Deltora Quest feats, lore & respect discussion thread

[Stocking Anarchy]

Deltora Quest is a fantasy childrens series written by Emily Rodda, with cover illustrations by Marc McBride. It consists of a total of three series, with the first series consisting of eight books, the second of three and the third of four, making a total of 15 books. There are also several spinoff books, including documenting the creatures & history of the world, with Monsters of Deltora, Tales of Deltora and Secrets of Deltora. Several other series written by Rodda are also set in the same universe, including The Three Doors Trilogy, Star of Deltora and Rowan of Rin.

An anime based off the first series was created by Studio OLM and ran for 65 episodes. A manga based off the first series (which actually predates the anime) was also written by Makoto Niwano. A Japan-only video game for DS was also released to coincide with the anime.

The series begins with the evil Shadow Lords schemes resulting in the seven gems of the Belt of Deltora being seperated and hidden in the most fearsome places throughout the land of Deltora, so that it can invade. On his sixteenth birthday, Lief, along with his companions Barda & Jasmine, must regather all of the seven gems to restore the Belt of Deltora find the true heir to the throne of Deltora and banish the Shadow Lord from the land of Deltora...

Deltora
The Belt of Deltora
The Seven Gemstones
The Topaz
The Ruby
The Opal
The Lapis Lazuli
The Emerald
The Amethyst
The Diamond
Dragons of Deltora

The Shadow Lord
The Shadow Lord
The Ak-Baba
Ols
Grey Guards
Vrael
The Four Sisters
The Grey Tide

Gem Guardians
Gorl
Soldeen
Sorceress Theagan
Reeah
The Hive
Gellick
The Glus
The Guardian

Pirra
The Pirran Pipe

Monsters
Sand Beasts (Terreocti)
Grippers
The Fear
Stingers
The Beast

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Shadow Lord, also known as the Enemy, is a malevolent force of darkness who rules the Shadowlands to the North of Deltora.

Endon took the hand in both his own and bowed his head. Then, suddenly, the walls of the chapel trembled as though the palace had been struck by a great wind.

For more frames of reference, the chapel is located within the palace below ground, and is made of stone (including marble).

The chapel was below ground level, in a quiet corner of the palace. It was still and cold. The old king’s body was lying on a raised marble platform in the center, surrounded by candles. Endon was kneeling beside it, with his head bowed.

As he did, he at last realized where he was. He was in the chapel. One of the marble tiles that surrounded the raised platform in the center had been pushed aside, and a dark hole gaped where it had lain.

The pillars and floors of the palace of Del are made of marble, while the walls are made of sandstone.

The palace is built of local sandstone & roofed with slate. The floors & internal pillars are of marble.

The palace has 200 rooms, including 25 guest rooms, a great hall capable of accomodating a thousand people and a library big enough to house 100,000 books.

lt has the amazing total of 200 rooms (if you count the storerooms, pantries & lavatories!), including 25 guest bedrooms, a banqueting hall where 250 guests can feast, the Great Hall, which can accommodate 1,000 people, a magnificent library spacious enough to store 100,000 books & a large, warm & friendly Kitchen (which l infinitely prefer to all of the above).

The Shadow Lord's roar shakes the entire palace of Del to its very core.

A furious roar shook the palace to its core. Red smoke recoiled, hissing, into the boiling clouds. But the gems of the Belt of Deltora blazed like fire, their rainbow brilliance streaming outward, filling the air, banishing the night, dancing on the faces of the cheering, weeping people. And in the center of the light stood Lief. Lief, the true heir of Deltora, revealed at last.

The Shadow Lord can control the weather, summoning/manifesting as dark red clouds.

Without warning, he threw his head back.
“Master!” he screamed. “It is time!”
A clap of thunder shook the earth. Great red clouds began to roll across the sky from the north, blotting out the stars. Dain faced Lief, eyes gleaming.

But already some of them were starting to recover. And the red clouds were tumbling, boiling, as they raced towards the city.

In moments he was in the open air. The dark red clouds hung heavily overhead, casting an eerie glow over the earth. He could hear Fallow’s voice clearly.

These clouds are seemingly implied to cover all of Deltora.

Throughout Deltora people were seeing their enemies falling, the clouds of evil in flight. The people were throwing down their weapons in joy, creeping from hiding, embracing their loved ones, and looking up at the sky. Knowing that suddenly, amazingly, a miracle had occurred. And at last they were free.

The Shadow Lord no longer has a physical form, manifesting as dark red-tinted clouds or smoke.

But Fallow did not see him. He was looking much higher — to the tower. Seven huge birds perched on the tower roof, their cruel, curved beaks outlined against the scarlet sky. Inside, where once the Belt of Deltora had lain in its glass case, red smoke swirled. And a shadowy figure stood motionless. Watching. Waiting...

There was a roaring, rushing sound above. Lief looked up. Red smoke was gushing from the tower. Red smoke, thick and edged with grey, heavy with menace. Grey light circled and swirled in its depths. And in its center a huge shape was forming. Hands, reaching. Eyes, hungry for revenge.

These clouds are almost certainly stormclouds, as they emmit thunder and lightning.

The room darkened and thunder growled outside the tower. Prandine’s eyes glowed with triumph. “The Shadow Lord comes,” he hissed.

Thunder growled outside, threatening as an angry beast. Black clouds edged with scarlet were tumbling towards the tower.

Lightning flashed again, and again. Roaring thunder shook the trembling earth. And out of the thunder swooped the seven Ak-Baba, their unearthly, wailing cries chilling the blood.

In the ancient battle in which the Shadow Lord was first banished from the Land of Dragons (which would later come to be known as Deltora), the Shadow Lord brings clouds in from the horizon, and within these clouds are thousands more Greers (Greers being the precursers to Grey Guards).

As he spoke he looked again out to the plain. And then he saw a low, grey cloud on the horizon, ringed and pierced with scarlet light. The cloud was touching the ground. It was sweeping towards the city very fast, and seven fearsome shapes wheeled above it.
A chill ran down Adin’s spine. He drew a sharp breath. “Az-Zure!” he shouted. “Beware! Ak-Baba!“
He heard the Dread Gnome’s answering cry and saw torches flame along the walls. He rang the bell of warning to alert the troops on the ground of coming danger. But as he did, he knew it was too late — too late for the soldiers to withdraw and too late for flight.
The cloud was already rolling across the plain. Adin could smell the stench of the Ak-Baba as they soared above the confusion of the battle. The foot soldiers at the rear — Mere folk, Dread Gnomes, and Greers alike — were turning, screaming, falling to their knees. Horses were rearing and shrieking in terror, their riders desperately trying to calm them. Black swarms of bees were swirling in confusion.
And now he could see shapes within the cloud— gleams of green, and bulky figures in metal helmets and breastplates. He caught his breath at the power of the sorcery that could sweep new and terrible forces into the battle in the twinkling of an eye. Then he felt the presence at the cloud’s centre, felt the malice streaming from it like cold breath, and it was as if his blood had turned to ice.
Beside him, Padge drew a long, shuddering breath. Az-Zure and her archers seemed frozen where they stood.
The Ak-Baba swooped, snatching and tearing at screaming soldiers on the plain, then soaring back into the air with dripping beaks and talons, screeching in triumph. The cloud lifted from the ground. Thousands of fresh Greers stood blinking in the sunlight for a split second, then sprang into the attack. Seven green-scaled beasts leaped forward with them, snapping their terrible, grinning jaws.

The Shadow Lord is immortal.

Shrieking, panic-stricken, the Ak-Baba wheeled away, soared upward to the tower. But the tower was empty. And already the red clouds were rolling back to the Shadowlands, a raging malice growling in their depths. A malice that would not die, but which knew that this battle, at least, it could not win.

The Shadow Lord has been around for thousands of years.

The magic Belt of Deltora. The crowd gave a hissing sigh, and Jarred, too, caught his breath. He had heard about the Belt since his earliest childhood, but he had never seen it before.
And here it was, in all its beauty and mystery — the ancient object that for thousands of years had kept Deltora safe from invasion by the evil Shadow Lord who ruled beyond the Mountains.

The Shadow Lord's presence in Deltora increases the Sorceress Thaegan's power tenfold.

“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!”

The Shadow Lord's presence sustains the lives of many of its underlings, such as Ols and Greers (although this is not the case for all of the Shadow Lords creations, such as Grey Guards and Grade Three Ols).

The remaining Guards were tearing blisters by the dozen from the boxes and hurling them into the celebrating crowd. But the people had already learned that water and Boolong sap were not harmful. Soon, the Guards would realize their own danger.
For they had been ruthlessly abandoned. As had the Ols, who, their source of power withdrawn, lay with burst and shrivelled hearts in the market square, where at last Steven was climbing from the pit. As had Ichabod, sprawled like a drained sack of red skin over the gnawed bones of his last meal.

Red light cracked through the cloud. There was an ear-splitting sound like a shriek of baffled rage. The grey mass seemed to shudder, to shrink. Then it began tumbling back, back towards the north, the mountains, and the safety of the Shadowlands, as if blown by a raging wind.
The Ak-Baba followed it, screeching like lost souls. The opal dragon, injured though it was, found the strength to chase them for a time, then decided it was wiser to retire and lick its wounds instead.
The new Greers, their master’s strength withdrawn, began falling where they stood.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Belt of Deltora is a powerful artifact who's true power can only be wielded by the heir to the throne of Deltora, a line which began with Adin who first forged the belt (after seeing a vision of the belt in his dreams, which were sent to him so he could create the Belt and save Deltora). Originally, the land of Deltora was divided into seven tribes, each with their own powerful talisman from deep within the earth, but united, the Belt drove the Enemy from the lands of Deltora. Though the Shadow Lord was defeated however, it wasn't killed, and it waited patently over the ages for its chance to strike; Adin also knows that the power of the King comes from the trust of his people. The completed Belt of Deltora was noted to shine like the Sun.

† In ancient days, Deltora was divided into seven tribes. The tribes fought on their borders but otherwise stayed in their own place. Each had a gem from deep within the earth, a talisman with special powers.

† There came a time when the Enemy from the Shadowlands cast greedy eyes on Deltora. The tribes were divided, and singly none ofthem could repel the invader, who began to triumph.

† A hero called Adin rose from the ranks of the people. He was an ordinary man, a blacksmith who made swords and armor and shoes for horses. But he had been blessed with strength, courage, and cleverness.

† One night, Adin dreamed of a special and splendid belt — seven steel medallions beaten to the thinness of silk and connected together withfine chain. To each medallion was fixed one of the tribal gems.

† Realizing that the dream had been sent to him for a purpose, Adin worked in secret over many months to create a likeness of the belt he had been shown. Then he traveled around the kingdom to persuade each tribe to allow its talisman to be added to it.

† The tribes were at first suspicious and wary, but, one by one, desperate to save their land, they agreed. As each gem became part of the belt, its tribe grew stronger. But the people kept their strength secret, and bided their time.

† And when at last the belt was complete, Adin fastened it around his waist, and it flashed like the sun. Then all the tribes united behind him to form a great army, and together they drove the Enemy from their land.

† And so Adin became the first king of the united tribes of Deltora, and he ruled the land long and wisely. But he never forgot that he was a man of the people, and that their trust in him was the source of his power. Neither did he forget that the Enemy, though defeated, was not destroyed. He knew that the Enemy is clever and sly, and that to its anger and envy a thousand years is like the blink of an eye. So he wore the belt always, and never let it out of his sight...

The seven gems are as follows; the Topaz, the Ruby, the Opal, the Lapis Lazuli, the Emerald, the Amethyst and the Diamond. The Belt itself is made of the strongest steel.

Hanging between Prandine’s bony fingers, the Belt seemed as delicateas lace, and the seven huge gems set along its length looked like beautiful decorations. But Jarred knew that the Belt was made of the strongest steel, and that each of the gems played its own special part in the magic that protected Deltora.

There was the topaz, symbol of faithfulness, gold as the setting sun.There was the amethyst, symbol of truth, purple as the violets that grew bythe banks of the river Del. For purity and strength there was the diamond,clear and sparkling as ice. For honor there was the emerald, green as lushgrass. There was the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, midnight blue withpinpoints of silver like the night sky. There was the ruby for happiness, red as blood. And the opal, symbol of hope, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow.

All of the gems united in the Belt in the correct order worn by the heir to Adin are much more powerful than the sum of their parts.

† Each gem has its own magic, but together the seven make a spell that is far more powerful than the sum of its parts. Only the Belt of Deltora, complete as it was first fashioned by Adin and worn by Adin’s true heir, has the power to defeat the Enemy.

This is quite literal, as the true power of the Belt is unleashed when all of the gems are in proper order, going Diamond, Emerald, Topaz, Lapis, Lazuli, Opal, Ruby and finally Amethyst.

† Each gem has its own magic, but together the seven make a spell thatis far more powerful than the sum of its parts. Only the Belt of Deltora,complete as it was first fashioned by Adin and worn by Adin’s trueheir, has the power to defeat the Enemy.

... complete as it was first fashioned by Adin ...
... together the seven make a spell...a spell...SPELL!
Lief pulled out his dagger, crouched over the Belt. His fingertips tingled as quickly, quickly, he used the dagger’s tip to lever the gems from their places, one by one. It seemed to him that they came easily, helping him.Helping him again as he replaced them — but this time in a different order. The right order.
Diamond. Emerald. Lapis lazuli. Topaz. Opal. Ruby. Amethyst.
DELTORA.

The Belt grows warmer and warmer when approaching a gem.

They slipped lower, lower. And suddenly, Lief felt something that made his heart leap with fearful excitement. The steel Belt, hidden beneath his clothes, was warming, tingling on his skin.
“We are in the right place,” he hissed to Barda. “One of the gems is nearby. The Belt feels it.”

Then he felt something that made him forget fear and doubt. The Belt of Deltora was warming on his skin. It sensed that another gem was near — very near.

Yet enter it they must. For already the Belt of Deltora had begun to grow warm around Lief’s waist. One of the lost gems was indeed hidden in the city. The Belt could feel it.

And the Belt was throbbing and burning. Somewhere in this gleaming tower lay the gem he was seeking. Was it the diamond? The amethyst? The emerald? He could see clear, purple, and green stones among those that sparkled in the pyramid. But which was the precious One?

Now he could feel that the Belt of Deltora had warmed against his skin. The fifth gem was here, in this cavern. But where?

The Belt! The Belt had grown hot! Lief stopped, shocked and disbelieving. A rounded pillar of stone stood beside him. Cautiously he moved towards it. The Belt grew even hotter. It seemed to burn under his fingers.

The Belt can tell the difference between the Gems and just regular gems of the same kind, as Lief knew that the Guardian had swapped out the Diamond for a regular diamond.

And inside, nestled on a bed of black velvet, a great diamond gleamed. Lief snatched up the gem and whirled around, clutching it tightly. “Get out!” the Guardian hissed. “Take your prize, and go!”
The door leading into the valley swung open. Mist billowed into the room, mingled with the sound of soft, sighing voices.
“Lief!” urged Barda, trying to pull Lief towards the opening.
But Lief stood his ground, feeling the blood rush into his face. “Why do you stay?” snarled the Guardian. “Is it not enough that you
have won? Must you jeer at me, too?”
“You have cheated us,” Lief cried, his voice trembling with anger. He held out the jewel, gleaming on the palm of his hand. “This gem may be a diamond. But it is not the diamond from the Belt of Deltora!”
“I never promised you more than what was in the casket!” the Guardian blustered. “I said to you clearly, ‘you may take your prize and go.’ That is all.”
“You told us your treasure was the diamond from the Belt of Deltora,” Lief insisted. “And the real gem was here, when first you showed us this room. But now it has gone.”
He moved a step forward, ignoring the monsters’ snarls. “You moved it, Guardian, once we were safely out of the way, searching other parts of your palace,” he shouted. “You replaced it with another gem. So that even if we won your game, your real treasure would not be lost.”
The Guardian’s eyes narrowed. “How can you know this?” he spat.
“It does not matter how I know,” Lief cried. “The important thing is, you have lied and cheated. You, who make so much of following the rules.”
“And did you follow the rules?” the Guardian jeered. “Yes! I took my jewel from the casket, and hid it outside in the mist. The gem I put in its place should more than satisfy your greed.”

The Guardian smiled grimly. “And so I was deceived,” he said. “The black bird, of course, remained outside the mist. And the fourth member of the party, the thief, was merely following you to profit by your cleverness. Ah — how nearly I let you slip through my fingers.”
Once again his red eyes turned on Lief. “Give it to me,” he commanded. “Give me the Belt of Deltora!”
Lief felt his hands move to his waist. His fingers found the clasp of the Belt. Sweat breaking out on his forehead, he forced them away from it, pushing them with all the force of his will over the gems that studded the medallions. His hand slid over the topaz, the ruby, the opal ... and came to rest on the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, the talisman. He curled his fingers over it, and held it fast.
“That will not protect you,” snarled the Guardian. He strode forward with Envy, Greed, Hate, and Pride growling and drooling around his feet. He reached out, and his hands fastened on the Belt like claws.
His eyes glowed with triumph, then suddenly widened, burning, burning like pits of fire. Staring into them, fixed in terror, Lief seemed to see a thousand pictures leaping in the flames.
But the Belt was icy cold.

The Belt when worn by an heir to the throne will emit a blazing light (temporarily), which has been compared with that of the Sun.

† And when at last the belt was complete, Adin fastened it around his waist, and it flashed like the sun. Then all the tribes united behind him to form a great army, and together they drove the Enemy from their land.

Then, suddenly, the fastening snapped closed, and his question was answered. Prandine sprang backwards, there was a crackling sound, and, at the same moment, the Belt seemed to explode with light.
The gems blazed like fire, lighting the hall with their rainbow brilliance. The people cried out and turned away, hiding their eyes.
Endon stood with his arms upraised, almost hidden by the flashing, darting light. No longer was he just a young boy with sad eyes. The magic Belt had recognized him as the true heir to the throne of Deltora. He, and he alone, could now use its mystery, magic, and power.

When Lief puts on the Belt with all the Gems in the correct order, there is a blinding flash of light; the light of the Belt pushes the Shadow Lord (and all its clouds) back into the Shadow Lands. The Shadow Lord's roar shakes the entire palace of Del to it's core.

Once, he would have tried it. Now, he had learned wisdom. Steadying himself, he sheathed his sword. He clasped the Belt around his waist ...
And — time seemed to stand still.
What...?
A rush of heat swept through Lief’s body. There was a strange, crackling sound. Then the Belt seemed to explode with light.
A furious roar shook the palace to its core. Red smoke recoiled, hissing, into the boiling clouds. But the gems of the Belt of Deltora blazed like fire, their rainbow brilliance streaming outward, filling the air, banishing the night, dancing on the faces of the cheering, weeping people. And in the center of the light stood Lief. Lief, the true heir of Deltora, revealed at last.
Shrieking, panic-stricken, the Ak-Baba wheeled away, soared upward to the tower. But the tower was empty. And already the red clouds were rolling back to the Shadowlands, a raging malice growling in their depths. A malice that would not die, but which knew that this battle, at least, it could not win.

As the source of a king (or queen) of Deltora's power is the trust of the people, if a king breaks this trust then they can never again wield the power of the Belt of Deltora.

† And so Adin became the first king of the united tribes of Deltora, and he ruled the land long and wisely. But he never forgot that he was a man of the people, and that their trust in him was the source of his power.

This is exactly what happened with King Endon, who by the scheming of the Shadow Lord and its minions, long broke the trust of the people of Deltora.

“But what if I die before the Belt is whole again?” Endon argued desperately. “It will only recognize Adin’s true heir. It will only shine for me!”
Jarred opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. Soon enough Endon would realize for himself that he had lost the last trust his people had in him. The Belt of Deltora would never shine for him again.

His face was furrowed with grief and memory. “We knew that we might never meet again. Endon had realized by then that by his foolishness and blindness the people’s last trust in him had been destroyed. The Belt would never again shine for him. All our hopes rested with his unborn child.”

The Belt of Deltora cannot be worn by beings of evil such as Ols, and it can even be used to destroy them. This is what happened with Dain, a Grade 3 Ol.

With the last of his strength, Lief threw the Belt around the Ol’s waist. With both hands he pulled it tight.
And the Ol screamed, throwing up its arms so that Doom fell heavily down the stone steps. Smoke rose from the place where the Belt gripped, and beneath the smoke the shuddering white flesh began to melt. The Ol twisted, trying to break free. But already it was dying. One face alone loomed from its melting white. The face of Dain, in all his moods: timid, beseeching, tearful, laughing, teasing, dignified, brave...
Lief bent, choking, as his stomach heaved. But he held tightly to the Belt, squeezing his eyes shut. And when at last he opened his eyes, there was only an ugly puddle of white dripping down the stone steps.

He stared down at the precious, mysterious thing that had brought them all to this. It was complete. And it was powerful. Powerful enough to kill Dain. Powerful enough to feel the presence of the heir. And yet ... somehow it was not perfect. Somehow, they had not discovered its final secret. He was tormented by the feeling that the answer was before his eyes, if only he could see it.

Even for the servants of the Shadow Lord (and perhaps the Shadow Lord itself), the Gems cannot be destroyed, and neither can they be taken beyond the boundaries of Deltora; to do so means death.

He pointed a bony finger at the tangled chain in Endon’s hands. “Finally, the blacksmith Adin’s accursed work has been undone. The Belt of Deltora is no more.”
“The gems cannot be destroyed,” Endon said through pale lips. “And it is death to take them beyond Deltora’s borders.”
Prandine smiled cruelly. “The gems have been scattered far and wide, hidden where no one would dare to find them. And when you and your unborn brat are dead, finding them would be no use in any case.”

Should all heirs to Adin perish, it is said that the Belt itself would crumple to pieces.

“I mended it, making it ready to receive the gems once more, before I hid it away,” his father said, handing it to him. “But so closely is it bound to the blood of Adin that it would have crumbled into pieces if the heir was no more. As you see, it is still whole. So we can be sure that the heir lives.”

The Shadow Lord itself fears the Belt.

“You must believe!” Jasmine burst out. “The Shadow Lord himself fears the Belt. That is why the gems were taken and hidden in the first place!”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Each of the seven territories of Deltora has it's own powerful talisman in the form of a precious gemstone. These gemstones, the Diamond, the Emerald, the Lapis Lazuli, the Topaz, the Opal, the Ruby and the Amethyst, form the name of Deltora, and make up the seven gems in the Belt of Deltora. These seven Gems were originally buried deep within the land, but the cataclysmic event which created the border mountains and connected the Land of Dragons (later to be known as Deltora) to Pirra (which would later become the Shadowlands) brought up the seven gemstones from deep underground.

And on that day, one by one, each tribe made a discovery. The great cracks that had opened in the earth had created hills and valleys, caves and rivers where none had existed before. But they had done more than that. In every territory, the splitting rock had given up a great secret—a wondrous gem from deep within the earth.
The people of each tribe marvelled as they felt the power of the gift the land had given them, a talisman born of its own suffering, promising protection and a new beginning.

The dragons of Deltora draw their power from the Gem of their own territory.

And each tribe jealously guarded its talisman, the gem of power that had been the land’s gift after the time of trial. Each tribe thought itself especially rich and favoured, for it did not know the other talismans existed.
The dragons knew, but each dragon drew strength only from the gem of its own territory, and cared nothing for the rest. And the land knew, but it could not speak for those who would not hear. So again it waited, biding its time.

The Gems cannot be destroyed, and to take the Gems beyond the boundaries of Deltora means death; thus not even the Shadow Lord's forces or the Shadow Lord itself remove the Gems from Deltora.

He pointed a bony finger at the tangled chain in Endon’s hands. “Finally, the blacksmith Adin’s accursed work has been undone. The Belt of Deltora is no more.”
“The gems cannot be destroyed,” Endon said through pale lips. “And it is death to take them beyond Deltora’s borders.”
Prandine smiled cruelly. “The gems have been scattered far and wide, hidden where no one would dare to find them. And when you and your unborn brat are dead, finding them would be no use in any case.”

We see several examples where individual Gemstones are able to have an effect on the very land & skies themselves. The Lapis Lazuli, for instance, parts all of the clouds above the Shifting Sands.

And as he stood up and turned joyously to Barda and Jasmine, as he opened his hand to show them the heavenly stone, the clouds that had covered the sky flew apart like torn rags. The stars and the moon beamed down again upon the dark earth like a blessing, and the lapis lazuli sparkled back at them like a tiny mirror.

Likewise, the Diamond breaks the curse over the Valley of the Lost.

Lief pressed the great diamond down. With a tiny click, it slid into place. Into the place where it belonged. The Belt was complete.
There was a moment’s breathless silence. Then the whispering began again. Louder now. Louder. The mist billowed, clumping into columns and spirals, rising from the ground and writhing upward through the trees, as though it was alive. And as it rose, figures were left blinking in the clear air. Men, women, and children looked in bewildered joy at their warming hands, at their slowly coloring robes, and at each other.
Then there was a great crack, a shattering, like the sound of breaking glass. In an instant, the valley was flooded with color and blinding light.
And when Lief, Barda, and Jasmine looked again there were people by the hundreds, by the thousands, rejoicing among the trees, under the blue sky. They were no longer grey, drifting, hollow-faced, but rich with color, warmth, and life.
Most were tall and slender, with long, smooth faces, their dark eyes shining beneath slanting eyebrows. Black, silky hair hung down their backs, the deep sleeves of their robes swept the ground. Staring at them in wonder, hardly able to accept the evidence of his own eyes, Lief remembered the Guardian’s words.
The first of my subjects, the largest number, came to me in a great wind, the pride that had caused their fall still fresh within them ...
And then he knew. These were the lost people of Tora.

Other gems have power to communicate and ward off spirits. The Topaz can open doors into the Spirit World.

† 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...

The Ruby wards off evil spirits.

† 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.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Topaz is the first of the Gems gathered by Lief and his companions, and the Gem of Del (or Topaz Territory). It has the power to protect the wielder from the terrors of the night, to strengthen and clear the mind and even open doors into the spirit world. It's power grows stronger as the Moon grows full (and weakens as it wanes into a New Moon).

† 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...

Just touching the Topaz clears and sharpens the mind.

Remembering that the topaz was at its strongest at full moon, Lief put his hand upon it. Hope swelled in him as his mind cleared. But no great idea or wonderful knowledge came into his mind — only one fixed thought. They must at all costs fight this sadness. They must fight the feeling that they could never win, or defeat was certain.

Touching the Topaz can dispel illusions (these illusions also affect what the intended victims hear as well as see).

The blood was pounding in Lief’s head. He could hardly breathe, but his mind was racing. Plainly, his friends were not seeing what he was seeing. To them, Doj was still the kindly old man that Lief had once believed him to be.
But that vision had been a lie — an illusion, created by some evil magic. Lief knew that now. He also knew that at all costs the hideous being must not find out that for him, at least, the spell had been broken.
He clutched at the topaz beneath his shirt and forced himself to smile and nod. “I — was dozing,” he stammered. “I — woke with a shock. I am sorry.” He mimed sleeping and waking suddenly, and pretended to laugh at himself.
Doj laughed, too. And it was horrible to see his bared, shining teeth, and his dripping mouth gaping wide.
He handed the cup to Lief and walked back towards the kitchen. “Reverof peels nac uoy noos,” he said, at the door. Again he licked his lips. And again Lief heard the words for what they really were: “Soon you can sleep forever.”
The words were not a strange language, but ordinary words turned backwards! His head whirling, phrases and comments coming back to him, Lief saw that every sentence Doj and Nij had said had been turned backwards.

† 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 ...
It strengthens and clears the mind!
Lief grasped the topaz tightly as his thoughts raced. He remembered that his hand had been on the topaz when he managed to meet the last test set by the guardian of the bridge. He had been cleaning the topaz when he realized Doj was not what he seemed.
The golden gem was the key!
Without bothering to explain, he grabbed Barda’s hand, and Jasmine’s, and pulled them forward until they touched the topaz.
Their gasps of astonishment and annoyance changed almost instantly to smothered shrieks of horror. Their eyes bulged as they looked around the room — saw, at last, what Lief was seeing, and heard the words floating from the kitchen.
“Fresh meat soon! Fresh meat soon!”
“Lovely stew! Lovely stew!”
“I did not like them, or their house,” hissed Jasmine. “And Filli felt the same. But I thought it was because we had grown up in the Forests, and did not know how people in the world behaved.”
“I —” Barda swallowed, and brushed his hand over his forehead. “How could I have been so blind?”
“We were all blinded by magic,” Lief whispered. “But the topaz has strengthened and cleared our minds so that we can resist the spell.”

Touching the Topaz can dispel nightmares.

Sweat broke out on his forehead. A gasp of terror caught in his throat. He fought to stay still, not to wake the others. But the fear grew in him until he felt as though he must scream aloud.
The topaz protects its wearer from the terrors of the night ...
He scrabbled under his shirt and pressed his shaking fingers against the golden gem. Almost at once the shadows seemed to shrink, and the terrible beating of his heart slowed.
Panting, he rolled onto his back and stared up through the leaves of the sweetplum bush. The moon was three-quarters of the way to full. Black against the starry sky was the proud shape of Kree, perched on the branch of a dead tree above them. The bird’s head was up, and his yellow eyes shone in the moonlight.
He was not sleeping. He was alert. He was on guard.
Strangely comforted, Lief turned onto his side again. Only three days, he thought. Only three days to Raladin. And Thaegan will not catch us. She will not.
He closed his eyes and, still clutching the topaz, let his mind slowly relax into sleep.

By touching the Topaz against Soldeen, Soldeen is able to recall fragments of his memories from before he was still human.

“You...would die for him,” the beast growled, finally. “He...would die for you. And all of you would give up — everything — for your cause. I remember — I seem to remember — a time when I, too...long ago. So long ago...”
His eyes had narrowed. He had begun to sway, groaning and shaking his head.
“Something — is — happening to me,” he moaned. “My mind is — burning...clearing. I see — pictures of another time, another place. What have you done to me? What sorcery —?”
And only then did Lief realize that the Belt of Deltora, and the topaz that it held, were pressing against the creature’s skin.
“It is no sorcery, but the truth you see,” he whispered. “Whatever you see — is real.”
Soldeen’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight, no longer the eyes of a ravenous beast, but those of a creature filled with unbearable suffering. And suddenly Lief remembered the golden eyes of the guardian of the bridge, and understood.

Touching the Topaz can break mind control, as it did to break Lief out of Reeahs control.

Stop!
Lief did not know if the word was in his mind, or if the snake had hissed it aloud. He stood motionless. Barda and Jasmine came up behind him. He heard them draw breath sharply, and felt their arms move as they raised their weapons.
Remove the thing you wear under your clothes. Cast it away.
Lief’s fingers slowly moved to the Belt around his waist.
“No, Lief!” he heard Barda whisper urgently.
But still he fumbled with the Belt’s fastening, trying to loosen it. Nothing seemed real — nothing but the voice that was commanding him.
“Lief!” Jasmine’s hard brown hand gripped his wrist, tugging at it furiously.
Lief struggled to shake her off. And then, all at once, it was as if he had woken from a dream. He looked down, blinking.
The palm of his hand was resting on the golden topaz. So it was this that had cleared his mind, and broken the great snake’s power over him. Beside the topaz the ruby glimmered. It was no longer bloodred, but pink, showing danger. Yet still it seemed to glow with strange power.
The giant snake hissed in fury and bared its terrible fangs. Its forked tongue flicked in and out. Lief felt the tug of its will, but pressed his hand onto the topaz even harder, and resisted it.

The Topaz can even be used as a way to open doors into the spirit world. When obtaining the Topaz, this is how Jasmine is able to communicate with her mother (who tells her to join Lief and Barda on their quest).

“It is a topaz, symbol of faithfulness.” Lief put the gem into Jasmine’s eager hand.
“Some say that a topaz can —” Barda began.
He broke off, startled. The clearing had abruptly dimmed, as though the sun had gone behind a cloud. At the same moment a thick, billowing mist began to form. Kree screeched, Filli chattered nervously. The three companions froze.
Out of the mist, a wavering white figure appeared. It was a woman, sweet-faced and smiling.
“It is a spirit,” breathed Barda. “The topaz ...”
The mist swirled. Then there was a voice.
“Jasmine!” the voice called. “Jasmine, my dearest!”
Lief looked quickly at Jasmine. The girl was standing rigidly, holding
the topaz out in front of her. Her face was as white as the mist itself. Her lips moved as she stared at the figure before her. “Mama!” she breathed. “Is — is it you? Can it be you?”
“Yes, Jasmine. How wonderful it is to be able to speak to you at last. Jasmine — listen to me carefully. I do not have much time. You have done well, very well, since your father and I were taken from you. But now you must do more.”
“What?” Jasmine whispered. “What, Mama?”
The spirit stretched out her hands. “The boy Lief and the man Barda are friends, and their quest is just,” she said, her voice as soft as the sighing of the wind. “It is a quest that will free our land from the Shadow Lord. But they still have much to do, and far to travel. You must join them — leave the Forests and go with them — and help them as much as you are able. It is your destiny. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Jasmine whispered. “But Mama —”
“I must leave you now,” breathed the sighing voice. “But I will be watching over you, as I always have, Jasmine. And I love you, as I have always done. Be of good heart, my dearest.”
Jasmine stood, motionless, as the mist slowly disappeared. When she turned to Lief and handed the topaz back to him, her eyes were wet with tears. “What is this magic?” she hissed, almost angrily. “What is this stone, that it can show my mother to me?”
“It is said that the topaz has the power to bring the living into contact with the spirit world,” Barda said gruffly. “I did not believe it, but —”
“So, my mother is dead,” Jasmine murmured. “I thought it was so — I felt it. But still I hoped ...” Her lips tightened. Then she took a deep breath, raised her chin, and looked at them squarely.

The Shadow Lord also notes this, and chooses to keep Lief's parents alive because of this (as Lief could communicate with them in the spirit world with the Topaz, thus Ols in the form of his parents would not be able to fool him).

“Then listen to me. You are my creation, whose only purpose is to do my will. Do exactly as I tell you. Keep the blacksmith and the woman safe. I have need of them. While they live, they can be used against the boy. Once they are dead, we have no hold over him.”
“Beings in their shapes —”
“He wears the great topaz. The spirits of his wretched dead will appear to him, the moment they leave the world. Ols in their shapes will not deceive him.”

When Adin puts his hand upon the Topaz, Opal's parents (and his own ancestors) are summoned from the spirit world to ferry him across the river.

At last he climbed down from his tired horse, removed its saddle and bridle, and saw that it had food and water.
As it ate and rested, Adin tried to do the same. Then he put his hand upon the great topaz, remembering that the gem’s power was strongest when the moon was full. The topaz warmed beneath his fingers, but no easy answer to his problem came to him.
He gazed longingly across the river again. A light mist had begun stealing over the water. And suddenly, through the mist, Adin saw a tiny, flickering light.
The light was moving — growing brighter. A boat was coming towards him from the other side of the river.
Slowly, the boat grew nearer, until at last Adin could see the lantern swinging from a holder on its bow and make out the figures of an old man and an old woman at the oars. He waited in suspense as the boat reached the riverbank. The old people turned around to look at him, with eyes that seemed as old as time.
“I wish to cross the river,” Adin said.
“Of course,” the old woman mumbled. “Why else did you summon us?“
Adin did not explain that she was mistaken, and that no summons had been sent. It was good enough for him that the boat had come.

Wondering very much, and not a little afraid, Adin climbed into the frail craft. It set off across the water. The thickening mist swirled about it, cold and clammy and smothering all sound but the lapping of the water. The two old people bent to the oars in perfect time.
“Have you lived in Hira long?” asked Adin at last, to break the fearful silence.
“We never lived in Hira,” the old woman said, without lifting her head one moment from the oars. “Hira is a wicked place that steals the young and foolish. We bide by the river. But not for much longer.“
Adin did not know what to make of this forbidding speech, so he said nothing more.
At last the boat reached the far bank, scraping on the mud. The lantern went out, as if by some signal. The old man and the old woman clambered out of the boat with many weary groans.

The people of the city of Hira (which will later fall into darkness and become the City of the Rats) saw lights on in the old ruins of the farm, which they call the Place of Spirits. Even the Greers, vile servants of the Shadow Lord, are afraid of this place.

“In Hira, we saw the lights, glimmering across the plain,” the woman said, still in that same breathless voice. “This is a place of dread to us. It is called the Place of the Spirits. It was cursed long ago, and it’s the haunt of killer bees and the ghosts of the dead. Even the Greers recoil from it, and it has so far kept them back from the Hira plain. There have not been lights here in living memory. But there were lights last night.“

Hearing the voice of his ancestor Opal, he recalls that the Topaz has the power to call forth the spirit world, and allows the bees of the plains to land on him (so as to prove himself worthy of the Opal to the people of Hira).

His eyes widened with fear. He raised his hands to protect his face, to try to beat off the fury of the swarm.
They know you. They will not harm you. Be still.
The voice sang softly in his mind. And with the voice came a picture — a veiled girl, looking from a mirror.
And suddenly, Adin knew who she was. He knew what this place was, too. And he knew why the two old people had been condemned to wait for him, to row him across the river, and to do for him whatever he asked. He remembered the second power of the topaz — the power to call forth the spirit world. He understood and was filled with awe.
Humbly, he lowered his arms, and he waited.
The swarm reached him. It hovered before him, making shapes in the air. But not one bee landed on his body. Not until he bent his head. And then, reverently, in threes and fours, bees settled on his arms, his chest, his back, and his shoulders till his clothes were thick with them.
He could feel the creatures’ warmth flow through him. He could feel their energy and their will. His ears were filled with the sound of the rest of the swarm flying about his head.

Having helped Adin, Opals parents are now free, and the only guardians of the plains left are the bees.

The bees left him then, for they had done their part. They flew back to the Place of the Spirits.
They were its only guardians now. The troubled shades who had wandered its ruins and its ancient trees had done their part also — and were at peace at last.

Even when deep underground, the Moon can still grant the Topaz its power.

The moon was high above them, blocked by churning sea and a mountain of rock, but still its power reached the stone. Lief felt his mind clear and sharpen, as the mists of confusion and fear lifted.

However, just as the Topaz grows stronger as the Moon grows bigger, so too does it's power diminish when it shrinks.

He gripped the Belt of Deltora, wishing with all his heart that the topaz was at its full strength. Often before it had cleared and sharpened his mind.
But its power increased as the moon grew full, and lessened as the moon waned. Tonight there was no moon at all.
If he and his companions were to solve this puzzle, they would have to solve it alone.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Ruby is the talisman of the Ralad, and the second Gem gathered on Lief's adventures. The Ruby pales in the presence of evil (or when misfortune threatens its wearer), can ward off evil spirits and is an antidote to snake venom.

† 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.

Because it is an antidote to snake venom, Reeah hestitates to attack.

“Why does it not attack?” breathed Jasmine.
But by now, Lief knew. He had remembered some lines from The Belt of Deltora — lines about the powers of the ruby.
† 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.
“It feels the power of the ruby,” he whispered back. “This is why it is fixing its attention on me.”
Your magic is strong, Lief of Del, but not strong enough to save you, hissed the snake.

The power of the Ruby can also cure toad venom, as it does with Jasmine when struck by Gellicks poision (via gnome arrows).

“The toad’s venom is killing her!” sobbed Prin.
Venom.
With a cry, Lief tore the Belt of Deltora from his waist. Prin gasped through her tears and Barda looked down, frowning furiously. “Lief, what are you doing?” he demanded.
Lief paid no attention to either of them. He was pressing the medallion that held the dulled ruby against Jasmine’s injured hand, folding her fingers over it, hoping against hope as words from The Belt of Deltora echoed in his mind.
† The great ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood ... wards off evil spirits, and is an antidote to snake venom.
If the ruby could combat snake venom, perhaps it would have an effect on Gellick’s venom also. It was a slim chance. But it was all the chance they had.

Jasmine lay deathly still, her fingers curled around the Belt. Lief bent his head and whispered in her ear. “Jasmine, fight the poison. Fight it!” he breathed. “The ruby is in your hand. The ruby is helping you.”
Jasmine’s face did not change. But Lief thought he saw the sun- browned fingers move, very slightly. She had heard him. He was sure of it. There was another crash, and the sound of cracking wood. Kree cried a warning and flew to Barda. Prin squealed in terror. Lief turned and saw that the door was shuddering violently. Its hinges were bursting. The bolt had half fallen away. One more blow, or two...
Beside him, Jasmine gave a long, low sigh. He glanced down, and gasped in amazement. Red light was glowing between her curled fingers.
It was the ruby. The ruby, working its magic, showing its power.
Jasmine’s eyes opened sleepily. Lief’s heart leaped as he saw that they were clear, no longer filled with pain. But she was weak, terribly weak.

The Ruby has grown pale in the face of various different threats and evils which faced the heroes.

Lief drew his hand back from the rock, opened it, and stared at his prize. Then, slowly, his excitement changed to confusion. He had no doubt that this was one of the gems they had been seeking, for the Belt around his waist was so warm that his damp clothes were steaming.
But he could not remember that any of the gems in the Belt of Deltora were pink. Yet this stone was pink, indeed, and seemed to be growing paler in color as he looked at it.

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.

The palm of his hand was resting on the golden topaz. So it was this that had cleared his mind, and broken the great snake’s power over him. Beside the topaz the ruby glimmered. It was no longer bloodred, but pink, showing danger. Yet still it seemed to glow with strange power.

He pulled his cloak and his shirt aside to uncover the Belt of Deltora and noticed at once that the ruby’s rich red had faded to dull pink — a sign that danger threatened. I do not need warning of that, he thought grimly. I know only too well that we are going into danger.

Lief paid no attention to either of them. He was pressing the medallion that held the dulled ruby against Jasmine’s injured hand, folding her fingers over it, hoping against hope as words from The Belt of Deltora echoed in his mind.

For a split second he gazed at it. It was so beautiful. So precious. But the ruby was pale. The emerald was dull.
Danger. Evil. Fear.

Then he blinked. The ruby was not red, but palest pink. The emerald was dull as a stone. The amethyst had paled to soft mauve. The blood rushed to Lief’s head, and his heart begin to pound.
“Danger! Evil!” he gasped. “Here —”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Opal is the Talisman of the Plains. It has the power to give glimpses of the future, aid those with weak sight, and has a special relationship with the Lapis Lazuli.

† The opal ... 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 Opal allows those who touch it to see glimpses of the future.

Lief took care not to let his fingers linger on the opal. He did not want to glimpse the future. If it was fearful, he did not wish to know it. He would face whatever fate had in store when the time came.

The Opal gives Lief a vision of the future where he is alone in the Shifting Sands. However, it also allows whomever is wielding it to feel hope.

As it neared the Belt, the opal fell from the crown into Lief’s hand. His mind was suddenly filled with a vision of sandy wastes, of lowering, clouded skies. He saw himself, alone, among rippling dunes that had no ending. And he felt terror lurking, unseen. He gasped in horror.
He looked up and saw Jasmine and Barda watching him anxiously. He closed his trembling hand more tightly around the gem.
“I had forgotten,” he said huskily, trying to smile. “The opal gives glimpses of the future. It seems that this may not always be a blessing.”
Fearing that they might ask him what he had seen, he bent to fit the stone into the Belt. Under his fingers, its rainbow colors seemed to flash and burn like fire. Abruptly, his racing heart quietened, the fear faded, and a tingling warmth took its place.
“The opal is also the symbol of hope,” Barda murmured, watching him.
Lief nodded, pressing his hand over the dancing colors, feeling the gem’s power flood through him. And when finally he looked up, his face was at peace.

This vision does indeed come to pass.

Sand. Nothing at all but deep, dry sand. As far as the eye could see, high red dunes rolled away under a low, brooding ceiling of murky yellow cloud. There was no sign of any living thing, but the low droning sound filled the place, as though the very air was alive.
Lief slithered down the last few rocks and his feet sank into the grainy softness beneath. A feeling of dread had settled over him — a feeling as strong and real as any taste or smell.
I have been here before.
This was the place he had seen in the vision of the future the opal had given him on the Plain of the Rats. The terror that had haunted his dreams was about to become reality. When? In an hour? A day? A week?

Lief was alone, among rippling dunes that had no ending. He knew that
somehow the night had passed. Light was filtering through the thick, yellow cloud. The sand beneath his feet was warm.
It was day. His terrible vision had come to pass, as he had always known it would.
He remembered the sand rising beneath him in darkness and tossing him into the air. He remembered the sound of Jasmine’s and Barda’s voices shouting his name. He remembered the burning coals of the fire spraying through the night, dying as they flew.

Lief sees another vision of the future, in which he glimpses the Maze of the Beast and the Glus.

Lief gritted his teeth. Time was short. He could delay no longer. He slipped his hands under his shirt and ran his fingers over the gems until he came to the opal.
Eerie, bluish light. Great dripping spears of stone hanging from the roof. Gleaming, ridged walls, running with milky liquid. And something huge, white, with thrashing tail, bloodred jaws gaping ...

The Opal has a special relationship with the Lapis Lazuli.

The forgotten words from The Belt of Deltora flashed at last into his mind.
... The opal has a special relationship with the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, a powerful talisman.
The lapis lazuli! There it lay, carefully wedged into place, supporting the roof of an as yet empty cell. The fourth gem of the Belt of Deltora.

Indeed, in the Hive, Lief is able to find the Lapiz Lazuli because the Opal is calling to it.

He eased the lapis lazuli from its place. It warmed in his fingers, and moved easily, more easily than he expected, as though it wanted to be free.
The opal is calling it, he thought, feeling the answering warmth at his waist. He felt the lapis lazuli slip into his hand, and quickly pushed the little wooden bird into its place.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Lapis Lazuli is the Talisman of the Mere. Known as the Heavenly Stone, it is a powerful talisman that has a mysterious connection with the Opal.

... The opal has a special relationship with the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, a powerful talisman.

It is the most mysterious of the seven gems, but arguably also the most powerful; when used by Lief, it banishes all of the clouds from the Shifting Sands, revealing the night sky and the stars (allowing the heroes to navigate by the stars out of the Shifting Sands).

And as he stood up and turned joyously to Barda and Jasmine, as he opened his hand to show them the heavenly stone, the clouds that had covered the sky flew apart like torn rags. The stars and the moon beamed down again upon the dark earth like a blessing, and the lapis lazuli sparkled back at them like a tiny mirror.

All of the Shifting Sands are covered by these low hanging yellow clouds, which stretches on as far as the eye can see.

Sand. Nothing at all but deep, dry sand. As far as the eye could see, high red dunes rolled away under a low, brooding ceiling of murky yellow cloud. There was no sign of any living thing, but the low droning sound filled the place, as though the very air was alive.

He tried to look away, but his eyes kept being drawn back to them. He forced his gaze up to the sky — but there was no relief there. The unchanging roof of cloud seemed to press down on him, hemmed in as he was by faceless dunes.

The clouds of the Shifting Sands cover the Sun in a way that one cannot tell the difference between East and West.

The sun was still blanketed by the clouds above. Lief could not tell which way was east and which way west.

They saw it long before they reached it — a lone peak rising high from a flattened circle and ringed by rounded dunes. It shimmered against the yellow sky, alien and mysterious in the fading light. A mighty cone with darkness at its tip.

The Lapis Lazuli was said to have protected Lief, Barda and Jasmine from the dangers of the night in their return trek across the Shifting Sands.

Lief said little else as the companions walked slowly down the smooth red of the peak. At the bottom he let Jasmine smooth healing balm over the raw patches on his chest. It eased the pain a little. It made the long journey back to the edge of the Sands bearable.
They had the stars to guide them now. They had the lapis lazuli to offer protection against the dangers of the night. But it was not until they had reached the rocks that edged the Sands, and had climbed out onto solid land, that Lief was able to speak of what he had seen.

Lief uses the Lapis Lazuli to resist the Guardians control.

Once again his red eyes turned on Lief. “Give it to me,” he commanded. “Give me the Belt of Deltora!”
Lief felt his hands move to his waist. His fingers found the clasp of the Belt. Sweat breaking out on his forehead, he forced them away from it, pushing them with all the force of his will over the gems that studded the medallions. His hand slid over the topaz, the ruby, the opal...and came to rest on the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, the talisman. He curled his fingers over it, and held it fast.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Emerald is the Talisman of the Gnomes. It grows dull in the presence of evil & when a vow is broken, and can be used as a remedy for sores & ulcers, as well as a cure for poison.

† The emerald ... 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.

Similar to the Ruby, Emerald grows dull in the prescence of evil and danger.

Satisfied, the monster settled itself more comfortably and licked some stray flies from its lips. It half-closed its eyes and lowered its great head.
And it was then that Lief saw the dull green stone sunk into its browand, with a thrill of horror, knew it for what it was.
The emerald. The symbol of honor. The fifth gem of the Belt of Deltora.

The Belt of Deltora was burning at his waist. The Belt could feel the emerald — the emerald that would never shine again, but would remain dulled by the toad’s evil.

“Give me the dagger!” hissed Lief, pulling off the embroidered belt. Wordlessly Jasmine thrust the weapon into his hands. Lief stuck the sharp point into the fabric of the belt and ripped the embroidery apart. The Belt of Deltora slid out into his hands.
For a split second he gazed at it. It was so beautiful. So precious. But the ruby was pale. The emerald was dull.
Danger. Evil. Fear.

The emerald returns to it's normal shine when Gellick is vanquished.

It was the emerald. Dull no longer, but deep, sparkling green.

As well as growing dull in the presence of evil, it also grows dull when a vow is broken, such as when the people of Tora broke their vow to the royal line of Deltora.

Turning to one side, Lief pulled up his shirt and looked at the Belt of Deltora. The ruby glowed as brightly as ever. So they were not in danger yet. But — the emerald!
Lief stared. The emerald had lost all color. It had become as dull and lifeless as it had been when it was possessed by the monster Gellick on Dread Mountain. What did that mean? Was evil here? Or...he seemed to remember that something else could dull the emerald. What was it?

Lief stared at the dead and broken rock, his heart sinking as at last he remembered the words from The Belt of Deltora that described the powers of the emerald.
† The emerald, symbol of honor, dulls in the presence of evil, and when a vow is broken.
He needed no further proof of what had happened. “Tora broke its vow,” he murmured. “But why? Why?”

Much like the Ruby can cure venom, the Emerald can cure poison. This is what ends up saving Barda's life when Dain tries to poison him.

“And you failed to kill Barda with the poison you fed him, little by little,” Lief went on doggedly. “Of course, I should have known why he was weakening. I had forgotten. When the amethyst dims, that is a sign of poisoned food. But you had forgotten something, too. The emerald is an antidote to poison. It cured him.”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Amethyst is the Talisman of Tora, and the symbol of truth. It calms and soothes, changes colour in the presence of illness and looses colour in the presence of poisoned food & drink.

† The amethyst ... calms and soothes. It changes color in the presence of illness, loses color near poisoned food or drink...

Lief uses the Amethyst to calm himself.

Slowly, carefully he withdrew his hand and uncurled his fingers. There, veiled by a film of white dust, was a great purple gem.
The amethyst, symbol of truth.
A feeling of immense peace stole over Lief as he smoothed the dust from its shining surface, marvelling at its beauty. The Belt around his waist was burning hot, but his mind was cool and clear. He remembered words about the amethyst in The Belt of Deltora:
† The amethyst, symbol of truth, calms and soothes ...
Indeed, Lief thought. And calm is what I need now. The calm to place this gem into the Belt, where it will be safe. The calm to wait until Jasmine and Barda return to me. The calm to believe that they will return.
He crouched, water swimming about him. He unclipped the Belt of Deltora and placed it across his knees. The amethyst slid into place beside the emerald and shone there steadily. Lief replaced the Belt around his waist, and carefully stood up again.
Now, I have only to wait, he told himself. He raised his wet hands to dry them on his shirt. And it was then that he felt it, cool on the back of his left hand: a soft breath of air, coming from behind him.

Lief licked his lips, fought down the dread that clutched his heart. But still his flesh seemed to tremble on his bones. He slipped his hands under his shirt and felt for the Belt of Deltora, heavy at his waist. His fingers moved to the sixth stone, the amethyst. As they rested upon it, as its magic flowed through him, the trembling slowly ebbed.
Somehow we will find a boat, he told himself. We will cross the river. Our quest will continue. We will survive.
But still he could not rid himself of the feeling that they were caught in a net. A net that the Shadow Lord was slowly, slowly drawing in.

Her fear was catching. Lief felt his heart begin to pound. He forced himself to be still, and put his hand on the Belt of Deltora. His fingers found the amethyst, and as they pressed against it, his heart slowed and a soothing calm settled over him. He took a deep breath.

The Amethyst dims in the presence of poisoned food & drink.

Then he blinked. The ruby was not red, but palest pink. The emerald was dull as a stone. The amethyst had paled to soft mauve. The blood rushed to Lief’s head, and his heart begin to pound.
“Danger! Evil!” he gasped. “Here —”

The Amethyst had dimmed because Dain was trying to poison Barda, but the Emerald was counteracting the poison.

“And you failed to kill Barda with the poison you fed him, little by little,” Lief went on doggedly. “Of course, I should have known why he was weakening. I had forgotten. When the amethyst dims, that is a sign of poisoned food. But you had forgotten something, too. The emerald is an antidote to poison. It cured him.”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Diamond is the Talisman of the Jalis, and a symbol of innocence, purity and strength. Diamonds gained nobly with a pure heart are a powerful force for good, and give courage & strength, protect from pestilence and help the cause of true love; however, a diamond gained by treachery or violence, or desired out of greed and envy, are ill omens that bring bad fortune (particularly those who gain said diamonds without honour). This would imply these traits would apply in some measure to all diamonds (though as we can see by the Belts reaction to an ordinary diamond, the Diamond of the Jalis is definately something beyond the normal).

† The diamond is the symbol of innocence, purity, and strength. Diamonds gained nobly, and with a pure heart, are a powerful force for good. They give courage and strength, protect from pestilence, and help the cause of true love. But take heed of this warning: Diamonds gained by treachery or violence, or desired out of envy or greed, are ill omens, and bring bad fortune. Great evil comes upon those who gain them without honor.

Neridah, who steals the Diamond from the Guardian when the Guardian replaces it with an ordinary diamond, is brought with ill fortune indeed, as she trips, hits her head and drowns. As such, the Guardian and the Shadow Lord can rely on the Diamonds own power to prevent anyone from stealing it.

Neridah lay face up in the stream, the slow water drifting over her unseeing eyes, her hair billowing over the rock on which she had hit her head. In the open palm of her cold, cold hand lay a great diamond.
“It seems that the Guardian did not kill her,” Jasmine murmured, wondering. “It was just ill fortune that she tripped while she was crossing the stream. Ill fortune that she hit her head and drowned.”
Realizing what she had said, she glanced at Lief and bit her lip. “I am sorry,” she muttered. “If I had had my way, no doubt we would be lying here, or somewhere like it, ourselves. The curse — is strong.”
“Strong enough for the Guardian to know that he did not have to fear theft,” Barda said grimly. “The diamond could be relied upon to act before the thief escaped the valley.”
“Take care!” cried Jasmine, as Lief reached into the water.
But Lief shook his head. “We have nothing to fear,” he said. The Belt grew hot at his waist as he lifted the great gem, dripping, from the water.
Mist swirled about him, filled with shadows, filled with whispers, as he took off the Belt and laid it on the ground. The six gems glowed on their steel medallions. The last medallion waited to be filled.
Lief pressed the great diamond down. With a tiny click, it slid into place. Into the place where it belonged. The Belt was complete.

The Diamond can be used to call upon physical strength, which Adin does several times during his journey, both when travelling long distances and during fights.

Adin set his teeth against the pain, pressed his hand to the great diamond for strength, and moved on along the banks of the River Tor.

Arrows flew uselessly through the air. Adin pushed aside the loose ropes and dived for the belt. He fastened it around his waist and felt the strength of the diamond surge through his arms. He snatched up his bow, fitted an arrow into it, took careful aim, and let the arrow fly.

He put his hands on the diamond, for strength, and as he did so he glanced down and saw that the brilliant green of the emerald had faded to murky grey.
He knew what this meant, for the Dread Gnomes had told him that the emerald paled in the presence of evil. He wondered if the place itself was evil, or if the evil was in the minds of the people who had brought him here.

Cold sweat broke out on his brow. He jerked his hand away from the empty medallion and clutched instead the diamond on the other side of the clasp.
Strength flowed through his arm, and spread, filling his body with warmth. The diamond gleamed under his fingers like sunlight sparkling on water. Beside it, the emerald shone green as the forests of the land; the lapis lazuli, the heavenly stone, glowed with stars like the night sky; the topaz was gold as the sun...

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Each of the seven gems were scattered across Deltora and hidden in a secret, dangerous place, and protected by a gem guardian (either by deliberate actions or otherwise). The first of these encountered by Lief, Barda & Jasmine is Gorl, an ancient Jalis knight who lived long before Deltora was even unified. Although he does guard the Topaz, his true sakes are the Lilies of Life, special lilies whose nectar can heal any wounds and allow the drinker to become immortal (if this requires continually drinking the nectar though is unknown).

He raised his armored fist. “When the Lilies bloom at last, and the nectar flows, only I shall drink of it. Then I shall be ruler of all the seven tribes, for no one will be able to stand against me, and I shall live forever.”
“He is mad,” breathed Barda. “He speaks as though the seven tribes were never united under Adin. As though the kingdom of Deltora has never existed!”
Lief felt sick. “I think — I think he came here before that happened,” he whispered back. “He came here to find these — these Lilies of which he speaks. And they enchanted him. He has been here ever since.”

Gorl has some level of telekenisis, and can prevent people from moving or force them to move in ways they don't want to.

Gorl lifted his sword. “Move into the circle,” he ordered. “I must kill you there, so that your blood will feed the vines.”
Again they found that their legs would not do their will, but only his. They staggered through the gap in the vines. Gorl followed them, raising his sword.

Both Lief and Barda's swords prove useless against Gorl, even when Barda stabs inside Gorl's armor where his neck should be; Gorl's hand then darts out 'like a striking snake.'

Barda lunged forward with a mighty shout. His sword found its mark — the thin, dark gap between the knight’s helmet and body armor — and he pushed it home.
But to Lief’s horror, the knight did not fall. With a low growl, he turned, pulling Barda’s sword from the back of his neck and throwing it aside. And then, as Lief cried out in shock and fear, slashing uselessly at his armor, his metal-clad hand darted out like a striking snake, catching Barda by the neck and forcing him to his knees.

Lief's sword is powerful enough to cut through a wooden pole.

Startled, the Ralad man glanced in his direction and stumbled. The great curved hook caught him around the waist, stopping him short and driving all the breath from his body. Jod screamed in triumph and began to pull him in.
But at the same moment Lief’s sword came crashing down on the pole, cutting it through. Off balance and taken by surprise, Jod fell backwards, crashing into Jin. They went down in a tangle of lumpy, heaving flesh.

This pole is sturdy enough to support the weight of three people and drag them out of quicksand.

large metal hook, perhaps — was attached to the end of a long wooden pole. Jasmine and Barda had caught hold of the pole itself. Like him, they were being towed slowly towards firm ground by the two old people who heaved together, grunting with the effort.
There was nothing the three friends could do to help themselves. Progress was agonizingly slow. The quicksand sucked at their bodies, holding them back. But the two old people would not give up. Red-faced, they sweated and puffed, pulling at the pole with all their might.

Gorl is defeated when a large branch falls down and crushes his armour (at behest of Jasmine convincing a tree to make the sacrifice to be free), revealing that he no longer has any corporeal form, and his dark will could no longer survive when exposed to the light.

Lief pointed wordlessly at the crumpled armor beneath the fallen branch. Barda strode over to the branch, frowning.
“This is his armor,” he said, kicking at it. “But there is no body inside it.”
“I think Gorl’s body crumbled to dust long ago,” Lief said. “All that was left inside that armor shell was darkness and...will. But once the armor was destroyed, even that will could not survive. It could not survive in the light.”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Soldeen is the Guardian of the Ruby. Once the leader of D'Or, he was turned into a horrible monster by the Sorceress Theagen. He is a colossal fish monster who dwells in the Lake of Tears. Lief's sword is considered little more than a stinging irritation to him.

Barely knowing what he was doing, Lief darted forward, shouting at the creature, plunging his sword into the vast, spiny neck.
The sword was torn from his hand as Soldeen swung around, the weapon still hanging, quivering, from his slimy hide. The blade was like a thorn to him — no more than a stinging irritation — but he was not used to defiance. He was angry now, as well as hungry.

Soldeen is so big that he is capable of crushing Lief, Barda Jasmine and Manus in his mouth at once.

It was Soldeen.
Muddy water poured from his back and slime dripped from the holes and lumps in his mottled skin as he slid onto the shore, forcing a great trough in the ooze. He was huge — far larger than they had realized. If he lunged for them now, he could reach them. He could crush them all with one snap of his terrible jaws.
And yet he did not attack. He watched them, waiting.

Soldeen swims fast underwater.

It was then that Lief saw a trail of bubbles moving from the center of the Lake towards them. Moving fast.

Soldeen can talk, and claims to know when someone is lying.

“Why have you come to this forbidden place?” he growled.
Lief wet his lips. What should he say?
“Do not try to lie,” Soldeen warned. “For I will know if you do, and I will kill you.”

Soldeen can breathe both air and water, can speak and swim with great speed.

Created by the sorcery of Thaegan [see The Sorceress Thaegan, p. 12], Soldeen can breathe both air and water, and is able to speak. He can swim wth great speed, and will throw himself onto the lake’s shore in pursuit of food.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

“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.

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.

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 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.

“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.

“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.”

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.

“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.”

“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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Reeah is a gigantic snake, and the gem guardian of the Opal. It's body is said to be as thick as an ancient tree trunk, and it is vast enough to fill a great hall.

Deep within the City of the Rats there is a giant snake called Reeah. Its body is as thick as an ancient tree trunk, and vast enough to fill a great hall. Its vanity and wickedness know no bounds.

A giant snake rose, hissing, in the center of the echoing space. The coils of its shining body, as thick as the trunk of an ancient tree, filled the floor from edge to edge. Its eyes were flat, cold, and filled with ancient wickedness. On its head was a crown. And in the center of the crown was a gem that flashed with all the colors of the rainbow.
The opal.

Reeah can speak via telepathy directly into someone's mind..

There was no time to explain now. Lief made himself move on, pushing the stem of the goblet into his Belt. Later, he would tell Jasmine and Barda. When they were out of danger. When...
Come to me, Lief of Del.
Lief started, looking around wildly. What was that? Who had spoken?
“Lief, what is the matter?” Jasmine’s voice seemed distant, though she was right beside him. He looked down at her puzzled green eyes. Dimly he realized that she could hear nothing.
Come to me. I am waiting.
The voice hissed and coiled in Lief’s mind. Hardly knowing what he was doing, he began to move fast and blindly, following its call.

Reeah can command others to do its bidding (although Lief was snapped out of this control by the Topaz).

Stop!
Lief did not know if the word was in his mind, or if the snake had hissed it aloud. He stood motionless. Barda and Jasmine came up behind him. He heard them draw breath sharply, and felt their arms move as they raised their weapons.
Remove the thing you wear under your clothes. Cast it away.
Lief’s fingers slowly moved to the Belt around his waist.
“No, Lief!” he heard Barda whisper urgently.
But still he fumbled with the Belt’s fastening, trying to loosen it. Nothing seemed real — nothing but the voice that was commanding him.
“Lief!” Jasmine’s hard brown hand gripped his wrist, tugging at it furiously.
Lief struggled to shake her off. And then, all at once, it was as if he had woken from a dream. He looked down, blinking.
The palm of his hand was resting on the golden topaz. So it was this that had cleared his mind, and broken the great snake’s power over him. Beside the topaz the ruby glimmered. It was no longer bloodred, but pink, showing danger. Yet still it seemed to glow with strange power.
The giant snake hissed in fury and bared its terrible fangs. Its forked tongue flicked in and out. Lief felt the tug of its will, but pressed his hand onto the topaz even harder, and resisted it.

Reeah moves with 'terrifying speed,' and is capable of swallowing a human whole.

The huge head lunged forward with terrifying speed. And the next moment the great snake was raising itself, triumphant, Lief’s body dangling from its jaws.
Up, up to the rafters, the hot breath burning ...
I will swallow you whole. And your magic with you.

Reeah claims to be able to extinguish a blazing fire with one breath.

There was smoke. There was a crackling sound. Dimly Lief realized that the flames had raced up the column and were licking at the old wood of the rafters.
The fire will not save you. When I have devoured you I will put it out with one gust of my breath. For I am Reeah, the all-powerful. I am Reeah, the One...

Reeah used to be a tiny worm, but the servants of the Shadow Lord (the Rakachaz) fed him and allowed him to grow by feeding him rats.

A tender worm I was when first I came into the cellars beneath this city. A race of snivelling humans lived here, then. In their ignorance and fear they would have killed me, had they found me. But the Master had servants among them, and these were awaiting me. They welcomed me, and brought me rats to feed upon, till I grew strong.

Reeah's size is so great that a fall from his head to the floor is almost fatal.

Lief heard a hoarse, bubbling cry. He felt the beast’s jaws open. He was falling, hurtling towards the ground, the hard stones rushing up to meet him.
And then — there was nothing.

Reeah was immune to the tides of rats which swarmed the City of the Rats, only falling victim to them once it had been slain.

The hall was filled with flickering shadows. Flames, begun and spread by the blazing fire beads, roared in the ancient rafters. The giant snake lay dead on the floor, its body covered by gnawing rats. More rats were streaming from the walls and through the doorway, fighting one another to reach the feast.
For hundreds of years it has eaten them, thought Lief, dazed. Now they are eating it. Even fear of fire will not stop them.

The size of Reeah as depicted on the front cover of City of the Rats.

Spoiler

The size of Reeah depicted in The Deltora Book of Monsters.

Spoiler

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Sand Beasts are large insectoid monsters which dwell in the Shifting Sands. The proper name of these creatures are Terreocti.

These ferocious creatures prowl the Shifting Sands, a place of barren dunes which lies within the homeland of the Mere tribe. They are properly called Terreocti, but are better known as Sand Beasts. Long before the united Deltora was formed, the Shifting Sands had become forbidden territory. Our only information about Sand Beasts, therefore, comes from Mere records of the distant past.

The carapace of Sand Beasts is said to be as hard as rock.

The Sand Beast was monstrous. It was a thing of terror. No weapon could dent the rock-hard shell that enclosed it. No sword, however skilfully wielded, could sweep that wicked, many-eyed head from its armoured body.

Sand Beasts hunt by burrowing into the sand then lunging out at terrifying speeds.

Sand Beasts are ferocious hunters. They are skilled at catching the lizards which abound in their territory, but prefer larger prey. Their usual method is to burrow through the dunes towards an unsuspecting victim, then leap out and attack with terrifying speed.

This is the fate that awaited Carn 2 & Carn 8 (the Grey Guards who captured Lief, Barda & Jasmine), who were ambushed, seized, killed and devoured by a Sand Beast.

“They have been taken!” growled Carn 2. “As I told you they would be, Carn 8. I told you it was needless to follow them into the Shifting Sands. We are putting ourselves in danger for —”
“Be silent!” snapped his companion. “Do you not understand, you fool? We have disgraced the Carn pod. We let a Champion and two finalists escape. Our lives are worth nothing — less than nothing — unless we get them back. They may not have been taken. They could have buried themselves in the sand. Dig! Dig!”
He began to burrow into the sand with both hands. Grumbling, Carn 2 crouched to join him.
Then, suddenly, the dune seemed to erupt beneath them and, with shocking speed, a huge, hideous creature sprang from the collapsing sand and seized them, lifting them off their feet.
The Guards shrieked in terror. Paralyzed with shock, hardly able to believe their eyes, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine lay rigid beneath the concealing cloak. The monster had been perfectly hidden in the dune. Waiting. One more step, and they, instead of their enemies, would have been its prey.
Lief stared in fascinated horror. The creature was eight-legged, with a tiny head that seemed all mirrored eyes. Dozens of leathery bags, like the one they had seen lying on the ground, hung from its body. Sand still poured from its joints and crevices. It regarded its captives without curiosity as they struggled and swung in its terrifying grip. Then it opened its mouth, leaned forward...and abruptly, mercifully, the screaming and the struggling stopped.
It had all happened in seconds. Sickened by what they had seen, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine remained huddled under the cloak, not daring to move.
Delicately, using its pincers, the monster picked the clothes from the dead bodies of its prey, like a bird shelling snails. The companions watchedas clothes, boots, money bags, Jasmine’s medallion, metal canisters ofblisters, slings, clubs, and water bottles thudded onto the sand. Then thecreature sat back on its spiny haunches and began to eat, taking its time.Lizards and flies crawled out of the sand in the thousands to feast on the scraps that fell from its mouth.

Although they are powerful monsters, Sand Beasts are not the gem guardians of the Shifting Sands. There could be hundreds, if not thousands, of Sand Beasts.

Jasmine shook her head. “I think it is just one of the creatures of the Sands,” she said positively. “We have just seen it lay an egg. What is more, we passed an empty stomach skin on our way here. That hatchling had already emerged to fend for itself. There could be hundreds of sand beasts here. There could be thousands.”

Another Sand Beast attacks
A Sand Beast attacks the heroes, but is stopped by multiple Blister attacks (which don't kill it, but do hurt it a lot).

He turned, and saw what had emerged from the dune at his back. It was another sand beast, even bigger than the first. Sand still poured from the joints of its legs. It had been stalking him, but as he met its mirrored eyes it froze. In moments, he knew, it would spring.
Backing away, holding its gaze, he felt for his sword, then, with horror, felt himself falling clumsily, entangled in the trailing ropes that had tripped him. The next moment he was struggling in the sand, his sword trapped beneath him. Wildly he scrambled to his knees, hearing Jasmine and Barda shouting, knowing it was too late, feeling as though he was caught in a nightmare. The monster lurched forward ...
Then it jerked, with a grating cry, as a blister exploded on its body. It staggered, lunged again, then toppled sideways as another blister found its mark. Its spiny legs kicked, and it began to spin, digging great trenches in the sand.

Sand Beasts grow to around three times taller than a man.

Sand Beasts are fascinating creatures. Adults are as tall as 3 men and look like monstrous insects. They have 9 jointed, spiny legs, the lowest pair of legs bearing claws, the other 3 pairs tipped by cutting pincers. The head is small & dominated by masses of mirror-like eyes. I have never been able to count the number of eyes, though I have tried many times.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Although Sand Beasts are fearsome and terrifying monsters, they are not the guardians of the gem. The true gem guardian is an ancient creeping terror known as the Hive, which is the Shifting Sands itself (the topmost layer of sand being made from the long dead victims of the Hive), with many tiny creatures beneath the sands making up the hivemind. Anything lost within the Shifting Sands are taken to the centre of the desert.

Softly Lief repeated the rhyme carved on the stone. And this time, the last lines were complete.
“Death swarms within its rocky wall
Where all are one, one will rules all.
Below the dead, the living strive
With mindless will to serve the Hive.”
“The Hive ...” Jasmine repeated slowly.
“The Sand is the Guardian,” said Lief.
Barda shook his head. “But — it cannot be,” he breathed. “The sand is not alive! We have walked upon it, seen creatures —”
“The creatures we have seen are crawling on a much larger host,” said Lief, his voice very low. “The dunes we have been treading are only a covering, made up of the long dead. The living work below. Serving the Hive. It is they who collect the treasures that fall. It is they who make the marks on the surface. They who cause the storms.”
“The gem —”
“The gem, dropped anywhere on the Sands, would at last be drawn to the Center,” Lief murmured. “That is why we are here.”

The Shifting Sands spans as far as the eye can see, and everywhere there is a low droning sound.

Sand. Nothing at all but deep, dry sand. As far as the eye could see, high red dunes rolled away under a low, brooding ceiling of murky yellow cloud. There was no sign of any living thing, but the low droning sound filled the place, as though the very air was alive.

Searching the Shifting Sands without the aid of the Belt could take months or even years; however, not only does Lief have the Belt, but the Hive feels his presence.

“The Belt will grow warm when the gem is near,” Barda reminded her. He, too, was plainly sobered by the size of the task ahead, but refused to admit it. “We will mark the sand into sections and search it, square by square.”
“That could take months!” Jasmine exclaimed. “Months — or even years!”
“No.” Lief had spoken quietly, but they both turned to him. He struggled to keep his voice steady. “This gem is like the others. It has a terrible Guardian,” he said, staring out at the still and secret dunes. “And the Guardian is already aware of us. I feel it.”

Attacking the individual creatures of the Hive (or the marks that they leave in the sand) can lead to sandstorms and great upheavals of sand that reshapes the dunes.

Suddenly he could stand it no longer. With a muffled cry he leaped upon the tracks and kicked at them, destroying them, digging his heels deeply into the soft sand and scattering it everywhere.
“Lief! Stop!” he heard Barda call. But Lief was past listening. He shouted and fell to the ground, beating and tearing at it. Barda and Jasmine ran to him, trying to pull him to his feet. He fought them away.
There was a soft shifting sound and a low rumbling. Then the earth began to move. Lief heard Barda and Jasmine cry out. And just in time he grasped their hands as huge columns of sand began to thrust themselves upward all around them.
Jerked off their feet, the three tumbled together, rolling helplessly, blindly, as the sand roared and quaked beneath them. Lief could hear Jasmine screaming for Kree, and the bird’s answering screech. He could hear his own voice, too, groaning in fear.
There is something here.
He knew it. He could see nothing, for his eyes were tightly closed against the stinging sand, but he could feel a terrible, rage-filled presence all around him.
And he knew what it was. It was the thing that had been drawing him on. The thing that was hungry for what it sensed he could give it.
It wants the Belt... It will not rest until it has...
Then, suddenly, he felt the power withdraw. And immediately, as quickly as it had begun, the storm ceased and the ground quieted.

These storms & shifts in the sand can also be caused by lighting a fire in the sands. Ferocious sandstorms are common (made further dangerous by covering all tracks, so as to get one lost).

lt is perilous to light a campfire—the sand seems to resent it. Ferocious sandstorms are common. lf you survive a shifting or a storm without being smothered, you may find ourself lost, for the dunes around you will have changed shape & all footprints will have vanished.

“Never have these been put to better use,” she said, laying the torch on top of the smooth, hard wood and adding some of Mother Brightly’s fire chips for good measure. “Soon we will have a fine, cheering blaze.”
She beckoned impatiently and Lief, unable to resist any longer, flopped down beside her. Barda, too, came to the fire. Seeing that Lief lay still, he groaned with relief, untied the binding cord from his own waist and stretched out.
The fire rose, crackling. The heavy sticks began to glow. The heat grew and spread.
Barda held out his hands. “Ah, wonderful!” he sighed with satisfaction.
And that was the last Lief heard. For the next moment, there was a great roar, the sand heaved, and the world about him seemed to explode.

All who enter the Shifting Sands will hear the hypnotic droning, and be drawn towards the Centre.

In addition, it cannot be denied that there is a strange, pleasant feeling to this place. A low humming sound fills he air & it seems to have a hypnotizing effect. The longer you remain in the Sands, the more you feel a compulsion to move forward. lt is as if you are being drawn toward the center, which the explorer Rigane called “The Hive.”
This compulsion is extremely dangerous. Not just because of Sand Beasts, but because the sand lives up to its name, quaking & shifting without warning.

As well as drawing any who enter towards the Centre, the Hive can lul someone to sleep, and then sink them into the sands, claiming them.

Numbly, he slipped the little object into the top pocket of his shirt. His legs were aching. His throat was parched — dry as the sand itself. His eyes were prickling. He could hardly see. He knew he must have walked for many hours, but he had no memory of it.
The Center.
He was being drawn towards the Center. That much he knew. His strength was almost gone. He knew that, too. But he could not stop, for if he stopped he would sleep. And if he slept, death would come. That he knew most of all.
He staggered on, reached the foot of another dune, took a step to begin climbing. Without warning his legs gave way underneath him and he fell. The sand cushioned him, soft as a feather bed. He rolled onto his back, but could move no farther.
Sleep.
His eyes closed ...
In Del, friends are laughing, splashing in the choked and overflowing
gutters, picking up gold coins. He wants to go to them. But his mother and father are calling ... And now he sees that the gutters are choked not with garbage but with buzzing red bees. The gutters are overflowing with Queen Bee Cider that is pouring from broken barrels lying in the street, running to waste. The bees rise up in an angry cloud. His friends are being stung, and Grey Guards are watching, laughing ... His friends are dying, calling to him, but he is so tired, so tired. His eyes keep closing as he staggers into the humming red cloud. His arms and legs are heavy, weighed down. Behind him his mother says, “Softly, softly, boy!” and he turns to her. But her face has turned into the face of Queen Bee. Bees cover her back and arms and swarm in her hair. She is frowning, screeching harshly at him, shaking her fist. “Smoke, not fire! Smoke, not fire ...”
Lief’s eyes flew open. The screeching went on. Something was circling high above him, a blurry black shape against a dull yellow sky.
Ak-Baba! Run! Hide!
Then he blinked, and saw that the circling shape was Kree — Kree, soaring lower, calling to him. He tried to sit up and found that he had settled so deeply into the sand that he had to wrench himself free. Sand had already covered the whole lower half of his body, his hands, his arms, his neck...
He scrambled, panting and trembling, to his feet. How long had he been asleep? What would have happened if Kree had not woken him? Would he have slipped deeper and deeper into the sand until at last it covered him? Would he have woken even then?

When the heroes arrive at the Hive, Lief contemplates that he no longer feels it's pull because it has him where it wants him.

He could remember the words so clearly. Strangely, here, at the droning, swirling hub of the Sands, his mind had cleared and sharpened. Perhaps the Hive was no longer calling him, because it had no need. He was where it had wanted him to be all along.

The Hive will take any treasure and bones that falls within the Shifting Sands, leaving only an outline in the sand.

“It is Jasmine who has lost something,” murmured Lief. “She has lost her dagger — the dagger with the carved crystal set in the hilt.”
“Oh, did you find it?” Jasmine exclaimed. “I am so glad. I dropped it just before the sandstorm ended. It was my father’s. I thought it was gone for good!”
“So it is, I fear.” Lief pointed to the drawing on the sand.
Jasmine and Barda gaped, speechless.
“The thing whose anger caused the storm accepted the dagger as tribute and left us in peace while it took it away,” Lief murmured.
“The circles in the sand! They were not tracks, but pictures of the gold coins, and the medal!” Barda gritted his teeth. “What sort of creature is this? Why does it leave marks to show what it has taken?”
Lief shrugged. “Why do sculptors carve figures of stone, or shop owners list their wares upon their windows, or fools write their names upon trees and walls? To show what they love. To show what they own. To leave a message for all who pass by that way.”

All of the treasure lost within the Shifting Sands is taken and placed within a tower of treasure and bones within the Hive, within lying secret cells where the Hive's young may be laid, and then hatch into something unknowable.

It was a towering pyramid of cells made of gold, glass, gems, and bleached, white bones.
Lief told himself that he had expected this — or something like it. But the reality was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Anything that would not decay, or would decay so slowly that it would have to be replaced only after centuries, had been gathered and used for the building. Skulls and bones of every shape and size were packed side by side with glass bottles and jars, coins, crystals and gems, gold chains, rings and bracelets, and yet more bones. The individual parts, small and large, had been fitted together with such care that the tower glittered like an enormous jewel.
It was an awesome sight. And unbelievably horrible.
It was a pyramid of death. How many human beings had been stripped of life for its sake? And what was stored inside those secret cells? The Hive’s young, no doubt. Eggs, then tiny squirming things, packed in the thousands, nursed and cared for, fed on a disgusting brew of decayed red flies, dead lizards, and whatever else slipped beneath the sand. Till they grew into — what? Not insects of any kind he had ever known. Not insects at all, perhaps. Some other form of life he could not even imagine. Some tiny unit that would become part of the ancient thing that had lived on while all around it changed. The Hive.

The sands of the Shifting Sands swirls within the Hive, even though there is no wind.

And finally they had reached the top, and were looking down into the peak’s hollow core. A whirlpool of red sand roared far below, flying in the darkness as though driven by a mighty wind.
But there was no wind. And the sound was like the humming of bees in their countless millions.

The creatures of the Hive swarms around Lief in a great whirlwind, and threatens to smother and suffocate him, before rubbing the clothes from his flesh and the flesh from his bones to gain the treasure in his possession (the Belt of Deltora), seeing Lief as nothing more than the carrier of what it seeks.

He looked up. His friends’ faces were tiny now. He was hardly able to see them against the glare of the sky. And below, the seething mass that was the Hive was whirling, rising to meet him.
He braced himself, closed his eyes. Then he felt it, like a hot, rough wind, a stinging whirlwind, sucking him in. It spun savagely about him, whipping him, pressing in on him, with a sound like thunder.
It was too strong. Too strong!
He could not see. He could not breathe. Spun in a raging torrent of sound, he did not know which way was up, which down. He knew only one
thing:
The Hive cared nothing for him. To the Hive he was not food, or a captive prize, or even a hated enemy to be defeated. To the Hive he was nothing but the carrier of the thing it desired. The Hive would suffocate him. It would rub the clothes from his flesh and the flesh from his bones. Then it would have what it wanted. What it had wanted from the beginning.
The Belt of Deltora.

Smoke can be used to calm the Hive (similar to how smoke can be used to calm bees).

He realized that the pyramid seemed clearer than it had before. For a moment he wondered why that was. Then he saw that the torch was smoking less. It was starting to die.
His stomach lurched. For how much longer would the Hive stay droning at the sides of the cone? As the smoke thinned ...

The Hive droned with growing suspicion. It was waking, becoming active, as the smoke began to disappear.

However, a direct attack on the Hive will lead to the Hive retaliating, and smoke would be of no use.

But he knew that if he attacked the pyramid the Hive would be upon him. The smoke would not hold it back.

Lief feels that somewhere in the depths of the Hive is the Hive Queen, a bloated, ripping unseen being laying eggs without number.

In that darkness, no doubt, the giant Hive Queen lurked. He almost felt he could see her bloated shape, rippling in the depths, laying eggs, eggs without number.

The scope of the Hive's treasure tower as seen in The Deltora Book of Monsters.

Spoiler

To prevent the Shifting Sands from growing, the Mere put a massive wall of boulders around the Shifting Sands in ancient times.

Long before the time of Adin vast boulders were piled up around the dunes to wall them off from the rest of the land. The wall was raised to stop the growth of the Sands, it is said—as if the Sands were alive.

This wall is at first mistaken for a long range of low grey hills.

The grey hills ahead were also quickly shrouded in mist. So it was only when the companions actually reached them that they realized that these were not ordinary hills at all, but thousands of huge boulders heaped together to make a high, natural wall — the “rocky wall” of the verse.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

Gellick is a great evil toad who lords over the Gnomes of Dread Mountain. His skin is thick and impervious to arrows, swords and axes.

“No weapon can kill Gellick.” When it came at last, Gla-Thon’s voice was dull with despair. “Gellick’s hide is too thick for swords and arrows to pierce. Even axes have no effect. Many have paid with their lives for daring to try to win our freedom.”

It's Gellick's poison that's used in all of the Grey Guards blisters, and thus blisters used against him is useless (also, Gellick can talk).

“Now!” Barda roared. Lief threw the blister as hard and fast as he could. It was the throw of his life. He yelled in triumph as the blister hit the monster full in the throat while in the same instant Barda’s blister, and Jasmine’s, burst on its chest. Lief threw his second blister, shouting as he saw it burst in the same place as before, waiting for Gellick to tremble and fall.
But nothing happened. The creature’s eyes did not flicker. Lazily, its tongue snaked out and licked at the poison running, gleaming, down its chest. Its great mouth stretched wide in a mocking grin.
“Who are these foolish creatures who attack me with my own venom?” it rasped.
Thunderstruck, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine stumbled back, turning to Gla- Thon and Fa-Glin, who stood frozen in horror behind them.
“But — the gnomes collect Gellick’s slime for themselves!” cried Jasmine. “How could it be in the blisters? How could —”
“We keep only a little,” mumbled Gla-Thon, her lips stiff with fear. “The rest must be taken, at each full moon, to the bottom of the Mountain and left by the roadside. It was part of the bargain. We did not know —”

Gellick spits the slime, as well as secreting it from his skin.

Gnomes crawled around the giant, collecting in great glass jars the slime that dripped from its skin like thick, oily drops of sweat. They all wore gloves and kept well away from the oozing drops, handling the jars with care.
The slime must be poisonous, thought Lief. Then, with a jolt, he realized that here must be the source of the venom that made the gnomes’ arrows deadly.

Gellick spits poison at those who dare defy him.

The old gnome was trembling all over, but finally forced himself to speak. “It is just that you have eaten rather more today than usual, great Gellick,” he quavered. “We were not prepared. We —”
His words were choked by a shriek as the toad spat at him without warning. He fell to the ground, writhing in agony. His terrified companion, wailing in grief and terror, dropped facedown beside him, clasping him in her arms as he died.

“YOU DESERVE, RI-NAN?” roared the monster. “YOU DARE TO ORDER ME? THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE, WORM!”
It spat and Ri-Nan collapsed, screaming, rolling over and over, kicking and writhing among the gold. The toad’s tongue flicked in satisfaction. Then it turned, slowly ...

A single drop of Gellick's venom can kill.

Now the toad Gellick, crawling from its lair deep in the rocks further north, has persuaded the Gnomes to serve it return for a powerful weapon. Poisonous slime oozes from its skin—a Venom so strong that a single drop is deadly. With this on their arrows, the Gnomes can defeat any invader.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Glus is a vast, slug-like monster that dwells within the Maze of the Beast. It is also known as the Death Spinner.

But the Maze of the Beast does exist. I have seen it. And I have glimpsed the ancient & fearsome creature that inhabits it—the monstrous, pale slug-like creature called the Death Spinner or the Glus.

It spits out white threads to trap it's prey with 'terrifying suddenness'. These threads are said to be as hard as steel.

Then they saw it — a gigantic, sluglike beast, sickly pale, oozing towards them. It filled the vast passage through which it crawled, its swollen body rippling horribly, its tiny eyes waving on the ends of stalks at the top of its terrible head.
Gabbling with terror, Milne staggered to his feet.
The Glus lunged forward, rearing its head. Its spine-tipped tail thrashed. Its bloodred mouth yawned wide. Mottled stripes lit up along its back.
A thick, gurgling, sucking sound began, deep in its chest. Then, with terrifying suddenness, a tangle of fine white threads sprayed out of its throat, aimed directly at Milne.
Screaming, Milne dodged, flailing with his arms. Most of the threads fell short of their mark, but a few drifted onto one hand and a shoulder, drawing them together and binding them like ropes of steel. He stumbled and fell, struggling to pull his hand free, rolling and kicking in the water.

The Glus' secretions dry rapidly to form the maze it dwells in.

“It is moving so slowly,” whispered Jasmine, listening. “How can it hope to catch him?”
“It has only to follow, and wait,” said Barda. “Even if he does not make a mistake, and meets it face to face around some corner, he will have to rest sooner or later.”
His voice sounded odd. Lief glanced at him quickly. Barda was looking at the wall in front of him. Carefully he raised his hand and slowly traced shapes in the gleaming stone.
A bony arm. Five fingers. A skull, its mouth gaping in a silent scream.
“Here is one who stopped to rest, and stopped too long,” Barda said. He twisted his neck and looked over his shoulder. Milky drops ran slowly, ceaselessly down the wall at his back. Already they were pooling on his shoulders, setting into a fine crust of stone.
With a cry of horror, Lief and Jasmine pulled themselves forward. Drying stone cracked and slid from their backs and shoulders, splashing into the water at their feet. They edged out of their hiding place and, looking back, saw their own shapes imprinted in the wall.
“How long would it have taken before we were stuck fast?” asked Barda grimly. “An hour, perhaps? Even less? If we had slept...”
They began to move again. And now they saw the twisted shapes, the lumps and ridges on walls, columns, and pillars, for what they were. Everywhere they looked were the bones of the dead — clawing hands, sprawled legs, skulls that seemed to shriek of terror.
Lief felt himself shivering all over. He imagined the horror of waking and finding himself trapped by the stone of the wall. He imagined struggling, struggling ... while the Glus moved slowly towards him.

The Glus effortlessly squeezes through narrow columns.

The Glus paused, its eyestalks waving. Then, as the companions stood frozen, staring in fascinated horror, it effortlessly turned its vast body, oozed through a narrow gap between two columns as easily as though it was made of oil, and followed him.

The Glus can move at tremendous speeds.

For the Glus was coming. It was coming, not slowly, but with tremendous speed. The sound of it was ghastly. Its mouth gaped in a snarl, a red gash in the whiteness. White threads sprayed into the air before it like a cloud.

The Glus uses its secrations to repair any damage to its home, which it has lived in for centuries.

But the Glus made no attempt to enter the tunnel. Instead, the head began to wag from side to side. White threads poured from the red throat, clinging and sticking to the edges of the gap. And then they realized what was happening.
The Glus was sealing the hole. The danger to the Maze, the vast lair it had built itself over the centuries, was more important than food.

The Glus's entire body is covered in hairs, which allow it to detect any movement within it's lair.

Now he saw that its skin was covered in short, fine hairs that stuck straight out, quivering, alive to every ripple, every splash, every tiny movement in the waters of its kingdom. One mistake, and it would be upon him.

Almost with despair, he saw the trickling stream hit the water at his feet. The splashing sound seemed loud — impossibly loud. The water swirled and rippled. There was nothing he could do to stop it. As if his mind had eyes, he saw the quivering hairs on the skin of the Glus stiffen. He saw the Glus begin to turn, rearing its head. He saw it moving. Moving towards him.

The Glus has been around for centuries even back in the time of Doran the Dragonlover (who was born centuries before Lief was).

It is said that for centuries the Glus has been sliding through the dimness of the Maze, enlarging it and mending the walls with sticky white threads it sprays from its mouth. It is interesting to note that the beast uses these same white threads to bind any creature that falls or blunders into the Maze, so it can feed on its prey at its leisure.

Doran warns that if one were to drop a pebble into a certain entrance of the Maze of the Beast so as to see the beast to stay well back, as the Glus' white threads gush 'like arrows from a bow,' and the threads are very sticky and very strong; he also warns that if the threads take hold, the individual may still be dragged down to their doom despite the metal grating.

On the right-hand side of the rock slab (as you face the back of the cavern) you will see a dark hole.This is the largest entrance to the Maze of the Beast & if it is as I left it last time I visited, it will be covered by a steel grating bolted to the rock.
If the grating is missing, keep away from the hole. If the grating is secure, drop a pebble through it & wait.
Soon you will hear the rippling of water & a stealthy, sliding sound. Then you will see the pale shape of the Glus below, sliding to the place where the pebble has fallen, expecting to find prey.
Note: Stay well back. The white threads gush from the Glus's mouth like arrows flying from a bow. The threads are very sticky & very strong. I cannot guarantee that if they catch you, they might not pull you down into the depths of the Maze despite the grating. It is up to you to take care.

There are two possible origins of the Glus. The first, from the Tenna Birdsongs, is that the Glus is one of the creatures which came from the seas in ancient times.

Some monsters invaded the land to seek prey, swimming up rivers, lurking in caves or crawling onto rocks and sandy shores. These beasts, too, were named by the people who feared them. Some of the names were Kobb, Kreel, Stinger, Bubbler, Blood Creeper and Death Spinner or Glus.

The second is from a Toran folksong, and tells of how long ago, a child called Little Enna finds a blue stone, which cracks open to reveal a "sweet sea-worm." When Enna is told to throw the worm back into the sea, she runs away with it, saying if it must go into the sea, then so must she, when both are taken into the sea (by what Josef deducts must be the blowhole near the Maze), and that the "sweet sea-worm grew to be the Beast, which still guards over where Enna 'sleeps.' Perhaps both stories are compatible.

It appears in The Deltora Annals in small print, with other songs interesting only to students of ancient Toran culture.
The song tells of a child called Little Enna who, playing by the sea, finds a round, blue stone washed up on the rocks. She loves the stone, and resolves to keep it. As she holds it in her hand it splits in two, and a "sweet sea-worm” crawls out.
Naturally enough, Little Enna’s mother is horrified, and tells her daughter to throw the worm back into the sea where it belongs. But Enna [who sounds a silly child indeed!] runs away across the rocks, clutching the "sweet sea-worm” to her heart and crying that if it belongs in the sea, she does also.
At this point a great wave bursts through the rock, catches Little Enna, and pulls her and the "sea-worm” down into the depths. Most scholars have taken this song to be simply a warning to disobedient children. But I think that, like much folklore, it contains a grain of truth.
According to the Annals, there is a blowhole among the rocks on a headland near where the River Tor meets the sea. Water gushing from a blowhole might easily be described as a "wave” bursting through rock. And the "sweet sea-worm” dragged down under the rock with Enna could well have been, in young and tiny form, the creature which was to become known, centuries later, as The Glus. This would also explain the final verse of "Little Enna”:

Since that sad day, long years have flown,
But still, beneath that seething foam
Where Enna sleeps,
The sea-worm creeps,
And spins its webs of bone-white stone.

 

[Stocking Anarchy]

The Guardian is the master of the Valley of the Lost. Similar to Gorl, he can control people with some form of telekenisis.

There was fear in the air. Lief could feel it. Almost smell it. Then he saw its source. A tall, dark shadow, pierced by two points of red light that glowed like burning coals, was coming through the mist towards them.
He tried to put his hand on his sword. But his hand would not move. He tried to step back. But his feet would not obey him. A single glance told him that Barda and Jasmine were under the same spell.
The shadow gathered form and shape. Now Lief could see that the red coals were eyes, eyes that burned in the ravaged face of a tall, bearded man wearing a long, dark robe. The man held two thick grey cords in each of his hands. They stretched away into the mist behind him, as though they were attached to something, but he paid no attention to them. His burning eyes were fixed on Lief, Barda, and Jasmine.
They struggled to free themselves, and his thin lips curved into a smile that was full of malice.
“Do not waste your strength,” he purred. “You can do nothing unless I will it. As you will learn, in time. Welcome to my valley. It has been a long time since I have had the pleasure of visitors. And now I am blessed with four.”

“Perhaps you thought to trick me by splitting your party, did you?” he said. “Ah, that is what I like to see. Visitors who like games. That will make things so much more pleasant, for all of us.”
He crooked a bony finger. And to the companions’ amazement, out of the mist stumbled Neridah, her bewildered face bruised and bleeding.

With a swirl of his robes, he turned and began walking away into the mist. Just before the companions lost sight of him, he carelessly lifted one hand and crooked the index finger.
And, unable to help themselves, feet dragging as they fought to resist his command, Neridah, Lief, Jasmine, and Barda stumbled after him.

The Guardian's 'subjects' who have been enslaved by him no longer have any need for food, drink or rest, but are not spirits of the dead; most of them are Torans who fled after the oath was broken, while others came to claim the Diamond.

“Do not mind them,” smiled the Guardian, waving a casual hand at the crowd. “My subjects do not eat or drink. They are beyond such ordinary concerns of the flesh. It is your warm life they long for.”
Jasmine, Barda, and Neridah stiffened even further. Lief wet his lips, shuddering inwardly as he remembered the dry, grey fingers stroking him. “Do you mean — they are the spirits of the dead?” he choked.
The Guardian seemed to bristle with indignation, and behind him the monsters stirred and growled. “Spirits of the dead?” he snorted. “Would I rule a kingdom of the dead? My subjects are very much alive, oh yes, and will be till the end of time. They waste away, they fade, but they do not age or die. They will live here, in my domain, forever. That is their reward.”
“Their reward?” Neridah burst out. Her hands were trembling as she pushed away her plate.
The Guardian nodded, smoothing his beard thoughtfully. “A rich reward indeed, is it not?” he murmured. “Though I fear they are ungrateful. They do not appreciate their good fortune.”
Lief forced himself to speak. “How did they earn their reward?” he asked.
“Ah ...” The Guardian stretched with satisfaction. Plainly, this was the question he had been waiting for.
“The first of my subjects, the largest number, came to me in a great wind, the pride that had caused their fall still fresh within them,” he murmured. “Others, like you, filled with envy and greed, have come since. To seek to win from me my most precious treasure. The symbol of my power. The great diamond, from the Belt of Deltora.”

It's possible that the 'subjects' of the Guardian no longer entirely have physical form.

And still more of the people came, and more. The colorless rags they wore hung around limbs that seemed just skin and bone. Their shapes seemed to blend and mingle, overlapping as they pressed in, each hand moving upon a dozen others, touching, stroking ...

The Guardian lights up his glass palace with a gesture of his hand.

Abruptly, the Guardian stopped and held up his hand. Lights began to glow through the mist. As the companions drew closer, they saw that the lights were shining inside a domed glass palace.

The Guardian has four 'pets;' Greed, Envy, Hate and Pride.

“We will go inside,” he snapped. “Perhaps that will loosen your tongues and make you more agreeable.” He tugged the cords that he held in his hands and four shapes lumbered from behind him, out of the mist.
Lief heard Neridah gasp. And indeed his own breath caught in his throat as he saw the creatures emerging from the swirling grey.
Hairless, gross, and misshapen, covered in sores and boils, twisted arms hanging almost to the ground, the monsters grinned and slobbered as they stared at the prisoners. The rubbery cords that bound them to their master coiled from puffy red centers in the backs of their necks. Sickened, Lief realized that the cords were part of them. Flesh of their flesh.
“Here are my pets — my companions,” said the Guardian. “I have kept them hidden until now, not wishing to alarm you. But you will learn to love them, as I have done. Perhaps you already do so, though you do not know it. They are fine, strong monsters, are they not? They protect me, and keep me company. Their names are Pride, Envy, Hate, and Greed.”

These 'pets' are all actually a part of him, and directly connected physically.

Lief staggered. He was released. The spell was broken. The Guardian fell to his knees, throwing back his head, still clinging to the Belt as though he could not let go. Envy, Greed, Hate, and Pride turned on him in a frenzy, their jaws frothing, their terrible teeth ripping and tearing at him, shredding his robe to ribbons, slicing into the shrivelled grey flesh beneath.
And then, with a thrill of horror, Lief saw what the robe had hidden. Saw the four great, oozing lumps on the Guardian’s chest. Saw the pulsing, fleshy cords that arose from them, twisting and snaking through his sleeves and on to the swollen necks of the savage, attacking beasts. The Guardian had called Hate, Greed, Envy, and Pride his pets, but they were part of him. Vile growths from his own body.

The Guardian sealed the door to the Diamond with magic.

“The gem you seek is in that casket,” said the Guardian. His voice trembled. Plainly, he could hardly contain his gleeful excitement. “Whoever matches wits with me and wins can enter the room and take the prize.”
Lief pressed himself against the glass of the door. The Belt of Deltora warmed faintly against his skin, proof that the Guardian spoke the truth. The great diamond was in that room. The Belt could feel it.
Barda pushed at the door with his shoulder, but it did not move.
Again the Guardian cackled. “No force can unlock this door. It is sealed by magic, and so it will remain, until you have won the right to open it. So — will you play?”

Animals and birds cannot enter the Valley of the Lost, else they will die.

She turned and, without looking back, walked back to Lief and Barda. She met their questioning eyes calmly. “I told you,” she said. “Kree and Filli do not like the valley. They cannot go there.”
“Why?” Lief burst out. He looked down to where Kree and Filli still perched on their branch, staring after Jasmine forlornly.
Jasmine shrugged. “If they go there they will die,” she said simply. “The valley is not for them. Or any creature. The mist will kill them.”
A shiver ran down Lief’s back. “What about us?” he asked abruptly.
“There are people down there. I can see their shadows in the mist,” said Jasmine. “And if they can survive, so can we. We will go down to where the mist begins. Then we will decide what to do.”

Prior to the scattering of the seven Gems, the Guardian's Master (the Shadow Lord) told him that soon many more would become the 'subjects' of his 'kingdom' (somehow knowing the people of Tora would break their oath, though no doubt this was part of its plans).

The Guardian showed Ranesh a magnificent glass palace, filled with riches. Then he challenged Ranesh to play a game of skill. If Ranesh won, he would receive a casket of gold. If he lost, he was doomed to stay in the valley forever.
Ranesh refused. He valued freedom more highly than gold. To his surprise, the wizard simply smiled. "No matter,” he said. "It would have been pleasant to defeat you, but I do not need your company. I will have many other subjects soon.Or so I have been told by my master.”

When the Diamond is added to the Belt of Deltora, the Guardian's hold over the Valley of the Lost is broken; the mists disperse, colour returns to the Valley and the lost souls are freed (of which there are thousands).

Lief pressed the great diamond down. With a tiny click, it slid into place. Into the place where it belonged. The Belt was complete.
There was a moment’s breathless silence. Then the whispering began again. Louder now. Louder. The mist billowed, clumping into columns and spirals, rising from the ground and writhing upward through the trees, as though it was alive. And as it rose, figures were left blinking in the clear air. Men, women, and children looked in bewildered joy at their warming hands, at their slowly coloring robes, and at each other.
Then there was a great crack, a shattering, like the sound of breaking glass. In an instant, the valley was flooded with color and blinding light.
And when Lief, Barda, and Jasmine looked again there were people by the hundreds, by the thousands, rejoicing among the trees, under the blue sky. They were no longer grey, drifting, hollow-faced, but rich with color, warmth, and life.
Most were tall and slender, with long, smooth faces, their dark eyes shining beneath slanting eyebrows. Black, silky hair hung down their backs, the deep sleeves of their robes swept the ground. Staring at them in wonder, hardly able to accept the evidence of his own eyes, Lief remembered the Guardian’s words.
The first of my subjects, the largest number, came to me in a great wind, the pride that had caused their fall still fresh within them ...
And then he knew. These were the lost people of Tora.

With the Guardian's dark magic broken, the Guardian too is freed from the Guardian's evil, once again becoming Fardeep again (even Fardeep's glass palace vanishes, turning back into Fardeep's humble hut).

The companions walked back through the trees to the palace clearing, the crowd following silently. As they approached the clearing Lief was haunted by the feeling that he was dreaming. At any moment he might wake. At any moment he might see the palace, gleaming like a jewel, and the Guardian, red eyes staring, beckoning through swirling mist.
But the palace had gone, as if it had never been. In its place was a small wooden hut. Flowers and wild grass grew around it, and standing at its door was a bearded man wearing a coarse gown, tied at the waist with a knotted cord. His sad eyes met Lief’s. They were very familiar.
Perched on his arm was a black bird. Sitting on his hand was a small, grey bundle of fur.

Together once again, the companions moved to the stranger’s side.
“You are the hermit — the hermit in the pictures on the rug,” Lief said. The man nodded.
“And you are the Guardian.”
The man put his hand to his chest, close to his heart, as if feeling a tender place. “No longer. Thanks to you,” he said quietly.

Lief glanced at Barda and Jasmine, walking with him through the sunlit beauty of what had been the Valley of the Lost. In the blue sky above them, Kree sailed on the wind with others of his kind. Many birds had returned to the valley since the evil mist had lifted, the exiled people of Tora had been freed from their living death, and the evil Guardian had returned to his old character of the hermit Fardeep.

Fardeep explains how the Shadow Lord manipulated him and twisted him into the Guardian.

He bowed his head. “But peace was denied to me. My misery and anger was felt, and used, by the one who knows how to use them best. At first I did not know he was the one who had caused my trouble. Later, as gifts were showered upon me, it did not seem to matter. I told you how it was. Pride, envy, hatred, and greed grew in me. And as time went on I became — what you saw.”