Torbalan (known colloquially as Sack Men) are a sort of creature that are often hired by Elders to be spies. They usually wear normal looking clothes, but almost always wear sunglasses. Their name comes from the backpacks they wear, and although it is not said in the books to what may be in the sacks, we know it can't be good, as Virginia Dare tells Josh Newman that he doesn't want to know. It is said by Niten in The Enchantress, that if the sack is cut open, the Torbalan dies. They follow Josh Newman, Virginia Dare and John Dee across the Bay Bridge and to Treasure Island in The Warlock. The Sack Men are also used by Bastet and Quetzalcoatl in The Enchantress to spy on Nicholas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, Prometheus, and Niten. One Sack Man transports a phone to the group, instead of Bastet