Arcannen Rai is a character in The Defenders of Shannara trilogy. He is a sorcerer intent on acquiring powerful magic for his own use, whether that magic be imbued in items like the Sword of Leah or innate in other people, like the wishsong.
Biography
The Scheme to obtain the Sword of Leah
Arcannen lives in Dark House in the Southland city of Wayford. He first comes to the attention of Paxon Leah when he uses his magic to lure Paxon's sister Chrysallin into a chance game and abduct her. Paxon tries to stop Arcannen from leaving Leah but is easily overpowered by the sorcerer, who dares Paxon to come after him.
Paxon pursues Arcannen to Wayford, taking the Sword of Leah with him. It later becomes apparent that Arcannen wanted Paxon to pursue him with the sword, so that the magic of the sword might be activated, and he could claim the sword for himself. Arcannen's plan backfires when Paxon not only unlocks the sword's magic but manages to overpower the sorcerer with it and take Chrysallin back as well. Despite losing the duel, Arcannen manages to escape.
The use of magic in the battle between Paxon and sorcerer catches the attention of the Druid Order, and Paxon is summoned to Paranor by Aphenglow Elessedil, Ard Rhys of the Druids. There he is recruited to become the Blade of the Ard Rhys, a warrior sworn to protect the Druid Order.
The Scheme to Subvert Chrysallin Leah
While Paxon is away from Leah training in Paranor, Arcannen abducts Chrysallin once more and brings her back to Wayford, where the witch Mischa begins torturing Chrysallin under Arcannen's orders. Mischa uses her magic to brainwash Chrysallin into thinking she is being badly mutilated and defiled, and that the Ard Rhys of the Druids is responsible for her torture. Arcannen's plan is to imbue enough fear and hatred of Aphenglow Elessedil into Chrysallin's mind that Chrysallin would kill the Ard Rhys using the Stiehl, which Arcannen intends to provide to Chrysallin.
But Paxon and the Druid Starks go after Arcannen to rescue Chrysallin, and Grehling Cara, the fourteen-year-old son of Wayford's airfield manager, and Leofur Rai, Grehling's former nanny, have already been working to free Chrys from Mischa. Grehling and Leofur manage to get Chrysallin away from Mischa, and Paxon kills a creature of magic sent by the witch to pursue Chrysallin. A traumatized Chrysallin kills Mischa herself using the wishsong. Arcannen gets away, but not before killing Starks using the Stiehl.
Chrysallin is catatonic after using the wishsong, and Paxon takes her to Paranor. There everyone realizes that she has been tortured mentally, brainwashed into thinking that Aphenglow is responsible for her torture.
Accompanied by Leofur, Paxon returns to Wayford, ostensibly to find some clues that might help bring Chrysallin out of her traumatized state, but also to avenge Starks' death by killing Arcannen. In Wayford Leofur gains easy access to Dark House, and there Paxon and Arcannen do battle. Paxon gets the upper hand and Arcannen, realizing he is about to be overpowered, offers to give Paxon a potion that will cure Chrysallin of the effects of her torture if Paxon will let him go. Although deeply conflicted, Paxon realizes that healing is sister is more important than gaining revenge, so he agrees to the exchange. Arcannen finds the potion hidden in Mischa's former home and flees Wayford.
After Arcannen flees, Paxon, who had been developing feelings for Leofur, learns that Leofur is in fact the sorcerer's estranged daughter. Back in Paranor, Paxon administers the potion to Chrysallin, who comes out of her catatonic state fully healed, unable to remember what had been done to her.
Later, Arcannen disguises himself as the Druid ambassador Isaturin and visits the Federation's Minister of Security, Fashton Caeil. In his disguise, he kills the Minister with the Stiehl and leaves, leaving the Stiehl at the scene of the crime to pin the blame on the Druids and their weapons of magic and create discord between the Druids and the Federation. However, despite many in the populace believing that the murder was carried out by the Druids, the Federation's Prime Minister is not fooled, and he visits Aphenglow privately to exchange information. They confirm that Isaturin was in Paranor at the time of the murder and that the murderer was most likely Arcannen.
Shortly afterward, Aphenglow travels out of Paranor in her personal airship with Paxon, her young assistant Sebec, and several of the Trolls serving as Druid Guards. When they reach the Streleheim Plains, Aphenglow announces that Sebec is the traitor within the Druid Order who has been passing information and artifacts of magic to Arcannen, including the Stiehl. Sebec had even attempted to steal the crimson Elfstones. For these crimes, the Ard Rhys has the guards execute him.
The Scheme to Destroy the Red Slash
Five years later, shortly after the death of the Ard Rhys, Arcannen is in hiding in the coastal city of Arbrox. Pirates, thieves, raiders, and bandits mostly inhabit Arbrox, and they welcomed Arcannen into their home. However, the theives of Arbrox raided Federation ships and the Red Slash, an elite military unit led by Dallen Usurient, was sent to punish these theifts. Usurient and the Red Slash annihilated Arbrox, killing all its inhabitants except Arcannen. Arcannen vowed revenge on Usurient and the entire Red Slash.
In the town of Portlow, Arcannen finds a young minstrel who has the use of the wishsong, a magic that belongs only to the Ohmsford family. Arcannen attempts to convince Reyn Frosch, the young man with the power of the wishsong, to ally with him, but Reyn is hesitent. Arcannen threatens the Fortren family, who want Reyn dead, before leaving town for a few days. Paxon and the druid Avelene arrive shortly to investigate Reyn's use of the wishsong but Arcannen returns just time to trap Avelene in cylinder of dark magic and make it look like Paxon and the druids are attacking Reyn. Reyn falls for the deception, fleeing from Paxon. Reyn is caught on the outskirts of Portlow by the Fortren family, who had been watching the roads out of the village to exact their vengeance. They smash the boy's elleryn, and Reyn himself is about to be killed when Arcannen appears and uses his magic to to light the entire Fortren family on fire. Arcannen takes Reyn away aboard his airship, where Reyn meets Lariana, a beautiful girl purchased by Arcannen for the express purpose of gaining Reyn's trust and making him fall in love with her.
Arcannen takes Lariana and Reyn to the ruins of Arbrox, explaining to his young companions the injustice and atrocity of the massacre at Arbrox and his desire to exact revenge on the Red Slash for what had happened. When Reyn protests, declaring he won't use the wishsong to kill people, Arcannen assures him that he won't ask that of Reyn. Under Arcannen's orders, Lariana assists Reyn in learning how to create lifelike images with the wishsong.
Soon after Dallen Usurient returns to Arbrox with a small company of violent criminals and chained beasts to exterminate Arcannen once and for all. Lariana, Reyn, and Arcannen are forced to defend themselves against the company: Arcannen disappears from the fight early, Reyn uses the wishsong to confuse the beasts into attacking Mallich, the creatures' trainer, and Lariana uses a flash rip to kill the Hammer, an executioner from the Federation prisons. Paxon and Avelene arrive in time to see Usurient shoot Arcannen with a flash rip and to see Reyn use the wishsong when he and Lariana are attacked by the serial killer Bael Etris. This unexpected use of the wishsong leaves Reyn catatonic, and Bael Etris recovers quickly enough to knock out Lariana and capture Reyn. Paxon and Avelene confront the killer, who insists that Arcannen isn't dead and that what was shot down was merely an image of the sorcerer. He is proven correct when a huge explosion occurs, after which Reyn is taken by Arcannen and Bael Etris is left impaled on a steel rod. Lariana is left behind with instructions to lead Paxon and Avelene into a trap within the Southland city of Sterne.
Arcannen takes Reyn to a hideout in Sterne. Reyn, who by this point has realized that Arcannen is not the mentor he was hoping for but merely someone out to use him, is horrified when Arcannen reveals he wants to kill not just Usurient but every single soldier in the Red Slash with Reyn's assistance. The sorcerer threatens to kill Lariana in front of Reyn if he does not comply.
Arcannen challenges Usurient and the entire Red Slash unit to meet him at the Horn of Honor, a monument to fallen soldiers that sits in the Federation burial grounds out on a bluff above the city. He goes to the bluff with only Reyn and Lariana accompanying him. Usurient, confident of victory, speaks tauntingly at Arcannen, but he is cut short when Reyn uses the wishsong to immobilize him and all five hundred of the soldiers of the Red Slash. Faced with a completely motionless unit of soldiers, Arcannen tortures Usurient briefly before setting him on fire, and then methodically sets row after row of soldiers on fire.
As the carnage unfolds, Reyn begins losing his grip on his magic. Paxon and Avelene, who managed to get free of Lariana's ruse as well as the prisons that Usurient had thrown them in, arrive to help. Arcannen faces Paxon and Avelene, and Paxon takes the brunt of the sorcerer's initial attack before Avelene comes in with her own magic. As they duel, Reyn and Lariana are seen running to the edge of the bluff, and those soldiers who had not yet been set on fire and were now released from the magic of the wishsong turned on the young couple, firing projectiles at them until they both collapsed. The deaths of the young couple distract Arcannen, Avelene, and Paxon, but Arcannen recovers first and strikes a mortal blow against Avelene. Paxon comes after Arcannen in a rage, using his sword to deflect the sorcerer's attacks, and just as in their last battle five years ago, Arcannen wears out and decides to flee. With the destruction of the Red Slash complete, Arcannen goes back into hiding.
The Scheme to Ruin Peace Negociations
A year later, Arcannen sneaks into the Phoenix Tower of Arishaig ahead of the peace negociations between the druids and the Federation's Coalition Council. At the same time, he arranges a deal with the Mirk Witch to capture Chrysallin Leah with the promise of artifacts of magic. He provides the witch a root that takes away the voice for an entire day, making Chrysallin incapable of using the wishsong.
The night before the ill-fated meeting, Arcannen kills a sleeping Isaturin, burns the body, and scatters the ashes where none would find them. The following morning, he impersonates the Ard Rhys and leads the druid peace delegation. The negotiation are cut short when Arcannen's Sleath storms into th council chamber and kills the Federation delegates, the Prime Minister included. Isaturin* (Arcannen in disguise) and the warrior Druid Miriya used their magic to defend the Druids, but the Sleath was able to penetrate their shields easily. In all the commotion, Paxon was unable to get close enough to the beast to confront it with the Sword of Leah. It was only through the attempts of the Druid seer Karlin Ryl to communicate with the monster that it ended up vanishing, breaking into pieces and seemingly passing through Karlin's body as it disappeared.
Paxon and the surviving druids were immediately convinced that Arcannen was responsible for the Sleath and its slaughter, but the fact that the monster did not kill any Druids and the way the creature responded to Karlin's magic and passed through her as it vanished convinced the Commander of the Federation's Ministerial Watch, Fero Darz, that the Druids were the murderers. He attempted to stop the Druid delegation from leaving, but their magic prevented him from doing so.
After the Druids escaped Arishaig in a stolen airship, the ship crashed in a storm south of the Battlemound Lowlands. The surviving Druids continued their escape on foot over the flatlands. Miriya and Paxon noticed that Karlin was behaving strangely. While pursuing the Druids on foot, Fero Darz stumbled into a Druid-created mist and was captured by Paxon. Paxon stripped the Commander of his weapons and kept him close, hoping to convince him that the Druids were not responsible for the slaughter of the Federation peace delegation. Although unwilling to admit to it completely when Paxon confronted him, Darz did express that he had doubts.
Isaturin* had Paxon lead the survival effort and trek back to Paranor, a decision that only mildly confused the highlander. Paxon led Darz and the surviving members of the Druid company towards the Lower Anar, hoping to get the party to Culhaven where they would be able to find transport back to Paranor. When they were almost to the Anar, Karlin fell into a trance, caught in the thrall of a vision. Although she struggled to speak, she managed to proclaim that the airship had crashed and that everyone had died. Paxon initially thought Karlin was referring to their own crash, but she clarified and said that the entire company of soldiers aboard the large Federation cruiser that had been pursuing them had been wiped out in a crash. On the heels of this stunning announcement, Karlin turned to Paxon and begged for his help.
As the party made their way to the Anar, a large wall of mist and an impassable stand of odd-looking, moving trees appeared. Wary of the danger ahead but realizing the need to find transport as soon as possible, the party pressed on through the trees. While passing through the trees, the old Druid Consloe slipped and made contact with one of them, awakening the trees and causing them to lash out with countless grasping tentacles and roots. Consloe was captured almost immediately and dragged below ground by the roots. Paxon, Isaturin*, and Miriya were quickly surrounded on all sides by the trees' attacks which separate them from Karlin, Fero Darz, and the remainder of the Druid Guard. Suddenly Karlin screamed and the Sleath reappeared out of her body. It rushed at the trees, doing enough damage that the trees eventually had to direct all their attention to subduing the Sleath, and the party were able to make a break for it. The trees managed to kill the monster, but the party was safely away by the time they'd done so.
Karlin, who had collapsed after the Sleath left her body, ended up dying quickly, leaving Miriya distraught. Isaturin* said nothing in condolences to Miriya, and when pressed to do so by Paxon, he outright refused. Miriya vowed to avenge Karlin's death by finding and killing Arcannen, and Paxon agreed to help her. Unwilling to face the prospect of more of the monstrous trees, the party changed course and headed into the Wolfsktaag Mountains to get to the Anar. Deep in the mountains, a dragon-like monster emerged and killed the remainder of the Druid Guard as the party attempted to cross a ledge connecting one cliff edge to another in order to get down the other side of the mountain. Paxon drew the Sword of Leah and the sudden light from the blade blinded the monster, causing it to lose its footing. It slammed into Paxon and Miriya and took them with it as it fell off the ledge. Left alone with Fero Darz, Isaturin* grabbed the Commander and threw him off the ledge before making his way off the mountain by himself.
The Scheme to Infultrate Paranor
When Isaturin* returns to Paranor, he proclaims that all others of the delegation were dead. Arcannen wanders around Paranor, marveling at his own brilliance of infultrating the Druid's Keep unbeknownst to all, looking for the vault of magic artifacts and weapons, when a dozen Federation warships and carriers. The soliders leading the warship force demand to speak with Isaturin, holding him and the druids responsible for the Sleath attack on the Federation Coalition Council.
Arcannen, still wearing his Isaturin disguise, refuses to meet with the Federation soliders and has Keratrix, the Ard Rhys's personal assistant, lead him to the secret artifacts vault and open it. Just when Keratrix begin's to suspect the Ard Rhys is an imposter, Arcannen kills him. Taking less magic items than he had hoped, Arcannen attempts to flee the underground levels of the Keep but becomes lost. He is forced to use his own magic to find a way out but that trips a warning of non-druid magic being used in Paranor. As he is ascending towards the surface he hears pursuers, one sounding much like Paxon.
By the time Paxon and Miriya surface, Arcannen has boarded a small airship. Upon seeing Paxon and Miriya, the false Ard Rhys halted their advance with a wall of magic fire and fled in the ship. Paxon and Miriya followed closely after him, with Miriya using her magic to keep track of the sorcerer. The pair tracked Arcannen all the way to the ruins of Kern, where Arcannen set down his airship and made his stand.
Paxon and Miriya hunted for Arcannen within the ruins, barely avoiding traps and always several steps behind the sorcerer as they proceeded cautiously. They realized that continuing on without changing tactics would cause them to eventually lose to Arcannen, so they decided that one of them should rush into battle against the sorcerer and the other one should try to come around the sorcerer from behind while he was engaged.
Miriya rushed in and attacked the sorcerer, but Arcannen put up a magical wall which separated Paxon from Miriya and delayed him just long enough that he was unable to help her. Arcannen killed Miriya and threw her into a pit, and as he fled, Paxon chased after him up a flight of stairs. He injured himself when the stairway collapsed, and Arcannen hit him with his magic while he was stunned and defenseless. Paxon got up and attacked Arcannen with the Sword of Leah, but because of his injuries and the fact that he was still weak from his journey out of the Southland and into the Anar, he was unable to call on much magic from the sword and Arcannen deflected his attack easily.
Paxon was saved when Miriya, who had not been killed afterall and was just badly injured, came up from behind Arcannen and stabbed the sorcerer through the chest with a steel rod. As the sorcerer died, Paxon cut off his head. The two recovered the Druid artifacts stolen by Arcannen and headed back to Paranor, where a Druid delegation presented the Federation warships with Arcannen's head and Paxon and Miriya's explanation of events. Although they were not completely convinced, the Federation forces were appeased enough by the explanation and the gift of Arcannen's head to stand down and leave Paranor.