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As if the Sand Creatures aren't bad enough . . . throughout his journey from cocky young fighter to battle-scarred, wiser hero, the Prince will cross paths with a mysterious and scheming Vizier hungry for the Dagger and the Hourglass that will allow him to control the Sands of Time - and achieve immortality. A sorcerer in the Maharajah's employ, the Vizier reveals his true colors at the beginning of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time when he betrays the Maharajah, opening the gates to the invading Persian army. Betrayal has a price - for his deeds, the Vizier demands his choice of the Maharjah's treasures - the Dagger and the Hourglass, of course. But he does not anticipate the presence of the Prince, who takes the dagger before he can secure it.

What drives this villain? Though his minor position in the Maharajah's court has aided him in his lifelong study of sorcery, he has failed to find a cure for the illness which has doomed him to an early death. His exhaustive study of magic lore has taught him all that is known about the one thing powerful enough to save him-the Sands of Time. If he stabs himself with the Dagger of Time, he will be resurrected as the immortal demigod Kronos, and will live forever with godlike power over his enemies. Courtly and obsequious with monarchs, haughty and dismissive with inferiors, the Vizier projects an intelligence and dignity that mask his black heart, and he is patient, intense, and unswerving in his single-mindedness to achieve his goal.

To get back at the Prince for absconding with dagger (with the Persian King's blessing), the Vizier tricks the Prince into releasing the Sands of Time from the Hourglass at the Palace of the Sultan Azad, unleashing an army of Sand Creatures. Once the Sands are released, however, the Vizier has no control over them - he must attempt to steal the Dagger from the Prince, who is now dedicated to using the Dagger to recapture the Sands to restore peace to the land. It will not be an easy quest for the Prince, made more difficult by the Vizier's interference.

A schemer, not a fighter, the Vizier will engage in combat only after all other options are exhausted. But when he picks up a sword, he proves himself to be a skilled and vicious opponent. The Prince must use all of his skills - both mental and physical - to emerge triumphant.

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