Designers Notes:
Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melnibone, is most certainly Michael Moorcock's most famous creation. One of a number of Eternal Champions (including Corum, Hawkmoon and Erekose and others), Elric is a doomed and tragic figure.

Destined never to find true happiness due to his support for Chaos (while being a powerful agent for Law), Elric manages, in the course of six books, to destroy his race, kill his wife to be, slaughter a large number of innocent people (including his closest friend) and generally wreck havoc from one side of the world to the other.

Along the way, he battles monsters, duels sorcerers, and kills gods. Elric is not a person to be trifled with. And hey, how many fictional characters to you know that have rock songs written about them? ("Black Blade" - Blue Oyster Cult)

The version of Elric presented below is meant to represent our hero right after events in the book "Elric of Melnibone" and just previous to "Sailor on the Seas of Fate". Elric is still Emperor of Melnibone and has just gained possession of Stormbringer (his sword).

Description:
Elric is described as being very tall, and is most likely well over 6 feet in height. He is an albino, with a thin build, long white hair, red eyes and white skin. He usually dresses in what ever clothing he can afford, although his tastes run towards more extravagant outfits. Elric is usually dressed in armor of some sort, often a mail short or a breastplate worn over his other clothing. Stormbringer is worn at his hip (see the write up for Stormbringer for more on that...).

Powers Notes:
Elric's is physically weak, with out his drugs to sustain him he would be unable to move. His split stats represent this. With the proper application of drugs (and sorcery) he can function normally, but once energy supplied by these drugs runs low, Elric tires rapidly, and is soon rendered helpless.

Stormbringer provides Elric with some small amount of energy, but only if it's been feed souls recently. Early on Elric didn't draw the sword that often and still depended upon artificial means for his endurance and strength. Also, since the stories that cover Elric's career were written out of order, his physical prowess seems to come and go depending upon when the stories were created.

As the Emperor of Melnibone, Elric is a very powerful sorcerer, possibly the most powerful around. His sorcery is a slow process however, require complex incantations, total concentration and extensive casting times. Most of his spells involve summonings, usually of elemental beings or creatures belonging to the 'beast kings'.

Some sample spells: summoning Strassha, Lord of the Water Elementals; summoning Arioch, a Duke of Hell; summoning wind elementals to push his ship across the ocean; creating a mist to hide a pirate fleet; summoning a cloud of insects to devour foes; controlling spirits of water and fire in order to burn down a town; etc.

When summoning actual entities (such as Strassha) Elric can usually entice service through favors and pacts made between Melnibonean and the person in question. Elric's perk 'Emperor of Melnibone' should cover that without buying him a whole slew of Favors.

Elric is an experienced warrior. Tanglebones states that "Save one, there's no better swordsman in Melnibone." He also states: "I taught you all the skills - the art of the sword and poignard - the art o the bow - the art of the spear, both mounted and on foot."

Elric's physical disability has made him onto a very learned scholar. He has read extensively of his fathers libraries, and does his best to learn all he can about the world around him. His skills represent things demonstrated in the first book, or skills that can be presumed.

Disadvantages Notes:
Elric's features mark him as a Melnibonean. That, combined with his albinoism make him a feared and hated man. Most people consider him to be a white-faced demon, or one who deals with demons. Thus, he is usually shunned (at best), or assaulted (at worst) by people he meets. As an albino, Elric is also susceptible to sunburn and physical weakness.

Prince Yyrkoon, Elric's cousin, despises Elric and desires nothing more than to see him dead, and himself on the throne. Yyrkoon is a excellent swordsman, a capable sorcerer and evil through and through. He should not be taken lightly.

Elric's personality varies greatly upon which book one reads. In "Elric of Melnibone" he is deemed different from other Melnibonean's due to his interests in questions of morality and the use of power. In later books he comes across much more arrogant and cruel.

In the "Fortress of the Pearl", on of the latest Elric books, Elric supposedly desires to make Imyyrr (ala The Dreaming City - the 'capital' of Melnibone) into a center of learning, where he can debate ideas of law and justice with scholars from around the Young Kingdoms. I've tired to focus on the more common elements of Elric's personality and present those.

Elric's psych lims represent his often conflicting desires and emotions. He loves his cousin, Cymoril, but hates Yyrkoon, especially after leaving Melnibone to wander the Young Kingdoms. Elric has an interest in justice, which is why he can be considered a supporter for Law.

He also concerns himself with the morality of his actions, something almost unheard of among Melniboneans, and how these actions will affect others. At times though, Elric becomes withdrawn, concerned with only what is best for himself. He can be quite callous at these times. Finally, the number of deaths that can be attributed to himself (or his sword - Stormbringer) weighs greatly upon him, causing him to fall into bouts of depression and despair.

Eternal Champion Powers:
As an Eternal Champion, Elric has a number of 'powers' that can be accessed if he in the company of other Eternal Chmapions. These powers include great physical strength and resistance to harm. The minimum number of Champions needed for this transformation would seem to be three (ie. The Three Who Are One).

At one point it is stated that having four Eternal Champions together is the maximum the Universe can tolerate in anyone area. When these four Champions combined (becoming The Four Who Are One) they became one person; a giant, with eight legs and arms and incredible physical prowess.