Cador (KAY-dor)
Origins
Cador was born to parents Fallien and Renthilde in the year 1454, and was an only-child. By the age of six, Cador's mother divorced Fallien and left them to survive in exile by themselves. It's not too pretentious to say that Cador was unable to process his grief well at that age. He understood his parents were an unhappy couple, but that did not soften the blow of being abandoned. His father seemed to recover from it though, and even found happiness with a new woman who came into his life in the year 1460. Serena and Fallien did not share much in common when they first met, save for their respective children and lack of permanent home. Cador may have been young, but he watched his father blossom with Serena. Together, his parents built a small homestead, took mating vows, and raised their joint children as though they were all related by blood. With a new step-mother and step-sister around, Cador grew into a strong, healthy youth who had a fierce drive to honor and protect his family. Exile was hard on most dark elves, but Cador had never felt the harsh sting of it while living in Tuldor. In the year 1465, Serena gave birth to Fallien's second son and they named him Kal. In many ways, the birth of Kal was what made Cador feel more connected to his step-sister, Amilie. In addition to sharing parents, he and Amilie now shared a half-brother, a real brother. Though Kal was about ten years younger than his siblings, he was cherished and loved by everyone in the house. Cador took the role of big brother rather seriously, especially when Serena started to fall ill.Motivations
Over the next few years, Serena's health grew increasingly worse, and by the year 1468, Serena passed away completely and left her family heartbroken. After her death, Fallien chose to uproot his family and move to the town of Brier-- which was a human town currently overrun by dark elves. Fallien and his children were convinced that the change would be a prosperous one, but it proved to be more challenging than anything else. The work and money was scarce, and rather than having his fairly grown children take care of Kal while Fallien was away, he pressured them to work and make money along with him. And in the year 1470, Fallien gave up on his life in Brier, gave up on his children, and left them in search of a clean slate. When Serena had passed, it had devastated Cador; when Fallien abandoned them, it left Cador empty. He came to terms with the situation, pushing himself to 'take it like an adult' and move forward. He took on the role as leader and bread-winner of their family, performing aggressive work-- sometimes for days at a time. He left Kal in Amilie's care while going on assignments as a mercenary or assassin-- whoever paid him more. Sure, he knew how Amilie and Kal suffered by themselves but could do little about it. After a huge argument with Amilie, she stormed off and was not seen for several days until she came back with a guest -- the Prince of Eolnir of all people! That significant encounter with the Prince changed everything. Though it was not a sudden decision, Amilie also chose to abandon Cador and left him and Kal to survive in Cumbrier alone. From that day forward, Cador was done letting people scar his heart. He submerged himself in the work of taking down Eolnir, to create a regime where dark elves didn't have to be separated from each other; their own families.Flaws
Essentially, Cador is what we might call good at heart, but time and time again he fails to conquer his demons. Rather, he lets his pain drive him forward and cares little for those around him. He is attached to his little brother, Kal, and their bond is quite unique. Outside of that, however, Cador has given up on forming attachments. Why love those who just end up abandoning you?From the Text
Amilié awoke to the splash of cold water stinging the wound in her shoulder. She hissed with the pain, writhing on the sack-ridden floor. Looking up, she saw Cador standing over her, holding the bloodied arrow he had pierced her with. “Hello, Amilié.” Cador’s taunting voice brought back sour memories. She scanned his pale face, his pointed chin and braided black hair. It was longer and messier than when she had last seen him. It was his eyes that made him stand out among other dark elves, eyes that caught the light and reflected an arid blue gleam. Amilié faced Cador and gulped. “Cador...you shot me...after I saved your life.” “You’d be lucky if everyone in Ëolnir thinks you're dead. You’re welcome.” She frowned. “You expect me to thank you?” Her eyes winced at the pain as she sat up. “Is there any liquor around here? I could use a drink.” She wanted nothing more than to ignore Cador, but his presence dominated her gaze as he knelt to her level. “So, you’ve joined the Blades of the Triple Eye. You think you are making peace, yet you destroy caravans and steal the humans’ much-needed supplies. You’re a hypocrite, Amilié.” “Sweryn is the one in charge. Perhaps you should be lecturing him.” “You are stupid to follow him. The Prince of Ëolnir,” he scoffed, “please.” “I’m not stupid to follow him; Sweryn wants what I want. He is not the cause of our problems, his father is.” “That makes no difference to me. All of House Baldárë is the problem. For two decades they’ve been letting us starve in exile. It is time for new leadership.” Amilié rolled her eyes. “Always so heavy on the drama.” “If you want to see peace, you know what must be done. House Baldárë must come to an end, and we could certainly use you to get close to them.” “I can’t do that,” she scowled, “I don’t want any part of your coup.” Cador smirked darkly, making Amilié shiver. “Or you can stay here and do nothing. Let Sweryn die with his father.” “You wouldn’t do that; you know what he is to me.” “I would do it,” he said. “We’ll be ready to move out by tomorrow evening. If you convince Sweryn to abandon Ëolnir before we strike, you both go free. That’s my only offer.”***In the early evening, Amilié stirred as Cador bent down and woke her from her sleep. “It’s time,” he said, his expression hard and unyielding. “Please,” Amilié reached for his collar, “don’t go through with this.” Cador pried her hands off and straightened. “I think we both know you don’t have the heart to stop me.” Amilié’s feet dragged as he pushed her through the metal door. Outside the room was an adjacent tunnel that stretched on for nearly a kilometer. The tunnel was filled with a massive force of Ghosts, all armed and ready to pick a fight with Ëolnir. Amilié stood in front of them, wearing her Blade uniform and her crest of the Triple Eye. She could sense their blood thirst scraping within her veins. She let her head hang low as Cador addressed his followers. “Did I not say I would deliver? Did I not say we could have victory?” “Yeah!” His comrades swayed with their cheers. He brought Amilié forward. “My own sister has been working with House Baldárë to steal your every hope of survival. Tonight, we are going to end it. For every person that has fallen, their ghost rises to avenge him.” “Yeah! Burn away the scourge! Kill them all!” Cador smirked. “Once we breach the walls, we make our strike at the front. No prisoners, no survivors. No mercy.” He picked up his bow and held it up. “Ghosts of the Fallen!”
A dark elf, born of humble beginnings, grows up to become the conqueror of Ëolnir.
Quick look for roleplaying
Race: Dark Elf male Alignment: Chaotic neutral Skills and Equipment: Favors a powerful longbow for combat, but at close range he tends to use bladed weapons, i.e. a shortsword or dagger. Along with common racial abilities like natural prowess and agility, Cador is a capable mercenary with over a decade of fighting experience. He is quick to think in high-stress situations and can overpower most-- if not all-- opponents. His high-strung nature keeps his instincts sharp and his resources full.
Spouses
Children
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