Revision 2

King Rhobar II is the ruler of the Kingdom of Myrtana at the time of Gothic 1 Remake. He never appears in person inside the Colony because he cannot, but his decisions are the reason the Colony exists at all.

The Ore Problem

Rhobar is at war with the Orcs and has discovered that only magical ore can forge weapons effective against them. Khorinis is the only place producing that ore at the scale he needs, so he accepts any amount of convict labour and any degree of lawlessness in the Valley of Mines as long as the ore keeps flowing.

The Barrier Decision

Rhobar commissioned the mages who eventually raised the Barrier. The ritual going wrong and trapping the mages along with the convicts is, from his perspective, an acceptable side effect: he got a self-managing prison and a continued ore supply out of the bargain.

Political Weight Inside the Barrier

The Crown's demand for ore is the reason the Old Camp's political arrangement works in the first place. Gomez trades with the King's agents, and it is that deal that funds the Fire Mages and the food and wine the Old Camp has that the other camps do not.