COSTRANNO
COSTRANNO
Real Name: Costranno
Identity/Class: Undead human magic-user; Argossean, Hyborian Era
Occupation: Sorcerer
Group Membership:
Affiliations: Gol-Goroth, Yog-Sothoth, and all Fiends
of the Dark (gods);
"Fiend from the Pit";
several unnamed servants;
formerly Berthilda
Enemies: Berthilda, Conan, Red Sonja
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: City of Thieves, Zamora @
10,000 B.C.;
Formerly Argos
First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan#1 (August, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: Costranno wore a magical ring, given to him by his dark gods, that granted him a number of magical powers, including virtual immortality; he is unaffected by seemingly mortal wounds such as a sword in the chest. Without the ring, he was powerless, but returning the ring to him (or even within a few feet of him) was sufficient to resurrect him, even following decapitation or even more severe damage.
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#1 (fb) - BTS) - Costranno was given an ensorcelled ring
by "Gol-Goroth, Yog-Sothoth, and other Fiends of the Dark."
(Savage Sword of Conan#1 (fb) - BTS) - Costranno came back from "regions unguessed at by Mitraic mumbler or Nemedian skeptic...from lands where time fears to tread, and the gods are an empty jest.
(Savage Sword of Conan#1 (fb) - BTS) - In the City of Thieves, the Argossean sorcerer Costranno...enjoyed the company of the Brythinian Berthilda. While he slept, she cut off his ring-finger, the source of his strength. She then apparently turned him in to the authorities for practicing his dark magical rites at her house.
(Savage Sword of Conan#1 (fb)) - Costranno was declared guilty of performing nameless, obscene rites of life and death and sentenced to death. Costranno cursed Berthilda before being beheaded. These events were witnessed by Red Sonja.
(Savage Sword of Conan#1 (fb) - BTS) - Unnamed priests gathered Costranno's head, body, and still-ringed ring finger and placed them within a certain circle. However, they were then driven off by men with knives.
(Savage Sword of Conan#1) - Conan, having tripped over Costranno's finger in battle, followed the path from which the priests had fled and, wanting nothing to do with anything magical, tossed the finger by Costranno's corpse. As Conan and Red Sonja left, the finger was pulled back towards Costranno's hand. Later, the undead Costranno, his mind damaged by the death and semi-resurrection, sought directions to Berthilda's house to gain vengeance on her. He and his lackies took her through a secret chamber, tied her down to an altar, and prepared to sacrifice her to his dark gods. Having glimpsed Costranno's ring on a walking man, Conan and Sonja trailed Costranno to Berthilda's place in time to save her. While Conan confronted Costranno, Sonja slew his lackeys, but she stepped too close to a pit, and a monstrous arm reached up and grabbed her leg. Neither Red Sonja nor Conan could force the arm to let go, but after Conan cut off Costranno's hand (the one with the magic ring) and hurled Costranno down the pit, the arm let go, apparently choosing him instead. Conan sealed the pit, and they freed Berthilda, who returned to her own house.
However, after Red Sonja revealed that Costranno's hand had fallen into the pit alongside his body, screams were heard from Berthilda's house, presumably indicating that Costranno had come back to life once again and come after her.
Comments: Created by Robert E. Howard in "Mistress of
Death";
"Freely adapted" by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and Pablo
Marcos
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
A Brythunian harlot living in the City of Thieves, she apparently fell on hard times and betrayed Costranno to recoup her fortunes. She witnessed his death, but was later captured by him after he was resurrected by his ring. She was saved from being sacrificed to his dark gods by Conan and Red Sonja, but after returning to her home she was confronted by him yet again.
--Savage Sword of Conan#1 (1(fb) - BTS, 1
Fiend
from the Pit
Either one of Costranno's Fiends of the Dark or one of their agents, it dwelled within a pit and consumed human sacrifices given to it by Costranno. Its skin was impervious to direct blows from Conan's sword, and Conan and Sonja's combined strength was insufficient to force it to let go of Sonja's leg. It was distracted from Sonja when Costranno--sans ring (and hand)--was thrown into the pit, and it went after him instead. Conan sealed the pit, but Costranno was resurrected upon being reunited with the ring, so the seal was presumably removed.
--Savage Sword of Conan#1
images:
Savage Sword of Conan#1, p10 (ring/finger)
p11, panel 8 (Berthilda)
p18 (Costranno)
p21, panel 6 (fiend)
Last updated: 06/20/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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