silence. He was eager to see if any dragons there had survived, but after three days through the Forests he had not seen a single dragon He had neglected his book during this time and made up for the lack of writing while resting in End Wood. Doran travelled north to Ruby territory. He came to the town of Ringle and rested in The Jolly Goat inn. In his room he had privacy to write, since the other guests were in the bar where a darts competition was taking place. At dawn he left Ringle and travelled to the Painted Plain to write about the local flora and fauna. Next he travelled to the town of Broome where he took the rest of the day to write about the town and the surrounding area. At dawn he set out towards Dragon's Nest, a favourite haunt for Ruby dragons. Walking along Deltora's east coast he saw his first Ruby dragon of the trip. The dragon flew down and hovered above the water not far from a fishing boat, where she made off with a large sea serpent. When Doran came to Dragon's Nest he found the same dragon that had saved the fishermen earlier and spoke with her before returning to Broome before sunset. Doran spent a week in Broome, resting and enjoying the town’s company. He left Broome and travelled east over the Capricon Hills, and took the Mountain Road to the far north. He turned south down the Golden Way to visit the city of D'Or. By going about it this way he was hoping to see more Ruby dragons, but to his dismay and worry, he was not able to spot any. He slept under the stars, since weather was fine. Doran was camped by a stream outside the village of Purley when he wrote about the Ruby North.

After some time on the road Doran reached the city of D’Or. He bought a mare named Pearl from the city's famous horse-breeders. He rented a room in the Light-on-Water Inn, where he was able to bathe and eat. Out on the terrace of his room he wrote notes about the city.

Before Doran travelled to Opal territory, he made a detour to Raladin, north of D'Or, to visit friends. He came in time to share the evening meal in their home. They talked long into the night about the declining number of Ruby dragons. The Ralads believed that there were only two left in their territory and Ralad builders in other territories had said that the situation was just as bad elsewhere. They had written to King Lucan, and had received a reply claiming their request would be attended to when there was time. Doran spent the night in his friend's' home, where he wrote his notes about Raladin. In the morning he returned to D'Or and from there travelled west along the Opal Highway into Opal territory. He came to the River Broad and followed it north until it met the Mountain Road, then crossed a bridge west over the water and moved south over the Hira Plain to the city of Hira. At night he camped beside the Broad and wrote in his book about the Opal territory. At dawn he continued north, hoping to see an Opal dragon fishing on the Broad, but he saw none. In the evening a group of Wise Fish came to Doran at the river bank where he was resting. To his shock the fish spoke. They were saddened by the killing of the Opal dragons and begged Doran to do anything in his power to save the remaining ones. They also warned him not to go near the Plain, because of the increase in rats.

Doran rode a day south along the Broad without seeing a dragon. The farmers he met were glad that dragon numbers had fallen in the past few months, since they preyed on their livestock. At midday Doran stopped to brew tea and threw his coat on the ground. Reaching for it he was nearly bit by a Plains Scorpion. He crushed it with his book, staining one page. The episode reminded Doran to write about the dangers of the Opal territory.

The next morning Doran saw an Opal dragon hunting in the sky above the Hira Plain. Abandoning his plan to ride north he rented a boat from a farmer who promised to care for Pearl until Doran returned. He crossed the river and spoke to the dragon. The dragon said he was the last of his kind, and that his father, Doran's friend, had died of age and grief three months earlier. The rest had been slain by Ak-Baba. The dragon had also seen a Ruby dragon killed two days earlier near the border but had done nothing to help. Doran said that he believed the dragons depended on each other and that their slaughter was a Shadowlands plot to remove the land’s protectors. The dragon warned of an evil presence inside Hira, which the other Opal dragons had ignored. The citizens had not noticed it, being concerned with controlling the rat plague. They had failed and would soon abandon Hira, and then the dragon had vowed to destroy the evil. Before the dragon left he assured Doran that he would survive. Doran found Hira overrun by rats that spread disease and destroyed food. Three-quarters of its leaders had died from disease and all authority had passed to the rat catchers. Doran left Hira after only an hour, reclaimed Pearl and rode north. In his book Doran advised people to stay away from Hira which he called "the City of the Rats".

The next morning he reached the Mountain Road, stopping at the town of Happy Vale to buy supplies before entering Lapis Lazuli territory by sunset and camping for the night. At dawn he followed a track to the Shifting Sands, hoping to find Lapis Lazuli dragons there. From the wall that surrounded the Sands he watched a Sand Beast catch a Scorpion Lizard. Then a Lapis Lazuli dragon, whom Doran knew, swooped from the sky and caught the Sand Beast. When she was done eating it the dragon came to Doran. She had only seen two of her kind in the last moon cycle, and two days earlier she had found one of them, her mate, dead in the sand. She feared that she was the only one left. Determined to find out if the dragon situation was as bad in other territories, Doran left the dragon, but promised her that he would return. At night he came upon an inn called The Traveller's Rest on the Rithmere Road, where he stayed and wrote about his encounter with the dragon. The next morning Doran rode south to the town of Rithmere. He rented a room in The Happy Wanderer inn where he wrote his notes on the bustling gambler's town. The next day he rode north along the Heavenly Way, towards Emerald territory. Before crossing the border he saw the Lapis Lazuli dragon he had met two days earlier flying from the Barrier Mountains and along the border. They met and she told him that she wanted to see if the Emerald dragons had fared better, but no dragon had come to warn her. Doran said that she would get herself killed, but the she was confident in her abilities to outfly any Emerald dragon. She was pleased at the thought that her rivals might all be dead, but then an Emerald dragon appeared, flying from the north towards them. The Lapis Lazuli dragon quickly departed and Doran rode over the border.

The Emerald dragon recognised Doran and landed. Having seen Doran with her enemy, the dragon was very stiff until he said that he had met her by chance. The dragon told him that only three dragons remained after several Ak-Baba attacks over the past three years. Doran suggested that they should join together, but she rejected the idea out of pride and respect to traditions and nothing Doran said could change his mind. The dragon eventually took off and Doran rode further north. He stopped briefly to brew tea and eat and wrote about his dragon encounter, then rode further north, reaching the Dreaming Spring. He took some of the magic spring water with him when he left, and tried to use it to visit the two other Emerald dragons in spirit. It failed, confirming that the dragon he had met was the only one alive. He rode some days without many breaks and reached the village of Shadowgate in the Barrier Mountains foothills. He restocked supplies and rented a room in the only tavern there, known as "Greasy's Place", where he wrote about monsters and bandits in the Mountains. The next day he left Shadowgate, riding east along the Mountain Road and reached Dread Mountain. He lead Pearl up the Mountain by a track on its western face, stopping beside a stream at sunset. Doran could hear Kin nearby talking as they ate Boolong cones, so he wrote in his book about the Mountain, the Dread Gnomes and the Kin. After three days of talking to Kin and feasting with Dread Gnomes, Doran left the Mountain, following a stream down its western face, reaching the River Tor. Riding south alongside it he entered Amethyst territory. He camped at night and wrote. The next day he reached the village of Where Waters Meet. The villagers had not seen an Amethyst dragon for weeks which pleased them because, without any dragons hunting over the Tor, there were more fish to catch. Doran rented a room in the village's only tavern, The Jumping Fish, where he wrote about the village. The next morning he rode south and shortly reached the magic city of Tora. He met with the city leaders to discuss the slaughter of dragons. Toran magic did not reach the sky, so they could not protect the dragons from Ak-Baba. Doran asked them to gain a meeting with King Lucan and talk to him about the Ak-Baba attacks on his behalf. The Torans refused, as they had only recently met with Lucan, and he had said that a slight drop in dragons was a good thing. Lucan had been very ill during the visit. Doran knew he had been ill during his sea voyage, but he was surprised that his illness had grown worse. The Torans believed that their oath of loyalty forbade them to trouble the king any more. The leaders cast symbol-bearing fortune-telling stones in the hopes of aiding Doran on his travels. The stone meaning "water, the river or wanderer" laid with the one for "cloud, evil, danger or an error." The stone meaning "dragon, the land and all living things" laid with the one meaning "a dwelling, safety or trust" and the one meaning "death, sleep or an ending." The stone meaning "hope, action, or a young leader or king" laid with the one meaning "star', birth, rebirth or a new beginning." Two stones, one meaning "a secret, a plot or something hidden" and one meaning "the moon, time, patience or mystery" had fallen separatedly. The leaders believed the stones said that Doran was wrong, that the dragons, threatened with death, would survive, and that a young king, whom they believed to be Prince Gareth, would bring a new beginning. Their city's symbol were absent, and they concluded that the dragons would survive without their help. They believed Gareth would solve the problem, but they had to be patient.

Doran believed that there were several other ways to read the stones, and he thought that they were sending him a strong message. He did not like the stone meaning "a secret, a plot or something hidden." He felt that the cloud stone meant "danger" and not "error." He finally realised that the survival of the dragons depended on himself and decided that, once his book was complete, he would venture out and find a way to preserve what few dragons remained. When Doran's meeting with the Toran leaders came to an end the sun was setting and the leaders asked Doran to stay for the night. Though it was not his plan to spend the night in Tora, he accepted, and used the time to write notes about the city. Before he slept he drank some of the water from the Dreaming Spring and thought about the Amethyst dragon he knew best.

Doran travelled south and crossed into Amethyst territory. He travelled to the western coast, to the stretch of sand where the flow of the River Tor meets the Silver Sea. He had found the Amethyst dragon he knew best alive and well. The dragon was, as with the others Doran had met, the last of his tribe, and he believed that he would soon join them. Doran could not accept that. He showed the dragon a sketch of the fortune-telling stones. The two decided that Doran must fulfill his duty to finish his book, and so he wrote about the territory of the Amethyst. After finishing his notes, he rode south, accompanied by the dragon, to the Dreaming Dunes, one of Doran's favourite places in the west. His horse, Pearl, had been afraid of the dragon at first, but had grown used to his company, and she watched with interest as the dragon flew high over the sea with Doran on his back as the sun was setting. At night they camped together on the dunes. Doran planned to ride along the Coast Road to Diamond territory, so that he could finish his book as fast as possible and deliver it, and then set out to carry out an idea that the fortune-telling stones had given him. He would try to convince the dragons to each fall into a magical slumber, which they could only be woken from by a king of Deltora wearing the Belt of Deltora, in order to keep themselves safe from harm. After riding for an hour, Doran crossed the Diamond border and came to a flat rock peninsula called The Finger which stretches into the Silver Sea and has two smaller islands at its tip. Here Doran visited Milly's Chowder House. He had the House for himself, and enjoyed a bowl of chowder and enjoyed Milly's new-baked bread. Here he wrote general notes on Diamond territory. Having fed and watered Pearl, Doran left her to rest in Milly's stables, sheltered from the everlasting winds, while he travelled to the closest of the two islands that The Finger pointed towards, Blood Lily Island. He found a Diamond dragon there, feeding on the flowers that gives the island its name. Like the other dragons Doran had encountered, this one was the last of her tribe. Her mate had been killed by Ak-Baba a few weeks earlier, slain on the ground as he gathered nesting stones while she was hunting. The dragon returned to her grazing. She was eating in order to build up strength so that she could take her revenge or die in the attempt. Doran felt the need to persuade her not to take the risk. He decided to write notes on Blood Lily Island as well as its smaller neighbour, the Isle of the Dead, which he advised travellers not to go to. After finishing the notes Doran showed the Diamond dragon a sketch of the Toran fortune-telling stones that he had drawn. The dragon pointed to the stone bearing the symbol "trust" beside the "dragon" symbol, and said that with her mate dead there were nothing in this world she could trust "but the land — and you, Dragonfriend." These words made Doran see that the he might be able to convince the dragons to sleep since they trusted him, but he knew that it would be risky. From The Finger Doran rode east along the Coast Road, then branched off to the left to follow the Knight's Parade. He came to Jaliad, the capital of Diamond territory. He spent the night in a tavern called The Diamond, where he was able to eat and write about the city. Below his room people were singing, which made it impossible to sleep, but it did not matter as he had work to do. During the past few days Doran had thought about the idea that had occurred to him on Blood Lily Island, and he now had a plan of what to do and were determined to carry it out. At dawn he left Jaliad, following Greel's Trail to the Coast Road, then rode as fast as Pearl were able and crossed into Topaz territory, where he reached his last stopping point before his return to Del, Withick Mire. He visited his old friend Withick here, Deltora's most famous artist, who were responsible for paintings of historical scenes on the ceilings in the palace of Del. Withick had left the palace and retreated to the Mire when King Lucan's Chief Advisor, Drumm (who was secretly a servant of the Shadow Lord) had objected to a book he had written when his paintings had been completed. The book was called The Belt of Deltora, and told of the Belt's history. Drumm had told him that a commoner like Withick should not write about the Belt, which was the business of the king alone. He had mocked him, telling him that he had become "swollen with ridiculous ideas of his own importance," and that the book was "an insult to the king, because it had no illustrations and was plainly bound in blue." Drumm had gathered up the copies of the books he could find and burned them. Withick had left the palace in protest and never returned.

Doran would surprise Drumm with a finished masterpiece, printed and illustrated by Withick, instead of the rough manuscript he was expecting. The book would be so important that it could never be tampered with. Withick had preferred to copy the book afresh, since he disliked erasing Doran's original notes, and he believed his writing and sketches, with all additions and crossings out should be preserved because they would be of interest to future scholars. Withick copied everything, except the few notes Doran had written on scraps of papers when he had the book with him, which he insisted on pasting in place, saying that "they, at least, were original." Doran stayed in Withick Mire for some weeks while Withick completed his work, and when the book was finished he returned to the palace in Del to deliver it. Knowing that Prince Gareth would receive the original copy of his book, Doran spoke to Gareth in a way he believed Gareth would understand. Throughout his book, Doran had hidden a secret letter for Gareth, made up from secret sentences hidden in every chapter. Doran and Withick also placed a copy of The Belt of Deltora in the palace library, and included a painting in the end of Doran's book, which displayed a corner of the library, with a glow, which was meant to indicate where to find the book.

However, chief advisor Drumm ensured that the book was locked away in a display case, arguing that, since the book was the last work of Withick, it was too valuable to be read. As such, Prince Gareth probably never even knew it existed, nor did he learn about the copy of the The Belt of Deltora.

Vow with dragons
Doran never knew that his book had been suppressed. After delivering it, he resumed his travels, determined to carry out his plan to save Deltora's last seven dragons. Rumours that he was losing his mind were already circulating in the palace at this time, so his warnings before leaving were ignored.

Doran used his remaining water from the Dreaming Spring to locate Deltora's last seven dragons. He travelled to each of them and convinced them to find a hiding place and fall into a magical sleep from which they could only be awakened by a king of Deltora who wore the Belt of Deltora, since that would mean the skies would be free of the Ak-Baba. Fidelis hid himself in his lair in the Os-Mine Hills, Joyeu hid herself somewhere in Ruby territory, Fortuna hid herself at The Funnel, Veritas hid himself in the Dreaming Dunes, Honora hid herself in the Barrier Mountains near Shadowgate, Forta hid herself on Blood Lily Island and Hopian hid himself somewhere in Opal territory. All the dragons promised not to stray from their own territory if they woke first.

While travelling back to Del, Doran somehow began hearing whispers of the Four Sisters, but by then it was too late, as the dragons would not wake, even for him.

Attempt to destroy the Four Sisters
As soon as Doran was back in the palace of Del, he made plans to go on a final expedition, to search for the Four Sisters he had heard rumours about, and attempt to destroy them by himself. Before departing, Doran wrote one final entry in the fifth volume of The Deltora Annals. It read as follows:

''"This is the explorer Doran, writing in haste. I returned yesterday from my journey to seek the remaining dragons. In grief, I tell you that not one still flies Deltoran skies. And there is even more dreadful news. I now know why the Enemy wanted the Dragons destroyed. He had a plan that the Dragons would not have tolerated. The Four Sisters. In the far-flung corners of the land I heard whispers of them. If what I heard is true, the sisters of the north and east are already in place. The south, and the west, will surely be next, and I can guess where, if the rumours of the locations of the others are to be believed. Whoever reads my words, show them to the King if you can. The King, wearing the Belt of Deltora, is Deltora's only salvation now. No-one will listen to me. They think I am mad. I hurried to Del without pausing to eat, wash or sleep. To these palace fools, with their soft hands and painted faces, I look like a wild man. I must set out once more, to seek proof of what I say. Another long journey. . . perhaps my last, for I fear the Enemy is aware of me. If I do not return, seek me where the Four Sisters lurk. . ."''

Doran drew a map on the page opposite his words, to show where he thought the Four Sisters lurked based on the rumours he had heard, and that page was torn out. He set out to find the Four Sisters, but he never returned, and no-one knew where to look for him. He was never seen again until centuries later.

Unknown to the people of Deltora, Doran was captured by the Shadow Lord shortly after he set off on his quest. In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, the Shadow Lord placed the Sister of the West inside Doran's body, thus condemning him as the guardian of the very creature he swore to destroy. Doran was then placed in the Isle of the Dead, Deltora's most western point, where he remained trapped by the Sister's power, helpless as it corrupted and starved Deltora.

Centuries later it would be theorised by King Lief of Deltora that Doran might have felt he had unwillingly helped the Shadow Lord by removing the last barriers to its plan, and that it was why the message seemed so desperate, however a close friend of his, Jasmine, reminded him that there were only one dragon left in each territory, and they would have been killed by the Ak-Baba, one by one, if they had tried to interfere then.

Cavern of The Fear
Doran's maps and writings were contained in The Deltora Annals, which Josef and Ranesh brought to the palace. Jasmine, searching for the fastest way to the Shadowlands, found Doran's map of the Pirran Caverns. King Lief and a close companion of his, Barda, followed after her, guided by Doran's map. On their way to the secret sea, they saw the sleeping Topaz dragon, but it did not wake because Lief was not wearing the true Belt of Deltora. The Pirrans of the caverns greatly respected Doran, and regarded his word as inviolable. Nols sharply countered Barda's claim that Doran was a fool for believing the Pirrans were no threat to Deltorans. Following Lief, Barda and Jasmine's reunion on Plume, they Doran's map of the secret sea to guide them on a quest to find the three pieces of the Pirran Pipe, the first of which the yhad lready gained while on Plume.

Dragon's Nest
On the night when King Lief destroyed the Enemy's crystal, it revealed a conversation between the Shadow Lord and his servant, Drumm. The Shadow Lord spoke with Drumm regarding his plans to capture and enslave Deltora and his backup plan to use the Four Sisters as a last resort. Drumm worried that if a king discovered the Sisters he would set out to destroy them using the map Doran drew — which had been torn out of The Annals, torn into four pieces and hidden but not destroyed. The Shadow Lord dared such a king to try destroy them "and go more quickly to his death". The Shadow Lord had also said "The upstart has the fate he deserves." indicating the horrific and ironic fate the Enemy had chosen for Doran.

Death
When King Lief arrived at the Isle of the Dead with the Amethyst dragon Veritas, they discovered the elderly Doran. He begged Vertias to take his life, both to destroy the Sister of the West and to free him from his "Living Death." Before Vertias could act, Doran asked about the fate of the Diamond dragon, since they were in her territory, and was devastated to learn of her death. To comfort him, Lief showed him the newly hatched Diamond dragon, which instantly brightened his spirit. With that happy moment before him, Veritas took Doran's breath, causing his body to collapse into dust and reveal the Sister of the West. Once it was destroyed, Lief gathered up Doran's remaining possessions to be buried.

The Sister of the South
Doran's possessions — a silver flask and his soul stone — were buried at The Finger, which was as wild a place as Doran could hope to be buried at. His funeral was attended by King Lief, Captain Barda, Jasmine, Ava, Red Han, Veritas, and Forta. Doran's epitaph, scratched by Veritas, read "IN MEMORY OF DORAN, EXPLORER AND HERO, KEEPER OF PRECIOUS SECRETS, FRIEND TO THE DRAGONS OF DELTORA."

When Lief buried Doran's soul-stone, he was given visions of Doran's many adventures across Deltora and the Pirran sea. A list of seven names — Veritas, Hopian, Forta, Fortuna, Fidelis, Honora and Joyeu — were constantly repeated in Lief's head. He later realised that these were the names of the seven remaining dragons of Deltora, and used it and Doran's memory to summon the dragons to fight against the Ak-Baba and the grey tide in what would become the first Dragon Night.

Physical appearance
In Doran's centuries old age, before his death, his face was gaunt and he had long white hair that fell to his waist, a long white beard that trailed down his chest and grey eyes. He was so ancient that he almost seemed transparent. His lips were withered and spanned by the spider web. His rough garments were grey with age and dust, spider web floated about him, netting his gaunt face, sealed his eyelids and covered his hands which were bone-thin. His appearance when young is not known, except that he generally looked wild and unkempt, which led many of the more sophisticated Deltorans to believe that he was mad.

Personality
Doran loved dragons, and studied them extensively. He knew a great deal about them, their culture, life, biology and more that is unknown. During his travels, he wrote in the his journal, The Deltora Annals, for he could not trust the palace librarians to do it. He thought they introduced errors by making his "words too polite and his map lines too neat." He was a very honest man who loved the land, which gained him the respect of the dragons. Doran was wise and strong in mind and body. He was not afraid to challenge the Shadow Lord and do what he thought was right.

Abilities
Doran was wise, clever and strong, in will and body. In his younger years he was a great adventurer and explored the land in depth. Doran was always well organised and prepared on every one of his trips around the land. He understood many of Deltora's dangers, as well as the close relationship between Deltora's dragons, lands, tribes and their talismans. Doran also had the ability to talk to dragons.

Doran was famous for his maps of Deltora, which were never very elegantly made but always accurate. He drew a map of the Pirran isles, and the secret underground cave system and sea in which they lay. This map lead King Lief, Captain Barda and Jasmine to the three isles of the Pirran tribes in their search for the three pieces of the Pirran Pipe.

Doran was also practised in the use of codes and employed their use in the book Secrets of Deltora to try and send a message to Prince Gareth. Doran was able to hide his codes within plain sight so that chief advisor Drumm couldn't find them.

Dragons
Doran's connection to the dragons is the strongest in recorded Deltoran history. His respect and admiration for dragons earned him their respect in turn, and allowed him to become privy to many of their most closely guarded secrets. He was also able to convince many dragons to reveal their true names to him, which would give him power over those dragons. This shows the immense trust the dragons had in Doran.

Withick
Doran was a great friend of Withick, 'a genius of many talents' and an extraordinary artist. Doran often stayed at Withick's house in the Mire. Like Doran, Withick liked to be alone, and he cared for the land. He was very learned in Deltoran history, and wrote the book The Belt of Deltora, after which he left the palace in protest as Chief Advisor Drumm disapproved of the book and tried to destroy all the copies of it. Doran was much younger than Withick, but said 'despite the difference in our ages, we became firm friends. We think alike.' After Doran wrote Secrets of Deltora for Prince Gareth, he got Withick to copy and illustrate it, in the hope that it would be too valuable to be tampered with and the prince would receive it intact. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Gareth
Doran had spent time with Prince Gareth when the prince was quite young, and apparently they enjoyed doing word games, codes and playing other games together. He wrote Secrets of Deltora for Gareth, hoping he would read and understand the coded letter he had hidden within it and would wear the Belt of Deltora always, banish the Ak-Baba and awaken the remaining dragons. Unfortunately Prince Gareth never received the book.

Deltora Quest 3

 * Isle of the Dead

Supplementary books

 * Secrets of Deltora

Trivia

 * Doran's notes maps and expeditions to the secret underground sea of the Pirran caverns is the driving force between the quest the Pirran Pipe see in the second series of Deltora Quest, while his maps and notes and final expeditions in Deltora is the driving force of the third series.
 * Doran's journal has been published by Emily Rodda in Secrets of Deltora.