Wazir Kale

Dawood Rangan (Former friend)

Mumbai Mafia (Formerly)

Private Militia

Lucas Grey (Boss)

Maya Parvati (Colleague)

**Wazir Kale** otherwise known as **The Maelstrom** (or "*The Ghost*"), was an infamous South China Sea pirate and the right-hand lieutenant of the Shadow Client. He appears as a target in the Chasing a Ghost mission in *HITMAN™ 2*.

## Background

*Born in the slums of then-Bombay, Wazir Kale grew up on the streets. Orphaned from a young age, Wazir quickly joined a small group of lawless children nicknamed The Crows. Young Wazir eventually grew to the top of the gang and after the old boss died a car accident, he assumed the role of leader.*

*At the ripe age of 12, his legend was already taking shape. As the years passed, Wazir Kale grew with the task, taking care of the children who relied so much on him. In time, the legends outgrew the boy who by then had become a young man. Then, on a hot summer night, the Mumbai mafia decided to set an example and exert the 'protection' it was paid to provide shopkeepers with. The Crows were rounded up and Wazir got a severe beating. All but a few remaining Crows were not so lucky. Some legends have it he fought bravely as the gangster burned down the shack filled with children and young men. Others mention it was in fact Kale himself who killed the Crows. Whatever the truth is, Wazir Kale was subsequently initiated into the mafia and accepted his new position with an eye for revenge. A few years later, as he moved up the ranks, he was finally able to exert his revenge. He did so with an incredible fury, practically annihilating the local mob outfit. This event added fuel to his already legendary reputation and The Maelstrom was born.*

*Post-carnage, Kale got out of Mumbai and ended up roaming around the Asian continent. Along with way, he picked up a rag-tag bunch of criminals whom he formed a sort of paramilitary unit. Together, they eventually ended up raiding commercial ships in the South China Sea, stealing transported fuel in highly coordinated hits and selling it on the black market. The pressure on Kale kept building as the constant obligations mounted. Each new raid forced him to find new waters, find new partners, relocate to another abandoned island. On top of that, the legend forged by the pirates who retired from raiding added more pressure than ever and gripped his crew in such a way that they began acting more carelessly, adopting more loose tactics and to some extent, chose more daring targets. They were, after all, with The Maelstrom. One night, while raiding the Hamsun Oil Freighter, a firefight ensued between the Maelstrom's crew and the ship's unexpectedly well-armed security force. Someone had tipped them off about the raid and the owner of Hamsun Oil had insisted that the pirates be dealt with - with extreme prejudice.*
*While Kale survived, most of his crew did not and from the wreckage emerged a darker, more menacing figure. Wazir Kale was gone and all that remained was the Maelstrom. This was the dark time for Kale who had not only lost his way but also control of his outfit - all that remained was a desire to destroy, to tear down the bastions of rich Westerners who had brought so much injustice to every single member of his crew. And then, a light was lit in the far distance. One of The Maelstrom's surviving crew members contacted him and let him know that a man of great importance wanted to see him. The Maelstrom agreed to the meeting and over the course of a few days got to know Lucas Grey and understand his agenda. While not an altruistic person, The Maelstrom saw something in what Grey was selling - a chance to find a new purpose. To solidify the legend of The Maelstrom into something beyond a modern-day pirate. He would bring liberation to the entire world, no matter the cost in blood.*

## Trivia

* Wazir Kale is one of the rare targets in the series where he would spawn wearing different clothes, whenever the game starts. The easiest way to track down him in the slums is by looking for the Holy Man. He will usually be followed by Kale whenever he goes around. He always start his route at skywalk and will walk past a moped with the holy man.
	+ When meeting Rangan, Shah or the Kashmirian, Kale will change out of his civilian attire to a more dignified outfit. Oddly, his beard will disappear and reappear.
* In Hitman 3, Kale appears in a dream sequence alongside all other story targets wearing the unique uniform he dons while meeting his associates. This implies that it is his actual and canonical attire, which makes sense as any other attire he wears is clearly recycled from NPCs.
* The main reason the mission title is called "Chasing A Ghost" is because he is the primary target, and remains elusive, as he is returning to Mumbai for the first time in years.
* If held at gunpoint, Kale might express disappointment at meeting his end at the hands of a "lowlife", claiming 47 does not have the right to kill "a living legend". Alternatively, he will try to pass himself off as unimportant, and claim that surely 47 wouldn't want to ruin his nice clothes just to kill "a nobody".
* The crew member who introduced Kale to Lucas Grey was most likely Maya Parvati, as she was a former member of the crew and was already allied with Lucas Grey.
* Kale planned to kill his former friends Dawood Rangan and Vanya Shah in order to protect his legacy; he claims that the duo have lost their ways once they returned to Mumbai. Kale thus regrets having left them behind.
	+ His obsession with his legacy and legend can be observed elsewhere in the mission as well. Five recordings of the Maelstroms Manifesto, detailing his past and his philosophy, can be found spread across the map, and during his meeting with his former lover Neha, she will denounce his actions and say he has been consumed by his own legend.
	+ Kale has civilians and guards spying on Rangan and Shah.
* Three photographs exist of Kale: one in Rangan's tower office, one in the Crow's underground armory, and one belonging to a local resident who happened upon Kale purely by chance.
* According to Grey, he almost recruited Crystal Dawn agent Zana Kazem but chose the Maelstrom instead.
* Despite looking out for potential assassins, he is not an enforcer for all disguises.
* He has the same walking animation as Sean Rose, with the exception of having extra mannerism movements.
* He was mentioned by Allison Moretta, an Elusive Target, when she talked about the South China Sea hijacking back in 2014 as well as a guard in the Ether lab in Sapienza.
* Wazir is Biromantic Asexual.