Slurdoch the Sorcerer

Devils Uvoomu (The Devil)

Slurdoch the Sorcerer

Name: Slurdoch

Species: Sorcerer

Age: ∞

Job: Media mogul / immortal propagandist / scumlord

Appears In: Game of Plagues, The Cancel Creature

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Slurdoch numbers among the most dangerous of sorcerers. While all of them possess the morals of a sewer rat and a limitless capacity for magick, this guy has something even more terrifying - namely a tabloid media empire. Through its deployment he's able to bend reality even more efficiently than with sorcerery.

The sorcerer's 'journalistic' endeavours include.

The Scuzz: A publication so scummy it makes regular tabloids look like whatever the next most respectable type of paper is (editor's note: it's 'toilet paper').The Prestige: Another Pundlian publication. This paper was formerly known for publishing somewhat decent journalism that challenged those in charge (while tacitly ignoring the power structures that put them there in the first place). Slurdoch realised he could buy this paper and use it as a Trojan Donkey for his harrowing agenda. This means the paper's raison d'être is functionality identical to The Scuzz's; it's simply presented with far fewer naked, young women.Rat News: A 'news' channel in the United States of Blargh. Essentially what you'd expect - i.e. a series of angry men being loudly wrong for gold.The Walloonian Journal: A newspaper with two key purposes. The first is celebrating the ongoing victory of the capital classes against the modern peasantry. The second is explaining all the ingenious new ways said class can squeeze a little bit more life from their impoverished victims.

You can buy Game of Plagues in eBook or paperback by clicking this link

Creation Notes

It's probably pretty obvious who this guy is based on. If not, you may have the good fortune of living outside his toxic sphere of influence. In the UK he's essentially the king - and not in the cool, "you're the king, man," kind of way. More in the sense that we haven't had a prime minister in decades who didn't have his express backing - and also that the political agenda is eternally influenced by his oily inclinations - as indeed is the news cycle of our national broadcaster.

That's right - Slurdoch the sorcerer is based on that most virulent of journalistic villains - David Attenborough.*

Ha ha - but no - it's the other guy.

* This joke would have worked better if I could think of someone high up in the world of journalism who's widely viewed as benevolent (or at least not broadly monstrous), but there isn't anyone like that. The best I could think of was a wildlife documentarian. So the joke doesn't work, but in its failure it is at least demonstrative of the broader problem - which is something, I guess? Probably I should have just tried again, but... yeah...