Cain

"I am probably the greatest captain to ever to set sail upon the void. I've plundered ancient libraries, Imperial shrine worlds, destroyed an entire species and looted the vaults of a number of long dead gods. My name is Cain Lets see. I'm a champion of the Dark Gods, a Daemon Prince, oh and the master of the Brethren of Spite. That's the name of the Chaos space marines currently carrying away your valuables and women."

- Cain

Cain is the Pirate Lord and Daemon Prince of the Brethren of Spite. Originally the captain of the Brotherhood of Man's 2nd company, Cain led a coup against it's leadership which ended in a brutal three year war. After the dust settled, Cain would reforge the remains of the broken chapter into the piratical raiders known as the '''Brethren of Spite. ''' A veteran corsair, Cain continues leads his mean to new plunder and loot.

Rise
"The Imperium has betrayed us! They sent us to to die in pointless battles as nothing but fodder! Hear me welps, I will return your kindness in the same fashion. Your worlds our forfeit weaklings, they are nothing but tribute to me."

- Cain

As a recruit, Cain possessed a manipulative and logical take on battle, though this was overshadowed by his dedication to the Emperor and his chapter, the Brotherhood of man. Cain's personality was seen as some as a dark omen, though such things where ignored for his tactical ability in combat. He would eventually become a member of the second companies command squad, before moving on to become it's Captain. However, soon after he became Captain and ship-master of the chapter, it's strength began to falter. Casualty rates had risen massively with the Brotherhood entering too many conflicts without support or assistance, while chapter command had no intention to stop. The Brotherhood were a fleet bound chapter, and recruitment was not an easy task, espically when it was revealed to them that several of their recruiting worlds had fallen to a Chaos incursion. Even after this, the Brotherhood was readying itself to enter another crusade, and once again they were alone. Cain, realising that the chapter would not survive if this continued gathered those brothers closest to him and launched a coup. Cain, with a majority of the chapter at his back demanded that the Brotherhood be allowed to refrain from high end conflicts until it's strength was regained. They refused, and Cain launched his rebellion. For three years the Brotherhood battled each other in a vicious conflict that might have devastated the chapter if it had continued on any longer, only halting when Cain utterly crushed the loyalist faction which refused to bow to his rule. With chapter command having more influence over the Brotherhood's veterans, the chapter soon found itself deprived of it's former leadership, quickly replaced by those favoured by Cain. Now it's strength lay at just over four hundred astartes, and they quickly set out to expand their numbers so they could return to active duty once again.

But a new problem faced Cain. The chapters gene-seed was found to be deteriorating, and it wasn't a recent development. The records that the chapter possessed before the civil war revealed such issues had existed for several centuries, and Cain soon realised that the chapters use in high end conflicts, and the refusal to rebuild, was an attempt to wipe out the chapter before the gene-seed deterioration worsened. Enraged, the Brotherhood refused to serve the Imperium that had abandoned them and sent them to die any longer. Renaming themselves the Brethren of Spite, they swore new oaths of loyalty to Cain. His first orders were to leave the Imperium and head to the Eastern Fringe, but not without burning and raising as many worlds as possible in their wake. With just under 600 astartes at his command, Cain possessed a sizeable and loyal force. Mere hours after their departure, an Inquisition strike force had arrived seeking to 'interrogate' and detain Cain and his chapter. Now all they found was the fury of the traitor Chapter master. Cain's newly christened Brethren were all to quick to follow their Chapter Master into slaughter, and killed thousands as they looted and pillaged their way across several planets, stealing ships and resources, pirating numerous shipping lanes and laying waste to their defenceless enemies. The maliciousness that the Brethren displayed towards their victims was extreme. Cain and his men had been veterans in the art of ship to ship warfare, and few could hope to stop them.

By the time the Imperial response came, Cain had led the Brethren fully into becoming revears and corsairs. Thousands lay dead, worlds ravaged and shipping lanes destroyed by the hand of the Brethren's chapter master. Cain did not flee when the Imperium came to launch their counter-attack, and at first outmanoeuvred and eliminated his foes, still driven by his anger at the Imperium for sending his chapter to die. Reaping a bloody tally, and having left a path of broken worlds in his wake, Cain led the Brethren into the depths of the Eastern fringe, not wishing to be bogged down in a war of attrition against the Imperial counter attack. They swore they would return however, and continue to despoil the Imperial space.

The Eastern Fringe and the Ark
"I welcome your contribution to our cause! Your warband will make a fine addition to our own."

- Cain to the Tzeentch Sorcerer Zf'ike

As the Brethren moved further and further into the depths of the Eastern Fringe, they encountered fewer and fewer Imperial forces and out-posts, and soon began to encounter alien fleets and worlds. Requisitioning resources became much harder, with Cain pressed to find a way to resolve the issue. Soon that resolution came. The Brethren and their lord found not only xenos in the depths of the Eastern Fringe, but other renegades, and servants of Chaos. Corrupted astartes warbands provided an excellent source of resources, and man-power. During a clash against a splinter faction of the Iron Warriors, Cain's murder of their chief Warsmith broke their resolve, and they pledged themselves to the Chapter master in order to keep their lives. Cain soon realised that it was much easier to gain the veterans of defeated foes than train his own new marines, and that the other pirate forces would bow to him if he proved his worth. Soon, the Brethren's loses were not only filled by fresh recruits, but those enemies that had surrendered and pledged their loyalty to Cain. Soon, it was not only former members joining the Brethren. The gene-seed of fallen foes was harvested, as well as their equipment and vessels, no matter how corrupt. It was not long before the taint of Chaos began to spread through the chapter.

However, it was when the Brethren dived deeper and deeper into the void of space did Cain find his greatest prize. An ancient Ark Mechanicus, adrift in the depths of space, the ancient vessel was scarred and devoid of life. Cain led an expedition into the ship, finding it's halls empty. Cain had his tech-marines and what tech-priests he had at his command study the vessel, and found that with some repairs the ship would be fully operational, however finding the resources and experts needed to preform such a task (along with convincing them to do so) would be an exceptionally difficult task, that was however until Cain found the ancient vaults of the craft had been sealed and remained un-plundered. Cain now had a way to barter with those needed to repair the ship. It was not long before he had a crew of renegade scientists and mechanicus agents working on the craft. After just under two years, the Ark Mechanicus was operational. Cain named the ship "The Covenant of Sin", a fitting title for his new flag ship. It would be the home of the Brethren of Spite. Taking the helm, Cain led the Brethren back to the Imperium, in force. With their new warship, the Brethren could conduct even larger and more daring raids upon the Imperial shipping lanes. Little was match for Cain's prized warship, and thus nothing could stop him and his men from freely crushing convoys and looting what he needed from them. Under Cain's leadership, the Brethren prospered.

The Imperium strikes back
"You cannot stop us! You might drive us back, but we will return, stronger and stronger, and we will find you weaker and weaker."

- Cain

As Cain expected, the Imperium was slow to respond to the now much stronger raids of the Brethren. Cain took as much advantage of the situation as possible, and increased the strength and size of his raids to profit as much as possible from the period before any counter attack. With this in mind, he stepped up his campaign massively, crushing and raiding dozens of convoys. However, when the Imperium launched their strike against the Brethren, it's strength was unexpected. Alongside an Imperial battle-group, a strike force of Imperial Fists had arrived. Cain realised he could not engage on a head on war with them, not even with his bolstered pirate forces would he be able to do so. Cain ordered a mass retreat back into the depths of the Eastern Fringe, pursued by the Imperial battle fleet. Cain was not content to run from the Imperials forever, and sought a means to crush his foes as quickly as possible. Realising that the Imperial Fists had come to seek vengeance for sons of Dorn turning their backs on the Imperium, Cain, knew what to do. He'd turn the righteous vengeance of the Imperial Fists against them. Cain issued a boast to the Imperial Fists, mocking the chapter for it's weakness and laughing at the exploits of their ancient enemies, the Iron Warriors, during the battle of the Iron Cage. These great insults smeared the honour of the Imperial Fists, and angered them greatly. Cain continued to goad them over hacked vox-coms and comm-channels, mocking the Imperial Fists for their inability to match the strength of their foes. The Chaos Champion pushed them further and further into such a great rage that they jumped on any unidentified ship signal they found, and eventually Cain sprung his trap.

Cain sent small raiding parties out as bait to lure in the Imperial Fists fleet, readying himself to launch an ambush of massive scale upon the Imperial Fists.

Pirate Lord
Eventually an attempt made by the Imperial Fists to destroy the Brethren, who were a stain to their honour. Learning of this, Cain would lure the Imperial Fists into a brutal ambush and humiliating battle. Under his direction the Brethren of Spites fleet was able to draw the Imperial Fists strike force into a battle they simply could not win. Disabled and crippled, the loyalist fleet was left as easy prey, Outmanoeuvred and surrounded, Cain gave the Imperial Fists few options. The Imperial ships launched as many boarding pods and craft as possible, while the remaining ships were scuttled. They had played right into Cain's hands.

Cain allowed his chosen veterans to hunt the Imperial Fists, pitting the sons of Dorn against each other in brutal combat. While the Fists were able to gain ground and destroy or disable several ships, they could not hope to overcome the Brethren. The Imperial Fists would make their last stand upon the Brethren's own ships. They would die fighting and Cain was happy to indulge them. Leading his chosen troops into battle with the Imperial Fist veterans, the Chaos Lord displayed his brutality for all to see. Crushing the Imperial Fists with his great power claw, and laid waste to them with his plasma rifle. Reaping a blood tally, Cain and his chosen proudly made trophies of their fallen foes.

In reward for the unrelentingly brutal murder of his former kin and the thousands of others Cain had killed, he was gifted by the dark gods. He soon found he could no longer remove his armour, his flesh had bounded with it. Now his skin had melded with his artificer armour, and soon Cain came to find that this was only the start. Cain's body was racked by a painful transformation. Cain's blood became white hot molten metal, his organs and armour vital systems melded together, while his bones shifted into a cerimite like alloy. By the end of it Cain was barely human, but he knew what he had been given was no curse, but a glorious gift and the first of many dare he appease the black powers once again.

Adventures on the high seas
Cain's love for adventure grew into an obsession, and he sought out to feed it with even greater feats. Cain and the Brethren of Spite visited hundreds of worlds in seeking out loot, and with every raid, Cain's strength grew as did his reputation as the Brethren of Spite's pirate captain. Cain and his crew found themselves with a most precious gift, an Eldar maiden world. Giddy with excitement, Cain launched a campaign of looting, raiding and pillaging. Hundreds died within the first days as the Brethren pounded the world with vast barrages, leveling cities and burning vast swathes of the world into a barren ashen hellscape. When Cain and his warriors made planet fall however, the Exodites refused to bow, even as the Brethren of Spite's war fleet pounded the world bellow with ever increasing fire power. By the time the Cain had actually made planet fall, they found very little to destroy themselves. Cain and his chosen host cut a swathe through the Exodite defenders, looting whatever Eldar treasures he could find, Cain would spill much Eldar blood.

Cain fought scores of the 'primitive' Exodite warriors and knights, after several days of heavy fighting, their remains soon adorned Cain's trophy rack. The pirate lord would fight a number of the Eldar warrior champions, crushing them in his power fists vice grip or cutting them apart with his saber. Cain delighted in the violence he and his men wrought, loving the terrible combat that ensued as he and his terminator honour guard crashed head on into Exodite knights. Cain's enjoyment would not last long. Soon a strike force from Saim-Hann would arrive to exterminate the Chaos space marines for their vile actions. Led by Autarch Drow Thel, the Brethren collapsed under the furious Eldar counter attacks. Already spread thin across the world, Cain had little ability to organize any sort of a proper defense. Cain barely escaped from an assassination attempt by Eldar rangers, forcing the Brethren of Spites en mass retreat, having lost almost two hundred traitor astartes. Furious at his defeat, Cain licked his wounds while he planned his vengeance upon Drow Thel.

Appearance
"Good, you bare more mettle than the rest of your spineless comrades, and you will be rewarded for your fine acts of bravery and defiance in the face of the daemon and heretic, with the honour to be my first mortal sacrifices on this world in tribute to the Dark Gods...."

- Cain

Cain is a monstrous creature to say the least. A hulking beast of metal and flesh, Cain's imposing stature and notable strength are bolstered by thick plates of Cain's power armour, which now forms a carapace like hide over the Daemon Princes body, having formed and moulded together over years of exposure to the warp. Wires and cables hang lose from gouges and chinks in his ancient battle plate, dripping with boiling and searing ichor that eats through flesh and metal like a knife through butter. Cain's eyes blaze with warp fire, and he brings with him a stench of soot and brimstone. Cain's right arm has mutated into a great Plasma cannon, once his ancient master crafted Plasma Gun, now a part of his body. Cain's face is a scowling, daemonic visage, scared and beaten from his lifetime of war. From his back, great wings hang around him like a cloak.

Personality
"The galaxy is an open sea, an open sea, dotted with loot, pleasures and plunder and all manner of things to take and steal! Let madmen plot it's destruction, and let the weak huddle scared in their collapsing castles. This, this universe is for us!"

- Cain

Cain is a simple man. A leader of men, Cain has led his Brethren of Spite with cruelty, cunning, and a foul sense of idealism. Cain see's the galaxy as nothing but a massive free for all. A realm of dying empires, monsters and mad men, but Cain knows well that it is not just. Cain understands that the galaxy also possesses it's wonders, it's treasures, loot and pleasures, and he seeks to find and discover the greatest of these in what he knows might be his short existence. With this ideology has Cain led the Brethren of Spite, and through this has he moulded his once weak and stray renegade chapter into a fleet of veteran corsairs and pirates hungry for adventure and loot. What had started out as a plan to loot and pillage the Imperium of vengeance, has instead become a life to loot and pillage the galaxy at large for the sake it, and Cain loves this. Morally barren and lacking in both compassion or care for others, Cain doesn't see the need for it. It doesn't profit him anything, a weight that drags down his goals and plans, and this like anything else that does Cain has purged it from his mind and being to better suit him.

Powers and abilities
Cain is a skilled fighter at both range and close quarters, and has only continued to hone and sharpen his ability since his corruption. Once a renowned duellist among the Brotherhood of Man's hidden warrior covens, Cain is a vicious and terrible combatant, willing to do everything and anything to win. As a Daemon Prince, Cain's strength, dexterity and stamina are all above that of even a Space marine Tales of the Daemon Prince crushing astartes like a child would an insect aren't uncommon, while Cain's jagged claws are excellent for piercing open battle tanks and other armoured vehicles with exceptional ease.

Cain's armour and skin have bonded, while his power armours internal systems and Cain's own organs have also bonded, turning his blood into a plasma laced burning ichor that feeds his own weaponry and can melt through armour and flesh like a warm knife through butter. Cain's armour is a thick, reinforced plate able to resist even the strongest of anti-tank weaponry.

Cain uses a number of weapons in battle. Cain's ancient power fist has become part of his flesh, now tipped by silver talons and crackles with ethereal light. Powered by Cain's own blood ichor, the weapon can slice apart or pry open even the heaviest of armour. Cain also carries into battle a massive plasma cannon, bonded with his own flesh. An ancient artificer weapon, Cain has improved and upgraded this old Plasma cannon into a venerable weapon of terrible power.

About
"If some upstart Captain from a third-rate successor chapter with nothing to it's name can become a Daemon Prince, the Ruinous Powers must really be desperate for help these days."

- Acherius Erinyes, being his usual condescending self

"Nay, from one man who has been betrayed to another. I have no kin on the craftworlds or the sludge filled Commorragh. My kin are my fellow Corsairs and Pirates!"

- Khanrath Mitore

"I'z gettin' tired of all deez otha' "Pirates".. Dey'z takin' all mah loot!"

- Admiral Goffgutz