List of Deltora Quest characters

The Deltora series features a wide line of characters, both important and minor. The series also features many different monsters and creatures that appeared in all of the many different books. This article is a list of the many different characters and creatures that have appeared in the Deltora series.

Main characters

Lief

Lief was raised as a blacksmith's son in the run-down city of Del after the invasion. Hot-headed and impatient at the start of the series, all he wanted to do was go out and explore the city. On the night of his sixteenth birthday, he leaves on his father's quest to restore the Belt of Deltora, the only thing that can save their land and the heir from the tyranny of the Shadow Lord. As he is barely 16, his parents chose a companion to travel with him: Barda (whom Lief originally thought to be a beggar), the former captain of the palace guards, and son to Jarred's nursemaid Min. He gains more companions in the Forests of Silence: Jasmine the "wild girl" and her two animal friends. Lief is courageous, very trustworthy, and withstands any and all temptations to surrender his quest. His friends and family gave him more than enough strength to carry on in even the most dire situations. The fact that he was raised with the people of Del and not of isolated makes him a good king to his people. During the quests, he grows not only in bravery, but in wisdom and patience. It is at the end of the original quest for the Belt that Lief learns of his past and that he is the true heir to the throne.

In the second series, Lief is secretive of his task of finding an heir to save his people from the Shadowlands, and he and Jasmine both hate the secrecy. He and Doom find his distant cousin Marilen to wear the Belt, while Lief bears a false one made in the forge. In the third book of the second series, it is revealed that Lief is in love with Jasmine.

In the third series, Lief is more himself again: less secretive and more open. During this time, he uncovers a plot to rot Deltora via the "Four Sisters", concocted by the Shadow Lord hundreds of years earlier. He then sets off on another journey to awaken the dragons of Deltora and destroy the Sisters with Jasmine and Barda. At the end of the Dragons of Deltora series, Lief marries Jasmine and has three children, named after their parents: Anna, the eldest, and the twins Endon and Jarred and now there are two Jarred's.

Barda

A man of great strength and conviction. Before the Shadow Lord took control of Deltora, Barda was a guard at the palace in Del. His mother Min was a great gossiper and the nursemaid to young Jarred and Endon; late one night she overheard the Shadow Lord's plot to take control of Deltora. Scared, she told the news to King Endon, who believed she was mistaken and had merely been dreaming. Several hours later she was murdered for what she knew. Fearing for his own life, Barda fled the palace shortly before the Shadow Lord invaded Deltora.

Through the of the night, Barda stumbled upon what he thought to be Jarred and Anna hurrying the king and queen away. In truth, what he saw was the plan the four friends had hatched in order to keep the heir safe. Endon returned and, thinking Barda was a spy, knocked him unconscious. While asleep, Barda rambled aloud his fears and Endon and Sharn realized he was a friend. When he woke up, the Shadow Lord had already invaded. Endon and Sharn told Barda and they enlisted his aid in searching for the lost gems of the Belt of Deltora.

For the next sixteen years, Barda disguised himself as a beggar to discover information vital to the Quest. He became the bodyguard of Endon and Sharn's child Lief, albeit without the semi-arrogant Lief's knowledge thereof. Upon Lief's sixteenth birthday Barda reveals himself to Lief and the quest for the gems of Deltora begins. Though Barda is at first annoyed to travel encumbered by a child, he quickly learns to see Lief as more of a help than a hindrance. Barda's skill in swordsmanship is second to none, and his courage and wits have seen his companions and himself through several tight places. He holds a genuine, paternal affection for Lief (and, to a lesser degree, Jasmine). His loyalty to his king makes him a good friend, though he can at times grow fierce and defensive.

In Deltora Shadowlands, Barda is reinstated as the captain of the palace guards. When Jasmine and Glock journey to the Shadowlands, Barda accompanies Lief to find them. At the end of the series, he marries Lindal and has six children with her.

Jasmine

Jasmine is a wild girl with emerald eyes who grew up alone in the Forests of Silence. She is described as very small and lightly built, "elfin-faced", with sun-tanned skin and wild, tangled black hair (dark green in the anime). Her parents were captured by Grey Guards when she was seven years old and she was raised by the forest. She can understand the language of the trees and many animals, and possesses great agility and sharp senses, including photographic memory. Fending for herself alone since childhood, she has trouble understanding some social customs. However, she is unable to swim as the Forest only had a shallow stream. Jasmine is usually seen with her raven Kree, and a mouse-like creature she calls Filli.

Lief and Barda meet her in the Forests shortly after leaving Del. Jasmine, like Lief, has a quick temper and is very stubborn. She is not quick to trust, and has a keen intuition that helps her sense when things are not right. After helping Lief and Barda in the Forests, she is greeted by her mother's spirit from beyond the grave and told to go with Lief and Barda on their quest. After this encounter she joins Lief and Barda in the search for the great gems that will complete the Belt.

She eventually falls in love with Lief, and marries him after the last weapon of the Enemy was destroyed in the third Deltora series. She and Lief have three children: Anna, Endon, and Jarred.

Kree

Kree is a raven and one of Jasmine's closest companions in the Forest of Silence. His family was taken and eaten by the witch Thaegan, and he was rescued by a young Jasmine.

Kree treats Jasmine as his master, and does not tolerate offensive behavior towards her. His presence is advantageous towards the three companions - he is able to fly ahead and warn the others of oncoming danger or safety.

When the three enter Thaegan's territory, Jasmine warns Kree to go home lest he meet the same fate as his family. Later, Kree returns and destroys Thaegan by pecking her finger and causing her to bleed. When the three companions' identities become more apparent, Kree and Jasmine are forced to separate from the group; servants of the Shadow Lord are told to find three companions accompanied by a black bird. The group eventually reunites. In the later series he is drugged one evening by Paff, who inserted a tracking device in a wound that Kree received, enabling the Shadow Lord to detect the whereabouts of the companions. However, Jasmine took out the tracking device during the feast while Lief was reading 'The Tale of the Four Sisters'. He help's Lief, Barda, and Jasmine guide around the place when they get lost.

When Lief becomes king, Kree becomes one of the palace's official/personal messenger birds, although he prefers to stick close to Jasmine. Kree also when once attacked and got a scar. In the series, Dragons Of Deltora the Shadow Lord used it as a way to track and spy on Lief, after the crystal was destroyed.

Filli

Filli is a small, furry gray creature resembling a mouse or ferret (though Jasmine denies that he resembles any rodent). He was rescued by Jasmine when she discovered him paralyzed by the Wenn in the Forests of Silence. As such, he remains close to Jasmine and Kree, often hiding himself in Jasmine's clothing when danger arises. While Filli is often referred to as male in the book series, he is occasionally referred to as female in the anime. Like Kree, Jasmine is able to understand Filli's animal speech. His small size is advantageous to the companions, as he is able to hide easily and eavesdrop on others. Filli was feared and was nearly killed by the people of Noradz, who mistook him for a rat. He is later badly injured by the Orchard Keeper while trying to defend an unconscious Jasmine. In Secrets Of Deltora, it is implied that Filli is a creature called a Siskis.

Major characters

Jarred

Jarred starts out as a friend of Endon. Endon's evil chief advisor, Prandine, accuses Jarred of treason and Jarred runs for his life. Jarred starts a new life at the forge in Del. He marries Anna and he eventually returns to Endon, only to find the gems of the Belt of Deltora stolen. Jarred and Endon witness Sharn, Endon's wife, throwing Prandine over the tower as Prandine was a servant of the Shadow Lord. on the cave wall and placed a Resistance symbol under it. After that he realized he was being followed by Grey Guards so he fled to Kinrest, where a man named Doom lived. The Grey Guards came again; Doom and Jarred fought them, with Jarred being the only survivor. Jarred took the man's name: "Doom" (in the Japanese anime he is called "Joker"), buried him at Kinrest and wrote that Doom would be avenged on his gravestone. Some time later he journeyed to Valley of the Lost and played the Guardian's game to guess his name to win the diamond of the Belt of Deltora. Doom solved the riddle, revealing the name of the Guardian as Endon. Due to this discovery, Doom lost all of his faith in the king and the royal family of Deltora and thus began his lifetime of bitterness and belief that the city of del's people could only depend on themselves in order to survive. Since he was so shocked and filled with grief from his discovery, Doom left the Valley of the Lost without even collecting the diamond. However unbeknownst to Doom, the Guardian was only pretending to be Endon on orders from the Shadow Lord to fool those who completed his game since the Shadow Lord found the idea amusing (and to cause anyone who sought to restore the gems to the Belt to lose faith in the king and royal family as Doom had).

Doom eventually became the leader of the Resistance and during a visit to Tom's Shop, he encounters Lief (Endon's son), Barda, and his now slightly older daughter Jasmine. However neither he nor his daughter realize they're related and Jasmine is suspicious of him, however she does somewhat agree with his opinion on the royal family. Doom later competes in the Rithmere Games with the aim of exposing the Games as a means of scouting out great fighters and taking them to the Shadowlands. However he is forced to alter his plans as Lief, Barda, and Jasmine are competing as well. Ironically he ends up fighting Jasmine in the final before faking a loss to witness Lief, Barda and Jasmine being captured by Grey Guards. He and his young companion Dain rescue the three from the Grey Guards and take them to a resistance hideout. He tells them he has heard rumors about three travelers who seem to be causing the Shadow Lord trouble and inquires about what they are up to. Jasmine doesn't trust him, which doesn't get any better when Doom pulls a knife on Barda (as a way of testing him), causing Jasmine poo s claim), before the fight is broken up by Dain. Barda thanks Doom and Dain for their help but declines their offer to join the resistance, stating he did not wish to put the Resistance in danger by helping them in their quest (while keeping the true nature of their quest hidden). Doom is disappointed at their refusal and leaves them with a warning to not speak of their encounter to anyone. Doom later encounters the trio at a Resistance stronghold following their adventure on Dread Mountain, along with an injured Dain who had saved them from two Grade one ols (shapeshifting servants of the Shadow Lord). Doom, angered at discovering they have learned of the Resistance's password system and unsure of their true identity, tests them by putting them in a prison for three days. As three days pass, Doom does not let up and keeps them imprisoned. Dain frees them from the cave in exchange for them to take him to Tora. He later shows up at Tora with Neridah, finding Lief, Barda, Jasmine and Dain, and Dain departs with him, while Neridah remains with the trio. Doom later appears in the final book, learning of the Belt, and he makes most of the preparations for the gathering of the seven tribes. Dain (believed by Lief to be the heir of the Belt) is kidnapped by Ichabod before Lief could hand over the Belt. Doom, Lief, Jasmine, Barda, and the Resistance members head to Del to rescue Dain, but fall into an elaborate trap where the puppet master is revealed to be none other than Dain himself. Doom is the only one to evade capture. Dain is revealed to be a Grade 3 Ol and he has been fooling them all along. After Doom attacks Dain,Lief manages to kill him with the Belt, but Doom sustains an injury to the head, which causes him to regain his memory and reveals to everyone's surprise that he is Jasmine's father. However their reunion is cut short as they are arrested by Grey Guards, save for Lief (who realizes that he was the heir all along) who rescues them and defeats the Shadow Lord.

In the second and third series, it is Doom who remains in charge at the palace whenever Lief, Barda and Jasmine are present. In the second series he devises the plan to use the false Belt, while in the third, he is suspected of being the guardian of the Sister of the South, though Doom eventually realizes that Paff is responsible. Lief later becomes Jarred's son-in-law after he marries Jasmine and Jasmine gives birth to his three grandchildren: Anna, Endon, and Jarred (his namesake).

Endon

Endon grew up in the palace of Del with his best friend, Jarred, and unaware of the poverty grasping Deltora, for he lived in luxury. Upon his coronation as King, and Jarred's departure from the palace, he did not play a great role in ruling Deltora as the most important decisions were made by his chief adviser, Prandine - a Shadow Lord plant. This combined with his following The Rule - a set of old traditions created by the earliest chief advisers who served the Shadow Lord, resulted with him losing the trust and faith of the people of Deltora before the Shadow Lord finally made his move. Endon escaped the palace with his pregnant wife Sharn, and assumed the identity of his old friend Jarred. He became blacksmith in the city of Del, having been familiar with blacksmith work since his teens. He was a good and quiet man, following the laws of the Shadow Lord and refusing to bring attention to himself or his family. While Lief was questing for the Belt of Deltora, his identity became apparent and both Endon and Sharn were captured and imprisoned in Del in a bid to force Lief to come forward and rescue them. However, Lief was convinced that his parents would not want him to abandon his quest, and that the only way to save them was to continue on. In the battle for Del, Endon and Sharn were threatened in a bid to force Lief to show himself. Endon was killed by Fallow in the battle for Del.

Sharn

Sharn was a Toran descendant living in the palace of Del. She had never spoken to King Endon until the day of their marriage, and was chosen by the chief adviser Prandine to marry Endon, because he believed her to be harmless and somewhat dumb. However, he was proven wrong when Sharn cunningly killed Prandine on the day of the Shadow Lord's invasion. She took on Anna's identity and life in order to protect her son, Lief, and the royal bloodline. She lived in the blacksmith forge for sixteen years, living a quiet life and refusing to have the Shadow Lord's attention drawn to her. When Lief's identity became apparent during his quest, Sharn and Endon were captured and imprisoned in Del. Sharn often railed against her tormentors, refusing to give any information on the whereabouts of her son. She and Endon were both threatened in the Battle of Del, in a bid by Fallow to force Lief to show himself. When the Shadow Lord was defeated, she moved back to the palace, a widow, as Endon had died during the battle. She became an official adviser, attending to the needs of the poor and making official visits between Del and Tora when Lief was away. She was seriously poisoned in the final book of the series, but recovered with the aid of the emerald.

Anna

Anna was living in the blacksmith's forge in Del with her grandfather, Crian, when Jarred stumbled upon their home after running from the palace of Del. Anna and Jarred married and soon Anna became pregnant. However, before she gave birth, she gave up her home and her name to Queen Sharn when the Shadow Lord invaded Deltora, and escaped from Del with Jarred. She raised her daughter, Jasmine, in The Forests of Silence until she and Jarred were captured by Grey Guards. She motioned to Jasmine to remain hidden while she was taken by Grey Guards, thus ensuring Jasmine's survival. Anna died in the Shadowlands. Anna appears to Lief, Barda and Jasmine when the topaz is added to the Belt, and convinces Jasmine to join them in their quest for the gems of Deltora.

Josef

Josef was Palace Librarian during the reign of King Alton (Lief's grandfather). He was ordered to burn the Deltora Annals, a written record of Deltora's history, but Josef disagreed with this order. He faked his own death and smuggled the Annals to safety, living in the hidden basement of a pottery in Del, and survived on the kindness of the owners of the pottery. He rescued the orphan Ranesh, a street boy and a thief, and educated him. Upon the demise of the pottery owners, they no longer could rely on kindness to survive, and Ranesh was forced to steal to feed himself and Josef. Once the Shadowlord is defeated, he reveals himself and the Annals to Lief. He was moved to the palace, where he revealed many Deltoran secrets to Lief, such as the legend of the Pirran Pipe, and also Doran's account of the Deltora Dragons. During his time in the palace, he also wrote the Deltora Book of Monsters and Tales of Deltora. Josef becomes Palace Librarian again in the third series, and is appointed assistant, Paff. However, Paff is an evil servant of the Shadow Lord, and drugs Josef to acquire information concerning the dragons and the Four Sisters, and also bewitches him to mistrust Doom and tampers with his letters. With books like Monsters of Deltora and Deltora Annals he is very wise but cannot use his wisdom because he is too old. Josef dies in the third series, as Paff poisons him. However, Josef appears to aid Lief, even in death, as his Tales of Deltora warns Lief of the danger in Hira.

Ranesh

Ranesh is a street boy, an orphan and a thief from childhood. He worked on a boat during his teenage years, but the boat was captured by pirates. The pirates threw the captain into the Maze of the Beast, and forced Ranesh to watch his demise by the Glus. Eventually, Ranesh escaped during a rival crew battle and made his way to Del, encountering Fardeep in the Valley of the Lost, but refusing to play his game because he valued freedom over riches. He was rescued by Josef and taken in as an adoptive son and an assistant. When Marilen arrives in Del, Ranesh falls in love with her, despite the disapproval of Josef, who believes her to be Lief's fiancee. However, once Marilen's identity is revealed, Ranesh moves to Tora and marries Marilen. They have a son, also named Josef. He also later becomes an advisor for Lief. It was later revealed in the Shadowlands that Lief feared about Jasmine's feelings towards Ranesh.

Marilen

Marilen is a Toran woman, originally believed to be Lief's fiancee. The rumors were encouraged as he brought her to Del in the dead of night, took palace jewels to give to her and gave strict orders that she remain on the upper floors of the palace and that her meals be prepared separately. Her appearance in Lief's life caused a great deal of jealousy for Jasmine, who harbored romantic feelings for Lief. It is later revealed that Marilen is merely a distant cousin on Lief's father's side, and was brought to Del to continue the royal line, should Lief die on the quest to free the Deltoran slaves in the Shadowlands. The palace jewels were merely used to create a false Belt of Deltora that Lief would wear, while Marilen would protect the original. Upon Lief's return, Marilen returned to Tora with Ranesh, whom she married and had a son named Josef. Later, she returned to Del with Ranesh and Josef. Marilen became Palace Librarian while Ranesh oversaw palace affairs.

Lindal

Lindal is a huntress of Broome, and descended from cannibal warriors who ate the brains of their enemies. Lindal is knowledgeable of the wildlife and superstitions of Deltora, as well as experienced in hunting and fighting. She eventually marries Barda and has six children. She saved Lief, Jasmine and Barda when they were attacked by the Orchard Keeper and took them to Broome. She was poisoned by Paff in the final book but recovers with the aid of the emerald in the Belt of Deltora.

Minor characters

The Giant with Golden Eyes

The Giant with Golden Eyes (also known as The Enigmatic Giant, both names that are referred to in the anime version) is a character Lief, Barda, and Jasmine encounter in The Lake of Tears. The Giant was originally a large bird that attempted to deceive Thaegan in order to help a friend whose life was in peril. He was enslaved by Thaegan, and transformed into a man of enormous stature with tanned skin and a pointed nose, and armed with a massive sword and wearing only a loincloth. He is forced to serve Thaegan as guard to a bridge leading directly into her territory. He challenges those who attempt to cross the bridge to answer riddles, allowing only those who are successful in answering to pass, and killing any who fail. He may only be freed when "truth and lies become one". His first riddle was directed to Jasmine. He asks her to take eleven sticks and make them nine, without taking any sticks away. Jasmine rearranged the sticks to spell the word "NINE". (In the anime, he asks Jasmine to make five sticks three without taking any away. She rearranges them into the number "3") The second riddle was directed to Barda. The giant asked, "What do beggars have, rich men need and the dead eat?" "Nothing". (In the anime, he asks Barda to arrange five symmetrical shapes "in order". Barda cuts them in half, revealing each half to be one of the numbers one through five.) For Lief's challenge, the giant asked about Thaegan and her thirteen children in their cave. Thaegan gulped her favorite food. Each child had a toad (13), while there were two grubs on each toad (26) and two fleas on each grub (52). He was asked how many living creatures in the cave? Theses numbers totaled 104 (with Thaegan, 105), but what Lief does not know is that Thaegan's favorite food is a live raven swallowed whole, and this raven adds one more (106). Before he kills Lief, the giant asks one more riddle to determine how Lief should die. He asks Lief to make a statement. If the statement is true, the giant will strangle him to death. But if the statement is a lie, the giant will cut his head off. But Lief is clever, and makes the statement that his head will be cut off. If the giant does this, the statement will be made true, thus forcing him to strangle Lief instead. But if the giant strangles him, the statement will be made a lie, and he must be beheaded. This makes truth and lies one, and the curse breaks and he returns to his true form. When Lief nearly falls from the breaking bridge, the bird returns and saves him, paying back his life debt. (In the anime version, he instead saves Lief near the end of the series after Lief falls from a tower.)

In the book version the rhyme is:

Thaegan gulps her favorite food

In her cave with all her brood:

Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod,

Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod,

Pik, Snik, Lun, Lod

And the dreaded Ichabod.

Each child holds a slimy toad.

On each toad squirm two fat grubs.

On each grub ride two fleas brave.

How many creatures living in Thaegan's cave?

The rhyme (as a song) in the anime version is:

Sorceress Thaegan gulps her favorite food,

In her cave with all her brood.

And the names of the children are:

Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod,

Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod, Pik, Snik,

Lun, Lod and of course the dreaded Ichabod.

Each child holds a slimy toad.

On each toad squirm two fat grubs.

On each grub ride two fleas brave.

Here is my riddle and so beware.

Answer this riddle now, if you dare.

How many things are living in Thaegan's cave?

Manus

Manus is a Ralad from the city of Raladin. As a Ralad, Manus is an exceptional musician and architect, as well as bearing the traditional Ralad blue skin, red hair, and black button eyes. Ralads cannot speak, due to a curse placed upon the Ralad people by the witch Thaegan when the ralads spoke out against her evil. When Kree kills Thaegan, the Ralads regain their ability to speak. He began making his way to Del to plead his case for a better life for the Ralad people. However, he was captured by Jin and Jod, children of Thaegan, and remained their servant for many years, as he was too lean to make a good meal. He finally escaped, only to be captured by Grey Guards. Lief, Barda and Jasmine come across the Guards and rescue Manus when the Guards fall asleep. While Manus rests, they discover the home of Jin and Jod, and are bewitched to believe that it is the home of a gentle elderly couple. Manus rescues the three companions and Jin and Jod are destroyed by their own quicksand trap. Manus leads the three to Raladin, teaching them the ancient Ralad script. They discover the underground city of Raladin, and make their way to the Lake of Tears to find the ruby. They encounter the lake creature Soldeen, who wishes to exchange the ruby for Manus, as he enjoys his music. However, when Thaegan is destroyed, Soldeen transforms into Nanion, leader of D'Or, and the Lake of Tears returns to its original state as the city of D'Or. Nanion and Manus become great friends. Manus re-encounters the companions when he comes to Withick Mire with Nanion to represent the Ralads in the ceremony to find the heir of Deltora. He is captured by Grey Guards with the other representatives, but released after the Shadow Lord's defeat. Manus also aids Lief in finding the Sister of the South by expertly examining the old palace blueprints, as the Ralads were the original builders of the royal palace.

Tom

Tom is a shopkeeper, brother of Ava, and of Laughing Jack the pirate and nomad. He is a man of business rather than honor and, unlike most characters in the series, stands on neutral grounds and will sell to anyone, regardless of allegiance. He claims to be the same person to everyone and that he does not take sides, but assists Lief, Barda, and Jasmine on numerous occasions, as well as against his brother, Laughing Jack. Tom is psychically bound to his siblings, and is aware when either is in danger or causing danger for others. He also tends to speak in the third-person.

Tira

Tira is a descendant of the Plains tribe and born under the tyranny of the Ra-Kacharz. Her ancestors were driven from the city of Hira into a new city called Noradz because of a sudden and severe rat infestation. However, the Shadow Lord wanted Hira as a center for the Four Sisters, as it was placed directly in the middle of Deltora. Tira was mortally afraid of the Ra-Kacharz and followed the strict laws of Noradz. However, she helped Lief, Barda and Jasmine escape from their prison. She was taken to the Shadowlands with the other people of Noradz and brainwashed to become a Shadowlord servant. She recovered upon her return to Deltora.

Queen Bee

The Queen Bee is an elderly, roundish woman. She owns an orchard on the edge of the Hira plain, and uses the apples to make Queen Bee Cider, which has energizing properties. She also raises bees to make Queen Bee Honey, which has certain healing properties. She is also the mother of Steven and Nevets, and supplies them with Queen Bee Honey to give to the Resistance. After Lief, Barda and Jasmine escaped the City of the Rats, they stole nine apples from her orchard. Queen Bee was enraged and nearly ordered her bees to sting them to death; but she was abated by Jasmine's money. However, once she realized that they had destroyed the City of the Rats (and by extension, were working against the Shadow Lord), she allowed them to leave, and promised to pretend that she had never seen Lief, Barda, and Jasmine.

Glock

Glock is a savage member of the Jalis tribe, and one of the last remaining Jalis people. He was knocked unconscious during the great battle between the Jalis tribe and the servants of the Shadow Lord shortly after the Shadow Lord's invasion. He came across Lief, Barda and Jasmine at the Rithmere Games, where he became one of the semi-finalists. He mocked Jasmine's petite size, but before he could fight her, he was secretly drugged by Doom. Upon regaining consciousness, Glock was captured, along with Neridah, by Grey Guards and were taken to the Shadowlands; before they arrived, however, they were rescued by Doom, and both decided to join the Resistance. Glock caused great trouble at the Resistance, and was eventually moved to Withick Mire, where he took part as a Jalis representative in the ceremony to find the heir of Deltora. He was captured by Grey Guards, but released upon the Shadow Lord's defeat. Glock lived at the palace, where he became a local gossip, gambler and drinker. He takes great pleasure in boasting of his strength, and also in teasing and mocking Jasmine. He forced Jasmine to allow him to accompany her on her quest to find the underground islands of the Pirran people, where they are captured by the Plume tribe to sacrifice to a monstrous creature called The Fear. When Lief and Barda come to rescue Jasmine, they too are captured, and the four manage to convince the Plumes to give them a chance to destroy The Fear. The Plumes relented, and Glock aided in the destruction of The Fear and died in the process. Before dying, he gave his family talisman to Jasmine and told her she had the heart of a Jalis warrior. Jasmine discovered that one such talisman was in fact the mouthpiece of the Pirran Pipe.

Neridah

Lief meets Neridah at the Rithmere Games, where she is known as Neridah the Swift. She is deceitful, agile and seeks to merit personal gain from every enterprise. She embarrasses Lief by beating him, but is drugged by Doom before she can compete in the later rounds. She is captured by Grey Guards with Glock, but is rescued by Doom, and both decide to join the Resistance. She later meets Lief, Barda and Jasmine again near Tora while accompanying Doom to find Dain. She refuses to return to the Resistance with Doom and Dain, and instead begs Lief, Barda and Jasmine to let her join their group so they can escort her home, as she does not want to return to the Resistance for she holds unrequited feelings for Doom. In reality, she intends to travel to the Valley of the Lost in order to claim the great diamond out of greed. However, Lief, Barda and Jasmine tire greatly of her companionship, as she is complaining and sulky, and eventually sneak off on her early in the morning while she sleeps. To their disbelief, Neridah pursues them and is also challenged to a game for a chance to win the diamond. But she refuses and is allowed to leave, taking advantage to secretly steal the diamond. However, the diamond holds a curse preventing anyone from obtaining it through dishonorable and deceitful means, with Neridah slipping on a smooth rock in the river and knocking her head, drowning in the river. In the anime, Neridah survived and was instead captured by Ocaus before being saved by Lief's group, giving them the diamond.

Prin

Prin is a young and sweet-tempered female Kin. Kin are large, mammalian, winged creatures that when sleeping, resemble rocks. Deltoran children (a notable example being Lief) sometimes have stuffed animal versions. When Prin is first introduced, she is of a childish temperament, but later shows character development as she helps Lief, Barda, and Jasmine retrieve the emerald for the Belt of Deltora by saving them from a Vraal. Because of her youth, she often jumps into adventure without thinking of the consequences. Prin later aids Lief, Barda and Jasmine on their journey to the Isle of the Dead by flying Lief out of the emerald territory, and escaping the emerald dragon.

Fa-Glin

Fa-Glin is the leader of the Dread Gnomes and is a proud wise leader. Fa-Glin along with all the other Gnomes accepts Gellick's offer to rule Dread Mountain and is made a slave to him. Fa-Glin being a Dread Gnome is very suspicious and sends messages in code to Lief, Barda, and Jasmine.

Gla-Thon

Gla-Thon belongs to the Dread Gnomes tribe, and as such, is a proud and honorable archer. She meets Lief, Barda and Jasmine when they are captured by the Dread Gnomes, and agrees to assist them in destroying the evil toad that lords over the Gnomes. As such, the Gnomes are freed from their slavery and owe a great debt to Lief. Gla-Thon and the Gnomes give the three friends an arrow-head, and make them promise to send word in times of need. Gla-Thon represents the Dread Gnomes in the ceremony to find the heir of Deltora, and as such, is captured by Grey Guards. She is released after the Shadow Lord is defeated, and maintains a good relationship with Lief, Barda, and Jasmine. Gla-Thon returns to Del in the third series to ask for food sources for the Gnomes. However, she is forced to remain in Del as part of the lockdown in resistance of the poison epidemic. She aids Lief in searching for the fourth Sister.

Steven/Nevets

Steven is a peddler whom Lief, Barda, and Jasmine encounter on their journey. He is cheerful and pleasant, and constantly singing. His mother is Queen Bee herself, and he supplies Queen Bee products to the Resistance. Lief at first worries about Steven travelling alone in such dangerous times, but he is told that Steven is safe without companions, as he is accompanied by his brother, Nevets. The two grew up on the plain in the territory of the opal. Steven acts as a representative of the Plains tribe in the ceremony to find the heir of Deltora, and also takes Lief, Barda and Jasmine to Del, believing that a spy is in their midst. Following Lief's coronation as king of Deltora, he remains a close associate and friend, and bring them news from all over Deltora. Nevets is 'Steven' spelled backwards. He is a great, golden giant living within Steven, and appears whenever Steven, or someone close to him, is threatened, and does not distinguish between friend or foe. Steven often has great trouble controlling his brother, though he lets him free on several occasions. Nevets has been useful in several occasions, such as protecting Josef from Ols, and killing Grey Guards that threaten Steven, Lief, Barda and Jasmine, as well as helping to defeat Paff's black slime monster when it overwhelms the topaz dragon.

Chett

Chett is a polypan that Lief, Barda and Jasmine meet on a cruise ship. Polypans are known to be very skilled thieves and pickpockets, and it is said that those who have polypans in their service are usually up to no good. Chett served the captain of the River Queen by doing smaller chores and by using the rowboat to pick up potential customers. During a pirate raid, Chett escapes with the pirates aboard their own ship in a fit of panic after shape-shifting Ols appear. Afterwards, when Lief, Barda and Jasmine are captured by the pirates, Chett aids them by stealing back the Belt of Deltora in exchange for Lief's chewing tobacco-like gum. Lief, Barda and Jasmine meet Chett again while attempting to rescue Dain from their pirate captors. A fight broke out between crew members, and in a state of panic, Chett tossed a lantern into the storage area where the pirates kept a great deal of flammable materials (such as paint and oil), causing the pirates' ship to catch fire. Chett helped Dain escape from the ship, and then rowed the group's boat back to shore, before fleeing into the wilderness.

Zeean

Zeean is a wise, old Toran leader who assists Lief on several occasions in repayment for releasing her tribe from The Valley of the Lost, and holds significant standing in the Toran community. She represents the Torans in the ceremony to find the lost heir of Deltora. In the third series, Zeean is poisoned along with Sharn by Paff, but survives.

Jinks

Jinks was an acrobat and entertainer for the royal family in the castle of Del, and knew Barda as a boy. However, he fled the castle with the other entertainers upon the Shadow Lord's invasion and joined the Resistance. Upon Lief's coronation, he assumedly worked his way into favor with the castle officials, for he is found spending time in the castle at the beginning of the second series. Jinks is a selfish man, a gambler, a sook, and lusts for riches. He betrayed Lief and Barda, leaving them to be killed at the hands of the Granous, and then lied about their deaths upon his return to Del. However, he guessed that either Lief or Barda would survive and kill him, or else the Shadow Lord would invade in Lief's absence, and he decided to flee the castle. His lust for riches proved fatal, for he broke into Marilen's room and searched for her items of wealth. He ate a poisoned cake intended for Marilen and was found dead by Sharn and Marilen.

Flash and Fury

Flash and Fury are fighting spiders, usually gambled by their two owners. Each spider grows as large as a plate, and obsesses over fighting. A losing spider may force their opponent to fight to achieve vengeance. Flash (a male) belonged to Glock and Fury (female) belonged to Jinks. In their first fight, Flash defeated Fury, and a caged Fury raged for days, giving Jinks no peace. When Jasmine and Glock disappeared, Lief and Barda used Fury to find them, as Glock had taken Flash with them. When Glock died and Jinks ran away, Lief, Barda and Jasmine were resigned to bringing Flash and Fury with them, as the Plume tribe (of whose island they were staying on) refused to allow the spiders to stay. When the friends reached the Island of Auron (otherwise known as the Isle of Illusion), they were attacked by Arach. Flash and Fury realized that they had an even greater enemy that they could not defeat, and the two put aside their differences and took to wrestling only in play. When Lief, Barda and Jasmine obtained the second piece of the Pirran Pipe, they left the two spiders under the care of the Auron History-Keeper Penn, who had grown quite fond of the creatures.

Penn

Penn is the History-Keeper of the Auron tribe, and as such, records every piece of history that takes place on the rafts where the Aurons live. She becomes Lief, Barda and Jasmine's guide, and gives them information concerning the Isle of Illusion and the history of the Aurons. Like the rest of her race, she detests lying, but was bidden by the Aurons' Piper to hold back certain information about the Aurons' history. Lief, Barda and Jasmine leave the fighting spiders Flash and Fury in her care upon leaving the Aurons. Penn has two "companions", Tresk and Mesk, sea-horse like creatures that she loves dearly.

Emlis

A young Pirran from the Pirran island of Keras that helps Lief in the Shadowlands. Emlis plays the Pirran Pipe in the Shadowlands. Once they return, he tells them he will adventure into the seas that are unknown.

Claw

A man from Del who was captured in the raids. He escaped from the Shadow Lord after being mutated into a fighting beast with talons, hence the name Claw. His real name is Mikal. He was a Resistance fighter in the Shadowlands.

Gers

The younger brother of Glock, and is in many ways like him such as his looks. However, Gers is somewhat more subdued and less confrontational than his brother, most likely because of the harsh ordeals he had to suffer in his life. Gers became one of the many Deltorans held prisoner in the Shadowlands. He escaped the Shadow Arena and made it to a branch of the Deltoran Resistance, led by Claw. He became the leader of the remaining Jalis after being entrusted Glock's talisman (consisting mainly of little odds and ends that his ancestors had gathered as trophies, including the mouth piece of the Pirran Pipe).

The Masked Ones

The Masked Ones are a group of wandering nomads and performers (similar to a circus troupe). It was founded long ago by King Elstred's brother, Ballum, after he had been expelled from the palace. (It is possible that Ballum and Elstred are half-brothers because in the last book of the second series, it is said that Adin's heir only had one child.) Lief, Barda and Jasmine join the group after a misunderstanding when a man from their group, Otto, is killed by one of the Masked One's phantoms. They are very strict and are distrustful towards newcomers into their group. They also have a deep hatred towards the kings of Deltora for unknown reasons, and so Lief and his friends are forced to take fake names for themselves to disguise themselves. The masks they make have magical attributes, when a member of the troupe reaches adulthood, they are given a magically crafted mask that merges and becomes part of the wearer's face. These "Masks of Adulthood" also make the wearer have absolute loyalty to the Masked Ones, making them think and feel like them.

Bess

An inner circle Masked One and Bede's mother. She is superstitious and believes many incidents to be omens. Her mask is that of an owl. When the trio of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine travel with the Masked Ones, she says that Lewin (Lief) looks a lot like her son, because the inner circle is descended from Ballum, King Elstred's brother, who was expelled by Elstred's chief advisor. Lief is a descendant of Elstred. (It is possible that Ballum and Elstred are half-brothers because in the last book of the second series, it is said that Adin's heir only had one child.) When "Lewin" says that his first loyalty must be to "Berry" (Barda), his and "Jay's" (Jasmine's) supposed uncle, and that "Berry" wanted to move west, Bess attempted to intervene. She requested that Lief at least wear Bede's Mask of Adulthood for at least one hour (so that it would become part of him and therefore he would never want to leave) and tried to poison Barda, but Kree saw to it that she drank her own poison.

Bede

A former wandering stage-actor, member of the outlaw entertainers known as the Masked Ones. Bede resembles Lief in appearance, because of their mutual ancestry. The Masked Ones were founded by Ballum, the brother of King Elstred and the first leader of the Masked Ones. (It is possible that Ballum and Elstred are half-brothers because in the last book of the second series, it is said that Adin's heir only had one child.) He had a beautiful singing voice that many of Deltora's women fell in love with, although the feeling wasn't always mutual. He wore a mask of a bird. When the Masked Ones came to Shadowgate, he became the heartthrob of Kirsten but then at last fell in love with Kirsten's sister, Mariette. They both wandered into the mountains and were never seen again. It was then revealed that Kirsten had captured Bede and made him her slave. Fortunately, Lief and the emerald dragon destroyed the Sister of the North, and Bede and Mariette were saved.

Rust

A suspicious member of the inner circle Masked Ones. She wears the mask of a fox. She also controls the moths that guard the camp by a high pitched shriek. She seems to dislike the fact that Barda, Lief and Jasmine have joined the Masked Ones and wishes to expel them from the group and becomes delighted that they chose to leave on their own free will.

Zerry

A thieving young Masked One, student of Plug, and orphan from the Mere tribe. He steals the Belt of Deltora, but Lief, Jasmine, and Steven/Nevets manage to get it back. Later, Steven takes Zerry as an assistant. When Jasmine and Lief get married, he became the stable master's chief assistant.

Otto

An inner circle Masked One who is killed by the Masked One, probably in mistake for Barda. Otto wears a mask shaped like the face of a Wild Pig, which like all the inner circle's masks is bonded into his skin by the contraction of the boiled roots from which it is made.

Fern

Laughing Jack's servant. She is a "bareface hanger-on" of the Masked Ones. She is then killed by the Masked One, presumably in mistake for Jasmine.

Mariette

Mariette lived in the village of Shadowgate with her parents and older sister, Kirsten. When the travelling Masked Ones came to Shadowgate to perform for the villagers, Mariette fell in love with their singer, Bede, who in turn also fell in love with her. This enraged Kirsten, and she captured them both and imprisoned Mariette in her locket. The Masked Ones believed that Mariette had convinced Bede to run away together, and hated Mariette and labelled her a "despicable bareface". Kirsten was killed and the Sister of the North destroyed, and both Mariette and Bede were freed.

Ava

A fortune teller who owns a shop near the western coast of Deltora. She is the sister of Tom and Laughing Jack. She sells things such as potions and cures, and has boats for hire and, like Tom, she offers a free gift to every customer. At the beginning of The Sister of The South, she tells Lief that she can see creeping darkness in his future. This may have been intended as a joke, as Ava is blind. However, creeping darkness does appear in Lief's future, in the form of black slime which Paff uses to kill people such as palace guards.

Red Han

Red Han was the Lighthouse-keeper at Bone Point, near Tora. He was cheated, black-mailed and eventually transformed into a horse by the Shadow Lord servant, James Gant (also known as Laughing Jack). He was rescued many years later by Jasmine, and returned to be keeper of Bone Point.

Verity

Verity was the daughter of Red Han, and a painter. She was born in Bone Point Lighthouse, and as such, developed magical powers, which she expressed while held hostage on Laughing Jack's ship. Laughing Jack referred to her as "The Witch". She was killed by Laughing Jack when Red Han refused to pass over the keys to Bone Point. After her death, her body was turned to wood and fused into the ship. She left behind a painting that had 7 errors in it. If you could find them all, you would be freed from the ship. When Laughing Jack was captured by his crew, the wooden frame that was Verity disappeared, allowing her to rest in peace.

Tirral

Tirral is the leader of the Keras tribe underneath Deltora in the emerald territory. She was the first to play the restored Pirran Pipe after Lief, Barda and Jasmine put it together after gaining her piece. Her son, Emlis followed Lief, Barda and Jasmine into the Shadowlands, a fact that she was very angry at for some time. She and her people helped to save The Shadowland prisoners after hearing the music of the Pirran Pipe.

Nols

Nols is a member of the Plume tribe underneath Deltora, and eagerly encouraged Lief, Jasmine, Barda and Glock to fight The Fear, after they offered. She hated the Plume leader, Worron, for being a tyrant and a coward and so she took his place as Piper after gaining the trust of the Plumes. When The Fear was destroyed, she willingly gave Lief, Jasmine and Barda the mouthpiece of the Pirrin Pipe and buried the dead Glock with the leaders of the Plume.

Worron

Previous leader of the Plume tribe, underneath Deltora. He was cast out of leadership by Nols, a decision that allowed the Fear to be killed and Lief, Barda and Jasmine to continue to the island of Auron.

Clef and Azan

Two hunters on the island of Plume. They saved Lief and Barda when they were drowning and later warned them against going to the island of Auron, and later attempted to sacrifice them to save the people of Plume for four years, an idea that their leader, Worron, disliked.

The Piper of Auron

Commonly referred to as "The Piper," The Piper of Auron is the leader of the Auron tribe. He forced Penn to deceive Lief, Jasmine and Barda and used the trio as a tool to destroy the dome around the island of Auron and save his people. While journeying to the Island of Auron (also referred to as "The Isle of Illusion"), Lief, Barda and Jasmine suspected he was going to help them get his piece of the Pirran Pipe and then kill them, and keep both his piece and their own, for himself. It turned out he wanted no such thing and gave them the stem of the Pirran Pipe after they had reclaimed his island for him.

The Pirran flute players

The Pirran flute players were formidable flute players who stood up when the original Piper, the chief of the Pirrans, died. They played on turn, and the Pirran people voted for their favorite, but they always got equal sums of votes as they tried to take her place.

The Original Piper

The original piper died in her sleep, and three new ones (Plume the Brave, Auron the Fair, and Keras the Unknown) came from afar to take her place.

Plume the Brave

Plume the Brave was one of the three pipers that took the place of the one who had died during her sleep. He played music so stirring that his audience cheered.

Auron the Fair

Auron the Fair played the pipe so wonderfully that her audience wept.

Keras the Unknown

Keras, one of the three, made sounds so haunting that the audience was rapt in wonder.

Monsters of Deltora

The Great Beast

Before the Shadow Lord came to Deltora, he came upon an island inhabited by the four sisters whom he killed out hatred for their singing. However, the Shadow Lord learned too late that the song was a lullaby for an enormous horned monster that slept beneath the surface of the island. With the sisters' singing ceased, Great Beast awakened and emerged in a violent rage which forced the Shadow Lord to flee as the island sank from the monster's rampage. This event inspired the Shadow Lord to later create the Grey Tide and the Four Sisters.

The Wennbar and the Wenn

The Wennbar is a large predator who lives in First Wood (something that is like a carnivorous Apatosaurus) who exerts authority over a tribe of creatures called the Wenn. The Wenn are smaller creatures with pale skin and have no head or neck, but have a pair of stalks with red eyes at the top coming from their shoulders. The Wenn live in their territory called Wenn Del. These Wenn worship the Wennbar as a god, offering it gifts of live prey which they have captured. Although they are small, Wenn are capable of subduing large prey by means of a sound they produce by rubbing their lower legs (similar to crickets), which drives animals to the point of insanity. They then sting and paralyze their victims and offer them as sacrifices to the Wennbar. If the Wennbar is not fed, it is enraged and will eat its worshippers. The Wennbar's neck can extend to long, high place. The Wennbar moves slowly but can move at a fast rate when angry or hungry. Jasmine tells Lief and Barda in The Forests of Silence that Wenn feed on the scraps left behind by the Wennbar, but the Deltora Book of Monsters claims they are herbivores, eating only certain kinds of leaves. It is believed that every hundred years, the present Wennbar is bathed in special oils by the Wenn and dies in its sleep while giving birth to several young. These young fight over the body of their dead parent and the surviving victor becomes the new tyrant over the Wenn.

Muddlets

Muddlets are bizarre, albeit rare, gentle and highly valued, beasts of burden who supposedly exist in central Deltora, around the area near the City of Rats. They resemble zebras (though they are splodged, not striped) crossed with gazelles and some type of herbivorous dinosaur. They have three legs and long, droopy, rabbit-like ears. In City of the Rats, Lief, Barda and Jasmine are sold three Muddlets (Zanzee, Noodle and Pip) as mounts by the eccentric shopkeeper named Tom. Apparently, they were only being stabled there and were not Tom's to sell, and truly belonged to the people of the city of Noradz. This results in, when the heroes pass Noradz, the Muddlets bolting (due to excitement at catching the scent of home) and the heroes ending up in the clutches of the Ra-Kacharz. The three muddlets are returned to their herd, and neither them nor any other Muddlets are featured or mentioned for the rest of the series, although Barda says, "I'm so hungry I could eat a muddlet!" in one episode, where the trio arrive at the City of Rats.

Terreocti

Known more commonly as Sand beasts, they are insectoid animals native to the Shifting Sands, resembling a praying mantis with the legs of a spider. In the anime, the adult Terrecti are enormous (roughly around the same size as a large dinosaur) and are cycloptic. An apex predator within the Shifting Sands, with no natural enemies save the Lapis Lazuli Dragons, they normally hide themselves under the sand and spring up upon the slightest vibration to devour any moving prey. The species store nutrients in large spherical sacs growing off their chests that look rather similar to giant grapes, with the females discarding the sacs to lay their fertile eggs in for the babies feed on the nutrients inside until they are too large to be contained and can hunt for themselves. The treasure and bones of their prey ends up being taken by the hive over time.

Kin

The Kin are an ancient, rare and fabled species of rodent-like flying creatures. They are among the few harmless, gentle creatures in Deltora, thought to only exist in fairy tales to the people of Deltora. They resemble cute, round, bulbous crosses between a pig and a ferret, with pig-like back legs and rodent-like front legs, large leathery wings, velvet-esque fur, expressive faces and pouches like marsupials. Their size ranges from that of a large dog, to almost as large as dragons. They are capable of human speech. Unfortunately, the Kin are very rare in the time of the stories. They once lived on Dread Mountain, where they lived and bred prosperously, but were driven out by the Dread Gnomes who hunted them for sport and enjoyment. Now all that are left of them live at the enchanted Dreaming Spring, where they are gradually dwindling. In the fifth book of the first series, Dread Mountain, Lief, Barda and Jasmine encounter the remaining tribe of Kin at Dreaming Spring and save their only young, an energetic youngster named Prin from a pair of Grey Guards. For reasons of adventure, homesickness and owing a debt to the heroes, three older Kin agree to take them to their former, now Gnome-controlled home of the mountain. When they can go no further and these three Kin leave, the three heroes discover that Prin, desperate to see the Kin's ex-home and disobeying her mother, had followed them. She accompanies them for the rest of the book, helping the three heroes defeat Gellick and eventually allowing the Kin to return to their former home and now live in peace with the Dread Gnomes. They reappear in the third series, where they help Lief, Barda, and Jasmine.

Polypan

Polypan(s) are a race of monkey-like creatures. They are not commonly seen in Deltora, but it is usually said that someone that has a polypan in their service is usually up to no good. Polypans are also notoriously known to be skilled pick-pockets. The only polypan featured in the series is Chett (though there were others featured in the anime). It is said that a Polypan is able to steal the shirt off your back without you noticing.

Granous

The Granous are evil creatures who appear only in the second and third Deltora Quest series. They resemble bestial humanoids (similar to yeti) with dog-like noses long, clawed fingers and whitish blue fur. They inhabit the Os-Mine hills (also the entrance to the land of the Plumes), a series of old, ill-trodden hills to the east of the Forest of Silence. Granous are sadistic creatures who delight in the torture and grief of others. They roam around their territory in tribes of 10 or so individuals and capture whoever they find on their two feet. The Granuous are carnivores and their favorite food are the fingers and toes of their prey, saying that they are the sweetest tasting parts. Once they have secured a victim, they play a game with it called 20 Questions. In this game, a series of 20 riddles is asked to the victim, and they have 20 seconds to solve it. If they cannot solve the riddle in time, the leader Granous bites off one of the victim's fingers (or toes). If all fingers are gone, they start on toes. The penalty for cheating is 5 fingers. This method of their game stemmed from how they favor the taste of fingers and toes. The fate of its victims is unknown once the 20 questions are up although it can be presumed that the person would die from being eaten or from blood loss. Granous are cowardly creatures, however, and with a bit of oppression and intimidation, they can easily be driven off. They seem to be the natural prey of the topaz dragons.

Fighting Spiders

Fighting spiders are a large species of spider (though not nearly as gargantuan as a Sand Beast or Arach, more like the size of a cat or dog) native to the plains of Deltora. They are often used as pets by the people of Deltora. They are normally used in a cockfight-style sport (hence their name). Whenever a spider loses, the loser will have a sheer and raw desire to find its opponent and challenge it to a rematch. The only known fighting spiders featured in the series are Flash and Fury, Glock and Jinx's fighting spiders.

The Fear

The Fear is an underground aquatic beast which presumably became entrapped within the secret caverns beneath Deltora during the cataclysm of the continents of Pirra and Deltora coming together to form a single land. The creature is a hybrid of several kinds of mollusk, resembling a mix of a gigantic snail crossed with an octopus or squid. It has a mass of hundreds of thread-tipped tentacles ringed around a beaked mouth growing out of the shell. Though the shell of the creature has become stuck with the roof of its cavern and it is now part of the cave, its tentacles allow it to reach any part of its domain without it having to move and since it lives in the caverns deep beneath the earth with very little light, it relies more on touch than sight. Its tentacles are incredibly hard and durable, even when Glock attempted to slice one with his sword, his weapon broke in half. The Fear features as the key monster in the first book of the second series, The Cavern of the Fear. In it, it terrorizes the Pirran faction who live in the ruby caverns, the Plumes. It demands a living sacrifice each year, or it creates great waves which destroy the Plume village. Lief, Barda, Jasmine, and Glock are captured by the Plumes to be sacrificed to The Fear, but a deal is struck up that the companions can slay the beast. They eventually manage to do so, at the price of Glock's life, and the Plumes give them the mouthpiece of the Piran Pipe in return. The Plumes originally believed that The Fear was a monster that was bred by the Aurons to terrorize them although later on this was proven to be untrue.

Arach

Derived from arachnid, the Arach are giant Spider-like creatures who appear in the second book of the Deltora Shadowlands series: Isle of Illusion. Arach live in caves, but can walk on water. They have huge, bloated bodies, and are purplish-black in color with eight blood red eyes. They have 8 spindly legs which bear spikes and are clawed at the end. They are both venomous and have the ability to spin webs. They are highly vicious creatures whose first motive when they spot a living thing is to tear it to shreds and feast upon it. One can guess that they are descended from the beasts of the sea of Deltora's ancient times. In The Isle of Illusion, it is learned that a group of the Pirran faction known as the Aurons has broken off from the others to try to establish a magically simulated recreation of their former homeland of Pira. The Arach (who apparently hate light) came out of hiding when the water around the Aurons' island began to darken. They are also attracted to the heat of the island. Lief, Barda and Jasmine are forced to contend with several of them before getting into the dome in which the simulated Pirra is located. When they destroy the simulation spell, and the light which was held within the dome escapes into the caverns, the Arach attempt to take refuge in the darkened dome. While the three heroes hid, the leader and last of the separated Auron group, in a desperate attempt to preserve the spell which fueled the simulated Pirra, is killed by the creatures. When the spell ends and the light is returned, the Arach flee back into hiding. The Arach are very strong and very fast on land and water.

Forbidden Passage Leeches

Leeches with wings that live in the Forbidden Passage. The Kerons use them for fish bait. They die if exposed to light. The Kerons did not light the Forbidden Passage because they believed that if they killed all the leeches, their defense against the Aurons would be gone.

Capricons

Capricons are the Deltora Quest equivalent of Fauns or Satyrs, having the upper body of a human and the lower body of a goat. Only one appears in the first book of the third series; Dragon's Nest. He is known as Rolf, and though he is a friend at first whom Lief, Barda and Jasmine rescue from the Granous, in the end it turns out he was a servant of the Shadow Lord and the guardian of the Sister of the East. The Capricons supposedly once lived in a beautiful, rose-pink city named Capra in the far northeast of Deltora. Apparently, however, they were greedy and selfish creatures deep down and their city was destroyed by the ruby dragons due to them stealing their eggs to make dragon eggshell lanterns. Humans then came and built the city of Broome on the ruins of the place, and most Capricons nowadays, though there are only a few, are wandering rogues, like Rolf.

Orchard Keepers

The Orchard Keeper is a large species of bird of prey that dwells around the Forest of Silence (though they make no appearance and have no mention until the third series). They catch their prey in an interesting way; they find and keep orchards of a special type of tree, the delicious fruit of which causes paralysis. Using the bones of victims, it makes paths to their orchard which lure victims to it, which in turn eat the fruit and become immobilized. The Orchard Keeper then comes and devours the prey. Despite these undeniably evil habits, killing an Orchard Keeper is said to be bad luck. In the first book of the third series, Dragon's Nest, Lief, Barda and Jasmine nearly fall victim to an Orchard Keeper and its hunting method.

Kobb

A giant golden-brown amphibious fish monster with a mane of seaweed-like hair and a long, blue tongue that can be used to drag prey down to it. It hunts on the west coast of Deltora like the Glus, another quite mysterious sea monster. It leaves a clear slime in its path that, over time, has thickly coated the Isle of Dead. Its home was in the cave on the Isle of Dead where until recently the Sister of the West had taken up residence. The song of the Sister held it back until it was destroyed letting the Kobb return home. In the Tenna Birdsong Tale "The Land of Dragons", it lists the Kobb as one of the sea monsters that invaded the land. It is featured on the cover of the Isle of the Dead.

Dragons

The dragons of Deltora are considered to be the land's most magnificent, mysterious and powerful of all its creatures and are the only creatures that the Shadow Lord himself fears for they are the strongest and most resilient against his magic. There were seven different dragon tribes, each one drawing power from and associated with the seven different gems of Deltora. (diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, topaz, opal, ruby, amethyst). Dragons were colored according to which territory they were born in i.e. dragons born in the ruby territory were ruby red. The dragons believed that if one should reveal one's true name, those who knew that individual's name had great power over them and so the dragons rarely revealed their names and only did so to those they truly trusted. Long ago the dragons of Deltora were quite numerous, until the Shadow Lord sent his monstrous birds, the Ak-Baba, to hunt down the dragons until one of each tribe remained. This was when "Doran the Dragonlover", or "Dragonfriend" to the dragons, came to each of the remaining dragons, having them swear an oath. This oath entitled that each dragon would go into a deep hibernation until the current king, wearing the Belt of Deltora, would come to them and awaken them. Once awakened, they must also never to use the other dragons' hibernation to their advantage to invade their lands. In present day, Lief went to each of the dragons' lands and awakened them one by one and calling upon them for assistance in destroying the Four Sisters, for dragon fire seemed to be the most efficient weapon against the Shadow Lord's magic. They were called upon by Lief to destroy the Grey Tide, and Lief inadvertently revealed all of the names of the dragons to one another and so they all had equal power over one another. It is rumored that a dragon can lay eggs without a mate, if the need arises.

Fidelis

Dragon of the topaz, gold as the stone of its territory, Fidelis is the first dragon the companions encounter and awaken. Originally found during the search for the Pirran Pipe, Fidelis was awakened when Lief came into its territory wearing the true Belt of Deltora. It saved Lief and his companions from Granous, and then spoke to Lief. It sensed one of the sisters in its domain, and meant to destroy it. But Lief informed it that the sister it was sensing, was the sister of the east located in the ruby dragons domain. It refused to accompany Lief to Dragon's Nest to destroy the Sister of the East, because Doran (Dragonfriend) had bound it to the promise of never entering another dragon's territory while they slept. It was found later that Lief was wrong because the fourth sister (the sister of the south), was located in the gold dragon domain. Lief later re-encountered it in Del, where it flew over the city, trying to get to the Sister of the South to destroy it. It was wounded by the citizens of Del, but still helped Lief destroy the Sister. It later carried Lief, Barda, and Jasmine on its back to the ruins of Hira to stop the Grey Tide, and fought alongside the dragon of the opal. Lief, who when touching Doran the Dragonlover's soul stone had acquired a list of names, realized what they were. He called them, revealing the topaz dragon to be Fidelis. The name itself means "faith". Fidelis' lair is located in the Os-Mine Hills, a feared part of the Deltora countryside.

Joyeu

The dragon of the ruby and the second to be awakened, Joyeu was for a time impersonated by the evil capricorn Rolf. The true Joyeu later revealed itself when Rolf attacked Lief and his group in Dragon's Nest. After destroying Rolf, Joyeu teamed up with Lief to destroy the Sister of the East. Later, it carried Lief and his friends on its back to the northwestern edge of its territory. Joyeu next appeared when Lief called its name to do battle with the seven Ak-Baba. Joyeu's lair is located somewhere in the vicinity of Dragon's Nest. The name is taken from the French word 'Joyeux' which means joy in English.

Fortuna

Fortuna is the dragon of the lapis lazuli and the third to be awoken. It is disliked by Honora (the emerald dragon). Fortuna is mentioned only a few times in the books but is quite a friendly (albeit mischievous) dragon. Fortuna seems to be the smallest of the dragons (besides the baby diamond dragon), but its high speed more than makes up for its smaller size. It flew into Honora's territory and was chased away. Its natural prey seems to be large insects and the sand beasts of the Shifting Sands. Its lair is located in a cavern which is hidden by a waterfall, called The Funnel. Its name comes from fortune which is what the lapis lazuli is the symbol for.

Honora

Dragon of the emerald and fourth to be awakened, Honora has great dislike for the lapis lazuli dragon, whom it considers sly for trusting in luck rather than in honor. When it wakes up, it senses Fortuna in its territory, and attacks it in rage. It later returns to help Lief destroy the Sister of the North. It comes to the company again, demanding the emerald not be taken away from its territory. It does not seem to care that it is breaking its vow by entering the amethyst's territory, in spite of its commitment to the ideal of honor. It consequently has a heated argument with Jasmine, who accuses it of being hypocritical. Honora is a bit haughty and stingy. Honora returns once more when Lief summons the seven dragons, and is angry at Lief for revealing its name. However, it is powerless to stop the other dragons from learning its name, let alone itself from doing the same. Honora's lair is located somewhere in the mountains that line the Deltora/Shadowlands border. Its name seems to come from the word honor, which emerald dragons are known for.

Veritas

Dragon of the amethyst, Veritas is the fifth dragon to be aroused. However, as it is digging out of its hiding place ( it' hiding place was in some sand banks), the amethyst in the Belt of Deltora, meant to give the dragon its strength,was removed from its territory. It was still able to breath but was trapped under the sand which had grown larger while it had been sleeping. It was still alive but terribly weak and believed that it would die. It was found by Lief and Barda, and then fully unearthed by the Torans. Veritas told Lief its name as a precaution, and comes forward when the elder diamond dragon seems to be dead. Veritas fights the monster Kobb, and then with Lief finds the Sister of the West hidden in the ancient body of Doran the Dragonlover, still alive after centuries because of a curse put on him. Veritas takes away Doran's breath at his wish and then destroys the Sister of the West. Veritas also inscribes Doran's tombstone, and stays in the diamond territory to tutor the infant diamond dragon. It reappears when Lief calls the names of the seven dragons to battle the Ak-Baba. It is Veritas who titles the young diamond dragon Forta, after its mother. Its name comes from the Latin word veritas which means truth in English.

Forta

Forta is a name given to two dragons of the diamond. The first one was the dragon that Doran convinced to hide itself, and the second was her daughter. The original was found dead on Blood Lily Island, where it had fallen asleep and then been devoured by the Flesh Banes of that island. However, the younger Forta was found by Lief and his friends, inside her egg amid the bones of her mother. She hatched from her egg at the coming of the Belt of Deltora, too small to destroy the Sister of the West. She was the sixth dragon to be found. Lief later pulled her from a pocket in his cloak and showed her to Doran, who thought that her tribe was lost forever. Forta was then tutored by Veritas of the amethyst, who named her after her mother when Lief called their names. Her name derives from the Latin word 'fortis' meaning 'strong' because the diamond is the symbol for strength. It also reasmbales the Jailas Tribe.

Hopian

Hopian is the dragon of the opal and the last, the seventh, to be awakened. It is also the largest and fiercest of the Deltoran dragons and the last of them to be encountered. Later, when Lief and company rode Fidelis to the ruins of Hira, Hopian arose in rage. However, it was diverted by the arrival of the seven Ak-Baba. Fidelis joined forces with it, but the two were still outmatched. Lief then called the names of the seven dragons, and they banded together to destroy the Shadow Lord's last plan. Hopian's lair is located somewhere near the City of the Rats. Hopian has never spoken aloud in any of the book series, so its temper or attitude cannot be interpreted. Its name comes from hope.

Villains

The Shadow Lord

The Shadow Lord is the main antagonist throughout the series, the Satan-like Dark Lord of the Northern region once called Pirra that he made into a wasteland known as the Shadowlands. Once a human sorcerer, he had a deep hatred for all things good with a belief that he should be master of all life. It is believed that in life, the Shadow Lord who encountered the four sisters whose song had a negative effect on him. The Shadow Lord attempted to silence the four sisters by spreading them out over the island that they lived on, but the sisters continued to sing to each other as he decides to kill them. However, realizing their song was meant to keep the Great Beast at bay, the Shadow Lord conjured a raft to flee the sinking island.

Some time later, the Shadow Lord came upon the Land of Dragons, "Deltora" as it is later called, and made attempts to conquer it. But was repelled by a spell cast by the Torans, and unable to bribe an emerald dragon to serve him, the Shadow Lord came to Pirra where he recruited the residential thieves and monstrous beasts of the mountainside into his services. The Shadow Lord even breed the Ak-Babas to have a power equal to the dragons of Deltora. It was only once the he trick the Pirran people to separate the Pirran Pipe, a flute that weakened him, the Shadow Lord conquered Pirra without trouble. By that time, the Shadow Lord's mortality runs it course and he died. However, due to his strong attachment, the Shadow Lord's spirit became an entity of pure darkness, shrouded in grey and red clouds (in the anime, the Shadow Lord takes on the form of a colossal black devil made of shadows and black smoke with flaming red eyes). In his new form, the Shadow Lord's voice has the power to create or move objects.

The Shadow Lord proceed to conquer the Land of Dragons, but was foiled by Adin the blacksmith, who united all the seven tribes of the land into the nation of Deltora and created the only existing item that repel the Shadow Lord - the Belt of Deltora. Furious, the Shadow Lord withdrew and began concocting a series of plans by using Ols to infiltrate Del and manipulate the royal family for generations, sending his Ak-Babas, and implanting his version of the four sisters and the Grey Tide in Deltora. Learning that Doran knew of his plans, the Shadow Lord forced into becoming an immortal vessel of the Sister of the West. Once the preparations have completed, the Shadow Lord resumes his invasion while having the Ak-Baba take each of the belt's dislodged gems to a perilous and terrifying place that is home to a monstrous creature to serve as obstacle to any who try to find them.

The Shadow Lord reigned in Deltora for years until the gems were recovered by Lief, a descendant of Adin, as well as Barda, and Jasmine of Del. Though driven off once the Belt is restored, the Shadow Lord continued to torment Lief by speaking in his mind using the viewing crystal, formerly used by Prandine to communicate with the Shadow Lord, that remained inside the palace in Del. Using the same crystal, the Shadow Lord also lured Jasmine into the Shadowlands, knowing that Lief (and the Belt of Deltora) would follow since he was aware of Lief's love for Jasmine (even though Lief himself was not aware of it until much later). He didn't count on Lief and his companions also bringing with them the reassembled Pirran Pipe that they used to free those enslaved and take them to Deltora. Soon after, Lief destroyed the crystal to end the Shadow Lord's link to him. Despite this set back, the Shadow Lord is still plotting against the present and future heirs of the kingdom of Deltora.

Ak-Baba

Ak-Baba are giant reptilian vulture-like birds that live for a thousand years. The Shadow Lord discovered the Ak-Baba when he ordered his followers to find dragon eggs in order to raise his own army of dragons against those of Deltora. However the Shadow Lord did not know that dragons needed to line their nests with human hair or else the hatchlings would come out deformed. The resulting creatures were Ak-Baba, in his frustration the Shadow Lord almost slew the first he hatched but then saw potential in the beast and decided to use it anyway. It was the Ak-Baba who hunted the dragons of Deltora near extinction until Doran the Dragonlover (known as Dragonfriend to the dragons) persuaded them to sleep until a king of Deltora wearing the Belt of Deltora came to rouse them. The Shadow Lord is in control of at least seven Ak-Baba which took the seven gems to the seven areas of Deltora. In The Sister of the South, the dragons face off the Ak-Baba. In that battle, four of them die and the rest flee to the Shadowlands. In the anime the Ak-Baba are far more reptilian in appearance, lack feathers completely, have dragon-like wings, and a long tail. Seven Ak-Baba are shown on the cover of Return to Del. They were also shown in the T.V series of Delta Quest.

Greers

Before the Shadow Lord perfected the creation of Grey Guards and Ols, he created golem-like beings known as Greers. The Greers were deformed human-like creatures with gray skin (they are possibly an early prototype of today's Grey Guards). Unlike their successors, the Greers had incredibly limited intelligence, only able to carry out the simplest of commands, and they are weakened by cold temperatures and weather. They did possess superior strength, however, and they were very violent. Before the creation of the Grey Guards, the Greers were used as the Shadow Army's foot soldiers.

Grey Guards

Grey Guards are part of the Shadow Lord's attacking force. They serve as the Shadow Army's foot soldiers. Their main and most fatal weapon are 'blisters', which are filled with Gellick's poison, explode on impact, and cause a quick but torturous death. Grey Guards possess an incredible amount of durability, speed and accuracy. They can stay up nearly all night and not get tired, they have exceptional smell and can sniff nearly anything out no matter how far away it is. The various pods have names, such as "Carn pod", and an identical pod is grown in time to replace the ageing pod, so that to the populace it seems that Carn pod goes to the Shadowlands, and then Carn pod returns invigorated, good for another seven years. Somehow Jasmine knows about the general idea of pods (that they don't know mothers or fathers because they "are raised in groups of ten") when Lief and Barda first meet her; it is questionable how she knows, given that the general populace does not seem to know. Her father did go to the Shadowlands and may have learned this information, but never returned to her to share it. The Grey Guards do not actually know that they are grown in factories and replaced regularly, so they could not have talked about it while Jasmine listened in. It is possible, if not likely, that Kree heard this from other birds; aside from that, there is no ready explanation.

Vraal

Vraal are ferocious green-skinned lizard-like man sized beasts with hoofed feet, specifically bred to relentlessly attack anything they see as an enemy until it is completely destroyed. In the anime, the Vraal are presented to have single eye in the middle of its mouth. The Vraal cannot feel pain or pity, only a savage thirst for blood and meat and the thrill of battle. Only the Shadow Lord can make them do his bidding by controlling their minds. Most Vraals are found in the Shadowlands and are used in the Shadow Arenas to fight the prisoners and slaves the Grey Guards and other villainous creatures under the command of the Shadow Lord pit them against. The only one to survive going against a Vraal was Jarred, who fled out of the arena with the monster in pursuit. Losing its prey on Dread Mountain, that Vraal later confronted Lief and his friends and nearly killed them were it not for Prin managed to splatter purple moss over its face, blinding the Vraal as it tumbled into a stream and was carried away.

Ols

Ols are the Shadow Lord's shapeshifters (doppelgangers in their own right). They are inherently self-centered, seeking only their own promotion, achieved by pleasing the Shadow Lord. At the core of every Ol is the Shadow Lord's mark, and in whatever shape the Ol takes, that mark is always somewhere on the body. Most Ols attempt to cover the mark with clothing or camouflage it with tattoos. Grade 1 Ols and Grade 2 Ols can be killed by stabbing them through the heart, which is located on the right-hand side; given the evidence so far, Grade 3 Ols might not be able to be killed in this manner. Josef wrote in the The Deltora Book of Monsters that he was almost assassinated by two Ols. One day when he was hiding in the streets of Del, he met a Dread Gnome that tried to warn Del's people of Gellick and Ols and other evil creatures. Josef paid little heed until the next morning when he found the gnome dead. The killers were a pair of Ols that hung out near the inn where Josef was staying and they would have assassinated him as well if Steven had not been in the area and allowed Nevets to kill them. Ols come in three types:

• Grade 1 Ols:
  • Can mimic any living creature - from the description, size does not matter, but all the Ols shown have been humanoid, or animals at least as large as a woodmouse.
  • When they mimic, they leave a brand exposed on their body.
  • Are very cold to the touch, and can cause freeze burns during attacks.
  • Can not hold their shape for very long.
  • Cannot eat or drink.
  • Must travel in pairs, although the pairs do not need to look alike and may even be different species.
• Grade 2 Ols:
  • Can hold their shape for 3 days, after this there is a break in concentration, a spasm known as "The Tremor", which is an unmistakable sign of an Ol.
  • When they mimic, their brand is hidden.
  • capable of mimicking the acts of eating and drinking.
  • able to produce body heat.
  • They are also able to travel alone.
• Grade 3 Ols:
  • Can shapeshift into even non-living things.
  • Their brand cannot be seen.
  • Can hold their shape indefinitely.
  • Are indistinguishable from the real person, except by personality (for a convincing performance, the Ol would have to have time to study the one being mimicked).
  • Can travel alone.
  • Can die like the beings they imitate, for example when Prandine was killed by being pushed out a window by Sharn.

In other words, Ols are evil Shadow Creatures from the Shadowlands and they were concocted by the Shadow Lord himself, deep in the Shadow Factory. They are evil shape-shifting Shadow Creatures that are evil white apparitions in their natural forms, but then they can transform into any shape or form they want. There are three evil Shadow Grades; Grade 1 Ols are evil and crude, Grade 2 Ols are evil and shrewd, Grade 3 Ols are evil and the perfect plan of the Shadow Lord's evil Shadow Sorcery.

Dain

Dain was originally a nervous servant to Doom and a member of the Resistance. He was cultured, polite, respectful, and often afraid, yet noble in battle and showing evidence of a great spirit. He saved Lief, Barda, and Jasmine from the Ols, before they knew what an Ol was, and helped them escape from Doom, when Doom held them prisoner for his own reasons. However, Dain was kidnapped by pirates. When the trio later encountered the same pirates, Dain had just freed himself with the help of a polypan, and he came with them to Tora, the magical city. Dain had hoped to meet his parents in Tora, but the city was deserted. He seemed to be all but destroyed by the news, but once they left the city he seemed to feel more hopeful. In the final book, Lief assembles representatives of all seven tribes to pledge loyalty to the Heir and thus hope that the Belt will lead them to the Heir. It seems clear that Dain is the heir (his name is even made of the same letters as the first King, Adin), but just then he gets kidnapped. Lief picks up his fallen dagger and carries it with him. Knowing that they must get the Belt to the true Heir, the team makes plans to get into the city. However, their plans are all anticipated and most of the group is captured. It turns out Dain is not the Heir, but a Grade 3 Ol, capable of assuming even inanimate shapes, and sent to spy on the Resistance and eventually on the trio. The fact that he had killed other Ols is not surprising; they were less talented varieties and the Shadow Lord's creations don't have anything resembling a conscience. Ols think only of furthering their own usefulness to the Shadow Lord. The fact that he was an Ol was the reason he was weakened when he entered the magical city of Tora, as its magic weakens evil. In the end, it is the Belt of Deltora itself that destroys Dain. Dain's betrayal is one of the larger shocks in the tale, despite the previous depiction of Grade 3 Ols. It is known that Dain had some admiration towards Jasmine, but reveal that he played her and the companions, only to dragging them into his plans of claiming the Belt of Deltora.

Prandine

Endon's chief advisor, who turns out to be a servant of the Shadow Lord. Like those before him, Prandine was given the task to deceive the royal family of Deltora into a state of helplessness while ensuring they would have no support from the people by the time the Shadow Lord made his move. In the process, Prandine murdered King Alton (Endon's father) and his wife with a poisoned knife and covered it up by claiming them to have died of an illness. He then drove Jarred off soon after and then silenced Min years later when the plan's final steps commence. After the jewels were scattered and the Belt shattered, Prandine confronts Endon, Jarred, and Sharn in the highest tower, ready to kill them with his poisoned knife as he held Sharn at blade's point. However, he underestimates the resourcefulness of the "painted doll" Sharn, who tricks him into looking out from the window under the assumption that help arrived and shoved him to his death. Prandine is thought by Lief to be a Grade 3 Ol, due to a speech made by Fallow in the fifth book of the first series (Dread Mountain). However, he is the one who puts the Belt of Deltora on King Endon's waist when he becomes king. The fact that he is able to touch the Belt without harm suggests that he may not be an Ol, instead a human whose appearance is altered to suit the Shadow Lord.

Fallow

A Grade 3 Ol who appears to act as a personal advisor to the Shadow Lord, Fallow assumed the form of Prandine due to the Shadow Lord apparently favoring that particular form. He interrogates Lief's father, asking about the boy (Lief), the man (Barda) and the wild girl with a black bird (Jasmine and Kree) and questioning if the boy in the group is his son who is undoing the Shadow Lord's grip on the land of Deltora. He also mistakenly thought that the man that was traveling with him (Barda) is none other than King Endon himself. Fallow also seems to have an addiction to Lumin, a reward the Shadow Lord granted him, however the Shadow Lord threatens to take it away if Fallow does not buckle down in finding the heir of Deltora as well as the traitors. Fallow was the one who posted the punishment for Lief's allies (although it is normally a Grey Guard who does this but since it was a special situation, Fallow was granted the honor) but was driven back by Lief using the Belt of Deltora. He was killed by having a cone of white flaming liquid fall dousing him in the burning substance but not before killing King Endon.

Conversion Project Slugs

Pink worm-analogues, the result of the Shadow Lord's biological research, that dig into the brain and allow the Shadow Lord to gain control. Their method of controlling their hosts is very similar to the Yeerks from Animorphs. They are the latest and so far most perfect of his creations. The Shadow Lord planned to implant these worms in the brains of his slaves and then return them to Deltora to act as spies to fool their family and friends. The Shadow Lord's plan worked for a while until Lief, Barda and Jasmine stopped him. They found more of the worms when they visited the Shadowlands. Before they were perfected they would damage their host, for example: deafness, blindness, headaches, and babbling.

Sorceress Thaegan

Thaegan is one of the major villains in the series, similar to the traditional interpretation of an evil fairy tale witch. Her mother was a free-spirited sorceress named Tamm who used her magic for benevolent reasons such as healing. But Thaegan was much different as she was spiteful to other living beings, with an interest in the dark arts. As a result, Theagan ran away from home after sheer disgust towards her mother, whom she killed after mastering the dark arts. Her favorite food is a live raven, ironically assuming a similar form; thus she apparently ate Kree's parents and causing him to flee to the Forests of Silence. Though the only way she could die is if a single drop of her tainted blood hits the ground, Thaegan can use her magic to create a barrier around herself while not needing to cast a spell. Over time her power grew and, out of hatred for vitality of the life and beauty, turned the city of D'Or into the site of the Lake of Tears with in occupants turned into various creatures. When the Ralads had known of her treachery, they spoke out against her, so she used her magic to render them mute. By the time the Shadow Lord took over Deltora, Thaegan became one of his most powerful allies and her power grew with his dominance. After hearing of the death of her children Jin and Jod, Theagan tracks Lief, Jasmine and Barda to the Lake of Tears as they nearly obtained the ruby. In fight that followed, Thaegan almost destroyed them were it not for Kree pecking her finger just as she lowered her barrier to blast the heroes, undoing her enchantments with her death.

In the anime, the Shadow Lord revives Thaegan through her ring after a rat brought the item to him. Fully restored after the events at the Shifting Sands, Theagan finds her remaining children so they get revenge, recruiting Hot, Tot, Fie, and Fly to bring Lief's group to her. However, after being aged by the lapis lazuli and accidentally killing her four children, Thaegan is killed off by Lief cutting her ring finger off with her ring taken by the group to ensure she is not revived again. However, Theagan is revived again by the Shadow Lord, who motivates the sorceress with fear of her beauty being ravaged if she fails him again. Using the Mirror of Fear she received, capturing them after their hardship in the Maze of the Beast, Theagan attempts to torture Lief's group before killing them once and for all. However, the plan failed as Shadow Lord's curse takes effect with Thaegan losing her magic while the spell that kept her youthful is broken as she reduced to an old corpse hag. She refused to live on in this state and decided to kill herself with what little magic she had remaining, unexpectedly taking most of her remaining offspring with her as she spent her final moments expressing motherly love to them and the spirits of her deceased children.

Thaegan's 13 Children

Thaegan has 13 demonic children who are named in an uncanny rhyme in the giant's riddle: "Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod, Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod, Pik, Snik, Lun, Lod and the dreaded Ichabod. Her children are monstrous in appearance, gluttonous and greedy in nature to the point of fighting each other when they get into arguments. They all also possess extraordinary shapeshifting skills on par with the Ols, usually assuming the forms of wolves. While Thaegan is similar to a fairy tale witch, her children are like other monsters from folklore such as trolls, ogres and goblins of other fairy tales (and the fact that her children can shapeshift into wolves makes them similar to stories about werewolves). Most of her children are divided into sets of twins having similar-sounding names, most of them being identical twins. After the deaths of Jin and Jod and their mother, the remaining siblings pursue Lief's group and attempt to take revenge for their kin. But the attempt ends with them turning on each other for who gets to eat their captives after being tricked by Lief. In the book series the remaining thirteen kill each other over who gets to eat Lief, Barda and Jasmine with only Ichabod remaining.

In the anime, however, the surviving children do not kill each other over whoever eats Lief, Barda and Jasmine, only throttling each other to the point of unconsciousness and return afterwards to cause trouble throughout the rest of the series. Despite them and their mother being evil, Thaegan dearly loves her children and her children are loving and loyal in return to the point of dying with her. In both stories, Ichabod survived his family and worked for the Shadow Lord before his own demise.

• Jin and Jod: A pair of green troll-like monsters, Jin is a grotesquely fat being with a pair of yellow tusks and three small horns on the back of her head while Jod is a toadish creature with dagger-like teeth and flaring nostrils. The two mask their true evil selves as a kindly elderly couple named Nij and Doj in a cottage surrounded by quicksand, speaking their sentences backwards to fool their victims into thinking they are simply speaking an incomprehensible language. Jin and Jod proceed to trap the anyone in their cottage, drugging them before making them into a meal. One such victim, Manus, was spared as he was too small to eat and tortured by them before escaping them though a hidden bridge. Though recaptured by the Grey Guards to be escorted back to Jin and Jod, Manus is saved by Lief's group as they nearly fell into the fiends' trap. In the battle that ensued, Jin and Jod become victims of their own quicksand, drowning as a result. Their spirits endured and stayed by their mother's side to the very end.

• Fie and Fly: A pair of large green ogre-like monsters with tattoo-like markings on their bodies. Though the two are killed off by Ichabod in the book series, the two survived and assumed the guise of a girl named Francois to help their mother Thaegan in her revenge scheme on Lief's group. But the attempt ends with them being accidentally vaporized by their mother. Their spirits endured and stayed by their mother's side to the very end.

• Hot and Tot: Two impish, yellow-skinned creatures who are the most immature. Though killed off in the book series, the two survived in the anime to help Theagan in her revenge by posing as Francois' hat and bag, though the imps get into arguments with Fie and Fly over eating Lief's group before getting them to Theagan. But the revenge plot ends with them being accidentally vaporized by their mother. Their spirits endured and stayed by their mother's side to the very end.

• Ichabod: A massive beast with thick arms and legs and slimy red-pink skin that resembles (or might possibly even be) muscle tissue. Bring the oldest, Ichabod is the strongest and most intelligent of his siblings, as well as the most loyal to Theagan. Managing to be the sole winner of fight over who got to eat Lief's group, Ichabod loses them when they escape. The last of Theagan's brood in both storylines, Ichabod later resurfaces in the events of "Return to Del," breaking into Withick Mire during the rebels' meeting and supposedly kidnapping Dain, who actually assumed the form a dagger Lief carried. When the Belt is restored and worn by Lief, it is revealed that Steven confronted Ichabod in the kitchens while he was feasting and killed him.

• The other children are composed of Pik and Snik (two humanoids covered in long brown hair that obscures most of their features), Lan and Lod (pale monsters with bald skin and bulbous noses), Zan (a humanoid upper torso with beige skin but has six stumpy legs and had two horns and a large shark-like mouth), and Zod (an ogre-like monster covered in lumps with a huge mouth). They helped in Thaegan's final attempt to do away with Lief's group by entering the Mirror of Fear to torture the group by assuming the forms of what they most feared. However, when their mother destroys herself, they joined in her death out of sheer love for her.

Ra-Kacharz

Are the ruling class in Noradz. They are dressed from head-to-toe in red and carry whips. Their name is a derivative of "rat catchers" and work for the Shadow Lord. It was they who caused the "rat plague" that drove humanity from the city of Hira, under which was buried a chemical that would pollute the whole of Deltora if released by the burning of the Four Sisters. The Ra-Kacharz are similar to priests, in that they "serve sacred laws", (cleanliness, watchfulness, and duty; three things required for reaction to rat overpopulation) but in other ways are more like oppressors. They keep the people afraid, though of what the citizens do not know. They also provided luxuries for the noble families in Del, blinding them to the poverty on the castle doorsteps. The word "Noradz" is derived from "no rats"; whereas the "blessing" uttered by the Ra-Kacharz, "Noradzeer", means "no rats here". Ra-Kacharz sounds like "rat catchers" since they do not like rats, it is appropriate.

Mother Brightly

Mother Brightly is the owner of Champions Inn in Rithmere. In secret, she is a servant of the Shadow Lord. She hosts the competitors of the annual Games, and pretends to be a kindly, helpful, old lady. She only takes what her customers can afford and provides beds and food until the end of the Games. However, when the winner of the Games is about to leave her Inn, she will tell them of a mysterious horror that befalls all the champions as soon as they leave Rithmere. She advises them to leave for a secret passage that is normally used to transport Queen Bee Cider. When the champion emerges from the passage, he or she is then drugged and kidnapped by Grey Guards who then take them to the Shadowlands where they will duel in the Shadow Arena to provide entertainment. Also, any of the champion's gold or valuables are taken to be re-used in the games the following year as prizes. Mother Brightly also seems to be required to send reports to the Shadow Lord on the conditions and well-being of the fighters she sends there. She does this and tricks Lief and his friends, but the with the help of Doom, they manage to escape.

Rats

Deltora's rat population also seemed to be a problem for Lief and his companions. In the past the Shadow Lord's minions, the Ra-Kacharz, bred these creatures in Hira in order to cause Hira's people to evacuate the city and to feed the snake monster Reeah, the guardian of the opal. When they tried to reach the City of Rats at night a huge swarm of rats appeared from the city and devoured their supplies and tried to devour them as well. The rats seemed to have an aversion of fire and light and Lief and his companions used fire to ward off the rats. When they reached the city the light from the torches kept the rats at bay as well. Ironically, after Lief and his companions killed Reeah in the book series, the rats that were used to sustain it began devouring its corpse. In the anime, the Shadow Lord demonstrated some command over the rats as one was used to retrieve Thaegan's ring.

Nak, Finne, and Milne

Three leading pirates who raided the riverside town of Where Waters Meet. In The Maze of the Beast, while the three raid a ferry boat Lief and company rode on in disguise, Milne recognizes Dain and captures him to get the bounty on his head. However, when he later acted out of arrogance that he deserves the bounty, Nak and Finne have Milne tossed with Lief, Jasmine and Barda into the Maze of the Beast. Though he stayed with them at first, Milne ran off out of hysteria before being eventually killed and eaten by Glus. Nak and Finne discovered that Lief and his friends managed to escape the Maze of the Beast and attempted to attack them but fell into the geyser. In the anime, the two survived though were last seen tied up after losing to Lief and company in the ensuing fight.

Sorcerer Oacus

This character is only in the anime version. Oacus is a sadistic emotionless sorcerer with power over fire and delights in making others suffer watching what they care most be destroyed before their eyes. Oacus was summoned by Fallow to destroy Lief's group when they are making their way to the Valley of Lost and take the gems they've already collected. Though he nearly succeed, Dain's interference allows Lief's group to escape from him. Using Neridah to lead him to them, Oacus holds her hostage after taking the stolen diamond from her. However, his plan failed with the group having all seven gems. He makes a final move to catch them when they are being taken to Del by Steven, with Nevets holding the sorcerer at bay. In the end, after being hit by the Toran charm in Jasmine's possession, Oacus dies as his body spontaneously combusts.

Laughing Jack

Also known as Captain James Gant, captain of the gambling ship The Lady Luck, Laughing Jack is a pirate captain. He makes his customers sign a paper that they cannot read, which states that they must pay back 3 times what they borrowed. Laughing Jack is Tom and Ava's brother, although they do not tell anyone this, except Lief and his companions, in a secret letter from Tom. He lives in a caravan that is disguised by magic (like Lief's cloak) and was given great powers of sorcery by his master, the Shadow Lord. Laughing Jack was told to stop the companions' quest, (he acted more like the Sister of the West's guardian than Doran the Dragonlover in Isle of the Dead), but failed, first when he encountered Steven at The Funnel (in the territory of the lapis lazuli), and then when he broke an oath he made in the past. He had promised in the presence of Verity, who was his prisoner, that he would not take a coin of his ill-gotten gold for himself as long as his crewmen must row the ship without oars. After breaking his oath (thanks to Jasmine) he was pulled into the ocean by his crew, who are now little more than animated cadavers, having plied at the oars for longer than mortal lifetime.

The Guardians of the Gems

The Guardians are the ones that the Shadow Lord sent the Ak-Baba to deliver the seven gems of the Belt of Deltora to in order for them to keep them from falling into the hands of his enemies. Some of these beings are minions and allies of the Shadow Lord himself such as Reeah and Gellick, while others are merely acting on their own accord such as Gorl the Knight and the Glus in the Maze of the Beast. In whatever way they are connected to the Shadow Lord, all of the Guardians are terrible and getting the gems from them is no easy task. Each of the Guardians (except for the Hive) appeared on the covers of their respective books.

Gorl

Gorl is a knight from Jalis in golden armor with a pair of horns on the top of his helmet, referenced as The Knight of Truth. Years before Adin united the people and created the Belt of Deltora, Gorl and his two brothers were searching for the Lillies of Life, whose abundant nectar had healing properties and bestow long life. Finding it in the Forests of Silence, the three became its guardians before Gorl slays his brothers for the magical nectar. As a result, centuries passed as Gorl awaited from the Lillies to bloom again, unknowingly preventing it by tending to the vines that blocked sunlight and killing anyone and anything that got too close. Furthermore, while driven insane and paranoid, unaware that the hilt of blade had the topaz on it when Lief and Barda came for it and believed them to be after the Lillies of Life. When he engages in combat, he can use telepathic or magical powers to bend people to his will or mesmerize them. Eventually with Jasmine's help, Gorl's armor was crushed by a large tree branch, though he barely survived it in the anime and his armor crumbled as he tries to reach the bloomed Lillies of Life. In both versions, it turned out that Gorl's body decayed a long time ago and it was his warped consciousness controlling the armor until the tree branch damaged it to the point that the suit could no longer hold him and thus ceased to be.

Soldeen

A demonic sea monster who guards the ruby, resembling a mix of an eel, a catfish and a shark. Soldeen was once Nanion, the leader of the D'or Tribe. With his wife turned to stone, Nanion and his people were transformed into various creatures residing in the Lake of Tears created by Thaegan. Though he battles Lief, Soldeen regains his memories as Nanion and helps in getting the ruby before Thaegan arrives. Upon her death, the Lake dries up and both Nanion his people are restored to their original forms.

Soldeen was the monster that inspired Josef to write and publish The Deltora Book of Monsters and is the first monster featured in the book. Soldeen is also the first guardian monster who isn't killed although since there is some speculation that Thaegan may be the true guardian this assumption may or may not be true.

Reeah

Reeah is an evil and giant snake monster that was bred by the Ra-Kacharz on orders from the Shadow Lord to guard the opal that was placed on the crown which sits on Reeah's head. In the anime, Reeah was hydra-like with two additional eyeless heads that function as his limbs. Reeah originally dwelled in the sewers and cellars of Hira, feeding on the rats while growing to his current size as his food source became so numerous that they overran the city and so the people were forced to leave and founded Noradz elsewhere, leaving Reeah to claim the renamed City of Rats as his domain, with an abundant food supply. Reeah is a very vain creature due to his position of guarding the opal, enabling him to see into the future and possibly use some form of telepathy as well, seeing into the minds of his prey and manipulating them. Reeah attempts giving Lief a mental command to give him the Belt of Deltora, which would have been followed if not for the mind-clearing powers of the topaz. Though this results in fight, Lief manages to kill Reeah with Jasmine's help and get the opal. Ironically, Reeah's corpse becomes food for the very rats that he fed on as the three heroes departed the city.

The Hive

One of the most ancient and mysterious of Deltoran monsters, the Hive is a vast community of underground bee-like invertebrates. Though their individual forms are unknown due to being the size of grains, the Hive as a whole resemble a large cloud of red sand which acts under one mind. The Hive played a part in creating the Shifting Sands from its dead, being an omnipresent entity within the desert and using their buzzing to draw living creatures into their domain and be compelled to go to the Hive. Such a case happened to a Mere woman named Rigane, who spent her life living on the outskirts of the desert and studying the fauna of the desert. From there, the Hive would demand an item to be of tribute, dragging it underground to be added to their nest, composed of bones, gold, gems, and other nonperishing oddments.

The Hive then became the Guardian(s) of the lapis lazuli, and the jewel became a cornerstone of the nest. When Lief was unable to fall under their spell due to the Topaz, the Hive made attempts to take the Belt of Deltora from him. Lief entered the cone in the center of the desert to retrieve the gem while Barda and Jasmine calmed the hive by using smoke, managing to retrieve both the lapis lazuli and Jasmine's dagger.

Gellick

Gellick is an overgrown toad who the Shadow Lord placed upon the task of guarding the emerald that was embedded on his forehead. Offering protection to them from the Shadow Lord, unaware of the toad's relation to him, the Dread Gnomes become Gellick's slaves and caretakers, tending to his every need and feeding him flies in return for a bit of the venomous slime he excretes which they use in their poisonous arrows. However, the Dread Gnomes unknowingly bring the rest of the slime to the foot of Dread Mountain once a month for the Grey Guards to collect and use to make their blisters. After receiving safe passage to the treasure cave where Gellick dwelled, Lief and his group attempted to kill the monster using the blister they found, only to learn of Gellick's relation to the Shadow Lord as the toad can not be effected by his own poison. Though Gellick's hide is too tough for their weapons to pierce through, Lief still had some water from the Dreaming Spring and tossed some down the throat of the toad. Because he was an evil creature, Gellick suffers the spring water's enchantment and turns into a tree.

The Glus

A giant white-skinned slug-like sea worm with blue glowing stripes, 8 eyes and 28 teeth, its name being an anagram of "slug"; It is also known as The Beast or Deathspinner, the former as it is the monster dwelling within the cavern known as the Maze of the Beast and thus guardian of the amethyst. Though not in relation to the Shadow Lord or any of his creations, Glus is still a dangerous creature in its own right due to the strong glue-webbing it shoots from its mouth that hardens like cement within seconds. Though there are many ideas on the origins of Glus, the most well known is a Tenna birdsong tale of "Little Enna" that tells of the young girl who found a smooth stone that hatched a "sweet sea worm". But when ordered by her frighten mother to send the newborn creature back into the sea, Enna decided to run away and be with the worm as she is tripped by a wave of water and fell into a cavity which became the Maze of the Beast. Though years of being in the dark rendered it blind, Glus is attracted by any noise or movement within the maze it fashioned over the years with the remains of previous victims. Using the fine hairs on its underbelly to feel movement, but unable to move at fast speeds, Glus uses its glue-like substance to slow down its victim and devour him. In the anime, Glus was also shown to have rapid-healing abilities and its body is elastic, able to squeeze through tight crevices.

It is revealed that Ranesh encountered the Glus by a group of pirates that captured him and the crew of the ship that he was working on long before he met Josef. During this time, the pirates threw the ship's captain into the Maze of the Beast and Ranesh was lowered on a rope into the maze to see what kind of fate he suffered if he refused to cooperate with the pirates. Glus was shown capturing the captain in its tendrils but Ranesh was pulled out just before Glus came upon the doomed captain. The only victim in the series is Milne, a pirate that was betrayed by his fellow pirates. Lief, Barda and Jasmine also were forced to encounter this monster when they were thrown into the Maze of the Beast by the pirates and to find the amethyst. Fortunately they were able to figure out Glus' blindness and evaded it by walking slowly through the maze. Furthermore, Lief realizes the monster seeing the preservation of its lair is more important than food, carving out a fissure in the side of a wall that lead outside that forced Glus to ignore Barda and Jasmine as it quickly closes the hole instead of chasing after its prey. In the anime, after being tricked into causing an cave-in by Lief so he can get the amethyst, Glus focused its attention on stopping the cave-in as Lief and company escape through the fissure, with the monster apparently crushed under the falling debris.

Fardeep

Of the Mere tribe, with a love for games and riddles, Fardeep was the original owner of Champion Inn until the Shadow Lord took Rithmere over and forced the man out of his life of luxury. By the time he arrives to a patch of land to find peace, the Shadow Lord seeped into the man's mind a chance to regain his fortune. This surrender to his desires results in Fardeep becoming the Guardian of the diamond, the four greatest vices within him manifesting as demons attached to him through cords of flesh: "Pride", "Envy", "Greed", and "Hate". Though each is named after a sin, one of each demon pair acts out the sin of its counterpart. Soon after, Fardeep begins to give those who seek the diamond a chance to win it in a game of choice. Usually, those who fail become ghosts and are forced to become his "disciples", thus giving his realm the name Valley of the Lost. Among his disciples are the people of Tora as a result of them breaking their vow of coming to the Deltoran royal family's aid. One of his most sinister riddles is to guess the "name" the Shadow Lord gave him to open the way to the diamond or the door leading to a casket of gold: Endon. As seen in Doom's case, this ploy was intended to render the seeker of the diamond too disillusioned with the Deltoran Royal Family to the point of ignoring their reward and lose all faith in Deltora's king.

It is also revealed that Ranesh had also encountered the Guardian before he met Josef. Ranesh told Josef that Fardeep had challenged him to win a casket of gold, however Ranesh did not want to risk his freedom, feeling it was more valuable than mere money. The Guardian allowed him to leave and said that it was not a big loss since he would be gaining many more disciples soon (which probably meant he knew that Tora's people would all become his disciples). When Lief, Barda and Jasmine challenged the Guardian to the game that gave them the opportunity to win the diamond, he promised that he would allow the group to take possession of whatever item was contained inside a golden casket within a glass room and the casket was where the diamond of the Belt of Deltora was contained. To gain entry, they had to figure out the Guardian's name. The Guardian's name was also the password that the group needed to open the door get inside the chamber where the gold casket was stored in. The Guardian only gave a small sample of clues (though in reality giving them hints the whole time they were talking, the player just needed to pay attention) that would lead them to the clues they needed to find were inside the Guardian's palace and that the riddle they needed to help them find out his name was hidden but also so out in the open that it was right in front of their noses. As it turned out the riddle was in the mirror in the chamber, when they looked inside they found this riddle: "My secret name awaits within. My first the first of Pride's great sin. My second and my last begin, The sum of errors in the twin. My third begins a sparkle of bright-The treasure pure? The point of light? My fourth, the sum of happiness, For those who try my name to guess." Through subtle hints, group discovered that Greed was the monster of hatred, Envy was the monster of pride, Hate is the monster of greed and that Pride was the monster of "E"nvy and so they found out that the first letter of the guardian's name was the letter "E". The other clues the group found were around the palace. Lief figured out that the fourth letter was the letter "O" since the sum of the happiness that was brought to everyone who tried to guess his name was "0". Also, Barda figured out that third letter of the name was the letter "D" after they group found a window with designs of stars and diamonds on it. Because of his former life as a palace guard and how he worked doing formations in the palace in the olden days he was able to figure out the pattern of the shapes on the window and that the last shape to be filled in (and the clue they needed) was a "D"iamond. To find out the last two letters the group found two portraits of a hermit and although they appeared identical, they had several differences. When the group counted out the number of differences they found "N"ine differences in the two and so they found out that the second and last letters were the letter "N". When Lief, Barda and Jasmine completed the task, they found out that the Guardian's name and password was "ENDON" (At first thinking it EEDOE, but Leif saw the ninth difference just before he spoke the name). Though falling for Fardeep's deception, Lief discovers that the diamond within the casket is not the real diamond when they return to claim it since the Belt of Deltora did not react to it, the real diamond had been stolen by Neridah. Furthermore, when the Guardian tries to take the Belt of Deltora for himself, the lapis lazuli negates the magic that allowed him to control his pets as they began to attack their former master until Lief saved him by severing the cords that connected the demons to the Guardian causing them to wither and die. After this, the Guardian told Lief where to find Neridah and the real diamond and fainted. When Lief reclaimed the real diamond, the Valley of the Lost and everyone within it became purified because they had been forgiven for their betrayal, the "disciples" became alive again and the Fardeep returns to his original form, revealing the nature of his role as Guardian. He is a useful aid in Return to Del, being that he is a pure-blood Meresman and therefore a descendant of the original Deltorans.

The Guardians of the Four Sisters

Just as the gems of Deltora had Guardians in Deltora Quest, the Four Sisters each had a guardian to defend them. Doran was made into such a guardian against his will. These guardians included:

Rolf the Capricon

A Capricon and servant of the Shadow Lord, Rolf is the Guardian of the East who is first encountered in the Os-Mine Hills. In series three, he is captured by Granous and saved by Lief and his companions. He takes the form of the ruby dragon and destroys the companions' escort. He tries to destroy the companions when they reach Dragon's Nest, but is defeated by the true ruby dragon, Joyeu. Rolf is most likely king of Capra as he claimed he was "heir to the lordship of Capra". His riddle protecting him is Strangers do not pass this way, all are doomed who disobey. Turn your faces to the west, death awaits in Dragons Nest.

Kirsten of Shadowgate

A woman that Lief, Barda, and Jasmine discover in a castle in the mountains. She was Mariette's sister and Bede's girlfriend until Bede fell in love with Mariette and chose her sister over her. This made Kirsten bitter with resentment and so she allied herself to the Shadow Lord for vengeance. The Shadow Lord gave Kirsten evil magical powers and thus she became the Masked One, now a sorceress with the appearance of a black-cloaked figure with a green mask and pale hands that could kill others just by touching them. She used her power to enslave Bede and imprison Mariette in her locket. She also had the power to conjure phantoms of herself in Deltora, a technique she used to try and kill her enemies. In return she was given the task of guarding the Sister of the North. When Lief, Barda and Jasmine went to her castle, they at first thought that she is under Bede's power, however Bede was able to clue them in with his song, using the words: "Kirsten is evil. I am her prisoner. Help me!". Kirsten almost killed Barda and Jasmine when she caused the walls of her castle to swallow them. However, as Lief jumped into the snake pit that the Sister of the North was contained, the snakes in the pit latched onto her and bit her, killing her with their venom. The snakes in the pit kept away from Lief, because he had the ruby, which goes against snake venom. The riddle protecting her is Do not enter this domain, flee this realm of fear and pain. Death and terror both await, those who enter Shadowgate.

Doran the Dragonlover

Also known as "Dragonfriend" by the dragons, Doran is said to be Deltora's greatest explorer and was a kind and noble man. He developed everlasting friendships with Deltora's dragons and even explored Deltora's underworld and befriended the Pirran people that had sheltered themselves there. When the Ak-Baba killed nearly all of the dragons of Deltora, Doran went to each of the remaining dragons and had them swear an oath to go into a deep hibernation until the King of Deltora came and awakened the dragons using the Belt of Deltora. He also made them promise not to take advantage of the other dragons' hibernation, and not to invade their territories. After the dragons went into hibernation, Doran found out that the dragons were an obstacle to the Shadow Lord's plan to plant the Four Sisters throughout Deltora and by having the dragons go into hibernation, Doran had removed this obstacle once and for all. Doran then drew a map to where the Four Sisters were located and asked the map to be delivered to the king, but the people of Deltora thought he was mad, and his map was torn into four pieces, each piece marked with the Shadow Lord's brand. Doran then went into the wilderness to find another way to get rid of the Sisters and was never seen again. It was revealed later on that the Shadow Lord had captured Doran and as punishment for resisting him, Doran was forced to become the immortal vessel of the Sister of the West (having the Sister contained inside his own body) and thus he was unwillingly forced to become the guardian of the Sister of the West. He became situated in the Kobb's lair on the Isle of the Dead. Lief and his group managed to finally meet him and Doran was saddened to discover that the diamond dragon was dead, but was overcome with joy when he found out her daughter still lived. Sadly, Veritas was forced to destroy Doran by stealing his breath in order to destroy the Sister of the West that he guarded, but knowing that the diamond dragon species still lived and that there was still hope for Deltora, Doran died a peaceful death as he disintegrated into dust.

Paff

When Ranesh left to Tora, this young girl took his place as assistant librarian to Josef. But it is revealed she is a servant of The Shadow Lord and guardian of The Sister of the South. While Lief, Barda and Jasmine went in search of the hibernating dragons and the Four Sisters, Paff secretly slipped poison in Josef's food and drink, causing his health to deteriorate and become delusional, causing him to think that Doom did not trust him. Not only that, but she conjured the Black Mist, a bizarre monster made from darkness and had the heads of an eagle and a wild dog. Lief and Doom figure out her who she really was nearly at the end of the final book in the third series. Doom intended to kill her to put her out of her misery, but Lief wanted her alive for questioning. Out of her grief, Paff grabbed the Belt of Deltora and the belt's holy magic destroyed her. Paff apparently suffered from an inferiority complex; believing that no one truly loved her, she become a bitter misanthrope and eventually the Shadow Lord's servant.

The Black Mist

The Black Mist is a monster that was conjured and controlled by Paff. It was a monster formed from darkness itself and was filled with hatred, spreading hate throughout Del. As its name implies, the Black Mist takes on the form of dark colored smoke or mist that easily slips through cracks in doors and walls, its physical form is a mass of black slime and tentacles with the head of a wild dog and an eagle. Its tentacles were as sharp as the blade of a sword and poisonous to touch. It was one of Lief's most challenging opponents, it took the combined might of Fidelis (the topaz dragon), Nevets and Lief and his friends to completely destroy it.

Grey Tide

The final opponent for the protagonists of Deltora. The Grey Tide is a massive, growing creature made of a gray, poisonous slime that lived in the center of The City of the Rats. It is the enemy's secret weapon. It is awoken when all four Sisters are destroyed, to grow until its poison sweeps over Deltora. The idea supposedly originated in a Tenna Birdsong Tale, in which the singing of four sisters kept a monster imprisoned, until a sorcerer killed them. This sorcerer clearly is the Shadow Lord, whom it amused to watch his enemy re-enact the story and in the act annihilate his country. The Shadow Lord's plan was simple; if the Four Sisters remained, Deltora would starve. If they were destroyed, the chemical substance would spread all the way across Deltora, smothering the land and killing every living thing (making it checkmate). The only weapon against it was dragon fire. Therefore, Lief summoned Veritas, Hopian, Forta, Fortuna, Fidelis, Honora, and Joyeu to burn it away. The Ak-Baba were sent to defend the Grey Tide, but they were defeated by the dragons and their bodies became consumed by the Grey Tide as well. Before it could grow too large, the dragons managed to burn the Grey Tide, causing it to wither and die.

The Four Sisters

The four sisters are creatures that lived on an island west of Deltora's coast and had voices as sweet, as their hearts were pure. Their names were Flora, Viva, Aqua and Terra and had lived on the island for so long, they had forgotten the number of years. A sorcerer (confirmed to be the Shadow Lord in Tales of Deltora) came sailing from far away, looking for lands to conquer, heard their songs and despised them because he hated all things beautiful and good. So he seized and imprisoned them on the corners of the island but still they sang together, so now he was maddened by rage and went to all corners and struck each sister, one by one. After Terra's voice ceased, the sorcerer not realizing what he had done, for in the center of the island slept a vile and hideous creature that had slept on soothed by the sister's singing, when the singing stopped, then it awoke enraged and lay waste to the island, fouling the stream and crushing the smaller beasts and cracking the very rock upon which the island rested causing the island to sink beneath the waves, but the sorcerer escaped to conquer new lands. The Four Sisters are first mentioned through the Shadow Lord's crystal when it showed Lief, Barda, Jasmine and Doom a recording of a Chief Advisor called Drumm, speaking to the Shadow Lord. The Sisters were placed in different locations and were guarded. The first Sister to be killed was the Sister of the East in Dragon's Nest by the ruby dragon, Joyeu, the second was the Sister of the North in Shadowgate by the emerald dragon, Honora, the third was the Sister of the West in Isle of the Dead by the amethyst dragon, Veritas and the final one was the Sister of the South in Del which was attacked by the topaz dragon, Fidelis, Steven and Nevets. The Sister of the East is described to be a glowing, pulsating red egg that was poisonous, flaring yellow and so bright it seemed to hurt eyes. The Sister of the North is described to be a snake with no eyes, tongue and fangs, and was also pale and bloated, and striped with thin lines of poisonous yellow, it dwelled in the Masked One's snake pit. The Sister of the West was described as a rippling, jelly-like thing, creamy white and veined with pink and grey and dwelled inside the body of Doran. The Sister of the South was described as a corrupt version of the seven great talismans in the Belt of Deltora, it was the same size and shape but gray in color and it inspired feelings of greed and sorrow in people nearby, including Lief himself though he was able to resist it. The Sister of the South was placed inside the church at the castle at Del, further feeding the feelings of grief for visitors mourning the deaths of their loved ones.

External links

• American Deltora website
• Australian Deltora Quest website
• Emily Rodda's official website
• Deltora Quest anime website (Japanese)

The Deltora series by Emily Rodda Deltora Quest 1 (Deltora Quest) The Forests of Silence (2000) The Lake of Tears (2001) City of the Rats (2001) The Shifting Sands (2001) Dread Mountain (2001) The Maze of the Beast (2001) The Valley of the Lost (2002) Return to Del (2002) Deltora Quest 2 (Deltora Shadowlands) Cavern of the Fear (2002) The Isle of Illusion (2002) The Shadowlands (2002) Deltora Quest 3 (Dragons of Deltora) Dragon's Nest (2004) Shadowgate (2004) Isle of the Dead (2004) The Sister of the South (2004) Other books The Deltora Book of Monsters Tales of Deltora Secrets of Deltora How to Draw Deltora Monsters How to Draw Deltora Dragons and Other Creatures The Authorised Ultimate Deltora Quiz Book Adaptations Deltora Quest (2007-2008) Deltora Quest: The Seven Jewels