Koshchei the Deathless

Koschei the Deathless (also known as Koschei the Immortal) was a Rus warrior and sorcerer, famed in Russian fairy tales for his immortality and habit of kidnapping women for companionship. Koschei was in a rivalry with the reincarnations of Ivan Tsarevich and Marya Morenva. Koschei would eventually slain by a reincarnation of Ivan (also named Ivan), Marya's reincarnation, and their trusted ally Bulat the Brave. Koschei would return as a fully demonic beast in Hell's Army during the Apocalypse War and would again menace Russia.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
Koschei was originally a warrior who lived in what is modern day Western Russia and a lord of a local fiefdom. Koschei's land was very profitable and he was a brilliant warrior who earned immense glory in battle against the enemies of his king. Koschei earned great renown and wealth from his exploits, much to the envy of those in his king's court.
Koschei's lord would engage in war with an enemy kingdom, and Koschei helped lead the army against his enemies. Despite how much success he accrued in battle, his allies remained very bitter against him and began making plans to betray him. The other lords went behind his back and got the approval of his king, who was worried about his fame which could soon eclipse his own.
Koschei's allies trapped him and delivered him to the kingdom's enemies who set revenge for his actions against them. Koschei was given to the enemy and tortured for years. The demonic court magician (who had pledged his soul to the Baba Yaga for power) of the kingdom separated Koschei's soul from his body and placed it within a needle so that Koschei could be tortured for years without fear of killing him. Every time that Koschei would die, the magic forced upon him forced him to heal from his wounds.
Koschei would spend years confined in the kingdom's dungeon, being neglected rather than tortured after some time. Even still his captors did not feed him, leaving him emaciated and skeletal. Eventually Koschei's chains rusted enough that they broke, allowing Koschei to break free. Despite his emaciated state, Koschei managed to slay all of his captives and left for his homeland, taking the needle holding his soul.
Koschei would return to his lands, which were devastated from the long war. The remaining inhabitants of his fief were shocked to see their former lord alive and were even more shocked at seeing his decaying state. Koschei was chased out of his lands, with the people believing him to be an undead demon.
Living in the woods, Koschei swore that he would never again allow someone to hold power over him and strove to become the most powerful man in the land. Koschei was also driven completely mad by his betrayal, the decades of torture and starvation, and his subjects turning on him.
=== Training with the Baba Yaga ===
Koschei lived in the woods for several years and eventually ran into the fearsome witch, Baba Yaga. the powerful magician in the land with her power rivaling that of the Gods and Satans. Baba Yaga took interest in Koschei because of his immortality and spared him, eventually taking him under her wing as her apprentice.
Under the Baba Yaga, Koschei learned a great number of magic spells and slowly but surely became the second most powerful magician in the land. Baba Yaga would also gift Koschei with a magical horse that could speak and ran at extremely fast speeds that allowed him to run through several kingdoms within a few hours when others would take weeks.
Koschei would take the needle holding his soul and used magic to hide it further. Koschei put the needle within an egg, the egg in a duck, the duck inside of a massive hare, stuffed the hare into a large chest, and buried the chest in the magical island of Buyan in the Baltic Sea.
=== Solitary Living and Kidnapping Women ===
Koschei would eventually return to his former lands which had been devastated in the years since his banishment and took his abandoned keep back. Living in his abandoned lands, Koschei grew lonely with scarcely anyone living in his lands aside from thieves and him having been alone for decades since his imprisonment, with his mentor disappearing for months at a time as he was training. Koschei also longed for love, having been denied such ever since he was a lord despite his wealth and fame.
Koschei eventually decided to begin kidnapping women from the surrounding lands. Koschei would abduct a woman, take her back to his castle, and keep her there. Despite the fact that he refused to let them leave his castle and brutally killed anyone who attempted to rescue his hostages, Koschei did not do anything to harm his captives and gave them free reign in his home. Koschei hoped that the women he abducted would eventually fall for him and swore to not lay a hand on them until they returned his feelings, though none of the women he abducted ever fell in love with him. The women Koschei abducted either resigned themselves to their fate of being trapped in his home at best or killed themselves out of desperation at worst. Despite this Koschei would continue to kidnap women once the one he had kidnapped previously passed.
=== Ivan Tsarevich and Marya Morenva ===
==== Capture ====
Koschei continued his actions for centuries, however, he eventually ran afoul of the warrior queen, Marya Morenva. Koschei had abducted a friend of Marya, who raised up her vast army to lay siege to Koschei's castle. While Koschei's power eclipsed all of the individual soldiers, he could not keep up with the great army and eventually was cut down by Marya herself. Koschei resurrected soon after and Marya realized that Koschei could not be easily dealt with. Marya then had Koschei bound in magical chains and dragged him back to the dungeons underneath her castle.
Koschei was strung up to the ceiling by chains and left to starve and dehydrate even further, with Marya occasionally entering his cell to make sure he could not escape. Koschei was driven further into madness and swore revenge against Marya, though he was also taken by her immense beauty.
==== Freedom ====
Koschei remained in the dungeon for 10 years, when eventually he was greeted by a new face, Marya's recently wedded husband, Prince Ivan. Ivan knew nothing about Koschei and felt pity for the captive. Ivan would bring 3 buckets of water to Koschei which ressustated him. Koschei used his magic to escape from his bindings and told Ivan that for his kindness, he would spare his life before bursting out of the castle in a bolt of lightning.
Koschei would find Marya in the midst of a battle with an enemy kingdom, and swooped out of the sky to abduct her. Koschei then carried her off to his castle seeking to make her his bride. Despite his enmity with Marya, he offered her the same courtesy he gave to his other captives in hopes that she would fall for him.
==== Ivan Tsarevich ====
One day, Koschei went hunting and when he returned to his castle, he noticed that Marya was missing. Realizing that someone had broke into his home to rescue her, Koschei mounted his horse and followed the trail to find the culprit. Koschei caught up to the warrior queen and her rescuer within minutes and saw that it was Prince Ivan. Koschei easily unseated Ivan and grabbed Marya, though he spared Ivan because of the kindness he showed him earlier. 
Another day, the same thing happened and Koschei once again spared Ivan, however, he warned Ivan that the next time he tried to save Marya, he would not be forgiving any longer.
Ivan would launch another rescue attempt and true to his word, Koschei made to kill the prince. While Ivan attempted to defend himself, he was no match for Koschei who had centuries experience as a warrior and magician on his side. Koschei easily dispatched Ivan and cut him up into several pieces. Koschei then dragged a wailing Marya back to his castle. Koschei would return to put Ivan's parts in a chest, wrapped the chest in chains, and tossed it into the Baltic Sea.
==== Defeat ====
=== First True Death ===
=== Apocalypse War ===
=== Menacing the Romanovs ===
==== Kidnapping Princess Anastasia and Illyana ====
==== Fight with Ivan Romanov ====
==== Final Death ====
== Legacy ==
== Personality ==
== Appearance ==
=== General Appearance ===
Koschei was a tall, almost skeletal man with balding, dull gray hair, white eyes with black sclera, and sickly, gray skin that was incredibly wrinkled. At 6'10" Koschei was incredibly tall, however, he was rail thin and had an uncannily long limbs which made him seem incredibly terrifying, not helped by how boney he looked. Koschei appeared to be a male deep into his elder years, well within in his hundreds in age. Thanks to immortality, Koschei did have any wounds on his body as he healed from every single attack inflicted on him.
Koschei had thin, wispy dull gray hair. Koschei was balding on most parts of his head, though the sides, back, and a small spot on the top of his head had long white hair which fell backwards and reached his waist. Koschei had a very long and boney face with a somewhat wide brow, very large, thick, and bushy eyebrows, small and sunken beady eyes that had black sclera and irises and white pupils, a long and angular, a large and long hooked nose, pointed ears, high, angular cheekbones, sunken cheeks, a long and very pointy chin, and a wild and bushy beard that reached the bottom of his chest. 
Koschei was an extremely tall and slender man who looked incredibly uncanny. Koschei had a long and thin neck, broad shoulders, a long and bony back with the outline of his spine being visible under his skin, extremely long arms which reached his knees and they were incredibly slender, large hands with very long and boney fingers, long and jagged yellowish fingernails, a bony chest with a protruding sternum, a very thin torso with his ribs showing through his skin, gaunt legs that were incredibly long, and large feet with long and jagged yellowish toenails. Koschei had very rough and wrinkly skin that was a dreary gray color, making him look grotesque and zombie-like.
Koschei wore black robes which reached his ankles, a dark brown leather belt around his waist which he hung his scabbard from, numerous rings on his fingers, a white crown that looked as though it were made from bones, and worn, dark brown leather shoes. Koschei had a habit of riding his magical horse while completely in the nude, with only a brown loincloth to protect his modesty for unknown reasons. Koschei often used his magic to summon his clothes on him when he wished to.
=== Demon Form ===
=== Young ===
== Attributes ==
== Paraphernalia ==
== Trivia ==
* Koschei is a Russian folkloric character, though is more so an archetypal character rather than a singular mythology.
* This interpretation of Koschei is inspired by the podcast, Myths and Legends.