Iskaral Pust

Name: Iskaral Pust

Race: Dal Honese

Appearance: Old, dark-skinned, hawk-nosed, bearded and bald with a tattooed pate.

Further Info: Magus and High Priest of Shadow

Dal Honese High Priest of the Tesem Temple of Shadow, widely regarded as a madman, not only for his unnerving habit of seeming to vocalize his entire internal monologue but also due to the track, or lack thereof, of his thoughts thus revealed. Mogora, D'ivers spiders and a Witch, also Dal Honese, becomes his wife after the events of Deadhouse Gates.

Appearance

Iskaral Pust, a High Priest of Shadow - (DG, Dramatis Personae)

'...a man on a black mule appeared. He sat cross-legged on a high wood saddle, shrouded in a ragged, dirt-stained telaba. His hands, which rested on the ornate saddlehorn, were the colour of rust...His hood fell back, revealing a large hawk nose, tufts of wiry grey beard, a tattooed bald pate and skin like dark honey. A row of perfect white teeth showed in his grimace' -  (DG, UK MMPB, p.109-10)

'...a wizened black face...' - (DG, UK MMPB, p.342)

'...his spiral wisps of hair...You're Dal Honese...' - (DG, UK MMPB, p.344)

         To put it plainly, Iskaral Pust is an ugly, desert-worn madman. As mentioned in the quotes above, his notable features are his nose, wiry beard, lack of hair, and unusually good teeth. 

Abilities

As the Magus of Shadow, Pust can call upon his god Shadowthrone for intervention when necessary. He can also guide lesser creatures of shadow (such as an Azalan in HoC). There are some tasks and responsibilities given to him by Shadowthrone that afford him useful privileges - for example, he was charged with writing a holy book of shadow, which he later edited to allow priests of shadow to have multiple wives so that he could sleep with the priestess of the Darujhistan Shadow Temple.  It i in this same book that he is declared Magus of Shadow (TtH)

Additionally, Pust is an adept sorceror of the warrens of Meanas, Thyr and Rashan. He has shown formidable skill in weaving illusions to conceal himself and also used his magic in battle to defeat Dejim Nebrahl.

'he (Pust) actually did surgery on your (Fiddler's) ankle...Essentially, the High Priest rebuilt your ankle...the High Priest contrived to drain your lung of blood, then made you breathe a healing vapour.'

- Mappo Runt on Pust's surgical skill - (DG, UK MMPB, p.346)

God of Bhok'aral ?

There is a brood of bhok'aral residing within the Tesem Temple that appear to worship Pust as their own god. They follow him about, mimic his actions and leave him offerings often consisting of scrounged materials or bodily wastes. Pust is severely annoyed by the creatures and frequently is driven to bouts of madness by their attempts to please or mimic him. In a comical satire of the relationship between gods and their worshippers, the bhok'aral are, of course, unable to fathom the disdain Pust shows for them, nor understand any of the commands or insults he delivers to them.

When Iskaral Pust traveled with Mappo to Darujhistan, the bhok'aral followed, infesting first Spite's ship (and pretending to crew it) and later infesting the Temple of Shadow in Darujhistan.

General References

Return to Dramatis Personae