Kane

Kane is a human monk, the former Grandmaster of Flowers at the Monastery of the Yellow Rose in Damara.

Appearance
Kane is in his early 70s. He is wiry, but muscled. He has fraying white hair and beard. He dresses in simple rags and wears no jewelery other than a pair of magical rings. His belt is a simple length of rough rope, his sandals worn and threadbare. Just as befits an ascetic.

Personality
Kane meditates at least four hours each day and practices his skills for another four. Whenever he needs food or other items, he takes the most menial jobs he can find, preferably involving hard physical labor. This preserves his sense of connection with the world.

At one point in time, according to some, Kane shared the title of "...most dangerous man in all of the Bloodstone Lands." with Artemis Entreri.

Combat
Kane fights in the style of kuo-toa, his body being his weapon.

History
In 1357 DR, Kane was recruited along with six other adventurers, Olwen Forest-Friend, Friar Dugald, Riordan Parnell, Celedon Kierney, Emelyn the Gray and Gareth Dragonsbane to protect Bloodstone Village from an army of bandits. After a difficult battle, in which Kane personally defeated the Grandfather of Assassins, the heroes prevailed and were next sent to investigate the recently abandoned Bloodstone Mines. At this point Kane was called back to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, and did not partake in the subsequent discovery of the temple of Orcus. The Duergar of the temple were planning on gating in Orcus to the Material Plane, but Kane's friends foiled their plot by killing the Duergar clerics before they could complete the summoning. They then helped set up a mining agreement with the Svirfneblin living in the mines that ensured increased prosperity for the Barony of Bloodstone.

With Bloodstone now prosperous from the reopening of the mines, the town flourished, but then an assassination attempt on Gareth and the other adventurers now on the council of Bloodstone roused Kane and company to action once again. Following leads, Baron Tranth, Father in-law to Gareth, suspected that the attack was from the Duchy of Arcata, a theory proved when Arcata marched against Bloodstone soon afterwards. It was war. Arcata was added to the Bloodstone territory after a lightning counter attack on the city of Valls. With Arcata defeated, the Duchy of Carmathan joined the fray but were defeated as well. With this news, the Vaasan puppet baronies of Ostel, Morov and Polten attacked, but lost to the armies of Bloodstone too. The territories of Damara had finally been united. The newly chosen Grandfather of Assassins, a close ally of Zhengyi the Witch-King, lured Kane and his party to his mountain stronghold, which could not possibly be taken by sheer force. Brilliantly though, the adventurers snuck into the fortress disguised as assassins themselves and succeeded in neutralizing their threat. Unfortunately, this was the last straw for Zhengyi who amassed the armies of Vaasa to put down the impudent ones to the south.

The battle was held at Goliad, the scene of the greatest defeat for Damara in the first war with Vaasa, this time though, the Damaran army battled to a stalemate after it was realized that Zhengyi's undead troops could not move south of a certain line on the battlefield as it was too far from the magic that animated them in Vaasa. The mortal warriors were defeated and the Damaran army left the field of battle for Heliogabalus where Gareth was soon crowned king of all Damara.

There was still an undead army waiting at the northern border and the Witch-King was still alive to threaten the new kingdom though. Attacking Vaasa head-on would be suicidal, even if the armies they had at their disposal had not already been weakened in the battles of the past months so it was up to Kane's party once again to save the day. The party traveled to Castle Perilous where they defeated the demons and dragons that defended the place to reach Zhengyi himself. It was an epic battle, and Zhengyi was finally killed - Kane being the to strike the fatal blow and freeing the Bloodstone Lands from the Witch-King.

Before his death, Zhengyi had teleported to another part of the castle where he defended a portal to the Abyss with the last vestiges of his unlife. Saint Sollars, the patron saint of Bloodstone Pass appeared to the party and informed them that Bahamut wanted to prevent Orcus, Zhengyi's patron, from getting to the Material Plane. They were tasked with traveling through the Abyss to the realm of Orcus where they would steal his famed Wand of Orcus and deliver it to him in the Celestial Planes. Traveling through dozens of Abyssal layers, they finally made their way to Thanatos where they snuck into the demon lord's castle and, utilizing a pre-organized distraction that lured Orcus away, stole the wand and fled to the Astral Plane. There, they were escorted by archons to Saint Sollars in Celestia. Told that only Bahamut can destroy the artifact, the party went to him who then told them to steep it in the blood of Tiamat's heart. He transported them to where an avatar of Tiamat lay in wait; after a terrible battle, they killed her. The Wand was destroyed, leaving behind a gem then they were returned to Bahamut. Bahamut told Gareth to plant the gem in his castle's courtyard. Kane and the rest of Gareth's party were then returned to the Material Plane victorious.

Zhengyi's undead crumbled without the Wand of Orcus, leaving only the surviving monstrous elements of his armies in various hiding places in Vaasa. The gem was planted and within two weeks it had sprouted into a 10-foot tall white tree with golden leaves. This tree is called the Tree-Gem of Bloodstone. It was from a branch of this tree that Kane later fashions his formidable Jo Stick. But, this adventure and war was now over and Kane went back to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose where he eventually became Grandmaster of Flowers, the head of the order.

It is rumored that Kane once battled one white and two red dragons. A brigade of King Gareth's warriors were fighting the three dragons at Great Fork Ford - and were about to lose. Kane rushed in, avoided fire and frost, and tricked the dragons into breathing upon each other. All three dragons suffered severe damage by their breaths, the blows of Kane and the charge of Gareth's soldiers.

Spysong
Kane leads Spysong, a spy network of scouts ran by Kane, Celedon Kierney, and Riordan Parnell. Spysong operates in Damarra, Vaasa, and the Galena Mountains. The network relays information back to Gareth Dragonsbane and his allies about threats to the Kingdom. Kane is the priciple agent of Spysong in Vaasa and handles the long range missions by way of his carpet of flying and spirit walking ability.

Magic Items

 * Carpet of Flying, which also serves as his meditation rug.
 * Jo Stick of the White Tree

Appearances in Adventures and Books
Kane first appears as a pre-generated player in the 1985 ADnD BATTLE SYSTEM supermodule titled Bloodstone Pass by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson. Kane continues to appear as a pre-generated character in the subsequent adventures: The Mines of Bloodstone, The Bloodstone Wars, and The Throne of Bloodstone.

Later, Kane plays a role in the 2006 novel Road of the Patriarch by R.A. Salvatore.