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Dardanus was the favorite son of Shalako and nephew of Orin I, ruler of Atlantis during the sinking of the continent in 9,600 A.C.

His mother was Loma, one of Shalako's wives. As a child, he was so obstinate like his father that once he even fought against little Bazil just to be near baby Cora.[1]

After the Great Deluge When the Shalakites left Poseidonis to settle down in Tritonis, little Dardanus witnessed the murder of his mother at the hands of Shalako, as a sacrifice to the dark gods. In time, a scientist from Poseidonis invented a serum that allowed people to breathe underwater, and it was a success in Poseidonis. When Orin offered this drug to his brother and his followers from Tritonis, Shalako refused. The Shalakites, however, accepted Orin's aid. So, Shalako perceived this as a personal betrayal, and called upon the dark gods to curse the people of Tritonis who accepted Orin's serum. Because of this curse, they were transformed into a rece of green, scaly fish-people. Dardanus (who wasn't exposed to the serum), accused his father's treachery. He told the Shalakites that it was Shalako and not Orin's serum who turned them into monsters. He further revealed that Shalako murdered his mother in a mad bid for more power. The crazed Shalakites killed Shalako and and anything having to do with him. Dardanus though, managed to elude them.[2]

In Tritonis, several years after the people of Atlantis developed the ability to survive underwater, the elderly King Stearn took control of the kingdom after Shalako's death. To the everyone's surprise, Shalako's son, Dardanus, now an adult, made his presence known at the court. Everyone was shocked to see him, as it had been believed that Dardanus had been killed at the same time as his father. Unlike the other Tritonians, however, Dardanus was not affected by his father's curse and was not a merman. He told those closest to him to begin subtly spreading rumors of his return to the people of Poseidonis.

Time passed and Poseidonis celebrated Princess Cora's fourteenth birthday. Taking away the attention from Cora was the unexpected arrival of Dardanus. King Orin greeted him with open arms, and the two had a long discussion. As the party continued, Dardanus began dancing with Cora. Although they were cousins, he admitted a deep affection for her. Dardanus' behavior became very aggressive, and Bazil tried to break them apart. When Dardanus refused to stop dancing, Bazil punched him. Dardanus stabbed Bazil in the chest with a dagger. Miraculously, it was not a fatal injury. Dardanus was tried for his crime and sentenced to house arrest in Tritonis.

On Cora's wedding night, Dardanus sneaked into Poseidonis and entered Princess Cora's private bedchambers. He raped her in the middle of the night, and though Cora fought back, she was not strong enough to rebuff him. Dardanus left Cora pregnant.[3]

Later, Dardanus (who was already King of Tritonis) addressed the Atlantean court. He argued that the people of Poseidonis treated their neighboring Tritonians with nothing but disdain. He also addressed how King Orin's actions in the past produced the mutation of Tritonian children (which was actually a falsehood; the fault lies with Dardanus' own father, Shalako). Compounding the accusation, he presented a Tritonian child, born with the lower body of a fish. King Orin took these concerns to heart and opened the floodgates to the city dome, letting tons of water in, filling the city.

Back in Tritonis, a group of hunters captured a strange beast inside one of their nets. They struggled with the creature until their king, Dardanus, arrived to inspect their findings. Dardanus was shocked to discover that the creature they captured was actually his own son, Kordax.

Later, Orin retired as King of Atlantis. His daughter, Cora, would now lead their people as their new Queen. Cora's first act as Queen was to announce her daughter, Fiona, as the heir to Atlantis. Dardanus, along with Kordax, appeared and challenged the decision. By right of birth, it was Kordax should inherit the throne instead of Fiona. Cora revealed that she was raped by Dardanus and left with child. The offspring was born with monstrous features and exiled from the city to die after it mutilated its mother while feeding. The scandal caused heated tension between Poseidonians and Tritonians. Before long, both city-states went to war.[4]

Dardanus and his son Kordax (who had the power to control the sea creatures) led the Tritoneans against Poseidonis' forces lead by Orin and Bazil. During the fight between Orin and Dardanus, the spirit of Shalako suddenly appeared. With Orin distracted by Shalako's magical spirit, Dardanus plunged his sword through Orin's heart from behind, killing him. Shalako then began tightening Dardanus until the Spirit of Orin appeared and defeated the Spirit of Shalako.

Regin wrote in Atlantis Chronicles that Dardanus was killed by Shalako's spirit and his body was left out, eaten by sharks. There is another explanation for the death of Dardanus given by Queen Fiona (Regin's wife), who didn't believe in spirits and thought Dardanus had been crushed by rocks dragged by Regin.[5]

Powers

  • Atlantean Biological Adaptation: Due to the magics of his father Shalako, Dardanus was granted the ability to endure the pressures of the deep.
  • Amphibious: Due to his father Shalako, Dardanus was granted the ability to breathe underwater and survive the increased pressure of the ocean depths.
  • Teleportation: The Dark Gods taught him the ability to disappear and reappear in another place.

Weaknesses

Dardanus was egomaniac and obstinate like his father Shalako.

Related

Footnotes


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