ZILBO THROCKROD I

Zilbo Throckrod I was the fourth king of the Entharion Dynasty. He came to the throne in 398 GUE, after Zylon the Aged, and was succeeded by Bozbo Throckrod I in 423 GUE.

The Throckrod family had long ties to the court at Largoneth, reaching back even to the days of Entharion the Wise. The first Throckrod to serve the royal family did so only in the capacity of court cartographer. Those ancient maps produced by one of Zilbo’s distant ancestors graced the walls of the council chamber at Largoneth. Born over halfway through the fourth century after Entharion, Zilbo, a Galepath native, lived by the sea since early childhood, and never ventured far from his hometown. During more peaceful times, his adventuring consisted of spending hours gazing at the hand-drawn maps of his ancestors, wondering at the lands that lay beyond the edges of the maps. Often the maps came to an abrupt finish with the crude warning label, “There be dragons here!” Zilbo always doubted the accuracy of those labels, and yearned to spend his lifetime on a grand expedition to the far reaches of the world.

Zilbo was appointed as one of the king's closest advisors in 384 where he would spend the next fourteen years. Upon promotion, he refused the more luxurious chambers in the southwest tower of the castle, preferring to remain in the simple rooms just around from the Hall of Mirrors. At this time, four other regents were already part of the council: General Darborn Griffspotter, Hargood of Mareilon, Gladius Fzort, and Dinbar. When Zylon took time to visit remote parts of the kingdom, those five were always left in charge of the affairs of the state and the control of Largoneth Castle. It was well known that Zilbo and Gladius were generally considered to be the most important powers on the council, caught in what many perceived to be a constant struggle to gain the king’s favor.


The Incident of 398 GUE
In 398 GUE, Zylon's personal servant, Endeth Belzgar, possessed by the fallen Implementor Belegur, successfully poisoned the king. Endeth himself issued the report of the illness to the king's council of five. In response, General Griffspotter, unwilling to see the country arising in panic over Zylon’s condition, ordered the royal guard to seal off the castle to prevent the spreading of rumors. A group of physicians and magicians were summoned to the king’s chambers, where one after another examined the king, unable to determine the cause of illness. Several council meetings were held. The members debated the wisdom of keeping the entire affair a secret, but Griffspotter’s adamant argument to do so overshadowed the others. If fact, the general stationed half of the Quendoran army in the castle to prevent any word of the king’s sickness from reaching the outside. Since Zylon had no heir, the five regents battled over who would be next in line. Until Zylon could be restored, or name the heir to the throne, these five were the rulers of Quendor.

Hoping to retain Zylon’s life for as long as possible, the magician Dinbar completed a Spell of Linking, which bound the king’s soul to a magical orb rather than his body. This force provided Zylon with a certain amount of safety independent of any damage inflicted to his actual physical body. If the body did die, the orb would not keep his soul alive for more than a few weeks, bit it would give a small safety cushion to fall back upon if needed. In the meantime, Dinbar suggested that the legendary Pool of Stasis be sought out. While they were ignorant of its properties and location, they knew that by immersing the king within the pool, further permanent damage to his body might be adverted. Details of this pool were written in the Scrolls of Fizbin. Thus Zilbo and Dinbar sought Litbo Mumblehum, head librarian of Galepath University, to inquire about them. Gladius Fzort was hesitant to let the two go, mostly worried that with Zilbo’s stabilizing presence gone, Griffspotter might make use of a perfect opportunity to take control. Refusing to be hindered by the concerns of Gladius, Zilbo and Dinbar left for Galepath via the power of teleportation. Litbo Mumblehum informed the two that the Scrolls of Fizbin had recently been stolen. Zilbo returned to Largoneth, while Dinbar stayed behind with Litbo to see if there was any more information that could be found within the library detailing the location of the Pool of Stasis. While they were gone, General Griffspotter dispatched orders to Quendoran garrisons in the north, bringing in several armed units to accompany and protect the king wherever he might be taken. 

At Largoneth Castle many roamed the hallways in search of answers to the questions that had arisen so unexpectedly. Along with the sudden illness of the love and respected King Zylon, there were disturbing rumors from the south, of civil unrest and foreign invaders, as well as Zilbo’s news of a looming war between Galepath and Mareilon. Zilbo had stood up immediately, arguing with General Griffspotter against any kind of military interference. The royal Council of Quendor, a usually peaceful and calm kingdom, suddenly found itself in the midst of more action than any of its members could recall. At the conclusion of the conference it was agreed upon that if these issues were not settled at the end of three days, Griffspotter was free to march and fight all he wanted. Until then, the army would wait.

While wandering the castle of Largoneth that night, Zilbo happened upon a bizarre supernatural ritual in Endeth’s bedchambers. The servant’s demonic ritual also engulfed Zilbo. And when it had resided, he fled. He was too disturbed at first to relay what he had seen to his comrades. But later it came out. And he told others to keep an eye on Endeth and report all his doings. The servant made his way unmolested to Belegur's lair with the secrets that would give the fallen Implementor power over all of creation. Spies of Zilbo followed Endeth as far as the nearest village to the south of Largoneth, but he did not go anywhere near any of the stores or other buildings. Finally they made a move to grab him, but his entire body blinked, then he was gone.

General Griffspotters finally won his own personal battle, securing the permission of the other council members to march on Mareilon as soon could be arranged. Orders had gone out the night before and now a small contingent of Quendor’s token army lay encamped at the base of the Lonely Mountain, just around the bend from the castle itself. Those gathered were 209 from the Lingolf Garrison, the closest military unit. These were all that he found necessary to quell the Mareilon rebellion. The general also sent word by messenger to some of the forts scattered along the Long Road and the northern frontier, as well as the coastal units closer to Mareilon. But it would be few days before they received their marching orders and caught up with the Lingolf Garrison, but they would soon have quite a formidable number on their side to secure the city of Mareilon. Their latest reports out of Galepath showed that the mayor there was also preparing to move against Zarfil. Dinbar teleported Litbo to Largoneth, who arrived just prior to the army’s departure. Litbo explained to them about the intentions of Belegur that they had discovered in the library books. It was then that they knew that Endeth had been under the power of Belegur. Endeth was ordered to be tracked down, while Zilbo and Litbo marched with Griffspotter and the army south.

In pursuit of Endeth, General Griffspotter changed the course of the march of the army many times so that Zilbo and his librarian friend might capture the servant and find their way to Belegur to regain the Scrolls of Fizbin. Their final march ended at the Jerrimore Plains. They had expected to find at most several dozen drunken Mareilon rebels ready to be whipped into shape at the slightly verbal threat. But not even one dozen of the Mareilon force still lived in the valley below, but the ground was fresh with bodies of many times that number. The civil war had already come and gone, the royal army merely late entries in a finished game.

Standing victorious over the entire battlefield were the Kovalli natives, the Nezgeth tribes. The invaders banded together on the field below, awaiting the inevitable charge from the Quendoran soldiers. The royal force was to be split in half, one hundred men waiting on the highest point of the ridge, to advance only if the first attack proved a failure. Zilbo reluctantly agreed to head the reserve force, allowing himself the fleeting hope that a victorious Griffspotter would save Zilbo from leading his men into battle. Griffspotter began the cautious march down the ridge to the Jerrimore Estates.

So that the men of the Quendoran royal army might arrive in the valley all at once, the order had been given to disperse the marching columns and have the soldiers proceed down the hill abreast of each other, a long thin line stretched across the horizon. In the middle of the line and just slightly ahead of the rest strode the general, accompanied on either side by one of the force’s several trumpeters and the Largoneth standard bearer. As the approaching force arrived at the base of the hill, the watching Nezgeth warriors silently arranged themselves in a similar formation, a parallel line just as long but several times as deep making its way across the scarred meadow.

Griffspotter’s army drew close. The two lines stared at each other over an ever-lessening distance, neither enemy leader quite willing to give the order to charge. Neither leaders saw the lone Nezgeth warrior ready his bow, the arrow piercing the general’s chest and killing him. The Nezgeth chieftain whirled in anger, seeking out the lone archer. At the sight of the arrow hurtling toward the general, several of the Kovalli tribe had edged into motion, ready to run at the enemy at the sound of the order. Looking at their leader in surprise, it soon became apparent that no order would be given.

From atop the ridge, a single trumpet blast called out to the Quendoran army. Zilbo commanded for them to retreat up to the ridge. The only hope now lay in regrouping and hoping to last long enough to greet the arrival of the reinforcing units from the far north. The soldiers of Largoneth in the field below heard the lonely sound of the trumpet but sound not answer its call. Across the small gap that separated the two armies, Ath-gar-nel began spitting out orders at a furious pace. Again and again, several clusters of the Kovalli tribe broke loose and headed towards the royal army. Each time the Warrior held them back. For he knew that to fight again on that day would be unholy, a blasphemy against the gods, to try their patience. Soon the entire Nezgeth force waited peacefully.

The royal army, smaller now by one, reassembled on the ridge according to Zilbo’s order. With the death of Griffspotter, Zilbo had been thrust into command of the Quendoran royal army. Ath-gar-nel walked just within earshot of Zilbo and his company, crying out in a tongue foreign to them, all save Litbo (he had studied a variant of their dialect many years ago). When Litbo conversed with the Nezgeth leader in his own tongue, Ath-gar-nel assumed them to be “The Fathers from the East.” Using Mumblehum as a willing intermediary, Zilbo managed to convince the Nezgeth Warrior to abandon his worship and join in conversation. Convinced he stood in the presence of the physical incarnation of generations of tribal legend, the Ath-gar-nel introduced himself haltingly and begged forgiveness for the ignorant attacks against the sacred Fathers from the East. Zilbo was more than willing to oblige.

While the leaders of both armies consulted, the royal army and the Kovalli tribesmen worked together at the task of gravedigging. The work had been going on for some time and now the Estates were gradually being restored to their former state. At first the Nezgeth had been hesitant to help in the work, almost none of their dead being counted in the number. However, Ath-gar-nel had insisted; they had slain the holy men from the east, and to dig their graves would be only fitting recompense for the misdeed. During the process, the Nezgeth captured Endeth.

Ancient prophecies told the Nezgeth that their goal lay deep underground, in caverns near the coast. Litbo realized that these Nezgeth were the ones who had been spoken in the Scrolls of Kar’nai and that Belegur could not be defeated without the help of a ‘desert tribe.’ He also realized that this prophecy describing Belegur’s lair as “a deep underground cavern where a river spills to the sea” matches with what the Nezgeth spoke about the cavern. The captain of the Lingolf Garrison, well versed in the geography of Quendor’s outlying areas, informed Zilbo of a fairly significant river that flowed to the sea not far to the south of the Jerrimore Estates, just a few day’s journey away. Satisfied, Zilbo turned to east, in the direction of the Great Sea, and began the march.

After days of hiking over proud hills and through ancient forests, the two armies finally reached the Great Sea. It was then that Belegur completed the first stage of the gateway to the Timeless Halls. From the very center of the bowels of his lair, a massive, shimmering tunnel of blue light stemmed upwards towards the heavens in one continuous strand of light with the circumference of a fair-sized lake. Zilbo lead the armies to the base of the column of light. Endeth began to feel the call of Belegur once again. In a massive spasm of strength, he threw away the arms of the careless Nezgeth captors and broke into a run. He entered a dank, hidden hole leading into the side of the hill.

An elder of the Nezgeth gifted Zilbo with a sphere made of some unknown material, that when the foreigner placed his hand over the top of the sphere it flashed in an explosion of bright white light. As the old man backed away, his task completed, the glow from the object calmed, settling down to a steady stream that bathed the entire hillside in warm, cheery light.

The Lingolf garrison remained behind to guard the tunnel’s entrance while the Nezgeth followed Zilbo and the librarian boldly into the tunnel in search of what lay within. Deep and deeper they went, into the inky blackness of Belegur’s tunnels. They came to junction after junction, and each stretch of passageway was filled with side corridors and nearby rooms, as the explorers entered a more and more complex, self-contained universe. Eventually they spilled into a mammoth cavern filled with the same blue glow as the column. Amid the chaos of the underground, was scattered reading material and piles of fading scrolls and massive tomes, as well as an ornamental knife. And at the center was Belegur.

Litbo, keeping safely behind Belegur’s range of vision crossed to the middle of the chamber in an attempt to recover the Scrolls of Fizbin, but the fallen Implementor was not blinded by his advance. But at that distraction, Ath-gar-nel and the entire Nezgeth tribe struck in unison at Belegur. This further distraction broke his spell. Now locked in combat against the Nezgeth—one dark magician against an entire tribe—Litbo grabbed the Scrolls of Fizbin along with the other two missing manuscripts. Though Belegur was able to hold them off alone, his efforts were divided. The blue column began to grow weak, flickering shakily with each further release of energy. In the process, not only was the Implementor successful at slaying Ath-gar-nel with a fabricated bloody axe, but Endeth was able to sneak up behind Belegur with the sacrificial knife in hand. Bringing it down, the single stab destroyed the current mortal vessel used by Belegur. With him, the crackling pillar of light shattered, and a shower of blue fireworks tumbled to the cavern floor. The gateway to the Timeless Halls had closed and vanished. Immediately upon the defeat of Belegur, Zylon the Aged was instantly cured. He simply woke up and got out of bed and went right about his daily business as though he had never ailed.

When the fallen angel, the Beast, walks among the mortal lords, tempting and buying their souls, his vile actions will give rise to a great battle in his underground lair. Defeated by the desert tribes and the servant of a dead king, he will lie for centuries, smoldering in wait.

-The Third Scroll of Kar’nai, Book Nine

And so Litbo and Zilbo inched their way back to Quendor’s capital by the sea. Accompanying them on the march was half of Griffspotter’s original two hundred men. Heffilmurm and the core of the Lingolf Garrison stayed behind at the sight of the battle at Zilbo’s request. The royal advisor had been skeptical about Belegur’s death. Such beings as the Implementors have great powers indeed, even to the point of defying the grave itself. A guard was posted to watch for the possibility of such an event. In any case, the area’s wild frontier held great possibilities for expansion. The open coastline and access to a flowing river nearby held great strategic interests for the Kingdom of Quendor, and Zilbo had made a mental note to advocate the building of a fort there in the future.


Zilbo, Heir to the Throne
Nearly two weeks after the defeat of Belegur, several dozen diplomats and officials from all the outlying areas of Quendor, and even representatives from the pair of formerly warring city-states, Galepath and Mareilon. Those of Galepath extended formal apologies not only to the king of Quendor, but to their brothers in Mareilon whom they had wronged. It was that same evening that Zylon the Aged, having read much in the Scrolls of Fizbin, completed constructing the gateway to the Timeless Halls. The suddenly blue beam of light that snapped into the night sky from the southwestern tower easily caught the gaze of Zilbo, Litbo, and Dinbar who were near the base of Signal Mount.

When the trio arrived at Zylon’s room, they found the king laying motionless on the bed with his back resting comfortably on the soft blankets. His eyes were closed and his arms rested easily at his side, save the beginnings of the blue tunnel that sprang from his forehead. The spirit of Zylon rose out of and hovered above his body; it mirrored the likeness of the real king in every way, down to identical clothing and the smallest insignificant facial features. And with wordless smile, the spirit of Zylon the Aged moved into the stream of blue light and was gone, leaving only a motionless body. A scrap of parchment, written by Zylon’s own hand, found in his bedchamber by Zilbo, reads:

At last I am gone from this world, the weight of countless years lifted. Thank you for that. And as for that one last order of unfinished business, all hail King Zilbo the First, Lord and Protector of Quendor.

Though there is no historical reason to doubt the ascension of Zylon the Aged, there is uniformed agreement that Zilbo I succeeded and ruled the kingdom for 25 years until 423 when he was succeeded by Bozbo Throckrod I. Gladius Fzort remained a royal advisor at Largoneth, inadvertently becoming the father of one of Quendor’s most famous political families. Three months after Zilbo ascended to the throne, Litbo Mumblehum resigned his post at the Galepath University to accept at Zilbo’s request the position of royal advisor of Quendor. Thus, due to a certain amount of instinct, good luck, and his own personal librarian, Zilbo was able to continue the work of the departed king Zylon, ensuring the long life of the Entharion dynasty and of Quendor itself.

To commemorate and guard the site of the battle with Belegur, King Zilbo ordered the foundation of a military outpost, the famed Fort Griffspotter, named in honor of the deceased military advisor. The caverns beneath were subsequently named the Griffspotter Caverns. Zilbo I is also noted for his well-preserved writings which present the deeds of Zylon the Aged that range even to the years prior to his centuries of kingship, in “I Can’t Believe You’d Ask Such a Stupid Question about Zylon the Aged.”