abstract
| - Mendark was born in 1,258 BTM and eventually earned a seat on the Council of Santhenar, an alliance of the powerful and the wise dedicated to ridding Santhenar of the menace of the Charon. The first thing he did after mastering the Secret Art was to use the regeneration spell to renew his body and extend his life. At some stage the least of the Charon, Kandor, reached out to the Council and betrayed Rulke as he believed him to be behind the rifting that brought down his Empire of Perion. Kandor suggested using Rulke's betrothed, a blending of Aachim and Charon, in the Council's plans to bring him down. Ever concerned about his reputation, Mendark had Kandor killed in order to cover up the dishonourable plan to use an innocent woman in the taking of Rulke. According to the Great Tale that tells the story behind the taking of Rulke, the great Magister Rula hand picked Mendark to succeed her on her death bed. Along with Council member Tensor, Mendark used the information provided by Kandor to ambush Rulke and his betrothed. The pair also convinced fellow Council member Yggur to use the dangerous Proscribed Experiments to combat Rulke. While the Charon was preoccupied defending his betrothed, the Council supported Yggur as he entrapped Rulke. The pressure proved too much for the members of the Council, who broke and fled before the strength of the Charon. Seeing no other choice, Mendark forced Rulke to possess Yggur and then entrapped him within his mind, driving Yggur insane. Tensor then took Rulke's defenceless body and cast it into the Nightland, an inescapable prison formed from the Forbidding itself. The Council had succeeded at the expense of Yggur's sanity and the life of Rulke's betrothed. In order to protect his reputation, Mendark had the remaining members of the Council killed (apart from Tensor) and ensured that the Histories recorded only his heroism in defeating Rulke, leaving out the murder of Rulke's innocent betrothed and his betrayal of Yggur.
|