Fein Iblis Disciple of Cadic Description: Fein appears to be a nondescript individual at first glance. Those taking a closer look are often shocked to find themselves staring into eyes of solid blackness, and even those avoiding his gaze are unsettled in his presence. He dresses in finely-tailored clothes, and wears two weapons upon his belt. The first is a rapier with an ornate basket hilt trimmed in golden flames with a reddish tint, while the second is an ivory-handled dagger. He does not appear to wear armor, although there might be some extra padding under his shirt. His voice and mannerisms are not dissimilar to that of a used cart salesman - untrustworthy, but able to bluff his way out of trouble if allowed to talk long enough. Interestingly, he rarely talks in a loud voice, and doing so seems to cause him some pain. Background: Fein was born in a Larissan monastery, and his mother died within a few days of his birth. The priestesses believed that his mother was on the run from Coryan, though this was never confirmed. Though the priestesses had no idea if she was a slave or not, the fact that the mother gave her son a first and last name indicates she wasn't. After her death due to post-birth complications, Fein was taken in by the monastery. The Larissans were a radical faction of the Oracular sect, committed to chastity and utterly opposed to the Sensates. Having no children of their own, they were pleased to have a child around, despite his infernal taint. For the first several years of his life, Fein was given free rein to do what he wanted. Unfortunately, because he was different, the other children would often taunt him or beat him up. He became more and more withdrawn, to the point where he stopped going to the nearby village. With nowhere else to go, and little active supervision from the Larissans, Fein explored every inch of the monastery, until the day when he found a secret passage leading down. Below the monastery was a single large room, with an altar of Cadic at its center. Fein turned to leave, only to be stopped by a cloaked and hooded man - a cleric of Cadic. The cleric had an agreement with the abbess of the monastery, maintaining his secret abode as he trained new disciples of the order. He spoke briefly with Fein, then allowed him to leave, swearing him to silence about the existence of Cadic's temple. The Larissans had begun to talk about training him as a priest, something that Fein had no interest in. At the same time, he felt an obligation to them for caring for him when no one else would. Before he could choose, the decision was taken out of his hands. The monastery was attacked at night, the priestesses were slaughtered, and the monastery was burned to the ground. One of the attackers came to Fein's room, wearing the garb of a Sensate of Savona. The attacker was just about to strike when a curved dagger put an end to the Sensate. The cleric of Cadic had come for Fein, and snuck him out of the monastery just in time. Fein was filled with a tremendous anger at the destruction of the monastery. The cleric of Cadic knelt next to him, and offered him a choice - be taken to another monastery of the Oracular sect of Larissa, or be trained in the ways of the Dark Hand of Illiir. Fein chose the latter. The cleric said, "I will train you...but you will not know my name. Such is the way of Cadic." Fein's training began not with rituals and dogma, but learning the ways of the shadows. He learned to remain hidden from prying eyes, to pick a coin purse from an attentive shopkeeper, and to open any lock that barred his path. He also learned how to mete out justice upon the wicked, striking from the shadows. Then, one day, his teacher was gone, with a note telling Fein to go out into the world for three months. Fein did so, and once he returned, his teacher pronounced him ready for the deeper secrets of Cadic. The pair went into the hidden shrine underneath the ruins of the monastery, and stayed there for six months. At the end of that time, Fein emerged as a true disciple of the faith. Personality and Beliefs: Fein, to all appearances, is cynical, irreverent, and sarcastic. Scorned by society due to his infernal heritage, Fein will lie, cheat, and steal in order to survive and prosper. He takes particular delight in stealing from those who are prejudiced against him, feeling a certain vindication in parting them from their valuables. He hates the Sensate faction of the Larissans with a passion, and is willing to go out of his way to inconvenience them. Despite what he shows on the surface, Fein will go out of his way to help others, particularly the downtrodden. However, his brand of justice is rarely meted out in public. Rather than confront a wrongdoer directly, Fein is far more likely to steal from them, frame them for a crime, or (in the most extreme cases) murder them. Fein calls this policy of killing those who cannot be redeemed "righteous murder", and reserves this drastic action for times where lesser punishments will not suffice, or when the innocent would be put in danger from his inaction. Supplimental Files: Character Tracking Sheet Item Tracking Sheet Fein's Character Sheet © 2004-2006 Casey McGirt Home