Entry Prompt
This is the story of a young and powerful Dark Elf, who is also an up-and-coming member of the Mages Guild. He, along with the very best of his peers, was hand-selected by Mages Guild leader and founder Vanus Galerion to accompany you in the assault on Coldharbour. When the mass portal to Coldharbour went awry, these formidable Mages Guild members arrived, scattered over the icy wasteland of Molag Bal’s realm. Separated from their allies and you, their partner, the group was captured and imprisoned by Molag Bal’s Daedric army for use in torturous live training exercises.
The young Dark Elf is trapped in a cage with his fellow Mages Guild members. The imprisoned group is plotting an escape, but one, small thing is missing.
His name.
Winning Entry
Malkur Valos was the only child of the Dunmer wizard, Maros Valos. When Malkur’s mother died in childbirth, Maros summoned a Golden Saint to protect and care for his son. Maros was killed in a mage’s duel and Malkur’s Daedric protector honored her commitment to the infant by taking him to Lord Sheogorath’s realm.
The son of a powerful Dunmer wizard, Malkur is naturally gifted in the arcane arts and shares the distrusting, disdainful temperament of his race. Under the tutelage of the Aureals, Malkur acquired steadfast principles of honor, duty, and fidelity to his word. The inescapable influence of the Shivering Isles imbued him with a measure of unpredictability in his methods.
Eventually, Malkur was drawn to return to his native Tamriel, where his talent, honor, and innovation soon caught the attention of Vanus Galerion. When Malkur swore to uphold the principles and objectives of the Mages Guild, those principles and objectives became the unwavering core driving his every action, though that was not always apparent to superficial observers.
Gavis Velas, who died (3E 427) while avenging his brother, Ovis, is a descendant of Malkur Valos.
The Nameless Mage contest was originally opened in November 2012, with the aim of providing a name and backstory for this character based on a piece of artwork. A winner was announced May 2015 and is reproduced below. Malkur Valos can be found in Coldharbour in Elder Scrolls Online. Check out the UESP for more information on the in-game version of this character.