After the defeat of the Snake Men, peace ruled over Eternia for many years. The damage
caused to the planet by the Snake Men was repaired, and the royal family were so good to
the people of Eternia that their world eventually became much richer, and the people more
powerful. Technology began to advance too.
Castle Grayskull remained almost
permanently locked for all these years. The Sorcerer or Sorceress of the castle would
change roughly every 50 years, and usually the only time the drawbridge was lowered was
when a new guardian of Grayskull came its way. The magic inside was heavily concealed,
secret from all the ordinary people of Eternia. It was one of the most mysterious places
on the planet, and few people ventured near it, afraid of the huge, deep abyss which
surrounded it. The castle was home only to its guardian, and the spirits of the elders of
Eternia.
However, at this point, Eternia was
lucky to be free from evil. Elsewhere in the universe, there were many fierce wars raging
between good and evil. A strange being was in charge of all evil in the universe, hoping
that someday evil would take control of the universe. His name was Horde Prime. He was 30
feet tall, his body concealed inside a huge spacecraft which hovered through space. He
came from a far off world of evil simply known as Horde World. He had conquered several
planets, which were now part of his Horde Empire. Few people ever saw him- only the
occasional glimpse of his red eyes shining through the dark mists of his ship.
Horde Prime taught many young people
who had been kidnapped by his forces the ways of evil. His favourite pupil was a young man
called Xazrog, whom he had captured as a small boy. Xazrog was a skilled scientist, and
often ridiculed the use of magic in the ways of evil. He felt that magic was useless and
that science was the key to conquering the universe, so he spent countless hours at work
on his inventions. Impressed by Xazrog's skills, Horde Prime decided he should give
the young scientist a world to invade. So he called Xazrog to him, and ordered him to
invade the planet Eternia. He felt that this planet had been at peace for too long, and he
also thought it would be an easy world for Xazrog to conquer, since its heroic fortress,
Castle Grayskull, used only magic for defence.
At that time on Eternia, the king,
whose name was Miro, had announced he was giving up the throne to hand it over to one of
his younger sons. He had twin sons, called Randor and Keldor. Upon King Miro's
resignation, both his sons hoped that they would get the throne- but it was a difficult
decision, since both were exactly the same age, and both were honourable, respected men.
So Miro allowed the citizens of Eternia to choose which one should become king. There were
some citizens on the planet who did not feel they could trust Keldor, for he dabbled in
magic which some of them felt to be sinister and possibly dangerous. Keldor was, indeed,
an ambitious young man in the way of magic, but many people felt he considered his magic
more important than the people of Eternia. But everyone felt that Randor would make a
perfect king, while they had also taken a liking to his wife, Marlena, a former astronaut
from Earth who had crashed on Eternia a few years before. So in the end, Randor was
elected king after the people had cast their votes, and Marlena was queen, by his side.
Keldor was angry at this, as he had
intended for his magic to help the poor of Eternia, and loudly protested in public. He
swore to eliminate his brother from the throne, and when Randor realised his brother had
been driven mad, he ordered for him to be imprisoned. But as the guards were about to drag
Keldor to the prison, Keldor turned them into stone with his magic, before fleeing from
Eternos city. He was not heard of for some time.
Xazrog was very confident that he
could conquer Eternia, as although he had been sure of victory against Keldor, Randor
would be easier to beat since he had no special powers at all. So Horde Prime assembled
several great warriors who would accompany Xazrog to Eternia; then he beamed them down to
the planet to begin their invasion.
Once on Eternia, Xazrog used one of
his machines to uncover the long lost Snake Mountain which Horde Prime had told him about.
He and his warriors moved in and took the ancient building as their base. Xazrog
constructed an army of robots which he called 'troopers' and then he began to
launch attacks on Eternos city. Once Randor had realised this threat to Eternia, he
assembled his army, and as Xazrog's army grew, many men of Eternia left their homes
to fight in the war. The whole planet was soon engulfed in a war almost as vicious as the
centuries-old Snake Men war.
Xazrog's main aim besides
conquering Eternia was to find where Keldor had fled, because he felt that Keldor's
thirst for revenge could help him defeat King Randor. Once Keldor had disposed of Randor
with his magic, Xazrog would then kill Keldor and take the throne of Eternia for himself.
So he had to set about the task of finding Keldor, so that all Eternia could be
his…..
Part 3: The Origin of the Sorceress
As the war raged all over Eternia, a young girl named Teelina was suffering cruelly.
Before the war had started, she had fallen in love with a young man called Zendar, and
married him. But they had barely been married five minutes when he was called to fight in
the war and leave his beloved wife behind. To make things more difficult, Teelina had
found that she was pregnant shortly afterwards, and later given birth to a baby girl, whom
she called Teela. She was left to look after her child alone, but it was especially
difficult as her money was nearly all stolen by Xazrog's minions, who invaded her
village. When the whole village was reduced to a place of poverty, Teelina, who was known
for her kind and caring nature, decided she must do her best to save her planet. She
remembered an old legend about an ancient castle, which would be able to save Eternia when
danger threatened. So she said goodbye to her friends in the village, and, taking Teela
with her, left to go in search of the old castle.
Her journey was long and hard,
taking several days. She had to keep stopping to ask directions, and even beg for money so
she could find food to feed Teela. But eventually, an old man directed her to the castle
known as Grayskull, and she soon found herself standing in front of the deep abyss, gazing
up at the locked drawbridge. At first she thought there was no chance that she could
enter, but then a friendly voice from inside the castle told her to enter, warning her
that if she entered, she might not be the same ever again. The drawbridge then lowered by
magic, and Teelina entered. She walked into the castle's throne room, and saw a
middle-aged woman, wearing a falcon head-dress and a blue costume with orange feathers.
The woman told her that her name was Kodak Ungor, and she was the sorceress of Grayskull.
Teela told her about the dreadful threat that Eternia was under. Kodak Ungor said she was
already aware of it, and at Grayskull she had been planning to take action, as she knew
that Xazrog intended to capture Grayskull at some time. But she also knew that she had
been the sorceress of Grayskull for a very long time, and was now getting too old, and her
magic powers weakening. She knew she would have to give up soon, but she needed someone to
take her place, and felt that Teelina was just the right person.
Teelina said she would accept, but
first, Kodak Ungor told her the whole story of Grayskull- about the ancient Snake Men war,
the sword of power, and the hero named He-Man, who had never yet existed. Then she told
Teelina of the suffering and pain she would have to see, and her many responsibilities as
Sorceress. But Teelina was more than ready to accept. So Kodak Ungor took Teela, then she
called upon the spirits of the Elders of Eternia, and within seconds Teelina was suddenly
surrounded by a group of elderly men wearing long robes. She was surrounded by flashing
bright light, and felt her power increasing- then the light died down, the Elders
vanished, and Teelina was left in the form of a falcon.
Kodak Ungor explained that she was
in the form of Zoar, the warrior falcon of legend, and she could change back by
concentrating deeply. Teelina concentrated, and she returned to her human form- but she
could feel that she was no longer mortal, and then Kodak Ungor removed her costume, and
placed it on Teelina.
"Now, Teelina," she said,
"You are the Sorceress of Grayskull."
She then told her about her new
powers, and how the Elders had also granted her the power of staying eternally young, so
that her powers would never weaken with age. She was the most powerful sorceress yet.
Also, Teela would be destined for great things with her mother being the Sorceress, and
when Zendar returned from the war, he would be able to guard Grayskull at her side, but
would not have as much power as she did. Kodak Ungor bade farewell and left, leaving
Teelina to guard Grayskull permanently as the Sorceress.
The Sorceress was able to see in her
mind where her husband was, and she turned to Zoar, and, leaving Teela in the castle under
the eye of the spirit of Grayskull, flew to the camp near where Zendar had been fighting.
Zendar was amazed when he saw the falcon turn into his wife, wearing this strange magical
costume. The Sorceress told him what had happened, and that when the war was over, he
would be able to join her in Grayskull, but would not be as powerful. He was excited at
the news, but she did not tell him about Teela, as she wanted to reveal that he had a
daughter when the war was over, so he would be even happier at the end of the violence.
The Sorceress's next step was
to combat the evil forces herself, but only shortly afterwards, she heard the shocking
news that her husband had been killed in the war. She was not told how, when or where he
was killed- all she was told was that he had perished at the hands of the evil forces. The
news of his death made her even more determined to eliminate the evil from Eternia, but
she knew she could never manage to look after Teela all by herself when she would
continuously have to leave the castle to fight, especially when she would have no husband
to help her afterwards. So she gave Teela to a close friend of hers, Duncan, who was the
royal Man-At-Arms. She told him some of the secrets of Grayskull, and told him to bring up
Teela as his own daughter, but never to tell her who her real mother was. Duncan said that
the King and Queen had just given birth to twins, Adam and Adora- and although it was
tragic that they should be born amidst this chaos, Teela could have two friends to grow up
with. Man-At-Arms took Teela with him, and the Sorceress wept as he carried her away.
But now, it was time for her to
fight the evil that was threatening her planet. Xazrog's forces were getting more
powerful, as recently Xazrog had been seen with the missing prince, Keldor, but the
Sorceress knew he would be no match for the magic of Castle Grayskull!
Part 4: What really happened to Zendar
Before Teelina became the Sorceress of Grayskull, Xazrog had succeeded in his quest to
find Keldor. His troops had come across the missing prince wandering the sands of time,
and had brought him back to Snake Mountain to join Xazrog. Xazrog promised Keldor that he
would help him gain the crown of Eternia if he helped him in his battles. He told him that
while Keldor ruled Eternia, Xazrog would take charge of the military forces. Of course, he
was lying- he intended to murder Keldor once Randor had been disposed of- but he had to
lie to keep Keldor on his side. The young man's determination to rule Eternia would
be a definite help to Xazrog in his quest to take over the planet.
But shortly afterwards, when Teelina
became Sorceress, she proved that she was excellent in fending off Xazrog's forces
with her powerful magic, a major obstacle in Xazrog's way. He had always thought that
it would be easy to conquer magic with science, but many of his recruits had failed
against the Sorceress's magic. Xazrog needed more powerful recruits! Now with Keldor
on his side, the sorcerer was trying to convince Xazrog that magic was more of a match for
science than he had thought, and was suggesting that the members of Xazrog's army be
taught the skills of sorcery. Xazrog considered Keldor's ideas, but was reluctant as
he had hated magic for so long.
Then one day, a young man came
Xazrog's way. This young man was none other than Zendar, husband of the Sorceress. He
was fighting for good in the war, but after a battle, Zendar turned up at Snake Mountain-
seeking Xazrog's help. Zendar told him that his wife had recently become the
Sorceress of Grayskull. She had been granted great power- but he was envious of her power,
as throughout his life he had wanted to be in that sort of position. Although she had
promised him that someday he could guard Grayskull with her, he would never have as much
power as she did. And he was angry that a woman had been granted it- he had always
believed that women did not deserve positions of power- he felt these should be for men.
For Zendar was not an honourable man- the Sorceress had misjudged him when she married
him, and did not know of his secret craving for power. Now, that craving for power had led
him to change sides, and join forces with evil.
Zendar offered Xazrog his services,
and begged him to give him possession of Grayskull once Eternia had been conquered. Xazrog
pondered this, and eventually said he would give Zendar control of Grayskull- but first he
must learn the skills of sorcery, so that his magic could grow as strong as the
Sorceress's, and he would be able to combat her powers. And who would be better to
teach him sorcery than Keldor- possibly the greatest sorcerer in Eternia.
Keldor instantly took to Zendar as a
pupil of magic, and he spent hours in the darkness of Snake Mountain, teaching Zendar the
skills of sorcery. Zendar quickly mastered the art, and his powers began to grow stronger
and stronger. Keldor indulged Zendar to excess, telling him that he would soon become one
of the greatest sorcerers in Eternia. And Zendar decided to take advantage of this
compliment…..
So one dark night, as Keldor and
Zendar practised together, Zendar suddenly shot up, and fired a bolt of power at Keldor
from his fingertips. Keldor leapt back in shock.
"What did you do that
for?" he asked.
"I must dispose of you."
Zendar replied. "You may be a great sorcerer, but I am now greater. If you were to be
alive when I take over Grayskull, then you would still be in my way."
"But I have no intention of
taking over Grayskull! My sole aim is to rule this planet!"
"Yes, and remember that you are
also evil. A truly evil person would want not only to rule the planet, but to own
Grayskull as well and to take charge of everything on this puny world! And that is what I
intend to do. You are not yet evil enough, Keldor, but you might become it- and so I must
banish you from this world before it is to late!"
"You will not, Zendar! It is
you who shall be banished- your magic is not yet greater than mine- and I shall prove
it!" With that, he shot a long stream of bright red and green light from his hands.
Zendar was engulfed in the glow, and was struck still, almost unable to move.
"Try to combat that!"
shrieked Keldor.
Zendar managed to reach out his arm
and fire a bolt of magical energy, but it was quickly dissolved by Keldor's power.
Zendar had struck too quickly- he was not yet as powerful as Keldor, who was now able to
destroy him.
Keldor whooshed his arms through the
air, and the glow around Zendar vanished. "I think we shall carry on as normal
now." he declared. "When you have grown more powerful, maybe then you will be
able to challenge me."
But Zendar was not giving in.
"You fool!" he shrieked. "When I become as powerful as you, you will strike
me without warning and destroy me! So I must take advantage of the powers I have- and do
my best to banish you from this world!!!" He threw out his right arm, and a beam of
bright green light went flying at Keldor through the air. But Keldor held out his hand,
and absorbed the beam- then combined it with his own powers. His hand was soon aflame with
crackling magical energy. When the energy reached extremes, Keldor released it from his
body, and it went flying through the air, and hit Zendar with an explosion, coursing
through his entire body!
When the explosion died down, Zendar
at first seemed unharmed. Then, his body began to shake. He felt it filling with pain, and
jerked back. He looked down at his hands, and noticed that they were changing colour…
turning blue…..
"Wh… what is h-happening
to m-me…?" he stammered.
Then he gave a cry of pain, and
spread out his whole body, writhing in agony. His whole skin began to turn blue, then the
skin over his face seemed to tear. There was a fierce ripping sound, and bit by bit, the
skin on his face began to flake away. It shrivelled and dried, before flaking off
violently, his hair sprouted from his scalp and fell to the ground in clumps. His ears and
nose ripped off from his skull, then his eyes began to change colour, glowing bright red
as they sank into their sockets….. the last strands of flesh fell from his skull,
exposing his whole cranium, white and gruesome, his red eyes glowing brightly out from the
black eye sockets.
Keldor gazed in horror at the
hideously transformed Zendar. His whole appearance had been distorted beyond recognition.
He was now the most hideous apparition of a man that Keldor had ever seen.
Zendar gazed into the magic pool, at
the hideous reflection of his gruesomely altered self. For a second, he flinched back in
terror….. before he saw just the potential that his new face had of striking terror
into anyone who saw it. He looked up at the shocked form of Keldor, and laughed.
"So, Keldor, you great
sorcerer. You try to destroy me and end up making me a hundred times more terrifying than
your feeble self. And I feel so much stronger! So much more powerful! And you no longer
deserve to spend another moment on this planet!!!!!" He shot bolts of power from his
red eyes, striking Keldor and forcing him back against the rocky wall.
Keldor screamed in terror. "No,
Zendar, set me free!" Zendar just laughed maniacally, then he charged forth at
Keldor, and released a burst of magic power with one whoosh of his hands. The whole room
was filled with magical energy, and Zendar shielded his eyes….. then he heard
Keldor's scream, and when the power died down, he saw Keldor's form fading from
sight.
Once Keldor was gone, Zendar looked
into the pool of magic, and swirled his long, bony fingers through the water. The image in
the pool changed, and he saw Keldor drifting through space and time to another
dimension….. a dimension of darkness, with barely a soul to be seen. And there Keldor
would remain.
Zendar turned from the pool. Now to
reveal his changed self to Xazrog. Xazrog's forces would be even more feared with a
being looking like this on his side! He climbed up to Xazrog's chamber, forced the
door open, and stepped into the dark chamber.
"Who enters my chamber?"
called Xazrog.
"It is I….."
"You, Zendar? What have you to
say….."
"Zendar no longer
exists….. I… am….. SKELETOR!"
He thrust his hideous face through
the darkness and into Xazrog's. Xazrog jumped to his feet in shock.
"Zendar….. this is you?
What has changed you this way?"
"The magic of Keldor… but
Keldor is no longer with us….."
Skeletor explained the whole
incident to Xazrog. Then Xazrog erupted into maniacal laughter at the harrowing story.
"Together, Skeletor, we will destroy the forces of good, and rule this planet! I will
place myself on the throne, while you shall overpower your 'wife' and take
Grayskull for yourself! Now King Randor has no chance….. and we will not only rule
Eternia, but the universe! With the secrets of Grayskull in our hands- we shall become the
masters of the universe!"
And Xazrog issued the false news
that Zendar was dead….. and then, with the mysterious Skeletor on his side, increased
the terror on Eternia by the millions. Many innocent people fell victim to his
forces….. and Eternia became a planet consumed by massacre. It really did seem as
though, after thousands of years, evil was finally going to return to the throne of
Eternia.
