Cain

The biggest man in the room, the surest bet in the castle — and he still had to butcher dead men to almost beat a poisoned girl.

Cain is a soldier of the King of Adarlan and Celaena Sardothien's rival in the contest to become the King's Champion, from Throne of Glass — a mountain-born giant who used Wyrdmarks and an obsidian ring to butcher his fellow competitors for power. He is the reader's first look at the Valg, a whole year before anyone learns the name.

At a glance

KIND: Human soldier — from the White Fang Mountains, freefolk-descended
SPONSOR: Duke Perrington
IN THE CONTEST: Celaena Sardothien's chief rival for King's Champion
HIS METHOD: Wyrdmarks, an obsidian ring, and a summoned ridderak
SECRET: Valg-empowered — the first the series shows the reader
ALMOST: Beat a bloodbane-poisoned Celaena in the final duel
UNDONE BY: Elena, who ripped the demon out of him
KILLED BY: Chaol Westfall — Chaol's first kill

His people

Who stood against him.

Swipe to meet them all

Celaena Sardothien Adarlan's AssassinCelaena Sardothienhis enemyEnter Celaena Sardothien →

The one he faced.

The one he faced

A champion fed on Valg power — beaten, and dead for it.

Swipe to meet them all

Celaena Sardothien The rival who beat himCelaena SardothienValg-fed and monstrous, he was her rival — until she beat him poisoned, and he died.Enter Celaena Sardothien →

What he covets

Power enough to win — and it ate him.

He wanted to win badly enough to open a door he could not close.

Raw power
More than skill, more than training — the kind you don't earn, you take.
The Champion's title
To stand first in the trials, whatever it fed on.
The dark magic
Wyrd-power drawn from a place no one should reach into, and he reached anyway.
The ridderak's leash
A monster called up to do his killing — until the magic decided he was the meal.

What he wants

To win at any cost

He wanted the Champion's title enough to feed on dark Wyrd-power and call a creature out of nowhere to kill for him. The power was real. So was the price — it hollowed him out and wore what was left.

The long versionRead his whole storyEverything, in one place.Enter the full story

We're Caffeine and Curses. The Library started as my design research — I can't put Manon on a shirt without knowing which way the iron teeth snap — so we keep the notes here where everyone can use them. The pages are fan-made, not official; the licensed designs are in the shop.

Officially licensed