LORD HIGH PROTECTORof Jarabesht
LORD HIGH PROTECTOR
of Jarabesht
Real Name: Antoine de Glasse
Identity/Class: Human magic-user;
Hyborian era
Occupation: "Lord High Protector"; sorcerer;
apparent ruler or advisor to the ruler of Jarabesht
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: People of Jarabesht, Leathermen;
formerly Akif, Conan, Siobahn Lauchline
Enemies: Tara Sidth Alarune, Blood-children of Ovada, Conan, Siobahn Lauchline, Ovada, ;
one might ASSume his enmity with Siobahn would also make him an enemy of Gaea (aka Danu);
De Glasse had not yet betrayed his allies when Aif died, but if Akif
and the others hadn't died, they would have considered De Glasse an
enemy as well.
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly the city of Jarabesht, in the Northern plains;
First Appearance: Conan the Savage#5 (December, 1995)
Powers/Abilities:
Described as a sorcerer, Antoine de Glasse seemed to be a necromancer,
practicing in black magic; the beings and mean from which he obtained
his power are unrevealed. It is possible that he only wished others to
think him a sorcerer, but that he was, in fact, a man of science.
Relatively few of his abilties have been demonstrated, and he appeared helpless in direct confrontations. He was experienced enough to determine the source of the blood-children taint/transformation to be in the water and to direct his people on how to prevent further transmission/transformation. He could also apparently sense and track the origin of the blood-children
De Glasse controlled the zombie-like Leathermen.
De Glasse possessed (and possibly could create more given the time and/or materials needed) a ship and a pair of Levitation Globes, which could provide sufficient lift to carry a large ship and perhaps 1-2 dozen passengers through the sky.
Height:
Unrevealed; perhaps 5'10" ( he looked light he might have been a little
shorter than Siobahn Lauchline in one panel, but he was also bowing)
Weight: Unrevealed; perhaps 150 lbs. (he was very lean)
Eyes: Unrevealed (black and white magazine); perhaps he was albino, or perhaps he had yellow or some other abnormal color
Hair: Unrevealed (black and white magazine); presumably white or some light gray or blond color
History:
(Conan
the Savage#5 (fb) - BTS) - Cast from her godly realm and crashing to
Earth nearly dead during a great storm, the immense demon-goddess Ovada
cast her essence into her life's blood, which poured into a nearby
stream, and those who consumed the contaminated waters were transformed
into demonic beings possessed by a fraction of her essence.
The next night, one of Ovada's blood-children was found in Jarabesht. Some of Jarabesht's people, possibly including Akif, caught the creature emptying some vile brew into the city wells.
The people of Jarabesht put the creature to the sword.
Soon after, those who drank the tainted water became demonic blood-children as well. They spread rapidly, hunting in packs and forcing others to take "the taint," further swelling their filthy ranks. Soon the city belonged to the blood-children. The people were besieged from within.
The Lord High Protector ordered the wells sealed and guarded, and rainwater was collected and rationed. Without their corrupted wellsprings, the demons numbers stopped growing, and they became easy prey for the warriors. Those they captured alive were taken to his Lordship to study and "read their vittles."
Jarabesht was shuttered and barred, and "foreign devils" were prohibited from entering by order of the Lord High Protector.
An army of demons was sweeping down from the mountains, laying waste to all before them and corrupting all they found.
The Jarabesht warrior Akif's scouts reported the demon army to be not 5 days ride from Jarabesht, and Akif put the city on alert; every man, woman, and child was ready to fight to the bitter end.
(Conan the Savage#5) - De Glasse met Conan, Akif, Siobahn Lauchline, and numerous others outside of a Jarabesht tavern, introducing himself as the Lord High Protector of this fair city, and introducing the Leathermen as "these rancid fellows...are my personal guard. They may smell somewhat, but their loyalty and ferocity is unquestionable, so no sudden moves, please."
When Conan recognized him as the local sorcerer and asked what he wanted, De Glasse asked their time and indulgence, appealing both to their public spirit and offering to make them all richer beyond their wildest dreams of avarice.
(Conan
the Savage#5 (fb) - BTS) - Conan, Akif, Siobahn and numerous other
accepted De Glass's offer to help destroy the source of the demons
plaguing Jarabesht.
(Conan the Savage#5) - The next day, aboard De Glasse's ship suspended by a pair of flaoting globes, Siobahn advised Conan that De Glasse did not respect the magical power he used or use it only in the direst circumstances. When De Glasse greeted them, he denounced Siobahn as a witch, and she cursed him as a sorcerer.
In response to a query, he advised Akif they would land soon, as his abilities could only carry them so far, and they would have to travel the final league on foot. When Conan voiced frustration that De Glasse would not be blinding the demons to their presence, de Glasse told them they he both overestimated de Glasse's talents and underestimated his own; regardless, de Glasse and his Leathermen must remain behind to protect the ship and recharge the levitation globes for their return.
After de Glasse walked away, Akif cursed him as a "scum sucking weasel" who would abandon them to their deaths if things turned sour. Conan added that he'd wager if they succeeded, De Glasse would turn his Leathermen on them and save himself some wages.
Soon after, however, all were distracted by an approaching swarm of Ovada's blood-children.
(Conan the Savage#6) - Despite having drawn his sword, de Glasse instead chastised the blood-children to stay away, as he was too important to die! As the others battled the blood-demon, however, one of them skewered Akif into one of the levitation globes, causing the ship to suddenly tip vertically away from the single remaining globe and to dump most of the inhabitants, warrior-allies and Leathermen alike. Although Conan caught a rope and Siobahn as well, when he asked de Glasse for aid, noting the demons would return soon and they could escape on the other globe, de Glasse instead told them that their combined weight would slow his ascent. Unwilling to permit that to happen, de Glasse then cut the ropes connecting the remaining globe to the ship and taunted Conan and Siobahn, telling them they would not live long enough for the demons to trouble them overmuch. Though Conan vowed to have his icy blood, de Glasse laughed as they fell, telling them, "Not in this lifetime, you won't!"
(Conan the Savage#6 (fb) - BTS) - De Glasse was apparently captured by the blood-children and brought within Ovada's hollow corpse, where he was bound using tissue from Ovada's body wall. Conan and Siobahn were brought their as well and similarly bound, and the Lord High Protector apparently awakened before Conan.
(Conan the Savage#6) - After Conan revived, de Glasse insultingly explained that they were within the demon hordes wellspring; Conan noted de Glasse would not be with them for long once he shed his bonds. After Tara Sidth Alrune claimed to be Ovada's vassal (despite really being possessed by Ovada herself), de Glasse -- in hopes of avoiding death or conversion into one of the blood-children -- offered to aid her with his knowledge and power, but she told him he had nothing she wanted.
After Conan and Siobahn escaped their bonds and Siobahn used her Balefire Blade to set Ovada's form aflame around them, de Glasse begged to Conan, "For pity's sake, Outlander. You can't leave me here to die!" As he turned and leapt out of Ovada's corpse with Siobahn, Conan asked, "...and why not? You'd have done the same to us."
(Conan the Savage#6) - De Glasse apparently perished as Ovada's form was consumed by Balefire.
Comments: Created by Ian Edginton and Alcatena
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Lord High Protector should be distinguished from:
The Leathermen should be distinguished from:
De Glasse controlled and presumably created the Leathermen, which were zombie-like creatures (Conan described them as dead men).
They were allegedly highly loyal and ferocious.
Four Leathermen were seen, and it is uncertain whether there were any others.
Their exact natures, method of creation, and abilities are unrevealed. It is uncertain whether the Leathermen were indeed reanimated corpses, or whether they were still living humans mutated and controlled by de Glasse by unspecified means.
They each carried a hand held weapon with two hook or scythe-like blades on the end. They were not seen to speak.
(Conan the Savage#5) - Four Leathermen accompanied de Glasse as he confronted Conan and Akif as they departed a local bar, after which de Glasse began his proposition.
At least four Leathermen accompanied de Glasse aboard his floating ship in an effort to destroy the blood-children's source.
(Conan the Savage#6) - The Leathermen fought the flying blood-children that assaulted the floating ship, and when one of the levitation globes was destroyed, they all fell from the ship to the ground below.
It is uncertain whether this fall would have slain them, but de Glasse was captured and destroyed soon after.
If they were not destroyed by the fall/impact, whether they would have perished when de Glasse died, or just wandered around without direction is unrevealed.
--Conan the Savage#5 (6
Lord High Protector' floating ship
De Glasse possessed (and possibly could create more given the time and/or materials needed) a ship and a pair of Levitation Globes, which could provide sufficient lift to carry a large ship and perhaps 1-2 dozen passengers through the sky.
The globes were full of either heated gas or perhaps energy of some sort (mystical or otherwise); regardless, being stabbed with a spear was sufficient to cause the globe's contents to be expelled explosively, destroying the globe.
De Glasse described having to recharge the levitation globes. Whether this meant adding more gas or energy, or what, is unrevealed.
A single globe on one end of the ship certainly could not maintain the ship in its normal, horizontal pattern; rather the unsupported end fell by gravity.
It is unclear whether the single globe could even support the ship's weight by itself, but de Glasse stated that even the added weight of Conan and Siobahn would slow his ability to escape on a single globe (even without the ship).
Regardless, de Glasse was unable to escape Ovada's forces with only himself supported by the globe, perhaps because the winged blood-children overtook him or because Ovada's forces captured him by some other means.
The ship's mean of propulsion and navigation are unrevealed; perhaps de Glasse could mentally control them; perhaps he used mechanical or other means.
--Conan the Savage#5 (6
images: (without ads)
Conan the Savage#5, pg. 18, panel 1 (upper body, with Leathermen);
pg. 19, panel 2 (floating ship);
pg. 20, panel 1 (full body, profile);
panel 5 (face);
#6, pg. 5, panel 1 (ship with one globe)
pg. 6, panel 1 (full body, with sword)
Appearances:
Conan the Savage#5 (December, 1995) - Ian Edginton (writer), Alcatena (artist), Mike Lackey (editor)
Conan the Savage#6 (January, 1996) - Ian Edginton (writer), Alcatena (artist), Mike Lackey (editor)
Last updated: 02/26/15
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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