Deckard Cain

Elder of Tristram, last of the Horadrim, player's adviser and companion
Appears in:	Diablo I, Diablo: Hellfire, Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Diablo III
Significance:	Major
Service(s):	Item identification
Residence(s):	Tristram, Rogue Encampment, Lut Gholein, Kurast Docks, Pandemonium Fortress, Harrogath, New Tristram
Starts quest(s):	Archbishop Lazarus, Diablo, Sisters to the Slaughter, Horadric Staff, Arcane Sanctuary, The Summoner, Seven Tombs, Khalim's Will, Blackened Temple, The Guardian, Fallen Angel, Hell's Forge, A Shattered Crown, Reign of the Black King, Sword of the Stranger
Portrayed by:	Michael Gough

"Hello my friend. Stay awhile and listen..."

-Deckard Cain

Deckard Cain, also known as Cain the Elder, is the last living human in the line of Horadric mages. Appearing in all of the Diablo games, Cain provides the player with valuable advice for many quests. He is descended from Jered Cain, one of the founders of the Horadrim who imprisoned Diablo two hundred years before, and thus is schooled in the most obscure lore and history of the arcane.^[1]

In the first two games, Cain can identify items for a charge (or for free if rescued by the player in Diablo II), and serves as a town elder throughout the events of Diablo I.

Contents 1 Diablo I: Elder of Tristram 2 Diablo II: Survivor of Tristram 3 Diablo III: The Last of the Horadrim Falls 4 Dialogue (Diablo I) 4.1 Quotes 4.2 Gossip 5 Dialog (Diablo II) 5.1 Quotes 5.2 Gossip 5.2.1 Act I 5.2.2 Act II 5.2.3 Act III 5.2.4 Act IV 5.2.5 Act V 6 Trivia 7 Video 7.1 Cain appearing in Diablo III 8 References

Diablo I: Elder of TristramEdit

Cain is a mysterious "elder" who provides advice for the hero (later revealed in lore to be the warrior Prince Aidan, the elder son of King Leoric). Towards the end of the game, Cain reveals his true identity as the last of the Horadrim, and sends the player to destroy both Archbishop Lazarus and Diablo himself.

Diablo II: Survivor of TristramEdit

As of Diablo II, Cain is the only known survivor of Tristram's destruction, save the Dark Wanderer and Adria, although as the Dark Wanderer becomes Diablo, it is debatable if he can be called a survivor (though he mentions that Adria foresaw the demons' arrival and fled before the demons arrived). Cain, rather than being killed by the demons, was left in a cage near the well in the center of town to die. In Diablo II's Search for Cain quest, Cain is rescued by the player, and afterward follows the player through each of the game's Acts. Griswold, now a reanimated monstrosity, was corrupted by Andariel herself and attempts to prevent Cain's rescue. Once Cain has been rescued by the hero, he will identify items free of charge. If the player neglects to rescue Cain, the rogues will do so after the Sisters to the Slaughter quest and the player must pay 100 gold for each item identified, though he will still follow the player through each Act.

Diablo III: The Last of the Horadrim FallsEdit

Deckard Cain returns in Diablo III. Cain's journal is published as lore. It tells the events of Diablo and Diablo II in an abbreviated form and suggests numerous times that Cain was an elder and lorekeeper from Tristram, without much prior knowledge of the outside world - a stark contrast to the well-versed and knowledgeable "last of the Horadrim" loremaster of Diablo and Diablo II, although this might be because he was writing it while disguised as Cain the Elder or he might have gotten knowledge from Adria's books. It is also strongly implied that Cain had no previous knowledge of the Worldstone prior to the events of the Diablo II ending.

After being rescued by the Nephalem from the ruins of Tristram's Cathedral in Act I, Cain will give more quests to search for the "fallen star" that nearly destroyed the Cathedral, and to battle the mysterious Dark Coven. After finding pieces of an ancient and powerful sword, the hero he and Leah are captured by Maghda, leader of the Coven, who seeks the sword for her master Belial. After Maghda tortures Cain, Leah unleashes her hidden power and kills the cultists. Maghda disappears, but the torture proves fatal for Cain. His final act before dying is to use his Horadric arts to repair the sword, revealing it to be of the High Heavens and the Stranger's identity as that of an angel.

Although Cain and Leah had only been living in town for about a year, Cain was well liked and respected by everyone. His death brings great sadness and anger among the townsfolk, not to mention hopes for merciless revenge against Cain's murderer.

After the Nephalem defeats the Butcher and frees the angel - revealed to be the former Archangel of Justice, Tyrael - Cain is laid to rest on a funeral pyre outside Tristram with the Cathedral seen in the distance, with Leah promising to finish the work he has begun, before leaving with Tyrael and the Nephalem for Caldeum.

Dialogue (Diablo I)Edit

QuotesEdit

• Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen...
• Greetings, my name is Deckard Cain.

GossipEdit

• While you are venturing deeper into the Labyrinth you may find tomes of great knowledge hidden there.
  Read them carefully for they can tell you things that even I cannot.

• I know of many myths and legends that may contain answers to questions that may arise in your journeys into the Labyrinth.
  If you come across challenges and questions to which you seek knowledge, seek me out and I will tell you what I can.

• Griswold - a man of great action and great courage. I bet he never told you about the time he went into the Labyrinth to save Wirt, did he?
  He knows his fair share of the dangers to be found there, but then again - so do you. He is a skilled craftsman, and if he claims to be able to help you in any way, you can count on his honesty and his skill.

• Ogden has owned and run the Rising Sun Inn and Tavern for almost four years now. He purchased it just a few short months before everything here went to hell.
  He and his wife Garda do not have the money to leave as they invested all they had in making a life for themselves here. He is a good man with a deep sense of responsibility.

• Poor Farnham. He is a disquieting reminder of the doomed assembly that entered into the Cathedral with Lazarus on that dark day.
  He escaped with his life, but his courage and much of his sanity were left in some dark pit. He finds comfort only at the bottom of his tankard nowadays, but there are occasional bits of truth buried within his constant ramblings.

• The witch, Adria, is an anomaly here in Tristram. She arrived shortly after the Cathedral was desecrated while most everyone else was fleeing.
  She had a small hut constructed at the edge of town, seemingly overnight, and has access to many strange and arcane artifacts and tomes of knowledge that even I have never seen before.

• The story of Wirt is a frightening and tragic one. He was taken from the arms of his mother and dragged into the labyrinth by the small, foul demons that wield wicked spears. There were many other children taken that day, including the son of King Leoric. The Knights of the palace went below, but never returned. The Blacksmith found the boy, but only after the foul beasts had begun to torture him for their sadistic pleasures.

• Ah, Pepin. I count him as a true friend - perhaps the closest I have here. He is a bit addled at times, but never a more caring or considerate soul has existed. His knowledge and skills are equaled by few, and his door is always open.

• Gillian is a fine woman. Much adored for her high spirits and her quick laugh, she holds a special place in my heart. She stays on at the tavern to support her elderly grandmother who is too sick to travel. I sometimes fear for her safety, but I know that any man in the village would rather die than see her harmed.

Dialog (Diablo II)Edit

QuotesEdit

• Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen...
• You have quite a treasure there in that Horadric Cube.

GossipEdit

Act IEdit

• "Long ago, Diablo and his brothers were cast out of Hell by the Lesser Evils. It seems that Hell's balance has shifted, as Andariel is now aligned with the Lord of Terror. Her presence here in the mortal realm does not bode well for us."

Act IIEdit

• "There is something about Fara that troubles me. Her manner is strange for a lonely desert-maid."
• "Where the actions of hell seem straight forwardly bent on destruction, the motives of heaven are unfathomable."

Act IIIEdit

• "Judging from his dress and strange markings, I would guess that Ormus is from the ancient Taan mage-clan. Yet none of the others here seem to know that he is a sorcerer.
  The Taan were once as powerful as the Vizjerei clan, but their studies were even more secretive. I wonder what he's hiding."
• "Have you met Natalya? She appears to be a member of the Khral-Harzhek, a secret Order that has been around for centuries... almost as long as the Horadrim itself.
  
  Her presence here makes me uneasy, for they are traditionally sworn to hunt down Magi who have betrayed the trust of their Order.
  
  I wonder why she is here."

Act IVEdit

• "I have read much about the enigmatic Archangel Tyrael. He was revered in Horadrim lore both for his compassion for mortals and his unquenchable spirit.
  It was rumored that he went against the wishes of heaven and gave to Horadrim the original Soulstones in order to trap Diablo and his brothers."

Act VEdit

• "With hellspawn, size is no measure of their threat. Demons half the size of men can kill with a gesture, while hellish pack animals trample any who stand in their way."
• "I have spent decades trying to understand the forces at work in this world. But, In the face of all that is transpiring, I realize how meager my knowledge is.
  
  I will be of assistance where I can, my friend."
• "It is my belief that the Soulstones are at the center of this conflict. If only that fool Marius had not intervened, Baal would still be imprisoned within Tal Rasha."

TriviaEdit

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• A common nickname for Cain on Battle.net is "Dickard", usually referenced when a player goes to town for his or her items to be identified.

• Cain has a Sean Connery-esque accent.

• Blizzard released a song with Deckard Cain rapping. Listen to it below:
• He is the only NPC character to appear in the first three games.

• Deckard Cain was named after the winner of PC Gamer's Name in the Game contest

VideoEdit

Cain appearing in Diablo IIIEdit

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Akara. "Quest:Search for Cain." Diablo II.

Diablo I NPCs
Diablo — Adria • Deckard Cain • Farnham • Gillian • Griswold • Kael Rills • Ogden • Pepin • Wirt Hellfire — Celia • Complete Nut • Lester

Diablo II NPCs

Act I — Akara • Charsi • Deckard Cain • Flavie - Gheed - Kashya - Warriv Act II — Atma • Deckard Cain • Drognan • Elzix • Fara • Geglash • Greiz • Jerhyn • Kaelan • Lysander • Meshif • Tyrael • Warriv Act III — Alkor • Asheara • Deckard Cain • Hratli • Meshif • Natalya • Ormus • Dark Wanderer Act IV — Deckard Cain • Hadriel • Halbu • Izual • Jamella • Tyrael Act V — Anya • Deckard Cain • Larzuk • Malah • Nihlathak • Qual-Kehk • Tyrael

Diablo III NPCs

Act I — Alaric • Brother Malachi the Healer • Bron the Barkeep • Captain Rumford • Deckard Cain • Karnya • Leah • Marko • Mayor Holus • Nek the Brawler • Radek the Fence • Rodger the Alchemist • Sasha • Tashun the Miner • The Ferryman • Tyrael • Verrall • Virgil • Wandering Tinker Act II — Adria • Aleran • Asheara • Caliem • Captain Davyd • Ghaine the Healer • Hakaan II • Jarulf • Javad the Merchant • Kadim • Larra • Leah • Lieutenant Vachem • Lugo the Miner • Mia • Mehtan the Necromancer • Sadeir the Innkeeper • Silmak the Fence • Squirt the Peddler • Tilnean the Collector • Tyrael • Zoltun Kulle Act III — Adria • Andreus the Healer • Botulph the Miner • Drian • Garell the Quartermaster • Leah • Lieutenant Lavail Litton the Fence • Marta • Mayor Holus • Nikola • Tyrael • Vidar the Collector Act IV — Andreus the Healer • Auriel • Botulph the Miner • Garell the Quartermaster • Itherael • Litton the Fence • Tyrael