ARIOSTRO
Real Name: Ariostro
Identity/Class: Human
Hyborian era;
Argossean citizen
Occupation: King of Argos
Group Membership: Royal family (?) of Argos
Affiliations: Argossean people, crew of the Red Lion (Conan (captain), Milo, Sigurd (first mate), Goram Singh, Yakov, Yasunga; many unidentified), his seers and mages
Enemies: Antillians/Ptahuacans (Hierarch and the other priests of Xotli), Xotli;
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Royal palace (presumably), Messantia, Argos
First Appearance: Conan of the Isles (1968);
Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (1988)
Powers/Abilities: Ariostro was a dedicated ruler of his people.
He was both brave and tactful.
He had access to and control of the military forces and wealth of Argos.
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: White with beard;
possibly formerly strawberry blond with beard (see comments)
History:
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles
(fb) - BTS) - King Ariostro had guardsmen placed on every street in
Messantia, keeping it safe.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) - BTS) - Red Shadows
-- magical assaults from the wizards of Ptahuacan utilizing the power
of the demon Xotli -- transported victims from Argos to Ptahuacan to be directly
sacrificed to Xotli.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) -
BTS) - King Ariostro's seers read omens in the stars, and his mages
opened long-undisturbed books of magical lore. They told their king
that the red shadows struck from some realm beyond the Western Ocean.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) -
BTS) - Ariostro sent a series of ships to investigate the red shadows,
but they all failed to return with any clue to the mystery.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) -
BTS) - By night, Ariostro prowled the streets of Messantia, alone and
incognito (wearing a full cloak and hood). Ariostro considered that
while his own Navy might rebel before sending out yet another ship into
the "man-devouring watery-vastness), he might be able to enlist outside
sources.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles) -
Present at the seaside inn the Cup and Trident, Ariostro overheard the
now senior Conan (I believe he was close to 70 in this story) and his ally Sigurd discussing sailing out to sea to stop the red shadows.
Still cloaked, Ariostro approached Conan and Sigurd
and politely asked to discuss business to their mutual advantage.
Confirming that they were experienced seamen seeking of resuming a
career in the pirate isles while assuring them that he was not a spying
informer nor a police agent, Ariostro tossed a number of brightly
colored jewels onto their table and expressed his desire to finance
their purchase of a suitable vessel.
Impressed with these gems, Conan nonetheless refused
to take the gift without knowing this man's identity, especially as he
wore a cloak in a safe city.
Thanking Conan for the unintentional compliment,
Ariostro explained that he wore the cloak as the folk of Argos knew his
face too well. Conan demanded to know his would-be beneficiary's name,
threatening to pitch him across the room otherwise; and Ariostro calmly
eased him, identifying himself as Ariostro, and removing his glove to
show them the ancient Royal Seal Ring; the large diamond into which the
royal sigil was cut blazed brilliantly in the firelight.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - In
Tortage, stronghold of the Barachan pirates, Conan purchased a ship he
named the Red Lion, recruited a crew, and sailed out beyond the Western
Ocean, ultimately leading to the apparent destruction of Xotli and its
priests.
Comments: Created by L. Sprague DeCamp & Lin Carter;
adapted by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Danny Bulandi, Ricardo Villamonte
& Armando Gil.
I'm not 100% positive that the
strawberry blond-haired figure in profile at the top right of the
profile is Ariostro, but he seemed to be a regal figure concerned over
something. It sure wasn't Epimetrius or the red shadows, the other beings/things mentioned in that panel, so it seems pretty likely.
In the one image with Conan where
we see any of Ariostro's face, his beard is clearly white. Perhaps
Ariostro dyed his hair white to better remain incognito when wandering
the city of Messantia for information. Or perhaps his hair rapidly
turned white with the stress of his people's disappearances via the red
shadows. Or perhaps the light reflected from the fire made his beard
appear white. Then again, his beard isn't clearly shown in the top
right image, so maybe he had a white beard despite his strawberry blond
hair. Or something. That's all the interest I have for discussing hair
color.
It's perhaps simplistic, but I typically consider Argos to the Hyborian equivalent of Greece.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ariostro should be distinguished from:
seers & mages
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) - BTS) - Red Shadows
-- magical assaults from the wizards of Ptahuacan utilizing the power
of the demon Xotli -- transported victims from Argos to Ptahuacan to be directly
sacrificed to Xotli.
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles (fb) -
BTS) - King Ariostro's seers read omens in the stars, and his mages
opened long-undisturbed books of magical lore. They told their king
that the red shadows struck from some realm beyond the Western Ocean.
images: (without ads)
Marvel Graphic Novel:
Conan of the Isles, pg. 16, panel 1 (Ariostro seated)
Appearances:
Marvel Graphic Novel:
Conan of the Isles (1988) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema
(pencils), Danny Bulanadi, Ricardo Villamonte & Armando Gil (inks),
Craig Anderson (editor)
First posted: 06/09/2019
Last updated: 06/09/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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