Erlek Abn Nee is an old soul, a man of many mysteries but someone most assuredly possessed of diabolical motives. His exact age is unknown, but his occasional references to interactions with members of the druid order, who disappeared some five hundred years ago, suggest he is very old indeed. How he has achieved such a long life is similarly unknown, though the laboratory equipment he never leaves behind, complete with fluid extraction mechanisms, along with the frequent disappearance of certain individuals wherever he goes, points to a vampiric process of some sort.

Erlek has the knowledge of a learned scholar, but he is more than book-smart. He knows the way of the world, including its cultures, languages, and customs. Though it is rumored he hails from one of the Southlander kingdoms, no one knows for sure. He has spent much of the past few decades prowling the Four Fiefdoms, making alliances and formulating plans that he has yet to reveal. Wherever Erlek goes, an aura of diablerie surrounds him.

Bald but for a few gray wisps of hair, the man’s face was long and narrow, with a pointed nose and even pointier chin. Pale, but not nearly so white as the hands she’d spied at their first encounter, the skin of his face reeked of age, with pits and wrinkles aplenty. Gone entirely was the man’s hunch as he swept past her to take the wagon’s only chair. One thin leg crossed the other and long-fingered hands tinged with the barest trace of color were folded at one boney knee. Steel-gray eyes beneath bushy brows locked with hers. The man smiled, revealing teeth so perfect Shanna knew they were fake.

- ENGINES OF ALCHEMANCY

Erlek’s constant companion is a boy he simply calls Tool. His real name, if he has one, is unknown and is seldom a point of conversation anyway. Tool is used to getting what he wants, and he usually does. As with so many things surrounding Erlek, the relationship between these two is bewildering. Tool is not a servant nor related by blood to Erlek. Yet Erlek goes to great lengths to keep Tool satisfied. It is a strange relationship indeed.

FIRST APPEARANCE

Erlek first appears in Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One).