Some mortalborn are destined for greatness. Within their divine heritage they find the strength to be leaders, heroes and kings; to leave a mark on history that will be remembered for centuries to come.
Cad is not one of these mortalborn.
Born a son of the Immortal Aeva, Cad had a difficult start in life. Because of the effects of his domain of weakness his body was severely weakened and prone to sickness, and so he was confined to bed for most of his life as a child. His father was a loving man, but one ruled by fear of his fragile son coming to harm, and so rarely allowed him to leave his house in Volta. As such the majority of Cad’s childhood was spent between the pages of books. He learnt about the history of the world and the creatures within it from the drawings and descriptions of them rather than seeing them in person, and sought companionship in the tales of heroes rather than in other children. Because of this Cad became very smart in matters of science and maths, but lacked the experience to understand people or the customs of society. More than anything he loved fairy tales, and longed to be free to roam the world and go on adventures like the characters in his stories could. Yet as his own domains denied him this opportunity he grew to resent his divine heritage, and began to feel that it was his fate to forever be weak.
As a teenager Cad’s desire to rebel against his fate skyrocketed. He began sneaking out to go on adventures, but was always stopped by his father. After one incident when he almost died trying to ride a horse his father screamed at him that he could never become a hero because he would never be strong enough for others to rely on, so he should just give up. Cad stopped trying after that. However without his dream of becoming a hero to cling onto, Cad lost the will to fight back against his weakened body. He fell sick, and began to die and the disease tore through his weakened flesh.
At first his father tried to solve the problem with magic, and hired a witch named Calypso who marketed herself as having the power to alter life and death. Calypso was a necromancer and grafter, and though she was unable to find a solution for Cad's affliction it interested her greatly to study the effects of his usual biology. She even agreed to initiate him into her two main branches of magic; more for the rare opportunity to see how they reacted with his soul than because she saw any special worth in him as an apprentice. Together they tried many experiments to strengthen or preserve his body, but no matter what they tried Cad's domain stole away whatever strength they tried to give him in the blink of an eye.
Next his father prayed to Aeva for aid, and in answer to his desperate prayer the forge mistress appeared before him. She told him that no doctor would ever be able to cure the weaknesses of Cad’s body since it stemmed from the power of his very soul, and so saving him was impossible. However due to his other domain over golems Aeva theorized that his soul might be able to endure in a golem body, and crafted a vessel out of wood, leather and metal. Such was Aeva’s skill that this body looked indistinguishable from a regular human, and possessed an flawless, doll-like beauty that could have rivalled even the fairest of queens. When Cad died Aeva transferred his soul into this body, and to her relief found that it worked as perfectly as intended.
However when Cad awoke he did not care for the perfection of his new form. He was so tired of being a weakling, and no amount of false beauty would change that. He still longed to be free, to live however he wanted. A few days after his resurrection he began to realise that now with his new golem body it was possible to do that. While his domain of weakness would forever make even this artificial body fragile it at least made him immune to sickness, and thanks to that nothing was stopping him from travelling any longer. Cad resolved that if he could never be a great hero, then he’d just have to be the greatest villain instead. If he conquered the world he’d be free to do whatever he wanted, and would have proven to everyone who doubted him that, despite what fate had decided, he too could be strong.
With Calypso's aid, Cad fled Volta and spent a few years travelling the world. His book smarts gave him the intelligence he needed to earn good money as an inventor and build a small fortune for himself, but his complete lack of street smarts often got him into trouble. For the first time in his life he began to engage in and learn about the world outside his house, and he absolutely loved it. Yet this love only inflamed his desire to prove himself to a world that appeared so beautiful to him by claiming it as his own. Eventually during his studies into the arts of ensorcelling Cad discovered the legend of The Miracle Stone, a well of incredible power that was believed to possess the power to grant any wish, and was immediately captivated by dreams of finding it. Chasing its legend led Cad to Scalvoris, where he determined that the pirate island was the perfect staging point to begin his quest for world domination. First he would find the Miracle Stone, then rule the island, and then the world...
During the events of
Ruin's Dawn: Ascension, Cad had a hand in the murder of the Immortal
Faldrun, and helped the mortalborn
Valtharn to become the Immortal of Ruin. Afterwards Cad became Valtharn's first official follower; promising his loyalty in exchange for her support in his quest to take over the world.
![[Approved by Pig Boy]](.//images/icons/cs_ok.png "[Approved by Pig Boy]"){kind=icon}
