Kaius

Kaius

Born
870 YK (133 years ago as of 1003 YK)
Died
1003 YK (age 133)
Aliases
Kaius III
Family
Son: Kaius II (born 893 YK, died 955 YK)
Daughter: Ivana (born 977 YK)
Grandson: Jaron ir'Wynarn
Great-grandson: Kaius ir'Wynarn (pretending to be Kaius III)
Racial characteristics
Weakened by sunlight, harmed by radiant damage, needs to drink blood to survive, immune to disease and poison, regenerative abilities, can turn into mist or a bat, can charm others
Sex
Male
Height
6'3"
Weight
210 lbs
Hair
Black
Eyes
Red (usually glamoured to brown)
Affiliations
King of Karrnath, The Sacrament (former), The Blood Knights (former)

Born before the outbreak of the Last War, Kaius was born a crown prince of Karrnath, the eldest son of Jarot ir'Wynarn. Named governor-prince of Karrnath in 890 YK, he took up the mantle of King of Karrnath in 894 YK, when his father and uncles rebelled against Mishann ir'Wynarn's ascension to the throne of Galifar.

A mighty warrior is his own right, young Kaius desired more power to defend his kingdom, and so he sought out the Sacrament, a secretive cabal of vampires who promised him strength beyond that of mortal men. He 'took the blood' in 897 YK, becoming a vampire himself, and later declared the Sacrament to be the state religion of Karrnath.

Kaius proved to be a ruthless and effective ruler, leading Karrnath to many victories during the Last War. However, his reign was marred by tragedy when, in a blood rage induced by his vampiric nature, he unwittingly killed his own wife. Wracked with guilt and shame, Kaius exiled himself in 910 YK, entrusting the care of his young son, Kaius II.

Kaius served throughout the Last War as a knight, in various guises. Active throughout the century-long war, he naturally fought in countless battles, often turning the tide for Karrnath with his formidable combat skills and vampiric powers. He acted behind the scenes to influence key events, always working to further Karrnath's interests. While his son knew of his father's survival, he chose to keep Jaron and his heirs in the dark, further receding into the shadows.

Kaius' great-grandson, who shared his name, was destined to succeed his father Jaron. However, when Jaron died in battle in 984 YK, Kaius III was still a child. Moranna ir'Wynarn, Jaron's sister, assumed the regency, ruling Karrnath in the young prince's stead. During her regency, Moranna disavowed the Sacrament and outlawed the Order of the Emerald Claw, seeking to distance Karrnath from its vampiric associations. At first, Kaius took this as a cue to finally step away from Karrnath's affairs, but when Kaius III died unexpectedly before reaching adulthood, he had to step in to prevent a succession crisis.

Revealing himself to Moranna, Kaius reclaimed the throne of Karrnath, standing in for his own great-grandson. She was uneasy about the prospect, but he promised that once they could secure Haydith's return--or perhaps even find Ivy, his bastard daughter--he would step aside and let the rightful heir take the throne. In the meantime, he resumed command of Karrnath's military forces, leading what would become a massive resurgence of Karrnathi power, turning the tide and threatening to defeat Cyre single-handedly.

When the war was interrupted by the Mourning in 996 YK, Kaius was cowed by the power of the catastrophe. Convinced by Aurala ir'Wynarn to seek peace, he stood beside her to urge peace, and in particular, to ban the creation of warforged, ostensibly to prevent further atrocities, but secretly to curtail the power of House Cannith.

In his later years, he focused on the internal affairs of Karrnath, particularly the degree to which the Black Blood cult had infiltrated the military and government. He remained true to his faith in the Sacrament--though he honored Moranna's disestablishment of it as the state religion--but he recognized that the Black Blood, including the agents who recruited him initially (including his own wife Etrigan), were a dangerous influence that needed to be rooted out.

When Selina (not yet warchief) and her allies recruited him into their plan to save Aurala from the Black Blood, he found new allies in his struggle. Joining Selina's cause--and her life, as a partner--he found powerful new allies against the Black Blood. His hopes to restore the lost honor of Karrnath found new life in this alliance, and with Selina, he rekindled a long dormant hope for love, companionship, and a future for Karrnath.

Tragically, these hopes were cut short when, during a magic ritual to save Selina's life, Kaius was mortally wounded. Dying in Selina's arms, his last words were of the beauty of the rising sun, shortly before it burned him to ashes.

Dates