TYNDALL OF KLARN

Real Name: Tyndall

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Weirdworld Elf)

Occupation: Dragonmaster, hero

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Dragons, Dwarves, Lianissa, Mud-Butt, Red Soryll, Savage Elves, Velanna, "White Wolf", Wulfbuck

Enemies: Darklens, Gargoyles, Goblins, Grithstane, Lord Raven, Night-Fangers, Nightgaunt, Shreekar, Swamp Serpents, Were-Men, Zarthon

Known Relatives: Illianor (ancestor)

Aliases: "Tyn"

Base of Operations: Mobile on Weirdworld
Formerly Treehaven, Weirdworld
Formerly Dwarf Haven, Weirdworld

First Appearance: Marvel Super Action I#1 (January, 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Tyndall can communicate telepathically with dragons, including Red Soryll. Tyndall is an able fighter, although he often gets by just on sheer luck. His chief weapons are his crossbow and sword.

History:

(Marvel Super Action I#1/3) - With no memory of who he was beyond the name Tyndall of Klarn (and no idea what Klarn was), Tyndall lived among a warren of dwarves in Dwarf Haven. Because of his obvious differences, the dwarves treated him as an outsider. When the warren was assaulted one night by the Night-Fangers, Tyndall eagerly opened a window to look at them. The next day, the warren decided to send someone to rid them of the Night-Fangers, and selected Tyndall because he had shown no fear and had no family of his own. The dwarves instructed Tyndall to enter the Region of Shadow and journey to a shrine where he would find the "Heart of Evil," which he was to slay. As he ventured forth, Tyndall encountered immense serpents, a gnome, skeletal creatures, a slug-like creature and a bestial humanoid. He finally came upon the shrine (actually the skeleton of a Bigfin adorned with cobwebs).

(Marvel Super Action I#1/Marvel Premiere#38) - Tyndall saw a giant spider and wondered if it was the evil he had been sent to slay, but thought better of it. He found a giant egg within the "shrine," but before he could destroy it, it hatched, revealing the beautiful Velanna of Klarn. Tyndall realized that the dwarves had known Velanna was there, and hoped that he would kill her.

(Marvel Premiere#38) - As Tyndall and Velanna ventured out of the Region of Shadow together under Velanna's directions, they journeyed into a swamp and were attacked by a Swamp Serpent, but Tyndall was able to best the creature by tying its tail to a tree. Just as they were nearly out of the Region of Shadow, the pair were attacked by wax creatures sent by the sorcerer Grithstane, who captured them and brought them to their master. Grithstane made Velanna his prisoner, and ordered Tyndall to journey to Klarn and slay a dragon so that he could bathe in its blood in an attempt to regain his youth. Grithstane sent Tyndall to Klarn upon a piece of rock, and he encountered a race of creatures who were about to sacrifice what was seemingly an elfen girl to a dragon. The "elf" turned out to be a Swamp Serpent with Changer powers, and it was slain by the dragon. Tyndall then slew the dragon and claimed its blood. He returned to Grithstane's domain through the Mirror of All Sight, only to find that Grithstane had been devoured by another Swamp Serpent. Tyndall and Velanna were free to depart, and hoped that they might find another way back to Klarn.

(Marvel Fanfare I#24) - Tyndall and Velanna came to the dwarf village of Nanty Glo. At the Pine Cone Inn, they encountered the dwarf Mud-Butt, and helped him out in a barroom brawl. They shared a few drinks with Mud-Butt and described their adventure against Grithstane to him. When it grew dark, Mud-Butt became afraid, quickly explaining that he was being pursued by the Were-Men of Lord Raven. Tyndall and Velanna helped him escape the creatures when they invaded Nanty Glo, and rode with Mud-Butt into the Great Marsh. Tyndall used the dragon blood he had collected for Grithstane to lead the Were-Men off course and into a marsh. They managed to evade all of the Were-Men, but Mud-Butt accidentally led them directly to the castle of Lord Raven.

(Marvel Fanfare I#25) - Mud-Butt, Tyndall and Velanna were attacked by Lord Raven's gargoyles. Unable to overcome the creatures, they entered Raven's castle, and witnessed his sorcerous powers, including the animation of pillars made of goblins to attack them. In trying to escape Raven's goblins, they accidentally fled through a portal into the "Sea of Nothing." Velanna managed to lead them back to Weirdworld, and a mystical table in Lord Raven's castle spoke to them about the magical sword Glorywand, which could destroy the true "Heart of Evil."

(Marvel Fanfare I#26) - Mud-Butt, Tyndall and Velanna came upon three of the dwarf women who were under Lord Raven's spell, and began to exit the castle by following Velanna's directions. They were intercepted again by Lord Raven and the goblins. When Lord Raven demanded that Mud-Butt restore the item he had stolen, Mud-Butt began to turn over the handle to Glorywand. Recognizing the item, Velanna took it and used it to summon a bolt of mystical energy that knocked Lord Raven through the castle wall. They escaped the castle with the dwarf women, and Tyndall and Velanna decided that they should seek out Glorywand's missing blade so that they could rid Weirdworld of all evil.

(Marvel Super Special#11) - Mud-Butt, Tyndall and Velanna traveled through the Great Marsh, following Mud-Butt's directions to the City of Seven Dark Delights, which he was eager to visit. Along the way they spied a savage elf, and Tyndall saved it from a Swamp Serpent with his crossbow. However, the elf didn't even stop to thank them. Just then, five Night-Fangers flew overhead, and the trio hid from them. When they finally came to the City of Seven Dark Delights Mud-Butt began to show them around, but their stay was interrupted by the arrival of the Dark Riders.

(Marvel Super Special#12) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt found that the Dark Riders were after the Savage Elf they had met; they tried to help him, but he was slain by the Dark Riders. Dying, the elf gave the Darklens gems he had been guarded to the trio, who were then pursued by the Night-Fangers. The three were able to obtain refuge at an inn run by the white wolf in mortal form. They brought the gems to the sorcerer Zarthon, who identified their name and purpose.

(Marvel Super Special#13) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt learned from Zarthon that Darklens' body lay in the Tomb of Limbo, and he fashioned for them the Key of Illumination so that they could access Darklens' body and destroy it. The Savage Elves helped lead the trio to the tomb, but when they had opened it and begun the ceremony to destroy Darklens' bones, Zarthon burst in, claiming the gems and absorbing Darklens' evil. As Zarthon/Darklens clashed with the Dark Riders, the "White Wolf" came to Weirdworld's aid, revealing himself as the god who slew Darklens, but that after he aided Weirdworld this time, he would have to leave them to fend for themselves. The White Wolf slew the Night-Fangers and Zarthon/Darklens, and Weirdworld was made safe.

(Marvel Super Special#13 - "Encounter at Halfway Earth-Weird" feature) - Marvel comics writer Doug Moench once traveled to a point somewhere between Earth and Weirdworld where he met Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt. Moench confused the trio by referring to himself as their creator, and they held a brief discussion about the nature of Weirdworld's existence. When all four were suddenly returned to their own worlds, Moench found that he had retained a recording he had made of their conversation.

(Epic Illustrated#11/6 (fb)) - Tyndall and Velanna moved to the dwarf village of Treehaven but were treated as outsiders by the dwarves.

(Epic Illustrated#9/5) - A year later, Tyndall tried to be happy in Treehaven and made a shrine of flowers for Velanna, encouraging her to accept Treehaven as her home, but she was being corrupted by the forces of the sorcerer Nightgaunt, and angrily destroyed the shrine. When Mud-Butt came to Treehaven with stories of dark transpirings and suggested that they seek out the wizard of SKyhook Mountain, Tyndall was reluctant to depart, but Velanna was eager to go so that she could escape Treehaven. Soon after, the dragons of Klarn assaulted Treehaven. Tyndall found himself able to communicate with the dragons and spoke the name of Illianor, his ancestor. Although Tyndall was able to send the dragons away to Weirdworld's third moon, the dwarves blamed he and Velanna for the dragons' attack. Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt set out for Skyhook Mountain.

(Epic Illustrated#11/6) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt continued in their journey to Skyhook Mountain, and Velanna became more corrupt with time; Tyndall was disheartened to see her make a pass at Mud-Butt, and gave her a charm made from the remains of the shrine he had built her, and her acceptance of the charm told him that she was not entirely changed. Their rocky path was torn apart in a quake, knocking them into the sea. Arriving back on dry ground, they were attacked by the goblins of Shreekar and soon found that goblins were preparing to siege Skyhook Mountain. At the last moment, a passageway into the mountain appeared, and a stone road was lowered to allow them access. After Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt reached the top of the bridge, it crumbled apart, destroying the goblins who had been pursuing them. Entering Skyhook Mountain, they met the wizard - Lianissa.

(Epic Illustrated#12) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt learned the origins of Glorywand and Wulfbuck from Lianissa, and she alerted them to the danger of Nightgaunt and the cosmic game played by the gods of Weirdworld. Seeing that Mud-Butt had the hilt of Glorywand, Lianissa helped them get out of Skyhook Mountain without being caught by the goblins, then teleported them to Wulfbuck, where they convinced him to reclaim Glorywand. Wulfbuck brought them to the Crystal Caverns where the blade had been embedded. Red Soryll arrived released the blade with his fiery breath; speaking to Tyndall telepathically, he revealed that Tyndall was a descendent of Illianor, who had been the first Dragonmaster of Klarn. Red Soryll also alerted Tyndall to Nightgaunt's presence at the Land of the Dead, and offered the aid of his fellow dragons in pursuing him.

(Epic Illustrated#13) - Tyndall led his friends to the Land of the Dead, and began to war with the goblin hordes Nightgaunt had raised there. During the clash, Murkandor used his control over Velanna to make her attack Tyndall, and Tyndall tried to grasp her by the charm he had given her, but it snapped and she fell from her dragon to her death. Velanna's death gave Tyndall even greater strength as he slew Shreekar, then aided Wulfbuck against Nightgaunt. When Nightgaunt was driven off Weirdworld, Tyndall and Wulfbuck used Glorywand and the strength of their love to resurrect both Lianissa and Velanna. Velanna and Tyndall recognized that their recent ordeals had changed them, but that they stilled loved each other.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog.

The Lord Raven story that was printed in Marvel Fanfare was originally written before the Warriors of the Shadow Realm saga, but was not published until years later. In Marvel Fanfare I#24, Mud-Butt was depicted with a different visual than was used in Warriors of the Shadow Realm-- a visual that was ultimately rejected.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tyndall should not be confused with:

• Tyndar, Trojan warrior, member of the Anachronauts, @ Fantastic Four Annual#25

Images taken from:
Marvel Premiere#38, page 1
Marvel Super Special#12, inside front cover