Zobek

Zobek is a member of the Brotherhood of Light in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow who aids Gabriel on his quest. He encourages Gabriel to use the God Mask to bring back his dead wife Marie. Zobek serves also as the narrator of the game and antagonist, as the Lord of the Necromancers.

Background
''If the recorded chronicles of the Brotherhood are to be believed, Zobek is one of their longest serving warriors. The list of heroic deeds attributed to him is as impressive as his vast knowledge of the art of war or indeed the mighty fighting skills he can deploy, despite his age.''

''His weapon of choice is a simple long sword which he handles with skill and alacrity. Strangely, he likes to use an old-fashioned uniform of the Brotherhood of Light that, according to him, was inherited from one of his ancestors; one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of Light.''

Character History


Zobek was one of the three founders of the Brotherhood of Light. When the three founders of the Brotherhood of Light ascended to Heaven and left their dark sides behind them, Zobek became the Lord of the Dead (which is believed to be Death himself). The Lords of Shadow, as these beings became known, formed an uneasy truce between themselves. Zobek however became resentful of this fact and wanted to gain power over the others. He probed the depths of Hell for knowledge on how to acquire such power. There he unknowingly came under the influence of Satan, who provided him with knowledge of the dark arts and power, and implanted the idea he would use to manipulate Gabriel into his mind. Zobek cast the spell which separated the Earth from the Heavens, knowing his counterpart in Heaven would be forced to contact the Order on Earth.

He manipulated Gabriel so that he would be motivated to complete the God Mask. After putting him under the influence of his Devil Mask, he had Gabriel murder his own wife. He then posed as his ally, and spurred him into finding the God Mask to resurrect Marie. Later, he again influenced Gabriel into unknowingly killing Claudia, so that in the end he could use the Black Knight's gauntlet to control him.



After Gabriel gains the final piece of the mask from the Necromancer, Zobek reveals himself as the true Lord of the Necromancers and the remaining Lord of Shadows to Gabriel. He tells him of his role in the events that have transpired, and apparently kills him. While reveling in his victory, Satan communicated with Zobek and reminds him of the part he had played in his journey though Hell, revealing Zobek to be nothing more than his pawn. Without further need for him, Satan sets Zobek ablaze. David Cox has alluded that Zobek survived because of his power over death.

Years later, in modern time, Zobek, alive and well, finds Gabriel hiding out in a church as the vampire known as Dracula meaning either "The Dragon" or "The Devil". Zobek tries to coax Gabriel into helping him stopping Satan's return, lest he take revenge on both of them. The two begin to fight and Dracul falls from his tower into a street full of people. Out in the street, Zobek reveals he knows what Dracula yearns for: an end to his current existence as neither dead nor living. He offers to free his old friend of his immortality in return for his help, and Dracula vanishes, leaving Zobek to walk off into the night, promising his "old friend" that it would soon all be over.

Powers and Abilities
Even before his status as the Dark Lord of Death was revealed, Zobek displayed impressive combat prowess. He was able to hold back the hand of the Ice Titan to protect Gabriel and leap to it's shoulder, as well as survive the fall to the ground. He also displayed incredible strength in Wygol Abbey, where he and Gabriel took turns holding up the stone roof as it nearly crushed them. In his final monologue to Gabriel, he describes his fights through the realm of Satan against the demons as one source of his strength.

As the Lord of the Necromancers, Zobek wielded the Devil Mask to control the mind of Gabriel to force him to murder first his wife and then Claudia. He was also able to use his mask to probe the realm of Satan in search of Dark knowledge to help him take the God Mask. Here he was visited by Satan who increased his knowledge of the Dark Arts to "unimagined heights", which also gave him control of demonic artifacts, such as the Black Knight's Gauntlet. He also has power over life and death, which he first demonstrated by killing Gabriel, and subsequently resurrecting himself after his own death.

It is unknown if Zobek as the Lord of the Dead would have had the power to kill the Forgotten One, as he is not known to have returned to Bernhard Castle after his transformation.

Trivia

 * Zobek is comparable to Death. Zobek is called the Lord of the Dead, a title which could also be used for Death. However, unlike Death, Zobek serves only himself, and is an enemy of this continuity's Dracula (though only known thus far to be an enemy of the latter when he is Gabriel). The Lord of the Dead is even said to be "Death himself". The reapers are also said to be corporeal manifestations of Death itself.
 * David Cox has mentioned on Twitter that some of Zobek's facial features were moddled after Patrick Stewart himself, and also some of Christopher Lee and Sean Connery.
 * Though he is Satan's pawn for most of the game, in the years following Satan's defeat Zobek becomes Satan's enemy (even trying to form an alliance with Gabriel/Dracul in order to combat him). Zobek even refers to Gabriel as an old friend (in the original Castlevania continuity Death is Dracula's loyal servant and confidant).
 * When Zobek returns his eyes are completely black, save for white irises, hinting that something may have changed in him.
 * He is the only member of the Lords of Shadow whose name doesn't begin with a "C". He is also the only one without fangs in his normal form.