THOSE WHO ABIDE

Membership: None named

Base of Operations: Pytharia

First Appearance: Claw The Unconquered #10 (May, 1977)

History: (Claw The Unconquered #10) - Three powerful wizards were enchanted with the physical pleasures of life, and performed a ritual to summon the Shadow-Gods so they could attain immortality and experience the pleasures of the flesh forever. The Shadow-Gods made their souls immortal, but not their bodies, and the three wizards bodies aged and became decrepit. Now known as Those Who Abide they ruled an empty city patrolled by automatons that were operated by the disembodied brains of those who once lived there. They sought new forms of pleasure, and sensed Claw the Unconquered approaching their city in his quest for vengeance against King Occulas, another servant of the Shadow-Gods. Claw tried to save a woman from a ravenous demon, and Those Who Abide took mental control of the woman, making her sacrifice herself to the demon so they could feel what she felt. Claw took refuge in their city, and they treated Claw to a kingly feast and he noted that the food they served was alive. They admitted to dabbling in necromancy, making Claw suspicious, but he still accepted their hospitality and tried to sleep, but was haunted by memories of his past. When he was ready to take his leave Those Who Abide revealed that they served the Shadow-Gods, and lived to find new forms of pleasure. They wanted to experience Claw’s soul being devoured by a demon, so they summoned one from the netherworld. It overcame Claw, but when its’ tendrils knocked off Claw’s gauntlet his demon claw took control. Claw took his mystic sword Moonthorn and slashed the demon, forcing it to back away from him. The demon then went after Those Who Abide, swallowing them whole, and they despaired, knowing that because the Shadow-Gods gave them immortality they were in for an eternity of pain. Claw almost wished the demon had killed him so her would no longer question if he was a hero or a pawn.