| “ | This insult to my most august and extraordinary personage cannot be endured! Guards! Soldiers of the realm! Diverse monsters and mechanisms! Can no one rid me of this damnable monkey? | „ |
| ~ The Nome King complaining about the ridiculously low bounty Bufkin posted on him, Fables #118 — "A Revolution in Oz, Chapter Five: Bounty on the Mutiny" |
The Nome King, or Roquat the Red, is a Nome Fable from Oz, whose first appearance was in Fables #52 — "Some Ideas Toward the Prospect of a Final Solution for Fabletown: Part One of Sons of the Empire." After serving the Adversary as an Imperial Governor, he declared himself the ruler of his own little Pan Ozian Empire in the wake of the Empire's defeat.
History
Imperial Governor
The Nome King was the king of the Nomes, a people that ruled the underworld of Oz.[5] General Blug has been at war with him "since back when he was just another king."[7] He sided with the Adversary[3] and was the governor of[6] conquered Oz along with various surrounding kingdoms and Imperial districts.[3]
The Nome King attends the Imperial conference called after the destruction of the magic grove. He is carried there in a litter by a group of Nomes.[3] The Nome King is positively delighted by the plans outlined by the Snow Queen for the effective genocide of the mundane population. He does feel, however, that the plan could be improved with his assistance, feeling that he has many minions that could be of great use. He inquires with Bright Day about his lack of appetite at the conference. Bright Day calmly clarifies that eating has been a challenge since he was decapitated.[8] Pinocchio points out the flaw in the Snow Queen's plan; they are no match for the powerful weapons of the mundane world. According to the Nome King, their plans for invasion cannot proceed, as they will face disastrous consequences.[9]
Pan Ozian Empire
After the Empire falls, the Nome King declared himself no longer the Governor of one of the Imperial districts, but the new Emperor of his own, localized Empire:[6] He sets himself up as the[10] Emperor of the Restored Pan Ozian Empire,[1] and uses press gangs to build a road across the Deadly Desert, linking Oz properly to the other conquered countries.[10] When Bufkin and his allies cross the Deadly Desert, they stop at a public rest station, where there is a poster of the new Emperor, reading:
ROQUAT THE RED
FIRST EMPEROR of the
Restored Pan Ozian Empire
Your love and service
are the LEAST that
you owe
Bufkin and his resistance group come to the realization that in order to access the underground bunker controlled by the Nome King, they need to find one Nome who holds a greater grudge against the Nome King than they do,[5] namely General Blug; even though the latter is initially reluctant to join their revolution, as he believes himself capable of settling his own accords with the Nome King in time, without their help. Meanwhile, the Yoop also joins their resistance movement because he is tired of being the official "people eater" for the Nome King: Once the Nome King ascended to the throne as Emperor, he released the Yoop from captivity, appointing him as part of his administration. He disposed of his enemies by feeding them to the Yoop, but there were too many for the creature to consume. The Kalidahs also join Bufkin's group, as they are tired of being made them sleep in filthy cages when off duty.[2]
In the Emerald City, more propaganda posters for the Nome King are seen, reading "Unquestionable SERVICE is the least you owe him!" and "Father of the EMPIRE!" In a cruel move, the Nome King reduces the amount of food given to his subjects and demands that they work even harder than before.[11]
The revolutionary group led by Bufkin is well aware of the widespread dislike towards the Nome King's new empire. As a strategic move, they put out a bounty on him, hoping to bring about his downfall. But, since they have no treasure to use in their reward, they elect to place a ridiculously low price on his head, not only intending to humiliate him but also to provoke him. They put up reward posters, promising two lollipops to whoever captures or kills the Nome King. As expected, the Nome King is enraged by this perceived disrespect towards him.[12]
During the monthly parade of the Nome King, where he celebrates his self-proclaimed title of Emperor in front of his subjects, a daring person boldly tosses a lollipop at him, declaring that he is now worth three lollipops. The Emperor is enraged and commands his soldiers to execute all bystanders until someone confesses to the crime;[6] However, he changes his instructions and demands that his soldiers behead everyone without hesitation. No one who has witnessed his humiliation should be left alive to spread the story.[13]
Death
Eventually, the Nome King's troops are defeated by Bufkin's forces.[14] The Nome King is seething with anger as he realizes his troops are nowhere to be found, leaving him completely alone. He bellows for them, hurling insults and demanding their immediate presence. Out of nowhere, Hangy, the sentient rope, coils itself around his neck and suspends him from a nearby bridge. The furious None King boasts that this will not bring about his demise, as his neck is made of stone. However, Hangy proves him wrong by snapping his head off like a whip, finally putting an end to his rule.[4] Bufkin's forces rejoice in the downfall of their opponent.[15]
Biology and appearance
True to his name of Roquat the Red,[1] the Nome King is clad in red apparel. He possesses a voluminous mane of white hair and a bushy beard of the same color, complemented by an elongated white moustache and extraordinarily long white eyebrows that jut out from his forehead..[3][4][6][12][13][8][9]
As a Nome,[5] the body of the Nome King is predominantly composed of stone, making him harder to kill. Though his neck may withstand a hanging, decapitation will lead to his demise.[4]
Personality
| “ | And then I passed the dreaded Nome King. What sort of conference was this to be? | „ |
| ~ Minister Muddlecock, Fables #52 — "Some Ideas Toward the Prospect of a Final Solution for Fabletown: Part One of Sons of the Empire" |
The Nome King was a cruel and oppressive ruler, notorious for handing out horrifying punishments like being devoured by the fearsome Yoop or becoming a meal for hungry tiger beetles. Bufkin's lawyer is successful in reducing his punishment to a simple hanging, a form of execution deemed humane by the standards of the Nome King. The Yoop was the Nome King's "chief disposer of traitors":[11] According to the Yoop, the Nome King's approach to ruling an empire was to eliminate all opponents by transforming them into waste products, whenever and wherever they appeared. This was the reason he used people as food for the Yoop. As the Yoop told it, the Nome King relished in condemning hundreds of people to be devoured by him daily. In addition, he and his officers consistently made disrespectful remarks and cracked jokes about the Yoop. When the Kalidahs not on duty, they were forced to sleep in unclean cages.[2]
As the Emperor, he enforced a strict ban on free expression and would detain anyone who spoke out against him or his reign. According to official reports, the Emerald City has never seen more prosperity and progress than it has under his rule. However, any dissenting opinions are met with swift punishment.[11] To enforce this, he has spies "everywhere."[6]
He also orders for a reduction of one-third in all rations, arguing that they are living in a time of abundance and excess, with much waste to trim from their daily bread.[11] He also had his own propaganda ministry: When the Yoop left his position, their official statement was that he was taking a much-needed vacation.[11] He demonstrates his brutality through commanding his soldiers to execute all bystanders at his parade until the culprit confesses to the crime,[6] only to quickly change his orders, adding that his soldiers must decapitate every person they come across and not cease until every head is detached from its body. This command aimed to silence anyone who witnessed his shame, as they would not be allowed to spread the news.[13]
He has a tendency to fly into fits of rage and anger whenever he felt slighted, which was evident on numerous occasions, such as when he finds out his bounty was laughably low,[12] when someone throws a lollipop at him,[6] with many witnesses present;[13] and when he believes this troops had deserted him.[4]
He could also be seen as rather arrogant, as he deemed himself as an "august and extraordinary personage,"[12] and his subjects as "nothing and meaningless, wretched crawlers and scrapers."[6] He also demands to publicly show off in front of his subjects on the same day every month, a date that commemorates his self-proclaimed title as Emperor of the Pan Ozian Empire, which he had made into a national holiday.[6]
Appearances
Fables
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Original source
The Nome King is based on the character from L. Frank Baum's children's novel Ozma of Oz and subsequent Oz books. He is portrayed as the impatient, stubborn and power-hungry ruler of the Nomes. The Nomes are a race of immortals who have adapted to living deep underground and rarely emerge to the surface. Known as Roquat the Red, or the Nome King, he is believed to be the undisputed ruler of the Underground World, commanding all rocks and their hidden treasures. His vast kingdom is inhabited by thousands of Nomes who work tirelessly in his furnaces and forges, producing gold, silver, and other precious metals that they cleverly conceal within the cracks and crevices of the earth's surface. These riches are nearly impossible for those on the surface to find without great effort. The Nomes also have the skills to create diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. These precious gems are then carefully concealed in the earth by the Nome King, making their kingdom incredibly wealthy. Meanwhile, those living above ground can only obtain these valuable stones by taking them from where they have been hidden by the Nomes.
Most of the time, the Nome King is in a bad temper, and during these moments he can be quite unpleasant. He believes that being angry is only enjoyable if he has someone to intimidate and make unhappy. In addition, he is depicted as an extremely idle monarch who often lounges on his throne, puffing on his pipe and ranting about ways to conquer the nearby Kingdom of Oz. The Nome King's temper is notoriously short, often resulting in him hurling his jewels at advisors or sentencing oppositional military leaders to their demise. Despite being defeated by Ozma, he remains persistent in his quest to conquer Oz and enslave its people. His ultimate goal is to bring them back to his mountain, where they will work tirelessly for him underground forever.