Ktandeo

Ktandeo, son of Ares, "Warrior God", Lord of the South of Smowlark Island

Race: half-divine, half-human, Son of the Enmarch People

Mother: Anservial, Daughter of Desci from Mount Manechest in the Sahtgarte Mountains

Father: Ares, Son of Zeus

Wife: Lady Elatie

Early Life

His Mother Anservial, and the Birth of Ktandeo

Warrior God is the son of Ares, born to the mercurial warrioress Anservial, a commoner and member of the Red Crests, an adventuring party who had by that time conquered with their army the whole of the Smerdennin Isles, a lush archipelago well known for its tyrannical wizard-king Mantris and his ettin army. Their own wizard-warrior Malran took the throne after it was won by the Red Crests. Anservial became a fascination for Ares, and in her appeals for a child (for all men were intimidated by her), Ares raped her and gave her a warrior god son. Jealous of this however, Aphrodite cursed Anservial in that all men were for thereafter obsessed with her. She was forced to flee to her home amongst the Enmarch peoples of the Sahtgarte Mountains. She lived high on Mount Manechest, amongst storm giants loyal to Kronus, until her death in a massive battle against fire giants only a few years later. Thought to be a god by the remaining storm giants for his prodigious strength, he eventually was beseeched by the townspeople below to join an adventuring party. He never managed to return to the Smerdennin Islands.

The Return of Ktandeo to the World of Illessia, or the Spells of Illesse

The Red Crests

The original adventuring party of Ktandeo son of Anservial, the original Red Crests are now mostly deceased or retired. Ktandeo was the last member to join the party of the Red Crests, who allowed him into their ranks due to his legendary strength and because he was his mother's son. The original members are listed below, followed by their progeny, who although not linked together in their own adventuring party, still hold some respect for the relationships once held by their parents.

Anservial the Warrioress (KIA) ---> Ktandeo, Lord of the South of Smowlark Island, vassal lord of King Malran II

Malran the Warrrior-Wizard King (deceased) ---> Malran II, King of the Smerdennin Islands and the Enmarchians

Bassilian the Warrior (in dotage) ---> Kasseran, a vassal lord of Malran II

Gyvenian, a Mighty Wizard (an immortal wizard)

Narnewal (a mighty wizard-king of a southern island)

Cosmology of Illesia, the Spells of Illesse

In the beginning was Illesse, mistress of all the magic of the world. She waved her wand and the primordial wizards were created. Each drew from the Well of Elements and created their own realm and all the creatures upon it, which Illesse blessed with life.

The Lord of Earth was Endolsis, who collected the debris from the other lords to create the world, which he named Illessia after his mother. This world pleased Illesse over all others, and for his ingenuity Illesse gave to him her wand and blessed his world with the most fantastic and beautiful of life. Endolsis crafted magical gate ways with his new wand so that all the other Lords and their kin might visit and people his world, making it by far the most beautiful. Pleased himself, Endolsis crafted a fabulous wizard’s tower on a mountain, and ruled benevolently over his folk and all the universe.

It is said that so much magic was what brought the phaerimm, who came in a great tide to devour the Spells of Illesse. The lords threw much magic to defend their own realms, creating great spells, but the phaerimm, unaffected, headed straight for the Tower of Endolsis and the Wand of Illesse. Illesse herself flooded the heavens with comets, meteors, galaxies and stars, but all the spells failed to stop all the phaerimm. Endolsis used his wand to create the great magic of spell rivers to sweep the phaerimm away, which became what is now the Celestial Ribbon, a dazzling column of magic which is still extant. The phaerimm still came however, and so Endolsis crafted his greatest spell, sacrificing himself so that all the phaerimm would turn to stone. They are stone even now, forming the great asteroid belts. It is said that the lesser phaerimm survive in these astral stones even until today, raining down their wrath upon Endolsis’ world, as well as those of the others.

Illesse now crafted the aasimon to watch the borders, but saddened by her son’s death, said she wished to return from whence she came. She gave her wand now to Crosander, Lord of Solar Kingdoms, giving him charge of all aasimon. Illesse then walked the Star Path to realms unknown.

Illessia rests in a clustered solar system, itself but one of fourteen planets the revolve very closely to one another, creating bridges between them from time to time. It itself has three moons. The Celestial Ribbon still stems from the Tower of Endolsis, a radiant pink stream of magical plasma which twists and runs up into the heavens. The whole solar system is called the Spells of Illesse.

With Endolsis’ death, the sparks from his body became those of other wizards, the sparks from the wand becoming the great artifacts which even now are still unearthed upon the world. Upon awakening, these first mortal wizards wondered in their new power, and emulating Endolsis, built towers of their own. Many became great masters of mage craft, and through great accomplishments were raised to celestial dignity, where they were given control of their own solar kingdoms in Crosander’s dominion. These wizards thus became demi-gods, and the people which they ruled became their loyal devotees.

Later History of Illessia

Centuries ago, the Olympic pantheon invaded the world, and displaced most of the old gods. The Olympians mostly dominate the islands to the west of the great continent of the world.

The Quest to Save Virgil from the Eighth

Zhor's Letter to Ktandeo, Given to Him By the Dwarf Artan Upon Their Meeting on the Astral Plane

Dear Warrior God,

My dear friend, for a second time we have long been apart, and I have wondered if you are well, what happened with you and the Dantareth warrioress Elatie, and if you still practice the sword, or have gone into a retirement. I have stolen magic from a vault of our old enemy King Androponis, and it is very powerful indeed, strong enough to see you in my mind's eye for at least a moment, even from Athas. And where do I find you? Adrift in the Astral Plane! Alas, I am consumed with toils here that I need not burden you with, but which prevent me from coming to aid your personally.

Instead, I send you a trusted agent, a hardy denizen of the Silt Sea who has a most special gift; the ability to leave Athas! He is young for his race, but already has a vibrant skill with the Way, and an interest in the martial arts. In any case, he longs to leave Athas, and so I shall teach him and send him to you, in the hopes that he may bring you some aid, that he will learn under your wing, and that when he returns he may tell me what you quest for again. I am sorry I cannot send more, but my youthful dwarf friend might surprise you yet. I have never seen his talent before... it is as if he is divorced from Athas, and unaffected by the Gray which makes it near impossible to leave.

In any case, I wish I could be with you, in the Astral once again, as we adventured there oh so many years ago. Please treat this friend whom I send in my place with kindness and patience, and may he aid you well. If you are in great duress, he will return to Athas, and if possible, I will come to your succor.

May the gods of your home treat you well, your friend by the Sword,

-Zhor of the Hi'pachi

The Black Mantle, the ultraloth who interdicted Ktandeo and his companions at the town of Madhouse, in the depths of Pandemonium. After coming into the possession of the Key of Mechanus, the Black Mantle and his minions came to take the Key by force. In his hands he bore a terrible dark two-handed sword blazing with black power. Before the Black Mantle could come to use his great sword against his friends, Ktandeo leaped down from his hiding place and wrested the Black Mantle's mighty blade from the ultra-daemon's very hand. Very soon after, Ktandeo returned to his home world of Illessia and to the great wizard-tower home of his mother's friend Gyvenian. There, atop Gyvenian's mighty tower, Ktandeo threw the Black Mantle's sword into the sea. Some time later, during the assault by Ktandeo and his friends upon the dungeon domain of the lich Enco, the powerful priests of Nergal summoned a daemon, and so came forth the Black Mantle. The ultraloth chased the heroes past the vampire lairs and to the bronze doors of Enco's private domain. There, the great eladrin once known to the heroes as the bard Rabaros, but now blazing in his true form of angelic fire, sealed the way and faced Black Mantle by himself. The ultimate fate of either Rabaros or the Black Mantle remains unknown.

The bloated original body of Marquese Enco Salorini. The lich lord of the city Tarona de la Fierta on the Astral Plane, he was the slayer of Ktandeo, son of the Warrior God. Using a macabre spell of death, Ktandeo was seized by a black demon and gibbeted on a cruel iron hook. As Ares denies his son death save for by the sword, the demi-god hangs there still, awaiting his salvation, the victim of too-mighty spells.