Blue Djinn Tower Library (Complete)

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Legends of the Kha'labal I - The Hyena King

Deep in the heart of the Kha'labal the dreaded hyena king has its lair. This legendary beast is much larger than any other specimen of its race, surpassing lions and even elephants in size, and it can tear a man apart in seconds with its enormous, razor-sharp teeth. What's more, the hyena king is said to be truly immortal, for it has been sighted time and again by numerous travellers and merchants. Many a caravan is said to have fallen prey to this ferocious beast, and it is widely believed to have amassed untold treasures over the centuries.
The legend goes that this beast was once a common hyena that was born in the time when the djinn war was at its peak. Somehow it had managed to escape the cataclysmic firestorm unleashed by the Efreet during the battle of Ankrahmun, and when the slaughter had finally ended it fed from the bodies of the fallen djinns, consuming large amounts of magical energy in the process. Perhaps these magical energies were responsible for the fateful mutation that turned a common hyena into this frightful beast.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Legends of the Kha'labal II - The Wailing Bride, Pt. 1

Princess Theripat was the beautiful daughter of pharaoh Karkhaneses II. She grew up in the pharaoh's palace, living a seemingly careless life amidst the proverbial luxury and splendour of the Ankrahmunian court, and when her father arranged for her to marry a well-proven northern nobleman her happiness seemed complete. But things were not quite the way they seemed. Theripat, who was a headstrong and idealistic girl, had always despised life at the court, and with the help of her nurse she had made many forays into the city, concealing her true identity. On one of these excursions she had fallen in love with a handsome officer from the pharaoh's guard. The young man requited the love of what he thought was a simple woman, and eventually the two lovers had even married. When the pharaoh finally decided it was time for his daughter to marry she was already 6 months pregnant, and she knew that soon the truth could no longer be hidden. Frightened and confused, Theripat went through the wedding preparations without saying a word, but when the day had finally come she fled the court. The whole extent of the scandal soon became obvious.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Legends of the Kha'labal II - The Wailing Bride, Pt. 2

Karkhaneses, a ruler who believed that his absolute power depended on the fact that no treachery should ever go unpunished, decided to show no mercy. Both Theripat's nurse and her true husband were arrested and publicly drawn and quartered. Theripat herself had escaped into the desert with her new-born child, but her unforgiving father sent half his army after her. She was found soon enough, but just when the troops were about to arrest her, the unexpected happened. Clinging her baby to her breast, the desperate mother fell into a piercing, bloodcurling wail that quickly expanded into an unearthly sound to which nature itself seemed to respond. All of a sudden a sandstorm erupted, fiercer and stronger than anybody could remember, and within minutes destruction rained down upon the pharaoh's terrified troops. When the storm cleared the soldiers were severely shaken, and many of the pharaoh's best chariots lay shattered in the sand. Theripat and her child, however, were gone forever, and nobody has seen them ever since. But each time the storm rages over the Kha'labal the superstitious people fall into a silent prayer to appease the wailing bride's fury.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Legends of the Kha'labal III - Gha'Zuul the Necromancer

Gha'Zuul grew up a simple boy among one of the northern nomad tribes. A frail and meagre child, he was frequently the target of the other childrens' jeers as well as of his despotic father's scorn. Hurt and angered by the constant humiliations, Gha'Zuul developed a bitter, unforgiving personality. He took notes of all the indignities he suffered, and he was determined to take revenge for every single one of them. One day, when his camp was attacked by an undead raiding party he decided it was time to get his revenge. Taking advantage of the general hullabaloo, Gha'Zuul sneaked up on his worst tormentor and quickly cut his throat. However, he had made a mistake when he thought that his crime would go unnoticed. One of the necromancers who was part of the raiding party sensed the evil of this deed, and since he was impressed by the young boy's obvious ruthlessness he ordered his undead troops to kidnap him. And so Gha'Zuul was brought to Drefia.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Legends of the Kha'labal IV - Drefia's Downfall

Many are the legends concerning Gha'Zuul’s cometlike career in the necromancer city. Working with superhuman resolve and ruthlessly exterminating all real or imaginary competition, Gha'Zuul managed to rise to the top of the Drefian hierarchy within a few decades, and when a bizarre accident happened to the president of the High Council, Gha'Zuul took his place. He was the first necromancer to take this position while still being alive. However, being the foremost necromancer was still not enough to satisfy Gha'Zuul’s thirst for power. He had great plans for Drefia. Und his rule the necromancer city would expand and conquer, taking over control of the north and perhaps of the whole of Darama! It was his idea to propose an alliance to the Efreet, and when the decisive battle drew near he personally raised the necromancers' troops to march against the Marid.
The rest is well-known. Drefia's troops suffered a decisive defeat in the battle of Ankrahmun. Those undead who were not destroyed during the futile siege of Ankrahmun were pulverised in the searing heat his own allies had summoned. Gha'Zuul realised soon enough that his career in Drefia was rapidly drawing to an end, for if the Marid did not kill him his fellow necromancers surely would. And so he disappeared...
Today, there are nothing but rumours as to what happened to Gha'Zuul after the failed campaign. However, many believe that Gha'Zuul is still out there, waiting for an opportunity to take revenged just like he used to do when he was still a little nomad boy.