Darkwood II - The Gryphon's Pearl

? 1986

Language:: English
Authors:: Elise C. Boucher (Zosia the Pious)
Platforms:: C64/128
Genres:: Fantasy, misc.
Related:: Darkwood [1: Darkwood, 2: Darkwood II - The Gryphon's Pearl, 3: Darkwood III - The Tramontane Alliance, 4: Darkwood IV: The Garden of Balance, 5: Darkwood V: The Lost God]
Entered by:: Gunness, iamaran, Strident
Added:: 02-08-2011
Edited:: 03-01-2022

Synopsis

Plot

These are the words of Lo'ana, the Deedspeaker, a precious telling of the events leading to the Queen's arrival:

Once, in a time before any living man remembers, a King, strong of spirit but weak of body, died without an heir. Most people thought this was the end of the Darkwoodrealm, but a prophet, called Antetime, the One Always Here, spake of a woman that would come from a world away and lead Darkwood from ruin. Many years passed waiting for the woman, and the realmdwellers began to doubt the prophesy. Foolish men! For she came, assisted by an experience-young cleric. Many questioned the necessity of the cleric, but the Queen, called Yannah by the realmdwellers but Didi to those she was fond of, would hear no doubts. The cleric had saved her life, she said, and had always been a loyal friend. She would not abandon the cleric now.

Nor did she, for the cleric proved wise and well able to rule the realm in the company of the Queen, banishing all question of necessity. All was
well. Together, they lead Darkwood to rebirth.

So goes the song of Lo'ana. But it is not the end of the song, for forces began again to dwell in Darkwood, affecting the dwellers of Darkwood Castle in different ways. The queen, Didi, began to walk in her sleep, crying the name Kas, and the cleric soon after suffered unsought trips into the Dreamestate, returning sweatsoaked and memoryless, knowing only that a battle would soon be fought and won. So be it.