Tzunk
| Tzunk | |
|---|---|
| Names and titles | |
| Title(s): | High Wizard-Priest |
| General info | |
| Home: | Isles of Woe |
| Gender: | Male |
| Species: | Human |
| Class: | Wizard |
Tzunk, also spelled "Tzoonk," was an archmage and a former user of the Codex of the Infinite Planes.
History
[edit | edit source]After the sinking of the Isles of Woe but before the coming of the City of the Gods, Tzunk was a powerful archmage. After a lifetime of study, he discovered the Codex of the Infinite Planes, and after much ritualistic preparation he set out to conquer the City of Brass. With two dyoph slaves bearing the tome before him,[1] he invoked magic forces that cleared away a huge channel of buildings in a straight line from the Brazen Gates to the Charcoal Palace.[2] As powerful as the Codex was, he was no match for an army of four million efreet.[2] Tzunk was bested in battle and brought to the efreeti sultan in chains. The cleared area was made a racing route; it is now called the Maidan.[2]
Tzunk suffered a terrible retribution for his hubris. His body was cut into "a hundred parts; the portions scattered to the winds, burned in fire, dissolved in acidic waters, and buried below the earth."[3] And yet the power of the Codex would not let him die.
In the northern wastes beyond the Barrens, there is said to be a tomb holding Tzunk's hands. Constructs with arcane powers guard it, and the tomb itself is filled with magical and mundane traps, secret portals, passages, and mazes. If uncovered from their burial place, legends say the hands will animate themselves, serving their rescuer as divinatory tools but slowly dominating their user in order to seek out the other parts of Tzunk's indestructible, scattered body.
Writings
[edit | edit source]Tzunk authored the following works:
Tzunk also wrote about the Codex of the Infinite Planes, journaling about what he did with it, and how it was used.
"... and thereupon the voice belled forth in tones of hollow iron and spoke of the Coming of the City of the Gods. Such future events interested me not, so I gave the command: ‘Answer in th- ...’ (here the fragment becomes entirely illegible)... so knowing both the secret and the spell which would unlock the Way to this horde of the Demon Prince Nql... (another break in the writing unfortunately occurs here)... gathered the nine as required and proceeded forth. With me in addition were the dyoph servants necessary to transport the Code, for I would not leave it behind on even so perilous a journey as this.” (Here the entire fragment ends.)"—Eldritch Wizardry[6]
"... and the two strong slaves lifted it [the Codex] from the back of the Beast. Thereupon I commanded the Brazen Portals to be brought low, and they were wrenched from their hinges and rang upon the stone. The Efreet howled in fear and fled when I caused the page to be read, and the Beast passed into the City of Brass. Now was I,Tzunk, Master of the Plane of Molten Skies. With sure hand I closed Yagrax’s Tome [the Codex], dreading to- ...”"—Dungeon Master's Guide (1978)[7]
The second quote above is also used in Secrets of the Lamp (1993), which further notes it was "transcribed by the Archmage Tzunk shortly before his hideous death."[1]
Creative Origins
[edit | edit source]Tzunk is an anagram for Robert J. Kuntz's last name.
Publishing history
[edit | edit source]Tzunk was first mentioned (as Tzoonk) in Eldritch Wizardry in the entry for the Codex of the Infinite Planes, and appeared as Tzunk in the first edition Dungeon Master's Guide and the Book of Artifacts.
Iuz the Evil described the Tomb of Tzunk's Hands, detailing the archmage's dreadful fate. However, it identified Tzunk as the Wizard-Priest of the Isles of Woe, something The Adventure Begins did as well. Secrets of the Lamp went into more detail about the misadventure in the City of Brass, and never connected Tzunk to the Isles. Other sources imply that Tzunk came into the book's possession after the Wizard-Priest.
References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b ALQ4 Secrets of the Lamp (1993), p.13, Adventure Book.
- ↑ a b c ALQ4 Secrets of the Lamp (1993), p.14, Adventure Book.
- ↑ WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.64.
- ↑ Dragon #82 (Feb 1984), p.58.
- ↑ Dragon #297 (Jul 2002), p.91.
- ↑ Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry (1976), p.43.
- ↑ Dungeon Masters Guide (1979), p.156.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]- Baur, Wolfgang. Secrets of the Lamp. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
- Cook, David. Book of Artifacts. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
- Gygax, Gary. Dungeon Master's Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1979.
- Gygax, Gary, and Brian Blume. Eldritch Wizardry. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1976.
- Heard, Bruce. "Spells Between the Covers." Dragon #82. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
- Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia Magica Vol 2. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
- Moore, Roger E. The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.
- Sargent, Carl. Iuz the Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissimulation and Obscuration By Tzunk | Item | Book, | Dragon magazine #082 | 58 |
| Dissimulation and Obscuration By Tzunk | Item | Book, | Encyclopedia Magica - Volume III | 1165 |
| Nesser Opuscule By Tzunk | Item | Book, | Dragon magazine #297 | 91 |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition | 156 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Dragon magazine #082 | 58 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Dragon magazine #297 | 91 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Eldritch Wizardry | 43 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Living Greyhawk Journal #2 | 19 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | Slavers, AD&D 2e | 5 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | The Adventure Begins: Adventure Maps | 5 | |
| Tzunk {Tzoonk} (High Wizard Priest of the Isles of Woe) | Non-player character | WGR5 Iuz the Evil | 64 | |
| Tzunks Hands, Tomb of | Place | WGR5 Iuz the Evil | 64 |