The belt of deltora games

Due to privileged living, Elstred would have been easily influenced had it not been for his brother Ballum , who spoke out against Agra's council more and more often. Agra eventually sabotaged one of Ballum's magic tricks and left Ballum scarred, prompting him to don a mask to hide his injuries. She then framed him for an attempt to poison the king, which prompted him to flee to the Deltoran wilds where he founded the Masked Ones.

As a result, he was no longer present to speak against Agra or any of the other Chief advisors , who little by little persuaded the royal family to wear the Belt less and less until it was worn only on the day of a king or queen's ascension to the throne.

In time, the Shadow Lord seeded the four corners of Deltora with the monstrous Four Sisters , creations intended to poison the land so that it produced less and less food for the people. To pave the way for this plan, he used his Ak-Baba to hunt the tribes of Deltoran dragons to the verge of extinction. Deltora's noted explorer, Doran the Dragonlover , managed to find one last member of each dragon tribe and persuaded them to enter an enchanted sleep from which they would eventually be awakened by the Belt of Deltora, only to learn of the Four Sisters' placement.

He disappeared on his final journey to find the Four Sisters, and his map of their location was removed from The Deltora Annals by Drumm , the chief advisor of the time. Drumm would also secrete the Sister of the South within the palace of Del, which was still under construction, hiding it under a hideous altar in the chapel that was protested by the Ralad builders.

As part of the same scheme that involved the Four Sisters, the Shadow Lord secured the loyalty of Hira's rat catchers, promising them power and immortality in exchange for their services. They soon began breeding rats rather than catching them, creating a plague that they soon persuaded the people had been brought about by their own wickedness. The rat catchers led the people across the River Broad and founded a new city called No Rats, or Noradz , where they became known as the Ra-Kacharz and enforced a strange and strict code of conduct.

The people of Noradz would be put to work producing mass quantities of food that they would only eat a small amount of-the rest was transported to the palace in Del, where it and a magical illusion cast by the Shadow Lord kept the royal family in ignorance of the people's growing poverty. Hira, in the meantime, became known as the City of the Rats, with the rats increasing in number and feeding the monstrous Reeah , a serpent introduced to the city by the Shadow Lord for his own sinister purposes.

By the time of King Alton Deltora was in the grip of the Shadow Lord and his servants in all but name, with people across the land suffering from poverty and other deprivations.

The inhabitants of the palace in Del were bound by a code of conduct known as the Rule , and remained ignorant of what was going on outside the palace. The only semblance of contact the people had with their king or queen was when they signed prepared responses to complaints and requests sent to the palace by the citizens, which only the chief advisors ever saw.

Eventually Prandine , Alton's chief advisor, ordered that The Deltora Annals be burned and replaced with a new history, secretly planning to keep the inhabitants of the palace from learning the lessons of the past.

Fortunately, the Annals were saved in an act of heroism by palace librarian Josef , who burned old harvest records and animal bones to make it appear that he had carried out the heinous dead and taken his own life in the process before smuggling himself and the Annals out of the palace.

As Alton's son Endon reached the age by which he was considered old enough to become king, Prandine poisoned Alton just as he had Alton's wife before him; Endon thus ascended to the throne. Jarred , Endon's closest friend, became concerned that the Belt of Deltora was not worn constantly as in times of old, and in seeking answers found The Belt of Deltora , which had been hidden in the palace library by Josef.

Realising the peril that their land was in, Jarred found Endon and urged him to don the Belt and go out among the people, only to be framed by Prandine for an attempted assassination. Jarred was forced to flee, but left a message for Endon offering his help if he was ever needed; the pair thus grew up separately, with Jarred becoming a blacksmith at Adin's old forge and marrying Anna while Endon married Sharn , a woman of Toran descent.

Endon began to see the truth behind Jarred's long-ago warnings when Min , his old nursemaid, was killed after overhearing a conversation between the Shadow Lord's minions and told Endon of it only to be dismissed.

He thus sent Jarred a message that enabled him to penetrate the palace, and the reunited friends and Sharn made their way to the tower where the Belt had long been kept.

Unfortunately, they were too late: Prandine had already broken the Belt and removed the seven gems, giving one to each of the seven Ak-Baba to scatter across Deltora, which allowed the Shadow Lord to invade and occupy Deltora in force. Sharn was able to trick and kill Prandine, after which she and her companions fled the palace and met up with Anna at the forge. Resolved that the Belt would one day be restored but knowing that it would only shine for Endon and Sharn's unborn child-Endon having lost the trust of the people-the friends resolved upon a strategy that involved Endon and Sharn assuming Jarred and Anna's identities at the forge while Jarred and Anna went into hiding, heading towards Tora.

Sixteen years passed, during which Sharn gave birth to Lief and Anna gave birth to Jasmine after she and Jarred were refused aid from Tora and thus reversed their course to hide in the Forests of Silence. In the course of things, Endon and Sharn-under their assumed identities-had befriended Min's son, a former Del palace guard named Barda , who had fled the palace of Del after his mother's death, and enlisted him in their quest to restore the Belt.

Through listening to tales from travellers they determined where each gem had been hidden; sadly, Endon was injured by a falling tree branch and left unable to travel, but convinced Barda to let Lief join him when the time came. The night of Lief's sixteenth birthday they revealed the plan-though not their true identities, which even Barda did not know-and Lief soon agreed to embark on the quest in his father's stead.

Barda, having learned that Grey Guards would no longer approached the Forests of Silence, determined that they should journey in that direction first, rather than towards the Valley of the Lost as had been previously agreed. Barda and Lief made their way to the Forests, where they were captured by the Wenn but saved after making an unlikely ally in Jasmine, who had been left alone in the Forests after her parents were abducted by Grey Guards years previously.

With her help they were able to retrieve the Topaz from Gorl , the phantom of a Jalis knight who had come to the Forests before Adin's time in search of the Lilies of Life. Jasmine soon joined their quest, which took them to the territory of the sorceress Thaegan and the Lake of Tears , where they managed to recover the Ruby and destroy Thaegan, undoing all her evil magic. The next leg of the journey took the companions to Noradz and then to Hira, where they destroyed Reeah and obtained the Opal.

On their journey to the Shifting Sands , the group encountered Doom , leader of the Resistance against the Shadow Lord's tyranny, who offered them membership in his group but was turned down. The companions managed to recover the Lapis Lazuli from the Sands despite facing the monstrous Hive , and befriended the Kin on their way to Dread Mountain.

There they managed to liberate the Dread Gnomes from the tyranny of Gellick the Ooze Toad and recovered the Emerald, as well as cutting the Shadow Lord's forces off from Gellick's poison that they employed in their Blister weapons. Along the way to the Maze of the Beast they once again encountered Doom and his young ally Dain , who joined the companions for a time before being captured by Pirates. They were reunited with him after recovering the Amethyst from the Glus ' maze, and then came to the city of Tora only to find it empty in consequence of its people breaking their vow to Adin's family.

Dain rejoined Doom, and the companions travelled to the Valley of the Lost where they won the Diamond and freed both the Torans imprisoned there and their former captor, Fardeep , from the Shadow Lord's evil. Joined by the Torans and the arriving Doom and Dain, the companions set about trying to find Endon and Sharn's child, unaware as they were of Lief's true identity and those of his parents.

Believing that the key lay in reuniting the seven tribes and having then renew their allegiance to Adin's heir, the group sent messages to their various allies across Deltora and then travelled to Withick Mire , a Resistance stronghold.

Along the way they came across evidence indicating that the royal family had perished, but this was later refuted by Barda when his knowledge of palace procedure allowed him to spot errors in the deception. The summoned allies soon gathered at Withick Mire, where the Belt seemingly indicated Dain as Endon's heir; the gathering was then attacked by Thaegan's last surviving child Ichabod , who seemingly abducted Dain and carried him to Del. Two days before the end of tyranny, the people of Noradz are marched to the Shadowlands as slaves.

The allies began making their own way to Del, only to be betrayed by Dain, who proved to be an Ol planted by the Shadow Lord as his ultimate weapon against an attempt to restore the Belt of Deltora. In the ensuing struggle, everyone but Lief, Jasmine, Barda, and Doom were captured, and Doom was injured in such a way that the amnesia he had been suffering from began to lift. This led the companions to belief that he was Endon and that Jasmine was his heir; everyone but Lief was then captured by Grey Guards after the Belt failed to shine.

Lief determined from his studies that the gems had to be in their proper order-spelling out the name Deltora-in order for the Belt to function properly, and was then revealed as the true heir when he donned the Belt in its proper form. Endon dies from a poisoned wound, leaving Lief to rule over Deltora as king with his friends and allies by his side. In the wake of the Shadow Lord's exile, it is discovered that thousands of Deltorans have been taken to the Shadowlands as prisoners, and the people continue to cry for a rescue attempt.

Lief, determined to secure Deltora's future and not to invade the Shadowlands without a magic to counter the Shadow Lord's, finds an heir in Marilen and has her wear the Belt while he dons a copy.

He then becomes determined to find the legendary Pirran Pipe , the one magic the Shadow Lord ever feared in his current territory, and gains information from The Deltora Annals after Josef emerges from hiding with help from Jasmine. Jasmine, who had been deceived by the Shadow Lord, sought a secret underground route to the Shadowlands, and in following her Lief and Barda came across the Pirran Islands where the people of Pirra , owners of the Pirran Pipe, had fled after their land was taken by the Shadow Lord.

While the companions travelled through the Pirran Caverns in search of the pieces of the pipe, the residents of Del dealt with the Shadow Lord's schemes, including the ghastly Conversion Project which turned captured Deltorans into helpless slaves of their dark master. Fortunately, this fiendish plan was prevented from coming to fruition by the Pirran Pipe, which destroyed the project's worms before they could infect the many Deltorans imprisoned in the Shadowlands.

The Pipe's magic also allowed the Pirrans to rescue the companions and other Deltorans from the Shadowlands, and they then transported them to Del. At this point Lief's secrecy was revealed, and the companions learned that other heirs of Adin could be found throughout the land, meaning that there would always be another to wear the Belt if anything befell Lief. The companions eventually learned of the Shadow Lord's plot involving the Four Sisters, and set out to stop it by finding and awakening the last seven dragons of Deltora.

Having found the sleeping Fidelis on their journey into the underground, they awakened him only to learn that the first Sister they had located was outside of its territory.

The companions thus continued their journey to Dragon's Nest , where they destroyed the Sister and its guardian-the Capricon Rolf in the form of a mutated Ruby dragon -with the aid of Joyeu.

They would then discover that the next Sister was located in Shadowgate , and along the way the companions awakened Fortuna and Honora ; the latter would aid Lief in destroying the Sister after he defeated the Masked One. Travelling towards the Isle of the Dead and the next Sister, the companions awakened Veritas and came across the skeleton of Forta on Blood Lily Island.

Fortunately, they also found an egg that hatched into her daughter , and Veritas was able to aid them against the vicious Kobb before destroying the Sister of the West. The companions then learned that the final Sister was located in Del itself, and travelled there to find the city under siege. However, they were able to penetrate the machinations of guardian Paff , and Paff's creature was destroyed when the Sister lost power and was then destroyed by Lief and Fidelis.

Unfortunately, the Shadow Lord's plan had one final twist: the destruction of all Four Sisters unleashed a Grey tide from beneath Hira that threatened to cover the entire land and smother all life, which presumably was designed to physically make Deltora part of the Shadowlands.

Lief and his companions flew to Hira on Fidelis' back, only to be challenged by an awakened Hopian. However, the dragons and Fidelis' riders were soon forced to deal with the arrival of the Ak-Baba, and Lief summoned the other dragons from across the land to aid them. All but three of the Ak-Baba were destroyed and driven off, allowing the dragons to destroy the Grey tide.

Lief would continue to reign as Deltora's king, with Jasmine becoming his queen and the pair remaining ever vigilant against the surviving threat of the Shadow Lord. The island of Deltora lies in the Ocean of the South , and is bordered by the Silver Sea to the west and the Sea of Serpents to the east. Deltora has a diverse landscape, differing from territory to territory.

When Pirra joined with Deltora, it created the Barrier Mountains. The Barrier Mountains are a line of jagged mountains, going from the east all the way to the west of Deltora.

The largest mountain of the Barrier Mountains is Dread Mountain. Eventually though, they all flow out to the sea. River Tor starts near Dread Mountain , flows through Emerald and Amethyst territories, before joining with River Broad and flowing out to sea. River Del starts in the Os-Mine Hills and flows down the west side of Del before flowing out into the sea. There are many roads and paths in Deltora. They usually lead to main cities and towns and are sometimes dangerous due to bandits.

When the Land of the Dragons collided with Pirra, and the Barrier Mountains were formed, villages and communities in the land were ruined. Before everyone went into deep disappear, the land gave each territory a gift. Each of the seven tribes received a powerful talisman from the inners of the earth. The Topaz belongs to the Del tribe by extension, Topaz territory. It is written, in The Belt of Deltora, that, "The topaz is a powerful gem, and its strength increases as the moon grows full.

The topaz protects its wearer from the terrors of the night. It has the power to open doors into the spirit world. It strengthens and clears the mind. There it waited for Lief, Barda and Jasmine to claim it. The Ruby belongs to the Ralad tribe by extension, Ruby territory. It is written, in The Belt of Deltora , that, "The great ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood, grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens its wearer.

It wards off evil spirits, and is an antidote to snake venom. The Ruby was guarded by Soldeen and Sorceress Thaegan. The Opal belongs to the Plains tribe by extension, Opal territory. The Belt of Deltora reads that, "The opal, symbol of hope, shines with all colours of the rainbow. It has the power to give glimpses of the future, and to aid those with weak sight. The opal has a special relationship with the lapis lazuli , the heavenly stone, a powerful talisman.

The Lapis Lazuli, also known as the Heavenly stone, is the tressure of the Mere tribe by extension, Lapis Lazuli territory. The Belt of Deltora states that, "The Lapis Lazuli, the heavenly stone, is the symbol of good fortune, brings good luck and has an affiliation with the Opal. The Emerald belongs to the Dread Gnomes by extension, Emerald territory. The Belt of Deltora reads that, "The emerald, symbol of honour, dulls in the presence of evil, and when a vow is broken. It is a remedy for sores and ulcers, and an antidote to poison.

Even though this is the tribe's talisman, smaller emeralds still have lesser powers For example, people in Del were cured of the Toran Plague when emeralds were held to their hearts. Gla-Thon, said that gems are only shadows of the main seven. The Amethyst belongs to the Toran tribe by extension, Amethyst territory.

The Belt of Deltora reads that, "The great amethyst, symbol of truth, calms and soothes. It changes colour in the presence of illness, loses colour near poisened food or drink, and guides the wearer towards sincerity, security, and peace of mind. The Diamond belongs to the Jalis tribe by extension, Diamond territory. The Belt of Deltora says that "The diamond, symbol of innocence, purity, and strength. Diamonds give courage and strength, protection from pestilence and helps the cause of true love.

In each medallion was one of the seven gems of Deltora. Adin created the Belt that he dreamt of and when he finally finished it, he took the Belt and travelled to every tribe to persuade each of them to give him their gem. In the beginning the tribes were mistrustful, but they slowly began to trust Adin and his mission to save the land. They gave him each of their gems, and Adin placed each of them in the spots of the Belt.

When each gem was added to the Belt, it became stronger and with it the territory of the gem too became stronger. During a turning point for the Shadowlands army, the Torans arrived and together, the forces of Deltora were able to defeat the invading army.

The Torans agreed to hand over their talisman and the Belt was completed. Zara noticed the order of the gems spelled what she believed to be the name of the land, Deltora. After Adin became Deltora's first king, he ensured his descendants would wear the Belt always. However, the Shadow Lord infiltrated the minds of the monarchs throughout the centuries through Ols staged as Chief advisors.

Over time, the Shadow Lord learnt of a single flaw with the Belt; it required the trust and love of the people of Deltora to activate its magic. The Chief advisors were thus able to influence the thoughts of the monarch, setting up a series of rules that limited the royal family's interactions with the populace, and limited the wearing of the Belt to ceremonious occasions. Some of them would go on to be the Rule. Eventually, the Belt was kept in the palace's highest tower behind glass and it became the custom to wear the Belt only on a new monarch's coronation.

During the reign of King Endon , the Belt finally lost what little power it possessed. The Shadow Lord wasted no time in invading, and had its seven Ak-Baba destroy the Belt, and scatter the gems around Deltora in locations deemed too dangerous for anyone to think of travelling to, as the gems could not be destroyed.

However, Endon was able to re-forge the Belt, and eventually gave it to his son, Lief , on his sixteenth birthday. Together with his companions Barda and Jasmine , they were able to gather the gems and drive the Shadow Lord back to the Shadowlands.

Lief then re-instated the rule that the heir of Deltora should wear the Belt at all times. The primary use of the Belt of Deltora was to keep the power of the Shadow Lord at bay, so that he could not invade.

This will only work as long as the ruler of Deltora has the trust and faith of the people. If separated from the gems for a time, the belt will become hotter the closer it is to one. Each gems have their unique and different abilities, all of which are listed below. The Diamond , talisman and treasure of the Jalis , gives courage and strength, protects from pestilence, and helps the cause of true love.

It symbolises Strength and Purity. If it is taken by force or trickery the person taking it meets with misfortune. The Emerald , a talisman and treasure of the Dread Gnomes , dulls in the presence of evil, and when a vow is broken.

It is a remedy for sores and ulcers, and is an antidote to poison. It symbolises Honour. The Lapis Lazuli , talisman and treasure of the Mere , is the heavenly stone and is a powerful talisman that protects the wearer from evil and brings good fortune. It symbolises Fortune. It has a special bond with the Opal. The Topaz , talisman and treasure of the Del tribe, gives the wearer contact with the spirit world, strengthens and clears the mind, and protects its wearer from the terrors of the night.

It symbolises Faithfulness. Its powers are strongest during a full moon. The Opal , talisman and treasure of the Plains people, has the power to give people glimpses into the future, and to aid those with weak sight.

It has a special bond with the Lapis Lazuli. It symbolises Hope. The Ruby , talisman and treasure of the Ralad , grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens its wearer. It wards off evil spirits, and is an antidote to snake venom. It symbolises Happiness. The Amethyst , talisman and treasure of the Toran , changes colour in the presence of illness, pales near poisoned food or drink, and guides the wearer towards sincerity, security, and peace of mind.

It symbolises Truth. Since the Belt was created as a defensive weapon, it cannot be used offensively unless brought into direct contact with an evil being.

Also, it cannot kill wicked animals, including those that are native to Deltora, such as Granous , since they follow their own instincts. The Belt has two major flaws in its design. The first is that the gems cannot be brought beyond Deltora's borders. Attempting to will result in their bearers burning to death. The exact nature of the borders is unknown, but Lief was nearly killed when swept out to sea in the Isle of the Dead.