Elshander is a character who appeared in the story section of Fortress Of Assassins. He is a dwarf.

It was with Elshander's help that Hannibal and his elephants crossed the Alps on their way to attack the Romans - not over as historians believe, but under, via dwarf tunnels. However, Elshander fell foul of the Carthaginian general when he plotted to eat one of the elephants, and Hannibal punished him by imprisoning him in ice.

Elshander remained in deep freeze for about 1500 years (which is somewhat longer than Ellie did, I'd wager). He was freed when Treguard and Dugald lit a fire that unwittingly melted the ice. He claimed to be the last dwarf alive, citing fatal perusals of Mercury's hallowed Book Of Secrets as the reason all his brethren had perished. He insisted on accompanying Treguard on his quest to the Holy Land to find Richard the Lionheart's lost heir, seeing it as a long overdue opportunity to track down some elephant meat.

Despite his short stature, Elshander proved to be a troublemaker of immense proportions, due to his cloak of invisibility, a garment that allowed him to engage in incessant larceny and unchecked debauchery. This infuriated Treguard. Ultimately though, Elshander 'saved the day' and his travelling companions, by delivering a fatal axe blow to the formidable enemy Queen Hel, risking his cloak to rescue Dugald from a drop into a bottomless pit, and utilising his surprising ability to drink, store and vomit lava.

In an entry in the Fabled Lands blog dated 21st May 2010, Fortress of Assassins author Dave Morris refers to Elshander as a kobold.

Elshander would have made a fascinating addition to the Knightmare television cast. The closest that watchers can get is perhaps Rygel in the science-fiction series Farscape.

[Earlier versions: 2012-01-08 21:47:45, 2006-04-08 23:03:02]

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