SEELA

Real Name: Seela

Identity/Class: Possibly the Elder race or an earlier age of man);
    presumably pre-Cataclysmic era, but possibly distant past

Occupation: Sorceress, guardian of the gate to the Shadow-Lands;
    presumably a former princess

Group Membership: Formerly an unidentified ancient society

Affiliations: Chane;
    presumably formerly her unidentified society;
    possibly formerly That Which Must Obey and/or Jugarta

Enemies: Chane, That Which Must Obey;
    possibly Jugarta

Known Relatives: Zukura (father, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed (presumably some netherworld of the dead);
    formerly the ruins of an unidentified empire on an unidentified island in an unidentified region and unspecified era on Earth (see comments)

First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan#67/3 (August, 1981)

Powers/Abilities: Seela is appanently a sorceress, though only a few of her abilities have been shown. She can view distant as well as potential future events through her crystal ball (scrying, also known as crystallomancy). It is unrevealed whether the power was inherent to her or whether she had access to a magical crystal that granted this ability. 

    She can transform into a large wolf presumably with the typical, if not greater, abilities of a wolf of its size. It is unrevealed whether she could also transform into other creatures and whether this is a natural ability or something she gained via magical or other means.

    As guardian of the gate to the Shadow-Lands, she may or may not have had other abilities.

    She may have been hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands (or more) years old. If she had an enhanced lifespan, we don't know whether that was "normal" for her race, or whether she was enhanced via other means (see comments).

Height: Unrevealed; (she looks to be about 5-6" shorter than Chane, who I estimated to be 6'2" - so perhaps 5'8" or 5'9");
    (wolf form): Unrevealed; approximately
Weight: Unrevealed; approximately 145 lbs.;
    (wolf form): Unrevealed; approximately
Eyes: Unrevealed; (I'd speculate green or brown as she took wolf form -- though they could be orange, yellow, or some other color unrelated to that of a normal wolf; her wolf form does not have to have the same color eyes as her human form, but I'd think it likely.)
Hair: Black (or dark brown);
    (wolf form): unrevealed; possibly white or light gray

History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#67/3 (fb) - BTS) - Seela is the daughter of Zukura, who was once Warlock and king of an empire that eventually fell into ruins; Seela's role at that time is unrevealed, though she was presumably a princess as she was daughter of the king. 
    Seela and Zukura were apparently forced into "their accursed vigilance by the lord of the realm of shadows."
    They were apparently cursed to guard the gate to the shadow-lands.

(Savage Sword of Conan#67/3 (fb) - BTS) - Seela had a vision/omen via their magic crystal of the future where a golden-haired god would deliver them from their "accursed vigilance."

(Savage Sword of Conan#67/3 - BTS) - After surviving a ship mutiny and arriving on the shore of the island on which Zukura and Seela lived, Chane clambered up a mountaintop for a better vantage point, and he found the ruins of a domed building, figuring it to be the scene of some ancient disaster.

(Savage Sword of Conan#67/3) - Via a mystic crystal, Seela viewed Chane's approach with appreciation. Zukura subsequently observed Chane's approach via the crystal, telling Seela "he" had finally come; though Zukura feared he had come to destroy them. Seela insisted he would deliver them as was prophesized, but Zukura told her they would see.

    When Chane finally entered the ruins, Zukura introduced himself -- noting his former role in the previous empire -- and Seela. After Seela explained to Chane of her omen and told him, "You, my king, are our deliverer!", Chane also introduced himself, but told them that he was neither god nor yet a king, and that they awaited another. Seela then moved forward into close proximity with Chane, insisting he was the one the crystal had prophesied, and further telling him he would be heir to this kingdom and the one she would love for all eternity. When she urged Chane to take her, Chane stopped her, telling her he knew nothing of this place and intended to leave as he had arrived: Alone. Enraged that Chane would turn from her and thus betray her dream, Seela told him, "Then face my wrath, mortal -- and pay for betraying my dream!" Seela then sent forth waves of anger, deep and vivid, that glowed to a red heat, transforming her into a snarling, mad-eyed wolf. However, after locking stares with him in a moment of rigid intensity, the wolf softened her gaze, padded over to him, and began to rub against his leg, like a hound that has knnown only a single, compassionate master.

Comments: Created by Gil Kane.

    I don't know what the Elder Earth is exactly, but I'd tend to think it was the time before the age of Atlantis (mostly 20,000 - 18,000 BC, but as far back as 30,000 BC by some counts).
    Maybe it was the same era as Thongor (which may have been as early as 500,000 or even 1 million BC according to a few references). Pre-Atlantean civilizations were discussed at length in the comments of Thongor's profile.        Zukura and Seela were from an even earlier era. It is unrevealed just how long they endured their "cursed vigilance" as guardians of the gate to the Shadow-Lands.

    Seela refers to Chane as "mortal" in a tone that implies that she is something else. That would fit with being part of the Elder Race, or perhaps descended from some gods or extradimensional entities...or perhaps having been granted immortality by the Lord of the realm of shadows in order to serve as eternal guardians of the gate to the shadow-lands. Or something else?

    Copy immortality line from Zukura's profile.

    Zukura and Seela reminded me a bit of Zukala and Zephra.

    Lord of the Realm of Shadows? The Shadow Lord? or Kaa or someone else from a Shadow Realm? Jugarta was called the demon of the shadow-lands, and I'm not sure he was the same as the Lord of the Realm of Shadows. Seems likely that if they weren't the same being, that they would be enemies. Or not.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Seela should be distinguished from:

•  other were-wolf sorceresses from the ancient past

images: (without ads)
 Savage Sword of Conan#67/3, pg. 5, panel 2 (Seela upper body);
            panel 7 (Seela full body);
        pg. 6, panel 1 (Seela turning into wolf);
            panel 2 (Seela wolf form in profile);
            panel 3 (Seela wolf form from front);

Appearances:
Savage Sword of Conan#67/3 (August, 1981) - Gil Kane (writer, artist), Danny Fingeroth (associate editor), Lynn Graeme (consulting editor), Louise Jones (later Simonson; editor)

Last updated: 02/26/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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