Ciaphas Cain - Personality and Skills: Although Cain performed acts in his long commissarial service that were nothing short of heroic, they were always -- by his own admission -- done reluctantly.He chose his first posting with the Valhallan 12th Field Artillery specifically to avoid front-line combat, as artillery regiments generally remained at the rear of any Imperial army.After the events on Desolatia, however, Cain often made the observation that his commanders were bent on sending him into deadly situations simply on the basis of his reputation. The first thing on his mind was always his own safety, and how he would be able to escape the situation he was in. Despite his reluctance to participate in combat, Cain was by no means unprepared for it, as one of the things he focussed on while at the Schola Progenium (in addition to sports) was combat training.Cain was described as an exceptional swordsman who even had the respect of the Adeptus Astartes -- a skill which "undoubtedly came from the sort of combat experience no amount of practice could emulate," in the words of Inquisitor Amberley Vail, though he still practiced his techniques anyway. In his memoirs Cain described his chainsword skill as a habitual and instinctive one. On at least two occasions, a rival commissar backed down from a proffered duel with Cain upon taking in the battered and hard-used condition of his chainsword.He was also skilled enough with a Laspistol to accurately hit his target well beyond the weapon's accepted operational range, even against Necron Warriors. Most images of him, however, incorrectly depict him wielding a Bolt Pistol, a weapon he considered impressively destructive but too ammunition-hungry to rely upon.Cain's upbringing in an underhive left him with an instinctive affinity for underground spaces. He could resolve three-dimensional maps at a glance, and had a keen sense of direction that kept him oriented while traversing labyrinthine corridors. He could also navigate and even fight in complete darkness, making use of his hearing and other senses.The one exception to Cain's habit of trying to avoid combat was when sorcery was involved. If he became aware of a sorcerer or sorcerous Chaos Cult in his theatre of operations, he always resolutely hunted down and eliminated these Heretics as soon as possible. However, in his memoirs Cain described this drive as neither bravery nor zeal, but simply a belief that there is no outrunning the horrors that successful sorcery can produce; the only way to really be safe from Warpcraft is to find and exterminate those who would wield it, before their plans bear fruit.Though he rose to a level of accomplishment and seniority that would easily justify the title of Lord Commissar, Cain disdained the term and refused to be addressed by it.While Cain believed in the divinity of the Emperor of Mankind, he thought Him a distant deity, far too busy with galactic-scale concerns to look out for the welfare of any individual worshipper. He had little patience for the overly pious, such as Battle-Sisters and certain fellow commissars, finding such "Emperor-botherers" unpleasantly humourless and self-righteous. Even worse, he considered them dangerously prone to tactical idiocy, based on what they imagined to be holy commandments. However, Cain did hold that certain problems were the rightful purview of priests. He was also fond of the writings of Saint Emilia, which struck a compassionate, understanding tone that he appreciated.Cain had a great degree of social acumen, which he used throughout his career to reinforce his public image as a hero of the Imperium. His deep grasp of practical Human psychology led him to be much more lax about discipline than he would have been within his rights to be as a commissar. The cold-acclimated Valhallan soldiers, for example, were allowed some leniency in their dress as a concession to the uncomfortable temperatures they experienced in non-freezing climes.Cain always tried to find a way around executing soldiers, and preferred to give friendly warnings rather than outright punishments. Cain admits this was to cultivate popularity and give the guardsmen incentive to try to keep him alive.Whatever the reason, Cain's regiments tended to have high morale without necessarily compromising discipline or combat effectiveness.