Gnaag

Archlord Gnaag about to confront Lone Wolf in Lone Wolf 12:The Masters of Darkness

Gnaag, also known as Darklord Gnaag, is one of the chief villains in the fictional world of Magnamund in the gamebooks series Lone Wolf. He arrived in that world in the year 3072 after the creation of the Moonstone (MS) along with the 19 other Darklords.

Gnaag was noted in the series as the most intelligent of the Darklords and the master of Darklord politics. Through careful manipulation, and the murder of two fellow Darklords, he became Archlord of the Darklands in MS 5058.

After leading a campaign to conquer Magnamund, the character nearly defeated the protagonist Lone Wolf by attempting to destroy three of the Lorestones of Nyxator he was questing for, and then by sending Lone Wolf into the shadow world of the Daziarn. In the final book of the Magnakai series, The Masters of Darkness, Gnaag was defeated by Lone Wolf in the year MS 5070 and was condemned by the dark god Naar to an eternity on the Plane of Darkness for his failure.

In the year 3072 MS, the Darklords were sent to Magnamund by Naar to conquer the planet for evil. Because of their corrupt and evil nature, the Darklords could not breathe the "sweet air" of Magnamund, and so they destroyed most of northeastern Magnamund and created a realm known as the Darklands which had air that "corroded a mortal's lungs". Originally the ruler of the Darklord city of Mozgoar, a Darkland city-fortress to the west of Gazad Helkona, Gnaag was often seen in the capitol Helgedad walking on foot, in contrast to most of the then 16 living Darklords who flew on Zlanbeasts. He was also noted for his "flowery language" and his vast intellect, which was shown by the physical form which Naar chose for him. His gestures were "fey", and his body evoked "fragility", but some considered this a mask of his true strength.

Gnaag "resembles a monstrous fly", with "gleaming multi-faceted eyes". He was "slight", with an "insectile form". His outer flesh was mostly invisible, revealing his wet and green internal organs. Blood oozed in waves from the dome of his bald head, and his narrow feet had claws. His mind is his own, but his intellect and his soul are just repositories for the infinite evil of the dark god Naar, which was revealed when Vonotar entered the mind of Darklord Zagarna. To eat, he sometimes tore apart live Giaks.

War banner with the emblem of Darklord Gnaag

One of the most intelligent of the Darklords, Gnaag was also the most politically astute, making sure to distance himself from Zagarna's failed MS 5050 invasion of Sommerlund. Gnaag had distrusted Zagarna's partner Vonotar the wizard, and disagreed that he should have equal status with the darklords. Gnaag controlled the contest for archlordship between darklords Haakon and Slutar after Zagarnas death.

He also manipulated the competitors Glurch and Unc during the contest for control of the darklands following the death of Darklord Haakon. Gnaag ensured that things would escalate into a civil war, and right before it began, Gnaag, with the help of Nadziranim sorcerers of many Darklords, destroyed both of the Darklords in a colossal display of power, and after five years of civil war, Gnaag assumed the Archlordship of the Darklands.

An earlier interpretation of the darklords look from the eighth Lone Wolf book, The Jungle of Horrors

Gnaag launched an enormous campaign to conquer Northern Magnamund, sending his huge armies against the freelands therein. He also sent Helghasts and other monsters to block Lone Wolf from retrieving the Lorestone of Herdos from the Danarg swamp. Gnaags Darklord armies conquered the southern Sommerlund province of Ruanon, and thus nearly prevented Lone Wolf from continuing his quest, were it not for Sommerlunds King Ulnar who requested that he continue. Darklord armies began to converge on Tahou with the help of the Vassagonian empire which was allying with them. Lone Wolf had raced there to gain the Lorestone before Gnaags armies arrived, but as he emerged victorious, he found the city in the middle of a huge siege by Darklord armies. Through the main gates came the Zahkan Kimah, the ruler of Vassagonia, who engaged Lone Wolf in combat and was defeated. Demoralized, and now surrounded by human reinforcements, the Darklord armies were decimated. This could have turned the tide in the wars against the Darklords. Gnaag then appeared before Lone Wolf in Tahou, promising to destroy him and the three remaining Lorestones Lone Wolf was searching for on his Magnakai quest. It was feared by Lone Wolf and his councilers that with the Nadziranims help, Gnaag could achieve his goal. Lone Wolf set out for Torgar, the place that had been revealed to be holding the Lorestones, but it was an elaborate trap set by Gnaag. As Lone Wolf climbed the scaffolding of the underground chamber to reach the lorestones, Gnaag appeared in the room and cried "Vengeance is mine, Lone Wolf!" He destroyed the scaffolding holding the Lorestones, and sent Lone Wolf and the lorestones into the Daziarn through a shadow gate.

Once Lone Wolf had fallen through the Daziarn shadow gate, Gnaag proclaimed the death of Lone Wolf and his own invincibility. The allied human armies were quickly ejected from Torgar, and the Darklord armies losses ceased. Using the tanoz-tukor that allowed for the Darklords to use a magical breathing device, they were able to survive outside the Darklands and wage war themselves, to devastating effect. In the next eight years, the Darklords, allied with Vassagonia, succeeded in conquering most of Northern Magnamund and building a huge blockade between Sommerlund and their close ally Durenor. It was thought to be only a matter of time, with no Durenese reinforcements, that Sommerlund and the rest of the planet would fall to the Darklords. Secretly, Lone Wolf, having returned from his exile in the Daziarn after eight years, succeeded in finding his way into Helgedad and confronting the Darklord in the Tower of the Damned in final combat. Using the Sommerswerd, the Darklord was reduced to atoms. If Lone Wolf fights with another magical item, Gnaag's combat skill is 50, and his endurance point total is 70. Gnaag wields Nadazgada, or "Dark Burn", which was forged of black steel in Helgedad and imbued with magical spells by the Nadziranim.

Lone Wolf later discovered Gnaag being chased by Tzor, keeper of Evil souls, on the Plain of Despair outside of Naars fortress on the Plane of Darkness in the book The Curse of Naar.