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imperfectagent* The major point of divergence from canon: Dain isn't a Grade 3 Ol, but a Grade 2 that was part of the Shadow Lord's experiments in making Grade 3s perfect. He/his batch, specifically, were given a capacity to observe and adapt meant to match that of a human's. The Shadow Lord considered them to be a success in that way, but since they were meant to be an intermediate step, he put them in "storage" for later use. A bunch of the batch were "recycled" and taken apart with their useful traits added to other Ols.
* A couple of years before the start of canon, the Shadow Lord takes all the remaining ones out of storage and tells them that even though they're incomplete and deserve to be used to make more perfect Ols, he's giving them a chance to prove that they can be useful. The mission: infiltrate the Resistance in Deltora, using whatever methods they deem necessary. They're sent to Deltora one at a time, in numerical order, while the ones left are told to observe the human slaves in the Shadowlands to learn how humans act.
* Dain/2-X-36-7 isn't the first sent, not even close. At first the Ols are confident that the first one will succeed and the rest will be given other missions, but the first one dies before ever reporting in. The second manages to inform the Shadow Lord that the leader of the Resistance, Doom, can inherently sense Ols and recognized her immediately, so she ran. She's punished for it, because the orders were to not report until they'd been accepted into the Resistance. She's also killed not long after.
* While waiting for his turn, Dain comes up with his persona, while mostly learning about dull despair and futile rage from the humans he watches (who think that being watched by Ols is a form of torture or that it's entertainment for the Shadow Lord's servants). At this point Dain only wants to be the one who succeeds, because that's what's most important; disobedience and failure are the worst crimes possible.
* All the Ols sent before Dain have one order that they physically cannot disobey: Do not reveal yourself to any person of Deltora. Dain is given an extra one: Do not harm any person of Deltora. He's not entirely sure why, but he suspects it's because humans are more reluctant to kill someone they think is helpless.
* When he's sent into Deltora, he takes his time, following Doom's movements from afar, and chooses to stage his discovery at an abandoned farmstead, torching it to make it look like it was just attacked and he was injured. He deliberately times it for when Doom is alone and far enough away from where the other Resistance fighters are camped that he'll go investigate himself instead of getting reinforcements first.
* Doom falls for the bait, but as soon as he sees Dain, he recognizes the boy as an Ol and tries to attack. Dain drops the wounded act and hides, then pleads with Doom to spare him. As best he can around the compelled orders, he tells Doom that he's harmless, and that even if he's killed, more will come, and it's better to let a known spy in and watch him than hope that a perfectly undetectable spy will never be sent. Doom is eventually convinced and stops attacking, with a warning that if Dain steps out of line at all, Doom will kill him. He asks Dain for his (fake) story, says that as far as everyone else is concerned, that's the truth, and brings him back to a stronghold.
* Dain is relieved at first, until he's brought to the testing room (Ols can only hold a form for three days before they experience something called the Tremor) while Doom "looks for survivors of the bandit attack on his home". He's listless for the first day, certain that Doom tricked him and he's going to be exposed and killed. Then Doom comes back, takes a shift watching the "new recruit" alone, and tells him that he saw signs that no humans were harmed at all in Dain's ruse, a major point in his favor. He lets Dain Tremor, tells nobody, and explains Dain's behavior to the others as being in shock from losing everything he knows. Dain is let out at the end of the three days, to all appearances having passed the testing, and is welcomed.
* Dain reports his success to the Shadow Lord, carefully leaving out how he managed it, and gets his new orders, which are fairly basic: Watch, wait for further contact, and answer all questions truthfully when contacted.
* For the next year, nothing major changes externally. Dain tries to walk the knife edge of obeying both the Shadow Lord and Doom, mostly by avoiding learning Resistance secrets. Doom helps with that by excluding him from plans, disguised as "sheltering the boy from hard truths and protecting him". That makes Dain a target for ridicule as "Doom's coddled pet kid" and essentially useless, which is exacerbated by him being entirely inept at sparring while training, as well as his general quiet and overly cautious behavior. Dain resents the others for that, because by rights he should be capable of killing any one of them with his (true) bare hands, but he's held back. The Shadow Lord contacts him infrequently and doesn't ask much, so Dain's relative lack of information to give goes unnoticed (or so Dain thinks).
* Dain surreptitiously studies how the humans of the Resistance act and starts learning things; how humans are when not in captivity, and to his mental turmoil, alternate forms of leadership than the one he's used to. The other fighters grumble that Doom is demanding and uncompromising, but Dain notices how he doesn't punish any and all instances of disobedience and failure. For the former, Doom always interrogates the perpetrator on why they disobeyed orders, and while he's usually not satisfied and at least chews them out, on a few key occasions, he actually agrees that the agent did the right thing and sometimes even commends their judgment. He also never punishes for failure, only showing regret, and usually directed at himself rather than whoever failed. Dain and Doom also work out a way for Dain to tell Doom when he's passed along information ("bad dreams") and hint at what he was asked. On top of that, Dain chooses to confirm Doom's suspicion that Grade 3 Ols exist
* That is what Dain knows until Doom asks/orders him to be part of an extended mission to investigate the Rithmere Games, as he suspects that the Shadow Lord is using them to capture contestants. (Dain honestly has no idea, as the Shadow Lord only tells his servants what they need to know, and he didn't need to know where the slaves came from.) Doom joins the Games as part of the plan, and by chance, three people who match the descriptions of heroes who have been undoing the Shadow Lord's control across Deltora also join. (AKA, this is where his story syncs up with canon).
* After the three are rescued, refuse Doom's offer to join the Resistance, and leave on some unspecified mission, Dain gets new orders: He is to follow the Three and be aware of their movements. By this point, he's gotten attached enough to Doom to tell him what he has to do (while still rationalizing it as "if I run off without warning, Doom will hunt me down and kill me") and waits while Doom prepares a letter informing the heroes of Dain's true nature, along with a bundle of supplies, telling him to tell them that he decided to give them extra aid despite them not swearing allegiance to him. Dain sets off to find them, never opening the bundle or reading the letter.
* Dain follows their trail (mainly by scent in animal form) as far as the Shifting Sands, then the nature of the place makes it grow cold. He waits and watches the desert from above, assuming that if they live, he'll be able to spot them when they leave, but he doubts that they'll survive. To his surprise, he does see them, and prepares to make meet them in a way that makes it not seem like he was spying on them and waiting for them. They're surprised but not suspicious, except that maybe it's some ploy on Doom's part, and Dain hands over the bundle and tells them to read the message first, while preparing to run if they turn violent (an option he hasn't had since joining the Resistance).
* The heroes are obviously shocked by it and why Doom would recommend that they let a known spy join their group (Doom gives the same reasoning he came to, adding that Dain has so far been scrupulously obedient and will likely be the same to them). They disagree on what to do; Jasmine wants to kill him right away, but Lief and Barda convince her to at least interrogate Dain, and he answers to the best of his ability. They discuss out of earshot, setting Jasmine's animal companions to watch him so he can't slip away unnoticed. Dain waits patiently, not trying to overhear or do anything threatening. Eventually, to break the deadlock, Lief decides to check the ruby of the Belt of Deltora, sending Jasmine to distract Dain so he doesn't see. The ruby doesn't show any danger or evil, and Lief declares that Dain can stay. The rest of the bundle turns out to be some basic travel supplies for Dain (all unneeded on his part, since Ols don't need to eat or drink or sleep), a small jar of Queen Bee Honey, and a dagger.
* Tensions are still high as the group approaches Dread Mountain and consumable supplies start running out, despite Dain's supplementing the heroes'. He stays quiet and they guard their words, the most they say to him is asking him to pass his water bottle. Just as the water runs out, they reach the Dreaming Spring. Heeding the warning, Dain only fills his water bottle and doesn't drink. Despite not sleeping, he misses the approach of the Kin, who likewise missed that he didn't actually drink and assume that the whole party are confirmed good. (Synching back up with canon, but with Dain as part of the group.)
* He reacts with disbelief when they find the grave of a man named Doom at Kinrest, insisting that there had to be some explanation, but not knowing what it is. They also note how he barely eats, giving morsels Kree and Filli, and explaining to the Kin that he's saving the rest of his share for later (while secretly putting it back in the packs). They question him after the Kin falls asleep, and he says that he got into the habit while in the Resistance, to help reassure Doom that he didn't intend to eat their scarce supplies while still putting on a show for rest of the Resistance.
* During the vraal attack, Lief tells Dain to take Prin and run, but she runs off on her own (to fetch the purple moss), so he stays and throws rocks at the vraal with great accuracy when it tries to finish off a helpless Jasmine; he doesn't do any damage, but does make enough of a nuisance that the vraal goes back to killing the swordsmen. Prin returns and uses the purple moss on the vraal's eyes, driving it off and letting the group recover.
* While tending wounds, Dain passes around the honey, telling them that it'll help them recover their strength faster. The gesture is appreciated to varying degrees based on the heroes' temperament. When they find the message in the cave, he reveals the rumors that Doom escaped from the Shadowlands and suggests that he left it and switched places with the dead Doom for Very Good Reasons. The heroes are skeptical, but Barda at least notes how Dain seems to want to believe the best of someone who was, essentially, his captor for a year, and that he sounds like a child not wanting to think badly of his father.
* Dain is caught in the dead-end corridor trap with the others. As the air runs low, he clams up, and Lief realizes that he expects that he'll live while they die and the thought disturbs them. He of course doesn't join in on drinking the Dreaming Spring water to gather information on the Dread Gnomes, saying he'll keep watch and try to wake them after a certain amount of time. They fill Dain in on Gellick and how the Dread Gnomes are enslaved, leaving out the emerald
* When they escape and run into Dread Gnomes, instead of joining the others in hiding in a side room, he dashes into the corridor and snuffs every torch he comes across; Lief recognizes it as him trying to split the pursuit and using the darkness as cover to shapeshift and hide. Once the companions have worked out a deal with the Gnomes to kill Gellick in exchange for the emerald, they persuade Dain to come out of hiding, then ask him to look after Prin, Filli and Kree and help them return home if the others are killed. Dain agrees to do his best, and he gives Jasmine some more honey to recover her strength for the fight.
* He's pensive during the victory feast, reflecting on how the Gnomes were slaves but took the chance to free themselves from a cruel master. And on how Gellick had promised them power at first before abusing them and how he tricked them into aiding a sworn enemy. He's still grappling with the implications of that when the Kin appear and Lief convinces the Gnomes to stop hunting them and instead welcome them, ending an enmity that has existed for centuries. He feels like he's seen a miracle, and he's heard that the three have accomplished equal miracles on their journey. He finally drops all internal pretense of loyally following the Shadow Lord's orders and just doing what he needs to do to stay alive. He'd rather have hope for freedom, and he sees Lief as the best hope.
* Dain is deliberately kept ignorant of the Gnomes' plan to replace the toad venom with a harmless mix, readily taking the first hint to go do something else while the others talk. Once they're away from the mountain, Lief again checks the Belt, now using the emerald, and shows Jasmine that it's not reacting to Dain.
* Headcanon: most lesser Ols can't innately recognize each other, Dain included. When the pair posing as drowning girls appear, he's fooled at first just like the rest and goes to fetch wood to make a fire. But he spots the tell-tale signs when he gets back and stabs the first girl through the heart while shouting a warning. Lief and Jasmine only have a second to think that he's turned on them before the other Ol attacks Barda, almost choking him before Lief kills it. Dain instructs them on how to treat an Ol victim by warming them up and feeding them the honey, but there's not enough in the jar to completely revive Barda, and a camp fire isn't enough warmth. He tells the others that there's a Resistance stronghold nearby and Barda will be able to recuperate there; the heroes aren't happy about putting themselves in Doom's power, but decide it's their best option.
* Before they leave, Jasmine grills Dain about how he was able to kill the Ol and whether he's actually helpless; he demonstrates by starting a spar and they see how he starts shaking and can barely hold his weapon. Lief notes that the Shadow Lord didn't forbid him from killing other servants, and Dain soberly states that the Shadow Lord doesn't care if his slaves die, as death is a failure. They also ask him if his true form is like the Ols that they saw, and while he can't answer directly, his tells confirm it.
* Dain carries Barda alone most of the way to the stronghold, but before they get to the perimeter, he asks Jasmine to help so it'll look less suspicious that someone so slight as he is can carry a huge man like Barda. Lief is first to the entrance, well ahead of the others, and is challenged for the password; Dain signals as to its location, and Lief figures out the code. They're let in and Dain immediately reverts to his timid quiet persona, even when Jinks is maliciously taunts him for running away and coming crawling back.
* Doom arrives and orders the heroes taken to the testing room, then takes Dain aside and plainly asks him what he was thinking by bringing them there. Dain's still mostly quiet but he stands his ground about it being necessary to keep Barda from sickening. Doom is still unhappy but gives the companions enough honey so Barda can completely recover while they're locked up. During the three days he questions Dain about what the group were up to and how much he's passed on to the Shadow Lord; Dain answers, but specifically mentioning when he made it his business to not know something and refuses to speculate about what happened behind his back.
* After the three days, Doom enters the testing room, reveals what Dain told him, adds his own speculation, and once again asks them to join his cause; once again they refuse, angry about being locked up seemingly longer than necessary. Jasmine also accuses him of foisting a Shadow Lord spy on them, to which he responds that the spy foisted himself on them and Doom gave them the vital information to neutralize him. He leaves without letting them out, but Dain immediately does so himself and guides them out of the stronghold. In response to their accusations that Doom was trying to coerce them, Dain points out that he did release them (because he knew that Dain would do so), he replenished their supplies, and since they passed the test, all doubts among the Resistance that heroes might be Ols have been quashed. They're not convinced but don't press the point.
* Doom had also informed them that he's heard rumors that spies are on the watch for a wild girl with a bird accompanying a man and one or two boys. Jasmine asks Dain if spies will attack despite the presence of another spy with the group, and he reiterates that the Shadow Lord's slaves are allowed to kill each other if they consider it advantageous. Jasmine decides to go ahead on her own, as she's the most conspicuous and can hide better alone, and the guys won't attract attention from spies.
* Dain tries to take Jasmine's (and Kree's) place as scout, but while he's gotten pretty good at spotting Ols hiding as animals and noticing other anomalous animal behavior (because he's been watching animals as a hobby ever since he left the Resistance and had the chance to do it regularly), he can't hear animals or trees like she can, and he's no better than Lief or Barda at avoiding bandits.
* He's troubled when they get to Where Waters Meet and the others realize and explain that it was the work of other humans. Despite his fake backstory of surviving a bandit attack, and hearing other Resistance fighters talk about bandit encounters, he's never actually seen their work in person. He hadn't realized that humans could be capable of as much cruelty to their own kind as any Shadow Lord creation.
* Dain recognizes Steven's song and caravan and calls out to him, warning him that Where Waters Meet was destroyed so that it wouldn't take him and Nevets by surprise. Steven thanks him and asks him why he's away from the a Resistance stronghold without any other members, trying to convince him to come back. Dain refuses (politely) and says that Doom understands his reasons for leaving. He buys a cheap bracelet with glass beads that catch the light when Steven encourages them to shop, and is shocked when Steven also gives him a jar of Queen Bee Honey as an extra gift. Once the group is alone again, he explains how Steven got it (as Queen Bee's son) and offers it to them because they're sure need it more than he does. Barda remarks that Steven seemed to like him and respect him more than Dain thought he does and asks about his purchase. Dain, a bit embarrassed, admits that he's noticed that clever birds like shiny things and the others tease him about missing Kree and getting something that will let him play with the bird once they're all reunited. The teasing is softened by them both admitting that they miss Jasmine, Filli, and Kree as well.
* On the River Queen, Dain can't spot any obvious Ols, though he reminds them of the usual tells and points out possible pairs. When the group splits up to pretend to enjoy the experience, he watches a school of fish in the river, noticing a pair that's slightly separate from the others. Lief joins him and he points them out as likely Ols, remarking that the animals can tell they're not quite right. Lief informs him that the well-dressed lady is actually Jasmine and they share a laugh at how they were all completely fooled, then watch for Kree, Dain flashing his bracelet at the bird once Lief spots him. They're all reunited, it's peaceful, and there's still some time before the group reaches their destination and Dain has to make himself scarce.
* During the pirate attack, Dain is useless as expected and easily captured when the pirates recognize him as a Resistance fighter. He does get to see Barda go over the rail before he's taken away and grieves his likely death, also sees the Ol attack Jasmine, and hopes that the jar of honey wasn't lost. He spends the trip to the coast in his quiet timid mode.
* When the pirates bring all three of the captured heroes into their hideout at the coast, he's at first relieved to see them all alive, then dismayed that they're all helpless. He informs them that the pirates plan to sell him to the Grey Guards, and they quickly figure out that he intends to reveal himself as an Ol to the guards as soon as he can, then go find them, trusting in his status as a (supposed) fellow loyal servant of the Shadow Lord to keep him save. The pirates throw the heroes into the Maze of the Beast while Dain screams at them not to, that the Grey Guards will also pay for them but not saying why. The pirates laugh at him and mock him for being envious of the horrific death his friends are going to experience, but they'll get enough gold from Dain alone and want to be entertained by the others' fate.
* As soon as the heroes are thrown in and the entrance closed, Dain changes his demeanor entirely. He stops pleading or talking at all, or doing anything but glaring at them. The pirates try withholding food and water to weaken him during the trip up the river, but he (obviously) doesn't relent at all. Beatings also don't faze him and they get unnerved by his constant hateful stare, avoiding him except for an obligatory pair of guards (a job that none of the pirates want). While he's never left alone in the cabin, the guards look away often enough for him to Tremor without being seen doing it. Dain thinks that they're fools for not noticing his lack of need for food or sleep and imagines killing them to avenge his friends, but accepts that not only is that impossible, it won't help them. All he can do is wait and hope that they pull off another miracle.
* The heroes survive the Maze of the Beast and come across the pirates camped on the river shore during a storm and overhear them arguing about what to do with Dain. Some want to continue with the plan to sell him, others think they should let him go and hope he hasn't cursed them (because he has to be some sort of vengeful spirit or aided by one), and a few say they should just slit his throat and throw him in the river and pretend they never saw him. The heroes discuss what to do, Jasmine suggesting they play it safe and wait for him to escape from the Grey Guards and find them, but she doesn't argue when the others vote to rescue him right away. They take a boat out to the ship and board it, Jasmine sending Filli to search for Dain while they fight the pair of pirates left on the ship.
* Dain doesn't react when first one pirate leaves, then the other does as well to join the sounds of a fight, but he does hope. His hopes are confirmed by Filli's appearance, and when the creature starts to gnaw through his bonds, he tells Filli that he can handle it and briefly shapeshifts to get out of them. On deck the pirates have been subdued and are still alive, with the heroes not sure what to do as the polypan commandeered their boat and the pirates are begging for mercy. Dain coldly tells them to jump and take their chances with the river or they'll be pushed, and they don't even hesitate before obeying.
* The heroes are surprised by the ruthlessness, but that's overshadowed by Dain's gratitude for the rescue and happy that they're all alive and reunited. Barda throws some cold water on the reunion by pointing out that they're still stuck in the middle of the river without a boat, and the pirates have noticed that something's wrong on their ship. Lief then says that they're on a ship, and when Barda says that it'll take a strong hand to control the tiller in the storm, Dain wordlessly steps up to it. The others raise the anchor, but while Dain can keep the tiller from being torn out of his hands, he doesn't really know how to steer and the ship is dragged downstream barely under control. He spots water that looks calmer than the raging river and aims for it, which gets the ship grounded on an unseen sandbar. With no other options, they all shelter in the cabin until the storm is over.
* The rain has stopped by morning and they see that they're actually in a temporary lake with a shining city nearby- Tora. Lief gets an idea that he only shares with Barda and Jasmine (that the heir might be in Tora) and asks Dain what he knows about the city. Dain only knows two things, that it's supposed to have some protective magic to keep out the Shadow Lord and his agents, and that Doom says it's unsuitable as a Resistance stronghold but didn't tell anyone why. Before they leave the ship, Dain insists on burning it.
* They head to Tora, with Dain wryly remarking that he'll stay outside on watch, but are ambushed by a small group of Grey Guards. Barda catches a blow that leaves him unable to run and Dain, assessing that Lief and Jasmine won't be able to carry him while fending off the Guards, picks him up and runs for the entrance to the city. One Guard continues the chase and falls over dead halfway through the entrance tunnel; Dain manages to stagger to the end before he has to drop Barda and collapses in a shuddering mess. Everyone can tell that the city's protections are active and affecting him, but when they suggest they leave right away, Dain tells them that the pain isn't getting worse and they should take the opportunity to bind up Barda's leg and look for whatever they came for. He tells them he'll keep watch at the entrance and only asks that they not take too long; once they've gone he reverts to his natural shape, which helps a bit, though the Shadow Lord's brand is throbbing and burning.
* The Grey Guards unfortunately don't give up and leave, choosing to wait for their prey to leave the city, but Dain spots motion in the bushes and calls for the others, pulling himself back into his human form before they get there then explaining what he saw. He directs them on a pattern to flash using reflected light that the Resistance will recognize, and they get a response he says is correct. The three leave the city, and when the Grey Guards try to attack, they're ambushed by the Resistance members hiding nearby- Doom and Neridah and the groups working together manage to kill them.
* Doom demands to know what happened to Dain and almost rages at the heroes when they tell him that Dain's inside Tora. Barda heads in and carries Dain out, then curtly explains (for Neridah's benefit) that Dain was in shock at finding the city empty when he hoped his Toran parents might be there. Doom is not mollified and the argument escalates when the heroes demand that Doom and Neridah prove that they're not Ols by entering the city; Doom refuses at first, but relents when Dain quietly asks him to. He comes out emotionally drained but not in as bad a state as Dain was and explains the nature of the protections and that he hid the fact that the city was empty and the oath stone broken because the news might ruin morale. Nobody is entirely happy, but the tension is broken.
* Doom asks Dain if he can return to the Resistance; he refuses, but the heroes encourage him to take some time to clear the air with Doom and they can meet up again once they've finished their business in the Valley of the Lost. Doom warns them against it and says they should give up the idea of heading there but doesn't say why. Dain reluctantly agrees to go with Doom as far as the meeting place with Steven, but insists that after that he'll wait for his friends to leave the Valley. The groups part, with Neridah at the last minute attaching herself to the three heroes. Doom is exasperated and warns them that Neridah is after something, but he also appreciates that it means he can talk to Dain without dancing around the secret.
* Once they're on the way, Doom asks Dain what he was thinking by entering Tora despite knowing about the protections. Dain firmly stands his ground and explains Barda's injury, adding that he felt responsible because the Grey Guards might have been attracted by the fire he set. Doom is shocked that timid careful little Dain, who used to rarely even offer an opinion much less a suggestion, was the driving force behind the fire, and Dain tells him about his time as a prisoner of the pirates and how he wanted to keep them from using the ship to prey on more people. Doom is impressed and while he still thinks Dain didn't make the best choices, he admits that he did them for good reasons; Dain practically glows at the (relative) praise. Conversations are much more civil after that, though Doom still thinks that the heroes are on a fools' errand going to the Valley of the Lost but won't say why. Dain pushes back a little, then shrugs and says that it doesn't matter, they're going to conquer the Valley's evil and Dain will get answers from them.
And that's when he gets whisked off to Noanga...
* A couple of years before the start of canon, the Shadow Lord takes all the remaining ones out of storage and tells them that even though they're incomplete and deserve to be used to make more perfect Ols, he's giving them a chance to prove that they can be useful. The mission: infiltrate the Resistance in Deltora, using whatever methods they deem necessary. They're sent to Deltora one at a time, in numerical order, while the ones left are told to observe the human slaves in the Shadowlands to learn how humans act.
* Dain/2-X-36-7 isn't the first sent, not even close. At first the Ols are confident that the first one will succeed and the rest will be given other missions, but the first one dies before ever reporting in. The second manages to inform the Shadow Lord that the leader of the Resistance, Doom, can inherently sense Ols and recognized her immediately, so she ran. She's punished for it, because the orders were to not report until they'd been accepted into the Resistance. She's also killed not long after.
* While waiting for his turn, Dain comes up with his persona, while mostly learning about dull despair and futile rage from the humans he watches (who think that being watched by Ols is a form of torture or that it's entertainment for the Shadow Lord's servants). At this point Dain only wants to be the one who succeeds, because that's what's most important; disobedience and failure are the worst crimes possible.
* All the Ols sent before Dain have one order that they physically cannot disobey: Do not reveal yourself to any person of Deltora. Dain is given an extra one: Do not harm any person of Deltora. He's not entirely sure why, but he suspects it's because humans are more reluctant to kill someone they think is helpless.
* When he's sent into Deltora, he takes his time, following Doom's movements from afar, and chooses to stage his discovery at an abandoned farmstead, torching it to make it look like it was just attacked and he was injured. He deliberately times it for when Doom is alone and far enough away from where the other Resistance fighters are camped that he'll go investigate himself instead of getting reinforcements first.
* Doom falls for the bait, but as soon as he sees Dain, he recognizes the boy as an Ol and tries to attack. Dain drops the wounded act and hides, then pleads with Doom to spare him. As best he can around the compelled orders, he tells Doom that he's harmless, and that even if he's killed, more will come, and it's better to let a known spy in and watch him than hope that a perfectly undetectable spy will never be sent. Doom is eventually convinced and stops attacking, with a warning that if Dain steps out of line at all, Doom will kill him. He asks Dain for his (fake) story, says that as far as everyone else is concerned, that's the truth, and brings him back to a stronghold.
* Dain is relieved at first, until he's brought to the testing room (Ols can only hold a form for three days before they experience something called the Tremor) while Doom "looks for survivors of the bandit attack on his home". He's listless for the first day, certain that Doom tricked him and he's going to be exposed and killed. Then Doom comes back, takes a shift watching the "new recruit" alone, and tells him that he saw signs that no humans were harmed at all in Dain's ruse, a major point in his favor. He lets Dain Tremor, tells nobody, and explains Dain's behavior to the others as being in shock from losing everything he knows. Dain is let out at the end of the three days, to all appearances having passed the testing, and is welcomed.
* Dain reports his success to the Shadow Lord, carefully leaving out how he managed it, and gets his new orders, which are fairly basic: Watch, wait for further contact, and answer all questions truthfully when contacted.
* For the next year, nothing major changes externally. Dain tries to walk the knife edge of obeying both the Shadow Lord and Doom, mostly by avoiding learning Resistance secrets. Doom helps with that by excluding him from plans, disguised as "sheltering the boy from hard truths and protecting him". That makes Dain a target for ridicule as "Doom's coddled pet kid" and essentially useless, which is exacerbated by him being entirely inept at sparring while training, as well as his general quiet and overly cautious behavior. Dain resents the others for that, because by rights he should be capable of killing any one of them with his (true) bare hands, but he's held back. The Shadow Lord contacts him infrequently and doesn't ask much, so Dain's relative lack of information to give goes unnoticed (or so Dain thinks).
* Dain surreptitiously studies how the humans of the Resistance act and starts learning things; how humans are when not in captivity, and to his mental turmoil, alternate forms of leadership than the one he's used to. The other fighters grumble that Doom is demanding and uncompromising, but Dain notices how he doesn't punish any and all instances of disobedience and failure. For the former, Doom always interrogates the perpetrator on why they disobeyed orders, and while he's usually not satisfied and at least chews them out, on a few key occasions, he actually agrees that the agent did the right thing and sometimes even commends their judgment. He also never punishes for failure, only showing regret, and usually directed at himself rather than whoever failed. Dain and Doom also work out a way for Dain to tell Doom when he's passed along information ("bad dreams") and hint at what he was asked. On top of that, Dain chooses to confirm Doom's suspicion that Grade 3 Ols exist
* That is what Dain knows until Doom asks/orders him to be part of an extended mission to investigate the Rithmere Games, as he suspects that the Shadow Lord is using them to capture contestants. (Dain honestly has no idea, as the Shadow Lord only tells his servants what they need to know, and he didn't need to know where the slaves came from.) Doom joins the Games as part of the plan, and by chance, three people who match the descriptions of heroes who have been undoing the Shadow Lord's control across Deltora also join. (AKA, this is where his story syncs up with canon).
* After the three are rescued, refuse Doom's offer to join the Resistance, and leave on some unspecified mission, Dain gets new orders: He is to follow the Three and be aware of their movements. By this point, he's gotten attached enough to Doom to tell him what he has to do (while still rationalizing it as "if I run off without warning, Doom will hunt me down and kill me") and waits while Doom prepares a letter informing the heroes of Dain's true nature, along with a bundle of supplies, telling him to tell them that he decided to give them extra aid despite them not swearing allegiance to him. Dain sets off to find them, never opening the bundle or reading the letter.
* Dain follows their trail (mainly by scent in animal form) as far as the Shifting Sands, then the nature of the place makes it grow cold. He waits and watches the desert from above, assuming that if they live, he'll be able to spot them when they leave, but he doubts that they'll survive. To his surprise, he does see them, and prepares to make meet them in a way that makes it not seem like he was spying on them and waiting for them. They're surprised but not suspicious, except that maybe it's some ploy on Doom's part, and Dain hands over the bundle and tells them to read the message first, while preparing to run if they turn violent (an option he hasn't had since joining the Resistance).
* The heroes are obviously shocked by it and why Doom would recommend that they let a known spy join their group (Doom gives the same reasoning he came to, adding that Dain has so far been scrupulously obedient and will likely be the same to them). They disagree on what to do; Jasmine wants to kill him right away, but Lief and Barda convince her to at least interrogate Dain, and he answers to the best of his ability. They discuss out of earshot, setting Jasmine's animal companions to watch him so he can't slip away unnoticed. Dain waits patiently, not trying to overhear or do anything threatening. Eventually, to break the deadlock, Lief decides to check the ruby of the Belt of Deltora, sending Jasmine to distract Dain so he doesn't see. The ruby doesn't show any danger or evil, and Lief declares that Dain can stay. The rest of the bundle turns out to be some basic travel supplies for Dain (all unneeded on his part, since Ols don't need to eat or drink or sleep), a small jar of Queen Bee Honey, and a dagger.
* Tensions are still high as the group approaches Dread Mountain and consumable supplies start running out, despite Dain's supplementing the heroes'. He stays quiet and they guard their words, the most they say to him is asking him to pass his water bottle. Just as the water runs out, they reach the Dreaming Spring. Heeding the warning, Dain only fills his water bottle and doesn't drink. Despite not sleeping, he misses the approach of the Kin, who likewise missed that he didn't actually drink and assume that the whole party are confirmed good. (Synching back up with canon, but with Dain as part of the group.)
* He reacts with disbelief when they find the grave of a man named Doom at Kinrest, insisting that there had to be some explanation, but not knowing what it is. They also note how he barely eats, giving morsels Kree and Filli, and explaining to the Kin that he's saving the rest of his share for later (while secretly putting it back in the packs). They question him after the Kin falls asleep, and he says that he got into the habit while in the Resistance, to help reassure Doom that he didn't intend to eat their scarce supplies while still putting on a show for rest of the Resistance.
* During the vraal attack, Lief tells Dain to take Prin and run, but she runs off on her own (to fetch the purple moss), so he stays and throws rocks at the vraal with great accuracy when it tries to finish off a helpless Jasmine; he doesn't do any damage, but does make enough of a nuisance that the vraal goes back to killing the swordsmen. Prin returns and uses the purple moss on the vraal's eyes, driving it off and letting the group recover.
* While tending wounds, Dain passes around the honey, telling them that it'll help them recover their strength faster. The gesture is appreciated to varying degrees based on the heroes' temperament. When they find the message in the cave, he reveals the rumors that Doom escaped from the Shadowlands and suggests that he left it and switched places with the dead Doom for Very Good Reasons. The heroes are skeptical, but Barda at least notes how Dain seems to want to believe the best of someone who was, essentially, his captor for a year, and that he sounds like a child not wanting to think badly of his father.
* Dain is caught in the dead-end corridor trap with the others. As the air runs low, he clams up, and Lief realizes that he expects that he'll live while they die and the thought disturbs them. He of course doesn't join in on drinking the Dreaming Spring water to gather information on the Dread Gnomes, saying he'll keep watch and try to wake them after a certain amount of time. They fill Dain in on Gellick and how the Dread Gnomes are enslaved, leaving out the emerald
* When they escape and run into Dread Gnomes, instead of joining the others in hiding in a side room, he dashes into the corridor and snuffs every torch he comes across; Lief recognizes it as him trying to split the pursuit and using the darkness as cover to shapeshift and hide. Once the companions have worked out a deal with the Gnomes to kill Gellick in exchange for the emerald, they persuade Dain to come out of hiding, then ask him to look after Prin, Filli and Kree and help them return home if the others are killed. Dain agrees to do his best, and he gives Jasmine some more honey to recover her strength for the fight.
* He's pensive during the victory feast, reflecting on how the Gnomes were slaves but took the chance to free themselves from a cruel master. And on how Gellick had promised them power at first before abusing them and how he tricked them into aiding a sworn enemy. He's still grappling with the implications of that when the Kin appear and Lief convinces the Gnomes to stop hunting them and instead welcome them, ending an enmity that has existed for centuries. He feels like he's seen a miracle, and he's heard that the three have accomplished equal miracles on their journey. He finally drops all internal pretense of loyally following the Shadow Lord's orders and just doing what he needs to do to stay alive. He'd rather have hope for freedom, and he sees Lief as the best hope.
* Dain is deliberately kept ignorant of the Gnomes' plan to replace the toad venom with a harmless mix, readily taking the first hint to go do something else while the others talk. Once they're away from the mountain, Lief again checks the Belt, now using the emerald, and shows Jasmine that it's not reacting to Dain.
* Headcanon: most lesser Ols can't innately recognize each other, Dain included. When the pair posing as drowning girls appear, he's fooled at first just like the rest and goes to fetch wood to make a fire. But he spots the tell-tale signs when he gets back and stabs the first girl through the heart while shouting a warning. Lief and Jasmine only have a second to think that he's turned on them before the other Ol attacks Barda, almost choking him before Lief kills it. Dain instructs them on how to treat an Ol victim by warming them up and feeding them the honey, but there's not enough in the jar to completely revive Barda, and a camp fire isn't enough warmth. He tells the others that there's a Resistance stronghold nearby and Barda will be able to recuperate there; the heroes aren't happy about putting themselves in Doom's power, but decide it's their best option.
* Before they leave, Jasmine grills Dain about how he was able to kill the Ol and whether he's actually helpless; he demonstrates by starting a spar and they see how he starts shaking and can barely hold his weapon. Lief notes that the Shadow Lord didn't forbid him from killing other servants, and Dain soberly states that the Shadow Lord doesn't care if his slaves die, as death is a failure. They also ask him if his true form is like the Ols that they saw, and while he can't answer directly, his tells confirm it.
* Dain carries Barda alone most of the way to the stronghold, but before they get to the perimeter, he asks Jasmine to help so it'll look less suspicious that someone so slight as he is can carry a huge man like Barda. Lief is first to the entrance, well ahead of the others, and is challenged for the password; Dain signals as to its location, and Lief figures out the code. They're let in and Dain immediately reverts to his timid quiet persona, even when Jinks is maliciously taunts him for running away and coming crawling back.
* Doom arrives and orders the heroes taken to the testing room, then takes Dain aside and plainly asks him what he was thinking by bringing them there. Dain's still mostly quiet but he stands his ground about it being necessary to keep Barda from sickening. Doom is still unhappy but gives the companions enough honey so Barda can completely recover while they're locked up. During the three days he questions Dain about what the group were up to and how much he's passed on to the Shadow Lord; Dain answers, but specifically mentioning when he made it his business to not know something and refuses to speculate about what happened behind his back.
* After the three days, Doom enters the testing room, reveals what Dain told him, adds his own speculation, and once again asks them to join his cause; once again they refuse, angry about being locked up seemingly longer than necessary. Jasmine also accuses him of foisting a Shadow Lord spy on them, to which he responds that the spy foisted himself on them and Doom gave them the vital information to neutralize him. He leaves without letting them out, but Dain immediately does so himself and guides them out of the stronghold. In response to their accusations that Doom was trying to coerce them, Dain points out that he did release them (because he knew that Dain would do so), he replenished their supplies, and since they passed the test, all doubts among the Resistance that heroes might be Ols have been quashed. They're not convinced but don't press the point.
* Doom had also informed them that he's heard rumors that spies are on the watch for a wild girl with a bird accompanying a man and one or two boys. Jasmine asks Dain if spies will attack despite the presence of another spy with the group, and he reiterates that the Shadow Lord's slaves are allowed to kill each other if they consider it advantageous. Jasmine decides to go ahead on her own, as she's the most conspicuous and can hide better alone, and the guys won't attract attention from spies.
* Dain tries to take Jasmine's (and Kree's) place as scout, but while he's gotten pretty good at spotting Ols hiding as animals and noticing other anomalous animal behavior (because he's been watching animals as a hobby ever since he left the Resistance and had the chance to do it regularly), he can't hear animals or trees like she can, and he's no better than Lief or Barda at avoiding bandits.
* He's troubled when they get to Where Waters Meet and the others realize and explain that it was the work of other humans. Despite his fake backstory of surviving a bandit attack, and hearing other Resistance fighters talk about bandit encounters, he's never actually seen their work in person. He hadn't realized that humans could be capable of as much cruelty to their own kind as any Shadow Lord creation.
* Dain recognizes Steven's song and caravan and calls out to him, warning him that Where Waters Meet was destroyed so that it wouldn't take him and Nevets by surprise. Steven thanks him and asks him why he's away from the a Resistance stronghold without any other members, trying to convince him to come back. Dain refuses (politely) and says that Doom understands his reasons for leaving. He buys a cheap bracelet with glass beads that catch the light when Steven encourages them to shop, and is shocked when Steven also gives him a jar of Queen Bee Honey as an extra gift. Once the group is alone again, he explains how Steven got it (as Queen Bee's son) and offers it to them because they're sure need it more than he does. Barda remarks that Steven seemed to like him and respect him more than Dain thought he does and asks about his purchase. Dain, a bit embarrassed, admits that he's noticed that clever birds like shiny things and the others tease him about missing Kree and getting something that will let him play with the bird once they're all reunited. The teasing is softened by them both admitting that they miss Jasmine, Filli, and Kree as well.
* On the River Queen, Dain can't spot any obvious Ols, though he reminds them of the usual tells and points out possible pairs. When the group splits up to pretend to enjoy the experience, he watches a school of fish in the river, noticing a pair that's slightly separate from the others. Lief joins him and he points them out as likely Ols, remarking that the animals can tell they're not quite right. Lief informs him that the well-dressed lady is actually Jasmine and they share a laugh at how they were all completely fooled, then watch for Kree, Dain flashing his bracelet at the bird once Lief spots him. They're all reunited, it's peaceful, and there's still some time before the group reaches their destination and Dain has to make himself scarce.
* During the pirate attack, Dain is useless as expected and easily captured when the pirates recognize him as a Resistance fighter. He does get to see Barda go over the rail before he's taken away and grieves his likely death, also sees the Ol attack Jasmine, and hopes that the jar of honey wasn't lost. He spends the trip to the coast in his quiet timid mode.
* When the pirates bring all three of the captured heroes into their hideout at the coast, he's at first relieved to see them all alive, then dismayed that they're all helpless. He informs them that the pirates plan to sell him to the Grey Guards, and they quickly figure out that he intends to reveal himself as an Ol to the guards as soon as he can, then go find them, trusting in his status as a (supposed) fellow loyal servant of the Shadow Lord to keep him save. The pirates throw the heroes into the Maze of the Beast while Dain screams at them not to, that the Grey Guards will also pay for them but not saying why. The pirates laugh at him and mock him for being envious of the horrific death his friends are going to experience, but they'll get enough gold from Dain alone and want to be entertained by the others' fate.
* As soon as the heroes are thrown in and the entrance closed, Dain changes his demeanor entirely. He stops pleading or talking at all, or doing anything but glaring at them. The pirates try withholding food and water to weaken him during the trip up the river, but he (obviously) doesn't relent at all. Beatings also don't faze him and they get unnerved by his constant hateful stare, avoiding him except for an obligatory pair of guards (a job that none of the pirates want). While he's never left alone in the cabin, the guards look away often enough for him to Tremor without being seen doing it. Dain thinks that they're fools for not noticing his lack of need for food or sleep and imagines killing them to avenge his friends, but accepts that not only is that impossible, it won't help them. All he can do is wait and hope that they pull off another miracle.
* The heroes survive the Maze of the Beast and come across the pirates camped on the river shore during a storm and overhear them arguing about what to do with Dain. Some want to continue with the plan to sell him, others think they should let him go and hope he hasn't cursed them (because he has to be some sort of vengeful spirit or aided by one), and a few say they should just slit his throat and throw him in the river and pretend they never saw him. The heroes discuss what to do, Jasmine suggesting they play it safe and wait for him to escape from the Grey Guards and find them, but she doesn't argue when the others vote to rescue him right away. They take a boat out to the ship and board it, Jasmine sending Filli to search for Dain while they fight the pair of pirates left on the ship.
* Dain doesn't react when first one pirate leaves, then the other does as well to join the sounds of a fight, but he does hope. His hopes are confirmed by Filli's appearance, and when the creature starts to gnaw through his bonds, he tells Filli that he can handle it and briefly shapeshifts to get out of them. On deck the pirates have been subdued and are still alive, with the heroes not sure what to do as the polypan commandeered their boat and the pirates are begging for mercy. Dain coldly tells them to jump and take their chances with the river or they'll be pushed, and they don't even hesitate before obeying.
* The heroes are surprised by the ruthlessness, but that's overshadowed by Dain's gratitude for the rescue and happy that they're all alive and reunited. Barda throws some cold water on the reunion by pointing out that they're still stuck in the middle of the river without a boat, and the pirates have noticed that something's wrong on their ship. Lief then says that they're on a ship, and when Barda says that it'll take a strong hand to control the tiller in the storm, Dain wordlessly steps up to it. The others raise the anchor, but while Dain can keep the tiller from being torn out of his hands, he doesn't really know how to steer and the ship is dragged downstream barely under control. He spots water that looks calmer than the raging river and aims for it, which gets the ship grounded on an unseen sandbar. With no other options, they all shelter in the cabin until the storm is over.
* The rain has stopped by morning and they see that they're actually in a temporary lake with a shining city nearby- Tora. Lief gets an idea that he only shares with Barda and Jasmine (that the heir might be in Tora) and asks Dain what he knows about the city. Dain only knows two things, that it's supposed to have some protective magic to keep out the Shadow Lord and his agents, and that Doom says it's unsuitable as a Resistance stronghold but didn't tell anyone why. Before they leave the ship, Dain insists on burning it.
* They head to Tora, with Dain wryly remarking that he'll stay outside on watch, but are ambushed by a small group of Grey Guards. Barda catches a blow that leaves him unable to run and Dain, assessing that Lief and Jasmine won't be able to carry him while fending off the Guards, picks him up and runs for the entrance to the city. One Guard continues the chase and falls over dead halfway through the entrance tunnel; Dain manages to stagger to the end before he has to drop Barda and collapses in a shuddering mess. Everyone can tell that the city's protections are active and affecting him, but when they suggest they leave right away, Dain tells them that the pain isn't getting worse and they should take the opportunity to bind up Barda's leg and look for whatever they came for. He tells them he'll keep watch at the entrance and only asks that they not take too long; once they've gone he reverts to his natural shape, which helps a bit, though the Shadow Lord's brand is throbbing and burning.
* The Grey Guards unfortunately don't give up and leave, choosing to wait for their prey to leave the city, but Dain spots motion in the bushes and calls for the others, pulling himself back into his human form before they get there then explaining what he saw. He directs them on a pattern to flash using reflected light that the Resistance will recognize, and they get a response he says is correct. The three leave the city, and when the Grey Guards try to attack, they're ambushed by the Resistance members hiding nearby- Doom and Neridah and the groups working together manage to kill them.
* Doom demands to know what happened to Dain and almost rages at the heroes when they tell him that Dain's inside Tora. Barda heads in and carries Dain out, then curtly explains (for Neridah's benefit) that Dain was in shock at finding the city empty when he hoped his Toran parents might be there. Doom is not mollified and the argument escalates when the heroes demand that Doom and Neridah prove that they're not Ols by entering the city; Doom refuses at first, but relents when Dain quietly asks him to. He comes out emotionally drained but not in as bad a state as Dain was and explains the nature of the protections and that he hid the fact that the city was empty and the oath stone broken because the news might ruin morale. Nobody is entirely happy, but the tension is broken.
* Doom asks Dain if he can return to the Resistance; he refuses, but the heroes encourage him to take some time to clear the air with Doom and they can meet up again once they've finished their business in the Valley of the Lost. Doom warns them against it and says they should give up the idea of heading there but doesn't say why. Dain reluctantly agrees to go with Doom as far as the meeting place with Steven, but insists that after that he'll wait for his friends to leave the Valley. The groups part, with Neridah at the last minute attaching herself to the three heroes. Doom is exasperated and warns them that Neridah is after something, but he also appreciates that it means he can talk to Dain without dancing around the secret.
* Once they're on the way, Doom asks Dain what he was thinking by entering Tora despite knowing about the protections. Dain firmly stands his ground and explains Barda's injury, adding that he felt responsible because the Grey Guards might have been attracted by the fire he set. Doom is shocked that timid careful little Dain, who used to rarely even offer an opinion much less a suggestion, was the driving force behind the fire, and Dain tells him about his time as a prisoner of the pirates and how he wanted to keep them from using the ship to prey on more people. Doom is impressed and while he still thinks Dain didn't make the best choices, he admits that he did them for good reasons; Dain practically glows at the (relative) praise. Conversations are much more civil after that, though Doom still thinks that the heroes are on a fools' errand going to the Valley of the Lost but won't say why. Dain pushes back a little, then shrugs and says that it doesn't matter, they're going to conquer the Valley's evil and Dain will get answers from them.
And that's when he gets whisked off to Noanga...
