Padan Fain

Origin

Born and raised in Lugard, the capital city of Murandy, Fain began working as a peddler as a young man. In his twenties he went to the Shadow, becoming a Darkfriend. About fifteen years after the Aiel War he was taken to Shayol Ghul, where he was tortured and transformed into the Dark One’s Hound. He was then let loose on the world in search of the Dragon Reborn; continuing in his work as a peddler, he carried out his search throughout much of the Southlands. About a year after becoming a Hound he was returned to Shayol Ghul, where his mind was distilled to bring all he knew about the Dragon Reborn to the surface. He was let loose again, and became certain that the man he sought was Rand al’Thor, Mat Cauthon or Perrin Aybara. 

Creation

Fain was created by Robert Jordan for his book series The Wheel of Time, making his first appearance in the first book in the series, The Eye of the World. He is closely related to the character of Mordred from Arthurian legend, and also bears some resemblance to Gollum from the Lord of the Rings series. He made his first appearance in comics in  Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World #1, written by Jordan and Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Chase Conley.   

Major Story Arcs

The Eye of the World

Fain travels to the Two Rivers, as he always does in springtime, and shares the news of the recent war in Ghealdan with the concerned villagers. After the Trolloc attack on the village he vanishes, having been taken by the Myrddraal and Trollocs to be punished for his failure. Eventually he parts from them and arrives in the city of Baerlon, where he encounters Rand. Clearly unhinged, he urges Rand not to tell Moiraine Damodred that he is in the city, and vanishes. He follows the group as they flee to the cursed city of Shadar Logoth. While in the city he encounters the being known as Mordeth, which attempts to take over his body. Instead they merge into one being, driving Fain even more insane. He continues to follow Rand, becoming increasingly obsessed with his quest to find and kill the boy, and travels to Caemlyn. When the group enters the Ways he follows and is attacked by Machin Shin, a soul-devouring malevolent entity that, unusually, does not harm him; he is the only being known to have escaped its touch unharmed. When he attempts to sneak into Fal Dara after Rand’s group he is captured and interrogated, revealing much of his history, as well as the Dark One’s interest in the Emond’s Fielders. He is then imprisoned in the dungeons. 

Powers and Abilities

Fain is capable of sensing fear, and can identify Darkfriends by sight. He is capable of inducing pain through touch, at levels from painful to fatal. He is able to produce the mist of Mashadar, the corrupting influence from Shadar Logoth, that can kill Myrddraal and corrupt Trollocs into zombie-like slaves to his will. He is a powerful fighter, and has been shown to be able to overpower Shadowspan with limited weaponry. 

Other Media

Literature

The Wheel of Time 
Fain was originally created for the Wheel of Time series of books. He has thus far appeared in ten books in the series.