Caiberd Layette (born -56) comes from a long line of Alterac nobles, powerful enough to be part of the king's inner circle but never in line for the throne itself. Caiberd married Vetla Finsy when he was 28 (-28), and their first and only child came along two years later (-26). The Layettes named their daughter Naya, after Caiberd's great grandmother, who had been known as one of the most beautiful women in the Alterac court.Caiberd staunchly supported Lord Aiden Perenolde's rise to power and stood beside him in all decisions. Caiberd gave his loyalty not out of any moral obligation or sense of fealty- he simpy felt that Aiden was his best chance for remaing wealthy and powerful. Aiden rewarded Caiberd with money, influence and prestige throughout all of Alterac. Caiberd built up a sizeable estate, including a large mansion outside of Strahbrad, his own personal security force, and a multitude of servants. He wanted his daughter and her future family to enjoy the same luxury he did, and treated her like a queen. For Naya, Caiberd saw a future of marriage to a son of Alterac Nobility, perhaps even to Lord Perenolde's son himself.
With that in mind, it isn't hard to imagine Caiberd's anger when he learned that his daughter intended to marry Altus Tien, a cleric from the southern kingdom of Stormwind (-4). In his mind, Caiberd felt that Naya was turning her back on all he had done for her and all he had hoped for her. It was, in essence, a betrayal. But when Naya told him, it was to inform him only and not to seek his blessing, for she knew her father wouldn't give it. More than that, Caiberd told her not to come back until she had entered her right mind. Throughout the argument, Vetla remained silent.
The Horde came through the Dark Portal (0) and sacked Stormwind (4), sending Naya, her family and thousands of refugees northward to Lordaeron. Altus and Naya went to Alterac to seek shelter and food from Caiberd, hoping time had healed the wounds of the marriage disagreement. But Caiberd never got over his daughter's marriage, and treated his daughter and her family with utter derision and contempt when they came for help. He called them beggars and their children mongrels. In front of his whole household he had Altus restrained and struck his daughter across the face. He called her ungrateful and selfish, and cast her and her family out of his house and out of Alterac, warning them never to return. It was a warning they wisely heeded.
Following the destruction of Stormwind, the Horde turned their attention northward. The seven human kingdoms gathered to discuss an alliance. All agreed to join forces against the Horde, but Caiberd knew there was more behind Aiden Perenolde's agreement than met the eyes of the other kings. Always a loyal patriot of Alterac, Caiberd wholly supported Perenolde's decision to betray the Alliance and allow the Horde passage through the kingdom (6). Perenolde would rather side with the Horde than face the inevitable destruction that would be visited upon the other human kingdoms. But Alterac's treachery was discovered- the kingdom was placed under martial law, and Perenolde, Caiberd and others confined to their homes until punishment could be determined. In the time before the war, Caiberd had become familiar with those of the dark side of society, and had indeed used their assistance to grow his wealth. To them he turned for aid in escaping house arrest, taking his wife and going into hiding. Through spies he closely kept watch on Alterac, waiting to see what would happen with Perenolde and the other nobles.
Though imprisoned, Perenolde still had power and influence. These he used to have his troops aid the Horde following its defeat (7). Perenolde's men stole artifacts that would aid Orc shamans in opening new portals to Azeroth and pave the way for new invasions. He sought the aid of the Horde in removing Alliance troops from his lands, and even had a mighty dragon attack a barracks holding men of Stromgarde and Lordaeron. These betrayals were discovered as well, and Perenolde was declared a traitor of the most vile sort. Somehow he escaped execution and went into hiding, where Caiberd caught up with him. Many of Alterac's citizens had been sent into exile following the kingdom's betrayal. They had no homes or food or means of survival, and despite Perenolde's role in the deciept, they now turned to him for leadership.
Perenolde knew that his people needed to stick together if they were to survive, and that drastic measures would be required if they were to reclaim their homes. Much of Alterac had been annexed by Stromgarde, and the task wouldn't be easy. Fortunately for Perenolde, help came in an unexpected way.
When the Scourge invaded Lordaeron (25), as many Alliance troops as could be spared answered the call to fight this new enemy. For his part, Perenolde didn't make the mistake of allying himself with the enemy as he had before. Rather, he used the distraction provided by the war to make bold moves back into his former kingdom. Those who were on the Alterac lands put up little resistance, already scared by the Scourge threat and lacking in sufficient protection from the Alliance forces, the overwhelming majority of which were committed to fighting the Undead. Little by little his raiding parties took over farms, villages, and towns, reclaiming the land in the name of the kingdom of Alterac.
The Horde came through the Dark Portal (0) and sacked Stormwind (4), sending Naya, her family and thousands of refugees northward to Lordaeron. Altus and Naya went to Alterac to seek shelter and food from Caiberd, hoping time had healed the wounds of the marriage disagreement. But Caiberd never got over his daughter's marriage, and treated his daughter and her family with utter derision and contempt when they came for help. He called them beggars and their children mongrels. In front of his whole household he had Altus restrained and struck his daughter across the face. He called her ungrateful and selfish, and cast her and her family out of his house and out of Alterac, warning them never to return. It was a warning they wisely heeded.
Following the destruction of Stormwind, the Horde turned their attention northward. The seven human kingdoms gathered to discuss an alliance. All agreed to join forces against the Horde, but Caiberd knew there was more behind Aiden Perenolde's agreement than met the eyes of the other kings. Always a loyal patriot of Alterac, Caiberd wholly supported Perenolde's decision to betray the Alliance and allow the Horde passage through the kingdom (6). Perenolde would rather side with the Horde than face the inevitable destruction that would be visited upon the other human kingdoms. But Alterac's treachery was discovered- the kingdom was placed under martial law, and Perenolde, Caiberd and others confined to their homes until punishment could be determined. In the time before the war, Caiberd had become familiar with those of the dark side of society, and had indeed used their assistance to grow his wealth. To them he turned for aid in escaping house arrest, taking his wife and going into hiding. Through spies he closely kept watch on Alterac, waiting to see what would happen with Perenolde and the other nobles.
Though imprisoned, Perenolde still had power and influence. These he used to have his troops aid the Horde following its defeat (7). Perenolde's men stole artifacts that would aid Orc shamans in opening new portals to Azeroth and pave the way for new invasions. He sought the aid of the Horde in removing Alliance troops from his lands, and even had a mighty dragon attack a barracks holding men of Stromgarde and Lordaeron. These betrayals were discovered as well, and Perenolde was declared a traitor of the most vile sort. Somehow he escaped execution and went into hiding, where Caiberd caught up with him. Many of Alterac's citizens had been sent into exile following the kingdom's betrayal. They had no homes or food or means of survival, and despite Perenolde's role in the deciept, they now turned to him for leadership.
Perenolde knew that his people needed to stick together if they were to survive, and that drastic measures would be required if they were to reclaim their homes. Much of Alterac had been annexed by Stromgarde, and the task wouldn't be easy. Fortunately for Perenolde, help came in an unexpected way.
When the Scourge invaded Lordaeron (25), as many Alliance troops as could be spared answered the call to fight this new enemy. For his part, Perenolde didn't make the mistake of allying himself with the enemy as he had before. Rather, he used the distraction provided by the war to make bold moves back into his former kingdom. Those who were on the Alterac lands put up little resistance, already scared by the Scourge threat and lacking in sufficient protection from the Alliance forces, the overwhelming majority of which were committed to fighting the Undead. Little by little his raiding parties took over farms, villages, and towns, reclaiming the land in the name of the kingdom of Alterac.
The Undead failed to defeat the Alliance and lost a major defeat at Mount Hyjal (26), but large Scourge armies remained in Lordaeron, effectively ruining any chance of rebuilding that kingdom. The Alliance has had to settle for simply trying to keep the Scourge at bay. Unfortunately, a group of Undead became self-aware again, splintered from the Scourge, took over the capital city of Lordaeron and joined the resurging Horde as the Forsaken. As it was then, with both the Scourge and the Forsaken right on its borders, the Alliance had little resources to deal with Perenolde's growing criminal organization, known only as the Syndicate.
As for Caiberd, for his unfailing loyalty he was made one of Perenolde's chief lieutenants. He was able to reclaim his estate and personal security force. Using his connections throughout the Alliance, he found where his wife had been imprisoned and freed her. Caiberd's current role in the Syndicate is a secret known only to Perenolde and a few others. There can be little doubt, however, that he is privy and accessory to most, if not all, the Syndicates dark and criminal activity.
Side Note: If you're wondering about the picture at the beginning of the post, it's a photo of Bill Nighy, who would be the casting call for the part of Caiberd Layette (see previous post). His gaunt appearance, chilling voice and cold demeanor makes him perfect. I thought about Brian Cox as well, but Bill fit my mental image better.
(Fun little word jumble game: Caiberd Layette's name is scrambled from two words that match his character. See if you can figure it out...a prize for the one who gets it.)
1 comment:
betrayal and deceit?
Clever.
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