| “ | Have you taken in the view, Captain? The fall of the City of Sails... It's a marvelous thing, don't you think? | „ |
| ~ Kensidan to Deudermont. |
| “ | It is over. Arklem Greeth and The Arcane Brotherhood have lost. Lord Brambleberry and Captain Deudermont have lost. Some would say Luskan herself has lost, and by the old definition of the City of Sails, I could not disagree. But the new Luskan is ours, my friends, my comrades. Outsiders will call us lawless because we care not for minor matters of governance. Those who know us well will call us clever because we four will profit beyond anything we ever imagined possible. (Raises his glass) To the City of Sails. | „ |
| ~ Kensidan upon his victory. |
Kesidan the Crow is a major antagonist in R.A Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt, serving as the eponymous main antagonist of The Pirate King. He was the son of Rethnor, the captain of ship Rethnor and one the High Captains of Luskan. When the famous captain Deudermont led a rebelion against the tyrannical Arklem Greeth and The Arcane Brotherhood, Kensidan began to plot to take over the city. From the shadows, he aided Deudermont's quest and in the chaos after the Brotherhood fell, staged a coup against him. From there, he turned Luskan into a free port where pirates could trade drugs and slaves with no repercussions from the law. He is the archnemesis of Captain Deudermont.
Appearance[]
Kensidan was a small man, but still seemed intimidating. He the Cloak of the Crow, which was a long high-collared coat, and a tricornered hat. Because of the Cloak of the Crow, he appeared more birdlike, having a long, hooked nose and stiff legs.
When using his cloak, he appeared as a giant crow.
Personality[]
| “ | Kensidan: Can you be so innocent, Deudermont, as to believe that men like us would willingly surrender power? Deudermont: Can you be so cynical Kensidan, son of Rethnor, as to be blind to the possibilities of the common good? Kensidan: I live among pirates, so I fought them with piracy. Deudermont: You had a choice. You could have changed things. |
„ |
| ~ Captain Deudermont and Kensidan. |
Kensidan generally seemed quiet and emotionless but was also a cunning and manipulative individual. From behind the scenes, he manipulated others into creating situations that would be advantageous for him but was also able to use unpredictable circumstances to his advantage. He was incredible persuasive, easily able to convince others that helping his would be to their benefit. He also always thought in the long-term, setting up complex plans years in advance and successfully executing by accurately predicting the actions of his opponents and allies.
Kensidan was power-hungry and greedy, to the point of potentially murdering his own father to take more control. He was somewhat controlling as well, preferring to know exactly what was going on everywhere, so that he was never surprised. Despite this, he did not desire glory, and was perfectly happy to wield the real power while someone else touted the fame.
Biography[]
As His Father's Lieutenant[]
Kensidan was born to an unnamed mother and Rethnor, the captain of ship Rethnor, and a high captain of the city of Luskan. In his youth, Rethnor had been a pirate and an adventurer, and had had involvement with the Kraken Society, and currently vied for power as one of the most powerful people in the city. Kensidan proved himself to be skilled at scheming and manipulation, and eventually became his father's lieutenant. Together, the two of them secretly plotted to take the city from the Arcane Brotherhood not wanting to serve under archmage Arklem Greeth, the defacto ruler of Luskan. In particular, Kensidan managed to get high captain Suljack under his thumb.
When the famous Captain Deudermont began to plot against Arklem Greeth in order to free the city from tyranny and make it a better place, Kensidan jumped at the opportunity. The other high captains were unsure of whether to side with Deudermont or Greeth in the conflict, but Kensidan manipulated them into choosing the captain. When the soldiers of the high captains began to fight the soldiers of Greeth and the Brotherhood, Greeth reacted genocidally, letting lose an army of ghouls to murder everyone in Luskan. Kensidan watched this gleefully, knowing that it would cause more people to turn against the Brotherhood.
During this time, Kensidan began to realize that another shadowy faction was active in Luskan; a group of drow who seemed to trying to gain more power. Kensidan decided to meet with a famous thief named Morik the Rogue, who had allegedly worked with dark elves in the past. Morik explained that a drow organization known a Bregan D'aerth had been vying for power in Luskan for decades. Kensidan contacted Bregan D'aerth's leader Jarlaxle, who agreed to help Kensidan take over the city if he allowed Bregan D'aerth to act openly under his rule.
After an attack on Greeth's tower, Deudermont finally won the rebellion and became governor of Luskan. Kensidan swore fake allegiance to the captain and encouraged the other high captains to do the same. Although Deudermont tried his best to help his city, Luskan was still suffered from plague and famine, and during the first winter after Greeth, many of its citizens died.
As the Head of Ship Rethnor[]
A couple of months after the difficult winter, Rethnor died mysteriously, probably killed by his power-hungry son. Now head of Ship Rethnor, Kensidan began to spread chaos around the city, by manipulating the other high captains into trying to take land from each other and Deudermont, causing street wars all over Luskan. As Deudermont struggled to keep them in line, Kensidan had Bregan D'aerth spread even more chaos, murdering any citizen who didn't swear allegiance to one of the high captains. The city was thrown into a war between the five high captains and Deudermont, and fell to chaos.
Around the same time, Kensidan discovered his lover, Arabeth Raurym was a spy for Deudermont, and decided to use her to lure the captain to him. The governor and the Crow met in Kensidan's tower, where Deudermont tried to kill Kensidan, to end the chaos in Luskan. Although Deudermont was a more skilled swordfighter, Kensidan used his cloak to transform himself into a giant crow and mauled the governor.
With Deudermont dead and the city in chaos, it wasn't long before any remnants of order remained. This made it simple for the high captains, led by Kensidan, to take power. Now ruling the city, Kensidan turned it into a free port, where pirates and criminals could come to trade their wares, including slaves, drugs, and other illegal items. Instead of a city for families and commoners, Kensidan transformed Luskan into a haven of sorts for criminals.
Kensidan then lived a long and successful life ruling Luskan, eventually having a child and dying of old age.
Trivia[]
- Kensidan's Cloak of the Crow was passed down to his child and later grandchild Borlann, who both ruled Luskan after his death. It was eventually taken from by Dahlia Sin'felle, who used it regularly.
External Links[]
- Kensidan on the Forgotten Realms Wiki
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The Legend of Drizzt Villains | ||
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Pirates of Luskan Calimport Underworld Sentient Artifacts Demons Dragons Drows Many-Arrows Shadowvar Red Wizards of Thay Others | ||