The Eyes of the Dragon

Flagg is a character type typical in epic fantasy novels. He is the evil adviser who poisons the mind of the ruler and must be defeated to restore the kingdom. He is always hooded and visibly terrifying. The princes fear Flagg, and even King Roland is afraid of his adviser. The magician holds the most power in the Kingdom, and he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. His villainy is so obvious to the reader it is difficult to believe the people of Delain don’t see it. He makes deadly potions in dark dungeons near the screams of tortured prisoners while talking to his two-headed parrot.

At times Flagg is a trickster, who shows up in Delain looking to make mischief. He is described as something of a foreigner, and King borrows some Middle Eastern, “orientalist” images of deserts and magic carpets to paint Flagg as an “exotic” other. He reads from a spell book written by a “mad” Arab man and has traveled the world collecting magical items. It is suggested that Flagg was once human but was corrupted after decades of studying magic. He is evil but still driven by human impulses like the pursuit of knowledge, self-preservation, revenge, and even glee as his machinations play out.