Banes of Chaos

The Banes of Chaos are incarnations of the Virtues of Chaos without their counterparts of Order. They are essentially perversions of their corresponding Forces. The Anti-Forces manifest themselves as a kind of malevolent spiritual being, ergo, the Banes. If the Banes are sprung free, the Imbalance starts, and worsens longer the Banes are free. The Banes themselves have horrible powers. The Banes actually aren't evil, they are only manifestations of powers out of control.

The Banes of Chaos came into being when the followers of Order ripped the Chaos Serpent into pieces in their pure hatred. From the pieces, the Banes came. The Followers of Order imprisoned them into special prisons in the Temples of Ethicality, Discipline and Logic, before leaving the Serpent Isle. The Banes had time and waited. Then came Batlin in his quest for power...

The Bane of Wantonness


The Bane of Wantonness represents acting without self-restraint and was imprisoned in the Temple of Discipline. It was the first Bane trapped by Batlin and his men.

After its initial release from its Temple confines, it had possessed Gwenno and driven her to ambush an encampment of Hazard's men in the frozen north, slaughtering most of them before they were finally able to kill her. Following this, the Bane was captured by Batlin in association with slaying a "Beast of Ice."

When Batlin was later killed by the Banes' further escape, this one possessed Dupre and he became the Wantonness Bane. At first he led the Goblins against Monitor, opening the gates and enabling them to enter the city and slaughter the inhabitants. He then set upon the Inn of the Sleeping Bull and massacred all occupants in a fit of rage before retreating to the Castle of the White Dragon.

The Bane of Anarchy


The Bane of Anarchry represents a lack of standards of conduct and was imprisoned into the Temple of Discipline. Anarchy was freed second by Batlin's men. It possessed Angus at the Inn of the Sleeping Bull. They chased him up north to the old city of Skullcrusher, before they were able to kill him and catch the Bane.

When Batlin was killed by the Banes' escape, the Bane possessed Shamino and he became the ruthless Shamino the Anarch. He went to the city of Moonshade, usurping the position of the Mage Lord. Abolishing any kind of law, he watched with glee the mages killing each other, while slaughtering the inhabitants without magic and turning Fedabiblio to stone. After next to no one was left, he retreated to the Castle of the White Dragon.

The Bane of Insanity


The Bane of Insanity represents an inability to overcome emotional impulses with rational thoughts and was imprisoned into the Temple of Logic. Insanity was the last to be freed, when the Avatar already was on the Serpent Isle, and possessed Cantra. Batlin's men chased her to Shamino's Castle, where Batlin managed to kill her and catch the Bane.

When Batlin was killed by the Banes' escape, the Bane possessed Iolo and he became the Mad Iolo. He went to the city of Fawn, gloating at them for their foolish belief in Beauty. He let loose plague and vermin, while massacring all of the inhabitants with exception of the ugly Ruggs. He then skinned Lady Yelinda alive, telling her that beauty is only skin-deep, before retreating to the Castle of the White Dragon.

End of the Banes
The end of the Banes came, when the Avatar destroyed their vessels with the Black Sword, temporarily trapping them within the Ether Gem before loading them into Soul Prisms. The Banes ceased to exist when they were re-united into the Chaos Serpent.

Trivia

 * The incantation the Avatar uses to re-unite the Banes to the Chaos Serpent is: “In pri kli ort ailem, Priin ort inten mani!”
 * Originally the Banes did something very different than simply killing off everyone, see Plot Cuts in Serpent Isle.
 * It is very interesting, that the three cities the Banes destroy represent the anti-forces of Order: Monitor was apathetic toward the Goblin threat (the knights largely cared about their own pride), Fawn was prejudiced against the ugly and those who challenged the Temple's rule, and the mages of Moonshade were ruthless in their rivalries.