—Costranno[source]Mortal fool! I've come back from regions unguessed-at by Mitraic mumbler or by Nemedian skeptic... ...From lands where Time fears to tread, and the Gods are an empty jest... ...And you would try to doom me with a thing of merest metal?
History
Origin and Early Years[]
Costranno was an Argossean sorcerer.
He allegedly traveled to lands unknown to believers and skeptics, where Time and the Gods were of little power.[1]
Zamora[]
He came to live in the City of Thieves of Zamora during the Hyborian Age of Conan. He possessed a jeweled ensorcelled ring, and was a self-styled servant of Gol-Goroth, Yog-Sothoth, and "all the Fiends of the Dark".
Possibly in order to recoup her fortunes after bad times, Berthilda, the Brythunian, who had learned that his ring-finger was Costrano's strength, betrayed him and cut his finger off while he slept at her house. Costranno was apprehended there while practicing "nameless, obscene rites of life and death".[1]
The Curse of the Undead-Man[]
King Hadranor sentenced Costranno to death by beheading on the city's square. As last words, Costranno laid the Curse of the Undead-Man upon Berthilda, before the king's headsman beheaded him. The public execution was witnessed by Red Sonja.
Afterwards, his apprentices stole the head, body and finger of Costranno, and place those in a magical circle in an alley in The Maul, attempting to return their master. They were interrupted by Zamorian cutthroats who killed one of the disciples, themselves slain by Conan and Red Sonja who stumbled on the scene separately. Conan found Costranno's finger but threw it upon learning it was tied to magic.
While the two adventurers left for a tavern, the finger moved itself towards Costranno's body. Back as an Undead, Costranno went to the same tavern where, still disoriented, asked for the location of the house of Berthilda. As Costranno left the tavern to visit Berthilda, Conan recognized his jeweled ring and set himself and Red Sonja on his trail.
At Berthilda's house, Costranno and his disciples killed the man-servant and bound Berthilda in a basement, intending to sacrifice her to his masters. They were interrupted by Conan and Red Sonja. Conan managed to cut off Costranno's ringed hand, turning him back to a corpse, which Conan threw down a well where the sorcerer had summoned some Hell-spawned fiend. The severed hand followed the body before Conan closed the well, took Berthilda and left the house.
Berthilda refused to flee and returned into her house, presumably intending to acquire Costranno's jewel-ring, and was seemingly faced by Costranno, back to his Undead state after being reunited with his hand, and Berthilda was presumably killed by the Undead sorcerer.[1]
Religion[]
Costranno described himself in his rituals as the servant of Gol-Goroth and Yog-Sothoth, and "all the Fiends of the Dark". He also invoked the "name of Unnameable.[1]Attributes
Powers
Costranno was a sorcerer.
- Curse of Undead-Man: Laid just before his death, the Curse of the Undead allowed Costranno to return as an Undead to enact revenge if his body parts were reunited (those remained fused if the Curse was interrupted, thus indicating they were reattached by the Curse). He retained his intellect, though was a bit disoriented at start. He could survive unscathed mortal wounds, through his body wasn't immune to physical damage. The return as an Undead kept on as long a the body parts are reunited (at least to enact vengeance). The body part wielding a jeweled and ensorcelled ring needed for the process to function could move on its own to reunite with the body.[1]
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Jeweled and ensorcelled ring who helped in Costranno's Curse of the Undead-Man.[1]
Weapons
- Spiked mace.[1]
Notes
- Costranno was created by Robert E. Howard in his unpublished draft of the Dark Agnes story "Mistress of Death", which was adapted in the Conan story "The Curse of the Undead Man" (Savage Sword of Conan #1; August, 1974), written by Roy Thomas and penciled by John Buscema. In the original story, Costranno was an Italian sorcerer.
- Ohris Dehjmal's introduction in "Kull the Conqueror: Pieces of Horror" (Savage Sword of Conan #121; February, 1986), written by Chuck Dixon and penciled by Geof Isherwood is similar to Costranno's: A sorcerer conducting experiments related to the Elder Ones is sentenced to death by Kull, beheaded and his limbs lopped off, who returns from the grave with disciples who gather his separated body parts, only to defeated once again. Conan would later fight Ohris Dehjmal in "Horror Out Of Time" (Savage Sword of Conan #186; June, 1991), written by Chuck Dixon and penciled by Steve Carr.