Zordrak

' Zordrak' (A.k.a. 'Lord of Nightmares') a large dragon like creature, is the ruler of Viltheed and self proclaimed Lord of Nightmares. He serves as the lead villain of the series.

His main ambition throughout each episode is to bring nightmares to the Land of Dreams, usually by stealing The Dreamstone, which protects the land from his nightmare granting Argorribles.

Zordrak is voiced by Gary Martin in the series.

Background and Role
Zordrak was once a member of the council of Dreammakers, he was however cast out by The Dreammaker for using his powers for evil, personal gain and worst of all corrupting dreams and turning them into nightmares. Given the name Zordrak before transforming into the large dragon/lizard creature he is today and banished to Viltheed by The Planet Dreamstone for his crimes, his original name and origin are unknown. He swore vengeance on that day against The Dreammaker who literally pulled the trigger that cast him out and they have been locked in a battle between good and evil ever since.

Zordrak seemed to land on his feet after his banishment, creating a great Throne Room in the Black Mountain of Viltheed where he commands a great army of Urpneys through fear and intimidation. Surrounding this throne is a mud pit where his Argorribles live, creatures made of purple mist that are responsible for creating nightmares and disrupting sleep. Next to the throne keeps Frazznats for pets, ferocious creatures which is fond of and feeds on the occasional out of line Urpney too.

Zordrak's consistent motive throughout the series is to send nightmares. However, as time progressed he became more vehement on stealing the Dreamstone. In early episodes, his motives did not exceed capturing it so he could dispose of it, though by later points of the show, he values it as a possession, revealing his intentions to convert its power to evil so he can become invincible and conquer the universe.

Zordrak is an imposing and large creature; however, he rarely leaves his throne. In his greatest invasion of the Land of Dreams he had his scientist, Urpgor, install a power system that enabled his throne to fly. Upon his defeat and disappearance into space, he landed on the planet that was home to the Nightmare Stone, and was soonafter climbing cliff faces to find it.

The phrase ‘evil never sleeps’ almost applies to Zordrak, yet he is known to take a nap for two weeks once a year. During this time however the Urpney army get their annual leave, and the Land of Dreams is also, mostly, left in peace for a while. Yet despite this yearly rest his powers still need recharging at frequent intervals to do this must leave his body behind, he takes on a form more akin to an Argorrible, keeping his sharp red eyes. He only has a short time in this form as his body turns to stone and begins to crumble, this leaves him very vulnerable and he has to rely on his army to protect him. Once on the way back from this journey he went the wrong direction through the time vortex and returned to Viltheed as a nice person and insisted that the recently acquired Dreamstone be returned to the Dreammaker with apologies and flowers. This niceness did not last for long as after a nasty knock to the head he was back to his usual evil self.

Zordrak also once noted that he should read more, as unlike the Dreammaker he is not seen with a book often. This revelation came about when he discovered a means to make Argorribles solid from a spell he found in a book. His other magical powers consist of being able to fire lightening from his hands that can stun, turn to stone, or kill his opponent. His angry roar can also cause earthquakes, landslides and rock falls that prove dangerous for those in the near vicinity.

Personality


Zordrak is a ruthless being that thrives on evil and fear. He is not known for his kindness and rules his Urpneys with an iron claw through fear and intimidation, however he appears to have a soft spot for his Argorribles who he treats akin to pets or children. He has an infamously short temper and can be easily put into an eruptive rage by his minions' buffoonery. Though callous to his surbordinates however, he has a pragmatic side, after executing one too many Urpneys he handwaved the method as ineffective and decided to preserve lackeys such as Sgt Blob for the time being, much to Urpgor's disappointment.

In early episodes, he is more calculating and seems to serve as a tactician, concocting plans to steal the stone, while Urpgor invents the means and Sgt Blob and his troops act them out (in some rare instances, he himself would have direct involvement in a mission and go to the Land of Dreams). However by the second season, his character largely converts into that of a jaded, inactive despot, with Urpgor being the entire brains of the function. He still has very rare moments of involvement however.

He also does not get on with his sister, Zarag, who he trapped inside a bottle for a thousand years amidst an argument between them, who only escaped due to Sgt. Blob, Frizz and Nug finding the bottle on a beach. He seemed willing to strike a bargain with her in "The Substitute" however, requiring her to pose a dream maker so she could steal the stone (unaware his sister was intent on betraying him and keeping it for herself).

One of the (very few) redeeming qualities that Zordrak seems to possess is his appreciation of loyalty. He is clearly holding Blob in higher regard than Urpgor, seeing that while both are generally ineffective, Blob is at least loyal and enthusiastic, while Urpgor would betray his master as soon as he get an opportunity. In those (rare) cases, when Urpney's actually manage to bring the Dreamstone to Wiltheed, Zordrak (almost) never fail to praise the Blob success, while dismissing Urpgor claims.

Appearance
Zordrak is gargantuan and lizard like in appearance. His skin is scaly and purple toned. He garbs himself in a large blue robe (purple in the first season) and a large suit of armor covering the back of his upper body. He face has small tusks, another side effect of his mutation.

Prior to his transformation, he was a grey furred goat-like being of average human height. (in the episode The Daydream Bubble in a flashback)

Episode Filmography
Zordrak appears in every episode of the series (though is limited to a voice only cameo in Frozen Assets).

Trivia

 * For one episode in each season of the entire series (Excluding Spildit in Season 2), Zordrak manages to get his evil claws on The Dreamstone.
 * Season 1: Into Viltheed, Season 2: Albert's Ailment, Season 3: A Day Out, Season 4: The SpiderMobile.
 * In the original pitch for the show Zordrak was known as Nasta Shelfim, an anagram for "Satan Himself". This was changed in fear of offending religious groups.
 * Creator Mike Jupp provided Zordrak's voice in "The Dreamthief" pilot. He achieved his roar by voicing his one line in the studio broom cupboard. He then recorded himself gargling some beer which was added onto the dialogue.
 * Zordrak has claimed significant victories five times in the series. He successfully sent his Argorribles to give nightmares to the Land Of Dreams in "The Dreamstone", "Argorrible Attack", "The Nightmare Stone" and "The Substitute". The Urpneys also managed to sabotage a fair number of dreams in "The Dream Beam Invasion".
 * In the German dub, Zordrak's voice is given a synthesized echo.