Rinaldo

Rinaldo

Sex	Male
Occupation	Minstrel
Status	Deceased
Appearance(s)	"The Phoenix on the Sword"

Rinaldo was a minstrel, and one of Ascalante's co-conspirators in his plot to kill King Conan and take control of the throne of Aquilonia. He was the only member of the group that didn't seek to personally profit from Conan's death. Instead, he joined the group because he had begun to idolize Namedides, the previous king, and considered Conan to be a "black-hearted savage from the abyss".

The minstrel was a fierce idealist, and his songs had begun to turn the people of Aquilonia against Conan. Prospero wanted to hang Rinaldo from the highest tower of the city, but Conan refused, as he considered the minstrel beyond his reach.

"A great poet is greater than any king. His songs are mightier than my scepter; for he has near ripped the heart from my breast when he chose to sing for me. I shall die and be forgotten, but Rinaldo's songs will live for ever."

―King Conan

Rinaldo was part of the raid that entered Conan's chambers in the hope of murdering him in his sleep; however, they found the king awake and armed. Volmana and Gromel wore helmets, Rinaldo had his slouch cap down above his eyes, and Ascalante was unknown to him, so Conan did not know the identity of his attackers at first.

During the combat, Rinaldo tore off his feathered cap and rushed at Conan, but the king recognized him and chose to break the man's sword and knock him to the ground, hoping that he could avoid killing the popular poet. However, Rinaldo sprang to his feet and charged at Conan with a dagger. Conan tried his best to talk the man down, but Rinaldo refused to listen, and Conan was forced to kill him.

Rinaldo was called "the mad minstrel". In The Scarlet Citadel, it is revealed that he had dealings with dark mage and initiate of Set Tsotha-lanti, which caused his streak of mental instability. It may have been from Rinaldo and then Tsotha-lanti that king Ctesphon learned where Thoth-amon could be found (as a slave of Ascalante).