When darkness and dark sorcery blinded King Kay Kavus and bound the Iranian army in the depths of Mazandaran, the despairing sovereign dispatched a messenger as fleet as a winged bird to Zabolistan. The letter was a bitter testament of regret—a fallen monarch lamenting that he had spurned the wise counsel of Zal, only to see his crown dragged through the dust and his soul trapped in the iron grip of Ahriman.
Upon hearing the harrowing courier, Zal tore his robes in anguish. Though he hid his immense grief from friend and foe alike, his illuminated spirit had long foreseen this dark omen. Turning to his legendary son, Rostam, Zal declared that the scabbard could no longer hold the sword: the King of the World lay in the very jaws of the dragon, and God had nurtured Rostam specifically for this fateful hour. He urged the hero to don the impenetrable Babr-e Bayan, cast aside all thought of rest, and crush the demonic host of Mazandaran with his irresistible mace.
When Rostam asked of the road ahead, Zal revealed two paths to the fell realm: the first was the long, six-month march taken by Kavus, while the second was a shortcut of fourteen terrifying stages—a realm of dense darkness, ravenous beasts, sorcerous demons, and unimaginable trials. Zal counselled his son to choose the perilous shortcut, trusting utterly in the Almighty. He promised to lift his hands in continuous prayer to Yazdan, adding that even if fate decreed Rostam's fall, a glorious death in pursuit of a grand name was far nobler than a languishing life.
Rostam bowed to his father's command and swore a mighty oath. He vowed to break the sorceries of Mazandaran, free every captive Iranian knight, and trample the heads of Arzhang, Bid, Sanjeh, Pulad-e Ghundi, and the fearsome Div-e Sepid beneath the hooves of Rakhsh. Donning his mythic armor, Rostam mounted his faithful steed. His mother Rudabeh rushed forward, her eyes brimming with tears, dreading that she might never see her glorious son again. With loving words of solace, Rostam commended his mother and house to the protection of God, turning his face toward the dark unknown of the Seven Trials.