Rock of Eternity

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The Rock is a demesne created by the Vishanti in the days of Atlantis. It is accessible only to those who The Wizard deems worthy; wards and barriers of incalculable strength hold hostile enemies at bay. The Rock is the private abode of Billy Batson, a place where he can train, meditate, and think. It is the source of power for all those who Billy has empowered as his allies and the refuge of The Wizard known simply as SHAZAM.

The Rock was created as a repository of knowledge, a place where the first magicians could safely learn to harness magic, for good or for ill. It was at first called 'The Font of Eternity'. Over time it became a storehouse for potent relics deemed to dangerous to be loose in the world, and later still a prison that houses entities too dangerous to be left to roam around Earth. Trapped within its depths are several ancient and primordial evils, including the eldritch monstrosity known as the Dragon of the Moon and a group of demons styled after the Seven Deadly Sins.

The genius loci of this place is a ideologue that provides aspiring wizards with the rudiments of instruction of the system of power known as magic. It was here that the greatest minds of Atlantis tapped into a fraction of the Power Cosmic to work their spells without the need for the intermediary that was the Demiurge. Seven of the most powerful magi of Atlantis were the original custodians of the Rock, and dubbed themselves the Circle of Eternity. Their duties were to guard the Power Cosmic from the rest of the magi, as well as ensure a safe harbor for students to study the mysteries of magical power.


Ragnarok

The role of Champion arose in the twilight minutes of Atlantis, after Ragnarok sundered the land and sea, and split the sky. The Circle had bare minutes to act, rushing to do what they could to protect Atlanteans and their heritage with what dwindling power they had left. The ancient and malevolent entity known as the Dragon of the Moon had been released along with dread C'thulu. The archmagi worked desperately to trap these puissant entities in locations where they could do the least harm. With C'thulu trapped in the sinking realm of R'lyeh, the archmagi chained the Dragon in the Font and buried it under a mountain large enough to scrape the cosmos of the real world.

One among them, The Wizard, volunteered to seal himself inside The Font. Retitled as 'The Rock', he vowed to remain there until the crisis of Ragnarok passed. His spirit was bound to that place to ensure even death could not stop his duties, both in guarding ancient knowledge and power, as well as being warden to the creatures bound in there with him.

Revival

The Wizard's wait was a long one and he frequently embraced long bouts of insanity. Over time he even forgot his own name. He could do little but watch helplessly as Ragnarok destroyed all of human civilization. After the Demiurge was revived it took centuries for the connection with Earth to be restored. Even then the wards left behind by the Circle greatly hampered The Wizard's power. He used what limited strength he had to commune with the godlings of Olympus and petitioned them for aid. Zeus refused to release The Wizard, knowing of the incredible power trapped under the Rock. Instead a bargain was made to empower a Champion who would guarantee the Rock's safety-- and as long as a Champion walked the Earth, The Wizard would be free.

The Wizard scoured the world for a Champion, someone who could relieve him of his burden and unbind the Wizard from the Rock he guarded. But this new mankind was brutal and savage, and all too often result was catastrophe. Some went insane, unable to cope with these new powers. Others became brutal tyrants and dictators. Some few were killed when they were overwhelmed by malignant forces and The Wizard deemed it better to take back the power rather than let it fall into the wrong hands.

Black Adam

In 1165 BCE, Teth-Adam and his nephew Aman were fleeing prisons under ancient Khandaq. They did not realize they had strayed into ancient Atlantean ruins that had survived Ragnarok, and in their haste to escape they drew the notice of The Wizard. He summoned them to the Rock and introduced himself as SHAZAM. He chose Aman to receive this power, to use as he saw fit for the good of humanity. Aman immediately gave a tithe of that power to Teth-Adam to heal his wounds and share in their new responsibility. Aman and Teth-Adam returned to Khandaq to face their former masters, and quickly fell to argument about how to save their people. Their argument came to blows and Teth-Adam killed his nephew.

Now the sole custodian of the power of SHAZAM, he embarked on a campaign of decades that consolidated Khandaq under his rule and brought many adjoining nations and tribes to heel. In 1100 BCE, The Wizard finally realized Teth-Adam was beyond saving; he ripped the power away from him and banished Adam to the same enchanted tomb that had once led him to the Rock.

The Wizard would try many more times over the centuries to find his champion, but it would be nearly 3,000 years until he found the right candidate: a brave and courageous young man, truly pure of heart, named Billy Batson.