In the
fantasy novels of
Rick Cook, a powerful
wizard and leader of the
Council of the North in the
magical,
sword-and-sorcery World. Bal-Simba is a very tall, very large, very black man with
teeth filed to
needle-sharp points who commonly wears a
leather kilt, a
leopard skin over his shoulders, and a
necklace of
bone with the
skull of an
eagle as a
pendant. Bal-Simba is the most skilled of all
wizards in the old tradition.
After Patrius summoned Wiz Zumwalt from Cupertino in the "real" world, and was killed by the Dark League in the process, Bal-Simba walked the Wizard's Way to Wiz and Moira to investigate. It was he who gave Wiz the name "Sparrow," and who sent them on their journey through the Wild Wood to Heart's Ease. After Wiz had created his magic compiler system and mounted an attack on the Dark League, Bal-Simba ordered the forces of the North to take advantage of the opportunity, and the League was crushed.
Bal-Simba traveled to the "real" world, specifically to Comdex in Las Vegas, with Jerry Andrews and Moira (trapped in Fluffy the dragon's body). This presented somewhat of a challenge when it came to outfitting him wth suitable clothing; the only outfit that could be found for him on short notice made him look like a pimp. While there, he found himself enjoying the stage act of a female impersonator, and inavertently started a rumor (with the assistance of a zealous technology journalist) that may have saved a small software company.
Sources: Rick Cook, Wizard's Bane, The Wizardry Quested