History:

          Kaine grew up in the Mairek tribe of Wood Elves, a tribe known for their insatiable bloodlust. Worshippers of the war god, they live their lives training in all forms of combat, though they typically limit themselves to war games and the like, they are known for carrying out raids against other Wood elf tribes.

          When Kaine reached his 103rd year, he made a daring bid for power and claimed the title Malian, which literally means "Warlord". In a daring move, he overthrew the chief of his tribe and defended himself against all challengers. Within the year he had the Mairek completely under his control, and within two, they worshipped him as the god Mairek incarnate. Moving to set his plans in motion, Kaine launched an attack on the Aluran, seeking to claim their position in Deepwood for reasons only he knew.

          His attacks were deflected by the Aluran chief Cor Eldemar and allies from the Lareina tribe. The high Elves of Bael Selemar investigated the invasion, but through subtle maneuvering, Kaine avoided punishment. Later that same year, he launched another attack on the Aluran, but was again repelled.

         Kaine retreated to heal his wounds, but it was not long until a coalition force of the enemies of the Mairek marched on their village, led by Cor Eldemar. Unable to fight against such overwhelming odds, the Mairek was nearly destroyed and Kaine was brought to Bael Selemar. Found guilty of treason against all the elves of Deepwood, Kaine was exiled to the Iatdeth Desert and left to die.

          But Kaine did not die. He was fortunate to stumble upon a tribe of nomadic elves fluent in desert magic. Intrigued by their powers, Kaine appealed to them and was taken in as a refugee. He spent years studying with the nomads until his powers grew to the point where no one could challenge him. Destroying the tribe that had aided him in his time of weakness, Kaine delved into the deepest regions of the desert to find more power.

          His lifespan already extended by the preservative effects of desert magic, Kaine spent many years searching for something to quench his insatiable lust for power and eventually stumbled upon a temple long abandoned by a people long forgotten by time. It was there that he attained god-like powers over fire, using symbols etched into his own flesh to contain the magic. He also learned how to assume the form of a greater dragon, cementing his powers and his demi-godhood.

          Returning to the desert and setting forth to rejoin the Mairek tribe, he found the tribe, while formiddible in this new age, a shadow of what it once was. He learned that nearly a millennium had passed since his exile and immediately began to rally the Mairek to his cause, claiming himself to be a prophet their god had sent down to lead them into battle once more. Once again he became Malian and led the tribe on a mission of vengeance against the Aluran, this time succeeding in his quest. Kaine took it upon himself to fight and defeat the current chief, Artemis, and pinned him to the tree of his dryad wife with his sword. He then set fire to the village and left, his thirst for revenge quenched but his bloodlust far from fulfilled.

          Kaine returned to the Mairek village to reconsolidate his power and draw in allies to his cause. His goal is to capture Bael Selemar and, using the city as a stronghold, launch an attack on the human world beyond Deepwood's borders.

Commentary:

          Every hero needs a villain. For Eldamri, that villain is Kaine.

          Kaine was originally a fire demon who destroyed Eld's homeland for some reason I had never figured out. When I revised Eld's story, I revised Kaine as well, giving him less-than-humble origins as a Wood Elf gone bad. He's a classic villain, power-hungry with an insatiable appetite for death and destruction.

          He's also one of the few rp villains of mine that has no soft spot in his history. He is not a victim of circumstance and he cannot be reformed. Kaine is an incarnation of evil, sometimes refined, sometimes manic, always unstable.