Ali Ka-Zoom was an unusually gifted kid, and in particular had a world-class gift for prestidigitation. He later learned the full Occultist Skill (as well as an undetermined repertoire of Rituals), which considerably damaged his sanity due to the Price of Magic. Later still he became a ghost, though he did not pass on.

He’s fairly erudite in matters mystical - and being dead gives him access to some sources of knowledge most living persons cannot touch. In a relatively short time frame he was seen in San Francisco, Los Angeles and even Manhattan - hence his high Spirit Travel score.

As an apparent agent of the Seven Unknown Men of Slaughter Swamp, he seemingly had foreknowledge of everything that was going to happen during the new Harrowing.

History

For much of the known early history of Ali Ka-Zoom, see our Newsboy Army entry.

Since Ali mentioned it took three months for him to build his cabinet, the likely chronology is :

• The Newsboy Army is cursed by the Time Tailor
• As a result, Ali immediately starts studying occultism and soon builds his Cabinet. Over this period (about a year, I suppose) Millions dies and Chop Suzi becomes pregnant.
• Soon after the Cabinet is complete and Ali’s sanity manifestly starts unravelling, Chop Suzi dies and the survivors of the Newsboy Army go nuts, accusing their friend Ace of having impregnated and killed her. In a moment of manic hatred Kid Scarface blinds Ace and shoves him into the Cabinet while Ali and Lil‘ Hollywood cheer him in hysterical anger.
• The Price of Magic proves to be severe for Ali ; within some months or years he becomes insane and eventually dies as an incoherent, very sick homeless person.

The Cabinet was impounded as evidence in the disappearance and suspected murder of Ace, and a dozen cops and a metanormal investigator were lost trying to investigate it. Presumably, these men were attempting to recover Ace or his body. Years later the Cabinet, still wrapped in police tape, was released from police custody and bought by Cassandra Craft for $20K. It stayed in her workshop for a while.

The Ghost of Ali Ka-Zoom lingered on, in part because the cabinet served as a tether to the material plane. At some unrevealed point (presumably after his death) he had some sort of contact with the Seven Unknown Men of Slaughter Swamp and became an ally or agent of theirs. Ali knew of the coming Harrowing and of the Spell of the Seven, and was told (or researched) what he needed to do to help the Spell of Seven run properly. Presumably, his main goal was revenge and closure for the Newsboy Army, as the Spell of Seven would lead to the defeat and destruction of the Time Tailor.

During the early XXIst Century, Ali sensed that the Harrowing was about to come and that the Spell of Seven would soon become possible. Knowing that this meant that he would soon be able to pass on and stop haunting Earth, he started working as a facilitator for the Spell to be correctly triggered.

If I walk down this hallway, tonight, it’s too quiet

In San Francisco, he deliberately left his top hat in the shop of Cassandra Craft after inquiring about Zatanna. Zatanna arrived shortly after Ali’s cryptic visit. The lady magician was being chased by an entity calling itself Gwydion, who could be anything ; since she had temporarily lost her powers, she wanted to use the items at the shop to fight Gwydion. Ali’s top hat proved very handy to gather the smoke form of the confused Gwydion when he was made more material, and the entity was locked into the Cabinet and defeated.

In Los Angeles, Ali appeared to the time-lost Justina, who defended the insane bum against some street punks. Justina’s choice to protect the homeless Ali (whom she did not realise was a ghost) proved instrumental to her destiny. It broke the hold a Sheeda mind-destroyer had on her, and further allowed Ali to magically teach her English and transmogoriphy her armour. Ali named her a Shining Knight before he left.

So I pad through the dark, and call you on the phone

Ali Ka-Zoom then contacted Zatanna and her new ’apprentice‘, Misty Kilgore, who were carrying his Cabinet. He asked them to burn it on the beach (perhaps in order to release the souls of Cap and the other people who had been trapped inside it), then asked Zatanna to drive the three of them to the sprawling home of don Vincenzo, a mob lord of the West Coast — and formerly Kid Scarface. The place had just been raided by a Sheeda party, with the don’s soldatos all having been killed and having killed some Sheeda soldiers and beasts in return.

Ali, leading Zatanna and Misty, advanced several small steps in the overall plan — the winged horse Vanguard, which the Sheeda left behind after the raid and were about to kill, was saved to fly back to his knight ; Misty received the first hints about her true heritage ; and Ali obliquely told Zatanna she should call to the Seven Unknown Men in her hour of need. This later piece of advice proved instrumental in allowing Zatanna to defeat the Time Tailor.

On a more personal level, Ali acted as a psychopomp and escorted Scarface’s soul to the afterworld. It is also hinted that the Merlin of the Ghetto ensured that Ed Stargard, formerly Baby Brain, intuitively realised that the Time Tailor had been destroyed - bringing to the old man vengeance and peace after decades of torment.

Push your old numbers and let your house ring, til I wake your ghost

When the Harrowing itself started, Ali appeared in Manhattan to advise Zatanna again, giving her critical clues about the key to completing the Spell of Seven. After Zatanna successfully launched the spell, Ali appeared at the side of young Ystina a second time, lifting her spirits and helping her collect herself.

Though Ali originally saw the Harrowing as his opportunity to pass on, he emerged from these events with a clear mind, the destruction of the Time Tailor apparent allowing him to shed his senility and insanity. From his relationship with young Ystina, the Shining Knight, it seems likely that he will become the Merlin figure in the destiny of Ystina to become the Once And Future Queen of another iteration of Camelot.

Description

Ali looks quite material, even though he’s not — he’s not translucent or anything. Cassandra Craft, who is blind but mystically sensitive, described him as being tall, but to most people he appears to be a short and hunched over old vagrant.

Personality

Ali is no longer mad, but he is dead and old ; he tends to ramble a fair bit and jabber cryptically about his childhood memories with the Newsboy Army. After he served as a psychopomp to Kid Scarface, he seemed to be more lucid, and in fact came across as being wise and knowledgeable, though still subject to the Magician’s Code as he spoke enigmatically.

He later acted toward Ystinia like a protective, wise, friendly uncle, and did not seem bitter, insane or senile while chatting with her. In fact he seemed much like what he would have been had he never been cursed - he shed the clothes the evil Time Tailor had made for the Newsboy Army and is now free to make his own destiny. As the Shining Knight’s mentor and advisor, the Merlin of the Ghetto can probably played as just Merlin to a young Arthur.