Mendeln ul-Diomed

Mendeln ul-Diomed, son of Diomedes, was the younger brother of Uldyssian. He would ultimately become a master Necromancer, an apprentice of the Guardian Dragon, Trag'Oul. He has been elevated to the status of Teacher or Kalan in Trag'Oul's own language for his exceptional skills.

Physically, Mendeln was plain of feature, with dark hair and a broad nose.

Biography
After both his parents and several of his siblings succumbed to a plague that ravaged the countryside, Mendeln and his elder brother Uldyssian were left behind to tend the farm near Seram. However, this was not Mendeln's true calling: though a lifetime on the farm had hardened him, his strength was not nearly as great as that of his nine years older brother. His countenance was narrower and longer, and he had eyes that were black and glistened like dark jewels - if he stared he could unsettle almost anyone, save his brother and his good friend Achilios.

Mendeln had pursued a scholarly life, insofar as his obligations to the farm and Uldyssian allowed him to. He used to study in Cyrus's house, and the merchant often provided Mendeln with odd scrolls he obtained through trade. Mendeln was a scientist, fascinated by all things; be the bugs burrowing in the ground or parchments loaned to him by Cyrus. He read because he wanted to learn, something his brother never truly understood.

Mendeln's life took a strange turn around the same time the other incidents occurred near Seram. It all began when Achilios showed him a strange stone-like object he had encountered in the wilderness outside town. Upon touching the stone, Mendeln experienced a queer sensation of 'agelessness', a concept which baffled him. Achilios felt something more sinister - death. When touching the stone, Mendeln froze in motion and he even stopped breathing, much to the alarm of his friend. After the initial examination, both men covered the strange stone and went back to town. However, something had changed in Mendeln.

Keeper of the Balance
It was after the contact with the strange object that Mendeln started having odd visions: he relived the final moments of the murdered cleric of the Cathedral. Mendeln knew it was a vision of the past. In addition, Mendeln started having blackouts - he found himself covered in dirt without knowing how it got there. As the party journeyed to Partha, even more, sinister events transpired - Mendeln could now see the spirits of the dead.

In Partha, Mendeln was inexplicably drawn to an ancient graveyard, where he caught a glimpse of the mysterious Rathma. He also seemed to unconsciously learn ancient magic connected to the spirit realm. After the morlu attack, Mendeln managed to dispatch their undead leader through mysterious words of power. He also administered the dead.

Mendeln accompanied Uldyssian throughout his travels and was later introduced to both Trag'Oul and Rathma. The latter started to train Mendeln as his successor, after noticing his affinity towards the Balance. Mendeln bonded with the spirits of the Nephalem through the bones of Helgrotha. Later Mendeln managed to summon the High Priest Malic's spirit and imprison said spirit to a bone fragment - a feat thought impossible, even by Trag'Oul. Mendeln later returned to aid Uldyssian in the final confrontation with the Triune. During this battle Mendeln sustained heavy injuries - his right arm was severed from his body. Mendeln later managed to reanimate his severed arm, though it would never truly be a living part of him again.

Mendeln continued to assist his brother during his exploits against the Cathedral. He managed to conjure a Bone Wall in the tunnels below Kehjan, saving his brother from enemy spellcasters. During the Battle of the Golden Path, Mendeln finally managed to send the ravenous spirit of Malic back into the afterlife.

After the Angiris Council decided to spare Sanctuary, Mendeln was the only one of the Edyrem to retain his memory&mdash;a side effect of his time with Rathma. Taking up the new name Kalan, Mendeln once again joined Rathma and Trag'Oul as a guardian of the Balance. One of Kalan's first tasks was contacting and training several apprentices.

The Priests of Rathma
In the years that followed, Mendeln founded the Priests of Rathma, which would be known as "Necromancers." He began to teach others his skills and impart his understanding of the Balance, while recording said knowledge in the Books of Kalan. These early priests established their headquarters in the jungles east of Kehjistan. Once properly trained, each of his followers ventured out on their own, seeking places where the Balance had been disrupted and working to restore it. Each of these students would continue the tradition of finding and taking apprentices. For his new priesthood, Mendeln declared that all priests would display bones in their armour as symbols of their mastery over death.

The Books of Kalan were later studied by Deckard Cain. He incorrectly guessed that they were written during the Sin War itself and later edited and compiled by other unknown hands.