Theme: The Chopper
Name: Cayden Valdez
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Starting Location: Enervis
Personality: Once a compassionate, kind and loving young boy, the man whom became the Cayden of today is shadow of his former self. Cayden is a cautious man, never proceeding forward until he is sure his path is clear and safe. He is pragmatic in his approach in life, looking at everything from a logical point of view and thinking his actions out in advance before doing anything. Though he has hardened himself to the new world Cayden is not devoid of compassion or kindness. In fact his calm and hardened exterior is more of a shield protecting what is left of his former self. Smiling is something he rarely does anymore, save for when he interacts with children and the occasional pet.
Cayden takes his work very seriously and has little time for shenanigans during a job. Thats not to say he is inflexible or, in the rare case of working with others, not open to second opinions. However he has little tolerance for stupidity, ego and tomfoolery during a job. Depending on the nature some accidents are exceptional depending on the case. It should be noted that though hard Cayden is mercifully to his targets. Depending on the circumstances and if an Experiment shows intelligence, Cayden can and will spare them and lie to his employer to protect them.
Once a person of unquestionable faith in the gods, Cayden holds nothing but scorn and disdain for any belief in the gods. Having cast their teachings aside he has built a new belief and code to live by. He does not preach to be a savor but does try to spread his belief in the hopes of bettering his fellow humans. Whether this is his compassion for others or to hurt the gods is unknown, though it could be speculated a little of both. Though calm, even under strenuous conditions, Cayden does hold quite a bit of negative emotion in his being. Anger at the gods and grief for the loss of his family have remained and though they have smoldered into embers it does not take much to stoke the fire.
Likes: Cayden's past affiliation and current profession has taken him to many locations across the continents. As such he enjoys new locations and cultures which he often writes about. A passion Cayden has carried from his childhood is his love is to write. Stories, philosophy, journal entries, it doesn't matter the subject, if he has an interest in it he will most likely write about it. Cayden enjoys good food and does know his way around gourmet foods, but greasy and spicy foods tend to be his favored choice.
Dislikes:
Cayden does not have anything against magic however he does not like depending on something he has no control over. He also dislikes people handling his tools and guns without his expressed permission. Above all, if there is one thing Cayden absolutely hates, it's the gods. Though once a faithful follower, the death of his parents and so many innocents caused Cayden to despise them. Places of worship for the gods such as temples are also held with similar disdain.
Weapons/Powers: Cayden doesn't rely on high tech equipment and uses what some would call antique. Cayden uses a Type 47 bolt action rifle which fires .303 and .308 ballistic ammunition. The Type 47 is a well built rifle which has served Cayden as far back as his early shooting days as a child. He uses a 6x scope for sniping and the rifle can hit a target as far as 1,800 meters away. Cayden also carries a .44 caliber revolver as a backup sidearm should his rifle not be viable in a fight. In addition he caries a knife with a curved blade and a sickle for close quarter combat and encounters. During hunting Cayden carries a few types of small traps to aid him in his hunt, such as bola's, snares, nets and small game traps. Typically his traps are only used when he has time to prep an area for an ambush.
Strengths: Cayden is a normal human who has pushed his body as far as he can. Though not super human Cayden's sense are at their peak and when compared to another human he is faster and better trained. Mentally Cayden has a strong mind and has trained to resist mental influences and remain calm under chaotic situations. Cayden is a expert marksman and hunter with skills in fieldcraft, survival and tracking which center around his profession in hunting experiments. Cayden is very skilled in remaining concealed in his environment during a hunt and using his environment to remain unseen.
Weaknesses: One big glaring weaknesses Cayden has is he is only human. Compared to the experiments and beasts he hunts he is greatly out matched and has to take care. To put in perspective, in a close combat fight with another human Cayden could go against unfair odds and still win. But against an experiment he would have no chance unless he has an equalizer or can think of a way to make one. He is also reliant on weapons, tools and companion to equalize things in a fight against experiments, take them away and he is at a great disadvantage. Magic is also something Cayden has little defense against. Attacks on his mind Cayden can repel and defeat but he has little defense against other types magic. The same could be said for supernatural creatures, for he has few options to fight them with and all of them involve getting way to close for comfort.
History:
Cayden Valdez is the last surviving member of the Valdez family. During the Golden Millennium the large family was a proud family and generations of Valdez had seen work in many trades and fields, making them a well cultured family. One thing the family was well known for was their devotion to the gods and their teachings. One thing that could have been said about a Valdez was their unquestionable faith in the gods. Cayden was the second youngest son of seven children of the eighteenth generation of the Valdez family. Cayden was the most compassionate and inquisitive of the family. His compassion knew no bounds as he was just as likely to give his last coin to a stranger as he was to go out of his way to help someone.
Like his family Cayden was also devoted to the gods, especially Namaë whom he had a crush on, and was only surpassed by his love of his family. It was believed by many his unusual fortune was a gift from the gods themselves, as had been with several others in the Valdez family. With a loving and well offed family in one hand and the favor of the gods seemingly in the other, many thought Cayden was destined for great things and a life filled with good fortune.
Then the day came when his world came to an end. Cayden older brother had met a girl whom he became engaged to after a passionate courtship. It was a grand wedding and for the first time in five generations the entire Valdez family had gathered for the occasion. Cayden, thirteen at the time of the wedding, was excited for his brother and adored his new soon to be sister. On the day of the wedding Cayden attended with both his and the bride's family. However his brother, a follower of Bastilon, had accidentally left his amulet he was suppose to wear in their hotel. Be it his good fortune or a last minute intervention from the gods, Cayden volunteered to rush back and get it for his brother. But upon retrieving it from the room something happened, Cayden felt the earth shake, the sky outside the window flashed and then, darkness.
When he awoke he was in the ruins of the hotel he had been in, which had somehow shielded him from the worst of calamity. Injured but not gravely, Cayden worked his way back towards the temple looking for his family while helping any survivors he came across. Upon reaching the now ruined temple Cayden found his family, all of them, dead. Cayden cried in pain as he tried to wake them, hoping they were merely unconscious, but only he had been so lucky. There in the ruins Cayden cried, holding the bodies of his family, calling out and begging to Bastilon, Namaë, to all of the gods to help his family. But all of his cries fell on deaf ears, for the gods had abandoned all of mankind. Though he lived, it was on that day Cayden died and in his place came a new life with little purpose. Compassion dimmed, skepticism was born and anger burned deep within Cayden as like a phoenix he was reborn anew.
Now in a new world filled with dangers and peril, Cayden was forced to adapt to his new life. Without the safety of his family and his apparent favor gone, Cayden had nothing but the limited skills he learned to aid him. One of his uncles had taught gotten Cayden into sports shooting and hunting at a young age. While hunting held no appeal to Cayden at that time he did enjoy learning the skills that came with it such as shooting, tracking and trapping. It was these skills which helped Cayden survive in those early days, though it was quite difficult scavenging the tools needed to use those skills.
Not just content with survival Cayden spent a long time honing his skills and body to the peak of human possibility. His new purpose was to become a deadly apex predator capable of facing the nightmares man had created. So for over ten years Cayden traveled and trained, learning from his mistakes and failings. With no help from the gods Cayden became one of, if not the most, deadly hunter in the region. His prey didn't matter, criminals, experiments, daemons, so long as Cayden could make a living and protect others in the process he would take any contract, save for those that didn't conflict with his new beliefs.
The Cayden of this era is different from the one of the former, but deep in his soul, hope for a better future burns within.
Other: Cayden has a pet Dire Wolf he found in the wilderness and it is his companion and hunting partner.
Appearance: Typically Cayden wears a grey tunic and camo trousers with black boots. He wear a huntsman cloak for protection from the elements and concealment both in the wild and urban environments. His belt has several pouches for holding tools and ammunition for easy quick access. He wears a silver pin of a phoenix rising from the flames as his trademark crest. On his belt hangs an amulet for every god in existence and each one has been defiled with large X's carved across the front and text on the back saying 'Dead'. Cayden's hair is a ebony black which comes to rest just above shoulders in a pony tail. His face has a close trimmed beard neatly framing his face and complementing his dark brown eyes. Cayden stands at a height of 6'2” and also bares quite a few scars across his body, all a result of his profession.
