The Sorceress Thaegan is a powerful and evil sorceress who has lived for over a hundred years. Theagan was originally a beautiful girl, but was cruel and spiteful and turned to dark magic. She was more powerful than her own mother Tamm (who herself was a wise woman who knew magic), and after Tamm failed to reason with her, she tried to keep her under control, but Theagan escaped the shutting spell around their cottage and flead into the Border Mountains between the Shadowlands and Deltora.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
Thaegan’s powers were much stronger than Tamm’s, however, and, unhappily, though the girl was beautiful to look upon, her nature was cruel and spiteful. Bored by her mother’s simple life, she turned to dark magic to satisfy her taste for power. Tamm tried to reason with her, and finally to control her, but to no avail. Thaegan broke through the shutting spell Tamm had woven around their cottage, and fled into the mountains that separate Deltora from the Shadowlands.
When Theagan returned after seven years, she was the most powerful sorceress Deltora had ever seen.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
We cannot know what happened to her there, of what hideous bargain she may have struck with the evil forces she summoned to her hideaway. We only know that when she came down from the mountains again, seven years later, she was more powerful than any sorceress Deltora had ever seen, and her reign of terror over, the north began.
Almost a hundred years later (by the time of King Alton, Lief's grandfather), and Theagan's power and spite have only grown greater.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
Nearly a hundred years have passed, but the Sorceress Thaegan is today still alive and more powerful than ever. Her malice has increased with age.
It is thought that she uses illusion magic to make herself look beautiful, and beneath that the ture horror of her actual self lies.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
Despite a life of wickedness that has spanned over a century, she continues to have the appearance of a beautiful woman. The dread horror that must lurk beneath this illusion can only be imagined.
Theagan's weakness, like any witches, is drawing blood. However; Thaegan has armoured her entire body with magic, which no regular weapons can penetrate. The only exception is the tip of one of her little fingers, which she uses to cast her dark magic.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
Witches, it is said, can be killed by drawing blood, but Thaegan is free from the fear of injury, for she is armored by magic. Her body shines green as glass — protected by a surface that no arrow or spear can injure. The only exception is the tip of one little finger, the finger with which she casts her vile spells.
The Lake of Tears said:
Barda flung himself at her, his sword pointed straight at her heart. “One drop of your blood, Thaegan!” he shouted. “One drop, and you are destroyed!” But the sorceress laughed shrilly as the blade swerved aside before it touched her and Barda was flung back, sprawling, into the mud.
The Lake of Tears said:
The sorceress was dead. Trying only to stop her from casting her spell, Kree had wounded her in the one place on her body that was not armored — the fingertip she used to work her evil magic.
The Sorceress Thaegan has laid waste to entire regions of countryside, transforming them into vast wastelands. Among these is the Lake of Tears, which was once the beautiful town of D'Or. When Thaegan devastated D'Or out of pure spite, the Raladin spoke out against her, to which she made it so they could not speak. Many travellers who have passed through Thaegans territory have never returned, and many others have been striken in both body and mind.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
Though the king continues to be unaware of her existence, the people know of her only too well. Few now dare to travel through her territory. Those who have done so in the past have either never returned, or crawled back to their homes stricken in body and mind. Vast areas of countryside in the north have been laid waste. Notable among these wastelands is the hideous Lake of Tears [see Soldeen, p. 6], which floods the place where once shone the golden towers of D’Or.
Thaegan destroyed D’Or out of pure hatred — hatred of its beauty and its people’s happiness. When the neighboring folk of Raladin cried out against the destruction, she took away their voices so they could speak no more.
The Lake of Tears said:
“Thaegan hates anything that is beautiful, alive, and free,” Jasmine said at last, as they entered a clearing where green ferns clustered and the branches of the trees arched overhead. “The birds say that in the land around the Lake of Tears there was once a town called D’Or — a town like a garden, with golden towers, happy people, and lush flowers and trees. Now it is a dead, sad place.”
She waved her hand around her. “As will be all this, when Thaegan and her children have finished their evil work.”
The Lake of Tears is a bleak, fetid place filled with creeping slimey things, where nothing green grows, such was Thaegan's spite of all things beautiful and good.
The Lake of Tears said:
They stumbled through the narrow passage in single file, keeping as close to the Ralad man, and to one another, as they could. So intent were they on their task that they were not prepared for what they saw when finally they reached the end of the pass.
Not far below them was a murky lake ringed by banks of thick, grey mud riddled with what looked like worm holes. In its center a slimy rock oozed water which dripped ceaselessly into the pool, causing slow, oily ripples to creep across its surface.
Twisted, barren peaks of clay rose beyond the lake like haunted things. There was not one green, growing thing to be seen. There was no sound but the dripping of water and the faint, squelching movements of mud. There were no smells but damp and decay. It was a place of bitterness, ugliness, misery, and death.
Lief’s stomach churned. The Lake of Tears was well named. This, then, was what the sorceress Thaegan had made of the town of D’Or — the town that Jasmine had said was “like a garden.” He heard Barda cursing softly beside him, and Jasmine hissing to Filli and Kree.
When Thaegan took away the Ralad's ability to speak, not only did she do this for all living Ralad, but all Ralad who had yet to be born.
The Lake of Tears said:
Manus nodded vigorously, and it was only then that Lief realized that he was unable to speak.
Barda saw his surprise. “None of the Ralads have voices, Lief,” he said gruffly. “Thaegan saw to that, long ago. It was when, out of spite and jealousy, she created the Lake of Tears from the beauty of D’Or. The Ralads of that time raised their voices against her. She — put a stop to it. Not just for them, but for all who came after them. There have been no words spoken in Raladin for a hundred years.”
Theagan has thirteen children who aid her in her evil. Who or what fathered them, if they were fathered at all, is unknown.
The Deltora Book of Monsters said:
The Sorceress Thaegan has thirteen children, all of them foul, monstrous beings which aid her in her tyranny and plunder the countryside. They are not as powerful as their mother but like her can create illusions and transform their shapes at will. Whether they were fathered by the forces of darkness or simply brought forth by Thaegan on her own account is not known.
With the invasion of the Shadow Lord, the Sorceress Thaegan's powers have increased tenfold.
The Lake of Tears said:
“Thaegan is ten times more powerful now than she ever was!” exclaimed Jasmine. “Evil loves evil, and the Shadow Lord has increased her strength so that now she is swollen with vanity as well as wickedness. If we travel through the north we are doomed!”
When a great eagle tried to save his friend from Thaegan (no doubt a blackbird) Thaegan, transformed him into a human and forced him to guard the bridge into her territory until truth and lies were one.
The Lake of Tears said:
“By the order of the sorceress Thaegan,” rasped the man. At the sound of the name his skin seemed to quiver. “Once, I tried to deceive her, to save a friend from death. Now it is my doom to guard this bridge until truth and lies are one.”
The Lake of Tears said:
And even as he wondered how in his panic he had managed to think of this, the tall figure before him gave a deep, shuddering sigh. Then Lief’s eyes widened and he cried out in shock. For the man’s flesh had begun rippling, melting — changing shape.
Brown feathers were sprouting from his skin. His legs were shrinking and his feet were spreading, becoming talons. His powerful arms and shoulders were dissolving and reforming themselves into great wings. His curved sword was becoming a fierce, hooked beak.
And in moments the man was gone, and a huge, proud bird with golden eyes stood on the cliff in his place. With a triumphant cry it spread its wings and soared into the air, joining the other birds swooping and gliding on the wind.
It is my doom to guard this bridge until truth and lies are one.
Lief stared, trembling all over. He could hardly believe what had happened. The guardian of the bridge had been a bird, forced by Thaegan’s magic into human form. It had been bound to the earth by her spite as surely as if it had been chained.
And his trick answer had broken Thaegan’s spell. He had thought only of saving his own life, but he had broken Thaegan’s spell. The bird was free at last.
Thaegan's favourite food is a blackbird, swallowed whole and alive.
The Lake of Tears said:
“Yes,” said the man. “But you have forgotten Thaegan’s favorite food. A raven, swallowed alive. It was in the cave also, alive in her belly. The answer is one hundred and six.”
The Lake of Tears said:
“Kree!” screamed Jasmine. “Get away from her!”
Thaegan laughed, and turned back to face them. “The black bird I will save for my own delight,” she snarled. “But you — you will know nothing of his pain.”
The Sorceress Thaegan's arrival to the Lake of Tears to stop the heroes taking the Ruby causes the sky to split open and a cloud of foul yellow smoke to 'belch through the crack'; the Lake is churned to mud by this (the Lake is deep enough that Soldeen can entirely submerge in it). Furthermore, Thaegan is so evil that the Ruby pales even more in her presence.
The Lake of Tears said:
Some words leapt into his mind. He could see them as clearly as if the page from The Belt of Deltora was open before him.
† The great ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood, grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens ...
The ruby is red, Lief thought. The ruby grows pale in the presence of evil. And when red pales, what is it but pink?
The gem in his hand was the ruby, its rich color drained away by the evil of the Lake. But surely it had faded even more in the last few moments. Now it was no darker than the palm of his hand.
A terrible fear seized him. “Soldeen!” he cried. “We must —”
But at that moment, the sky seemed to split open with a jagged streak of light. With a fearful, rushing sound, a cloud of foul-smelling, yellow smoke belched through the crack, churning the Lake to mud and filling the air above it with thick, choking fumes.
And in the midst of the smoke, hovering above the water, was a towering figure, shining green, with wild, silver hair that crackled and flew around her beautiful, sneering face as though it was itself alive.
“Thaegan!” It was as though the whole Lake moaned the name. As though every creature, and even the rocks themselves, shrank and trembled.
The sorceress jeered.
Thaegan uses her magic to push Lief back to the shores of the Lake of Tears.
The Lake of Tears said:
Again she raised her hand, and Lief felt himself being swept towards the edge of the Lake. Foul-smelling water rushed into his eyes, nose, and mouth. Nameless things, fighting for life as he was, battered against his face and body and were crushed.
Half-drowned, he was cast up on the shore. He crawled, coughing and choking, through the oozing mud and foam, only half aware that Barda, Jasmine, and Manus were running towards him.
Thaegan hurts Soldeen with one of her magical attacks.
The Lake of Tears said:
She pointed the little finger of her left hand at Soldeen, and a spear of yellow light flew at him, hitting him between the eyes.
The beast cried out, twisting and rolling in agony. Lief was pitched violently sideways, and the great ruby flew from his hand, high into the air. He shouted in horror, snatching at it vainly even as he plunged towards the churning water of the Lake.
Thaegan planned to turn Lief, Barda, Jasmine & Manus into the slimy creatures that lived in the Lake of Tears (but was stopped by Kree).
The Lake of Tears said:
Baring her teeth, she raked her victims with eyes full of hate and triumph. “You are to become part of my creation. Soon you will forget everything you have ever held dear. Sick with loathing at your own ugliness, feeding on worms in the cold and the dark, you will creep in the ooze and slime with Soldeen, forever.”
Thaegan's deaththroes causes the ground to shake and the Lake to heave. Afterwards, all of the clouds covering the Lake of Tears are gone, and the tempest caused by her dying almost empties out the entire Lake.
The Lake of Tears said:
Like a black arrow, Kree hurtled from the smoke. With a vicious snap his sharp beak stabbed and stabbed again at the death-pale fingertip.
The sorceress shrieked in rage, shock, and pain, shaking the bird off, hurling him aside. But red-black blood was already welling from the wound on her fingertip and slowly dripping to the ground.
Her eyes widened, unbelieving. Her body shuddered and writhed and turned as yellow as the smoke that still hung about her. Her face became a hideous blur, melting and reforming before her victims’ horrified eyes.
And then, with a high, whistling hiss, she began to shrivel, to crumple, to collapse in upon herself like a rotting fruit left in the sun.
Face down in the mud, Lief wrapped his arms around his head to hide the ghastly sight, smother the terrible sound. He heard Soldeen bellowing in the Lake behind him, crying out in triumph or terror. Then, with a low, terrifying rumble, the earth began to shudder and heave. Icy waves pounded on his back as the waters of the Lake swelled and crashed upon the shore.
Terrified at the thought of being sucked back into the deep, he threw himself forward, dragging himself blindly through the spray. Dimly he could hear Jasmine and Barda calling to each other, calling to Manus and to him. His fingertips touched rock, and with a last, desperate effort he heaved himself out of the swirling mud onto firm ground. He clung there, the breath sobbing in his aching throat.
Then, suddenly, everything stilled.
His skin prickling, Lief lifted his head. Barda and Manus were lying near him, pale but alive. Jasmine crouched a little further away, with Kree on her wrist and Filli, soaked and bedraggled, in her arms. Where Thaegan had stood there was nothing but a yellow stain on the rock.
The sorceress was dead. Trying only to stop her from casting her spell, Kree had wounded her in the one place on her body that was not armored — the fingertip she used to work her evil magic.
But it was not the end. Something was about to happen — Lief could feel it. The clouds had disappeared, and the full moon flooded the earth with radiant white light. The very air seemed to shimmer.
And the silence! It was as though the earth had caught its breath. Waiting ...
Slowly, Lief turned to look behind him.
The tempest had almost emptied the Lake. Now it was just a broad sweep of shallow water gleaming in the moonlight. A multitude of slimy creatures lay stranded in heaps around its edges and on its flattened banks.
After the Sorceress Thaegan is destroyed, all of her evil spells are undone; the Lake of Tears turns back into D'Or, the rocks & mud turning back into buildings & trees, Soldeen turns back into Nanion (the ruler of D'Or), the rock in the middle of the Lake turns back into Ethena (Nanion's wife), the slimy creatures turn back into the people of D'Or and the worms turn back into the birds and animals.
The Lake of Tears said:
Soldeen was in the center, by the weeping rock. He was motionless, his head upraised. He was staring at the moon as though he had never seen it before. As Lief watched, there was a long, whispering sigh. Then Soldeen simply — vanished, and standing in his place was a tall, golden man with a mane of tawny hair.
The weeping rock quivered, and cracked from top to bottom. The two halves crumbled away in a cloud of fine, glittering dust. A woman stepped from the shining cloud. She was golden, like the man, but her hair was black as night. In her hand, held high, was a huge, red gem.
Lief staggered to his feet. He wanted to shout, to exclaim, to cry out in shock, disbelief, and joy. But he could not make a sound. He could only stare as the man and woman joined hands and together began to walk towards him, across the water.
And as they walked, looking around them with the wondering eyes of those who still cannot believe their happiness, everything began to change.
The earth dried and bloomed with grass and flowers under their feet. Color and life spread from their footsteps, carpeting the dead earth as far as the eye could see. Twisted stumps and bare rocks became trees of every kind. Clay fell in sheets from the ragged peaks, revealing shining towers, beautiful houses, and spraying fountains. The pure, sweet sound of bells rang through the air.
All around the margins of the Lake, creatures were dissolving and re-forming. Golden people were rising from the ground, dazed from their long sleep, murmuring, weeping, laughing. Birds were fluffing their feathers and taking flight, singing their joy. Insects were chirruping. Furred animals were looking about them and hopping, bounding, or scurrying into the grass.
With Thaegan dead, the Ralad can talk again, as all of Thaegan's dark magic is undone.
The Lake of Tears said:
“If it is not, we are all dreaming the same dream,” said a chirpy voice he did not know. He swung around to see Manus, grinning at him.
“Manus — you can speak!” His own voice cracked and squeaked in his astonishment.
“Of course! With Thaegan’s death, all her spells have been undone,” said Manus cheerfully. “The people of Raladin and D’Or will not be the only ones in these parts with reason to be grateful to your gallant black bird, believe me.”