Caladin is one of the billions of souls born on Vhahimmar – a small but incredibly densely populated moon as well as the capital of Calesia. Nearly the entirety of the hot, arid moon is covered in urban sprawl, and it is the commercial, cultural and political center of the Calesian Republic. Caladin distinguished himself at an early age for his passion, ability to focus and, unfortunately, proneness to violence. In order to cope with his abundance of energy and the physical exertion of it, Caladin’s teachers encouraged him to pick an aspect to help not only control his energy, but channel it. Given Caladin’s popularity in school, despite his violent tendencies, they specifically encouraged him to take a particular Aspect. Caladin followed his teachers’ advice and chose Mhol – the Aspect of drive, authority, rationality and resolve, a common pick amongst leaders, whether civilian or military.
As Caladin grew up he also managed to grow into his chosen Aspect, even moreso than his teachers anticipated. When it was time to choose his secondary Aspect, friends and teachers alike thought Caladin would choose that of Khovin, the Aspect of fortitude, bravery, compassion and respect, the by far most popular and acknowledged pick by those wishing to lead. Instead Caladin picked Avanar – the Aspect of intractability, preservation, precaution and analysis. His friends were somewhat dismayed by his choice, but Caladin’s teachers were very approving. By choosing Avanar, Caladin had made it clear that he had fully learned to control his emotions and fully appreciated the responsibility of the natural drive he had – the drive required to not just succeed but excel in life. By choosing Avanar, Caladin proved that he could think beyond glory and honor, instead picking something more serving, if perhaps less virtuous. As such, Caladin finished his education and received his full name: Caladin Mohl’Avanar.
As for Caladin’s choice of trade, there was little surprise; Caladin chose that of the Soldier (not to be confused with being a soldier. Picking the trade “the Soldier” means you pick a life in the Army, regardless of which practical occupation you will perform there). Thus, he was promptly enlisted in the Army. Like every other youngster choosing to work in the armed forces, Caladin had to go through a number of trials and tests to determine his capabilities and by extent which vocation would fit him the best. Even so, Caladin remained the one to choose which trade he would actually pick up, as Calesian laws dictate.
Throughout the tests, Caladin proved to perform particularly well in those of Marksmanship and Leadership. He was recommended the trade of Squad Leader, an entry level trade in the management branch of the Army. He chose accordingly, and thus started his five years long basic training which would make him an actual Squad Leader.
Fast forward fifteen years, and he is now serving in the army under the rank of Captain. Caladin is at this point 41 years of age. As Captain he is responsible of a hundred squads, meaning that a thousand men serves under his command. During his time in the army, Caladin had continuously impressed his superiors by, as far as they were concerned, not just taking to his Aspects but
encompassing them. While the nation had remained in peace, Calesia had on several occasions sent military aid to various allies throughout the years, whether to quell rebellions, aid in defensive wars or simply to serve as peacekeepers. During these missions, Caladin had shown an aptitude for military command – as in tactical and strategical analysis and planning. Simply put, Caladin knew when, what and how to engage enemy combatants and win.
Yet Caladin was far from content with his lot. He had realized that although he had certainly learned how to control his ludicrous energy levels, it was when he channeled them into live combat that he felt good. Not just good, but great. Alive. While it was hardly something fitting a Calesian, Caladin found that he
enjoyed combat. He enjoyed the thrill of it, and he enjoyed outsmarting and defeating his enemies. And now he would get to throw himself into it fully for the first time – the powerful Valnaur Empire had recently declared a war of conquest on its neighboring human states, and Calesia had opted to aid its brethren.
As the war raged on, Caladin proved to be not just a good commander, but a great one. His vectant (as is what the one thousand man strong company serving under every Captain is called) performed amicably, defeating the Valnaur at most occasions and holding them off when faced against difficult, sometimes overwhelming, odds. Because of his success, Caladin was sent to increasingly difficult missions, aiding fringe colonies and poorly armed civilians against enemy troops.
During the last days of the war, everything took a very bad turn. Despite the human confederacy seemingly being able to hold off the Valnaur onslaught, Caladin and his men was sent to a battle graded Black by the army along with four other vectants – Black roughly equating to “impossible”. The battle was fought on the planet of Moovir, located in a fringe system belonging to the eponymous planet-state. The Moovirians where outnumbered 1:3 by the Valnaur force and severely outgunned. Neighboring states had opted not to aid Moovir as the battle was deemed lost anyhow, seeming as the Valnaur were bringing in more forces to the sector. The great success of Caladin’s vectant, now known as “Vectant Vanuria” (“Vanuria” roughly translates as unassailable, insurmountable or unconquerable) had prompted the higher ups in the military command to see an opportunity – a win at Moovir would greatly improve Calesias esteem as well as foreign relations.
The result was another, however. While Caladin and his men did what they could, the battle was unwinnable, at least to them. They opted for a retreat, yet were cut off by Valnaur reinforcements before they could leave the site. Instead of engaging the vectant head on (perhaps the reputation of Caladin and his men made the Valnaur think better of it, or perhaps they had different reasons entirely) the Valnaur forces decided to bomb the Calesian troops from orbit, thus forgoing any chance of taking a reasonable amount of captives. Subsequently, nearly the entire vectant was lost in the fire that rained down upon them. Caladin himself barely survived the bombing and was left in a fatal condition, suffering third degree burns on most of his body, yet the Calesian Command had thankfully (though how thankful Caladin was of the Calesian strategy is best left unsaid) sent a secondary force to intercept the Valnaur reinforcements. The battle that ensued left the Valnaur in shambles, and Caladin along with the few survivors of his vectant were evacuated.
Fast forward another three years, and Caladin is now 46. He managed to survive his injuries, though even with the cutting-edge technology available in this age he remains visibly severely scarred. The failure of Vectant Vanuria was a sensationally publicized one, and rather than facing the embarrassment of the truth (having sent their best men to a hopeless battle in hopes of gaining favor with others), the military command of Calesia opted to throw Caladin and the captains of the other four vectants in the assault under the bus. As such, Caladin’s trust of his superiors had vanished, and though he would only face a punishment in the form of demotion to Squad Leader (perhaps a leniency from someone high up knowing Caladin was not at fault), Caladin decided to leave both the army and Calesia entirely. He had been taught the value of trust, and it had now been broken. He had to leave. At least, that was his official reason.
After leaving Calesia, Caladin took up the one trade he knew – that of fighting. He became a freelance mercenary working for the highest bidder, and it wasn’t long before he formed his own team of discerning mercenaries. Today, Caladin remains true to his chosen Aspects, and is viewed as a serious, disciplined but well-meaning commander, reluctant to send neither himself nor his men into missions where the odds are stacked against them. He is nearing his fifties, though thanks to genetic modifications and modern medicine he hardly appears as if. Even so, he certainly appears scarred, with the right side of his face showing large burns despite the considerable surgery Caladin underwent to reconstruct his face. He is, and has always been, a heavily built man standing at roughly 6" 6' and weighing in at 200 pounds, though he remains dwarfed by more than a couple of the sentient alien races known to man. All in all,
most people hardly consider Caladin a pretty man, but they do find him an intimidating one.
