In desperation, his father sent him to Minrathous to attend a smaller school run by the Order of Argent, known for their adherence to strict Andrastian discipline and exorbitant entry fees. He then moved from Circle to Circle and through private tutoring situations and each time another incident had him sent home to his family in Qarinus.

He studied at the Circle at Carastes, but encountered trouble at the age of nine after a duel with another magister's son left the other boy badly injured.

Born to the prestigious House Pavus of Qarinus in the Tevinter Imperium, Dorian demonstrated from an early age a flair for magic which made him the envy of his peers.