Zanbar Bone

Zanbar Bone, the Night Prince 'is an immensely powerful undead demon warlock, who serves as the primary antagonist and final enemy of the Fighting Fantasy gamebook City of Thieves''. His origins are not clearly defined, but his title, the Night Prince, implies that he wields a huge influence over the Evil of the world of Titan. Zanbar Bone is famous for being the villain of the book that introduces one of the most important and recurring elements of the Fighting Fantasy series: Port Blacksand, the eponymous city of thieves. Zanbar Bone also appears in the book Out of the Pit, that describes many major elements of the Fighting Fantasy universe.'''

Appearance
Zanbar Bone is described as a skeleton with shinning green eyes, wearing a golden crown and a black robe. Being a living skeleton wielding magic powers hints that he is some sort of Lich or a similar undead-individual with possible demonic origins, and the crown is likely linked to his title; the Night Prince, which hints a strong influence over the forces of Evil. The official illustrations of the books City of Thieves and Out of the Pit, depict him with many horns, spikes around the neck, claws, and cat-like eyes, furthering the possibility of a demonic origin. It also depicts him with a diadem instead of a crown, and carrying a scythe which makes him look similar to the Grim Reaper.

About Zanbar Bone
Zanbar Bone's past and rise to power was not described in the gamebook itself, lika an incarnation of evil who has always been here. It was later stated in some complementary sources, possibly Out of the Pit, state that he was born as a human in the infamous city of Fang. He was the son of two rich merchants who secretly led a cult devoted to the Demon Prince Myurr. As he grew older, his parents grew irked by his increasing influence over their sect and sent him to the world's best school of magic in the Forest of Yore. There, Zanbar Bone was taught magic under the direction of the great archmage Vermithrax Moonchaser and his immense powers were revealed. Zanbar Bone's magical prowesses were only rivaled by those of the three Star Pupils, who were to number among the greatest and most respected mages in the world of Titan: Arakor Nicodemus, Gereth Yaztromo and the Healer Pen Ty Kora. Zanbar Bone hated the three with passion and developped a bitter rivalry with Nicodemus, whom he once defeated in a duel of magic, after Nicodemus witnessed the murder of a student girl by the hand of Zanbar Bone. Nicodemus only owed his life to the intervention of Vermithrax Moonchaser himself and Zanbar Bone fled the school.

Wether or not these facts are canon is debatable but the school of magic in the Forest of Yore, Vermithrax Moonchaser and the Star Pupils are indeed canon and serves as recurring elements of the Fighting Fantasy series. (Especially the mage Gereth Yaztromo.)

If this background is indeed canon, this means that Zanbar Bone has lived for many decades, given that Nicodemus is old and retired when the gamebook takes place. (Possibly nearly 200 years, as powerful mages can live over two centuries.) This background doesn't states how Zanbar Bone became the demonic Night Prince, but it can be guessed that he became a necromancer then a Lich and underwent dark rituals to gain is present-days powers and influence.

What is clearly stated in City of Thieves is that Zanbar Bone is based in his Black Tower, at the center of his lifeless, cursed domain, in the north of Allansia. (The most featured continent of the world of Titan.) He controls many monsters and gave birth to fearsome kinds of creatures, like the powerful kind of living-deads known as the Spirit Stalkers, which he uses as messengers and lackeys, and the bloodthirsty Moondogs. Zanbar Bone is known and feared all over Allansia and most likely all over the whole world of Titan.

Zanbar Bone has apparently no desire of conquest, but one can say that he doesn't need to conquer any land, as he exerts his reign of terror even beyond the limits of his domain. Indeed, he regularly sends his Spirit Stalkers in several towns to demand a young denizen to be sent to his Black Tower, exposing those who refuse to dire consequences. This demonstrates that the Night Prince is used to demand everything he needs to anyone, and that the fear of him is usually enough to prevent people from resisting. No one knows what he plans to do with the people he abducts, but he might either turn them into monsters or more likely sacrifice them in some dark ritual.

Zanbar Bone has indeed an history of hatred with Arakor Nicodemus, who is the only one who knows how to kill him, but who is too old to start such a quest.

Powers and Abilities
Zanbar Bone is a highly powerful demon, who wields incredible dark powers. Another source states that his power has been estimated between 14 and 16 skill points, with the regular maximum number being 12, but this cannot be really proven, as Zanbar Bone is one of the very few Fighting Fantasy villains who is never fought directly.

He masters dark magic and necromancy to a very large extend and he is able to cast curses on objects, people or entire towns. (He has once sealed a magic wielding dwarf in a glass orb.) He is able to shapeshift at will, and he apparently enjoys turning into a black cat, given that the player meets a black cat at the very beginning of the gamebook and that there is a black cat among the illusions when the player enters his room. (Which doesn't sound like a coincidence.) He is also able to see and to talk in places where he isn't physically present, though it is not known if he can do it anywhere or simply inside his tower. He can also summon demonic forces, cast illusions and create skeletons warriors by throwing his teeth to the ground.

Zanbar Bone's most prominent powers are his hypnotic gaze, able to paralyze anyone, and his ability to absorb people's lifeforce by touching them, until they die and turn into one of his undead servants. It must also be noted that he cannot be killed in daytime, even when striking him with his weaknesses.

Role in City of Thieves
In City of Theves, the player is a famed adventurer and mercenary who enters the opulent city of Silverton. He or she finds the population tense and weary and remarks that the doors and windows have been renforced with iron bars. When the player enters a inn, the town's mayor Owen Carralif asks to speak with him/her, and explains that the dreaded Night Prince Zanbar Bone has cursed the town. One day, several Spirit Stalkers came into town and told Carralif that Zanbar Bone wanted Carralif's daughter Mirelle to be brought to his tower. Upon Carralif's refusal, an infuriated Zanbar Bone sends each night six fearsome Moondogs to Silverton, to kill as many people as possible. The population renforced their doors and windows but the situation is no longer bearable and some citizens began considering sending Mirelle to the Night Prince.

Carralif then hires the player to find the famed sorcerer Arakor Nicodemus and ask his help to destroy Zanbar Bone and lift the curse. The problem is that Nicodemus retired himself in Port Blacksand, the infamous City of Thieves, inhabited by the worst kinds of scoundrells of the entire country.

The player musts then venture illegaly into the heavily guarded town to meet the legendary sorcerer. He/She eventually finds Nicodemus, who explains to him/her how to destroy Zanbar Bone. The player first need to make a silver arrow to pierce the Night Prince's heart, then get the hair of a witch, some black pearls and some lotus flowers to create the mixture that would kill the dreaded demon. The player musts also get tatooed with the picture of a white unicorn on a yellow sun, to protect himself from Zanbar Bone's hypnotic gaze.

The player then sets out into the labyrintic town, dealing with countless thieves, crooks, pirates, monsters, corrupt guards and troll mercenaries to gather everything he/she needs. The player can fight against a witch in the sewers of the city, and if he/she manages to overcome the spell she casts, he/she will get some of her hair. The black pearls are found in a pirate ship in the port, and must be taken from a sleeping pirate without waking him up. The lotus flower are found in the city's small public garden, the silver arrow can be made by the city's goldsmith and the tatoo is the last element gathered. At some point, the player will be being involved in a fight with two trolls from the guard, forcing him/her to flee the town. If the player gets caught by the trolls or hasn't collected all the artifacts he/she needs before leaving the town, the game is lost.

The player then ventures into the Night Prince's domain, marked by evil where the nature is dead and withered and where dwell many monsters at Zanbar Bone's command. There, he/she gets a message from Nicodemus, stating that only two ingredients are needed in the mixture. He/She later heads to Zanbar Bone'sgloomy Black Tower, filled with many demons, ghosts, deadly traps and even a vampire lady. Two very powerful Moondogs and a Spirit Stalker, who can only be destroyed with a silver arrow, are fought in the tower's hall. Then the player can take one of the two shields exposed here. One of them has been cursed by Zanbar Bone and will harm the player, while the other belonged to a hero that the Night Prince killed and increases its owner's strenght. The player must not spend the night sleeping in the tower, nor entering the room where lives the vampire without garlic, or else the game is lost.

Zanbar Bone is located in the room with a black door on the fourth floor, and his voice is heard out of nowhere, taunting the player as he/she comes near. However, the player can explore further before reaching Zanbar Bone, and set free a magic wielding dwarf locked inside a glass orb on the tower's roof, to get fully healed in prevision of the upcoming battle. Finally, the player must fight a mummy to get the Ring of the Golden Eye, a magical artifact needed to defeat the Night Prince.

The Final Battle
Upon entering Zanbar Bone's room the player needs the Ring of the Golden Eye to overcome a trap of illusions, otherwises he/she gets killed immediately. Zanbar Bone then gives birth to three skeleton warriors that the player must defeat before challenging his enemy at last. Fortunately, the skeletons don't pose a big threat.

Zanbar Bone hasn't got any defined statistic. Defeating him involves gaining tests with dices and guessing right. First, the player must win a test of luck to shoot Zanbar Bone in the heart with a silver arrow. Then the player musts choose the magic mixture which he/she will put on his eyes to destroy him and win the game. If the player misses Zanbar Bone's heart or chooses a wrong mixture, the Night Prince will turn him/her into his undead servant and win the fight. This means that the first try will be very risky, but that completing the game again, now that the player knows which mixture to use will be much easier.

Trivia

 * Zanbar Bone shares two characteristic with another villain created by the same author, Ian Livingstone (the co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series) Razaak the necromancer. These characteristic are the need for the player to wear a ring of truth before facing them and the life absorbing touch.


 * Zanbar Bone's page on Titannica the Fighting Fantasy Wiki: http://fightingfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Zanbar_Bone

Balthus Dire 11:54, July 15, 2010 (UTC)