Skellum

Skellum was an old dementia master in the employ of the Cabal. His secret name was Cybariss. Skellum was highly skilled at dementia casting, but his relatively slow casting speed meant that he rarely fought in the pits, instead serving as a trainer for young casters. Skellum was infamous for wearing a silly hat, which obscured part of his face and could be spun around at high speed. Doing this allowed Skellum to enter his dementia space whilst confusing his opponents.

Skellum's academy for dementia casters was the main institute for training the Cabal's elite pit-fighters. The most famous (and last) graduate of the academy was Chainer, whom Skellum trained not simply to be another pit caster, but rather to be a full-fledged dementist, someone with the skill and magic power to create a whole tournament's worth of dementia horrors to entertain the crowds. Few ever attained this status, but Skellum was confident that Chainer had the potential to do so if he was given enough training. Skellum was frustrated by the interference of the Cabal Patriarch, who pressed for Chainer to progress faster than Skellum thought was wise. However, Skellum remained confident that the Patriarch knew what he was doing.

Unfortunately for Skellum, the Patriarch believed the main restraint on Chainer's progress was in fact Skellum. He organised for the old dementist to be put into a pit fight against an Order crusat squad led by Major Teroh and commanded Skellum and his team-mate Braids to throw the match. Skellum recognised that he was being sent to die and so channelled his experience in the fight to Chainer, so that he could witness his master's death. As he expected, Skellum struggled to summon creatures fast enough and was badly injured by an Order Justicar. He attempted to forfeit the match, but Teroh ignored him, instead allowing a troop of wolf-monkey mandrills controlled by the Order's druid ally to savage Skellum to death.