Despite the reputation that Jaylan Cairn has built up in many different criminal dens and ale houses, most would be disappointed to find out the truth about the man who is so tight lipped about his past. Most assume become of his great competence and preference to hide his features that his past must be some great and terrible thing to be only spoken of in awe and whispers. And while Jaylan has used this air of mystery to aid him in a bluff many a time, the truth is he is nothing more than common gutter trash that has gotten lucky.

Born among the teaming masses of the Dock Ward of the city of Hersuf, his early years are a blur of a mad scrabble for survival. His mother was just another girl working in just another brothel, and his father could have been anyone. The Madam of the brothel did not allow children on the premises for fear of a horde or urchins hurting business, so Jaylan was forced to spend nights out on the street, and sneak into his mother's room during the day while she slept. Nights in the Dock Ward is dangerous, even for a full grown adult, let alone a child. He had to do a lot of growing up very quickly. Not wanting her child to grow up to simply be another thug or a victim, his mother squirreled away enough coin in order to send Jaylan to some private tutors in order to teach him his letters and numbers. He took to his lessons fairly well, showing more intellectual aptitude than his teachers would have assumed. His learning served him well, as he starting running numbers and messages for the various gangsters and businesses in his area. By the time he was sixteen it seemed liked he knew everyone in the Hive Ward.

It was about this time that his mother fell ill. Some form of consumption it seemed. Desperate for the expensive medicine that would save her life, and having little in the way of time to work for it, and not foolish enough to take out a loan, Jaylan had few options. However, a chance glance at a wanted poster put the idea of bounty hunting in his head. A legal profession that had high payouts that didn't need to be shared with a crew or a boss. Seeing as he had friends and contacts everywhere in the Dock Ward, he was sure he could find bounties quickly. However, the slum doesn't take kindly to law in their territories. Fearing reprisals against himself and his mother, Jaylan took to hiding his features while on the job. It was like he was born to hunt dangerous criminals. It came so naturally to him, as if all the past hardship and bloodily learned lessons were training him for this life. After his first few bounties, he traded his hooded cloaks for a sallet helm in order to conceal his features.

For eight long years, he scoured every filthy den for the worst city had to offer. But despite the coin he earned, and the infamy his helmed persona garnered, his mother eventually lost the battle to her disease and passed peacefully in her sleep, in a fine room that her son had rented for her. That was the worst day of his life, and it took him some time to recover. Now with no fear for her safety, Jaylan began operating openly under his real name. It was people in the trade who dubbed him with the surname "Cairn," in reference to his habit of bringing back the most black-hearted villains and monsters dead. "The poster says dead or alive," is always his response to those that think targets should always come back alive. Since his mother's passing, his deeds and reputation have grown less focused. Indeed, his hunts have taken him beyond the Hersuf itself, and into the many kingdoms and nations that the city does business and trade with.

Many years of road wandering has done much to expand Jaylan's horizons and open up his mind to new ideas and possibilities. He has made many friends, many enemies, and even had a few lovers over the year. But his vision and goal of retiring as a gentleman atop a heap of gold in a grand mansion in the countryside has never wavered. That was why when he came upon the institution that is the Adventurer's Guild, he decided to stop playing the loner, and get serious about making some gold. And so despite years of being his own boss, he has thrown in with these people. Hoping that with their support and backing, his dreams will come true sooner rather than later...