ZEPHYRLAND

Type: Earthlike (to some extent)

Environment: Undersea/Aquatic
(see comments)

Usual means of access: Magic?

Dominant Life Form: Zephyreans--orange skinned aquatic humanoids

Names of Representatives: The Four (Ariel, Ibbar, Kabal, Zargus), Virago

First Appearance: Sub-Mariner I#64 (August, 1973)

History: (Sub-Mariner I#64(fb) )-As told by Ibbar: "In Zephyrland, peace was the natural order of things. The arts--music--the sciences, all flourished in affirmation of life! We had warriors--but not war, those men of action were men of sport! Athletes--with no lust for blood. Greed--ambition--these were emotional relics. We learned to thrive on love!
Too much love, perhaps. for when she came to us, an exile of the barbaric outlands--we bade her welcome without question. Virago--a warrior-queen--accustomed to the pursuit of power! She infected our land! (they should have worn...ahh, never mind). Some men say she is more than woman--a she-beast whose hunger cannot be sated. Whatever--her scheming began at once!" She manipulated the warriors, turning them against the rulers. "In mere weeks, she had wrought anger--mistrust among us. And in the end..the warriors fell prey to her 'logic'--as we fell before them. Those who did not die were made slaves for Virago's minions. Of all Zephyrland, only we four escaped--in the craft built by Kabal--the magical Golden Submarine. By now Virago had crowned herself Queen. But it would be miraculous if her craving for power has abated. Almost certainly she will try to extend her dominion...first to the land whence she came--and eventually further--perhaps even to this world!"

(Sub-Mariner I#64-68)-The Four were the four Zephyreans who rebelled against Virago's warrior ways and sought aid against her. Using their ship, the Golden Submarine, they breached the dimensional barrier, and traveled to Earth. They came to Atlantis, told their story to Namor, and convinced him to return to Zephyrland with them. They also met and interacted with several of the Atlanteans statesmen, including Madoxx and Vashti. Upon arriving, they were ambushed and defeated by Virago's soldiers. Namor sought to win their freedom by challenging Virago to single combat...and lost (she's tough! check out her entry). Virago stole the Golden Submarine and used it to travel to Earth. Namor managed to stow away on the ship, and Virago was eventually defeated by nerve gas in the oceans of Earth.

The Four broke free on their own, and inspired the now oppressed people of Zephyrland to rise up against their warrior-oppressors. This led to a bloody war, which tore apart their city, and threatened to end the lives of every native of Zephyrland. Kabal located his sanctum, and used a book of spells to contact Dr. Strange for help in ending the brutal war. As Dr. Strange searched for the means to save them, Virago's soldiers burst in and captured the "Four." In defeat, Ariel refused to allow hatred to win over, so he began to sing as the soldiers leveled their weapons at he and his allies. The soldiers suddenly collapsed, and Dr. Strange returned, explaining that music was the spell-breaker, which would free the realm of the warrior madness induced by Virago. Ariel then found an enormous trumpet, and broadcast it throughout the city. The music broke the spell, but also proved fatal to all who had waged Virago's unholy war. Only the remaining three of the Four, and a family consisting of a husband, a wife, and two children, survived the disruption of the spell. Kabal shed a single tear, Ibbar vowed to teach the children well, and Ariel sang a prayer.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Don Heck.

Only one city of Zephyrland was seen, so it's not clear if this is representative of the entire realm, or if there is a "surface world." It is known that while peace reigned in the capital city, the outlands were more barbaric and hostile. While Zephyrland may have only been the name of the capital city, its the only name we were given, and so I'm going with it.

I've never seen the movie The Yellow Submarine, only heard the song. Is there any parallel between the characters in this story in that?
The name is a take-off of "Pepperland" from the Yellow Submarine movie, and Ibbar's outfit in particular resembles the outfits worn by the Beatles on the cover of their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
--Continental Op

Virago-a great character, by the way...ask Kurt or someone to bring her back.

Clarifications: Zephyrland has no known connections to:

• Zephyr, of the Elementals, @ Supernatural Thrillers#8
• Zephyr 2099, of the Triumverate, @ X-Men 2099: Oasis

The Four are not to be confused with:

• The Four, demonic agents of the N'Garai, @ Vampire Tales#2, Haunt of Horror#2/5

Ariel has no known connections to:

• Ariel, of the Coconut Grove, who inspired the character in Shakespeare's play (The Tempest?), mentioned @ Fallen Angels#7
• Ariel, now known as Shadowcat, @ Uncanny X-Men I#171
• Ariel, of Coconut Grove, a member of the Fallen Angels, and the descendent of the other Coconut Grove Ariel, @ Fallen Angels#2

Kabal has no known connection to:

• Kabal 2099, of the Undernet, @ Ghost Rider 2099#13
• Kaballa, of the Conspiracy, the evil Hebrew sorcerer, @ Strange Tales I#176

Ariel is a musician, who hated that he was forced to use violent means to oppose the war and tyranny of his people. It was he who found the means to break Virago's spell.

Ibbar is a scholar. He acted alongside Zargus to lead the Four, and played the role of the voice of reason, among the more extreme views of the others.

Kabal is a wizard, and it was he who created the Golden Submarine. He was very peace-loving, but was forced to use violence in the struggle against Virago's soldiers, and even to kill them. His magical abilities are undefined, but many of them relate to having knowledge of or possessions of a large library of magical tomes.