 Jack and Lucy, "Strip Grue, Fire, Water", 931 GUE (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) / (E) Antharia Jack, 1067 GUE Speaking to AFGNCAAP (A) / (B) / (C) The Lantern (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) Arrested by Wartle (A) / (B) / (C) Nearly Totemized (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) / (E) / (F) With Yannick in Jail (A) / (B) Escaping from Jail (A) To the Mesa (A) / (B) / (C) Distracting Yannick (A) Jack & Lucy Reunite (A) / (B) / (C) / (D) Honorary Foozle Fireman Poster |
"I'm not a real adventurer, I just played one on T.V. I couldn't find my way out of a maze if you paid me. Well, maybe if you paid me a lot."
-Antharia Jack, 1067 GUE
"I've been involved in a lot of jail breaks before. They were all dramatizations, of course, but you kinda get a feel for it after a while."
-Antharia Jack, 1067 GUE
"Close, but no cigar."
-Antharia Jack, unknown period
Jack, Antharia's most famous son, the legendary star of stage and screen. Legends of doubtful authenticity tell that when Antharia Jack was young, he was dared to venture into the Antharia Caves without a lantern. He had barely entered before being chased away by a grue and lost his hat in the process. When he returned later to recover it, he could not find it. Whether authentic or fable, many great adventurers have sought to find this "lost artifact" within the mines, even until the days of the Great Monster Uprising. Many have claimed to have found it, but there none of the so-called relics has been verified as being the original.
Z-Team(913~914 GUE)
Born to stalk adventuring folk that tended to live far too long, Antharia Jack was the worst adventurer there was—afraid of the dark, unable to draw a map, and terrible at carrying items, even in a sack. With his parents shamed by their son’s inability to quest, Jack enrolled at the Antharia School of Drama. By sheer luck he landed a part in the Z-Team when he stumbled onto stage during open rehearsals (literally stumbled, in the sense of, fell on his face). It turned out that the Executive Producer of the show, Syovar the Strong (as he came to be called), was looking for someone to take a pie in the face at least once an episode. Jack was it. Thus in 913, Jack burst onto the entertainment scene with his hit series, the Z-Team. After one and a half seasons, The Z-Team went off the air due to “creative conflicts” with its creator. Antharia Jack resorted to dinner theater performances of “The Tragedy of King MacFlat.” Taking his money, he eventually opened Jack's Speakeasy (a casino & bar) in Port Foozle, content to retirement after Z-Team was cancelled. But he would run up huge gambling debts until 931. He would hire a bouncer by the name of Floyd and fill it with games like pachinko, darts, "Grue, Fire, Water," and Alpine's Quandry. Those who solved the Alpine's Quandry were considered "high-rollers" and invited in the back to play with a real high-roller (a.k.a. Antharia Jack).
Cube of Foundation (931 GUE)
One of the seventeen mysterious Cubes of Foundation briefly fell into the hands of the scoundrel Antharia Jack, the hard-up owner of a casino in Port Foozle, after winning it in a Double Fanucci game. This Cube contained the essence of Middle Magic. A short time later, Lucy Flathead, who arrived from the future year of 1067 GUE via one of the time tunnels, won the Cube from Jack in a game of “Strip Grue, Fire, Water.” Prior to Lucy, he had never lost a game. But when playing against her, he did not win a single round. When it was down to just his underwear, Jack grew embarrassed and offered the cube instead. As, enigmatic artifacts are wont to do, the Cube disappeared back into the mists of obscurity after Lucy fled the casino into the bowels of a walking castle. From that day forth, his heart was suctioned to this obscure beautiful woman, who he believed was "the love of his life". Later that year Antharia Jack was foreclosed on his property and had to sell the bar to cover his debts.
Great Underground Adventure III (981 GUE)
With spirits depressed, bakers committing suicide, and a shortage of hungus lard, Antharia Jack made his comeback in Great Underground Adventure III detailing the White House incident of 948. No one knew why parts I and II were skipped (rumors abound that parts I and II were still in development) or how Jack could have lived so long without aging. But since the release of the film, Jack grew in reputation as the model adventurer. His parents were proud too, as no one suspected their prodigy’s adventure disability.
Great Underground Adventure IV (1001 GUE)
Great Underground Adventure IV hit the theaters in 1001. Antharia Jack won the coveted Palm d’Grue at the Foozle Film Festival. The small cash prize allowed him to buy back his bar in Port Foozle and to finally fulfill his dream of becoming a Pawn Shop owner as he renovated the place into "Antharia Jack's Pawn Shack." (Many said that his ability to stare at a valuable watch for hours, turning it over in his hands and occasionally saying “hmm...” could make him one of the best in the business, even if he did have something of a weakness for lanterns.)
Sight of Lost Love (1058 GUE)
Antharia Jack sighted Lucy Flathead again in 1058 at her totemization sentence. Transfixed, Antharia Jack fought his way to the front of the crowd, desperate for one last glimpse at the woman that had captured his heart so long ago. But a small explosion sent him reeling back, followed by a great whirl, then sparks and smoke, and he could just make out where something passed through the tubes, spiraling downward, around and around. An iron totem fell to the stone floor with a clatter. Lucy was no more and her totem was put on display in the headquarters’ main exhibit hall.
Antharia Jack and the Fourth Dungeon Master (1067-02-34 & 35 GUE)
Jack had been reduced to spending many hours spinning adventurer’s tales over the counter of his small pawnshop. His life was the envy of many a novice adventurer who stumbled into his shop, yet Jack himself had nothing to show for his difficult life. He was always late with his Inquisition taxes, and always fined for some trivial disrespect—for not displaying the proper insignia, the proper signs, closing according to the Inquisition curfews and Inquisition holidays, etc. However much he hated day-to-day life in Port Foozle, Jack was sufficiently embittered from the search for the exotic Lucy Flathead who had so besotted him, to remain an impartial bystander to the campaign of the Grand Inquisitor. He was, in short, retired, or so he swore to one such PermaSuck salesperson, a scurvy looking sort, who happened into his shop in violation of the newly instated Port Foozle curfew.
Thus without a zorkmid and little idea of lay ahead, this AFGNCAAP had wandered into the historic town of Port Foozle on the evening of Frobuary 34, 1067, hoping to earn a salary from selling PermaSuck machines. After a dramatic encounter with Marvin the Mythical Goatfish at the docks, this luckless adventurer fished a crate marked “Infocom” out of the sea. Within was the battered brass lantern in containing the spirit of Dalboz. When the adventurer returned with an old brass lantern, Jack brought him into the shop and offered an auto-lighting cigar. When he attempted to repair the broken device, it sparked and effused the scent of spenseweed, before the spirit of Dalboz cried out from within it. After swatting it several times with a racket, Jack, fearing the Inquisition, seized the lantern and shoved AFGNCAAP out of his shop. For the lamp was not just any lamp, but a magic lantern.
Knowing that Antharia Jack was an honorary Foozle fire chief, AFGNCAAP set fire to a Grand Inquisitor doll and hid in a barrel. As presumed, Jack raced forth from his shop to put out the blaze. Being the only citizen sighted within the square, Wartle and his henchman apprehended the framed arsonist. They brought him to Steppinthrax Monastery for Totemization. With the door to Jack gone and his shop unlocked, AFGNCAAP retrieved the lantern containing the banished spirit of Dalboz.
Antharia Jack was expectant to be totemized at the Monastery. Although he tried to escape, his attempts were in vain. The sentence was only suspended when the power was cut, on behalf of AFGNCAAP who had shut all of the gates to Flood Control Dam #3, which caused the dam to burst open and power to the surrounding regions to be impeded. The Steppinthrax Monastery totemizing to temporarily be suspended until auxiliary power was found.Jack was tossed into the Port Foozle jail.
Following the power outage, riots began in the city streets as people were excited over an alleged magic rebellion and rumors of an adventurer carting the Dungeon Master around in a magic lamp. The idea that Yannick’s plans would be ruined crippled him with a terrible emotional outburst. He sought to converse with Antharia Jack, hoping that he would be able to assist him. After confessing the situation to Jack, Yannick almost collapsed in an outburst of tears. Fearing this breakdown, Jack tried to empathize with him by telling how he let the love of his life slip through his fingers over a stupid game of strip Grue, Fire and Water. Hoping to cheer up Mir’s spirits, Jack revealed to him the location of AFGNCAAP—the time tunnels. This advice did not prevent Jack from be tortured by watching a hungus getting prodded. Before the evening was through, AFGNCAAP too found himself within the jail.
The morning of the 35th, Wartle stayed behind with a small regiment of Inquisition guards (less than the usual number) while the majority of the troops attended Mir Yannick at the Flathead Mesa to unleash his Inquisivision. AFGNCAAP was only able to escape the prison for two reasons—one, Antharia Jack thought the adventurer was crying, which prompted him to toss of a LEXDOM spell (“create lock and key”) scroll to blow the nose with. Second, the Inquisition guards had neglected to retrieve a zorkmid-pressed knife from the adventurer’s inventory. AFGNCAAP cast LEXDOM upon the cell door, drilling a lock and key into the door, but the key was protruding from the opposite side of the door. After sliding a poster under the door, poking the key out with the letter opener so it fell on the notice, and pulling the poster out, the key was used to unlock the cell door.
When the coast was clear, AFGNCAAP used the security system controls to unlock the door to Jack’s cell (31-AB). Seizing the opportunity, Jack busted out and smote the guard, retrieved the subset of the adventurer’s inventory that none of the guards wanted, found a nice new elvish sword, and grabbed his cigar. On his way out, he crossed through the adventurer’s area and returned AFGNCAAP’s inventory. The proud Jack realized that he had finally become a true adventurer. Before he was able to puff the cigar, the two were interrupted by the door of the walking castle breaking through the jail wall. Jack recognized the castle from the days when it had broken through his own wall, bearing Lucy Flathead away from him. Hoping that he would be reunited with her, Antharia Jack beckoned for the adventurer to follow him inside.
Together they rode to the Flathead Mesa. When AFGNCAAP and Jack arrived, Y’Gael announced herself on a TV screen, instructed the adventurer to place the three magic artifacts into the radio tower, which was the highest point in Foozle, so that and end could be brought to the Inquisition. She presented AFGNCAAP with the BOOZNIK spell so that the quest could be completed. Jack told AFGNCAAP to take the tower and cut the cable, while he would send the Grand Inquisition that way. AFGNCAAP placed the Skull of Yoruk, the Coconut of Quendor, and a Cube of Foundation upon the tower, but was unable to bind the energies of the different magics with the MAXOV spell because the interference of Yannick’s babbling broadcasted over the tower clouded the spell’s effect. AFGNCAAP cut the wire dangling above with the sword.
It was then that Antharia Jack kicked in which his part of the plan, which was to create a distraction. To the adventurer’s dismay, his clever distraction was to point AFGNCAAP’s presence on the tower to the Grand Inquisition himself in the middle of his speech. Despite the cheering crowds and their support, the Grand Inquisitor’s broadcast was cut off and he immediately came up the tower. AFGNCAAP quickly cast MAXOV upon the tower to bind the energies. The sky was suddenly overcast with purple storm clouds. When Yannick reached the tower, he smiled to see the Coconut of Quendor and approached it. As he did so, a blast of powerful magic hit the top of the antenna. The resultant blast threw AFGNCAAP, the totems, and the Grand Inquisitor from the tower while sending a shockwave of magic across the land. Exposed to the burst of magic energies, the totems sprung back to life. Lucy Flathead was caught by Jack. The burst of magic diffused all of Yannick’s technology—the monitors and the rest of his Inquisivision system, and even the Grand Inquisitor “I am the boss of you” posters supernaturally altered to “Queen Lucy the Levelheaded.” Jack and Lucy confessed their love to one another. Lucy declared herself the rightful heir to the throne and privately explained time travel to Jack.
DURING THE GREAT MONSTER UPRISING
Antharia Jack's fame never diminished. By the time of the Great Monster Uprising there were countless fanclubs which spawned. The Antharia Jack Appreciation Society was one of the creepiest of his fan clubs. The abundance of impersonators made people even accidentally shun Antharia Jack for fear that they might be lured into deception. Outsiders were warned that unless he had a huge TV-star trailer and a team of make-up artists following him, anyone who claimed to be Antharia Jack was lying.
TRIVIA:
By 1067, Antharia Jack did not do autographs any more.
Jack had an irrational fear of heights.
Jack's hat was his trademark.
Jack's cigar smoking was habit. (At one point, he knew a guy who knew a guy who heisted a whole crate of auto-lighting cigars off the Inquisition and he paid him.)
Antharia Jack merchanise was mass produced and marketed at some unknown point(s) during his career. Costumes were reported to have been sold during the Great Monster Uprising, these included the "Classic Antharia Jack", "Pirate Antharia 'Sparrow' Jack" and "Ballet Antharia Jack," and many action figures have been found (complete with a cocky smile on the face and detachable accessories, such as shoes, hat and whip).