"Go back to Kensa!... Tell her you've killed her Beast yourself!"
- Tom to Igor on Elko's defeat.
Elko Lord of the Sea is an aquatic Evil Beast sporting various octopus traits. One of the six Beasts made by Kensa to conquer Henkrall and invade Avantia, the Lord of the Sea was created to obtain control of the two realms' oceans, and as such he was mostly active in Henkrall's sea and the Sea Cliff that runs the length of Henkrall's known ocean. The Beast's body is made primarily of seaweed, allowing him to regenerate to heal sustained wounds around his skeleton, which is made of a dark coral that protects his purple heart. Like the other Beasts loyal to Kensa, Elko was created by covering a clay figure depicting his form with the blood of one of the Good Beasts of Avantia, with the Lord of the Sea being created from that of Sepron the Sea Serpent, and as such the Sea Serpent's deadly fangs are copied to the artificial Beast. The long tendrils attached to Elko's hands provide significant mobility on the sea's cliff faces. Elko's seaweed can emit a purple light that can control the creatures of the sea, although this is not an innate ability exclusive to the Beast, the fish of Henkrall are simply attracted to and influenced by purple light. Elko is potentially based on the Lovecraftian deity Cthulhu, the most well known Lovecraftian character and common throughout pop culture. In the first edition of the A-Z of Beasts, Elko's title was changed to "the Ocean Menace". Why such a change was made remains unknown and it was changed back to Lord of the Sea in the second edition of the A-Z of Beasts.
The New Age[]
As part of her plot to conquer Henkrall and Avantia after that, Kensa planned to create Beasts completely loyal to her to aid her in conquering the realms. She chose to birth them using a forbidden ritual she had learnt before she had been banished by the Circle of Wizards, creating clay models of the Beasts she hoped to make. She designed Elko to conquer and control the oceans of the realms she attacked, using the stolen blood of the Beast Sepron to bring the Lord of the Sea to life.
Elko bursting from the sea.
Elko ripping Elenna from Spark.
When the ritual was complete, Elko was animated in the Henkrallian sea, his main domain. The Beast's creation coincided with that of Kensa's other loyal Beasts, who were created simultaneously. When Kensa noticed Tom and Elenna spying on the ritual, she forced them out, leading them to escape by swooping over the sea. As Elko was the closest Beast to Kensa's castle, the duo chose to fight the Lord of the Sea first, flying over the ocean to try and locate him. Sensing their approach, Elko ripped himself up and spread the spheres of seaweed when they approached to ambush his foes. Flying down to investigate, Elenna noticed the seaweed converging and moving against the tide, giving Tom the time to realise something was wrong and move away as Elko thrust his hand up to try and grab him and Tempest, missing as a result. Elko emerged fully and advanced towards the cliff, grabbing hold of the rocks and moving towards the waterfall. Tom hacked through a wrist, however the Beast simply laughed and allowed the seaweed of the arm and hand to rejoin. He then lashed out a tendril at Elenna astride Spark, ripping her off her winged wolf and carrying her through the waterfall. Tom and Spark attacked the Beast and forced him back out of the caves, where Tom slashed at the arm holding Elenna, slicing through it and forcing the Beast to drop her. Spark recovered Elenna as the Lord of the Sea's arm healed. Tom and Elenna attacked the Evil Beast's legs together and severed them both. The legs healed almost instantly, however Elko was unable to stop himself from falling as a result of losing his legs temporarily. Elko's body split badly on impact, instantly fixing itself, however he chose to swim deeper and take time to recover, using his purple light to send fish to keep his foes at bay.
Elko being attacked by Elenna, unaware of Tom climbing across him.
Elko lying defeated, his heart skewered by a stalagmite.
The fish kept Tom and Elenna at bay for a time, giving Elko time to hide in the sand of the ocean floor and split himself to avoid detection, however Tom used the Beast's tactic against him by using the Purple Jewel to manipulate the fish himself, having them scout out the Lord of the Sea's location, who emerged with a roar when he was found. As Elko was reforming, Tom grabbed onto one of the seaweed clumps, clinging on as the Beast took shape. Not noticing the Avantian due to Elenna firing on him, the Lord of the Sea focused down on the archer as Tom advanced along his arm. After the blow to his ego, Igor returned to assist his mistress's Beast and struck the Lord of the Sea's chest to help him find Tom. Noticing the Master of the Beasts, the Evil Beast tried to shake Tom loose, failing as the warrior maneuvered to his back, where the Beast couldn't reach. Elko moved to the waterfall to try and wash Tom off, only to fail when his opponent used his belt to latch onto the Beast's weeds and maintain his grip. Elenna and Igor had been fighting since the hunchback's arrival, and Tom had his friend lure Igor into the caves. With the waterfall between them, Igor couldn't see Elko when Elenna moved in front of it. The hunchback lashed his chain out, missing Elenna and travelling through the waterfall, striking Elko, who was still trying to dislodge Tom from the back of his leg. The attack caused the Evil Beast to start falling and unable to catch himself or maintain balance, he fell backwards. The cave was littered with stalactites and stalagmites and as Tom hoped, Elko's heart was skewered by a stalagmite the moment the Lord of the Sea struck the ground. With his heart ripped from his body, Elko was killed. His eyes dimmed and his body melted into seaweed.
Powers, Abilities and Weaknesses[]
Powers and Abilities[]
- Regeneration: Elko has insane regenerative abilities, being able to recover severed limbs and fragmentation of his body in seconds.
- Splitting: Elko can split himself into seaweeds, being able to reform himself afterwards.
- Limited Light and Fish Manipulation: Elko can emit a purple light which allows him to control the fish of Henkrall. It is likely that this doesn't apply to fish from other kingdoms.
- Underwater Breathing: Elko can breathe both in and out of water.
- Natural Weaponry: Elko has sharp teeth and long tendril-like fingers to grab and lash at prey.
Weaknesses[]
- Heart Impalement: Despite his regeneration, Elko can be killed if his heart gets skewered.
A to Z of Beasts[]
" Elko's mouth is lined with deadly fangs, and his hideous limbs can regenerate when severed by a blade. Elko was created by Kensa to wreak havoc on the kingdom of Henkrall. "
Trivia[]
- Elko is the only of Kensa's blood Beasts that was never seen by any resident of Henkrall (with the exception of Igor) because he barely lived a full day before he was killed. As such, he is probably the only Beast of Kensa who was not mentioned in later-told legends.