Ansarien Ill'conter

Of all figures in the Twin Worlds' history, none save for fiends, liches, or other evil monsters have a more sinister reputation than Ansarien Ill'conter. He is known for being many things: a wizard and a warrior, a tyrant and a madman, but mostly he was a sorry remnant of glory days that had long since passed.

Physical Description

Body Features

Ansarien was of slightly below average height, but made up for it by being more robust than most elves. His long golden hair and handsome features seemed almost angelic, but his piercing green eyes almost always had a look of pure hatred in them.

Apparel & Accessories

As with all of the ancient swordwizards, Ansarien favored white robes. He also always wore a polished silver pauldron and a hooded cloak. His chosen weapon, the glaive, Dominion was never far from his side.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

In the location where the great metropolis of Whiteriver now stands, the Ancient Elven Empire had their own city: Vil'serenn. Born in this city was one seemingly insignificant child, the son of a fisherman and the servant of one of the famed swordwizards.
The young Ansarien was an excellent apprentice, quickly mastering both his martial and magical instruction. Unlike most swordwizards, he favored the glaive. The blade represented the sword of the warrior in him, and the handle represented the staff of the wizard. This weapon, Dominion, would stay with him for his entire life and eventually become heavily enchanted.
When he completed his training, he began a life of service to a noble of a town whose name is now lost to history. There, he almost immediately fell in love with the noble's daughter, who was betrothed to another young noble. She, however, wasn't interested in the attentions of either elf. She had fallen for a human woodsman instead.
When her father found out, he was furious. A passionate plea from his daughter changed his mind, and he allowed her to follow her heart. Ansarien wasn't so understanding. In a blind rage he unleashed a Horrid Wilting spell and killed all assembled, including the object of his infatuation. In the aftermath, he was forced to slaughter the population of the entire town.
After it was done, the murderer's mind shattered completely. He blamed the death of the woman he loved on her human lover, and swore vengeance on the entire race of humanity.
He used the powers of Dominion to enslave the minds of human warriors and butchered human communities one by one. Because of the delicate state of relations between elves and humans, his actions started the Second Imperial War effectively single-handedly.
The war crippled the empire to the point that it could never again recover. As their last act before their final surrender, the Grand Cabal that ruled the empire sentenced Ansarien to be imprisoned deep beneath the earth for all eternity. It was a punishment for only the most irredeemable of all elves, and it was never before used.
There he would have remained, but the Divine Weave had something else in store for him. His fate was changed when an expedition led by a young elven adventurer named Eldain Mal'atre discovered his prison in a remote corner of The Wilderlands. Despite Eldain's protests, the halfling scholar, Linder opened the prison and released the mad mage.
His language was so ancient that he required magic just to communicate with his discoverers. He instantly demanded that Eldain and his servants owed him loyalty. When the modern elf told him that his companions were friends, not servants Ansarien saw it as an abomination. He let loose his powerful magic and collapsed the ceiling.
He survived by teleporting to where he once studied in Vil'serenn, now a ruin in the Undercity of Whiteriver. He wept when he saw elven glory literally buried under human civilization. The world was wrong now, and he swore to set it right.
He tracked down the Sentinels of Iv'arill, the only organization that still existed from his time. When he saw what they had become, he was furious. He killed their High Council and took over, himself.
He started to organize the sentinels to strike against the human race right away. He even consulted with their diviners to plan for the future. Most simply told him what he wanted to hear, either out of fear or because their abilities were exaggerated. One, however, predicted that his efforts would be halted by "the hand that wields Defiance".
Ansarien recognized immediately who that prophesy was referring to. He sent his sentinels and thralls to defeat him, but time and time again they failed. He finally grew frustrated enough to risk confrontation himself.
The battle was a short one; Eldain and his companions were all defeated. The younger mage earned Ansarien's respect, however. He deemed Eldain worthy of the legacy of the swordwizards of old, and so spared the party's lives. Instead he banished them all to the Abyss.
Now free of his true opposition, Ansarien and his forces conquered the nation of Mandia. He moved the capital to Whiteriver and renamed it to Vil'serenn. The human population of the nation was reduced to slavery.
Victorious, he turned his attention north to the inhospitable nation of Eroch. During this campaign, he fought an enemy he didn't expect. Eldain had returned from the Planes, now with martial and magical talents that rivaled Ansarien.
His enemy led the Erochans as well as Mandian rebels. He was even able to convince many of the sentinels to join his cause. Unable to stand against such a force, he retreated as far south as he could, to the Talran Academy of Magic.
There the magical forces of Ansarien and Eldain engaged in a final battle. The elven wizards also fought at the top of the tower while a magical storm raged around them. Both men disarmed one another, leading to Eldain taking up Dominion and slaying Ansarien with his own weapon.

Morality & Philosophy

From his earliest days, Ansarien believed very strongly in the superiority of the elves. Younger, shorter-lived races were always "lesser". This racism only grew worse over time until he believed that all non-elves deserved only death or enslavement.

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Species

Elf

Circumstances of Death

Killed in battle

Birthplace

Vil'serenn (Whiteriver)

Gender

Male

Eyes

Green

Hair

Golden

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

5 ft 7 in

Weight

175 lbs

Aligned Organization

Ancient Elven Empire

Other Affiliations

• Sentinels of Iv'arill