SG Bio for Kassian Mannix- CCed by FL

[ashara]

Name: Kassian Mannix

 

Username: _kynwric_

 

kynwric[at]gmail.com

 

Division: Shayol Ghul

 

Country of Origin:

 

Physical Description: Saldaea

 

Kassian is just a shade under 6' tall with ruddy brown hair and slightly slanted blue eyes, his skin is tanned slighty and he has an athletic build. He weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 220 pounds, but that fluctuates with how he has eaten or what his needs are. Kassian generally will wear facial hair, be it mustache, goatee or full beard.

 

 

 

Background:

 

"What would you expect when your mother worked from her back for a living" 'While that is not entirely true, my mother worked from her back until I was born and for a short time afterwards. She then managed to get free of that life and actually made an honest living'. Kassian thought the last with a scoff, 'Honest Living, there's no such thing for one born at the bottom, there's Honesty and then there's living'. He turned his attention back to the woman across the table from him. "But never mind my heritage, I understand you have something that needs doing? Or someone to be more specific?" He settled in for business, listening to the terms and conditions and having already decided to turn the job down, too much risk and not enough reward. He could feign interest and even listen, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was letting his mind wander across the past years of his life, at least those that were important to him. No reason to rehash the first 3 years of his life, really the first 10 or so. But it was that 11th year when he found his calling… he could remember it clearly, almost as if he was standing there.

 

Kassian could hear the screams as he came up the stairway that led into the small room that they called home; he was used to his mother yelling, hollering, cursing, crying, even mild screaming. But this, this was beyond normal for his mother. He rushed up the last few steps and the door was standing open, his mind was a little slow to see what was going on, but there he was as he somehow Kassian knew he would be. His mother's husband, not his father, never his father, and just beyond him was his mother curled into a ball on the floor, her hands and arms covering her head. Kassian could see the blood welling up from the cuts on her hands. "Go on boy, come back later." Kassian looked from his mother to the man and then back to his mother before turning his back on the scene and ran back down the stairs.

 

The next memory came from about 6 months later even though it ran seamlessly through his head as if it all was the same memory…

 

Kassian could here the accursed man pounding down the stairs after him, he had said one too many things this time. His mother again curled against the floor bleeding and he couldn't let it alone anymore. So there they were, 12 year old boy being chased by a hardened veteran of the merchant caravans and little did the man know he was about to die. Once Kassian hit the bottom floor he rushed out and around the building, into the alley where he had hidden the dagger. Turning his head as he feigned a trip and fell right where the dagger had been hidden, his hand searching it out as the man slowed to a menacing walk towards him. "Now boy, you'll get what she was gonna get." Kassian's fingers closed around the cold steel and leather of the dagger and his face hardened defiantly. "Come and get me you washed up drunken buffoon." Kassian shielded his head with one arm as the man loomed over him and began to swing his fist, at the same time Kassian shoved the hand and dagger upwards, aiming for the mans chest. Both fortunately and unfortunately he missed and the knife drove upwards through the man's chin and deep into his head. Then them man fell on him, covering him in blood.

 

His memory jumped again, this time to a few years later…

 

"No Shania, it isn't a good…" Kassian pulled the girls arm and tugged her away from the vendor, all part of the act. Part of an act they had done a thousand times before it seemed. Kassian had already filled his pockets with other things taken from the man's wares. They disappeared into the crowd, a few moments later Shania pulled them into an alley. "What'd we get?" But Kassian was hardly paying attention to her, at the end of the alley there were three men. Two big brutish men facing away from them and in one of their hands was a smaller, mousier man. He eyes pleaded with the two teenagers to help him but as Shania turned Kassian grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the throng again.

 

A brief flash and the memories blended again…

 

One of the brutes they had seen last week was following them, Shania has spotted him. And so Kassian and she were now ducking down an alley and then making one more turn which would lead them back out into the crowd. But Shania stopped short and Kassian, who had been looking behind them ran into her from behind, when he turned his head around there was the brutes partner. He tilted his head up and looked the man in the eyes. "My employer wishes to speak with you…" He glanced at Shania and she at him and then he looked back up at the man. "Kay…"

 

Again another flash and another memory.

 

"Shania, come on we have to go…"

 

"No, one more minute and I'll have it."

 

"We don't have another minute, leave it we have plenty and what we were paid for." At that moment the door crashed in and Kassian sighed and turned at the same time, dashing out the window. When his feet his the cobbled street he looked back up and saw Shania climbing out the same window he had left. At least she was until a hand grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back in. Kassian took one last glance up and as a figure leaned through the window and looked down Kassian ran and left Shania there. For a moment he felt a twinge of regret, but as his hand slipped into his pockets he felt the small package they had been sent for and knew he'd be receiving the rest of the payment… and not having to split it.

 

Kassian's awareness snapped back to the present as the woman uttered a phrase, a phrase he recognized. "Wait, say that again." And she did, and instantly Kassian's back stiffened and his eyes darkened. He now knew he had to take this job, there was no more choice, she had mentioned the phrase and he knew this was no longer just a job, but an order. He ran over everything that the woman had been saying and nodded and began to pay closer attention to what she said, fortunately everything up to now had been less important… fortunately for him anyway. Once the woman completed her briefing and paid out the first installment Kassian returned to his thoughts.

 

Shania came back in the room they shared; Kassian was slightly surprised to see her. He had expected the owners there to do their worst, what he didn't know is they already had. He got up and walked across the room to her, tried to put his arms around her and she pushed him away. "You left me Kas… just left." Kassian looked at her, "What'd you want me t'do Shan? Get caught too? Lose the package? Have to tell them we didn't get it?" He shook his head. "Not me, you'd have bailed too." Shania closed her eyes and when she raised opened them again they were glistening. "They did things to me Kas, made me do things…" She dropped her head…

 

The memory faded then, Kassian felt a smile cross his face as he remembered that that was what had lead him to the Great Lord, her too for that matter. He spared a moments thought for where Shania may be now, if she was even alive and then shrugged. He got up and left a few coins on the table to pay for the tab and a tip, no need to stiff a barkeep now… he had plenty of silver to pay with. He tromped out of the tavern and down a short way to the inn where he was staying, as he pushed past the door he could hear the minstrel playing to the common room but he took the stair up to his room and locked the door behind him. He went through his routine of checking the door, windows, various hiding spots… some of which were empty and some of which held things he'd rather not be found. He finally kicked off his boots and lay down on the bed, his thoughts returning unbidden.

 

He was on his knees speaking words to a man swathed in black with his face covered, when he finished the ceremony he rose he was greeted by those assembled and welcomed into the brotherhood, and as his first order of business he was to apprentice to one of the others there and learn the skills of the trade he had been chosen for, one he had shown aptitude at, killing. He nodded his assent and soon after he was on horseback and riding into the woods.

 

He recalled the couple years spent working with and for Lancren, learning to not just use a weapon, but wield it; to ride a horse as if it were a natural thing; to shoot, crossbow and bow. To sneak through the woods, Kassian already had quite a bit of experience sneaking through a city. Then the next memory flooded into him…

 

The envelope was crinkled in his hand, as he mulled over the orders within it. It was a test of his loyalty, the question was how to pass it. He unwrinkled and unfolded the letter again, re-read it and checked the phrases. Kassian nodded to himself, they were all there, the right ones in the right sequence, so the order was valid. He sighed and looked out the window, figuring Lancren would be returning in two days, possibly three...

 

With a blink of his eyes Kassian was transported to yet another memory…

 

He sat in the blind he had prepared, just off to the side of the house with the crossbow cocked and loaded in his hands. He sighted Lancren riding down the road, bobbing on his horse as he neared home. Kassian brought the crossbow up slowly, took his aim and waited for exactly the right moment. The moment when he wouldn't miss… when the moment came he gently squeezed the trigger and let loose the bolt. He watched as it flew and struck home, the man tumbling from his horse. Kassian scrambled down and ran to where the man lay, for sure it was Lancren and he was still alive. Kassian could see it from 10 paces out and he slowed to a walk, drawing out his dagger and preparing it. When he stood over the man's head and knelt, he flashed a smile and then slit his teacher's throat.

 

Kassian snapped his eyes open, breathed in deep and then sat up. He could smell the blood as if he were still there on the pitiful little road at the small house in the woods. He gave a slight shudder and then stood, pacing about the room. That kill bothered him still, of all the lives he had taken, it was that one that haunted him even till today. He lay back on his back and let out a deep sigh, he'd killed for money, for food, for an insult, he'd killed so many that he couldn't keep track of the number, he could remember details of kill here but not the full scene as he could with that first one… "What was it seven years ago now?" He whipped his head around to the voice, his hand going for the dagger sitting on the round bedside table. "Maybe six, but I think seven." He could feel his hand freeze in midair, unable to go forward, he turned his head back to glare at the woman in his room. "Seven since that day." He said, feeling a bit of anger and a hint of fear in his chest, he swallowed to force them both down and find that empty feeling, the cold where he went when he had another mark in his sights. He continued. "Would you care to tell me why you are intruding upon me Aes Sedai?" The woman smiled a unsettling smile and spoke again. "I would have you kill someone of course, what other use is there for you?" Kassian shrugged, feeling his hand freed and he pulled it away from the dagger, no need to try and stab a possible client. "Who would you have me kill?" She named a name, a name that he knew for she had visited him earlier that evening, now all that was left was the negotiation.

[Winter Mist]

CC'ed by FL

[Taei]

*bumped back in order*