Appearance

Kaide is a dark-haired young man in his mid-twenties.  He has what would be considered a sickly look if he did not spend most of his time studying.  His clothes and his manners indicate upper class origins.

History/Background

Kaide comes from an aristocratic family.  He spends most of his time travelling on his father’s money, partly because of a desire to see the world and partly because that makes it easier to avoid fights with the rest of his family.

He is something of a disappointment to his parents.  His father believes that the greatest honor a man can have is serving his king in combat, and that view is shared by Kaide’s two brothers.  However, Kaide’s scholarly temperment and personal distaste for violence (as well as a fair degree of clumsiness) mean that he has little to no interest in martial affairs.  Kaide has a natural flair for magic, which tempered his father’s shame at a son who refused to fight somewhat.  It’s still best for all concerned if Kaide spends as little time at home as possible.

Given his connections and his personality, Kaide functions much like an unofficial diplomat.  He enjoys visiting other countries, and he’s usually welcome there.  Because he never learned to properly handle a weapon, he will often try to join competent groups of fighters/adventurers/mercenaries heading to his next destination.  He strongly believes in the concept of safety in numbers and is willing to use his magical abilities to support the party. 

Of course, as is often the case, Kaide is not exactly what he appears to be.  He never lies to his escorts, exactly, but he doesn’t every say anything about the unspecified business he casually mentions.  Despite his pacifist nature and his disapproval of violence in all its forms, he is not a child nor is he a fool.  He knows that political threats can be just as dangerous as military ones, and he has his own ways of serving his king.  Simply put, Kaide is an assassin.

Because he appears to be only a slightly timid man with nothing to do except spend his father’s money, he is not seen in the same light as official dignitaries.  People seldom watch what is said around him or think he could be anything more than a scholar with a touch of wanderlust.  So he hears things, such as idle comments about this treaty or that economic practice that would weaken his country.

And when he hears these things, he usually takes steps to address the problem.  He’s learned several spells that can kill from a distance, and has devoted most of his magical education to learning ways to hide traces of such spells.  So when an ambassador or a diplomat or a trade baron suddenly has a fatal heart attack or dies in a tragic accident, no one is the wiser.

Roleplaying Notes

Kaide is a very pleasant young man, who tends to be amused far more often than he gets angry.  If he finds a party to escort him to the next place on the line, he will help them as much as he can, but will stay out of fights.  He relies on his magical skills to protect himself, but if forced into combat, he will prove to be an ineffectual fighter at best.

He usually downplays himself, saying he’s no one of importance.  If asked what he’s doing when he gets where he’s going, he’ll make a vague comment about having business, but won’t say more. If he’s pressed for an answer, and not saying anything will arouse suspicion, he’ll make an offhand comment about being interested in history or architecture or local legends, whatever his destinations are noted for. It helps that he is genuinely interested in these sorts of things, because of his scholarly outlook.

He has not been connected with the deaths he leaves behind, for the simple reason that most people think him rather useless.  However, if he is caught it could lead to interesting complications, particularly if his warlike father gets wind of it. 

It could also lead to complications if he doesn’t research his target well enough and kills someone after misunderstanding their intentions.

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