Tain
| Tain | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | Sharezan[1] |
| Profession | Trackt, Criminal |
| Ethnicity | Daysider |
| Nationality | Lossandin |
| Homeworld | Taldain |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Tain is a Trackt working under Ais.[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
Tain is a middle aged man with gray hair. He wears the black robes, cape, pants, and boots of a trackt a 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
As a Trackt
Tain is a Trackt working under Ais and ironically, is one of the head investigators tracking Sharezan, whom Ais incorrectly believes to be Nilto, while Ais is busy guarding Kenton. He was assigned to watch Nilto's boat races when Ais suspected Nilto of manipulating the results. He reports to Ais that Lokmlen cut a deal while in custody and that they're getting close, presumably to catching Sharezan.[2] He is sent to investigate the death of Rennold Pharl where he "discovers" a note of warning from Sharezan. He brings the note to Ais who is at the Diem. Ais asks who the note could be warning, since it was likely placed after Pharl was already dead, and Tain tells her that he thinks it is a warning to all of the trackts.[3] When Ais is on her way out from speaking with Heelis about Raagent's death Tain intercepts her saying that they found Sharezan. Tain hands her a zinkall and asks her to join him on the raid. When Ais asks how he figured it out, Tain says that it was Lokmlen's confession that gave it away. When they arrive in the alleged hideout, Tain raises his zinkall to Ais' head and reveals himself to be Sharezan.
“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 have a shoot-out during a raid in which six trackts are killed and five more were injured,[4] and Ais fights and arrests Lokmlen, they discover 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 tells 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 gets home she finds a letter from Sharezan waiting for her. In reaction to this letter Ais asks Mellis to take Melloni and seek refuge somewhere in the south so they can be safe from Sharezan, but Mellis doesn't listen to her.[5] Sharezan kills Rennold Pharl, an agent of his, to prevent him from going to the authorities. Afterwards, as Tain, he returns to "investigate" the death and he plants a note of warning which he then brings to Ais.[3]. Lord General Raagent arranges a meeting with Ais hoping to get out of Sharezan's grasp, but Sharezan hears of the meeting and makes a trap. He plants a firebomb in the abandoned building where the meeting was to have taken place, Ais notices something is wrong when she hears someone limping away, and she and Kenton escape unharmed.[6]
Presumably as revenge for his attempted betrayal, Sharezan personally executes Raagent in a brutal fashion. He sneaks into Raagent's sleeping chambers in the Tower, uses Raagent's ShalRim bed sheets to tie him up, and then brings him down into the Tower's wine cellar where his cries for help won'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 theorizes 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 is on her way out from speaking with Heelis about Raagent's death, Tain intercepts her saying that they found Sharezan. Tain hands her a zinkall and asks her to join him on the raid. When Ais asks how he figured it out, Tain says that it was Lokmlen's confession that gave it away. When they arrive in the alleged hideout, Tain raises his zinkall to Ais' head and reveals himself to be Sharezan. A shocked Ais admits her surprise at this revelation and admits that she had suspected Nilto. Ais tries to use the zinkall he gave her to kill him but it puffs and fails. Sharezan laughs at the fact she trusted him when he gave her the weapon, but if it had been Nilto she wouldn't have trusted the weapon. One of his men knock Ais to the ground and, knowing that Ais has a raging emotional conflict inside her, Sharezan gloats to her about the "project" he has planned for her.[1]
Sharezan tells Ais that due to her work his operation in Kezare has been fatally compromised, and that he will soon be taking some time off, but he wants to indulge in a hobby of his before he leaves. He tells her that he had Lokmlen plant a firetrap in the orphanage Ais was raised in, and that he is also going to attack and hurt her family and that she won't have time to save both. Then, leaving her with this dilemma, he instructs his men to hold her for one minute, and then let her go, and then runs off. When they release her, Ais runs into the streets in a panic, breathing erratically. She desperately searches for and finds a trackt on the street and, between gasps, tells him to go secure the orphanage. Then, out of breath, she stumbles to her house. When she nears the house she hears a loud banging sound coming from inside and, in a panic afraid of what she will find, she runs upstairs. When she gets inside she sees Tain, holding a sword, being thrown through a wall by Kenton. Kenton tells her that Mellis and Melloni are safe, and that this "assassin" was about to kill them. Kenton then explains that he came to ask her something about Raagent, and 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 tells him that this attacker was really Sharezan, Kenton moves to kill him, but Ais stops him saying that Sharezan must face proper justice.[1]
Relationships
As a Trackt
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]
As the crime lord Sharezan, Tain has wide ranging influence over Kezare. Known members of his gang and people under its influence are:
Quotes
“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
- In the prose Kenton kills Sharezan instead of merely stunning him as he does in the graphic novel.