Caeden

## Appearances

The Shadow of What Was Lost
An Echo of Things to Come
The Light of All That Falls

**Caeden** is a young man from Desriel with a severe case of amnesia. He awakens in a forest, covered in blood, and soon finds that he has been accused of murdering most of his small village — his family included.

## Description

### Appearance

Caeden is of slender build with shoulder length reddish-brown hair. He looks a couple of years older than Wirr and Davian. After his face is shown on wanted posters plastered across Desriel, he cuts his hair short and grows out his stubble to reduce the likelihood of detection.

Despite being a powerful Gifted, he does not bear a normal Mark that binds him to the Tenets. His arm is marked instead with the mysterious symbol of a wolf's head.

### Personality

Burdened with amnesia and uncertainty, Caeden is generally reserved and stoic at first. He is mostly fearful for his life, and grateful for the assistance of Taeris and his travelling party. Though he does not take a leading role in most proceedings, he is unafraid to speak up when his companions act foolishly, and is prepared to risk his own safety to protect them from danger.

As his memories return, his attitude becomes more open and jovial — though he is also forced to contend with some harsh realities of his past. While his expanding knowledge boosts his drive to help his friends and act with integrity, the crushing guilt of his previous actions often pushes him to bouts of passionate anger when provoked.

In his fullest form, he strikes a delicate balance between pragmatically carrying out his plans and acting with moral integrity. While he believes strongly in making sacrifices for the greater good, the bonds he has made with his friends soften his worldview and cause him to carry out his deeds with as much restraint and kindness as possible.

## History

### A Bloody Awakening

Caeden was a farm boy living in a town in Desriel with his mother. He had an easy demeanour, and generously invited a stranger into his house to provide him directions. Unfortunately for him, the stranger was Tal'kamar Deshrel, who had begun his plan to overthrow the Venerate by any means necessary. This plan included urgently finding a new, unrecognizable body and shapeshifting into it by means of killing and mutilating the original inhabitant.

Tal'kamar quickly killed Caeden once in private, but before he could hide the farm boy's body, his mother witnessed the gruesome scene. Panicking, Tal killed her to keep her quiet, but her shriek garnered the attention of many other villagers. Lacking an alternative and urgently running out of time before the Waters of Renewal erased his memories, Tal'kamar regrettably butchered the villagers and mutilated their faces to cover his tracks.

Lacking witnesses, he painfully morphed into Caeden's body and took on the boy's identity. He began to wander into the forests seeking cover and asylum, but time ran out and his memories completely vanished, leaving him exhausted, totally clueless, and covered in blood. He eventually walked out of the woods seeking refuge and found some at a nearby town.

While originally the townspeople treated him with sympathy, they soon grew suspicious when word of a massacre at a neighbouring town got out. Caeden was an obvious suspect and, lacking his memories, had no evidence to clear his name. Suspicion against him gradually mounted until one man whose wife had been killed attacked Caeden, and he reacted by instinct, using the Gift and accidentally killing the man in self-defence.

Due to the nature of his charges and use of Essence, he was quickly arrested by the military and sent in a caravan towards the capital for a public execution. The soldiers, disgusted by the accusations, physically abused him and kept him in a perpetually beaten and bloodied state as they transported to Thrindar.

## Activities in *The Shadow of What Was Lost*

**This section re-write is in progress.**

After his arrest, Caeden was going to be taken to Thrindar to be publicly executed by the dogmatic, anti-Gifted Gil'shar. However, Wirr and Davian--who had been led to Caeden by the bronze vessel given to them by Ilseth Tenvar--help Caeden escape custody. Wirr and Davian are surrounded by Desrielite soldiers shortly after freeing Caeden, but the soldiers are then killed by one of the sha'teth. The sha'tethis about to kill Davian, Wirr, and Caeden as well, but Caeden is able to rebuff it, immediately thereafter collapsing. Taeris arrives right after Caeden saves them from the sha'teth and uses a travel stone to transport them to village.

#### Return to Andarra

Taeris tells Caeden, Wirr, and Davian that he had been tracking Caeden because he believes Caeden is somehow connected to the weakening of the Boundary in the north. Taeris wants to take Caeden back to Ilin Illan to restore his memories because Caeden and the bronze box both have the mark of the Boundary (a wolf) on them, and Taeris believes the Boundary is weakening and Aarkein Devaed is going to return.

Taeris decides that they will go to Thrindar to seek amnesty from the Andarran nobility attending the Song of Swords. Taeris is able to get an audience with Princess Karaliene of Andarra through his friend Nihim, and during their audience it becomes clear that Princess Karaliene and Wirr know each other. Princess Karaliene says that she cannot take Caeden and his companions back to Andarra with her because the political fallout if he is discovered at he border would be too great. She instead sends Aelric and Dezia Shainwiere with the group to find another way out of Desriel.

During their journey back to Andarra, Caeden realizes that he has skills beyond his own understanding. He is able to kill the sha'teth named Aelrith, he is able to defeat Aelric Shainwiere in a duel (who is supposedly one of the best  swordsmen in the world), and he knows the streets of the long-abondoned city of Deilannis. He also has several visions/dreams along the way back to Andarra, although he can't quite piece together who he is based on these visions. He is called Tal'kamar by the sha'teth and people in his visions.

In one of his "visions", Caeden meets a man named Alaris who tells him that they are old friends and that he cannot trust his companions. Alaris tells Caeden that if Taeris, Wirr, and the Shainweires knew who he was, they would kill him. Alaris also instructs Caeden to meet up with a merchant named Havran Das in Ilin Illan to get back in contact with him.

#### In Ilin Illan

Once they reach Ilin Illan, Taeris takes Caeden to the Athian Council to ask if they can restore Caeden's memory. The Council refuses to restore Caeden's memory, so Taeris and Caeden stay in the Palace to wait and see if Princess Karaleine can help pressure the Council to help Caeden. They both feel that Aarkein  Devaed must be behind the invasion of the Blind and that it is therefore urgent that Caeden's memories (possibly regarding the weakening of the Border) be restored.

Despite Princess Karaleine's express orders to wear a Shackle and stay on the palace grounds, Caeden is able to remove his Shackle and enter the town to seek out Havran Das. Caeden only just starts to speak with Havran Das when he is attacked. He seems about to kill Havran Das in retaliation when he hears Princess Karaliene being attacked outside, and leaves to rescue her from five Blind soldiers. During his fight with the soldiers, Caeden shows an advanced control of Essence and kan.

Although Kara had mistrusted Caeden before, her attitude towards him changes considerably after he rescues her and returns her to the palace without demanding any kind of reward. She and Caeden develop a close friendship, and Caeden begins to have romantic feelings for her.

#### The Defense of Ilin Illan

When the Blind attack, Taeris and Caeden use a Travel Stone to go into Administration's collection of Vessels as a last ditch effort to restore Caeden's memory. While there, Caeden sees the bronze box that guided Davian to find him in the first place. Against Taeris' protestations, Caeden touches the box and enters the resulting portal.

The portal takes him to the a massive network of caverns with rivers of lava flowing throughout. He eventually finds his way to the sword Licanius, guarded by the Lyth named Garadis. He is able to take Licanius because he has come to the caverns to help his friends, not to take Licanius. Garadis suggests that Caeden erased his memories on purpose so that he would be able to take Licanius. Garadis also informs Caeden that, since taking Licanius, he has one year and a day to find a way to free the Lyth from Res Kartha or Licanius will be theirs.

Upon retrieving Licanius, Caeden immediately returns to Ilin Illan, where his former companions are close to losing the battle against the Blind. Caeden uses Licanius to destroy the Blind army and rescue his friends. He then is about to leave to the next place set on the bronze box (which has pre-set locations to which Caeden can teleport), when Davian demands that he tell them what is going on. Caeden refuses, saying that he does not have time to explain, and Davian unsuccessfully attempts to keep Caeden from leaving by draining his reserve. It is then that Davian realizes how immensely powerful Caeden is.

#### Recovery of Caeden's Memory

Caeden teleports to the next location on the bronze box and it takes him to the Wells of Mor Aruil. There, a man named Tae'shadon tells Caeden that he was instructed to restore some of Caeden's memories, but not all. Tae'shadon says that he believes Caeden didn't want all of his memories because he wanted to change who he was. Caeden asks to receive his memories from right before he lost his memory, when he was accused of murdering his family, first.

Caeden remembers the murder of the villagers, and discovers that he actually killed the man named Caeden and shapeshifted to steal his identity. Unfortunately, Caeden's family discovers him before he can finish hiding Caeden's body, and he is forced to killing the entire family as well as anyone else attracted by the screams. Most importantly, Caeden remembers that he has also been known by the name Aarkein Devaed. Caeden, believing this whole time that Aarkein Devaed was his enemy, is devastated by the news and does not have any of his other memories restored. Tae'shadon then tells Caeden to come find him when he is ready to know more and leaves him alone.

## Trivia

* The name Caeden comes from a Darecian fairytale.

* The symbol of the wolf's head is called Tar Anan.