Master Menthos

Lord Menthos was a renowned Monslave trainer, practicing in the town of Eisleymos. He was the trainer of Samael and Ironclaw (Gryfenfer; Gryf; Claw). His Monslaves have always been the highest rated on the circuit, and he has amassed an immense fortune from them, making him one of the richest and most influential men in town.

He appears in Book 3 of Origins and in flashback in Book 7 of the main series.

### Physical appearance

Menthos is a swarthy man with a robust and muscular body. He has long gray hair and small black eyes. He bears a cross-shaped scar on his chest, the likely result of a clash with a belligerent Monslav.

### Personality

Authoritarian, he hates seeing his subordinates rebel against him. He can be cruel to his Monslavs, with the main goal of getting rich and gaining fame and influence.

### Skills

He is a tough warrior, able to endure harsh conditions to train his Monslavs. He handles the whip well, which is his weapon of choice.

### Young trainer

Beginning then in the trade of trainer of monslaves, he buys from a woman the son of this one, reached by a strange curse. This one is called Samael, and he makes him his monslave. For nearly sixteen years, he coached Samael, and the latter became one of the most popular Monslaves on the circuit. Menthos amass a lot of gold through his battles. Regularly, he gets new Monslavs from Folh-Klor, a trafficker. Although these Monslavs are renowned too, none come close to Samael.

### Renowned trainer

One day, when Samael is sixteen years old, Menthos receives a message from Folh-Klor: he has received a new Monslav, a Jaguarian. Menthos goes there, only half believing his supplier. Once there, he does not come back: he is indeed dealing with a Jaguarian. He buys it at the price of gold, and returns to Eisleymos, attaching it to his mount. Once there, he explains to her that the place is a den of criminals, and that it is better to hide it. He locks her up in the same cell as Samael, training begins the next day.

The next morning, training begins. Faced with the Jaguarian's total lack of combativeness, Menthos tries to attack him, but Samaël intervenes, wishing to speak to him. During the discussion, he notices that the newcomer's claws cut into the rock. A name is then given to the latter: Ironclaw, Menthos approves.

During the following days, he accepts Samael to take charge of the Jaguarian's training. During this period, Samael faces a new enemy, Galab'ru, and emerges victorious from the fight. The day finally arrives: Gryfenfer will make his first fight. However, it is a failure: quickly, he is mastered by Caroya, Lady Ézilda's monslave. Under the supplications of Samaël, Menthos sounds the abandonment of the fight, ulcerated. It's a real humiliation for him. He almost throws the unconscious Jaguarian into the pit, but Samael prevents him: he intends to buy Ironclaw's freedom with his own grace points. For this, he intends to face Dasyatis.

The fight takes place. However, it is a real massacre. Samaël is "killed", all without having been able to give even a single blow to his formidable adversary. Ironclaw, awakened, terrorized and thirsty for revenge, throws himself on this one, and succeeds in giving him a blow. She wants to kill him, but Menthos intervenes, and tells her master, Mongo the Great, that today's fight has been violent enough as it is. He tells Ironclaw, near his friend's corpse, that the waste should be thrown into the pit. In the evening, Menthos visits the Jaguarian, the latter having requested it. He asks her to train him as hard as possible, all for the sole purpose of being able to avenge Samael one day.

### 4 years before the Jovénia Accident

For years, Menthos trained Ironclaw. He restores his reputation, the Jaguarian proving time and time again to be one of the best monslaves. However, during these years, he learns that Dasyatis was killed by the Dark Wizard Darkhell. He doesn't tell Ironclaw, wishing to keep his monslave close to him, in order to amass even more wealth. However, one day, Ironclaw learns of this, and is freed from his cage by a mysterious young woman with a halo. He goes to see his master in his apartments, and asks him if the death of Dasyatis really took place, which he confirms. The Jaguarian then flees, and Menthos yells at him that he intends to send the Night Hunters after him.

He then hires this group of mercenaries, to hunt Ironclaw and bring him back, dead or alive. Almost two years later, he still hasn't heard from the Jaguarian.

### 2 years before the Jovenia Accident

One night, one of the Night Hunters breaks into his chambers. He is revealed to be Samael who came to kill him for all the pain in the grief that he inflicted to him and Ironclaw. He then kills Menthos with spikes of organic rocks. Dying, Menthos screams, and tries to write with his blood the name of his killer, who has already fled. He only has time to write the first two letters, "Sa".