Baron Zarath

## Background information

### Books

*Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric
Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord* (mentioned)
*Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint* (mentioned)
*Morgan* (mentioned)
*The Marauder* (mentioned)

## Character information

### Personality

satanic, fanatical, ritualistic, delusional, arrogant, calm, calculated, fearsome, thanatophobic, sadistic, psychopathic, pitiless, cruel, ingenious, unorthodox, analytical, remorseless, biased, selective, evil, insane, callous, rivalrous, asexual, alexithymic

### Appearance

slender, muscular, unkempt blue hair, ominous red eyes, sickly pale skin, heavy black tunic and cape

### Type of Character

Satanic Cultist

"*Hail the Dark Lord, hail Mr. Stupid NoHead! A new Empire come, a new will be done, across Sol, as it is here in his house of glory!*"
―Baron Zarath begins a ritualistic manslaughter[src]
**Baron Zarath** is the secondary, later primary antagonist of *Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric* and a posthumous antagonist in *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord*, *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*, and *The Marauder*. He is the third-in-command of the NoHeads and the former leader of OMEN, a terrorist group.

Among Mr. Crooked NoHead and the Ghastly One, Zarath leads the NoHeads against the Police Grand Army on behalf of the Dark Lord Mr. Stupid NoHead, and has a rivalry with the Ghastly One, believing their positions are so similar that he deserves them both.

## Biography

### OMEN

Having had his entire family wiped out to conceal any loose ends to his past and covered up his death to make it look as though he had died due to an accident at a Christian temple dedication ceremony, Zarath eventually went on to become a notorious leader of the terrorist organization OMEN and a feared enemy of both Mexico and the United States of America. Among his crimes under OMEN was burning a crew of mercenaries alive. The organization rose to prominence in the early 1980s. He was so feared by his subordinates and equals alike, that he was given the epithet of "Baron". He eventually approached a teenage stripper named Xalvatrix while she was performing, and proceeded to induce her to join OMEN. It was under the Baron's wing that Xalvatrix founded her own secretive organization known as the Venom Circle.

Eventually, Baron Zarath communed with an inter-dimensional monster, Arudun the Execrable, and together they oversaw the laying of the Black Star Eggs, creating the Spawn of the Black Star, as Zarath had intended. Zarath proposed an alliance with him so they could both obtain their personal ends in accordance to the will of "the One". Agreeing to this, Arudun wove a shadow around himself and Zarath, that enabled them to slip in unnoticed. His consumption of power of the whills was then enacted for which Zarath intended to enable the rebirth of numerous worlds, leaving several cosmic holes ripped across the very essence of the universe thanks to Arudun's actions performed on Zarath's behest. However, this unspeakable crime against the cosmos caused Arudun to swell to a size and shape so vast and hideous that even Baron Zarath began to grow afraid.

### First NoHead War

#### Joining the Dark Lord

Eventually, Zarath joined the NoHeads because they promised to resolve his people's conflict that the government had neglected. However, he continued going by his former title. Consequentially, Xalvatrix and the members of the Venom Circle joined the Order as well. Although she was surrounded by rumors, many had the false impression that she was a dancer or even a concubine to Zarath. In truth, Zarath never had a concubine in his life, nor had he ever desired one.

Eventually, he would meet Dukakis, during which time the latter showed absolutely no fear, instead revealing that she was a murderer like him. Baron Zarath offered her the chance to join the NoHeads in their quest for system power, and Dukakis readily accepted. Zarath rechristened her as Mrs. Twisted NoHead, respectively. She passed several tests as a child to convince Baron Zarath of her dedication, though it resulted in him training her himself. Although she wanted to learn the spells of Saron Facilor, as well as a more aggressive style of sword combat, Zarath explained the reason for elevating her to Stil VI mastery. Early in 1999, he learned through his numerous religious social contacts that the Mystic was in possession of the Orb of Power, seeking to retrieve this invaluable mystical asset and gain the unconditional approval of the One.

#### Ritualistic execution

 File:Meetyourmaker.jpg

"*When the time is right, all shall praise His evil name. For now, go in peace, and meet the astral projection of the Dark Lord, He who brought thee to the mortal plane.*"
―Baron Zarath concludes the ritual[src]
Baron Zarath arrived at an old abandoned church and approached a priest while the latter was lighting candles and ruthlessly slaughtered him. After setting up a much more Satanic setting around the religious chamber, Zarath began a ritualistic killing of a captured member of the Police Grand Army. When the officer insisted that he would never be able to rule over Sol, Zarath told him that he intended for the universe to know the beautiful cure of the One. As he watched the blood of his sacrifice drip from the altar, Zarath was approached by Mrs. Twisted NoHead, who informed him that the Mystic had just fled New York City. The search for the Orb had led the NoHeads to a convoy ship and effectively highlighted the Mystic's ability to stand in their way.

Displeased by this turn of events and unwilling to be denied, Baron Zarath found Mr. Stupid NoHead himself and both men returned to Centerpoint Headquarters together, where they spoke to a hologram of the Ghastly One. Mr. Stupid NoHead was not happy that they let the man slip through their fingers and stated that the NoHeads would be destroyed if the police got the Orb of Power for themselves. Zarath humbly took full responsibility for his failure, but the Grandmaster interrupted him, declaring that their strategy had to change. Zarath suggested testing the superweapon and destroy four nearby Mercurian cities to prove their power, one of which hosted the Pentagon knowing this would bring the U.S. Government one step closer to being assimilated by the Why of All Being. After receiving authorization for the undertaking, the Baron began assembling the NoHead forces.

#### Confession to Bladepoint

"*Now suppose your religious views were not misplaced. The universe is a body, us humans the cells that sustain it. Should one cell die, what is it to Him, as long as the life of the universe is barely hampered? People think in terms of the Lord, the Messiah, the Holy Ghost, the Devil, the followers of darkness. In reality, God is the real enemy. God has slowly massacred our ancestors and now has his sights set on us.*"
―Baron Zarath[src]
Before Baron Zarath could finish assembling everyone, he was confronted in a hallway by Bladepoint. He attacked the infiltrator whilst gleefully informing him of what he had discussed with the other NoHeads, whilst lamenting he felt he deserved the Ghastly One's position. He proceeded to prevent Bladepoint from running away by manipulating the hallways by causing slimy, moldy vines to spring across the hallways, twisting them around which caused Bladepoint to be thrown painfully from wall to wall while Zarath was unaffected by all of the movements. He proceeded to send him flying through a glass wall, injuring him and preventing him from entering Invisibility Mode.

With Bladepoint incapable of defending himself, Zarath began to explain his satanic beliefs to Bladepoint. Zarath told Bladepoint that he desired to bring Mr. Stupid NoHead back to the universal power he believed he'd once had to ensure that everyone in existence was granted eternal life of peace promised by the Lord of the Cosmos. When Bladepoint questioned this, noting the people both Mr. Stupid NoHead and Baron Zarath had killed, he claimed they were all just worthy sacrifices for the NoHeads' cause, repeating his comparison of humans among the universe, to cells among the human body. Even when faced with the aspect of the death of Mr. Crooked NoHead, he merely stated that it was his destiny.

 File:BTS1 55.jpg
While claiming that death, which the mainstream God could allegedly not get enough of, was their true enemy, Zarath also explained how cosmic beings affected the cosmos in the long run. As Bladepoint commented on his tattoos, Zarath laughed as he noted that Bladepoint's sword was missing. Bladepoint turned around to notice his sword was missing, but then Zarath Deteleported, being one of very few men who could do so within the bowels of Centerpoint.

#### Mutilation of the U.S. Government

 File:WHTSC Ritual 2.png

"*Should we be mistaken, another divine influence shall curse us when we suffer natural deaths. Only through faith can our prayers be answered.*"
―Baron Zarath[src]
Shortly thereafter, Baron Zarath gave a grand speech, proclaiming that the mutilation of the government would be the beginning of the NoHeads' rise to power, proceeding to give the signal, and Centerpoint’s weapon fired and destroyed the cities, wiping away the majority of the government’s defense. Subsequently, the NoHeads received a tip from an informant in Edgewater that the Mystic was there. As fighting erupted over the inn of one Max Cultarena, Baron Zarath gathered together several NoHeads in order to begin their worship of Mr. Stupid NoHead. Arriving at an old abandoned church, the Baron was questioned by one of the gatherers, Laborie, over what would happen if their plan did not work, although Zarath just insisted that it would as he had complete faith, while Laborie noted that he may have deciphered the ancient and complex ritual incorrectly.

 File:WHTSC Ritual 5.png
Zarath then noted that if he was wrong then another divine influence would curse them after they suffered natural deaths, but he once again insisted he believed Mr. Stupid NoHead would be listening to their prayer. Zarath began the ritual, with the NoHeads all joining in, which showed themselves by burning symbolic tattoos painfully into their foreheads as the NoHeads repeated all of the words speaking together. With the ritual complete, Zarath saw that Rowan, Mrs. Twisted NoHead, and the others had gained the burnt symbol into their flesh, with the only NoHead without being the one who had questioned him earlier, proving that his faith in Mr. Stupid NoHead was not strong enough. Unwilling to have a single follower who was not devoted to their own faith, Zarath told Laborie that he lacked the nerve to follow through with the ritual before murdering him by casting a Death beam.

 File:WHTSC Ritual 11.png
Subsequently, Baron Zarath led his own attack squadron to Edgewater. However, Zarath instead captured the Mystic’s accomplice, the police cadet Bladepoint, because he had seen the map, and ordered the division to retreat as the Grand Army engaged them. Returning to Centerpoint Headquarters, Zarath ordered Nero Richardson to prove herself to him by personally interrogating Bladepoint. That evening, he was upset to hear that the boy resisted Nero’s interrogation. Nero defended herself by explaining that Bladepoint was strong in the Light, albeit untrained. He furiously criticized the Ghastly One for recommending to the baron Bladepoint's unpredictable capture, before kneeling before Mr. Stupid NoHead, who strictly told him to patrol Centerpoint, and claimed he would deeply regret criticizing the Ghastly One's methods a second time.

Baron Zarath commanded the robot troops to be on alert for Bladepoint as he began making his way through the base, as he knew that the longer he was able to tap into his powers while escaping, the more powerful he would become. During the search for Bladepoint, Commander Saul Cameron and Police Skyfighter Corps arrived at Centerpoint and assaulted its thermal oscillator, hoping to destroy it and set off a chain reaction that would blow up Centerpoint entirely before the weapon could destroy the Blackwing Sanctum. Also on the base were Sheriff Missile, Joseph Abernathy, and Jean Richardson, who had arrived before the Skyfighter Corps in order to find Bladepoint and lower the shields.

#### Unleashing a storm

 File:The Storm.png
Baron Zarath used the opportunity to activate the cosmic gaps caused by the previous destruction of the whills to begin unleashing his full power upon the entire universe, sucking all the light out of the planet and causing horrific devastation upon his enemies, with many skyfighters being destroyed by bursts of energy and tendrils of blackness. The United States Navy intervened when they saw the destructive storm spreading towards universal bounds, scrambling three jets to fire on the Baron. However, Zarath drew in the jets and made them collide as he made a huge burning cloud which ripped apart everything in its range as his dark coils expanded through the cosmic gaps and began to terraform planets across the universe. Then Zarath, mocking Bladepoint, battled him and Jean Richardson as Joseph Abernathy, Gummi the Bare, and the Object. As Richardson, having been weakened from her vicious scuffle with Nero, narrowly dodged a burst of dark matter aimed at the back of her head, Bladepoint attempted to sneak up on Zarath, only to be violently slammed to the ground. He was then set upon by Abernathy and Gummi, and the three struggled. Finally, Bladepoint smashed him onto the ground. Zarath fell on his back, weakened by the battle.

 File:ZarathStorm-BTS1.png
As he lay in a pile of broken glass and his own blood, Zarath spoke his final words, "Hail the… Dark… Lord…," and died moments before Saul Cameron destroyed Centerpoint Headquarters with him inside.

 File:ZarathDies.png
### Legacy

"*I take it the Baron has fallen. This day shall doubtlessly be recalled in a grim light.*"
―Mr. Stupid NoHead[src]
Zarath's demise left Dmitri Donner in a place of considerable power. Following Centerpoint Headquarters' destruction, Mr. Stupid NoHead arrived on the Caribbeans to retrieve the Orb of Power, swiftly deducing that Baron Zarath had been killed. Mr. Stupid NoHead remarked that the day of his death would be remembered in a negative light, and showed respect to the Baron because his death wasn't in vain. The Baron's on-and-off protégé, Xalvatrix, did not take his passing very well either. His death also enabled the Dark Lord to discover Arudun the Execrable's existence, and he informed him that Zarath would have been sentimental about the transition had he lived to learn of it. Much later, Mr. Stupid NoHead considered Baron Zarath to be a loss, whereas Xalvatrix was labeled as both a lead missile and a mere placeholder.

Jesse O'Hara studied Baron Zarath's mysterious past when she was investigating the actions of Arudun the Execrable, whose allegiance with the baron had come to an end following the Attack on Centerpoint.

Imperial historians were aware of Zarath's affiliation with Mr. Stupid NoHead. Historical records noted that Zarath was the owner of a heavily modified water courier. It was hypothesized that the courier was customized by someone for Mr. Stupid NoHead, who then bestowed the ship to Zarath as a reward for his loyalty.

By 2022, a bust of Baron Zarath could be found at an antique store.

## Physical description

Zarath had unkempt blue hair, ominous red eyes, and sickly pale skin. He wore a black tunic described as looking uncomfortably heavy, with a long, billowing cape and a helmet with shoulder armor, akin to a rigid hood. He also wore black boots that looked extremely worn.

## Personality and traits

As one of the highest-ranking beings among the NoHeads, Baron Zarath was calm and calculated during his service to the Order. Truly satanic, Zarath was fanatically loyal to Mr. Stupid NoHead and ritually worshiped him as a deity, even enacting ritualistic sacrifices in the name of the Dark Lord. Zarath had initially been a feared terrorist who demanded respect from his fellow workers. Zarath suffered from delusions of grandeur and viewed the imminent NoHead Empire as the coming of a deity. Unfortunately, the Baron could not comprehend how death was a natural part of life rather than just a step behind humanity's evolutionary peak. Viewing both decay and God as the true enemy of everything, he came to believe that he was doing good as surrendering the universe to Mr. Stupid NoHead would grant humanity immortality and rid the universe of death, writing his actions to Bladepoint as saving the world. Even when faced with the aspect of the death of Mr. Crooked NoHead, he merely stated that it was 'destiny due to succeed'.

Additionally, he was a pure sadist as he was proven to be such when he was preparing to kill anyone or destroy everything that came along his way, in order to achieve his goal. A true psychopath, Zarath was pitiless and cruel, but also a scientific genius, who was able to see beyond appearances and managed to see the truth behind myths believed to be superstition. While he did believe in myths and arcane mystics, he didn't view them in a religious or superstitious manner but instead saw them as a form of science to be studied and used for their own purposes, as he stated to a situational ally.

Even so, Zarath was ultimately still a delusional psychopath, as he remorselessly committed murder, despite his desire to cleanse the universe of death, while justifying it to himself by claiming that his ends justified the means. His hatred for God and fanaticism toward Mr. Stupid NoHead and reasoning for both also proved he was extremely biased with a selective view on the universe. However, he was not blinded by Mr. Stupid NoHead's malevolence, as he even revered him for being a figure of pure evil, showing his insanity and belief that he considered himself a servant of darkness who wasn't justified apart from his dream of conquering death. To put it bluntly, Zarath could not comprehend how the rules of nature occasionally needed to be broken to do anything other than just create endless life.

When discovering Centerpoint Headquarters was under attack, Zarath remained calm and collected, only speaking when asked to by Mr. Stupid NoHead's metaphysical presence.

Zarath had very little regard for his followers, even killing one for questioning him. Due to the great amount of rivalry amongst the members of the NoHeads for Mr. Stupid NoHead's favor, Zarath despised other high-ranking members of the hierarchy. Zarath was particularly despised by the Ghastly One, inferring that the hatred was mutual. He secretly derived pleasure from whenever the Ghastly One failed his mission or whenever Mr. Stupid NoHead reprimanded him, and once confessed his plan to kill him when he was sufficiently unstable and therefore of no use to his master who was, as Zarath saw it, protecting him from the Baron's wrath. Zarath showed no love or desire for anyone, only immense respect and loyalty for his master. Even in his final moments, Zarath pledged his loyalty with his final words being "Hail the… Dark… Lord…".

## Powers and abilities

*For information on Power Box, review the Power Box page.*

### Powers

* File:Zarath Empowered.png  **Elemental Mastery**: Baron Zarath was able to turn matter into dark matter and vice versa, with him wanting to use his powers to corrupt the third planet into darkness. He could warp and twist the landscape of Centerpoint Headquarters, and defying gravity by running on walls and ceilings. He could also augment his strength and resilience with conscious effort, to the point where he could easily send someone flying with his attacks, and effortlessly lift up and toss Bladepoint with one hand. He was capable of channeling a mighty whirlwind of darkness and spreading it around, manipulating to an extraordinary degree, effectively combining his powers into a devastating weapon, easily killing most of the fifty Grand Army members present, some even in mid-hyperspace. Such evil had been made possible through cosmic holes ripped by the destruction of the whills. He also nearly killed Bladepoint and Richardson with a concentrated burst of darkness. However, his strength was insufficient to stand up to the likes of the extra-dimensional beast Arudun the Execrable, who was a fearsome evildoer in his own right.
	+ **Flight**: In that same battle, Zarath was able to hover and fly through the air at great speed, seemingly by using the surrounding matter as a propellent.
	+ **Ontokinesis**: Baron Zarath possessed the ability to manipulate matter and warp reality around him to defeat his enemies, being able to compete against the likes of the skilled Bladepoint and his hegemonic equal the Ghastly One, who secretly feared the cultist's strength.
	+ **Mégethoskinesis**: Zarath was able to manipulate his size, notably using it when unleashing the whirlwind, he grew three times the height of Bladepoint.

### Abilities

* **Master combatant**: Baron Zarath is a highly skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist. He maintained the upper hand in his duel with Bladepoint. In the final fight, Zarath used his martial arts skill to battle Bladepoint again, this time in conjunction with four of his new friends, and yet Zarath seemingly maintained the upper hand, until a glancing blow caught him off his guard.
* **Genius-level intellect**: Baron Zarath had a formidable intellect, enough to be acknowledged by the powerful yet ultimately mortal man he worshiped as someone who was useful to his plans. Therefore, the Dark Lord supported the cultist's career despite the Ghastly One's opposition to a "rabid cur" occupying a position of significance in the NoHeads.
	+ **Master tactician**: Zarath was precise and methodical in his rise to power as well as his approach to warfare. He possessed a combination of remarkable patience and unbelievable religious fanaticism, both of which motivated his desire to gain greater power at the expense of his rivals. It was he who foresaw what incredible damage the Mercurian Catasrophe could inflict, and that the NoHeads already had the resources to pull off an artificial disaster of that scale.
	+ **Expert instructor**: Zarath trained Dukakis in the ways of the Darkness, insightfully elevating the petite yet bloodthirsty girl to Stil VI mastery.
	+ **Bilingualism**: Zarath was fluent in both English and the Ancient Language.
* **Master intimidator**: Baron Zarath, due to his unusual capacity for atrocious torture and fanatical omnicide, commands an extremely intimidating presence. Even some of his inner circle fear their cult leader and maintains their fierce loyalty mainly out of a fear of what he would otherwise do to them.
* **Indomitable willpower**: Baron Zarath possesses an unbreakable determination to achieve his goals and provide service and pleasure to his lord. Additionally, the cultist possesses an obliviousness to danger that makes him invulnerable to fear and intimidation.

## Relationships

### Allies

Due to the great amount of rivalry amongst the members of the NoHeads for Mr. Stupid NoHead's favor, Zarath despised other high-ranking members of the hierarchy. Most of all Zarath knew he was particularly despised by the Ghastly One, a hatred he inevitably reciprocated. He secretly derived pleasure from whenever the Ghastly One failed his mission or whenever Mr. Stupid NoHead reprimanded him, and once confessed his plan to kill him when he was sufficiently unstable and therefore of no use to his master. Zarath believed the Ghastly One was no match for him and that he was, as Zarath saw it, protecting him from the Baron's wrath. Unbeknownst to him, Ghastly actually agreed he could not hope to face the cultist by himself. Despite this, he did seem to get on well with the much younger Xalvatrix, having been the one to discover her potential, although it disturbed her when she learned that he fantasized about physically abusing his subordinates.

Laborie was a subordinate of Zarath, but he became his victim when he lacked the nerve to begin worshiping Mr. Stupid NoHead as a deity.

## Victims

Zarath also killed thousands of innocents in various universal areas during the Centerpoint showdown.

## Gallery

WHTSC Baron Zarath Poster cropped.pngMeetyourmaker.jpgBaron Zarath executes a member of the Police Grand ArmyBTS1 55.jpgBaron Zarath tells Bladepoint of his motives.WHTSC Ritual 2.pngBaron Zarath begins the first ritual.WHTSC Ritual 5.pngBaron Zarath midway through the ritualWHTSC Ritual 11.pngBaron Zarath prepares to kill LaborieThe Storm.pngZarath unleashes a storm of dark matter upon the EarthZarath Empowered.pngZarath watching his storm unfoldZarathStorm-BTS1.pngBaron Zarath facing Bladepoint.ZarathDies.pngZarath is blasted into submission by Bladepoint and Gummi.
## Behind the scenes

* D. Isaac Thomas has said that Baron Zarath's spirit song is "Ball of Satan" by Igor Korneluk and that he could almost hear it in his head as he wrote out Zarath's attempt to destroy the universe.
* Despite his minimal page frequency, he is widely considered by readers as one of the darkest D.I.T. villains to date given how he is written to personify Satanic cultism.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 *Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord*
4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BTS5`
5. ↑ *Morgan*
6. ↑ *The Marauder*