CLOUDSEA
Type: Alien/Magical World
Environment: Alien, consists of floating landmasses within a breathable atmosphere
Usual means of access: Magic
Dominant Life Form: Humanoids, Ephex, Tordenkakerlakk
Natives: Spindrifter/Marandi Sjörokker, Elmak, Kurudred, Gorath Tenclaws;
Locations/Artifacts: Citadel of a Thousand Lamps, Nonesuch, Marmorkjelde, Seven Planets of Lemne
Appearances: Marvel Graphic Novel#22: Spider-Man: Hooky (1986); (MGN#22(fb), 22
History: (MGN#22(fb))-About two hundred
years ago, the evil sorcerer Kurudred attempted to conquer the
Seven Planets of Lemne, which were under the protection of
another sorcerer, Elmak the Light-Shaper. After several struggles
and foiled kidnapping of the people of Lemne, Kurudred conjured
for eight days and melted Elmak's base, the Citadel of a Thousand
Lamps into a big ball of slag...with Elmak in it. A band of
sorcerers known as the League of Three Threes hunted and trapped
Kurudred and drew a Death Rune on his brow. The League then did
the same to 
Kurudred's
brother, Gorath Tenclaws. The League was uncertain how to handle
Kurudred's twelve year old daughter, Marandi. They feared that
she would grow up in the family tradition, but were not
comfortable in killing a little girl. Kurudred, realizing that
League would eventually kill her unless they were sure she would
not grow up evil, used the last of his power to cast a spell of
Marandi, preventing her from growing older.
(22)-After the deaths of the last member of the League of Three Threes, Marandi returned to Cloudsea. She began to be plagued by a creature she dubbed the Tordenkakerlakk, or Thunder Cockroach. She could repel it initially, but it grew progressively more powerful. She located the superhero Spider-Man and brought him to Cloudsea to defeat the creature. Each time Spider-Man destroyed it, it returned more powerful than ever. Eventually Spider-Man reasoned that the creature was a creation of Kurudred, designed to force Marandi to use her powers to their maximum and re-start her growth (now that the threat of the League of Three Threes no longer existed). Spider-Man feigned weakness, and Marandi rose to the challenge of destroying the Tordenkakerlakk. She sent Spider-Man back to Earth with much thanks.
Comments: Created by Susan K. Putney and Bernie Wrightson.
This is one of my all-time favorite stories. Go get it. Now.
Kuru refers to a disease similar to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow disease, which occurs among the tribesman of New Guinea, as a result of eating the brains of the infected.
Kurudred the Blood Drinker, also known as the
Tyrant of Dolara and the Master of the Nightspawn, was a powerful
and evil sorcerer, and the father of Marandi, the Spindrifter. He
destroyed Elmak and his Citadel over 200 years ago, after Elmak
retrieved the natives of the Seven Planets of Lemne when Kurudred
would abduct them. Kurudred was then sentenced to death by the
League of Three Threes. With the last of his power, he cast a
spell to keep Marandi young, so the League would feel too guilty
about trying to kill her. He also created the Tordenkakerlakk to
act as a catalyst to force her to overcome his spell of eternal
youth when it would be safe for her to grow up.
The Citadel of a Thousand Lamps was the base of Elmak the Light-Shaper (not pictured), a
benevolent sorcerer, who attempted to defend the Seven Planets of
Lemne. The Citadel was destroyed by Kurudred, melted into a big
ball of slag, with Elmak in it.
The Ephex are large, man-sized insects which fly around Cloudsea. They prey on defenseless beings attempting to navigate the sky. They possess prehensile tails which can be used to strangle their victims. They radiate and aura that dampens the reactions of their prey (including the spider-sense). They are able to generate light. However, if their eyes are covered, especially if by a darkness spell, they will attempt to continue to generate more and more light until they burn themselves out and are rendered temporarily inert. They can slowly replace their life energies once this has happened.
Marmorkjelde, the Marble Spring, is one of the floating islands of Cloudsea, which Marandi frequently uses as an anchor for her ship, the nonesuch.
The League of Three Threes is a band of sorcerers
who act as a police force. After Kurudred killed Elmak, they
hunted and trapped him, and placed a death rune on his brow, and
then did the same Kurudred's brother, Gorath Tenclaws. However,
they could not bring themselves to slay Kurudred's young
daughter, Marandi. The last of the League died in recent years.
The Seven Planets of Lemne (not pictured) were a group of landmasses under the protection of Elmak. Kurudred sought to conquer these Planets, and began raiding the cities. When Elmak attempted to retrieve Kurudred's victims, Kurudred killed him.
Gorath Tenclaws (not pictured) was the brother of Kurudred, and the uncle of Marandi, the Spindrifter. He was presumably an evil sorcerer as well, because after the League of Three Threes killed Kurudred, they did the same to him.
Last Updated: 08/02/02
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