CaineIndex | The City Of Towers | Player Characters | Caine Description
BackgroundCaine was born to House Ianus?, a minor associate of House Cannith in Sharn. House Ianus was an unusual house, in that they valued information as power- they served as information gatherers and indexers for House Cannith; their motto was that information is power, but those who hold the key to accessing the information are the true power brokers. This, from time to time, put them in opposition to a few great houses, most notably House Sivis and House Phiarlan. Because of their valuation of power, the ranks in House Ianus were based more along the lines of knowledge and contribution rather than lineage, or even possession of a Dragonmark. This made Caine's father very prominent. He couldn't afford the distraction of a wife, but needed an heir to secure his place among the elite, so the by-blow of a dalliance and a not insignificant amount of coin was able to procure the latter without the baggage of a spouse. For the first part of his life, Caine lived an idyllic existence- the best schools, the best care, and anything that he could want as he excelled in his studies, though he didn't possess an intensity that would be required to follow his father as an esoteric. But his father's treatises changed that. One of his last contributions was on the knowledge of the First Folk, and how their value of power and the position that House Ianus was placing itself in made them natural enemies, and that it was only a matter of time before that resulted in a conflict that House Ianus could not win. The treatise itself would not have been enough to cause him to lose his station- indeed, it was well researched and had a concrete foundation. But his insistence that something be done about it brought him into the realm of politics. Though birth didn't matter in station in House Ianus, it did matter in politics, as he found to his eternal regret. They were cast out from the House, into the lower depths of Sharn. As time passed, Caine realized that his father had problems- his erratic behavior and multiple beatings made that painfully obvious. So he began using his natural instincts and his athletic nature to run the streets. It helped that he had a lot of anger, for he began acquiring a reputation for his willingness to fight anyone at any time, no matter the odds. He didn't always win, but this helped him to survive on the streets. Soon he learned that nobody stayed independent on the streets, but his reputation brought him to the attention of Yorrick Amanatu?- one of the faces for The Iron Reavers?- a gang supposedly affiliated with The Sharn Syndicate?. Their attitudes fit Caine's, and it was there that he received his first training as an Assassin. But he didn't follow through- he found that the binding to darkness was a link to Dyrrn the Corruptor?- one of the patrons for one of the Cults of the Dragon Below. He was chased for a while, and his natural smarts and a healthy dose of luck helped him to survive those first months. But in the end, he was saved by associating himself with Merk Jailo?, so-called ‘King of Cant’, leader of one of the largest gangs running the Depths. The Subjects of Cant? comprise some of the lowest of the lows in the Depths, running such scams as begging, grifting, and petty robbery- mostly non-violent crimes. But they were well organized and loyal, which drew him in. The Iron Reavers had contacts, however, and the attention of those contacts was not healthy for the gangs continued survival. Caine honed the skills that he'd been taught on the battlefields, working the bloody fields for House Denerith during the last days of the last war. He continued to ply that work as a mercenary even after the war ended during the cleanup that followed, but as peace settled, so did he, returning to the streets of Sharn. The blood price on his head had not been maintained after he left, but he found himself unable to return to his previous life after all he had seen. He drifted towards the teachings of the Path of Light, studying under Galadharath?, one of the monks in The Gathering Light?, hoping to use his skills for something other than death. But he found himself unable to reconcile himself with the totality of their outlook, and unwilling to once again tie himself to any organized religion. But he does help them out from time to time, and also maintains loose contact with his former life with the Subjects. Core MotivationInterrelationshipsContrastsRecurring CharactersYorrick Amanatu? Other Resources |
