The Gloamglozer



"You gave me life, then you left me to burn. Now it is time for me to return the compliment! BURN, LINIUS, YOU PATHETIC FAILURE - BURN!"

- The Gloamglozer "repays" his master

The Gloamglozer was the overall major antagonist of The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell. It was an ancient, immortal, hyper-intelligent demon from the dawn of Time in the Edgeworld. It plagued the young Edgeworld as it could shape-shift and seduce the brave. It was eventually banished into dust by an ancient warrior, prophet and scholar named Kobold the Wise, but inadverdantly resurrected from Open Sky by the Ruler of Sanctaphrax, Linius Pallitax.

It was initially unaware of its true form and took on various forms of creatures it had read of. But when Linius guessed its true form, he showed it a picture, and then it took on its true form. The true form of the demon was matted hair, a twisted, snarling face, and long sharp horns. The creature gloated its true form but was burned hideously by Linius with Chine sand, which was the only weakness the Gloamglozer had.

It was also freed by Quint, Linius' apprentice, who set it upon the outside world without knowing what it was. Upon freedom, the Gloamglozer destroyed the Palace of Shadows in arson, and when Quint harmed it more with Chine, it cursed him, all his race, the city of Sanctaphrax, and, in extension, all of the Edgeworld.

Origins
The origins of the Gloamglozer lie back in the beginning of the Edge when Glisters, the source of life, came in from the first Mother Storm. The Glisters became life forms, and the Gloamglozer and other demons emerged from them. The Gloamglozer was cunning, and more clever than other demons because of its shapeshifting, and it survived many holocausts the others didn't. When the Mother Storm returned to cleanse and repopulate, the Gloamglozer was the only demon survivor.

It tormented humans and other creatures for years, before Kobold the Wise confronted it, armed with Chine from the banks of Riverrise, the starting point of all life, and damaged the Gloamglozer so intensely he reduced it to dust.

But its soul was still present; it returned to Open Sky and awaited its return for years. Kobold predicted its return when he lay dying, but his followers did not know what he meant. Its true return was finally predicted on the steps of Sanctaphrax, but many people dismissed it as a bogeyman figure of myth.

Resurrection in the Great Laboratory
When Linius broke into the Great Laboratory in Sanctaphrax, which was lain abandoned since the First Scholars had tried to harness lightning to create life but created an evil Glister instead, which killed them, Linius tried to restart the experiments. He was successful, when the lightning was harnessed, he knew he had created something. But he did not know what. It looked so harmless, and frail, but it seemed to possess an inner cruel nature, it licked its tongue whenever he felt afraid. He sent his apprentice Quint to get information on mythological creatures, then, upon reading, he realized what it was, to his horror: he had made the legendary Gloamglozer.

He returned to the place with Chine and showed the Gloamglozer its true form, upon which it shifted into it, revealing its ugly majesty, but Linius threw Chine upon it and it screamed and burned it.

Quint, Linius' apprentice, was worried about his master's constant ventures into the Great Laboratory and wondered what he was doing each night in there. He one night followed him there, due to Maris, Linius' daughter's, concern, and heard a sobbing and Linius threatening something. Quint was worried, and believed Linius to be harbouring a cruel side. He decided he would find out himself what was inside the room.

Freedom and triumph
Quint returned to the Laboratory, and went inside, finding a tiny, goblin-like creature on the floor. He wondered what it was and it spoke to him, saying Linius was evil, and mad, and had to get out. Quint trusted the creature and determined to set it free. So he tried to open the door, but, to his horror, he saw himself standing there - the Gloamglozer had taken on his form and read his mind, now knowing everything about Quint. The Gloamglozer snatched Quint's chain of office, saying "By Gloamglozer, I'll kill you - I'll kill you!" Then he knocked Quint unconscious and left its prison.

Upon freedom, the evil Gloamglozer visited Linius and told him that his daughter, Maris, was dead, from the evil Glister in the heart of the city. The Gloamglozer was in Quint's form, and Linius did doubt who he was, but was convinced by the chain of office. The Gloamglozer said that Maris' last words before she died were "Father, I curse you!" and Linius went mad with grief. But then, flames began to sprout, and Linius looked up and saw that Quint had turned into a horrible beast with horns and matted hair. He realized it was not Quint, but the Gloamglozer. He backed away, but found flames behind him. The Gloamglozer told Linius to burn, and cruelly took on Linius' own form and left.

When the fire spread, people noticed Linius on the balcony, trying to escape. He was actually the Gloamglozer in Linius' form, but everyone thought it was Linius. Then Quint came forwards to rescue him, despite his fear of flames. He reached his master, who revealed himself too late as the Gloamglozer and mocked Quint, calling him weak. He told Quint to die, and was shocked when Quint threw Chine at him, wounding him even more. The Gloamglozer fled, but not before cursing Sanctaphrax, and, by extension, all the Edge. Its curse was revealed as a terrible society-crashing pestilence named Stone-sickness decades later.

The Gloamglozer fled to the Deepwoods, and settled there, becoming a legendary, bogeyman figure for its inhabitants for years to come.

Meeting Twig
"You see, the Edgelands hold a certain terror for me, for it was there that I met the Gloamglozer - and lived to tell the tale."

- Twig's encounter with the Gloamglozer

The Edgelands in the Deepwoods became the home of the Gloamglozer, which gave the place a horrible reputation - a rock shaped like the demon was named Gloamglozer rock, and many inhabitants believed the Edgelands to be infested with evil spirits.

In the Deepwoods, Quint's son, Twig, accidentally summoned the Gloamglozer years later when he got lost on the path, and despite being warned all his life against the Gloamglozer, he cursed "Oh Gloamglozer, please get me on the path again." The Gloamglozer heard him, and met him many times on his quest. First, he appeared as a slaughterer who told him to move on. Second, he appeared as a goblin in the Mire who pulled him to safety. Third, he appeared as a male termagant trog who showed him the exit to their tunnels. Fourth, he appeared as a banderbear, who Twig befriended before the banderbear was eaten by predator wig wigs.

When Twig met his long-lost father, he was dismayed to find he had been abandoned again. Then the forest caught fire, he ran to the Edgeland. The Gloamglozer appeared to him, trying to seduce him with ultimate power, shape shifting and immortality, and revealed that he was the characters who Twig had met on his quest, the slaughterer, the trog, the goblin and the banderbear. Then, he tempted Twig into joining him, but when Twig did accept, the demon cruelly refused, yanking Twig's hand from his and letting Twig fall forever into the gloom under the Edge, crying that Twig was useless and a fool like all the Gloamglozer's other victims. But, fortunately, Twig was saved from falling to death by the caterbird, who had said he would always be there to protect him.

Sanctaphrax and defeat
When Sanctaphrax was unchained to allow the Mother Storm to come back to the Edge and repopulate, the city floated off to Open Sky. The Gloamglozer set off to find it, leaving the Edge for a while. He found the abandoned, derelict city, and found the Great Laboratory where he had been made. Inside, he started the experiments again, making an army of Gloamglozers, which was just horrifying.

When the city returned to the Edge, the Gloamglozer made illusions which seemed like the city was perfect and pristine and made the other Gloamglozers turn into aged academics in robes which made it seem like nothing had changed. But Nate, Quint's great-great-great-great grandson, realized something was odd, and he revealed the Gloamglozer's true forms and they all chased him to the top of the towers of Sanctaphrax. Nate was surrounded by the Gloamglozers, and they tried to kill him, but a Storm rolled in, and three Glisters came out. These turned into Quint, Twig and Rook, Nate's ancestors, of whom the Gloamglozers were deeply loathful of. Quint reached into the Gloamglozer's robe, and pulled out a Glister. This caused the first Gloamglozer and all his army of Gloamglozers to turn into dust.

Personality
The Gloamglozer was vain, deceitful and cruel, playing on the emotions of others and manipulating them. He was not strong enough to harm people physically, he had no brute strength, but he had mind-power and could see people's fears. He was ancient, and this caused the disease Stone-sickness to be born, which killed off flight ships' rocks and put an end to business. The Gloamglozer was unforgiving, and inspired Orbix Xaxis and the Guardians of Night to wear his face on their robes as a symbol of their genocide.