Prince Cayden Aslan Aberdeen

Gaspard Ulliel as Cayden Aslan Aberdeen

CHARACTER BRIEF

Full Name:	Cayden Aslan Aberdeen
Age:	22
Kingdom:	Tanara
House:	Aberdeen
Position:	Prince
Place of Birth:	Aboard a ship bound for Fairisle

FAMILY

Father:	King Isaac Aberdeen
Mother:	Queen Annalysse Aberdeen née Stewert
Siblings:	Conall Aberdeen, Ciarrah Kilgour née Aberdeen, Cassius Aberdeen, Others
Spouse:	None
Children:	None

Table of Contents

Background

Prince Cayden Aberdeen is the second son of King Isaac Aberdeen. He has a strong reputation as a hunter of pirates and a naval commander.

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Cayden Aberdeen was born two years after his brother, Conall, appropriately enoughon board a ship. He had been born a month and a half before expected, while his royal parents were returning from a visit to one of their vassals on another island. Thankfully it was calm seas and a fair breeze that accompanied his birth, and despite being quite small, he was healthy. Cayden was a placid and somewhat shy young boy, ever trailing after his elder brother, and seeming quite content to live in his shadow. However, while Conall was destined for the path of Knighthood, King Isaac had another path in store for his second son thanks to the portents of his birth, and at the tender age of eight, he was sent to foster with his Uncle, Prince Lucas Aberdeen, who at the time served as the Lord High Admiral of Aberdeen's naval forces.

While his fosterage under Lucas was by and large a happy one, and Lucas treated Cayden as though he were his own son, the training he underwent was rigorous, preparing him for life as one of House Aberdeen's famed Sea Rangers. Before he was ten years old he had already learned the rudiments of sailing and sea navigation. By the time he was fifteen he had studied countless treatises on naval warfare and was showing signs of having a great talent for it. Of course plenty of lessons in combat came along with those in seamanship, and swimming of course, as well as the usual education expected of a young nobleman. Cayden eagerly absorbed it all, encouraged by the letters his father would send speaking of his pride in his progress.

Indeed, so diligently did Cayden learn the lessons his uncle taught that by the age of 16 he was placed in command of his first ship. By 17 he had been blooded a half-dozen times over in skirmishes against pirates and smugglers encroaching on the Eastern Isles. At the age of 19, he had made such a name for himself as a pirate-hunter that Lucas named him a full-fledged Sea Ranger and gave him command over a whole squadron of 6 ships, headed by one of the swiftest and most maneuverable warships in Aberdeen's fleet, the Wavedancer. Through it all, his skills in matters of battle on the high seas only continued to grow. His aggressive pursuit of pirates and other foes of Aberdeen landed him in more combat within six years than some men see in their entire lives.

All of this experience and training came at a price, however. Cayden was a virtual stranger to his own family, seeing them only infrequently. He loved them no less and cherished the moments that he did get to spend with them, but his relationships were often stronger with his cousins (Lucas' children) than with his own siblings. He earned considerable fame and made his father proud securing the seas and coastlines of the Eastern Isles, but such duties often kept him at sea for weeks or even months on end, punctuated only by a few days of shore leave here and there to resupply. He was late to receive the news of his sister's betrothal to Prince Tyrel of Mobrin, even later to hear word of the birth of her children.

Eventually, Cayden's efforts (along with others, of course) had proven so effective that overall pirate activity around the Eastern Isles had decreased noticeably. King Isaac decided that a further show of support for his new alliance with Mobrin was needed, and so he sent yet another of his children across the sea to Darfield. Thus did Cayden Aberdeen gain the opportunity to fight in a war against someone other than pirates and raiders. Eager to show his nations' strength and to reunite with the siblings he had long been separated from, Cayden and his squadron of ships made their way to Stormvale, ready and eager to prove that Mobrin's joining with Aberdeen was a wise and fortuitous decision.

Character Features

Behavior

Outwardly, Cayden Aberdeen is a dutiful young man with a wry and sardonic sense of humor. He is quite outgoing and tends to get along well with noble and commoner alike. He is very aware of his family's image and is careful to maintain the boundaries of propriety but is also willing to push them to their limits, for his own amusement and the amusement of others. He's a bit "saltier" than most Royals (unsurprising given how much time he's spent in the company of sailors), but usually manages to keep his language and manners far more clean in the presence of other nobles. He has a great deal of swagger to him, but softens it with just enough self-effacing humor that he does not cross the line into outright arrogance. He knows that in his homeland he has already attained something of a larger than life reputation and while he doesn't quite revel in it, he is aware that it can be a powerful tool and is not afraid to leverage it (or take actions to enhance it) when he can.

Inwardly, Cayden is ambitious and driven to succeed at all he sets his mind to. He is completely loyal to his family and has no designs on the Throne of Aberdeen, but rather eyes the position of Tanara's Lord High Admiral when the Uncle that has taught him so much chooses to retire. He can be a bit ruthless in battle, and there are indeed times where his tactics and fighting style push the boundaries of what might be considered honorable. Still, Cayden reasons that he would rather have a mildly questionable victory than defeat brought on by clinging to lofty ideals, and the gritty realities of ship-to-ship and shipboard combat often do not permit the luxury of idealism. He is also far more inclined to be merciful and honorable towards legitimate combatants of other nations, as opposed to Pirates, whom he tends to execute with extreme prejudice.

Quirks

Famous Captain - Cayden has gained a good deal of fame and glory as a relentless hunter of pirates and their ilk. Many are surprised at his relatively young age when they meet him.

Battle-Hardened - Cayden has seen a lot more combat than most men his age, most of it aboard ship. He has both the scars and the practical experience that come along with them.

Driven - Cayden commits himself fully to any goal he wants to achieve, and is absolutely relentless in their pursuit.

Pragmatic - Cayden tends to value ends over means. While he is mindful of the reputation of himself and his family, he can be impatient with what he sees as needless or counterproductive traditions and pageantry.

Sure-Footed - Years aboard ship have given Cayden an impeccable sense of balance. It is extremely rare for him to slip, stumble, or otherwise loose his footing outside of another person deliberately trying to take him off of them.

High Alcohol Tolerance - Cayden can drink men twice his size (even salty sailors) under the table and barely seem buzzed for it.