CUBBY

Cubby was a great hulking brogmoid – actually he only had the impression of being great or hulking. He was both, but neither, for though it was squat and powerful, he was only about four feet tall. The span of his shoulders, however, nearly equaled that, and his thickly muscled arms, gray as stone, reached nearly to the knees of his very short legs. Two fangs curled from his lower jaw over its upper lip, and the stubby mohawk strip of purple hair that crowned his heavily jowled head added an impression of toughness that was lessened only a little by the red sweater the creature wore over pink trousers. On the shirt was printed the words: Borphee is for lovers.

Cubby was pretty advanced for a brogmoid. He managed to make sense. He spent a few years as the mascot of one of the street gangs that roamed the docks of Port Borphee. Although he had a terrible voice (particularly shrilling notes causing the limbs of trees to shiver and even branches to crack), he enjoyed singing (it made his work easier). He used to sing to the ships leaving the harbor to speed them on their way. As brogmoids were good imitators, Cubby quickly picked up their slang. He could imitate it perfectly, but only ever resorted to it in fight situations. Otherwise, he was like a child. It was like there was two people inside him. Once Felbor took Cubby into custody, he used to tease his about the street-hang personality and called him “Clubby” when the tough side came out. As a child, the schizophrenic brogmoid, was easily rejected and when thought to have done wrong, easily brought to his needs in blubbering tears like a child, shoving the fingers of one hand into his mouth.

Near the end of the First Age of Magic (which was in 966 GUE), Cubby lived with Felbor on Caper’s Hill. When the Servant of the Terror, which had been hibernating for centuries in a hidden underground lair in the woods, awoke, it crushed Felbor’s house, burying him beneath the rubble. Enraged by the death of his master, Cubby followed its stink-trail in rage to his friend Fidget’s house where the Servant, in the form of a massive hellhound was already dead (having been slain by Anesi and Fidget). So he followed Fidget’s stink-trail into the Servant’s lair where he found them surrounded by vicious kobolds. Cubby smashed the furry beasts until they all surrendered and fled. Cubby told Fidget about Felbor’s death and Fidget had no choice but to adopt the brogmoid as his own. To flee being found out by the other six Servants, which were able to sense the death of the seventh, Anesi went southward to confront the Great Terror. Fidget and Cubby accompanied him.

Most of the details of Anesi’s journey may be found in his section, as well as in the History of Zork (section 5.6). What follows are some highlights of Cubby’s role in that quest: He was faithful to kindle fires for them on multiple occasions, and when they met Tyrillee the dryad, he unselfishly went out of his way to provide her with company and carry her across treacherous terrain. Cubby showed fearless bravery in battle, especially against Dispoz when attempting to free Chuck the dragon from imprisonment at Arbroneth, and dared to fight grues (which did easily knock him out). In Mareilon, his presence was the instigation of a brawl when a band of miners wanted to teach him a lesson. Cubby was an instrument essential for the defeat of the Great Terror, taking hold of him and tossing him to a YONKed Tyrillee, who encoiled her arms around the demon and then left it inside a morgia tree.

After the defeat of the Great Terror, Chuck the dragon dropped off Cubby and Fidget at Borphee. The brogmoid wanted to visit old haunts and old friend along the harbor. He was city guide for Fidget for a day before the young man returned to the region around Caper’s Hill via an AIMFIZ spell.

TRIVIA:

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SOURCE(S): Enchanter (novel)