I think Narrator hit the nail on the head. The blades, when not during war-time, have "aliases". It seems they're fond of monks and monastic orders, such as the Akatosh-oriented order he was speaking of. Even Caius is, by class, a monk in MW. He just happens to be a "skooma addict", and therefore, easily dismissed. It's the perfect ruse! Even if someone thinks they know the old monk's "big secret", the only secret they know is that he's a stoner. LOL. They have no idea he's a high ranking knight.

I would also have to agree in that wherever Caius is at, he's probably doing something very important. Whether or not he did actually consume the skooma is unimportant. After all, my Nereverine was a HUGE user of the stuff. A little skooma and a few swigs of sujamma and I'm ready to take on whatever. Nothing wrong with that.

Those links on the first page, where are those pieces in-game?

But, I wouldn't mind seeing him in the next ES.

I think he's dead, even if he wasn't an addict. I mean, if he was still working with the Blades during the Oblivion Crisis, that would put him at least at 70 years of age by my thinking (he was pretty old last time we saw him) and to see him in the next TES would be even less likely.

And shame on you people, leave it up to Ciaus to tell us if he really was an addict or not, tsk tsk. Don't just go assuming he was or wasn't

According to a previous statement from you proweler. he "wasn't an addict". so now he is? we all know wat the khajiit says... but it is a cover, a facad if you will. are you agreeing with me? or putting me down? i'm not trying to be insulting but, make up your mind man. he is, or he isn't

Nah man, he was really using. That's how he got everything planned out so fast.

I don't think he would be 70. I bet more like 55. Ciaus was in peak physical condition last I saw of him.

YES!! Thank you BGS.. It's so true. If anyone has ever ticked Ciaus off they would know that. He kicked my [censored] when I stole one of his books. He's strong, despite his appearance. He is after all a master in the Blades..

He's most likely somewhere doing something to benefit the Empire and/or the Blades. I do believe we haven't seen the last of him. And that he is alive, and on a mission of some sort. who knows, he may be babysitting a Nord child in Skyrim, jk.... but he is doing something, other than decomposing in a hole somewhere...
Forgive the bluntess of this post. I'm tired....lol...

lol... mmmyes... I see your point. Perhaps he is an addict, secretly posing as a monk who is secretly posing as a blade. all to cover up his true identity... He is secretly Barenziah!!!!!!!!!!!

No offense meant to you Roaming Nomad. I'm not smarting off. just having a little fun to lighten the mood on this here topic...lol..
so if i sound rude, I'm not intending to be.

It's called game mechanics?

Who here has relised that Casodes is actually jauffre?

I'm not good with knowing when people are kidding, but Caius was an Imperial and Jauffre was a Breton.

It was a semi-joke.

I don't really think that he is jauffre but they do look a lot alike...

Game mechanics and lore sometimes work together. If Caius truly was a blades master, posing as an old coot, then wouldn't you expect him to be able to whoop a little ass? Game mechanics is HOW he can beat you down, not why.
Why is related to the fact that he posesses several levels of monk, to aid him in his cover. This high skill in unarmed combat isn't just so he can train you (that would be game mechanics), it's due to the nature of his cover.

Narrator's just saying if you doubt the virility of the old man, try to pick a fight with him at a low level and see what happens. Caius plays old and infirm, and it looks like he's fooled a lot of people, in game and out. However, Caius Cossades is anything but. He's the man, man. LOL.

the khajiit in the thieves guild never seen caius use skooma or moonsuger, the dumb khajiit just notices that caius will buy the stuff rather often, and that caius never shows any signs of under the effects. the khajiit just assumes that means caius is a long time user, since the only think that khajiit cared about is theiving and moon suger.

inquiring the other thieves guild member give another story, that caius does not appear to be what he leads on. the others mention that he has connections with fort moonmoth, and isn't someone to mess with.

You might want to add "feigned" in front of addiction in my original statement. His cover wasn't very good because he was buying too much and thus seemed to have no idea how much a normal addict would use.

But the reason that Caius was recalled was "some concern about [his] sugar." If his superiors gave him that excuse, even if it was for other reasons, they wouldn't have needed to mention his cover, because they're his superiors.

But either way, there seems to be more evidence for him doing skooma than evidence to the contrary.

He wasn't given that excuse for the sake of his "superior," but for the sake of the people the cover was supposed to fool in the first place. Honestly, there's no evidence I can think of for Caius actually using moonsugar that isn't controverted by the facts.

And there's no evidence I can see that doesn't contradict moon sugar use.

Aside from that, it seems that Blades orders are coded, if the package to him was any indication; they wouldn't risk him getting exposed as a Blades Spymaster. And it would be pretty suspicious if people hear about him getting "recalled."

i always took that comment as sarcasm, caius doesn't need to go into details as to why he was recalled, being that he outranks the player his assignments are more sensitive, and that sugar line was him just avoiding the real reason. maybe even kidding, since when you first meet him, he only tells you that he's an 'old man with a skooma problem'. since you can't judge his facial expressions or tone, sarcasm hardly transfer well in text.

I suppose you're right about the game mechanics, but at a low level a mud crab, rat or cliffracer could kick more crap out of you than Vin Diesel on roids!

http://www.imperial-library.info/obscure_text/cosades_visit.shtml is Caius - the rest is BS to pass the time.

We know...that's already been linked several times now. As for the BS you speak of....I don't know, I kind of agree. Not to "pass the time" mind you, but who knows if he's a user or not. I personally think he WAS a user, but that wasn't why he was recalled to the Imperial City. But like I said, that's just what I think personally. I don't have the knowledge of this that others do.

Well there is evidence both for and against him being a user. I like to think of him as Chade Farseer from Assassins Apprentice, who was a 'user' of sorts, but had the self control to not use when he didnt have too, and trained you to be an efficient spy.

So, yes, I believe Caius used, but that he also knew how to quit. He knew it was a long, ugly process to quit, but he could do it. Remember 'Confessions of a Dunmer Skooma Eater?"

No... The reason Caius was "called off" was to investigate something. The "sugar" thing is a cover for the fact that he was called off to investigate the assassinations of the Emporer's sons.

Take in mind, however, that OB does sort of take place during Morrowind. The OB crisis does take place after Morrowind, but the Nereverine didn't exactly complete his task in a week or two. It actually took a while. I think maybe two to four years. It would be really hard for one man to do all of that on his own so quickly. Had he some assistance, maybe, but he was alone. So it took him a while.

Caius, was investigating the deaths of the Emporers sons. That is why he was called away.
Now the Empire can't exactly let all of it's citizens know that the Emporers sons, much less the Emporer himself were being assassinated.

The "moon sugar" thing is just a cover to hide the true reason. Thus preventing panic.........

That would mean that the Nerevarine was mid-way through his quest some weeks after Uriel was killed. You see why that's impossible, right?