ARIANE
Real Name: Ariane
Identity/Class: Extradimensional/alternate Earth (Earth-73012) human, magic user
Occupation: Worshipper of Yob-Haggoth
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Darters, Yob-Haggoth;
formerly Tyresias
Enemies: Brak, Friar Jerome, Tyresias
Known Relatives: Septegundus (father)
Aliases: Daughter of Hell
Base of Operations: Kambda Kai in the Ice Marches, Earth-73012
First Appearance: Savage Tales I#7/2 (November, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: Sorcery, whose full extent remains
unseen. Ariane could perform various enchantments. She could communicate with
her father, hearing his commands at distances of miles; and create glowing
spheres that could contain a human being, letting him to float, or fly, or even
pass through solid matter. She could read a human's memories and desires. She was
able to create visions or images of places very far. She could enchant a chariot
with horses and fly with them at great elevation, somehow protected from the rigors of low
temperatures. She could feed on, or use human soul's for unknown purposes, but
only if the soul was spontaneously given by his owner. She could also enchant
objects that could be used by other persons to summon her, simply by calling her
name.
Ariane also assumed an animal, spider-like form with two huge, multi-faceted,
red-glowing eyes and built her lair weaving thick webs above the ceiling, where
they consumed her meals, probably made of human flesh.
History: (Savage Tales I#7/2 (fb) - BTS) - Ariane was the daughter of Septegundus, chief-priest and emissary of Yob-Haggoth the dark god. It is unknown if Ariane learnt sorcery from his father, or if it was a gift from Yob-Haggoth himself. Ariane followed her father's steps and religion, and became an extremely beautiful, evil being, only seeking power and for human souls.
One of Ariane's victims was Tyresias. She granted him the ability to compose verses and songs in exchange for his eyes and of his soul, which she consumed and then gave to Yob-Haggoth.
(Savage Tales I#7/2) - Living in Kambda Kai, Ariane was highly considered by Yob-Haggoth's acolytes,
and among them, the Darters.
One night, the Darters found a stranger who did not believe
(in Yob-Haggoth)
and tried to capture him to sacrifice him to their god. The stranger, a barbarian named
Brak, fled, and the Darter asked Ariane to help them. She met the
barbarian and dazzled him with her beauty and promises of safety, but he was
immediately betrayed, struck and captured by the Darters who were following Ariane.
Ariane liked the stranger. Outside Kambda Kai, in the prisons under the Temple
of Yob-Haggoth, Ariane, in her spider form, observed the barbarian, then
transformed and floated down in a glowing bubble to closely admire the barbarian
while he was still stunned. Penetrating into his mind, she learnt of his deepest
desire, the city of his dreams: Khurdisan the Golden.
(Savage Tales I#8/2) - Shortly theafter, when Brak awakened, Ariane had him fly to her chariot and tempted him with the visions of Khurdisan. She asked for his soul in exchange for his life and she would grant his highest desire. Brak refused, but Ariane was sure that he would change his mind when he was under his father's sacrificial knife, so, she gave a necklace to Brak, with which he could summon her simply by whispering her name.
Later, during the sacrifice, Ariane heard Brak's summoning and appeared before him. An instant later, she was struck by a blade, the blade of the sacrificial knife that Septegundus had thrown at Brak. In the middle of its deadly path, Ariane materialized and was slain. A thunderbolt shattered Yob-Haggoth's idol in two, and Septegundus carried Ariane's body away, swearing revenge against the barbarian.
Comments: Created by John Jakes (plot), Doug Moench (script), Steve Gan (pencils and inks).
Ariane's spider-like form was never seen,
only her eyes were visible, and it is very possible that her real form was
actually the
animal one. In this case the alias "Daughter of Hell" suggests a blood
relation not only with Septegundus but with Yob-Haggoth himself. Ariane probably
increased her powers by sucking others' souls. Another part of the soul was given
to Yob-Haggoth, and probably very little was left in the body of the victim,
the minimum needed to let him live.
Brak was uncertain if the ride on the enchanted chariots with
hell-horses actually happened, it could have been an illusion created by Ariane.
In Savage Tales I#7 the city was called Kamda Kai, in Savage Tales I#8 it was Kambda Kai.
Ariane appeared in Jake's novel "The Sorceress" (not MU). A little summary follows:
(The Sorceress) - Ariane was taken back from Hell by her father and her spirit possessed the body of Nordica, the daughter of Celso Hyrkano, an alchemist who had discovered the ultimate secret of alchemy: the transformation of common metals in gold. Ariane posed as the humble daughter until she learnt the enchantment of the transformation, then exposed her true nature and banished the old Celso to the pit of the Manworm. Waiting for the day for summoning the four winds, Nordica/Ariane started gathering mercenaries with the vision of pure gold for them. Flanked by the wizard Tamar Zed and her demonic dog, Nordica spawned horror and fear in the lands of Strann, the governor of the region. A sorcery of Septegundus forced Brak to pass trough those lands. He allied with Strann, his son Pemma, and the captain of the guards, Iskander, and eventually confronted the sorceress. Ambrosio the Stilites, a worshipper of the nameless god with foreseeing powers, helped Brak to kill Nordica, but Ariane's spirit was saved again.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ariane has no known connections to
The Darters have no known connections to
Tyresias has no known connections to
The Darters
The Darters, or Darter boys, were youths, Yob-Haggoth's acolytes and Septegundus'
henchmen.
Their appearance was changed by the sorcery which pervaded them. Despite having no visible pupils or irises,they could see well. Their teeth were sharp and their fingertips seemed to be silver spikes. They could launch streams of sizzling silver light from their fingers, which caused pain, convulsions, temporary paralysis and also unconsciousness to the victim.
(Savage Tales I#7/2 - BTS) - When the time of the Yob-Haggoth's ceremony approached, the Darters stalked in the nights of Kambda Kai to find three sacrifices whose blood would be shred on the god's altar.
(Savage Tales I#7/2) - They had captured Tyresias "who once believed", and Friar Jerome, "the believer in the nameless god"already, and one night they were searching for "the unbeliever." A mendicant, also Yob-Haggoth's worshipper, attracted their attention about a barbarian. Questioning him, they learnt that his name was Brak and that he did not believe in any of the gods he heard of. The Darters attacked him with their streams of silver light, blinding the barbarian with deep pain. The Darters failed to break Brak's resistance, and they had to track him down asking Ariane's help. She tricked Brak, and the Darters use their light-strikes again, stunning him, then they transported him outside the city to the Temple of Yob-Haggoth.
A few hours later they prepared the ceremony for the sacrifice. They carried the objects for the ritual, then howled Septegundus' name. The Bringer of Yob-Haggoth appeared and welcomed his guests, but Brak's barbarian survival instinct prevailed against the enchantment that paralyzed his body and assailed the priest. The Darters attacked, but they were slashed by Brak's broadsword and kicked away by his feet. He sunk the blade into the Idol of Yob-Haggoth, the Darters fell, and shortly after a thunderbolt destroyed the Idol. Septegundus vanished with the dead body of Ariane, and the three prisoners were freed.
--Savage Tales I#7/2 (8/2
Tyresias was Minstrel supreme. He could compose verses and sing golden songs whose beauty might cause a warlord to weep. He was blind.
(Savage Tales I#7/2 (fb) - BTS) - Tyresias was a normal man and a worshipper of Yob-Haggoth. He knew Septegundus and Ariane. He was blinded by Ariane's beauty and when she offered him the fame giving him ability of creating verses and songs, he accepted. In exchange, Tyresias was blinded for real; his eyes were plucked out by Ariane who also sucked his soul and then gave it to Yob-Haggoth.
Tyresias' new abilities let him achieve fame and become Ministrel Supreme.
But, years later, he was captured by the Darters for they needed one "who once believed" to be sacrificed in Yob-Haggoth's ceremony.
(Savage Tales I#7/2 - BTS) - He was taken to the Temple outside Kambda Kai, where he met Friar Jerome and Brak the Barbarian, "the one who believed in the nameless god" and "the one who did not believe", respectively.
(Savage Tales I#8/2) - Imprisoned with them, Tyresias managed
to warn Brak
about his fate, if he had agreed to Ariane's hunger.
His words were useful. During the sacrificial ceremony, the
Barbarian freed himself from the freezing sorcerous grasp which paralyzed the
prisoners and fought the Darters and Septegundus. When Ariane was summoned by
Brak, she was slain by her father's knife, and the temple was destroyed.
The three prisoners were free.
--Savage Tales I#8/2 (7/2 - BTS, 8/2
images: (without ads)
Savage Tales I#7/2, p10, pan3 (Ariane, main image)
Savage Tales I#7/2, p7, pan5 (Ariane, head shot)
Savage Tales I#7/2, p9, pan5 (Ariane in her web-lair)
Savage Tales I#7/2, p6, pan5 (Darters)
Savage Tales I#7/2, p4, pan5 (a Darter, head shot)
Savage Tales I#8/2, p2, pan3 (Tyresias)
Appearances:
Savage Tales I#7-8 (November, 1974 - January, 1975) - John Jakes (plot),
Doug Moench (script), Steve Gan
(pencils and inks)
Last updated: 09/04/11
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