The Elder Scrolls Sandbox
Register
Advertisement
The Elder Scrolls Sandbox
Kaizen
LoNKaizen zps7bace397
Kaizen in Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin

Race

Argonian

Gender

Male

Class

Kaizen

Affinities

The Dark Brotherhood

Himself

Home Province

Cyrodiil

Home City

Cheydinhal

Relations

Cinon: Ancestor

The Night Mother: Serves

Sithis: Serves

Pilerius: Father

Pelinal: Brother (Deceased)

Belecha: Close friend/Possible love interest (deceased)

Caius: Father figure (presumed to be deceased)

Petra: Love interest

Lucian Locke: Close friend

This article is part of The Legend of Nirn
If you think running will spare you, you're wrong. The hatred will find you, it'll target the colour of your hair, your eyes, the freckles on your cheeks, the scars on your body and the excuses will get worse and worse until you're despised for the crime of simply existing.
 
— Kaizen, about civilization.

Kaizen, also known as The Black Argonian, is an Argonian Dark Brotherhood Listener and a prodigy in his day. He resides in Cheydinhal in 4E 20 and continues to live there in 4E 228 in Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin.

Kaizen is a cruel, manipulative and brutal assassin, who has no other disire than to serve the Dread Father and the Unholy Matron, willing to destroy anyone or anything that stands in his way. He appears to have a softer side, when it comes to Belecha and Petra, for seemingly different reasons but his motives with Petra are questionable as he kidnaps her, beats her and threatens to torture/kill her before turning her on her best friend, Mikasa. Kaizen is very loyal to his Brothers and the overall cause of the Brotherhood but he would never put them before the objective.

Kaizen is to have his own story, in which he is the main antagonist, though he returns from the dead in Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin and spreads his influence once more.

Biography[]

Kaizen was born into the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary of Cheydinhal, where he had a traumatic childhood. His father-like figure, Caius, used to punish him, by traumatising him if he showed any sign of weakness. The Black Argonian was brought up to be the most effeciant and brutal killer possible, with the aim of making him into the perfect Dark Brotherhood Listener, surpassing his father, Pilerius.

Once he came of age, Kaizen took over the sanctuary and operated it as Caius had done for the last twenty years but he quickly got side tracked, when he discovered that he had a brother. He learned that his father hadn't died and that he had in fact left to join the Knights of the Nine, a holy order, who helped defeat Umaril the Unfeathered, after his return.

Kaizen in skyrim

Kaizen in Skyrim

Kaizen went out and attacked a member of the order, hoping to learn more about his brother but ended up killing him in the process. This sparked a war between The Dark Brotherhood and The Knights of the Nine as they quickly retaliated by killing a Khajiit assassin on their doorstep. A battle broke out and Kaizen lost his closest friend, a Breton by the name of Belecha or 'Bel' and went further over the lunatic fringe.

The Black Argonian corrupted the spear that was used to kill Bel, a seemingly harmless artifact known as 'The Spear of Bitter Mercy.' Kaizen turned the Spear of Bitter Mercy into the Lance of Retribution and vowed to not only destroy the Knights of the Nine but also the deathless Gods that they served.

He eventually tried to open a portal, up to the realm of the Nine, so that he could fight them, in single combat and slay them all. Pelinal managed to stop him from tearing a hole in the fabric of the realm and Kaizen agreed to stabalise the portal, after learning of the catastrophic consequences of it being open. After closing the portal, Pelinal killed Kaizen, using the fact that he was distracted against him and closed the portal himself.

The Legend of Nirn[]

Kaizen doesn't physically appear in The Legend of Nirn but he is mentioned several times as 'The Black Argonian' and once by name.

His legacy lives on as the companionship seek out the corrupted Spear of Bitter Mercy and use it defeat Lord Vidron.

The Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin[]

Kaizen returns in Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin and acts as one of the three major antagonists.

He resurrects from the dead, for unknown reasons and finds himself in a world very different to the one that he left behind. He returns to the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary, in Cheydinhal, to find that it has been taken over by new tenants, who are little but over-glorified squatters in Dark Brotherhood robes. Kaizen can only take so much before he loses his temper and self control, brutally slaughtering the entire sanctuary, singlehandedly.

His next objective is to drive Mikasa and Petra out of the previously abandoned house, upstairs. To do this, he kidnaps Petra and holds her to ransom, demanding that her friend, Mikasa returns ownership of the property to him. The Breton refused and thus he kept Petra locked away, in his sanctuary as he built up his Brotherhood. The Imperial tries to escape three times, resulting in her getting beaten and traumatized. The third time that she tries to escape, Kaizen tries to execute her in his office but the Imperial manages to beg for her life, by informing him that she is infatuated with him. The Black Argonian believes her to be 'mentally subnormal' at first and decides to spare her but he quickly learns of her feelings for him and sets about using them to meet his own aims.

LoNKaizen zps7bace397

Kaizen in Legend of Nirn: World of Ruin

The Black Argonian recruits two lieutenants into his ranks, Bologra Blackbeard and Larius. He also takes in the Keeper, Cicero and the Night Mother, hosting the coffin in his sanctuary.

Kaizen takes Petra to the Priory of the Nine, where they are ambushed by Mikasa, who tries to kill Kaizen and take her friend back. Petra intervenes, stepping in and attacking her former friend, to save her captor and confirms her place in Kaizen's order. Upon returning, they encounter a fight, between Bologra and Larius, which Kaizen breaks up by driving an axe through the Orc's head.

The Dark Brotherhood base is later invaded by the Penitus Oculatus, who Kaizen had no knowledge of, until they broke his door down and ransacked his sanctuary. Kaizen and his group return to the ransacked sanctuary and prepare for the angry mob of townsfolk, who will soon descend on the Sanctuary.

Kaizen stays behind and tricks the mob, setting off a trap that poisons half of them and refuses to disclose the location of the antidote, until he is allowed safe passage through the sanctuary, without Cheydinhal resident intervention.

He leaves and combs the mountain regions for the Minotaurs, leaving Petra in charge of the Sanctuary. There he challenges their king to single combat and brutally kills him in front of his assembly. After securing their loyalty, Kaizen leaves the Minotaurs and returns home, where he resides with Petra for several weeks.

MugshotThe Black Argonian

Kaizen portrait by Rowan Autumn-Arrow

Eventually he is found by Lucian Locke and he makes the mistake of inviting the Imperial to his house, who brings his friend, Nepht. The Dunmer was previously attacked by Bologra and Larius and drowned in Lake Arrius and instantly recognises Kaizen, Petra and Larius. She goes on a frenzy, revealing that she is a vampire and flees the sanctuary.

Nepht goes running to the Penitus Oculatus, telling them everything about Kaizen and the sanctuary before being betrayed. The Oculatus storm the sanctuary at Fort Farragut and encounter Kaizen and J'dharjo, killing the latter and imprisoning the former.

Kaizen is currently bides his time for the next three months, he proves almost immune to torture, much to the annoyance of Agent Knight. The Black Argonian is eventually deemed a lost cause and is sentenced to death. Petra is also captured and she aids him in his escape.

The two are eventually intercepted by the M.O.R.A.G T.O.N.G and are driven to their headquarters in Bruma. The Captain, Vira Wildsea proves to be quite dismissive and even hostile towards the Black Argonian. She eventually draws on him but eventually sees sense and puts her gun down.

Kaizen spends some time with them, preparing to assist them in bringing down the Shadows of Tyranil. The Black Argonian finds that the injury, inflicted on his knee by Knight, is debilitating and decides that he's going to have to have the limb amputated and swapped for a prosthetic. Kaizen has his leg sawed off, by an eager Vira, and replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic, which is incredibly powerful and a worthy replacement.

Eventually, whilst on the road, Vira is taken by cultists, Kaizen protests but the Altmer forces him to stand down and fights to cover his escape. Kaizen and his newly founded Dark Brotherhood go after Vira and hack and slash their way through a village to get her back. Kaizen manages to break through the crowd and kill the prophet who plans to have Vira executed and saves the Altmer from her own execution.

Kaizen, Vira and Petra are eventually captured by Sigard, who reveals that he resurrected the Black Argonian, with the intentions of him finding the spear of bitter mercy and using it to pick up, where he left off. When he doesn't, the Nord seems confused and later dispatches agents to correct his mistake.

They eventually escape again and prepare to go to war with Sigard. Kaizen and Petra are captured by a grieving widow, who wishes to destroy Petra's soul and replace it with the soul of his wife.

[The following is part of Psychomantis108's personal canon and may contradict LON Canon.]

Kaizen and Petra returned to the minotaur base, in the mountains, which is under siege by Regan and his Shadows of Tyranil. He defeats the invaders, with help from Larius and after retrieving Corelas Adire, the Black Argonian commences the battle and has his forces march to the Imperial City.

Sigard takes over the White Gold tower, brutally slaughtering anyone who gets in his way as he ascends to the spire. He eventually ends up on top of the large spire and drives the Spear of Bitter Mercy into the ground, opening up a giant portal above the city, hoping to breach the heavens themselves.

Kaizen orders his minotaur armies to attack the city, cutting off reinforcements from either side of the war, so that he won't have to deal with either of the idiotic armies. He and Petra ascend the tower, hoping to stop Sigard before it is too late.

Tyranil and Mikasa teleport to the top of the spire and arrive at the same time, to see Sigard's victory. The Nord then laughs at the two of them, claiming that they were both 'fools' and 'failed to doom from the start.' He then reveals his true identity as Dunlammus Tyrel and informs them that he plans to destroy Nirn and rebuild it in his own image.

Deciding that his plan is insane, Kaizen and Tyranil put off their rivalry and both attack Dunlammus together. After a long fight, Dunlammus is impaled by Tyranil before Kaizen smashes the vampire's head in with his mechanical foot.

This leaves the Shadow Mage and the Listener with a dilemma as Tyranil seeks to drain the spear's power, allowing the shadows inside him to ascend to near omnipotence. Kaizen refuses to allow that to happen, deciding that nobody should have that power.

The two of them fight among themselves, as do Petra and Mikasa, however, the time spent fighting wastes the time that could have been spent removing the spear and thus it goes critical. At this point, it's destructive force will wipe out Cyrodiil if not half of Tamriel and thus, the four of them agree that the only thing that they can do is pull it out of the ground.

Kaizen and Tyranil inform their followers that they can leave, if they wish but Petra proves ever so loyal and refuses to leave the Black Argonian's side. Mikasa also refuses, believing that this is her fault, just as much as it is Kaizen's and Tyranil's. The four of them pull the spear out of the tower's spire and it explodes, destroying half of the White Gold Tower.

Kaizen's body wasn't found, nor was Tyranil's, Mikasa's body was found in the wreckage, which caused a great deal of tension between the warring faction, resuming the Adamantine War.

Though Vira and Corelas had failed to retrieve the Night Mother's coffin, it was never found in the rubble. Everyone believed it to be destroyed or lost, the surviving minotaurs, who didn't fall to Kaizen's betrayal say that they heard the cackles of a mad Jester in the sewers and some even claim to have seen a Jester or Clown dragging a large box around, speaking to it as if it was a living being.

The Aubeanic Reign[]

Kaizen's 'Lance of Retribution' or what is left of it, is seen on display in the Blade temple in Daggerfall. It is badly damaged and only a large piece of it remains.

Kaizen is later referenced by Agatha Tira, when she tries to explain to Telemachus that such people always end up failing in the end and losing everything.

Personality[]

Kaizen is usually calm and collected, though he has an unmatched rage bubbling underneath the surface, which he is able to unleash on his enemies, whenever called for. Kaizen appears to have a softer, more sensitive side, which he often shows when people are sympathetic towards him or treat him like a human being. He quickly recoils and goes all business if someone asks him about his duties.

The Black Argonian isn't exactly sadistic as he doesn't seem to get any real pleasure from inflicting pain on people or manipulating them but he is cruel. He despises weakness and has no sympathy for the weak willed or those who aren't able to match him.

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Kaizen is the second Argonian, with black scales, to be introduced in the Legend of Nirn. The first was Okan-Ru.
  • He is the first antagonist to be mentioned before he is seen.
  • His dilema in World of Ruin is very similar to that of Corelas Adire, who also had trouble adjusting to the new generation of his order and the times.
    • It is also similar to the main dilema which is put forward in the Dark Brotherhood storyline of Skyrim.
  • Kaizen is japanese for 'improvement.'
  • Kaizen is one of many amputees written by Psychomantis108, the others are Nish (who lost his fingers in Legend of Nirn), Caleb (who lost his eye before Age of Tamriel), Bologra Blackbeard (who loses his hand in Myths of Mundas) and Set (who lost his eye in Aubeanic Reign).
  • According to the D&D alignment test Kaizen is Chaotic Evil.
  • A 'Kaizen Follower' mod was made, he was the first LoN themed follower in a LoN Themed Pack.

Author's notes[]

  • Originally, the Kaizen/Pelinal conflict was going to be a lot more black and white, quite literally. It was only later on that Kaizen was built up to be more sympathetic and understandable and have several good qualities that his brother does not possess.
  • You can use Kaizen as a companion, with the Familiar Faces mod.

He is also available on the Steam Workshop: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=679045604 (This version is recommended over familiar faces as it is less fiddly.)


Advertisement