ELVIRIOM and THALKALIDES
Real Name: Elviriom and Thalkalides
Identity/Class: Human (Phalkarians) magic users (Hyborian Era)
Occupation: Court wizards
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Ayilla, Azthamur, Belthamquar, Samandra, Thelonia, Themas Herklar, Unos, unnamed devil-things
Enemies: Conan, Stefanya, King Thormond and Lady Chrysala, Jarkan Val
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: (Elviriom) Creeper in Shadows; (Thalkalides) Dark Heart
Base of Operations: Alkarion, capital of Phalkar, westernmost province of the Border Kingdoms
First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#50 (May, 1975)
{prima apparizione italiana: Conan e Ka-Zar#24 Editoriale Corno (4
febbraio 1976)}
Powers/Abilities: Elviriom and Thalkalides' magic powers consist primarily of summoning demons. The summoning sometimes needed sacrifices. Their greatest magic creation was Unos, even if they had to be helped by two powerful demons. They could cast curses and other deadly enchantments like the one that caused the landslide that killed King Thormond. They could magically find a person they had previously seen in a town. The real extent of their powers remains unreveaed, they probably could also cast simple illusions, appearing in a place near where they actually were. With simple hand gestures they could lift little objects like rocks or swords and launch them. They could break the ground, creating a crevasse, and entangle their adversaries by animating plants and roots. They could also detect if some enchantements were cast on the persons near them.
History: (Conan the Barbarian I#50 (fb)) - During the
reign of King Thormond and Lady Chrysala, the general of Phalkar's army
schemed a betrayal and asked the two court wizards, Elviriom and
Thalkalides, for help. The King and his family were protected by magical barriers created
by Merdoramon, another powerful wizard who had retired. But neither Elviriom nor
Thalkalides were skilled enough to shatter the magic shields. So, Eliviriom
hired a witch, Samandra, and she succeeded.
Elviriom and Thalkalides had their own plans of domination,
and two days after the breaking of the magic defenses, Elviriom murdered the King and his lady by causing a landslide. Their death seemed
accidental to the people of Phalkar and also to Themas Herklar, the general.
Thormond was substituted by Themas Herklar as regent, and
Elviriom and Thalkalides received 50,000 gold dinars as payment from the
general.
To erase any possible opposition, Elviriom brought Stefanya,
the King's daughter, to Samandra, with the order to kill the babe. Instead
Samandra fled with the babe, hiding her under the protection of a necromancer
named Zoqquanor.
For many years Herklar ruled rightfully and wisely, until Thalkalides gifted him with Ayilla. With Ayilla at his flank Herklar changed, and became even more neglectable than Thormond. The responsibility of governing the province were then taken over by Elviriom and Thalkalides.
Samandra tried to warn Herklar, telling him that his leadership had been taken by murder. Samandra also warned him that his power was in peril, because the actual leaders were the two sorcerers. Herklar sent the woman away with curses, but afterward had sent for Merdoramon the mage for a protective amulet, to protect himself from the wrath of Elviriom and Thalkalides.
(Conan the Barbarian I#50 (fb) - BTS/(Conan the Barbarian I#51 (fb) - BTS ) - Merdoramon built the amulet and gave it to Conan the barbarian, but it was too late. Elviriom and Thalkalides used some prohibited elixirs, with the help of two powerful demons, Belthamquar and Thelonia, the wizards created a magic being: Unos. They claimed Herklar was a traitor and raised Unos to his place. Unos became ruler of Phalkar and the two wizards manipulated Unos.
(Conan the Barbarian I#50) - Elviriom and Thalkalides ordered to invade the near province of Kaddonia. The general of the army, Jarkan Val, did not execute the order because he expected them to come from Herklar. Once in the king's court, Unos showed to Jarkan Val his demonic power, killing a prisoner with his crimson gaze. The threat was clear.
That night, the sorcerers sent their yellow devil-things in the prisons where Themas Herklar was. There they found the ex-regent and Conan. The latter succeeded in escaping, instead the former was taken and killed.
(Conan the Barbarian I#51 (fb) - BTS) - Despite his deadly power, Unos was afraid of Elviriom and Thalkalides, who could summon demons like Azthamur of the hundred hells.
(Conan
the Barbarian I#51) - Some days
later, while receiving the people at the Temple of Judgment, Unos met Conan and a golden,
three-eyed pol. The bird was actually Samandra, and exposed before the court
the murder of King Thormond caused by Elviriom and the true nature of Unos as a
magical creature, who was merely a puppet of Elviriom and Thalkalides. Unos let Conan and the
bird live, against the two wizards' will.
Elviriom and Thalkalides pursued Unos, who allied with Samandra, who summoned Unos' parents for him. Unos asked his parents for
help against the wizards and they accepted, just for this one time. Belthamquar enveloped Elviriom with
his black tentacles, killing him. Thelonia transformed Thalkalides into a humanoid
toad and took him with her to her hell.
Comments:
Created by Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks),
Janice Cohen (colors).
Freely adapted from the novel Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse
by Gardner J. Fox.
In the original novel, there was a good mage called Elvirom. In Thomas' plot his role was played by Merdoramon.
The devil-things have some similarities with
the Hobgobs that attacked Zoqquanor in Conan the
Barbarian I#47. The Hobgobs were drawn differently, but they were as gibbering
as the ones under the prison. I didn't read the original novel by Fox but a connection
may exists between them. In the case they were the same race
of demons, this could mean that Unos, or Elviriom and Thalkalides, were connected more directly to Zoqquanor, and also that the first time of their
appearance was orchestrated by the wizards or Unos.
Both of the two yellow races could also be Moloids.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Elviriom has
no known connections to any other character with a
similar name.
Thalkalides has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Jarkan Val has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Jarkan Val was the general of Phalkar's army.
Jarkan Val was loyal to the throne of
Phalkar.
He received orders from Elviriom and Thalkalides to invade
the neighboring province of Kaddonia. He defied the orders, because there was peace between the two provinces and also because the order did not come from
Themas Herklar.
Jarkan Val requested an audience with the throne, and there learnt that Herklar had been declared a traitor and that the new regent was Unos. The wizards menaced the general, letting Unos slay a man with his demonic powers before Val's eyes.
--Conan the Barbarian I#50
The devil-things were pawns of Unos, Elviriom and Thalkalides. They came from caves under earth and were called when a prisoner had to disappear from the prisons. They did not have extraordinary powers, with the exception of the ability to see in the dark.
The devil-things assaulted Themas Herklar in the prison, using a secret passage in the floor of his cell. They carried him to the caves under the prison, but were distracted by Conan's arrival. They also attacked Conan, and their number overwhelmed the barbarian. They were carrying him to their netherhell, but Conan escaped thanks to the amulet of Merdoramon and Samandra's help.
--Conan the Barbarian I#50
images:
(without ads)
Conan the Barbarian I#51, p8, pan5 (Thalkalides, at left,
and Elviriom, at right)
Conan the Barbarian I#51, p3, pan2 (Elviriom, head shot)
Conan the Barbarian I#50, p11, pan1 (Thalkalides, head
shot)
Conan the Barbarian I#50, p11, pan6 (Jarkan Val)
Conan the Barbarian I#50, p17, pan6 (demon-things)
Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#50 (May, 1975)
- Roy Thomas
(writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks), Janice Cohen (colors)
Conan the Barbarian I#51 (June, 1975)
- Roy Thomas
(writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks), Glynis
Wein (colors)
Last updated: 12/25/10
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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