Zulf is one of the survivors of the Calamity.
As an Ura from the Tazal Terminals, Zulf moves to Caelondia as an ambassador of peace and good will. He finds his pacifism challenged when the truth behind the Calamity emerges, effectively becoming the main antagonist of the game.
Biography[]
Zulf's past is explored in Who Knows Where via the Kid's Bedroll.
Plot[]
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Spoiler Warning: Below Consists Of Important Plot Details. Read At Your Own Risk! | |
Role in Bastion[]
The Kid finds Zulf in the Hanging Gardens, staring helplessly into the sky. Because the Kid is the first survivor Zulf has encountered, particularly amongst the many petrified victims in the Gardens, Zulf is easily convinced to return to the Bastion.
He stays until all of the cores are found in the game. When Zia joins the group, she brings the Hidebound Journal that belonged to her father. Rucks is able to decipher a bit of the Ura script, but Zulf is the only character fluent in Ura. While the Kid is away retrieving the final Core, Zulf translates the journal, which reveals that the Caelondians intended the Calamity to be a final, devastating blow against the now-peaceful Ura. Outraged, he sabotages the Monument and leaves.
As the Kid gathers shards to repair the damage, he discovers that Zulf has united the Ura survivors, who are now seeking the shards themselves. The Kid finally encounters Zulf for the first time after his departure at the exit of the Burstone Quarry. Warning the Kid to abandon his quest, it is revealed that Zulf has sent a force of Ura to destroy the Bastion.
Now contending for the last known Shard, the Kid is defeated by the Ura. As the final Shard is crucial to the Bastion's recovery, the Kid trails the Ura back to their stronghold in the Tazal Terminals, destroying the Conductors that are keeping the Ura territories intact.
Ending[]
Bastion Soundtrack - Mother, I'm Here (Zulf's Theme)
Mother, I'm Here (Zulf's Theme)
When the casualties became too great, the Ura turn on Zulf and leave him for dead. The player is presented with two options: either drop your only weapon to retrieve Zulf, or leave him behind and fight your way out of the Terminals.
If the player rescues Zulf and chooses the Restoration Ending, the credits depict Zulf with his Caelondian fiancée, glowing with happiness.
If the player rescues Zulf but chooses the Evacuation Ending instead, the credits reveal that Zulf joins the Kid, Rucks and Zia on the ship, still haunted by the loss of his beloved and his people.
Zulf will not appear in the credits if the player chooses to abandon him.