| Razaak | |
|---|---|
| |
| skill | 12 |
| stamina | 20 |
| magic | Yes |
| Preferred Weapon | Life-drain, spells |
| Homeland | Allansia (Presumably) |
| Known associates | Ungoth (Servant) |
| Known relations | Tamal (Father) |
| Race/Species | Human (Formerly), Undead (Currently) |
| Gender | Male |
| Alignment | Evil |
Razaak was the main villain of the gamebook Crypt of the Sorcerer. He was an Evil necromancer who was often regarded as the hardest antagonist ever seen in a Fighting Fantasy book.[1]
Description[]
As an undead, Razaak was hideous to behold. Small, bald, hunchbacked and deformed, he had a deadly waxen skin and palpitating red veins on his oversized skull. His left eye was abnormally small, while his right eye was bulging out of its socket.
His arms were skinny; the left arm was shrivelled while his right arm was so long that it dragged along the ground.[2]
History[]
Background[]
Razaak was the son of a man named Tamal. No further information was given on his father.
It was said that Razaak was once an apprentice sorcerer, but we don't know how and where he learnt magic; it has been suggested that his teacher may have been Vermithrax Moonchaser. However, he wanted to use his powers only for his own ambition and was more attracted by dark magic. He exiled himself in the desert and spent forty years in loneliness, becoming a self-taught necromancer. He then sent messengers to the several Lords of Allansia, ordering them to swear obedience to him; but not knowing him, no one took his words seriously.
Infuriated, Razaak spread plague, curses and misery all over Allansia, slaying every sorcerer or warrior sent to destroy him. He was killed by a hero named Kull wielding the only weapon that can harm him: his own magic sword which he had thrown away as part of a pact with the dark powers to rid himself of all weapons, save a ceremonial dagger. However, the curse of the sword turned Kull to a skeleton unable to release the sword and doomed to dwell forever in the lake where he found it. Razaak's crypt was sealed by a sorcerer and was not to be open until 110 years, or Razaak would be revived.
Return[]
Razaak's crypt was reopened a century after his demise, possibly by grave-robbers. Subsequently, Razaak based himself in the Moonstone Hills, where he spread death and plague all around. He raised a Gargantis and planned to build an army of zombies to take over Allansia and destroy every life there making it into a land of the undead.
A hero, helped and guided by the famous sorcerer Gereth Yaztromo and two fellow adventurers, had to find Razaak's sword, kill the fearsome Gargantis to get his horn, and collect uncountable relics before going to fight the necromancer himself.
Eye of the Dragon[]
A sword belonging to Razaak was kept by a group of niblicks living in the Labyrinth of the Dragon under Darkwood Forest.[3] It could animate if touched by anyone who was not an evil wizard, who were the only people capable of controlling its magic. If touched, it was able to attack the wielder by aiming to pierce their throat.[4] Only certain magic items will be able to save them.[5]
Since Razaak's sword was last seen under rubble far from Darkwood, it is not clear how it reached the labyrinth. It is possible that this was a different sword or perhaps it belonged to another evil necromancer of the same name.
Further Notes[]
- Razaak is by far one of the best-protected and hardest to defeat villains ever. The player needs to disguise himself as one of his servants with a service number and a special key and needs to know six special numbers just to reach him. Then the player needs:
- a magic Ring of Truesight to see through his illusion when he is disguised into Yaztromo;
- to have inhaled a special smoke which protects him/her against fire;
- to have a protective spell (and to know how to cast it) against the insect swarm he summons with his magic;
- to have a magic shield which protects him/her against his Lightning spell;
If engaged in melee combat, and if Razaak won two Attack Rounds in a row, he absorbs his foes life force and turns them into a zombie, automatically winning the fight. Veterans of this gamebook have often complained that no one can defeat Razaak without cheating or being extremely lucky.
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
- Crypt of the Sorcerer
- Eye of the Dragon (mentioned)
References[]
- ↑ Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - p.74/161, pp.99/227-9
- ↑ Crypt of the Sorcerer - ???
- ↑ Eye of the Dragon - 295
- ↑ Eye of the Dragon - 93, 345
- ↑ Eye of the Dragon - 93, 270