Zofor

Zofor (ゾフォル) is a secondary antagonist in Zill O'll. He returns for a similar role in the prequel.

He is 72 years old at the start of Zill O'll.

Role in Games
Zofor is a sorcerer and member of the Sistina Missionaries, a discreet cult which seeks to awaken Ulugh from his ancient slumber and once again doom humanity to annihilation. The deity requires tons of dark energy for his revival, a source which is easiest to obtain by sacrificing human souls. Using the power of his prophecies, he sensed Balor's inevitable fall into darkness and sought to use the general to hurry Ulugh's resurrection. He kept his past and identity a secret and goaded for Balor to ignite a civil war against Emperor Nuad. The sorcerer was one of the general's five elite vassals, or Five Stars of Balor.

When Balor was enthroned, he trusted Zofor and donned him as the new Chancellor. In due time, his prophecy regarding Balor's change of character came true. Pleased with the malicious intents found within his lord, Zofor used his new position of power to perform the necessary rituals for summoning Ulugh's Knights of Darkness, such as Baltzer, Nemo, and Magos. He also arranged for Beelzeva's birth within the magical tower in Ancient and raised the child into adulthood.

Twenty-six years before Zill O'll, Zofor cited a prophecy that "the child of Balor's daughter" would slay Balor. TRINITY rewords this prophecy to "Balor's descendants" instead. In either case Zofor oversaw the deaths of Balor's children, Esalen and the rebelling Lugh. He then proceeded to scheme with Dyneskal's Ministry regarding further summonings of demonic entities. Zofor and the Ministry combined their sorcery to make Balor an immortal by this time in the original lore, as they plotted to use the bloodshed and dark energies generated from the deaths of Dyneskal's constant warfare to someday turn the emperor into a demon like Ulugh. This is changed to another date in the prequel.

Although Nemea and company became a concern to those within the empire, Zofor thought little of the threat it posed to Balor's security, as he was secretly plotting to use either Nemea or Zagiv to replace Balor. When Nemea and company dispelled the Ministry's seal on Balor's immortality, Zofor thought there was no point protecting a failure. The original lore states that Zofor fled Ancient by the time Nemea's company had infiltrated the castle.

TRINITY instead remarks that Balor was made immortal only shortly before the castle's infiltration and Zofor was behind his schedule. He stayed within Ancient to hasten Balor's transformation into a demon and summoned Argyleshire to stall for time. The Chancellor faced Areus and company within the castle and was defeated by them. He somehow survived their beating and discretely fled from the public eye.

Wanting to be close to the dark energies he had painstakingly gathered in Ancient, Zofor lived in the city's slums to await the promised day of Ulugh's awakening. He used his magic to mask his identity, but head hunters or vengeful Dyneskal soldiers would sometimes locate him and threaten to take his life. It is during such an occurrence when the sorcerer first meets the protagonist. Sensing the "Infinite Soul" residing within him/her, Zofor instructs the protagonist to defend him. Regardless of whether the player chooses to do so or not, the sorcerer survives the encounter. Amused by their potential, Zofor introduces himself to him/her and invites him/her to occasionally visit his home. His conversations reveals more of the game's lore but are not needed to unlock any endings.

Soon after Nemea's disappearance in the main story, Zofor has gathered enough energy to cast Soul Reap, a powerful spell which destroys the bodies of mortals and forcibly extracts the darkness found within their souls. He casts Soul Reap on the inhabitants in Ancient, using many innocent people to offer as sacrifices for Ulugh's awakening. With the dark energies he had in reserve, Zofor conjures an army of demonic monsters in Ancient and positions himself within the main castle.

The protagonist has to confront Zofor to continue with the main story. If the protagonist has neglected to keep Zagiv in their party, she will lose to the demon inside her and becomes the dark "emperor" of Dyneskal Zofor had planned since her birth. Both she and Zofor face the main party. Keeping her in the main party averts her demise. If the protagonist has neglected Beelzeva, he will perish due to Zofor's spell. Triggering his personal events changes the nature of Zofor's encounter and leads to Beelzeva's recruitment.

Regardless of the scenario, Zofor perishes when he is defeated by the protagonist's party. The protagonist had hoped that the effects of Soul Reap would be dispelled with his death, but Ancient remains a ghost town for the rest of the game. Ultimately, Zofor succeeded in his final goal.

Personality
Decrepit and sinister, Zofor coldly considers humanity to be a blight upon the world. To him, Balor and other people are mere puppets for his designs. He enjoys plotting for the world's destruction and revels in his worship of Ulugh. The sorcerer prides his intellect and the accuracy of his prophecies, yet he despairs over his helplessness to change a future that doesn't agree with him. He will do anything in his power to prevent them from becoming a reality. It's implied that he foresaw his own death during Zill O'll and cast Soul Reap as his final service to Ulugh.

Voice Actors

 * Kouji Yada - Japanese voice

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