The Sorcerer

The Sorcerer was a nameless (at least no one knew his name) and corrupt magician living in the land of Daventry, and later in Kolyma, where he was known by some as The Enchanter, and enjoyed turning others into frogs and snakes. He wears the pointed hat signifying him as a member of the Magician's Guild.

Background
Legends tell of a Sorcerer who claimed to have cast a spell on Edward's wife allowing her to bear a child. All he asked in return was the Magic Mirror. He hadn't kept his word, and Daventry suffered from a drought because it no longer had the mirror to foretell the future. He later hid the mirror with a dragon in the land.

Later on Graham would run into the Sorcerer during his search for the three treasures of Daventry, just north of the Inviting Lake. The sorcerer was lurking nearby, out looking to give somebody a bad day, and just waiting to test his newest incantation. Graham was unable to react in time, and was in fact so afraid of the sorcerer that his knees were locked. The wizard made his mystic signs and shouted his incantations to cast his brand-new Paralysis Spell, and stone spells on Graham, the hapless knight was unable to move at all, frozen to the spot. The Sorcerer looked at the result of his work with a knowing smirk, and sneered. Satisfied with his deviltry, he departed, he waved and laughed at Graham as he disappeared from sight leaving Graham at the mercy of the forest creatures. Graham was frozen in place for a few minutes.

Graham later recovered the mirror from the sorcerer's dark lair after defeating the dragon with his wits, and the help of a bucket of water, and returned it to Castle Daventry.

After Graham recovered the tree treasures, and saved the kingdom he banished the evil beings from his realm. The wicked wizard was banished to the south, to the land of Kolyma.

While there, the evil enchanter encountered the great flying steed Pegasus up on the high plateau of the Forest Mountain known as the Top of the Cliffs. He turned the winged horse into a viper when it refused to be his steed. Then he returned to the land below looking for individuals to enchant.

When Graham came to Kolyma to rescue Valanice, he encountered the enchanter while traveling near the Poisoned Lake, seeing him out of the corner of his eye. The sorcerer was looking for trouble. The short, robed man was wearing a pointed magician's guild hat. Graham recognized him, thinking he might be the same mage who had temporarily turned him to stone in Daventry the year before, and he wanted no part of more prestidigenous pranks. However, he was protected by the Good Fairy's dust spell which still clung to the king. The sorcerer paid no notice to Graham, who watched the stubby man sniff the air and snort in disgust. Disappearing in a puff of smoke, the sorcerer left Graham alone.

The enchanter later attended Graham's wedding to Valanice at the Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury along with the dragon.

Personality and traits
The sorcerer exudes mystery and danger, he is a man of few words and many dangerous spells. He is not known to have any social redeemable qualities, but is said to make great frog legs from those he enchanted. It is said, Unfortunately, that there is nothing in Daventry more dangerous than an angry Sorcerer. It is believed it is best to avoid the evil magician rather than do anything that could cause him to retaliate.

The sorcerer is said to only speak in the language of the Mystics. Although he also seems to know the common language as he stated with a sneer; "Hope no hungry beasts or worse come this way, young fool!". He was also able to speak to and convince Edward and Maylie to part with Merlin's Mirror. However, stopping to talk to the wicked enchanter could often be big trouble.

The enchanter is tall and stately with a black flowing robe and a long white beard, though perhaps short by most Mystic standards and a bit stubby. He has an evil gleam in his piercing black eyes, and cannot be harmed, for he is magic! There is nothing that can be done to stop him.

His mystical powers can leave a person immobilized and helpless, but by different means. The sorcerer likes to test cast his Paralysis Spell on victims, leaving them exposed to other dangers in the woods of Daventry, either to be robbed The Dwarf, mauled by The Wolf, or clobbered by The Ogre. A similar spells also allowed him to turn a person to stone or or an evil spell which freezes them to the spot temporarily, though in this form the person was relatively safe from harm, but still helpless (others did not pose any threat, and the victim was simply ignored).

He later added the shape-changing enchantments to his repertoire, turning others into creature such vipers and frogs, and possibly other shapes besides. His frog spell however was permanent (though the wizard was known to eat the frogs). While most of these spells required the wicked wizard to be in close proximity, and possibly contact with an individual his freeze spell could be cast across the screen making it inescapable, although not particularly dangerous.

If one sees him, it is recommended to get out of there fast, before he turns them into something.

When it comes to magic rings, rings may not function the same, and the spells do not always work as intended. The sorcerer has been known to react differently when exposed to their invisibility spells. Sometime, Being invisible has protected individuals from this sorcerer. Unfortunately for some the sorcerer is immune to the magic ring's invisibility spell and able to see his intended victim. His powerful Paralysis spell could counteract the ring's magic and remove the invisibility.

Rumors abound concerning the magic shield's effectiveness against the magician, some suggest The magic shield will protect an individual from the dangerous sorcerer. But other rumors suggest his spells can counteract shields magic and work past tie defenses.

The sorcerer's magic is no match for that of fairy godmothers and fairies.

The sorcerer is afraid of goats, and when he sees them he decides to leave.

Titles

 * The Enchanter


 * The Sorcerer


 * The Wizard

Behind the scenes
In KQ2, this character is listed as the "enchanter" in the King's Quest Companion or the Sorcerer (in the maps section), and 'The Enchanter' in the official KQ2 hintbook. This character is described as the "enchanter", the/an "evil enchanter" or as the "wicked enchanter" in game. Pegasus refers to the "evil enchanter".

This character or characters uses the same sprite in both KQ1 and KQ2 in the AGI versions. Though given an updated, but different sprite in the SCI remake of KQ1, and the SMS port, the character is known as the 'the wizard' or the 'wicked wizard'.

In the original KQ1, the magic shield will protect you from the sorcerer. The wizard is capable of casting his freeze spell from across the screen in the Sega port.

According to information in King's Quest Companion, 2nd Edition, the enchanter is implied to be the same wizard who stole Merlin's Mirror. Perhaps even be the wizard Manannan, the brother of Hagatha (or at least members of the same organization). He is known for wearing the pointed hat, and being a member of the Magician's Guild. If so it might further explain his reasons for kidnapping Alexander.

In the original King's Quest AGI, the character may be referred to as the "enchanter" in the parser (this may depend on the version though). It is one of the few character specific terms that can be used to look at the character. Further evidence that the sorcerer and enchanter are the same being. (in the remake the parser only understands 'sorcerer' or 'man')

In KQ2 this character can be referred to as a "wizard" in the parser (although "sorcerer" does not work). "Wizard" is one of the few character specific terms for the character recognized in the game.

In KQC, the evil enchanter is described as 'the sorcerer', and also mentioned several times to be a sorcerer. The maps also list the character as the 'Sorcerer'.

A funny bonus question in the KQ2 hintbook asks, "Does the evil enchanter have any redeeming social value whatsoever" to which the reply is, "No, but he makes great frog legs".

As hinted in the King's Quest Companion, mainly 1st and 2nd Edition, this character is apparently seen in KQ2, and may also possibly be Manannan, the brother of Hagatha, as all three characters are noted for wearing the pointed hat and being members of the Magician's Guild. If so this may further explain his reasons for kidnapping Alexander (avenging the loss of the mirror, and his sister loss of Valanice, and Graham disenchanting Pegasus).

While treated as just a generic "sorcerer" in KQ1AGI and to some extent in KQ1SCI, the character's title is capitalized a few times in remake as "a Sorcerer", or "the Sorcerer". He is also described as a "magician".

In the King's Quest Companion KQ2 novel, he is also referred to as a mage. The hints section refers to him as the 'enchanter'. The KQ2 maps section also refers to him as Sorcerer further suggesting that the character in KQ1AGI and KQ2 are the same.

The sorcerer is mentioned in The Floating Castle, in regards to his hiding the Magic Mirror guarded by his beast inside a cave within Daventry.

In the Official Book of King's Quest, the character and place pronunciation guide in The Official Book of King's Quest appears to separate the Enchanter and Sorcerer into two different characters. The Sorcerer is listed as a Wizard, and the Enchanter is listed as an "Evil person" (this may indicate at least accord to that book that they are separate characters, or at least there being an importance in understanding how to pronounce both terms).

In KQ1 AGI and SMS port the goat, magic ring, magic shield, and fairy magic all defend against the wizard and his spells.

In KQ1 SCI the wizard is immune to the magic ring.

The Three-headed Dragon
No one knows who the bearer of dark magic was that sent the three-headed dragon to destroy Daventry, but its figured that neither Manannan, nor Mordack were behind it. And nothing is said of their sister Hagatha.

Another possibility with the motive and potential skill to blacken the magic mirror, and send out an enchanted beast could be the Sorcerer. As he has been in control of Dragons in the past (for he is an experienced enchanter of beasts who is said to have several guardian pets), and has experience with the mirror. perhaps enough to know it needed to be blinded. If he is the same organization as Manannan, it might explain why Manannan had much interest in following the path of the Dragon, though he himself did not send the dragon in the first place, as he might have been awhare of the Sorcerer's plans.

Finally its unclear who filled in the ancient well, was it the people of Daventry trying to prevent the dragon from using the Dragon's Lair, or did the dragon do it to prevent people from being able to get water easily, or perhaps the dragon first emerged in the land through the tunnel,

The Sorcerer (unofficial)
The Sorcerer appears in the fan game King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown VGA, see Sorcerer (unofficial)

The Enchanter (unofficial)
The Enchanter appears in the fan game, King's Quest 2: Romancing the Stones, see Enchanter (unofficial), as a separate character than the Sorcerer.

Villain in King's Quest: Your Legacy Awaits
It appears that The Sorcerer maybe the ultimate villain in the upcoming King's Quest game (will have something to do with the dragon). Perhaps his identity will be revealed. Perhaps he is the enigmatic Shadrack. And like any good King’s Quest game, a villain is lurking in the shadows: “I can’t talk too much about that but it starts to form in this chapter and it develops. It’s one of those things where if you go back and [replay], you’ll see all these clues leading up.”