Disclaimer: I don't own the realm of the Four Lands or Allanon that credit
goes to Terry Brooks who is a genius. Some of the characters are mine
though, like Chanda. Others are my creation but have last names of already
existing family names.
The Druids Daughter
In a corner of the Four Lands where few from any of the races are willing to go, is an ancient cave magically guarded since a time long gone. Long ago there lived powerful fairy creatures who possessed powerful magic and used it to control the Four Lands. As happens sometimes to those who have too much power, it corrupts them. Thus was the case with the fairy creatures. A few of them were corrupted by the magic they wielded, and sought to destroy all that they had helped to create. Those creatures still using the magic for good, attempted to stop those using it for evil, and as is usually the case when two forces clash, a large war was waged and many on both sides were slain. Large amounts of magic was unleashed and finally the creatures of evil were all destroyed except for their leader who was so corrupted by the power that he could not die for he had discovered a way in which to cheat death. So in a last effort to keep this corrupt spirit from the Four Lands, they pooled their magic and created a magical cave to hold this spirit in for all time. They sealed the entrance to the cave with four magical seals, one for each side of the cave entrance. They knew however that if anyone ever removed one of the seals, the spirit inside would be released and then the Four Lands would be at risk for being totally annihilated. Due to the large amounts of magic that had been unleashed during the war, from the strain of using magic to lock the evil one away, the spirit creatures of good all died except for a couple. Those living hid, and as their era passed they gave way for the races of the Four Lands to grow on their own.
The day was ending in brilliant colors when the roaming Elf Ranger Jadin came upon a cave deep in an unexplored region of the Four Lands. The first thing he noticed was the four seals, one on each side of the cave entrance. Upon looking closer, he noticed that they were ancient and seemed out of place, since as far as was known to the races of the Four Lands, this region was uninhabited and there was no natural resources such as gold and things of value to be found. The Druids of Paranor were gone from the Four Lands for a hundred and fifty years now since Allanon was the last, and as far as anyone knew there wasn't a Druid alive anywhere, so they were little help in identifying the seals. Jadin decided to take the seals back to the Elvin Council and see what they could make of them.
As he broke the first seal out of its mold, there was a rumbling deep within the cave, and in that moment Jadin knew that he had made a terrible error in removing the seal, for he realized its purpose which had eluded him was to keep something evil in, and then he saw it.
The spirit had eyes, yet almost no form, its normal body long ago decayed and only this remained. The evil and powerful magic that permeated the area was now astounding. Jadin heard a voice in his head rather than with his ears.
" Puny mortal bow before me, and I may let you live. " the spirit said.
" Who are you?" asked Jadin.
" Many names have I gone by but for now I will be known as Gillgore the Destroyer, and soon all will know my name and fear it, now bow to me.
Jadin raised to bow before no one other than his king, Jadin drew his short sword and prepared to attack the creature he had released to the world again.
" Pathetic mortal you seek to attack the likes of me with mere weapons. I like your spirit, you shall be my avatar as I enforce my will on the races of the Four Lands.
With that Jadin felt his soul start to break free and slip away with incredible pain. He dropped his sword and clutched his chest as he stumbled towards the cave against his will. He was dead when he landed just inside the entrance to the cave.
Gillgore let himself slide into the body and took control of it. Destroying the cave before he left, Gillgore moved away towards the Northland where there were races and creatures that could be easily made to do his will as his strength slowly returned.
In another corner of the Four Lands in a place again long forgotten by the races was part of the key to possibly defeating Gillgore. In a deep Druid sleep was a female Druid, that none knew about. Her name Chanda, and she was daughter of Allanon the last of the Druids of his time. No one knew of her for none had seen her. She had been trained in secret and in truth was more powerful than Allanon had been. When last they had talked she had been told that she would awake when the Four Lands needed the power of the Druids the most. She was aware when Gillgore was released for she watched it in a dream. Her eyes opened and she knew that her time to help had come, and that she must seek her father out for the knowledge that he had that eluded the living.
Chapter 2
Trolls, goblins, minor demons, and strange creatures spawned by dark magic gathered in a massive force to form an army under the command of Gillgore the Destroyer. The army was camped deep in the Northland where none of the races from the other lands would come. They were on the verge of attacking the other lands, starting with the Elves. All they were waiting for was Gillgore's command.
Deep in the dark caverns in a place as ancient as Gillgore was, were two voices conversing. One belonged to Gillgore, and the other belonged to a man cloaked in robes, which hid his features in shadows.
" Night-walker are you ready for your task?" Gillgore asked.
"Yes master I but await your command and it shall be done." He replied
" I want you to take a small number of your very best people, and kidnap the Children of Shannara. With them out of the way the threat to our mission will be eliminated, and none shall oppose us."
" Yes master is shall be done, how many of them are there."
" Four one in each area of the Four Lands, and yes there is one in the Northland though we don't know exactly who or where they are yet."
" We will find them master."
" Good let it be done, now go.
With that Night-walker disappeared into the shadows from which he seemed to have been born. Deep in the shadows listening to all that had been said was Chanda, cloaked in powerful magic. Now more than ever, she needed to meet with her father. Rising quietly, she moved stealthy through the tunnels and into the night. She was gone before anyone knew she had been there.
Moving rapidly Chanda traveled quickly, her destination after all was three days away. Her father Allanon would be able to give her help. Like all Druids she gave information only when she felt it was time, and never more than she felt was needed.
The day wore on and Chanda made very good speed, and her journey was unhindered since no one yet knew that she existed. She journeyed south all day and as dusk approached she decided to stop for the night. She was half way to Paranor, and from there it would be another days travel to reach the Hadeshorn.
Morning shone brightly in the sky, but by that time Chanda had already been up for quite a while and was making good speed. By the end of the night she estimated that she would reach Paranor and stay there before heading out the next day. The day wore on with a slow speed, but as night started to creep into the sky Paranor came into view, but not in the sense that the untrained eye could see. Paranor was gone from the lands as far as everyone knew for Allanon had done that, but it was still there in a sort of dimensional place that only Druid Magic or the Black Elfstone could penetrate. Chanda walked carefully past the age old traps that had been set to protect the place, and entered the sacred Druids Keep, once a place for the wise to study, but no more. As Chanda slept that night she dreamed of Druids past and of times when the lands were free from the Federation, which was gaining tremendous influence in the Four Lands.
Chanda awoke early that morning and began her final days travel to the Hadeshorn to meet with her father and see what he had to say. The day passed quietly for her presence in the Four Lands was still not known to the enemy or anyone else. By night she reached the Valley of Shale, which encircled the Hadeshorn. She set camp and rested for she would need her strength when she went to the Hadeshorn in the morning.
Chanda approached the waters of the Hadeshorn and raised her hands, and stood there waiting. She didn't have to wait long for the waters of the Hadeshorn began to boil as if they were being heated by some fire. The wails of the dead that its waters held grew loud and Chanda wanted to scream, but she stood fast. A single cloaked figure rose out of the water and approached Chanda; she knew in an instant that it was the shade of Allanon.
When he spoke it was a dry voice as if someone was speaking with sand in their mouth. Watch he said.
Pictures started to flow through her mind. She saw a large plain that she recognized to be part of the Westland near the Elven city of Arborlon. There was the massive army that she had seen in the Northland and it was attacking the Elves, who were fighting as hard as they could but who just could not withstand the attack.
Chanda tried to pull away from the horrible scene.
Watch he commanded
The picture changed and Chanda saw that the Elves had been wiped out and that Gillgore and his army were destroying the Westland. The picture changed again and she saw that the whole of the Four Lands had fallen under the rule of Gillgore's army. The people of the Four Lands were no match for the size of his army, nor the ancient powerful magic he wielded.
Chanda thought that the vision was over and again tried to pull away.
Watch he commanded again
Chanda saw the Picture change again and this time she saw the four Children of Shannara, the only hope for the Four Lands. She saw them on a quest for a very ancient and powerful Elven Staff created by the Elves when they were still Faerie creatures of great magic. The Staff's exact location couldn't be recognized and not even Allanon had been to the place the pictures shown.
Chanda realized that it was this staff that would stop Gillgore and his army and imprison him again for all eternity. It would take the strength of all four of the Children of Shannara to achieve this task and save the Four Lands.
The pictures ended and Allanon's shade started to slip back into the dark waters from which he had came. Chanda was exhausted from the contact and barely made it back to camp before she passed out from exhaustion. When she awoke a whole day had gone by and she got up and ate something. She was tired still but she knew what she must do, which was find The Children of Shannara.
The Druids Daughter
In a corner of the Four Lands where few from any of the races are willing to go, is an ancient cave magically guarded since a time long gone. Long ago there lived powerful fairy creatures who possessed powerful magic and used it to control the Four Lands. As happens sometimes to those who have too much power, it corrupts them. Thus was the case with the fairy creatures. A few of them were corrupted by the magic they wielded, and sought to destroy all that they had helped to create. Those creatures still using the magic for good, attempted to stop those using it for evil, and as is usually the case when two forces clash, a large war was waged and many on both sides were slain. Large amounts of magic was unleashed and finally the creatures of evil were all destroyed except for their leader who was so corrupted by the power that he could not die for he had discovered a way in which to cheat death. So in a last effort to keep this corrupt spirit from the Four Lands, they pooled their magic and created a magical cave to hold this spirit in for all time. They sealed the entrance to the cave with four magical seals, one for each side of the cave entrance. They knew however that if anyone ever removed one of the seals, the spirit inside would be released and then the Four Lands would be at risk for being totally annihilated. Due to the large amounts of magic that had been unleashed during the war, from the strain of using magic to lock the evil one away, the spirit creatures of good all died except for a couple. Those living hid, and as their era passed they gave way for the races of the Four Lands to grow on their own.
The day was ending in brilliant colors when the roaming Elf Ranger Jadin came upon a cave deep in an unexplored region of the Four Lands. The first thing he noticed was the four seals, one on each side of the cave entrance. Upon looking closer, he noticed that they were ancient and seemed out of place, since as far as was known to the races of the Four Lands, this region was uninhabited and there was no natural resources such as gold and things of value to be found. The Druids of Paranor were gone from the Four Lands for a hundred and fifty years now since Allanon was the last, and as far as anyone knew there wasn't a Druid alive anywhere, so they were little help in identifying the seals. Jadin decided to take the seals back to the Elvin Council and see what they could make of them.
As he broke the first seal out of its mold, there was a rumbling deep within the cave, and in that moment Jadin knew that he had made a terrible error in removing the seal, for he realized its purpose which had eluded him was to keep something evil in, and then he saw it.
The spirit had eyes, yet almost no form, its normal body long ago decayed and only this remained. The evil and powerful magic that permeated the area was now astounding. Jadin heard a voice in his head rather than with his ears.
" Puny mortal bow before me, and I may let you live. " the spirit said.
" Who are you?" asked Jadin.
" Many names have I gone by but for now I will be known as Gillgore the Destroyer, and soon all will know my name and fear it, now bow to me.
Jadin raised to bow before no one other than his king, Jadin drew his short sword and prepared to attack the creature he had released to the world again.
" Pathetic mortal you seek to attack the likes of me with mere weapons. I like your spirit, you shall be my avatar as I enforce my will on the races of the Four Lands.
With that Jadin felt his soul start to break free and slip away with incredible pain. He dropped his sword and clutched his chest as he stumbled towards the cave against his will. He was dead when he landed just inside the entrance to the cave.
Gillgore let himself slide into the body and took control of it. Destroying the cave before he left, Gillgore moved away towards the Northland where there were races and creatures that could be easily made to do his will as his strength slowly returned.
In another corner of the Four Lands in a place again long forgotten by the races was part of the key to possibly defeating Gillgore. In a deep Druid sleep was a female Druid, that none knew about. Her name Chanda, and she was daughter of Allanon the last of the Druids of his time. No one knew of her for none had seen her. She had been trained in secret and in truth was more powerful than Allanon had been. When last they had talked she had been told that she would awake when the Four Lands needed the power of the Druids the most. She was aware when Gillgore was released for she watched it in a dream. Her eyes opened and she knew that her time to help had come, and that she must seek her father out for the knowledge that he had that eluded the living.
Chapter 2
Trolls, goblins, minor demons, and strange creatures spawned by dark magic gathered in a massive force to form an army under the command of Gillgore the Destroyer. The army was camped deep in the Northland where none of the races from the other lands would come. They were on the verge of attacking the other lands, starting with the Elves. All they were waiting for was Gillgore's command.
Deep in the dark caverns in a place as ancient as Gillgore was, were two voices conversing. One belonged to Gillgore, and the other belonged to a man cloaked in robes, which hid his features in shadows.
" Night-walker are you ready for your task?" Gillgore asked.
"Yes master I but await your command and it shall be done." He replied
" I want you to take a small number of your very best people, and kidnap the Children of Shannara. With them out of the way the threat to our mission will be eliminated, and none shall oppose us."
" Yes master is shall be done, how many of them are there."
" Four one in each area of the Four Lands, and yes there is one in the Northland though we don't know exactly who or where they are yet."
" We will find them master."
" Good let it be done, now go.
With that Night-walker disappeared into the shadows from which he seemed to have been born. Deep in the shadows listening to all that had been said was Chanda, cloaked in powerful magic. Now more than ever, she needed to meet with her father. Rising quietly, she moved stealthy through the tunnels and into the night. She was gone before anyone knew she had been there.
Moving rapidly Chanda traveled quickly, her destination after all was three days away. Her father Allanon would be able to give her help. Like all Druids she gave information only when she felt it was time, and never more than she felt was needed.
The day wore on and Chanda made very good speed, and her journey was unhindered since no one yet knew that she existed. She journeyed south all day and as dusk approached she decided to stop for the night. She was half way to Paranor, and from there it would be another days travel to reach the Hadeshorn.
Morning shone brightly in the sky, but by that time Chanda had already been up for quite a while and was making good speed. By the end of the night she estimated that she would reach Paranor and stay there before heading out the next day. The day wore on with a slow speed, but as night started to creep into the sky Paranor came into view, but not in the sense that the untrained eye could see. Paranor was gone from the lands as far as everyone knew for Allanon had done that, but it was still there in a sort of dimensional place that only Druid Magic or the Black Elfstone could penetrate. Chanda walked carefully past the age old traps that had been set to protect the place, and entered the sacred Druids Keep, once a place for the wise to study, but no more. As Chanda slept that night she dreamed of Druids past and of times when the lands were free from the Federation, which was gaining tremendous influence in the Four Lands.
Chanda awoke early that morning and began her final days travel to the Hadeshorn to meet with her father and see what he had to say. The day passed quietly for her presence in the Four Lands was still not known to the enemy or anyone else. By night she reached the Valley of Shale, which encircled the Hadeshorn. She set camp and rested for she would need her strength when she went to the Hadeshorn in the morning.
Chanda approached the waters of the Hadeshorn and raised her hands, and stood there waiting. She didn't have to wait long for the waters of the Hadeshorn began to boil as if they were being heated by some fire. The wails of the dead that its waters held grew loud and Chanda wanted to scream, but she stood fast. A single cloaked figure rose out of the water and approached Chanda; she knew in an instant that it was the shade of Allanon.
When he spoke it was a dry voice as if someone was speaking with sand in their mouth. Watch he said.
Pictures started to flow through her mind. She saw a large plain that she recognized to be part of the Westland near the Elven city of Arborlon. There was the massive army that she had seen in the Northland and it was attacking the Elves, who were fighting as hard as they could but who just could not withstand the attack.
Chanda tried to pull away from the horrible scene.
Watch he commanded
The picture changed and Chanda saw that the Elves had been wiped out and that Gillgore and his army were destroying the Westland. The picture changed again and she saw that the whole of the Four Lands had fallen under the rule of Gillgore's army. The people of the Four Lands were no match for the size of his army, nor the ancient powerful magic he wielded.
Chanda thought that the vision was over and again tried to pull away.
Watch he commanded again
Chanda saw the Picture change again and this time she saw the four Children of Shannara, the only hope for the Four Lands. She saw them on a quest for a very ancient and powerful Elven Staff created by the Elves when they were still Faerie creatures of great magic. The Staff's exact location couldn't be recognized and not even Allanon had been to the place the pictures shown.
Chanda realized that it was this staff that would stop Gillgore and his army and imprison him again for all eternity. It would take the strength of all four of the Children of Shannara to achieve this task and save the Four Lands.
The pictures ended and Allanon's shade started to slip back into the dark waters from which he had came. Chanda was exhausted from the contact and barely made it back to camp before she passed out from exhaustion. When she awoke a whole day had gone by and she got up and ate something. She was tired still but she knew what she must do, which was find The Children of Shannara.