Nome King is the heartless, tyrannical, domineering, manipulative, and dictatorial ruler of the Nomes (sometimes spelled "Gnomes"). He is the only villain in the series to ever come close to being the main antagonist. He appeared in countless novels and the Disney film, Return to Oz. He also appears as the archnemesis to Dorothy Gale and the other heroes.Long ago, the Gnome King provided Santa Claus with steel runners for his sleigh and sleigh-bells for his reindeer. In return, he received a collection of toys for his children. He was part of the Council of Immortals, who bestowed upon Santa Claus the Mantle of Immortality and was the first to cast his vote (The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus).
Roquat of the Rocks later purchased the Royal Family of Ev from King Evoldo in exchange for a long life, and turned them into pieces of bric-a-brac to decorate his home. Princess Ozma, Dorothy Gale and a party from the Emerald City freed the royal family from his enslavement and, for good measure, took away his Magic Belt (Ozma of Oz).
Roquat became so angry that he plotted revenge. He had his subjects dig a tunnel under the Deadly Desert while his general, Guph, recruited a host of evil spirits to conquer Oz. Fortunately, at the moment of invasion, Roquat tasted the Water of Oblivion and forgot everything, including his enmity and his name (The Emerald City of Oz.
He returned to the Nome Kingdom and took a new name, Ruggedo. Using some personal magic, he enslaved the Shaggy Man's Brother, a miner from Colorado. The Shaggy Man, with the help of Betsy Bobbin, the Oogaboo army and some of Dorothy's old friends, came to his rescue and Ruggedo dropped them down the Hollow Tube. Quox the dragon conquered Ruggedo using an enchanted ribbon to deprive Ruggedo of all his magic knowledge and power. Ruggedo was forced him into exile and his former chamberlain, Kaliko, was installed as the new king (Tik-Tok of Oz).