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Illus. by M. Coimbra<br />
144<br />
ho can stand against the might of Zargon the<br />
Returner? Surely, no man is strong enough<br />
of courage and skill to face my master in<br />
combat. No god would dare confront him,<br />
for he has brought low others before. Nay,<br />
when Zargon awakens, all shall tremble as the world is<br />
born anew in his foul image.”<br />
—Dorn, Ascendant of Zargon<br />
Despised by the baatezu, feared by the gods, and<br />
all but forgotten by mortals, Zargon the Returner<br />
struggles to escape his prison to once more conquer<br />
the earth and drown the world with rivers<br />
of his slime.<br />
BACKGROUND<br />
Many centuries ago, a mighty kingdom named<br />
Cynidicea stood in the heart of a massive and trackless<br />
wasteland. It reclaimed the land from the desert,<br />
transforming it into fertile farmland. The people<br />
prospered, and the nation achieved great advances<br />
in magic, science, and technology.<br />
As with all cultures, it didn’t last. The kingdom’s<br />
success bred complacency and decadence, and the<br />
population plunged itself into excess. This laxity<br />
enabled a bloodthirsty cult to come to power and<br />
perform unspeakable sacrifices to their dark god,<br />
Zargon. For years, the kingdom declined, languishing<br />
under the yoke of oppression, until a great barbarian horde<br />
smashed the nation, slaughtered the people, and scattered<br />
them across the lands. (Knowledge [history] or [religion]<br />
DC 25)<br />
Though barbarians need little provocation to attack soft<br />
cities, the army attacking the kingdom had long suffered<br />
depredations at the hands of the cultists. The cult of Zargon<br />
needed human sacrifices to feed to its god, and when its<br />
members exhausted themselves of nonbelievers and criminals<br />
from their own people, they enslaved others for this<br />
purpose. A charismatic barbarian leader named Zankar<br />
gathered the tribes and sacked the city, having lost too many<br />
of his kinsmen to the madmen of Cynidicea. (DC 30)<br />
The tribal leader made a terrifying discovery when his<br />
horde tore through the nation’s capital city: The god they<br />
worshiped was no otherworldly being; it was a terrifying<br />
monster that lorded over them all, demanding appalling<br />
sacrifices to appease its dreadful hunger. The streets were<br />
slick with blood and a disgusting slime. (DC 35)<br />
Zankar realized the only way he could preserve his own<br />
people would be to destroy the beast-god, and so he fought<br />
the monster for seven days and nights. Although considered<br />
one of the greatest warriors in the land, he could not kill the<br />
beast—as soon as he struck a blow, Zargon’s wounds would<br />
heal. Zankar grew weary, giving the monster the opportunity<br />
it needed. Within moments, the climactic duel came to a<br />
sudden and bloody end. (DC 40)
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