Nelenor
Nelenor is a central antagonist and mythological figure in The Metalwood Saga. Widely worshipped by the Eldrim and the Eglaria as the dark Twin and the god of darkprime magic, Nelenor is actually an alien refugee from the destroyed planet of Starmist Prime. Alongside his twin sister, Velion, Nelenor served as one of the two Operators of the god-machine Xyclami (Guruthos), giving him absolute control over the magical forces in the Valaraldan solar system.
After being betrayed and imprisoned in the dimension of Ambarhal for one hundred thousand years by the ancient mage Orym (Aten), Nelenor returns to the physical world with a singular, apocalyptic goal: to find the Imprisoner and exact his revenge, even if it means destroying entire planets in the process.
Appearance and Personality
Nelenor possesses two distinct forms. In his true, elven form, he is described as being "thin and wiry, impossibly pretty," with "long, blond hair" and "crystalline blue eyes". He carries a lithe and graceful physical presence, often wearing clothes of flowing white.
However, to intimidate his enemies and inspire awe, Nelenor frequently utilizes a combination of mistweaving and strengthshaping magic to appear as a terrifying, Anubis-like monster. In this god-form, he is a towering humanoid—ranging from thirty to over a hundred feet tall—with "jet black skin" and a fox-like head. His voice in this form is magically amplified to a booming, ground-shaking rumble.
Personality-wise, Nelenor is a complex being. Driven mad by a hundred millennia of captivity, he is highly "vengeful" and "vicious," willing to slaughter thousands without a second thought to achieve his goals. Yet, he also possesses a distinctly "scientific side"; he frequently pauses in battle to admire the creativity of his attackers, applauding the underkids for their ingenious use of forcefields and rigging. Underneath his godly rage, he is a rational and surprisingly conversational being who respects strength, eventually finding a kinship with the human superuser Rylan.
Biography
Arrival and Betrayal
One hundred thousand years ago, Nelenor and his twin sister Velion fled the destruction of their homeworld, Starmist Prime, escaping a warlike alien race known as the Xelle. They traveled to the Seed Planet of Valaralda carrying the highly advanced device Xyclami. Their primary goal was not conquest, but to locate their older sister, Kaela (Kira), who had fled in a faster ship.
Upon landing in the village of Errenmel, the Twins met the ambitious elven scholar Aten (Orym). Because the Twins were overly trusting and eager to help, Aten successfully tricked them. Desiring absolute control over Xyclami to study its magic, Aten drugged the Twins and transported them to separate planets. Nelenor was taken to the brutal jungle planet of Eryn, where he was ritually sacrificed and imprisoned within a willow tree.
Imprisonment in Ambarhal
Because of the nature of the ritual, Nelenor's soul was severed from his body and trapped in the violet-skied dimension of Ambarhal. As an Operator of Xyclami, his presence there vastly expanded the dimension.
For one hundred thousand years, Nelenor remained trapped in Ambarhal. Over the millennia, he claimed the souls of those who died unwillingly by the hands of darkprime mages—most notably the rylak of Eryn and the billions of humans killed during the Sundering on Earth. Slowly, Nelenor amassed an army of millions of souls, plotting his eventual revenge against the Imprisoner.
The Return and the Rampage
When the magic imprisoning them was finally broken, Nelenor and Velion were released back into the physical world. Enraged and wielding the absolute power of Xyclami, the Twins immediately devastated the ancient elven city of Ilyrion on Valaralda.
Seeking the Imprisoner's kin, Nelenor tracked a sparkthread to Earth, arriving in the Remnant stronghold of Lusvunub. He demanded the Imprisoner be turned over to him, shrugging off Gatling gun fire and combined magical strikes from the underkids. When the United Sky Cities attempted to assassinate him by reversing the city's core to fire a massive beam of electrical energy directly at him, Nelenor simply laughed. He hijacked the energy beam, turning it red and sending it shooting back up into the sky, where it triggered a catastrophic chain reaction that utterly obliterated New San Francisco into falling, flaming wreckage.
Nelenor was only temporarily halted when the forcefinder Phoenix confronted him. Pushing herself to the brink of a fatal soulburn, Phoenix utilized the erratic, unblockable magic of a ghostly Soul Tree to pummel Nelenor, forcing the battered god to retreat through a gate.
The Armistice and Loss of Power
Nelenor eventually reunited with Velion at the Salt Spires on Valaralda to finish their war against the Prime Mages. During the battle, Rylan—acting as a superuser—secretly conversed with Xyclami, convincing the machine to suspend the Twins' Operator privileges.
Stripped of his godly power and reduced to normal elven size, Nelenor listened to Rylan's impassioned plea for peace. Moved by Rylan and Elanil's display of love and recognizing that his violent crusade was destroying the world he had once found so beautiful, Nelenor agreed to an armistice.
Shortly after, Xyclami underwent a hard reboot, officially severing Nelenor and Velion from the device and leaving Orym as the sole Operator. Relegated to the status of ordinary Prime Mages, the Twins quietly departed the battlefield. In the aftermath of Orym's defeat, Nelenor and Velion reunited with their long-lost sister, Kira. Together, they traveled to Eryn to hatch a preserved dragon egg, vowing to rebuild the harmony of Starmist Prime.
Powers and Abilities
- Xyclami Operator: For most of the saga, Nelenor is one of the two Operators of Xyclami, giving him absolute, god-like control over the darkprime Aspects of magic. He can deflect bullets, instantly destroy entire floating cities, and conjure devastating blasts of energy.
- Sparkthread Tracking: Nelenor can "sift the sparkthreads," allowing him to track the souls and genetic lineages of individuals across different planets.
- The Anubis Form: By combining mistweaving (illusion) and strengthshaping (growth and vocal amplification), Nelenor can seamlessly transform into a towering, hundred-foot-tall Anubis monster.
- Immortality: As a native of Starmist Prime, Nelenor is biologically immortal, surviving for millions of years.
Key Relationships
- Velion: His twin sister and the light Twin. They share a profound, unbreakable bond, having survived the destruction of their homeworld and a hundred millennia of captivity together.
- Kythaela (Kira): His older sister. The Twins' primary motivation for arriving in the Valaralda system was to locate and reunite with her.
- Orym (Aten): The Imprisoner. Nelenor harbors a deep, seething hatred for Orym, who betrayed his trust, stole Xyclami, and condemned him to Ambarhal.
- Rylan: The human superuser. Though initially viewing Rylan as an insect, Nelenor comes to deeply respect the boy's strength, compassion, and natural aptitude for Xyclami's interface. Rylan is ultimately the one who convinces Nelenor to abandon his vengeance.
- Phoenix: One of the few mortals to ever deal actual damage to Nelenor. Using the chaotic magic of a Soul Tree, she managed to severely wound him and force his retreat.