About this page: the official quest books sketch the forces of darkness briefly: a line of backstory for Zargon, a short note on each named villain, and the monster chart. This page mixes those official names (Mentor, the Loretome, Zargon, Rogar, Sir Ragnar, Prince Magnus, Ulag, Grak, the Witch Lord, Barak Tor, Kaba Karn, Darkfire Pass and others) with fan elaboration, which is labelled.
"Mentor taught him everything he knew. Zargon wanted more, and the powers of Dread were glad to give it."
Zargon
Mentor's Former Apprentice
The core Quest Book is brief: Zargon was once Mentor's apprentice, and he pledged allegiance to the great powers of Dread. Since then he has raised armies of orcs, goblins, Abominations, Dread Warriors and undead, and sent them against the King's realm. Rogar and his companions drove those armies back once; the core quests begin as they return.
At the table, Zargon is also a role: one player runs the monsters, reads the quest notes and plays the villain. If nobody wants the job, the free Companion App can act as a "Digital Zargon" (see Playing Without Zargon).
Zargon's Lieutenants
The core quests put a name to several of Zargon's servants. Each has its own stat box in the quest notes rather than a generic monster card.
Verag the Gargoyle
The heroes' first named enemy, waiting in Fellmarg's tomb in Quest 1, The Trial.
Ulag, the Orc Warlord
Master of the orc hordes. The heroes raid his lair in Quest 3, Lair of the Orc Warlord.
Grak, Ulag's Son
Ulag's "foul offspring", met in Quest 6, Legacy of the Orc Warlord. Grak is an orc, the Warlord's heir; he is not an ogre and has nothing to do with the Ogre Horde.
The Witch Lord
The lord of Barak Tor, the target of the core campaign's last three quests and the reason the heroes go looking for the Spirit Blade. He returns in the Return of the Witch Lord pack.
Sorcerers and Mages
Quest 8 is The Fire Mage (named Balur in the classic editions). The 2021 box has a single Dread Sorcerer miniature, and the Quest Book says it stands in for several different characters, both good and bad.
How the Forces Fit Together
Zargon's forces at a glance
The Rank and File
The 2021 core box holds 31 monster miniatures: 8 orcs, 6 goblins, 3 Abominations, 4 Dread Warriors, a Dread Sorcerer, a gargoyle, 4 skeletons, 2 zombies and 2 mummies. Rules-wise they share a few traits: each has a fixed movement score instead of rolling dice, they attack and defend with combat dice (blocking on black shields), and only some can cast Dread spells. Stats and tactics are on Combat & Tactics.
Greenskins: Orcs and Goblins
Ulag's people. Goblins are fast and fragile; orcs hit harder. In the stories they raid, guard and outnumber. A fan reading: they follow whoever is strongest, which is why killing a warlord matters so much.
Dread Troops: Dread Warriors, Abominations and Gargoyles
The heavy end of Zargon's army. Dread Warriors are armoured elite soldiers; Abominations are brutish monsters; the gargoyle is a stone monster that hits and defends hard.
The Undead: Skeletons, Zombies and Mummies
Slow, mindless and relentless, and the natural followers of the Witch Lord in this guide's reading. Undead have no Mind Points, so spells that work on the mind are useless against them.
Villains of the Quest Packs
Each Avalon Hill pack adds its own threat. Details are on each pack's quest and lore pages.
- The Frozen Horror: the creature the pack is named after, with Ice Gremlins, Polar Warbears and Yetis.
- The Mage of the Mirror: an evil Archmage (Sinestra in the 1992 original) with ogres, giant wolves and elven warriors and archers.
- Rise of the Dread Moon: Dread Cultists, Specters and a Dread Wraith, concluding the Elethorn saga.
- Against the Ogre Horde: the Ogre Lord and his ogres, plus goblin, orc and skeleton archers.
- Wizards of Morcar (2026): five enemy sorcerers, including a Necromancer, each with six spells, plus Dreadshifters.
- Dragons: rare. First Light includes a dragon miniature and The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness a black dragon.
Old Names and New
Older fan material uses the classic names. This is how they map onto the 2021 game.
A Fan Reading: Why Evil Keeps Coming Back
This section is interpretation, not official lore. The books never explain why Zargon's forces always return; one satisfying answer for a campaign is that every defeat leaves something behind. A warlord falls and his son takes up his legacy (Grak, in Legacy of the Orc Warlord). A barrow is sealed but the lord inside is not truly gone (as the Witch Lord shows). A Zargon player can use that pattern to tie custom quests together: every victory plants the seed of the next quest.
Where Next
- Playing Zargon covers running these villains well.
- Lore: Cosmic Forces looks at Dread and the powers behind the story.
- Custom Heroes & Monsters shows how to build new villains.