Black Marin is the current head of the Price of Freedom fighting school in the Varisian city of Kaer Maga. The school is located in a neighborhood made up of many ex-slaves known as the Bottoms, and the Price of Freedom teaches those wishing to learn how to defend themselves against becoming slaves, or who wish the institution's violent overthrow. An ex-slave himself, Marin was once a commander in the Chelish military, who was expelled for refusing to obey a misconceived order and lead his troops on a suicide mission. The army stripped him of his rank and sold him into slavery, but upon his escape, he fled to Kaer Maga.