Tain
| Tain | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | Sharezan[1] |
| Profession | Trackt, Criminal |
| Ethnicity | Daysider |
| Nationality | Lossandin |
| Homeworld | Taldain |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Tain is a trackt working under Ais on Taldain.[2] He is also the crime lord Sharezan. It is unknown which of these, if any, is his true name. He uses his role as a trackt as a cover and a way to stay ahead of the authorities.[1] Sharezan's organization is involved in running drug dens and other unspecified illicit activities involving the Tower and the Guild.
Appearance and Personality[edit]
Tain is a middle aged man with gray hair. He wears the black robes, cape, pants, and boots of a trackt and has a zinkall on his right arm. He enjoys exploiting people's fears. As a hobby he explores peoples' flaws, discovers their breaking point, and then sets up elaborate traps to push all of their triggers and try and drive them off the brink of sanity.[1]
History[edit]
As a Trackt[edit]
Tain was a trackt working under Ais and, ironically, was one of the head investigators tracking Sharezan, whom Ais incorrectly believed to be Nilto, while Ais was busy guarding Kenton. He was assigned to watch Nilto's boat races when Ais suspected Nilto of manipulating the results. He reported to Ais that Lokmlen cut a deal while in custody and that they were getting close, presumably to catching Sharezan.[2] He was sent to investigate the death of Tarn the Tonk where he "discovered" a note of warning from Sharezan. He brought the note to Ais, who was at the Diem. Ais asked whom the note could be warning, since it was likely placed after Tarn was already dead, and Tain told her that he thought it was a warning to all of the trackts.[3] When Ais was on her way out from speaking with Heelis about Raagent's death, Tain intercepted her, saying that they had found Sharezan. Tain handed her a zinkall and asked her to join him on the raid. When Ais asked how he figured it out, Tain said that it was Lokmlen's confession that gave it away. When they arrived in the alleged hideout, Tain raised his zinkall to Ais' head and revealed himself to be Sharezan.
[edit]
“I enjoy our game, Ais. You gamble your family - I fear I have little to bet in return.”
—Sharezan in his first letter to Ais.[4]
After Sharezan's men and Ais' trackts had a shoot-out during a raid in which six trackts were killed and five more were injured,[4] Ais fought and arrested Lokmlen and they discovered a suicidal and sickly Torkel alive in a hidden closet. The corpses of Torkel's family members were also found in the closet with him. He told Ais that he and his family were imprisoned by Sharezan after he tried to back out of a secret deal, likely related to his access to Vey.[5] When Ais got home she found a letter from Sharezan waiting for her. In reaction to this letter, Ais asked Mellis to take Melloni and seek refuge somewhere in the south so they could be safe from Sharezan; Mellis didn't listen to her.[5]
Sharezan killed Tarn, an agent of his, to prevent him from going to the authorities. Afterwards, as Tain, he returned to "investigate" the death and he planted a note of warning which he then brought to Ais.[3]. Lord General Raagent arranged a meeting with Ais hoping to get out of Sharezan's grasp, but Sharezan heard of the meeting and made a trap. He planted a firebomb in the abandoned building where the meeting was to have taken place, but Ais noticed something was wrong when she heard someone limping away, and she and Kenton escaped unharmed.[6]
Presumably as revenge for his attempted betrayal, Sharezan personally executed Raagent in a brutal fashion. He snuck into Raagent's sleeping chambers in the Tower, used Raagent's ShalRim bed sheets to tie him up, and then brought him down into the Tower's wine cellar where his cries for help wouldn't be heard. Sharezan propped Raagent up against a wall and lit candles to provide some light in the darkness of the cellar. He then dosed him with kamo, an emotional stimulant, and cut off his eyelids. Since, like all Daysiders, Raagent was afraid of the dark, the kamo combined with the growing darkness from the candles burning out caused Raagent's mind to conjure up all sorts of horrors. Since he couldn't close his eyes, he was forced to endure these nightmares until he died from the fright.[7] Baon theorized that the murder was done in order to lessen Kenton's chances of winning all of the Taishins' votes, since Raagent was one of Kenton's supporters.[1]
“Orphans make such heart-wrenching victims, so innocent yet no one to mourn them. Or would you prioritize saving someone with a more personal connection?”
—Sharezan to Ais[1]
When Ais was on her way out from speaking with Heelis about Raagent's death, Tain intercepted her saying that they found Sharezan. Tain handed her a zinkall and asked her to join him on the raid. When Ais asked how he figured it out, Tain said that it was Lokmlen's confession that gave it away. When they arrived in the alleged hideout, Tain raised his zinkall to Ais' head and revealed himself to be Sharezan. A shocked Ais admitted her surprise at this revelation and admitted that she had suspected Nilto. Ais tried to use the zinkall he gave her to kill him, but it puffed and failed. Sharezan laughed at the fact that she had trusted him when he gave her the weapon, though if it had been Nilto she wouldn't have trusted the weapon. One of his men knocked Ais to the ground and, knowing that Ais had a raging emotional conflict inside her, Sharezan gloated to her about the "project" he had planned for her.[1]
Sharezan told Ais that due to her work his operation in Kezare had been fatally compromised and that he would soon be taking some time off, but he wanted to indulge in a hobby of his before he left. He told her that he had Lokmlen plant a firetrap in the orphanage in which Ais was raised and that he was also going to attack and hurt her family; she wouldn't have time to save both. Then, leaving her with this dilemma, he ran off after instructing his men to hold her for one minute and then let her go. When they released her, Ais ran into the streets in a panic, breathing erratically. She desperately searched for and found a trackt on the street and, between gasps, told him to go secure the orphanage. Then, out of breath, she stumbled to her house. When she neared the house she heard a loud banging sound coming from inside; in a panic and afraid of what she would find, she ran upstairs. When she got inside she saw Tain, holding a sword, being thrown through a wall by Kenton. Kenton told her that Mellis and Melloni were safe and that this "assassin" was about to kill them. Kenton then explained that he had come to ask her something about Raagent when he saw an armed man entering the house, assumed he was an assassin coming to kill him, and in sheer reflex lashed out with his sand. When Ais told him that this attacker was really Sharezan, Kenton moved to kill him; Ais stopped him, saying that Sharezan must face proper justice.[1]
Relationships[edit]
As a Trackt[edit]
Trackt Tain is a high ranking officer among the trackts of Trackt Hall. He works directly for Ais as her second-in-command. Ais considers him to be her best officer.[3]
[edit]
As the crime lord Sharezan, Tain has wide ranging influence over Kezare. Known members of his gang and people under its influence are:
Quotes[edit]
“I'm fascinated by exploring people's flaws and finding their breaking point. Poor Lord Raagent was so afraid of the dark, for instance, it was enough to drive him insane. ”
—Sharezan to Ais[1]
“Duty or family, Ais? Choose quickly--my men will let you leave here in one minute, but regrettably you won't have time to save both. ”
—Sharezan to Ais[1]
Trivia[edit]
- In the prose Kenton accidentally kills Sharezan, beleiving him to be a terken assassin; instead of merely stunning him as he does in the graphic novel.