Beneath The Brine
Richard Gibson for Cain
Role Filled
The ruler of his homeland, holding the title of emperor, Cain was once considered a very imposing figure. As the elder brother of Ikelos, Cain was set to take over the throne from birth and prepared for it from the beginning. He felt betrayed by his brother when Ikelos left, taking Cain's beloved, Greer, with him (though she had never loved Cain.)
He would never desire another woman and, when Ikelos and Greer returned, felt intense anger and jealousy over the relationship the two had formed and the child they had conceived together. He had fooled himself into believing Greer would return to him. Having living proof that this was not the case inflamed the betrayal he had felt when Ikelos first left.
Ikelos and Cain would have a highly antagonistic relationship towards one another, with Ikelos' son, Tokag, bearing the brunt of Cain's attacks on his brother for the following two decades. The rivalry ultimately ended in a fight between Cain, Ikelos, and Tokag which left Ikelos presumed dead and Tokag fatally wounded.
Cain would proceed to send others to search the world for Tokag (and the rest of the people who fled with him) for the next few decades. Meanwhile, he was dealing with the aftermath of his brother's death and the damage it had done to his kingdom with the magic Ikelos used to control the natural fauna being ripped away and opening the way for monsters to thrive on the continent.
Tokag and Cain would eventually have one final confrontation in which Cain's life would finally be brought to an end.
In his later years, Cain would frequently be found arguing with himself, shadows, or inanimate objects and became quite violent. He became someone to fear; quick to threaten violence and willing to carry out those threats.
While the majority of my characters tend to be some variety of morally ambiguous grey, Cain is undeniably the villain in this story.
Descriptions from the story include:
The girl did not react to Cain’s ranting, nor was she surprised. This was a common occurrence. Her liege had always been… temperamental, at best, but in recent years he had descended into what some whispered to be a madness. A poison tainting his mind.
Where once the emperor had seemed an unmovable force, sturdy and strong willed, he was now often found chasing the ghosts of his past and screaming at shadows.
He looked up, shadows shrouding his face, eyes narrowed into the thinnest slits. He seemed poised to strike much like a viper.
“Very well,” he said, quiet and cold. Malice dripped from his every word and for the briefest moment, she felt genuine fear for the merchants who had so greatly angered the man in front of her. “Let us go greet our guests.”
Physical Appearance & Voice:
As a younger man, Cain had the same dark brown shade of hair as his brother and bright, blue eyes. His eyes in particular would be described in great detail by both the people he ruled and foreigners, with many commenting that they seemed almost too bright and lively for someone with such a sharp and imposing face. He was considered above average height. Overall, general opinion seemed to be that he was pleasing to the eye.
In later years, Cain would retain much of his imposing and fit physique, doing his best to combat age though he would still be weakened over the years despite his efforts. Alarmingly, as his hair greyed, so too did his mind seem to lose its health. This, ultimately, lead to the rumors questioning the emperor's sanity.
Cain's voice was deep and rich, layered with a charismatic personality or dripping with venom and malice depending upon the situation. He had a slight accent that would be more prominent when he was angered, but otherwise may be hardly noticeable. Cain was fluent in four different languages, as required by his status as ruler.
Script and pay are subject to change depending on editing. Audition lines as well as the listed pay rate are based on the current script; final details will be discussed with candidate prior to casting.
- male adult
- male senior
[Speaking to a nervous servant; malicious. Planning to kill someone.] “Very well. Let us go greet our guests.”
[Cain speaking about Tokag] "Fools. I wouldn’t be giving them a description at all if I knew what he looked like now. I wouldn’t need them. He’d be a corpse at my feet."
[Cain speaking to Tokag. Taunting/threatening. 'Nephew' is used as an insult.] "My dear nephew, we both know how this story ends. Do not make it harder than it has to be."