The History of Eternia

You are reader # to study Eternia's history.

The History of Eternia
_ Aidan Cross, copyright 12/12/98


Part 1: The days of the Snake Men

Thousands of years ago, Eternia was a planet submerged in magic. Humans and dinosaurs lived side by side, and many people on the planet were skilled to extremes in magic. Most of these people belonged to the universal council of magic, which was led by a magician from Earth. Each member of the council learned the English language, spoken by their leader, and the language soon spread throughout the universe. Sharing their magic skills with other members of the council improved each member’s powers greatly, and before long, Eternia was home to many of the greatest sorcerers in the universe.
But soon this planet was to come under threat. A group of sorcerers and sorceresses had been performing spells on several species of snake on their planet, trying to communicate with them. But one of the spells went horribly wrong, and instead the sorcerers’ forms were merged with those of the snakes, making them crosses between men and snakes, later to be known as the Snake Men. At first, they felt like freaks- but then they realised they had various special powers in their new snake forms, and decided to use it to their advantage. Unfortunately, they had also been driven mad by the sudden change of form. To prevent the Snake Men from being seen simply as freaks on Eternia, one of them decided that they should take over Eternia themselves to prove their superiority over ordinary humans. He renamed himself King Hiss, and ordered for the Snake people to breed to increase their population. Then they began to attack the ordinary people of Eternia, and soon became recognised as a possible threat to the safety of the planet. As the snake army grew, their powers grew, and soon King Hiss’ power was so strong that he was able to forge a base from an ordinary mountain. Using his magic to carve several gruesome snake and monster heads in the rock, he named his base Snake Mountain. From here, the Snake Men planned each of their schemes to take over Eternia. King Hiss soon became able to create false human skin to cover his snake form, which was useful for fooling the people of Eternia into thinking he was one of them.
The snake army continued to grow, as did the magic it possessed, and eventually they were so powerful that they were able to kill the King of Eternia and fend off his soldiers. King Hiss then took the throne of Eternia for himself, and Eternia was reduced to a planet of poverty and suffering. Many a human perished at the hands of the Snake Men. Luckily, the council of elders on Eternia, who were the most experienced in magic on the planet, were making their plans to eliminate the Snake Men from their world. They had already been combining the greatest secrets and wisdom of the universe, into a glowing orb, which would give its possessor the power to be master of the universe. They knew that the forces of evil would pursue the orb if they heard of it, and so they needed a sacred base to protect it. Using their magic, they erected a large, stone castle, over 30 feet high, with a terrifying gray skull over the front end. This skull would repel all who dared invade the castle, which they named Castle Grayskull.
The Elders hid the orb inside a dark room in the centre of Grayskull, which they then locked. One of them was elected Sorcerer of Grayskull, and granted even greater powers with which to guard the castle. Now that they had their powerful base to ward off evil, they needed a defender. Someone with the strength of a hundred men, or with magical powers they felt would be the perfect defender of Eternia. And so they decided that someone with both would be best- someone with great strength and a powerful magic sword to defend Eternia with. So the Elders combined their power, and forged a sword which they named the Sword of Power. The Elders were so powerful that they also forged a second sword, called the Sword of Protection, which would be granted to another person, should the need ever arise for a second defender.
Now that they had forged the sword of power, their next step was to find the right person to be given these powers. They decided that with the strength of a hundred men, the perfect name for him would be He-Man. But who would become He-Man?
Soon they found that despite the forgery of the sword, there was no need yet for He-Man. For shortly after, a young wizard came to visit them in Grayskull, offering his services to them. At first they assumed him to be someone who merely wanted to defend Eternia, without having much power. But they were soon proved wrong. For when King Hiss found out about Grayskull, he and the Snake Men launched an attack on the castle. Although the Elders knew that the power of Grayskull was enough to fend the Snake Men off, the wizard just managed to persuade them to let him go first. They said they would allow him to fight the Snake Men, but then they would follow and help him.
There was no need for them to follow. The wizard instantly sent the Snake Men darting in all directions with bolts of his power. Some Snake Men fell to their knees and begged for mercy, others even collapsed when they saw his power, and King Hiss ordered them to retreat. The Snake Men fled into the distance, and the Elders congratulated the young wizard. They told him that he could be the defender of Eternia, and they granted him some of Grayskull’s power, to make him even more powerful. Since he was a true hero, they called him He-Ro, the name taken from the proposed defender He-Man, who would come if Eternia needed extra help.
Before long, He-Ro, the Elders, and several other magicians who offered their services, were proving powerful defenders, and the Snake Men began to see them as a possible threat to their rule over Eternia. The battle raged for many years between the two sides. But King Hiss knew that although the Elders and sorcerers were very powerful, they were still outnumbered by the Snake Men, and he felt that an attack on Grayskull by the whole Snake Army could defeat the Elders. Then the Snake Men could take Grayskull for themselves and turn it into a fortress of evil, while they unlocked the secrets of the universe.
So King Hiss ordered the whole snake army to assemble outside Snake Mountain and Viper Tower, a new base which they had built after the army grew so much that it needed two bases. Soon, the whole army was gathered around these two dark fortresses. King Hiss ordered a march on Grayskull, and told the army to wipe out the Elders and capture Castle Grayskull.
But a spy for the Elders heard the Snake Men’s plotting, and warned He-Ro and the Elders. Quickly they prepared themselves for the Snake Men’s attack on Grayskull. When the Snake Men arrived, they were shocked when they saw He-Ro and the Elders suddenly springing out upon them. King Hiss felt the whole army could destroy the Elders, but the power of He-Ro and the Elders combined was too much for them. The Snake Men were forced away from Grayskull by the magic, and trapped inside a force field that the Elders created with their magic.
After the Snake Men were trapped, He-Ro made his way to Snake Mountain, then Viper Tower, and set free all of the Snake Men’s prisoners. The Elders then set about the task of what to do with the Snake Men. It would be unjustified to take their lives, so they decided to send the Snake Men into the timeless dimension- a place where they would never grow old or die, but would have no power since the dimension was currently empty. They set the Snake Men free of the force field, and many of them fell to their knees, having realised they were no match for the power of Grayskull. Even King Hiss dared not make a move. The Elders told them they were sending them into the timeless dimension- and then several Snake Men came forth and begged to be allowed to stay on Eternia. They told the Elders that they had never agreed with King Hiss’s greed and bloodthirstiness, and had not caused any damage at will. So these Snake Men were allowed to remain on Eternia for the time being, and the Elders used their magic to teleport the rest to the timeless dimension.
The remaining Snake Men were taken to Grayskull and tested for truth. The powers proved they were honest, and were good at heart. They said they would leave the humans alone if they granted them a secret base, and so the Elders placed them in a small, underground base which they made their kingdom, calling themselves the Reptons.
With the dangerous Snake Men gone from Eternia, He-Ro then performed a final magic spell which covered up Snake Mountain, and sank Viper Tower below ground. Exhausted by all the fighting he had done, He-Ro collapsed. He was taken back to Grayskull, where he died of exhaustion, but his last words were: "There will be ... another ... to come ... after me ... ... a hero named He-Man ... who will appear during ... Eternia's darkest day..."


Part 2: The Return of Evil

After the defeat of the Snake Men, peace ruled over Eternia for many years. The damage caused to the planet by the Snake Men was repaired, and the royal family were so good to the people of Eternia that their world eventually became much richer, and the people more powerful. Technology began to advance too.
Castle Grayskull remained almost permanently locked for all these years. The Sorcerer or Sorceress of the castle would change roughly every 50 years, and usually the only time the drawbridge was lowered was when a new guardian of Grayskull came its way. The magic inside was heavily concealed, secret from all the ordinary people of Eternia. It was one of the most mysterious places on the planet, and few people ventured near it, afraid of the huge, deep abyss which surrounded it. The castle was home only to its guardian, and the spirits of the elders of Eternia.
However, at this point, Eternia was lucky to be free from evil. Elsewhere in the universe, there were many fierce wars raging between good and evil. A strange being was in charge of all evil in the universe, hoping that someday evil would take control of the universe. His name was Horde Prime. He was 30 feet tall, his body concealed inside a huge spacecraft which hovered through space. He came from a far off world of evil simply known as Horde World. He had conquered several planets, which were now part of his Horde Empire. Few people ever saw him- only the occasional glimpse of his red eyes shining through the dark mists of his ship.
Horde Prime taught many young people who had been kidnapped by his forces the ways of evil. His favourite pupil was a young man called Xazrog, whom he had captured as a small boy. Xazrog was a skilled scientist, and often ridiculed the use of magic in the ways of evil. He felt that magic was useless and that science was the key to conquering the universe, so he spent countless hours at work on his inventions. Impressed by Xazrog’s skills, Horde Prime decided he should give the young scientist a world to invade. So he called Xazrog to him, and ordered him to invade the planet Eternia. He felt that this planet had been at peace for too long, and he also thought it would be an easy world for Xazrog to conquer, since its heroic fortress, Castle Grayskull, used only magic for defence.
At that time on Eternia, the king, whose name was Miro, had announced he was giving up the throne to hand it over to one of his younger sons. He had twin sons, called Randor and Keldor. Upon King Miro’s resignation, both his sons hoped that they would get the throne- but it was a difficult decision, since both were exactly the same age, and both were honourable, respected men. So Miro allowed the citizens of Eternia to choose which one should become king. There were some citizens on the planet who did not feel they could trust Keldor, for he dabbled in magic which some of them felt to be sinister and possibly dangerous. Keldor was, indeed, an ambitious young man in the way of magic, but many people felt he considered his magic more important than the people of Eternia. But everyone felt that Randor would make a perfect king, while they had also taken a liking to his wife, Marlena, a former astronaut from Earth who had crashed on Eternia a few years before. So in the end, Randor was elected king after the people had cast their votes, and Marlena was queen, by his side.
Keldor was angry at this, as he had intended for his magic to help the poor of Eternia, and loudly protested in public. He swore to eliminate his brother from the throne, and when Randor realised his brother had been driven mad, he ordered for him to be imprisoned. But as the guards were about to drag Keldor to the prison, Keldor turned them into stone with his magic, before fleeing from Eternos city. He was not heard of for some time.
Xazrog was very confident that he could conquer Eternia, as although he had been sure of victory against Keldor, Randor would be easier to beat since he had no special powers at all. So Horde Prime assembled several great warriors who would accompany Xazrog to Eternia; then he beamed them down to the planet to begin their invasion.
Once on Eternia, Xazrog used one of his machines to uncover the long lost Snake Mountain which Horde Prime had told him about. He and his warriors moved in and took the ancient building as their base. Xazrog constructed an army of robots which he called ‘troopers’ and then he began to launch attacks on Eternos city. Once Randor had realised this threat to Eternia, he assembled his army, and as Xazrog’s army grew, many men of Eternia left their homes to fight in the war. The whole planet was soon engulfed in a war almost as vicious as the centuries-old Snake Men war.
Xazrog’s main aim besides conquering Eternia was to find where Keldor had fled, because he felt that Keldor’s thirst for revenge could help him defeat King Randor. Once Keldor had disposed of Randor with his magic, Xazrog would then kill Keldor and take the throne of Eternia for himself. So he had to set about the task of finding Keldor, so that all Eternia could be his…..


Part 3: The Origin of the Sorceress

As the war raged all over Eternia, a young girl named Teelina was suffering cruelly. Before the war had started, she had fallen in love with a young man called Zendar, and married him. But they had barely been married five minutes when he was called to fight in the war and leave his beloved wife behind. To make things more difficult, Teelina had found that she was pregnant shortly afterwards, and later given birth to a baby girl, whom she called Teela. She was left to look after her child alone, but it was especially difficult as her money was nearly all stolen by Xazrog’s minions, who invaded her village. When the whole village was reduced to a place of poverty, Teelina, who was known for her kind and caring nature, decided she must do her best to save her planet. She remembered an old legend about an ancient castle, which would be able to save Eternia when danger threatened. So she said goodbye to her friends in the village, and, taking Teela with her, left to go in search of the old castle.
Her journey was long and hard, taking several days. She had to keep stopping to ask directions, and even beg for money so she could find food to feed Teela. But eventually, an old man directed her to the castle known as Grayskull, and she soon found herself standing in front of the deep abyss, gazing up at the locked drawbridge. At first she thought there was no chance that she could enter, but then a friendly voice from inside the castle told her to enter, warning her that if she entered, she might not be the same ever again. The drawbridge then lowered by magic, and Teelina entered. She walked into the castle’s throne room, and saw a middle-aged woman, wearing a falcon head-dress and a blue costume with orange feathers. The woman told her that her name was Kodak Ungor, and she was the sorceress of Grayskull. Teela told her about the dreadful threat that Eternia was under. Kodak Ungor said she was already aware of it, and at Grayskull she had been planning to take action, as she knew that Xazrog intended to capture Grayskull at some time. But she also knew that she had been the sorceress of Grayskull for a very long time, and was now getting too old, and her magic powers weakening. She knew she would have to give up soon, but she needed someone to take her place, and felt that Teelina was just the right person.
Teelina said she would accept, but first, Kodak Ungor told her the whole story of Grayskull- about the ancient Snake Men war, the sword of power, and the hero named He-Man, who had never yet existed. Then she told Teelina of the suffering and pain she would have to see, and her many responsibilities as Sorceress. But Teelina was more than ready to accept. So Kodak Ungor took Teela, then she called upon the spirits of the Elders of Eternia, and within seconds Teelina was suddenly surrounded by a group of elderly men wearing long robes. She was surrounded by flashing bright light, and felt her power increasing- then the light died down, the Elders vanished, and Teelina was left in the form of a falcon.
Kodak Ungor explained that she was in the form of Zoar, the warrior falcon of legend, and she could change back by concentrating deeply. Teelina concentrated, and she returned to her human form- but she could feel that she was no longer mortal, and then Kodak Ungor removed her costume, and placed it on Teelina.
"Now, Teelina," she said, "You are the Sorceress of Grayskull."
She then told her about her new powers, and how the Elders had also granted her the power of staying eternally young, so that her powers would never weaken with age. She was the most powerful sorceress yet. Also, Teela would be destined for great things with her mother being the Sorceress, and when Zendar returned from the war, he would be able to guard Grayskull at her side, but would not have as much power as she did. Kodak Ungor bade farewell and left, leaving Teelina to guard Grayskull permanently as the Sorceress.
The Sorceress was able to see in her mind where her husband was, and she turned to Zoar, and, leaving Teela in the castle under the eye of the spirit of Grayskull, flew to the camp near where Zendar had been fighting. Zendar was amazed when he saw the falcon turn into his wife, wearing this strange magical costume. The Sorceress told him what had happened, and that when the war was over, he would be able to join her in Grayskull, but would not be as powerful. He was excited at the news, but she did not tell him about Teela, as she wanted to reveal that he had a daughter when the war was over, so he would be even happier at the end of the violence.
The Sorceress’s next step was to combat the evil forces herself, but only shortly afterwards, she heard the shocking news that her husband had been killed in the war. She was not told how, when or where he was killed- all she was told was that he had perished at the hands of the evil forces. The news of his death made her even more determined to eliminate the evil from Eternia, but she knew she could never manage to look after Teela all by herself when she would continuously have to leave the castle to fight, especially when she would have no husband to help her afterwards. So she gave Teela to a close friend of hers, Duncan, who was the royal Man-At-Arms. She told him some of the secrets of Grayskull, and told him to bring up Teela as his own daughter, but never to tell her who her real mother was. Duncan said that the King and Queen had just given birth to twins, Adam and Adora- and although it was tragic that they should be born amidst this chaos, Teela could have two friends to grow up with. Man-At-Arms took Teela with him, and the Sorceress wept as he carried her away.
But now, it was time for her to fight the evil that was threatening her planet. Xazrog’s forces were getting more powerful, as recently Xazrog had been seen with the missing prince, Keldor, but the Sorceress knew he would be no match for the magic of Castle Grayskull!


Part 4: What really happened to Zendar

Before Teelina became the Sorceress of Grayskull, Xazrog had succeeded in his quest to find Keldor. His troops had come across the missing prince wandering the sands of time, and had brought him back to Snake Mountain to join Xazrog. Xazrog promised Keldor that he would help him gain the crown of Eternia if he helped him in his battles. He told him that while Keldor ruled Eternia, Xazrog would take charge of the military forces. Of course, he was lying- he intended to murder Keldor once Randor had been disposed of- but he had to lie to keep Keldor on his side. The young man’s determination to rule Eternia would be a definite help to Xazrog in his quest to take over the planet.
But shortly afterwards, when Teelina became Sorceress, she proved that she was excellent in fending off Xazrog’s forces with her powerful magic, a major obstacle in Xazrog’s way. He had always thought that it would be easy to conquer magic with science, but many of his recruits had failed against the Sorceress’s magic. Xazrog needed more powerful recruits! Now with Keldor on his side, the sorcerer was trying to convince Xazrog that magic was more of a match for science than he had thought, and was suggesting that the members of Xazrog’s army be taught the skills of sorcery. Xazrog considered Keldor’s ideas, but was reluctant as he had hated magic for so long.
Then one day, a young man came Xazrog’s way. This young man was none other than Zendar, husband of the Sorceress. He was fighting for good in the war, but after a battle, Zendar turned up at Snake Mountain- seeking Xazrog’s help. Zendar told him that his wife had recently become the Sorceress of Grayskull. She had been granted great power- but he was envious of her power, as throughout his life he had wanted to be in that sort of position. Although she had promised him that someday he could guard Grayskull with her, he would never have as much power as she did. And he was angry that a woman had been granted it- he had always believed that women did not deserve positions of power- he felt these should be for men. For Zendar was not an honourable man- the Sorceress had misjudged him when she married him, and did not know of his secret craving for power. Now, that craving for power had led him to change sides, and join forces with evil.
Zendar offered Xazrog his services, and begged him to give him possession of Grayskull once Eternia had been conquered. Xazrog pondered this, and eventually said he would give Zendar control of Grayskull- but first he must learn the skills of sorcery, so that his magic could grow as strong as the Sorceress’s, and he would be able to combat her powers. And who would be better to teach him sorcery than Keldor- possibly the greatest sorcerer in Eternia.
Keldor instantly took to Zendar as a pupil of magic, and he spent hours in the darkness of Snake Mountain, teaching Zendar the skills of sorcery. Zendar quickly mastered the art, and his powers began to grow stronger and stronger. Keldor indulged Zendar to excess, telling him that he would soon become one of the greatest sorcerers in Eternia. And Zendar decided to take advantage of this compliment…..
So one dark night, as Keldor and Zendar practised together, Zendar suddenly shot up, and fired a bolt of power at Keldor from his fingertips. Keldor leapt back in shock.
"What did you do that for?" he asked.
"I must dispose of you." Zendar replied. "You may be a great sorcerer, but I am now greater. If you were to be alive when I take over Grayskull, then you would still be in my way."
"But I have no intention of taking over Grayskull! My sole aim is to rule this planet!"
"Yes, and remember that you are also evil. A truly evil person would want not only to rule the planet, but to own Grayskull as well and to take charge of everything on this puny world! And that is what I intend to do. You are not yet evil enough, Keldor, but you might become it- and so I must banish you from this world before it is to late!"
"You will not, Zendar! It is you who shall be banished- your magic is not yet greater than mine- and I shall prove it!" With that, he shot a long stream of bright red and green light from his hands. Zendar was engulfed in the glow, and was struck still, almost unable to move.
"Try to combat that!" shrieked Keldor.
Zendar managed to reach out his arm and fire a bolt of magical energy, but it was quickly dissolved by Keldor’s power. Zendar had struck too quickly- he was not yet as powerful as Keldor, who was now able to destroy him.
Keldor whooshed his arms through the air, and the glow around Zendar vanished. "I think we shall carry on as normal now." he declared. "When you have grown more powerful, maybe then you will be able to challenge me."
But Zendar was not giving in. "You fool!" he shrieked. "When I become as powerful as you, you will strike me without warning and destroy me! So I must take advantage of the powers I have- and do my best to banish you from this world!!!" He threw out his right arm, and a beam of bright green light went flying at Keldor through the air. But Keldor held out his hand, and absorbed the beam- then combined it with his own powers. His hand was soon aflame with crackling magical energy. When the energy reached extremes, Keldor released it from his body, and it went flying through the air, and hit Zendar with an explosion, coursing through his entire body!
When the explosion died down, Zendar at first seemed unharmed. Then, his body began to shake. He felt it filling with pain, and jerked back. He looked down at his hands, and noticed that they were changing colour… turning blue…..
"Wh… what is h-happening to m-me…?" he stammered.
Then he gave a cry of pain, and spread out his whole body, writhing in agony. His whole skin began to turn blue, then the skin over his face seemed to tear. There was a fierce ripping sound, and bit by bit, the skin on his face began to flake away. It shrivelled and dried, before flaking off violently, his hair sprouted from his scalp and fell to the ground in clumps. His ears and nose ripped off from his skull, then his eyes began to change colour, glowing bright red as they sank into their sockets….. the last strands of flesh fell from his skull, exposing his whole cranium, white and gruesome, his red eyes glowing brightly out from the black eye sockets.
Keldor gazed in horror at the hideously transformed Zendar. His whole appearance had been distorted beyond recognition. He was now the most hideous apparition of a man that Keldor had ever seen.
Zendar gazed into the magic pool, at the hideous reflection of his gruesomely altered self. For a second, he flinched back in terror….. before he saw just the potential that his new face had of striking terror into anyone who saw it. He looked up at the shocked form of Keldor, and laughed.
"So, Keldor, you great sorcerer. You try to destroy me and end up making me a hundred times more terrifying than your feeble self. And I feel so much stronger! So much more powerful! And you no longer deserve to spend another moment on this planet!!!!!" He shot bolts of power from his red eyes, striking Keldor and forcing him back against the rocky wall.
Keldor screamed in terror. "No, Zendar, set me free!" Zendar just laughed maniacally, then he charged forth at Keldor, and released a burst of magic power with one whoosh of his hands. The whole room was filled with magical energy, and Zendar shielded his eyes….. then he heard Keldor’s scream, and when the power died down, he saw Keldor’s form fading from sight.
Once Keldor was gone, Zendar looked into the pool of magic, and swirled his long, bony fingers through the water. The image in the pool changed, and he saw Keldor drifting through space and time to another dimension….. a dimension of darkness, with barely a soul to be seen. And there Keldor would remain.
Zendar turned from the pool. Now to reveal his changed self to Xazrog. Xazrog’s forces would be even more feared with a being looking like this on his side! He climbed up to Xazrog’s chamber, forced the door open, and stepped into the dark chamber.
"Who enters my chamber?" called Xazrog.
"It is I….."
"You, Zendar? What have you to say….."
"Zendar no longer exists….. I… am….. SKELETOR!"
He thrust his hideous face through the darkness and into Xazrog’s. Xazrog jumped to his feet in shock.
"Zendar….. this is you? What has changed you this way?"
"The magic of Keldor… but Keldor is no longer with us….."
Skeletor explained the whole incident to Xazrog. Then Xazrog erupted into maniacal laughter at the harrowing story. "Together, Skeletor, we will destroy the forces of good, and rule this planet! I will place myself on the throne, while you shall overpower your ‘wife’ and take Grayskull for yourself! Now King Randor has no chance….. and we will not only rule Eternia, but the universe! With the secrets of Grayskull in our hands- we shall become the masters of the universe!"
And Xazrog issued the false news that Zendar was dead….. and then, with the mysterious Skeletor on his side, increased the terror on Eternia by the millions. Many innocent people fell victim to his forces….. and Eternia became a planet consumed by massacre. It really did seem as though, after thousands of years, evil was finally going to return to the throne of Eternia.



The Grayskull Library

NEXT


Part 5: The theft of the twins

The battle between good and evil raged throughout Eternia, with many of its citizens living in constant fear of Xazrog and his new, terrifying accomplice Skeletor. No-one knew where he had come from, and neither did they know where Keldor was- he seemed to have suddenly vanished. Most assumed that Xazrog had killed him for failing him- others even suspected that Skeletor was Keldor transformed. Only Xazrog and Skeletor knew the real truth…..
But there was definitely a spark of hope for the Eternians. The Sorceress was proving to be Grayskull’s most powerful sorceress yet, her magic proving way too strong for many of Xazrog’s minions. Also, Man-At-Arms was training the palace guards much of the time, and the royal army was becoming stronger and stronger. When they managed to drive Xazrog’s minions from the city several times in a row, Xazrog began to wonder if his conquest of Eternia would be as easy as he thought.
The Sorceress had been considering whether or not it may be time for the sword of power to be given to someone who deserved it, so they could become He-Man and defend Eternia. But her magic, combined with the army of King Randor, was becoming so strong that it appeared as though the forces of good were gaining an even greater chance of defeating Xazrog. And remembering the ancient prophecy, that He-Man must only come on ‘Eternia’s darkest day’ she decided that now was not the time. She was made even more powerful by her desperation to avenge the death of her husband, especially since something was preventing her mind powers from giving her a picture of how he died. But she knew that Teela would get a decent upbringing from Man-At-Arms, and she continued to fight with the greatest hope for Eternia.
Realising the heroic force’s increasing potential of winning, Xazrog made plans to advance on Grayskull with his army, and with Skeletor at his side. As Skeletor’s powers had become much stronger, he felt he might now be equal to the Sorceress. So Xazrog and Skeletor led the army to Grayskull, and they stopped outside its drawbridge. Skeletor intended to use his magic to raise the drawbridge. But little did he know that The Sorceress’s powers had sensed his approach, and she had warned King Randor, who had assembled his soldiers…..
And as Skeletor was about to begin his spell to raise the drawbridge, he and Xazrog were suddenly interrupted by what sounded like a battle cry from behind. They quickly turned- but they were too late, as they saw King Randor’s soldiers charging at them from out of the blue, spears and swords at the ready!
Then the Sorceress emerged from Grayskull, and the battle erupted- in favour of the forces of good. Xazrog and Skeletor were knocked violently to the ground, and were held down by the soldiers, helpless. Many of the troopers were reduced to scrap metal within seconds, other warriors were knocked over the edge of the deep abyss. Once all the evil warriors were either dead or fleeing, the whole army raised its weapons and advanced towards the defeated Xazrog and Skeletor.
The two warlords were alive, but very badly beaten. And Xazrog had been changed horribly by the wounds inflicted on him- his face was hideously scarred, a discoloured, fleshy mess, with all his features horribly out of place.
The soldiers dragged Xazrog and Skeletor to Eternos city, where they were taken to the King’s dungeons to await sentence. But a simple dungeon was no place to hide two great evil warriors…..
When Skeletor had fully recovered, he used his magic to open up the door of the dungeon. Then he surprised the guards outside and cast a spell which sent them to sleep. Then he and Xazrog were ready to escape. But they knew they had no chance now of taking over Eternia- so what could they do?
Xazrog remembered that the King and Queen had recently given birth to twins. The happy news for them had been overshadowed by the battle that had raged through Eternia. Now that the war was over, they had been fully celebrating the births of Adam and Adora, believing that something spiritual may be granting the royal family twins- as Randor himself had been part of a set of twins, but Keldor had now vanished mysteriously. Xazrog suggested that they spoil the King and Queens’ pleasure by stealing both the twins in revenge. Skeletor agreed, and he sneaked to the small bedroom where the babies were sleeping, with the hideously disfigured Xazrog at his side.
Queen Marlena was in the room, attending to the twins. So Skeletor jumped up on her from behind, clamped his hand over her mouth, and held her while Xazrog set about stealing the twins. He picked up Adora, then he walked over to Adam’s cradle…..
And then Man-At-Arms burst into the room, having heard Marlena’s muffled screams. He fired at both Xazrog and Skeletor with the lasers on his armour. Skeletor fell back, loosening his grip on Marlena, who kicked him into a corner of the room. But Xazrog just managed to avoid the blast, and escaped from the room with Adora.
Man-At-Arms held Skeletor down as Marlena went after Xazrog, calling for the soldiers to help her- but Xazrog was too quick for them, and was out of the palace with Adora before they knew it.
Determined to get Adora back, Marlena and Man-At-Arms demanded that Skeletor tell them where Xazrog’s base was.
"Snake Mounatin!" shouted Skeletor. "The Snake Men’s old base! The rumours are true about it being there- he uncovered it from under the rocks!"
"How do we get there?" demanded Man-at-Arms.
Held firmly by Man-At-Arms’ grasp, Skeletor told him the exact way to Snake Mountain. Man-at-Arms ordered for the guards to hold down Skeletor, then he called for the Sorceress and together they made their way to Snake Mountain.
When they found the ancient fortress of evil, they burst in, only just in time to find Xazrog standing by a dimensional time gate.
"You are too late, I am afraid!" laughed the hideously disfigured warlord. "You have defeated me, I have no intention of returning- but you will never see this child again!" He took out a gun and fired a laser bolt at them, then he jumped through the time gate, which closed up fast.
And Man-at-Arms and the Sorceress were left alone, with no idea of where Xazrog had gone. He had taken Adora, and she was lost forever.
They returned to the palace in great sadness. Marlena broke down in tears when they told her that Xazrog had escaped with Adora. At least Adam was still safe….. but it would not be the same, with only one child.
It was tragic that just when the war was over, such a tragedy should befall the royal family. So to lessen the gloomy atmosphere over the planet. The Sorceress used her magic to erase the memory of Adora from everyone’s mind except herself, Man-At-Arms, and the King and Queen. Then Adam could grow up without knowing of the tragic loss of his sister.
Skeletor was taken to the jail in Eternos, but he could not be held- he broke out with his magic, then vanished in a puff of smoke. He seemed gone from the planet, as there were no reported sightings of him after that. (A few months later, he was heard of on an evil planet called Infinita, leading to popular belief that it was his homeworld)
The Sorceress and Man-At-Arms tried their best to look for Adora, but they could not find her. The King and Queen knew that nothing would be the same until they found where Xazrog had taken their daughter, but Eternia was now a planet in peace again. The whole planet blossomed in goodness. The first attempt by the forces of evil to retake it had been unsuccessful. But elsewhere in the universe, Xazrog was making his plans…..


Part 6: Invading Etheria

After Xazrog had left Eternia following the failed theft of the twins, having only succeeded in capturing Adora, he emerged on Horde Prime’s space base. Carrying the baby girl in his arms, the disfigured warlord approached his master.
"YOU FAILED ME, XAZROG!" Horde Prime’s voice boomed, his red eyes glowing through the black mist that surrounded him.
"Indeed, my Lord. But I just….. never knew that Eternia would be that hard to conquer. I underestimated the power of magic, my Lord- it is almost a match for science. And Grayskull was too powerful for me. But I have succeeded in capturing the baby daughter of the King and Queen of Eternia. They will grieve at the loss of her forever!"
"AND WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO WITH THE GIRL?"
"I will bring this child up myself. I will teach her my own evil ways. And if you give me another world to invade- a defenceless one- I promise I will succeed! I can build up a more powerful army- and reconstruct my troopers so they will not be damaged so easily!"
Normally Horde Prime would slaughter a warrior who had failed to conquer a whole world- but since Xazrog had always been his favourite pupil, he decided to spare him the torture.
"VERY WELL, XAZROG!" he replied. "I WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER WORLD TO CONQUER! THERE ARE SEVERAL PLANETS WHICH I HAVE BEEN PLANNING TO SEND MY FORCES TO- I WILL CHOOSE ONE FOR YOU TO INVADE!"
"Thank you, Master!" replied Xazrog. Then he caught sight of his hideous reflection in the shining metal of a robot nearby. He knew this face terrified the forces of good….. but would even the evil forces side with him if his face was this badly deformed? They could be too frightened if his face remained like this! "But….. can you restore my face?" he asked Horde Prime. "Surely this face is too deformed for even the forces of evil- they might refuse to ally with me as they would fear me for my face!"
"I CAN NOT RESTORE IT-" replied Horde Prime- "BUT I CAN HELP YOU. GO TO MY LABORATORY AT ONCE!"
Horde Prime’s hand reached out from the black mist and took Adora, then Xazrog departed for the laboratory.
When he reached the lab, the hand of Horde Prime soon reached through and Xazrog heard Horde Prime’s voice say:
"I AM KEEPING ADORA SAFE FOR YOU. NOW JUST LAY DOWN ON THE TABLE SO I CAN MAKE SOME….. CHANGES TO YOU."
"Changes?"
"CHANGES THAT WILL MAKE YOU THREE TIMES AS POWERFUL! NOW LAY DOWN AND I SHALL BEGIN!"
Xazrog lay on the table, then Horde Prime reached out his hand and tapped some instructions into a computer. Several robots entered the room, and crowded around Xazrog on the table. They attached some wires to Xazrog’s body, linking him to the machines, and Xazrog felt an electric current running through his body as it was charged with power…..
After three hours, Xazrog had been passed through machines, linked countless times to wires, and had his whole body covered in metal. He had no idea yet of what exactly had been done to him….. but he did feel much more powerful. Eventually, the robots loosened the wires around Xazrog; then he arose from the table…..
And in a mirror placed opposite the table, he saw his reflection. He had been changed beyond recognition. His disfigured face was now completely hidden by a type of metal mask: white metal, with large, red eyes, and blue spikes over the forehead. His teeth had been replaced by metal red fangs, and his new face was sharp and straight around the edges. His chest was now covered with metal armour, and his skin had been turned completely gray. His right arm was now completely robotic: covered with metal rings and units. And in this form, he felt a dozen times more powerful.
"I feel….. so powerful!" he declared. "What can I do in this form, master?"
"YOU HAVE MANY DIFFERENT POWERS, XAZROG! BUT THAT IS THE LAST TIME I SHALL USE THAT NAME: FROM NOW ON YOU WILL BE KNOWN AS….. HORDAK!"
"Hordak! Of course, belonging to the Horde Empire….. no name could be more suitable! I shall call my army ‘The Evil Horde’! And what type of powers do I have?"
"YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR SHAPE INTO ROCKET FORM- YOUR ARM INTO A CANNON- AND MANY MORE POWERS- YOU SHALL LEARN THEM AS YOU PROGRESS! NOW, HORDAK, YOU MUST LEAVE! I HAVE CHOSEN THE WORLD ETHERIA FOR YOU TO CONQUER! DEPART AT ONCE!"
"And where is Adora?"
Horde Prime’s gigantic, metallic arm reached through the large window of the lab, and handed Adora to Hordak. "WHILE YOU WERE BEING OPERATED ON, I MADE IMPLANTS INTO HER BRAIN TO ENSURE THAT HER MIND BECOMES EVIL AS SHE GROWS UP! YOU WILL FIND IN HER A MOST FAITHFUL SERVANT!"
"Then I will leave to begin my conquest of Etheria!" He rose to his feet, and departed from the lab, carrying Adora. He heard Horde Prime saying "TAKE SPACE SHUTTLE 1809 FROM THE LAUNCHPAD! IT IS PROGRAMMED TO TRAVEL AUTOMATICALLY TO ETHERIA! LEAVE AT ONCE AND I WILL SEND SOME WARRIORS TO FOLLOW!"
Excited, Hordak left for the launchpad; then he reached the shuttle Horde Prime had mentioned, placed Adora in the rear seat, and blasted off. The shuttle carried him to Etheria, and once he had arrived, he climbed out with Adora. He could see that this was a world in peace- many beautiful, picturesque landscapes with strangely coloured plants. He would have no trouble conquering this world- all he needed was an army!
Shortly afterwards, several warriors sent by Horde Prime arrived, and they set about choosing a base. In a deserted, desolate area called The Fright Zone, they began reconstructing the troopers- now called ‘Horde Troopers’ and with a red bat symbol on their chests. Hordak programmed the troopers to build a new base for him. Within a few weeks, they had constructed a massive tower which Hordak named Doom Tower; he would use it as his headquarters. Hordak set about recruiting some of the strangest creatures on the planet to help him- Leech, a reptile demon from the swamps, Grizzlor, the hairy jungle creature, and Mantenna, a bug-like creature with pop-out eyes. And they began their attacks- their army grew and grew, and the ordinary people of Etheria, who had not expected such a violent invasion, stood no chance against the Evil Horde.
And Hordak became Emperor of Etheria. What was once a peaceful planet was now one of the most tortured and suffering in the universe. And Adora was brought up to learn the ways of evil, completely unaware of her origins. Hordak had failed to conquer Eternia as Xazrog- but in his new form, he was the most feared creature on Etheria. And there was no threat to his rulership.


Part 7: The Ultimate Saga begins

As Etheria fell at Hordak’s feet and suffered more and more year by year, Skeletor resided on Infinita, a dark, foreboding planet ruled by evil. Skeletor roamed the planet, slaughtering many innocent people and practising his magic so that it became more powerful- and more sinister. And his sole aim for all the 18 years he was on Infinita was to return to Eternia someday, powerful enough to take over the planet. He would return to the one woman he loved- the Sorceress of Grayskull- but convert her mind to becoming evil, so she would side with him and they could rule Eternia together.
He was, indeed, on Infinita for a very long time, because he wanted to bide his time before he returned to Eternia. He would only return on the day when he was convinced he was powerful enough to take over the planet.
And when that day came, he contacted Horde Prime, and told him he was ready to return to Eternia, with a new army. Horde Prime agreed to it, as he was determined that Eternia should become the poverty-stricken world he had always felt it should have been. He beamed Skeletor up to his space station, where Skeletor met his first warriors- Trap Jaw, a cyborg from a universal band of criminals, who had recently escaped from Prison Star, and Tri-Clops, a mercenary who wore a helmet with three eyes from which he could see all around him. Tri-Clops himself had originally come from Eternia, having fled from the planet after being blinded as punishment for a crime, and been given the strange helmet on another world, to restore his sight and make him more cunning an opponent. Therefore, he was more than willing to help Skeletor invade Eternia, so Skeletor, Trap Jaw, and Tri-Clops instantly took a shuttle down to Eternia, where they took Snake Mountain as their base.
The night that Skeletor arrived on Eternia, the Sorceress was woken in the night by a terrible nightmare. Across a background of pure blackness, accompanied by crackling flashes of lightning, she saw a series of gruesome snake heads flickering before her eyes. Their eyes began to glow, and their mouths opened and emitted terrifying loud screeching sounds which rang through her entire body. Then the snake heads all joined together and formed a horribly familiar image as they set in rock….. the image of the ancient fortress of evil- Snake Mountain! And then, as the lightning crashed over the ancient fortress, the thunder roaring deafeningly, the image of a skull face, with glowing red eyes and a black hood, appeared from nowhere and moved in slowly up to her face….. laughing in deep, disturbing tones…..
Then it suddenly zoomed right up to her face; she screamed aloud, and shot up in her bed, gasping and panting for breath, shaking with fear at the horribly realistic and terrifying dream. This was no simple nightmare- she knew it. She knew that the evil forces were returning to Eternia, in a form more dangerous than ever before. And she could have sworn that the skull face she had seen was none other than Skeletor- the demon who had threatened the planet many years ago.
Still shaking, she arose from her bed, and looked outside. The thunder was roaring, the lightning cracking through the sky, jagged white bolts illuminating the skyline. This was no ordinary thunderstorm. It was a sign of the dreadful threat which was coming to Eternia. And the Sorceress knew that unless she did something fast, all would be lost. She did not want to inflict panic on Eternia by telling the whole planet- so she called Man-At-Arms to her aid. She trusted no human being more than this old friend of hers who had brought her daughter up so well. She told him about the dream she had had, and his face went pale with shock. He could sense the evil that was coming.
"Shall we alert Randor?" Man-At-Arms asked.
"No- we do not want the whole of Eternia to panic this quickly." she replied. "Just go back to the palace….. and tell Prince Adam that we may soon have need of him."
"Prince Adam?! But why him? Why would we need him- he is a very intelligent young man, but he isn’t a warrior!"
"I can not explain yet. Just tell him simply that."
Man-At-Arms was confused, but he agreed to it, and departed from Grayskull. Only the Sorceress knew the real reason why she might need Adam. She knew of this young man’s secret bravery and wisdom….. and felt it may be just what was needed to save Eternia.
Later, there was a terrible attack on the city. A man with blue skin and a fleshless face had marched on the city with a small band of strange creatures, alongside a cyborg with a metal jaw and a gun for an arm, a strange-looking man with a green helmet with three eyes around it, and even worse- the leader of the beast people from the Vine Jungle and a creature from the sea with green, scaly skin. They had smashed several buildings in the city to the ground, before the skull-faced leader had declared himself to be Skeletor, returned from Infinita, and announced war against the Eternians. He had issued a warning to Randor that the end of his rule was fast approaching. A young friend of Queen Marlena and servant at the palace, Evelyn, had not been seen since the attack on the city.
The Sorceress looked grimly at the black clouds gathering outside Grayskull. The forces of evil had returned- and it looked like they could quite easily win this time. It was Eternia’s darkest day. And an ancient prophecy told of how on Eternia’s darkest day would come the true saviour- HE-MAN!
The Sorceress contacted Man-At-Arms, and told him to bring Prince Adam to Castle Grayskull, and Adam must enter alone. Man-At-Arms did as she asked, although neither he nor Adam had any idea of what the Sorceress’s plan was.
When Adam entered Grayskull, he was greeted by the Sorceress, who told him of how she felt he had the potential to be the saviour of Eternia. Then she summoned the spirits of the elders of Eternia. They appeared, in a circle round Adam, and chanted an ancient spell. All of a sudden, Adam felt his mind filling with ancient knowledge and wisdom. Many of the secrets of Grayskull were installed in his mind in the space of five minutes.
Then there was a huge flash of light, and a large, shining sword appeared from out of the blue. Adam did not need anything explaining- he knew what to do. He held it high above his head and shouted: "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" A brilliant flash of light emerged from the sword, and poured down over Adam’s body. Adam felt his strength increase a million times, his whole body pumping up with strength and power. To complete the transformation, he held the sword across his chest and declared: "I HAVE THE POWER!"
The light died down, and Adam’s body was now large and muscular, heavily tanned, and wearing a grey-blue breastplate with the cross of power on it, and the outfit of a powerful, dignified warrior. Physically, he still bore a slight resemblance to his previous form, but he still looked very different, his blonde hair longer, his body structure more well-built and muscular.
"Now you are He-Man!" the Sorceress told him, "and it is your duty to defend and protect Eternia from Skeletor!"
"I feel honoured to protect my planet!" replied He-Man. "I will defend Eternia from the evil which threatens it so!"
Then, Man-At-Arms was permitted entry to Grayskull. At the sight of He-Man, he knew he was looking upon the form of a true hero. Then He-Man raised his sword and said "Let the power return!" and there was a small flash of light, turning him to Adam.
Astonished, Man-At-Arms exclaimed "So Adam has been chosen to become the saviour of Eternia! Now I see! And with his intelligence combined with that strength, we stand an excellent chance against the forces of evil!"
"And I am proud to invite you to be the first recruit of the army I intend to build!" said Adam.
"I would be most honoured!" said Man-At-Arms in reply.
Now that Adam had the Sword of Power, and the ability to become the super-powerful He-Man, his fear of his father’s reign being threatened was minimised by the thousands. And he would fight to keep Grayskull safe- and would never give in until the forces of evil were eliminated from Eternia! Only Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress, for now, would share his secret. And together with their great battle skills, they were truly the greatest fighters in the universe!


Part 8: Masters of the Universe

After Skeletor had landed on Eternia, he had begun to gather his army together- beginning with several strange creatures who roamed the swamplands of Eternia, then calling upon Beast Man of the Vine Jungle as his strongest fighter, then summoning Merman, the green seaman from the deep. And he was confident that with these warriors’ powers, he would have no trouble taking over Eternia.
When he first attacked Eternos with his new army, Evelyn, a young servant of Queen Marlena at the palace, had just left the palace after an argument with the Queen. She had loved Prince Adam, and had been trying to steal his attention when she realised that he loved Teela. However, he had seemed not to be interested, and so she had remembered the old Eternian tradition that the King and Queen should choose their offspring’s romantic partner, and tried to persuade Marlena to let her have Adam. But Marlena had told her that it was Adam’s choice, and if he loved Teela he was entitled to and she wasn’t going to make him love Evelyn instead. But Evelyn had been so jealous that she lashed out at the Queen, and was dragged away by guards, who told her there was no way she could ever have Adam after attacking the Queen. Evelyn managed to struggle free from the guards and ran into the streets of Eternos, determined to have revenge on the Queen- and Adam, if she was never to have him.
And as she roamed the streets of Eternos, she was disrupted by the attack by Skeletor and overheard his declaration that he was planning to terminate Randor and Marlena’s rule. Evelyn took advantage of this, and ran over to him and offered her services. She told him that she was not particularly strong, but would do anything to defeat Marlena. Skeletor took advantage, and said she could stay with him at Snake Mountain. After the evil warriors had demolished several buildings in the city, Skeletor took Evelyn with him, along with the other warriors, back to Snake Mountain.
At Snake Mountain, he told her that he would teach her the ways of magic. They spent much time alone together, and she found she was enticed by him, his evil charm she found strangely more soothing than Prince Adam’s presence. The more time she spent with Skeletor, the more her feelings for the prince faded. His face may have been gruesome, but she loved the touch of his blue skin, the warmth of his black cape, his deep, powerful voice, and his position of power. This gave her the ambition to be just like him, to learn his magic and to be his second-in-command, maybe even rule at his side when he conquered Eternia. So she practised her magic extremely hard, and became more and more powerful, and within a few days time, she had become a fully-fledged sorceress and an important recruit in Skeletor’s army. She donned a black cape, exotic jewellery and a golden helmet, and renamed herself Evil-Lyn, the warrior goddess.
Skeletor also found himself tempted by Evil-Lyn’s charm, and intended to use her at his side if he did not manage to win back the Sorceress, the woman he loved most. But he never told Evil-Lyn of who he really was, or of his secret love for the Sorceress.
His army had already become more powerful with the addition of Evil-Lyn, and, completely unaware of the coming of He-Man, he launched another attack on Eternos with his army. He placed his evil warriors in hover vehicles he had invented called Rotons, while he rode towards the palace on his new pet, a large, savage black cat called Panthor. As the Rotons fired missiles down on the city, Skeletor marched towards the palace gates. The palace guards were scattered by the missiles. As Skeletor approached the palace, he felt his victory was going to be too easy. Once he had taken over the palace, he had only Grayskull in his way- and he was sure he could overpower the Sorceress with his skills.
"Tell King Randor to surrender to me!" he shouted aloud. "His reign will end- and evil shall take over Eternia!"
Just then, the palace gates swung open, and a muscle-bound warrior stepped out, wearing a grey-blue harness and brandishing a gleaming bright sword. Panthor ground to a halt at the sight of this powerful-looking warrior.
"Who are you?" growled Skeletor. "How can you dare to stand in my way? I am the Lord of Destruction- and I shall soon rule Eternia!"
"Not if I can help it." replied the muscle-bound warrior. "My name is He-Man, and I have been summoned to bring justice to Eternia! You are no match for the power of Grayskull, Skeletor!"
Skeletor threw back his head in laughter. "Grayskull! I shall soon own that wretched castle. For the powers of Grayskull combined are no match for my magic!" and he fired a bolt from his havoc staff at He-Man. But He-Man simply held up his sword, and deflected the bolt back at Skeletor, who fell from Panthor to the ground.
Getting to his feet, he shouted "You cannot stop me!" and he charged towards He-Man like a raging animal. He-Man pulled back his fist, then threw it into Skeletor’s bony face, sending him spiralling back.
"I have never seen such….. power!" Skeletor had to admit. "But I will not give in!" He called for his other warriors to land and join him, and within seconds He-Man was faced with Skeletor, Panthor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, Tri-Clops, Merman and Trap Jaw.
"Let’s see how you can deal with us all!" laughed Skeletor. "Attack!"
The warriors all charged directly at He-Man. And one by one, they were sent flying back, with bruises all over their body, and Trap Jaw’s arm gun badly damaged.
Skeletor got to his feet, shaking angrily. "How can one man….. defeat so many warriors? How can you have that strength?"
"You should never underestimate the power of Grayskull!" replied He-Man. "And while Grayskull retains its supremity, you have no chance of taking over this world, Skeletor. You may as well give in now!"
"You fool! Do you think the Lord of Destruction will give in that easily! You are sorely mistaken, He-Man. I have lost this time….. but my army has only just begun….. I will become more powerful, and recruit an even larger force to back me up! And my magic will become stronger- much stronger than Grayskull! You haven’t seen my power yet, He-Man! I’ll be back!"
With that, he raised his arms, and he and his army were engulfed by a bright light, and teleported back to Snake Mountain.
Man-At-Arms emerged from behind He-Man. "He had Evelyn with him!" he said. "The poor girl has succumbed to his influence. But you have proved yourself, He-Man. With you on our side, able to defeat so many warriors all at once, Skeletor can never take over Eternia!"
"We must always be on guard," said He-Man, "you never know when he may attack next. We will start our own army at once- we will look for the bravest fighters on Eternia to come and help us!"
And soon, He-Man had many brave fighters from all over Eternia on his side, and the forces of good became stronger and stronger. And that is how the marvellous saga of the masters of the universe began- of how He-Man and Skeletor became the most powerful enemies ever to clash! And today, He-Man still fights to keep his planet safe, with his brave friends and the magic of Grayskull. With their mighty powers combined with Grayskull’s magic, they are truly the masters of the universe!
And on the planet Etheria, He-Man’s sister, Adora, becomes She-Ra, and strives to free her planet from Hordak. But that’s another story



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