KREPKIT

Krepkit, one of the primary enchanters of the 660s, believed that Berknip (a mere child who already at the age of three discovered five new spells) could potentially give magic back to the world. Not mere tricks, like the tying of shoelaces, or even kindling a fire, but truly magnificent magic. Krepkit summoned many others from all across the Westlands to gather with him at Borphee in anticipation of this great revival. In those days, this was the only place in all of Zork where a group of wizards and enchanters had dared to come together to share studies and do research. It was the only guild of its kind anywhere. (This guild is not to be confused with the official Enchanters Guilds which would not be formed until 680s, and the Borphee branch not founded until the reign of Dimwit Flathead.) For the most part, it was because wizards of those days were notoriously uncooperative, stingy and private characters. Most of them would rather have given their mothers the flu than to give away the secrets of a spell.

Krepkit helped design and build the Borphee guild hall; the crystal room was of his own making. His bathroom had tile floor, gold fixtures, copper mirrors, an exquisitely wrought wooden tub. Although sources tell of Krepkit as the alternate inventor of the infotator (as opposed to Entharion the Wise), it is probable that he was responsible in the development of the pinwheel model only. Having an odd sense of humor, Krepkit tried to give each infotator its own personality. His servant, which was staffed at the guild, was the faithful brogmoid Burble, who he always scooted away when business talks started.

In 665 GUE, following Antharia's attack on Fort Griffspotter, Pseudo-Duncanthrax sought to initiate a counterstrike. Part of his plan involved using the wizards of the recently established Borphee Guild. They refused. Knowing that Berknip was the heart and soul of their guild, Pseudo-Duncanthrax took him prisoner. His ransom for the return of their precious magician was their cooperation in the upcoming battle against Antharia. The wizards would have done anything for Berknip and anything to protect him. All of their attempts to rescue him with AIMFIZ failed. And though they did not like Pseudo-Duncanthrax any more than any other ruthless king, but while he held Berknip hostage, he commanded their loyalty.

Quendor won against the island-nation of Antharia. But this was not the end of the evil king's plans. In 668 GUE, Pseudo-Duncanthrax required the energy of the seven most powerful wizards of the Borphee Guild in unison with every living being to complete his mammoth vision of construction a Great Underground Empire, complete with a massive highway system. In order to maintain control of Krepkit and the other six most powerful wizards, the king continued to hold Berknip hostage, although he relocated the child to Antharia, thereby manipulating them to use their powerful KATPIL spells to move earth wherever he wished. The king coaxed the remainder of the populace into laboring for the highways with a cache of VAXUM scrolls.

After Pseudo-Duncanthrax had been exposed and the rightful Duncanthrax reinstated upon the throne, all of the lesser wizards of the guild, including Berknip were freed from their imprisonment on the island. When Berknip returned with the wizards to the Borphee Guild, Krepkit was sour. First of all, the guildmaster was embarrassed about being tricked and captured by Drespo Molmocker. Second, he was not happy that Satchmoz, a supposedly minor wizard, saved him, or that Drespo Molmocker managed to make a clean getaway. Third, some of the other wizards were pressuring him to give up his bathroom, since someone told him how much Satchmoz loved the big bathtub.