Dragonlord Thanel

King **Thanel an Kett**, better known as **Dragonlord Thanel**, also called **Thanel the Dragonbane** or **Thanel the Storm**, was the legendary founder of the Kingdom of the Archipelago, founder and first king of Clan an Kett, and one of the mightiest heroes in Pydwell's history who was apotheosized as the nordling deity Týr. In life, he was a great warrior who was chosen to wield the sword Himinsverd against Aarzal and his Fallen Stars during the Starscourge and united the jarls of the Archipelago into a single kingdom. His actions during the Starscourge prevented the return of the everlasting dragons and saved Pydwell from certain destruction. After his passing he entered Archipelagan myth, said to judge the final battle between *Helregnin* and the Hero of Mortals - and thus the fate of the entire world - come Ragh nar Roog.

## Biography

### Early Life & Background

Contray to popular belief, Thanel was not born into any of the Archipelagan clans that inhabited the numerous islands to Pydwell's north; he was born to skogarmaor parents, those who had been cast out of their clan. He was thus born clanless, marked as an outsider from birth, with no prospects, honour or value. His parents eventually abandoned him, and he was taken in by a simple fisherman of Clan Druwso, who raised him as his own; given the name Thanel, he was raised on a minor island, Iseal Kett, within the Saargal Isles.

Raised as a fisherman, Thanel earned renown for his immense strength; he was able to haul in extensive fishing nets by himself, carry heavy timber and rocks, and lift a battleaxe at age six. When he came of age he married a local girl, Brienne Druwso, forever binding their clans together. Together they had a single son, Brynjar; to give his marriage legitimacy and his children a name of their own, Thanel gave himself and his family the name "an Kett".

### Starscourge

#### Joining the Fight

In 4:702, the Starscourge began: the everlasting dragon Aarzal, accompanied by a legion of lesser draconids, descended on the island of Ard Shen, devastating it with dragon fire. The few that survived, as well as many others across the northern islands, pledged themselves and their souls to the dragons, forming a legion of cultists.

Shortly after the dragons arrived in the Saargal Isles, Iseal Kett was destroyed by a single dragon; Thanel and his family survived, but his father did not. In his grief, Thanel pledged to destroy the dragons and relucantly left his family to fight in Clan Druwso's army.

Despite being a fisherman, Thanel adapted well to the sword and axe. He earned respect for his might, strength and fighting talent, and became leader of his own unit within just weeks of leaving his home island.

#### Destined Death

While battling cultists, Thanel and his men were suddenly attacked by a dragon; despite his sword breaking on the dragon's armour-like scales, Thanel refused to give up and tried to attack the beast's legs and belly. The creature knocked him aside with its wing and cornered his fellows; as he lays stunned, Thanel was suddenly greeted by the Lady of the Lake, who offered him Death. Thanel refused, to which the Lady told him to face Death with honour and pride.

Spurred on by the Lady's words and kindly presence, Thanel rose and offered himself to the dragon, demanding that his fellows escape. As the dragon prepared its fire, the sky suddenly darkened, and a mighty storm gathered above. Lightning bolts rained down, striking the dragon and incapacitating it. A series of bolts struck the ground, followed by a magnificent thunderball that landed before Thanel. He stepped forward to discover a sword, glowing with electric energy, before grasping it. In an instant its name was known to him: Himinsverd, the Fallen Blade, Death Made Steel.

Cowering in fear of the sword - which was known even to the draconids - the dragon barely defended itself as Thanel attacked, slicing through the beast's scales with ease and drawing blood. Within minutes the dragon lay dead, its body and soul destroyed; to spur on his fellow men, Thanel removed its head and lifted it above his shoulders, shouting a war cry as his men cheered and celebrated his victory.

#### Dragonlord

With Himinsverd in hand and his company beside him, Thanel led a series of victories against dragon and cultist alike. In one of his battles, a wyvern submitted to him, either out of fear or respect. The beast gave its name, Nalithor, and allowed Thanel to climb on its back, revealing that most of the dragons were not loyal to Aarzal and could be swayed against him. Over the course of the war and the years to follow Thanel and Nalithor would grow close and learned their respective languages.

Despite his own victories, Thanel realized that the islanders were doomed to fall to the dragons. Desperate, Thanel called a meeting of the jarls, convincing them to agree by showing his tamed wyvern. At a meaning in the Raag Isles, Thanel presented them with the Fallen Blade; a soldier tried to steal it from his grasp and offer it to the jarls, only to perish instantly upon touching the blade.

Angered, Thanel declared that the jarls were weak and selfish, sending their clansmen and women into war without leading them into battle. He added that inter-clan feuds had divided the islanders, thus dooming them to die by dragon fire. The jarls attempted to dismiss Thanel, having learned of his skogarmaor birth and life as a simple fisherman. The gathered people, however, rejected the jarls' comments and rallied behind Thanel; many of the lesser clan lords swore fealty to him, claiming only Thanel could repel the dragons. With only the jarls bickering, the people of the islands declared Thanel their king, forcing the jarls to swear to him and all future kings. Thus was founded the Kingdom of the Archipelago, as well as the tradition of electing kings.

## Overview

### Personality

Kind, humble, brave and relentless, Thanel encompassed all the qualities of a master warrior and king. Hailed for his physical strength and mental fortitude, Thanel accomplished many feats deemed impossible, among which were repelling the dragon legions and uniting the feuding clans into a single kingdom. As king, he single-handedly elevated his country of pirates and raiders to the position of a great power in the north, uniting clans despite generations of hatred combined with the immense distance between the major islands. As a warrior, Thanel was a skilled tactician, excellent commander and inspiring orator; never in his military career did he suffer a single desertion, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

## Powers, Equipment & Abilities

### Powers

* **Destined Death:** As the wielder of Himinsverd, Thanel also wielded the god-like power of Destined Death, the ability to destroy both the body and the soul of an enemy.
* **Lightning:** Thanel was the only Arbiter in history to wield Himinsverd's true potential: the power to control lightning. Using the sword, Thanel could summon storm clouds at will, hiding him and his mount Nalithor as they flew through the clouds to attack from above, and could rain down bolts of lightning on dragon and cultist alike. This led to one of his many epithets, "Thanel the Storm".
* **Draconic Magic:** Through his friendship with Nalithor, Thanel learned the secrets of draconic magic, including how to manipulate gravity.
* **Dragon Tongue:** Thanel's control over the dragon thralls allowed him to learn the language of the dragons and thus the spells cast by them, using the souls destroyed by his sword to fuel his draconic magics.

### Equipment

#### Armour & Apparel

* **Stormcrown:** Upon being crowned the first king of the Archipelago, the armoursmiths forged Thanel a crown adorned with lightning bolts, later called the Stormcrown. In the modern day the Stormcrown serves as the ceremonial crown of the Archipelagan kings, although it is too heavy to be worn; Thanel was only able to do so due to his immense strength.

#### Weapons

* **Himinsverd:** As an Arbiter, Thanel was chosen by the Lady of the Lake to wield Himinsverd, the Fallen Blade and the corporeal form of the Rune of Death. Thanel wielded the sword throughout the entire Starscourge, and became synonymous with the title "Arbiter" thanks to his many feats. He was the only Arbiter to ever wield the sword's power over lightning, and it enabled him to subdue the very dragons he had pledged to destroy.

### Abilities

* **Strength:** Thanel was recognised as one of the strongest men in Pydwell's history. He was famously able to hold a dragon's jaws open and lift their decapitated heads above his own. He wore his famous golden armour into battle, including the immensely heavy Stormcrown on his head, which he carried with his own sheer strength; to this day, no man, Archipelagan or otherwise, has been able to wear the Stormcrown.
* **Master swordsman:** Thanel was renowned for his swordsmanship even before the Starscourge; with or without the Fallen Blade he was capable of going toe-to-toe with dragon cultists, lesser draconids and even full-grown dragons themselves.
* **Dragonrider:** One of the few dragonriders outside of House Felldragon and the only one recorded in the entire history of the Archipelago, Thanel's ability to ride dragons was down to both the power of Himinsverd and his own personal discipline. His mount of choice was the wyvern Nalithor.
* **Natural leader:** *To be added...*