Lord Tyranthius

==Lore==
===Enter battle===
"We… we beat them," says Marcus, as if he can’t quite believe it even as he looks upon their corpses. "But they were the greatest warriors who ever lived… In the stories they killed men by the dozen."
"And when your story is sung, so will you," replies Medea.
You gaze up at the figure on the crest of the hill, who seems shrouded in blackness. He’s turned away from you, as if staring into the distance. Did he even watch as his knights fell, to witness the deaths of those who were once so dear to him? You sigh. It’s of no consequence. He’ll be with them soon enough.
You start walking up the slope, your companions following in your wake. Even when you reach the top, Tyranthius doesn’t turn round. He continues to gaze at the horizon, seemingly oblivious to your presence.
The cloak on his back writhes, as if made of shadows, of blackness itself. It hides his body from you, but not the huge glaive clutched in his right hand, its butt resting on the ground. Or the strange lumps which protrude from over his head…
Finally he turns, and reveals the true monstrousness of his new form. He has become even more twisted than his knights. Horns sprout from the crown of his skull, curling down to frame his infernal face. His left arm is now a thickly muscled mass which ends in snapping jaws where his hand should be.
"By all the gods…" murmurs Roland. The sight of West Kruna's champion in so corrupted a form is a shock even to eyes which have seen a lifetime of adventures.
Tyranthius opens his red mouth, and speaks with a grinding voice. A single word comes forth: "Xarabesh." This time you don’t need Medea to translate. It's the name of the demon he fought on this hill so many centuries ago. The fiend who mortally wounded him, whose infernal touch laid the seeds of corruption within his flesh and blood.
He comes towards you, twirling his glaive one-handed with inhuman dexterity, the jaws of his monstrous arm snapping at the air.
===Victory===
As soon as Tyranthius lies still, you turn and walk back down the hill. This is one victory you have no desire to revel in. Even Medea seems subdued, sympathizing with your pain in the tune of her harp if not her voice.
When you get to the bottom, you order your troops to make camp. It's been a hard day for everyone, and there's no sense in prolonging it with yet more marching.
You take Lucian aside, and ask him to write a message. You doubt a courtier would be able to make much sense of your clumsy peasant fist. The letter is short and simple:
"We didn't find what we were looking for."
You seal it, and pass it to a herald. For him the day's work isn't over yet. But he accepts the duty cheerfully enough, and rides away towards Fallows on a fast steed.
***
The pyre atop the hill burns brightly against the dark night sky. It resembles a blazing tower, part of a doomed city dying by starlight at the hands of invaders.
It took Solus and the other mounts pains to drag Sir Cai's body to the camp, so it could join the others. But there was no question of leaving it behind. Tyranthius and his knights fought side-by-side in life, and they all chose to be sealed together in the enchanted tomb. It's only proper that they should be consumed by the same flames.
Lucian made some remark to the troops about how demon corpses should be burned, lest they taint the soil when they decompose. You have no idea whether that's true or not, but it seems to have satisfied them. You hear the sounds of their revelry coming from down below. With the mission at its end, you gave them leave to open the flasks and bottles which so many of them had thoughtfully concealed amongst their supplies.
Roland and Marcus sit a short distance away, casting somber gazes at the flames as they eat away at legends. The same thought is surely in each of your minds. This was no fitting end for such men. They deserved better. And if such grim destiny can befall men so great, what can you West Kruna's latest heroes, mere shadows of those who came before ever hope for?
Medea is hidden from sight, on the other side of the pyre. But you hear her music rising above the crackling of the flames. The elven song she sings is beyond your comprehension, but as you concentrate you manage to catch a few names with the beautiful melody. She's singing of Tyranthius.
You lie back against Solus' flank, and listen to the music as you watch glowing ashes floating away into the black heavens.
===Flee/Defeat===
As Tyranthius sends you fleeing, one thought fills your mind: you're not his equal. He was one of West Kruna's greatest heroes as a man, and has become even more powerful in his new form. Despair grips you, threatening to drag you down into darkness.
==Loot==
 note: edit templates to show Strike II
==Additional Info==
* - 1368 HP, 200 Max Damage
*The story of how the demon Xarabesh, who planted the seeds of corruption within Tyranthius and his knights, came to walk West Kruna is told in the Infernal Knight's Set.