Born to wealthy Tar Valon river merchants, Janus' early life took him from Tear to Arafel trading nearly everything the four - boat fleet his parents owned could hold. When he was nineteen, he had saved up enough money and left the trading lifestyle to go to Shol Arbela to become a Blademaster. He found himself to be a remarkably quick learner, having achieved his heron - marked sword after only four years. For another year he paid off a few of his debts while gaining experience fighting the Trolloc raids along the Blight. Janus left Arafel due to his hunger for knowledge, and took a boat south to Tar Valon, where he aided Verin Sedai while studying the One Power. Although having no notion to become her warder, he made friends with a man named Tomas while there who took up Janus' position when he left a year later. He took another river boat to Cairhien, having heard of their extensive library, and worked there as a librarian for three years while reading everything in sight. His position earned him a good many friends and respect, and Janus found how he could put his quick learning to the test: Daes Daemar. Though young, he found the Game of Houses to be a fascinating line of study, and dabbled in it for his own personal pleasure.
Two years later he left Cairhien for Andor, and the capital city Camlyn, where his expertise with the sword found a good home as one of the Queen's Guards, working under the instruction of Gareth Bryne, and finding him to be a very worthy and respectable man. While not on duty, Janus was often found with a book in his hands, reading about the Old Tongue or the Sea Folk. Still, he preferred traveling, and left Camlyn four years later on a trip to Amadacia having developed a distrust of Whitecloaks because of his time in Andor. From Amador he observed a good deal of Whitecloak operations, but left soon on a journey back north. Chance brought him to Herid Fel's study in Cairhien, where he believed he found his true calling. Fel himself was absentminded to the point of insanity, but Janus did manage to make something while he was there. It was a small musical instrument, nearly a pace in length, with six fingerholes and over a dozen other levers that pushed down other holes. Able to produce a much deeper sound than a flute, and not so shrill when brought up several octaves, he has yet to name the instrument, but carries it in a small black box with a handle that is usually not far from his hand. Janus is very protective of his instrument, but he enjoyed entertaining Fel and his fellow students while there, even to the point of creating several pieces of music.
He lost two years of time in Fel's study, dabbling in the Great Game and re-visiting the Royal Library. Still, he felt himself drawn to Tar Valon, and left for there along the road from Cairhien to Tar Valon, earning his way as a gleeman of sorts. Janus played his instrument in many inns where it quite unique in the variety of music it was able to play, and that it went well with a flutist in the background. He recited parts from The Great Hunt of the Horn that he memorized in Cairhien, and had a working knowledge of nearly every nation and culture, save the Aiel and Ji'e'toh. Upon reaching Tar Valon, he decided that the culmination of his life's work would be to put this all to use somewhere. Anyone looking would have found Janus with a wry grin on his face as he looked up at the White Tower. A great many things had changed since he was first there, and was surprised to see Verin had bonded Tomas. Knowing Verin could not bond him, he spend any idle time helping her with her books, and reading them whenever he got the chance. Once, he was called upon by the Amyrlin Seat herself when Verin discovered how much he knew about the recent happenings with the Whitecloaks. Siuan Sanche reminded him of being surrounded by a dozen Myrddraal with a dozen fists of Trollocs behind them, except that he knew he stood a chance against the Myrddraal. A very impressive woman, and he managed not to cringe very much under the blue icicles most people called her eyes.
When the Tower split, Janus found himself fighting along with a warder he remembered being around the Amyrlin a great deal. Alric, he learned later, the Amyrlin Seat's Warder, dead when she was desposed and stilled, and possibly executed. He followed the rebels to Salidar, and found himself with quite a few Browns around him, digging out every scrap of information he had acquired over his life. That thoroughly made him dislike Browns, and left Salidar to join Gareth Bryne's army. Bryne was surprised to see Janus there, and allowed him to follow on a chase for someone named Mara Tomaes who he thought he knew, a Domani woman whose memory left Bryne clearing his throat, and Serelna Min, whose name made Janus smile; it was interesting to see a housewife with such intricate knowledge of the Old Tongue. With his bad luck surfacing, he found himself and Bryne chasing Mara back to Salidar, though he was shocked to learn that she was the former Amyrlin Seat herself. Janus kept his knowledge of Alric to himself, though, because of what he learned of Aes Sedai and Warders while studying with Verin. Bryne himself told him of her un-stilling, and how unusual she acted when she tried to lift him with the Power. Janus listened with a grim mask, though he didn't want to tell Bryne why; those two were always going at each other, and he didn't want Bryne to have this terrible advantage.
Now, at the formation of the Netland White Tower and the Violet Ajah, Janus Kirin is thirty six years old, six feet tall and has light blue eyes and a rim of navy blue on the outside. He is very slow to anger, and found that he had a great diplomatic skill after many long discussions with Whites that usually left him exhausted at the end of the night. His respect for Aes Sedai is unwavering, and now he would like to put himself to use as a Warder. He is quick with a sword, and a very worldly man by his travels, having a great understanding of Daes Daemar, the Whitecloaks, trading, and general knowledge. A bond to a Brown would have been disaster for Janus, because he has little patience for those who truly think they know more than he does about what he has studied. Janus is not as blind as many women would say about men, and while not anywhere near as stubborn as Two Rivers folk, he can make them look pliable when he has an idea fixed in his head.
Janus was recently bonded to Kerilaine Ellorien Sedai of the Green Ajah.
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