History Characters / FightingFantasyAntagonistsDemonicThree

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** Fear of Zagor subsided after his first death, but came back with a vengeance along with him in the second game. In the third, few people in Amarillia of, but someone gathering the remnants of the Bone Demon's armies on the exhausted nations is '''much''' feared.

** Fear of him subsided after his first death, but came back with a vengeance along with him in the second game. In the third, few people in Amarillia of, but someone gathering the remnants of the Bone Demon's armies on the exhausted nations is '''much''' feared.

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a beast in war and magic and masters very advanced spell-work, giving you a fair share of trouble if you challenge him on this field.

* BigBad: The driving goal of the plot is to reach and kill Balthus before he can invade Allansia.

* TheDarkArts: All his line is expert of the trade, but Balthus is hands down the best among them.

* TheDreaded: Everyone in the neighbouring nations are scared of him, and rightly so.

* EvilSorcerer: A remarkable aversion of the SquishyWizard, specializing in Spiritual and Battle Magic.

* FinalBoss: Balthus is the last and mightiest foe in the gamebook, with skill 12 stamina 19.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Averted, as he is a master of Spiritual Magic but is also very good with [[BlackMage Battle Magic]] and normal magic.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Balthus '''Dire'''.
** The Demonic Three hardly makes a nice picture.

* NoSell: [[spoiler: He can counter easily whatever spell you throw at him. It is how you react after his retaliation that makes the difference.]]

* SorcerousOverlord: An atypically physically tough one. Balthus commands a horde of 'chaotic' monsters and creatures from the Craggen Heights, and also has the loyalty of an army of hill goblins.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, he and his fellow disciples killed their master with a Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately, he never casts it against you.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, he only (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia. But even one continent out of three is too much.

* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage, even calling themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for this trio has nothing quirky and is as competent and dangerous as can be.

* VillainRespect: He comes to respect your skills in earnest.
* VillainousCheekbones: To make him even more menacing.
* VillainousFriendship: Balthus Dire had one with Oldoran Zagor and Zharradan Marr, his former fellow students during their tutelage under Volgera Darkstorm. But being the villains they are, it became bitter rivalry as soon as they established their respective power bases.

* AntagonistAbilities: He is a master of TheDarkArts who can cast deadly spells.
** In the second book can even summon up to four Greater Elementals to destroy you.
** In the third, his stats are so over-bloated that you must find a way to weaken him to stand a chance. And as if it's weren't enough, he does not fear normal weapons and uses deadly attacks.

* BigBad: The most recurring and emblematic of the franchise, playing this role in all three books. (Though how evil he is in the first is a matter of debate.)

* TheDarkArts: Zagor is an expert of the trade, and most of his magic in the last two books is of evil nature.

* TheDreaded: Zagor is very much feared all around Firetop Mountain, and his infamy is known all over Allansia. Fear of him subsided after his first death, but came back with a vengeance along with him.
** In the third book, few people in Amarillia know about Zagor, but most know that the remnants of the Bone Demon's armies are gathering for another assault on the exhausted nations, and ''that'' is dreaded. Those who were warned about him take the threat he represents '''very''' seriously.

* EvilSorcerer: The first faced in a looooooong succession of them...

* FinalBoss: He is the last foe faced in all three books, and never an easy fight. Fortunately, there are ways to weaken him, [[spoiler: or to kill him without fight.]]
** In the first book, he has skill 11 stamina 18, making him a powerful enemy. [[spoiler: You can obliterate him without fight with the Eye of Cyclops Gemstone, or reduce him to the pathetically easy skill 7 stamina 12 by burning his magic playing cards.]]
** In the second, he has again skill 11 stamina 18, but this time there is no way to make the battle easier. Just fight for your life.
** In the third, skill '''16''' stamina 20 makes him one of the franchise's mightiest villains, with even [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Snake Demons]] looking like sissies next to him. Only magic weapons and spells can harm him. In the first turn he casts a [[ShockAndAwe Thunderbolt Spell]], in the second a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball Spell]], and in the third a [[LevelDrain Life-Drain Spell]]. (Best win these...) In the next two, he uses his [[PoisonedWeapons poisoned dagger]], then his fists and claws. With no way to match him, you might as well close the book and whistle a funeral march.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Averted. Zagor has multiple tricks in his magical arsenal. He specialises in [[ElementalPowers Elemental Magic]], but he is equally proficient with all four classical elements.
** He is also considerably skilled in Demonology and classical TheDarkArts.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He has a [[AVillainNamedZRG classical villainous name]] that pictures nothing nice.
** Not to mention the name of the TerribleTrio he forms with his former fellow apprentices.

* NoSell: Related to the above, a feather would be more effective than normal attacks, and his counterattack [[LevelDrain lowers your skill score]]. Against such a [[ThatOneBoss monster]], any point you lose is sorely missed.

* SorcerousOverlord: In the second book, he is openly plotting to take over the world and it is {{RetCon}}ed that he tried in the first. In the third, he's about to try again with a different body and a different world, veering straight into EvilOverlord territory.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, Zagor and his fellow disciples killed their master with a Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately, he never casts it against you.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, he only (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia. But even one continent out of three is too much.

* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage, even calling themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for this trio has nothing quirky and is as competent and dangerous as can be.

* VillainRespect: He praises your skills when you reach him, and even ends up recognising you as an equal in the second book.
* VillainousCheekbones: A staple of {{Classic Villain}}s, used with abandon in the franchise.
* VillainousFriendship: Oldoran Zagor had one with Balthus Dire and Zharradan Marr, his former fellow students during their tutelage under Volgera Darkstorm. But being the villains they are, it became bitter rivalry as soon as they established their respective power bases.

* WeaksauceWeakness: In the original book, [[spoiler: burning his playing cards ages him into a frail old man and makes the otherwise tough FinalBoss an absolute joke.]]

* AntagonistAbilities: A powerful master of TheDarkArts who can cower even monsters bred for war like you with a single spell. [[spoiler: Protected by magic against all aggressions.]]

* BigBad: The EvilSorcerer who terrorised the region for decades and threatens the entire continent.

* TheDarkArts: Not only is he a master of trade, but he is the greatest master of the vile art of Marrhanga: Transmutation, fusion and grafting of living organisms through Dark Magic and surgery to create new life-forms. Not only it is an awful, nearly LovecraftianSuperpower, but it dooms non-viable results (that is to say 98%) to a FateWorseThanDeath at best, an AndIMustScream conscious but unable to live at worst.

* TheDreaded: Marr is reviled in abject terror everywhere in Allansia, especially around his domain, and even by his own troops.

* EvilSorcerer: One of the most notorious of the franchise.

* EvilutionaryBiologist: Marr uses TheDarkArts technique of Marrangha to create and transform all kind of species. He is known as the only practitioner who created viable life-forms. He sends the results of his experiments in a subterranean jail where they are studied, to judge their abilities and how he can use them. [[spoiler: You are the result of his best experiment.]]

* FinalBoss: The last enemy of the gamebook, but you don't fight him in a normal battle.

* MasterOfOneMagic: Averted, for he is equally good (if not even better) with Marrhanga as with necromancy. And that's without mentioning regular Dark Magic.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Played with and invoked in-universe by the SOB himself, as his name can only be feared by those who know what it refers to, which is exactly what he intended.
** Played straight by the collective name "the Demonic Three".

* NoSell: [[spoiler: Attacking his magic mirror normally is useless, since he made it unbreakable by normal means.]]

* SorcerousOverlord: A master wizard controlling a large domain, with all sorts of monsters.

* StormOfBlades: In his backstory, Marr and his fellow disciples killed their master with the Rain of Knives Spell. Does not sound like a pleasant death... Fortunately, he never casts it against you.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Downplayed, Marr only (so to speak) wants to take over Allansia. But even one continent out of three is too much.
* TerribleTrio: With his former fellow students during their tutelage, even calling themselves the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Demonic Three]]. Averted though, for this trio has nothing quirky and is as competent and dangerous as can be.

* VillainRespect: Marr not only praises your might and skill, but your smarts and determination upon meeting you, congratulating you for reaching and finding him. For that, he wants you for himself, [[FauxAffablyEvil but his respect only stands as long as you are an asset.]]

* VillainousCheekbones: The physical trait shared by all of the Demonic Tree.
* VillainousFriendship: He had one with Oldoran Zagor and Balthus Dire, his former fellow students during their tutelage under Volgera Darkstorm. But being the villains they are, it became bitter rivalry as soon as they established their respective power bases.

* CatchAndReturn: [[spoiler: If you casts a Fire spell against him, he catches the fire in his hand to throw a [[{{Fireballs}} Fireball]] at you.]]

** He was at first named Zharradan Dree, after the village he was born, for is adoptive aunt was its founder [[{{Egopolis}} and named it after herself]]. He despised it for being too low-scale for its tastes. Exaggerated due to the sod's humongous ego.