Erok (Hyborian era; novum Terra; former citadel of the Dark Lords; Void Indigo city-state)

erok-hyborian-voidindigo-palace EROK
(please note that these stories are from Epic, part of a more mature line and the text and images may not be appropriate for everyone)

Official Name: Erok

Continent: Novum Terra, in the region that would become New Mexico, United States of America, in North America;
active circa 10,000 - 9000 B.C. (Hyborian era)

Population: None;
formerly unrevealed

Capital City: Unrevealed

Government: At the time of its destruction, it was ruled by King Ath'Agaar;
prior to that, it was ruled by a magistrate serving under the Dark Lords (Eeyod, Hemuth, Koth and Zepharr) who, in turn, drew power from Kaok

Major Languages: Unrevealed

Monetary Unit: Unrevealed

Major Resources: Unrevealed

National Defense: Warriors

International Relations: Some alliance with Baalat, Kerei, and Tzerama, with likely plans to assault the other citadels, including Kur;
the citadels formerly warred amongst each other

Extraterrestrial Relations: None

Places of Interest: The palace of Erok

Domestic Super Humans: Perhaps the former magistrate's witch-woman;
formerly ruled by the Dark Lords

Non-Human Population: None

Prominent Citizens: Ath'Agaar, Ren, the former magistrate and his witch-woman

Superhuman Residents: None

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (1984)

History:
(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) <Perhaps 10,000 BC> - Nine gleaming citadels -- including Erok, Baalat, Kerei, Tzerama, and likely Kur -- arose from desert stone and sand in the continent known, at least to some outsiders, as Novum Terra.

Each citadel was a kingdom unto itself, at war with all the others, until the coming of the Dark Lords, alleged survivors of Atlantis, who conquered all nine mighty armies with their mystic powers (described as "fire from their hands").

The Dark Lords united the citadels in servitude and, from the ebon towers of their stronghold, Kur, they ruled for 1000 years.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Ath'Agaar established his palace and Erok, and he proclaimed himself King of Erok, overthrowing the former magistrate.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Considering that they had weakened with age and that Kur might fall next, the Dark Lords began sacrificing their followers to Kaok: They decreed that half of the young men and young women in the five citadels still under their rule were to make a pilgrimmage to Kur. With each sacrifice, the wizards regained some small measure of their lost vigor, but they ultimately found it to be not enough, even after sacrificing thousands. erok-hyborian-voidindigo-palace-bedchambers

Considering that those they had enslaved had become too tame, they resolved to instead capture Ath'Agaar himself.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Despite Ath'Agaar's orders, Ren spoke to Erok's former magistrate and his witch-woman, who told her that the wizards had marked Ath'Agaar for vengeance.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb)) - Some nights later, the Dark Lords ambushed Ath'Agaar in his bedchamber in Eerok's palace amidst passion with his lover, Ren, transporting the pair to Kur.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - The Dark Lords tortured Ren and then Ath'Agaar for days. Nearly dead, Ath'Agaar lashed out, shattering the Dark Lords' mystic Living Orb.

The ruptured Orb spewed forth a cloud of force that engulfed the domed chamber and all within it -- their bodies flayed and their bones ground to powder -- before similarly destroying the walls of Kur and then all of the nine citadels formerly ruled by the Dark Lords, including Erok. Within hours, the entire civilization was obliterated. erok-hyborian-voidindigo-citadelsdestroyed

erok-hyborian-voidindigo-citadelsdestroyed

The jeweled spike artifact that had destroyed the Living Orb was carried away almost 1000 miles, "nearly to the sea," and ending up in what is now New Mexico.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik.

VOID INDIGO

The Void Indigo stories -- creator-owned by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik -- referenced Zhered-Na and Sominus, both creations of Gerber and Mayerik back in the (Adventure into) Fear series.
Marvel Graphic Novel#11 / Void Indigo has the aged Dark Lords Eeyod, Hemuth, Koth and Zepharr invoke "Kaok, lord of Sominus, whose seed spawned Zhered-Na in the world's dark womb" and call upon his power via blood sacrifice. They sacrificed thousands of young men and women from their five citadels under their rule, regaining some small measure of their lost vigor. Seeking greater power, they then tortured and sacrificed the barbarian chieftain Ath'Agaar and his lover Ren for greater levels of power.
The graphic novel Void Indigo references Atlantis and the Great Cataclysm (with the Dark Lords being survivors of pre-Catalcysmic Atlantis) and the above conflict took place circa 9000 BC, fitting in with the Hyborian era. An artifact from the conflict was mystically borne nearly 1000 miles away (almost to the sea), ending up in what is now New Mexico. The region that is now North America was known as Novum Terra in the Hyborian era and was minimally referenced in the Conan stories.

The glaciered northland from which Ath'Agaar originated could be northern Canada, or it could even be the Arctic.
The end of the Hyborian era, which featured another lesser Cataclysm (not to be confused with the lesser Cataclysm that followed the Great Cataclysm (circa 18,000 BC) that again affected Earth's topography, is usually placed around 8000 BC, but it's not an even year, and it makes sense that the rupturing of the Living Orb and the energies unleashed that wiped out all evidence of the Dark Lords' nine citadels could have gradually spread across Earth and contributed to the post-Hyborian Cataclysm.

There was a six issue follow-up Void Indigo series planned, but it was cancelled after only two issues. The scripts for issues #3-6 can be found here.
The modern portions of the Void Indigo story does not reference other modern aspects of Earth-616.
Ultimately, there is no official ruling on Void Indigo...for whatever reason, I didn't review the series until someone told me in March of 2022 that Zhered-Na was referenced in it, which led to my appreciation of all of this material. I was therefore unaware of this information when I wrote the Zhered-Na profile for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
Having reviewed the Void Indigo graphic novel and series/scripts, it my assessment is that there are elements of Reality-616 present in this storyline, which would either make them the same reality or just a reality with common elements. However, there is nothing to exclude it from being Reality-616, and when that's the case, I would certainly not err on the side of exclusion. I think it would add nicely to the tapestry that is Reality-616..
I think it would fit perfectly -- even if likely not what was intended at the time of publication -- to have the modern Void Indigo stories locked into 1984, the time in which they published, rather than being part of the sliding timescale. That would have them taking place decades before the Fantastic Four's space flight.
Regardless, it is interesting to consider Zhered-Na's connection to Kaok and Sominus.

Specifically, it says that Kaok's seed spawned Zhered-Na. That would seem to make him her father, although "seed" could also refer to his child, making Zhered-Na his granddaughter.
Sominus being a realm of demons puts an interesting spin on Zhered-Na, who was a benevolent sorcereress worshipping the god Valka.
Clearly there's more to the story, but tragically, Steve Gerber passed years ago, and we can't ask him.
I talked to Val Mayerik, but unfortunately, he doesn't remember the details. But, I'm hoping that doing these profiles may jog his memory...

To the best of my knowledge only 4-5 of the Nine Citadels were identified by name. Kerei, Baalat, Tzerama, Erok, certainly. I would think Kur, as the Dark Lords' stronghold, was the fifth, but that still leaves four unidentified. Given the choice/chance, I'd provide the remaining names, such as Vayeirk, Stalyamerg, Sorr, and Meveer...but until/unless that happens, they will remain unidentified.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Erok has no known connections to:

other Hyborian city-states...

BALAAT

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) <Perhaps 10,000 BC> - Nine gleaming citadels, including Balaat, arose from desert stone and sand in the continent known, at least to some outsiders, as Novum Terra. Each citadel was a kingdom unto itself, at war with all the others, until the coming of the Dark Lords, alleged survivors of Atlantis, who conquered all nine mighty armies with their mystic powers. They united the citadels in servitude and, from the ebon towers of their stronghold, Kur, they ruled for 1000 years.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Barbaric tribes from the "glaciated Northlands," seeking to avoid the advancing ice and led by the chieftain Ath'Agaar, pillaged the enslaved cities, seizing power by sheer, brute force. Ath'Agaar led the conquering of Kerei, Baalat, Tzerama, Erok.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - The Dark Lords tortured Ren and then Ath'Agaar for days. Nearly dead, Ath'Agaar lashed out, shattering the Dark Lords' mystic Living Orb.

The ruptured Orb spewed forth a cloud of force that engulfed the domed chamber and all within it -- their bodies flayed and their bones ground to powder -- before similarly destroying the walls of Kur and then all of the nine citadels formerly ruled by the Dark Lords, including Balaat. Within hours, the entire civilization was obliterated.

--Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo

Note: Unless it was in one of the images of the conquering by Ath'Agaar or in the destruction of the nine citadels, Balaat was not shown.

KEREI

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) <Perhaps 10,000 BC> - Nine gleaming citadels, including Kerei, arose from desert stone and sand in the continent known, at least to some outsiders, as Novum Terra. Each citadel was a kingdom unto itself, at war with all the others, until the coming of the Dark Lords, alleged survivors of Atlantis, who conquered all nine mighty armies with their mystic powers. They united the citadels in servitude and, from the ebon towers of their stronghold, Kur, they ruled for 1000 years.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Barbaric tribes from the "glaciated Northlands," seeking to avoid the advancing ice and led by the chieftain Ath'Agaar, pillaged the enslaved cities, seizing power by sheer, brute force. Ath'Agaar led the conquering of Kerei, Baalat, Tzerama, Erok.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - The Dark Lords tortured Ren and then Ath'Agaar for days. Nearly dead, Ath'Agaar lashed out, shattering the Dark Lords' mystic Living Orb.

The ruptured Orb spewed forth a cloud of force that engulfed the domed chamber and all within it -- their bodies flayed and their bones ground to powder -- before similarly destroying the walls of Kur and then all of the nine citadels formerly ruled by the Dark Lords, including Kerei. Within hours, the entire civilization was obliterated.

--Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo

Note: Unless it was in one of the images of the conquering by Ath'Agaar or in the destruction of the nine citadels, Kerei was not shown.

TZERAMA

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) <Perhaps 10,000 BC> - Nine gleaming citadels, including Tzerama, arose from desert stone and sand in the continent known, at least to some outsiders, as Novum Terra. Each citadel was a kingdom unto itself, at war with all the others, until the coming of the Dark Lords, alleged survivors of Atlantis, who conquered all nine mighty armies with their mystic powers. They united the citadels in servitude and, from the ebon towers of their stronghold, Kur, they ruled for 1000 years.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Barbaric tribes from the "glaciated Northlands," seeking to avoid the advancing ice and led by the chieftain Ath'Agaar, pillaged the enslaved cities, seizing power by sheer, brute force. Ath'Agaar led the conquering of Kerei, Baalat, Tzerama, Erok.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - The Dark Lords tortured Ren and then Ath'Agaar for days. Nearly dead, Ath'Agaar lashed out, shattering the Dark Lords' mystic Living Orb.

The ruptured Orb spewed forth a cloud of force that engulfed the domed chamber and all within it -- their bodies flayed and their bones ground to powder -- before similarly destroying the walls of Kur and then all of the nine citadels formerly ruled by the Dark Lords, including Tzerama. Within hours, the entire civilization was obliterated.

--Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo

Note: Unless it was in one of the images of the conquering by Ath'Agaar or in the destruction of the nine citadels, Tzerama was not shown.

magistrate

Presumably appointed to rule Erok by the Dark Lords in their stead, he was served by his witch-woman

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Ath'Agaar established his palace in Erok, and he proclaimed himself King of Erok, overthrowing the former magistrate.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Seeking the mystic power to oppose Ath'Agaar's forces and failing to gain significant power from sacrificing their slaves, the Dark Lords resolved to capture Ath'Agaar himself.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (fb) - BTS) - Despite Ath'Agaar's orders, his lover Ren spoke to Erok's former magistrate and his witch-woman, who told her that the wizards had marked Ath'Agaar for vengeance.

--Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo

witch-woman

--Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo

images: (without ads)
Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo, pg. 2-3 (Ath'Agaar conquering);
pg. 7, panel 1 (Erok's palace);
pg. 18-19 (destruction of the nine citadels)

Appearances:
Marvel Graphic Novel#11: Void Indigo (1984) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (artist), Laurie Sutton (assistant editor), Archie Goodwin (editor)

First posted: 12/04/2021
Last updated: 12/04/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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