Penthikos

Penthikos
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Tormented Hero.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race	Human
Birthplace	Akros, Theros
Lifetime	Mending Era
Colors

Penthikos was a human hero on the plane of Theros, whose life ended in a tragedy.

History

In his earlier life, Penthikos stood heroically on Pharagax Bridge in defense of Akros and marched against the marauders of Deathbellow Canyon. He slew many foes with his phalanx, but serving honorably as part of a group was not enough. His heart cried out for the blessing of Iroas.

One day, Penthikos and his fellow Stratians descended the Titan's Stairs to strike into the Phoberos badlands. There, they faced firebreathing hounds, bloodthirsty minotaurs, and feral satyrs, attacking with no strategy. Penthikos met the creatures in the same spirit. Breaking formation and running ahead, he struck down enemies as fast as they came at him and challenged more to face his sword.

Then, he finally became aware of the sounds behind him during a pause in his slaughter. His hasty charge had left the Akroan ranks in disorder, and as they struggled to fill the gap Penthikos had left, they drowned under the advancing tide of the Returned. Penthikos hurried back toward the battle, but it was hopeless, and he heard his shieldmates curse him as they died.

Now unable to face the phalanxes of Returned alone, Penthikos fought his way through the canyon and scaled the Kolophon's sheer cliffs, until he finally staggered through the gates of Akros. He fell before the Oromai, bleeding, gasping out what had befallen his fellows in arms. The king of Akros pronounced a sentence over Penthikos - as he desired so much not to belong, he would be set apart forever. And so he was chained to the rocks, to die in the sun of Heliod.

As Penthikos lay chained, he felt his stony bed grow hot as Purphoros's anvil. In his agony, he hurled a prayer to the skies, hard and true as a javelin. He asked the gods to atone for his hubris and offered himself to undertake any ordeal they would decree. No answer came for long hours, or so it seemed. But then the rock shook beneath Penthikos, and Erebos's great voice filled the air, acknowledging his prayer.

Penthikos stood, free of his shackles, at the mouth of a grim and silent cave. The stink of brimstone issued forth, and he knew he must enter. The passage twisted downward, thick with suffocating miasma. All around him echoed roars, cackles, and hisses, and his steps grew heavier and slower. His thoughts grew dim, his vision dark.

The tormented hero then felt a chill touch his skin as something swept past, insubstantial but malevolent. Penthikos lashed out in the dark, and as his blade sliced the shape, he felt his soul be likewise cut. The screams and curses of his companions returned, and black tears started in his eyes.

The shadows kept striking at him, clawing at his flesh and chilling his blood, and only cutting them down could end his pain, although the death of each shade ripped at his heart and soul. Ichor streamed down his face, and he crawled on into a large cave filled with water. Ahead stretched a dreadful shore, a strand of teeth and crumbled bones, with water black and thick as tar. In the distance glowed a dull aura, and he began to walk, toward the hopeless light.

He had come to the River of the Dead, yet he was still in his physical body. A scholar of Athreos received him at the dock, leaning on a shivered beam. Her eyes reflected the gleam of a coin she tossed slowly. She commented curtly that Penthikos did not have a face for Athreos to recognize. So, he would not be able to cross the water. Penthikos explained he had made a deal with Erebos, so he would not be denied by Athreos. He defied destiny, and by this invocation, he felt the matter on his face shift and sculpt itself into a grimacing death mask.

With a face Athreos now would recognize, Penthikos shouted for the master of the passage to ferry his soul to the dark shores of the Underworld, and the ancient barge silently slid forth from the fog. The price paid, they drifted across to that bleak land, but Penthikos would not Erebos his satisfaction. He would follow the Path of the Returned and seek his place in the ranks of the dead.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Tragedy	Jennifer Clarke Wilkes	2013-10-23	Theros	Theros	Penthikos, Iroas, Heliod, Purphoros, Athreos, Erebos

In-game references

Represented in:

• Tormented Hero

Depicted in:

• Chained to the Rocks