He has had a great many experiences for one so young, born in a small fishing village at the southern edge of the New Fens, he was one of two sons of a pirate called Dracus. Dracus was captured by Clovis' people during a raid and put to death for his crimes. Only six at the time, Thaddeus lost a hand by accident during the raid in which his father was captured and his mother (one of several of the ‘wives’ his father had in different ports) killed. His nine-year-old brother, Janus, escaped with Thaddeus swearing revenge against Clovis.
They escaped to Handra and anonymity, surviving for a couple of years by begging, stealing and taking any jobs that they could get. After some years Janus managed to get a position in Clovis' mercenaries so that he was close to his enemy. He did very well, in fact so well that with the help of a couple of bonuses from Clovis, he managed to save sufficient to purchase a special gift for his brother(1).
Janus grew to admire Clovis' and never got the opportunity to avenge his fathers death, since he was killed in action. Thaddeus in the mean time had found employ on a vessel, frequently used by Clovis.
He never took the same oath his brother did to avenge his father. He has mixed feelings when it comes to Clovis, but generally feels that he is owed for the loss of his hand and family. Thaddeus is pragmatic in his view of Clovis, for this he feels that monetary payment is of more use than killing Clovis. He takes a great deal of interest in Clovis for this reason and keeps regular contact with Janus’ mercenary friends.