Torgar

Torgar is a Darkland fortress located in the south of Ghatan. It was originally built by Drakkarim around MS 3000, before eventually falling under the control of the Darklords when the Drakkarim subjected themselves to them. Originally designed as a vast torture house for native Ghatanese, Torgar is huge, with black walls hundreds of feet high. It is the setting for large portions of two books in the series.

Appearance

An illustration of Torgar is available at The Dungeons of Torgar: §6.

Torgar stands at the edge of a giant ravine, with a natural causeway of stone traversing it. It has massive black walls, and is considered impregnable. A huge iron gate is the sole entrance into Torgar. It guards the only road into Ghatan.

History

Early history

In MS 2801, the Drakkarim overran what would be known as Ghatan, and constructed the city of Torgar around MS 3000. When the Darklords arrived on Magnamund in MS 3150, the Drakkarim eventually subjected themselves to them out of fear and awe. Darklord Dakushna then became the ruler of Ghatan.

Torgar was initially constructed to imprison and torture the enemies of the Drakkarim, later the enemies of the Darklords. It is considered a terrible prison, and one where nobody has escaped from. This reputation adds to the terror faced by its prisoners, with the Darklords determined to keep Torgar's unblemised record alive.

Darklands War

In MS 5060, during the events of The Jungle of Horrors, Darklord Gnaag became Archlord, and the Darklands declared open war on the Freelands, beginning a period known as the Darklands War. Talestria was one of the first victims, with the Darklands overrunning it and enslaving many prisoners, of which many were taken to Torgar.

In MS 5062, during the events of The Dungeons of Torgar, the remaining Lorestones were captured by the forces of Darkness, and taken to Torgar, due to its security and its location being outside of the Darklands, and thus not able to disrupt them due to the Lorestones' goodly energies. Here, the Nadziranim experimented on the Lorestones, seeking a way to destroy them. In parallel, Lord Adamas of Talestria had pursued the Darklands forces to Talestria, encountering the Giak armies of Darklords Kraagenskûl and Chlanzor at the Battle of Zuttezna, and won, albeit at a heavy cost. Unable to wait for reinforcements, and wary of the threat of the Darklands themselves reinforcing via Tanoz and Mozgôar, Adams decided to risk an assault on Torgar. As his army prepared to do so, he met Lone Wolf, who was seeking to recover the Lorestones from Torgar, and the two sought to invade Torgar as their common goal.

In the Battle of Torgar, either Adamas or Lone Wolf planted a Crystal Explosive at the foot of Torgar's main gate, dodging projectiles fired from the fortress. The Crystal Explosive tore open a massive hole, allowing Adamas' army to storm inside. As Adamas' army fought Torgar's forces, Lone Wolf managed to infiltrate the prison, encountering and rescuing Lord Paido. Lone Wolf and Paido ventured deeper into Torgar, to the chamber where the Lorestones were stored. The Lorestones were suspended over a Shadow Gate, suspended by beams of green light. Lone Wolf climbed atop a gantry above the Lorestones, and cupped his hands beneath them, as Paido began to smash the crystal rods powering the beams of light.

However, this was a trap. Since the Darklords had arrived on Magnamund, they had been unable to travel outside of the Darklands without significant protection, due to the clean air being poison to them, effectively confining them to the Darklands. In secret, however, the Nadziranim had constructed the Tanoz-tukor, which protected them from these effects. Archlord Gnaag himself appeared in Torgar, and blasted Lone Wolf and the remaining Lorestones with a bolt of blue lightning, casting them into the Shadow Gate to the Daziarn. Gnaag then slew Paido, and the forces of Torgar rallied. Adamas was killed, and his forces routed and ejected from Torgar.

Post-Darklands War

In MS 5070, during the events of The Masters of Darkness, Lone Wolf managed to return to Magnamund, against all the odds, with the remaining Lorestones. He then ventured into Helgedad, slew Archlord Gnaag, and destroyed the Transfusor, which powered the Tanoz-tukor. This destroyed the Darklands, and reverted control of Torgar back to the Drakkarim. However, like other cities in the Darklands and their allies, they quickly fell into civil war, with multiple parties feuding for control. These hostilities stopped in MS 5102, with the return of Archlord Vashna during the events of Dead in the Deep, and Torgar was once again put on a war-footing.

In Lone Wolf media

The Dungeons of Torgar

Torgar in the primary goal of The Dungeons of Torgar, as Lone Wolf pursues the final three Lorestones of Nyxator. The player will venture from Eru to Torgar, either via Pirsi or Cetza. The player will reunite with (if the player completed The Jungle of Horrors) or meet Lords Adamas and Paido in Torgar. With Lone Wolf's aid, the allies broke into Torgar, and Lone Wolf recovered one of the Lorestones. However, Gnaag had set a trap, with himself not expected to have been present outside of the Darklands, but his Nadziranim had constructed the Tanoz-tukor, allowing him to do so, and he made his surprise appearance here. His attack sent Lone Wolf and the remaining Lorestones tumbling through a Shadow Gate into the Daziarn.

In The Masters of Darkness, Lone Wolf returns from the Daziarn, and is briefed by Lord Rimoah of the aftermath of the Battle of Torgar.

The Tellings

In The Tellings, Lone Wolf relates the story of how the Book of the Magnakai came to be stored in the Tomb of the Majhan. Two Vassagonian thieves, Bourjali and Liharat, were tasked by Zakhan Halarsa to steal the book from the Kai monastery. This they successfully did, but instead of returning the book to the Zakhan (who they felt was likely to silence them by killing them), they decided it was more profitable for them to deal directly with the Darklords. They therefore hid the book in the Tomb of the Majhan before going to Torgar, where the most powerful Darklord servant outside the Darklands, Warlord Korkas, resided. Bourjali attempted to negotiate some treasures in return for information on where the book was hidden, but Korkas instead decided to torture the information out of the two spies. In this, he failed - both Bourjali and Liharat died before they revealed the location of the book.

When Archlord Zagarna heard of the fiasco, he summoned Korkas to Helgedad, then had Korkas tortured to death for not accepting Bourjali's and Liharat's bargain.