| Volzotan Smyke | |
|---|---|
 Volzotan smoking a Phogar | |
| Physical Information | |
| Life Form: | Shark Grub |
| Gender: | Male |
| Biographical Information | |
| Home: | Atlantis |
| Family: | Pfistomel Smyke |
Volzotan Smyke is a shark grub who is the main supporting character in Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures. He also appears in Bluebear's book, and is portrayed as an Al Capone-esque character.
Appearances[]
In two of Moer's books, Volzotan has played various roles, as a supporting protagonist (Rumo) or as a kingpin-esque tycoon antagonist (Captain Bluebear). In a nutshell, he is a recurring character who is always marked with his charming yet imposing demanor against or with the protagonist.
Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures[]
Smyke is imprisoned on Roaming Rock but uses his slime to make Demonocles avoid him. When he meets Rumo, he teaches him how to fight (the theoretical aspects, anyway.). He also tells Rumo numerous stories, including several about the sieges of Lindworm Castle by the Copper Killers and the Smarmies, who actually managed to enter and were slaughtered to a man, along with half of the Lindworms themselves. The leader was the only escapee.
With the aid of some knowledge about Demonocle anatomy, specifically how their tongues support their sense of balance, Rumo is able to kill most of them including 5 of the 8 chieftains and he and Smyke leave. after various adventures in the wilderness, including a part where they meet Ostafan Kolibri and Smyke tests out a submarine capable of restarting a dead heart, the two part ways, Rumo going to Wolperting and Smyke going back to civilization.
Smyke eventually drinks some Gargyllian Bollogg's Skull and sees a vision of himself growing older and dying. He then goes to Murkholm to help Kolibri in his "war against death" only to find Kolibri is missing. He reads the professor's logbook and learns that the fog around Murkholm drove Kolibri insane. the logbook ends with a knock at the door and the words "They've come. They've come for me." Smyke says the same once he looks out the window. He is taken prisoner and sent to Hel, where he ultimately meets Rumo, now looking for Rala, another prisoner in Hel. They find her dead thanks to General Ticktock, who attempted to slowly kill her over several months but injected her with the Subcutaneous Suicide Squad in a fit of rage. While Rumo goes to the Theatre of Death to free the other Wolpertings, Smyke and Kolibri use the submarine to enter Rala's bloodstream where Smyke meets the Non-Existent Teenies, the inventors of the submarine, and encounters one of the Subcutaneous Suicide Squad which stayed behind after the rest of the disease entered Friftar when he found Rala's corpse. Since he will be trapped forever if he doesn't resurrect Rala, Smyke must kill the germ first.
Smyke is revealed to be the leader of the Smarmies, and the Teenies claim that since he literally stained the entirety of Lindworm Castle red with blood he will continue to attract bad fortune until he pays a penance: he must fight, for the first time in his life, for himself instead of getting others to do it for him. While the Wolpertings battle General Ticktock, Smyke battles a germ of the deadliest disease on Earth, a disease which can tear apart white blood cells even. After killing it he resurrects Rala, and he and Kolibri ultimately enter Wolperting with the rest.
Presumably, Smyke later succumbed to his inner Smyke-ness and became a villain. Despite this, Rumo stayed with him.
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear[]
Volzotan was first encountered by Bluebear and his friend Clemuth in Atlantis (this was after the events of Rumo), where Smyke was classified by Bluebear, "The uncrowned king of Atlantis itself", as he ran the congladatorial contests, ran the professional Gebba league and controlled the harbour of Atlantis, which imports and exports sundry products, such as pork, pixie stars, hard liquor, and various illicit or obscure products. Bluebear met Smyke in a shady bar named "The Filthy Fleece" to sign up for Congladiator compititions, where he was tricked into signing a contract which was to give consent to Smyke to sell them as slaves to the Moloch if they disobeyed his orders. Volzotan appears to have several accomplices, Rumo, his personal bodyguard, and a gang of Yetis and Bluddums.